As the Inferno and Purgatorio are divided into levels (rings or plateaus) the Heavenly realm is divided into heavenly bodies (i.e., the planets and satellites). Beatrice informs Dante that attaining knowledge through sensory perception and reason are insufficient for grasping the spiritual realities of the
heavens. Divine power is distributed among the stars. Each heavenly body represents a portion of the whole Divine picture.
Dante arrives in the first canto where we left him in Purgatorio (i.e., at the top of Mount Purgatory). This is the terrestrial paradise (still attached to Earth) spoken of in Genesis, before the fall. Dante and Beatrice's ascension to the celestial realm occurs as Dante stares into Beatrice's eyes, which are themselves fixed on the sun. Lovely.
Our first stop in Heaven is the moon. Unlike Buzz Aldrin, Dante finds the moon inhabited. He speaks to Piccarda Donati (the sister to Gemma Donati, Dante's wife--and sister to Corso Donati, Dante's brother-in-law who was partly responsible for Dante's excommunication. Dante is told in the Purgatorio that when Corso Donati dies, he will be lost to the Inferno.) and the Great Constance (wife to Emperor Frederick II). The moon is assigned to those who for one reason or another did not maintain their religious vows. The traditional literary/classical significance of the Moon is a satellite devoted to Diana, the virgin goddess, and the planet of "mutability or inconstancy"--Oh, inconstant Moon! (be careful boys with those "inconstant virgins...!")
Next comes Mercury. Mercury is named for the Roman messenger god who interceded between Heaven and Earth (gods and mortals, respectfully). There are various religious discussions, the primary one concerning why God became a man in the form of Jesus (the Son). This leads to lengthy discussions of incarnation, original sin, and redemption. Jesus being the wergild, if you will, to release humankind from original sin (betraying God's laws in the Garden of Eden).
On to Venus. Venus is named for the Roman goddess of love. The first three "planets" reflect back to the first three plateaus of Purgatory and the antechamber and two circles of Hell. Thus unfulfilled vows (Moon) are akin to the unbaptized in Limbo, glorious achievements (Mercury) reflect the neutrals in the first level of the Inferno, and irrepressible love (Venus) contrast with the lustful buffeted by the winds in the second circle of Hell.
The Sun is next. Okay, Dante's order is a bit weird, but go with it. The Sun is reserved for wise spirits, who, like the bonfires of the pagan scholars in Limbo, shine brightly in Heaven. Here Dante meets Thomas Aquinas, the Venerable Bede, Bonaventure, St. Augustine, St. Francis de Assisi, St. Dominic, among others.
After the Sun, Dante visits Mars. Mars, the Roman god of war, is echoed in the spiritual warriors found in this sphere. Joshua (Moses' successor), Judas Maccabeus, Charlemagne, Roland, and a few others are mentioned and pointed out by Dante's great-great-grandfather Cacciaguida. Like his sympathetic discussion with Brunetto Latini in the Inferno and Marco Lombardo in the Purgatorio, Cacciaguida represents Dante's father-figure--a guide and teacher. This important section of the poem alludes to a Medieval text called The Dream of Scipio. Nothing you need to concern yourself with yet.
Cantos 18-20 describe Jupiter, the sphere of just rulers. Spirits shape the celestial body of an Eagle, representing the Roman Empire as well as the Roman god Jove or Jupiter. "A major lesson of the episode of Jupiter is the inscrutability of God's will, the idea that no one--not even the spirits in Paradise with their prophetic power--can probe completely the depths of divine knowledge and justice. Dante poetically illustrates this point in his selection of the six lights who receive special recognition among the blessed rulers by forming the eye of the eagle." These lights include David (the Biblical king who slew Goliath), the Roman Emperor Trajan, the Emperor Constantine, and William II of Sicily, among others. Certain souls are chosen--or predestined--to be saved (the concept of predestination). This doctrine was debated by Christian theologians throughout the Middle Ages--and even today scholars discuss it.
