Comments on: hell

By: drhill

drhill — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:22:34 +0000

That would be great! The poem I was reading was Diary Of An Old Soul – you can download it free here:

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1953

BTW – Project Gutenberg is a great site for free e-texts.

By: Mark Deisinger

Mark Deisinger — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:05:54 +0000

I recommend the Divine Comedy translation by Dorothy Sayers. I have the first two volumes (Inferno and Purgatorio); you’re welcome to borrow them.

Also, what was the poem that sparked your post?

By: drhill

drhill — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:29:45 +0000

I have never read the Divine Comedy – but the more I hear about it the more likely it is I will need to put this on my to do list…I remember hearing an excerpt – I think it was an audio book and there was a description of some kind of whore / fornication beast in hell where everyone was interconnected and being drug ariound against their individual wishes – but they were forever a kind of ‘one’ because of their sexual sins…the image has never left me.

The Great Divorce is a very good book – and it certainly highlights the point of our choosing our condemnation.

Thanks for the feedback.

By: Mark Deisinger

Mark Deisinger — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:54:10 +0000

In Dante’s Divine Comedy, the central and worst part of hell is reserved for those who were traitors to countrymen, guests, family, and lords (including God). The area is a vast ice plain named Caina (after Cain). Sinners are buried up to their chests, necks, etc., in accordance with the severity of their sins.

Obviously, the Divine Comedy is allegorical and symbolic and not meant to be taken literally, but the idea in this section is that those who deny the warmth of human kindness and love to those closest to them are denied any warmth as their final judgment.

As to your point about ‘asking’, I recommend C. S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce. The central theme and line in the book are: “In the end, either we say to God, ‘Thy will be done.’, or He says to us, ‘Thy will be done’.”