As Thomas Aquinas finishes speaking with Dante, Beatrice immediately frames a third question that Dante has not actually thought of yet. She asks St. Thomas to explain whether the splendor of the souls will remain as it is now and, if so, how will those in Heaven be able to look at each other when they get their bodies back at the resurrection. Hearing this, the souls in the crowns of light sing and dance happily, and it is Solomon who gives the answer. He explains that while the souls will continue to burn forever with the splendor they now have, being reunited with their bodies will make them complete and, it follows, more beautiful and able to see God more clearly. And, yes, they will be able to enjoy each other’s splendor without difficulty. No sooner does Solomon finish than a third and larger crown of lights encircle the other two and amid more singing Dante and Beatrice rise up to the red sphere of Mars. Seeing where he is, Dante offers up a prayer of thanksgiving and is immediately granted a vision of two great beams of light which form a cross on which he sees Christ! This cross is filled with glittering souls who sing a glorious hymn. Dante is so overcome he can barely comprehend what he hears. Only then does he realize that he hasn’t yet turned to Beatrice.
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In a round vase filled with water, the ripples move from center to rim or vice-versa when first touched from within or else from outside. This same image came to me when the beautiful living light of Thomas had finished speaking because the flow of Beatrice’s words to him began as soon as he had stopped.[1]This canto begins with an unusual, though common enough, image. Dante imagines himself at the center of a pool of water. He and Beatrice have been surrounded by the two crowns (the edge of the pool). … Continue reading “Though he has not yet conceived this thought and so cannot express his need, this man wants to pursue with you the path of another truth. Explain to him whether the glorious splendor that lights your soul here will remain this way forever. And if it will continue like this, explain to him how you will be able to endure such brilliance once your sight returns to you with your resurrected bodies.”[2]Beatrice, reading Dante’s mind, and actually reading his thoughts before he even thinks them, asks two questions, the answers to which will give him (and us) more information about the nature of … Continue reading
As dancing partners caught up with joy will move faster and even shout, just so – at Beatrice’s request – the two crowns of light happily responded with more magnificent singing and dancing. I have to tell you that those who lament that we must die in order to live forever in Heaven have no idea of what it is like to experience the everlasting outpouring of God’s grace up here! Three times those luminous spirits burst forth with hymns of praise to the Trinity – Three in One and One in Three. Such music itself could be Heaven’s glorious reward![3]No sooner has Beatrice expressed Dante’s questions, but the answer comes forth, not in words at first, but in singing and dancing. The twenty-four souls who make up the two crowns of lights and, … Continue reading
Then a response to Beatrice’s request came from none other than Solomon who spoke with a modesty not unlike that of Gabriel to the Virgin Mary:[4]That Dante (in the Italian) doesn’t name the soul who answers Beatrice’s questions leaves the matter of its identity wide open. Apart from a few who make other claims, however, most commentators … Continue reading “The fiery love that you see clothing us in such brilliance will last as long as the grand festival of Paradise itself. Our brilliance stems from our love, our love flows from our vision, and our vision is in proportion to the grace that is given to us.[5]Solomon answers the first question quite simply: the brilliance of the souls in Heaven will last forever. In so doing, though, he answers a question Dante hadn’t asked: What is the origin of this … Continue reading When our resurrected bodies are returned to us, glorified and ready to clothe our souls forever, we will be even more beautiful than now because we will be complete. The light of God, so freely poured out upon us already, will be increased and we will be able to see Him even more clearly than we do now. So, with that divine light our vision will increase, as will our love and the radiance that shines from it. As a coal in the fire burns white hot within its own flame and outshines its outer glow so that it can be clearly seen, just so the brilliance that enwraps us now will be surpassed by the glory of our resurrected bodies. And because all our organs will have been fortified for even greater glory, it will not be difficult at all for us to look upon each other’s splendor.”[6]Answering Dante’s second question, whether the souls will be able to withstand each other’s glory after the resurrection of the body, Solomon proceeds more slowly. And a small digression here … Continue reading
