Chapter 23
Chapter XXIII.
Concerning the accusation of Christ, two things are said.
I. And the whole multitude of them arose,
etc. After having described the apprehension and the mockery, here he thirdly describes the accusation.
And since Christ was in Jerusalem and had then come from the borders of Galilee, therefore this part has two sections. In the first of which is treated the accusation of Christ before Pilate,
the governor of Judea; in the second, however, the accusation of him before Herod,
the prince of Galilee, at the passage: But Pilate, hearing Galilee,
etc.
Concerning the description of the accusation before Pilate,
four things are introduced, namely: the wicked accusation, the right inquiry, the just defense, and the importunate aggravation of the accusation.
2. (Verse 1.). First, therefore, as regards the wicked accusation,
he says: And the whole multitude of them arose and led him to Pilate. The multitude
came so that him whom they could not overcome by reason, they might at least conquer by numbers: Wisdom 4: "The manifold multitude of the ungodly shall not be profitable." And therefore it is dangerous to mingle with such a multitude; on account of which, Ecclesiasticus 7: "Do not sin in the multitude of the city, nor cast yourself into the people," because, Ecclesiasticus 21, "the congregation of sinners is like tow gathered together, and their end is a flame of fire."
3. (Verse 2.). Moreover, this multitude came together to accuse Christ in many ways; whence he adds: And they began to accuse him: they were accusing
him as his adversaries: Lamentations 3: "Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, all their thoughts against me. The lips of those who rise up against me, O Lord."
They accuse him, however, as sinning against the people:
on account of which is added: Saying: We have found this man subverting our nation:
men who are themselves subverted and subverters call him a subverter
of the people, according to that passage of Ezekiel 2: "Son of man, unbelievers and subverters are with you, and you dwell among scorpions: do not fear their words and do not dread their faces, for it is a rebellious house"; and therefore rebellious,
because it calls its converter
a subverter.
Whence Jeremiah 31: "Convert me, Lord, and I shall be converted"; and the Psalm: "Turn back, O Lord, the captivity," etc. — They also accuse him as sinning against the ruler:
whence is added: And forbidding tribute to be given to Caesar:
and this likewise was false. For above in chapter 20 he said: "Render the things that are Caesar's to Caesar, and the things that are God's to God." — They also accuse him as sinning against God,
when it is added: And saying that he is Christ the king.
But concerning this he was not to be accused, because it was true, according to that passage of the Psalm: "But I have been established as king by him," etc. But neither could they themselves accuse him of this, because although he said he was the Christ before the disciples, according to that passage of Matthew 16: "But whom do you say that I am?" nevertheless he was silent about this before the Jews, lest he give them an occasion for malice: whence in Matthew 16 "he commanded his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ." And therefore to the Jews seeking this for the purpose of entrapping and accusing, he did not respond by simply affirming, but in a middle way, above in chapter 22: "You say that I am." From which it is apparent that the Jews were accusing Christ unjustly and wickedly.
4. (Verse 3). Second, with respect to the right
inquiry, is added: Pilate then questioned him, saying: Are you the king of the Jews?
It should be noted that although Christ was accused of three things, Pilate inquired only about one, because he knew that the others were false. For since the holiness and goodness of Christ was apparent through his miracles and his reputation, and since through his own words it was evident that he did not forbid tribute to be rendered to Caesar, he doubted only about the third and inquired about it. Whence the Gloss: "Pilate could have heard what he had said concerning tributes: Render the things that are Caesar's to Caesar:
and therefore, disregarding this as an obvious falsehood, he inquired only about what he did not know." And in this he acted rightly, according to that passage of Job 29: "The case that I did not know, I investigated diligently."
But because he himself was not worthy to hear the truth, being incredulous, therefore he adds: But he answering said: You say it.
Whence John 18: "Pilate said: Are you then a king? Jesus answered: You say it, because I am a king." But he did not affirm this because Pilate was not fit to receive this truth. On account of which, John 18: "For this I was born, that I might bear witness to the truth; everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. Pilate said to him: What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews." From which it appears that he did not truly seek the truth, because, when he had asked, he did not wait for the answer. And therefore he merited to hear neither what truth was nor the truth itself.
5. (Verse 4). Third, as to the just excuse,
he adds: But Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds: I find no cause in this man.
For concerning the first two charges he found no cause, because he was not seeking one nor had he judged it worth seeking; but concerning the last he found what Christ had said to him, as is stated in John 18: "My kingdom is not of this world"; and therefore Pilate found no fault in him worthy of death. Nor is this surprising, because he says of himself in John 14: "The prince of this world comes, and in me he has nothing." Whence he could say that word of Job 13: "I know that if I am judged, I shall be found just." From which it appears that just as it belongs to a good judge to condemn sinners, so it belongs to him to excuse and defend the innocent, according to that of Exodus 23: "The innocent and the just you shall not kill, for I am opposed to the wicked."
6. (Verse 5). Fourth, as to the importunate aggravation of the accusation,
he adds: But they grew more vehement, saying: He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee even to this place.
In this they aggravate the accusation, since they wish to charge him with sedition, as though he were a disturber of the whole land; but they unjustly accuse him of disturbance, because he was not stirring up the people to sedition,
as Absalom, of whom it is said in 2 Kings 15: "When he offered sacrifices, a strong conspiracy was formed, and the people running together increased with Absalom." He was not stirring them to transgression,
as the Antichrist will do: Apocalypse 13: "The whole earth wondered after the beast. And they adored the dragon, who gave power to the beast."
But he moved them to compunction,
according to that passage of the Psalm: "You have moved the earth and disturbed it; heal its breaches," etc. He moved them to exultation,
as is said in Matthew twenty-one: "When Jesus had entered Jerusalem, the whole city was moved"; Haggai two: "Yet a little while, and I will move heaven and earth." And the reason for this is that he taught not seductive things, but salutary things: whence also Peter said in John six: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." Christ had taught with this doctrine, as he said in John seven: "If anyone wills to do the will of God, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it be from God." And therefore he was not to be accused, but to be accepted, and especially by the chief priests, according to that passage in Titus one: "A bishop must be one who embraces the faithful word which is according to doctrine, so that he may be able to exhort in sound doctrine."
7. Spiritually,
in this, that Christ began from Galilee, which is interpreted as transmigration,
and passed through Judea and came all the way to Jerusalem, it is understood that the true preacher ought to preach in this order: that he preach transmigration
from the state of sin, confession
of the truth of faith, and rest
in the vision of eternal peace, so that thus evil may be abandoned, truth may be discerned, and good may be loved. And in these is enclosed a threefold good, namely pardon, grace,
and glory;
goodness, knowledge, and discipline, which the Prophet seeks in the Psalm: "Teach me goodness and discipline and knowledge."
8. (Verse 6). But Pilate, hearing,
etc. After the accusation before the governor has been described, here he describes the order of the accusation before Herod;
for whose orderly description four things are introduced, namely the caution of Pilate evading, the curiosity of Herod questioning, the wickedness of the people accusing,
and the stupidity of the ruler despising.
First therefore, as regards the caution of Pilate evading,
he says: But Pilate, hearing "Galilee," asked whether the man was a Galilean.
He asks this in order to evade judging him, if judgment over him pertains to another. And the reason for this is given in Matthew twenty-seven: "For Pilate knew that they had handed him over out of envy." And therefore he was evading, because either he would have to provoke that nation against himself, or act against justice: whence he wished to place the judgment upon another.
9. (Vers. 7.). Therefore he adds: And when he learned that he was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself was also in Jerusalem in those days.
Bede: "Lest he be compelled to pass sentence against an innocent man, whom he knew had been handed over through envy, he sends him to Herod to be heard, so that he might either be absolved or condemned by his own tetrarch." Whence it appears that Pilate acted cautiously;
he also acted justly,
because he did not wish to usurp for himself what belonged to another's jurisdiction, because, according to Romans thirteen, "every power is ordained." He also acted piously,
because he believed that Herod ought to free his own subject from unjust accusers, according to that text of Sirach eighteen: "The compassion of a man is toward his neighbor." He also acted shrewdly,
because he wished to devolve the dangerous judgment upon his adversary; he also wished to avoid his false accusation; he also wished to please him regarding a matter about which he himself had no certainty. From which that saying stated above in chapter sixteen is evident: "The children of this world are more prudent than the children of light in their generation."
10. (Vers. 8.). Second, as regards the curiosity of Herod in his questioning,
he adds: But Herod, seeing Jesus, was exceedingly glad,
not on account of the sight of faith, as Abraham, of whom it is said in John eight: "Abraham rejoiced to see my day: he saw it and was glad." — For he had been desirous for a long time to see him,
not through the affection of charity, as Job twenty-three: "Who will grant me that I may find him and come even to his throne?" For to such persons it is said above in chapter ten: "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. Amen I say to you, that many kings," etc. Not so Herod, but out of curiosity.
Whence he adds: Because he had heard many things about him, and he hoped to see some sign performed by him,
through the appetite of curiosity; above in chapter nine: "Herod the tetrarch heard of all the things that were done by him," "and he said: Who is this, about whom I hear such things? And he sought to see him."
11. (Vers. 9.). And because curiosity is most vigorous concerning sight and hearing, according to that text of Ecclesiastes one: "The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing"; therefore he adds: And he questioned him with many words: he questioned,
I say, not as one studious, but as one curious; not as a lover, but as a tempter, according to that text of Sirach thirteen: "By much talk he will tempt you, and smiling he will question you about your secrets." — And because such a person does not deserve to hear the truth, therefore it is added: But he answered him nothing.
