Hermeneutics in St. Bonaventure. Breviloquium’s Prologue

Abstract

In this paper we will try to show the meaning of the expression, "hermeneutics in St. Bonaventure". The goal is not to make a hermeneutic reading of Bonaventurian thought but rather to inquire from the standpoint of intellectual history whether Bonaventure can be said to have developed a "hermeneutic theology" or, better yet, a "theological hermeneutic". To answer this question, we present a reading of Breviloquium's Prologue. Certainly it is the most important text to show us how Bonaventure used a hermeneutic approach to present theological science as method of understanding based in Holy Scripture.