Dante’s claims in and around Paradiso 25

The extraordinary claims that Dante makes in cantos 24–26 of Paradiso with regard to both his theoretical knowledge and his actual ‘possession’ of the three theological virtues – Faith, Hope and Charity – do not seem to be entirely consistent with the story of a character who, only a few days earlier, was struggling in the dark forest and about to succumb to intellectual bewilderment and moral straying. Why else was that character so close to spiritual death if not because he lacked those virtues which he now claims to know so profoundly and hold in supreme measure? This paper argues first, that Dante here transcends any distinction that may operate elsewhere in the poem between Dante as character, narrator and author; second, that his claims make sense in the context of his circumstances at the time when he composed cantos 24–26 of Paradiso, i.e. on or just before 1320, twenty years after the fictional date of his journey to the Otherworld; and third, that he is likely to have made such claims in order to preempt any attack on himself, his poem and his mission as theologian, prophet and reformer of the Church.

Faith and Virtue Formation

The Christian tradition offers a robust and compelling vision of what it is for human life to be lived well. The essays in this volume articulate various aspects of that vision in ways that will deepen understanding of the virtues and virtue formation. These essays will also inspire and guide readers, Christian and non-Christian alike, in their efforts to grow in virtue. Topics addressed include the value of studying the vices for moral formation; the importance of emotion and agency in virtue formation; the connections between certain disabilities and virtue; the roles of divine grace, liturgy, worship, and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in Christian virtue formation; the formation of infused virtues, including the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love; the roles of friendship and the communal life of the Church in cultivating virtue; and new philosophical and theological reflections on some largely neglected virtues. Exemplifying an interdisciplinary approach, the contributors to this volume draw on philosophical, theological, and biblical wisdom, along with insights from contemporary psychology and rich narrative examples, in aid of becoming good. By providing deeply insightful and edifying reflections on the prospects, processes, and practices of moral and spiritual formation, this volume demonstrates that when it is at its best moral philosophy not only can illuminate, but also can practically guide and inspire the formation of virtue.

Resonance as an integral part of human resilience

The author analyses the relationship between the concepts of resilience and resonance. He argues for the thesis that resonance is an integral part of the genuine human resilience. Therefore, there is no contradiction between resonance and resilience if we understand these two concepts correctly. The opposite arises only if we understand resilience as a kind of robust and rigid resistance, but which, as the author argues, does not correspond to the notion of true human resilience. Since resonance is an integral part of human resilience, we can say that human resilience depends on their being in resonance relationships. The understanding of the resonance that the author takes for the grounding of his main thesis was developed by German sociologist Hartmut Rosa. Thus the paper includes also the presentation of Rosa’s conception of resonance and his theory of our relationship to the world. Despite the focus on the main thesis, the article is not only a contribution to the understanding of resilience, but also enriches the understanding of (Rosa’s) notion of resonance by showing its importance for resilience. The author argues that classical theological virtues (faith, hope, and charity (love)) can be positive factors of human resilience, and illuminates them from the point of view of resonance.

5. The theological virtues

This chapter focuses on the theological virtues as initially presented in the Jewish tradition and then developed and augmented by later Christian thinkers. There is a hierarchical relationship among the theological virtues. Faith involves trust-based intellectual assent to revealed theological truths. Like faith, hope requires a trust in God and is the patient expectation—or habit—of waiting for the promised but ‘not-yet’ good that faith points to. But the fullness of the theological virtues is found in charity. In this virtue, a person is united with God and with others in a kind of ‘divine friendship’ that surpasses the boundaries of family, ethnicity, gender, and status.

The Virtues: A Very Short Introduction

The Virtues: A Very Short Introduction explores both the nature of virtue in general and specific kinds of virtues. These include the moral virtues, the intellectual virtues, and the theological virtues, as well as the capital vices. From the philosophy of Aristotle and Confucius, to the paintings of Raphael, Botticelli, and many more, fascination with the virtues has endured and evolved to fit a wide range of cultural, religious, and philosophical contexts through the centuries. This VSI examines the role of the virtues in the moral life, their cultivation, and how they offer ways of thinking and acting that are alternatives to mere rule-following. It also considers the relationship of the virtues to one’s own emotions, desires, and rational capacities.

Politics and Economics

Despite the fact that Edwards never authored an extended or thorough commentary on political and economic matters, we can detect his assumptions and the general shape of his political and economic commentary scattered throughout his moral treatises, biblical commentary, miscellaneous observations, and sermons. A devoted subject of the Hanoverian monarchy, he presumed that Britain’s empire was the most laudable political system in the Atlantic world. Among other virtues, it served as a hedge against French Catholicism. He interpreted the meaning of that empire through Whig political agendas, which included a robust endorsement of Britain’s transatlantic commercial empire. Yet Edwards’s theological agendas often devalued political and commercial loyalties into contingent goods, subject to critique. He held that theological virtues had the power to minimize national identities in favour of worldwide Christian communion and universal benevolence.

Közeledés Istenhez a teológiai erények útján Sziénai Szent Katalin tanításában

Pope Paul VI. declared St. Catherine of Siena and St. Theresa of Avila to be Doctors of the Church, breaking by this act a long tradition in a twofold way: first, because they were the first two female Doctors of the Church; second, because Catherine of Siena became the first and so far only Doctor who is a lay person. In this study, we shall examine St. Catherine’s account of the three theological virtues in the Dialogues. The questions we shall ask are: what has Catherine to say concerning our ability to know the love of God? How is the gift of the fear of God connected to hopefulness? What are the stages of growth in love? The Catechism of the Catholic Church stresses that the three theological virtues prepare us for an essential relationship with the Holy Trinity. Therefore, a careful examination of the teachings of such a highly praised Saint is of great importance.