the universe according to Dante

The diagram at the left is a typical example of a solar system map according to the ideas expounded by Ptolemy. This website will explain who Ptolemy was, what he thought about the solar system and universe, and how Dante used this in his epic poem  La Commedia (known in English as the Divine Comedy).

Welcome!

The 'Fixed Stars' will explain to you the ins and outs of the Ptolemaic System - the universe according to Dante! Buckle up! Here we go!!

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PTOLEMAIC UNIVERSE

Other Spheres

Ptolemy and Friends

For hundreds of years, educated people believed that the earth was at the center of the solar system surrounded by the sun, the moon, the stars, and the planets. Ptolemy was not the first to write about and teach this system; nevertheless, his name has become attached to these ideas in perpetuity. Perhaps the best brief explanation of the Ptolemaic system is that offered by Professor C. S. Lewis: 'The central (and spherical) Earth is surrounded by a series of hollow and transparent globes, one above the other, and each of course larger than the one below. These are the 'spheres', 'heavens', or (sometimes) 'elements'. Fixed in each of the first seven spheres is one luminous body. Starting from Earth, the order is the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn; the 'seven planets'. Beyond the sphere of Saturn is the Stellatum, to which belong all those stars we still call 'fixed' because their positions relative to one another are, unlike those of the planets, invariable. Beyond the Stellatum there is a sphere called the First Movable or Primum Mobile. This, since it carries no luminous body, gives no evidence of itself to our senses; its existence was inferred to account for the motions of the others.'

The Universe in Dante's Epic

Planets and Spheres

Bibliography, Credits, Links

A dash of Paganism, a Sprinkling of Christianity...

The Ptolemaic System was devised primarily by Greek and Roman Pagans. They incorporated into the design their beliefs combining astrology and astronomy. (These were combined and synthesized for centuries by nearly all peoples.) The various planetary spheres were believed to have influence over various traits in the human personality. Mars had influence over emotions such as anger and the seeking after glory; Venus had influence over romantic love and sensual lust. What is remarkable about Dante's use of the Ptolemaic system is that he grafted this pagan idea into a Christian concept. He was not the first Christian artist to use pagan concepts, but he was indeed among the best. To again quote Professor Lewis: 'Delighted contemplation of the Model and intense religious feeling of a specifically Christian character are seldom fused except in the work of Dante.'