Evil and the ancient doctrine of the origin of the sins by Dante

Selfknowledge takes incredible shape, when we go into the ancient doctrine about the sins. This is expressed in Dantes Divina Commedia (13th century) in a visual way. Dante has, lead by the poet Vergilius, first gone through hell. After that, he climbs the mountain of purification, where people must suffer for their sins, before they are allowed  to enter paradise. Here, in 'Purgatorio', we find the seven main sins described, expressed.

In the 17th song, in the purgatory, Dante receives from Vergilius the doctrine about the roots of  virtue and sin, of Evil. The wonderful thing about this doctrine is, that virtue as well as sin lead back to love.

Neither Creator nor a creature ever,
Son,” he began, “was destitute of love
Natural or spiritual; and thou knowest it.
The natural was ever without error;
But err the other may by evil object,
Or by too much, or by too little vigour.
While in the first it well directed is,
And in the second moderates itself,
It cannot be the cause of sinful pleasure;
But when to ill it turns, and, with more care
Or lesser than it ought, runs after good,
Gainst the Creator works his own creation.
Hence thou mayst comprehend that love must be
The seed within yourselves of every virtue,
And every act that merits punishment.'

'Now inasmuch as never from the welfare
Of its own subject can love turn its sight,
From their own hatred all things are secure;
And since we cannot think of any being
Standing alone, nor from the First divided,
Of hating Him is all desire cut off.'

Natural love cannot go astray because it keeps to natural laws. The inorganic nature seeks the right place naturally: heavy things fall, light (for example fire) ascend. Organic nature follows in the plant realm the laws of blooming and withering, in the animal realm it follows the instincts. In spiritual love however there is freedom. Therefore there is the possibility to go astray with love.

Man cannot hate himself for as far as he is the one that sends out love. That is why he cannot love Evil in himself, but only the evil within his fellow man. Here are three possibilities. First it may be that he wants to elevate himself by humiliating the other. Such people long for the declining of the other. This sin is called superbia, pride.

Secondly, there are people who cannot bear that the other one is doing well, they fear the increase of power for the other and wish for the contrary. That is invidia, envy.

Thirdly, there are the resentful people, who are so much offended by a suffered injustice that they want to hurt the other one. That is ira, fury.

These three sins are founded on the love for the evil within ones fellow man, the wish that the fellow man has to suffer..

(Part of my article 'The seven main sins' for the Swiss magazine 'Gegenwart' in 2010)

Dante meets seven main sins on his road cross the mountain of purification. I will describe the remaining four in my next blog.


Dante and his poem. Fresco by Domenico di Michelino in the Santa Maria del Fiore (1465).Evil and the ancient doctrine of the origin of the sins by Dante by Mieke Mosmuller