Collation 3

English

Latin

300 On the Fullness of Understanding, Considered as the Key to Contemplation through the Understanding of the Uncreated, Incarnate and Inspired Word

COLLATIO III DE PLENITUDINE INTELLECTUS, QUATENUS EST CLAVIS CONTEMPLATIONIS PER INTELLECTUM VERBI INCREATI, INCARNATI ET INSPIRATI

1. IN THE midst of the Church the Lord shall open his mouth, and shall fill him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding. Whatever is said of wisdom, must be said of understanding of which it was explained in the Collations on the Gifts ¹ that it is the rule of moral definition, the door to learned thought, and the key to heavenly contemplation. And such understanding is indeed a gift. A beginning must be made from understanding in order to reach wisdom. With the bread of life and understanding, the Lord shall feed him: and give him the water of wholesome wisdom to drink. First there must be food, not drink. Unless man is trained in the gift of understanding, he cannot proceed to the drink of wisdom, which makes a river flow in the soul, a river which the soul itself drinks, that shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up unto life everlasting. The gift of understanding is solid food, like bread which, as Blessed Francis used to say, is obtained through much labor. First the seed is sown, then it grows, then the grain is collected, then brought to the mill, then baked. There are many such steps. And so it is with the gift of understanding: to prepare understanding is a difficult task in itself. Likewise, wisdom is not obtained except by the man who thirsts. Hence, the Psalm: My soul hath thirsted after the strong living God; and: As the hind longs for the running waters, so my soul longs for You, O God.

1. In medio Ecclesiae aperiet os eius, et adimplebit eum Dominus spiritu sapientiae et intellectus ¹ Dicto de sapientia, dicendum est de intellectu, de quo dicebatur in Collatione donorum, quod intellectus est regula circumspectionum moralium, ianua considerationum scientialium, clavis contemplationum caelestium. Et iste intellectus proprie est donum. -- Ab intellectu inchoandum est, et perveniendum ad sapientiam. Cibavit illum Dominus pane vitae et intellectus, et aqua sapientiae salutaris potavit illum ² . A cibo incipiendum est, non a potu. Nisi enim homo exerceatur in dono intellectus, non proficit in potu sapientiae, quae effundit flumina in animam, potata ab ipsa, et fit ei fons aquae salientis in vitam aeternam ³ . Donum intellectus est solidus cibus, ut panis, qui, ut dicebat beatus Franciscus, multis laboribus habetur. Primo semen seminatur, deinde crescit, deinde colligitur, deinde ad molendinum portatur, deinde coquitur, et multa talia. Et sic de dono intellectus; intellectum comparare difficile est per se. Sapientia similiter non habetur nisi a sitiente; unde in Psalmo: Sitivit anima mea ad Deum fortem vivum ⁴ ; et: Quemadmodum desiderat cervus ad fontes aquarum, ita desiderat anima mea ad te Deus ⁵

A. Keys: Understanding the Word

2. And so, the key to contemplation is a threefold understanding: of the Uncreated Word by whom all things are brought forth; of the Incarnate Word by whom all things are restored; and of the Inspired Word by whom all things are revealed. For no one can have understanding unless he considers where things come from, how they are led back to their end, and how God shines forth in them.

2. Clavis ergo contemplationis est intellectus triplex, scilicet intellectus Verbi increati, per quod omnia producuntur; intellectus Verbi incarnati, per quod omnia reparantur; intellectus Verbi inspirati, per quod omnia revelantur. Nisi enim quis possit considerare de rebus, qualiter originantur, qualiter in finem reducuntur, et qualiter in eis refulget Deus; intelligentiam habere non potest.

3. Concerning a text from the Epistle to the Romans: For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen—His everlasting power also and divinity— being understood through the things that are made: God's everlasting power and His divinity are understood through their effect, since God is the Cause of all things, and all things are made by this power of His. And this is contrary to the theory of the philosophers who deny that things endowed with many forms can proceed from one and the same Being, that temporal things can proceed from the Eternal, possible things from the most Actual, changing things from the most Stable, composite things from the most Simple, lowly things from the supremely High: since the effect reflects the cause, and the opposite is true in these cases. ²

3. De primo ad Romanos: Invisibilia Dei a creatura mundi per ea quae facta sunt intellecta conspiciuntur, sempiterna quoque Virtus eius et Divinitas ⁶ . Sempiterna virtus et Divinitas per effectum intelliguntur, quia Deus est causa omnium, et per virtutem eius omnia sunt facta ⁷ ; quod est contra philosophos, qui negant, quod ab uno et eodem, semper manente eodem, sint multiformia, ab aeterno temporalia, ab actualissimo manent possibilia, a stabilissimo mutabilia, a simplicissimo composita, a sublimissimo infima; cum effectus sit similis causae, et causa haec sit contraria in his conditionibus.

1. First Key & Door: Uncreated Word

4. The door to all this is the understanding of the Uncreated Word who is the root of the understanding of all things; hence a man who does not have this door cannot go in. But philosophers consider impossible some things that are supremely true, for the door is closed to them. How these matters are to be understood is explained in the Epistle to the Hebrews: By faith we understand that the world was fashioned by the Word of God; and thus things visible were made out of things invisible. For it is impossible for the supreme Spirit not to understand itself; and since the understanding is equated with the one who understands, He understands whatever is and whatever can be: hence also the reason of understanding is equated to understanding itself, for it is its likeness. Now this likeness is the Word because, according to Augustine and Anselm, ³ the likeness of the mind returning upon itself, which is at the fine point of intelligence, is the word. If then this likeness is equal, it follows that it is God, and, having originated from God, it represents the Originating One and whatever the Father is able to do: hence it represents many things. Again, since it represents the Father's power, it represents a power that is absolutely one; but "the more a power is one, the more it is infinite." ⁴ Hence this likeness properly represents infinite things; and therefore it is necessary that many things proceed from one. If, then, you understand the Word, you understand all understandable things. But the Jew cannot understand this. And yet Scriptures say: God said, "Let there be light." And again, God said, that is, He begot the Word in whom He disposed all things, and, disposing them, made them. Hence Augustine writes in his "Confessions": "Whatever You make, you make through your Word coeternal with You, nor do you make anything by any other mode than by expressing it; and yet You do not eternally make what You eternally express." ⁵

