Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464) was one of the most illustrious figures of the fifteenth century. Trained as a canonist, he first made his mark in political thought. Later, Nicholas became a papal envoy, a cardinal and an original speculative thinker. His ideas of learned ignorance, coincidence of opposites and enfolding / unfolding still attract attention today.

The American Cusanus Society, founded in 1983, promotes the study of Nicholas and his times. It holds sessions at the International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University in May of each year, and it has held conferences at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and at the Catholic University of America.  [List of major publications of the Society.]

The Society also publishes a newsletter. It is affiliated with the Institute for Cusanus Research, University of Trier and the Japanese Cusanus Society.

The most authoritative edition of Nicholas' works is the Heidelberg Academy edition:
 
Nicolai de Cusa opera omnia iussu et auctoritate Academiae litterarum heidelbergensis ad codicum fidem edita (Leipzig 1932- 2006) [Felix Meiner Verlag].
 
Documents written by Cusanus or illustrating his life can be found in:
 
Acta cusana: Quellen zur Lebensgeschichte des Nikolaus von Kues, ed. E. Meuthen & H. Hallauer (Hamburg, 1976- ) [Felix Meiner Verlag].

Selected Translations [Chronological Table]

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Cusanus Bibliographie [http://urts173.uni-trier.de/~leicht/bib/]

The Society is sponsoring 2 sessions and the Watanabe Lecture at the 44th Annual Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, May 13-16, 2010.

The Twelfth Biennial Conference of the International Seminar on Pre-Reformation Theology at Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary and the American Cusanus Society
Focus: Biblical Exegesis
Place: Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary
Dates: October 7-10, 2010.
Contact: Zach Flanagin [dflanagi@stmarys-ca.edu]

Peter Casarella, DePaul University

Vice President:

Thomas M. Izbicki, Rutgers University

Former Presidents:

Morimichi Watanabe, C.W. Post Campus, Long Island University

Gerald Christianson, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg

Secretary:

Donald F. Duclow, Gwynedd-Mercy College

Treasurer:

Michael A. Soupios, C.W. Post Campus, Long Island University

Executive Committee:

David Albertson, University of Southern California

Christopher Bellitto, Kean University 

H. Lawrence Bond, Appalachian State University

Elizabeth Brient, University of Georgia

Lawrence Hundersmarck, Pace University

Clyde Lee Miller, SUNY Stonybrook

Advisory Board:

   Louis Dupré, Yale University

   Wilhelm Dupré, University of Nijmegen

   Walter Andreas Euler, University of Trier

   Bernard McGinn, University of Chicago

   Erich Meuthen, University of Cologne

   John Monfasani, SUNY at Albany

   Francis Oakley, Williams College

   Hans Gerhard Senger, University of Cologne

   Paul Sigmund, Princeton University

   Brian Tierney, Cornell University

   Kazuhiko Yamaki, Waseda University

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 Membership in the Society

Benefits of membership in the Society include American Cusanus Society Newsletter, which contains articles, informative notices and a bibliography of recent works on Cusanus and his age.
 
Annual dues rates are:
 
Students: $ 5.00
Members: $10.00
Contributing members: $15.00 and above

For further information contact the former president of the Society: Morimichi Watanabe, C.W. Post Campus, Long Island University, Brookville, NY 11548-1300. Telephone: 516-883-8496.

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Copyright 1998 © Thomas Izbicki, Rutgers University
All rights reserved