Formulae of Spiritual Understanding

Preface. Eucherius to Veranius, his son in Christ, greeting. Out of the care of a father's concern for you, I thought it right to compose and send you formulas of spiritual understanding, so that, once you have grasped them, your mind may follow and readily apply itself to understanding all the divine writings. For since “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life,” one must, with the life-giving Spirit, penetrate into the inner meaning of those spiritual words. That the whole of Scripture, of the Old Testament as well as the New, is to be taken in an allegorical sense, we are reminded both by what we read in the Old Testament, “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter riddles of old,” and by what is written in the New Testament, “All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables, and without parables he did not speak to them.” Nor is it surprising that the divine word, uttered by the mouth of prophets and apostles, has departed far from the usual human manner of writing, having easy things on the surface and holding great things within. For it was truly fitting that God's sacred sayings should be distinguished from other writings in their form as well as in their merit, so that the dignity of the heavenly secrets should not lie open everywhere and indiscriminately to all, and set forth what is holy to dogs and pearls to swine; so that, after the manner of that silvered dove whose hinder parts gleam with the look of shining gold, the first things of divine Scripture should glitter with silver and the more hidden glow with gold. Rightly, then, was it arranged that the chastity of the sacred words should be covered from the promiscuous eyes of all by its own hiddenness, as by a veil of modesty; and by the divine dispensation it was best provided that the writings themselves should be covered, overshadowed by heavenly mysteries, just as the Godhead itself was hidden in its own secrecy. Since, therefore, in the holy books the eyes of the Lord, the womb of the Lord, the feet and even the weapons of the Lord are found written, and since it is far from the catholic faith of the churches that God, who is invisible, incomprehensible, unchangeable and infinite, should be bounded by a body, we must inquire how these things are unlocked by the Holy Spirit through figurative exposition. For here are found those inner parts of the Lord's temple, here that holy of holies. The body of sacred Scripture, then, as tradition has it, lies in the letter; its soul in the moral sense, which is called tropical; its spirit in the higher understanding, which is called anagoge. This threefold rule of the Scriptures fittingly matches the confession of the Trinity, which sanctifies us through all things, so that our whole spirit and soul and body may be kept blameless for the coming and judgment of our Lord God Jesus Christ. The wisdom of this world divided its philosophy into three parts, physics, ethics and logic, that is, natural, moral and rational: the natural concerned with the causes of nature, which contains all things; the moral, which looks to conduct; the rational, which, disputing about higher things, affirms that God is the Father of all. From this threefold division of teaching that distinction of ours in discussion is not very far, by which all the learned think that this heavenly philosophy of the Scriptures is to be expounded according to history, according to tropology, and according to anagoge. So history impresses on us the truth of the deeds and the trustworthiness of the narrative; tropology refers the mystical meanings to the amendment of life; anagoge leads on to the holier secrets of heavenly figures. There are also some who think that allegory should be added as a fourth in this kind of knowledge, which they affirm has shown, by the narration of deeds done, the shadow of things to come. That these things may be made plainer by examples set out below: heaven according to history is this which we behold; according to tropology, the heavenly life. Waters according to allegory are baptism; according to anagoge, the angels, whence that saying, “and let the waters that are above the heavens praise the name of the Lord.” The whole discipline of our religion has flowed from that twofold spring of knowledge, the first of which they have called practice and the second theory, that is, active and contemplative: the one, which perfects the active life by the amendment of conduct; the other, which is occupied with the contemplation of heavenly things and the discussion of the divine Scriptures. So active knowledge is spread out into various pursuits; contemplative knowledge is divided into two parts, that is, it consists in historical discussion and in the interpretation of spiritual understanding. But setting these aside now, let us set out the formulas of spiritual understanding that we promised, running through the figures of the individual names in which these things are usually taken when they are set in the text of divine reading. Let us pray the Lord, then, to reveal the thickets of his Scriptures, and let us set out how they are to be understood in a more hidden sense:

