Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1900 edition. Excerpt: ... Di che facei question cotanto crebra; Che tu dicevi: 'Un uom nasce alla riva 70 Dell' Indo, t e quivi non e chi ragioniJ Di Cr1sto, ne chi legga, ne chi scriva; E tutti i suoi voleri ed atti buoni Sono, quanto ragione umana vede, Senza peccato in vita o in sermoni. 75 More non battezzato e senza fede; Ov' e questa giustizia che il condanna? Ov' e la colpa sua, se ei non crede?' Now is the hiding place sufficiently opened to thee which concealed from thee living Justice, about which thou didst make such frequtnt questioning; for thou saidst: "A man is born upon the banks of the Indus, and in that place there is no one who can now, Divine Justice was concealing from thine intelligence, and thou wilt have understood that those are hidden mysteries which Man is unable to fathom. Di che refers to latebra, not to giustiz1a. t Indo: According to the geography of Dante's time, India was the country farthest distant from the centre of Christianity at Rome. Dante evidently intends to include all Asiatic countries in this general term. J non e chi ragioni: Compare the words of St. Paul (Rom. x, 14): "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" and Ibid. 17: "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." "Of the possibility of salvation for a savage born and reared in the backwoods, and who follows the voice of conscience, St. Thomas (De Vero, qu. 14, a. ii, ad. i) says: 'It is certain that God will impart to him the necessary truths of faith, either through interior illumination, or through a preacher of the faith.' And again (In iii, Sent. d. 28, qu. 3, a. 1-2): 'For God never suffers any one to want...
