Comparison Of Hell In Dante's Inferno And Modern Christianity

Many religions that have come and gone through history share a similar idea: a final resting place for the dead. This “resting place” is commonly referred to as Hell and contains the souls of sinners or those who committed crimes while they were alive. In Christianity, Hell is a real and probable place to end up, and those who were brought there were disgusting and vile people who suffered incredible punishments due to not accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. However, throughout Christianity’s duration, modern thought and philosophy have tried to change the definition of Hell to shape what would be tangible for the current believer. This causes the reality of Hell to become watered down, to view as something that is not too bad,

Because of this, authors like Dante and C. S. Lewis take it into their own hands to provide readers with their own interpretations of the place of eternal damnation. This is also where the differences between medieval and modern Christianity become visible. In Dante’s Inferno, Dante describes one of the last layers of hell, called Cainia, which is the resting place for sinners who betrayed their own families. “Livid, as far down as where shame appears, Were the disconsolate shades within the ice, Setting their teeth unto the note of storks. Each one his countenance held downward bent: From mouth the cold, from eyes the doeful heart Among them witness of itself procures.” (Dante 216, lines 13-19). While this depiction is hard to follow, it illustrates thousands of sinners frozen up to their heads, all stuck in a frozen river named Cocytus. Their tears froze their eyes shut and in unforgiving, endless pain. This view of hell reflects medieval roman Catholics and how in touch they were with the reality of sin. They do not try and downplay sin; it is called out as vile and putrid, as is similarly stated in the Bible. Nevertheless, modern Christianity also has its views of hell which C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce

Shops and warehouses are visible, meaning that day-to-day life is not too different despite their deaths. Hell, as seen here, does not invoke repentance from its dwellers as it does in Inferno. Instead of eternal punishment for the sinful, this rendition more accurately describes a continuation of life without freedom. However, the residents barely notice this lack of freedom as they continue their monotonous lives. Dante also depicts a fiery desert, with flaming red “snow” falling on the sinners in circle 7, ring 3, which is the place of punishment for those who are violent against God and nature. “Above that plain of sand, distended flakes of fire showered down; their fall was slow-as snow descends on alps when no wind blows.” (Dante 127, lines 28-30). This weather is precise and almost sounds like a fantasy setting; however, Randy Cerveny explains why this weather would have been more relevant to the people during Inferno’s first publication. “Fiery red snowflakes? Oddly enough, something similar—although rare—might have been witnessed throughout history. As far back as the third century BCE, Aristotle reported on the occurrence of red or “blood” snow.” (Cerveny 43). While remaining true to science and possibility, Dante still distinctively conveys hell's brutality. Dante includes what phenomenons occurred during his time, which most likely was feared as it