Formulae of Spiritual Understanding 4–7

IIII. Of living creatures. Birds: the saints, because they fly up in heart to higher things; in the Gospel: “and it put forth great branches, so that the birds of heaven could dwell under its shade.” Flight: the transports of the saints in God, or understanding in the Scriptures; in the psalm: “and I will fly away and be at rest.” Wings: the two Testaments; in Ezekiel: “each covered its body with two wings.” Feathers: the Scriptures; in the psalm: “the feathers of the silvered dove.” The nest: the church, or a lofty rest for the saints; in the psalm: “and the turtledove a nest for herself where she may lay her young.” And otherwise the nest is a good conscience, in which the offspring of good thoughts are cherished and brought forth into works, so that afterwards they are called sons; in the psalm: “your sons like young olive shoots around your table.” Chicks: the saints; in the psalm, as above. And in a bad sense, in Solomon: “and may the young eagles devour him.” Eagles: the saints; in the Gospel: “Where the body is, there the eagles will gather.” And in a bad sense: “may the young eagles devour him.” The ostrich: a heretic or a philosopher, because, though as it were with the feathers of wisdom, it still does not fly; in Isaiah: “and it will be a lair of dragons and a pasture of ostriches.” The pelican: the Lord Christ in his passion, or a holy man given to solitude; in the psalm: “I have become like a pelican of the wilderness.” The raven: the blackness of the sinner or of the demon; in Solomon: “may the ravens of the valleys dig it out.” Also in a good sense, in the Song of Songs, of the Bridegroom: “his locks like fir trees, black as ravens.” The partridge: the devil; in the prophet: “The partridge has cried out, gathering what she did not hatch.” The dove: the Holy Spirit; in the Gospel: “and I saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove.” Also in the other sense: “Ephraim, a senseless dove, without heart.” The turtledove: the Holy Spirit, or a holy man, or spiritual understanding; in the Song of Songs: “The voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land.” But the Holy Spirit is called a dove when the treatment of sacred Scripture is plain, and the Holy Spirit is understood as a turtledove when the Scriptures are raised to lofty and obscure mysteries. The kite signifies, I think, a rapacious or proud man; in the psalm according to the Hebrew: “the fir tree is the kite's house.” The hawk: sometimes a holy man, I think, who seizes the kingdom of God; in Job: “Does the hawk grow its feathers by your wisdom?” The night raven: Christ, or a holy man despised by unbelievers; in the psalm: “I have become like a night raven in the house.” The sparrow: sometimes the Lord, or a holy man; in the psalm: “For the sparrow has found itself a home.” There is also another sparrow, of which it is said to the holy man: “Flee to the mountain like a sparrow.” The cock: the Lord, I think, or a holy man; in Solomon: “and the cock walking glad among the hens”; and in Job: “Who gave the cock understanding?”; and in the other sense: “and I will make you be carried off as a cock is carried off.” The hen: wisdom, or the church, or the soul; in the Gospel: “as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.” Bats: the monstrous idols given over to darkness; in the prophet: “that you should worship moles and bats.” The beetle: in the prophet, “and the beetle will cry out from the wood,” spoken, as some think, of the Lord. Locusts: the peoples; in the Gospel: “and his food was locusts.” Bees: a figure of virginity or of wisdom; in Solomon: “Go to the bee and learn how industrious she is”; and in a bad sense, in the prophet: “and to the bee that is in Assyria.” The fly: the devil; in Solomon: “Dying flies spoil the sweetness of the ointment.” Beasts: the devil, or all savage men; in the psalm: “Do not give over to beasts the souls that confess you.” The lion: the Lord: “The lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered”; also in the other sense: “lest like a lion he seize my soul.” The leopard: the devil, or a sinner varied in his ways; in the prophet: “As the Ethiopian will not change his skin, nor the leopard his spots.” The elephant: a monstrous sinner; in Kingdoms: “and they brought to Solomon apes and elephants.” The bear: the devil, or savage leaders; in Kingdoms: “and two bears came out and devoured them.” The deer: Christ, or the saints: “As the deer longs for the springs of water.” The wolf: the devil, or heretics; in the Gospel: “but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Also in a good sense: “Benjamin a ravening wolf,” signifying the apostle Paul. The boar: the devil; in the psalm: “The boar from the forest has laid it waste.” The tigress: sometimes womanly arrogance; in the book of Job according to the Hebrew: “The tigress has perished because she had no prey.” The rhinoceros: any strong man, in a good or