The first two books of The Divine Comedy, Inferno and Purgatory, by Dante follow Dante as he journeys from hell to purgatory. In Inferno, Dante meets the poet Virgil who guides him through the rings of hell. Once the two reach the bottom of hell, Virgil continues to guide Dante through the next realm in Purgatory. Throughout this epic adventure, Dante not only provides an entertaining story, but also presents numerous ideas concerning the afterlife. These ideas range from simple descriptions of the two realms to more remarkable ideas of who exactly goes where after death and why. Moreover, Dante also vividly paints a picture of how sinners will be punished in hell and oppositely, the process of how sinners are redeemed in purgatory. Although
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Like hell, purgatory also has a structure in which each level focuses on a different sin. Unlike hell, sinners in purgatory work their way up through the seven terraces of purgatory in order to finally reach heaven. To advance to a new terrace, sinners must first work off the sins from the previous terraces. In each terrace, sinners face a unique punishment that they must endure until God is satisfied. Of this process, Dante writes, "God demands we pay the debt. / Don't dwell upon the form of punishment / but on what follows; think that at the worst / it cannot last beyond the day of doom" (10.108-111). In Dante's view, sinners are capable of repaying the debt of sin by enduring punishments for several years. However, in remembering various Bible verses, I believe that Dante's notion of sinners redeeming themselves is impossible. For example, Ephesians 2:8-9 states, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." Although I do believe that works should accompany faith, this verse clearly conveys that sinners could never repay their debt of sin. Due to this Biblical concept, I believe that if sinners are required to work off their sin in purgatory, then sinners would in turn never make it to heaven. Therefore, because Dante conveys the idea that humans can actually repay God for the debts of their sin, Dante again directly challenges Biblical
Like hell, purgatory also has a structure in which each level focuses on a different sin. Unlike hell, sinners in purgatory work their way up through the seven terraces of purgatory in order to finally reach heaven. To advance to a new terrace, sinners must first work off the sins from the previous terraces. In each terrace, sinners face a unique punishment that they must endure until God is satisfied. Of this process, Dante writes, "God demands we pay the debt. / Don't dwell upon the form of punishment / but on what follows; think that at the worst / it cannot last beyond the day of doom" (10.108-111). In Dante's view, sinners are capable of repaying the debt of sin by enduring punishments for several years. However, in remembering various Bible verses, I believe that Dante's notion of sinners redeeming themselves is impossible. For example, Ephesians 2:8-9 states, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." Although I do believe that works should accompany faith, this verse clearly conveys that sinners could never repay their debt of sin. Due to this Biblical concept, I believe that if sinners are required to work off their sin in purgatory, then sinners would in turn never make it to heaven. Therefore, because Dante conveys the idea that humans can actually repay God for the debts of their sin, Dante again directly challenges Biblical