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Sapientiam sine eloquentia prodesse non est dubium: the rapport of wisdom and eloquence in the work of Isidore of Seville
Abstract
The works of Isidore of Seville reveal several levels of knowledge. The fi rst and the highest is wisdom (sapientia), which according to Isidore, is knowledge of divine things. This wisdom will most definitely lead the initiate to salvation and the Kingdom of Heaven. But the specific quality of wisdom is interpreted by Isidore in diff erent ways according to his various works. In those works which possess an encyclopedic character («Etymologies» and the first book of «Differences»), wisdom involves an understanding of how the world and the whole of the cosmos are organised. A wise man is able to comprehend the causes of both the visible and the heavenly world. On the contrary, a person’s rationality (prudentia) is oriented towards worldly and secular things. It aims at distinguishing between good and evil and how best to arrange one’s own life and final destiny. Rationality is connected with knowledge (scientia), which is bookish learning, and which Isidore treats as a part of philosophy. At the same time, rationality and knowledge act as instruments for the gaining of wisdom (sapientia). Thus wisdom is linked also with the art of speaking well (eloquentia). In his works meant for a clerical readership, particularly the second book of the «Differences» and the «Sentences», wisdom is opposed to vain mundane knowledge. In these works Isidore affirms that mere eloquence is alien to wisdom and that true wisdom is to be cherished precisely because of its lack of pretention. In the context of these works, wisdom is geared only to the living of a devout life and towards the final aim of the salvation of one’s soul. The differences in the interpretation of the word sapientia can be easily explained by the differences in literary genre among the various works as well as by the readers for whom the various works were intended by the author.
Keywords
Isidore of Seville, «Etymologies», «Diff erences», «Sentences», wisdom, knowledge, eloquence, sapientia, prudentia, eloquentia
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