L’antropologia del dono in Ildegarda di Bingen a partire dall'hilaris dator di San Paolo

This article explores the anthropology of the gift through a dialogue between contemporary anthropological theory, medieval theology, and the Pauline statement hilarem datorem Deus diligit (2 Cor 9:7). Starting from the seminal contribution of Marcel Mauss and subsequent developments in gift theory (Gregory, Weiner, Godelier), the study highlights the relational and symbolic dimensions of giving, emphasizing the tension between gratuity and obligation that characterizes gift exchange across cultures. The analysis then turns to the medieval reception of the Pauline verse, showing how patristic and scholastic authors—particularly Augustine and Thomas Aquinas—interpreted joyful giving as a sign of inner freedom rooted in charity rather than in external obligation or calculation. Within this theological framework, the gift is understood not merely as a material transfer, but as an act of self-giving that participates in divine grace. Special attention is devoted to Hildegard of Bingen, whose visionary and symbolic theology portrays God as hilaris dator, the joyful giver, and interprets creation itself as an overflowing gift grounded in divine joy. In Hildegard’s perspective, joy (hilaritas) acquires an ontological and communal significance: it becomes the criterion of authentic spiritual life and the seal of true participation in the divine economy of giving and receiving. By placing Pauline theology and Hildegard’s thought in conversation with the anthropology of the gift and with Roman legal notions of donum and donatio, the article argues that Christian theology reconfigures the logic of reciprocity, moving beyond contractual exchange toward a relational anthropology grounded in gratuity, joy, and communion. The joyful giver thus emerges as a paradigmatic figure of Christian freedom and relational personhood, where ethical action, theological meaning, and anthropological insight converge.