Fifth Sphere (Mars: The Warriors of the Faith)

The Fifth Sphere of Heaven or Mars is home to holy warriors, whose

souls are forming the shape of a cross. Here, Dante is approached by the
soul of his great-great-grandfather Cacciaguida who was killed during
the Second Crusade. He speaks about Florence’s glorious (and very
idealized) past and criticizes its later decline. Also, he (correctly)
predicts Dante’s exile from the city-state. Holy warriors who appear in
this sphere of Dante’s Paradiso also include Joshua, Roland,
Charlemagne, Judas Maccabeus, Robert Guiscard and others.
 Sixth Sphere (Jupiter: The Just Rulers)

The Sixth Sphere of Heaven or Jupiter is “inhabited” by the souls of just

rulers. They spell out the Latin phrase “diligite iustitiam qui iudicatis
terram” (English: “cherish justice, you who judge the earth”) and then
form a giant eagle that speaks to Dante about divine justice and
inscrutability. Rulers who are identified to form the eagle include the
Biblical kings David and Hezekiah, Constantine, Trajan, William II of
Sicily and Ripheus, a Trojan hero and pagan who was saved by God for

his righteousness.
 Seventh Sphere (Saturn: The Contemplatives)

In the Seventh Sphere of Heaven or Saturn, Dante encounters the spirits

of people who dedicated their lives to prayer, climbing up and down a
golden ladder. In this sphere, the poet speaks to St. Peter Damian who
points out to the corruption of the Church but he also meets St. Benedict
who is infuriated with the Church’s moral decline as well. St.
Benedictine also tells Dante that the golden ladder is reaching up to the
very Empyrean and explains the latter’s nature.
 Eighth Sphere (The Fixed Stars: Faith, Hope, and
Love)

Dante and Beatrice enter the Eighth Sphere of Heaven or Fixed Stars in
the constellation of Gemini. Here, the poet and his guide see the Virgin
Mary and other Biblical saints including the apostles of Peter, John and
James who test Dante on faith, love and hope. Then Dante sees Adam
who tells him how old he is, how long he lived in Eden, why God got
angry at him and what was his original language. Before moving
forward, Dante and Beatrice also witness Peter’s anger with the papacy
and in particular, Pope Boniface VIII.
 Ninth Sphere (The Primum Mobile: The Angels)

The Empyrean was thus used as a name for the firmament, and
in Christian literature, notably the Divine Comedy, for the dwelling-
place of God, the blessed, celestial beings so divine they are made of
pure light, and the source of light and creation. The word is used both as
a noun and as an adjective, but empyreal is an alternate adjective form as
well. Having the same Greek origin are the scientific
words empyreuma and empyreumatic, applied to the characteristic smell
of the burning or charring of vegetable or animal matter.