Mythological
Ripheus
Trojan hero of the Aeneid, recalled by Virgil as the most just of the Teucrians; Dante places him in Paradise among the blessed of the Heaven of Jupiter, fifth within the eye of the eagle.
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In Paradise Rifeo is mentioned by Dante in the Heaven of Jupiter, within the speech of the eagle that points out the five most luminous blessed of the brow. He occupies the fifth place, alongside David, Trajan, Hezekiah, Constantine, and William II of Hauteville. His presence is presented as surprising, because he is an unknown pagan who is nonetheless numbered among the just. The eagle clarifies that Rifeo, at the moment of death, was a Christian in faith since he believed in Christ as a future event, and that his salvation was the work of divine grace, which inspired in him love for justice and revealed to him the mystery of redemption. His figure constitutes, together with that of Trajan, the answer to Dante's question about the fate of the just pagans.
In the text
Linked verses
1 verses| Cantica | Canto | Verso | Testo | Open verse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise | Canto XX | 68 | che Rifëo Troiano in questo tondo | Open verse |