in a bad sense; in the book of Job according to the Hebrew: “Will the rhinoceros be willing to serve you?” The monoceros, that is, the unicorn; in the psalm: “and the beloved as the son of unicorns,” that is, of singular power, or of the saints, who hold the one Word of God. And in the other sense: “and my lowliness from the horns of the unicorns”; the unicorns here are the proud, or those who have one Testament. The wild ass: a hermit; in Job: “Who will let the wild ass go free?” The people of the Jews can also be called a wild ass, because there follows in the same book: “and who has loosed its bonds?”, the bonds, that is, of the precepts. The fawn: Christ, or a holy man, because of the variety of graces; in Solomon: “Be like, my kinsman, a young roe or a fawn of the harts.” The doe: the same as above. The hare: one who fears God; in the psalm: “the rock a refuge for the hares and the hedgehogs.” The hedgehog: the same as above; and “the hedgehogs, a feeble folk, who made their homes in the rocks.” The fox: a heretic, or the devil, or a crafty sinner; in the Gospel: “Go and tell that fox.” The animal: the carnal man; in the apostle: “But the animal man does not receive the things that are of the Spirit of God.” The beast of burden: one lacking understanding and speech; in the psalm: “I have become like a beast of burden before you.” The horse: a holy man; in Habakkuk: “you who ride upon your horses”; and in a bad sense: “The horse is a vain hope for safety.” The mule: any irrational man; in the psalm: “Do not be like the horse and the mule, which have no understanding.” The ass: the human body, or the people of the Gentiles; in the Gospel: “and they brought to Jesus the ass and its colt and set him on them.” The she-ass: the crowd, or the people lacking knowledge of God; in the Gospel, the same as above. The camel: the rich, loaded with the things of the world, or crooked in conduct; in the Gospel: “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” Bulls: the princes of peoples; in the psalm: “Fat bulls have surrounded me.” Oxen: the apostles, who, having taken up the yoke of Christ's Gospel, have ploughed the world with the ploughshare; in the psalm: “I will offer you oxen with goats.” Cows: those full of carnal vices; in the psalm: “among the cows of the peoples.” The calf: Christ, or the saints: “then they will lay calves upon your altar.” And in the other sense: “Many calves have surrounded me,” that is, wanton ones. Swine: unclean sinners; in the epistle of Peter: “and the sow, washed, to wallowing in the mire.” Rams: the apostles, or the leaders of the churches; in the psalm: “Bring to the Lord the young of rams.” Sheep: faithful peoples; in the Gospel: “My sheep hear my voice.” Cattle: all the simpler sort, less endowed with subtlety of reasoning; in Solomon: “Feed the souls of your cattle.” Goats (he-goats): sinners, or Gentiles; in Daniel: “But behold a he-goat came from the west over the face of the whole earth.” Also in a good sense: “I will offer you oxen with goats.” She-goats: the righteous, sometimes coming from the Gentiles; in Solomon: “Your hair is like a flock of goats that have appeared from Gilead.” Lambs: Christ, or the apostles, or the saints; in the Gospel: “Feed my lambs.” Kids: sinners; in the Gospel: “but the kids on the left.” Moles: idols, or heretics, who do not see the truth; in Isaiah: “that you should worship moles and bats.” The dog: the devil, or a Jew, or a Gentile; in the psalm: “and my only one from the hand of the dog.” And in the other sense, in Ecclesiastes: “A living dog is better than a dead lion.” Here they think the lion is to be taken as the devil, and the dog as a Gentile or a sinful man, because the one can come to faith or repentance, the other does not come. Frogs: demons; in the Apocalypse: “And I saw coming from the mouth of the dragon three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons.” Frogs are also heretics, who, dwelling in the mire of the basest notions, do not cease to babble with empty chatter. The ant: one who is provident, or a worker; in Solomon: “Go to the ant, O sluggard.” The worm: Christ, for the lowliness of the manhood he assumed; in the psalm: “But I am a worm and not a man.” Also in the other sense, in Isaiah: “their worm will not die,” that is, either the worm itself or the conscience of sin. The spider: human frailty; in the psalm: “and you made his soul waste away like a spider.” The serpent: the devil, or malicious men; in the Gospel: “serpents, brood of vipers.” Also in the other sense, in the Gospel: “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness.” The dragon: the devil, or an open persecutor; in the psalm: “You crushed the head of the dragon; you gave him as food to the people of the Ethiopians.” The scorpion: the devil, or his ministers; in the Gospel: “I have given you power to tread on serpents and scorpions.” The viper: the same as above, in the Gospel: “serpents, brood of vipers.”

