Collation 14

English

Latin

A. Second Treatise on the Third Vision, Which Begins to Deal with the Sacramental Figures of Scripture, and Then with the Twelve Principal Mysteries Pointing to Christ

1400 FOURTEENTH COLLATION Second Treatise on the Third Vision, Which Begins to Deal with the Sacramental Figures of Scripture, and Then with the Twelve Principal Mysteries Pointing to Christ

COLLATIO XIV DE TERTIA VISIONE TRACTATIO SECUNDA, QUAE INCIPIT AGERE DE SCRIPTURAE FIGURIS SACRAMENTALIBUS, PRIMO IN GENERE, ET DEINDE DE DUODECIM MYSTERIIS PRINCIPALIBUS CHRISTUM SIGNIFICANTIBUS

1. LET the earth bring forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants, etc. It has been explained how, by the gathering of waters, spiritual meanings should be understood. Now it remains to explain how the sacramental figures are symbolized by the vegetation of the earth. For it is not without reason that the vegetation of the earth is seen to point to Sacred Scriptures, in the sense that it has a great number of figures that grow and produce a multiplication [of thoughts] in the soul.

1. Germinet terra herbam virentem et facientem semen ¹ etc. Dictum est, qualiter per congregationes aquarum intelligantur spirituales intelligentiae Scripturae; modo dicendum, qualiter per germinationem terrae intelligantur figurae sacramentales. Non enim sine ratione per germinationem terrae intelligitur Scriptura sacra, secundum quod habet figuras multipliciter germinantes et producentes pullulationes in anima.

1. Vegetation on Earth is Alive, Generous, and Lovely

2. Vegetation on earth is alive, generous, and lovely. Alive, that is, having strength: wherefore it produces the green herb. And by this it is shown that the sacraments of Scripture, which externally seem arid, are yet alive within. And this is what the Saviour says to the Jews in John: "You search the Scriptures, because in them you think that you have life everlasting." No other Scripture besides this one is able to give life. Hence, in the Psalm: For the sake of Your promise, give me life. And in Peter: "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast words of everlasting life." Therefore the figures are not arid, since they produce lively growths in us. And in Ecclesiasticus: Charm and beauty delight the eye, but better than either, the flowers of the field.

2. Germinatio terrae est vivida, uberrima, venusta. Vivida, id est vigorem habens; et ideo germinavit terra herbam virentem. Et in hoc ostenditur, quod sacramenta Scripturae, quae exterius videntur arida, intus sunt viva. Et hoc dixit Salvator Iudaeis in Ioanne: Scrutamini Scripturas, quia vos putatis in ipsis vitam aeternam habere ² . Nulla alia scriptura vitam dat nisi haec. Unde in Psalmo: Vivifica me secundum eloquium tuum ³ ; et Petrus: Domine, ad quem ibimus? Verba vitae aeternae habes ⁴ ; unde non sunt figurae aridae, quia in nobis sunt per eas germinationes vivae; in Ecclesiastico: Gratiam et speciem desiderabit oculus tuus, et super utraque virides sationes

3. Again, vegetation is generous. Hence in Genesis: Fruit trees. And in the Psalm: You have visited the land and watered it; greatly have you enriched it. God's watercourses are filled; you have prepared the grain, etc., and the valleys are blanketed with grain. This land is alive and awake, it abounds. Now Sacred Scripture is generous in that God conveys His influence to it, producing the most abundant multiplications. Hence, in Deuteronomy: "The land which you are to enter and occupy is not like the land of Egypt," etc., which is irrigated, but "a land... that drinks in rain from the heavens." For it is not like the other sciences, since God visits it, as shown in the Psalm: God's watercourses are filled; you have prepared the grain. And in Deuteronomy: Give ear, O heavens, while 1 speak; let the earth hearken to the words of my mouth! May my instruction soak in like the rain, and my discourse permeate like the dew, like a downpour upon the grass, like a shower upon the crops. This dew is the influence of the Holy Spirit's grace which visits the Scriptures and in which it is sweetly found. Hence, in Genesis: "The fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field which the Lord has blessed! God give you dew from heaven, and fruitfulness of the earth, abundance of grain and wine." Jacob, that spiritual man, is well learned in the Sacred Scriptures. Out of him comes forth an odor that abounds throughout the Scriptures in their threefold meaning: the grain referring to allegory, the wine to tropology, and the oil to anagogy.

3. Item, germinatio est uberrima; unde in Genesi subditur: Lignum pomiferum ⁶ ; in Psalmo: Visitasti terram et inebriasti eam, multiplicasti locupletare eam. Flumen Dei repletum est aquis; parasti cibum illorum ¹ etc. Et valles abundabunt frumento ⁸ . Haec terra vivit, viget, abundat. Uberrima est sacra Scriptura, per hoc quod Deus visitat eam sua influentia, producens pullulationes uberrimas; in Deuteronomio: Terra, quam intrabis possidendam, non est sicut terra Aegypti ⁹ etc., quae irrigatur; sed de caelo expectans pluvias ¹⁰ . Non enim est sicut ceterae scientiae, sed eam Deus visitat; in Psalmo: Flumen Dei repletum est aquis; parasti cibum illorum ^u ; et in Deuteronomio: Audite caeli quae loquor, audiat terra verba oris mei; Concrescat ut pluvia doctrina mea; fluat ut ros eloquium meum, quasi imber super herbam et quasi stillae super gramina ¹² . Iste ros est influentia gratiae Spiritus sancti, qui visitat Scripturam, et in qua invenitur suaviter; in Genesi: Ecce odor filii mei sicut odor agri pleni, cui benedixit Dominus. Det tibi Deus de rore caeli et de pinguedine terrae abundantiam frumenti et vini ¹³ . Iacob, ille vir spiritualis, est doctus in Scriptura sacra; ex quo odor procedit, qui per Scripturam abundat tribus intelligentiis: frumenti quantum ad allegoriam, vini quantum ad tropologiam, olei ¹⁴ quantum ad anagogiam.

