Chapter 7
Chapter VII.
Second, he takes a reason for exhorting to wisdom from his own example.
For I myself am etc. Above he admonished rulers to acquire and love wisdom through a reason taken from the danger of their office; here from his own example. And first he shows how he received wisdom, namely in this chapter; second, how much he loved it, namely in the eighth chapter; third, how devoutly he sought it from the Lord, namely in the ninth chapter.
First he shows how he received wisdom.
In the first part, in order to descend to his purpose, first he describes the misery of human frailty; second, he shows that this occasion provoked him to acquire wisdom: Therefore I wished etc.; third, he shows by whom he was instructed: But to me.
First, on the misery of human frailty.
In the first, first he touches on the defectibility of human nature; second, the vileness of human conception: And in the womb; third, the condition of birth: And I; fourth, the labor of upbringing: In swaddling clothes; fifth, the commonality of misery: For no one etc.
(Verse 1.). For I myself am etc. Thus I admonished you to receive the discipline of wisdom "through my words": and this you can do not only through my words, but also by my example, because I myself also am: indeed, that is, certainly: a mortal man, just as you are: mortal, I say, that is, able to die from the first condition, but having the necessity of dying from the first transgression; for man, according to Boethius, is a rational, mortal animal; likewise Romans 8: "The body indeed is dead because of sin," that is, subjected to the necessity of dying. Like all others in this condition of mortality; 2 Kings 14: "We all die, and like waters slip away into the earth, which do not return." And of the race of that earthly one, namely Adam the transgressor, who was first made, from the earth namely; whence Genesis 2: "God formed man from the slime of the earth"; likewise 1 Corinthians 15: "The first man was of the earth, earthly"; likewise in the same place: "As was the earthly one, such also are the earthly ones." And in the womb of my mother I was formed into flesh. For according to Augustine in the book of Eighty-three Questions, in the first six days the seed is like milk; in the remaining nine the milk is converted into blood; in the remaining twelve it is formed into flesh; in the remaining eighteen it is formed into an organic body. And then around the forty-fifth or forty-sixth day the soul is infused into the body. And during the entire remaining time after the infusion of the soul, the body is nourished and grows.
(Vers. 2.). In the time of ten months I was compacted in blood from the seed of a man, according to the natural philosophers, as the Gloss says: "The seed of the woman is sanguineous, the seed of the man is white: from the commingling of these, the one as passive and the other as active, coagulation occurs": Job 10: "Did you not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese"? This coagulation occurs in the first part of the ten months: but the entire duration of formation itself is a period of nine months.
But to the contrary: Because the common time of formation is nine months: whence 2 Maccabees 7: "Have pity on me, my son, who bore you nine months in my womb."
I respond: As the Gloss says, "some are born in the seventh month, some in the eighth, some in the ninth: but those born in the tenth are said to be more perfect, healthier, and more vigorous." But Christ, according to the Gloss, was in His mother's womb "nine months and six days": whence what he says, ten months, is taken synecdochically: "for it was from the eighth of the Kalends of April to the eighth of the Kalends of January."
And with the pleasure of sleep concurring, or of concurring [sleep], that is, by the pleasurable act of the common sleeping together of a man with a woman. This pleasure is compared to the pleasure of sleep, because it binds reason and quickly passes, just as the pleasure of sleep.
(Vers. 3.). And being born I received the common air, for the necessity of breathing: Ecclesiastes 3: "All things breathe alike." And in like manner I fell, from the womb of my mother, upon the earth that was made, namely by God, Genesis 1: and this with respect to the necessity of life and sustenance. And the first voice, like all others, namely those being born, I uttered, crying. Augustine says that "a child from his crying begins to be a prophet of his own calamity"; "but they report, that is, they say, that Zoroaster alone, king of the Bactrians, laughed when he was born." John the Baptist alone also, contrary to the law of those being born, anticipated his own birth with joy and exultation; Luke 1: "The infant leaped for joy in my womb."
