medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Dear Luciana,
I hate to disagree with you, especially without having any sources at hand,
but I strongly suggest not to associate the legal term "persona" with
notions of 'personality'. In legal terms, even a group of individuals can
be a "persona (iuridica)", and this concept too was adopted by the CIC.
Again in legal terms, there is no difference between a full-fledged and a
not so full-fledged persona: you are a persona, or you are not. There are
borderline cases such as demented persons, which is why you are right to
quote Boethius in this context, but there is really no banality in the
statmente or interpretation that "(only) by baptism, man (and even woman)
becomes a person within the church". Being or not a member of the church
has nothing to do with qualifying as a persona, but baptism has everything
to do with qualifying as a person "within the church".
Medieval authors were aware of the fact that "persona" is a term of the
stage (etymologically, "persona" was derived from "personare" as referring
to the actor's voice expressing itself through his mask). "Persona" is the
very well defined role one or a group can play within the given body of the
church or state, and is by consequence slightly at odds with notions of
personal history and individual temperament and character as implied by the
concept of 'personality'. You are a persona regardless of your personality,
but with regard only to most general characteristics such as age,
understanding, and free will.
It might be of interest to check studies of the history of the word. I can
refer to, but I myself have not read, the following:
ELSA"SSER Michael
Das Person-Versta"ndnis des Boethius. Diss. Wu"rzburg (Phil.
Fak., 1970), 1973, 107 pp.
RHEINFELDER Hans
Das Wort "persona". Geschichte seiner Bedeutungen mit be-
sonderer Beru"cksichtigung des franzo"sischen und italieni-
schen Mittelalters. 1928 (= Beihefte zur ZRPh, 77)
Also, I would still love to learn from Tom how canonists dealt with this
term :-)
Best regards,
Otfried
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