Intelligenze, angeli e demoni nel libro I della Catena aurea entium

The Catena aurea entium, composed by the Dominican Henry of Herford (ca. 1300–1370) around the mid-14th century, is a ten-book encyclopedia in question-and-answer format. Being a compilation, this work quotes, abbreviates, and paraphrases passages from a wide range of philosophical, theological, and scientific works; however, despite its compilatory nature, the Catena aurea entium proves to be original in terms of the themes covered, the sources quoted, the way these sources are rewritten, and the way crucial auctoritates on specific issues are omitted. The section on angelology, placed at the beginning of the second ansa (part) of Book 1 (I, 2, questions 1-28), allows us to gauge the value of Henry's encyclopedia. When read against the backdrop of the late-medieval debates on angels, this part of the Catena aurea entium gives us an insight into Henry's ability to put forward his own views through an intelligent use of sources. While his reliance on Thomas Aquinas' angelology and his interest in the relationship between angels and superior intelligences – an issue much debated in 14th-century Germany as part of Albert the Great's cultural legacy – are not surprising, the predominance of the questions devoted to demons is noteworthy. Criticism of middle-Platonic demonology and a taste for erotic and love anecdotes and exempla concerning demons are part of this context. The boundary between demons and pagan deities is often blurred and, in some cases, tends to vanish altogether (e.g., suffice to mention the Venus of question I,2.27, but many further examples could be adduced). Augustine's attacks on pagan polytheism (De civitate Dei), dismissing pagan gods as demonic entities, supports Henry's interpretive move. However, it is primarily the concept of “ens divinum” that leads Henry to devote much space to the world of demons. According to this conception, the “ens divinum” is not limited only to God (the uncreated divine being), but also encompasses the deities of the pagans and a number of diverse semidivine and supernatural entities, including the monsters attested in classical literature and medieval mythographies (Harpies, Lamiae, Furies, etc.), ghosts, souls of the dead, prodigies, and the numerous "children" of the Night, the mother of monsters and visions.