Slide 1

Dantes Guide to God: Church and Salvation in The Divine Comedy Skylar Joseph Tyler Winstead Skylar Joseph Tyler Winstead And And Silvio Defant Silvio Defant As As Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri Slide 2 Dante Alighieri Born in Florence c.1265 May-June Slide 3 Dante Alighieri Born in Florence c.1265 May-June Loyalties to the Guelphs, caught in Slide 4 Dante Alighieri Born in Florence c.1265 May-June Loyalties to the Guelphs, caught in Battle of Capaldino in 1289 Studies Theology in Dominican and Franciscan churches c.1292 Slide 5 Dante Alighieri Born in Florence c.1265 May-June Loyalties to the Guelphs, caught in Battle of Capaldino in 1289 Studies Theology in Dominican and Franciscan churches c.1292 Accused of bribery& corruption in 1302 Slide 6 Dante Alighieri Born in Florence c.1265 May-June Loyalties to the Guelphs, caught in Battle of Capaldino in 1289 Studies Theology in Dominican and Franciscan churches c.1292 Accused of bribery & corruption in 1302 Initially fined; eventually exiled for 15 years Slide 7 Dante Alighieri Born in Florence c.1265 May-June Loyalties to the Guelphs, caught in Battle of Capaldino in 1289 Studies Theology in Dominican and Franciscan churches c.1292 Accused of bribery & corruption in 1302 Initially fined; eventually exiled for 15 years Begins work on The Commedia in 1308 Slide 8 Dante Alighieri Born in Florence c.1265 May-June Loyalties to the Guelphs, caught in Battle of Capaldino in 1289 Studies Theology in Dominican and Franciscan churches c.1292 Accused of bribery & corruption in 1302 Initially fined; eventually exiled for 15 years Begins work on The Commedia in 1308 The Commedia is finished shortly before is death in 1321 Slide 9 The Divine Comedy Slide 10 The Comedy in our Scope Portrayal of the Church: Popes and Saints Christian ideals of salvation Dantes method of salvation The souls journey to God Slide 11 Slide 12 Slide 13 Slide 14 Slide 15 Slide 16 Slide 17 Slide 18 Slide 19 Slide 20 Slide 21 Slide 22 Slide 23 Slide 24 Slide 25 Slide 26 Slide 27 Slide 28 Slide 29 Slide 30 Slide 31 Slide 32 Slide 33 Slide 34 Slide 35 Slide 36 Slide 37 Slide 38 Slide 39 Slide 40 Slide 41 Slide 42 Slide 43 Slide 44 The Papacy of the Inferno Pope Nicolas III: Nepotism, Simony, Vatican Pope Boniface VIII: Political agenda, Simony, Palestrina Pope Clement V: Avignon, Simony 1277-1280 1294-1303 1305-1314 Slide 45 The Eighth Circle of Hell: Fraud (Simony) Home of previously mentioned Popes Sentenced to be half-buried into the ground head-first with a never wavering flame licking their feet Obviously a slam on certain Popes Slide 46 Portrayal of Popes in the Inferno Are you already standing there, o Boniface? The book has lied to me by several years. Are you so quickly sated with the riches for which you did not fear to take by guile the Lovely Lady, then to violate her? (Canto XIX, 52-57) Slide 47 Portrayal of Popes in the Inferno Are you already standing there, o Boniface? The book has lied to me by several years. Are you so quickly sated with the riches for which you did not fear to take by guile the Lovely Lady, then to violate her? (Canto XIX, 52-57) He [Boniface] asked me to give counsel. I was silent. his words had seemed to me delirious. And then he said: 'Your heart must not mistrust: I now absolve you in advance-teach me to batter Palestrina to the ground. You surely know that I possess the power to lock and unlock Heaven; for the keys my predecessor did not prize are two. (Canto XXVII, 98-105) Slide 48 Portrayal of Popes in the Inferno Are you already standing there, o Boniface? The book has lied to me by several years. Are you so quickly sated with the riches for which you did not fear to take by guile the Lovely Lady, then to violate her? (Canto XIX, 52-57) He [Boniface] asked me to give counsel. I was silent. his words had seemed to me delirious. And then he said: 'Your heart must not mistrust: I now absolve you in advance-teach me to batter Palestrina to the ground. You surely know that I possess the power to lock and unlock Heaven; for the keys my predecessor did not prize are two. (Canto XXVII, 98-105) For after him will come one of fouler deeds from the west, a lawless shepherd, one fit to cover him and me. (Canto XIX, 