Dante the "Christian"

Although Dante claims to be a Christian, many things that he writes in Inferno are contradictory to the Bible.  The idea of ranking sins with certain being worse than others is an interesting example of this.  Inferno’s creation of the nine circles of Hell with instinctive sins such as lust, gluttony, pride, wrath, etc. being the lesser than the conscious offenses such as violence, fraud, and treachery demonstrates the way Dante grasps sin and the concept of punishment of it.  Thinking from a logical perspective, most would certainly agree that lust is not nearly as bad and murdering someone, and that murder deserves a much harsher punishment.  However, the Bible in James 2:10 says “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.” What this verse is saying is that sin is sin whether it be murder or lust or gluttony or fraud, no sin is particularly worse than another in the eyes of God.  Dante claims to be a Christian, yet he speaks against the words of the Bible, explicitly in Canto XI when discussing fraud, he says “God finds it more displeasing” (Page 95 line 26).   Another example of Dante not fully understanding Christianity is the fact that he places people in Hell.  By placing people in Hell he is judging others by their sin which is forbidden in Bible.  While judgment of others is an instinctive sin and happens often in our lives, writing a book about how you feel about others’ sins and damning them to Hell is practically spitting on the Bible and disregarding what Matthew 7:1 says “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”  Although Dante identifies he has sins that he must conquer, judging others for their sins and damning them to Hell is still certainly wrong.  Dante also demonstrates questionable behavior multiple times while on his journey through Hell.  Dante the Poet, places people in Hell strictly, yet Dante the Pilgrim sympathizes with some of the sinners and ridicules others.  In Canto V, Dante feels pity for Francesca’s love story, but in Canto XXVI Dante ridicules how many Florentines there are in Hell.  Not only does Dante judge in writing the poem, but he also judges during his journey through Hell.  While the concept of the nine circles of Hell and placing certain people in it logically seems reasonable to someone, claiming to be a Christian and doing so explicitly argues against the word of God and seems very contradictory to me which is why this topic sparked my interest.