After watching the lecture video, what do you regard as the most important motivating factor or factors behind Pope Urban II and his call for a crusade to retake the Holy Land in the 1090s? Why specifically do you rate such factors so highly over others?
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Unveiling the Motivating Factors Behind Pope Urban II’s Call for a Crusade
Pope Urban II’s call for a crusade to retake the Holy Land in the 1090s was primarily motivated by a complex interplay of religious, political, and socio-economic factors. Among these, the most significant motivating factor behind Urban II’s crusade proclamation was the desire to reunite Christendom under papal authority and assert the power of the Church over both spiritual and temporal realms.
The religious fervor of the time, fueled by the concept of pilgrimage and the defense of Christianity, played a pivotal role in shaping Urban II’s decision to launch the First Crusade. The idea of reclaiming Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim control resonated deeply with Christian beliefs and served as a unifying cause for rallying support among the faithful.
Furthermore, the political ambitions of Pope Urban II cannot be overlooked as a crucial motivating factor. By calling for a crusade, Urban II sought to extend papal influence and assert his authority over European monarchs and nobility. The crusade provided an opportunity to strengthen the position of the papacy and solidify its role as a central power in medieval Europe.
Moreover, socio-economic factors, such as the promise of land, wealth, and prestige for participants in the crusade, also played a significant role in motivating individuals to join the Holy War. The allure of plunder, new territories, and social advancement appealed to knights, nobles, and commoners alike, contributing to the recruitment efforts for the crusade.
While other factors, such as the defense of Byzantium or the desire for adventure and glory, were also present in motivating individuals to participate in the crusade, the overarching importance of religious zeal, political ambition, and socio-economic incentives cannot be understated. These factors not only shaped Pope Urban II’s decision to call for a crusade but also influenced the widespread support and participation in the First Crusade.
In conclusion, the convergence of religious, political, and socio-economic factors underpinned Pope Urban II’s call for a crusade to retake the Holy Land in the 1090s. The prioritization of these factors over others is justified by their profound impact on shaping the motivations of both the papacy and the crusade participants, ultimately leading to one of the most significant events in medieval history.