I. Of the things called members of the Lord, or which signify something about him. The eyes of the Lord are understood as divine watchfulness; in the psalm: “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous.” The ears of the Lord, when he deigns to hear; in the psalm: “and his ears towards their prayers.” The mouth of the Lord: his speech to human beings; in the prophet: “The mouth of the Lord has spoken.” The word of the Lord: the Son; in the psalm: “My heart has uttered a good word.” The arm of the Lord: the Son, through whom he has wrought all things; in the prophet: “To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” The right hand of the Lord: the same as above; in the psalm: “The right hand of the Lord has done mightily.” The womb of the Lord: the secret from which he brought forth the Son; in the psalm: “From the womb before the morning star I begot you.” The feet of the Lord: the stability of eternity; in the psalm: “and darkness under his feet.” The footprints of the Lord: the signs of his secret works; in the psalm: “and your footprints will not be known.” The steps of the Lord: the coming or visitation of the Lord; in the psalm: “Your steps have been seen, O God.” The weapons of the Lord: his help towards the saints; in the psalm: “Take hold of arms and shield.” The shield: God's protection; in the psalm: “Lord, you have crowned us as with the shield of your good will.” The spear: divine vengeance; in the psalm: “Draw the spear and shut in the wicked.” The bow: the bending of the divine threat; in the psalm: “He has bent his bow and made it ready.” The arrows: divine precepts, or the apostles; in the psalm: “He sent out his arrows and scattered them.” The sword: vengeance, or the word of the Lord; in the apostle: “For the word of God is living and active and more piercing than any two-edged sword.” The broadsword (romphaea): the same as above. The trumpet of God: the manifest voice of the Lord; in the apostle: “at the command and the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God.” The chariot of God: the seat of God, or the fourfold form of the Gospels; in the psalm: “The chariot of God is ten thousandfold.” The rod of God: the sign of kingship, or the correction of discipline; in the psalm: “The rod of equity is the rod of your kingdom.” The staff of God: the support of God's consolation; in the psalm: “Your rod and your staff, they have comforted me.” Coals: the fire of love, or of examples, or of repentance; in the psalm: “with desolating coals.” Smoke: the beginnings of compunction to come, or of God's threat itself; in the psalm: “Smoke went up in his anger.” Also in the other sense, as smoke is harmful to the eyes, that is, vanity. Fire: the Holy Spirit; in the Acts of the Apostles: “And there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire, and it sat upon each of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.”

II. Of the creatures above. The heavens: the apostles or the saints, because the Lord dwells in them; in the psalm: “The heavens declare the glory of God.” The clouds: the prophets or the saints, because they rain the word of the Lord; in Isaiah: “I will command the clouds from above not to rain.” Thunders: the voices of the Gospel, because they thunder from heaven; in the psalm: “The voice of your thunder in the wheel.” Flashes: the splendours of the Gospel; in the psalm: “Your flashes lit up the world.” Lightnings: the mighty works or the words of Jesus Christ; in the psalm: “and he multiplied lightnings and threw them into confusion.” Thrones: the angels, or the saints, or the very power of reigning; in the psalm: “Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever”; also in the other sense, of the devil: “I will set my throne in the north.” Seat: the same as above, angels or saints, because the Lord sits in them; in the psalm: “God sits upon his holy seat.” The sun: the Lord Jesus Christ, because he shines on the earth; in Solomon: “So the sun of righteousness has not shone on us.” The moon: the church, because it shines in this night of the world; in the psalm: “He made the moon for seasons.” The stars: the saints or the learned; in Daniel: “The learned will shine like stars”; sometimes also the angels. Mist: the veil of God's mysteries; in the prophet: “and clouds are the dust of his feet.” Darkness: the covering of divine secrets; in the psalm: “and darkness under his feet.” The abyss: the depth of the Scriptures; in the psalm: “Abyss calls to abyss.” Dew: the word of the Lord, because it moistens the earth of human beings; in the psalm: “like the dew of Hermon, which comes down upon Mount Zion.” Rain: the precepts or commandments of the Lord, because it waters the earth, that is, human beings; in the psalm: “A willing rain you will set apart, O God, for your inheritance.” Snows: above all for the whiteness of righteousness; in the psalm: “You will wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.” Hail: the threats of the Lord, with which he beats the stubborn; in the psalm: “hail and coals of fire.” Also in the other sense: “and he killed their vines with hail.” Hoarfrost: abstinence, because through it the heat of the body grows cold; in the psalm: “I have become like a wineskin in the frost.” Storm: the onset of persecutions or tribulations; in the psalm: “who saved me from faintness of spirit and from the storm.” Ice: the hardness of sins; in Solomon: “and as ice in fair weather, so your sins will melt away.” The winds: the souls of the saints; in the psalm: “He flew upon the wings of the winds.” Also in a bad sense, in Matthew: “and the winds blew.” The north wind: the devil, or unbelieving or wicked men; in the prophet: “From the north evils will blaze out upon the earth.” The right-hand wind: the same as above; in Solomon: “The north wind is a harsh wind, but by name it is called right-hand”; it is called right-hand because the devil presumes to take for himself the name of right-hand, as though he were good, or because it is on the right for those who face the west, that is, sin. The south wind: the warmth of faith; in the psalm: “like a torrent in the south.” The air: the expression of emptiness; in the apostle: “So I fight, not as one beating the air,” that is, not pursuing empty things. The seasons: the timely distribution of the divine will; in the psalm: “He made the moon for seasons.” Spring: the renewal of life, either through baptism or through the resurrection; in the psalm: “Summer and spring, you made them.” Summer: the prefiguring of the joy to come; in the psalm, the same as above. Winter: persecution or tribulation; in the Gospel: “that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath.” Years are sometimes taken for eternity, as there: “Your years will not fail”; sometimes for the shortness of life, as here: “Our years will be reckoned as a spider's web.” Day and night: righteousness and iniquity, faith and unbelief, prosperity and adversity; in the psalm: “By day the Lord commanded his mercy, and by night he declared it.” Light and darkness are taken above all in the same way as day and night; in the epistle of John: “Whoever loves his brother abides in the light; but whoever hates his brother is in the darkness.” Shadow: divine protection; in the psalm: “Protect me under the shadow of your wings.” The hour: five hundred years, as some think, if ever a day is taken for the whole age of this world; in the epistle of John: “Little children, it is the last hour.” The east: above all the Saviour; in Luke: “the dawn from on high has visited us”; and in Zechariah: “Behold a man, the Dawn is his name.” The west: the failing of a better life; in the prophet: “The sun will go down on you at noon.” Morning: the light of good deeds, or baptism, or the resurrection; in the psalm: “In the morning I will stand before you and see you.” Noon: the full brightness of teaching and deeds; in Solomon: “Where do you lie down at noon?”; and in a bad sense in the psalm: “from the noonday demon,” that is, open. Evening: the end of life, or of the age, or punishment; in the psalm: “Weeping will tarry for the evening, and joy in the morning.”

III. Of earthly things. The earth: man himself; in the Gospel: “Other seed fell on good earth.” Also in a bad sense, of the sinner: “Earth you shall eat all the days of your life.” Dry land: the flesh of a fruitless man; in Ecclesiasticus: “to cover the dry land with malice and deceit.” Dust: sinners, or the vanity of the flesh; in the psalm: “like the dust that the wind drives away.” Mud: the glue of sins; in the psalm: “Rescue me from the mud, that I may not sink in”; also in the other sense, in John: “He made mud and anointed my eyes.” Mountains: the Lord, the church, the apostles or the saints, from the loftiness of their virtues; in the psalm: “which comes down upon Mount Zion.” Also in the other sense, in the