4. Likewise, this vegetation is lovely. Wherefore Genesis continues: Each one according to its kind. Even exterior roughness that gives nature a reputation of malformation is yet what makes it most beautiful. Hence the bride says: I am as dark — hut lovely. That is, lovely because dark. And in Genesis: The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, to the East, and He put there the man He had formed. The Lord God made to grow out of the ground all kinds of trees pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The trees pleasant and good represent the sacraments of Scripture which have great beauty. Yet they are not seen as beautiful except through the conformity of the symbol with the thing represented. For these trees are beautiful because ordained.

A. Item, haec germinatio est venusta; et ideo subiungitur: Unumquodque secundum genus suum ¹⁵ . Ipsa scabrositas exterior facit eam reputari deformem, et tamen ex hoc est pulcherrima; et ideo dicit sponsa: Nigra sum, sed formosa ¹⁶ ; quia nigra, ideo formosa. Unde in Genesi: Plantaverat Deus paradisum voluptatis a principio, in quo posuit hominem quem formaverat. Produxitque Dominus Deus de humo omne lignum pulcherrimum visu et ad vescendum suave. Lignum etiam vitae in medio paradisi lignumque scientiae boni et mali ¹¹ . Per ligna suavia et pulcra intelliguntur sacramenta Scripturarum, quae magnam habent pulcritudinem; tamen non apparent pulcra nisi ex conformitate repraesentantis ad repraesentatum. Nam ista ligna sunt pulcra, quia ordinata.

5. Some people believe that these sacraments and these Scriptures were so composed that the man who wrote them merely placed one sentence after another. It is not so, for Scripture is supremely orderly, and its order is similar to that of nature in the development of vegetation on earth. First there was a fixing of roots; then the production of green foliage; third, a multiplication of fresh flowers; fourth, an abundance of restoring fruit. Likewise, in Scripture there is first a fixing of the roots of virtue, as in the Patriarchs who are in a sense the roots of all that is said in Scripture. Hence in their calling there is a first planting. But later, in the establishment of commands and sacrifices, there is a production of green foliage. Hence, in Osee, Israel is a luxuriant vine. Later still, in the manifestation of the prophetical visions, there is a multiplication of flowers. Finally, in the diffusion of spiritual charisms, there is an abundance of restoring fruit. Hence, there was first one Patriarch as a single root, that is, Abraham, then another, Isaac, and a third, Jacob. And he begot twelve patriarchs from whom came the Twelve Tribes. After this plantation there followed the Law as a production of green foliage, that gave shade. And because foliage is not to last forever, but is to be followed by flowers, there followed prophecy with both fragrance and beauty. And because it was fitting that the heavens distil dew, there followed in the fourth place a Fruit in Christ, because Christ is the fruit of the Law and its fulfillment.

5. Putant aliqui, quod ista sacramenta et haec Scriptura ita sit posita, ut homo ponit sententiam post sententiam, qui litteras facit. Non est ita, quia ordinatissima est, et ordo eius est consimilis ordini naturae in germinatione terrae. Ibi enim est primo fixio radicum; secundo, productio viridantium foliorum; tertio, pullulatio vernantium florum; quarto, plenitudo reficientium fructuum. Sic in Scriptura primo est fixio radicalium virtutum, ut in Patriarchis, qui sunt quasi radices omnium, quae dicuntur in Scriptura; unde in electione eorum est plantatio prima. Sed postea in institutione praeceptorum et sacrificiorum est productio viridantium foliorum; Osee: Vitis frondosa Israel ¹⁸ . Postea in manifestatione visionum prophetalium est pullulatio florum. Postmodum in diffusione charismatum spiritualium est plenitudo reficientium fructuum. -- Unde primo fuit unus Patriarcha sicut radix, scilicet Abraham; postea alter, ut Isaac; postea Iacob; et ille duodecim Patriarchas generavit ¹⁹ , et ab illis duodecim tribus. Post hanc plantationem secuta est Lex ut productio viridantium foliorum, quae umbram habebat. Et quia non semper debet durare folium, sed venire flos, ideo subsecuta est prophetia cum odore et pulcritudine. Et quia oportuit, quod caeli rorarent ²⁰ , ideo quarto subsecutus est fructus in Christo, quia Christus fructus est Legis et consummatio ²¹ .

6. In reference to the first, the Father says to Incarnate Wisdom in Ecclesiasticus: Take root in My elect. —And I took root in an honorable people. This is the production of a tree that is good for food. Concerning the second, that is, the production of foliage, it is said in the Book of Numbers: How goodly are your tents, O Jacob; your encampments, O Israel! They are like gardens beside a stream. These are the mysteries of Scripture. Who can conceive the charm of the mysteries of Sacred Scriptures of which it is said: Every one under his vine and under his fig tree. Hence, the tree is beautiful, the pole of the serpent, the lifting up and the shadow of the serpent. But the tree of the cross is fruitful. Third, there is the production of prophets similar to the multiplication of flowers. It is said of them in the Canticle: The flowers appear on the earth... and the song of the dove is heard. Flowers appeared when the prophet said: A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. But the song of the dovei ¹ was heard when it was said: How lonely she is now, the once crowded city! Widowed is she who was mistress over nations. For the turtle moans instead of singing. Fourth is the fullness of restoring fruits. Isaiah says: The branch of the Lord will be luster and glory, and the fruit of the earth will be honor and splendor. And when was this? When the woman said: "Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb!" It is said in Mark: "Of itself the earth bears the crop, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear." This is the time before the Law, the time under the Law, and the time after the Law. Scripture follows this same order.

