Once again, Dante, the pilgrim, fainted and when he wakes up, he is now in third circle of Hell.
I see new torments and tormented ones again
Wherever I step or look. I am in the third
Circle, a realm of cold and heavy rain –
A dark, accursed torrent eternally poured with changeless measure and nature. Enormous hail
And tainted water mixed with snow are showered
Steadily through the shadowy air of Hell;
The soil they drench gives off a putrid odor.
In this circle, the Gluttons are punished. It is the 2nd of the 3 sins of incontinence: Lust, Gluttony and Hoarders/Wasters. In the last canto, we saw the sins of Lust and Desire which would be a shared sin. But here, gluttony is a sin of uncontrolled appetite performed in isolation.
Gluttony – The English word comes from the Latin and means “to gulp.” It means excess in eating or drinking; greedy or excessive indulgence; is characterized by a limitless appetite for food and drink and overindulgence; means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or wealth items, particularly as status symbols; lack of self restraint and self discipline.
Philippians 3:19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.
Proverbs 23:20-21 Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.
Gluttony is considered one of the seven deadly sins. Why? Because it makes a person focus on themselves. They become selfish and driven by their own lust for food, drink, drugs, sex, material things, the opinions of others. They literally let their appetite for whatever, become their god. They become selfish, greedy, always wanting more and never satisfied. They do not share their excess but consume it for themselves. They hoard when others are in need.
Have you ever watched an interview with someone whose god is their own appetite? Bulimics/anorexics are people who focus their entire attention on themselves and their food intake and purges. And they don’t just dance around themselves either, they demand everyone else dance around them too. Parents, spouses, children, friends are all supposed to focus on them and their desires. Those with bulimia and anorexia become so focused on themselves that they become their own gods. Idolatry. They spend all day obsessing on how much they eat or don’t eat; how much they exercise or purge; how much they weigh; taking endless selfies to critique themselves. It’s all about them. They expect everyone to feed into their fantasies and support their obsessions.
The same can be said for those who spend all day long exercising and flexing; feeding their bodies huge amounts of vitamins and protein powders; honing their athletic skills to the exclusion of all else; competing; taking steroids to get better results… everything is focused on themselves and their need to look like some image of perfection they have in their head.
There are those who are drunkards, alcoholics, drug addicts and we all know how addiction can rule someone’s life. Again, an addict will demand everyone around them support their addiction. They become so focused on their need for their drug of choice that it excludes all else. They could care less about anyone but themselves. They are so selfish and become such manipulators and liars in order to get what they want from those around them. They will lie, cheat, steal, murder and sell their own bodies just to get what they want.
There are those who become addicted to themselves with plastic surgery and beauty enhancements. They spend all their money on plastic surgery, vitamins, makeup, hairstyles, clothing, shoes, accessories, portfolios, etc, etc. Because it’s all about them. They become their own gods and lose all self restraint and self control. They must see themselves as beautiful and preen before mirrors constantly. They demand that everyone around them compliment them and boost their ego, telling them how beautiful or handsome they are. They cannot accept any imperfection such as wrinkles, gray hair, an added pound… so they are constantly working on themselves in some way to present their image of perfection. It may be as fake as a wedding cake. We can all see how fake it is. But they cannot and they keep going to the mirror to check themselves. They will spend every bit of money they have to boost their image and look good. They have made themselves an idol.
And there are those who lust for riches, fame, power. Everything in their lives is focused on getting what they want. The greedy, self-focused person who wants what they want and ignores anyone else.
What is their punishment in Hell?
The gluttons grovel in the mud by themselves, sightless and heedless of their neighbors, symbolizing the cold, selfish, and empty sensuality of their lives. Just as lust has revealed its true nature in the winds of the previous circle, here the slush reveals the true nature of sensuality – which includes not only overindulgence in food and drink, but also other kinds of addiction. – Wikipedia
Deuteronomy 21:18-21 If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard’. Then all the men of his city will stone him to death. So you must purge the evil from among you, and all Israel will hear and be afraid.
Titus 1:4-13 4 I am writing to Titus, my true son in the faith that we share. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior give you grace and peace.
