Book Review: Divine Comedy: Paradiso

In the third and final book of the Divine Comedy, the poet Dante ascends into heaven with the guidance of his personal acquittance, Beatrice. To him, Beatrice represents everything that is beautiful, pure, joyful, and the total embodiment of love. Although she is not a historically significant figure, like Virgil or the other spirits Dante meets along his journey, she actually was someone Dante knew in his lifetime. She was Dante's first love as a child yet they never shared an actual relationship and she died at the young age of 25. Nonetheless she was forever Dante's ultimate desire and muse of his writings. Considering the fact that both Dante and Beatrice married different people, one could make the claim that Dante was over infatuated with this woman, and partaking in covetous and adulterous behavior. However he never acted immorally towards her and it was ultimately just a fantasy of what could have been with the one that got away. 

Through the guidance of Beatrice, Dante leaves earth and ascends into the mystical cosmos of the universe, that represent the layers of heaven. Just like with the Inferno and Mount Purgatory there are nine levels plus one mystical domain. The levels in Paradiso are actually the planetary orbit as we know it consisting of the planets, the sun, and the stars in outer space. It begins with the moon, Mercury, Venus, the sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the fixed stars, and the outer rim known as the Primum Mobile. The further Dante gets away from earth, the closer he gets to the highest of heavens known as the Empyrean. While Dante's cosmological description may be somewhat dated it still holds with today's general scientific outline of the planetary orbit. 

I actually really like this theory of the heavens being located up in the stars of outer space. Of course scientifically we know that space is an actual physical place, it still seems unobtainable to human exploration and settlement. Therefore it serves as an endless mass of mystery; an abyss of rocks, energy, maybe extraterrestrial life, or maybe even the countless spirits of the dead. Considering how many stars are in the night sky, it makes for quite a comparable and romantic notion that they represent the righteous souls that have passed on. Dante uses the physical locations of the planets, and even introduces a non-physical domain known as the Empyrean to serve as the home of God. 

Dante's Paradiso

After Dante erases his sinful memories in the river of the Earthly Garden, he is ready to ascend into the heavens with Beatrice. This first includes passage thru the Sphere of Fire, which is more-or-less the earth's atmosphere by which Dante leaves Earth and enters space. The first physical location they arrive to is the moon, which is home to the inconstant. These are righteous souls who broke their vows with God and lacked fortitude. The second tier is the planet Mercury where dwell the righteous souls who were driven by ambition. These beings achieved great fame and glory however lacked justice and devotion to God. In this sphere, Dante meets the Roman emperor Justinian, who ambitiously sought to restore Roman tradition to the Byzantine empire in 500 AD. 

The third sphere is that of Venus, for those who engaged in a life of love yet lacked in temperance. It is also understood by this point that each soul is very content with where they are located and not seeking upward mobility. From this point on Dante visits locations that were not lacking in virtues yet rather exceeding in the virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. The fourth sphere is that of the sun, which is home to the wise. These are the souls who displayed great prudence and illuminated humanity with their wisdom and intellect. Historical examples on this sphere include the 12 wise men such as Thomas Aquinas, Albertus Magnus, and King Solomon. 

The fifth sphere is located on the planet Mars, for the warriors of faith who displayed the virtue of fortitude. This includes religious rulers, knights from the crusades and biblical heroes. Historical examples include Joshua, Judas Maccabeaus, Charlemagne, Roland, and Godfrey of Bouillon. The sixth sphere is Jupiter for the just rulers and those who demonstrated the virtue of justice. Historical examples include David, Hezekiah, Trajan, Constantine, William II of Sicily, Ripheus of Troy, and a symbolic imperial eagle. The seventh sphere is Saturn for the contemplatives who demonstrated temperance. Here they meet the monk Peter Damian who describes to them the concept of predestination in which all souls have a determined fate by God. This is the final physical planet they inhabit before entering the sphere of the stars. 

The Eighth sphere is the domain of stars, where dwell the church triumphant who exceeded in the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love. In this realm Dante meets the highest of saints such as the Virgin Mary and St. Peter. The ninth sphere is the outer layer of space known as the Primum Mobile. Here dwell the angels, the celestial servants of God and intermediaries between God and humanity. Dante describes the domain in 9 rings which is in reference to the hierarchy of angels. At the upper realm are God's personal servants known as the Seraphim, Cherubim, and the Thrones. The second realm is for the governors of the heavenly domain, known as the lordships, virtues, and the powers. In the lower tier is the principalities, the archangels, and the angels who govern over humanity. 

The tenth and final sphere is a non-physical domain referred to by Dante as the Empyrean. Here dwells the highest of angels, spirits, and the source and creator of everything, God. Within this mystical domain of light and beauty, Dante sees an enormous rose with angels flying around it. At this point Beatrice bids him farewell and returns to her home in the rose, while Dante transcends into a mystical state. Here he is guided by Saint Bernard who further explains the mystical domain and the concept of predestination. Finally Dante comes face-to- face with God, who takes on the shape of 3 circles that represent the father, the son, and the holy spirit. Within the circles Dante can make out the humanly figure of Jesus Christ. At this point Dante understands God's love and thus ends the epic journey into the afterlife. 

Dante's Spheres of Paradise

What I especially love about this epic poem is Dante's consistent pattern of 10 levels in each of the 3 books. While the underworld of the inferno is broken into tiers and the mount purgatory is broken in terraces, the domain of Paradiso is broken into spheres. These spheres are in accordance to the earth's distance from the planets. As Dante gets deeper into space and further away from Earth, he also gets closer to God and the highest of heavens. Just as the Inferno was ranked by the 7 deadly sins, the levels of heaven are ranked by the 7 virtues and beyond. The upper most spheres are for the angels and the mystical domain of God. 

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  Sphere 1: The Moon (Inconstant) Those who broke their vows with God
• Sphere 2: Mercury (The Ambitious) Those who were overly ambitious
• Sphere 3: Venus (The Lovers) Those who put love for one another above God
• Sphere 4: The Sun (The Wise) Those who illuminated the world with wisdom and prudence 
• Sphere 5: Mars (The Warriors of Faith) Those who fought for God and demonstrated great fortitude
• Sphere 6: Jupiter (The Just Rulers) Those who ruled fairly and demonstrated great justice in their leadership
• Sphere 7: Saturn (The Contemplatives) Those who demonstrated great self-restraint, devotion, and temperance to God
• Sphere 8: The Fixed Stars (Faith, Hope, and Love) The highest of saints who embodied the utmost theological virtues 
• Sphere 9: Primum Mobile (The Angels) The outermost realm of the physical universe where dwell the angels in 9 rings
• Sphere 10: The Empyrean (Highest Heaven) The mystical realm of illumination and the abode of God