"The Paradiso"
After being accompanied by Virgil to the Hell, Dante was then directed to the gates of Heaven by Beatrice, his former love on earth.
Dante was able to clearly see what the heavens look like through the vision of God’s Heavenly court granted upon him. This court comprises the angels, the Blessed Virgin and God Himself.
The earth for Dante can be considered as stationary and central in the universe, based from the Ptolemaic astronomy of his time. Surrounding it are the sun and moon together with the five visible planets revolving at various speeds. Each of these seven (7) Heavenly bodies has its own speher, or ‘Heaven’. Exactly beyond them is the sphere of the fixed stars and Crystalline, the ninth and the last of the material Heavens. It was given such a name because of its transparency and invisibility. For the others, they call it the Primum Mobile for its infinite speed that causes the other Heavens to take their slower motions. All these considered, there are a total of nine (9) spheres.
These spheres are basically moved by the nine orders of the angels. All these together with the Heavenly bodies have a specific spiritual significance and certain influences of human life and character. Beyond these material spheres is the Empyrean, the Heaven of God, the only real home of the angels and the redeemed souls, and the outside of time and space. As we can notice, all of the things on Heaven is in perfect state and order, with even the souls in their correctly appointed Heavens which is exactly the contrary of Dante’s picture of Hell.
Dante particularly noticed that all of the blessed are equally high in Heaven, and close to God. They just differ in the part of Eternal Inspiration they are aware of. In reality, the things seen in each sphere are not actually there, but only appears to be there because they claim that particular celestial eminence. Just like God and the angels, they appear to be human just because that is what humans expect to see. Not only the blessed are of equal value in Heaven, they are also the truest substance there, and they cannot lie anymore. They have this beauty that is unexplainable, mare greater than the beauty they possess in their past life. Their passions can be associated with the glowing flame of the Holy Spirit in which they exalt.
Just like of Dante’s explanation of Hell, the level of one’s soul on either Heaven or Hell varies upon the graveness of one’s sins for Hell, and the greatness of God for the Heaven. However, the blessed are happy in their lot, wherever in Heaven they are.
Dante was able to clearly see what the heavens look like through the vision of God’s Heavenly court granted upon him. This court comprises the angels, the Blessed Virgin and God Himself.
The earth for Dante can be considered as stationary and central in the universe, based from the Ptolemaic astronomy of his time. Surrounding it are the sun and moon together with the five visible planets revolving at various speeds. Each of these seven (7) Heavenly bodies has its own speher, or ‘Heaven’. Exactly beyond them is the sphere of the fixed stars and Crystalline, the ninth and the last of the material Heavens. It was given such a name because of its transparency and invisibility. For the others, they call it the Primum Mobile for its infinite speed that causes the other Heavens to take their slower motions. All these considered, there are a total of nine (9) spheres.
These spheres are basically moved by the nine orders of the angels. All these together with the Heavenly bodies have a specific spiritual significance and certain influences of human life and character. Beyond these material spheres is the Empyrean, the Heaven of God, the only real home of the angels and the redeemed souls, and the outside of time and space. As we can notice, all of the things on Heaven is in perfect state and order, with even the souls in their correctly appointed Heavens which is exactly the contrary of Dante’s picture of Hell.
Dante particularly noticed that all of the blessed are equally high in Heaven, and close to God. They just differ in the part of Eternal Inspiration they are aware of. In reality, the things seen in each sphere are not actually there, but only appears to be there because they claim that particular celestial eminence. Just like God and the angels, they appear to be human just because that is what humans expect to see. Not only the blessed are of equal value in Heaven, they are also the truest substance there, and they cannot lie anymore. They have this beauty that is unexplainable, mare greater than the beauty they possess in their past life. Their passions can be associated with the glowing flame of the Holy Spirit in which they exalt. Just like of Dante’s explanation of Hell, the level of one’s soul on either Heaven or Hell varies upon the graveness of one’s sins for Hell, and the greatness of God for the Heaven. However, the blessed are happy in their lot, wherever in Heaven they are.
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