Animation on the World Theater, floating building built in 1979 by Aldo Rossi. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REG0eLLJljk
Animation on the World Theater, floating building built in 1979 by Aldo Rossi.
Iain McIntosh
We can not know exactly when Dante has begun to write his poem, Boccaccio states that had already started composing the first seven songs of Hell, in Florence, in previous years in exile there and his wife Gemma Donati he sent them to him while he was in a guest house Malaspina. Certainly we can assume that the grandiose project was born in the poet's mind long before they began their stories of exile and gradually has come maturity and perfection. In 1313 it was already known perhaps the first poem in 1320 and the second, as we learn from John Carmen of Virgil who mentioned it, the Paradiso, however, was finished in 1321, the year of death, and was most likely published by Grande della Scala. What interests us, however, is the spiritual genesis of the work, as rooted in his deep anxiety reasons and a desire to Dante of arrangement and order of human affairs and earthly in a complex but compact unitary structure and poetic at the same time rational and philosophical. The problem of order
existential instances, the thirst to try and demonstrate the providential order of the universe in which blindly believed the firm faith rooted in his soul, the moral conviction strict and indissoluble from policy design, were the basis for all previous work and had presided over all his work but had not yet found the realization of that intellectual and ethical role that he felt strongly that it should play in this society, and especially not found the literary genre that could allow unfold revealing the prophetic mission that from the agitated and threw him to the men not only contemporaries but also on those of the future, which was always worried. The
Despite his opposition to the theocratic power of the Church and the theocratic theory in general, Dante was always a firm believer of theocentrism, convinced that there was a route to God and that This page on earth, that man was called to live, was a pilgrimage, an exile. The corruption of the times offended his conscience, the decay of morals led him to have apocalyptic predictions, the urgency of a conversion of men and a regeneration of society urges him, pressing as stimuli for the same check more of their lives deeply disappointed the youth and urged him to condemn 'strictly himself, to judge a sinner. From this intense concern, this need for personal conversion, conversion as an example for other men, from this anxiety and purification of Amendment to the reality of the Divine Comedy was born on the drawing, an itinerary of faith, its staff, but also as a way to indicate to all mankind, to redeem himself and return to a state of grace.
The preamble at the beginning of Dante's poem, about her age (In the middle of the journey of our life ") and confusion in the" dark forest "gives us more data to reconstruct the Preliminary work: the poet must have had thirty-five, then himself as half of the average man and he was certainly still ensnared in sinful experience, or at least outside of the strict moral line that had been building in the time line that led to a high point, when everything comes together and finds its raison d'etre, that of God in what will actually an allegory of the "dark forest" is probably difficult to establish, youth spent a bit 'the funny, with lots of friends and many loves, until the appearance of the 'gentle' Beatrice, who became the inspiration and guidance of his life, or maybe the dark wood and moral confusion in which he fell after the death of Beatrice, that she scold in Purgatory, specifically in Earthly Paradise (Canto XXXI).
assumptions may be different, of course, the fact remains that he is condemned to a page negative of his teenage years, that no one can identify exactly with a specific episode, but that certainly was a concern over abandoning his worldly goods, to be understood not only as love, debauchery, political wrangling, but the attraction for rationalism , philosophy and science. In the Vita nova, moreover, he had announced at the end of the work, another woman, another love had taken, alluding to philosophy, as becomes clear later in the Convivio . This had in some way away from God and if they reproached Dante and desired an ascent, an ascent of the hill of grace, to exit a dangerous situation for his soul.
The tripThe idea of \u200b\u200bthe trip, then, to God as a process, through a process that would allow a gradual awareness of evil in the world and the individual to attain the complete purification of the bliss of contemplation of God, is placed as a central idea in the program and how Dante's determination to carry through such a journey, a true redemption, not only imaginary, for themselves and for all men. The author became the protagonist and the paper work he proposed to his experience as a designer, unique and real, personal and universal redemption. In fact, there is no doubt that while Dante in the Commedia as the author-traveler, tells him, the journey is dynamically creating, moment by moment, as a transformation and spiritual growth of Dante himself, who at the end of the process, will be very different, improved, renovated and regenerated, and escaped out to danger, to get possession of the property and the final liberation from evil.
