인격 개념의 근원에 대한 탐구 = 그리스도교 신학과 보에티우스의 정의를 중심으로

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The basis of human dignity is discussed in relation to the concept ‘person’(persona). The most famous among definitions of this concept is “an individual substance of a rational nature”, which is given by Boethius. This definition was frequently cited and accepted by many philosophers, and it also has an effect on contemporary thinking. Nevertheless, the greater part of studies did not turn their attention to the reason why this ‘person’-concept had been developed or what it meant concretely. In contrast to this tendency, this article elucidates the early process through which this concept was formed in order to contribute to its understanding, which has variously changed through modern and contemporary times. At first it surveys the etymology of the concept and the examples of general uses in Greco-Roman culture, such as mask, character on stage and role in society. It also investigates how these elements were abundantly developed in the christian tradition by Tertullian, three Cappadocians, Augustine and others. Finally, it examines thoroughly the process by which the Boethian definition of the ‘person’ was formed and the meaning and limits of this definition. Although Boethius’s definition provided some clarification as to the mysteries of Christ and the Trinity, it was transformed and interpreted variously through the medieval age, in order to solve some of the residual difficulties. If this process will be examined more throughly, we will arrive at an opportunity for better understanding incommunicability and the fundamental relationship of human beings, notions which have attracted the attention of modern thinkers.