Chapter XXVIII.
He has the beginnings of veins of silver, and there is a place of gold, in which it is melted. Iron is taken out of the earth, and stone, when heated, is turned into bronze. It seems to me that under the names of these metals, by riddle and parable, he describes the manners of men and the virtues of their souls, not observing the order of the prophets, as is usual. But he wished, according to the authority of the Scriptures, that the word and meaning of the mind should indicate silver and gold. Let us say this, discussing these matters: Silver has its own sources, and there is a place where gold is formed. The veins of silver: that is, the beginning of speech arises from the senses of the soul; but the golden sense is fashioned by judgment of reason and wisdom, and in order to be the best, it is formed by the testing examination of divine fire. But fortitude, which is called by the name of iron, is the one by which we remove the earth, that is, the wickedness of our flesh, from within us: let us resist it, fighting against it, and against the law of the Spirit that is turning against us, by the strength of our soul and virtue. The hardness of a stone also represents the hardness of the heart, which, when dissolved by the heat and fervor of faith, becomes soft: so that it can first receive the words of the writer. Then, like brass that is tuneful, progressing by the merit of holiness, it will attain the solidity of faith for the offering of praises and thanks to God.
Time has set in darkness, and it envisions the end of the universe itself. In divine Scriptures, sinful humans, demons, and ignorance and troubles, or sins, are called darkness according to their manner and places.
We can metaphorically understand this stone as the devil in this place: who, because of his errors with which he had involved the whole world, is called the stone of darkness. Although he is strong and powerful by the nature with which he was created by God, he, trusting in his own strength and not in the Lord and his creator God, has lost the light of wisdom, turned into foolishness and darkness, and therefore could be called the stone of darkness: according to that, The fool walks in darkness. Just as the stone of darkness is called the devil, so is the shadow of death spoken of. For those who think they are defending and protecting themselves from him are actually being handed over to the eternal fires of hell, just like the devil himself.
The rushing river divides those who are wandering, whom the foot of the needy man has forgotten, and the impassable. This is what it says: impassable, that is, wandering, and those whom the foot of the needy man has forgotten, the rushing river will separate from the wandering people, because their footsteps have been forgotten. Whether the present conversation is meant to signify the name of the needy man's foot. He says 'forgotten' because the preceding needy one did not implore God for this kind of thing, although almsgiving implores God, that is, the good work that a man has done speaks to God in a certain manifestation of himself. Therefore, Saint Job says that those who live without the true way of religion and who have not shown mercy to the poor, who are Christ's brothers, will be separated by a torrent of fire and will be divided from the company of the saints. Whether here the poor one is properly understood to be our Savior, who became poor and destitute for us even though He was rich. Also pay attention to the symbolism in his foot, whether it represents the incarnation of the human being or the entry into the world. Where the prophet says: 'You have come to the salvation of your people.' Therefore, those who did not receive the dispensation of their salvation in the Gospel have been forgotten, those who did not want to believe due to the hardness of their own will. And therefore they were called unworthy, because they did not receive Christ, who is the way.
The land from which bread arose, in its place, has been overturned by fire. It connects diverse and obscure things, so that the lower things do not cling to the higher things. Therefore, it seems to me that it describes the land of the Sodomites in this place, praising its abundance and beauty with admiration. The land from which bread arose, in its place, has been overturned by fire. This land can also be understood as Judea, in which the bread of God's law was born to the peoples through the teaching of the prophets, but its understanding of the carnal law through the love of God and faith in Christ has been overturned, and it has been established in the right paths and spiritual senses, so that it no longer follows the literal interpretation.
The place of the sapphire is its stones and its soil gold. By metaphor, it is said that in Sodom everything was most abundant and excellent, which can even be compared to gold and precious stones. The place of the sapphire is its stones. Thus says the Lord through the prophet: Behold, I will lay your stones in order, and I will lay your foundation with sapphires, and so on. For with the splendor of precious stones, that is, of all those who believe in Christ through God the Father, Judea was then adorned when the people of the Gentiles were joined to it by the faith of Christ. The place of the sapphire, its stones, and its soil, and the place of its gold. Precious stones and gold are said to be found not in the best land, but in remote and barren places. Therefore, according to this mode, Judea, sterile in faith and unfruitful in virtues, had in itself these precious stones: that is, the patriarchs and prophets, and the whole multitude of saints. The place of the sapphire, its stones, and its soil. He called the holy soil of the Church glebe, and its saints for the fertility of good works, which he also wanted to name glebes due to divisions of grace: by which they were rightly considered as gold, in whose hidden veins the senses of great value and worth are born as if seeds of souls.
