scholarly journals ‘Upright, Whole, and Free’: Eschatological Union with God

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 60-76
Author(s):  
Kevin Timpe
Keyword(s):  
Free Will ◽  
Dante Alighieri ◽  
Divine Comedy ◽  
Human Soul ◽  
Beatific Vision ◽  
Divine Will ◽  
Union With God

In the closing canto of the Purgatorio in his Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri describes the souls preparing to enter heaven as “new, remade, reborn, … perfect, pure, and ready for the Stars [i.e., heaven].” But what exactly would it mean for a human soul to be morally perfect and in perfect union with the divine will? Furthermore, if the soul fit for heaven is perfectly united with God, what sense does it make to think that individual retains their free will? In this talk, I assume a number of Christian claims about the Beatific Vision and argue that not only do the souls fit for heaven retain their freedom, but that they are in sense ‘more free’ despite their inability to do certain actions.

Medieval Interpretation of Phonation Through the Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri

2022 ◽  
pp. 019459982110730
Author(s):  
Martha Borraccini ◽  
Matteo Marinini ◽  
Michele Augusto Riva
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Dante Alighieri ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Divine Comedy ◽  
Word Formation ◽  
Medieval Period ◽  
Vocal Cords ◽  
The Divine Comedy ◽  
And Function ◽  
Dual Functions

The anatomic and medical knowledge of people throughout history is unexpectedly evident in some of the poems and texts written by intellectuals of the time. This article attempts to understand the conception of laryngology in the Middle Ages by analyzing the Divine Comedy, written by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) at the beginning of the 14th century. In the text, Dante mentions the throat several times. He recognizes that the larynx has the dual functions of allowing respiration (dead souls recognize that the poet is alive through movement of his throat when breathing) and speech (souls with their throat cut cannot speak). However, Dante does not seem to know of the existence of vocal cords, thinking that it is the tongue that allows for word formation. In general, Dante’s poem indicates that the anatomy and function of the throat were known during the medieval period, although this knowledge was not precise.

scholarly journals Siete voi qui, ser Brunetto?». I volti di Brunetto Latini: rappresentazione e autorappresentazione

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 96-107
Author(s):  
Noemi Ótott
Keyword(s):  
Dante Alighieri ◽  
Divine Comedy ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Republican Rome ◽  
The Divine Comedy ◽  
The Creation

As in portrait (attributed to Giotto) of Brunetto Latini and Dante Alighieri, history has tended to pair the two poets, who were both exiled from their native Florence. The role played by Brunetto Latini in Florence’s history paralleled that of the orator Cicero in Republican Rome and Dante, his student, was Florence’s Virgil. The famous “Brunetto’s Song” (Canto XV of Inferno) has generated many controversies, determined and justified by an uninterrupted and secular reflection. The encounter between the protagonist-traveler and his master has great importance also from the point of view of the creation of The Divine Comedy. But the old florentine intellectual does not only appear in this canto: in fact, he is the author and, at the same time, the protagonist of the famous opera Il Tesoretto, a didactic-allegorical poem written in volgare. In my study I focus on the figure of Brunetto Latini and on his representation by Dante. At first I examine the protagonist Latini: how he appears in the canto and what his part is in The Divine Comedy. Then I concentrate on the author Latini and I try to identify the poet’s voices in the texts and descriptions according to the context.

scholarly journals A Freedom beyond Conflict: The Logic of Internal Conflict and the Free Will in Maximus the Confessor

Scrinium ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-74
Author(s):  
Basil Lourié
Keyword(s):  
Free Will ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Deontic Logic ◽  
Internal Conflict ◽  
Opposite Case ◽  
Divine Will ◽  
Maximus The Confessor ◽  
The Middle Ages

Summary Maximus’ idea of appropriation of the divine will by deified humans, in any consistent interpretation, would mean their deprivation of their own freedom – exactly in the same manner as it could be in the case of servitude to sin. Maximus’ own logic, however, was paraconsistent when applied to the case of deification (whereas not to the opposite case of the servitude to sin). A recourse to a paraconsistent deontic logic was not a uniquely Maximian tool even in the Middle Ages and could serve as an inspiring example for logicians today.

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