descend from this dynamic character of the poem, and its configuration as a journey, two presided over the inherent need for its composition: first the need felt by the poet always emphasize the uniqueness of his experience in this , having had the opportunity to learn, during the journey, many truths, of various kinds (cosmological, philosophical, moral, religious, political, theological, etc..) and having been able to reveal to mankind contemporary and future, the need to show the value of the prophetic his words, thinking always presented as inspired by God, indeed, to this end, the same invocation to the Muses and Apollo have a following and a proof of divine power which had faith in inspiring the poet. It then explains the visionary of the Divine Comedy, to be understood not just as a category internal to Dante: his imagination is yes, but also its ability to sommuove believer and shaking his "high fantasy", to the point to make it a vision, or rather visionary. All that Dante sees in the afterlife, I really see, even with his mind, and it is as real and authentic, able to strongly impress himself first and then the readers.
The journey is therefore especially vision, not only in the broadest sense, that is the prophetic vision of the truths of faith, the historical, moral, political and religious events, but also vision in the strict sense places, for souls and penalties, the Beatitudes, the damned, of purgatory, of the blessed, devils and angels, saints and God
From such visions and through them it makes a large learning constant and inclusive of all knowledge, which magnifies every step of the figure of Dante, making a colossal and prophetic, a sharer in the divine plan that is accomplished in a work of writing, but beyond the limits of pure "literary" to pursue the realization of a universal plan of salvation collective humanity. Only in exceptional beings could be granted to employees and become partakers of a divine plan, of such a journey, and so Dante confirms the exceptional character of the journey, when in the second canto, refers to two characters from the scope of Aeneas and St. Paul, as they could before him, make the same journey after death, having a specific mission, one, politics (nell'Averno Aeneas descends to meet his father Anchises, who will unveil the secrets of their Roman heritage to which he will rise) and the other, religious ( St. Paul descends into Hell because he will realize, as stated in the book of Revelation, the sins of the world, to implement its apostolate). Dante meet him in the mission of Aeneas and Paul, because through the grace of God elargitagli, his exceptional journey will take place only according to his personal salvation, according to the universal human and, again, Dante, poet prophet by the vision corporalis since made the journey into the soul and body, may participate in all the revelation of profound truth known. The meaning of the title
As the trip was from a bad situation and negative, represented by sin from the dark forest and ends with a happy ending, namely achieving the highest good, Dante's poem titled explaining Comedy XIII in the Epistle to Can Grande della Scala, which is called tragedy instead a work that ends tragically ( divine called it, later, Boccaccio, for the matter in question and the high poetic value).
The structure of the poemLa_struttura of the poem is wonderfully unified, architecturally designed as an monocircolare of three levels: geographical, cosmological, moral, religious, historical. We could say that there is a physical geography, the Divine Comedy, a geography and then moral and theological metaphysics, and finally a historical geography, directly attributable to the time of Dante, although always projected future perspective, it is prophetic. Just by the diversity and complexity of the structure, which corresponded to an inner need of the poet, linked to that his longing for unity and order (which, if we were also the two categories more typical of the general trend of the whole culture of the Middle Ages) derive the different interpretations of the work, which then are nothing if not the same four senses of Scripture that the poet had spoken in the Convivio): the literal sense, we interpret the verses we read according to their explicit meaning, literally translating words and images, and the allegorical sense, which is broader and more typical of the poem, whereby we understand what the common symbolism of the work does it mean and the true message that the poet wants to deliver, and the moral sense which is not enclosed in single words or single lines, but extends to all the songs, the figures, the scenes and the whole poem, the journey itself Dante's sense anagogical, namely the universal significance of what the poet wrote.
Moreover, even in the Epistle to Can Grande della Scala, Dante confirms that the meaning of the work is not easy because it is a character polisenso,
that has multiple meanings: the first is called literal the others are the allegorical, the moral or anagogical. To clarify further the writing of the poem, in the same epistle was quoted this Bible verse: "When Israel went out of Egypt and the house of Jacob from a people, the Jewish nation was consecrated to God and he became the domain of Israel. " With this, there is a tight relationship between the Comedy and the Bible, according to the medieval use, and is essentially reaffirmed the value of spiritual work.
regards to the verse quoted, if we consider the letter, it tells us about the exit of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt in Moses' time, if they take this allegory, we see the representation of our redemption by Christ and if, finally, we focus on the moral significance, that verse refers to the conversion of the soul which comes from the misery of sin to grace, and consequently, the meaning anagogical the passage of the soul is sanctified, from bondage to freedom of eternal glory.
