The “Prologue” of Bonaventure’s Itinerarium mentis in Deum

Background and web resources:  Who was St. Bonaventure?  For a very traditional portrayal of Bonaventure’s life and thought, see the article in the old Catholic Encyclopedia (1913 edition) maintained at the New Advent web-site.  An outline of Bonaventure’s view of reality, useful for placing the readings in our course within a Bonaventurian context, may be found here. 

For the complete text of the “Prologue” to the Itinerarium, click here.

Reading guides:

Bonaventure begins (§1) by “calling upon the First Beginning. . .”  What does this mean?  Why is he doing it?  How does this alert us to notice the sort of work we are dealing with here?

Bonaventure emphasizes the importance of “peace” (cf. §§1-3) for his journey.  Why does he do it?  What does he mean?  What relevance, if any, might this have for our intellectual journey?

What is a “seraph”? (§3)  What relationship does it have to the story of Francis?  How is Bonaventure using this notion to tie it into his exposition of the journey?

In the last paragraph of our extract (§4) Bonaventure sets up some contrasts that he believes are crucial for entering upon the journey toward God.  Do any of these provide you with insights about necessary preconditions for intellectual study?  Which ones, if any?  Why not, if none?

Are you able to find features in this selection which you can relate to what we have called Bonaventure’s spiritual and intellectual vision?  Identify them.