(Vers. 4. 5. 6.). In swaddling clothes, namely of cloths, I was nurtured: Luke 2: "She wrapped him in swaddling clothes." And with great cares: 2 Maccabees 7: "For three years I gave you milk and brought you up to this age."
For no one among kings had a different beginning of birth, because in natural things there is no difference between kings and subjects, but only in the goods of fortune.
Therefore there is one entrance into life for all, namely through temporal birth so lowly, as has been said: and a similar departure, namely through death so harsh, as is described in the last chapter of Ecclesiastes. Likewise, there is one entrance, namely through a poor birth; and a similar departure, namely through a most impoverished death: Job 1: "Naked I came forth from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither": Ecclesiastes 5: "A most wretched infirmity: as he came, so shall he return."
Second, he shows that, prompted by this occasion toward wisdom, he says.
For this reason I desired, etc. Here he shows that this occasion prompted him to acquire wisdom: and first he touches on the attainment of the desired wisdom; second, the estimation of what was attained: And I preferred her; third, the love of what was esteemed: Above health; fourth, the communication of what was possessed and loved: Which I learned without pretense.
(Verses 7–8). For this reason, that is, struck by the consideration of the aforementioned miseries, I desired, namely wisdom. And understanding was given to me, that is, wisdom: Proverbs 10: "The desire of the just shall be granted." And I called upon, the Gloss says: "the Lord"; James 1: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God." And there came into me, as I called upon him, the spirit of wisdom, according to that verse of the Psalm: "I opened my mouth," namely in prayer, "and drew in the spirit"; likewise Ecclesiasticus 15: "In the midst of the church he opened his mouth, and the Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom."
And I preferred her, namely in estimation of value, to kingdoms, that is, to the dignities of kings, and to thrones, that is, to the dignities of judges: and rightly so, because she says: "By me kings reign," Proverbs 8. And I counted riches as nothing in comparison with her: Proverbs 3: "She is more precious than all riches." "For what does it profit a fool to have riches, when he cannot purchase wisdom?"
(Verse 9). Nor did I compare to her, that is, to her price or power, any precious stone: in the Psalm: "I have loved your commandments above gold and topaz"; likewise Job 28: "It shall not be compared with the dyed colors of India, nor with the most precious sardonyx stone, or the sapphire." "Neither shall the topaz of Ethiopia be equal to it." For, etc., as if to say: and rightly so, because all gold, that is, all the gold that is in the world, in comparison with her is sand, that is, unfruitful earth: Bernard says: "What is gold but red earth"? of small account, that is, of little weight: Job 28: "Fine gold shall not be given for it." And as clay, that is, of no value, shall silver be esteemed in her sight: Job 28: "Silver shall not be weighed in exchange for it": Proverbs 3: "The gaining of her is better than the trading of gold and silver," etc.
But silver is compared to clay because it stains the hands and the soul: Habakkuk 2: "How long does he heap up against himself thick clay?"
It should be noted that wisdom is preferred to silver and gold and every worldly treasure, first by reason of origin, because worldly treasure is from the earth: Job 28: "Silver has the beginnings of its veins, and there is a place for gold where it is refined," indeed "it is earth," according to blessed Bernard: but wisdom is from heaven, as is clear from James 3.
Second, by reason of nature, because worldly treasure is a corporeal thing, but wisdom is a spiritual thing: whence Isaiah 11: "The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom," etc.
Third, by reason of power, because treasure is finite, but wisdom is infinite: whence below in this same chapter: "She is an infinite treasure to men, which they that use are made partakers of the friendship of God."
Fourth, by reason of operation, because treasure can accomplish few things, but she accomplishes all things: whence below in chapter 8: "What is richer than wisdom, which works all things?"
Fifth, by reason of estimation, because treasure falls under estimation, but she does not: Job 28: "It shall not be compared with the dyed colors of India," etc.
