the symbolic nature of the water element is the focus of this paper, which identifies primarily the philosophical roots of the metaphorical use of water in Plotinus and in the exegetical reflections of Gregory of nyssa. these theoretical connections are developed during renaissance in the practical adoption of the fountain as an urban element but also as a focal point of the private garden, in a conscious combination of allegory of redemption and power with aesthetic experience and refreshment of the senses. the image of the πηγή, the source, is semantically and symbolically connected to the fountain as the culmination of the relationship between natural element and artifice. a set of texts related to the image of the source will be identified in Plotinus, who uses it to illustrate the flow of reality from the one, which remains in itself. after Plotinus, the peculiar exegesis of the waters of the first chapter of the Book of Genesis by one of the cappadocian fathers, Gregory of nyssa, stands out for its philosophical autonomy and for the manner in which a distinctly Platonic interpretation is proposed for a scriptural passage. in late antiquity, therefore, a specific connection between water and the intelligible world can be observed, so that, within the many forms that the symbolism of water assumes, that of the hyperuranium level appears to be a privileged one for the neoplatonic reflection, which ended up influencing the symbolic adoption of water within european culture.

immagini e metafore dell’acqua nel discorso filosofico

Daniele Iozzia
2019-01-01

Abstract

the symbolic nature of the water element is the focus of this paper, which identifies primarily the philosophical roots of the metaphorical use of water in Plotinus and in the exegetical reflections of Gregory of nyssa. these theoretical connections are developed during renaissance in the practical adoption of the fountain as an urban element but also as a focal point of the private garden, in a conscious combination of allegory of redemption and power with aesthetic experience and refreshment of the senses. the image of the πηγή, the source, is semantically and symbolically connected to the fountain as the culmination of the relationship between natural element and artifice. a set of texts related to the image of the source will be identified in Plotinus, who uses it to illustrate the flow of reality from the one, which remains in itself. after Plotinus, the peculiar exegesis of the waters of the first chapter of the Book of Genesis by one of the cappadocian fathers, Gregory of nyssa, stands out for its philosophical autonomy and for the manner in which a distinctly Platonic interpretation is proposed for a scriptural passage. in late antiquity, therefore, a specific connection between water and the intelligible world can be observed, so that, within the many forms that the symbolism of water assumes, that of the hyperuranium level appears to be a privileged one for the neoplatonic reflection, which ended up influencing the symbolic adoption of water within european culture.
2019
8893412829
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11769/375309
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