The Elements of Eden: Dante's Allegory & Mystical Love |
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| One of the more difficult bridges to cross in understanding Dante's vision of Eden in Purgatory is the purpose of the events that Dante sees take place. Keep in mind that the elements function as a complex series of symbols that represent important elements in the salvation of the soul. Dante's journey at this point is what prepares him for journeying in heaven. Likewise, Dante hopes that his reader who has to puzzle out the allegory will also grow in understanding, so that we too may be someday prepared for heaven. | |
(Canto 27)
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Element Wall of Fire |
Meaning sanctifying purification |
| Dream of Leah and Rachel | reflection on the active and contemplative vocations |
| [Virgil's (mistaken?) crowning of Dante] | either the perfection of natural reason without grace, or natural reason's inability to see the need for grace |
| Thus, Dante must undergo purification from his old life. This is true whether one served God as a monk (contemplative) or as a more active servant. | |
(Cantos 28-29)
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Element Dante meets Matilda |
Meaning active vocation in its unfallen state |
| Lethe | forgetfulness of past sins |
| Matilda speaks of the Abundance | life as an unfallen order of Eden |
| Matilda tells Dante the Golden Dream | confirmation of poetic calling of the Classical poets was Eden |
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The Pageant of the Divine Life 7 Candlesticks |
The Mystical Church of God |
| 7 Bands of Light | God's Creation |
| 24 Elders with crowns of fleu-de-lis | The Old Testament Saints with lives of purity |
| 4 Living Creatures | The Gospels |
| 2 Wheeled Chariots | The Divine Economy of Salvation |
| 7 Women -- 3 by
one wheel, 4 by the other 3 Women:
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The Theological Virtues
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| 4 Women:
all dressed in purple, one has three eyes |
The Cardinal
Virtues Prudence, which sees past, present, future |
| 7 men 2 Aged Men |
Luke -- The Acts
of the Apostles Paul -- The Pauline Epistles |
| 4 Humble Men | James, Peter, John, and Jude -- The General Epistles |
| 1 Old Man in a Dream | The Apocalypse |
| Thus, Dante needs the Church, the Scriptures, and the Virtues to
be perfected. And all of it centers around the person and nature of Christ. |
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(Cantos 30-31)
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Element The Entrance of Beatrice dressed in green |
Meaning The unfallen contemplative life and the virtue of hope |
| Beatrice's Rebuke | hope opposes presumption |
| The Angelic Choir's Hymn | mercy for the broken-hearted |
| Dante's confession | recognition of sin |
| Matilda baptizes Dante in the waters of Lethe | the removal of the memory of sin |
| Beatrice's eyes reflect the Griffon | contemplation of the two natures of Christ -- human and divine |
| The Dance of the
Cardinal Virtues The Dance of the Theological Virtues |
Christ brings sanctification to the repentant |
| The Eyes and Smile of Beatrice | The Beauty of Hope |
| Dante learns that hope for salvation prepares one for the radical mercy of God and the removal of one's sin. It is only in Christ, who is both fully God and fully human, that he can be saved. | |
(Cantos 32-33 ) |
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Element Blinded by Beatrice's Smile |
Meaning Dante's need to still grow in spiritual understanding |
| Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil | God's justice and human fallenness |
| The Blooming of the Tree | Christ's reversal of the Fall |
| The Apple Tree Angels Crave | Christ's promise of eternal bliss |
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The Apocalyptic Vision Jove's Bird Tears Leaves from Tree & Strikes Chariot |
The early persecution of the church |
| A Fox in the Chariot Driven Off | Early Heresy (e.g. Gnosticism) |
| The Eagle's Golden Feathers | Donation of Constantine |
| A Dragon | Islam |
| Chariot Overgrown with Weeds | Wealth and corruption overtake the Church |
| Chariot Sprouts Heads | Rival Popes |
| The Ungirt Whore | Boniface VIII |
| A Giant | Philip III ("The Fair") |
| Giant Drags Away the Whore | Avignon Captivity |
| Beatrice's Prophecy | The eventual deliverance of the Church by an Imperial Emperor |
| Dante Drinks of the Waters of Euroi | The memory of past good deeds. |
| Dante sees the flowering of the Church, its corruption, and entertains its eventual restoration. He is prepared to enter into Paradise. | |