Secular wisdom and pagan culture in the dialogues of Gregorius Magnus
Keywords:
Secular Wisdom, Gregorius Magnus, Magic, Medicine, RhetoricAbstract
This work, analyzing the way of definition of the profane knowledge and the pagan culture in the Dialogues of Gregory the Great, proposes that Gregory have four manners to speak of this knowledge:
a) Connect the profane knowledge to the devil, as in the case of Basil the magician in the story of Egitius the monk; the story of the women possessed by the devil and exorcised by Fortunato and, finally, the conflicts between the devil and Benedict after the destruction of the Temple of Apollus in Montecassino.
b) Criticize the profane knowledge, considering this knowledge a sin. We found this situation in the story of the abandonment of the studies of St. Benedict, in the praises of the simple and ingnorant monks and finally the critiquess to the interpretation of dreams.
c) Incorporate the profane knowledge as background or content in the stories. We see this in the case of the medical vocabulary.
d) Connect the profane knowledge to positive situations, For example, using medical instruments as symbol of the divine word, or in the story of Paulinus of Nola in Africa.
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