whole journey of Dante, then, through the three kingdoms, should read as he himself suggests, a path of liberation, in exitu Aegipto de Israel, from the "dark forest", to the immense light of the Empyrean. The subject of the poem relates so on the condition of souls after death, according to the literal meaning, but by the other senses, as the subject involves first-hand the man, who with his merit, or his fault, through free will, deserves divine punishment or reward. Also in the Epistle, Dante gives the poem its title, with a Latin phrase which translated, reads: "Here begins the Comedy of Dante Alighieri, a Florentine by birth, not morals. " Symbolic reference to his country, which highlights all the bitter resentment that he feels rod for a city that loves so much and yet he sees in the political corruption and moral plummeted. Move
attention then the poet, in his letter to Can Grande-treated, about the differences between comedy and tragedy, stating the difference between the two styles: high and sublime to the tragedy, the humble and unassuming comedy, according to the Ars dictates poetry of Horace.
now the poet is ready to contemplate the termination of the cathedral in cu hath been circumvented by observing the signs and the signs leading to the deity. And the decisive encounter with God through prayer prepares San Bernardo he turns to the Virgin, and unsurpassed supreme mediator. Prayer takes place in two phases that converge uniformly in alerting the man that really wants to break away from the ethical-political deviation, has to rely on a religious leader who is the only way to get him through the disproportion between the finite and the infinite . The need of the guide is here telltale sign Mary, through necessary between man and God, a synthesis of all virtues. At this point the prayer converges on Dante, the lead symbol of humanity, after the loss, through the three slots found the ways of light and now you start to see "the ultimate salvation." This is the teaching that he must bear to men win the passions, to adapt to the teaching of the Gospel, humbly to be formed under the dome of Grace. This is the meaning of prayer is not only Bernard, but of all the blessed silence in a sort of silent chorus, with hands folded accompany and underline the words of the speaker. The Virgin receives prayer and Dante is ready to receive the benefit of the vision of God: his view is increased, hand in hand weakens its expressive capacity, also has very little memory of that moment has remained only an impression of infinite tenderness, as you try, sometimes after a dream. However, he saw and remember that if the front light so acute he diverted his eyes, he would remain as dazzled. He saw the first point, then the whole universe ordered and bound in a bond of love, deep in the divine essence. For increased visual power saw and then the miracle of the Trinity, three circles of three colors and the same size. And in the end also saw the mystery of the Incarnation and the coexistence in the same person of two natures, divine and human. Impossible any attempt to rational representation of the mystery: as useless as the attempt to square the circle math. The vision of the mystery comes only through the mystical moment of shock, for a pardon. And in that moment - out of time Dante lived experience of the blessed and saw the order of the universe and knew the balance of mind and will. "The poet has faced the most difficult of its businesses, that the representation had now to communicate the deep vibration, disruption radical, visionary exaltation ineffable experience which culminated in all the previous visions and ecstasies described in the poem. In fact, now he asks God same help to remember and communicate. The reason for the clear progress of the reality of the object contemplated highlights the subjective commitment to the gradual conquest and the fullness and richness of the reality of the divine substance. The description immediately follows, moment by moment, the expression of the intensively exclamatory inner state of the seer or impotence representative of the poet, the more effective the more insistent and was playing on endless repetition of the same ideas around. The spread and duration of greater moment than the representation of objects in the view expressed, indirectly, the unbearable oppression exerted by the object, almost as soon as remembered left and right to free rein in dell'esclamazione spirit, overwhelmed by the intensity of the contents in the memory of his experience. But the most fascinating notified of the situation comes from the novelty of the condition of Dante, which is for the first time just before the transcendent, suspended between the union and pacifying the total loss. Thus the representation expresses the sense of agony and joy with their vision before taking the final in the universal order. Also expressed as the current state of the poet, the celebration of remembrance and oblivion, and an insufficient penalty. "
What is the object of charity? calls for the holy. Beginning and end of the spirit of charity, answers Dante, is God, the supreme good. What reasons led him to love God? the sources from which the inspiration for the charity? The inspiration, says the poet, comes from the philosophical arguments and the sacred texts, which show that God as the supreme good, gives rise to self-love and even more so the higher the asset. So who knows how to discern the truth must necessarily turn his love of God which surpasses all other goods, since any property is a reflection the supreme good that is God's truth This comes from the philosophy of Aristotle, which shows that God is the term of the substances created immortal, and therefore of the soul comes from the voice of God to Moses said, "I will show you all right, "described by St. John in Revelation that the mystery of heaven. Another question: in addition to the arguments from philosophy and revelation, there are other reasons he has to love God? All the reasons, answers Dante, have helped to awaken in him the feeling of love of God, and among them the existence of the world, its very existence, the death of Jesus for the redemption of mankind, the hope of bliss. Loving God, adds, he also loves his neighbor, always in relation to the grace that is. A hymn of praise rises from the blessed: this test is passed.