Sixth, by reason of utility, because wisdom without riches profits, but riches without wisdom do not profit, but rather harm: whence Ecclesiastes 5: "Riches kept to the hurt of their owner."
Seventh, by reason of duration, because "wisdom is glorious, and never fades away," above in chapter 6; but riches are corrupted: whence James 5: "Your riches are corrupted"; likewise James 1: "The rich man shall wither away in his journeys."
Eighth, by reason of inclination, because wisdom, since it is from above, elevates upward, but gold and silver drag downward, namely toward the earth: whence Baruch 3: "They that hoarded up silver and gold, in which men trust, have been cut off and have descended to the netherworld."
Above health etc. Here he shows the love of esteemed wisdom. And first he shows the greatness of this love; second, its reason: But all good things came to me etc.
(Verse 10). Above health: the Gloss says: "Of the body," namely interior health; the Psalm: "For vain is the salvation of man"; and beauty, the Gloss says: "Of corporeal things," namely exterior beauty, because, Proverbs 31, "favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain"; I loved her, namely wisdom, because insofar as the spirit is better than the body and more dearly to be loved, so much more are spiritual things better than corporeal things and more to be loved. And I loved her so greatly that I purposed to have her for my light, which light, I say, is the most beautiful and most delightful and best among corporeal things, according to Augustine: so wisdom among spiritual things is the light of the soul; Sirach, the last chapter: "In his wisdom my soul shone, and he illuminated my ignorances"; below in the same chapter: "She is more beautiful than the sun." There follows: For her light is inextinguishable, namely as far as it is in itself; below in the same chapter: "Being compared with light, she is found before it, for night succeeds that light."
(Vers. 11.). All good things came to me, namely of graces, within me absolutely: together with her, namely with uncreated wisdom, that is, the Son of God: whence Romans 8: "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him give us all things?" The Gloss: "Whoever receives the knowledge of Christ equally has the grace of all virtues and in the future eternal life." Or: with her, that is, with created wisdom, because she herself is the most perfect of gifts. "Solomon experienced this, to whom when he asked for wisdom the Lord added riches and glory." And innumerable honor, outwardly in comparison to others: through the hands, that is, the works, of her, supply: came to me: whence below in chapter 10: "She honored him in his labors," etc.
(Vers. 12.). And I rejoiced, filled with joy, in all things, namely the gifts of wisdom: Sirach, the last chapter: "My heart rejoiced in her." For this wisdom went before me, namely by directing my steps: Sirach 4: "She receives those who seek her and goes before them in the way of justice." This is the pillar of fire and cloud going before the children of Israel by night and by day, Exodus 13. And I did not know, namely before I possessed her: The Gloss: "By the progress of meditation he understands that he has advanced so much that, comparing his former knowledge with the latter, he considers it ignorance." I did not know, I say, that she is the mother of all these things, namely of goods: Sirach 24: "I am the mother of fair love and of fear," etc.; likewise in the same place: "In me is all grace," etc.
Which without pretense etc. Here first is touched upon the liberality of the communication of wisdom; second, the reason for communicating: For it is an infinite treasure.
(Vers. 13.). Which without pretense, that is, with my whole heart, I learned, knowing that "the Holy Spirit of discipline will flee from the deceitful," above in chapter 1; likewise Proverbs 2: "If you seek her as money, and dig for her as for treasures," etc. And without envy I communicate, namely not withholding useful things, above in chapter 6: "Neither will I journey with consuming envy"; likewise Proverbs 5: "Let your fountains flow abroad." And her honor, that is, her beauty, I do not hide, by veiling with obscure words: Sirach 4: "Do not hide your wisdom in her beauty"; likewise Sirach 20: "Hidden wisdom and an unseen treasure, what profit is in either?"
