The Medieval Church and Dante's Inferno
Some people think that the medieval churches view on sin, redemption, heaven and hell was very complex, but actually the churches views were straight and to the point. I will discuss with you what sin, redemption, heaven and hell were to the medieval churches and I will also share some examples in the story that will help you better understand The Inferno and the medieval churches views.
Let's begin with sin. A sin was said to be a deliberate and purposeful violation of the will of God. "The medieval churches thought that sin was also a failure to live up to external standards of conduct and the violation of taboos, laws or moral codes" ("Christianity"). Obeying God was extremely important and was to be taken very seriously. If you sinned then you were saying and proving that you hated God. Sin was considered to be pure evil and if you sinned then you would have to face the consequences whatever they may be. The bigger the sin was the greater the consequence was.
The medieval churches labeled their sins under two different types. The first type of sin, "Mortal sin or actual sin, was when a person knew exactly when they were sinning and sinned anyway" ("Sin"). Knowing fully what the consequences would be. The second type of sin, "Venial sin or material sin, was when the person sinning had no idea that they were sinning" ("Sin"). They didn't sin deliberately to disobey God.
You can find the numerous types of sins in a very important book that the early Christians relied on, the bible. "Since God has spoken to us it is no longer necessary for us to think" (Gilson). The only thing that matters for each and every one of them was to achieve their own salvation. All that the...
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...pe you learned something new about the medieval churches and also some helpful insight to the views of Dante in Inferno.
Works Cited
"Christianity: THE CHURCH AND ITS HISTORY: Christian doctrine: THE CHURCH: Scriptural Traditions." Britannica
Online. http://www.cb.com:180/cgi-bin?DocF=macro/5001/28/86.html [Accessed 28 January 2001].
Etienne, Gilson. Reasons and Revelations in the Middle Ages. New York: New York, 1938.
Etienne, Gilson. The Spirit of Medieval Philosophy. New York: New York, 1940.
"Heaven." Britannica Online. [Accessed 28 January 2001].
"Hell." Britannica Online. [Accessed 26 January 2001].
"Sin." Britannica Online. [Accessed 28 January 2001].
The Seven Deadly Sins, is a classification of sins (sometimes referred to as vices), that were used to describe the sources of all sins. The Seven Deadly Sins is a Christian idea and was most widespread in the Catholic Church. These sins are thought to have possibly gotten their origins from two places in the Bible, Proverbs 6:16-19, and Galatians 5:19-21. The first idea for The Seven Deadly Sins was from the writings of the monk, Evagrius Ponticus, who lived in the fourth-century. The Seven Deadly Sins were edited and modeled into their modern form in A.D. 590 by Pope Gregory 1. These sins are as
Next, Augustine details what sin and iniquity is noting that those who sin is also does immoral behavior and that sin is also
It is hard to place St. Augustine within just one of the levels of Dante’s hell for his sins were varied and not great. Today many of his sins are commonplace. For example, most people attempt to better their own lives without regard of others. They attempt to increase their standard of living and gain more worldly possessions. They are neither good nor evil but are just trying to make a living and keep up in today’s fend-for-yourself society. Before Augustine’s conversion, this was his goal. He was continually searching for “honors, money, (and) marriage” (Confessions, 991). This allows Augustine to be placed in the first area of hell, the Vestibule. It is a place for opportunists such as Augustine was before his conversion. It is a place for the “nearly soulless. . . who were neither for God nor Satan, but only for themselves” (Inferno, 1295). Augustine never intentionally hurt anyone, but his actions were led by his instincts to succeed and gain praise. These actions included kissing up to the Emperor, his study of law and the art of persuasion, and the mocking of newcomers to his profession. Since each of these sins also falls within a different realm of Dante’s hell, they will be discussed later in this paper.
There are seven deadly sins that, once committed, diminish the prospect of eternal life and happiness in heaven. They are referred to as deadly because each sin is closely linked to another, leading to other greater sins. The seven deadly sins are pride, envy, anger, sloth, gluttony, avarice, and lechery. Geoffrey Chaucer's masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales, provided an excellent story about the deadly sins. Focusing mainly on the sins of pride, gluttony and greed, the characters found in The Canterbury Tales, particularly The Pardoner's Tale, were so overwhelmed by their earthly desires and ambitions that they failed to see the effects of their sinful actions, therefore depriving themselves of salvation.