4. Horum ostium est intellectus Verbi increati, qui est radix intelligentiae omnium; unde qui non habet hoc ostium, intrare non potest. Philosophi autem habent pro impossibili quae sunt summe vera, quia ostium est eis clausum. -- Quomodo autem haec intelligantur, dicitur ad Hebraeos: Fide intelligimus, aptata esse saecula Verbo Dei, ut ex invisibilibus visibilia fierent ⁸ . Summum autem spiritum impossibile est se non intelligere; et cum intellectum aequetur intelligenti, intelligit quidquid est et quidquid potest: ergo et ratio intelligendi aequatur intellectui, quae similitudo eius est. Haec autem similitudo Verbum est, quia, secundum Augustinum et Anselmum, similitudo mentis convertentis se super se, quae in acie mentis est, verbum est. Si ergo haec similitudo aequalis est, ergo Deus est, et a Deo originata repraesentat originantem et quidquid Pater potest: ergo repraesentat multa. -- Item, cum virtutem Patris repraesentat, repraesentat virtutem mitissimam; sed «virtus, quanto magis unita, tanto magis infinita»: ergo illa similitudo infinita repraesentare habet; et ita necesse est, ut ab uno sint multa. Si igitur intelligis Verbum, intelligis omnia scibilia. Iudaeus hoc intelligere non potest; et tamen Scriptura dicit: Dixit Deus: fiat lux ⁹ ; et iterum: Dixit Deus, hoc est Verbum genuit, in «quo omnia disposuit» et disponendo omnia facit. Unde Augustinus in libro Confessionum: «Verbo tuo tibi coaeterno facis quaecumque facis, nec alio modo quam dicendo facis, non tamen sempiterne facis quae sempiterne dicis».

5. Indeed, if oneness were able to know the sum total of its potencies, it would see and know all the numbers; and if the mathematical point were able to know the sum total of its potencies, it would know all the lines passing through the center. Oneness, however, is more of a principle than the mathematical point, for oneness is an essential part of number, while the point is a principle but not a part. ⁶ And neither of these is an active principle. Hence, because the first intellect is an active principle, it is necessary that it dispose and express all things in the likeness of itself.

5. Si enim unitas posset cognoscere totum posse suum, videret et cognosceret omnes numeros; et si punctus cognosceret totum posse suum, cognosceret omnes lineas in centro; unitas tamen magis est principium quam punctus, quia unitas est pars essentialis numeri; punctus autem principium et non pars; nec aliquod istorum est principium activum. Igitur cum primus intellectus sit principium activum; necesse est, ut in similitudine sua omnia disponat, omnia exprimat.

a. Word Creates a Soul, is Not Changed, But in Eternity He is Saying It is to Be Created Now

6. Again, all temporal things proceed from an Eternal Being. For whatever proceeds from the Father does so in order, the one is the cause of the other, in nature and in time: therefore the Word so represents things that they are made to be. For as in my foresight or memory! there may be many future things, some more remote than others, and yet it does not follow that there is any change in me when these things occur: likewise there is no change in the Word. For when He creates a soul, He is not changed: in eternity He is saying that this soul is to be created now. By the very word He speaks in eternity, He creates now. If my will and my power coincided and I wanted a thing to occur only tomorrow, when it did occur, there would be no change in me; but there would be a change were I to pass from not wanting it to wanting it. ⁷

6. Item, ab aeterno sunt omnia temporalia. Quae enim a Patre procedunt ordinate procedunt, et unum est causa alterius, ordine naturae et ordine temporis; ergo Verbum sic repraesentat res, ut in esse producuntur. Sicut enim in providentia mea vel memoria possunt esse multa futura, et unum futurum magis distans quam aliud; nec propter hoc sequitur, quod cum eveniunt, sit mutatio in memoria mea; sic in Verbo non est mutatio. Cum enim creat animam hanc, non mutatur, quia ab aeterno dixit, animam hanc nunc creandam. Unde eodem dicto, quo ab aeterno dixit, nunc creat; sicut, si velle meum esset posse meum; si vellem modo, cras fieri rem, non esset mutatio in me, si fieret; sed esset, si de non volente fierem volens.

7. Once more, possible or material things are made by the most Actual. For the Father is understood to be the Principle producing from itself, the Principle producing from nothing, and the Principle producing from something material. And the Word expresses the Father as Principle producing from itself, and so He explains and represents the production of the Holy Spirit and His own, that is, the production of eternal things. He also expresses the Father as the Principle producing from nothing, and so He represents the production of aeviternal things, such as the angels and souls. He finally represents the Father as producing something out of something else, as is the case with material objects. But whatever comes from something else exists first in potency before it comes to being: hence the Word necessarily represents possible things. And so, possible things come about through the most actual, by necessity.

7. Item, ab actualissimo fiunt possibilia sive materialia. Pater enim intelligitur principium principians de se, principium principians de nihilo, principium principians de aliquo materiali. Et Verbum exprimit Patrem ut principium principians de se, et sic est explicans et repraesentans productionem Spiritus sancti et suam sive aeternorum. -- Exprimit etiam Patrem ut principiantem aliquid de nihilo, et sic repraesentat productionem aeviternorum, ut Angelorum et animarum. -- Repraesentat etiam ut principiantem aliquid de aliquo materiali; sed quod fit de aliquo prius est in potentia, quam fiat; necesse ergo est, ut repraesentet possibilia. Necessario ergo ab actualissimo fiunt possibilia.

b. Word is Truth

8. Furthermore, the Likeness or Word is Truth. What is truth by definition? "An adequation of the intellect with the object understood." ⁸ I am speaking of that intellect which is the cause of the object, and not of my own intellect which is not its cause. This adequation is true when the object has quantity, quality, order, action, passion, time, place, and habit, according to the differences of the categories. For things are true when they exist either in fact or as universals, as they exist in Eternal Art or are expressed in it. A thing, then, is true in so far as it is adequated to the causing intellect. But because it is not perfectly adequated to the reason that expresses or represents it, every creature is a lie, as Augustine says. ⁹ For the adequated thing is not its own adequation: hence it is necessary that the Word or Likeness or Reason be the Truth. And the truth of the creature consists in that, and both the highest and the lowest things are represented by the Word. And although an angel, in so far as he is a likeness of God and possesses nobler attributes, partakes in the Word in a larger measure than a worm, yet in the order of exemplarity, the principle "angel" is not nobler than the principle "worm": hence the principle "worm" expresses or represents the worm in the same way as the principle "angel" expresses and represents the angel, nor is there in this regard any superiority of the angel over the worm. For any creature is a mere shadow in regard to the Creator.

