Why Dante?

I guess people like Dante so much and think He's timeless because of the whole religion thing. To be honest, I know all literary teachers think he is the next best thing since sliced bread, but what did he do? really, besides write a book where he put all the people who screwed with him in hell. That really what he did, I believe that the timeless piece of it comes in with the religion and the mention of so many prominent figures. Everyone wants to know where they go when they die, especially in the 1300's where the church basically ruled over the minds of everyone. If the religious aspect pf Dante was removed, and it was just some guy going through hell, who would care. Not too many people i wager. Dante really just spouted his anger and frustration in the only way he really could, which was through writing. Now, i understand the way he wrote was exceptional and I'm not knocking that. how he wrote it was also extremely inventive for that time period and I'll give him props for that as well. What i fail to understand is the adoration with which the piece is received. That does not really make sense to me. Now, after you factor in the whole religion bit, I completely understand. But i think that is really the only reason that people consider it to be timeless in any sense of the word. people ate it up at the time because of the thinking and circumstance of that particular time. people eat it up now, because its considered a classic by absolutely everyone. That why i think its timeless. For the ideas that it represent, not the way or the quality of the writing.