prophet: “lest your feet stumble on the dark mountains,” that is, the heretics. Hills: saints, but of lesser merit; in the psalm: “mountains and all hills.” Also in a bad sense, in the Gospel: “Every hill and mountain shall be brought low.” Valleys: those humble with contrition of heart; in the psalm: “and the valleys will abound with grain.” And in a bad sense, the prophet: “the valley of the sons of Hinnom.” The rock: Christ, from his firmness; in the apostle: “and the rock was Christ.” Stones: sometimes Christ, or the saints; in the psalm: “The stone which the builders rejected.” Also in the other sense: “God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.” The field: this world; in the Gospel: “The field is this world.” Plains: the saints, or the divine Scriptures, because they provide pasture for souls; in the psalm: “and your plains will be filled with plenty.” Also in a bad sense: “in the plain of Tanis.” Pasture: spiritual refreshment; in the psalm: “In a place of pasture, there he has set me.” Cultivation: the saints, who are cultivated for God; the apostle: “You are God's cultivation.” The farmer: God; in the Gospel the Lord: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer.” Furrows: the hearts of the saints; in the psalm: “drenching its furrows.” Seed: divine preaching; in the Gospel: “The sower went out to sow his seed.” Harvest: abundance or plenty of the faithful; in the Gospel: “Lift up your eyes and see the fields, for they are already white for harvest”; and otherwise: “The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.” Sheaves: the fruits of righteousness; in the psalm: “carrying their sheaves.” Stubble: those dry towards faith, or the empty; in the apostle: “wood, hay, stubble”; and in the prophet: “Woe is me, for I have become like one who gathers stubble at harvest,” that is, I have found no fruits of good work. The threshing floor: the church; in the Gospel: “and he will clear his threshing floor.” The winnowing fork: the testing of God's justice; in the Gospel: “whose winnowing fork is in his hand.” Wheat: the saints or the elect of God; in the Gospel: “and he will gather his wheat into the barn.” Barley: the letter of the law; in the Gospel: “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves.” Chaff: sinners; in the Gospel: “but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire”; and Jeremiah: “What has the chaff to do with the wheat? says the Lord.” Tares: stumbling blocks, or those who live wickedly; in the Gospel: “His enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat.” The vineyard: the church, or the people of Israel; in the psalm: “You brought a vineyard out of Egypt.” Also in a bad sense: “For their vine is from the vineyard of Sodom.” The vine: Christ; in the Gospel: “I am the true vine.” Also in the other sense, as above, in the song of Deuteronomy: “Their vine is from the vineyard of Sodom.” Branches: the apostles or the saints; in the Gospel: “I am the vine, you are the branches.” And in a bad sense, in the song of Deuteronomy: “and their branch from Gomorrah.” Grapes: the fruits of righteousness; in the song of Isaiah: “I waited for it to yield grapes.” Also in a bad sense, in Deuteronomy: “their grape is a grape of gall.” The cluster: the church, or the body of the Lord; in Numbers: “because the children of Israel had carried the cluster from there.” The vintage: the end of the age, or vengeance on a people; in the psalm: “All who pass by the way gather its grapes”; and Joel: “Put in the sickles and [gather] the vineyard of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” The winepress: the altar, because the offerings are brought there like fruits; in the song of Isaiah: “and I dug a winepress in it.” And otherwise the winepress is the pressure of tribulations, in which the faithful are tested; in the title of the psalm: “To the end, for the winepresses.” Hay: the flesh, or vainglory; in the prophet: “All flesh is hay, and all its glory like the flower of hay.” Grass: a certain joy of the soul that is making progress; in Genesis: “Let the earth bring forth green grass.” Also in a bad sense: “In the morning may it pass away like grass.” Flowers: Christ, or the beauty of righteousness; in the psalm: “The righteous will flourish like the palm.” The lily: Christ, or the angels, from the whiteness of righteousness; in Solomon: “I am the flower of the field and the lily of the valleys.” Roses: the martyrs, from the redness of blood; in Solomon: “like a rose growing by streams of water.” Violets: the confessors, from the likeness of their bruised bodies; in the Song of Songs: “Flowers have appeared on the earth.” Forests: the nations; in the psalm: “We