Dante and the Blessed Virgin » (1st Edition)

"Dante and the Blessed Virgin is distinguished philosopher Ralph McInerny's eloquent reading of one of Western literature's most famous works by a Christian writer. The book provides Catholic readers, especially those new to Dante's Divine Comedy, with a concise companion volume." McInerny draws from a diverse group of writers throughout this book, including Plato, Aristotle, St. Bernard, St. Bonaventure, St. Thomas Aquinas, and George Santayana. It is St. Thomas, however, to whom McInerny most often turns, and this book also provides an accessible introduction to Thomistic moral philosophy, focusing on the appetites, the ordering of goods, the distinction between the natural and the supernatural orders, the classification of capital vices and virtues, and the nature of the theological virtues.

Note on Translations, Editions, and Abbreviations

1 A New Life Begins 1

2 In the Midst of My Days 13

3 The Seven Storey Mountain 35

4 Queen of Heaven 101

Epilogue 143

Notes 145

Index 155