In Dante’s Inferno, Dante takes a journey with Virgil through the many levels of Hell in order to experience and see the different punishments that sinners must endure for all eternity. As Dante and Virgil descend into the bowels of Hell, it becomes clear that the suffering increases as they continue to move lower into Hell, the conical recess in the earth created when Lucifer fell from Heaven. Dante values the health of society over self. This becomes evident as the sinners against society experience suffering greater than those suffer which were only responsible for sinning against themselves. Dante uses contrapasso, the Aristotelian theory that states a soul’s form of suffering in Hell contrasts or extends their sins in their life on earth, to ensure that the sinners never forget their crimes against God. Even though some of the punishments the sinners in Hell seem arbitrary, they are fitting because contrapasso forces each sinner to re-live the most horrible aspect of their sin to ensure they never forget their crimes against God.
The First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States establishes religious freedom, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Against the Constitutional background, Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, wrote a Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom. The Bill was passed in the Virginia General Assembly in 1777. However, Jefferson thought that it was not enough to have a Constitutional provision that debars Congress from establishing a religion for all; it was equally important to separate the Church from the state to allow Religious Freedom, so that each and every one will practice their religions freely without government restrictions. Thus, he opposed the interference of the state in religious practices. Secondly, Jefferson argued that if the state was allowed to interfere with the affairs of the church it will give the government the power to persecute those who oppose its policies. The man, whose ideas and ideals have been shaped by experience and practice,...
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: A Norton Critical Edition. ed. J. Paul Hunter. New York: W. W. Norton, 1996.
Since its publication in 1818, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has grown to become a name associated with horror and science fiction. To fully understand the importance and origin of this novel, we must look at both the tragedies of Mary Shelley's background and her own origins. Only then can we begin to examine what the icon "Frankenstein" has become in today's society.
... accused Jefferson of being an atheist. This helps show that although all signers of the constitution felt that religious freedom was essential to the rights of the individual some disagreed on what role if any the church should play in government. Even one-time political allies Jefferson and Adams sharply disagreed on this notion and this fueled their rivalry that continued through both of their presidencies and the landmark Supreme Court case of Marbury vs. Madison (Alexander, 2004).
Dante’s Inferno presents the reader with many questions and thought provoking dialogue to interpret. These crossroads provide points of contemplation and thought. Dante’s graphic depiction of hell and its eternal punishment is filled with imagery and allegorical meanings. Examining one of these cruxes of why there is a rift in the pits of hell, can lead the reader to interpret why Dante used the language he did to relate the Idea of a Just and perfect punishment by God.
Paulsen, Michael S. "Where in the Constitution is Separation of Church and State." The Public Discourse. The Witherspoon Institute, 28 Oct. 2010. Web. 19 Mar. 2014. .
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Dante’s The Divine Comedy illustrates one man’s quest for the knowledge of how to avoid the repercussions of his actions in life so that he may seek salvation in the afterlife. The Divine Comedy establishes a set of moral principles that one must live by in order to reach paradise. Dante presents these principles in Inferno, where each level of Hell has people suffering for the sins they committed during their life. As Dante gets deeper into Hell, the degrees of sin get progressively worse, as do the severity of punishment.
Conflict can be found in many stories and it is one of the key pieces to making a story. Without a central conflict in a story the story will seem generic or boring. Writers like to put a conflict in the story to add life to their work and keep the reader interested in what they are reading. It is a way to keep the reader wondering what happens next. In the Divine Comedy, Dante’s Inferno, the main character in the story, Dante, encounters all five types of the different conflicts on his journey through Hell. Some of these conflicts include: person against self, people against people, and Dante against Society.
In Confessions, Saint Augustine reflects on his younger years and the path he took to find God. Inferno describes Dante’s journey through the nine circles of Hell and the horrible punishments that the souls there have to endure. Both texts set out to provide the basis for how one should live. Through Saint Augustine’s unrelenting questioning of Church doctrine and Dante’s description of Hell, the texts express how Christianity’s version of God provides the best path to salvation and the divine rewards of the afterlife.