The bird unknowingly ignored the path. The multitude of inhabitants had created many exits in the same region, and perhaps it said this because due to the abundance of people, the birds did not have the opportunity to observe paths or to respond or advance there.
And the eye of the vulture did not see it. Because it was planted with such dense fruit trees and closely growing trees, that birds flying above could not devour it. The bird ignored the path: and the eye of the vulture did not see it. We can call the bird and the vulture, the devil himself with his own, who could not know the path of spiritual understanding in the Law and the prophets: that is, what was secretly foretold in Judea. Nor were they able to perceive any trace of knowledge, the hidden mysteries of future dispensation. Of which the Apostle said: We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, which is hidden: which none of the princes of this world knew. The way of knowledge the bird did not know: neither did the eye of the vulture perceive it. These two peoples can be understood here without absurdity, that is, the Jews and the Gentiles. Therefore, carnal Judea, not having faith in Christ, but rather living by the works of the law, did not know the same Christ as the way or path by which one returns to the homeland, which it ignorantly disbelieved: because of its pride, by which it thought it could be justified by the works of the law. The bird has been called light and flighty: and in the very works of the law it is unsteady. But the vulture-like people seems to be similar for this reason: because it was running through the errors of dead men, and was feeding on dead things. These people, therefore, were not able at all to completely understand Christ, covered by the letter of the law, and the land promised through Christ, with the shady meanings of obscurity. The bird did not know the path: nor did the eye of the vulture see it. Under these names, let us understand the enemies of the Church, who, having their understanding darkened by darkness, did not know the path of His calling, by which, walking towards God, He returns through faith. And those who, being carried away by various errors of dead men, are to be considered as flying.
The sons of merchants did not tread upon it. He says this because the land of Sodom was so filled with all kinds of goods that it needed no imports from any other country. The sons of merchants did not tread upon it. The aforementioned merchants or traders are meant. For traders are evil and proud, which also pertains to the devil himself, who invented extreme pride as a sin. And the trader is called such because of the multitude of sins, which he sought either for himself or to destroy man. Therefore, those who cherish this promise of land, which is reserved for the meek and humble at heart, will not be able to trample on it, nor will they have the permission to pass through it as temporary residents. Similarly, Judea, where the bread of teaching was provided by the prophets and priests, was in its own place, not God's: that is, it was in a place of their own pleasure, where they were consumed by desires and allurements, and it was overthrown by the fire of their vices, as the Prophet says: 'All who commit adultery are like an oven whose heart is heated'; and in the Psalm it is said of it: 'Burned with fire, and destroyed by the hand of its own work, it is completely uprooted and excavated.' Although this fire can also be understood in terms of the punishment of sins, as the Apostle says: 'The land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed; in the end it will be burned.' Concerning this fire of wrath, David says: 'Fire consumes their young men.' The sons of tradesmen have not trampled on it. The sons of tradesmen, the disciples of the apostles, and the apostolic men, refer to those who preached the Gospel to the Gentiles. So the Jews, namely the unbelieving land, were not trampled upon in order to proclaim the Gospel to them. Concerning whom it is said in the Acts of the Apostles: It was necessary for you to speak the word of God first, but since you judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. Thus it happened to those who were preaching the word, that the mountain Christ was transplanted into the sea of the nations. Therefore, in the psalm, it says: And the mountains shall be carried into the heart of the sea: that is, either the prophecies of the prophets or the oracles of the evangelists shall be carried over to the peoples of the believing nations. The sons of merchants did not trample upon her. These merchants or traders are wicked and unworthy of praise, who accumulate sins upon sins as if they were riches for themselves. Of them, the Apocalypse says: 'All things bright and fat have perished from you.' Therefore, merchants involved in the riches of sin will not trample upon the Church, that is, they will not dwell in it, because the Lord will possess it as holy and immaculate.
The lion did not pass through that narrow passage. Because of the large number of people living in Sodom, the animals were unable to pass through the middle of that region. The lion did not pass through it either. The lion can be understood as the dominion of the devil, or the pride of the Jews. And when it says, 'did not pass through,' it means that it did not depart from Judea, but remained there in the same infidel pride. It can also be understood differently, as referring to the Church. Indeed, in that place of their necessary redemption, where they stand by faith, the glory of their virtues is destroyed by fire. That very fire, of which the Lord Himself says: 'I have come to cast fire upon the earth.' In this manner, therefore, is the Church, that is, the land of the saints, consumed by the desire of the love of God, so that it may not be possessed by carnal concupiscence. In this manner, therefore, is it consumed, that while living in the land of their flesh, the vices of the flesh may die in it, as the Apostle says: 'For those who belong to Christ have crucified their flesh with its vices and desires.' And the lion did not pass through it, as others have said. Here the lion is not absurdly understood as the devil, who could not cross through the land of the holy Church, because he could not overcome it with severe persecutions.
