The Problem of Theophany in Paradiso 33
摘要
The concluding chapter turns to Dante’s vision of God in Paradiso 33, interpreting the poem’s theophantic moment as an expression of mythopoetic magnanimity. Rather than depicting divine vision as closure, the canto refracts it into a drama of interpretive responsibility. The pilgrim’s final vision—of the triune circles and the mystery of the Incarnation—does not resolve but rather intensifies the tension between human finitude and divine infinity. The chapter argues that Dante constructs theophany as a mirror that both dazzles and destabilizes, compelling the reader to continue the work of interpretation in the wake of the poem. In this sense, Paradiso 33 exemplifies Dante’s broader redefinition of faith: not as possession of truth, but as a lived poietic orientation—an openness to the unfinished task of discerning meaning in relation to others, history, and the divine.