The Divina Comedia - Paradiso

 

The third and final part of the Divina Comedia is Paradiso or ‘Paradise’. Dante has traveled down the nine Circles of Hell and up the seven Terraces of Mount Purgatory. His guide thus far was Virgil, who symbolizes human philosophy. On the summit of Mount Purgatory Date finally meets Beatrice, who symbolizes Christian theology, who is his guide through Parasadise.  Paradiso is an allegory of the Christian soul’s ascent to God.

Dante and Beatrice emerge from the Earthly Paradise on top of Mount Purgatory at noon on the Wednesday of the Easter Octave, Dante having spent three days ascending its seven Terraces. Paradise is composed of nine Spheres plus the Empyrean, the dwelling-place of God Himself. Each Sphere is represents the four Cardinal Virtues of Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude and the three Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love. The planets and other celestial bodies presented here reflect the geocentric (Earth-centered) view proposed by Ptolemy which was accepted during that time. (Our present model of the Solar System is called the Heliocentric or Sun-centered view which was proposed by Nicolas Copernicus and supported by Galileo Galilei.)

PARADISO

Introduction

Dante and Beatrice emerge from the Earthly Paradise on the summit of Mount Purgatory. It is noon of the Wednesday of Easter Week. They pass through the sphere of fire in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Dante converses with several blessed souls, which Dante was careful to state actually dwell in the Empyrean, the dwelling-place of God.

The Spheres of Heaven

Paradise is composed of nine Spheres, which in turn is grouped into two: the first three Spheres fall within the shadow of the Earth, which represent the deficient forms of Fortitude, Justice, and Temperance. The next four Spheres represent positive examples of Prudence, Fortitude, Justice, and Temperance. Faith, Hope, and Love exist on the eighth Sphere.

(Image from Wikipedia)

First Sphere (The Inconstant). Dante and Beatrice first visit the Moon, whose changing phases represent Inconstancy, the deficient form of Fortitude. The Moon represents those who have abandoned their vows. Dante met the sister of his friend Forese Donati, Piccarda, who was forcibly removed from her convent. Also there Constance of Sicily, who was also forcibly removed from her convent to marry Henry VI.

Beatrice explains to Dante the nature of Free Will: When a person makes a vow to God, that person freely surrenders his will to God. Thus, a vow to God should never be treated lightly. The only exception is that if a vow would lead a person to do evil, like Jephthah (Judges 10:29-40) and Agamemnon (in the Iliad) whose vows made them sacrifice their own daughters.
  

The changing phases of the Moon, representing the Inconstant. (Image from PlanetsForKids.Org)
 

Image from 7art-Screensavers.com

Second Sphere (The Ambitious). Dante and Beatrice proceed to Mercury. Because of its closeness to the Sun, it is often difficult to see. Thus, it represents Ambition, the deficient form of Justice. Mercury represents  those who do good out of a desire for fame. Dante meets the Roman emperor Justinian, who introduces himself as “I am Justinian, who was Caesar”, indicating that his earthly status no longer exists in Heaven. He talks with Dante with the current affairs of Italy and its affairs with France. Beatrice discusses the Birth and the Crucifixion of Christ, which occurred during the time of the Roman Empire.

Third Sphere (The Lovers). Venus, the Morning and Evening Star, has been traditionally associated with Love. Venus represents the Lovers, who are deficient in the virtue of Temperance. Dante meets Folquet Marseilles, a French troubadour, who points out that the cone of the Earth’s shadow which just touches Venus (as it is believed at that time). He speaks on the temptations of love, and condemns the city of Florence, which he says was planted by Satan himself. Florence mints a coin called the florin, which he calls “the damned flower” (the coin contains the image of a lily), which is the source of corruption in the Church. Instead of focusing on Scripture and the writings of the Early Church Fathers, the clergy became busy focusing on money.

(Image from NASA,gov)

Fourth Sphere (The Wise). Beyond the shadow of the Earth is the Sun, where the Wise dwell as examples of the virtue of Prudence. Just as the Sun gives light to the Earth, the Wise illuminate the world with their knowledge. Dante and Beatrice were surrounded by a circle of twelve bright lights, which are the souls wise men, including: Thomas Aquinas, the official theologian of the Roman Catholic Church; his teacher, Albert the Great; King Solomon, known in the Bible for his wisdom; Dionysus the Areopagite; and the saints Isidore of Seville and Bede the Venerable.

St. Thomas Aquinas recounts the life of St. Francis of Assisi and his love for “Lady Poverty”. Then twelve new bright lights appear. Among them is St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan, recounts the life of St. Dominic, founder of the Dominicans (the Order of Preachers). The Franciscans and the Dominicans have not always been friendly on Earth, but having representatives of each order praising the founder of the other shows that love exists in Heaven. The twenty-four bright lights now surround Dante and Beatrice. Finally, Aquinas explains that King Solomon has been included among the wise not because of his mathematical or philosophical wisdom, but for his kingly wisdom that enabled him to rule wisely.