5 I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you. 6 An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be believers who don’t have a reputation for being wild or rebellious. 7 A church leader is a manager of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or dishonest with money. 8 Rather, he must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must love what is good. He must live wisely and be just. He must live a devout and disciplined life. 9 He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.
10 For there are many rebellious people who engage in useless talk and deceive others. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation. 11 They must be silenced, because they are turning whole families away from the truth by their false teaching. And they do it only for money. 12 Even one of their own men, a prophet from Crete, has said about them, “The people of Crete are all liars, cruel animals, and lazy gluttons.” 13 This is true. So reprimand them sternly to make them strong in the faith.
Do not judge someone who is overweight as a glutton. They may have medical conditions that cause their weight issues and it could run in the family. Judging by outward appearances is wrong. On the other hand, gluttony is a sin and should be addressed when it’s an obvious addiction to food, drink, drugs, attention, riches, etc. Check your own life. If you find you are falling into excess in any of these areas, you need to repent and go to God. He may lead you to cut back on things or cut out things altogether. Maybe He would ask you to fast, or to go into rehab, or to give away and divest yourself of things that tempt you to excess. Be obedient to what HE leads you to do.
Why is this circle of hell under constant assault of cold rain, snow and hail that makes for a filthy mud? Dante uses contrapasso by contrast as a fitting punishment. In our last lesson we looked at contrapasso by analogy and contrapasso by contrast. In the lives of the gluttons they focused all their attention on themselves and how to make themselves comfortable and happy. Selfishly and greedily they provided for themselves and their physical and emotional desires. They had comfortable homes, dined on as much, and as fine, a food as they could get. They drank excessively and spent their money on what satisfied them. So now, in Hell, they are like pigs in mud. They are eating filth, squirming in mud and never satisfied. Instead of being in a comfortable home, they are exposed to the worst elements. Instead of looking beautiful and finely turned out, they are covered in mud that they can never get away from.
Three-headed Cerberus, monstrous and cruel,
Barks doglike at the souls immersed here, louder
For his triple throat. His eyes are red, his beard
Grease-black, he has the belly of a meat-feeder
And talons on his hands: he claws the horde
Of spirits, he flays and quarters them in the rain.
The wretches, howling like dogs where they are mired
And pelted, squirm about again and again,
Turning to make each side a shield for the other.
Seeing us, Cerberus made his three mouths yawn
To show the fangs – his reptile body aquiver
In all it members. My leaders, reaching out
To fill both fists with as much as he could gather
Threw gobbets of earth down each voracious throat.
Just as a barking dog grows suddenly still
The moment he begins to gnaw his meat,
Struggling and straining to devour it all,
So the foul faces of Cerberus became –
Who thundered so loudly at the souls in Hell
They wished they were deaf.
Cerberus was the offspring of the monsters Echidna and Typhon, and is usually described as having three heads, a serpent for a tail, and snakes protruding from multiple parts of his body. He guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. As early as Homer we learn that Heracles was sent by Eurystheus, the king of Tiryns, to bring back Cerberus from Hades the king of the underworld. This was the twelfth and final labour imposed on Heracles. Eurystheus thought it was impossible. Heracles made his descent into the underworld through an entrance at Tainaron, the most famous of the various Greek entrances to the underworld. While in the underworld, Heracles met the heroes Theseus and Pirithous, where the two companions were being held prisoner by Hades for attempting to carry off Hades’ wife Persephone. Along with bringing back Cerberus, Heracles also managed (usually) to rescue Theseus and perhaps Pirithous. There are various versions of how Heracles accomplished Cerberus’ capture. Heracles lead a chained and submissive Cerberus away. He brought him to Eurystheus then returned him to the Underworld. – Wikipedia
Cerberus is described in line 22 as “his reptile body aquiver”. In Dante’s Italian it was “il gran vermo”. The term, “worm,” links the minor three-headed demon with Lucifer, the serpent. This demonic beast “barks doglike” and howls chaotically as do the sinners who howl like dogs as Cerberus flays them. He is described as “aquiver in all it’s members” with agitation.