Another candle is added to the three apostles: it is Adam who answers the questions of the poet: what the real cause of the long exile from Eden? It was not driven, responsible, having tasted the fruit of the tree, but for having transgressed the limits imposed by God How long was your creation? For 930 years it remained in limbo land and in 4032. What was the language he created and used? A language that died before it was provided that k. confusion of tongues, in consequence of the Giants' attempt to raise the tower of Babel. Even the language, like other things of a man, turns, changes, dies. Before he came down that God was in limbo I , then El . How long he remained in paradise? Just seven hours.
approval of San Pietro, Dante feels stimulated to a profession of allegiance to the Christian religion: his faith is the same that was given when the child was baptized in the Baptistery of his city, where he now wants to return after so much suffering. If anything were to happen, he says, the merits that I acquired my poem around to which I have undertaken with the help of grace, returning home from exile, I'd go back there very different from what was in his youth, with noble and high poetic force and I want to be crowned poet on the source where I was baptized: and just that my poem has the crown.
detaches from the crown of the blessed light of St. James the Apostle that Dante must question the essence of Hope. What is hope? the extent to which Dante has it? whence he came? The second question for Dante meets Beatrice: there is nothing more than his faithful friend has hope, so much so that God has allowed to go live in paradise. The other questions answered Dante with the attitude of a good disciple. The hope is the assured expectation of future glory, the fruit of divine grace and good works. The hope (and thus answer the third question) come inspired by the many fronts, particularly from the Psalms of David, who sang in Sperino you who know your name! and also the Epistles of St. James. They approved the response and requires: what it promises hope? He promises to all believers and eternal bliss of the soul and body. The confirmation of the blessed hand passing the exam. Now, St. Peter and St. James dancing in a circle, joined another blessed as it enters the dance with the joy with which a young woman enters the dance to celebrate and honor the bride. And St. John, the apostle who laid his head on the chest of the teacher at the Last Supper. Dante wants to see the body: in fact there was a belief that the apostle had ascended to heaven with the body. The saint tells him that only Christ and Mary had the privilege. And it is good that we know on earth, because men do not indulge in false beliefs. Meanwhile
Dante turns to Beatrice, but this is so bright that he remains dazzled.
in St Peter's soul that is higher in the hierarchy after the blessed Mary, Beatrice asks, looking at his student on faith, the first of the theological virtues. Do not forget that Dante has to return to earth and you must give the men on the virtues of authentic interpretation, one that derives from the very sources of the religion. As a student of theology that is prepared to answer while the teacher asks the question, so Dante quietly preparing his arguments. What is faith? question the saint. And Dante, in the words of Saint Paul answers: faith is the substance and the substance of things hoped for, that of eternal salvation. But why, asks the saint, the faith has been defined as substance and subject, "replied the poet, the high mysteries of eternal life are invisible to human eyes, and may be accepted only by faith, this faith is based on the hope of bliss, because faith is named substance. From this faith we rise to the certainty of eternal truths that there is no need to use tests sensitive to this faith takes on the topic name, test. But he, Dante, have faith? Yes, says the poet has it, entire, shiny, free from all doubt. And whence is the faith? Holy Spirit, that spreads its light in the books of the Old and New Testament. But why - still asks the saint - Dante believes that the Scriptures derive their inspiration from God? Why, replied the poet, witness the miracles: if the world had converted to Christianity without miracles, this fact alone would very convincing: it is the greatest miracle of history that humble people like the apostles, with the force of poverty and 'abstinence, have founded the Church. Last question: what do you believe and why? I believe, the poet says, in one God, eternal, everything that moves and nothing is moved, and where there is evidence of physical and metaphysical. I believe in the Trinity, three persons are one God answers are correct, and St. Peter bless the poet and turn around three times.
