Although a master of theological aesthetics in the Middle Ages, St. Bonaventure has been ignored by many. He has rarely received a fair treatment in the history of Aesthetics. But his theological aesthetics, a masterpiece of the Platonic-Augustinian tradition at the apex of Scholasticism in the 13th century, represents the highest level of Scholastic aesthetics. The Illumination Theory of Cognition was foundational to, and the axis of, St. Bonaventure's aesthetical thought. Illumination aesthetics states that the soul, under divine illumination, searches out the shadow, vestige, and image of God, where the soul may find the beauty of created things (earthly beauty), and through which finally the soul can attain union with God by contemplating divine wisdom, apprehending the great ineffable beauty (holy beauty), and integrating life and beauty. This paper argues that the aesthetic thought of St. Bonaventure is an important;source for the reconstruction of modem theological aesthetics.