Now Christ was silent as an example of prudence;
Proverbs twenty-six: "Answer not a fool according to his folly." Moreover it is just that divine things be hidden from the unworthy; whence the Gloss: "He was silent, because Herod's unbelief did not deserve to hear divine things, and the Lord was avoiding vainglory"; Matthew seven: "Do not give what is holy to dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine."
Likewise, as an example of patience:
Job thirty-one: "If I trembled before a great multitude, and the contempt of kinsmen terrified me, and I did not rather keep silent"; upon which Gregory says: "The good do not reveal their own things even when despised, when it does not benefit others; for that would be to display oneself, not to be of use, just as Jesus was silent before Herod who was not seeking improvement, and thereby suffered himself to be mocked."
Likewise, of innocence: whence the Gloss says: "Better is the cause which is not defended and yet is proved. Susannah was silent and prevailed," as is said in Daniel thirteen.
Likewise, as an example of confidence:
Exodus fourteen: "You shall be silent, and the Lord will fight for you."
As an example of obedience:
Isaiah fifty-three: "As a lamb before its shearer he shall be silent."
As an example of perseverance:
whence the Gloss says: "Those who fear being conquered seek to be defended; nor does he confirm the accuser by being silent, but despises him by not refuting him"; whence Lamentations three: "From the mouth of the Most High shall proceed neither evil nor good."
12. (Verse 10.). Third, as regards the wickedness of the people accusing,
there is added: But the chief priests and the scribes stood, vehemently accusing him.
But this constancy
was not virtue, but obstinacy, because it came not from love of justice, but from the malice of envy. For this is what arms the heart to assail one's neighbor: whence Augustine says: "Although through every vice the poison of the ancient enemy is poured into the human heart, in the zeal of envy it creeps through all the inmost parts. This is that by which Cain is armed against his brother Abel, and the sons of Jacob against Joseph, the Babylonians against Daniel, the Jews against Christ." But in the Jews there was envy with obstinacy, and therefore they accused him vehemently.
For perseverance in evil is not true constancy, but hardness and obstinacy, as the magicians of Pharaoh against Moses: whence Second Timothy three: "But as Jannes and Mambres resisted Moses, so also do these resist the truth, men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith." Whence they were imitators of that dragon, of whom Revelation twelve says: "Cast out was the accuser of the brethren, who accused them day and night"; and this from envy. For, Wisdom two, "by the envy of the devil death entered the world, and they imitate him who are of his part."
13. (Verse 11.). Fourth, as regards the foolishness of the prince who despised him,
there is subjoined: But Herod with his army despised him and mocked him, clothing him in a white garment; he despised him,
I say, as powerless,
because he performed no sign; as ignorant,
because he answered not a word; as foolish,
because he did not defend himself against his accusers. Nor did he only despise him, but also mocked him.
From which it appears that Christ was mocked with a threefold mockery, namely, by the Jews from malice,
above in chapter twenty-two; by Herod from arrogance,
as is said here; by the soldiers from ignorance,
as in John nineteen.
14. And it should be noted that the Jews veiled his face,
Herod clothed him in a white garment,
the soldiers placed around him a purple vestment.
From which it appears that our High Priest had in his passion pontifical vestments: the amice,
namely, when he was veiled by the Jews; the alb,
when he was clothed in a white garment by Herod; the chasuble,
when he had the scarlet cloak; and lest anything be lacking, he had also the maniple
and the stole
and the cincture,
while he was bound to the pillar; the crown of thorns he had in place of the mitre,
and the reed in his hand in place of the pastoral staff,
and in place of the gloves
and the sandals
he had hands and feet covered with blood. And these are worn by consecrating prelates in memory of the Lord's passion, in whose memorial the Sacrament of the altar is confected.
15. (Vers. 11. 12.). Because Herod did not find Christ worthy of death, therefore he himself also refused judgment; and so it is added: And he sent him back to Pilate,
as to a friend. On account of which he adds: And Herod and Pilate became friends from that day; for before they had been enemies to one another.
From which it appears that enmity with respect to the good begets friendship among the evil; therefore the evil are designated by the foxes of Samson,
which have their tails tied together, because all "come together as one against the Lord and against his Christ." And therefore these two designate the persecution of the two peoples against Christ; whence the Gloss: "Just as Herod and Pilate, so Jews and Gentiles, disagreeing in race and religion, and likewise also in mind, nevertheless agree in persecuting Christians and in destroying the faith of Christ."
Concerning the condemnation of Christ, two things are said.
16. But Pilate, having called together,
etc. After he described the arrest, mockery, and accusation of Christ, here in the fourth place he describes his condemnation.
And since Christ was condemned so that he might be led to the gibbet of the cross, therefore this part has two sections. In the first of which is treated his condemnation to the gibbet of the cross;
in the second, his being led forth to be crucified,
at the place And when they led him, they seized Simon.
The condemnation of Christ to the cross is described with respect to four things.
The Evangelist therefore describes the condemnation of Christ
as unjust,
as impious,
as extorted,
and as perverted:
as unjust,
on account of its opposition to the law of justice; as impious,
on account of its opposition to pious custom; as extorted,
on account of its opposition to the will of the judge; as perverted,
on account of its opposition to right reason.
17. (Vers. 13.). First, therefore, as regards intimating the repugnance between the condemnation of Christ and the justice of the law
he says: Pilate, having called together the chief priests and the magistrates of the people by prefacing with a citation: for the accusers must be cited to hear the sentence by which the accused ought to be absolved or condemned, because, as is said in Acts twenty-five, "it is not the custom of the Romans to condemn any man before the one who is accused has his accusers present and receives opportunity to defend himself to wash away the charges." Therefore, according to the order of law, before the delivery of the sentence, a convocation of the parties must precede, and once they are convoked, one must proceed.
18. (Vers. 14.). Therefore it is added: He said to them: You have brought this man to me as one turning the people away,
recalling the accusation:
whence John eighteen: "If this man were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him to you."
19. (Vers. 14. 15.). And after the accusation follows the inquiry,
therefore he adds: And behold, I, examining him before you, have found no cause in this man regarding those things in which you accuse him. But neither has Herod. For I sent you to him, and behold, nothing worthy of death has been done by him,
showing his innocence, which he shows through his own examination and that of another. Whence the Gloss: "Pilate confesses that neither he nor Herod found anything in killing or mocking Christ." For rightly that word of the Psalm applies to him: "You have tested me by fire, and iniquity has not been found in me."
20. (Vers. 16.). And because it is unjust for such a one to be condemned, therefore he adds: I will therefore chastise him and release him,
pronouncing an equitable sentence; for this sentence was to be delivered according to justice, since an innocent man was being accused. But Pilate did not dare to do this, but sought the assent of the adverse party, showing that he could not justly be condemned. Yet lest they could complain about the judge's release, he offers punishment of the accused in that he says he wishes to release him chastised,
that is, scourged. Whence the Gloss: "I will afflict him with scourges and mockeries, as much as you command, provided you do not thirst for innocent blood"; from which the repugnance between the condemnation and the justice of the law is apparent.
21. (Vers. 17.). Second, as regards the repugnance between the condemnation and pious custom
he adds: Now he was obliged to release to them on the feast day
one. This obligation, however, did not flow from imperial law but from custom; whence Rabanus: "Not by the sanction of imperial law, but conquered by the annual custom of the nation, whom he rejoiced to please through such things." This custom, moreover, was on the feast day of Passover in memory of the liberation of the people from Egyptian servitude; whence in John eighteen it is said that "Pilate said: But you have a custom that I should release one to you at Passover: do you wish, therefore, that I release to you the King of the Jews?"
22. (Vers. 18.). And this offering was according to the custom of clemency, but the perversity of the Jews refuses this in regard to Christ; and therefore he adds: But the whole crowd cried out together, saying: Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas.
Now the crowd sought this at the suggestion of the chief priests and scribes; whence Mark 15: "But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, that he should rather release Barabbas to them." And in this their cruelty is apparent, because they preferred a most impious murderer to the most merciful Lord.
23. (Vers. 19.). Therefore he adds: Who for a certain sedition made in the city and for murder had been cast into prison,
and thus he was seditious and a murderer, and moreover a robber, as is said in John 18: "Now Barabbas was a robber." From this the perversity of the Jews is apparent, because they preferred a seditious man to the Savior, a thief to the Benefactor, and preferred the life of a murderer to the Author of life; whence Acts 3: "You denied the Holy and Just One and asked that a murderer be granted to you; but you killed the Author of life." And this was the supreme impiety: to restore life to a destroyer and to take away life from the fount of all life; whence the Gloss: "Those who chose a robber instead of Jesus, a killer instead of the Savior, a taker of life instead of the giver of life, deservedly lost salvation and life."
24. (Vers. 20.). Thirdly, as to the conflict between the condemnation and the will of the judge,
he adds: And Pilate again spoke to them, wishing to release Jesus:
since neither mercy availed nor equity availed, at last authority and will came forward. Now Pilate wished this, both because it was hard for him to hand over so great a man to death without cause, and also because his wife dissuaded him; whence Matthew 27: "While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying: Have nothing to do with that just man." But this will of Pilate was not full but sluggish, according to that saying in Proverbs 13: "The sluggard wills and wills not"; because he was unwilling to act against the crowd, whose will was contrary.