 St. Dominic (left), the founder of the Dominicans; and St. Francis of Assisi (right), founder of the Franciscans.

(Image for Telegraph..co.uk)

Fifth Sphere (The Warriors of Faith). The red planet of Mars has been traditionally associated with war. Thus Mars is the home of the Warriors of Faith, which represent the virtue of Fortitude. The souls there appear as a million sparks of light that form a Greek Cross, which Dante compares to the stars of the Milky Way.

There Dante meets his ancestor Cacciaguida, who fought in the Second Crusade. He praises the Republic of Florence in the 12^th century and deplores the city’s decline at the present (the 14^th century). He “predicts” Dante’s exile and charges him to write about all the things he saw in Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. Finally, Dante also sees other warriors of faith including Joshua (who led the Israelites into the Promised Land), Judas Maccabeus (a Jewish priest who fought against the Greeks), Charlemagne, and the French hero Roland.

(Image from NASA.gov)

Sixth Sphere (The Just Rulers). The giant planet Jupiter has been traditionally associated with the king of the gods, so Dante makes this the home of the Just Rulers, who display the virtue of Justice. The souls here spell out the Latin phrase

DILIGITE IUSTITIAM QUI IUDACATIS TERRAM

…which means, ‘Love justice, you rulers of the Earth’. Then final “M” is transformed into the shape of the giant Roman imperial eagle.

An Roman Imperial Eagle, borne by a Roman soldier called an aquilifier. (Image from Caerleon.Net)

Those who dwell here include King David and King Hezekiah of the Bible; Trajan (who was converted to Christianity according to a medieval legend); Emperor Constantine and (to Dante’s surprise), Ripheus, a pagan Trojan, who was saved by the mercy of God. The souls forming the imperial eagle declare in one voice the justice of God.

(Image from EnvironmentalGrafitti.Com)

Seventh Sphere (The Contemplatives). The planet Saturn is the home of the Contemplatives, those who devoted their lives in prayer and meditation, and are examples of the virtue of Temperance. Dante speaks with Peter Damien, a monk, who discusses monasticism, predestination, and the sad state of the Church at that time. Meanwhile Beatrice, who represents theology, becomes increasingly lovelier here, because of the contemplatives closer insight into the truth of God.

(Image from News.Discovery.com)

Eighth Sphere (Faith, Hope, and Love). The Eighth Sphere is composed of the fixed stars (the constellations), which represents the Church Triumphant. From the constellation Gemini (under which Dante is born), he looks back at the seven Spheres which he has visited, and to Earth.

Here, Dante sees the Virgin Mary and the other saints. He is test by St. Peter on faith: he asks Dante how he knows that the Bible is true. Dante answers that the miracle of the Church’s growth is proof of the veracity of the Bible. St. James tests Dante on hope and Beatrice vouches that Dante does indeed have hope. Finally, St. John tests Dante on love: Dante refers back to the twisted concepts of love in Purgatorio. Then St. Peter denounces the current Pope, Boniface VIII, in very strong terms and states that in his eye, the Papal See is vacant.

(Image from BroGilbert.Org)

Ninth Sphere (The Angels). The ninth Sphere is the Primum Mobile, the ‘First Mover’ and the last sphere of the physical universe. It is moved directly by God, which in turn causes all the other Spheres to move. It is the home of the Angels, with God as an intense point of light surrounded by nine angels. Beatrice explains the Creation of the universe and the role of the angels. She ends by denouncing the preachers of that time, who preach “idle stories” with “jests and jeers” instead of the truth.

The Empyrean: the Abode of God.

Dante ascends above the Primum Mobile and into the Empyrean, which is non-material. Beatrice becomes more beautiful than ever, and Dante is enveloped in light, enabling him to see God himself.

 Beatrice with Dante in contemplation of God. (Image from WorldOfDante.Org)

Dante sees a great Rose, symbol of divine love. The souls of the faithful, from both the Old and New Testament, live on the petals of this rose. Beatrice and all the souls that Dante has met all live in this rose. The angels move about like bees, distributing peace and love. Beatrice returns to her place in the rose, signifying that theology has ended and now Dante is in the presence of God himself. St. Bernard, a mystical monk, guides Dante further in contemplation of God.

Dante describes God as three equally large circles that occupy the same space, representing the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He also discerns within the three circles the human form of Christ. But he cannot fully understand how the circles fit together or how the humanity of Christ fits with his divinity. Then in a "flash of understanding", Dante finally understands this though he cannot fully express it words. And his soul “becomes aligned with God’s love”.

The Divine Comedy ends with these lines:

“But already my desire and my will
were being turned like a wheel, all at one speed,
by the Love which moves the sun and the other stars."