Overview

An understanding of Dante the theologian as distinct from Dante the poet has been neglected in an appreciation of Dante's work as a whole. That is the starting-point of this vital new book. In giving theology fresh centrality, the author argues that theologians themselves should find, when they turn to Dante Alighieri, a compelling resource: whether they do so as historians of fourteenth-century Christian thought, or as interpreters of the religious issues of our own times. Expertly guiding his readers through the structure and content of the Commedia, Denys Turner reveals – in pacy and muscular prose – how Dante's aim for his masterpiece is to effect what it signifies. It is this quasi-sacramental character that renders it above all a theological treatise: whose meaning is intelligible only through poetry. Turner's Dante 'knows that both poetry and theology are necessary to the essential task and that each without the other is deficient.'

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9781009168700

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Reviews

'Dante the Theologian is a significant, brilliant and illuminating contribution to theological reflection on Dante's Commedia. As such, it can both build on and help strengthen further the growing body of scholarly reflection on the theological dimensions of Dante's work. It presents an unusually compelling combination of depth of content and accessibility of style while offering new insights into Dante's poetry. Its central argument is that a theological analysis that ignores the poetic prevents us from recognizing both the uniqueness of Dante's theological voice and the contribution this can make even today to our theological thinking. Among the most significant contributions of the book are its splendidly incisive highlighting of the theological nature of Dante's poetry as poetry, and its marvellously fruitful treatment of the question of the relationship between fiction and truth. In both respects, Denys Turner's book is a powerful and novel contribution to key debates concerning Dante's work and its theological implications.' Vittorio Montemaggi, King's College London 'Dante the Theologian is a significant, brilliant and illuminating contribution to theological reflection on Dante's Commedia. As such, it can both build on and help strengthen further the growing body of scholarly reflection on the theological dimensions of Dante's work. It presents an unusually compelling combination of depth of content and accessibility of style while offering new insights into Dante's poetry.' Vittorio Montemaggi, King's College London 'This is a superb book, and will be very welcome. It's written with energy, and a sense of excitement and fun - all qualities which are often lacking in books on Dante. It brings a +avenues for research on and discussion of its subject.' Matthew Treherne, University of Leeds

'Dante the Theologian is a significant, brilliant and illuminating contribution to theological reflection on Dante's Commedia. As such, it can both build on and help strengthen further the growing body of scholarly reflection on the theological dimensions of Dante's work. It presents an unusually compelling combination of depth of content and accessibility of style while offering new insights into Dante's poetry. Its central argument is that a theological analysis that ignores the poetic prevents us from recognizing both the uniqueness of Dante's theological voice and the contribution this can make even today to our theological thinking. Among the most significant contributions of the book are its splendidly incisive highlighting of the theological nature of Dante's poetry as poetry, and its marvellously fruitful treatment of the question of the relationship between fiction and truth. In both respects, Denys Turner's book is a powerful and novel contribution to key debates concerning Dante's work and its theological implications.' Vittorio Montemaggi, King's College London 'Dante the Theologian is a significant, brilliant and illuminating contribution to theological reflection on Dante's Commedia. As such, it can both build on and help strengthen further the growing body of scholarly reflection on the theological dimensions of Dante's work. It presents an unusually compelling combination of depth of content and accessibility of style while offering new insights into Dante's poetry.' Vittorio Montemaggi, King's College London 'This is a superb book, and will be very welcome. It's written with energy, and a sense of excitement and fun – all qualities which are often lacking in books on Dante. It brings a +avenues for research on and discussion of its subject.' Matthew Treherne, University of Leeds

Author Information

Denys Turner is Horace Tracy Pitkin Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology at Yale University. His widely-acclaimed books include The Darkness of God (Cambridge University Press, 1995, which famously separated medieval mystical thought from contemporary ideas of experiential spirituality), Julian of Norwich, Theologian (Yale University Press, 2013) and Thomas Aquinas (also Yale University Press, 2014). This new book is a loosely related companion to the latter titles, completing a trilogy.

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