Viator 44 No. 2 (2013) 311–322. 10.1484/J.VIATOR.1.103350 ORGANIC METAPHORS IN “DE CONCORDANTIA CATHOLICA” OF NICHOLAS OF CUSA Marica Costigliolo * Abstract: This article highlights the organic metaphors in “De concordantia catholica” of Nicholas of Cusa. Using these metaphors, he describes the functions of power, as well as the relations between pope and em- peror and the relations between king and emperor; furthermore he wants to illustrate the crucial role of the concepts of “hierarchy” and “unity” inside the Church. In “De concordantia catholica” are found important examples of the transposition of the metaphor of corpus mysticum from the Church to the empire. Indeed, according to the theory of Ernst Kantorowicz, this metaphor expresses a deeply rooted vision of political theology and the passage from the ecclesiastical world to secular world. Keywords: metaphor, Nicholas of Cusa, conciliarism, corpus mysticum, imperial-papal relations, history of medicine, hierarchy, unity of church, conflict, temporal and spiritual power. INTRODUCTION The Council of Basel (1431–1438) is considered the highest expression of conciliar- ism. It represents the beginning of the modern era in relations between temporal and spiritual power. 1 The conciliarism of Basel is founded on the interpretation of the de- cree “Haec Sancta,” formulated in 1417 at Constance, 2 which affirmed that the Coun- cil should convene periodically and proclaimed the superiority of the Council over the pope in case of schism or heresy. The Council of Basel took the decree of Constance to the extreme by establishing the perpetual superiority of the Council. Basel further- more elaborated some fundamental principles in the ecclesiological and canonical fields: the infallibility of the Council, the full powers of the conciliar assembly in ec- clesiastical legislation, and the designation of the Council as the supreme court of the Church. 3 In this way, the idea of an absolute sovereignty over the entire community of the Church was affirmed. The idea of community in the medieval mentality is related to the problem of the corporate principle, which posits universitas as the whole power- ful Church guiding every single member. The community, according to this principle, is organically organized and is governed by law. Nicholas of Cusa wrote the treatise “De concordantia catholica” during the Council of Basel (1433) 4 with the aim of illustrating some ideas and proposals for reconstruct- ing the lost harmony within the Church, 5 “de illa profunda divina ecclesiae armonia.” 6 To achieve this aim, Nicholas divides his works into three books, in which he first analyzes the historical context, then elaborates some possible solutions. The concept * University of Genoa, DISPO, Piazza della Nunziata, 16122, Genova, Italy. 1 See Hubert Jedin, John Dolan, A History of the Council of Trent (London 1957–1961) 21. 2 See Philip Stump, The Reforms of the Council of Constance 1414–1418 (Leiden 1994). M. Decaluwé, “Three ways to read the Constance decree Haec sancta (1415): Francis Zabarella, Jean Gerson and the traditional papal view of general councils,” in Gerald Christianson, Thomas M. Izbicki, Chistopher M. Bellitto, The Church, The Councils, and Reform: The Legacy of the Fifteenth Century (Washington, DC 2008). 3 Antony Black, Council and Commune. The Conciliar movement and the Fifteenth Century Heritage (London 1979) 113. 4 Giuseppe Alberigo, Chiesa conciliare, Identità e significato del conciliarismo (Brescia 1981) 31. 5 De concordantia catholica I; IV, 1–6. Nicolai de Cusa, De concordantia catholica, ed. Gerhard Kallen, vols. XIV-1, XIV-2, XIV-3, XIV-4 (Hamburg 1964–1968), Nicolai de Cusa, Opera omnia, Iussu et Aucto- ritate Academiae Litterarum Heidelbergensis (Heidelberg 1927–). 6 De concordantia catholica I, 20.