this song of triumph, which come together in a triumph, the most important and central in human life, the one that follows on the greed, the desire for economic power, the company Money makes his tutelary deity, and rejects the moral religious moment. And if the Christ-centered vision of Catholicism's supreme triumph is to Christ, it is equally true that his victory over sin shall, victorious, too, Mary, the mystic rose, the apostles and all the souls of all times, even the that is until the end of the world. And this triple triumph (even if the poet dwells with more strength and conviction on that of Mary) is so exciting, it fills the soul of such high emotion to express satisfaction that the resulting words are often inadequate. For this song is rhythm on a series of observations and return sull'inettitudine the words of the poet, who, in approaching the topic of infinite beauty and divine perfection, to give himself and the readers a sense of the extraordinary experience uses similes drawn from observation of reality on earth, and these comparisons, chosen among the most significant to make sense of fullness from which the soul of the poet feels that she is in the journey through heaven, give the song a unique feature in all the poem. With a subtle comparison between Beatrice vigilant and careful at dawn and the bird is placed on an open spray waiting for the sky cleared and give him the opportunity to look for food for children, opens the song: if to emphasize first dominant emotion is that of supervision and expectation. The scene then expands and is underlined by the feeling of joy just looking forward to a mother provident and careful: on this issue arises with the insistence of his mother starts singing in the celebration of the figure of Mary, the highest of creatures, but especially her mother that can not be deprived of the sight of his son. The glory of untold beauty and as an extremely bright light and focuses it attracts the attention of the poet is compared to the night that lights the sky dotted with so many stars. The light that concentrates in itself all other light is that of Christ: the lights that accompany it are the blessed souls who tore Christ's death and limbo, and now constitute the visible sign of his triumph over sin. Dante is lost and no longer can tell him what happened. This is an example of mystical experience, contemplation dell'munito of total rapture, the soul lives an exceptional experience, is in immediate contact with the god, returned to his daily experiences as he does not know the purpose of the report vision: the infinite can not content from being finished. The only thing left is the joyful feeling of having experienced a moment of incredible life, which connects the shock to this man saw gaping for a moment, not measurable in terms of time. But Christ will return after the rapid appearance all'Emireo: Dante can now observe the blessed, as during a day of clouds and sun you can see, being in a gray area, a meadow covered with flowers and rays fall on it: But you can not see the source of light. Now the soul is Mary brighter, higher than any other soul blessed because the mother of Christ. Dante here welcomes and adopts the trend established towards the thousands, to the Virgin, the creature closest to God, the mediator between God and man, one who received the prayers of men mercifully, and submit to the Creator. This cult was then neleattolicesimo great importance, particularly in the Italian one. Prompted by the prayer of the blessed Mary in the song of all he gets up to go to the Empyrean. Of the blessed who are now the light is St. Peter, and his third victory of the song. Of which
hand, so medieval in setting (the triumphalism of Christianity at the time of Dante seemed to have no rivals, the celebration of Mary and St. Peter, the mystical contemplation and awe, the sectarian atmosphere) can be seen also another element: the player seems to assist to a rite, a sacred representation: on the one hand the audience of the faithful devotees and attentive (Dante), second presentation in a procession of the priest hierarchically higher (Christ) , then the other, some of which stand out, others march.
