The opening verses of Canto X reflect not only the theology of the Trinity and the teaching of Thomas Aquinas but also my own path as an adult convert into Christian faith through the study of Quantum Field Theory; odd, but true.
1 Gazing on His Son with the Love
Guardando nel suo Figlio con l'Amore
2 the One and the Other eternally breathe forth,
che l'uno e l'altro etternalmente spira,
3 the inexpressible and primal Power
lo primo e ineffabile Valore
4 made with such order all things that revolve
quanto per mente e per loco si gira
5 that he who studies it, in mind and in space,
con tant' ordine fé, ch'esser non puote
6 cannot but taste of Him.
sanza gustar di lui chi ciò rimira.
Dante the Poet packs so much into so few stanzas that it is no wonder that many, including myself, have studied the Commedia for decades and, like Holy Scripture, we ever discover new depths of insight and beauty and humor. Here in these six verses we touch on the inner economy and nature of the Trinity, the means of Revelation as one delves into those depths, and the use of one’s physical being [all five senses] in experiencing God.
We have the shared air of love within the first two lines as all three members of the Godhead gaze on one another in love, resulting in that shared air being present throughout all of creation; the Godhead eternally ‘breathes forth’ power and love. We are in the camp of the Scholastics here, in the study of Aquinas as he celebrates both the warp and woof of creation which, when studied diligently, give a ‘taste’ of the Creator and the love which is behind it all. We are told that anyone who studies the creation “in mind and space” cannot but taste of God. And yes, the Italian word is exactly that for the sense of taste: gustar. What we see with our eyes, what we taste at the Eucharist, what we hear as we study nature or sing praises can bring us into the realm of the holy, or at least give us a hint of mystery that all that is comes from a place of primal power and love.
This, in fact, is what happened to me at some levels as I finished my undergraduate work in physics and mathematics, heading toward graduate work in astrophysics in the early ‘70’s. One course in particular was in Particle Physics and we spent a good deal of time in Quantum Field Theory and especially Quantum Entanglement. To put it simply, Quantum Entanglement occurs when one can pair two particles in such a way that they have a certain charge and remain connected. But move the particles further and further apart and then change the charge of one, such as from negative to positive, the other ‘paired’ particle immediately changes its charge as well. When one is acted upon, the second particle responds as well, regardless of the distance between the two. [Einstein was not happy with the suggestion that two particles could be ‘connected’ even over long distances. He called it ‘spooky motion at a distance.’] In truth I’d experienced a form of this connected entanglement in my own personal relationships and had intimations of immortality, as it were, within my very being. Some greater Other was part of me, entangled with me, and I began to reach conclusions as a result of this connection that led me to a search for the source of this entangled creation, where we all, in very truth, are part of some inexpressible and primal Power that issues from a Source that eternally breathes forth love. Dante the Poet tells us that one who studies with the rational mind and throughout all of creation cannot help but ‘taste of Him.’ I found that to be true and moved into Philosophy and Theology in my graduate work at Princeton, without leaving behind my love of physics and science. I have discovered that I ‘cannot but taste of Him’ in all of these fields of study.
Indeed, Dante the Poet has shown us throughout the Commedia that one can find truth of God, tasting of Him, through all manner of study in human endeavor. We’ve seen Dante follow Virgil, use the classics of Roman and Greek mythology, utilize Aristotle’s writings and share with us the latest in discoveries of Nature all of which give us insight into God’s creative designs and a taste of His ever present Love. He describes how even the paths of the zodiac and the angle of the sun are so tilted to ensure that life is maintained on earth.
16 And if their pathway were not thus deflected,
Che se la strada lor non fosse torta,
17 many powers in the heavens would be vain
molta virtù nel ciel sarebbe in vano,
18 and quite dead almost every potency on earth.
e quasi ogne potenza qua giù morta;
19 And, if it slanted farther or less far
e se dal dritto più o men lontano
20 in the upper or the lower hemisphere,
fosse 'l partire, assai sarebbe manco
21 much would be lacking in the order of the world.
e giù e sù de l'ordine mondano.
This is the heart of the argument from Intelligent Design for the existence of God within certain branches of cosmology and theology today. It is what is known as the Anthropic Principle and Dante shares the core of its argument here in Paradise.
Dante the Poet now introduces a metaphor that was familiar to most in the Middle Ages; God as the Sun. Used by many, including Gregory of Nyssa, Pseudo-Dionysius and Hildegard of Bingen, I believe it comes directly from the Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
Jesus attempts to teach His listeners that God’s love is as far-reaching and expansive as the scope of a rainstorm or the ever present rays of the sun, touching any and all within creation. Pseudo-Dionysius shares the same insight when he writes:
“Think of how it is with our sun. It exercises no rational process, no act of choice, and yet by the very fact of its existence it gives light to what ever is able to partake of its light, in its own way. So it is with the Good. [God]”
The brilliant illumination, the insight and wonder, the opening of one’s mind to Wisdom and of one’s heart to Love is what occurs to Dante the Pilgrim as he comes to this 4th Heaven that is free of any shadow of earth. God’s light as revealed in the Sun penetrates Dante the Pilgrim so that Dante the Poet admits he is at a loss for words to describe all that he experiences.
