Dear Pat,
I cannot reply to all your points, but maybe some of the following will help.
Regarding the story of Trajan's salvation: contrarily to what you recall,
the _Legenda aurea_ (its biography of Gregory the Great) in fact has Trajan
descending from his horse and helping the widow. I myself have never
analysed the different medieval traditions, but I see no contradiction
between the account of the _Legenda aurea_ and Dante's presentation of the
matter. And the _Legenda aurea_, referring the variant that Trajan was
ressuscitated to life by Gregory's prayer and then obtained eternal life
would also fit better as Dante's source than the passage which some
commentators cite from Thomas Aquinas, according to which Trajan obtained
"immunitatem a poena" (which could also mean, in accordance with another
variant of this legend, that Trajan was only saved to the Limbus). For the
medieval tradition you might consult Gordon Whatley, _The Uses of
Hagiography: The Legend of Pope Gregory and the Emperor Trajan in the Middle
Ages_ In: Viator 15 (1984), p.25-63
Regarding Ezekiah: I would not recommend your distinction between "praying
as a Hebrew", on one hand, and praying "as a Christian to the Trinitarian
Christian God". For medieval theologians, the true believers of the OT did
not believe as "Hebrews", but anticipated true Christian belief in the
triune God.
In general I very much agree with your feeling that Dante probes the
judgement and knowledge of his reader, but instead of the concept of an
"omniscient reader" I would rather recur to Dante's own, very explicit
(namely in the first book of the Convivio and in the 2nd canto of the
Paradiso) notion of a stratified audience, with a small number of "happy
few" (beati pochi) at the top who are distinguished by an outstanding
mastery of theological and other doctrine, and a majority of readers still
in need of doctrine. This notion goes back to the biblical distinction of
'parvuli' and 'perfecti', and according to the Bible these 'perfecti' are
"qui pro consuetudine exercitatos habent sensus ad discretionem boni et
mali" (Hbr 5,15). Readers of this kind would not be "omniscient", but better
prepared than others. Adressing, in his Commedia, both groups at the same
time, but not necessarily forseeing for both groups the same understanding,
Dante might have (and in fact has) tested the knowledge and judgement of his
reader in order to assign him the appropriate level of understanding. That's
why we should be a bit wary to accept every doctrinal or other statement at
face value (especially if these statements are not proferred by
Dante-narrator, but by Dante-personaggio or by his guides or even by the
sinners which he encounters in hell), that is, if we feel sufficiently
informed (according to Dante's own standards) in all the relevant medieval
sciences to count ourselves among the "happy few".
Sincerely,
Otfried
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