6. De primo dicit Pater ad Sapientiam incarnatam in Ecclesiastico: In electis meis mitte radices. Et radicavi in populo honorificato ²² . Haec est productio ligni, quod est ad vescendum suave. -- De se- eundo, scilicet productione foliorum, dicitur in libro Numerorum: Quam pulcra tabernacula tua, Iacob, et tentoria tua, Israel, ut valles nemorosae I ²⁰ quae sunt mysteria Scripturae, Quis potest cogitare amoenitatem mysteriorum sacrae Scripturae, de quibus dicitur: Sedebat unusquisque sub ficu sua et vite sua ²⁴ ? Unde pulcra est arbor, palus serpentis ²⁵ , serpentis erectio et umbra ²⁶ ; sed arbor crucis fructuosa. -- Tertia est productio Prophetarum similis pullulationi florum; de quibus in Cantico: Flores apparuerunt in terra nostra, et vox turturis audita est ²¹ . Flores apparuerunt, quando ille dixit: Egredietur virga de radice Iesse, et flos de radice eius ascendet ² *. Sed vox turturis audita est, quando dictum est: Quomodo sedet sola civitas plena populo? Facta est quasi vidua domina gentium ²⁹ . Turtur gemitum habet pro cantu. -- Quarto, plenitudo reficiendum fructuum; Isaias: Erit germen Domini in magnificentia et gloria et fructus terrae sublimis ³⁰ . Et quando fuit hoc? Quando illa dixit: Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui ^3l . -- In Marco dicitur: Ultro terra fructificat primum herbam, deinde spicam, deinde plenum frumentum in spica ⁰² . Hoc est tempus ante Legem, tempus sub Lege, tempus post Legem. Hunc ordinem sequitur Scriptura.

2. Scripture Was Handed Down for Four Reasons

7. Now, it should be known that Scripture was handed down for four reasons. First, for the commendation of grace; second, for the introduction of faith; third, for the disclosing of wisdom which is found in it alone. Hence: For since, in God's wisdom, the world did not come to know God by "wisdom," it pleased God, by the foolishness of our preaching, to save those who believe. Fourth, for the restoring of salvation, which is in it alone, since there is salvation in no other science. And for this reason the fourth is the foremost. But there is no salvation except through wisdom. For indeed, neither herb nor application cured them, but Your all-healing word, O Lord! But wisdom is neither disclosed nor obtained except through faith. Hence: Unless you believe, you shall not understand. For you should not be more wise than it behooveth to be wise,. .. according as God hath divided to every one the measure of faith.

7. Adhuc sciendum est, quod propter quatuor traditur Scriptura: primo, ad gratiam commendandam; secundo, ad introducendam fidem; tertio, ad reserandam sapientiam, quae sola est in ista; unde: Quia in Dei sapientia non cognovit mundus per sapientiam Deum, placuit Deo per stultitiam praedicationis salvos facere credentes ³³ ; quarto, ad restaurandam salutem, quae est in ista sola, et in nulla alia scientia est salus. -- Et propter illud quartum est principaliter. Salus enim non est nisi per sapientiam. Etenim neque herba neque malagma sanavit eos, sed tuus, Domine, sermo, qui sanat omnia ³⁴ . -- Sapientia autem non reseratur nec habetur nisi per fidem. Unde: Nisi credideritis, non intelligetis ³⁵ ; quia non plus sapere, quam oportet sapere; et unicuique sicut divisit Deus mensuram fidei ³⁶ . Fides autem non habetur nisi per gratiam Spiritus sancti.

8. And therefore Scripture is handed down first for the commendation of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Now, the grace of the Holy Spirit cannot exist except in a grateful man. But a man cannot be grateful unless he admits his need. And this need is threefold, for it may exist in terms of knowledge, of power, or of love, for we are blind, and weak, and evil-minded. ² There is need, then, that a man first acknowledge his blindness, weakness, and malice, before he can become healthy or grace can be given to him. And so, there was a time in which blindness prevailed, as in the period before the Law. Almost no one knew God: people went so far as to worship stones and the works of their own hands in place of God. Hence it was necessary that man be convicted of ignorance. At a later point, the illuminating Law was given, and yet their infirmities were multiplied, and there was an opportunity for a greater transgression of the Law, for sin, having thus found an occasion, worked in me by means of the commandment all manner of lust. And therefore I had to be convicted of weakness or impotency. Then came the time of the prophets who showed them clearly that they could not be saved through the Law. Hence, in Isaiah: Your new moons and festivals I detest. — I have had enough of whole-burnt rams and fat of fatlings; in the blood of calves, lambs and goats I find no pleasure. And they killed them, and their followers too, and they received false prophets, thus revealing their malice. And so the Scripture shut up all things under sin, ³ the first through ignorance, the second through weakness, and the third through malice, so that when Christ came, He could have mercy on them all. And the Apostle wonders at this, and quotes the authority of the Psalm: All alike have gone astray; they have become perverse; there is not one that does good, not even one.

8. Et ideo primo traditur Scriptura ad commendandam gratiam Spiritus sancti. Gratia autem Spiritus sancti non est nisi in homine grato; gratus autem esse non potest, nisi agnoscat suam indigentiam. Indigentia autem triplex est: virtutis cognoscitivae, potestativae, amativae, quia caeci sumus, infirmi, maligni. Oportuit ergo, ut homo prius agnosceret suam caecitatem, infirmitatem, malignitatem, antequam salvus fieret, vel gratia ei daretur. Ergo fuit tempus, in quo fuit caecitas, ut in tempore ante Legem; ubi vix aliquis cognoscebat Deum, immo lapides et opera manuum suarum pro Deo colebant: et ideo necesse fuit, ut homo convinceretur de ignorantia. -- Postea data fuit Lex illuminans, et tamen sunt multiplicatae infirmitates eorum* ¹ , et occasio fuit Lex maioris transgressionis, quia, occasione accepta, peccatum per mandatum operatum est in me omnem concupiscentiam ³⁸ ; et ideo convinci debebant de infirmitate sive impotentia. -- Postea fuit tempus Prophetarum, qui eis manifeste ostendebant, non posse salvari per Legem. Unde Isaias: Solemnitates vestras odivit anima mea ³⁹ . Holocausta arietum et adipem pinguium et sanguinem vitulorum et agnorum et hircorum nolui ⁴⁰ . Et ipsi eos interficiebant, et non solum ipsos, sed ipsis adhaerentes et prophetas falsos recipiebant; et in hoc apparuit ipsorum malitia. -- Et sic conclusit Scriptura omnia sub peccato ⁴¹ , quia primi per ignorantiam, secundi per infirmitatem, tertii per malitiam, ut Christus veniens omnium misereretur. Et de hoc etiam admiratur Apostolus et allegat auctoritatem Psalmi: Omnes declinaverunt, simul inutiles facti sunt; non est qui faciat bonum, non est usque ad unum ⁴² .