Saturn is our last recognizable planetary body. Here we meet Peter Damian (1007-72) a Benedictine monk who led a simple life of spiritual worship and contemplation. In his day Peter championed the renewal of spiritual values in Church practice. One of Peter's letters (his writings consist of 180 letters, some collected in short books) contains the image of the ladder of contemplation, and another exhorts his fellow cardinals to renounce lavish material comforts and to live honest, virtuous lives. These are criticism that Martin Luther will use to create his protests. Peter teaches Dante that God's ways are ultimately cut off from human understanding (and even from that of angels) and should therefore not be probed without measure (21.91-9). He also delivers a vivid assault on Church corruption and hypocrisy by contrasting the ascetic humility of two of Christianity's founding fathers (Peter and Paul) with the decadent lives led by priests of Dante's day (21.127-35). Dante witnesses blessed spirits moving along a celestial golden ladder that leads to the Empyrean (the true home of souls in Paradise.)
The Fixed Stars of Heaven include the Zodiac. Dante is allowed to view the moving celestial bodies from this vantage point (the other planets he has visited). Here Dante is quizzed by Peter, James, and John on the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and love. Dante also meets and discusses things with Adam. Peter grows angry at the state of the Papacy on Earth and condemns it. Dante spends six hours (of his three-day journey) in this constellation of Gemini (his birth constellation).
Our second to last stop is the Primum Mobile ("first mover") which moves the other spheres of Heaven. It represents the creative working of God's mind, and as such is transparent. Here Dante witnesses nine fiery rings whirling about a central point of intense light. Beatrice explains that these are the nine orders of angels, hierarchically arranged according to their proximity to God. The number nine is an important motif in the work, as it represents the Holy Trinity three times (3+3+3=9).
Finally, we arrive at the Empyrean--the mind of God. The true home of all the blessed is with God in the Empyrean, a heaven of pure light beyond time and space. Dante describes this realm as a white rose protected by the Virgin Mary. Dante penetrates the eternal, divine light to view the underlying order of the universe. This magnificent vision Dante describes as ephemeral. Upon witnessing how the universe is bound together by love, Dante forgets much of what he sees. We are left with Dante's image of the Trinitarian Circles within which he witnesses the Holy Trinity: God (the father), God (the son), and God (the holy spirit).
Dante arrives in the first canto where we left him in Purgatorio (i.e., at the top of Mount Purgatory). This is the terrestrial paradise (still attached to Earth) spoken of in Genesis, before the fall. Dante and Beatrice's ascension to the celestial realm occurs as Dante stares into Beatrice's eyes, which are themselves fixed on the sun. Lovely.
Our first stop in Heaven is the moon. Unlike Buzz Aldrin, Dante finds the moon inhabited. He speaks to Piccarda Donati (the sister to Gemma Donati, Dante's wife--and sister to Corso Donati, Dante's brother-in-law who was partly responsible for Dante's excommunication. Dante is told in the Purgatorio that when Corso Donati dies, he will be lost to the Inferno.) and the Great Constance (wife to Emperor Frederick II). The moon is assigned to those who for one reason or another did not maintain their religious vows. The traditional literary/classical significance of the Moon is a satellite devoted to Diana, the virgin goddess, and the planet of "mutability or inconstancy"--Oh, inconstant Moon! (be careful boys with those "inconstant virgins...!")
Next comes Mercury. Mercury is named for the Roman messenger god who interceded between Heaven and Earth (gods and mortals, respectfully). There are various religious discussions, the primary one concerning why God became a man in the form of Jesus (the Son). This leads to lengthy discussions of incarnation, original sin, and redemption. Jesus being the wergild, if you will, to release humankind from original sin (betraying God's laws in the Garden of Eden).
On to Venus. Venus is named for the Roman goddess of love. The first three "planets" reflect back to the first three plateaus of Purgatory and the antechamber and two circles of Hell. Thus unfulfilled vows (Moon) are akin to the unbaptized in Limbo, glorious achievements (Mercury) reflect the neutrals in the first level of the Inferno, and irrepressible love (Venus) contrast with the lustful buffeted by the winds in the second circle of Hell.
