The Trinity as Exemplar of Cosmic, Ecclesial, and Political Harmony in Nicholas of Cusa's <i>De Concordantia Catholica</i>

Abstract Although Nicholas of Cusa's ecclesiology and political thought were influential both among early modern thinkers and contemporary scholars, the relationship of those subjects to Trinitarian theology is often overlooked. Some of Nicholas’ ideas in these areas, such as the importance of consent and the relative autonomy of the Empire vis‐à‐vis the Church, were taken up in modern political theory, but they are related in some ways to a more hierarchical conception of the universe typical of medieval thought. This essay explores the exemplary role and metaphysical primacy of the triune God in Nicholas’ early work, The Catholic Concordance , and how the divine Word communicates the infinite harmony of the Trinity to the universe, to the Church, and to the Empire.