The Journey of the Mind to God
by Bonaventure · Itinerarium mentis in Deum
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1259
- Era
- Medieval
- Form
- Theology
- Language
- Latin
- Length
- Short · 60 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Difficult4 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Journey of the Mind to God, translated by Philotheus BoehnerHackett, 1993Compact and accurate, edited by Stephen Brown with a good introduction.
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A short treatise Bonaventure wrote on Mount La Verna in 1259, where Francis of Assisi had received the stigmata thirty-five years before. Taking the six wings of the seraph Francis saw as its plan, it leads the mind up in six steps, finding God first through the traces of Him in the visible world, then in the world as sensed, then in the image of God in the mind's own powers, then in that image reformed by grace, then in God's name as Being and finally as Good. A seventh chapter passes beyond the intellect into the darkness where the soul rests in God.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Journey of the Mind to God are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