V. Of various names given. Man: either the whole man or the mind; in Genesis: “God made man in his image and likeness.” And in a bad sense, in the psalm: “Arise, Lord, let not man prevail,” that is, the flesh or the devil. Husband (vir): the spirit, that is, the mind; in the apostle: “The head of the woman is the man.” Also man in a bad sense, in Genesis: “a virgin very beautiful, whom no man had known,” that is, the devil, who often corrupts the mind by a thought. Woman: the soul, or human flesh; in the apostle: “The head of the woman is the man.” Virgin: the church, or holy souls; in the apostle: “For I have betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” King: the Lord; in the apostle: “King of kings and Lord of lords.” Queen: the church; in the psalm: “The queen stood at your right hand.” And again, the queen is the soul ruling the body. Father: the Lord; in the prophet: “and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord almighty.” Mother: the church, or the heavenly Jerusalem; in the apostle: “But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother.” Brother: Christ, or a neighbour; in the psalm: “I will tell your name to my brothers.” Sister: the church, to the synagogue; or the soul, to Christ; in the Song of Songs: “my sister, my bride.” Husband and wife: Christ and the church; spiritual understanding and the history of the Scriptures; in the apostle: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church.” Bridegroom (sponsus): Christ, because he was promised by the Father from the beginning; in the psalm: “and he, like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber.” Bride (sponsa): the church, because she was promised by divine pledges; in the Song of Songs: “Come from Lebanon, bride, come from Lebanon.” Son: the people of believers; in the apostle: “You are no longer a slave but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.” Daughter: the faithful soul, or the church; in the psalm: “Hear, daughter, and see.” Neighbours: those near in faith; in Solomon: “Come, eat and drink and be drunk, neighbours.” Friends: those of one mind towards God; in the Gospel: “You are my friends.” The old man: one of perfected righteousness; in Genesis: “and Abraham died an old man and full of days.” And in Solomon: “The understanding of a man is grey hair, and a spotless life is old age.” And in the other sense, of Solomon: “and when he was now old, his heart was turned away.” Young men: those eager towards God; in the epistle of John: “I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” And in a bad sense, in the book of Kingdoms, of Rehoboam: “forsaking the counsel of the elders, he spoke according to the counsel of the young men.” The little child: one humble and simple in mind; in the Gospel: “You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to little children”; also in the other sense, in the apostle: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child.” The harlot: the sinful soul which, leaving her heavenly husband, that is Christ, conceives from the devil the adulterous fruits of iniquity; in Jeremiah: “You have the face of a harlot.” Workers: the apostles, or preachers of the Gospel; in the Gospel: “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” Shepherd: the Lord: “I am the good shepherd.” Also shepherd: the apostle; in the Gospel: “Feed my sheep.” Hirelings: those serving the Lord not only for divine love but for a temporal reward; in the Gospel: “How many hired servants of my father have bread in abundance!” Fishermen: the apostles, or teachers; in the Gospel: “and I will make you become fishers of men.” Physician: Christ, or a learned man; in Solomon: “A gentle man is a physician of the heart.” And again: “Those who are well do not need a physician, but those who are sick.” The rich man: a believer abounding in spiritual goods; in the apostle: “because you have been made rich in him in all knowledge and in all speech.” And in a bad sense: “Woe to you who are rich,” in the Gospel. The poor man: the humble; in the Gospel: “and there was a certain poor man, Lazarus.” And again: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” In a bad sense, in the psalm: “for we have become very poor.” Clothed: having the integrity of baptism or of faith; in the Gospel: “and he saw there a man not clothed with a wedding garment.” Naked: lacking the garment of baptism, or divine help; in the Apocalypse: “but you are naked and wretched.” And in a good sense, in the Gospel: “and leaving the linen cloth he fled from them naked,” that is, naked of earthly wealth. The living: the righteous; in the psalm: “I will please the Lord in the land of the living.” And in the other sense: “and I praised the dead more than the living,” in Ecclesiastes. The dead: sinners or unbelievers; in the Gospel: “Let the dead bury their own dead.” And in a good sense: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.” And also: “You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Corpses: the bodies of unbelievers; in the prophet: “and I will fill the valley of Jehoshaphat with the corpses of the dead.” Also in the other sense: “They have given the corpses of your servants.” The tomb: the body of a sinner, which holds within it a soul dead in vices; in the Gospel: “For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful to men, but within are full of dead men's bones.”

