18. Once more, there is military war, a conflict with demons which threaten by night and by day, at times by exaggerating so that we become presumptuous, at times by thoughts of knowledge, at times by thoughts of sanctity. At times they make a man angry, and thus devilish and filled with a spirit of malice; and they make him fall into sadness and despair, and it is the same with other means. Scripture teaches to flee from this. But what kind of knowledge teaches to flee from adverse powers? None! 18. Item, est bellum campestre, hostile cum daemonibus, qui die ac nocte infestant, modo magnificando, ut praesumamus, modo per considerationem scientiae, modo per considerationem sanctitatis; modo faciunt hominem iracundum, et sic diabolicum et adimpletum spiritu malignitatis; et faciunt eum cadere in tristitiam et desperationem, et sic de aliis. Haec docet fugere Scriptura. Quae enim scientia docet fugere contrarias potestates? Nulla.
19. Scripture, again, enlightens in a circle , as, for instance, [when it advises us] not to flee, because we have protection all around. For we have the Lord and angels about us, wherefore the Psalm: Mountains are round about Jerusalem; so the Lord is round about His people. To the servant of Eliseus who cried out because of the Syrian robbers who sought to capture him, Eliseus said: "Lord, open his eyes, that he may see." And the Lord opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw. And behold the mountain was full of horses, and chariots of fire round about Eliseus. Jacob too, afraid of his brother, saw the angels and said: "This is the encampment of God." Wherefore the Psalm says: The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? And in another passage: Had not the Lord been with us, let Israel say , etc., until the end. 19. Item, illustrat in gyro, ut non esse fugiendum, quia undique praesidium habemus. Habemus enim ipsum Dominum et Angelos circa nos; unde in Psalmo: Montes in circuitu eius, et Dominus in circuitu populi sui . Unde puero Elisaei clamante propter latrones Syriae, qui volebant eum capere, dixit Elisaeus: Domine, aperi oculos pueri huius, et aperuit Dominus. Et ecce mons plenus equorum et curruum igneorum in circuitu Elisaei . Iacob etiam, timens fratrem suum, vidit Angelos, unde dixit: Castra Dei sunt haec . Unde Psalmus dicit: Dominus illuminatio mea et salus mea, quem timebo? . Et alibi: Nisi quia Dominus erat in nobis, dicat nunc Israel etc., usque in finem.
20. Again, [Scripture] enlightens from afar through the symbolism of figures: for it offers figures of all things. But all things existing in the world are reduced to twelve which Scripture mentions and which are distant symbols: heavenly forms, elementary natures, the natures of meteors and of minerals; vegetable natures, the natures of swimming beings, of birds and ambulating animals; the human organs, the human powers, the human works, and the human arts. 20. Item, illustrat e longinquo per figurarum signa; facit autem figuras de omnibus. Omnia autem, quae sunt in mundo, reducuntur ad duodecim, quibus utitur Scriptura, quae sunt signa longinqua: caelestes formae, elementares naturae, meteoricae naturae, minerales naturae; naturae germinum, natatilium, volatilium, gressibilium; humana organa, humanae vires, humana opera, humanae artes.
21. And so, first of all there is the heavenly form. For Scripture makes use of all the heavens and the stars. Hence the Psalm: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork. And Ecclesiasticus: The clear vault of the sky shines forth like heaven itself, a vision of glory. 21. Primum ergo est forma caelestis. Utitur enim Scriptura omnibus caelis et stellis; Psalmus: Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei, et opera manuum eius annuntiat firmamentum ; et Ecclesiasticus: Altitudinis firmamentum pulcritudo eius, species caeli in visione gloriae .
22. Now, the elementary forms, fire, air, water, earth: Scripture makes use of them all. The nature of meteors: clouds, rain, dew, snow, etc.; and lights over rivers and ponds: Scripture uses them all. Natures are also mineral, as in the seven principal metals and gems, for instance onyx. We read in Genesis: Bdellium and onyx are there. And in the same passage: (The land of Hevila) where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good. And the Apocalypse mentions twelve precious stones. There are also the vegetal natures, such as trees, herbs, plants, seeds: [Scripture] refers to oil, cereals, and other things produced from the soil. 22. Formae elementares: ignea, aerea, aquea, terrea; omnibus utitur Scriptura. -- Naturae meteoricae, ut nube, pluvia, rore, nive etc.; et luminibus apparentibus in caelo, fluminibus, stagnis, quibus omnibus utitur. -- Naturae etiam sunt minerales, ut septem metalla principalia et lapis pretiosus, ut lapis onychinus; in Genesi legitur: Ibi invenitur bdellium et lapis onychinus ; et ibidem: Ubi nascitur aurum; et aurum terrae illius optimum est . Et in Apocalypsi duodecim lapides pretiosi. -- Sunt etiam naturae germinum, ut arborum, herbarum, plantarum, seminum; de olere, gramine aliisque tractat de terra nascentibus.
