Lines 4-12 “Until you regain the sight…the hand of Ananias”

· Dante has been blinded by a great light and must rely on Beatrice to restore his sight (Durling 526). This scenario is parallel to the apostle Paul’s conversion. Paul is struck by Jesus’ confrontation on the road to Damascus in his journey to persecute Christians. God calls Ananias to find Paul (named Saul at the time), restore his sight, and baptize him into Christ (Acts 9:1-18). This allusion is meaningful because Dante illustrates that transformation is necessary. By putting Beatrice in the Baptists place, he emphasizes the pilgrim’s need for transformation through Christ as well as the possible role that the Church plays in the life of a Christ follower.

Lines 16-18 “The Good that satisfies…whether soft or loud”

· Dante mentions “Alpha and O” when referring to God’s writing. This naming of God references Revelation 22:12-13 in which Christ warns of his second coming: “Behold, I am coming soon!...I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

Lines 58-63 “for the existence of the world…on the shore of right love.”

· Dante continues his explanation to John for his desire for God. He does this by alluding to Christ’s death and resurrection for the good of mankind. Because of this sacrifice, Dante explains that he is drawn to God because of “…the death that he underwent that I might live…”. This message is repeated throughout the New Testament, particularly life provided through a sacrificial death. For instance, 2 Corinthians 5:15 “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who dies for them and was raised again.” Another instance would be from John 3:16 (one of the most quoted New Testament verses), “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” and 1 John 4:9 “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” Dante reflects this repeated sentiment from Scripture to express his desire for God as a result of God desiring and loving humankind first.

Lines 64-66 “The leaves wherewith all…that is conveyed from him to them”

· Here, Dante emphasizes the goodness of God and his inherent lovability as described by Durling’s commentary (529). This iteration can also be referenced in James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of the heavenly lights…” According to Dante, humans cannot help but to love God due to His goodness.

Lines 124-129 “The language that I spoke…has never been enduring”

· Here, Dante has a discussion with Adam, the first human about the language that he spoke. Adam clarifies for him that he did not speak Hebrew as Dante had expected. Adam goes on to explain that language is a man-made concept and is subject to error. This idea contradicts what Dante had previously believed about Hebrew being the perfect language and spoke by Jesus Christ. Adam gives Dante a gentle reminder that all things human-made are subject to error because of sin. As an illustration to this point, Adam provides the example of Nimrod from the tower of Babel (Benfell 102).