ANDREA DI MAIO, Representations of Nature according to Saint Bonaventure

SUMMARY

Assuming a previous lexicographic study on the concept of Nature in Bonaventure, this paper intends to focus on three kinds of “representations of Nature”: firstly, how bodily nature is represented within the mind through human perception; secondly, how it can represent even divine nature; finally, how some natural things can become sacraments, producing a supernatural effect. In particular, the main metaphors utilized by Bonaventure to indicate the World as a whole (the book, the mirror, the ladder, the song…, as well as the map, the astrolabe, the anatomy…) are all analyzed and explained, so to show the real meaning of the World itself.