When in 1498, during his third voyage, Christopher Columbus reached the gulf of Paria at the mouth of the Orinoco river (in what is now Venezuala) he thought that he had found the outward traces of the Garden of Eden, the biblical earthly paradise. Although he believed the garden itself must lie further inland and be situated high up, he thought that the waters of the Orinoco river he saw coming down to form the gulf must come from the primeval river that flowed out of Eden. He wrote in his journal I do not suppose that the earthly Paradise is in the form of a rugged mountain, as the descriptions of it have made it appear, but that it is on the summit of the spot which I have described as being in the form of the stalk [or stem end] of a pear; the approach to it from a distance must be by a constant and gradual ascent; but I believe that, as I have already said, no one could ever reach the top; I think also that the water I have described may proceed from it, though it be far off, and that stopping at the place I have just left, it forms this lake. It might seem incredible that an explorer like Columbus, intelligent and knowledgeable, would think that he had found the Garden of Eden. The most obvious question is why he or anyone else would ever have thought that the Garden of Eden was located in South America? The answer of course is that Columbus didn't know he had discovered the Americas - he was hoping to reach China and India (i.e. the 'East') by sailing west, and the biblical story located Eden in the east. It made perfect sense to Columbus that by sailing to the furthest point east he could imagine, he might discover the location of paradise But more fundamentally we might wonder why Columbus imagined he might find paradise on earth in the first place. Wasn't Eden a mythical garden? Wasn't it part of the primeval history in the book of Genesis, that collection of mythological stories about creation of the cosmos in seven days, the formation of the first humans out of clay and bones, impossible towers to heaven and a world-wide flood that wiped out all living creatures except those who were hiding in the giant boat Noah made (and the fish!). Why in the 15th century would an intelligent cultured European explorer think that he had found the mythical land of Eden? And the answer to that is that ever since the book of Genesis was written countless Jewish and Christian readers of that story in the subsequent centuries continued to believe that the Garden of Eden, paradise, was a real place, a location in space and time. Even though the story tells us that the garden God made was 'far, far away' and 'long, long ago' it was, in their minds, nonetheless a real place, where two historical human beings had once lived and where events took place that were drastically to shape their own history. Some writers and thinkers reflected on that story and believing that it was a story about a real place in the real world and reading that the tree of life had once stood there in the centre of the garden, began to imagine ways in which human beings might find their way back to paradise and to that tree which would heal them of their terrible propensity to die! Paradise became the object of intense speculation and aspiration. People believed that it still existed and they wanted to go back there. And so, over the centuries, people wrote stories trying to describe what may or may not have happened to Adam and Eve during their time in the garden and afterwards; they wrote imaginary visionary tales in which biblical heroes were taken by angels to visit the paradise garden; some people thought about how they could get to paradise without physically going there i.e by ascending to paradise through contemplation of the divine throne/chariot (that Ezekiel had seen); and, in the medieval era, people drew maps of the world in which paradise always featured at the top, as the historical and theological 'starting point' of the history of the world. When Columbus sailed to 'the east' (in a westerly direction!) he was fully aware that he was heading towards that 'far away and long ago place' where paradise lay. I have no idea whether he expected to find it on his voyages but when he discovered the rich, luxuriant beauty of the new land and saw the great Orinoco river flowing into the gulf of Paria, he had no problem in thinking that he had found the earthly paradise or, at least, signs of its proximity. In this post I want to explore the way in which the story of that first garden in Genesis came to have such powerful effect on subsequent expectation in Judaism and Christianity that one day we might find our way back there, and how the nature of the Genesis story laid the foundations for the subsequent paradise tradition.
