Abstract
In his political writings, correspondence, and epic poetry, Dante Alighieri often assumed a prophetic posture. His self-understood vocation found primary expression in his direct, forceful criticism of the medieval Catholic Church, although the post hoc predictions and scriptural mimesis in which Dante engaged throughout his Commedia also funded his incisive ecclesial critique. This article discerns three trajectories of a Dantean prophetic vocation, which converge at key moments during the Commedia (particularly at Inferno XIX) to forge Dante, in all his rich complexity, into a prophet for his era.
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