The Prophetic Spirit of the Age of City Republics

The last important feature of republican christianity was the prophetic spirit that animated and inspired it. During the renaissance, prophecy was a generalized culture that had profound ties to the political and religious events of the period. As ottavia nicoli noted in her book, propheti e popolo nelitalia del renacimento, prophecy and people in renaissance italy, the prophetic spirit of the age of city republics has left visible traces in two literary masterpieces: dante's divine comedy and machiavelli's the prince.