Christian History

Issue 70

Dante's Guide to Heaven and Hell

Originally published in 2001

Christian History magazine was published by Christianity Today from 1982 to 2008.

Articles in this Issue

Dante and the Divine Comedy: Did You Know?

What a famous painting suggests about Dante’s life, legend, and legacy.

Dante and the Divine Comedy: From the Editors – How Not to Read Dante

Elesha Coffman

American literary education absolutely mangles the Divine Comedy.

A Polysemantic Country Song?

Dante

If you still can’t grasp what Dante meant to say in the Comedy, this may (or may not) help.

Divine Imagination

Rolland Hein

By describing a pilgrimage through the realms of death, Dante shares his vision of how Christians should live.

The Rest of the Stories

Oscar Kuhns

Dante’s other books further illuminate his medieval mindset and shed light on the Comedy.

I Still Don’t Know How He Does It

Dorothy Sayers

Dorothy Sayers discovers Dante.

A Poet Without Honor

Bonnie C. Harvey

Banished from his hometown, Dante became lonely, bitter, and inspired.

Dante in Love

Charles Williams

The poet’s feelings for Beatrice far exceeded a childhood crush.

A Cathedral of Ideas

Hans Urs von Balthasar

From elements of many traditions, Dante fashioned a towering new theology.

The Root of All Kinds of Evil

Elesha Coffman

The Inferno is crammed with greedy Florentines receiving their due.

The Pilgrim’s Way

Jeanetta R. Chrystie

The dream of reaching heaven by visiting holy sites inspired millions of medieval Christians—including Dante.

Dante’s Guide to Heaven and Hell: The Gallery – Walk of Fame

Star sightings in the Comedy highlight Dante’s religious and political views.

Goodness, Gracious(ness), Great Balls of Fire

Jeffrey Burton Russell

Visions of eternity just aren’t what they used to be.

What About Purgatory?

Dennis Martin

The doctrinal grounding of Dante’s mysterious mountain.

Dante’s Guide to Heaven and Hell: Christian History Interview – Classics of Common Memory

Robert Pinsky

Why Dante’s medieval masterwork continues to thrive in translation.

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