Collatio supradictorum.
Three Modes of Dividing Theory
Theoretical study is divided in three parallel ways: into theology, mathematics, and physics; into the intellectible, intelligible, and natural; and into the divinal, doctrinal, and philological.
Theoretical study is divided into theology, mathematics, and physics. Or, alternatively, theoretical study is divided into the intellectible, the intelligible, and the natural.1 Or, alternatively, theoretical study is divided into the divinal, the doctrinal, and philology.2
Reconciling the Three Divisions
The three divisions are unified by identifying theology with the intellectible and divinal, mathematics with the intelligible and doctrinal, and physics with philology and the natural.
So theology is the same as the intellectible and the divinal; mathematics is the same as the intelligible and the doctrinal; and physics is the same as philology and the natural.3
Pallas as a Figure of Wisdom
The threefold structure of theoretical study is mystically signified by the name of Pallas, called Tritona as a third cognition of God, souls, and bodies.
There are those who think these three parts of theoretical study are signified mystically by a certain name of Pallas—who is fashioned as the goddess of wisdom. For she is called Tritona, as if 'tritoona,' that is, a third cognition: namely, of God, which we have named 'intellectible,' and of souls, which we have called 'intelligible,' and of bodies, which we have termed 'natural.'4
Why Only Theory Is Called Wisdom
Although ethics, mechanics, and logic could be called wisdom, they are more properly termed prudence or knowledge, while theoretical study alone bears the name of wisdom because it contemplates the truth of things.
And wisdom rightly takes its name from these three alone, because, although we could fittingly refer the three remaining studies—that is, ethics, mechanics, and logic—to wisdom, we more expressly call logic 'prudence' or 'knowledge' on account of eloquence of speech, and mechanics and ethics 'prudence' or 'knowledge' on account of circumspection of manners and of works.5 But theoretical study alone we call 'wisdom,' on account of the contemplation of the truth of things.
Read the original Latin
Theorica dividitur in theologiam, mathematicam, et physicam. vel aliter, theorica dividitur in intellectibilem, intelligibilem, et naturalem. vel aliter, theorica dividitur in divinalem, in doctrinalem, et philologiam. eadem est igitur theologia, intellectibilis et divinalis, eadem est mathematica, intelligibilus et doctrinalis, eademque physica, philologia, et naturalis. sunt qui has tres theoricae partes mystice quodam Palladis nomine, quae dea sapientiae fingitur esse, significari putant. dicitur enim Tritona, quasi tritoona, id est, tertia cognitio, videlicet Dei, quam intellectibilem nominavimus, et animarum, quam intelligibilem diximus, et corporum, quam naturalem appellavimus. et merito ab his tribus tantum sapientia vocabulum sumit, quia, licet tres reliquas, id est, ethicam, mechanicam, logicam, congrue ad sapientiam referre possimus, expressius tamen logicam, propter vocis eloquentiam, mechanicam et ethicam, propter circumspectionem morum et operum, prudentiam sive scientiam appellamus. solam autem theoricam, propter speculationem veritatis rerum, sapientiam nominamus.
Notes
- 1 ↩Intellectibilis and intelligibilis are technical philosophical terms in this context, distinguishing different modes or objects of cognition; they are rendered here as 'intellectible' and 'intelligible' to preserve the distinction.
- 2 ↩Divinalis and doctrinalis are technical terms here, roughly 'pertaining to divine matters' and 'pertaining to teachable doctrine'; rendered as 'divinal' and 'doctrinal' to preserve the distinction.
- 3 ↩Intelligibilus is treated as a variant spelling of intelligibilis; rendered as 'intelligible' to match the parallel term in sentence 2.
- 4 ↩The etymological explanation (Tritona / tritoona / tertia cognitio) is a medieval folk etymology; rendered as given.
- 5 ↩Prudentia sive scientiam is rendered 'prudence or knowledge' to preserve the author's distinction between practical and theoretical senses.
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