25. (Vers. 21.). Therefore it is added: But they cried out, saying: Crucify, crucify him:
where the perverse will of the Jews is shown in this, that they seek with clamor;
whence that saying in Isaiah 5 applies to them: "I expected that he would do judgment, and behold, iniquity; and justice, and behold, a cry." For the clamor of this multitude it is said in Isaiah 17: "The multitude of many peoples, like the multitude of the roaring sea, and the tumult of crowds like the sound of many waters."
Their perverse will is also apparent from this, because they seek crucifixion:
whence Bede: "Great cruelty: they seek not only to kill, but even to crucify, so that, with feet and hands nailed to the wood, he might be tormented by a prolonged death,"
and not only prolonged, but also bitter,
according to that verse of the Psalm: "They pierced my hands and my feet"; and not only bitter, but also ignominious: Wisdom 2: "Let us condemn him to a most shameful death"; whence they wished to subject him as one accursed to the punishment of a curse, because, Deuteronomy 21, "cursed by God is he who hangs on a tree." But this was not without divine disposition, according to Galatians 3: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us"; but the impious demanded this out of cruelty and wrath. For these two things, namely the clamor and the cruelty, it is said in Jeremiah 12: "My heritage has become to me like a lion in the forest: it has raised its voice against me"; and again in the Psalm: "For many dogs have surrounded me, the assembly of the wicked has besieged me."
26. (Vers. 22.). Fourth, as regards the repugnance between the condemnation and right reason,
there is subjoined: But he said to them a third time: What evil has this man done? I find no cause of death in him.
For since there was no cause of death in him, to kill him was against the dictate of right reason. —And because for the envious mind reason does not suffice without punishment, he therefore adds: I will therefore chastise him and release him.
Nor did he only say this in word, but he also did it in deed, according to John 19: "Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him." Whence the Gloss: "He offered this chastisement by mocking and scourging to the desires of the wicked, lest they rage even to the point of crucifying him."
27. (Vers. 23.). And because a perverse heart is neither led by reason nor moved by pity, therefore it is added: But they were insistent with loud voices, demanding that he be crucified, and their voices prevailed.
From which it is apparent that, overcome by the force of right reason, they turn to entreaties: whence the Gloss: "They turn to entreaties, so that what they had been unable to accomplish by accusing or even by reasoning, they might now accomplish by demanding and shouting." Whence also John 19: "Pilate therefore went out again and said: Behold, I bring him out to you, that you may know that I find no cause in him: and he said to them: Behold the man. When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out saying: Crucify, crucify him."
From the foregoing, therefore, it is gathered that the death of Christ is more principally imputed to the Jews than to Pilate; whence in John 19 the Lord says: "He who handed me over to you has the greater sin." For the Jews always pressed for his death, but Pilate was seen to evade in seven ways, namely: by change of jurisdiction, by allegation of innocence, by offer of mercy, by showing his own will, by declaration that this was against reason, by infliction of punishment, and finally by pouring the guilt back upon the Jewish people; whence in Matthew 27: "Pilate, having taken water, washed his hands before the people, saying: I am innocent of the blood of this just man; see to it yourselves. And the whole people answering said: His blood be upon us and upon our children."
28. (Vers. 24.). But although he wished to free him in so many ways, nevertheless out of fear he failed in the end and turned aside against the dictate of justice, mercy, his own will, and right reason toward the perverse will of the people; therefore he adds: And Pilate adjudged that their petition should be granted;
and this against that passage in Exodus 23: "You shall not follow the crowd to do evil, nor in judgment shall you yield to the opinion of the many, so as to deviate from the truth."
29. (Vers. 25.). Now Pilate deviated by giving a distorted sentence in absolving the wicked man:
therefore he says: And he released to them him who had been cast into prison for murder and sedition, whom they requested;
and as regards the condemnation of the just man:
and therefore he adds: But Jesus he delivered to their will.
— Now the reason why Pilate was bent toward this most iniquitous sentence was the disordered love
of pleasing the people, which draws one back from the truth; therefore in Galatians 1: "If I were still pleasing men, I would not be a servant of Christ"; there was also fear,
lest he incur the offense of Caesar; whence in John 19: "If you release this man, you are not a friend of Caesar"; and it is added there that "Pilate, when he had heard this speech, was the more afraid," and then "he sat on the judgment seat" and rendered an evil sentence; on account of which in Proverbs 29 it is said: "He who fears man shall quickly fall."
The leading of Christ to crucifixion is described with regard to four things.
30. (Vers. 26.). And as they led him,
etc. After the condemnation of Christ has been described, here he describes the leading away of the condemned one:
concerning the description of which four things are introduced, namely: the leading of Christ
to the gibbet, the lamentation of the women, the reproof of those lamenting,
and the foretelling of impending calamities.
First, therefore, as regards the leading of Christ to the gibbet,
he says: And as they led him, they seized a certain Simon of Cyrene coming from the country, and they laid upon him the cross to carry after Jesus.
But the contrary of this seems to be said in John 19, where it is said: "They took Jesus and led him out. And bearing his own cross, he went forth to the place which is called Calvary."
Nevertheless, there is no contradiction, because both things occurred, but what Luke passes over in silence, John expresses. Whence the Gloss: "First the Lord carried the cross, but afterwards it was laid upon Simon, whom they met as they went out."
Now Luke carefully expresses this on account of the mystery of its signification. This Simon, by reason of his name and nation, since he was from Cyrene, designates the obedience of the Gentile people in bearing the cross after Christ. Whence the Gloss: "Because Simon was not an Israelite but a Cyrenean, the Gentiles are designated through him," who bear the cross when the peoples of the nations, having abandoned pagan rites, obediently embrace the footsteps of the Lord's passion. And to such Peter speaks in First Peter 2: "Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example," etc.; and to such Paul speaks in the last chapter of Hebrews: "Christ suffered outside the gate. Let us therefore go out to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach."
But because this Simon was compelled to carry the cross, as is said in Mark 15: "They compelled Simon the Cyrenean, who was passing by," therefore by reason of the compulsion he designates hypocrites, who bear the cross for human praise; whence Gregory: "Simon, who carries the cross under compulsion, is he who labors for human praise; for men submit to this labor whom neither the fear nor the love of God compels." Or he designates the slothful, who bear the cross with murmuring, pain, and reluctance. Against such Bernard says: "WOE to those who bear the cross, not as the Savior bore his own, but as that Cyrenean bore another's!" Against which, above in chapter nine: "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily," etc.; because every day the love of doing penance ought to be renewed in us.
31. (Vers. 27.). Second, as to the lamentation of the women accompanying him,
it is added: There followed him a great multitude of the people and of women, who bewailed and lamented him. The multitude
indeed followed out of wonder, but the women
out of compassion; whence the Gloss says: "The wicked follow, so that they might joyfully watch him die; the women, so that they might weep for him whom they desired to live—about to die, dying, and dead." Whence also after death it is said of Magdalene in John 20: "Mary stood at the tomb outside, weeping." Now this lamentation was made over Christ by women, not by men, not because women were more fervent or more steadfast in their love of Christ, but because they are by nature more prone to tears and of a more compassionate nature, as is said of Anna in Tobit 10: "Her mother therefore wept with irremediable tears"; and of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, in 1 Kings 1: "Since she was bitter in soul, she prayed to the Lord, weeping abundantly, etc."; and because they could do this more safely. Whence the Gloss says: "The weeping of women alone is not introduced as if men did not also grieve, but because the female sex, being regarded as more contemptible, could more freely display, in the presence of the chief priests, what they felt against them." Whence can be said that of Isaiah 32: "Gird your loins; beat upon your breasts; lament over the desirable land": truly desirable
was he above all the kings of the whole earth. And therefore this mourning and this lamentation could be signified by the lamentation made over Josiah, according to that of 2 Chronicles 35: "All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. And Jeremiah especially, whose singers, both men and women, repeat lamentations over Josiah." Now lamentations of this kind were both made and foretold for the Savior, and therefore they are read during his passion. At the same time the death of Christ and the ruin of Jerusalem are depicted: whence in the prayer of Jeremiah: "The joy of our heart has ceased; our dancing has been turned into mourning. The crown has fallen from our head: woe to us, for we have sinned! Therefore our heart has become sorrowful; therefore our eyes have been darkened."
32. (Vers. 28.). Third, with regard to the reproof of the lamenting women, he adds: But Jesus, turning to them, said: Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep over me.
Now he forbids such women from weeping, not because they would do wrong in compassionating Christ, since the pious and holy man Job says in chapter thirty: "I wept once over him who was afflicted, and my soul had compassion on the poor"; whence also holy David said in figure in 2 Kings 1: "I grieve for you, my brother Jonathan, exceedingly comely and lovable beyond the love of women." Whence also Christ, who is poor, afflicted, lovable, and most beautiful, is to be compassionated with the most pious affection, according to that passage in Zechariah 12: "They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him with mourning as for an only-begotten son, and they shall grieve over him as one is accustomed to grieve at the death of a firstborn." Therefore this is not what is reproved by Christ, but rather because they were sorrowing from dejection of mind:
against which 1 Thessalonians 4 says: "Do not be sorrowful as others who have no hope; for if we believe" etc. Whence the Gloss: "Do not lament me who am about to die, whose swift resurrection can dissolve death, whose death will destroy both death and the very author of death"; also because they were sorrowing with a certain carnal affection,
namely over the withdrawal of the desired countenance, as he said to the disciples in John 16: "You shall weep and lament" etc.; also because they were thus weeping over Christ as though he were dying for himself,
not for human transgression. Whence the Gloss: "They were saddened about mortal life, which was to be ended by death, not about the blind who were killing their physician."
