From the Middle Ages Back to Antiquity: The Reception of the Idea of Dynamic Unity in the Gospel of John as Entanglement of Intellectual Traditions

Abstract

Abstract This article studies Albert the Great’s conception of reciprocal interiority in the exposition of John 14:10: “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works” (Bible quotes from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)). Firstly, the article explores how Albert the Great understands reciprocal interiority as an element of the debate concerning the equality of the Father and of the Son, who, although identical in nature, are different according to the relation, like the one who begets and the one who is begotten. Secondly, it emphasizes the metaphysical solution that Albert borrows from Greek-Arabic neoplatonism, especially from the Liber de causis, so as to refute an objection based on Aristotle’s conception of place. This cultural transfer brings to light how Albert the Great’s Super Iohannem is an innovative melting pot in which Albert imports a new framework from profane sciences, with which to interpret the Gospel of John.