«Nulla succurri providentia potest». Le critiche di Eloisa al concetto di provvidenza divina nella lettera IV dell’Epistolario con Abelardo

Nulla succurri providentia potest. ‘Eloise’s critique of the concept of divine providence in Letter iv of the Epistolary to Abelard

In the conclusion of the Historia calamitatum mearum, Abelard asserts that every human misfortune is part of a divine design whose end is good. This observation lends itself well to the consolatory nature of the epistle, addressed to an anonymous friend to find solace for his misfortunes. Upon coming into possession of the letter, Heloise reproaches Abelard for never having addressed such consolation to her. Between them, an intense confrontation opens up during which Heloise repeatedly denies the concept of providence upheld by Abelard in the Historia calamitatum. The paper aims to retrace this unusual criticism through five courageous considerations of Heloise present in letter IV: a) God’s design is unjust because it brought misfortune when the relationship with Abelard had been made chaste through marriage, showing that, if evil can be resolved into good, even good can lead to evil; b) the memory of love for Abelard preserves in her soul a peccandi voluntas contrary to the design of God; c) God is cruel because he initially punished only Abelard; d) she has no merit with God because, enduring her misfortunes, she intends to please Abelard rather than the Lord, bending to the will of the former and not the latter.

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