He stretched out his hand to the rock. It seems to me that the holy Job has presented another enigma, and because of its solidity and strength, it can be understood as Christ according to man, whom he assumed, the rock that is also called stone, by prophets and apostles. Therefore, God the Father stretched out his hand to the rock, that is, his Son, through whom he created all things. He also calls him right hand and arm, and sends him to receive man, as the Apostle said: God sent his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. And for this reason, we understand that the extension of the hand of God the Father and His Son signifies their coming to us, and through Him as follows:
He overturns mountains from their roots. We rightly understand these, through a metaphor, to be demons or proud people: because he openly triumphed over principalities and powers in himself.
He cut through the rocky streams. Indeed, to the hardened hearts of the nations, bound by excessive unfaithfulness, he bestowed the abundance of his grace and, like flowing streams of water, he granted a rich supply of teachings. This very distribution is understood to have been divided, as it is recalled, as the Apostle says: To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge. Others have said: He broke through the river banks: to offer that spiritual doctrine of the Law and the prophets, of which Isaiah says: 'All you who are thirsty, come to the water,' which flowed within the limits of one nation, as if within certain narrow channels, also closed off by the precepts of the Mosaic law, as if by certain river banks. With such obstacles destroyed, it poured out over all the earth, abounding in the Gospel as if from a riverbed. We can also call this earth the Church. As the prophet says, 'The earth will be split by rivers.' We know that it is split and torn apart in this way when it offers itself capable of receiving the word of God. The powerful force of these same rivers works through the opening up of the earth's capacity, which is achieved through the obedience of a rational earth.
And his eyes saw every precious thing. Therefore, after the rivers of God's grace were brought forth, God saw how immense and innumerable were the benefits of His mercy. And when He saw, He said that because before His sight the fulfilment or effect of His will had appeared in His Church.
He also searched the depths of the rivers and brought hidden things to light. Therefore, we believe that these rivers are not to be seen as mere books of the old Scripture, but rather in their great depths were the sacraments of the Church, which God the Father, in the time of the Savior, searched out and revealed, bringing to fulfillment all that was foretold. Perhaps by the name of the rivers, the multitude of peoples is sometimes understood, as the prophet Nahum says: The gates of the rivers are opened. By the depths of the rivers, let us understand the hidden recesses of human conscience, which God is the scrutineer and judge of, who, on the day of judgment, will bring to light all the secrets of the heart and render to each according to their works.
But where is wisdom found, and what is the place of understanding? By asking this, he wanted to indicate something difficult and scarcely found. In fact, it cannot be found or possessed by man, unless God demonstrates it. Job himself declared this in the following words: 'And he said to man: Behold, the fear of the Lord itself is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.'
Man does not know its worth. By saying this, he indicated that the wisdom of the fear of God is invaluable.
And the sweet life is not found on earth. Therefore, no one has this wisdom of the fear of God unless they have crucified their flesh with vices and desires, unless they have lived like the apostle Paul and all the saints, in tribulations, persecutions, distress, and pressures. And for this reason, those are said to live sweetly, who are not held by the yoke of discipline, and rush headlong and unrestrained into the ruin of vices.
The abyss says, 'I am not in me,' and the sea speaks, 'I am not with me.' Let us understand this abyss in this place as hell, as the apostle says: 'Who descends into the abyss?' And let us understand this sea as the world, as we have learned from the Psalmist: 'This great and spacious sea.' Therefore, hell and this world testify that they do not possess the wisdom of the fear of God. Places are said to speak for those who are in the places, either of the world or of the underworld. Here he speaks of those who are possessed by the worldly allurements of carnal conversation: this expression is called prosopopoeia, where the person speaking assumes the role of speaking when they cannot, and what it contains stands for what is contained. Indeed, this world contains both heaven and hell: but man is also contained. Therefore, this wisdom is not possessed by the sea of this world, except by the Church alone, which is called an island in the Scriptures because of the raging waves of enemies, just as a little ship is called by analogy in the Gospel.
No gold or purple is given for it, nor is silver exchanged for it. This is said because no matter how precious something may be, it cannot be compared to this wisdom. Whether because gold and silver are understood in Scripture to have a symbolic meaning, this is what is being said: no one could perceive or speak of this wisdom based on its merit.
The color of the dye from India, as well as the most precious sardonyx stone or sapphire, will not compare to this divine wisdom. Among various precious things, this wisdom is preferred. It should be understood, however, that these precious metals are mostly found in the southern regions. And because in India all idol worshipers are represented, where, as I mentioned, precious colors are either born or made, I think this can be understood because in nations where there is no fear of the true God, there is a fake and earthly religion which is composed under the pretext of the name of God in the falsehood of errors, with different and diverse colors of speech, like a painting, and it shines like a precious stone, or its deity shines with a name, and India and also Ethiopia symbolize darkness or the darkness of sins, which are especially found in idol worship.