9. Second, Scripture is handed down for the introduction of faith, which is belief in most hard and difficult matters. Wherefore it was fitting that He give in advance many promises, prophecies and signs. And as matter is first made apt, and then form is introduced, so He began by doing some easy things to the Patriarchs, such as promises, for instance, that a son would be bora to Abraham, and that if he obeyed Him and believed, his son would come back to life if he were to kill him, and that God could resurrect him. And so, here man was led to faith through promises. Later, it was done through mysteries and miracles in the desert and through major signs, as is evident in the crossing of the sea and the punishment of Egypt. Later still, it came about through the oracles of prophets who foretold the future for them, such as Christ's passion and resurrection, and they believed them. For because they saw that what the prophets had foretold came true, they believed in what they said about a Christ to come. And so man was disposed toward the reception of faith. For it would not have been good for Christ to come first and say: "Come and believe in Me: I am the Christ." For they would have answered: "We cannot believe." Hence they were to be led by the hand in the manner described above.

9. Secundo Scriptura traditur ad introducendam fidem, quae est credulitas rerum arduissimarum et difficillimarum: ideo oportuit, quod promissa, oracula et signa multiformia praemitteret. Et sicut materia primo adaptatur, deinde introducitur forma; sic primo aliqua facilia Patriarchis fecit, ut promissa, ut quod Abrahae filius nasceretur ⁴³ , et quod, si sibi obediret et crederet ⁴⁴ , filius, si interficeretur, posset resurgere, et quod Deus posset eum resuscitare. Unde ibi per promissa ductus est homo ad fidem; post per mysteria et miracula in deserto et per signa maxima, ut patet in transitu maris ⁴⁵ et flagellatione Aegypti ⁴⁶ ; post per oracula Prophetarum, qui praedicebant eis futura, ut de Christi passione et resurrectione; et ipsi eis credebant: quia, ex quo videbant, quod eis eveniebant quae eis prophetabant, et de Christo venturo eis credebant. Sic homo dispositus est ad fidem recipiendam. Unde non primo Christus debuit venire et dicere: Venite et credite in me, ego sum Christus; quia respondissent: non possumus credere; ideo sic manuducendi erant.

10. Third, Scripture was handed down for the disclosing of wisdom which has two roots: fear and love. The first root is fear, for man is first animal, then spiritual; and when he is moved by fear, then he becomes spiritual. Hence there are two Testaments corresponding to these two roots, the one, the Old, giving birth into servitude; the other, the New, giving birth into love. The Old Testament, giving birth into servitude, promises temporal advantages, instilling fear through penalty. Now, it had to come about that in the Old Testament there be a promise, for if man were always to be struck with penalties, and nothing were promised to him, he would flee. And so there was added an assurance of the promised land. The New Testament promised spiritual advantages, that is, eternal life. Hence, fear could not be instilled, nor could anything temporal be promised, except to a people already multiplied. Hence, before the Law, there had to be a time of the Law of Nature. Likewise, the Law, by promising temporal advantages, resulted in weakness. And because it is not easy to pass from the temporal to the eternal, from the animal to the spiritual, there came about the intermediate time of the Prophets in order to adapt man to the spiritual Testament. For this purpose, then—in order that man possess true wisdom —it was necessary that the Old Testament come before the New, and that the time of the Patriarchs precede the Law. And it is the same in any man: first, he is sensual, entirely given to the senses, like a small child; then he becomes animate^ as he begins to speak and imagination begins to keep him busy; then he becomes rational, as he begins to understand and think; finally, he becomes intellectual as he acquires wisdom.

10. Tertio Scriptura data est ad reserandam sapientiam, quae habet duas radices, scilicet timorem et amorem. Prima radix timor, quia prius est homo animalis, deinde spiritualis ⁴⁷ ; et quando per timorem est affectus, tunc fit spiritualis. Et ideo secundum has duas ra- dices sunt duo testamenta: unum, vetus in servitutem generans, alterum, novum in amorem generans ⁴⁸ . Testamentum vetus in servitutem generans promittit temporalia, timorem incutiens per poenam. -- Necesse autem fuit, ut in veteri testamento esset promissio, quia, si semper homo plectentur poena, et nihil sibi promitteretur, fugeret: ideo adiuncta est promissio terrae repromissionis ⁴⁹ . Testamentum autem novum promittit spiritualia, scilicet vitam aeternam. Unde timor non potuit incuti, nec aliquod temporale promitti nisi genti multiplicatae: ideo ante Legem oportuit esse tempus legis naturae. -- Similiter, Lex infirmitatem generabat promittens temporalia. Et quia non est facilis transitus a temporali ad aeterna, ab animali ad spirituale ⁵⁰ ; ideo medium fuit tempus Prophetarum ad aptandum homines ad spirituale testamentum. Ad hoc ergo, quod homo haberet veram sapientiam; necesse erat, ut testamentum vetus praecederet novum, et tempus Patriarcharum praecederet Legem. -- Et sic est in quolibet homine: primo est sensualis, totus deditus sensibus, ut puerulus; deinde fit animalis, cum incipit loqui, et phantasmata incipiunt eum occupare; deinde rationalis, cum incipit intelligere et considerare; deinde intellectualis, cum fit sapiens.

