Commentary Purg XXIII 72-75

The text used by most of the early commentators apparently offered a form of albore, 'tree' in the singular.  Petrocchi's note, however, shows a preponderance of plural forms and all modern editors agree.  We have seen the offshoot of the Tree of Life (and if the early commentators should happen to be correct in believing that the reference here is to a single tree, it would be to that one [see C.Purg.XXII.130-135]).  In the next canto ([Purg XXIV 113-117]) we shall come upon a second, clearly descended from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  The most direct explanation of vv. 73-74, 'the same desire leads us to the trees / that led Christ to utter Elì with such bliss,' is that the first sin of Adam and Eve, eating of the fruit of that tree, deprived them of the fruit of the other, eternal life.  Thus Christ's sacrifice is doubly restorative, redeeming the sin and restoring the reward.

      See Matthew 27:46 for 'Eli, Eli, lamma sabacthani?' (My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?), Christ's last words on the cross, uttered in Aramaic.  (See also Mark 15:34, with the variant 'Eloi.')  Many of the early commentators discuss the passage in light of Jesus' request that the 'cup' (of crucifixion) pass from him, but then accepting it joyfully in favor of the resultant redemption of humankind.  The human in Him momentarily despairs, but then the God in Him rejoices.

      For the notion that the penitents, like Jesus on the cross, simultaneously wish and do not wish to suffer in order to achieve redemption, see Trone (Tron.1995.1).