DIMITRIE CANTEMIR. DESPRE TIMP, DURATĂ ŞI ETERNITATE (I)
Dimitrie Cantemir. On time, duration and eternity (I)

Summary/Abstract: I have in mind the pages written by Cantemir in Sacro-sanctae scientiae indepingibilis imago (1700), the fourth book, in reference mainly to time, duration and eternity. Some of the ideas and discussions there are undoubtedly of Patristic inspiration. There are also certain new representations, specific to the European savant environment of the 17th century. Cantemir spoke firstly of the need to relate the temporal to the eternal, which is previous from a metaphysical and theological point of view. Thus, time is to be seen “in the mirror of divine eternity”. In its turn, time represents the mirror (speculum) in which the created become distinguishable in their path. In that mirror man “simultaneously” sees the past, the present and the future, which enables him to delimit them and to relate them to one another. The temporal participate to universal time and universal time confers itself to them according to their measure. From all that, present day man may keep in mind that the image of finite time, scattered or senseless, unrestful as such, may nevertheless have a trustworthy alternative.

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