11. Fourth, [Scripture is handed down] for the restoration of salvation, which can be re-established only by Christ. For it is not restored unless it be desired, loved and watched. Therefore it was deferred in order that it be desired, loved and watched, for, according to Augustine, ⁴ the bride comes late in order to be more dearly loved. Likewise, salvation was promised to the Patriarchs, figured in the Law, announced by the Prophets, and brought about by Christ. It was fitting, then, that there be first the rooting of the Patriarchs, then the growth of legality, third, the multiplication of the Prophets, finally, the fullness of the fruit of the Gospel, or of salvation through Christ.

11. Quarto est ad restaurandam salutem, quae non nisi per Christum restauratur. Non enim restauratur, nisi sit desiderata, amata, custodita. Ideo dilata est, ut desideraretur, amaretur et custodiretur, quia secundum Augustinum idcirco fit dilatio sponsae, ut carior habeatur. Similiter, salus promissa est Patriarchis, figurata in Lege, praenuntiata a Prophetis, persoluta a Christo. -- Unde oportuit, ut prius fieret Patriarcharum fixio, deinde legalium productio, tertio Prophetarum pullulatio, ultimo fructus Evangelii vel salutis per Christum plenitudo.

12. In this regard, it should be noted that in the adornment of the High Priest, there were four rows of stones. For on his full-length robe was the whole world, and the glories of the fathers were carved in four rows upon the stones. And in these are the fourfold orders of the mysteries: and it is in this order that the Scriptures are planted. And in the first order or time, there are three mysteries, concerning the creation of beings, the punishment of crimes, and the calling of the Fathers. The creation of beings corresponds to the power of the Father, the punishment of crimes, to the wisdom of the Son who judges, the calling of the Fathers, to the goodness of the Holy Spirit.

12. Secundum hoc ergo nota, quod in ornatu summi Pontificis quatuor erant ordines lapidum ⁵¹ . In Sapientia: In veste poderis totus erat orbis terrarum, et parentum magnalia in quatuor ordinibus lapidum erant sculpta ⁵² . Et in illis sunt quadriformes ordines mysteriorum; quo ordine plantatae sunt Scripturae. -- Et in primo ordine seu tempore tria sunt mysteria, scilicet conditionis rerum, purgationis scelerum ⁵⁵ , vocationis Patrum. Conditio rerum respondet potentiae Patris; Purgatio scelerum, sapientiae Filii, qua iudicat; vocatio Patrum, bonitati Spiritus sancti.

13. Likewise, under the Law there are three mysteries, that is the mystery of the giving of the Law, in four of the books of Moses, the second, third, fourth, and fifth, in which there is a summary of the Law. But Genesis is given to the time of nature where and in which there are many mysteries, for this is the book that is the richest in mysteries. The second mystery is that of the crushing of enemies in the book of Josue, the third is the establishment of Judges as in the books of Judges and Ruth. The first mystery corresponds to the Father by reason of authority, the second to the Son because He is the cleansing and purifying Word, the third to the Holy Spirit by reason of grace. This time is called the time of the Law, for the Prophets had not yet been seen.

13. Similiter, sub Lege tria sunt mysteria, scilicet mysterium lationis legum, in quatuor libris Moysi, scilicet secundo, tertio, quarto et in quinto, ubi est recapitulatio Legis. Genesis autem datur tempori naturae, ubi et in quo sunt magna mysteria, et liber uberrimus etiam in mysteriis. Mysterium secundum est prostrationis hostium in Iosue, tertium est promotio iudicum, ut in libro Iudicum et Ruth. Primum mysterium respondet Patri ratione auctoritatis; secundum Filio, quia est Verbum mundans et purgans ⁵⁴ ; tertium Spiritui sancto ratione gratiae. Hoc tempus dicitur Legis, quia adhuc Prophetae non apparuerunt.

14. The time of the Prophets begins with Samuel, and it also contains three mysteries. The first is that of the anointing of kings, as in the books of Kings and Paralipomenon; the second, that of the revelation of Prophets, as in the Psalms and the Twelve Minor and Four Major Prophets; the fourth, that of the restoration of princes and priests, and this is in Esdras, Nehemiah and the Macchabees.

14. Tempus prophetiae a Samuele incepit, quod habet similiter tria mysteria: primum inunctionis regum, ut in libro Regum et Paralipomenon; secundum fuit revelationis Prophetarum, ut in Psalmis et duodecim Prophetis minoribus et quatuor maioribus; tertium restaurationis principum et sacerdotum; et illud est Esdrae, Nehemiae et Machabaeorum.

15. In the fourth time, there are three mysteries. The first is that of the redemption of mankind, in the Gospels; the second, that of the diffusion of charismatic gifts, in the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles of Paul and the Canonical Epistles, where the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are shown; the third is that of the opening of Scriptures, in Apocalypse. And after this, there can be no more.

15. In quarto tempore sunt tria mysteria: primum redemptionis hominum, in Evangeliis; secundum diffusionis charismatum, in Actibus Apostolorum et Epistolis Pauli et canonicis, ubi ostenduntur septem dona Spiritus sancti; tertium reserationis Scripturarum, in Apocalypsi. Post quod non potest esse aliud.

16. In these twelve mysteries is the whole of Scripture. Job and Esther, Tobias and Judith are connected with the others: Job, to the books of the Law and the Prophets, and the other three, to the books of restoration. Hence he said that at one time the book of Job had so much authority with the Jews that they placed it in the Ark that contained the Rod and the Tablets. These are the twelve trees prospering in paradise. In each of these there are twelve lights of scriptural interpretation, that is, the allegorical, the anagogical, and the tropological. And twelve times twelve are one hundred and forty-four, and this corresponds to the number of those marked with the sign, and to that of the City. Hence in the Psalm: Open my eyes, that I may consider the wonders of your law.

16. In his duodecim mysteriis est tota Scriptura. Iob et Esther, Tobias, Iudith cohaerentes sunt aliis: quia Iob cohaeret Legi et Prophetis, alii tres cohaerent libris restaurationis. -- Unde dixit, quod aliquando liber Iob tantae auctoritatis fuit apud Iudaeos, ut poneretur in arca, ubi erant virga et tabulae. -- Haec sunt duodecim ligna pullulant in paradiso. In quolibet istorum sunt duodecim lumina intelligentiarum Scripturarum, scilicet allegoria, anagogia et tropologia; et duodecim duodecies sunt 144, et resultat numerus scilicet signatorum et numerus civitatis ⁵⁵ . Unde in Psalmo: Revela oculos meos, et considerabo mirabilia de lege tua ⁵⁶ .