found it in the fields of the forest.” From these forests came out the two bears, kings of the Romans, at the command of Elisha, who was a figure, and forty-two years after his ascension into heaven they devoured the Jewish children. Thickets: the dark or covered parts of divine Scripture; in the psalm: “and he revealed the thickets.” Wood: sinners destined for the fire; in Ecclesiastes: “He who splits wood will be endangered by it.” Also in a good sense: “and he will be like a tree that is planted.” The root: origin; in the apostle: “If the root is holy, so are the branches.” And in a bad sense, in the psalm: “and your root from the land of the living.” The tree: man, from the fruit of his works; in the Gospel: “Either make the tree good and its fruit good.” And in a bad sense: “or make the tree bad and its fruit bad.” Some think that in this passage the tree is to be taken as the will of man rather than as man himself. The branch: succession; in the apostle: “If the root is holy, so are the branches.” Also in a bad sense, in Daniel: “Cut off its branches.” The leaf: the word of teaching; in the psalm: “and its leaf will not fall.” And otherwise the leaf is clothing and beauty with the protection of divine grace. Fruits: the fruits of the saints in virtues; in the Song of Songs: “and let him eat the fruit of his apples.” The palm: perfection, or victory; in the psalm: “The righteous will flourish like the palm.” Cedars: men of loftier power; in the psalm: “like the cedars of Lebanon they will be multiplied.” And in a bad sense, in the psalm: “and the Lord will break the cedars of Lebanon.” The olive: a holy man abounding in the fruits of mercy; in the psalm: “But I am like a fruitful olive.” The wild olive: a man without fruit, or a pagan; in the apostle: “If you have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive.” The fig: sometimes the synagogue; in the Gospel: “and at once the fig tree withered.” And in Habakkuk: “The fig will not bear fruit.” Pomegranates: the church from many nations, or having various graces; in the Song of Songs: “Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates with the fruit of apples.” The reed: a sinner, or one weak in faith; in the Gospel: “He will not break a bruised reed.” Also the reed is a weak help; in the prophet: “Why do you trust in this staff of Egyptian reed? If anyone leans on it, it will break and pierce his hand.” The bramble: as some think, a prefiguring of the holy Virgin Mary, because she sent forth the Saviour like a rose from the bramble of a human body, or because she bore the force of divine brightness without being consumed; in Exodus: “And the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of the bramble, and he saw that the bramble was burning and was not consumed.” Thorns: sometimes the harmful cares of riches that choke the mind; in the Gospel: “Other seed fell among thorns.” Thistles: the stings of vices or temptations; in Genesis: “Thorns and thistles it will bring forth for you.” Springs: baptism; in the psalm: “As the deer longs for the springs of water.” Water: peoples, or temptations; in the psalm: “Perhaps the water would have swallowed us up.” Also in a good sense, in Jeremiah: “They have forsaken me, the spring of living water”; and in the prophet: “You who thirst, come to the water,” that is, to teaching. The torrent: the onset of persecution; in the psalm: “He will drink from the torrent by the way.” And in a good sense: “and you will give them drink from the torrent of your pleasure.” Rivers: the peoples of the unbelievers; in the psalm: “By the rivers of Babylon.” Also in a good sense: “Rivers of living water will flow from his belly,” that is, of spiritual grace. The pit: hell; in the psalm: “They have put me in the lower pit,” that is, in that place of hell in which sinners alone are held in penal custody. The sea: the world, or the peoples; in the psalm: “This great and wide sea.” Fish: the saints; in the Gospel: “and they drew the net full of large fish.” Also in a bad sense: “but the bad they threw away.” Waves: temptations; in the psalm: “All your heights and your waves have passed over me.” The billow: the same as above; in the song: “The billows congealed in the midst of the sea.” Islands: either souls or the churches of God, which are beaten by the various waves of temptations; in the psalm: “Let the many islands rejoice.” The shore: the end of the age; in the Gospel: “and sitting down by the shore they gathered the good into vessels.” The sand of the sea: the countless multitudes of the nations; in Genesis: “and I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore.”

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.”

