Why Does Dante Depict The Souls In Limbo

Logan Shreve

Dr. Veltman

HON 215

29 April 2023

Title

Why does Dante depict the souls of the pagans found within the castle in Limbo in such a positive manner? The group of souls that Virgil and character-Dante encounter in Limbo consists not just of great poets and noble heroes, but also those who historically opposed Christendom (Inferno IV:123-129). While he encounters figures traditionally elevated by Christian theologians, such as Aristotle and Plato, he also honors figures who are notorious for warmongering and immorality, such as Julius Caesar. Furthermore, while many of these characters are historical figures, others, such as Hector and Aeneas, are mythological individuals. Dante’s admiration for each of these Classical figures

Dante’s admiration for many of the pagan heroes in Limbo is due to his view that they exemplify the general virtues that our attainable by all human beings, and not just Christians. According to Virgil, Dante’s guide and a resident of Limbo, “I dwell with others who were never robed in the three holy virtues, but followers faultlessly the four they knew” (Purgatory VII:34-36). The four virtues that Virgil exemplified, according to Professor Anthony Esolen, are the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. These virtues are available to all men via human reason and moral law. Meanwhile, the three that they could not exemplify are the theological virtues of hope, faith, and charity, that are only available to Christians (Esolen 75). According to Christian author CS Lewis in his work Mere Christianity, “Prudence means practical common sense...Justice includes honesty, give and take, truthfulness, and keeping promises...And Fortitude includes courage” (Lewis 70-72). Finally, Temperance involves

According to Italian Literature expert Kevin Brownlee, “Dante reads epic poems as if they are history...Their truth status means that the Latin epic poems can be read as directly linked to, and significant for, Christian salvation history” (Brownlee 142). The idea that the works of the great pagan intellectuals are of spiritual significance goes back to long before Dante’s time. Even as far back as the 4th Century AD, Saint Augustine of Hippo declared in his Confessions, “In the books of the Platonists God and his Word are made known in every possible way” (Augustine 121). He even claims that Greek philosophers were essential for his conversion to Christianity and taught essential aspects of Christian theology, such as “the Son was in the form of the Father, but did not regard equality with God as robbery, since he is by nature the very same as God” (Augustine 108), despite not being Christians themselves. Dante shares this view of the pagan intellectuals as being individuals with an incomplete knowledge of God’s nature but were never-the-less capable of turning individuals to Christ. For example, Statius, a Roman poet who converted to Christianity, tells Virgil, “A poet you made me, and a Christian to” (Purgatory XXII:73), and then explains that he converted after reading in the Aenid, “From Heaven