Review article

Aelred of Rievaulx on spiritual friendship

Ivica Raguž orcid.org/0000-0002-0083-0325 ; Catholic Faculty of Theology in Đakovo, University of Osijek

Abstract

The article presents one of the most important philosophical-
theological works on friendship “De spirituali amicitia”,
which was written by a medieval Cistercian Aelred of Rievaulx.
The first part of the article briefly speaks about Aelred’s life and
his work “Speculum caritatis”, which is important for a better
understanding of the work ”De spirituali amicitia”. The second,
central part of the article analyses Aelred’s thoughts on friendship,
and all that in three fragments that follow the composition
of the work itself. The first one considers the nature, the second
the purpose, and the third certain difficulties and important pieces
of advice for the realization of true friendship. In the end,
in conclusion, two basic aims of this article are summarized: to
actualise the importance of friendship where it has been totally
neglected and to point to true friendship where it has been reduced
to a friendship only out of self-interest.

Keywords

Aelred of Rievaulx; friendship; friend; love; affection; reason

Hrčak ID:

91434

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/91434

Publication date:

15.9.2008.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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