-Index-
Presentació. La Cultura en les tradicions mèdica, estètica, teològica, filosòfica, jurídica, literària, de gènere i artística, de l’Antiguitat al Barroc
Ricardo da COSTA
Original title: Presentació. La Cultura en les tradicions mèdica, estètica, teològica, filosòfica, jurídica, literària, de gènere i artística, de l’Antiguitat al Barroc
The medical art in “On Sight” (Περὶ ὄψιος) by Hippocrates (c. 460-370 BC): ethics, diagnosis, therapy and prognosis
Hélio ANGOTTI-NETO
Original title: A arte médica em “Sobre a Visão” (Περὶ ὄψιος), de Hipócrates (c. 460-370 a.C.): ética, diagnóstico, terapia e prognóstico
The Hippocratic text “On Sight” (Περὶ ὄψιος) is the oldest treatise on ophthalmological conditions in the history of medicine and addresses the medical art in its three basic acts (diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy), guided by the professional calling toward an ethics focused on the patient’s beneficence and non-maleficence, established principles of medical ethics. This work aims to present the original text translated into Portuguese with commentaries based on contemporary technical and scientific knowledge that can support the comprehension of this ancient text.
The dialectical disputes of the Spartan Helen in the tragedies of “The Trojan Women” by Euripides (c.480-406 BC) and “Troades” by Seneca (4 BC - 65 AD)
Anastasia Nancy TERZOPOULOU
Original title: Las disputas dialécticas de la espartana Helena en las tragedias de “Las Troyanas” de Eurípides (c.480-406 a.C.) y “Troades” de Séneca (4 a.C. - 65 d.C.)
The objective of this article is the analysis of the agón between Helen and Hecuba in “The Trojan Women“ (Τρωάδες) by the Athenian playwright Euripides, through which the intertextuality of the passage with the agón between the Spartan Helen and Hector's widow, Andromache, in Seneca's dramatic piece is indicated. Both playwrights managed to transmit through these dramatic works all the pain and horror that war causes to the vanquished, but also to the victors, since, practically, within a war conflict no one comes out completely unscathed both emotionally and physically.
The Beautiful, the Harmony and the Order: the Aesthetics of Saint Augustine (354-430)
Khae Lhucas Ferreira PEREIRA
Original title: O Belo, a Harmonia e a Ordem: a Estética de Santo Agostinho (354-430)
In Confessiones, Saint Augustine mentions his lost treatise De Pulchro et Apto. Throughout his life, the African philosopher did not write another specific essay on beauty, but in his immense collection of books he repeatedly addresses this theme. By gathering scattered literary fragments, this article proposes a possible approach to reconstruct the aesthetic concept of the Bishop of Hippo based on his understanding of Beauty, Harmony and Order as essential conditions of artistic ability.
Byzantine clothing: the sumptuous symbols portrayed in the exuberance of the costumes
Marizilda dos Santos MENEZES; Clara Damasceno ZANDONÁ
Original title: Indumentária bizantina: os símbolos suntuosos retratados na exuberância dos trajes
This research analyses, through the costumes of the Byzantine court and elite, the historical context in which they were inserted, as well as the political and religious influences on their creation. Thus, the investigation aims to identify what the symbols and signs that combined the styles of clothing worn during the Byzantine Empire were, how they were represented and what they had. To this end, the methods used to prepare this bibliographic research permeate a theoretical and descriptive approach of an exploratory nature, whose outline is broken down into a qualitative analysis of the data. In addition, theoretical bases of scholars of Byzantinism and fashion historians were researched and proven, in addition to photographs of accessories from the Byzantine period, purchased from the Victoria and Albert Museum. For the Byzantine Empire, the development of industries and their adornments were extremely important for the understanding of the structural elements that made up the determinations controlled by the dual government between the State and the Church.