8. Et haec similitudo sive Verbum est veritas. Quid est veritas secundum definitionem? «Adaequatio intellectus et rei intellectae», illius intellectus, dico, qui est causa rei, non intellectus mei, quia non sum causa rei. -- Haec adaequatio vera est, quando res est tanta, talis, ordinem habens, agens, patiens, tunc, ubi, cum situm habet, secundum differentias praedicamentorum. Tunc enim res sunt verae, quando sunt in re vel in universo, sicut sunt in arte aeterna, vel sicut ibi exprimuntur. Res autem vera est, secundum quod adaequatur intellectui causanti. Quia vero perfecte non adaequatur rationi, quae exprimit eam vel repraesentat; ideo omnis creatura mendacium est, secundum Augustinum. Res autem adaequata non est sua adaequatio: ergo necessario est, ut Verbum vel similitudo vel ratio sit veritas; et ibi est veritas creaturae, et repraesentantur per Verbum ita infima, sicut suprema. Unde licet Angelus magis participet cum Verbo in conditionibus nobilibus, puta quoad imaginem Dei, quam vermiculus; in ratione tamen exemplaritatis non est nobilior ratio Angeli quam vermiculi; ita ratio vermiculi exprimit vel repraesentat vermiculum, ut ratio Angeli Angelum, nec secundum hoc nobilior Angelus vermiculo. Quaelibet autem creatura umbra est respectu Creatoris.

9. And so it is clear that possible things come forth from the most actual, changing things from the most stable, and the lowest things from the most sublime. And as the sun by shining brings forth a variety and number of colors, so out of this Word there comes forth a variety of things. Hence there is no understanding except through the Word. And this is the most noble key of the soul cleansed by faith, and it is needed because "the low sensitivity of our mind is not touched in such outstanding light, except when it is cleansed by the justifying power of faith." ¹⁰ Hence all those who lack this faith have their hand cut off. Wherefore the Psalm says: He spoke, and they were made: He commanded, and they were created, etc.

9. Et sic patet, quod ab actualissimo sunt possibilia, a stabilissimo mutabilia, et a sublimissimo infima. Et sicut sol lucens facit varietatem et multiformitatem colorum, sic ab illo Verbo est varietas rerum. Unde non contingit intelligere nisi per Verbum. -- Et haec est clavis nobilissima animae purgatae per fidem, quae est necessaria, quia «mentis nostrae acies invalida in tam excellenti luce non figitur, nisi per iustitiam fidei emundetur». Unde omnes, qui non habent hanc fidem, manum habent amputatam. Unde in Psalmo: Quia ipse dixit, et facta sunt; ipse mandavit, et creata sunt ¹⁰ , etc.

2. Second Key: Incarnate Word

10. The second key is the understanding of the Incarnate Word, through whom all things are restored. Hence in the last chapter of Luke: "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled that are written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." Then He opened their minds, that they might understand the Scriptures. Who is speaking? The Word of God, of whom John writes in his first chapter: The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, where He displayed two natures within a single Person. It follows that all things must be fulfilled that are written ... concerning Me. Hence, in the Epistle to the Romans: Christ is the consummation of the Law unto justice for everyone who believes.

10. Secunda clavis est intellectus Verbi incarnati, per quod omnia reparantur. Unde Lucae ultimo: Haec sunt verba quae locutus sum vobis, cum adhuc essem vobiscum; quoniam oportet impleri quae scripta sunt in Lege et Prophetis et Psalmis de me. Tunc aperuit illis sensum, ut intelligerent Scripturas ¹¹ . Quis loquitur? Verbum Dei, de quo Ioannis primo: Verbum caro factum est et habitavit in nobis ¹² , ubi ostendit duas naturas in una persona. Sequitur: Oportet Scripturas impleri de me ¹⁰ ; unde ad Romanos: Finis Legis est Christus ad iustitiam omni credenti ¹⁴ .

11. As a sign of Him, there are the two Cherubim ¹¹ ... turned toward each other, but with their faces looking toward the propitiatory. The two Cherubim are the two Testaments whose gaze is directed upon Christ. Then He opened their minds, when they understood the Scriptures, meaning that the book of Scriptures is understood precisely through that key, the Incarnate Word, the one eminently concerned with the works of restoration. For unless you understand the order and origin of restoration, you cannot understand Scriptures. Now, in the Apocalypse the name of the Restorer is the Word of God: And He is clothed in a garment sprinkled with blood, and His name is called the Word of God. Supposing I wanted to know how the Word of God can be the Restorer: Isaiah speaks of it: A child is bom to us, a son is given us; upon His shoulder dominion rests. They name Him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.

11. In designationem huius duo Cherubim, versis vultibus in propitiatorium, mutuo se respiciebant ¹⁵ . Duo Cherubim duo testamenta sunt, quorum aspectus in Christum. Tunc aperuit illis sensum ¹⁶ , quando intellexerunt Scripturas, id est, per hanc clavem Verbi incarnati liber Scripturae habet intelligi, eo quod est principaliter de operibus reparationis. Nisi enim intelligas ordinem et originem reparationis, Scripturam intelligere non potes. Nomen autem reparatoris est Verbum Dei; in Apocalypsi: Vestitus erat veste aspersa sanguine, et vocabatur nomen eius Verbum Dei ¹¹ . -- Sed vellem scire, quomodo Verbum Dei ut Reparator sit. De hoc Isaias: Parvulus natus est nobis, et filius datus est nobis, cuius imperium super humerum eius, et vocabitur nomen eius: admirabilis, consiliarius, Deus, fortis, pater futuri saeculi, princeps pacis ¹⁸ .

