Recognition and Religion A Historical and Systematic Study

connected with his real self. However, the way to one’s own inner
self goes through loving another person. The social bond thus
enables the inward journey. In terms of the present study, Ficino
connects the medieval feudal thinking, expressed as bridal mysti-
cism, with the ancient ideas of inner self that needs to be known.
We can summarize Ficino’s view in terms of Table 4.2.^59 According
to this table, the‘less beautiful’lover B receives the visual image of
A as a sort of gift transfer. As this visual image also manifests B’s own
archetypal inner self, hidden under his imperfection, B in a sense
receives himself in this gift transfer (cf. section 4.3 and below).
Therefore, the gift received enables B to connect with his own inner
image or archetype. This connecting is the event ofse recognosco, self-
recognition. Through a comparison of the images, B can also see his
beloved A as even more beautiful than A actually is. This is because the
archetype discovered can now illuminate the external manifestations.
While Luther and Calvin are different from Ficino in terms
of content, all three defend the social and relational constitution of
personhood and teach an inner personal attachment that takes place
in true faith rather than love. For Luther, the inner attachment is
expressed through the words‘for me’: in faith, a person realizes how
religion concerns him personally.^60 While this insight is not
expressed in terms of self-recognition, it nevertheless depicts a per-
son’s new relationship to himself. For Calvin, the relational structure

Table 4.2.Self-recognition in Ficino

Step 1: finding one’s own inner image through seeing the beloved

lover B A’s visual image beloved A

(self-recognition)

B’s inner image

Step 2: idealizing the beloved

B’s inner image = A’s visual image ideal beloved A

(^59) Cf. section 2.5, in which the letters A and B are employed in the analysis ofDe
amoreVI, 6. I have employed a somewhat different table in Saarinen 2014.
(^60) Cf. section 2.6. Luther,Defide, WA 39/1, 45–6.
Recognition in Religion 235