Do you consider the Divine Comedy a Catholic masterpiece?

[Fuerza]

I’ve often thought that one could develop an entire college major based solely on the subjects one would need to understand in order to fully appreciate Dante’s references. Solid knowledge of Scripture, Greco-Roman mythology, medieval Italian political philosophy, Catholic theology and Church history are absolutely necessary. Further knowledge of Greek philosophy (especially Aristotle) and Roman literature (especially Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Horace’s Ars Poetica, Virgil’s Aeneid) would also be extremely beneficial. Finally, an understanding of euclidean geometry, classical astronomy and classical oratory (Cicero, Demosthenes) would assist the student in seeing how Dante viewed the world. A solid knowledge of Latin and Italian would also be critical. A knowledge of Classical Greek might help to get the most out of Dante’s Hellenistic inspirations, but it wouldn’t be strictly necessary as Dante himself didn’t read Greek fluently. In fact his knowledge of Greek mythology came almost exclusively from Roman writers, especially Virgil.

Of course none of that is completely necessary. Even with no knowledge of the world in which Dante lived or the one from which he drew his inspiration, the Comedy is still at the bare minimum an entertaining story.

 

[JSRG]

Rhubarb:

But it’s also part political polemic (at the time) as well as high drama.

Yes, indeed it is. Dante wasn’t very kind with his political enemies - the list included, but was by no means limited to, Pope Boniface VIII himself (yes, that Boniface, the author of the encyclical Unam Sanctam ), for whom Dante even reserved a place in the section of Hell prepared for… the heretics.

No, Dante put him in the section for simoniacs (e.g. those who use their ecclesiastical office for personal gain), not heretics. Heretics went to a different circle altogether.

 

[Dovekin]

The Divine Comedy is as powerful a theology text as you will ever find. Rather than systematize, it applies the systematic to real life people. It does this with poetry that makes it clear that all of the songs (cantos) are like the singing of the blessed in heaven.

There is so much more than theology to it that it is easy to neglect its theological genius. It is a much better interpretation of Aquinas than any scholastic writings based on Aquinas.

 

[LeonardDeNoblac]

No, Dante put him in the section for simoniacs (e.g. those who use their ecclesiastical office for personal gain), not heretics. Heretics went to a different circle altogether.

Sorry, my mistake. I studied Hell two years ago.