Gold or glass will not be compared to it, nor will vessels of gold be exchanged for it. Gold and glass, and even vessels of gold, are understood to be precious and clear: they shine in this world with the name of dignity and the glory of riches. These, certainly, lacking the fear of true religion, will be considered worthless: because they cannot, as it were, approach the exchange of singular wisdom for the sake of their glory.
The lofty and eminent things will not be mentioned in comparison to it. Even if they are lofty and exceedingly eminent, whatever excellence exists in creatures, such as angelic powers, all the smallest things, indeed rather unworthy of mention, will be in comparison to it, which made every rational creature please God and be joined to him in holy love. And therefore, this kind of wisdom is preferred to those eminent and lofty things, because without it, they are nothing before God, just like the devil himself who, having lost the fear of divine reverence, lost himself.
Wisdom is drawn from hidden things. Therefore, it cannot be obtained from anywhere else except from above, or from the innermost affections of the heart. It is drawn by the gift of the Holy Spirit, as the prophet says: I opened my mouth and drew in the spirit, so that man may taste God and fear Him, and understand how to turn away from evil.
Will not the topaz from Ethiopia be matched to him, nor the purest dyes be composed? In various ways, and with various names, Job, the holy man, says that the fear of the Lord cannot be compared to them in any way.
Therefore, where does wisdom come from, and what is the place of understanding? The questioner asks and says: every creature, or rather, most of all, ignores this wisdom.
It is hidden from the eyes of all living beings: even the birds of the sky are hidden. It must be understood by the world of living beings, of whom he said above, when speaking of this wisdom, that it is not found on the land of those who live pleasantly. But what he said, that this wisdom is hidden from the birds of the sky, should be understood as referring to the proud and the light, or those who have a lofty understanding, which pertains to the swelling of arrogance, or the evil spirits who, according to the parable of the Gospel, devour the seeds of the Lord thrown along the path. So he says that good comes from the fear of God.
Destruction and death said, we have heard with our ears his reputation. Both names can be said of the devil, or he can be called death, so that his followers are called destruction. Therefore, they said that they heard the reputation of the fear of God; for they cannot deny that they have not heard it, since they have perceived it ingrained in the good of their nature; but through the evil of disobedience, they did not want to possess it.
God understands His way, and He knows its place. For certain, God knows that this wisdom hastens to a place of absolute rest and perpetual peace: where through this very wisdom of His fear, He takes delight in resting His words upon the quiet and humble, and the trembling. Or, God understands His way, which has been spread throughout all lands by the preaching of the Gospel. Hence, it follows about God, saying:
For he himself observes the boundaries of the world and looks upon all things that are under the sky. For who doubts that God knows even those things which are to come? But in this case God rather foresaw, as the Apostle afterward declares: When the fullness of time came, God sent His Son. In this manner, by His coming to visit us, He observed the boundaries of the world. In these, I say, our times, into which the boundaries of the ages have come.
He made the weight of the winds, and he measured the waters. When he set a law for the rains, and a path for the roaring storms. It is evident that every creature is held in his hand and the power of his might. In another way: The Church received the very graces of the Holy Spirit, as it were, in its beginning through the apostles: when there was a sound from heaven like that of a violent wind approaching. The winds, or spirits, which the Scripture mentions, are those which God, by bestowing them from the secrets of heavenly mysteries, is about to bring forth for men, according to the prophet who says: Who brings forth winds from his treasures. Sometimes these varieties of graces are considered as the name of the Holy Spirit, who gives these thanks, according to the saying of the Apostle: The spirits of prophets are subject to the prophets: who, on account of the operation and effect of their divine sanctification, are said to have weight, so that, relying on each one's strength, they could offer milk to others and solid food to others, where they would say or to whom they would say. Then the prophet says: I will give you the early and late rain: this is, the new and old Testament.
Then he saw her, and narrated, and prepared, and investigated, and said to the man. That is, in his Church, God foresaw this future wisdom before, that the whole world would have fear of it.
Behold the fear of the Lord, it is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding. There are two fears: one, that no one offends God; the other, if someone offends Him. The former is holy and praiseworthy, the latter does not have charity but punishment. Therefore, concerning this praiseworthy fear, the Psalmist says: The fear of the Lord is holy, enduring forever. The evangelist John talks about the other fear in his Epistle, saying: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. Whoever has fear certainly has punishment, because they do not have the reward of love.