Il concetto di pulchrum in Giovanni di Salisbury

The essay concerns the question of the possibility of mystical thought in the reflection of John of Salisbury and that of what is the relationship with his theory of knowledge. The pulchrum represents one of the themes through which one can approach this issue, because proves problematic the relationship between human being and God, immanent and transcendent, on multiple levels of John’s thought. Into his general sceptical attitude, the pulchrum is articulated in some dimensions of the musical harmony, both cosmic and human, such as proportio or venustas. In addition, it is understood as measure, number and weight with which God creates and that are signs of his ineffability in a Dionysian meaning. The concept of beauty is also related to the relationship between form and content concerning both rhetoric and poetry. Finally, it concerns the proportional order that regulates not only the cosmos, but also the res publica, in the moments in which the aspects of Dionysian derivation mainly emerge.