127-130) Slide 49 The Eighth Circle of Hell: Fraud (Simony) If Popes and the Church are not our way to God, then how can we hope to achieve salvation? Slide 50 Section II: Purgatorio Slide 51 Love and Purgatory Fate and free will explained in terms of love Love ultimately comes from God, who is Infinite Love and instills it in each of his creatures God allows each man free will by dividing up man's loves (desires) Slide 52 Natural Love vs. Mental Love The natural inherently loves the ultimate good (God); Natural love is ones innate attraction to God (whether or not one is conscious of it) and it is fated Mental love can desire whatever attracts it (usually beautiful things) and must be trained to desire only worthy things All of the sins punished in Purgatory are forms of perverted love or love expressed in improper measure. Love motivates all human action. Slide 53 Love kindled by virtue always kindles another, provided that its flame appear outwardly (Canto XXII 10-12) Slide 54 Section III: Paradiso Slide 55 St. Augustines Mystic Will Practical mysticism elevating the appreciation of will for man Slide 56 St. Augustines Mystic Will Practical mysticism elevating the appreciation of will for man If the world were converted to Christianity, [] without miracles, this alone is such that the others are not the hundredth part (Canto XXIV 106-108) Slide 57 Dionysius of the Areopagus Dante credits him with superhuman knowledge of matters in paradise, especially of the angelic choirs Based on Corinthians II, St. Paul, who taught Dionysius, while still living had risen to Heaven and beheld its divine mysteries, and afterwards revealed these to Dionysius Slide 58 Dionysius of the Areopagus And Dionysius with so great desire To contemplate these Orders set himself, He named them and distinguished them as I do. But Gregory afterwards dissented from him; Wherefore, as soon as he unclosed his eyes Within this heaven, he at himself did smile. And if so much of secret truth a mortal Proffered on earth, I would not have thee marvel, For he who saw it here revealed it to him, With much more of the truth about these circles. (Canto XXVIII 130-139) Slide 59 Gregory the Greats Prayer Power Prayer as an almost mystical method of salvation (resurrection of Trajan) Slide 60 Gregory the Greats Prayer Power Prayer as an almost mystical method of salvation (resurrection of Trajan) For the one who came back unto his bones from Hell, where there is never return to righteous will; and that was the reward of living hope; of living hope; which put its power into the prayers made to God to raise him up, so that it might be possible for his will to move. (Canto XX 106-112) Slide 61 St. Bernard and Practical Piety Preached the unification of man with himself. Not in God, but through God, is our highest understanding reconciled with our loftiest desire Practical Piety Slide 62 St. Bernard and Practical Piety Now doth this man, who from the lowest depth of the universe as far as here has seen one after one the spiritual lives, supplicate thee through grace for so much power that with his eyes he may uplift himself higher towards the uttermost salvation. And I, who never burned for my own seeing more than I do for his, all of my prayers proffer to thee, and pray they come not short (Canto XXIII 22-30) Slide 63 St. Francis and Franciscan Love Admired by Dante as a model for his method of peace and love as salvation Slide 64 St. Francis and Franciscan Love Admired by Dante as a model for his method of peace and love as salvation take Francis and Poverty for these lovers. Their concord and their glad semblances made live, and wonder, and sweet regard to be cause of holy thoughts; so that the venerable Bernard first bared his feet, and ran following such great peace (Canto XI 74-80) Slide 65 Final Words Slide 66 Questions? Slide 67 Bibliography Catholic Encyclopedia http://www.newadvent.org/ Medieval Culture: An Introduction to Dante and his Times, Karl Vossler, Frederick Ungar Publishing, NY 1958 Medieval Cultural Tradition in Dantes Comedy, Joseph Anthony Mazzeo, Greenwood Press, NY 1968 The New Encyclopedia Britanica, volume five, William Benton, Chicago, 1981 A Diversity of Dante, Thomas Goddard Bergin, New Brunswick NJ, 1965