Jasmine

I'm currently reading Dante's Inferno and was wondering if any of you all have read it and, if so, what you have thought! (from a Christian perspective or from just a simple reading of it...anything you want to share!)

Boanerges

Hi Jasmine I have only read small portions of it so I cannot really say to much about it except that it paints a sobering picture.

epistemaniac

hi Jasmine... as far as the book goes... its on my list of "I have to read that book!!" but, something always comes up to direct my reading elsewhere.... Augustine's Confessions is another one on that list... ah well... maybe someday....

Anyways.... I do know that when you read it you need to be aware of the Roman Catholic influence that is pervasive through the book, and that when he (Dante) speaks of Purgatory, you need to know that this is not a biblical concept at all, but one invented by Rome to keep it's members under the control of the church as it was the church that held the keys to life, and was not a simple belief in the sufficiency of Christ's work.... Rome taught that you could get your loved ones out of purgatory, or at least lessen their time there, by contributing money to the church... this act was called an "Indulgence" and was at least one of the reasons that was behind the beginning of the Protestant movement, though it was a bit of a side issue spinning off of Rome's many unbiblical ideas concerning the very gospel itself.... during that time the people had a sarcastic little rhyme that went "every time a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs"..... terrible manipulation by the Roman "church" to be sure.... anyway... without going further into what I take to be serious doctrinal defiencies in Rome, just be aware that the book was written by someone devoted to the Roman church and that while it may be an intersting allegroy, do not allow your beliefs about death, resurrection, the after-life etc, be formed by the reading of that book.... a classic allegory you could someday read that is doctrinally sound, IMHO, is John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress....

blessings,
Ken

Jasmine

Ken,

Thank you so much for your insight! I, being a not-as-well-educated-Christian-as-I-would-like, did not know many of the details about what you wrote, but now I understand much better and will remember your words while I continue to read Inferno.

Jasmine

epistemaniac

you are most welcome Jasmine!! so glad I could help!!! its definitely a classic and its really cool that you are reading it....

blessings,
Ken

Boanerges

You can correct me if I am wrong but I believe this book has done much to shape our current perseption of what hell is like.

epistemaniac

hey there Boanerges... I really can't say having not read the book myself... I do know that at the very center of hell... those that receive the most severe torment, according to Dante, are Judas, which I suppose is understandable... but oddly... it seems to me anyway... is that the other 2 are Brutus and Cassius who both betrayed Julius Caesar.....anyway there is a short excerpt on the "Inferno" at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Divine_Comedy#Inferno that may be of more help if you are interested in a quick summary...

blessings,
ken

chuff

I think you're right.

And to add to what epistemaniac has said about Purgatory not being a Biblical concept, the same goes for the levels of Hell, at least the way they and their inhabitants were mentioned specifically by Alighieri.

Chuff

Jasmine

Okay, I was wondering about that...because Dante divides Hell very clearly into different circles depending on the sin of the person.

So what is the true/Biblical concept of Hell?

epistemaniac

hell is not, as some people have said, eternal separation from God.... I am sure those in Hell would wish for that more than anything! Rather, it a matter of being eternally under the divine wrath of God's just punishment....

(Mark 9:47-49) And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 'where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.' For everyone will be salted with fire."

(Luke 12:4-5) "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!"

(Revelation 20:9-10) And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."

so if Jesus did not bear the penalty for your sins.... then you have to, and there is no way that anyone can personally atone for their sins, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and there is none righteous... no not one.... and the wages of sin is death...

that is another reason why purgatory is unbiblical... no amount of time of "purification" in the torment of purgatory will finally one day make you "good enough" or "pure enough" to finally be in God's presence... the only way for this to happen is if you are clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and not a righteousness of your own....

(Philippians 3:8-9) Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith--

blessings,
Ken