Colloquia Theologica Ottoniana

The concepts of old age formulated by Desiderius Erasmus and Gabriele Paleotti differ in many respects. The two authors created their works devoted to the concluding stages of the human life at different points in their own lives and in different periods of the Renaissance. One of the authors expressed his views in verse, and the other – in prose. More importantly, however, while referring to the same sources, the two writers guide the reader towards entirely different conclusions. Both Erasmus and Paleotti ground their reflections on the ancient views of old age. The extent to which the former assimilates and emphasises on them is such that he even becomes suspected of depression and a midlife crisis. It seems, however, that Erasmus aims at nothing else but helping his readers to re-immerse in the concepts of the ancient world, in consistency with the ideas of the Renaissance. Unlike Erasmus, whose work can be viewed as a kind of literary lament for the old age, Paleotti clearly aims at consolation. He also refers to the ideas of the ancient world and devotes nearly a third of his treaty to their presentation. Furthermore, the ways in which he organises (splits and generalises) his material reflect the prevailing views of the old age. Ultimately, however, Paleotti abandons the old theories and, in the part where he presents his own opinions, refers to scholastic philosophy. While references to the Bible and history of the Church essentially remain within the domain of illustrative examples, the entire work is created within the tradition of Christian thought, for the scholar’s intention was not to present an ideal of old age in general, but specifi cally in the context of Christian theology. The clear link between the content of the work and the views ofits author does not seem to surprise in case of Paleotti, who was a Catholic priest, deeply involved in Church reform. It may also be perceived as an indirect result of the influence of the teachings of Thomas Aquinas, which lay at the basis of the complete representation, and particularly his reflection on the understanding of goodness. It is also conceivable that the combination of a clear expression of religious views and a tendency for encyclopedic categorisation was a sign heralding the coming of Baroque. Ultimately, none of the works provides a decisive answer to the question of the positive value of the old age. Nevertheless, they offer an insight into the Renaissance understanding of that phenomenon which arises from a combination of ancient ideas and personal as well as social experiences