Virgil, The Damned Christian Missionary: PURGATORIO, Canto XXII, Lines 55 - 74

Given that Statius claims a passage from The Aeneid made him see the error of his ways, Virgil wants to know how this poet of the Thebes could have ever become a Christian, particularly since his poetry shows little evidence of the faith.

Statius replies with some of the most shocking lines in COMEDY: He became a Christian AND a poet because of the damned, pagan Virgil. Virgil's own poetry led Statius to his profession and his confession.

To put it another way, Statius was redeemed, not by divine light, but a small human candle.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work our way through one of the most revelatory passages in all of PURGATORIO, lines that help us understand the framework of COMEDY.

Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:

[01:53] My English translation of the text: PURGATORIO, Canto XXII, lines 55 - 75. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment to start a conversation, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.

[04:39] Virgil's questions about Thebes, history, and faith.

[15:02] Virgil's inspiration toward both poetry and God.

[19:07] Statius' misquoting from Virgil's ECLOGUES.

[27:31] Poetry and conversion founded in inspiration from a text.

[30:01] Statius and Christianity in COMEDY.

[32:00] Rereading the text: PURGATORIO, Canto XXII, lines 55 - 75.