Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.52685/pihfb.50.1(99).7
Stojković’s Thanksgiving to Dubrovnik and His Praise of Wisdom. On the 600th Anniversary of the Autograph Erit tibi gloria (1424)
Demian Papo
; Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University in Osijek, Croatia
Abstract
Precisely six centuries after its creation, the Latin autograph known by the opening words Erit tibi gloria, which was written in 1424 by the Dubrovnik Dominican Ivan Stojković (ca. 1390/1395–1443) for the purposes of a public address to his fellow citizens in order to thank them for the financial help for his studies in Padua and Paris, has been brought to light. In this issue of the journal Prilozi za istraživanje hrvatske filozofske baštine, a complete, linguistically refined and equipped with critical apparatus transcription of that autograph, as well as its translation into Croatian, is published for the first time. Therefore, the prerequisites for analyzing its content and for evaluating extant findings have been established.
From the content of the autograph comes data that refutes previous findings provided by theologians, church historians and philosophers. Namely, the autograph indicates that Stojković’s stay in Dubrovnik lasted several months, and was not, as has been claimed thus far, very short. Stojković stayed there from early spring to late autumn of 1424. In addition, he addressed his fellow citizens on the feast of Luke the Evangelist on Wednesday, October 18, 1424, and not, as we have learned thus far, on Sunday, October 1. Although so far it has generally been classified as a speech, a theological speech or a sermon by genre, the structure and content of Stojković’s autograph indicate that it is actually a transitional form of sermon typical for the beginning of the 15th century, in which the characteristics of a medieval thematic sermon and that of an ancient epideictic or panegyric oratory are simultaneously present.
So far, the following claims about Stojković’s sermon have prevailed: 1) In it, he initiated the establishment of a studium generale in Dubrovnik, which would be the first such institution in Croatia (Šanjek); 2) It is a milestone of the Croatian philosophical tradition (Martinović); 3) It has marked the beginning of Renaissance in Croatia (Martinović). But these claims have turned out to be completely wrong.
However, Stojković’s sermon holds a significant place in the Croatian philo¬sophical heritage, since it is completely imbued with philosophical content. This is reflected in Stojković’s addressing two central topics of the sermon: thanksgiving (gratiarum actio) and praise of wisdom (laudes sapientie). The first topic is related to receiving and giving benefits (benefitium), as well as to liberality (liberalitas) and gratitude (gratitudo), which stem from receiving and giving benefits, while the second topic concerned wisdom (sapientia). When dealing with these topics, Stojković’s knowledge of philosophical teachings is noticeable, but also his preference for certain philosophers, especially Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Cicero and Seneca.
Keywords
Ivan Stojković / Iohannes Stoyci de Ragusio / John of Ragusa; Erit tibi gloria; benefits; liberality; gratitude; wisdom; Croatian philosophical heritage
Hrčak ID:
318164
URI
Publication date:
18.6.2024.
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