Between Nature and Grace: Christian Corporeality in “The Book of Contemplation in God” (1271-1274) by Ramon Llull (1232-1315)
Ricardo da COSTA; Gabriel Tebaldi MEIRA
Original title: Entre a Natureza e a Graça: a corporeidade cristã no “Livro da Contemplação em Deus” (1271-1274) de Ramon Llull (1232-1315)
This article investigates the conception of Christian corporeality in Ramon Llull’s (1232-1315) “The Book of Contemplation in God” (1271-1274), examining how the author integrates the classical philosophical tradition – especially Plato, Aristotle and Plotinus – with Christian Theology and medieval Scholasticism. Drawing on the doctrine of human powers and the physical-spiritual structure of man, Llull presents the body as a reflection of the divine order, an instrument of the soul, and a means of moral asceticism. The study analyses the relationship between nature and grace in Llull’s thought, demonstrating that the body, far from being a mere receptacle of the soul, constitutes a space of revelation and communion with God. Through the harmonization of the four elements, the five senses, and the vegetative, sensitive, imaginative, rational, and motor powers, Llull proposes an integrated vision of human existence, in which bodily and spiritual life converge toward the contemplation and praise of the Creator.
Esse, Intelligere et Vivere in the thought of Meister Eckhart (1260-1328)
Matteo RASCHIETTI
Original title: Esse, Intelligere et Vivere no pensamento de Meister Eckhart (1260-1328)
This article examines the central role of the concepts esse, intelligere, and vivere in Meister Eckhart’s thought. Starting from his ontology of esse, which identifies God as being itself and the foundation of all things, the study explores how Eckhart articulates this perspective with the primacy of intelligere, understood as the divine intellect and the very ground of being. The analysis highlights his departure from Thomistic metaphysics and from the Exodus tradition, by affirming that God is not primarily ens but intellect and knowledge. Finally, the article addresses the notion of vivere as fullness of life, manifested in the union of the soul with the eternal Logos. Thus, it becomes evident that, for Eckhart, the human spiritual journey consists in transcending the realm of created being to partake in divine life, where intellect and the inner word become the place of God’s birth within the soul.
The legal-theological architecture of papal power in John of Paris (c.1270-1306)
Alexandre PIEREZAN
Original title: A arquitetura jurídico-teológica do poder papal em João Quidort (c. 1270-1306)
This study analyzes the juridical-theological architecture of papal power in Johannes Quidort (c. 1270-1306), particularly in his work De Regia Potestate et Papali. Set within the conflict between Boniface VIII and Philip the Fair, Quidort defends the distinction between temporal and spiritual powers, maintaining that both derive from the same principle but operate within autonomous spheres. His reflection, grounded in Thomas Aquinas, Aristotle, and the Corpus iuris civilis, seeks to limit papal authority over kingdoms, reaffirming royal sovereignty as a legitimate and juridical power oriented toward the common good. By appealing to the ius gentium, he proposes restraints on the arbitrariness of both prince and Church, anticipating modern debates on sovereignty and international law. His work stands as a landmark in understanding the medieval hierocratic model, rooted in local and juridical traditions.
The confluence of temporalities: Dante Alighieri’s “Commedia” (1321) and the Old Man of Crete
Daniel Lula COSTA
Original title: A confluência das temporalidades: a “Commedia” (1321) de Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) e o Velho de Creta
The objective of this article is to understand the temporalities emanating from Dante Alighieri’s “Commedia” and to illustrate this with a brief study of the Old Man of Crete, a hybrid being described in Canto XIV of the first part of the work, called Inferno. Dante, both a writer and a character in this work, journeys through the medieval afterlife as a living being, discovering its mysteries and deciphering its messages. Thus, I seek to understand mythical time and how it relates to an idea of cyclical time and the manifestation of a linear and teleological time elucidated by the strengthening of Christianity in the 14th century. I then relate these ideas to the presence of Dantean hybrid beings, paying special attention to the poetic creation of the Old Man of Crete, understanding him as a holder of a hybridity of temporalities. The study proposed here draws on Gumbrecht concepts of the presence of the past, Auerbach concepts of figuration, and Costa concepts of hybrid beings.
The spectral woman. The being of misogyny in the work “Virgeu de Consoloçon” (15th century)
Bruna Plath FURTADO
Original title: A mulher espectral. O ser da misoginia na obra “Virgeu de Consoloçon” (séc. XV)
Using as corpus the Portuguese work “Virgeu de Consolaçon” – an anonymous manuscript produced in the early fifteenth century – this study examines the emergence of a spectral mode of femininity. Drawing on the theoretical and methodological framework of discourse analysis, our aim is to understand how the objectification of women is configured in the discourse of the “Virgeu de Consolaçon”. When, as a form of aleturgy, the truth revealed in the text takes the sin of lust as its theme, it gives rise to a figure to be feared, one from which the monk must fully withdraw to escape the designs of this sin. It is through the way this figure is instituted in the “Virgeu de Consolaçon”, a figure to which medieval misogyny assigns a linguistic-enunciative form, and which ascetic-monastic discourse portrays as dangerous, that we refer to it as the spectral woman.