The Sun is next. Okay, Dante's order is a bit weird, but go with it. The Sun is reserved for wise spirits, who, like the bonfires of the pagan scholars in Limbo, shine brightly in Heaven. Here Dante meets Thomas Aquinas, the Venerable Bede, Bonaventure, St. Augustine, St. Francis de Assisi, St. Dominic, among others.
After the Sun, Dante visits Mars. Mars, the Roman god of war, is echoed in the spiritual warriors found in this sphere. Joshua (Moses' successor), Judas Maccabeus, Charlemagne, Roland, and a few others are mentioned and pointed out by Dante's great-great-grandfather Cacciaguida. Like his sympathetic discussion with Brunetto Latini in the Inferno and Marco Lombardo in the Purgatorio, Cacciaguida represents Dante's father-figure--a guide and teacher. This important section of the poem alludes to a Medieval text called The Dream of Scipio. Nothing you need to concern yourself with yet.
Cantos 18-20 describe Jupiter, the sphere of just rulers. Spirits shape the celestial body of an Eagle, representing the Roman Empire as well as the Roman god Jove or Jupiter. "A major lesson of the episode of Jupiter is the inscrutability of God's will, the idea that no one--not even the spirits in Paradise with their prophetic power--can probe completely the depths of divine knowledge and justice. Dante poetically illustrates this point in his selection of the six lights who receive special recognition among the blessed rulers by forming the eye of the eagle." These lights include David (the Biblical king who slew Goliath), the Roman Emperor Trajan, the Emperor Constantine, and William II of Sicily, among others. Certain souls are chosen--or predestined--to be saved (the concept of predestination). This doctrine was debated by Christian theologians throughout the Middle Ages--and even today scholars discuss it.
Saturn is our last recognizable planetary body. Here we meet Peter Damian (1007-72) a Benedictine monk who led a simple life of spiritual worship and contemplation. In his day Peter championed the renewal of spiritual values in Church practice. One of Peter's letters (his writings consist of 180 letters, some collected in short books) contains the image of the ladder of contemplation, and another exhorts his fellow cardinals to renounce lavish material comforts and to live honest, virtuous lives. These are criticism that Martin Luther will use to create his protests. Peter teaches Dante that God's ways are ultimately cut off from human understanding (and even from that of angels) and should therefore not be probed without measure (21.91-9). He also delivers a vivid assault on Church corruption and hypocrisy by contrasting the ascetic humility of two of Christianity's founding fathers (Peter and Paul) with the decadent lives led by priests of Dante's day (21.127-35). Dante witnesses blessed spirits moving along a celestial golden ladder that leads to the Empyrean (the true home of souls in Paradise.)
The Fixed Stars of Heaven include the Zodiac. Dante is allowed to view the moving celestial bodies from this vantage point (the other planets he has visited). Here Dante is quizzed by Peter, James, and John on the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and love. Dante also meets and discusses things with Adam. Peter grows angry at the state of the Papacy on Earth and condemns it. Dante spends six hours (of his three-day journey) in this constellation of Gemini (his birth constellation).
Our second to last stop is the Primum Mobile ("first mover") which moves the other spheres of Heaven. It represents the creative working of God's mind, and as such is transparent. Here Dante witnesses nine fiery rings whirling about a central point of intense light. Beatrice explains that these are the nine orders of angels, hierarchically arranged according to their proximity to God. The number nine is an important motif in the work, as it represents the Holy Trinity three times (3+3+3=9).
Finally, we arrive at the Empyrean--the mind of God. The true home of all the blessed is with God in the Empyrean, a heaven of pure light beyond time and space. Dante describes this realm as a white rose protected by the Virgin Mary. Dante penetrates the eternal, divine light to view the underlying order of the universe. This magnificent vision Dante describes as ephemeral. Upon witnessing how the universe is bound together by love, Dante forgets much of what he sees. We are left with Dante's image of the Trinitarian Circles within which he witnesses the Holy Trinity: God (the father), God (the son), and God (the holy spirit).
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