Dante now has before him the image of an eagle grand challenges of so many blessed souls: each appears to reflect a small ruby \u200b\u200bin the eye of the poet sunlight. The eagle symbol of justice that must be the fundamental virtue of men under the command of the empire and of political power, he speaks in the singular as an individual with personal life as the aggregate of many souls. As he speaks, the beak opens and closes. Dante Symbolically speaking, united in one indivisible entity, all the major who made the Empire through the exercise of justice. On land, it says, esercitai justice and mercy, so here I am raised to the glory of heaven, on earth, let this remind me that even the wicked and the unjust praise my business, but do not follow my example. Meanwhile, Dante is attacked by a strong doubt that on the other hand torments him for a long time and where on earth could not find an answer, and exposes the blessed that look like flowers of perpetual bliss eternal for those who prevented independent 'of their will not know the Christian faith must be damned? One born on the banks of the Indus, where it is not those who speak, teach or write about Christ, must be sent to hell, despite the nobility of the positiveness of his moral life, despite its rich intellectual life? Christianity says that man is justified only by faith in Christ, but it is right that God should order the infants who die without baptism or the men who were right but did not know the faith? When asked by the poet as the eagle falcon freed from the hood that moves his head and flaps its wings, thus expressing his desire to fly, revealed through his sweet singing joy to meet the demand of Dante. Then it argues: "God that traces the boundaries of the universe, some things' making visible, others hidden leaving, he could not 'impress his creative power in such terms that things were clear' creative expressions of the intervention; created things are, after all, still less to "mold the Creator o. It is a testament to the fact that Lucifer, impatient for pride. Not expected to be completed and fell into hell, then imagine if the creatures that were created less than Lucifer are able to understand the immeasurable Divine good. There is a gulf of difference between quantitative and qualitative intelligence of the Creator and that of creatures: those are just what they are offered through sensory experience. To understand this concept is worth one example: the human eye sees the bottom of the ocean while standing on the shore, does not see it as if it is on the high seas, there is no doubt that there is a fund, but la, escapes the depths of the sea view. So the intellect of man, can see only when it is rescued by Grace, and only so much that it's light. The poet should not be surprised, therefore, if in doubt about his last is unable to penetrate the secret decisions of divine justice. And do not forget Dante that he is a man like others, limited and clouded, and presume to be able to wander beyond the limits allowed. It would be presumptuous if he wanted to get on the seat of the court to judge of what human infinitely far from his mind, when you know that man has a view that does not go beyond a palm? Certainly for those who thinking of the mystery is subtle questions of justice there is no reason to doubt, whether to drive the men there were, however, the Holy Scripture '. Revelation is to give certainty to doubt and inviting appearance. "Oh men who live like beasts! oh dull minds! The will of 'God is good in itself is not never departed from his principle that the supreme good. It is fair to all that conforms to God's will: no created good can attract to himself the divine will, or rather it, irradiation of things, it generates good. " (The answer Aquila does not rely on rational arguments: it is rather an invitation decided to believe 'in God's goodness that is surely correct: the question can not be resolved and a believer must also submit only persuaded because of its narrowness). How the stork after having fed his children fly the nest and while the little stork full turns to her eyes, so ' said the Eagle. He moved his wings and the poet got up to her eyes. Then he added: true, come to paradise only those who believe or believed in Christ. But it is equally certain that divine grace acting inscrutable ways. On the day of Judgement he will be much more distant pagan those many Christians who call at any time and Christ in them reject him. Even an unbeliever can condemn Ethiopian Christians in name but not so when the Day of Judgement will divide the two armies. Then open the book in which God records the merits and faults of each man read the names of those false Christians of bad princes of Europe:
Albert of Habsburg, who invaded the kingdom of Bohemia, Philip the Fair, who coined coins, kings of England, Scotland, Spain, of Charles of Anjou, of James II of Aragon, King of Portugal and Majorca, Croatia and Norway.
