34. Spiritually, by these six pairings of the twelve Apostles are understood six degrees of progress in the virtues, by which one arrives at perfect charity, or at peace, or at wisdom.
Concerning the first six steps, by which one arrives at charity, 2 Peter 1: "Minister in your faith virtue, in virtue moreover knowledge, in knowledge moreover abstinence, in abstinence moreover patience, in patience moreover piety, in piety moreover love of the brotherhood, in love of the brotherhood charity." And those six steps rightly correspond to these combinations, if the interpretations of the names are considered. — Concerning the steps by which one arrives at peace, Matthew 5: "Blessed are the poor," etc.
Concerning the steps, however, by which one arrives at wisdom, Isaiah 11: "And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and piety. And the spirit of the fear of the Lord shall fill him"; where he begins from the highest. A most beautiful figure of these preceded in the throne of Solomon, where it is said that there were "six steps," "and twelve little lions standing upon the six steps on this side and on that." By the lion is understood the authority of power; by the six steps, six combinations most fittingly corresponding to the spiritual steps.
35. Morally also, through the names of the Apostles thus combined, the perfection of prelates is suggested, especially of bishops, who ought to excel others in three things: in life, in doctrine, in example or good conduct. Whence the Apostle, giving instruction, says at Titus 2: "But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine"; behold, doctrine. "Let no one despise thee"; behold, life. "In all things show thyself a pattern of good works"; behold, example or good conduct.
The first four names therefore designate the perfection of life: the other four, the perfection of doctrine: and yet another four, the perfection of example or good conduct.
36. He says therefore: Simon, — supply: he called — who is interpreted obedient. Whom he surnamed Peter, who is interpreted recognizing -, in which is designated the virtue of prudence, by which he ought to be surnamed Peter, that is, recognizing, from Simon: because from humility ought to proceed the surname of prudence, so that, according to what is said in Proverbs 23, "he may set a limit to his prudence"; "and let him not lean upon his own prudence," Proverbs 3; and thus he will not be "prudent in his own eyes," Romans 12, but "in all things he will act prudently," according to what is said of David in 1 Kings 18.
And Andrew, who is interpreted as manly, in whom is expressed the virtue of justice. Otherwise, "do not seek to be made a judge, unless you have the strength to break through iniquities," Ecclesiasticus 7. — And James, who is interpreted as supplanter or wrestler, through whom is intimated the virtue of fortitude, which bravely assails adversities and struggles against vices; whence Ephesians 6: "Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the heavenly places." Thus the bishop ought to be "a lion, the mightiest of beasts, who retreats before none," Proverbs 30—even against God, so that what was said to Jacob in Genesis 32 may be said to him: "If you have been strong against God, how much more shall you prevail against men."
And John, who is interpreted as one in whom is grace, through whom is understood the virtue of temperance or continence, which is the grace of God, according to Wisdom 8: "I cannot be continent unless God grants it," especially because "he was chosen by the Lord as a virgin and remained a virgin forever"; and Ecclesiasticus 26: "Grace upon grace is a holy and modest woman."
According to the combination of these four virtues, Ezekiel saw the forms of "the four living creatures, and the hands of a man under their wings on four sides, and they had faces and wings on four sides," Ezekiel 1, as a prefiguration of the four virtues which are required for the governance of prelates, because "nothing is more useful than these in the life of men," Wisdom 8.
37. There follows concerning the apostolic names which pertain to doctrine, when he says: Philip, who is interpreted as mouth of the lamp; in which is intimated that episcopal doctrine ought to be luminous with respect to the understanding of the hearers, so that "their appearance may be as the appearance of lamps," Ezekiel 1; so that "the lamp may be placed upon the lampstand," Zechariah 4, not "under a bushel," below, chapter 11; but as is said of Elijah in Ecclesiasticus 48: "His word burned like a torch." — And Bartholomew, who is interpreted as son of him who suspends the waters, in whom is understood devout doctrine with respect to affection, so that from devotion he may suspend and raise tears up to the eye, concerning which the Lord says to Job, chapter 38: "Will you lift up your voice in the cloud?"—namely, in devotion or compunction in teaching—"and will the flood of waters cover you?"—in weeping; which the Lord does, who "at his voice gives a multitude of waters in heaven and raises clouds from the ends of the earth," Jeremiah 10, "and he makes lightnings for the rain," as the Psalm says, that is, threats.