12. He it is who restored the hierarchy of heaven, and that below heaven which had totally fallen. Hence He must needs have touched both heaven and earth. This Hierarch had to be preeminent, endowed with awareness, acceptable to God, victorious, most generous, and just.

12. Iste reparavit hierarchiam caelestem et subcaelestem, quae tota corruerat. Ergo necesse fuit, ut tangeret caelum et terram. Iste hierarcha debuit esse praecelsus, sensatus, Deo acceptus, victoriosus, largifluus, iustus.

a. Preeminent

13. First, then, the only being able to save would have to be preeminent in power. Hence, in the Epistle to the Hebrews: God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, last of all in these days has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the world; who, being the brightness of His glory and the image of His substance, and upholding all things by the Word of His power, has effected man's purgation from sin and taken His seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much superior to the angels as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. From Him, indeed, miracles come forth, and hence it was necessary that He show the miracle of miracles in His own Person, that is, the plurality of natures: for He possesses corporeal, spiritual, and divine natures—the temporal, the aeviternal, and the eternal. Hence again it belongs to Him to bind the lowest with the highest. Sirach says: Behold the rainbow! Then bless its Maker. The rainbow has several natures and colors. As the sun goes down according to the ten divisions of the clock of Achaz, so does the Incarnate Word through the nine choirs of angels down to man, who is counted tenth. This is the greatest miracle, that God be man, that the first be the last; wherefore all miracles are related to this one; and all cry out: "Hosanna to the Son of David!" In this miracle, faith receives its strength. Hence Moses, after he had led the flock across the desert, saw a bush which, though on fire, was not consumed. "I must go over," he said, "to look at this remarkable sight, and see why the bush is not burned." And there he was enlightened. The spiny bush is the flesh liable to suffering; the flame is the soul of Christ full of light and of the fire of love; the light itself is the Godhead; the light joined to the bush by means of the flame is the Godhead joined to flesh by means of the spirit or soul. And so, in order that He be able to quicken the dead and to make sons of God ¹² out of mere men, He had to be preeminent, and that is what the word Wonder means.

13. Debuit primo esse praecelsus potentia, qui solus posset salvare. Unde ad Hebraeos: Multifariam multisque modis olim Deus loquens patribus in Prophetis, novissime diebus istis locutus est nobis in Filio, quem constituit heredem universorum, per quem fecit et saecula; usque: Tanto melior Angelis effectus, quanto differentius prae illis nomen hereditavit ¹⁹ . -- Ab ipso enim procedunt miracula; et ideo necesse fuit, in ipso ostendi miraculum miraculorum, scilicet multiformitatem naturarum. Habet enim naturam corpoream, naturam spiritualem, naturam divinam; naturam temporalem, aeviternam, aeternam. Unde habet ligare infima supremis. In Ecclesiastico: Vide arcum et benedic qui fecit illum*. Arcus multiformitatem naturarum et colorum habet. Sicut enim sol descendit per decem gradus in horologio Achaz, sic Verbum incarnatum per novem ordines Angelorum usque ad hominem, qui decimus computatur. Hoc est maximum miraculum, ut quod Deus sit homo, primus sit novissimus; et ideo omnia miracula ad hoc miraculum respiciunt; unde omnia clamant: Hosanna Filio David ²¹ . -- In hoc miraculo fides accipit vires suas. Unde Moyses, postquam minavit gregem ad interiora deserti, vidit rubum qui ardebat et non comburebatur; vadam, inquit, et videbo visionem hanc magnam ²² etc.; ubi fuit illustratus. Rubus spinosa est passibilitas carnis; flamma, anima Christi plena luminibus et igne caritatis; lux, Divinitas; lux coniuncta rubo mediante flamma, Divinitas coniuncta carni mediante spiritu seu anima. Ut ergo possit de mortuis facere vivos, de hominibus filios Dei ²³ ; necesse est, ut sit praecisus; et hoc est quod dicit admirabilis.

b. Awareness

14. Next, it was necessary that our Hierarch be endowed with awareness, in regard to the threefold wisdom within Him: the innate, that is, the wisdom of angels and of the first man, the infused, and the eternal. Through the first, He knows all things which we are able to know by means of the proper disposition; through the second, He comprehends gloriously and infinitely, because to His wisdom there is no limit; ¹³ through the third, He comprehends all things. For the One who was to restore the whole universe had to know the conditions of the whole universe. Hence, in the fourth chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews: The Word of God is living and efficient. And later: All things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we have to give account. Hence, it was necessary not only that He be powerful, but also that He be aware.

14. Item, necesse est, ut hierarcha noster sit sensatus iuxta triplicem sapientiam in eo, innatam scilicet, sicut fuit Angelis et primo homini, infusam, aeternam. Per primam scit omnia, quae nos possumus per habitum scire; per secundam comprehendit gloriose et infinite, quia sapientiae eius non est numerus ² per tertiam omnia. Qui enim reparare debuit totum mundum, necesse erat, ut sciret conditiones totius mundi; unde ad Hebraeos quarto: Vivus est sermo Dei et efficax; sequitur: Omnia nuda et aperta sunt oculis eius, ad quem nobis sermo ²⁵ . Unde oportebat, non solum quod esset potens, sed etiam quod esset sensatus.

15. But if you ask, "What need was there for Him to have wisdom besides the divine?" I will answer: in order that He might have experience. As it is written in the Epistle to the Hebrews, we have not a High Priest that cannot have compassion on our infirmities, but one tried as we are in all things except sin. For He stands both as our Advocate and our Judge; and He it is who was the best Counselor and the most wise: hence all other sages were nothing but figures and imitations of this Wise One. From Him come forth documents of the greatest certainty and celebrity by which we need to be taught; and that is why He is called Counselor.

15. Sed si dicas: quae necessitas fuit, ut haberet sapientiam aliam praeter divinam? respondeo: ut experiri posset; ad Hebraeos: Non habemus Pontificem, qui non possit compati infirmitatibus nostris; tentatum autem per omnia pro similitudine, absque peccato ²⁶ . Iste autem advocatus ²⁷ est pro nobis, et iudicat contra nos. Iste fuit optimus consiliarius et sapientissimus; unde omnes alii sapientes non fuerunt nisi quaedam figurae et simulacra istius sapientis. -- Ab isto procedunt documenta certissima et praeclara, quibus indigemus erudiri; ideo dicitur consiliarius.