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Having witnessed the hopeless chasing of the empty banner by the uncommitted souls, the pilgrim notices that they are near the banks of a river. Countless numbers of lost souls wait for the boat that will take them into hell itself. The boat appears, manned by a frightful figure, And now, coming toward us in a boat, INFERNO Canto 3:82-87 [Translation Robert and Jean Hollander: the Princeton Dante Project] During the summer I spent a day in the Swedish mountains. It was wonderful and I will never forget the memories of wandering around the (minor) peaks of the Sarek National Park virtually alone. But to start my climb I had to be taken across a river by boat. The few of us making the journey made our way down from the Fjällstation at Kvikkjokk to the river bank at the appointed time and very soon a small boat powered by an outboard motor came and moored at the jetty and we got on board. Within minutes I realised that the boatman was as much a feature of the national park as the mountains and the river. His name was Björn and naturally and engagingly he asked us who we were and why we were making the journey. He explained the natural features of the river, and took a detour to show us the pool that formed where the river waters came down to mix with the waters of the river (and to feel the cold wind that flowed down from the mountains with the freezing water!). He explained everything gently and effortlessly. He was quiet and unassuming and yet all of us were gripped by his strange charisma and his 'other-worldly' bearing. Later I discovered that he is quite famous and held in high regard by those who have encountered him! He is very special and one of my best memories of that day. If paradise has to be accessed by crossing a river then I know the perfect candidate for the job of boatman! Unfortunately for Dante the boat that came to take him and Virgil across the Acheron river, the boundary between the entrance to hell and hell itself, was not manned by Björn. Instead the figure punting the boat towards them is Charon the mythological ferryman of classical legend. Unlike Björn, Charon is rough and aggressive, part human, part monster, a terrifying, unpleasant, uncouth figure whose appearance reflects his terrible job, conveying the damned to their eventual fates in hell. There is no welcome, no interesting conversation in Charon's boat. There is simply condemnation, accusation and, if we are not careful, a blow from his pole! At first Charon refuses to take Dante across the river to hell. Dante is still alive and Charon spits out his distaste at the unnatural sight of the living in the presence of death and damnation. 'And you there, you living soul, INFERNO Canto 3:88-93 [Translation Robert and Jean Hollander: the Princeton Dante Project] But Charon has no right to deny Dante the pilgrim acces to hell. Like Jake and Elroy Blues, the pilgrim is on a 'mission from God'. His journey is a journey of salvation, a journey to the very heart of God. Charon, representing the old classical world with all its pagan myths and philosophy which Christ has judged by his coming, cannot resist such a journey. He must play his part and take his allotted role in helping to bring the pilgrim to his revelation of God. The message is clear. The world has changed. Christ is Lord and the very intellectual framework by which each of understands and relates to the world must change to reflect that Lordship.
Sometimes looking just isn't enough, you just have to jump in to get the full benefit. Exercise is like that. You can watch sport all day long but you won't lose a kilo in weight or improve your fitness level one iota unless you actually take part. Travel is like that too. You can watch any number of travel programs on TV but it doesn't mean you have actually been to those places. You have never experienced the sights, sounds and scents that make those places so distinctive and memorable. That's what Tundale discovered about one thousand years ago. He discovered that just looking isn't enough. Tundale was a young Irish knight who had an 'out of body' experience and went to hell with his guardian angel in order to see what lay in store for him unless he reformed his life. But Tundale soon found that to get the full benefit of the journey he had to experience the torments of hell for himself. Standing and watching other people suffer wouldn't help him at all. He had to know what it was like to be burned, frozen, beaten, chopped to pieces, famished and devoured. He had to stop being a spectator and take the plunge! Thank goodness he did. Whatever it did for his soul, it helps to make this wonderful account of his hellish journey so horrifyingly entertaining!