33. But whenever we recall the passion of Christ, we ought to weep not for him, who is already glorified, but with regard to our own sin; therefore he adds: But weep for yourselves and for your children.
He does not deny, therefore, that one ought to weep, but that the consideration of the one weeping ought to return upon the crime of the human race,
for whose transgression Christ died. Since therefore Christ died for our sins, the day of his passion ought to be celebrated with many tears; whence it is said in Lamentations 1: "For this reason I am weeping, and my eye runs down with water, because the comforter who restores my soul is far from me; my children are desolate, because the enemy has prevailed." But it is otherwise with the other Saints, such as Peter and Paul, who died for the advancement of virtue and for attaining the palm of martyrdom. Every Christian, therefore,
ought to weep over himself and over the human race, because it was the cause of the slaying of its Lord.
Therefore Jeremiah 9: "Who will give water to my head and a fountain of tears to my eyes? And I will weep for the slain of the daughter of my people." From the remembrance of this spiritual death one must weep, as long as we are in Babylon as in a valley of tears and weeping; whence the Psalm: "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept, when we remembered you, O Zion." Everyone ought also to weep,
because the multitude of men does not recognize so great and so noble a devotion:
Lamentations 2: "Pour out tears like a torrent day and night; give yourself no rest." One ought also to weep, because from this one is prepared for eternal calamity;
on account of which Jesus wept over them; above in chapter 19: "Seeing the city, he wept over it, saying: If you also had known"; and Lamentations 2: "My eyes have failed with tears, my bowels are troubled; my liver is poured out upon the earth for the destruction of the daughter of my people."
34. (Verse 29). Fourth, as regards the prediction of imminent calamities,
he adds: For behold, the days shall come in which they shall say: Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not borne, and the breasts that have not nursed.
And this can be referred to the destruction of Jerusalem,
on account of which it is stated above in chapter 21: "Woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse in those days!" And again in the same chapter below: "There shall be great distress and wrath upon this people, and they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all nations."
Or better, it is referred to the final judgment,
from the consideration of which man ought to weep over himself and over other sinners, lest it be necessary to lament at his coming, according to that passage in Matthew 24: "The sign of the Son of Man shall appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man sitting," etc.
35. (Vers. 30.). And with this understanding what follows is more consonant: Then they will begin to say to the mountains: Fall upon us, and to the hills: Cover us.
This will be at the appearance of the Judge, according to that passage in Revelation 6: "They hid themselves in caves and in the rocks of the mountains and say to the mountains and rocks: Fall upon us and hide us from the face of him who sits upon the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come." And similarly Isaiah 2: "They will enter the clefts of rocks and the caverns of stones from the face of the dread of the Lord and from the glory of his majesty, when he shall rise to strike the earth," etc.
36. (Vers. 31.). But that such horrible days are to be awaited without doubt, dreaded, and anticipated with weeping, he shows from the consideration of his own passion, when he adds: For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?
As if to say: if a living, fruitful, and beautiful tree is cut down, what then will become of the dry and unfruitful one? Now Christ is the green wood,
because living:
whence Proverbs 3, "She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her," is said of Wisdom; and therefore he is designated by the tree of life,
of which Genesis 2 says: "God brought forth from the ground every tree beautiful to behold and pleasant to eat, and the tree of life in the midst of paradise." Because also fruitful;
Revelation 22: "On either side of the river, the tree of life bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit each month." Because powerful:
Revelation 22: "The leaves of the tree for the healing of the nations," etc.
On the contrary, the sinful man is dry wood,
because he lacks the life of grace, the fruit of justice,
and the strength of constancy:
on account of which Sirach 6 says to the sinner: "Do not exalt yourself in the thought of your soul, lest perhaps your strength be crushed through folly, and it devour your leaves and destroy your fruits, and you be left like a dry tree in the desert." If therefore the supreme Planter of the trees of paradise on account of sin permitted the tree of life and delight to suffer so cruel a death, what then will he do with the dry and thorny trees? Whence the Gloss says: "If I, who committed no sin, who am rightly called the tree of life,
bear twelve fruits of grace each month, and do not depart from the world without the fire of the passion, what torments await those who are empty of fruits and moreover do not fear to give the tree of life
to the flames?" And therefore Proverbs 11: "If the just man receives his due on earth, how much more the impious and the sinner"; and 1 Peter 4: "It is time for judgment to begin from the house of God. But if first from us, what will be the end of those who will not believe the Gospel?"
Concerning the crucifixion of Christ, two things are said.
37. And there were also two others led
etc. After having described Christ's arrest, mocking, accusation, and condemnation, here in the fifth place he describes his crucifixion;
which he describes in two ways, namely from the standpoint of the aggravating conditions
and from the standpoint of the surrounding circumstances
, at the passage: And there was also an inscription written
etc.
Regarding the description of the aggravating conditions,
six things are introduced, namely the dishonor of the company, the atrocity of the punishment, the benignity of the crucified one, the rapacity of the soldiers crucifying him, the malignity of the rulers mocking him, and the cruelty of the deriding crucified ones.
38. (Verse 32). First, therefore, regarding the dishonor of the company,
he says: And there were also two other malefactors led with him to be put to death
; two others, namely, who were malefactors,
so that from the iniquity of those put to death with Christ they might pretend that Christ suffered as a reprobate; but the Lord preordained this to happen, according to that passage of Isaiah fifty-three: "He was reckoned among the wicked"; both on account of the example of humility,
by reason of which it is said in the Psalm: "But I am a worm and not a man, the reproach of men and the outcast of the people"; and Isaiah fifty-three: "We esteemed him the lowest of men"; and on account of the mystery of signification.
For by the two thieves, according to the allegory,
are understood the peoples among whom and for whom and by whom he suffered, one of the Jews and the other of the Gentiles, who are rightly called thieves,
because both through pride in Adam wished to seize from God his proper dignity; whence, on that passage of Philippians two: "He did not consider it robbery to be equal to God," the Gloss says: "Adam and Eve wished to seize Divinity and lost felicity." And on this account the sign of circumcision was given as a remedy, which was as it were a branding of thieves, so that through it we might be freed from the punishment of theft. But the Jewish people, like the thief on the left, still blasphemes, while the Gentile confesses and prays. — According to Augustine, however, by the two thieves
is signified the whole human race fixed to the cross of tribulation and present misery; but one part on the right, as those who suffer for celestial glory, the other on the left, as those who suffer for temporal glory. And on this Ambrose says: "Execrable in deed
is the impiety of the Jews, which fixes to the cross the Redeemer of all as though a thief; yet good
in mystery
is the thief, who laid an ambush for the devil so as to carry off his vessels." Therefore Job forty: "In his eyes, as with a hook, he will catch him"; on which account the Lord compares himself to a thief above in chapter twelve: "If the master of the house knew at what hour the thief was coming," etc.
39. (Verse 33.). Second, as to the atrocity of the punishment, it is added: And after they came to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him. This place is called Calvary, as some say, because Adam lay there, and the skull of his head was there; and Ambrose seems to say this in his commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. But this is not said by Ambrose the Doctor, but by Ambrosius Adopertus. For, as Jerome says, Adam was buried in Hebron, as is stated in Joshua fourteen. It is therefore called the place of Calvary because the skulls of the condemned were kept there, those who were beheaded and hanged there. Now this place was outside the city, because this custom had grown up from ancient times, that criminals were killed outside the camp: Leviticus twenty-four, "Bring forth the blasphemer outside the camp, and let all the people stone him." This was done for the sake of a spectacle, but now it was for the sake of a mystery, to signify that the passion of Christ profited those who were outside Jerusalem; hence Hebrews, last chapter: "Jesus, that he might sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered outside the gate." Now this leading forth was prefigured in the leading forth of Abel, Genesis four; in the leading forth of Isaac, Genesis twenty-two; in the leading forth of Joseph, Genesis thirty-seven; in the going forth of David from Jerusalem, Second Kings fifteen. In this place of punishments, therefore, he was crucified with the most bitter punishment of the cross, according to that of Zechariah twelve: "They shall look upon me, whom they have pierced"; and Malachi three: "Shall a man pierce God, for you pierce me?"
Then was fulfilled the figure of the serpent raised upon a pole, Numbers twenty-one; then was fulfilled that of Deuteronomy twenty-eight: "Your life shall be as it were hanging before you." Then was fulfilled the prophecy of David: "They have pierced my hands and my feet"; then was fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah eleven: "Let us put wood into his bread"; and that of Daniel nine: "And after sixty-two weeks Christ shall be slain"; then also the prophecy of Zechariah thirteen: "What are these wounds in the midst of your hands?"; then also that of Isaiah fifty-three: "He shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter." Then were fulfilled all the things foretold concerning the passion of Christ; hence above, eighteen: "All things shall be accomplished which were written by the Prophets concerning the Son of Man."
40. Now this was the punishment of robbers; therefore he adds: And the robbers, one on the right and
the other on the left:
which was done not only as a reproach
but also, by God's disposing, for our instruction.
