From corpus mysticum of the church to the persona mystica of the State: Carl Schmitt and Ernst

This article compares the treatment made by Carl Schmitt and Ernst Kantorowicz of that juridical fiction which medieval political theology called the "mystic body of Christ". By means of this comparison, the article discusses and analyses the theological concepts of "bodyficaHon" and "mediation" as well as the legal concepts of "personification" and "representation". With support from both authors, the historic and political elucidation of these concepts will in turn provide a contextualized clarification of the notion of "Visible Church" allowing further theoretic deepening of the modern debate around the problem of secularization.