The unknown shade on the fifth terrace of Mount Purgatory begins to answer Virgil’s questions by referring to Aristotelian notions of change . . . and then begins wrapping the imagery and poetry of Cantos XX and XXI back onto themselves for a gorgeous lyrical tapestry amid the classical learning.
Read MoreIn PURGATORIO, Dante begins to incorporate more and more experimental and experiential truth into his poem, taking his cues from Aquinas and Aristotle. But if God is the author of all truth, how does any truth come from experiential sources, much less a pagan philosopher, particularly one whose writings have been reinvigorated by both Islamic and Jewish scholars?
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