17. Out of these twelve trees, I wish to build and raise a tabernacle in the heart. In Paradise, there were the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and so in all the mysteries of Scripture, Christ unfolds with His body, and the antichrist, the devil, with his. And it is in this manner that Augustine composed his book on the City of God, ⁵ where he begins with Cain and Abel. In the first ten books, he writes about God and the reprobation of idolatry; in the next four, about the beginning of the Church; in four more, about its progress; and in the last four, about its fulfillment. For all the saints prefigured Christ by their deeds and words; and Job, rather by deed than by word, as Gregory says in the third book of his Ethics.

17. De his duodecim lignis volo aedificare et erigere tabernaculum in corde. -- In paradiso fuit lignum vitae, et fuit lignum scientiae boni et mali ⁵¹ y et sic in omnibus Scripturae mysteriis explicatur Christus cum corpore suo, et antichristus et diabolus cum corpore suo. Et hoc modo Augustinus fecit librum De civitate Dei, ubi incipit a Cain et Abel. In primis decem libris agit de Deo et reprobat idololatriam; in quatuor aliis de initio Ecclesiae; in aliis quatuor de progressu; in ultimis quatuor de Ecclesiae consummatione. Omnes enim Sancti praefiguraverunt Christum tam facto quam verbo, ut Iob etiam magis facto quam verbo, ut dicit Gregorius tertio Moralium.

18. So let us say of Christ that He is the Tree of Life in the midst of Paradise, who is symbolized in four instances found in the first mystery, beginning with the words: In the beginning God created, to the words: The earth was corrupt. He is symbolized by the greater light, the Tree of Life, Adam's marriage, and most of all, the murder of Abel; for Christ was killed by His brothers; and an inscription was placed among the Jews, that they be not killed, but become errant and fugitive on the earth.

18. Dicamus ergo de Christo, quod est lignum vitae in medio paradisi ⁵⁸ ; qui signatur in quatuor, quae sunt in primo mysterio, ab illo loco: In principio creavit ⁵⁹ , usque ibi: corrupta est ⁶⁰ . Signatur igitur per luminare maius, per lignum vitae, per Adae connubium, maxime per Abel occisum: quia Christus interfectus est a fratribus suis; et signum positum est in Iudaeis, ut non interficiantur, sed sint vagi et profugi super terram.

19. In the second mystery, that is, the cleansing of crimes, Christ is symbolized by the descendence of Noah who had three sons, designating Christ who had three sons: the Greeks, the Jews and the Latins. He is symbolized by the making of the ark which corresponds principally to the body of Christ and secondarily, to that of the Church. He is symbolized by the how in the clouds, which is the sign of the covenant. He is symbolized by Noah who lay naked in his tent in a state of drunkenness: for Christ was drunk with love for His spouse and was naked on the cross — where the very wicked Cham derided Him.

19. In secundo mysterio, scilicet purgationis scelerum ⁶¹ , signatur per Noe genituram, quia habuit tres filios ⁶² , et signat Christum, qui habuit tres filios, scilicet Graecos, Iudaeos, Latinos; quia scriptus erat titulus litteris Graecis, Hebraicis et Latinis ⁶³ . Signatur per arcam fabricatam, quae respondet corpori Christi principaliter, secundario Ecclesiae. Signatur per arcum in nubibus, qui est signum foederis. Signatur per Noe nudatum, iacentem in tabernaculo ebrium. Inebriatus fuit Christus amore sponsae suae et nudatus fuit in cruce, quem derisit ille pessimus Cham.

20. In the mystery of the calling, He is symbolized in three ways: by the sacrifice of Isaac, because Abraham is a proper representation of God the Father. Christ is represented by Isaac who carried his own wood on his neck, like the wood of the Cross. Christ is symbolized by Jacob making his wives fruitful; by the two sons of Judah, Zarah and Phares, for of him many things are said in happy remembrance, such as this: A lion's whelp is Judah; from the prey you have gone up, my son. He crouches and couches as a lion; as a lioness, and who will disturb him? Hence the lawgiver also placed here this figure of the two sons of Judah born of Thamar. He is symbolized also by Joseph most righteous, who was exalted by strangers after having been sold by his own. These are the twelve principal mysteries before the time of the Law.

20. In mysterio vocationis signatur per quatuor: per sacrificium Isaac, quia proprie per Abraham Deus Pater signatur; per Isaac, inquam, qui sibi ligna in collo portabat ⁶⁴ , scilicet lignum crucis. Christus signatur per Iacob fecundantem uxores; per Iudam, qui habuit duos filios, Zaram et Phares, de quo multa dicuntur in benedictionibus, ut illud Genesis: Catulus leonis Iuda; ad praedam, fili mi, ascendisti; requiescens accubuisti ut leo et quasi leaena, quis suscitabit eum? ⁶⁵ . Unde etiam legislator interseruit figuram illam de duobus filiis Iuda de Thamar ⁶⁶ . Signatur etiam per Ioseph rectissime, qui venditus a suis ⁶⁷ exaltatus fuit inter alienos ⁶⁸ . -- Haec sunt duodecim mysteria principalia ante tempus Legis.

21. Under the Law, in the mystery of the giving of the Law, Christ is symbolized by Moses' staff with which he chastised the Egyptians and dried up the sea, and which is the scepter of power which the Lord stretched forth from Sion. He is symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant, through the many things hidden within it. He is symbolized by the vestments of the High Priest, for instance, the miter, the ephod, etc. After his death, the homicide was allowed to return to his own district. He is symbolized also by the sacrificial rites, by the lamb, the ram, the calf, etc., for all of these refer to Christ.