It was obvious from their quick and joyous “Amen!” that both groups of souls within those crowns longed to have their bodies back; and not only for themselves, but for their families and all they held dear before they died.[7]Dante’s mention of bodies in these passages not only highlights how deeply he believes in his own bodily experience of the afterlife as he presents it to us in the Poem, but also how deeply he … Continue reading
Suddenly, we were surrounded by a light that grew brighter than the other lights encircling us. As at dusk when the heavens slowly begin to fill with new lights – faintly at first – so I began to see new spirits arriving there, making a great ring around the other two luminous crowns. O true resplendence of the Holy Spirit! How bright that light grew in strength, overwhelming my eyes in glory! And there was Beatrice smiling at me in such splendor – it was a sight that my mind can no longer grasp. Nevertheless, the sight of her there like that gave me strength to look upward.[8]This spot marks an obvious transition with the vision of a third circle of lights slowly coming into view above the first two. It might seem unusual that, within the brilliance of the sun, Dante … Continue reading
And lo, I found myself alone with her, being raised up to realms of even higher glory. I was aware of this because the glow of this new sphere was turning wonderfully red.[9]At this point, Dante and Beatrice rise up from the Sphere of the Sun to that of Mars which, following the ancient astronomical tradition, distinguishes itself in the heavens with a reddish color. … Continue reading There and then, in the language of the heart, common to all men, I offered my prayers to God in thanksgiving for this new grace. And at once I knew that my humble sacrifice had been accepted because there now appeared before me – brighter than glowing rubies – two great beams of light of such fiery magnificence that I cried out: “O Helios, Who bedecks them like this!”[10]Realizing that he and Beatrice have risen to the Sphere of Mars, Dante offers a humble prayer of thanksgiving to God for the wonder of this new experience. Then, knowing that his prayer has been … Continue reading
Just as the Milky Way is strewn with countless stars, large and small, standing out white between the Poles and filling even wise men with awe, so within the depths of Mars those great ruby beams of light constellated into the shape of a cross. But how to describe what I saw…. I saw the Cross, and I saw Christ flame forth across that holy sign, and yet I cannot find the words to describe what it looked like. Nevertheless, whoever takes up his cross and follows Christ will forgive my inability as I continued to watch that holy sign now incandescent with the glory of Christ Himself.[11]Here, again, an experience of amazing beauty not only leaves Dante speechless but continues to build tension toward what is still to come. The Poet sees the great beams of red light flashing across … Continue reading)
From top to bottom and across the arms I saw lights moving, flaring brightly as they would pass each other’s brilliant glow. I was reminded of how along a shaft of sunlight in a shaded place one will see motes of dust moving in different directions.[12]The “stars” in this Cross constellation are not stationary as they appear in our sky. Rather, they move about and are like bright coals that flare up into flame (love) when they meet or pass each … Continue reading And just as the violin and harp, with their many strings tuned harmoniously, will create sweet sounds though one may not recognize the tune, so from that immense gathering of lights on that cross a glorious hymn arose that completely enraptured me. I heard the words “Arise” and “Conquer” but I could understand nothing else.[13]The Poet now moves from motes of dust to stringed instruments. And once again, as he cannot fully describe the scene he observes, he can’t quite recognize the tune he hears, though he hears it … Continue reading
Hearing this divine music, my soul was overcome by an ecstasy of love I had never experienced. But perhaps I go too far here, forgetting that I was still in the presence of my lovely Beatrice – she with those eyes that give rest to my wandering gaze. Those beauteous emeralds become more stunning the higher we rise, and I hope I can be excused, since upon our arrival here I had not yet turned to look at them. Nevertheless, apart from accusing or excusing myself, the truth is that the joy of the music was no less than that of Beatrice’s presence since the joy of both grows as we rise upward.[14]For a moment, Dante seems to so lose himself in the music he hears – “an ecstasy of love” – that he forgets about Beatrice, “my lovely Beatrice.” Earlier, he remarked about her smile, now … Continue reading
Notes & Commentary
