Dantes reconciliation of a lov
Dantes reconciliation of a lovDante's Reconciliation of a Loving God and a Horrific Hell
Dante Alighieri, a great Italian poet, is most noted for a journey, which he wrote of in his Divine Comedy series. In these works, Alighieri sends a fictional Dante through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. The Inferno is a detailed description of Dante's journey through Hell. While on this journey, Dante witnesses the scourge of the damned through the use of all senses. He smells the foul odors, sees the horrifying sights, feels the heat, as well as the cold, and hears the overwhelming cries of all sinners. Ironically, the purpose of this journey is to expose Dante to Hell so that he will spend eternity in Heaven. Throughout this journey, we begin to realize that man is neither smart nor strong enough to face the hardships in life without the intervention of God. However, this divine intervention does not guarantee salvation. It is a choice made by man that does insure salvation. So, as seen in The Inferno, hell still exists and the chances of going there are real. A reader might wonder how God can allow this kind of suffering and pain. Dante succeeds in justifying the coexistence of God, who is omnipotent, just, and loving with a hell that is treacherous, disgusting, and eternal.
Dante alludes to the power of God as one of his recurring themes in The Inferno. Dante, the character, is a mere mortal. God placed him in the hands of Virgil, a great Roman poet who represents human reason within The Inferno. Although Dante has human reason as his guide, his mission cannot be completed without divine intervention. The power of God is demonstrated in Canto nine when a heavenly messenger is sent to open a gate that no one else can. However, the question still remains; how can such an omnipotent God allow this punishment in hell? God, like any father is demonstrating the concept of operant conditioning. He is punishing those who sin and rewarding those who have excepted God's grace and, therefore, are refraining from sin. The Inferno was written in accordance to orthodox Christianity, which is outlined in the Bible. The Bible states many times that evildoers will be punished. Many characteristics of Dante's hell, such as weeping, pain, burning flames, and eternal punishment are mentioned in the Bible, as well. Just as God claims the power to save, He claims the power to damn. Although a detailed description of the hell God created is not provided, as it is for the hell Dante illustrated, the concept remains the same. When asking oneself how God could allow this kind of torture, a person should remember that The Inferno is a fictional work and Dante does not claim otherwise. Therefore, the extremities and gory detail described are merely creations of the...
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