23. There are also the natures of swimming beings: [Scripture] considers the crocodile, the fishes and the whale. Again, there are the natures of birds: [Scripture] mentions the hawk, the eagle, the dove, the sparrow. And why only three species are offered as a sacrifice is a great mystery. There is also a reference to night-birds and day-birds. It is the same concerning progressing! animals, the serpent, the snake. Flee from sin as from a serpent. And so God permitted the temptation to come about through a serpent. Likewise [Scripture refers to] foxes, goats, swine, the hart, the mule, the bear, the oxen. Again, it is not without mystery that only three species of progressing animals were offered or sacrificed. 23. Sunt etiam naturae natatilium, ut tractat de leviathan , de piscibus, de cetis. -- Sunt naturae volatilium, ut de accipitre, de aquila, de columba, de passere; et est magnum mysterium, quare tantum tria genera volatilium ponuntur in sacrificio . Loquitur etiam de avibus lucifugis et de amatricibus lucis. -- Item, de animali gressibili, de serpente, de colubro: Quasi a facie colubri fuge peccatum ; qualiter permisit Deus tentationem fieri per serpentem. Item, de vulpibus, de capra, de porcis, de cervo, de hinnulo, de urso, de bobus. Nec sine mysterio etiam tantum tria genera gressibilium offerebantur vel sacrificabantur.
24. Once more, the natures of man, whose parts are referred to in Scripture at times in relation to God and at other times, to the angels. Wherefore Dionysius shows the meaning of human limbs in the case of angels. There are also the vegetative, sensitive and rational powers of which Scripture makes use throughout. Again, human works, such as the building of houses and wells, farming and trading, and all the arts, both liberal and mechanical [are referred to in the same way]. The theologian makes use of these sometimes as a mathematician, at other times as an astronomer or a geometer. Sometimes you will see him as an orator, at other times as a physician. 24. Item, naturae hominis, de cuius partibus Scriptura tractat partim ad Deum translatis, partim ad Angelos. Unde Dionysius ostendit, quid significant membra humana in Angelis. -- Item, vires vegetabiles, vires sensibiles, rationales etc., quibus omnibus Scriptura per totum utitur. -- Item, de operibus humanis, ut constructione domorum, puteorum, agricultura, mercatura; et de omnibus artibus liberalibus et mechanicis. Theologus modo eis utitur ut arithmeticus, modo ut astrologus, modo ut geometer: modo videbis eum rhetorem, modo medicum.
a. It is Dangerous to Go Too Far Away from the House of Scripture
25. In this regard, there is a danger: for it is dangerous to go too far away from the house of Scripture. A child, indeed, never wants to go too far away from home. There is the same danger in the sciences, for people spread out so much through the consideration of their [own] knowledge that later they are unable to return to the house of Scripture, but enter the house of Daedalus, and cannot get out. For it is better to hold the truth than the figure. If I were to see your face, and ask you to bring a clear mirror in order to look at your face in it, such a request would be foolish. So it is with Scriptures and the figures of the other sciences. 25. In hac consideratione est periculum, quia periculum est nimis longe recedere a Scripturae domo; puer enim nunquam vult multum recedere a domo. Sic periculum est in scientiis, quod tantum diffundant se per considerationes harum scientiarum, ut postea ad domum Scripturae redire non possint, et quod intrent domum Daedali, ut exire non possint. Melius est enim tenere veritatem quam figuram. Si ego viderem faciem tuam et rogarem te, ut apportares mihi speculum clarum, ut ibi viderem faciem tuam; stulta esset ista petitio. Sic est de Scripturis sanctis et figuris aliarum scientiarum.