VI. Of the inner man. The inner man: the rational soul; in the apostle: “in the inner man, that Christ may dwell through faith in your hearts.” His head: Christ; in the apostle: “The head of the man is Christ.” The crown of the head: the summit of righteousness; in Solomon: “For your crown will receive a crown of graces.” Also in a bad sense: “the hairy crown of those who walk on in their delights,” that is, the summit of wickedness. The hair: the adornment of righteousness, or the senses; in the Gospel: “But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.” The eyes: faithful and simple understanding; in the Gospel: “But blessed are your eyes, because they see.” And in a bad sense, in the Gospel: “If your eye is evil.” The ears: faithful obedience; in the Gospel: “and your ears, because they hear.” The nostrils: the breathing of faith and of good virtues; in Job: “and the divine Spirit in my nostrils.” And in a bad sense, in Job: “out of his nostrils comes smoke,” that is, the devil's. The throat: the judgment of understanding; in the book of Job: “and does not my throat meditate wisdom?” And in a bad sense: “My throat has become hoarse.” The mouth: speech itself; in the psalm: “The mouth of the righteous will meditate wisdom.” The tongue: the same as above; in the psalm: “and his tongue will speak justice.” The hand: work; in the psalm: “and I washed my hands among the innocent.” The right hand: good works; in the Gospel: “Let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” The left hand: works not good; in the Gospel, the same as above. The breast: the secret of understanding; in the Gospel: “Now there was reclining on the Lord's breast the disciple whom Jesus loved most.” The belly: the capacity of reason; in Habakkuk: “My belly was troubled within me.” The kidneys: the inner parts of the senses; in the psalm: “and moreover even till night my kidneys have instructed me.” The loins: strength of mind; in the apostle: “Gird up the loins of your mind.” The navel: the appetite of concupiscence; in Job: “and his strength in the navel of his belly,” that is, because it signifies the genitals of women, as in the loins of men. Fat: the richness of divine grace; in the psalm: “Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness.” Also in a bad sense, fat is the grossness of malice; in the psalm: “They have shut up their fat.” The bones: the firmness of the soul; in the psalm: “All my bones will say, Lord, who is like you?” And in a bad sense, in the book of Job: “His bones are like tubes of bronze.” The bowels: the affection of devotion and mercy; in the apostle: “if any bowels and mercies.” And in the other sense, in the Acts of the Apostles, of Judas: “and his bowels gushed out.” Skins: a sign of mortality; in Genesis: “and he made for them garments of skins.” Blood: carnal working; in the psalm: “Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, God of my salvation.” And also: “Flesh and blood will not possess the kingdom of God.” The flesh: the outer man; in the apostle: “For the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh.” The knees: the confession of humility; in the canticle: “And now I bend the knees of my heart.” Sometimes the strength of faith; in the prophet: “I have left myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” The feet: the course of life, or the stability of mind or of faith; in the psalm: “Our feet were standing.” And in a bad sense, in the prophet: “Why do you limp on both feet?” and: “their feet are swift to shed blood.” The heel: the tripping up of vices; in Genesis: “He will watch for your head, and you for his heel.” And in a bad sense: “He has lifted up his heel against me.” Steps: progress in works; in the psalm: “Make my steps perfect in your paths.” Footprints: the signs of virtues; in the psalm: “that my footprints may not be moved.” And in the other sense, in Solomon: “and our life,” that is, of the wicked, “has passed like the track of a ship.” The robe: the garment of baptism or of faith; in the Gospel: “Quickly bring out the best robe.” Sackcloth: the testimony of repentance; in the Gospel: “they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.” The girdle: the girding of spiritual work; in the psalm: “and you have girded me with gladness.” Shoes: the preparation of peace; in the apostle: “your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” The arms of the inner man, in the apostle: “having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