When I first went to the National Gallery to visit the Visions of Paradise exhibition I asked the guard at the door the best way to find the exhibition (I get lost easily!) He kindly gave me directions and then added with a smile "you can't miss it". And he was rightI The brilliant light of the picture grabs your attention the moment you are within view. You can't take your eyes away from it. The painting is massive and its light is intense, startling, breathtaking. Botticini knew what most of us over the age of 50 already now only too well, that to see you need light! (I find it's impossible for me to read now unless I have a powerful lamp shining directly onto the page in front of me). And his picture is full of light; it's almost like a bright lamp itself, shining brilliantly in the corner of our room/galley/chapel, helping us to see! Not words on a page of course, but the divine reality. In the last post I talked about the lower panel of the painting, with its focus on the sponsors, Matteo Palmieri and his wife Niccolosa. In one sense the painting is really about them and I discussed the ways in which their position on the mountain top represents their claim to have been virtuous patrons, not just of Botticini and this painting, but of Florence. But the first thing you look at when you see the painting, as the guard pointed out to me, is not the two pious, kneeling figures in the centre, but the glorious dome of heaven above and its spectacular brilliance. In this post I want to talk about how understanding the importance of light in this picture helps us to grasp the spiritual and theological purpose of the painting! Dante the pilgrim is on the threshold of the greatest adventure of his life. He is beginning a journey which will take him through the wonders of paradise to the highest heaven and the vision of God. But on the way, he knows, he will be a witness to the horrors of the damned in hell, and of the trials of those who must purge their sins away through suffering, in purgatory. This then is going to be an arduous, harrowing journey. He must prepare himself! The day was coming to its end and the darkening air Inferno Canto 2:1-6 To help his resolve he reminds himself of two other famous visitors to the afterword. He thinks about Aeneas, the protagonist of Virgil's great epic poem the Aeneid, and his journey to the underworld. Then he remembers that the Apostle Paul spoke about a journey he made to paradise in the third heaven. But these thoughts don't help him; in fact they make things worse. When he contemplates his famous predecessors he realises that he has no qualifications for such a journey. He is no ancient warrior here (like Aeneas) nor is the chosen apostle of the Church, like Paul. Suddenly he feels terribly inadequate. He tells Virgil his feelings and seeks his help. But me? Who has deemed me fit to go there? Inferno Canto 2:31-36 And so he begins to have second thoughts Like someone who loses the desire Inferno Canto 2:37-42 Virgil sees the pilgrim's dilemma. He understands the terror in his heart "If I have rightly understood your words", Inferno Canto 2:43-48 Virgil encourages the pilgrim by telling him why he came to help him. He tells the pilgrim that the lady Beatrice herself, the great love of Dante's life, visited him in his 'suspended' place at the edge of hell, where he exists in a shadowy half life with the other great pagan thinkers and writers, and that there she asked him to find and help the pilgrim. He is only here to help the pilgrim because the woman Dante the pilgrim (and Dante the writer) adored has summoned him. By saying this Virgil reminds the pilgrim that Grace and Beauty are waiting for him on 'the other side'. I was one of those who were suspended Inferno Canto 2:52-57 Beatrice had been told about the pilgrim's struggle on the mountain by Saint Lucia who in turn had been sent by the Virgin Mary herself. Beatrice had been desperately worried that Dante the pilgrim would be too afraid of the the wild beasts ever to leave the forest and find the way to paradise. Virgil describes what she said to him about the pilgrim "My friend, who is no friend of Fortune, Inferno Canto 2:61-70
The pilgrim continues to retreat from the fierce animals but suddenly he is confronted by a shadowy figure While I was fleeing to a lower place When I saw him in that vast wilderness The shade replies revealing that he is the shade of Virgil the great roman poet He answered "Not a man, though once I was. I was born under Julius Caesar (though late in his reign) I was a poet and I sang of that just He asks the pilgrim why he is heading back to the wretched misery of the dark forest rather than climbing the mountain towards paradise "But you, why do you turn back to wretchedness? The pilgrim is overwhelmed with joy at the realisation that this is his hero, the Roman poet Virgil "Are you Virgil that source "You are the glory of all other poets you