Faith and Understanding: the Reforms of Nikolaus Cusanus

This paper explores the reform ideas of Nikolaus Cusanus, Bishop of Brixen, and Cardinal of St. Peter in Chains. It demonstrates the centrality of reform to the life of Cusanus, and traces the development of his reform ideas. To accomplish this, several of Cusanus\u27 works are utilized, including De concordantia catholica, De dicta ignorant, De quaerendo Deum, several of his sermons, as well as Reformatio genera/is, which contains his reform ideas in their most mature stage of development. The paper argues that Cusanus\u27 reform concept was formulated early, but was later influenced by the emergence of mystical and nominalistic forces