Aquinas’ and Dante’s Common Ideals - 1153 Words

Aquinas’ and Dante’s Common Ideals While St. Thomas Aquinas established himself as the New Aristotle of the 13th century, Dante Alighieri established himself the new Virgil. The two men made an immense impact in their respective fields (poetry and philosophy). Yet surprisingly, the two share common ideals. In each of their respective literary and philosophical views, they establish the importance of the relationship between nature and grace. In Dante’s Inferno the unique relationship of grace and nature is made apparent and reflects the writings of Aquinas’ â€Å"Summa Theologica†. Dante’s pilgrimage through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise exhibit and reflect St. Thomas’ understanding of the relationship of nature and grace. Dante†¦show more content†¦Dante’s Inferno begins in a dark forest, a place of confusion, because he lost his way on the â€Å"true path†. Seeking an escape, Dante finds a hill where the sun glares down on him. This light seen in Dan te’s Inferno symbolizes clarity as the sun represents God. After encountering three beasts and turning back to the murky forest, Dante crosses paths with the great Roman Poet, Virgil. Virgil is an aid and guide to Dante to Heaven, the ultimate Paradise. He warns Dante he must pass through Hell and Purgatory in order to reach his salvation in heaven. Virgil is depicted as nature or human reason perfected by virtue. It is strongly emphasized that Virgil can only take Dante so far in his journey by guiding him to heaven. Much like St. Thomas Aquinas’ reasoning, nature or human reason can only bring you so far in the journey to God. As Virgil and Dante approach the mouth of Hell, Virgil preaches to Dante about a woman in Heaven who took pity upon Dante when he was lost in hell. The woman Virgil speaks of is Dante’s departed love Beatrice. After Dante hears that Beatrice is heaven he now sheds the fear of traveling through Hell and Purgatorio. â€Å"But Virgil rebukes his cowardice, and relates the chain of events that led him to come to Dante. The Virgin Mary took pity on the Pilgrim in his despair and instructed Saint Lucia to aid him. The Saint turned to Beatrice because of Dante’s great love for her, and Beatrice in turn went down to Hell, intoShow MoreRelatedInfluence of Aristotle to Dante Alighieri Is Prevailent in His Works3584 Words   |  15 PagesMonarchia. The foundation of Dante’s philosophy is said to be founded from the teachings of St. Aquinas and St. Augustine because Dante’s idea of a universal ruler is based from St. Aquinas’ idea â€Å"that the church exercises its authority over kings and princes† and St. Augustine’s idea that â€Å"the church approximates and mystically reflects the city of God in the afterlife†. Although Dante always referred to Aristotle as the greatest philosopher and used his ideas quite often, Dante’s beliefs deviate from