For by the two robbers
are understood the flesh
and the world,
which must be crucified, so that our spirit
may be offered to the Lord on the cross, as Jesus was. The flesh
must be crucified like the right robber,
according to that passage in Galatians 5: "And they that are Christ's have crucified their flesh," etc.; the world
like the left robber:
Galatians last chapter: "The world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." And then the spirit
in the middle is crucified with Christ, so that it may say with the Apostle in Galatians 2: "I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me."
Now the cross of the flesh
is the rigor of discipline, whose four arms are, namely, vigils, abstinence, roughness of clothing,
and the discipline of scourging.
The cross by which the world is crucified
is poverty of spirit, whose four arms are, namely, contempt of glory, of wealth, of homeland,
and of kindred.
The cross of the spirit
is the fervor of devotion, whose four arms are likewise, namely, hope
and love, fear
and sorrow: hope
above, fear
below, love
on the right and sorrow
on the left. And concerning these, Ephesians 3: "Rooted and grounded in charity, that you may be able to comprehend," etc.
41. (Verse 34). Third, with respect to the kindness of the Crucified One, he adds: But Jesus was saying: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do: in which is fulfilled that word of Isaiah fifty-three: "He bore the sins of many and interceded for the transgressors." Now this prayer was for a remedy, because even to his crucifiers his passion was profitable through his prayer. Hence in Acts two it is read that three thousand were converted in one day, and on another five thousand, Acts four, because, as it is said in Hebrews five, "he was heard in all things for his reverence." Hence also in this it appeared that he was a pious and merciful high priest, offering himself and interceding for the salvation of the people. And for this reason Luke alone, who treats especially of Christ's priesthood, describes and narrates this prayer; hence Bede: "Because Luke resolved to describe the priesthood of Christ, rightly does the Lord in his account intercede for his persecutors by the right of a priest." And this was prefigured in Numbers sixteen in Aaron, praying for the people rising up against him; of whom it is said in the same place that "Aaron, standing between the dead and the living, prayed for the people, and the plague ceased." Hence also Wisdom eighteen: "A blameless man hastened to pray for the people, bringing forth prayer as the shield of his ministry, and pleading entreaty through incense, he withstood the wrath." And for this reason Christ gave an example to all high priests and also to all Christians, who are "a royal priesthood," and especially to the perfect, to pray for their persecutors, according to that word of Matthew five: "Pray for those who persecute and calumniate you," as Christ did and the protomartyr Stephen; Acts seven: "Do not hold this sin against them. And when he had said this, he fell asleep."
42. Fourth, with respect to the rapacity of the soldiers crucifying him,
it is added: Dividing his garments, they cast lots;
which is stated more expressly in John nineteen: "The soldiers, when they had crucified him, took his garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and the tunic"; and afterwards it is added concerning the seamless tunic, that they cast lots whose it should be. Now this was done, as John says, for the fulfillment of prophecy; for the Prophet David says in the Psalm: "They divided my garments among themselves, and upon my vesture they cast lots." And in this appeared the rapacity of the soldiers, who stripped Christ on account of their rapacity. And therefore the passion of Christ is signally signified by Noah, of whom it is said in Genesis nine that "drinking wine, he was made drunk and was naked in his tent." Now by this division of the garments into four parts is understood the spread of the Church into the four parts of the world; whence Bede: "The fourfold garment
signifies the Church spread throughout the whole world, which consists of four parts. The tunic allotted by lot
signifies the unity of all parts, which is held together by the bond of charity." By the casting
of the lot
is understood the conferral of grace, which is given not according to human distribution but rather according to divine disposition, because, Proverbs sixteen, "lots are cast into the lap, but they are governed by the Lord"; and Acts one: "You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show whom you have chosen." "And they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias."
43. (Verse 35.) Fifth, with respect to the malice of the rulers insulting him,
he adds: And the people stood watching, and the rulers with them derided him,
and thus was fulfilled that word of the Psalm: "All who saw me derided me, they spoke with their lips and shook their head"; and Job twelve: "The simplicity of the just man is laughed to scorn. A lamp despised in the thoughts of the rich," namely, of the chief priests. A figure of this preceded in Ham: Genesis nine: "When Ham, the father of Canaan, had seen the nakedness of his father exposed, he told his two brothers outside." So also these men, seeing the weakness of Christ, insulted him.
Whence it is also added: Saying: He saved others, let him save himself, if this is the Christ, the elect of God. Wisdom two: "Let us test what shall come upon him. For if he is the true Son of God, he will take him up and deliver him from the hand of his adversaries." Nor did they say these things only, but rather they reviled him in manifold ways: whence Matthew twenty-seven: "Those passing by blasphemed him, shaking their heads and saying: Aha! You who destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days: save yourself." This the common people said, but the chief priests spoke still more maliciously: whence Matthew twenty-seven: "He saved others, he cannot save himself: if he is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross," etc. Upon which Bernard says: "What of you, O Jew, who but yesterday were shaking your head before the cross? Who were assailing the sacred head of Christ with reproaches, saying: If
he is the Christ, the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross? O venomous tongue, word of malice, wicked speech! This is plainly yours, but more so of him who
is a liar from the beginning. For what consequence does there seem to be, that he should
come down, if he is king, and not rather
ascend? Rather, because he is the King of Israel, let him not abandon the title of his kingdom, let him not lay down the rod of his dominion, whose indeed
government is upon his shoulder. Others, they say,
he saved, he cannot save himself. Rather, if he had come down, he would have saved no one: for since no one can be saved unless he has
persevered unto the end: how much less could he be the Savior"?
44. (Vers. 36.). Sixth, as regards the cruelty of those mocking the Crucified,
he adds: But the soldiers also mocked him. The soldiers
indeed mocked him before the crucifixion, according to what is said in John nineteen: "The soldiers, plaiting a crown of thorns, placed it upon his head and clothed him in a purple garment. And they came to him and gave him blows." From which it appears that according to Luke, Christ was mocked three times, namely in the house of the high priest, above in the twenty-second chapter, and in the presence of Herod, above in the same chapter, and now. In which it is given to understand that those three kinds of men whom Christ especially honored on earth dishonor Christ, namely the priests, the rulers, and the soldiers, so that the word of Isaiah one applies to them: "I have nourished and raised up children, but they have despised me." Whence that word of Isaiah fifty-seven applies to them: "Against whom have you made sport, and against whom have you opened wide your mouth and put out your tongue? Are you not wicked children?" The soldiers therefore despised Christ, and by despising him added affliction to the afflicted.
And therefore he adds: Coming near and offering him vinegar. Now it is said in Matthew twenty-seven that "they gave him wine mixed with gall" to drink, Mark fifteen. And, as Augustine says, it is credible that the Jews cast gall and myrrh, which are most bitter, into the sour wine. And in this is fulfilled the prophecy of the prophet David: "They gave," he says, "gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." And Deuteronomy thirty-two, concerning the vine turned to bitterness: "Their grape is a grape of gall, and a most bitter cluster. The gall of dragons is their wine, and the incurable venom of asps." And concerning this it is said in John nineteen: "When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said: It is finished," and because, since he had suffered in hearing through insults, in sight through tears, in touch through blows, nothing remained except that he should suffer in taste and tongue, against that pleasure which Adam and Eve had in eating the fruit. And because temptation of this kind entered through hearing, therefore the insults against Christ are repeated so many times.
45. (Verse 37.). Whence he adds: Saying: If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself. Whence also these soldiers are signified by the servants of the king of the Assyrians, who blasphemed the Lord, concerning whom Isaiah thirty-seven says: "Whom have you reproached, and whom have you blasphemed, and against whom have you exalted your voice and lifted up the height of your eyes? Against the Holy One of Israel. By the hand of your servants you have reproached the Lord." But the Lord did not yield to these blasphemers, so that he might give an example of patience and perseverance, according to that of James five: "Take, brothers, an example of long-suffering, labor, and patience. You have heard of the endurance of Job," etc. Whence Bernard says: "In vain, O malicious one, you have prepared your arrows in the quiver, and you heap up the sighs of the disciples with the reproaches of the Jews; for the former despair, the latter revile. But neither weapons shall harm Christ: he chose one time for strengthening the disciples and another for confuting the adversaries. Meanwhile he displays patience all the more, commends humility, fulfills obedience, perfects charity. For with these gems of the virtues the four arms of the cross are adorned: and charity is at the summit, obedience at the right, patience at the left, humility, the root of the virtues, at the base: the consummation of the Lord's passion has doubly enriched the trophy of the cross."
46. (Verse 38.). Now there was also a superscription, etc. After he has described the things aggravating Christ's passion, here he describes the surrounding circumstances. Now these were four, namely the superscription of the judge, the blasphemy of the thief, the confession of the penitent, and the mercy of the Savior.
First therefore, as regards the inscription of the judge, he says: And there was also an inscription written over him in Greek and Latin and Hebrew letters: This is the King of the Jews.
Pilate placed this inscription by way of a title, in which he intended to inscribe the cause of his passion; whence Mark chapter fifteen: "And the title of his charge was inscribed: King of the Jews"; in which is shown the cause why he was crucified according to truth, but the Jews did not accept it; whence John chapter nineteen: "Many of the Jews read this title, and the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate: Do not write: King of the Jews, but: That he said: I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered: What I have written, I have written." From which it appears that the title was written by divine direction; whence Bede says: "Therefore the title was placed over the one sacrificed, so that it might be clear to all who wish to read and believe that through the cross he did not lose but strengthened his dominion," according to that passage of Isaiah chapter nine: "The government was placed upon his shoulder"; and in the Psalm: "The Lord reigned" from the wood.
