Folia Theologica 16. (2005)

Pál Bolberitz: The Beginnings of Hungarian Philosphy (The Reception of Nicholas of Cusa in the work of "De homine" by Peter Monedulatus Csokas Laskoi)

THE BEGINNINGS OF HUNGARIAN PHILOSOPHY

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even from there to the earth."(Translated by the author)57 After it he quotes Cusanus from Book ill of “Liber Exercitationum" to enlight and underline the aforesaid: "God has created human being so as to be elevated towards Him: every living beings and creatures are directed to human being and accomplish their ownexistence in human being, only in man is completed the evoluting process of living creatures. In opposition to it human being finds its remedy and will have achived its ultimate end in the tranquility of Sabbath. Sabbath seems to incorporate light and brightness, which derives not from human being's createdness, but from the Creator Himself, who has blessed the seventh day. So human beiiig's peace can be origiiaated only from the non-created light, and there is xao other blessed light for him, except that of Sabbath." (Translated by the author.)58 Laskoi in his masterwork - as it is seen in the coiatext of the text - quotes Cusaiuts, because he agrees with him. Several tiines in the end of a chapter - after referring to other authors - he citâtes Cusanus, as if letting him to decide the question. Hereby - in accordance with Cusanus and emphasyzing the "greatness of human being" in the title of his masterwork - he declares, that though world, as the creature of God, is admirably wonderful, nevertheless the most admirable is human being, because - in opposition to the subordinated creatures, which after having attained their own evolution level, calm down, irtait is able to accomplish himself only in God. This is the Sabbath of God, the celebration of Him. Only man is able to celebrate.

Summarising the aforementioned, 1 wanted to verify in my study that Hungarian philosophy would not be ashamed at all. We

57 LASCOVIUS, „De homine”, Lib. II. cap. I. p. 434. „Caeterorum enini animantium ora deorsum flexit, quapropter ad terram prona sunt, hominem contra erexit, ut coelum suspectaret, cum sit non terrestris Planta sed coelestis.”

58 LASCOVIUS, „De homine”, Lib. II. cap. 4. p. 435. „Cusanus lib. 3. Exercitationum: Hominem sursum creavit Deus ad se: Omnia enim animalia, et omnia creata in homine quasi in fine quiescunt, homo autem non nisi in die septimo seu Sabbato quiescit. Sabbatum autem est lux, quae non legitur creata, sed Deus benedixit diei septimo, unde solum in hac luce increata quae Sabbatum autem est lux, quae non legitur creata, sed Deus benedixit diei septimo, unde solum in hac luce increata, quae Sabbatum dicitur est quies hominis et non est hominis lux lux benedicta nisi in Sabbato.”