Friday, June 29, 2018

Savonarola: On Truth of Prophecy: ii, 10,12-17

Here are a few central bits of dialogue between Girolamo Savonarola and his imagined character Uriah, one of seven Holy Ghosts that Savonarola produced to dispute with in his De Veritate Prophetica Dyalogus. The lead up and the immediate contexts for these can be found here.

Uriah: ... if by some proof it were shown that the things you say have come from God, then no one should speak against them. But what is the harm in raising doubts?
Girolamo: I have asserted nothing contrary to natural reason, nothing contrary to sacred Scripture, nothing contrary to the holy Roman Church doctrine, ever: rather, all the things I have said are very much consonant with reason and with Scripture, and are both possible for God and very easily accomplished by Him. "Qui ergo pervicaci animo illis repugnat, cum nulla ratione nullaque auctoritate infringi possint, nonne stultitiam suam et infidelitatem ultro ostendit?" [ii, 10]

Or, Who then opposes these with an obstinate heart, those who are able to overcome them with neither reason nor authority, isn't he the one that shows his own foolishness and infidelity?
The character of Uriah responds, "Vere stultus est, qui sine ratione loquitur;" ... Truly the foolish is who without reason speaks. [ii,11] Footnotes here ask us to confer with Isaiah 32:6, and Proverbs 13: 16.

Just as heavy objects fall down [?!?] , Savonarola says, no one can deny the things revealed by God whether out of sheer stubbornness or otherwise, and still remain in the faith. They should likely instead incline toward those things revealed, over time, and certainly not keep dissenting out of stubbornness. Savonarola shows Uriah as convinced.

Uriah: Your reasoning is right on the mark. No one of sound mind can deny such revelations, which are, or can be, contrary neither to reason nor to the teaching of the Church, unless he has wandered utterly from the faithful. I do not see why anyone would speak against them, unless he deeply holds nothing to be faithful... if he had faith surely he should expect the occurrence of these things - which are more than possible by God - and not deny them. What else can it mean, then, when someone with an obstinate heart like this is unwilling to believe, except that he is insisting that these things are entirely impossible! And what is that but to deny the whole faith?
Savonarola is quick here to point out that these sick can be easily healed. [ii, 12] Of course he could then that winter, but would for not much longer. Does he agree, S. asks, that not any detail in the articles of faith is worth conceding? - Uriah agrees. - Every doubt? - Yes.

- In quo igitur lumine certus es? In solarisne globi, aut in naturalis rationis lumine confirmaris?
or, 'In which light are you certain? In the light of the sun, or in the light of natural reason are you confirmed? [ii, 13]
- Not either. says Uriah. - Then in which? asks Savonarola.
- By the light infused supernaturally. For things that are of faith aren't able to be seen by the body, nor by reason in the head.
-But how are you made certain by that light?

In the same way, Savonarola has his Uriah say, as that the spirit isn't deceived by colors in the sun's rays, or regarding natural light about first principles in natural reason, so too they believe in sacred scripture with the most constancy, as to not find in it anything to doubt or dissent by natural reason. [ii, 14]

- Where does this constant belief come from? Savonarola asks.
- By the nature of the faith's light.
- Can we know all the things in scripture?
- Sure, but only some can be known better than others.

Girolamo agrees with this and asks for examples. [ii,15]
In a longer sction [ii, 16] Uriah goes on and gives example. Savonarola returns to the idea that what is seen by this supernatural light of faith as compared with that of the mind of natural reason, is like the difference between seeing an image and seeing a shadow. [ii,17]

The conclusions of Savonarola's argument regarding light and faith and prophecy, for this interlocutor ,follow in sections 18-22. I would repeat them at length here as they have a fascinating combination of  both logic and swiftness of certainty that shows the friar very confident with his skills of persuasion. But interested readers should just go get the book.
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Savornarola, Girolamo: Apologetic Writings; ed. and trans. in english , by M. Michele Mulchahey, for The I Tatti Renaissance Library (ITRI); by The President and Fellows of Harvard College, USA 2015


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