An Irish precursor of Dante : a study on the Vision of heaven and hell ascribed to the eighth-century Irish Saint Adamnán

Front matter

:CO o CNI

2 CNI

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Part I

I. INTRODUCTORY

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Dante's Commedia preceded by a long series of Visions of the Otherworld — The Vision a favourite subject with Irish writers of the Middle Ages — Dante's originality . . 1-4

The Irish Church at the close of the seventh century — Its missionary activity — Irish scholars and clerics on the Continent — The authorities for Adamnan's life — His birth and parentage — Meaning of his name — Enters the monastery of lona — Becomes abbot — Missions to Northumbria — Intercourse with the Venerable Bede — The Paschal controversy— Adamnan adopts the Roman usage — His labours in the cause — Wins over Ireland except lona — His death — His Life of St. Colm Cille — His treatise De Locis Sanctis — Miscellaneous and apocryphal writings — His scholarship — Adamnan in the later annals — Anecdote of his student days— The Boruma Tribute— Remitted by Ard Rf Finnachta Fledach — Adamnan's opposition thereto — Doubtful authenticity of the record — Further dissensions with the Ard Ri — Death of Finnachta — Adamnan's legislation on behalf of the women of Ireland — Their previous status and liability to military service — The Cain Adamndin — Character of Adamnan — The Fis Adamndin, why associated with his name — MSS. and editions of the Fis Adamndin . 4-28

vii viii AN IRISH PRECURSOR OF DANTE

3. TRANSLATION OF THE FIS ADAMNAlN

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I. Exordium — 2. Enumeration of previous revelations of the Otherworld — 3. Adamnan's translation from the body — 4-6. The Land of Saints — 7-8. The Throne of the Deity — 9. The Divine Presence enthroned, and 10. Pictured as a mystic omnipresent face — n. The Celestial City, its seven walls and its floor ; 12. Its inhabitants; 13. Its design, as of a Christian Church — 14. Limbo of the excluded — 15-18. The Soul's progress through the seven Heavens; 15. Their doors and porters; the first Heaven; 16. The second Heaven, Purgatorial pains; 17. The third and fourth Heavens ; 18. The fifth and sixth Heavens — 19. The Judgment of the Soul — 20. The fate of the damned — 21. Hell, a fiery glen— 22-23. The Bridge of Doom— 24. The half good, half wicked — 25-29. Punishments of the wicked described ; classification of crimes and punishments — 27. The charitable but carnal — 29. Fiery wall reserved until after the Last Judgment — 30. Description of Hell ; impatience of the damned for Judgment ; respite on Sundays — 31. Adamnan returns to Heaven ; is restored to trie body, and bidden report what he has seen — 32. This the subject of his subsequent preaching ; consonant with the doctrine of the Apostles and Saints — 33. Enoch, Elias, and the Bird-flocks of Paradise — 34. Peroration ; L'Envoy — 35. Rhapsodical description of Heaven ...... 28-47