In paradise there are performances of such rare beauty and exceptional brightness so that the poet finds in his experience as a man and a writer of comparison, nor a language appropriate to refer them even approximately. Such is the spectacle of twenty-four souls who have two crowns, which, after the speech of St. Bonaventure, take over the dance and singing. They enchanted the poet's gaze the image that you would have if the fifteen stars of first magnitude, those of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, two constellations formed similar to the one in which his death was changed Arianna, if they were concentric and rotate in the opposite direction. Only in this way the reader can get an idea of \u200b\u200bthe twenty-four souls dance revolving around the poet and his guide. Suddenly, circular motion and singing ceased, and silence is heard the voice of St. Thomas, who starts to talk to resolve the second question of Dante. The first concerned the limitation imposed by the saint about the Dominicans, the second stems from what the saint had said Solomon's wisdom and words that had to be considered superior to any man of all time. Dante instead believes that wisdom outweighs Adam and Christ (as humans), as had the perfect human wisdom. St. Thomas precise and clear: all creatures is the incorruptible, are not intended to die, and the corruptible, subject to the power of death, are merely a reflection of that idea (the Word) that God creates through an act of love . The Word focuses its light in the nine choirs of angels and the heavens descends through these elements of the terrestrial world. But bear in earth elements impressed the Divine Idea in greater or lesser extent, and this fact explains how the trees bear fruit of the same species and different Men are born with different temperaments. If assumptions (but this can not happen after the sin of origin) the material, invested by the action of the heavens, was best placed to be shaped and if the sky was the height of its plasmatic Potena, the divine imprint would take place in all its glory and its most effective. But the action of plasmatic skies operates in imperfect ways, as well as on earth happens to the artist who knows his art, but whose hand is shaky and unable to translate into perfect figures forms envisioned in his mind. But if the Holy Spirit gives light on creatures of the Word which proceeds from the Father, then it has all the perfection as possible. So born perfect nature, the land of which God used to create Adam, so perfect was Christ into this and explains how Adam and Jesus were endowed with all possible perfection. But this conclusion is at odds with the claim that Solomon did not have an equal in wisdom. The poet, adds St. Thomas, forget the wisdom that Solomon asked for and obtained from God was that of King, which is necessary to govern justly. In conclusion, it must be said Solomon the wisest of kings: political wisdom of the wise not to philosophical or theological. The doubt is resolved, however, takes the holy occasion of Dante dall'avventatezza Judgement about the words spoken by the same saint about Solomon to give a warning: Before you proceed to pronounce summary judgments feet of lead, should help slow and affirm or deny what you can not clearly distinguished. It often happens that a hasty trial and then induce an error that the love for his opinion prevents the intellect to think again, to submit to an examination of unscrupulous. He who fishes in the sea of \u200b\u200btruth and knows the art of seeking the truth, he turns away from the shore in vain: but back part ignorant load of errors. It offers clear example of the Greek philosophers Parmenides and Melissa, the greek mathematician Brisson and heretics Sabellius and Ano. Men are not engaged with overconfidence becomes light and presumption when they are sitting, as do those who evaluate the harvest before it is ripe. In my experience, says St. Thomas, I have seen during the winter seem a dry and thorny bush, and then, in the spring, with a rose on top: last time I saw a ship sinking fast and safe entry into port. Do not believe a woman Berta and Ser Martino (people of no importance), because they see a steal, the other to give alms, to be able to know how God has judged them: the thief can be saved, the believer lost.
soon St. Thomas has put an end to his words of condemnation of the corruption of the Dominicans, a new crown of twelve souls you have around the first, with which, in unison, dancing and singing. In heaven all is a demonstration of harmony, peace and harmony. At one point the two crowns stop, and from the new crown is raised a voice that draws the attention of the poet with the same irresistible force with which the compass needle moves towards the pole star. The soul is said Franciscan mission to respond to the kindness of the Dominican Thomas and weave the eulogy of St. Dominic. It is fitting that Francis and Dominic are exalted together they fought and suffered in the ground same years for the same purpose. When God wanted to be driven by compassion to help humanity diverted, sending two strong champions of the faith, but Christianity that was redeemed in error and proceeded in doubt: a few, sparse groups of true Christians. At this point, adds St. Bonaventure, (the soul that he is speaking), Dominic was born in Castile in Spain and specifically in the city of Calaruega. Soon turned out to be destined to do great things: he had the moral stature of the athlete, kind of the sample with Christians but with implacable enemies of the faith. His soul was still in the womb, but it was full of virtue made the mother able to predict the extraordinary fruits that would be born by the saint: in fact, she dreamed that she would give birth to a dog, black and white (the colors of the Dominican) with a torch in his mouth (a sign of the saint). Another indication of the extraordinary grace that accompanied the baby was at the time of baptism, the godmother in a dream he saw the child with a star on the forehead (sign of light he would spread. Predestination