Illuminazione intellettuale ed élenchos in San Bonaventura

The aim of this article is to study the Bonaventure's theory of illumination, limited to the natural cognition, and its relation with aristotelian élenchos. The metaphorical language used to described human soul as an image of God can be philosophically explained if we consider what the human soul and the Word of God have in common. The infinite capacity of the human soul and the capability to grasp some immutable and indisputable truths are signs of the permanent relation between God and the rational creature. In particular, as teached by Aristotele's Metaphysics, there are some truths which are so evident that their negation entails their affirmation. In this case, human certitude and eternal truth have a 'common place' where they are able to communicate very tightly, so that to deny these truths would mean to lose the rational capability and the characteristic of being imago Dei.