16. To Him are referred all the eloquent sayings of Scriptural wisdom, as for instance those of Solomon and others. And yet the Jews understand as applying to Solomon what is said of Christ in the Psalm: Fairer in beauty are you than the sons of men; grace is poured out upon your lips. Solomon was not like that. And again, May his name be blessed forever.

16. Ad hunc referuntur omnia eloquia sapientiae Scripturae, ut Salomonis et aliorum. Tamen Iudaei accipiunt de Salomone quod de Christo dicitur in Psalmo: Speciosus forma prae filiis hominum, diffusa est gratia in labiis tuis ²⁶ ; non fuit Salomon talis; et: Sit nomen eius benedictum in saecula ²⁹ .

c. Acceptable

17. Again, this Hierarch is acceptable to god, for we need a most sacred Reconciler. Hence the Epistle to the Hebrews: It was fitting that we should have such a High Priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and become higher than the heavens, in order that He be entirely in the form of God. And so John writes: We saw His glory—glory as of the only-begotten of the Father— full of grace and of truth, because of the great number of graces. ¹⁴ He enjoyed, indeed, the grace of an individual Person, the grace of the Head by which He influenced the members, and the grace of union which is infinite and flowing from a single source. For this reason He was acceptable to God, not only because in the form of God, but as God. Because He is God, He cannot be unacceptable. Hence He is called God, and the holiest examples come from Him. Hence, wherever in the Scriptures there is a reference to emanations, to the rivers of paradise, to gushing fountains, they apply to Him.

17. Item, Hierarcha iste est Deo acceptus; quia indigemus sacratissimo reconciliatore. Ad Hebraeos: Talis decebat, ut esset nobis pontifex, sanctus, innocens, impollutus, segregatus a peccatoribus et excelsior caelis factus ³⁰ , ut esset totus deiformis; unde in Ioanne: Vidimus gloriam eius, gloriam quasi unigeniti a Patre, plenum gratiae et veritatis ³¹ , propter multitudinem gratiarum. Habuit enim gratiam singularis personae, gratiam capitis, per quam influit in membra, gratiam unionis, et haec est infinita ex una parte. Unde Deo fuit acceptus non solum, quia deiformis, sed quia Deus. Quia Deus est, non potest esse non acceptus. Et ideo dicitur Deus; et sic ab ipso sunt exempla sanctissima. -- Unde ubicumque in Scripturis ³² fit mentio de emanationibus, de fluminibus paradisi, de scaturigines fontium, ad hunc referuntur.

d. Victorious

18. Once more, the Hierarch must be totally victorious by the number of His triumphs and victories. Hence, in the Epistle to the Colossians: And you, when you were dead by reason of your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh; and later: Disarming the Principalities and Powers, He displayed them openly, leading them away in triumph by force of it. Indeed, He overcame the world, despoiled Hades, and restored Paradise. Hence in the Psalm: Lift up, O gates, your lintels; reach up, you ancient portals, that the King of Glory may come in! Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty. We want to hear this: Lift up, O gates, your lintels!. . . Who is this King of Glory? The Lord, strong and mighty! He, then, is the Strong One. That is why at the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven, on earth and under the earth. Isaiah asks: Who is this that comes from Edom, in crimson garments, from Bosra?. . . "It is I who announce vindication, 1 who am mighty to save." For that reason, He is called Strong, and from Him come strong defenses. Hence, mountains are round about Him. And so all the wars of Scripture refer to the victory of Christ.

18. Item oportet, quod hierarcha sit victoriosissimus propter multitudinem triumphi et victoriae. Unde ad Colossenses: Et vos cum mortui essetis in delictis et praeputio carnis vestrae ³³ ; et sequitur: Exspolians principatus et potestates, traduxit confidenter, palam triumphans illos in semetipso ³⁴ . Vicit enim mundum, spoliavit infernum, restauravit paradisum. Unde in Psalmo: Attolite portas principes vestras, et elevamini portae aeternales, et introibit Rex gloriae. Quis est iste Rex gloriae? Dominus fortis et potens. Adhuc volumus audire: Attollite portas principes vestras. Quis est iste Rex gloriae? Dominus virtutum ³⁵ . Iste est ergo fortis. Unde necesse est, ut in nomine Iesu omne genu flectatur caelestium, terrestrium et infernorum ³⁶ . Isaias: Quis est iste, qui venit de Edom tinctis vestibus de Bosra? Ego qui loquor iustitiam et propugnator sum ad salvandum ³⁷ . -- Et ideo dicitur fortis. Ab hoc manant fortia praesidia. Unde montes in circuitu eius ³⁸ . Unde omnia bella Scripturae referuntur ad victoriam Christi.

e. Generous

19. Again, our Hierarch must be most generous in the amount of what He gives out. As written in the Epistle to the Ephesians, to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's bestowal Thus it says, "Ascending on high, He led away captives; He gave gifts to men." As indeed a cloud rises aloft in order that it may rain down, so does Christ ascend in order that He may grant His gifts. The sun has been lifted up, and the moon remained in its shelter. For at first He had given the Holy Spirit to the world in a secret way, but He did it manifestly after He had ascended on high, for this Holy Spirit was the cleansing, enlightening, and perfecting Hierarch, and the Holy Spirit came down into the heavenly and sub-heavenly hierarchies. And so, suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a violent wind. The Holy Spirit came down as a means of cleansing: hence, the violent wind; as a means of instruction, hence there appeared to them parted tongues as of fire; as a means of perfection, hence the tongues of fire settled upon each of them. From Him come forth the free gifts of grace. Whatever is said in the Bible of the sun shedding light, or of other diffusions, or of banquets, is said of His bounty. Hence, in the Psalm: The household shall divide the spoils. And in Isaiah: They rejoice before You... as men make merry when dividing spoils. These are the gifts of Christ's lavishness. Hence He is called the Father of the age to come, for He Himself is the Principle of those influences by which we will live in the future. As James writes: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights. And later: Of His own will He has begotten us by the word of truth, that we might be, as it were, the first-fruits of His creatures. We are now the beginning of creatures, but then we shall be creatures in full.