47. Now the title is threefold, namely a certain one is memorial,
which is written on the tombs of the dead; proclamatory,
which is on the gates of cities; and triumphal,
which contains the cause and order of the triumph and was customarily written on arches, and such was this title, concerning which Isaiah chapter nineteen says: "There shall be an altar of the Lord in the midst of Egypt, and a pillar of the Lord near its border." This was written in three languages because, although there were seventy-two, three nevertheless were preeminent; whence the Gloss says: "These three languages were preeminent above the others: Hebrew on account of the Jews glorying in the Law, Greek on account of the wise Greeks, Latin on account of the ruling Romans. Therefore, whether the Jews wish it or not, every kingdom of the world, all worldly wisdom, all the mysteries of the divine law testify that Jesus is the emperor of those who believe and confess." Or it was in three
because these three languages intimate the mystery of the Trinity. It also seems to be a firm testimony of truth; whence Augustine says: "The title was approved in three languages as if by three witnesses, because in the mouth of two or three every word stands firm".
48. (Verse 39). Second, as regards the blasphemy of the thief,
he adds: But one of the thieves who were hanging blasphemed him, saying: If you are the Christ, save yourself and us.
But the contrary of this seems to be said in Mark 15, where it states: "And those who were crucified with him reviled him"; and similarly in Matthew 27. But this contradiction is resolved in two ways: in one way, that the words of Matthew and Mark are understood through synecdoche, so that what belongs to the part is attributed to the whole; or, that both began to blaspheme in the beginning, but only one persisted: and this one was blaspheming, because he was not truly seeking to be saved, but mockingly. And this was the worst thing, that a wretched and poor man would mock a poor and afflicted man; on account of which Proverbs 28: "A poor man who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain, in which famine is prepared." But the Lord does not respond to this one, so as to give an example of patience; whence 1 Peter 2: "When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten"; so that he might also teach by example that word of the Apostle in Romans 12: "Bless those who curse you; bless and do not curse." For this is virtuous; whence Chrysostom: "It is more wonderful that a man who has suffered insults is not moved than that a man who has been wounded and struck does not fall."
49. (Verses 40–41.). Third, as to the confession of the penitent, he adds: But the other answering, rebuked him, saying: Do you not even fear God, seeing that you are under the same condemnation! Which he says by detesting another's fault, which is the work of one truly penitent, according to that word in Ephesians 5: "Do not participate in the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." — And not only another's, but indeed also his own; whence he adds: And we indeed justly, for we are receiving what is worthy of our deeds. And this is truly of the penitent, according to that word in Daniel 3: "You are just, O Lord, in all that you have done to us, and all your works are true"; "for we have sinned and acted wickedly, departing from you." — For he not only acknowledges his own fault, but also proclaims the innocence of Christ; whence he adds: But this man has done nothing evil, according to that word in 1 Peter 2: "Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth."
50. (Verse 42.). For he not only acknowledges the innocence of his life, but also the excellence of his power; and therefore he adds: And he said to Jesus: Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom; in which he at once confesses the royal excellence of Christ and seeks the remission of his fault. So Nehemiah prayed; Nehemiah 5: "Remember me, O my God, for good"; Psalm: "Remember your mercies, O Lord," etc.; and again: "According to your mercy, remember me, for your goodness' sake, O Lord."
It is apparent, therefore, that in this thief there was the truth of faith
and a confession of truth,
by reproving evil, approving good, and asserting what is true; there was also the supplication of prayer.
Whence the Gloss: "Great grace shines forth in this thief: he has no member free from torment except his heart and tongue; all that he has free, he offers: he believes with his heart, he confesses with his mouth." And in this appears that which is said above in the seventeenth chapter: "Two shall be in the field: one shall be taken, and the other shall be left," according to the depth of the divine judgments.
51. (Verse 43). Fourth, as regards the mercy of the Savior,
he subjoins: And Jesus said to him: Amen I say to you: Today you shall be with me in paradise:
in which Christ showed wondrous mercy as a most loving high priest, because he did not refuse the repentance of the thief, however late it was, and he granted more than the thief was asking. Whence Ambrose: "A most beautiful example of conversion to be desired, that pardon is so quickly granted to the thief, and the grace is more abundant than the petition. For the Lord God always bestows more than is asked"; for when he sought pardon, he obtained paradise. And note that he says: You shall be in paradise,
not, I say, in the celestial paradise, into which no one ascended before Christ, but in the blessed vision of God. Whence Ambrose: "Life is to be with Christ, because where Christ is, there is the kingdom."
52. And note here that paradise
in Scripture is called first the garden of delight:
Genesis 2: "And the Lord God had planted a paradise of delight from the beginning"; and the heavenly homeland:
Apocalypse 2: "To the one who conquers I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of my God"; and the vision of the divine form:
2 Corinthians 12: "He was caught up into paradise and heard there secret words," etc.
Allegorically,
it is called the Church:
Genesis 2: "A river went out from the place of delight to water paradise." It is called the Blessed Virgin:
Song of Songs 4: "An enclosed garden, a sealed fountain, your shoots are a paradise"; Sacred Scripture:
Ecclesiasticus 24: "I came forth like an aqueduct from the paradise of God."
Tropologically,
it is called grace:
Ecclesiasticus 40: "Grace, like a paradise in blessings." It is called the God-fearing soul:
Ecclesiasticus 40: "The fear of the Lord is like a paradise of blessing." It is also called the religious life:
Genesis 13: "The whole region of the Jordan was watered like the paradise of the Lord."
It is said here, therefore, for the blessed vision of Christ,
because, as is said in John 17, "This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."
Concerning the death and burial of Christ, two things are said.
53. Now it was about the sixth hour
etc. After having described Christ's arrest, mockery, accusation, condemnation, and crucifixion, here the Evangelist describes his death and burial
; and this has two parts. In the first, he treats of death;
in the second, of burial,
at the passage: And behold, a man named Joseph.
Concerning the description
of Christ's death,
four things are introduced, namely: the wondrous disturbance of the world, the tearful expiration of Christ, the faithful confession of the centurion,
and the trembling compunction of the people.
54. (Vers. 44.45.). First, therefore, regarding the wondrous disturbance of the world,
which preceded the death of Christ, he says: Now it was about the sixth hour.
Now it is said in John chapter nineteen that "it was the sixth hour" when Jesus was crucified, and in Mark chapter fifteen that "it was the third hour"; and Luke resolves this controversy, showing that it was between the third and the sixth hour, but nearer to the sixth; whence the other Evangelists name the extremes, and Luke expresses the middle hour. In this sixth hour and sixth Age and sixth day of the week, Jesus was crucified for man, who was formed on the sixth day.
After this sixth hour, with Christ hanging on the cross and drawing near to death, there came about a universal commotion of creation; whence he adds: And darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, and the sun was darkened.
Now this darkness could not have occurred by nature, as happens in an eclipse, for a threefold reason: namely, because the moon was in its fourteenth day, and thus at its perfect distance from the sun; and because an eclipse does not entirely remove light from all parts of the earth; and because it cannot last for three hours; and therefore here there was a threefold miracle. And for this reason it is reported that blessed Dionysius, when he was in Egypt and saw that darkening, said: "Either the elements are being changed, or the God of nature suffers, and the elements suffer with him." Whence he himself also says in his Epistle against Apollophanes: "Tell me, what do you say about the eclipse that occurred at the saving cross? For we were both together stationed near the city of the sun, and we wondrously saw the moon passing beneath the sun; for it was not the time of conjunction; and from the ninth hour until evening we saw the moon supernaturally opposed to the sun diametrically"; and afterward: "We saw the obscuration itself beginning from the east and coming to the solar boundary, then receding."
55. And because Christ was not only lord of nature, but also of legal observance: therefore he adds: And the veil of the temple was torn in the middle; nor was it only this veil, but also other creatures of his suffered with him: whence Matthew twenty-seven: "The rocks were split, and the tombs were opened"; and all this in testimony of the Divinity of Christ. And on this Jerome says: "The elements suffer with their Creator: the sun fled, because it could not behold the death of Christ; it labored together with the one laboring and withdrew the benefit of its light from those blaspheming: every creature suffers with Christ dying. For the sun is darkened, the earth is moved, the rocks are split, the veil of the temple is divided, the sepulchers are opened; only wretched man does not suffer with him, for whom alone Christ suffers." Moreover, it should be noted that in that darkening of the sun is understood the blinding of the Jews, and in the rending of the veil, the revelation of the Scriptures, which was made to the gentiles: whence it is said in John nine: "I have come for judgment into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind." Or, it can be referred to the final time, concerning which in the Psalm: "You have appointed darkness, and it became night: in it all the beasts of the forest shall pass through."
