Elements of late stoic philosophy in György Rajcsányi’s spiritual work Laurus tuta

Bíró, Csilla (2014) Elements of late stoic philosophy in György Rajcsányi’s spiritual work Laurus tuta. Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 54 (2-3). pp. 309-318. ISSN 0044-5975

Text 068.2014.54.2-3.18.pdf Restricted to Repository staff only until 30 June 2034. Download (174kB)

Abstract

The spiritual work of György Rajcsányi (1670–1734), the Jesuit teacher and moral philosopher of the Jesuit College of Nagyszombat (today Trnava, Slovakia), the Laurus tuta a fulmine seu consignatio sui in providentiam Dei, ex principiis philosophiae sanctioris potissimum desumpta (Nagyszombat 1707 and 1765) pertains to baroque Neostoic philosophy. The beginning of the eighteenth century, the so called “Indian Summer of Hungarian Stoicism” is defined by the publication of several stoical-minded works by a small group of Jesuits (János Rajcsányi, Gábor Kapi, Gergely Berzeviczi, Gergely Hidi, György Rajcsányi) acting in collaboration with the University of Nagyszombat. György Rajcsányi professedly follows the philosophical writing of Seneca, he even refers to the first chapter of the De providentia where it talks about the natural phenomena created by God. He also cites another work of Seneca, the De vita beata, and the command found in this work, namely Deum sequere!, appears several times throughout the dissertation. The other stoic source he uses is the Handbook of Epictetus that he cites several times, too. Among the sources of the Laurus tuta there is the spiritual work of the Jesuit Alphons Antonio de Sarasa (1618–1667), working in Antwerp and Brussels. His writing, the Ars semper gaudendi, was highly popular and has been published several times, including one publication in Nagyszombat in 1676.

Actions (login required)

Edit Item