Abstract:
The author analyzes the contribution of Aristotle's Politics to the process fo separation between theology and politics, in which the predominance of political theology concludes. He emphasizes specially three aspects of aristotelian thought and their influence on this process: Aristotle answers the question about the origins of state authority; he considers the human community as a genuine dimension of the reality; his practical philosophy offers elements to distinguish between politics and ethics. Finally the author studies the autonomy of politics in the political thought of Aquinas and Marsilius of Padua.