Synopsis
A review of and quotes from The Divine Comedy by Italian poet, writer, and philosopher Dante Alighieri (c. May 1265 – September 14, 1321)
- Paul: Burn 🔥
- Matthew: Burn 🔥
A review of and quotes from No Country For Old Men by American writer Cormac McCarthy (July 20, 1933 – June 13, 2023)
- Paul: Burn 🔥
- Matthew: Burn 🔥
Introduction
By Paul Anderson
I read a book in January called The Problem Of Pain by CS Lewis. I enjoyed it very much. At one place in the book, Lewis mentions that he dislikes the doctrine of Hell but understand the reality and necessity of it. He goes on to mention the possibilities for the nature of Hell: a place of punishment, a place of separation, or annihilation.
Our Lord speaks of Hell under three symbols: first, that of punishment (“everlasting punishment” Matt. xxv, 46); second, that of destruction (“fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul
in Hell,” Matt. x, 28); and thirdly, that of privation, exclusion, or banishment into “the darkness outside”, as in the parables of the man without a wedding garment or of the wise and foolish virgins.
So, how is it that all these symbols accurately reflect the nature of Hell?
To answer this question, I started my journey with Dante's poem The Divine Comedy, begun around 1308 and completed just before his death in 1321. It is divided into three parts: Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Heaven). I was going to just go through Hell, but I found that I had enough time to make it through Purgatory and even get to Heaven.
In the poem, the pilgrim Dante is accompanied by three guides. His guide through Hell is the Roman poet, Virgil. Since Virgil moved from Epicureanism to Stoicism, I decided to choose a guide that also has some Stoic predilections, my son. However, it doesn't appear that you can go to Hell and back again (Luke 16:26), like Dante and his guide would have us believe. So, for our journey through Hell, my son and I chose the next best thing: hiking the Manitou Incline.
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| Photo by Paul Anderson © 2024 |
Dante's highway to Hell is a downward path that has 9 circles and a bottom level, where Lucifer resides. So, it is an easy path to tread and is more similar to the Barr Trail return we took at step 1800. Yes, we failed to summit the Incline (step 2768). In my mind, we could hike all the steps, make the return trip, get to the car, and make our dinner reservations in 3 hours. Reality hit me hard.
Everything is real in Hell.
The different circles of Hell represent different sins and the poetic justice used to punish those sins, similar to the story of Sisyphus, where he is forced to roll a boulder up a hill repeatedly for eternity.
"I learned that to this place of punishment
all those who sin in lust have been condemned,
those who make reason slave to appetite..."
Dante's path through Purgatory is the actual hard climb up a mountain, with 9 circles and a summit house called the Garden of Eden. In this realm, the circles also represent sins. However, it is not a place of eternal punishment, but rather one where a Christian can escape their circle through time and effort, like climbing a lot of steps.
"I was baptized; but secretly, through fear,
Remain'd a Christian, and conform'd long time
To Pagan rites. Four centuries and more,
I, for that lukewarmness, was fain to pace
Round the fourth circle."
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| Photo by Paul Anderson © 2024 |
While the word Purgatory is not mentioned in the Bible, the idea of a place where one could work off their sin does have some potential. In the study on Spiritual Realms (https://acts512.blogspot.com/2022/06/spiritual-realms.html), we saw a number of places where the dead reside. Two of these realms (Death and Sea) are mentioned as giving up their dead but not specified as to what the dead were doing there.
- Abraham's Bosom / Paradise / Third Heaven
- Grave or Sheol / Death
- Sea
- Hell or Hades
- Bottomless Pit
- Lake Of Fire / Everlasting Fire
In addition, the parable of the wedding banquet (Matthew 22:9-14) has both good and bad added to the kingdom of heaven and, only later, are the ones without the wedding garments removed to another spiritual realm. So, the idea of being able to change realms is demonstrated in the Bible. The question is, "Could this person have found a way to get the wedding garments once at the banquet?" Of course, getting kicked out of Paradise is more likely than getting kicked out of Hell. Hell has a no escape clause.
In the Spiritual Realms study, I thought Dante had nine spheres of Heaven: Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Fixed Stars, and the Primum Mobile. However, it is more complicated than that. Dante continues his theme of 9 levels with a final level, even in Heaven. Topping them all is the Empyrean, similar to the Heaven of Heavens mentioned in the Bible, completing the 9-fold division to 10. Having a translation of The Divine Comedy with editor's notes can help with understanding a very complicated poem.
With light so lively, that the tremulous beam
Shall quiver where it falls. Within the heaven,[3]
Where peace divine inhabits, circles round
A body, in whose virtue lies the being
Of all that it contains. The following Heaven,
That hath so many lights, this being divides,
Through different essences, from it distinct,
And yet contain'd within it. The other orbs
Their separate distinctions variously
Dispose, for their own seed and produce apt.
Thus do these organs of the world proceed,
As thou beholdest now, from step to step;
Their influences from above deriving,
And thence transmitting downward. Mark me well;
How through this passage to the truth I ford,
The truth thou lovest; that thou henceforth, alone,
Mayst know to keep the shallows, safe, untold.
[3: According to our Poet's system, there are ten Heavens. The Heaven, "where peace divine inhabits," is the empyrean; the body within it, that "circles round," is the primum mobile; "the following Heaven," that of the fixed stars; and "the other orbs" the seven lower Heavens, are Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon. Thus Milton, "Paradise Lost" b. iii. 481.]
Dante's ascent to Paradise is also an upward trajectory, with 9 spheres and a final stop at the Right Hand of God / Christ's Throne. Rather than sin, the different spheres deal with different virtues. Of course, much of Heaven is hard to describe, but it does appear that one of the virtues is playing chess. Well, at least there is a chessboard in Paradise (Canto 28).