VIII. Of the various meanings of verbs or names. To build: to do good works, or to teach well; in the apostle: “If anyone builds upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones.” To destroy: to practise evil works, or to teach badly; in Solomon: “One building and one destroying.” To cleanse: to purge of vices; in the Gospel: “Jesus touched him, saying, I will; be clean; and at once his leprosy was cleansed.” To stand: to be firm in faith; in the apostle: “Stand firm in the faith.” To walk: to make towards the Lord; in the psalm: “and I walked at large.” To sit: humbly to recover oneself in God; in the Gospel: “but you, sit in the city.” To lie: to give way either to vices or to temptations; in the Gospel: “and she found her lying on the bed.” To run: to hasten in good works; in the apostle: “So run, that you may obtain.” To keep watch: to apply the guard of the heart, or to rise again to God; in the psalm: “from the morning watch until night.” To sleep: to rest with Christ at one's passing; in the psalm: “Will he who sleeps not rise again?” And otherwise to sleep is to grow torpid in the slumber of sins; in the apostle: “Arise, you who sleep.” Ascent: progress towards God; in the psalm: “ascents in his heart.” Descent: falling away from God; in the Gospel: “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho.” The way: Christ; in the Gospel: “I am the way and the truth and the life”; and otherwise the way is the life of man; in the psalm: “I have declared my ways, and you heard me.” Broad: widened by the allurements of vices; in the Gospel: “wide is the gate and broad the way that leads to destruction.” Narrow: strict, or pressed by tribulations; in the Gospel: “How narrow the gate and strait the way that leads to life!” Straight: ordered by the precepts of God; in Isaiah: “Make his paths straight.” Crooked: straying from the precepts of God; in Isaiah: “and the crooked will become straight, and the rough ways plain.” Plain: made level by obedience to the precepts; in Isaiah, the same as above. Rough: bristling with the roughness of disobedience; in Isaiah, the same as above. On the right: on the side of righteousness; in the Gospel: “He placed the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.” On the left: on the side of unrighteousness; in the Gospel, the same as above. The pit: deceit, or a fall into death; in the psalm: “They dug a pit before my face.” The well: the devil, or hell; in the psalm: “nor let the well shut its mouth over me.” And in a good sense, in Genesis: “at the well of the oath,” that is, the water of faith. Health: the integrity of the mind; in the psalm: “I cried to you, and you healed me.” Sickness: the disease of vices; in the psalm: “who heals all your sicknesses.” Leprosy: the contamination of sins; in the Gospel: “and at once his leprosy was cleansed.”

VIIII. Of Jerusalem, or what is opposed to it. Jerusalem: the church, or the soul; in the psalm: “Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem.” And it should be noted that whatever applies to the church in general can also be referred to the soul. Zion: the same as above; in the psalm: “Praise your God, O Zion.” The children of Zion: the children of the church; in the psalm: “and let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.” The daughters of Jerusalem: the same as above. The tabernacle: the body of the Lord, or the church; in the psalm: “In the sun he has set his tabernacle.” The ark: the Lord's flesh, or the hearts of the saints full of God; in the psalm: “you and the ark of your holiness.” Again the ark is the church, within which those who are to be saved are shut in; in Genesis: “Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.” The two tables of stone: I think, for the two Testaments, or for the two precepts of love of God and of neighbour; in Exodus: “And the Lord said to Moses: Cut for yourself two tables.” The law: the divine precepts; in the psalm: “The law of the Lord is spotless.” The handwritten bond: the contract of sinful man with the devil, written by the hand of iniquity; in the apostle: “the bond of sin, which was against us.” The pact: the alliance of divine grace with man; in the psalm: “I saw those who did not keep the pact.” The testament: the confirmation of the divine will; in the prophet: “and I will confirm a testament over the house of Judah.” Uncircumcision: the life of the Gentiles; in the apostle: “Was anyone called in uncircumcision? Let him not be circumcised,” that is, he too who has come to faith in Christ from the Gentiles is not to be circumcised in body. Circumcision: the stripping off of vices; in the apostle: “You were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the stripping off of the body of the flesh.” The horn: strength, or kingdom; in Kingdoms: “and he exalted the horn of his anointed.” Purple: a figure of martyrdom through blood; in Exodus: “Everyone who is willing in heart shall bring firstfruits to the Lord: gold, silver, bronze, blue, purple, scarlet, spun linen and fine linen.” Scarlet: the same as above, or the ardour of love, or a reminder of the cross; in Exodus, as above. Fine linen: the whiteness of chastity or continence; in Exodus, the same as above. Blue (hyacinth): the bruises of the confessors; in Exodus, the same as above. The ephod: the signification of works, from the shoulders; in Exodus: “and