Every bishop ought to know this knowledge; whence it is asked of the hierarch: Do you know the Old Testament and the New?
The King of England asked a certain bishop what the two horns on his mitre signified. He replied, and rightly, that they signify the two Testaments, which bishops ought to know. "And what do those two pendants signify, which hang behind the back?" He replied that they signify ignorance of both, "because we know neither the one nor the other, but have cast the whole thing behind our backs." And in this he spoke ill.
18. Because the ecclesiastical hierarchy is founded upon Scripture, which is compared to the water of the sea on account of these three things, therefore sentence has been passed against those who do not possess this knowledge. In Hosea: Because you have rejected knowledge, I will reject you, that you shall not minister to me as priest. He who knows nothing of governance is driven from the helm of the ship and from the rule of the city. If the foundations of the Church consist in the knowledge of sacred Scripture, therefore he who does not know sacred Scripture must be driven from ecclesiastical office and dignity. If a blind man wished to lead another, it would be the greatest folly. A helmsman is not to be chosen by lot or by friendship. — And it should be known that knowledge is rejected when a man does not take care to learn it. Isaiah: Therefore my people are led into captivity, because they did not have knowledge, namely neither in the head nor in the members.
Likewise, knowledge is repelled when a man possesses knowledge and does not wish to live according to that knowledge nor to fulfill it. Whence the Lord says: Woe to you, Scribes and Lawyers, because you have taken away the key of knowledge: you yourselves have not entered, and those who were entering, you have hindered. If a physician eats the food which he forbids to the sick person, the sick person is scandalized and wishes to eat that food. - Wherefore woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees! because to him who knows the good and does it not, it is sin, as blessed James says. From knowledge, guilt is increased and also punishment: whence in Luke: The servant who knew the will of his Lord and did not prepare and did not act according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. If a man does not prohibit evil by example or by counsel, woe to him! You make yourself a teacher of sacred Scripture, but you persuade the contrary of good and truth. If one who ought to proceed by the right way, and another were to tell him that he should proceed by a crooked way: his sin would be inexpiable. By impeding the salvation of another by example, by counsel, or by persuasion, you must give your soul for the soul of that one. Is it not the case that if I can draw another to what is better, and I draw him to what is worse, I do not sin gravely? If I impede the good of another, I do worse than the devil: because the devil acts as an enemy.
This knowledge, if the fulfillment of works is not present, is not useful but harmful. The first brightness can be obscured, but this one can be condemned.
19. Therefore it is necessary to have another brightness, namely that of gratuitous knowledge, which is the form of the two preceding brightnesses. You fail in the third sign if you do not have this knowledge. This knowledge is of truth as believable and lovable, a holy awareness. Of this knowledge it is said in the book of Wisdom: The Lord led the just one through right ways and showed him the kingdom of God, He honored him in his labors and gave him the knowledge of the Saints. Gratuitous knowledge is called the knowledge of the Saints for a threefold reason.
20. First, because it is given by the Holy Spirit: I say by the Holy Spirit moving the soul, inspiring and informing it unto holiness. I say by the Holy Spirit inspiring unto the awareness of holiness, unto the delight in holiness, and unto the guardianship of holiness. Whence the Apostle to the Corinthians: We have not received the spirit of this world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been given to us by God: and in what manner? If we know, we guard and approve the things inspired through the Holy Spirit unto the awareness of holiness, unto the delight in holiness, and its guardianship. Whence in John: Father, sanctify them in truth.
21. In another way, gratuitous knowledge is called the knowledge of the Saints, because it has nothing of vice mixed in, nothing of carnality, nothing of curiosity, and nothing of vanity. Whence in Leviticus: The Lord also said to Aaron: You and your sons shall not drink wine or anything that can intoxicate, so that you may have the knowledge of discerning between the holy and the profane. He who has the knowledge of discerning between the holy and the profane will abstain from everything that can intoxicate, that is, from every superfluous delight in creatures: this is the intoxicating wine. Whether someone on account of vanity, or on account of curiosity, or carnality inclines toward superfluous delight, which is in creatures: he does not have the knowledge of the Saints. It is said in Genesis: Of every tree that is in paradise, you shall eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in whatever hour you eat of it, you shall die the death. Adam with his wife contracted the vice of curiosity, when the devil said to them: You shall be as gods, knowing good and evil: he also contracted the vice of carnality, when he ate of the fruit: he also contracted the vice of vanity, when he wished to be as gods.