Such was my cheer, when Beatrice drove
With clear reply the shadows back, and truth
Was manifested, as a star in Heaven.
And when the words were ended, not unlike
To iron in the furnace, every cirque,
Ebullient, shot forth scintillating fires:
And every sparkle shivering to new blaze,
In number did outmillion the account
Reduplicate upon the chequer'd board.
The fact that The Divine Comedy is poetry and translated from another language makes it tough to understand the details of Dante's work. This is one of those books that has to be studied and not read. So, I didn't get much out of it. Burn 🔥.
I guess I will have to turn to the Bible to finish my journey through Hell.
Here are my top 12 verses on Hell:
Jesus On Hell
Matthew 10:28 King James Version
28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 22:9-14 King James Version
9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
Matthew 25:1-12 King James Version
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Matthew 25:41-46 King James Version
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Luke 13:28 King James Version
28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
Luke 16:22-31 King James Version
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
Hell In The New Testament
2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 King James Version
6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
2 Peter 2:4 King James Version
4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
Revelation 20:14 King James Version
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Hell In The Old Testament
Psalm 16:8-11 King James Version
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful[a] one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Proverbs 15:11 King James Version
11 Hell and destruction are before the Lord: how much more then the hearts of the children of men?
Isaiah 66:22-24 King James Version
22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.
24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
Conclusion Of The Whole Matter
The other book I read this month was No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. It is a very violent book, and it was turned into a motion picture that won the Best Picture Oscar for 2007. I saw the movie first and was interested to see how the book compared. This is another one of those books where the movie is better than the book (Catch-22). Violence is just more impactful visually. Also, the ending just sort of trails off. I have no idea who survived and what happened to the money. Burn 🔥.
In any case, the book does deal with the themes of Hell and punishment:
"There was this boy I sent to the electric chair at Huntsville here awhile back, my arrest and my testimony. He killed a 14 year-old girl. Papers said it was a crime of passion but he told me there wasn't any passion to it. Told me that he'd been plannin' to kill somebody for about as long as he could remember. Said that if they turned him out, he'd do it again. Said he knew he was going to hell, be there in about fifteen minutes. I don't know what to make of that. I surely don't."
The idea that there should be a place where evil is punished seems to be understood by both believer and nonbeliever alike. Even the villain, hitman Anton Chigurh, who kills everyone who stands in his way of getting back money from a drug deal gone wrong, understands the nature of God and punishes his "enemies" without mercy.
"Even a nonbeliever might find it useful to model himself after God. Very useful, in fact."
I used to think of Hell as "everlasting punishment" only. I used to think of Hell as the opposite of Heaven. Now, I see it a bit differently.
There are verses that deal with punishment in Hell:
- Matthew 25:41-46
- Luke 16:22-31
- 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9
However, other verses have given me the idea that Hell is only temporary. It is more of a dark prison for holding those evil souls until Judgment (2 Peter 2:4).
There are verses that deal with darkness in Hell:
- Matthew 22:9-14
- Matthew 25:1-12
- Luke 13:28
- 2 Peter 2:4
And the opposite of Hell is not Heaven. It is Paradise. I like Dante's use of the words Inferno and Paradise. Inferno is the temporary hold for evil while Paradise is the temporary hold for good.
I had thought about Hell as annihilation. However, the verses about "everlasting punishment" seem to throw a wrench in that idea.
There are verses that deal with annihilation in Hell:
- Matthew 10:28
- 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9
- Revelation 20:14
- Psalm 16:8-11
- Proverbs 15:11
Now, I see the annihilation is of Hell (Revelation 20:14). The book of Revelation reveals a new idea about the end: the Second Death. The destruction of Hell at the Second Death will also destroy those in Hell, if they haven't been destroyed already. And this Second Death is the final "everlasting punishment."
Since the Second Death is a lake of fire, I get the impression that instead of using an eternal flame for the fallen good, God will use an eternal flame as a memorial to the time when man had free will and chose to rebel (Isaiah 66:22-24).
More Quotes from The Divine Comedy
Paradise: Canto 19
Such frequent question; for thou said'st - 'A man
Is born on Indus' banks, and none is there
Who speaks of Christ, nor who doth read nor write;
And all his inclinations and his acts,
As far as human reason sees, are good;
And he offendeth not in word or deed:
But unbaptized he dies, and void of faith.
Where is the justice that condemns him? where
His blame, if he believeth not?' - What then,
And who art thou, that on the stool wouldst sit
To judge at distance of a thousand miles
With the short - sighted vision of a span?
To him, who subtilizes thus with me,
There would assuredly be room for doubt
Even to wonder, did not the safe word
Of Scripture hold supreme authority.
54 Bible results for “hell” from King James Version.
- Old Testament (31)
- Deuteronomy (1)
- 2 Samuel (1)
- Job (2)
- Psalm (7)
- Proverbs (7)
- Isaiah (6)
- Ezekiel (4)
- Amos (1)
- Jonah (1)
- Habakkuk (1)
- New Testament (23)
- Matthew (9)
- Mark (3)
- Luke (3)
- Acts (2)
- James (1)
- 2 Peter (1)
- Revelation (4)
25 Bible results for “tribulation” from King James Version.
- Old Testament (4)
- Deuteronomy (1)
- Judges (1)
- 1 Samuel (2)
- New Testament (21)
- Matthew (3)
- Mark (1)
- John (1)
- Acts (1)
- Romans (4)
- 2 Corinthians (2)
- Ephesians (1)
- 1 Thessalonians (1)
- 2 Thessalonians (2)
- Revelation (5)
Scripture contributions for February 2024 by: Paul Anderson, Matthew Anderson