they made the ephod of gold and blue and purple and scarlet, spun, and twisted fine linen.” The breastpiece: the declaration of teaching or of reason, from the breast; in Exodus: “and they made the breastpiece of woven work, like the work of the ephod.” The long robe: more secret and more perfect teaching; in Exodus: “and they made the long robe under the ephod, all of woven work, of blue.” The golden plate on the forehead: a prefiguring of the cross; in Exodus: “and they made the golden plate and wrote on it,” it says, “in engraved letters the seal of the holiness of the Lord,” that is, the tetragrammaton name of the Lord. The temple: the body of the Lord, or the saints; in the apostle: “For you are the temple of the living God.” The altar: the height of faith; in the psalm: “then they will lay calves upon your altar.” Sacrifice: the offering of righteousness; in the psalm: “Offer the sacrifice of righteousness.” Whole burnt offering: the whole kindling of faith; in the psalm: “I will offer you burnt offerings full of marrow.” The victim: Christ, or the soul dedicated to God; in the apostle: “an offering and a victim to God for a sweet fragrance.” Myrrh: a token of mortality; in the psalm: “myrrh and aloes and cassia from your garments.” Ointment: the poured-out grace of the name of Christ; in Solomon: “Your name is ointment poured out.” The holy of holies: all the inner mysteries of God, or the kingdom of heaven; in the epistle to the Hebrews: “For Jesus did not enter a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us.” The sabbath: spiritual rest; in Genesis: “and the Lord rested from all his works.” Lent (the fortieth): a figure of the present life and its labour; in the Gospel: “and when he had fasted forty days and forty nights.” The Pasch: a foretelling of the Lord's passing over; in the Gospel: “Before the feast of the Pasch, Jesus, knowing that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father.” Pentecost (the fiftieth): the manifestation of future blessedness or of remission; in Leviticus: “You shall count seven full weeks up to the following day,” that is, fifty days. The jubilee: a signification of the rest to come; in Leviticus: “It is a year of remission; it shall be a holy sign to you.” The city of God: the church, or the soul; in the psalm: “in the city of our God.” Citizens: the faithful; in the apostle: “but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” Walls: the defences of divine Scripture, or the prophets, or the saints; in the psalm: “Let the walls of Jerusalem be built.” Also in the other sense: “In my God I will leap over a wall.” Towers: the apostles, or all who are perfect; in the psalm: “and abundance in your towers.” Gates: the holy Scriptures, or righteousness, or the apostles, or the angels; in the psalm: “and be lifted up, you everlasting gates.” Also in the other sense: “for wide is the gate and broad the way that leads to night.” Streets: the widened blessedness of the saints; in the Apocalypse: “and the streets of the city were pure gold, like transparent glass.” The foundation: Christ, or faith; in the apostle: “For no one can lay another foundation than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus.” The hedge: the law, or the guard of angels; in the song of Isaiah: “and I put a hedge around it and fixed reeds and planted a vineyard.” The house: the soul in which Christ dwells, or the church; in the psalm: “We will go into the house of the Lord.” The upper room: the height of merits or of knowledge; in the Gospel: “and he will show you a large upper room.” Doors: the opening of faith; in the apostle: “For a great and evident door has been opened to me.” The pillar: a support, or spiritual stability; in the apostle: “James and John and Cephas, who seemed to be pillars.” The wall (paries): sometimes the structure of good works; in the Song of Songs: “Behold, he stands behind our wall, looking through the windows.” Windows: sight, or the other senses; as above: “looking through the windows”; also in a bad sense: “Death will enter through your windows.” Steps: spiritual ascent; in the title of the psalms: “A song of steps.” The pavement: the humiliation or affliction of the soul, or its sinking towards earthly things; in the psalm: “My soul has cleaved to the pavement.” The psaltery: good works; in the psalm: “the pleasant psaltery with the harp.” The harp: a devout breast, in which the virtues are like strings, that is, spiritual goods; in the psalm: “Awake, psaltery and harp,” that is, works with faith; or, of the Lord himself, the resurrection of the flesh with divine power. The ten-stringed instrument: the ten commandments, or the five senses of the outer man doubled with those of the inner; in the psalm: “on the ten-stringed instrument, on the psaltery with song and harp.” The organ: man, or that man who was assumed by the Lord; in the psalm: “Praise him with strings and organ.” The drum: the body made thin by fasting; in the psalm: “Praise him with drum and dance.” The dance (chorus): concord; in the psalm, as above. The trumpet: the lifting up of the voice in divine preaching; in the prophet: “Lift up your voice like a trumpet.” Cymbals: lips confessing God, or the love of God and love of neighbour; in the psalm: “Praise him with well-sounding cymbals.” Jubilation: a cry expressed more strongly with spiritual fervour; in