In Paradiso Canto XXV, which apostle questions Dante on hope?

In Paradiso Canto XXV, Saint James questions Dante on hope. The apostle examines Dante as part of a theological testing sequence devoted to the three Christian virtues: faith, hope, and charity. Saint Peter questions him on faith in Canto XXIV, Saint James on hope in Canto XXV, and Saint John on charity in Canto XXVI.

James asks Dante what hope is, where it comes from, and how strongly he possesses it. Dante identifies hope as confident expectation of future blessedness and supports his answer with Scripture, especially the Psalms and the Epistle of James. The exchange turns a theological concept into a personal examination of Dante's spiritual readiness.

The canto also contains a striking appearance by Saint John, whose brightness overwhelms Dante's sight. A common mix-up is to assign the questioning to Saint Peter because Peter appears in the preceding canto, or to Saint John because he appears near the end of Canto XXV. The hope examiner is specifically Saint James.