38. (Vers. 15.). Matthew, whose name is interpreted as gift, by whom it is suggested that doctrine ought to be edifying unto action. For after devotion has been attained, it is necessary that one fulfill the saving word heard through good works: this is especially from him from whom comes "every best gift and every perfect gift," James 1. He himself confers upon the word of the preacher the power or grace of preaching and edification: whence Isaiah 41: "The first shall say to Zion: Behold, I am here, and to Jerusalem I will give an evangelist."
And Thomas, whose name is interpreted as abyss, by which is understood the depth of learning in matters of faith, so that "his counsel may be in the great abyss," as is said in Ecclesiasticus 24. Whence it is asked in Job 38: "Have you walked in the uttermost depths of the abyss?" "O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how incomprehensible are his judgments!" For "his judgments are a great abyss," Romans 11 and the Psalm. —And these four pertain to doctrine, so that thus the four wheels "may go toward the four directions and not turn back as they move," Ezekiel 10.
39. There follows concerning those names which pertain to example: James, whose name is interpreted as wrestler, of Alphaeus, whose name is interpreted as fugitive, in whom is expressed the example of perfect poverty. Whence Gregory: "Let him who hastens to the contest with the devil cast off his garments, lest he be overcome. But what are all earthly things if not certain garments of the body?" Whence it is necessary for one wishing to wrestle in poverty to flee temporal things, according to what the Psalm says: "Behold, I went far off fleeing and remained in solitude." So Elijah in a figure of this fled from the face of Jezebel, whose name is interpreted as flow of the dung-heap: by which is designated the transience of temporal things.
And Simon, whose name is interpreted as obedient, who is called the Zealot, that is, the emulator; in whom is expressed the example of perfect humility with the emulation of ordered charity: whence 1 Peter 1: "Purifying your souls in the obedience of charity, in the love of fraternity, love one another more earnestly from a sincere heart"; Ecclesiasticus 3: "The sons of wisdom are the assembly of the just, and their nation is obedience and love."
40. (Vers. 16.). Judas, whose name is interpreted as confessing, of James, so that he may be an example of vigor in action: Matthew 5: "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Hence Tobit 12: "Bless the Lord of heaven and confess him before all the living." Hence it is that in the blessing of Judah it is said in Deuteronomy 33: "His hands shall fight for him, and his helper shall be against his adversaries"; whence he went up before the others into battle, Judges 1.
And Judas Iscariot, who is interpreted as memory of death: in whom is understood the example of the mortification of the flesh. Whence Gregory: "Nothing avails so much for taming the vices of the flesh as to think about what our flesh will be like after death." And they ought to do this, "lest, having preached to others, they themselves become reprobate," according to what the Apostle says in First Corinthians nine: "I chastise my body," etc.; on account of which it is said below in chapter twelve: "Let your loins be girded," etc. But because many are deceived and betrayed on the occasion of mortified flesh, because they glory therein, like hypocrites, who "profess with their mouth to know God, but deny Him by their deeds," according to what is said in Titus one: let them beware, lest through betrayal of this kind they be condemned, because here it is added: Who was a traitor. Hence it is that the Apostle says in Second Timothy three, that "in the last times perilous times shall come, and men shall be lovers of themselves"; and it follows: "Traitors, insolent, envious, lovers of pleasures more than of God, having indeed an appearance of piety, but denying its power." - And these things pertain to the example, and these are the four bearers of the paralytic, above in chapter five. And in this manner the mystery of the apostolic names is designated; and thus this part is concluded.
41. (Verse 17.). And descending with them, etc. After the separation of the disciples, the Evangelist here subjoins the attraction of the hearers, which the Evangelist describes with respect to four things: with respect to the accompanying disciples, with respect to the people gathering together, with respect to the inciting causes, and with respect to the subsequent effects.
With respect to the accompanying disciples he says: And descending, from the mountain, with them, that is, with the twelve already chosen, who always accompanied Him, according to what is said below in chapter twenty-two: "You are they who have remained with me in my trials"; He stood in a level place, that is, a flat and open place, so that all might be able to approach to hear wisdom, so that they might say: "Behold, we have heard of Him in Ephrata, we have found Him in the fields of the wood." And thus was fulfilled that passage from Proverbs one: "Wisdom preaches abroad, in the streets she utters her voice, at the head of the multitudes she cries out."