| ↑1 | This canto begins with an unusual, though common enough, image. Dante imagines himself at the center of a pool of water. He and Beatrice have been surrounded by the two crowns (the edge of the pool). As St. Thomas Aquinas spoke from the edge, his voice came across the pool to them like ripples in the water. Now that he has finished his discourse, Beatrice begins speaking and her words ripple from the center of the pool back to the edge where Aquinas is. These last few conversations, then, might be likened to a series of ripples (waves, sound waves) passing over the surface of the pool. In his commentary here, Mark Musa shows the theology underpinning the image: “One is reminded throughout the canto of this reverberating metaphor; it rules each subsequent topic of discussion, beginning here simply with a scientific fact and then expanding in new contexts to relate to Trinitarian theology. The container becomes the Father, the center of the circle the Son, and the movement of the spoken words the Holy Spirit.” |
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| ↑2 | Beatrice, reading Dante’s mind, and actually reading his thoughts before he even thinks them, asks two questions, the answers to which will give him (and us) more information about the nature of Heaven and the experience of the souls there. Recall that all the souls in heaven already know, in God, everything there is to know. Keep in mind that since Canto 8 the souls Dante and Beatrice encounter appear to them as light. And so Beatrice’s first question asks whether the brilliant light of the souls they see here will last eternally. The second question follows from the first: after the resurrection, when all the souls will get their bodies back (in a glorified form), will they still be able to withstand such powerful light. One might imagine the souls blinding each other with their brilliance. And lest we be tempted to dismiss these questions as somewhat elementary, they were, in fact, hotly debated in the Middle Ages, including by St. Thomas Aquinas. |
| ↑3 | No sooner has Beatrice expressed Dante’s questions, but the answer comes forth, not in words at first, but in singing and dancing. The twenty-four souls who make up the two crowns of lights and, one can imagine, all the souls here in the Sphere of the Sun, burst forth with such joyful music that Dante, in a sense speaking to the Reader before he thinks about his words, exclaims, “If you had any idea of what awaits you here in Heaven, you’d never complain about having to die first.” The “everlasting outpouring of God’s grace” is manifest in light, singing, dancing – beyond words to describe them. The “outpouring” is described in the Italian like a refreshing rain, and, curiously, Dante uses a Provençal word here for rain, ploia instead of the Italian piova. Note also another reference to the Trinity. This eternal festival is Heaven’s greatest reward! |
| ↑4 | That Dante (in the Italian) doesn’t name the soul who answers Beatrice’s questions leaves the matter of its identity wide open. Apart from a few who make other claims, however, most commentators through the ages identify the speaker as Solomon. |
| ↑5 | Solomon answers the first question quite simply: the brilliance of the souls in Heaven will last forever. In so doing, though, he answers a question Dante hadn’t asked: What is the origin of this light? Solomon answers in terms of ratios: brilliance comes from love (for God), love comes from vision (of God), vision comes from the free gift of God’s grace. Or, in reverse, the grace of God enables the souls to see God, seeing God leads to loving Him more, and loving Him causes the souls to shine. |
| ↑6 | Answering Dante’s second question, whether the souls will be able to withstand each other’s glory after the resurrection of the body, Solomon proceeds more slowly. And a small digression here will be helpful. The resurrection of the body is a central element of Christian teaching. In His own bodily resurrection, Jesus not only manifested the power of God to overcome death, but assured us that the same will happen to us, leading to the enjoyment of eternal happiness in Heaven. Scripture tells us this will happen at an indeterminate time in the future when Christ will return in glory to raise up the bodies of those who have already died, and bring them, along with those still living, into Heaven. At that time, our bodies, whether living or dead, will not be discarded but changed, transformed, with heightened powers, and made glorious. Here Solomon continues, referring to their resurrected bodies as being “complete” and more beautiful. With the souls’ new status, their ability to see God more clearly will have increased along with their brilliance, and their happiness. They will be more like God. All their organs and senses will be heightened in glory and they will have no difficulty looking upon each other’s glory. Think of their wearing “garments of light.” At the same time, let us not forget what Dante (we) learned in the early cantos of the Paradiso. All the souls in Heaven enjoy the vision of God in the Empyrean. At the same time, they appear to him at various places in Paradise as signs to help him gradually comprehend the nature and structure of Heaven. Each soul is completely filled with the glory of God according to its capacity. Think again of a series of glasses of different sizes. While their capacities are different, all of them are completely full. While these already brilliant souls are enjoying the expectation of perfection at their resurrection, the Reader will hopefully remember a similar question Dante asked Virgil among the gluttons in Canto 6 (103-11) of the Inferno: Will the torments of the sinners here be increased or lessened, or stay the same, after the Final Judgment? Virgil answered that their pain will be “more perfect” than it is now. In other words, worse. The concept of greater perfection of pleasure or pain comes from Aristotle, and it was St. Thomas Aquinas who adapted it into Christian Theology. |