56. (Verse 46.). Second, as to the tearful expiration of Christ, he adds: And crying out with a loud voice, Jesus said: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit. - But there seems to be a contradiction among the Evangelists. For in Matthew twenty-seven and Mark fifteen it is said that he cried out: "Eli, Eli"; and in John nineteen it is said that he cried out: "It is finished." But all of this is true, because he cried out three times. And first he said what Matthew says, then second, what John says, and third, what Luke says. - And the Evangelist Luke himself indicates this in what he adds: And saying these things, he expired. From which it is apparent that he expired while simultaneously crying out and praying, in order to show that he himself is our true high priest; on account of which, Hebrews five: "Who in the days of his flesh, offering prayers and supplications to him who was able to save him from death, with a strong cry and tears, was heard for his reverence." "And being consummated, he became to all who obey him the cause of eternal salvation, called by God a high priest according to the order of Melchisedech." Therefore he expired while simultaneously crying out and weeping, so that in the tears the true passion and humanity of Christ might be understood, and in the cry, his Divinity; because, since no one can cry out by nature unless he has sufficient blood in the heart and breath for respiration, it is impossible that anyone should by nature expire and cry out at the same time. And therefore he showed in the cry of death that he is omnipotent, and he demonstrated to be true what he said in John ten: "I have the power to lay down my life, and I have the power to take it up again." "No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself"; and therefore Isaiah fifty-three: "If he shall lay down his life for sin, he shall see a long-lived seed, and the will of the Lord shall be directed in his hand."
57. (Vers. 47.). Third, as to the faithful confession of the centurion, he adds: Now the centurion, seeing what had been done, glorified God, saying: Indeed this man was just. This faithful confession had its origin from the sight of the wonders that occurred in the commotion of the world and especially in the manner of dying; whence Matthew twenty-seven: "Now the centurion, and they that were with him, having seen the earthquake and the things that were done, were greatly afraid, saying: Indeed this was the Son of God." But in Mark fifteen it is said that "the centurion, seeing that crying out so he had expired, said: Indeed this man was the Son of God." Luke, however, comprehends both when he says: The centurion seeing what had been done. Whence in this centurion there appeared a readiness among the Gentiles for faith, and conversely among the Jews an obstinacy toward unbelief. On account of which Bede also says: "Seeing that he had the power of releasing his spirit, which none can have except the Creator of souls, the very one who had crucified him confesses him to be the Son of God in the very scandal of the Passion—him whom the Jews after his miracles refused to believe." But because the chief priests, though they had seen these things, did not glorify God, they were therefore blinded, according to that passage in Romans one: "Because when they had known God, they did not glorify him as God or give thanks, but became vain in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened."
58. (Vers. 48.). Fourth, as to the trembling compunction of the people, he adds: And all the multitude of those who had come together to that spectacle and saw the things that were done, striking their breasts, returned. The striking of the breast is a sign of penitence and compunction, as above in the eighteenth chapter concerning the publican, who "struck his breast, saying: God, be merciful to me a sinner." By this multitude is understood the Jewish people, who, although they saw the truth, as the centurion did, only struck their breasts but did not break forth into the voice of confession. Whence the Gloss says: "Let us see the difference between nation and nation: the Gentiles, as Christ died, glorify God with the voice of open confession; the Jews, only striking their breasts, return home in silence." Whence they returned home, because, although it seemed to them that what had been done against Christ was unjust, nevertheless they had little or no affection toward him.
59. (Vers. 49.). Nor is it surprising, because even all his acquaintances
regarded him as a stranger, although they had not entirely lost their affection: therefore he adds: But all his acquaintances stood at a distance, and the women who had followed him from Galilee, seeing these things.
And thus was fulfilled that word of the Psalm: "You have put far from me friend and neighbor, and my acquaintances from misery"; Job nineteenth: "He has put my brothers far from me, and my acquaintances have withdrawn from me as strangers." And the reason for this was that he was now most poor and despised and put to death; Proverbs nineteenth: "The brothers of a poor man hate him; moreover, his friends have withdrawn far from him." Nevertheless, the glorious Virgin and our Lady, holy Mary, was not put far away, neither in affection
nor in position.
For it is said in John nineteenth: "But there stood by the cross of Jesus his Mother and his Mother's sister"; and she was most close in affection:
whence above in the second chapter: "A sword shall pierce your own soul." Whence him whom she bore with joy in his nativity, in his passion she brought forth with sorrows.
60. (Vers. 50.). And behold, a man named Joseph
etc. After the Evangelist described Christ's arrest, mockery, accusation, condemnation, crucifixion, and death, here at last he describes his burial
. Concerning the description of which, four things are introduced, namely the dignity of the one burying, the honor of the burial, the opportuneness of the time
and the reverence of the women
at the burial.
First, therefore, as to the dignity of the one burying,
he says: And behold, a man.
He points him out as worthy and suitable for burying Christ; on account of which he describes him by name,
when he says: Named Joseph;
so that, just as Joseph had nourished Christ, as is said in Matthew first: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary, your wife," etc.; and again in the second chapter: "Take the child and his Mother"; so another Joseph would bury him and place him like a grain of wheat in his granary, just as that Joseph who stored up grain for the peoples in Egypt, Genesis forty-first.
He also describes him by dignity,
saying: Who was a decurion:
the Gloss: "A decurion
is one who is of the order of the curia and administers the office of the curia." Or a decurion
is so called because he presided over ten, just as a centurion was over a hundred, according to that passage in Exodus eighteenth: "Jethro said to Moses: Choose for yourself men in whom there is truth and who hate avarice, and appoint from them tribunes and centurions and commanders of fifty and commanders of ten, who shall judge the people." — And he is also described by his life,
when he adds: A good and just man: good
interiorly, and just
exteriorly, according to that passage in Matthew twelfth: "A good man brings forth good things from the good treasure of his heart."
61. (Vers. 51.). He describes him from his will,
when he adds: This man had not consented to their counsel and deeds:
whence that verse of the Psalm fittingly applies to him: "Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly," etc.; and Jerome says that some have said that that Psalm should be understood, by a certain appropriation, as referring to this Joseph.
He describes him from his homeland,
when he says: From Arimathaea, a city of Judea:
this is the same as Ramatha, which was the city of Samuel, according to what is said in 1 Kings 1: "There was a certain man from Ramathaim Sophim"; whence the Gloss: "This is Ramatha, the city of Elkanah and Samuel." - He describes him from the devotion of faith,
when he adds: Who himself also was waiting for the kingdom of God,
as is said of Simeon above in chapter two, that "he was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him."
62. (Vers. 52.). He describes him from his constancy,
when he adds: This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus:
and this indeed he did with great constancy, fearing neither the ferocity of the Gentiles nor the malice of the chief priests, since, in Mark 15, "he went in boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus." Whence Joseph, who had previously hidden himself, as is said in John 19, that "he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews," here now revealed himself. In this it is given to understand that disciples of the truth ought to manifest themselves in the moment of necessity: for it is said above in chapter nine: "Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he comes in his majesty and the Father's," etc.
63. In the moral sense,
however, by this Joseph
is understood the prelate, who snatches Christ from the hand of Pilate, that is, from the hand of tyrants; who ought to be a man
not only in sex, but in maturity and manliness, because in Ecclesiasticus seven it is said: "Do not seek to be made a judge, unless you have the strength to break through iniquities." He ought to be a Joseph,
namely one seeking his own and others' advancement, according to that passage of Genesis forty-nine: "Joseph is a fruitful son, a fruitful son." He ought to be a noble councillor,
that is, one nobly handling the affairs of Christ's court, according to that passage of First Corinthians four: "Let a man so account of us as ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God"; whence in Second Timothy two the Apostle said to the prelate: "Labor as a good soldier of Christ." And such a one is noble,
according to that passage of Proverbs, the last chapter: "Her husband is noble in the gates, when he sits among the senators of the land." He ought to be a good and just man,
like Job; Job one: "That man was simple and upright," etc. He ought to be one dissenting from evil counsel,
according to that passage of Ecclesiasticus thirty-seven: "Guard your soul from an evil counselor"; because, in Romans one, "not only those who do such things are worthy of death, but also those who consent to those who do them." He ought to be from Arimathea,
which is interpreted as "watchfulness of giving," so that he may watch over the flock entrusted to him; Proverbs twenty-seven: "Diligently know the face of your flock," etc.; and therefore above in chapter two it is said that "the shepherds were keeping watch and guarding the watches of the night," etc. He ought to be one awaiting the kingdom of God,
according to that passage of James five: "Behold, the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the earth, bearing patiently, until he receives the early and the late rain." — Such a prelate, therefore, in whom there is manliness, diligence, nobility of character, justice, innocence, watchfulness, and confidence, is fit to receive Christ crucified in his members and to place him in a place of rest and ecclesiastical unity.
64. (Verse 53). Secondly, as to the honor of the burial,
he adds: And having taken him down, he wrapped him in a clean linen cloth:
for this was most fitting for the most pure flesh of Christ. Whence it was instituted in the Church that corporals
should be of simple linen cloth, clean, not dyed nor colored with various colors. For just as the altar
bears the figure of the cross, and the chalice that of the tomb, and the paten
that of the stone placed over it, so the corporal
bears the figure of the burial cloth. Whence the verse:
The altar represents the cross, the chalice the tomb, and the paten the stone; the white linen holds the office of the burial cloth.
And therefore as a figure of this it is said in the last chapter of Proverbs: "She made fine linen and sold it, and delivered a girdle to the Canaanite." As a figure of this also it is said in Ezekiel 9 that "the man who was in the midst of six men was clothed in linen"; and this as a sign of innocence, by reason of which he is compared to the immaculate and most white lamb; on account of which his bride also ought to be clothed in innocential purity: Revelation 19: "The marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has prepared herself. And it was granted to her that she should cover herself in fine linen, shining and white. For the fine linen is the justifications of the Saints."
