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Journey of the Mind to God

work by Bonaventure
Also known as: ā€œItinerarium mentis in Deumā€, ā€œThe Soul’s Journey into Godā€(Show More)

Quick Summary

The Journey of the Mind to God (Itinerarium mentis in Deum) is a 1259 work by the Franciscan friar St. Bonaventure. It outlines a spiritual path to understanding God, drawing from the philosophies of Plato, Plotinus, and Augustine, while critiquing Aristotle for his perceived denial of divine ideas.

Bonaventure believed that philosophy, while valuable, is incomplete without the guidance of faith and divine revelation. He saw the universe as a "book" revealing the triune God, and the human soul as created in God's image. The work guides the reader from the external world, through the inner world of the mind, and ultimately towards an eternal, divine vision. This journey is aided by moral and intellectual divine illumination, with the mind possessing an innate idea of God.12

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