Dante's Commedia
Canyon Hills 92532
It describes DAnte's travel thru the Inferno, Pergatorio, and Paradiso and at a deeper level it represents the soul's journey towards God. It draws on medieval Christian theology and philosopy of Thomas Aquinas in his Thomistic philosophy and the Summa Theologica.
Dante's journey through the three realms of the dead, begins the night before Good Friday and ends the Wednesday after Easter in 1300. The Roman poet Virgil guides him through Hell and Pergatory. Beatrice, Dante's ideal woman, guides him thru Heaven.
Italy's polictical struggle between the Guelphs and Ghibellines is contained in this works. Dante was a Guelph who favored the Papacy over the Holy Roman Emperor. The Florence Guelphs split into White and Black factions around 1300. Dante was part of the White Guelphs who were exciled in 1302. In Dante's journey, he encounters many people that played a part in the history of the Church, The Roman Empire, and local politicians.
Inferno Levels as you descend to the center of the earth.
Vestibule, Limbo
Incontinence
- Lustful
- Gluttonous
- Hoarders and Wasters
- Wrathful and Slothful
Styx - City of Dis
- Heresy
Violence
- Against Neighbors
- Against Self
- Against God
Simple Fraud
- Panders and Seducers
- Flatterers
- Simonists
- Sorcerers
- Barrators
- Hypocrites
- Thieves
- Fradulent Counselors
- Sowers of Discord
- Falsifiers
Treachery
- To Kin
- To Country
- To Guests
- To Lords
Purgatory (Mt Purgatory)
- All that enter will eventually reach "Heaven or Paridiso". But they must atone and work thru their issues.
Late Repentant
- Excommunicated
- Negligent, Indolent, Unshrivern
Misdirected Love
- Proud
- Envious
- Wrathful
Deficient Love
- Slothful
Excessive Love
- Avaricious, Prodigal
- Gluttonous
- Lustful
Paridiso - Heavenly Spheres
Earth Centric Universe
Earth
Moon - Faith
Mercury - Hope
Venus - Love
Sun - Wisdom
Mars - Courage
Jupiter - Justice
Saturn - Temperance
Fixed Stars
Primum Mobile
Empyrean - the very essence of God
Timelines
| 13th Century BCE |
Trojan War |
| 600 BCE - 410 AD |
The Roman Empire |
| 44 BCE |
Murder of Julius
Ceaser |
| 19 BCE |
Death of Virgil |
| 33 CE |
Christ's Crucifixion |
| 117 |
Death of Emperor
Trajan |
| 337 |
Death of Emperor
Constantine |
| 410- 1066 |
Dark Ages |
| 547 |
Death of Saint
Benedict |
| 565 |
Death of Emperor
Justinian |
| 1054 |
East - West Schism,
formally divided the State church of the Roman
Empire into Eastern(Greek) and Western (Latin)
branches. They later became known as the Roman
Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. |
| 1153 |
Death of Saint
Bernard of Clairvaux |
| 1182, 1204 |
The Massacre of the
Latins in 1182 and the capture and sack of
Constantinopole in 1204 made reconcillation more
difficult between the Roman Catholic Church and the
Eastern Orthodox Church. |
| 1215 |
Beginning of serious
factionalism in Florence |
| 1221 |
Death of Saint
Francis of Assisi |
| 1248 - 1251 |
First Ghibelline rule
in Florence |
| 1250 |
Death of Emperor
Frederich II |
| 1260 |
Battle of Montaperti |
| 1260 - 1266 |
Second Ghibelline
rule in Florence |
| 1265 |
Birth of Dante
Alighieri in Florence |
| 1266 |
Death of Manfred at
the Battle of Benevento |
| 1269 |
Defeat of Tuscan
Ghibellines at the Battle of Colle Valdelsa |
| 1274 |
Death of Saint
Bonaventure |
| 1274 |
Death of Saint Thomas
Aquinas |
| 1280 |
Death of Pope
Nicholas III |
| 1280 |
General amnesty for
Ghibellines in Florence |
| 1285 |
Murder of Paolo and
Francesca |
| 1290 |
Death of Beatrice |
| 1294 - 1303 |
Pontificate of
Boniface VIII |
| 1299 |
Division of the
Florentine Guelfs into Black and White factions |
| 1300 |
Dante chosen as a
prior of Florence. He begins his journey to the
after life. |
| 1301 |
Dante in Rome to
negotiate with Pope Boniface VIII |
| 1301 |
Black Guelfs enter
Florence, Expulsion of White Guelfs from Florence |
| 1302 |
Dante condemned and
exiled |
| 1304 |
Dante breaks with his
fellow White Guelfs |
| 1307 - 1321 |
Dante writes the
Commedia |
| 1310 |
Dante lives mostly in
Verona |
| 1310 - 1313 |
Emperor Henry VII
into Italy |
| 1313 |
Death of Emperor
Henry VII |
| 1314 |
Death of Clement V |
| 1318 - 1321 |
Dante lives in
Ravenna |
| 1321 |
Dante dies in Ravenna |
| 1483 - 1546 |
Life of Martin
Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation |
Dante writes about Boniface VIII selling his hats, which refers to giving Cardinal status to political favorites in exchange for some of their wealth. This continues for another 200 years and is written about by Martin Luther.
Martin Luther, 1483 - 1546 initiated the Protestant Reformation. Luther taught that salvation is not earned by good deeds but received only as a free gift of God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority of the pope of the Roman Catholic Church by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge.
In 1516 Johann Tetzel, a Dominican Friar and "papal commissioner for indulgence", was sent to Germany by the Roman Catholic Church to sell indulgences to raise money to rebuild Saint Peters Basilica in Rome. Roman Catholic theology stated that faith alone, cannot justify man, and that only such faith as is active in charity and good works, can justify man. The benefits of good works could be obtained by donating money to the church. "As soon as the coin in the coffee cup rings, the soul from purgatory (into heaven) springs". This was later challenged that charity can only affect one's own soul not those of the already departed.