While we are not reading the second or third part of Dante's epic
poem, students seemed interested in what happens in this part of the
underworld.
Purgatory:
The Roman Catholic tradition of purgatory dates back to the worldwide practice of praying for the redemption of the dead. According to the Church there are venial and mortal sins. Venial or small sins are or can be forgiven, thus, allowing the soul to rise to Heaven and perfection eventually. A mortal sin is one that can be forgiven ONLY in the sacrament of confession. If you died with a mortal sin unconfessed--straight to the Inferno you go!
Purgatory (as the name implies) is meant to cleanse. The purpose of such a "waiting place" is to purify the soul to be ready (and clean) enough to enter Heaven. Faithful human prayer is then essential for those souls to advance to glory in paradise. No one wants an imperfect soul stinkin' up heaven. Sometimes you gotta wash.
Medieval theologians used the element of fire as a cleansing agent (symbolic of the holy spirit) for purgatorial punishments. The Western concept of purgatory proved to be a sticking point in the Great Schism between East and West. The Catholic Church believed that the living could help those whose purification from their sins is not yet completed by prayer and by gaining indulgences or pardons for the dead souls (who were unable to help themselves) by the act of intercession with prayers. This is similar to the concept of the Anglo-Saxon wergild (payment in this case to the Church by loved ones (family members) of the deceased who felt that the dead soul needed more assistance or insurance that it would rise to Heaven.)
Dante's The Purgatorio
The Roman Catholic tradition of purgatory dates back to the worldwide practice of praying for the redemption of the dead. According to the Church there are venial and mortal sins. Venial or small sins are or can be forgiven, thus, allowing the soul to rise to Heaven and perfection eventually. A mortal sin is one that can be forgiven ONLY in the sacrament of confession. If you died with a mortal sin unconfessed--straight to the Inferno you go!
Purgatory (as the name implies) is meant to cleanse. The purpose of such a "waiting place" is to purify the soul to be ready (and clean) enough to enter Heaven. Faithful human prayer is then essential for those souls to advance to glory in paradise. No one wants an imperfect soul stinkin' up heaven. Sometimes you gotta wash.
Medieval theologians used the element of fire as a cleansing agent (symbolic of the holy spirit) for purgatorial punishments. The Western concept of purgatory proved to be a sticking point in the Great Schism between East and West. The Catholic Church believed that the living could help those whose purification from their sins is not yet completed by prayer and by gaining indulgences or pardons for the dead souls (who were unable to help themselves) by the act of intercession with prayers. This is similar to the concept of the Anglo-Saxon wergild (payment in this case to the Church by loved ones (family members) of the deceased who felt that the dead soul needed more assistance or insurance that it would rise to Heaven.)
Dante's The Purgatorio
1. Opposed to the souls in Hell who abandon hope of ever going anywhere, the souls in Purgatory HAVE hope. They will eventually climb the mountain and arrive in Heaven.
2. The poem starts with Dante & Virgil emerging from Hell. They find themselves on the other side of the world on an island. Cato instructs Virgil to wash Dante of the stink and filth of the underworld, which he, being a good guide, does. Dante is now ready to travel up the path of redemption. All this, by the way, takes place on Easter Sunday.
3. A ship of souls arrives (similar to the long line of sinners awaiting the boat to the Inferno), and the newly dead embark. There is some delay as Dante visits with a deceased friend of his. Cato reprimands the souls for lazing around--better get climbing!
4. At the base of the mountain, Dante & Virgil find the excommunicated. This area is considered Ante-purgatory (not anti (against), but ante as in antechamber). Along with the excommunicated, are the late penitent, and the Preoccupied (souls who were not given the sacrament of confession of sins due to excommunication (they couldn't), laziness or because they were too busy to confess their sins. All have HOPE of returning, progressing, or being cleansed of their venial sins.
5. Souls travel up the mountain (gaining forgiveness and removing sin) during the day. When the sun goes down, they rest with the protection of Angels to keep sin (in the form of serpents) from the sinners.
6. Dante climbs the mountain with the help of St. Lucy & Virgil. After St. Peter's Gate, the mountain, like the circles of Hell, is comprised of cornices or plateaus that reflect the venial sins these souls have committed. The sinners are delayed by dragging boulders, or singing, or chanting prayers, or being blind (the Envious, for example, have their eyes wired shut to prevent them from falling into more sin by looking at what others have...neat). All the way up the mountain Angels flit here and there, assisting Dante's progress.
7. The sins of pride, envy, wrath, sloth, covetousness, gluttony, and lust are countered by the virtues of love, hope, justice, diligence, patience, temperance, and chastity.
8. Dante has several interesting (theologically) discourses on free will and love. As he moves up the mountain, he is cleansed of his own pride, envy, wrath, etc. He meets family members, friends, and other poets. All Cantos include people Dante chats with to hear their story.
9. At the top of the mountain we find the Garden of Eden and the entrance to Heaven. Here Beatrice greets Dante & Virgil. She takes over as guide. Virgil cannot enter Heaven. Dante drinks from Lethe and his sins (as in Baptism) are washed away. He is now ready to enter the Heavenly realm.
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