Llull’s Universe
A look at the figure of Llull, medieval and contemporary, beginning with a broad reflection on his time and placing particular emphasis on the influence of Sufi mysticism, Kabbalistic techniques and Arab-Islamic science.

Miquel Forcada

Ramon Llull on the Edges of Arab Science

The roots of the Llullian universe are not always easy to discern. To what extent was he familiar with the Arab culture of his time? What did he know about Arab science and philosophy? How did he learn it? A broad and unprejudiced overview of the productive Arab scientific context in the time of Ramon Llull, and slightly before, can help us better understand both his work and his intellectual profile, which differed so greatly from other scholars of his time.

Josep Bellver

Ramon Llull and Islamic Mysticism: Parallelisms and Influences

Although Ramón Llull is a personal and creative thinker whose writings are varied, certain parallelisms and influences of Islamic origin can be seen in his work, both directly and by contrast. It should be noted that Ramon Llull developed his apologetic work for the purpose of converting Jews and Muslims, and he visited the southern shores of the Mediterranean several times with an evangelistic intent.

This presentation will highlight some of the influences of Islamic theology and mysticism in the thought of Ramon Llull, particularly in his theory of the names of God.

Second, it will focus on some parallels between the metaphysics of divine attributes in Sufism and the “dignities” in the Llullian ars to exemplify how both lend a different tone to the aesthetic expression in Islamic geometric art, as well as in the figures included in the ars.