To the cry of this wisdom the disciples were especially attracted; whence he adds: And a crowd of his disciples, namely, stood with him. He says this with regard to the other disciples, inferior to the Apostles. For to the perfect disciples he had delivered the sermon on the summit of the mountain, as is said in Matthew 5: "Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up on the mountain, and when he had sat down, his disciples came to him." But to these, condescending to them as imperfect, he delivered the sermon on the descent from the mountain; whence they are called a crowd, because they were many and also close to the multitude. For the disciples of Christ were being multiplied, as is said in John 4: "The Pharisees heard that Jesus was making more disciples than John." To these, secrets were not to be communicated, because they were scandalized by hearing secrets; whence it is said in John 6 that because of the word that he had spoken, "many of his disciples went back and no longer walked with him. And Jesus said to the Twelve: Do you also wish to go away?" — with these disciples, namely.
42: Jesus is said to stand, but with the other, perfect ones, to sit: in which he shows that "we who are stronger ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak and not please ourselves," Romans 15.
And he descended with them, as an example of humility, according to that passage in Ecclesiasticus 32: "Have they made you ruler? Do not be lifted up: be among them as one of them." Whence by his kindness he attracted and gathered all together, as a hen gathers her chicks: Matthew 23: "How often I wished to gather your children, as a hen gathers her chicks," etc. And not without reason, because of him it was said in Deuteronomy 32: "He found him in a desert land, in a place of horror and vast solitude: he led him about and taught him and guarded him as the pupil of his eye. As an eagle, provoking its young to fly, he spread his wings over them," etc.
43. As for the peoples gathering together, it is added: And a great multitude of the people, namely stood with him, who had gathered from diverse places: they had gathered both from nearby places, regarding which he says: from all Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem, which were within the kingdom of Israel: Judea is the name of the kingdom, Samaria the principal city in the kingdom of the ten tribes, and Jerusalem the principal city in the kingdom of the two tribes: from all these they flowed together to Christ, according to that passage in Isaiah 2: "It shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it"; as well as from remote places, regarding which he says: And the sea coast and of Tyre and Sidon. And it should be repeated: a great multitude of the people from the sea coast, and a great multitude of Tyre and Sidon, that is, from Tyre and Sidon. And these were remote places, as Bede says in the Gloss, that " the sea coast is not named from the nearby sea of Galilee, but from the great sea"; Isaiah 60: "Then you shall see and abound, and your heart shall wonder and be enlarged, when the multitude of the sea shall be converted to you, the strength of the nations shall come to you."
This was prefigured in Solomon, in 3 Kings 10, where it is said that "all desired to see the face of Solomon and to hear his wisdom."
44. (Verse 18). As for the inciting causes, it is added: Who had come to hear him, as regards the illumination of truth in the mind, and to be healed of their infirmities, as regards the cure of health in the flesh. And this was a right intention, according to that passage in Hosea 6: "Come and let us return to the Lord, for he has taken and he will heal us"; and afterward: "And we shall live in his sight, we shall know and we shall follow on, that we may know the Lord." In this they showed that they were of the sheep of Christ, because they gathered to him to receive truth and salvation: John 10: "My sheep shall hear my voice, and I know them, and they shall follow me, and I give them eternal life." Therefore the love of understanding truth and of obtaining health drew them to come to Christ, as to a master and as to a physician. To the first the Savior invites in the Psalm: "Come, children, hear me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord"; to the second in Matthew 11: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you."
45. As for the subsequent efficacies, it is added: And those who were vexed by unclean spirits were cured: wherein is touched upon the efficacy of power with respect to unclean spirits: Zechariah 13: "I will take away the unclean spirit from the land." These unclean spirits vex those whom they possess: Matthew 15: "My daughter is grievously vexed by a demon." This vexation compelled them to flee to Christ, because, according to what is said in Isaiah 28, only "vexation will give understanding to the hearing"; moreover, as Gregory says, "the evils that press upon us here compel us to go to God." Certainly, while they compel us toward God, they lead to a good disposition, according to that passage in Wisdom 3: "Having been afflicted in few things, in many they shall be well disposed."