In Dante’s Paradise, the souls in heaven reside on different levels based off of a defining characteristic of their faith. Nuns who did not keep their vows dwell on the moon, since that is the circle for those who neglected them. A few of them describe that they did not keep their vows because they were taken off to be married against their will. Later on in the discourse, Jepthah is mentioned because he made a vow to sacrifice the first living thing that came out his door to greet him if he won the battle. Dante, instead of praising him for keeping his vow, says he did wrong because of the murder involved. The nuns are held accountable for not keeping their vows while Dante condemns Jepthah for upholding his; however, the faith of the latter brings him praise in the Bible, showing that it is a crucial factor in the treatment of each group.
Upon hearing a few of the nuns’ stories, Dante is puzzled as to why they are placed in heaven according to someone else’s actions. Beatrice, Dante’s guide explains that “such were these souls / who could have fled back to their holy place. / But had their wills been steadfast and entire / … / They would have willed to hasten to that street / whence they were seized” (39.79-85). Even though the nuns were unwillingly snatched from their monastic life, they made no attempts to return. If they had run away, the chance the husbands would have pursued them are very likely. The women probably knew the consequences of running, and so chose to stay in the safety of their new homes instead of attempting to keep their vows. This act shows how much faith they truly had, for if they cared deeply about their vows and truly trusted in God, they would have fled. The nuns’ fear of death overruled their commitment to God. However, when the talk turns to the seriousness of vows Dante says it would have been better for Jepthah to not keep his. He writes that “as Jepthah was [addled] in offering his first sight, / Who’d better said, ‘I have done wrong,’ than by / keeping his vow, done worse” (49.66-68). God would not have demanded Jepthah to keep his vow since it demanded human sacrifice, something that He abhors, so he did wrong by killing his daughter. Jephthah fears God more because he goes through with his vow instead of fighting to keep her alive. How the nuns and Jepthah reacted when faced with the choice of upholding their vows shows the faith of each.
Furthermore, the wills of each party are involved. Beatrice examines Dante’s question: “‘If my good intent endures, / how can another’s violence diminish / the measure of my merited award’” (35.19-21)? Even though good intent remained in the nuns’ hearts, it was not enough to negate the fact that they no longer led the monastic lifestyle. Their non-action portrayed the essence of consent to remaining with their husbands. Beatrice says, “For when the will’s unwilling, it’s not spent, / but acts as nature in a leaping flame, / though violence buffet it a thousand times” (39.76-78). This statement means that the will toward violence affects the outcome. With the nuns, if they were completely unwilling to go, it would not have been held against them, but since they spent the rest of their lives away from the nunnery, some part of them clearly willed to stay away. The nuns are not placed in the the circle of the moon for the husbands' actions, but rather for their own. Yet, Jepthah, knowing his vow was going to cost him his daughter, still carried it to completion. He put God on a higher level than his own desires and well-being, showing that Jepthah understood the gravity of his vow more than the nuns. Additionally, in Hebrews 11 where it lists and praises the faithful, Jepthah is listed, demonstrating that the fact that he fulfilled his vow was not looked down upon, but was an act worthy of praise. Therefore, the belief that Jepthah supposedly would have been better off not keeping his is not supported in that passage. He was hasty in making his vow, but his heart and his will to serve God were in the right place. Jepthah’s commitment to God came to fruition, but the nuns who departed did not fully will their vows to be fulfilled.
Even if one keeps their vow in mind and heart, he does not truly because the person has not attempted to flee from evil. Dante discusses how the vow is still broken, saying that, “If violence means that he who suffers lends / no contribution to the violent, / then these souls can lay claim to no excuse” (39.73-75). He means that those who give a measure of consent to the violent cannot then say they did not contribute to the violence. The nuns who never returned to the cloister can claim no excuse because of their failing to act. Alternatively, Jepthah did not make excuses of why he could not kill his daughter; he followed through with his word. Dante focuses on the seriousness of killing one’s own child and not on the faith that was involved in Jepthah’s decision to put his daughter to death. Jepthah, who would have been better off not keeping his vow for his own sake, did because he put God above his desires and cares. The defiled nuns, however, sought to protect themselves which demonstrates that they cared more about their well-being.
When Dante comes to the circle of the moon, he encounters those who did not keep their vows to God. Among the souls there are some nuns who were snatched away by evil men. He has a discourse with Beatrice over why they are placed in heaven due to another’s actions, and it is because they gave a measure of consent by not attempting to flee. Later, when Beatrice exhorts the seriousness of vows, she speaks that Jepthah would have been better off not keeping the vow he made in haste. However, he actually did right by keeping it because it demonstrated his faith in God and showed how he desired to place God above himself. The nuns chose to place their well-being first, but Jepthah, who understood God’s power, chose to follow through with his vow.
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