I started Dante’s Inferno.
As Jeanne said, all roads seem to lead to Troy. I should not still be surprised, I guess. I knew Dante used Virgil as his guide through the Inferno, but it still makes me smile. And from the start I knew Dante would be one of my favorites simply because it was such a refreshing change from Augustine’s lengthy sentences/paragraphs. The poetry is easier on both tired mind and tired eyes.
I found Dante’s portrayal of the place where “good non-Christians and unbaptized children go” to be sad.
- “They did not sin: yet even their just merits
- Were not enough, for they lacked baptism,
- The gateway of the faith that you profess.
- “And, if they lived before the Christian era,
- They did not worship God in the right way:
- And I myself am one of those poor souls.
- Virgil is speaking there. I am guessing that Dante rightly believes that works do not save, and yet I am not certain if he is seeing baptism as what saves or the faith. Interesting is how he calls baptism “the gateway of the faith.” Does anyone have any insight on this?
- I noticed the common refrain Virgil gave when some in hell challenged Dante’s right to be there:
- This deed has so been willed where One can do
- Whatever He wills — and ask no more questions.
- It would be easy to share scores of thoughts on this one; from my surprise at all the Biblical allusions to the admiration of his vivid word pictures, but I will try to keep to the highlights.
May 7, 2008 at 8:38 pm
I am guessing that Dante rightly believes that works do not save, and yet I am not certain if he is seeing baptism as what saves or the faith. Interesting is how he calls baptism “the gateway of the faith.” Does anyone have any insight on this?
Hmmm. Don’t know for sure, but I’ll throw out a few ideas.
In traditional church architecture (especially Gothic and Romanesque), the baptismal font was located at the narthex, or entrance to the church. The narthex was an area physically separated from the nave (main church) where catechumens (unbaptized persons being instructed in the faith) would gather to witness the liturgy, but not fully participate. So, when someone was baptized, they were literally and symbolically brought into the physical church building and into the Church, which is the Body of Christ.
I attend services in a beautiful church constructed in neo-Gothic style, so I enjoy learning more about the rich symbolism of traditional church architecture (both Western and Eastern). Our baptismal font is situated as I described above, although we don’t make catechumens watch the liturgy from the narthex anymore.
When we enter the nave, we bless ourselves with water from the font, as a reminder of our baptism.
May 7, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Oh, and Catholics such as Dante would view baptism as a sacrament, which is an outward, visible sign of God’s saving, sanctifying grace.
We exercise faith by opening our hearts to fully receive the gift, and we exercise good works by cooperating with the grace that we have been given.
May 8, 2008 at 5:44 am
Thanks for sharing, Rachel. That is very interesting and definitely adds some insight into the background of Dante’s writing.
May 8, 2008 at 9:40 am
Just skating around the net for a moment, I came up with a quote from the catholic catechism: “Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments.”
May 9, 2008 at 10:09 am
ladyjeanne, that makes sense.
Natalie, you might enjoy reading Thomas Merton’s spiritual autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain (1946), since you will have read Augustine’s Confessions and Dante’s Divine Comedy.
Merton draws the title from Dante’s mountain in Purgatorio.
There are many similarities between Augustine and Merton’s conversion stories. Both lived “wild” lives as young men and searched for peace in all the wrong places before finding Christ. Merton entered the Catholic Church at age 23, and soon afterwards became a Trappist monk at Gethsemani Abbey in KY. Merton writes beautifully, so it’s hard to put his books down. He’s also very quotable.
May 9, 2008 at 10:30 am
I finished Inferno and have gotten buried under so much to do around here I don’t know when I’ll get to start Purgatory. Hopefully sometime this week…or month…
I will keep that book in mind, Rachel. Thanks for the recommendation. I’ve not heard of Merton before that I can remember but I definitely would like to read some more beautiful quotable writing.
May 14, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Rachel–
Seven Story Mountain is a favorite of mine as well–on my list of my personal “Top Twelve” life-impacting books. It is amazing in reading it, and reading his later works how almost prophetic parts of it are….
L
May 16, 2008 at 10:23 am
roselara, besides The Seven Storey Mountain, I’ve only read a bit of The Sign of Jonas, which is great.