Medieval analogical thinking and deviation towards the intangible in the Beatus of Facundus

Abstract

This article examines medieval analogical thinking, as explored by Hilário Franco Júnior, and its relationship with imagery representation in the manuscript Beatus of Facundus. It focuses on the idea of deviation towards the intangible to understand how medieval images, especially in the context of the Apocalypse, operate between the visible and the invisible. The Beatus of Facundus, an illustrated commentary on the Apocalypse, combines texts and images that transcend mere illustration, proposing a visual and textual exegesis of the Scriptures. The discussion centers on how analogy, essential to medieval thinking, creates links between the material and spiritual worlds, using known elements to allude to divine mysteries. The conclusion is that the medieval manuscript not only illustrates but also dialogues with sacred texts, becoming an imago that reveals hidden meanings through deviation and analogy, reinforcing the importance of the relationship between the tangible and the intangible in medieval Christian theology.