21. Sub Lege in mysterio lationis Legis signatur per virgam Moysi, qua flagellavit Aegyptum, qua siccavit maria, quae est virga virtutis, quam emisit Dominus ex Sion ⁶⁹ . Signatur per arcam testamenti, per multa in ea recondita. Signatur per ornatum Pontificis, ut per mitram, superhumerale etc.; in cuius morte profugi debebant redire ad propria ⁷⁰ . Signatur etiam per ritum sacrificii, per agnum, arietem, vitulum etc.; quae omnia referuntur ad Christum.

22. In the mystery of the crushing of enemies, Christ is also symbolized by Josue's entering the Jordan River and dividing it — for there the form of baptism was given — and forcing the waters that were flowing into the Dead Sea to return to their source, and this refers to souls. Christ is symbolized by Josue's contention; He is symbolized by his triumph, when he destroyed Jericho, hung the kings, and after a procession,')' divided the land, and became the leader into the land of the promise. Likewise, Christ leads us into heaven through His entering it.

22. In mysterio prostrationis hostium similiter Christus signatur per Iosue ingressum, qui divisit Iordanem, ubi datur forma baptismi, et aquas, quae descendebant in mare mortuum, fecit redire in suam originem ⁷¹ , hoc est animas. Signatur per suum conflictum. Signatur per suum triumphum, qui destruxit Iericho, suspendit reges, et post funi- culis terram divisit et est introducto^ in terram promissionis. Ita Christus introducit nos in caelum per suum introitum.

3. Christ is Symbolized Especially by Means of Sight, Sign, Word, and Occurrence

23. In the mystery of the establishment of judges, Christ is symbolized by Caleb, whose virtue perdured, and who was an explorer of the earth, the one from the tribe of Juda; by Othoniel who because of his victory received Axam as a wife; by Gedeon, of whom Isaiah speaks: As on the day of Madian; by Samson who is assimilated to Christ in almost all his deeds: in the killing of the lion, in the doors carried away, in that he put more people to death through his death than through his life. It is not Christ, however, who is symbolized by the loss of hair, but the Christian who loses the sevenfold grace of the Holy Spirit. Hence, when the symbolism of a mystery cannot be seen in the head, it must be transferred to the members.

23. In mysterio promotionis iudicum signatur per Caleb, cui virtus duravit, qui explorator terrae fuit de tribu Iuda ⁷² ; per Othoniel, qui propter victoriam habuit uxorem Axam ⁷³ ; per Gedeon, de quo in Isaia: Sicut in die Madian ⁷⁴ ; per Samsonem, qui quasi in omnibus refertur ad Christum: per interfectionem leonis, per portas asportatas, qui etiam plures interfecit in morte quam vivus ⁷⁵ . Per amissionem capillorum ⁷⁶ signare non potest Christum, sed signat Christianum, qui amittit septiformem gratiam Spiritus sancti. Unde quando non potest aliquid mysteriari in capite, transferendum est in membra.

24. In the mystery of the anointing of the kings, Christ is symbolized by David, Solomon, Ezechiah and Josiah. The David symbol is found in many places. Solomon represents Christ, except in the women in whom there is no good that can have symbolical meaning. Hence, when it is said in the Canticle: There are sixty queens, eighty concubines, and maidens without number, ⁶ this does not refer literally to wives: these women are placed here in a mysterious fashion, and they represent perfect and imperfect souls. Christ is symbolized by Ezechiah: Once I said, "In the noontime of life I must depart! To the gates of the nether world I shall be consigned." Josiah also represents Christ: he is (the king) whose death inspired the "Lamentations": How lonely she is now, the once crowded city! Widowed is she who was mistress over nations; the princes among the provinces has been made a toiling slave.

24. In mysterio inunctionis regum signatur per David, per Salomonem, per Ezechiam, per Iosiam. -- David figura est in multis. -- Salomon signat Christum praeterquam in mulieribus, in quibus nullum bonum significare potest. Unde in Cantico, ubi dicitur: Sexaginta sunt reginae et octoginta concubinae, et adolescentularum non est numerus ⁷⁷ ; non loquitur de uxoribus ad litteram, immo mysterialiter ponuntur ibi, in quibus signantur animae perfectae et imperfectae. -- Signatur per Ezechiam: Ego, inquit, dixi: In dimidio dierum meorum vadam ad portas inferi ⁷⁸ . -- Iosias etiam signat Christum, de cuius morte factae sunt Lamentationes: Quomodo sedet sola civitas plena populo? Facta est quasi vidua domina gentium; princeps provinciarum facta est sub tributo ⁷⁹ .

25. In the mystery of prophetical revelation, Christ is symbolized especially by means of sight, sign, word, and occurrence. First, by sight: (the prophet) saw a boiling cauldron and other things also. Likewise, he saw a branch of the watching-tree, in the same passage. Second, by sign, as with Eliseus and Giezi who laid the staff on the child, who did not rise, and then Eliseus himself lay upon him. According to Gregory, ⁷ this points to the Law and to Christ. Third, by word, which people heard while they could see no one, as they said: This is the word that the Lord spoke to Moab. Fourth, by occurrence, as with Jonah who was in the belly of the fish three days, as the Lord was in the tomb three days. In this mystery of prophetical revelation, Christ is symbolized through harmonious singing with a ten-stringed lyre, as in the psalm where David learns how to prophetize; through the light of wisdom, as in the sapiential books; through canticles of praise addressed to the Bride of Christ, as in the Song of Songs; through prophetical visions, and this in different ways: for one saw Christ as a branch of the watching-tree, another saw Him seated on a high and lofty throne, while yet another saw Him dressed.