| ↑7 | Dante’s mention of bodies in these passages not only highlights how deeply he believes in his own bodily experience of the afterlife as he presents it to us in the Poem, but also how deeply he believes that the Reader (in his/her own body) must believe him that everything he presents is true. On the Reader’s part, this is necessary in order to have the fullest experience of the Poem. The “quick Amen” here also highlights the souls’ anticipation of receiving back their bodies in a glorified form. This is an aspect of Heaven we tend to forget because we think of Heaven as complete and utter perfection. It is, and it isn’t. It is in every sense that Dante has presented it to us, not to mention the souls’ direct experience of God. At the same time, as we see here, the “perfection” of Heaven is ever so slightly muted by the fact that no one here/there – yet – has their glorified body, except Jesus, of course. It should be added that, according to the Roman Catholic dogma of the Assumption of Mary, at her death she was taken body and soul into Heaven and has a glorified body. And note, finally, the sense of communion among each other that shows itself in the souls’ concern for other members of their families and friends whom they anticipate will join them in the fullness of the heavenly experience. |
| ↑8 | This spot marks an obvious transition with the vision of a third circle of lights slowly coming into view above the first two. It might seem unusual that, within the brilliance of the sun, Dante should think of dusk to visualize the gradual appearance of this new circle of light. Except that this new vision is “brighter than bright,” as it were. And he’s thinking of how the sky becomes more and more populated with stars as daylight fades. The new lights here don’t seem to be present all at once, but arriving from elsewhere (streaming) and forming the circle as they take their places. At the same time, while the first two sets of lights were theologians and philosophers, the nature, origin, and identity of these new lights are mysterious. Symbolically, though, it’s hard to escape the fact that the three circles of light represent the Trinity, particularly since Dante identifies this new circle as the “true resplendence of the Holy Spirit.” We might also recall here the event of Pentecost recounted in the Acts of the Apostles (2:1-4). The disciples of Jesus and his mother, were gathered together when the Holy Spirit, like tongues of flame, rested upon each of them and empowered them to preach the Good News about Jesus. The “crowning glory” of this new vision, though, is Beatrice, who has been quiet for quite a while. One hesitates to suggest that the splendor of her smile as this new vision appears is so glorious that it momentarily eclipses the Trinitarian vision that is unfolding and leaves Dante both speechless and unable to describe it. This is another example of the difficulty he experiences trying to sustain the momentum of his Paradiso. But, as I have noted earlier, the higher she and Dante rise into the resplendence of Paradise the more beautiful she becomes because she is nearing her place in the Empyrean. It is her beauty now (an ever-growing mirror of the glory of God) that enables Dante to look upward to another amazing scene that is about to unfold. |
| ↑9 | At this point, Dante and Beatrice rise up from the Sphere of the Sun to that of Mars which, following the ancient astronomical tradition, distinguishes itself in the heavens with a reddish color. Linking this with Beatrice’s smile, in his Italian Dante refers to Mars as the star with the “burning smile” (l’affocato riso de la stella). Not only this, but he describes Mars not simply as red, but as “turning” red, getting redder upon their arrival. But the calmness with which he describes his ascent to this Sphere is a kind of set-up for what is about to happen. |
| ↑10 | Realizing that he and Beatrice have risen to the Sphere of Mars, Dante offers a humble prayer of thanksgiving to God for the wonder of this new experience. Then, knowing that his prayer has been answered, he sees two great shafts of red light so brilliant that he cries out in spontaneous recognition of God’s grace. But, as warned above, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Thanks be to God for Dante scholars in the past who have created such amazing tools to help us appreciate the wonder of this Poem! I’m referring particularly to the Italian concordance to the Comedy that lists every word of the poem alphabetically and gives its context. Dante is so overcome by what he sees that, in the space of nine verses here, he uses nine hapaxes! A hapax legomonon is a Greek term for the use of a word only one time in a particular work of literature. Given that the Divine Comedy is 14,233 lines long, and composed of approximately 425,000 words in Italian, one can imagine that Dante is very excited here! Had he planned this? Will he need to be careful not to use these words again? Here are the nine verses in the Italian with the hapaxes in bold print and a rough translation under each line: 88: Con tutto ‘l core e con quella favella With all my heart and with that speech ch’è una in tutti, a Dio feci olocausto (holocaust), that is one in all, I made a holocaust to God, qual conveniesi a la grazia novella. as befitted this new grace. 