26. Again [Scripture] enlightens from nearby by means of the gifts of graces which supplement what is lacking in [human] activity. For many scientists came as guests: they came to our house and to our activity. But in these matters, activity must reach a limit. Wherefore Scripture enlightens such matters from nearby. Hence it is not good to go far out for something that is close at hand. Indeed, Scripture describes the gifts of the Holy Spirit throughout. In John: Jesus therefore, wearied as He was from the journey, was sitting at the well And there follows: "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again. He, however, who drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst." And so, two kinds of water are distinguished. For one knowledge is described as being external, and the more one drinks of it, the more he thirsts; the other, as being internal, of which it is said: "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture says, 'From within Him there shall flow rivers of living water.' " He said this, however, of the Spirit whom they who believed in Him were to receive. And these are the waters from the fountain of salvation, that is, awareness of those graces that sustain souls. 26. Item, illutrat per gratiarum dona e vicino, quae supplent omnia, quae non habet industria. Multi enim venerunt hospites scientiae, scilicet ad domum nostram et ad nostram industriam; sed in his debet industria ponere terminum. Unde illustrat haec Scriptura e vicino; unde non oportet longe ire pro re, quae prope est. Describit enim Scriptura dona Spiritus sancti per totum; in Ioanne: Iesus fatigatus ex itinere sedebat super fontem ; sequitur: Omnis, qui bibit ex aqua hac, sitiet iterum; qui autem biberit ex aqua, quam ego dabo ei, fiet in eo fons aquae salientis in vitam aeternam . -- Unde duplex aqua notatur; describitur enim notitia una exterior, de qua qui plus bibet plus sitit; alia interior, de qua: Qui credit in me, sicut dicit Scriptura, flumina de ventre eius fluent aquae vivae. Hoc autem dixit de Spiritu sancto, quem accepturi erant credentes in eum . Istae sunt aquae de fontibus Salvatoris , scilicet notitiae gratiarum reficientes animas.
27. Next to these mysteries are the mystery of the tree of life and the mystery of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For he who seeks nothing but knowledge tastes of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And this is pointed out in Isaias: Forasmuch as this people hath cast away the waters of Siloe, that go with silence, and hath rather taken Rasin and the son of Romelia: Therefore behold the Lord will bring upon them the waters of the river, strong and many. But as Jerome says, the waters of Siloe run with a great rumble: wherefore it is evident that the meaning here is different. The waters. .. that go with silence are Holy Scripture which cannot be learned except in silence: and in that there is enlightenment. As a sign of this, it is said to the blind: "Go, wash in the pool of Siloe (which is interpreted 'sent')" For these waters are [found] through revelation. But it is fitting first to anoint the eyes with clay made of spittle and dust. Spittle is wisdom. Dust is Christ's flesh. Clay is faith concerning the mystery of the incarnation. But those who have taken Rasin and the son of Romelia are those who seek external sciences. Wherefore the prince of the Assyrians shall have power over them: the Lord willed it. And here it should be noted that the sons of Israel despoiled the Egyptians of their silver vessels: and after that, the Lord never wanted them to be returned. 27. Iuxta haec mysteria est mysterium ligni vitae et mysterium ligni scientiae boni et mali . Qui enim tantum quaerit notitiam gustat de ligno scientiae boni et mali. Et hoc significatum est in Isaia: Pro eo quod abiecit populus ille aquas Siloe, quae currunt cum silentio, et assumpsit magis Rasin et filium Romeliae; propter hoc, ecce Dominus adducet super eos aquas fluminis fortes et multas . Ut dicit Hieronymus, aquae Siloe currunt cum magno murmure: ergo manifestum, quod intellectus alius est ibi. -- Aquae currentes cum silentio sunt sacra Scriptura, quae nisi in silentio addisci non potest; et ibi fit illuminatio. In signum huius dictum est caeco: Vade, lava in natatoria Siloe, quod interpretatur Missus . Aquae enim istae per revelationem sunt. Sed oportet prius linire oculos luto ex sputo et pulvere facto ; saliva est sapientia; pulvis, caro Christi; lutum, fides de mysterio incarnationis. -- Qui autem quaerunt Rasin et filium Romeliae sunt qui quaerunt exteriores scientias. Et ideo princeps Assyriorum dominabitur eis ; Dominus voluit. Et hic notandum est, quod filii Israel furtive habuerunt vasa argentea Aegypti ; sed postea nunquam voluit Dominus, quod reverterentur.
28. And He said: "Believe me, there shall come a time when gold and silver vessels will be worthless," meaning arguments: nor shall there be any defense through reason, but only through authority.")' And so, in reference to this, when the Saviour was tempted, He did not defend Himself through reason, but through authority, although He could have done it well through logical arguments. Thus did He indicate what His Mystical Body was to do in tribulations to come. 28. Et dixit: Credite mihi, quod adhuc erit tempus, quando nihil valebunt vasa aurea vel argentea, id est argumenta; nec erit defensio per rationem, sed solum per auctoritatem. Unde in signum huius Salvator, quando tentatus fuit, non defendit se per rationem, sed per auctoritates , et tamen bene scivisset per rationes. Significavit enim, quid facturus est corpus suum mysticum in tribulatione futura.