Rachel is in the Bible along with her sister Leah, both of whom were Jacob’s wives. Leah was his first wife and Rachel was his second. According to Aristotle and further touched upon by Dante, there are two lives: the active and contemplative life. Leah represents the active life while Rachel the contemplative. Dante touches on this overall subject more specifically in Purgatorio:
“We must know, however, that we may have two kinds of happiness in this life, according to two different paths, one good and the other best, which lead us there. One is the active life, the other the contemplative life, and although by the active, as has been said, we may arrive at a happiness that is good, the other leads us to the best happiness and state of bliss, as the Philosopher proves in the tenth book of the Ethics.” (4.17.9)
The contemplative life can be defined as “a lifelong journey to God in prayer and worship, turning from all else that could make the journey less direct” and it consists of monks and nuns “called” to dedicate their entire lives to prayer in solitude. This clearly shows Dante’s commitment and investment in religion and how that was reflected in his strong political views, as we read in the introduction.
In further researching, I came across a figure associated with “contemplative mysticism” and he was Pope Gregory I. His papacy began in 590 AD and ended in 604 AD with his death. He led a busy life but appreciated the lives of the contemplative, thus creating his own theology for elitists to associate their lives with not only Leah but Rachel too. He is referenced in Purgatorio as well.
Hope y’all are as enlightened by this subject as I am now :)
https://poorclarepa.org/what-is-contemplative-life/
http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/textpopup/pur2701.html
https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/2008/november/spirituality-for-busy-people.html
1 comment:
Due to the highly intellectual material we have been covering as a class, much of our discussion leads to drawing a philosophical or psychological parallel, as Farah just has. I'd like to continue the discussion of Psychology by commenting on Freud's outlook on such a concept as the Contemplative Life, which is present in Dante's comedy. Aristotle considers the contemplative life as a process that is natural and even necessary to the experience of life, specifically as it relates to religion and/or salvation. By definition the Contemplative Life can be dealt with in two different ways. The first being "holding an intentional belief and taking action," and the second: "repressing and fantasizing." Aristotle and more classic philosophers consider the Contemplative Life as the first option, as it follows a religious stigma and is more traditional. Of course, however, Freud "dissects" the second option to a Contemplative Life. Freud comments that the power of compulsion can lead to life long satisfaction and that "organic striving" can lead to a "lifelong goal." Leave it to Freud to refute the Classics.
Source:
https://books.google.com/books?id=X3AXLUxeOxAC&pg=PA170&lpg=PA170&dq=contemplative+life+freud&source=bl&ots=RT2gTEIV8R&sig=i3Yej-menTqzYS0nVsSroaReRYA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjnm8HdgcXeAhUmpoMKHbtKBc0Q6AEwC3oECAUQAQ#v=onepage&q=contemplative%20life%20freud&f=false
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