«Philosophi (…) vanis adversus Christum vociferantur obloquiis». Ruolo delle arti liberali e strategie argomentative nelle epistolae (1052-1062) di Pier Damiani

Against the misleading image of Pier Damiani (1007-1072) as an obscurantist and as an adversary of ‘philosophy’, an analysis of the letters from his maturity (volume II of the Reindel edition, 1052-1062) shows his extensive logico-rhetorical skills, particularly in the field of the ‘topica’. A perfect example of his multiform competences in politic, law, and liberal arts is the ‘Disceptatio synodalis’ (1062). This text, written against the antipope Cadalous, stages an imaginary debate between two advocates (of the Roman Church and of the German Empire) about the modalities of the papal election.