« Il consigliere di dio » (Postilla Mon. I, xii-xiii)

Using an article by O. Capitani, “Dante e la società comunale,” as its point of departure, this contribution analyzes the idea of a social and political “functionalism” in Dante by examining his political writings, especially chapters XII and XIII of Book I of De Monarchia and his involvement in the political life of Florence. This makes it possible for this study to show the continuity between Dante as a political adviser in Florence and Dante “the adviser” in exile, between Dante as a prior and Dante as God’s counselor in the Divine Comedy.