Interpretations of love in the treatise of Marguerite Porete «The mirror of simple souls» and in scholasticism of Thomas Aquinas

The article concentrates on the comparative study of the notions of love represented by two medieval authors Marguerite Porete and Thomas Aquinas. Marguerite's unique and refreshing interpretation of God-human relationship in her treatise «The Mirror of Simple Souls» gives us a new insight to the medieval understanding of the nature of love, while Thomas Aquinas represents in his scholastic works a perfect illustration to the natural philosophy of love based on Aristotle's psychology. Analyzing different kinds and levels of love in the works of both thinkers, the author of this article intends not only to highlight the similarities and differences between them, but also to reconstruct their philosophical background and argumentation.

love, Marguerite Porete, Thomas Aquinas, "The Mirror of Simple Souls", "Summa Theologica", "Commentary on The Sentences of Peter of Lombard"