was also evident in the choice of name was Dominic called to indicate that it was all the Lord (Dominus). The first feeling was revealed for the humility and poverty, was often found by the nurse, awake and silent in the ground as if to say, I came to live in humility and poverty . Soon, he studied theology and became very learned not to attain goods and honors, behind which many hours, too many are put on earth: how many doctors and lawyers to gain! His intent was to wait for a scholar's life and defense of the Church. For this reason the Holy See, which in other times was more generous than it is at present, with the poor, and falls into corruption through no fault of pontifical institution of the papacy, so far from his duties, he asked not to withhold itself most of the fruits of goods to the poor, not a bishop's office, not translatable benefices and privileges in money, but permission to fight against the heretics who undermined the Christian society. Was he, in fact, among the supporters of the Albigensian Crusade, the heretical sect that settled in Provence and was mercilessly destroyed by the French crusaders. Obtained by Honorius III, Pope, in recognition of his monastic order, he moved with the momentum of a stream that flows from a deep source: his preaching fell on the heretics of Provence with uncontrollable force. From him, from his preaching and his organizational activities that gave rise to the great family of the friars preachers said, and we say Dominican. So Francis and Dominic were the two great pillars of the rebirth of the Church: one distinguished for a spirit of poverty, the other for the energy with which led and won the war against heretics. But the track marked by him and his followers has now been abandoned: so also one marked by Francis. The Franciscan order, if you do a comparison between what was and what is beginning now, you could say upside down. The Franciscans faithful to the example of the founder are very poor. Behind the example of Ubertino Casale and Matthew Acquasparta an order is made and self-destructive fury of attack and split into two and the Spirituals who want a more rigid defense of the rule, the convent, the more lax. At this point Bonaventure presents the spirits of the crown lighting: Rieti, Agostino di Assisi, Hugh 5. Victor, Peter Mangiadore (theologians the latter two), Peter of Spain, a physician and theologian, Nathan, the Jewish prophet, John Chrysostom, patriarch of Byzantium, Saint Anselm of Aosta, philosopher, Elio Donato, grammarian. Finally, the theologian Rabano Mauro Calabrian abbot Joachim of Fiore, who had the gift of prophecy. The praise is over and although it was pronounced by a beat was attended by all the saints of the crown, as revealed by their intensity.
At the conclusion of the speech of St. Thomas souls abandon themselves to a dance and a song in which they express their Their concord and harmonious love with the same agreement by which the strings are moving clock, which invite the monks sounding the industriousness and meditation. Happy are the ones who like the monks close intimacy and mystical contemplation that open road to paradise! In total contrast with the spectacle of the blessed is one of those who on earth is driven by greed and compete for the conquest of worldly goods: they are clergymen, lawyers, doctors, politicians, merchants, all united in the search of idleness and the pleasures of the flesh. Argumentative therefore, the start of the song, to society antithetical to the values \u200b\u200bof which feeds the paradise. A values that Christ gave to the men and gave personal testimony of which he remained faithful to St. Francis, the saint and model of a man who knew how to find young people astray after the return to the example of Christ the answer to the problems of a society torn and divided by the arrogance and greed of the joys of consumerism.
His response was articulated in complex forms but in essence it is in these terms:
After the eulogy of St. Francis, Thomas launched a tirade against his fellow Dominicans in the song that follows the Franciscan Bonaventure rampognerà Franciscans. The inspiration that holds the songs XI and XII is the same: Dante wants to once again argue that the source of all evil is greed and that this has infected even the great mendicant orders. To measure the magnitude of the degeneration is sufficient to note the distance between the current orders, their financial and political power with the prospects of their founders: if you want to leave the snake search of worldly goods, you must go back to Francis and Dominic, that is the authentic message of Christ. The song is moving, therefore, between the two poles of the polemic against the harsh new times, new Franciscans and Dominicans, and invite the return of men like St. Francis asserted with heroic steadfastness in poverty pre-Christian law. "The concentration of the interest of Dante receives singular light on poverty if they start finding the eleventh song of the stories a few years before Francis went frescoing, Assisi, Giotto and his assistants. This party, mind you, from the same legend of Bonaventura (hence Dante moves) but the two large frescoes in the upper basilica, one, and only marginally relates to poverty, the waiving paternal inheritance before the bishop, the others are miracles in life and in death, visions, and Francis others, episodes of real life and apostolate, etc.. It is this disparity between Dante and Giotto enables us to understand better the historical reasons of absolute preference given first to the theme of poverty, when you reflect that the basilica of Assisi was built by Brother Elias, against the teaching of the saint, reiterated in the Old Testament, which prohibited the erection of churches rich; basilica that it depended directly from the Curia, which it had all'ingente provided funding and mandate of the paintings of his trust, in particular that Giotto was a creature of it. So when Dante drew different and focuses on poverty, was in position implicit polemic with convents and the Roman Curia.