19. Item oportet, quod hierarcha noster sit largiflue propter magnitudinem influentiae. Ad Ephesios: Unicuique nostrum data est gratia secundum mensuram donationis Christi. Propter quod dicit: Ascendens in altum captivam duxit captivitatem, dedit dona hominibus ^}9 . Sicut enim nubes ascendit in altum, ut postmodum pluat; sic ascendit Christus, ut dona sua daret; cum elevatus est sol; et luna stetit in ordine suo ⁴⁰ . Primo enim Spiritum sanctum in terra occulte dederat, sed postquam ascendit, tunc manifeste, quia ipse Spiritus sanctus fuit hierarcha purgans, illuminans, perficiens, et descendit Spiritus sanctus in hierarchiam caelestem et subcaelestem. Unde factus est repente de caelo sonus tanquam advenientis Spiritus ⁴¹ , Descendit Spiritus sanctus ut purgans; unde dicitur advenientis Spiritus; ut instruens: apparuerunt illis linguae dispertitae tanquam ignis; in virtute perficiente: seditque super singulos eorum ⁴² . Ab hoc manant dona gratuita. -- Quidquid ergo in Scriptura invenitur diffusionis in sole et aliis et conviviis referuntur ad largitionem eius. Unde in Psalmo: Speciei domus dividere spolia ⁴⁰ ; et in Isaia: Laetabuntur coram te, sicut exsultant victores, capta praeda, quando dividunt spolia ⁴⁴ . Haec sunt dona largitatis Christi. -- Unde dicitur pater futuri saeculi; quia ipse est principium influentiam!!!, per quas vivemus in futuro saeculo; Iacobus: Omne datum optimum et omne donum perfectum desursum est, descendens a Patre luminum. Sequitur: Voluntarie genuit nos verbo veritatis, ut simus initium aliquod creaturae eius ⁴⁵ . Modo sumus initium creaturae, sed tunc erimus simpliciter creatura.

20. This [our Hierarch] is the most generous because He gives us whatever we ask. Amen, amen, I say to you, if you ask the Father anything in My name, etc. He swears to it and asserts it with complete truthfulness. Hence in the Psalm: You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. And again: Man and beast You save, O Lord. — They shall be inebriated with the plenty of Thy house.

20. Iste est largissimus, quia dat nobis quidquid petimus: Amen, amen dico vobis: si quid petieritis Patrem in nomine meo ⁴⁶ etc. Iurat et in veritate asserit. Unde in Psalmis: Aperis tu manum tuam et imples omne animal benedictione ⁴⁷ ; et: Homines et iumenta salvabis, Domine. Inebriabuntur ab ubertate domus tuae ⁴ *.

f. Just

21. Finally, He [our Hierarch] must be supremely just, because of the manifold character of a justice making infallible inquiries, irreproachable distinctions, and irrevocable judgments, handing out retribution to each one according to his deeds. Isaiah writes: A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse.—Justice shall be the band around his waist.—-Not by appearance shall He judge nor by hearsay shall He decide. Such, then, is God: for if He were mere man, He could not judge otherwise than through witnesses. All the judgments of Scriptures refer to this one judgment; hence, He [our Hierarch] is called the Prince of Peace. Wherefore just rewards come forth from Him. He, then, has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts. And such a key is the mystery of union.

21. Item, debet esse summe iustus propter multitudinem iustitiae infallibiliter inquirentis, irreprehensibiliter discutientis, irrevocabiliter sententiantis, ut retribuat unicuique secundum opera sua. Isaias: Egredietur de radice Iesse ⁴⁹ , et erit iustitia cingulum lumborum eius ⁵⁰ ; non secundum visionem oculorum iudicabit neque secundum auditum aurium arguet ⁵¹ . Ergo talis est Deus, quia, si esset purus homo, non posset iudicare nisi per testes. -- Ad istud iudicium referuntur omnia iudicia Scripturae; et ideo dicitur princeps pacis. Unde ab eo manant praemia iusta. -- Iste ergo David habet clavem, qui aperit, et nemo claudit; claudit, et nemo aperit ⁵² . Et clavis ista est mysterium unionis.

3. Third Key: Inspired Word - Vision

22. The third key is the understanding of the Inspired Word by whom all things are revealed; for there is no revelation except through this Inspired Word. Daniel understood the words: understanding is needed in the case of a vision. For unless the word resound in the ear of the heart, the splendor shine in the eye, the vapor and emanation of the Almighty be perceived as smell and His sweetness as taste, and unless eternity fill the soul, man is not fit to understand visions. God gave. . . to Daniel the understanding of all visions and dreams. By what means? Through the Inspired Word.

22. Tertia clavis est intellectus Verbi inspirati, per quod omnia revelantur; non enim fit revelatio nisi per Verbum inspiratum. Daniel intellexit sermonem. Intelligentia enim opus est in visione. Nisi enim verbum sonet in aure cordis, splendor luceat in oculo, vapor et emanatio ⁵³ omnipotentis sit in olfacto, suavitas in gustu, sempiternitas impleat animam; non est homo aptus ad intelligendas visiones. Sed Danieli dedit Deus intelligentiam omnium visionum et somniorum ⁵⁴ . Per quid? Per Verbum inspiratum.

23. Generally speaking, there are three kinds of vision: the bodily, the imaginary, and the intellectual. ¹⁵ The first two are worthless without the third. Hence, in the vision of the hand, mere bodily sight was of little use to Belsassar, likewise, to Nabuchodonosor in the imaginary vision of the golden statue, and to Pharaoh in the vision of the cows and the ears of grain: but these visions were meaningful both to Daniel and to Joseph. Joseph corresponds to John and Daniel to Paul.

23. Visio autem est triplex, ut communiter dicitur: corporalis, imaginaria, intellectualis. Duae primae nihil valent sine tertia. Unde parum valuit Balthasar! visio corporalis in visione manus, et Nabuchodonosor visio imaginaria statuae aureae, et Pharaoni visio in spicis et bobus, sed Danieli et Ioseph. Ioseph respondet Ioanni, Daniel Paulo.

