Ramon Llull's Tree of the Philosophy of Love

Ramon Llull (1232–1316) is one of the most significant Spanish philosophers of the Middle Ages. Born on the Balearic island of Mallorca, Llull originated from a noble family that enjoyed the best of relationships with the royal court. At first, Ramon Llull led a worldly life and was active as a poet. In the year 1232, he experienced a vision of Christ crucified, which left a strong Christian impression on him for the rest of his life. As a famous scholar, Ramon Llull was in the service of James II, taught at Sorbonne, and undertook numerous trips through the Arab world, making him the founder of oriental studies in the West. Llull was honored by the people as a martyr after he was stoned to death in Algeria, where he was active as a missionary.

An Allegory for Christian Love

Ramon Llull left behind a great work of literature and philosophy. One of his writings originated from the year 1289 during his second sojourn in Paris. It bore the Latin title Arbor philosophiae amoris, the Tree of the Philosophy of Love. This work is concerned with the theme of love from a Christian perspective, the love between God and the faithful. Another important point in the Tree of the Philosophy of Love is the connection between knowledge and love. These theologically-oriented thoughts from his philosophy are recorded here in a wonderful way.

A Tree and its Elements

Ramon Llull oriented his text on the metaphor of a tree and its parts. Divided into seven chapters, which are each in turn divided into three sub-chapters, the work speaks of the roots, trunk, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Thus, the Tree of the Philosophy of Love contains philosophical-theological sections, proverbs, and novelistic depictions on the theme of God, brotherly love, and the connection of the way of knowledge with the way of love.

The Precious Catalonian Manuscript

A precious manuscript of this work is stored in the Biblioteca Diocesana von Palma de Mallorca. Originating in the 14th century, it belongs among the most direct textual witnesses of the work in the Catalan language. Alongside the text, the manuscript contains seven gorgeous large-format picture pages with depictions of schematic trees and figurative illustrations. The text is also lavishly designed with gorgeously colored initials.