Oration "Non est apud me dubium" of Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Aspach 1445). Edited and translated by Michael von Cotta-Schönberg. 8tth version. (Orations of Enea Silvio Piccolomini / Pope Pius II; 6)
Résumé
In 1445, Enea Silvio Piccolomini was appointed parish priest of the Marienkirche in the parish of Aspach, in the diocese of Passau. The oration “Non est apud me dubium” is written as if it was his first sermon to his parishioners. It may, however, never actually have been held, quite possibly because of lack of time. The main theme is twofold: how to ensure a happy life on Earth and how to gain eternal life in Heaven. The choice of subject is indicative of the new, positive humanist focus on earthly life in contrast to medieval concepts of earthly life as a valley of tears and of flight from the world (fuga mundi) to the sphere of the divine. In his prescriptions for a happy life on Earth, Piccolomini relies heavily on classical Stoic concepts of eliminating those emotions that disturb the soul. The way to Heaven, as described by Piccolomini, goes through fulfilling one’s obligations towards one’s superiors, equals and inferiors in the great social order of the world, and also towards one self. His notions of obligation and his many concrete pieces of advice to his parishioners derive to a large extent from classical authors, and especially from Cicero, but he also draws heavily on both the Old and the New testament and the Church Fathers.
Mots clés
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