91: E non er’ anco del mio petto essausto (exhausted) 94: ché con tanto lucore (lustre) e tanto robbi (red) |
| ↑11 | Here, again, an experience of amazing beauty not only leaves Dante speechless but continues to build tension toward what is still to come. The Poet sees the great beams of red light flashing across the Sphere of Mars now constellate into a cross that seems to match the magnitude of the Milky Way. One can only imagine the sheer size of this cross, filled with stars, and readily understand Dante’s inability to describe it fully. But now, for a moment, the cross becomes the Cross, and Dante actually sees the image of Christ flash across it! And yet, again, he cannot say more about what he saw. It’s beyond the power of his poetic art to retrieve that sight from his imagination. He may have had this passage from St. Matthew’s Gospel (24:27) in mind: “For just as lightning comes from the east and is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Excusing himself, as it were, he knows that any follower of Christ on earth will understand his inability to say more as he continues to enjoy this unique vision of Christ here at the Sphere of Mars. Note also that Dante uses the word “Christ” three times in this scene. In the Italian, it appears at the end of lines 104, 106, and 108. Interestingly, as has been noted, Dante never rhymes the word “Christ” with anything but itself. Observe the terza rima rhyme scheme in this scene below and see how the word “Christ” always rhymes with itself. 103 Qui vince la memoria mia lo ‘ngegno; (a) ché quella croce lampeggiava Cristo, (b) sì ch’io non so trovare essempro degno; (a) 106 ma chi prende sua croce e segue Cristo, (b) (Recall how the word “Christ” always rhymes with itself.) 109 Di corno in corno e tra la cima e ‘l basso (c) |
| ↑12 | The “stars” in this Cross constellation are not stationary as they appear in our sky. Rather, they move about and are like bright coals that flare up into flame (love) when they meet or pass each other, as if in greeting. Then, in a remarkable contrast to the galactic size of this Cross, Dante tells us – using a very “homey” image – that the souls moving about reminded him of motes of dust that can be seen when sunlight shines through an opening in a dark room. His intention here, surely, is to suggest that this Cross was so immense that, from where he was positioned, the souls (motes) seemed so far away they appeared like small points of light. Commenting on this, Robert Hollander writes: “We can almost observe Dante observing them and wondering how to use them in his poem. The range of this poet, his ability to move back and forth between the lofty and the simple, is perhaps unparalleled. One is content to be counted among his admirers.” |
| ↑13 | The Poet now moves from motes of dust to stringed instruments. And once again, as he cannot fully describe the scene he observes, he can’t quite recognize the tune he hears, though he hears it played harmoniously. Then, suddenly, as though the music he heard was an introduction, a great hymn comes forth from all the souls in the Cross. The image of an immense choir singing was also too much for Dante, though he can make out a few words. Commentators like Grandgent, Hollander, and Ciabattoni, suggest that the words he could make out may have been from a contemporary hymn that was sung during the Liturgy in the week following Easter. Insofar as the Cross is the great symbol of Christ’s victory over death, celebrated with his Resurrection, and since Heaven is directly connected with the Resurrection, the words “Arise” and “Conquer” make sense here. And, lest we forget, all of these musical allusions fit perfectly into the place where we are: Mars. |
| ↑14 | For a moment, Dante seems to so lose himself in the music he hears – “an ecstasy of love” – that he forgets about Beatrice, “my lovely Beatrice.” Earlier, he remarked about her smile, now he concentrates on her eyes. Like her smile, Beatrice’s eyes become more beautiful as she and Dante rise into the heavens, and he hopes he’ll be excused for not yet having looked at them following his ecstatic experiences here as he’s done elsewhere in the Poem. Nevertheless, one can be assured that he is now looking into those “beauteous emeralds.” The truth be told, he admits, both the joy of the music and the beauty of Beatrice increase as the two of them have risen to this Sphere. One can fully expect that this experience will continue as the Poem continues. |