are my master and my 'author' After commenting on the eventual fate of the three beasts, Virgil reveals that he has been asked to be the pilgrim's guide, first through hell, the place people burn hopelessly, and then through purgatory where they burn hopefully! "Therefore for your sake I think it wise where you shall hear despairing cries And after, you shall see the ones who are content Finally he reveals that he cannot take the pilgrim into heaven (paradise) itself because he has not been counted fit by God. Another (Beatrice) will lead the pilgrim there "Should you desire to ascend to these, For the Emperor who lives on high Everywhere He reigns and there He rules. The pilgrim readily accepts the offer of guidance and help. And I answered: 'Poet, I entreat you. lead me to these realms you speak of Inferno Canto 1:61-87; 112-135 Just as Dante the pilgrim is about to re-enter the dark forest, despairing of ascending the mountain and finding the light of God, a strange, shady form appears in front of him. Amazingly, (since he had been dead for over a thousand years) it is Virgil, the famous Roman poet and Dante's literary hero. In Dante's day Virgil was perhaps the most famous Latin author and it is clear that Dante admired him greatly. He was most famously the author of an epic poem called the Aeneid, the story of the journey of the Trojan hero Aeneas after the destruction of Troy by the Greeks, to Italy where he founded the city of Rome. The book, written in Latin, is written in verse and deals with heroic and epic themes and includes a famous (and hugely influential) visit by the hero, Aeneas, to the underworld, where he sees various characters from mythology and from his own life and the punishments and rewards they experience. And yet although we shouldn't be surprised that Dante employs as his (and our guide) to the afterlife someone who had written so masterfully on such themes before, it is a surprising and 'edgy' choice. Part of the genius of Dante is that time and time again we are challenged morally and intellectually by the choices he makes. The readers of Dante's day would have been surprised that a pagan author would play such a crucial role in the story. Here, right at the beginning Virgil acknowledges his distance from the Christian vision. He says he does not belong in paradise so another must guide Dante the pilgrim through that part of his adventure. He was alive during the time of the false and lying gods (presumably implying his own part in their devotion). He confesses that he was a rebel against His law. So, a man who did not know Christ as saviour and Lord will guide the pilgrim away from the forest of dark ignorance and sin towards the light! Because the poem is so well known we barely bat an eyelid at this choice but at the time it was a remarkable one. Dante could have employed a Christian guide, the Apostle Paul (who had visited paradise while he was alive), a church father such as Augustine whose writings had helped to define church thinking on the afterlife, or even, perhaps, as in earlier tours of hell and heaven, an angel. But he didn't. He chose the pagan poet Virgil. But the reasons for that choice help us to understand his purpose in writing the Commedia and the manner in which he writes it.
When I had rested my body there a while As the slope began to rise Whichever way I turned she was there It was that hour early in the morning first started the beautiful motions of those things that gaudy beast, wild in its spotted pelt. and he was coming straight towards me, it seemed And now a she wolf came who, in her leanness, This last beast brought my spirit down so low, Inferno Canto 1:28-60 Drawn to the lightStill in his dream-like state (despite the fact that he claims he has woken up!) Dante sees the light of the sun streaming from the summit of the mountain before him and decides he must head towards it. Physically of course, the light he sees is the light of the rising sun but (as we will see later) the light actually emanates from God. It is really God's light he sees and is attracted to. Quite reasonably, he starts climbing the hill. The light reminds Dante the pilgrim of the first day of creation, when for the very first time the sun and the stars shone. I mentioned in the last post that Dante is the poet of hope and here the reason for his hope is revealed. The God he seeks is the God of creation who brought all things into being out of the darkness of nothingness. As he sees the sunlight he thinks of God's love which first started the beautiful motions of those things (the sun and the stars). The line could alternatively be read as 'setting all those beautiful things in motion'. Either way, Dante equates God, love and beauty with the created order. Later, Dante the pilgrim will discover how God's love and the beauty of the cosmos are closely tied to one another. Dante's search for God involves a search for Love and Beauty too.