25. In mysterio autem revelationis Prophetarum signatur specialiter per visum, per signum, per verbum, per factum. Primo quidem per visum, sicut vidit ollam succensam ⁸⁰ , et sic de aliis; et similiter virgam vigilantem ⁸¹ , ibidem. Secundo, per signum, sicut de Elisaeo et Giezi ⁸² , qui portavit baculum super puerum, et non revixit; et postea ipse incubuit super ipsum; quod secundum Gregorium significat Legem et Christum. Tertio, per verbum, quod audiebant, sed non videbant, sicut dicebant: Verbum, quod locutus est Dominus super eum ⁸³ . Quarto per factum, ut in facto Ionae, qui fuit tribus diebus in ventre ceti ⁸⁴ , sicut Dominus fuit per triduum in sepulcro ⁸⁵ . -- In mysterio revelationis Prophetarum signatur per cantum harmoniae; in Psalmo: In psalterio decachordo ⁸⁶ , ubi David addiscit prophetare; per lumen sapientiae in libris sapientialibus; per canticum epithalamium, quod est sponsae Christi, in Cantico; per visum prophetiae, quod est diversiva. Num 13, 7. ⁷³ Cf. Iudic I, 12-13. ⁷⁴ Is 9, 4; ef. Iudic 7, 22. ⁷⁵ Cf. mode: unus sicut virgam vigilantem ⁸⁷ vidit Christum, alius super solium excelsum ⁸⁸ , alius vestitum ⁸⁹ .

4. These are the Forty-eight Boards of the Dwelling

26. In the mystery of the restoration, He is signified first by Esdras who restored Scriptures ⁸ and literature; by Nehemiah who restored the city, by Zorobabel who restored the temple; by Josue the son of Josedec who restored the form of divine worship.

26. In mysterio restaurationis primum signatur per Esdram ⁹⁰ , qui Scripturam et litteras reparavit; per Nehemiam ⁹¹ , qui civitatem reparavit; per Zorobabel ⁹² , qui templum reparavit; per Iesum ⁹³ , filium Iosedec, qui ritum colendi Deum reparavit.

27. In the mystery of the redemption of man, Christ is pointed to as a meek man in Matthew; as a triumphant lion in Mark, wherefore in the same: Looking round upon them with anger; as a sacrificed calf in Luke, wherefore: In the days of Herod,... there was a certain priest, and he is looking to the passion; as a flying eagle indicating His divinity, in John: In the beginning was the word, etc.

27. In mysterio redemptionis hominum significatur Christus ut homo mansuetus in Matthaeo, ut leo triumphans in Marco; unde in eodem: Circumspiciens eos cum ira ⁹⁴ ; ut vitulus occisus in Luca; unde: Fuit in diebus Herodis sacerdos ⁹⁵ , et oculum habet ad passionem; ut aquila volans quantum ad Divinitatem in Ioanne: In principio erat Verbum ⁹⁶ etc.

28. In the mystery of the diffusion of grace, He is indicated as the generous distributor in the Acts, when He gives the Holy Spirit; as the pious distributor in Paul, in whom the Acts of the Apostles are consummated, wherefore Luke says little of the other apostles, but passes on directly to Paul —who gave the Holy Spirit, as is evident in the Twelve who had been baptized in the baptism of John—and there is no wonder, since he himself was a Benjamin and a predatory wolf, ⁹ the last of the apostles, through whom the future was signified. For He [Christ] is pointed to as the Prudent Diffuser in the canons, and as the Wise Diffuser in the Epistles of Paul.

28. In mysterio diffusionis gratiae significatur ut diffusor largus in Actibus, cum dedit Spiritum sanctum; ut diffusor pius, ut in Paulo, in quo consummantur Actus Apostolorum; unde Lucas pauca dicit de aliis Apostolis et statim transit ad Paulum -- qui dedit Spiritum sanctum; sicut patet de illis duodecim, qui baptizati erant in baptismo Ioannis ⁹⁷ -- nec mirum, quia ipse fuit Beniamin et lupus rapax ⁹⁸ , ultimus Apostolorum, per quem significatur ordo futurus. Significatur ut diffusor prudens in Canonicis, ut diffusor sapiens in Epistolis Pauli.

29. In the mystery of the disclosing of Scriptures, He is pointed to through [the symbol of] the One presiding, as is clearly shown through the son of man... in the midst of the seven lamp stands that have seven stars, which are the Seven Churches; through that of the Contender, as the lamb against the beast and the dragon, or in the instance of the bowls and the trumpets; through that of the One who triumphs, because he had a sharp sword and a sharp sickle; through that of the One who brings about eternal beatitude, for he [John] saw a new heaven and a new earth.

29. In mysterio reserationis Scripturae significatur per modum praesidentis, ut patet per filium hominis in medio candelabrorum", qui habebat septem stellas ¹⁰⁰ , id est septem Ecclesias ¹⁰¹ ; per modum praeliaris, ut agnus cum bestia ¹⁰² , cum dracone ¹⁰³ , in phialis et tubis ¹⁰⁴ ; per modum triumphantis, quia habebat gladium acutum ¹⁰⁵ et falcem acutam ¹⁰⁶ ; per modum beatificantis, quia vidit caelum novum et terram novam.

30. These, then, are the mysteries concerned with the Tree of Life, that is, Holy Scripture, because it begins with eternity and ends in the direction of eternity. Hence, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth; and at the end, I saw a new heaven and a new earth. These are the forty-eight boards of the dwelling—twenty on one side, and twenty on the other, and eight in the back —-within which is placed the Ark, that is, Christ, containing in Himself all the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge, upon whom the Cherubim gaze. And these are the twelve trees around the Tree of Life.

30. Haec sunt ergo mysteria circa lignum vitae, scilicet Scripturae, quae incipit ab aeternitate et terminata est ad aeternitatem. Unde: In principio creavit Deus caelum et terram ¹⁰⁷ ; et in fine: Vidi caelum novum et terram novam ¹⁰⁸ . Hae sunt quadraginta octo tabulae tabernaculi: viginti in uno latere, et viginti in alio, in posteriori octo; in quo ponitur arca ¹⁰⁹ , scilicet Christus, continens in se omnes thesauros sapientiae et scientiae ^uo , in quem Cherubim respiciunt ¹¹¹ . Et haec sunt duodecim ligna circa lignum vitae.