The Law in Dante

The importance of the concept of law in medieval culture and conscience is undeniable and this emerges strongly in Dante's thinking. On the one hand, it is a call to that ''ratio scripta'' which can certainly be associated with the great Roman tradition, which Dante's time had effectively recovered. On the other hand, it uncovers the fundamental presence of Natural Law through its intimate account of Divine Law and its expression of that ordered depiction of the world that is always central to the work of the great Florentine Poet, also in its being a concrete display of the work of Providence moving human history. The essay aims to highlight these aspects in Dante's main works, and, in particular, to capture the essential ethical value attributed to law and its sublimation in God's eternal law.