Hear, brothers: those who have the knowledge of the Saints, namely clerics, let them take heed for themselves, lest they have anything of vice mixed in; because if a man mixes in anything of vice, he loses the knowledge of discerning between good and evil.
22. Third, gratuitous knowledge is called the knowledge of the Saints, because it has a zeal for all holiness.
Whence in the book of Ecclesiastes: In much wisdom there will be indignation; he who adds knowledge adds sorrow. A man knowing his own defects has the sorrow of compunction for himself, the sorrow of compassion for his neighbors, and the sorrow of zeal for the honor of God.
Psalm: O sons of men, how long will you be heavy of heart? Why do you love vanity and seek after falsehood? And know that the Lord has made His Holy One wonderful: the Lord will hear me when I cry to Him. Be angry, and do not sin: for what you say in your hearts, upon your beds be moved to compunction. He who has true knowledge and knows God and sees that he does not walk rightly or perfectly is in continual sorrow, because he sees that his affections and thoughts are scattered. Augustine: "Knowledge begets mourning."
A man sees the slaughter of bodies, he grieves greatly. He therefore who sees the slaughter of souls, how can he restrain himself from tears? This grief is greatly pleasing to God. The Lord says concerning this knowledge: I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than holocausts. I know the infirmities of others: I ought to suffer with them. Isaiah: We have seen him, a man of sorrows and knowing infirmity. There is no spirit of the knowledge of God in that member when it sees a member of its head wounded and does not grieve with it. David grieved over the death of Absalom, who nevertheless had persecuted him. There is therefore the grief of compunction for oneself, and the grief of compassion for one's neighbors.
The third grief is that of zeal for the divine honor. Whence in the book of Maccabees: Thou, O Lord, who hast knowledge, knowest that whereas I might be delivered from death, I endure hard pains of body; but according to the soul, on account of thy fear, I willingly suffer these things. Eleazar spoke these words when he preferred to die rather than to make a pretense of eating swine's flesh. Philosophy does not teach this, that for the sake of a conclusion I should expose myself to death.
23. Psalm: I am thy servant: give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies. Gratuitous knowledge teaches to know and the manner of knowing. Whence, upon that saying of the Apostle: If any man think that he knoweth anything, he hath not yet known how he ought to know: Bernard says: "You see that the Apostle does not approve him who knows many things, but the manner of knowing: see that he places all the fruit and utility of knowledge in the manner of knowing. What does he call the manner of knowing? To know in what order, with what zeal, and to what end each one learns: in what order, so that one may first learn that which is more conducive to salvation; with what zeal, so that one may more ardently pursue that which more powerfully draws to the love of God; to what end, so that one may learn not for vainglory or curiosity, but for the edification of oneself and one's neighbor. There are those who wish to know only for the sake of knowing, and this is base curiosity. There are those who learn and wish to know in order to be known, and this is base vanity. And there are those who wish to know in order to sell their knowledge for money or honors, and this is base profit. There are those who wish to know in order to edify others, and this is charity. And there are those who wish to know in order to be edified, and this is prudence ."
24. Knowledge puffs up, but charity edifies; therefore it is necessary to join charity with knowledge, so that a man may have knowledge and charity together, so that what the Apostle says may be fulfilled: Rooted and founded in charity, that you may be able to comprehend with all the Saints what is the length, and breadth, and height, and depth, and to know also the charity of Christ which surpasseth knowledge. This is the knowledge which is a gift of the Holy Spirit.
25. Concerning the last knowledge, namely concerning glorious knowledge, I shall say one word. It is said of it in the book of Wisdom: To know you is supreme justice; it follows: and is the root of immortality. This knowledge is initiated in those who contemplate, perpetuated in those who sleep, and consummated in those who rise again. May he who with the Father, etc., deign to grant us this knowledge.