Philosopher · Medieval
Bl. Ramon Llull
c. 1232–1316 · Lullism (Ars Magna)
Cult confirmed by Leo X and Pius IX; some propositions attributed to him were censured by Gregory XI (1376) and Eymerich, later judged to rest on forgeries and misreadings.
Majorcan courtier, convert, hermit, missionary to the Muslims and lay Franciscan, Llull invented the Ars Magna, a combinatorial method meant to demonstrate the articles of faith to unbelievers from the divine attributes (dignities). He wrote some 260 works in Catalan, Latin and Arabic, including the novel Blanquerna and The Book of the Lover and the Beloved, and urged the Council of Vienne to found schools of oriental languages.
Why he matters: He is the patron of apologetics to Islam and of the conviction that reason, rightly ordered, can lead unbelievers to the threshold of faith; his combinatorial Art anticipated Leibniz.
Where to be careful
His claim that the mysteries of faith can be proved by “necessary reasons” goes beyond what the Church teaches (Dei Filius: mysteries remain above reason); the Church has judged his person, not every proposition, worthy of honor.
Reading
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The Book of the Lover and the BelovedRamon Llull · 366 short mystical aphorisms; the easiest way in.
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The Book of the Gentile and the Three Wise MenRamon Llull · Jew, Christian and Muslim reason together; in Selected Works (Bonner).
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Doctor Illuminatus: A Ramon Llull Readered. Anthony Bonner · The best introduction with texts.
Documented positions
Where this thinker stands on each dispute the test covers.