(Vers. 14.). For she is an infinite treasure in herself, to men: whence she is also inexhaustible through communication; and therefore Cicero says that knowledge is a noble treasure of the soul, which when distributed receives increase and disdains the avaricious possessor: unless it is made public, it slips away. Augustine: "Every good which does not diminish by giving, if it is possessed and not given, is not yet possessed as it ought to be possessed"; Ecclesiasticus 1: "He will fill her whole house from his generations, and her storehouses from his treasures." Those who have used this, namely the treasure of wisdom, governing themselves according to her, have been made partakers of the friendship of God: whence below in the same chapter: "She makes friends of God and prophets." On account of the gifts of discipline, that is, of wisdom, gifts which they possess not through their own industry, but through the distribution of the Holy Spirit, according to that passage in 1 Corinthians 12: "All these things," namely the gifts of graces, "one and the same Spirit works, dividing to each one as He wills." Commended, that is, made commendable, namely to God and to men: 2 Corinthians 10: "For not he who commends himself is approved, but he whom God commends."
Third, he shows from whom he learned wisdom.
But God gave me to speak, etc. Here he shows from whom he learned wisdom: and first he shows who taught him; second, what things he taught: For He Himself gave me, etc.; third, through what medium he taught him: For the artificer of all things, etc.
First, who taught him.
(Verse 15). But to me etc. I have rightly said: Those who have used etc.: but I have used: but, in place of 'because': God gave me to speak, that is, not only to know, but also to teach: Isaiah 50: "The Lord gave me a learned tongue, that I might know how to sustain with a word him who has fallen." To speak, I say, according to judgment, that is, with firm determination: Proverbs 12: "The lip of truth shall be established forever": the Psalm: "The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak judgment," that is, a firm judgment. And to presume. It should be noted that there is a presumption of arrogance, concerning which Judith 6: "Those presuming in themselves and glorying in their own strength you humble." And there is a presumption of confidence in divine power and mercy, concerning which in the same place: "You do not forsake those who presume in you" etc.; likewise Judith 9: "Hear me, wretched and presuming upon your mercy." And to presume, that is, to act confidently, things worthy, namely works, of those things which are given to me, that is, to perform vigorous and fitting works according to the gifts bestowed upon me: "For to whom more is committed, more shall be required of him." For he himself, namely God, is the guide of wisdom: Gloss: "That is, the author ": Ecclesiasticus 1: "All wisdom is from the Lord God." Likewise the giver: James 1: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God" etc. And the amender of the wise, that is, the corrector: Revelation 3: "Those whom I love, I rebuke" etc., namely if it happens that they err in something.
Sometimes even good Homer nods.
Likewise Augustine: I may err, but I shall never be a heretic.
(Verse 16). For in his hand etc. I have rightly said that he is the guide and amender of the wise: for in the hand of him: Gloss: "That is, in his power"; are both we, who possess wisdom: Jeremiah 18: "As clay in the hand of the potter, so also are you in my hand"; likewise Proverbs 21: "As the divisions of waters, so is the heart of the king in the hand of the Lord." And our words: Proverbs 16: "It is for man to prepare his mind, but for the Lord to govern the tongue"; Matthew 10: "It is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father" etc. And all wisdom, which namely is the knowledge of divine things, and of works, namely human, the discipline of knowledge; Isaiah 26: "All our works you have wrought in us, O Lord."
Second, what sort of things he taught.
For he himself gave me. Here he shows what things and what sort of things God taught him, and first, that he taught him the knowledge of temporal causes; second, of temporal changes: The beginning and the end; third, of temporal effects: The natures of animals.
(Vers. 17.). For he himself, namely God, who alone teaches hearts, according to that saying of Augustine: "He who teaches hearts on earth has his chair in heaven": gave me, of the things that are, that is, of existing things, because there is no knowledge of non-existing things: whence the Philosopher says: "What does not exist cannot be known." "For each thing, as it is related to being, so it is related to truth," as he himself says. True knowledge, that is, certain cognition unmixed with any falsehood: 3 Kings 4: "God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great prudence." That I might know the disposition of the whole world, that is, of the heaven encompassing the entire world: Ecclesiasticus 24: "I alone have compassed the circuit of heaven": and the virtues of the elements, that is, the qualities and seminal reasons and mixtures or connections and temperaments of the elements: Proverbs 8: "When he prepared the heavens, I was present: when with a certain law and compass he enclosed the depths."