VII. Of things in common use and ready to hand. Bread: Christ, or the word of the Lord; in the Gospel: “I am the living bread.” Wine: the same as above; in Solomon: “and drink the wine that I have mixed for you.” Oil: mercy, or the Holy Spirit; in the psalm: “With my holy oil I have anointed him.” Also in the other sense: “but let not the oil of the sinner anoint my head,” that is, flattery. Swine's flesh: sins; in the psalm: “They are filled with swine's flesh.” Unleavened bread: without the leaven of malice; in the apostle: “with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Fine flour: purity of mind and the strength of love; in Leviticus: “But if a soul offers a gift, a sacrifice to God, let his gift be of fine flour.” Hearth cake: the offering of humility; in Genesis: “Quickly knead three measures of fine flour and make hearth cakes.” Milk: sincerity of mind; in the epistle of Peter: “Long for the rational milk without guile.” Also in the other sense: “I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet able,” where milk is the smallness of understanding. Curdled: congealed with vices; in the psalm: “Their heart is curdled like milk.” Salt: the seasoning of wisdom; in the Gospel: “You are the salt of the earth.” Honey: the sweetness of God's precepts; in the psalm: “How sweet are your words to my palate, Lord, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” Also otherwise, in Solomon: “If you find honey, eat what is enough, lest perhaps, being filled, you vomit it up,” that is, do not seek what is too high for you. Gall: the bitterness of malice; in the psalm: “They gave me gall for my food.” Vinegar: the harshness of a corrupted mind; in the psalm: “and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” Pitch: the defilement and blackness of sins; in Solomon: “He who touches pitch will be defiled by it.” Strong drink: a certain concoction of wickedness; in the Gospel: “He shall drink no wine nor strong drink.” The cup of the Lord: the passion; in the psalm: “I will take the cup of salvation.” Unmixed wine: sincerity of judgment, or of truth, or the warmth of faith; in the psalm: “full of unmixed wine, mixed.” The dregs: the last of judgment; in the psalm: “yet its dregs have not been emptied.” Food: the word or the will of the Lord; in the Gospel: “My food is to do the will of the Father who sent me.” Drink: the same as above; in the psalm: “and you will give them drink from the torrent of your pleasure,” that is, the Holy Spirit. Also in the other sense: “The kingdom of God is not food and drink.” Storerooms: the receptacles of the heart; in the song of Deuteronomy: “and terror in the storerooms.” The wallet: anxiety about food; in the Gospel: “no wallet for the road.” The purse: laying up treasure with God; in the Gospel: “Make for yourselves purses that do not grow old.” And in the other sense: “Let us have a common purse,” that is, avarice. Money: the divine words; in the Gospel: “You ought then to have given my money to the bankers.” The fleece: the people; in the psalm: “and he will come down like rain upon the fleece.” Linen: spiritual strength or brightness; in Exodus: “For Aaron's sons you shall make linen tunics.” Wineskins: the vessels of the human body; in the Gospel: “New wine must be put into new wineskins.” Flour: good work, or knowledge; in the Gospel: “which a woman hid in three measures of flour.” The mill: the conversion of life; in the Gospel: “two women grinding at the mill.” The two millstones can also signify the two Testaments, by which, through the labour of those who expound, the wheat of the Old Testament is turned into the flour of the Gospel. When these names, then, occur in the text of sacred reading, they are handed down as to be taken chiefly in the plainer ways in which we express them, although they often go out into different meanings according to person, time or place, and break out into figures suited to the passages according to the method of allegorical interpretation. For the abyss, too, is understood, as we said above, as the depth of the Scriptures; and again the abyss is the immensity of water: “and the fountains of the great abyss burst forth.” Again, the abyss is the unspeakable judgments of God: “Your judgments are a great abyss.” Again, the abyss is hell: “or who has descended into the abyss?”, that is, to bring Christ back from the dead. Again, the abyss is the hearts of men, dark with crimes: “The abyss said, It is not with me,” that is, wisdom. Fire, as we mentioned above, is taken as the Holy Spirit. And again fire is love: “its lamps are lamps of fire and of flames.” Fire is tribulation: “You have tried us with fire, as silver is tried with fire.” Fire is anger: “and I will consume them in the fire of my anger, says the Lord.” Fire is pleasure: “All of them committing adultery, their hearts are like an oven.” The shadow, as we indicated, signifies divine protection; again the shadow is sometimes sins: “those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death.” The shadow is sometimes punishments; in Job: “where is the shadow of death and no order.” And because a shadow is not far from the thing whose shadow it is, so death too is not far from the punishment that brings death. The shadow is sometimes the delight of sinners; in Job, of the devil: “He sleeps under the shade, in the covert of the reed and in moist places.” And again there is another kind, in which many things signify one thing. We have mentioned that the two millstones can signify the two Testaments; and again the two Testaments are the two cherubim in Exodus; the two living creatures in Habakkuk; the two rocks in Exodus and in the Song of Songs, by whose covering the bride and Moses are protected; the two mountains of bronze in Zechariah, from whose myrtle thickets and dark shade come out the chariots with red, black, white and dappled horses. But we have judged it not only an immense labour but also impossible to pursue such manifold meanings in each