65. But because this purity existed most perfectly in Christ alone, who alone was "free among the dead," therefore he alone was buried in a new tomb; and for this reason he adds: And he placed him in a hewn tomb, in which no one had yet been laid.
Bede: "The Lord alone is enclosed in the tomb, so that his burial and resurrection might be shown to be unlike the frailty of our nature." Whence Isaiah 11: "The nations shall beseech him, and his sepulchre shall be glorious." Then was verified that word of Lamentations 3: "My life has fallen into the pit, and they placed a stone over me." Moreover, he was placed in a hewn tomb because it was fitting that it should be so for Christ, who was "a stone cut from the mountain without hands," Daniel 2. This was also done so that no one could say that the tomb had been dug through; on account of which guards were also appointed as proof of the true resurrection. "Now the tomb, as the expositors say, was like a certain round house hewn in the rock, of such height that a man with outstretched hand could scarcely touch the top, having its entrance from the east. The place of the buried body was on the north side, hewn from the rock itself, having seven feet in length, rising three palms from the ground, entirely open on the southern side, from where the body was brought in." Now such an arrangement was most fittingly suited to Christ's sepulchre, whose rising and setting, sleep and resurrection, like the sun of justice, illuminated the whole world, according to that word of Ecclesiastes 1: "The sun rises and sets"; and after: "it goes round through the south and turns to the north"; so that thus by the power of the rising Christ "the spirit might come from the four winds and breathe upon the slain who are to be raised up." Whence it is said in Isaiah 43: "From the east I will bring your seed, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north: Give up; and to the south: Do not hold back."
66. (Vers. 54.). Third, regarding the opportuneness of the time, he says: And it was the day of preparation, and the Sabbath was dawning. The day of preparation is Friday, which is therefore called parasceve, which is interpreted as "preparation," because on it were prepared the things that were necessary for the Sabbath; and thus it was the sixth day of the week, on which the Lord suffered at midday, but was buried in the evening, that is, on the eve of the Sabbath, because, just as the sixth day was fitting for Christ's death and crucifixion, so the seventh was fitting for his burial and Christ's rest. Whence Bede: "On the sixth day man was made, on the seventh God rested; on the sixth day, therefore, the Crucified One fulfills the mystery of restoration, resting in the tomb on the Sabbath he awaits the event of the resurrection." Therefore, as a figure of this, it is said in Genesis 2: "God rested on the seventh day from all the work which he had done. And he blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it he had ceased from all his work."
67. And on account of this, Saint Luke, specifying the time of Christ's burial, did not keep silent but expressly mentioned the Sabbath, both on account of the mystery of allegory, as has been touched upon, and on account of the mystery of tropology, because in this it is signified that man through six ages ought to be afflicted and crucified with Christ, so that in his death he may have a sabbath rest, according to that passage in Job 5: "In six tribulations he will deliver you, and in the seventh no evil shall touch you"; because, Revelation 14, "blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. Henceforth now, says the Spirit, let them rest from their labors." And therefore he says pointedly that the Sabbath was dawning, when night was beginning, because that night was terminated in light: so also the death of the just is terminated in light and life, so that a man may say that word of the Psalm: "And night is my illumination in my delights: for darkness shall not be darkened before you, and night shall be illuminated as the day."
68. He also said this for the certitude of the truth of the history, so that from this it may appear that parasceve is said not with respect to the first day of unleavened bread, as the Greeks say, but with respect to the Sabbath. For although the first day of unleavened bread was most solemn, it was nevertheless permitted to prepare food on it, but not on the Sabbath, and especially not on the great Sabbath, which was then the day of unleavened bread. Whence in John 19 it is said: "For that day of the Sabbath was a great day"; great indeed it was, because it was the Sabbath; greater, because it was the Paschal Sabbath; greatest, because then was accomplished the fulfillment of the figure through the truth. And then the Sabbath ceased when it was fulfilled, and the Lord's day succeeded, to be celebrated, because, now having the truth of the seventh day through Christ's rest, we await the resurrection and glorification of the eighth day, which has already been begun in our Head and will be consummated in us in the general resurrection.
69. And it should be noted that the Sabbath according to the letter was called the seventh day: Exodus 20: "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord." And this ceases: Hosea 2: "I will cause all her joy to cease, her solemnity, her new moon, and her Sabbath."
According to allegory, it is called the rest of Christ in the tomb, through which the liberation of souls was accomplished: on account of which, above in the thirteenth chapter: "But this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound, lo, for eighteen years now, ought she not to be loosed from this bond on the day of the Sabbath?" It is called the rest of holy souls: Hebrews 4: "There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For he who has entered into his rest has himself also rested from his works." - According to tropology, however, it is called rest from the commission of sin: Jeremiah 17: "Do not carry burdens on the day of the Sabbath." It is called the rest of contemplation, according to that passage in Ezekiel 46: "The gate of the inner court, which looks toward the east, shall be closed for the six days on which work is done; but on the day of the Sabbath it shall be opened"; because to those who contemplate, the light of Truth is opened. It is also called the state of religious life or the observance of evangelical perfection: Isaiah 58: "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your will on my holy day, you shall be called a delightful Sabbath and a glorious holy gift." - According to anagogy, however, the Sabbath is called the rest of eternal delight: the last chapter of Isaiah: "There shall be Sabbath after Sabbath." - Thus the seventh day of the Sabbath, according to the fourfold face of the wheel, that is, the understanding of Scripture, has a sevenfold meaning, so that the Sabbath is called bodily rest, the rest of Christ, the repose of souls, cessation from the commission of sin, the leisure of contemplation, the state of religious life, and the peace of everlasting happiness.
70. (Verse 55.) Fourth, as regards the reverence of the women in following after, he adds: And the women who had come with him from Galilee followed after and saw the tomb. They did this from an affection of piety; whence the Gloss: "When the other acquaintances of Jesus departed after the body was laid down, only the women, who loved more ardently, attended to the office of burial"; and they did this so that they might mourn the dead one whom they had previously loved when he was about to die. And this is a matter of piety and devotion, according to that passage in Sirach 38: "My son, shed tears over the dead, and as one suffering grievously begin to weep, and according to judgment cover his body, and do not despise his burial." "And mourn according to his merit."
Therefore these pious women not only looked upon the burial place, but also upon the buried body: and therefore he adds: And how his body was laid, namely, they saw, and this in order to bestow the service of kindness.
71. (Verse 56.) On account of which he adds: And returning, they prepared spices and ointments: for this was permitted on the day of preparation, but on the Sabbath not at all.
And therefore he adds: And on the Sabbath indeed they rested according to the
commandment. For Leviticus twenty-three: "Six days you shall do work: the seventh day, because it is the rest of the Sabbath, shall be called holy."
- But there seems to be a contradiction among the Evangelists: for in Mark sixteen it is said that "when the Sabbath had passed, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that coming they might anoint Jesus"; similarly also in Matthew twenty-eight. - But to this Jerome responds, saying: "The women, after the Lord was buried, returning home, as long as it was permitted, prepared spices and ointments, namely until sunset, and afterward they rested the whole Sabbath until the next sunset: and then, having recovered the permission to work, they again bought other spices, because those which they had prepared were not sufficient, and that whole night between the Sabbath and the Lord's day they prepared them, so that coming at dawn to the tomb they might anoint the body of Jesus."
72. Morally,
by these three women,
according to Gregory,
are signified faithful souls, who ought to offer the Lord three ointments or spices, that is, the fragrance of virtues, the reputation of good works,
and the sweetness of holy prayers,
concerning which Song of Songs four: "Arise, O north wind, and come, O south wind, blow through my garden, and let its spices flow forth."
But according to Bernard,
by these three women
are signified in each person the mind, the tongue,
and the hands,
each of which has its own very precious ointments: the ointments of the mind
indeed are contrition, compassion,
and devotion.
The ointment of contrition
is compounded from the cheapest
ingredients, that is, from one's own sins, which grow in our garden. The ointment of compassion
is compounded from the most bitter
ingredients, that is, from all the miseries of our neighbors, which grow in the neighboring garden. The ointment of devotion
is compounded from the most precious
ingredients, that is, from all the benefits of Christ, which grow in the Lord's garden: Sirach thirty-eight: "The perfumer shall make sweet confections and shall prepare ointments of healing."
The ointments of the tongue
are devout prayer, complete confession, and true preaching.
The herbs from which the first
ointment is compounded are right intention, firm attention,
and pious affection.
The herbs from which the second ointment is compounded are shame for what was committed, sorrow for what was lost,
and fear of judgment.
The herbs from which the third
ointment is compounded are instruction in faith, formation of morals, rebuke of vices.
Concerning these ointments it is said in Proverbs twenty-seven: "By ointment and various fragrances the heart is delighted, and by the good counsels of a friend the soul is sweetened."
The ointments of the third woman, namely the hands,
are the seven works of mercy
, namely to shelter pilgrims, to give drink to the thirsty, to feed the hungry, to ransom captives, to clothe the naked, to visit the sick, and to bury the dead: concerning which ointments, the last chapter of Genesis says: "Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father with spices," etc.; and concerning the said ointments can be understood that passage from Song of Songs, chapter one: "Your breasts are better than wine, fragrant with the finest ointments." For the ointments of the first woman are good,
those of the second better,
but those of the third woman are the best.