COMMENTARY ON THE DIVINE COMEDY

 

At the beginning of the fourteenth century, The Divine Comedy was written as a philosophical work. It deals with the turbulent political events experienced by Italy during that period. It describes poets, philosophers, religious figures, and statesmen who had shed light on humanity since the Classical Age. Taking Aristotle’s statement, “Man is a political animal,” as its starting point, it emphasizes the importance of living within society and of being a good citizen and a good intellectual.

There are epic journeys in the world of literature. Homer’s works, The Iliad and The Odyssey, Jason and the Argonauts in Greek tragedy, and the Roman poet Virgil’s Aeneid are among them. In these journeys, there are important tasks that the heroes must accomplish. We see both their heroic and human sides—their loves, weaknesses, strengths, courage, sorrows, and sufferings.

These works of the Classical period have been passed down from generation to generation and have survived to the present day. Even today, they are still being reread and retranslated, and each generation reevaluates them from its own perspective. There are also religious journeys. In order to fulfill the obligation of pilgrimage, people from every society visit places considered sacred, as well as the shrines and resting places of their prophets, saints, and holy men. In addition to this, the journey itself is also considered sacred. There is a hope that the road will discipline a person and educate them, as expressed in the Sufi idea, “When you set out on the road, the road reveals itself to you”; that the journey will educate and mature the person and bring them to a spiritually higher level. In various religions, the journey to the other world, the showing of the other world to prophets and saints, and the partial lifting of the veil of what is called the unseen (ghayb), through which a message is conveyed to humanity by means of these journeys, are also part of our faith.

In the Qur’an, the expression “Hold fast to the rope of Allah” appears. This points to a direct connection between the realm above and the world. Regarding the Night of Power, the expression “The angels descend, again and again, that night” is used. The Torah speaks of the ladder of the Prophet Jacob, while the Qur’an speaks of the Mi‘raj of the Prophet Muhammad. These are miracles that take place with God’s permission.

Alongside these, there are attempts by human beings to build towers without such permission. This is regarded as overstepping the bounds. For example, the Book of Genesis in the Torah includes the Legend of the Tower of Babel. It tells of people building a tower using the advanced technology of their time, gathering together within this tower, and challenging God. God destroys the tower, confuses the languages of the people, and humanity spreads from Babylon throughout the world, speaking different languages. Babylon means “confusion”; in this story, God has confused them. The message conveyed here is that human beings cannot undertake something without God’s permission and that “God cannot be challenged.” Nimrod, the powerful king of the wealthy city of Babylon, was ultimately frustrated as a result of this display of power. The character of Nimrod symbolizes arrogance and self-aggrandizement.

Similarly, another person who became arrogant is the Pharaoh described in the Qur’an. He says to his vizier Haman, “Build a tower so that we may see the God of Moses.” He too suffers defeat.

In The Comedy, Dante’s journey to the other world is narrated. Here, there is both the poet Dante, who lived in the real world, and the Pilgrim, or in other words Pilgrim Dante, who undertakes this journey. The poet is both there and here. While making this journey, he is also thinking about returning to the world and, when he returns, writing down what he has seen in the other world. He has imposed such a difficult task upon himself. While carrying out this task, he is afraid of overstepping the bounds and doing something wrong. Yet the Virgin Mary has taken pity on him and interceded for him, obtaining special permission from Heaven for him to make this journey.

On this journey, we will encounter Dante’s two guides. The first of these is Virgil, the Roman poet who represents reason and philosophy. Since the great poet lived and died before Christianity, he cannot provide guidance concerning religion, but he is wise. In the Aeneid, he too described the other world, and in this respect he became an example for Dante.

His guide in religious matters is Beatrice. She is a woman who died at a young age and who is still in Heaven. She is Dante’s childhood love, whom he loved throughout his life. In this poem, Dante has almost made her into a saint. The other female saints who support Beatrice in Heaven include holy women whose names are mentioned in the Torah. Dante is able to undertake this journey with the help of the prayers of these saints, foremost among them the Virgin Mary.

In Purgatory, the Roman poet Statius will also guide Dante together with Virgil. Statius lived after Jesus Christ; he represents the stage between the Pagan Age and Christianity. In real life, he may also have been a pagan, but in The Comedy, Dante portrays him as someone who accepted Christianity.

When we reach the final sections of Paradise, we encounter the Christian saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Because Bernard was known, while he was on earth, for asking the Virgin Mary for intercession and praying to her extensively, he is given the task of guiding Dante in the final section, where they ascend to the highest levels of Heaven and see the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, and the Light of God. Because the blessed are very good people, they do good without being asked and help others.