Medieval violence reflected in “Valencian Annals” (XV-XVIII centuries)
Francisco José CONEJERO I PASCUAL
Original title: Violència medieval reflectida en els “Annals valencians” (segles XV-XVIII)
This study examines episodes of violence recorded in the “Valencian Annals”, contributing to the historiography of the Kingdom of Valencia. The chronicle, authored anonymously, primarily reflects local events but also includes references of broader, even universal, scope. Among these accounts, various forms of violence emerge. By analysing four specific cases, the research highlights how violence was not only present but also institutionalized within medieval Valencian society.
The dark illuminated night of Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Waldir BARRETO
Original title: A tenebrosa noite iluminada de São João da Cruz (1542-1591)
Shortly before his arrest in Toledo, Juan de Yepes y Álvarez drew a small, crucified Christ while working in Ávila, where he was already known as Fray Juan de la Cruz, supposedly from the memory of an epiphanic vision. To this day, it is considered his only known creative legacy produced according to Fine Arts standards. Except for another lost drawing, merely illustrative and not very technical, whose allographic reproduction was incorporated into editions of his writings, after his imprisonment Juan dedicated himself exclusively to poetry and prose. The gaps in an oral and mysterious history, the exceptionality of collateral existence, but above all, the expressive power of high plastic quality of this single surviving autograph drawing, although preserved as a relic, has frequented the memory and specialized literature on art over the years, from historians and critics to artists such as Salvador Dalí and Bill Viola.
Onomastic and textual keys to “Criticón”, from Baltasar Gracián (1601-1658). A rereading of the work based on the “Manual Oracle” and “Art of Prudence”
Jesús Fernando CÁSEDA TERESA
Original title: Claves onomásticas y textuales del “Criticón” de Baltasar Gracián (1601-1658). Una relectura de la obra a partir del “Oráculo manual” y “Arte de prudencia”
This work studies three aspects of the “Criticón” that have been little analyzed but are fundamental for understanding the work. Firstly, the onomastics of its main characters, whose origin will provide many clues for its interpretation. Secondly, its tripartite compositional structure, which includes the “space of symbolization” and geography of the work and the study of time. And finally, the interpretation of the allegorical concepts based on the “Oráculo manual”, dictionary and “navigating needle” so as not to get lost in the Gratianesque universe, which provides the keys to understanding the meaning of terms such as “fame”, “criticism”, “truth” or “immortality” in the complex philosophical framework.
“Las Meninas” (1656) by Velázquez: from iconography to symbols. Different interpretations of a timeless work
Bárbara DANTAS
Original title: “Las Meninas” (1656) de Velázquez: da iconografia aos símbolos. Diferentes interpretações de uma obra atemporal
In the History of Art, there are iconic paintings, which make their creator a figure shrouded in an air of genius. This was the case with “Las Meninas”, painted by Velázquez, a work published in 1656. This article aims to show some ways of interpreting the forms, colours, technique, and symbols present in the painting by the Spanish artist who served King Philip IV as First Court Painter. Over the centuries, “Las Meninas” has maintained an aura of mystery, as well as seemingly endless studies. Velázquez’s masterpiece already attracted the attention of other painters, such as Palomino and Goya, in the 18th and 19th centuries. At the end of the 19th century, the impressionists used it as the basis for their new artistic approach. And in the 20th century, the greatest names in art of the time, Picasso and Salvador Dalí, focused on the 17th-century work and created their own versions of “Las Meninas”.
Canary Islands in Andean brushes: insular fantasies in the pictorial cycle of Saint Didacus of Alcalá, 1705-1715 (Colonial Museum of Santiago, Chile)
Antonio MARRERO ALBERTO
Original title: Canarias en pinceles andinos: fantasías insulares en el ciclo pictórico de San Diego de Alcalá, 1705-1715 (Museo Colonial de Santiago de Chile)
This research examines seven paintings from the Dieguine cycle preserved at the Colonial Museum of Santiago de Chile, attributed to the circle of the Nolasco and Lucas García (1705–1715). It focuses on the representation of the saint’s stay on the island of Fuerteventura, constructing a visual imaginary of the Canary Islands from the perspective of Andean viceregal workshops. Through iconographic and iconological analysis, the study reveals idealized landscapes, fictitious architectures, symbolic elements, and aboriginal figures reinterpreted according to European and American models. Rather than seeking ethnographic or geographic accuracy, these images contribute to the creation of an “insular fantasy” that redefines the Canary Islands as a strategic enclave between Europe and the Americas.