Half way through the journey of our life How can I express the horror of that wood To speak of that place is so bitter for me I can't say how I got myself into that place, But when I reached the foot of a slope, looking up, I saw its shoulders Then the fear that had endured And just like someone who, struggling for breath so my mind, still in flight, Inferno Canto 1:1-27 Dante's midlife crisisHalf way through the journey of our life, Dante the pilgrim discovers that he is lost in a dark forbidding forest. Since Dante the poet was born in 1265 and the allotted span of a human life is traditionally 'three score years and ten' (70), the journey through the three domains of the afterlife apparently begins in the year 1300. The pilgrim is 35, so at the mid point of his life. But this, Dante says, is the mid-point of our lives, the lives of the readers too, (despite the fact that, sadly, I am no longer 35!). The poem pulls us all into that terrible forest, for according the writer, we are all enduring a mid-life crisis of existential proportions. We, the readers, stand there too, lost and confused with the pilgrim. But not because we stand there as individual readers, but because this is the crisis of the life of the world in which we all live. According to some medieval speculation about the age of the earth, 1300 stood exactly as the mid-point of the history of the world. The Christian world was in crisis as the Papacy and the Holy Roman Emperor fought it out for political supremacy over europe. In February 1300 Pope Boniface VIII declared a year of Jubilee (the present Pope has just done the same!) and declared that a plenary indulgence (time off from Purgatory) would be given to everyone who visited the churches of St Peter and St Paul in Rome. This was in fact a huge money-grabbing operation, as tens of thousands flocked to Rome. This is where the story begins, in a year like this, a year which finds mankind at its own 'mid-life crisis'.
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Archives
April 2016
GalleryThis blog is as much about images as it is about text. Below is a slideshow of the pictures and images used in this blog. Click on any of the pictures to go to the post where that image is featured.
PostsLocating Paradise #1 In a Garden, Far, Far Away
The Testament of Abraham and the Threefold Judgement of God #5 'Stuck in the Middle With You'
The Resurrection According to Rahner
Today You Will Be With Me in Paradise
The Testament of Abraham and the Threefold Judgement of God #4 'And Who by Fire'
The Testament of Abraham and the Threefold Judgement of God #3: Held in the Balance
The Testament of Abraham and the Threefold Judgement of God #2: Once, Twice, Three Times a Sinner
The Testament of Abraham and the Threefold Judgement of God #1: The Broad and Narrow Gates
Daily Dante 7: Many Rivers to Cross
Daily Dante 6: 'You Gotta Serve Somebody'
In Hell Everyone Can Hear You Scream. The Vision of Tundale #3
Teeth, Spikes and Cleavers: At the Sharp end of Hell. The Vision of Tundale #2
'No Pain No Gain': The Vision of Tundale #1
'Hellzapoppin':
Illustrations from Le Livre de la Vigne nostre Seigneur, #2 'It's The End of the World as We Know It (and we feel fine)'. Illustrations from Le Livre de la Vigne nostre Seigneur, #1
Visions of Heaven. Botticini's Assumption of the Virgin #2 Blinded by the Light
Visions of Heaven. Botticini's Assumption of the Virgin #1: Glorious and Immortal
Daily Dante 5: What the gates said.
Daily Dante 4: When I find myself in times of trouble
Daily Dante 3: I'll take you there
Daily Dante 2: Fierce creatures
Daily Dante 1: If you go down to the woods today
In Seventh Heaven or 'What Enoch Did Next'
A World of Fire and Ice: Heaven according to Enoch
The Power and the Glory: Visions of God as king in the Hebrew bible
The Beautiful Bestiary of Catherine Cleves: Monsters and Demons in detail.
Heaven is for Real: Heaven as a physical space up above the sky
Resurrecting the Dead or Reviving the Flowers? The loss of resurrection faith in Judaism.
The Defeat of Death #1: The promise of resurrection in the Isaiah Apocalypse.
The Defeat of Death #2: Death as a hostile power and promise of God's victory in Isaiah
Scary Monsters and Super Creeps: The 'Last Judgement' according to Stefan Lochner
Hell in the Hospital: The 'Last Judgement' of Rogier van der Weyden in the Beaune altarpiece.
'Hell' in the New Testament #2: The gates of Hades shall not prevail
The Hours of Catherine Cleves: Imagining hell and purgatory in Catherine's prayer book
'On Earth as in Heaven': The kingdom of God as a revelation of heaven
'Hell' in the New Testament #1: Gehenna
Lost in Translation #1: How the King James version got it so wrong about hell
Heaven is not our home
Domes, Depths and Demons: The cosmology of the Hebrew world
A Bigger God
"See you in Sheol" - Sheol, the common destination of all
Heaven, Hell and Christian Hope
BooksBelow are some of the books which have helped me the most in the research and writing for this blog. Click on any image to find out more about that book at its page on Amazon uk.
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