24. Besides these visions, there is one that is sixfold and corresponds to the works of the six days: through these, the lesser world is made perfect, as was the greater one, in six days. ¹⁶ There is a vision through that understanding which is given by nature, and a vision through that understanding which is lifted up by faith, taught by Scripture, exalted by contemplation, enlightened by prophecy, absorbed by rapture in God. And after these, there is a seventh vision of the glorified soul: and Paul had all of them. The first two belong to many, the next two to a few, the last two to an extremely small number.

24. Praeter has est visio sextuplex, quae respondet operibus sex dierum; quibus minor mundus fit perfectus, sicut maior mundus sex diebus. Est visio intelligentiae per naturam inditae, et visio intelligentiae per fidem sublevatae, per Scripturam eruditae, per contemplationem suspensae, per prophetiam illustratae, per raptum in Deum absorptae. Ad has sequitur visio septima animae glorificatae, quas omnes habuit Paulus. -- Primae duae sunt multorum, duae aliae paucorum, hae ultimae duae paucissimorum.

25. Through the first, we understand that to which our intelligence reaches by its own power. This corresponds to the first day on which light was made. Hence in the Psalm: The light of thy countenance, O Lord, is signed upon us. Without this light which is given within, a man has nothing, neither faith nor grace nor the illumination of wisdom. For this reason also light was separated from darkness.

25. Per primam intelligitur, ad quid potest extendi nostra intelligentia de se. Haec intelligitur per primam diem, in qua facta est lux ⁵⁵ ; unde in Psalmo: Signatum est super nos lumen vultus tui, Domine Sine isto lumine indito, nihil habet homo, nec fidem nec gratiam nec lumen sapientiae; et ideo divisa est etiam lux a tenebris ⁵⁷ .

26. The second is understood of the second day, when a firmament was made in the midst, and this firmament is faith which divides the waters. Faith is the origin of wisdom and the origin of knowledge, whether of eternal or of temporal things, in so far as neither knowledge nor wisdom disagrees with faith. ¹⁷

26. Secunda intelligitur per secundam diem, ubi factum est firmamentum in medio ⁵⁸ . Hoc firmamentum est fides et dividit aquas ab aquis. Fides est origo sapientiae et origo scientiae, sive sit de aeternis, sive de temporalibus, sive scientia, sive sapientia non discordant a fide.

27. The third is understood of the third day, when the waters were gathered together and dry land appeared. The land is Scriptures which have spiritual meanings and refer to angelical and divine hierarchies which have often been marvelously described by the saints: and from these Scriptures spring forth vegetation and the tree of life. But let everyone beware of the tree of inquisitive knowledge.

27. Tertia intelligitur per tertiam diem, ubi congregatae sunt aquae, et apparuit arida ⁵⁹ . Terra est Scriptura habens intelligentias spirituales, hierarchias Angelicas et divinas, quae mirabiliter expositae a Sanctis pullulant; et in his producitur herba virens ⁶⁰ et ligna paradisi ⁶¹ . Caveat tamen quisque a ligno curiositatis scientiae.

28. The fourth is understood of the fourth day, when it was said, "Let there be lights," that is, the sun, moon and stars. A man who does not have contemplation cannot yet enjoy the adornment of sun, moon and stars. For there is need of the apparition of a woman clothed with the sun, and (having) the moon. . . under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. And so, contemplation of the super-heavenly hierarchy is represented by the sun, contemplation of the sub-heavenly hierarchy, by the moon, and contemplation of the heavenly hierarchy, by the stars. Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow: in contemplation, there is admiration, expansion, a transference and restoration of one's self. Hence, after gazing on God, they could still eat and drink.

28. Quarta intelligitur in opere quartae diei, ubi dicitur: Fiant luminaria ⁶² , scilicet sol et luna et stellae. Qui non habet contemplationem adhuc non habet ornamentum solis et lunae et stellarum. Apparere autem debet mulier amicta sole, et luna sub pedibus eius, et in capite eius corona duodecim stellarum ⁶³ , ut sit Contemplatio supercaelestis hierarchiae in sole, subcaelestis in luna, caelestis in stellis. Tunc videbis et afflues, et mirabitur et dilatabitur cor tuum ⁶⁴ , quia in contemplatione admiratio, dilatatio, alienatio, refectio; unde: Comederunt et viderunt Deum Israel ⁶⁵ .

29. The fifth vision, which comes about through understanding enlightened by prophecy, is still higher than the preceding ones, in that contingent things are seen infallibly, which comes about through a certain kind of sight looking into the Eternal Mirror. The contingent is changing and varied: if then a prophet sees with infallibility and certainty, everything he sees must be considered within infallible Truth. Hence it is difficult to make definite judgments about this; but the problem may be solved in the same way as that of God's foreknowledge: a prophet sees an event as future, and hence it will occur; God [simply] sees an event: hence it will occur, for God's vision is not a thing of the past, but indicates divine awareness as existing in the present with a connotation of time —and this connotation is contingent, that is, it is merely an incidental note. This vision is understood to refer to the fifth day when the fishes of the waters were made together with the birds, for the soul is carried up to God on the breeze by means of pinions and a great number of feathers.

29. Quinta est per prophetiam illustratae intelligentiae, adhuc altior praemissis, ut videat contingentia infallibiliter, quod fit quodam visionis modo speciali in speculo aeterno. Certum est enim, quod cum contingens sit mutabile et variabile, quodsi Propheta videt infallibiliter et certitudinaliter, quod non videt nisi in veritate infallibili. -- Unde difficile est determinare de istis; et per idem solvitur, sicut de praescientia Dei: hoc videt Propheta futurum: ergo eveniet; hoc videt Deus: ergo eveniet; quia visio Dei non cadit in praeteritum, sed praesentiam divinae visionis cum connotato temporali dicit, quod quidem connotatum contingens est vel connotatur. -- Haec intelligitur in opere quintae diei, in qua facti sunt pisces de aquis et aves ⁶⁶ . Per pennas enim et multitudinem plumarum et spiritus fertur anima in Deum.

