Having witnessed Hell and been purified by his trip through Purgatory, Dante begins his ascent to Heaven, guided by Beatrice. With her, he ascends through the first seven heavens to the Eighth Heaven, where he encounters the highest of the Christian virtues: faith, hope, and charity. He moves from there to the Ninth Heaven, which is called the Primum Mobile or First Mover, as it is from this spot that all life or motion springs, and finally arrives in the Empyrean. This is the tenth and final heaven, the place beyond time and space, where God resides as the Holy Trinity of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. There, Dante comes as close as a human being can to God. He experiences the triune God as circular, dancing rainbows of light.
Dante has been allowed to go on a journey or pilgrimage denied to other humans while they are alive: he is able to witness the Roman Catholic afterlife of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven so that he can attain a more perfect understanding of God. In Heaven, he experiences the joy, love, and peace that comes from being in right relationship with God. Heaven, as understood through Dante's medieval mindset, is a perfectly ordered hierarchy where everybody is in their right place.
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