Legitimate and Illegitimate Divination in Medieval Writings

Abstract

This article analyzes the characteristics of divination since early Christianity, canonical regulations on the practice, and the arguments for which it was condemned by the theologians. It will also analyze the semantic ambivalence of medieval vocabulary in relation to divinatory practices. Since only God’s prophetic power was allowed, all types of prognostication of the future without His approval were considered false and illegitimate. What this article will show is that from the early Middle Ages onwards, divination was distinguished by other prognostic methods through the nature of the divine messages and human reasoning.