Thank you, Dr. Moore. This long speech was fantastic, and full of meditations on Justice. The history lesson was not rote fact; it was a direct, purposeful story to tell of Rome and justice and how far Dante's time was from that. The connection between a deficiency in justice and a deficiency in love was profound. Yet another connection to the whole Commedia, we see deeper reasons why love is the center of all of this grand story. How inspiring! How terrible to behold! La Viva Justicia! Thank you!
Thank you Dr. Moore for your marvellous presentation. You packed a great deal of helpful background information that took only ten minutes but made this canto come alive My takeaway from this lesson is first that a deficiency of justice is a deficiency of love (i.e. empatheia and caritas), Second, when desire pertains to things of this world it wanders from the straight and narrow path and the flame of love, honor, and justice sputters like a candle in the wind. Third, to love earthly fame is to love the wrong thing in the wrong way.
Amen. And things haven't changed much in today's world. Acedia (in the sense of carelessness, indifference and listlessness - "the noonday devil") to who/what matters most seems to be one of the main vices in society, especially in us men. Ultimately it is a lack of love, which manifests itself in a lack of justice and a lack in so many other virtues.
@@pjhammond494168 Acedia, the gloomy combination of weariness, sadness, and a lack of purposefulness that robs a person of his or her capacity for joy and leaves one feeling empty, or void of meaning.
I had not studied history since high school, many many years ago, so I was totally confused by this canto. Dr. Moore's exposition has been especially important to me. I especially appreciate the clarity and logic of his approach.
Canto 6: Upon their instantaneous transfer to the next sphere, Mercury, Dante immediately encounters an extremely luminous spirit, Emperor Justinian, who ruled from Constantinople, the eastern capital to which Constantine had transferred imperial power two hundred years previously. According to Dante, this separation from Rome allowed for the establishment of ecclesiastical power in the Pope in Rome, who, later, assumed both secular and religious authority to the detriment of the Church. Justinian elaborates on Roman history, in the allegorical terms of an eagle’s flight, from the time of Aeneas through the Republic, the Empire and Charlemagne (who ruled after Justinian had died in 565 AD!) until the current period of the influence of the French kings on the city-states of Italy. Justinian, who established a new code of law, held the view that the Roman Empire had existed to prepare for the development of Christianity, especially in the times of Tiberius and Titus. Although Justinian had originally held the heretical view (Arianism) of Christ having only a divine nature, he was converted to the orthodox belief of the two (divine and human) natures of Christ. The spirits seen in the Sphere of Mercury are those who, during their lifetimes, sought honor for themselves rather than for the greater glory of God. Just as the spirits of the Moon lacked the Cardinal Virtue of Fortitude and showed their lack of constancy and fidelity to God, those of Mercury lacked the Cardinal Virtue of Justice, a sense of righteousness to God and neighbor, and showed their own self-ambition. (The spirits seen in the next sphere, Venus, lacked the Cardinal Virtue of Temperance, the ability to control and moderate one’s emotions and appetites.)
I am so appreciative of these commentaries. I would completely miss the point of the cantos without them.
I learned so much in this presentation. Thank you Dr. Moore! My history of this period is very shaky, so having so much context is very helpful.
This was the best commentary I've heard yet. Thank you!
Thank you, Dr. Moore. This long speech was fantastic, and full of meditations on Justice. The history lesson was not rote fact; it was a direct, purposeful story to tell of Rome and justice and how far Dante's time was from that.
The connection between a deficiency in justice and a deficiency in love was profound. Yet another connection to the whole Commedia, we see deeper reasons why love is the center of all of this grand story. How inspiring! How terrible to behold!
La Viva Justicia!
Thank you!
Thank you Dr. Moore for your marvellous presentation. You packed a great deal of helpful background information that took only ten minutes but made this canto come alive My takeaway from this lesson is first that a deficiency of justice is a deficiency of love (i.e. empatheia and caritas), Second, when desire pertains to things of this world it wanders from the straight and narrow path and the flame of love, honor, and justice sputters like a candle in the wind. Third, to love earthly fame is to love the wrong thing in the wrong way.
Amen. And things haven't changed much in today's world. Acedia (in the sense of carelessness, indifference and listlessness - "the noonday devil") to who/what matters most seems to be one of the main vices in society, especially in us men. Ultimately it is a lack of love, which manifests itself in a lack of justice and a lack in so many other virtues.
@@pjhammond494168 Acedia, the gloomy combination of weariness, sadness, and a lack of purposefulness that robs a person of his or her capacity for joy and leaves one feeling empty, or void of meaning.
This was a packed 10 minutes, but it was such wonderful context and information relative to understanding this canto.
I had not studied history since high school, many many years ago, so I was totally confused by this canto. Dr. Moore's exposition has been especially important to me. I especially appreciate the clarity and logic of his approach.
Phew! I found this canto to be a bit of a slog, and your lecture was a great help!
I agree! I found it a bit more than a slog!
At first I was bummed that this -wasn't- presented by N.T. Wright ~ but Dr. Moore speaks more sense than Wright is right!
Canto 6: Upon their instantaneous transfer to the next sphere, Mercury, Dante immediately encounters an extremely luminous spirit, Emperor Justinian, who ruled from Constantinople, the eastern capital to which Constantine had transferred imperial power two hundred years previously. According to Dante, this separation from Rome allowed for the establishment of ecclesiastical power in the Pope in Rome, who, later, assumed both secular and religious authority to the detriment of the Church. Justinian elaborates on Roman history, in the allegorical terms of an eagle’s flight, from the time of Aeneas through the Republic, the Empire and Charlemagne (who ruled after Justinian had died in 565 AD!) until the current period of the influence of the French kings on the city-states of Italy. Justinian, who established a new code of law, held the view that the Roman Empire had existed to prepare for the development of Christianity, especially in the times of Tiberius and Titus. Although Justinian had originally held the heretical view (Arianism) of Christ having only a divine nature, he was converted to the orthodox belief of the two (divine and human) natures of Christ. The spirits seen in the Sphere of Mercury are those who, during their lifetimes, sought honor for themselves rather than for the greater glory of God. Just as the spirits of the Moon lacked the Cardinal Virtue of Fortitude and showed their lack of constancy and fidelity to God, those of Mercury lacked the Cardinal Virtue of Justice, a sense of righteousness to God and neighbor, and showed their own self-ambition. (The spirits seen in the next sphere, Venus, lacked the Cardinal Virtue of Temperance, the ability to control and moderate one’s emotions and appetites.)