NOCTUA

La tradizione filosofica dall’antico al moderno

History of Philosophy from the Ancient to the Modern Age

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Autore / Author: Roberto Limonta

Affiliazione / Author affiliation: Università di Bologna

Titolo / Title: Undoing the Past. Necessitas per accidens e logica temporale nel De divina omnipotentia

Abstract: Peter Damian’s letter 119 De divina omnipotentia is characterized by two main issues: the dilemma about the God’s capacity to restore virginity to a woman and the question about the possibility of undoing the past. Despite the interweaving between these topics, they have to be distinguished in several respects. Aim of the paper will be, firstly, to isolate the two questions, starting with their textual loci; secondly, to focus on the dilemma about the divine capacity to undoing the past, showing that the key of Peter Damian’s argument is the concept of eternity as an epistemic principle, that allows him to define the omnipotence, in the case of the action on temporal necessity, as a sort of second level property of God; finally, to compare the Damian’s solution with some contemporary theories, developed during the debate on omnipotence in the second half of the 20^th century, in order to find continuity and discontinuity factors that can help to better understand the coherence and effectiveness of medieval and contemporary arguments.

Keywords: Peter Damian; omnipotence; divine power; necessitas per accidens; eternity.

English title: Undoing the Past. Necessitas per accidens and Temporal Logic in the De divina omnipotentia

DOI: 10.14640/NoctuaVIII5

Anno / Volume: VIII

Fascicolo / Issue: 1-2

Pagine / Pages: 138-175

Pubblicazione / Publication date: 01/12/2021

Permalink: https://dx.doi.org/10.14640/NoctuaVIII5

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ISSN 2284-1180