Giovanni Fidenza, Itinerarium mentis in Deum [The Soul's Journey into God]

Alberto Gelmi (Vassar College)

Ed. by Jo Ann Cavallo, Columbia University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.6.1: Italian Writing and Culture, 453-present.
Vol. editors: Carla Bregman (Independent Scholar - North America), Jo Ann Cavallo (Columbia University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1259

Places

Italy (Country of Origin; Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Non-fictional prose

Resources

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Itinerarium Mentis in Deum

is a masterpiece of medieval Christian spirituality written by Bonaventure of Bagnoregio (also known as Doctor Seraphicus or the “second father” of the Minorites) in 1259, shortly after his appointment as General Minister of the Franciscan order. The treatise outlines a seven-step journey of intellectual advancement and moral cleansing that elevates mankind from its terrestrial limitations towards a full enjoyment of its divine origin (

unio mystica

). Its straightforward and cohesive structure consists of a prologue and seven chapters that detail the itinerary that Bonaventure is presenting.

The book opens with a call for prayer and meditation, a prerequisite without which no real purification is possible. In the incipit, Doctor Seraphicus explains that he is

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1301 words

Citation: Gelmi, Alberto. "Itinerarium mentis in Deum". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 October 2020 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=38979, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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