The changeability of the past: Medieval and modern a common theme between Peter Damian and Hans Jonas

Against the common view Hans Jonas (19031993) and Petrus Damiani (с. 10071072/ 3), independently from each other argued for the possibility of a contingent past. In this paper, I reconstruct and compare their positions. In the case of Jonas, the changeability is implicit, based on two considerations: the first is the result of his analysis of the conditions of truth in historical statements, while the second is the consequence of his reflections on the theological implications of the s/wa/i. In Damiani's case, the changeability is explicit, an original idea against the views of Aristotle, Jerome and Augustine, based on his understanding of divine omnipotence, which is then supported with an ingenious logical analysis. While Jonas and Damiani reached their conclusions independently, both were based on theological considerations, albeit on widely different ones. The contingency of the past had also exercised the minds of most medieval theologians, as I will show this briefly by Peter of Ailly's dilemma concerning prophecies. Finally, I argue that the nonstandard views of Jonas és Damiani imply consequences for the concepts of God, time, and freedom.