30. The sixth vision is that of understanding absorbed by rapture in God. Hence, the Epistle to the Corinthians: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago — whether in the body ...or out of the body I do not know, God knows— such a one was caught up in this way. This lifting up makes the soul as similar to God as is possible in the state of pilgrimage, Ecstasy and rapture are not the same, wherefore it is said that they do not have merely a disposition toward glory, but the very act. And as the one vision consists in the common boundary between the way and the fatherland, so the other consists in the common boundary between union and separation from the body. Hence the Apostle writes: Whether in the body or out of the body 1 do not know. Why, then, would a man presume to determine what Paul himself did not know? To this vision corresponds the work of the sixth day: God said, "Let us make mankind in Our image and likeness," for it is of such great worth that it must have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,... and every creature that crawls on earth. The higher a man is lifted up, the humbler he is, as is the case with Paul, who lowered himself through humility when it came to determining the nature of the union. Hence in Job: Does the eagle fly up at your command to pass the night at his lofty nest? And later: Where the slain are, there is he. First, he speaks wonders of the eagle, and then humble things; and so it is with rapture. For the man ravished to the greatest height is also the most humble. And it must be so, for had he been proud, he could have lost grace and fallen into a reprobate sense. And so it is not without reason that the Apostle was given a thorn for the flesh; and he explains: Lest the greatness of the revelation puff me up. And I say that a man who has attained such a state may order and command other men as did Paul, and also Dionysius, ¹⁸ who ordered the Church according to the exemplar shown to him.

30. Sexta est visio intelligentiae per raptum in Deum absorptae. Ad Corinthios: Scio hominem ante annos quatuordecim, sive in corpore sive extra corpus, nescio, Deus scit, raptum huiusmodi ⁶¹ . Haec enim sublevatio facit animam Deo simillimam, quantum potest in statu viae -- nec est idem ecstasis et raptus -- unde, ut dicunt, non habent habitum gloriae, sed actum; et sicut illa visio est in confinio viae et patriae, sic illa est in confinio unionis et separationis a corpore. Ideo dicit Apostolus: Sive in corpore, sive extra corpus, nescio. Unde ergo homo praesumit determinare quod Paulus nescivit? -- Huic respondet opus sextae diei: Faciamus, inquit, hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem nostram; quia talis dignus est, ut praesit volatilibus et piscibus maris et reptilibus ⁶⁸ . -- Quanto enim quis elevatior, tanto humilior, ut Paulus, qui etiam ad coniugium determinandum descendebat per humilitatem. Unde dicitur in Iob: Nunquid ad praeceptum tuum elevabitur aquila et in arduis ponet nidum suum? ⁶⁹ . Et sequitur: Ubicumque fuerit cadaver, statim adest ⁷⁰ . Mirabilia primo dixerat de aquila, et postea humilia; sic est de raptu. Ille enim, qui in raptu fuit maior, magis est humilis. Et sic necesse est, quia, si superbiret, posset amittere gratiam et cadere in reprobum sensum ⁷¹ ; et vix unquam surgeret, quia quanto magis novit, tanto magis sciret solvere omnia, quae dicerentur sibi; et ideo non sine causa datus fuit Apostolo stimulus carnis, ne magnitudo, inquit, revelationum extollat me ¹² . -- Ille, inquam, qui ad illum statum pervenit, potest alios ordinare et regere, ut Paulus fecit, et Dionysius, qui ordinavit Ecclesiam secundum exemplar, quod sibi monstrabatur.

31. The seventh day coincides with separation from the body. "This day thou shalt be with Me in paradise." And this day has no evening. Then follows the eighth day, which does not differ from the one before but is a repetition of the first, when the soul rejoins its body.

31. Septimus dies est absolutio a corpore; hodie mecum eris in paradiso ⁷³ ; qui dies non habet vesperam. -- Et post sequitur octava dies, qui non est alius a praecedentibus, sed est reiteratio primae diei, quando anima resumet corpus suum.

32. And so, this is the Key of David which the Inspired Word is teaching, this Word, who is uncreated in the bosom of the Father, incarnate in the Virgin's womb, inspired in your heart by faith. He penetrates angelic and human minds, and coming into them, He makes them understand these visions, because He is pure understanding and spirit; but He does so in different degrees, for there are different depths in the penetration by which the soul is intimately led to Him. And this comes about through a divine radiation, as Dionysius explains in his "Angelic Hierarchies ": ¹⁹ "Wherefore, calling upon Jesus who is the light of His Father," etc. And as he writes in the "Ecclesiastic Hierarchy": "It is proper to Divine Law to bring back the lowest beings to the highest, through the action of the intermediary." This radiation of divine power, coming down upon the heavenly hierarchy, enlightens it, and through it, sheds light upon the ecclesiastic, or subheavenly hierarchy. This radiation, however, brings about the whole effect, for the angels in this case interfere only as occasions, as if, for instance, someone opened windows in order that the radiation bring light to many houses, and then the radiation would brighten them all; or as if someone prepared many mirrors in order to reflect light. Then, in the order of increasing freedom, this radiation leads us back to heavenly contemplation, and later, to the superheavenly.

32. Haec est ergo clavis David ⁷⁴ , quae docet Verbum inspiratum; illud Verbum, quod est in sinu Patris ⁷³ increatum, incarnatum in utero Virginis, inspiratum in corde tuo per fidem; illabitur mentes Angelicas et humanas, intrans in eis facit intelligere has visiones, quia est intellectus et spiritus purus; sed alio et alio modo, quia sunt maiores profundationes, secundum quod anima intime inducitur in se. Et hoc fit per divinum radium, ut dicit Dionysius De Angelica hierarchia: «Ergo Iesum, inquit, invocantes, qui est paternum lumen», etc.; et sicut dicit Dionysius De ecclesiastica hierarchia, «lex Divinitatis est infima per media ad suprema reducere». Ille thearchicus radius, descendens in caelestem hierarchiam, illam illuminat et per illam ecclesiasticam sive subcaelestem. -- Totum tamen facit ille radius, quia Angeli ibi nihil faciunt nisi occasionaliter; sicut, si quis vellet, quod radius illuminaret multas domus, aperiret fenestras, et tunc radius omnes domus illuminaret; et sicut, si quis praepararet multa specula ad recipiendum lumen. Deinde ordine resolutorio ille radius nos reducit in contemplationem caelestium et deinde supercaelestium.