name. Now, then, let us return to that manner and order of interpretation which we interrupted a little for the needs of the discussion. Baskets: the apostles; in the Gospel: “and they took up of the remains twelve baskets full of fragments.” Also in the other sense: “his hands served in the basket,” that is, in the slavery or tribulation which the Egyptians imposed. The chair: teaching; in the psalm: “and let them praise him in the chair of the elders.” Also in a bad sense: “and has not sat in the chair of pestilence,” that is, in the teaching of heretics. The footstool: the subjection of the humbled; in the psalm: “until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.” The balance: equity, or the power of divine government; in Isaiah: “and he weighed the mountains in a scale and the hills in a balance.” Ashes: the emptiness of human frailty; in Solomon: “Why are earth and ashes proud?” The pot: lineage; in the psalm: “Moab is the pot of my hope,” that is, because from Ruth the Moabitess Christ's lineage according to the flesh descended. Also in the other sense, the pot is the seething of tribulation; in the prophet: “and I saw a boiling pot, and its face was from the face of the north.” Lamps: souls shining with righteousness; in the Gospel: “and they trimmed their lamps.” The lantern: the church, or the soul; in the Gospel: “Let your loins be girded and your lanterns burning.” Sometimes lanterns are good works: “Let your light so shine that they may see your good works.” The bushel: the human body, or the letter of the law, or the people of the Jews; in the Gospel: “No one lights a lantern and puts it under a bushel.” The lampstand: the church, or the body of the Lord, or holy Scripture; in the prophet: “and I saw at the right of the altar two burning lampstands.” The table: the altar, or spiritual refreshment; in the psalm: “You have prepared a table before me.” Keys: the opening of spiritual knowledge; in Luke: “Woe to you lawyers, because you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.” Again, keys are the virtues of justice, mercy and devotion; in the Gospel: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Bars: the bolts of the divine precepts against the wicked: “for he has strengthened the bars of your gates.” The axe: the persecution of the wicked; in the psalm: “with double axe and hatchet they have cast it down.” The double axe: doubled affliction; in the psalm, the same as above. The ship: the church; in the Gospel: “The boat was being tossed by many waves in the midst of the sea.” Man too is sometimes called a boat, so that the sailors may be understood as the thoughts that steer the man. Nets: preaching; in the Gospel: “and let down the nets for a catch.” The beam: a graver sin; in the Gospel: “First cast the beam out of your own eye.” The speck: a lighter sin; in the Gospel: “and then you will see to cast the speck out of your brother's eye.” The snare: deceit; in the psalm: “They prepared snares for my feet.” Cords: lot or inheritance; in the psalm: “The cords have fallen to me in pleasant places.” Again cords are sins: “Woe to you who draw sins like a long cord”; and: “The cords of sinners have wrapped me round.” The wheel: the world, or human life; in the psalm: “the voice of your thunder in the wheel”; and again: “My God, make them like a wheel,” that is, make them changeable or unstable in their malice. The sponge: the hollow unbelief of the Jews; in the Gospel: “But they, putting a sponge full of vinegar round hyssop, brought it to his mouth.” Ladders: the progress of the saints; in Genesis: “and he saw in his sleep a ladder standing on the earth, and its top touching heaven, and the angels of God ascending and descending on it.” Brooms: the cares of superstition through vainglory; in the Gospel: “and coming he finds it empty, swept with brooms and adorned.” The pearl: the teaching of the Gospel, or the hope of the kingdom of heaven; in the Gospel: “Having found one precious pearl, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” The ring: the seal of faith; in the Gospel: “and put a ring on his hand.” And of this in the psalm: “The light of your face, Lord, is sealed upon us.” The cloak: the adornment of praise; in Solomon: “She made cloaks for her husband,” that is, a garment, as though made of the two Testaments. Gold: the inner understanding of the Scriptures; in the psalm: “and the hinder parts of her back in the look of gold.” Silver: the divine words, or the understanding of the letter or of history; in the psalm: “The words of the Lord are pure words, silver tried by fire.” Precious stones: the apostles or the saints, or the very works of the virtues; in the Apocalypse: “the foundations of the wall of the city adorned with every precious stone.” Bronze: vanity, or the emptiness of faith; in the apostle: “I have become as sounding bronze.” Also in the other sense: “You have made my arms like a bow of bronze”; here bronze means strong or firm. Iron: tribulation, or man himself; in the psalm: “Iron passed through his soul.” Lead: the weight of sins; in the prophet: “and I saw iniquity sitting on a talent of lead.” Earthenware: the frailty of the flesh; in the apostle: “We have this treasure in earthen vessels.”