Echoes of “Perceval ou le Conte du Graal” (c. 1182-1190) by Chrétien de Troyes in the work of Rubén Darío (1867-1916)
Antonia Javiera CABRERA MUÑOZ
Original title: Ecos de “Perceval ou le Conte du Graal” (c. 1182-1190) de Chrétien de Troyes en la obra de Rubén Darío (1867-1916)
Throughout history, the myth of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table has been conceived as a model, an ideal of human action. They are the model of perfect conduct that transcends time: we first hear of this myth in Chrétien de Troyes, in the 12th century, in the unfinished work “Perceval ou le Conte du Graal” (c.1182-1190), translated into Spanish by Martín de Riquer as “Perceval o el Cuento del Grial” (1961). In Spanish-American literature, the Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío (1867-1916) published several works in which the medieval is present in poetry and prose, such as in the short story “A las orillas del Rhin”, published in serial form in the magazine “El Porvenir” de Nicaragua on 14 July 1885. In poetry, we have more references to medieval characters, such as “Percival and Lohengrin”. In Troyes’ version, Percival admits his mistakes and returns to complete his quest for the Holy Grail. In Darío, similarly, we have an erratic Percival, characterised as “el loco luminoso” (“the luminous madman”), which leads us to believe that there is a possible intertextual relationship between these works. We ask ourselves: what is the influence of this archetypal character in Darío’s poetry, which, like Troyes, portrays him as a buffoon or a clumsy character according to Mircea Eliade’s reading (1938), and which may have possible connections with the character of “Don Quixote”, the Knight of the Sad Countenance? The aim is to bring the myth closer to the literature of the two authors in question, based on the notion of myth as a human archetype.
The human being as a speaking being. Heidegger’s appropriation of Aristotle’s distinction on the fundamental modes of λόγον ἔχον (having language)
Bento Silva SANTOS
Original title: O ser humano como um ente que fala. A apropriação heideggeriana da distinção de Aristóteles sobre os modos fundamentais do λόγον ἔχον (ter a linguagem)
The article deals with Heidegger’s appropriation of Aristotle’s distinction of the fundamental modes of λόγον ἔχον (“having language”), as outlined by the Stagirite in Book VI, Chapter 2 of “Nicomachean Ethics”. In this sense, I emphasize, firstly, an aspect of the “scientific” part of the soul regarding the genesis of wisdom; secondly, I stress the importance of the distinction between wisdom and technique in relation to the growing epistemological autonomy of technique; thirdly, I comment on the difference in levels of understanding between experience and technique. Finally, I conclude with reflections on the increasingly autonomous character of saying within doing, based on a brief comparison of technique and science.
The Persistence of the Classical Ideal in the Portuense Works of Ángel Acosta Martín: Academicism and Tradition in 20th-Century Canarian Sculpture
Clementina CALERO RUIZ; Domingo SOLA ANTEQUERA
Original title: La pervivencia del ideal clásico en la obra portuense de Ángel Acosta Martín (1922-2015): academicismo y tradición en la imaginería canaria del siglo XX
Our article revolves around the image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the sculptor Ángel Acosta Martín. Based on the study of the statue, we have been able to confirm the decisive role that his academic training played in his search for inspiration. On one hand, his knowledge of classical Greek sculpture provided him with the models, on the other hand, the contemplation of works by 18th-century Canary Islands artists allowed him to demonstrate to what extent those “ancient” models could be brought up to date under a new appearance.
The Cemetery / El Cementiri, The Hours / Les Hores, & Mrs. Death, by Salvador Espriu (translated from the Catalan by Andrew Kaufman and Antonio Cortijo Ocaña). New York City: Rain Mountain Press, 2026
Luiz ASTORGA
Original title: The Cemetery / El Cementiri, The Hours / Les Hores, & Mrs. Death, by Salvador Espriu (translated from the Catalan by Andrew Kaufman and Antonio Cortijo Ocaña). New York City: Rain Mountain Press, 2026