The description of this circle is one of loud, uncontrolled and relentless noise from the pelting and continual rain and hail; the chaotic barking and howling of Cerberus and the sinners. It created a cacophony of sound, “who thundered so loudly at the souls in Hell they wished they were deaf”. You couldn’t hear yourself think. And that’s the point. Confusions, chaos, irrationality are the dogs we let loose when we cannot control ourselves. When we let gluttony rule us, we are not using reason, logic, wisdom and self control. We are releasing the hounds.
How does Virgil get Dante past Cerberus? He picks up gobs of mud and throws it at the 3 heads. And the demon eats the filthy mud like it was meaty bones letting Virgil and Dante slip past.
We two had come
Over the shades subdued by the heavy rain –
Treading upon their emptinesses, which seem
Like real bodies. All lay on the ground but one,
Who sat up, seeing us pass. “You who are led
Through this Hell – recognize me if you can…
He said:
“Your city, so full of envy that the sack
Spills over, held me once when I enjoyed
the bright life up above. The name I took
Among you citizens was Ciacco; the sin
Of gluttony brought me here. You see me soak
To ruin in battering rain – but not alone,
For all of these around me share the same
Penalty for the same transgression as mine.”
Ciacco – hog
Ciacco speaks to Dante, wanting him to remember him. But Dante only wants information. He is nice enough to the shade to get the information he wants. He is interested in Florence, not Ciacco. Later we will learn that the sinner’s shades can see far off events in the future but they cannot see what’s in front of their faces. So Ciacco is able to tell the future of Florence and some of it’s citizens. The power struggles between the White and Black factions of the Guelph political party are motivated by pride, envy and avarice. He predicts the expulsion of the Whites from Florence.
“For the triple sparks of envy, greed, and pride
Ignite their hearts.”
Gluttony quickened by envy becomes more than gluttony: it becomes the spur to the divisive factional rivalries that were destroying the city of Florence. – Digitaldante.edu
Remember, Dante, the poet, was exiled in real life after this factional, infighting. To be exiled back then was shaming. Dante would have felt dishonored and shamed and he tended to point out the moral failures of those in Florence who did this to him.
Dante asks Ciacco about certain upright Florentine citizens.
I pleaded, once his grievous words were said,
“Farinata, Mosca, Tegghiaio, men of good reason,
Jacopo Rusticucci, Arrigo: the good
Was their hearts’ purpose in life, so tell what portion
Their souls inherit now. I long to know
If they fell heaven’s sweetness, or Infernal poison.”
He said, “Their souls are among the blackest in Hell,
With different faults that weigh them to the pit.
If you descend that far you may see them all”
All the souls on this list of Florentines will reappear in Inferno with the exception of “Arrigo”, of whose identity is unsure. Farinata degli Uberti is found among the heretics while Tegghiaio Aldobrandi and Jacopo Rusticucci are among the sodomites. Mosca dei Lamberti among the sowers of discord.
Ciacco is overcome and he slides back down in the mud in a stupor.
So with slow steps we traversed that place of mud
Through rain and shades commingled, once or twice
Speaking of the future life
When we die, our physical bodies are buried and our spirits go to the place of the dead. There are two sections of Hades that concern us: the place for the saved called Paradise or Heaven, and the place for the lost called Hell. These two places are divided by an uncrossable chasm. When Christ returns and resurrects the body, the bodies will be eternal, immortal and our spirits rejoin our bodies. Those who are saved, will join Jesus Christ in His millennial kingdom and then the New Heaven and New Earth with the New Jerusalem forever. But those who are lost will be thrown into the Lake of Fire with satan forever.
“Master, these torments – tell me, will they increase
After the Judgment, or lesson, or merely endure,
Burning as much as now?” He said, “In this,
Go back to your science, which teaches that the more
A creature is perfect, the more it perceives the good –
And likewise, pain. The accursed people here
Can never come to true perfection; instead,
They can expect to come closer then than now.”
Their pain will approach perfection.
Excerpts of Inferno are from a new translation by Robert Pinsky.
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