the psalm: “Praise him with cymbals of jubilation.” Egypt: the world, or the people of the Gentiles; in the psalm: “Envoys will come from Egypt.” Ethiopia: the church from the Gentiles; in the psalm: “Ethiopia will stretch out her hands first”; also in the other sense, in the psalm: “You gave him as food to the people of the Ethiopians.” Babylon: either the world or Rome; in the Apocalypse: “And great Babylon came into remembrance before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath.” Enemies: the devil, or the vices; in the psalm: “He will not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.” Thieves: heretics, or false prophets; in the Gospel: “All who came before me were thieves and robbers.” The nations: the vices; in the Pentateuch: “When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you are entering to possess, and destroys many nations before you.” Also in the other sense: “All you nations, clap your hands.” Battle: the struggle against spiritual wickedness, or the conflict against vices; in the apostle: “So I fight, not as one beating the air.” Peace: the concord of the flesh in good with the spirit; in the psalm: “Ask for the things that are for the peace of Jerusalem.” Also, peace is Christ; in the apostle: “For he himself is our peace.” Victory: triumph over the devil or over adversities; in the apostle: “But thanks be to God, who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The prize: the reward of merits brought to completion; in the apostle: “I press on towards the goal, to the prize of God's upward call.” The crown: the reward of eternal glory for righteousness; in the apostle: “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness.” Since the completion of spiritual progress carries one forward to the crown, it is right that the crown should also complete the spiritual interpretation of these names. We have judged it hard, however, to embrace all these names, as also to bring out all those that spread in a double meaning into both senses.

X. Of numbers. Now that these names are finished, let us also briefly set out the numbers which the mystical reasoning of examples makes the more celebrated among the sacred ones. I: this number refers to the unity of the Godhead; in the Pentateuch: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one God.” II: to the two Testaments; in Kingdoms: “and in the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim ten cubits high.” III: to the Trinity; in the epistle of John: “There are three that bear witness: the water, the blood, the Spirit.” IIII: to the four Gospels; in Ezekiel: “and out of the midst of them the likeness of four living creatures.” V: to the five books of Moses; the apostle: “In the church I would rather speak five words with my mind.” VI: to the sixth day, on which the Lord made man with all the living creatures of the earth; in Genesis: “Let us make man in our image and likeness”; also a little later: “and there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” VII: to the seventh day, on which, all things being completed, God rested; in Genesis: “and he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had done.” VIII: to the Lord's day of the resurrection, that is, the eighth; in the title of the psalm: “To the end, for the eighth.” VIIII: to the mystery that at the ninth hour the Lord gave up his spirit; in the Gospel: “and about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice.” X: to the Decalogue; in the psalm: “On the ten-stringed psaltery I will sing to you.” XII: to the apostles; in the Gospel: “Now the names of the twelve apostles are these.” XIIII: to the mystery of the Lord's generation; in the Gospel: “from Abraham to David fourteen generations.” XV: to the fifteen steps of the temple. XVI: to the number of the prophets. XXII: to the mystery of the divine books according to the letters of the Hebrews. XXIIII: to the mystery of the number of the elders; in the Apocalypse: “and on the thrones twenty-four elders seated.” XXX: to the fruit of faithful marriages; in the Gospel: “and they will bear fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.” XXXIII: to the mystery of the age at which the Lord lived in the flesh; in the apostle, as it seems to some, from this: “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to the perfect man, to the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ.” XL: to the mystery of Lent; in the Gospel: “and he was led by the Spirit in the desert for forty days.” XLII: to the number of the stations in the desert, or to the number of generations from Abraham to the Lord Christ. L: to Pentecost; in the Acts of the Apostles: “And when the days of Pentecost were fulfilled.” LX: to the fruit owed to widows or to the continent; in the Gospel: “and they will bear fruit, some sixtyfold.” LXXII: to the number of the elders of Moses, or of the disciples whom the Lord chose; in the Gospel: “After these things the Lord appointed seventy-two others also and sent them two by two before his face into every city.” C: to the fruit of martyrs or of virgins; in the Gospel: “and they will bear fruit, some a hundredfold.” These fixed and sacred numbers, then, we have set out only by way of example. But besides them there are very many, or almost all, that are sacred; how they come to be so, you yourself, as a searcher of divine reading, will find.