40 Whatever I saw within the sun, how shining
Quant' esser convenia da sé lucent
41 it must have been, for, when I entered,
quel ch'era dentro al sol dov' io entra'mi,
42 it revealed itself, not by color, but by light.
non per color, ma per lume parvente!
43 Were I to call on genius, skill, and practice,
Perch' io lo 'ngegno e l'arte e l'uso chiami,
44 I could not ever tell how this might be imagined.
sì nol direi che mai s'imaginasse;
And Beatrice tells him explicitly to give thanks to God / the Sun for all that is being revealed and all that shines forth on this level.
52 And Beatrice began: 'Give thanks, give thanks
E Bëatrice cominciò: "Ringrazia,
53 to the Sun who makes the angels shine and who,
ringrazia il Sol de li angeli, ch'a questo
54 by His grace, has raised you to this visible sun.'
sensibil t'ha levato per sua grazia."
In the next few Cantos we will spend a good deal of time on this level of Paradise being illuminated and stretched and challenged by the all-embracing Light of this Sun.
We come now to the first of two rings of wise guides at this level. Dante and Beatrice find themselves within a ring of bright and shining souls that are, of course, described as “living lights of blinding brightness” whose singing voices were “sweeter than the radiance of their faces.” They stop singing and, as in a courtly dance, pause as if waiting for the next quatrain of music to begin. It is here that one of the lights steps forward and thus begin the introductions. Your editions of the Purgatorio will surely unpack the members of this circle so I won’t go into great detail on each individual. However, there are three particularly lovely insights that I’d like to share with you, a couple of which we have already lifted up before in our journey with Dante the Pilgrim over these last few years.
FIRST: Humility hovers here, infusing them all with holiness. We see it specifically in the opening explanation by Thomas Aquinas of which scholars and wise guides are in the circle. He does not introduce himself, but the first name he gives is rather that of his teacher Albert Magnus. Aquinas tells us in fact that he himself was merely a lamb amongst the flock, one among many who were led by Dominic, having joined the Dominicans. Aquinas not only honors Albert Magnus by naming him first, but also calling him “my brother and teacher.” I have found in my studies and teaching that, unfortunately it is not humility, but rather hubris that usually accompanies those who study and teach at the highest levels, those who accumulate power in academia, business or politics. The higher Dante the Pilgrim ascends in Paradise, the deeper is the humility, respect, love and honor each of the inhabitants have for their neighbor in heaven.
SECOND: Dogmatism dies in Dante’s Paradise. In this circle we find not simply those who have obeyed and accepted the official teachings of the Medieval Catholic hierarchy, but others who were never Christian at all. There is King Solomon whose wisdom was so profound that he is called “the most beautiful among us.” And yet, he was also the most profligate gatherer of wives of the entire Jewish Scriptures, having collected more wives than Carter had liver pills. YET, HERE HE IS IN THE CIRCLE. There is the former pagan Boethius, whose “Consolation of Philosophy” was written in prison just before he was tortured to death by the Emperor Theodoric in the sixth century. While he was a Christian convert, at the end of his life, knowing his time was short and he would be unjustly executed, his final work never once mentions God, Christ or redemption. YET, HERE HE IS IN THE CIRCLE. Finally, we have a heretic here as well, Siger of Brabant, a faculty member at the Sorbonne who was condemned as an Averroist. Aquinas tells us blatantly that he taught “invidious truths.” Part of the core of Averroism is that the universe is eternal and was not created. It is thought by many that he is included here due to his love of teaching [we are even given the address where he gave his lectures, “the street of Straw”] and his love for God. Dante the Poet does not tell us he repented. YET, HERE HE IS IN THE CIRCLE. We are reminded, as C. S. Lewis does so in the Great Divorce, that God’s Love and acceptance cannot be circumscribed or defined by Papal Bulls or dogmatic declarations issued from any branch of the institutional church hierarchy. God will love whom God desires to love.
THIRD: Finally, as a pastor of over 40 years, I find the description of this circle to be a living model of many of my churches! We have had those of different beliefs, genders, age and temperaments all gathered together under the banner of God’s Love. One should know that as Aquinas goes round the circle naming and introducing each to Dante the Pilgrim, he ends with the very individual who, in his life, was his avowed enemy. Siger taught the universe was eternal, Aquinas taught it had a Creator. At times the debates could be fierce and, in fact, life-threatening. [Siger of Brabant was murdered by an insane cleric who disagreed with his teaching!] And yet, here in the 4th level they stand together, side by side, joined as one in Love and Worship of God. I have seen this very scene in a country church in Burlington, Colorado or an inner city church in Denver. This is not a scene made up by Dante the Poet only for his Commedia, but it is a lived reality that plays out time and again in God’s Church. Thanks be to God!
There is more to come at this level of Paradise; much more, and it is real joy to journey through it all. In fact, I treasure the study of each Canto so much now, that it is taking longer and longer to write a blog for each one. It is rather like having a 25 year old Scotch by my side; I sip, I savor, I sip yet again. It takes forever!