(Vers. 18.). The beginning and the end and the middle of times, namely of the four seasons or parts of the year, which are caused by the motion of the sun, according to the four quadrants of the zodiac: the alternating changes, that is, of the successions of days and nights, by which the quality of the air is changed, namely from brightness to darkness and conversely: and the consummation of times, that is, of months both solar and lunar. Some add here: the changes of customs and the divisions of times: the changes of customs, that is, of human habits, according to the diverse states of men: the divisions of times, that is, of the ages of the world or of man.
(Vers. 19. 20.). The course of the year , that is, the time caused by the motion of the sun through the entire zodiac: Genesis 1: "That they may be for signs and for seasons and for days and years." And of the stars, namely of those other than the sun, the dispositions, with respect to the quality of nights: in the Psalm: "The moon and the stars to rule the night."
The natures of animals, namely of tame ones, and the rages of beasts, that is, the impulses of fierce animals, such as the lion and the like. And it should be noted that he says: the natures of animals and the rages of beasts, with respect to sensible substances. Then he adds with respect to things inanimate: the force of winds, which are twelve, four principal and eight collateral: and they are of great power, as is clear in Job 1 and Exodus 14, in the drying up of the sea, and in many other places. And the thoughts of men.
Against this: God alone knows the hearts of men: whence 1 Corinthians 2: "For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?" as if to say: no one except God.
It must be said that here he speaks of the knowledge of conjecture, not of certitude. Or it must be said that through the revelation of Wisdom they can be known by man, not through nature or one's own industry.
The differences of shrubs, that is, of plants, and the powers of roots, namely, of herbs: 3 Kings 4: "He discoursed on all trees from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop," etc.
(Vers. 21.). And whatever things are hidden, or concealed, from their causes, and unforeseen by men, I learned: Ecclesiastes 7: "I surveyed all things with my mind, that I might know and consider and seek wisdom."
Third, through what medium he was taught.
For the artificer of all things etc. Here he shows through what medium he was taught, namely, through uncreated Wisdom, begotten of the Father; and that she was able to teach, knew how, and willed to do so, he shows first through the Holy Spirit, who is from her; second, through the nature and power that is in her: For more mobile than all things, etc.
In the first part, he first touches upon the procession of the Holy Spirit from uncreated Wisdom; second, his manifold effect in us: Holy, manifold, etc.; third, his goodness in his own nature: Undefiled; fourth, his universal sufficiency: Having all power. — He touches upon his effect in us, first interior, second exterior: Modest. He touches upon a fourfold interior effect, namely, the amendment of fault, when he says: Holy; the multiplication of grace, when he says: Manifold; the unity of concord, when he says: One; the subtlety of understanding, when he says: Subtle. A threefold exterior effect, namely, modesty, when he says: Modest; eloquence, when he says: Eloquent; obedience, when he says: Mobile.
(Vers. 21.). The artificer of all things is shown, namely, of things above, things in the middle, and things below, namely, God, Hebrews 11. Wisdom taught me, that is, through Wisdom: the Gloss: "Because through her the knowledge of truth is given," because man can teach outwardly, but not inwardly; whence Gregory: "Unless there is one within who teaches, the tongue of the teacher labors in vain outwardly."
(Verse 22.). For there is in her etc., as if to say: and well was she able to teach me: for there is in her, namely in wisdom, a Spirit etc., in her, namely according to humanity, by dwelling: Isaiah 11: "The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him"; in her according to Divinity by emanating from her. A Spirit, I say, of understanding, [its] giver: Job 32: "The inspiration of the Almighty gives understanding." Holy: the Gloss: "Sanctifying all things": above, chapter 1: "The holy Spirit of discipline," etc. Manifold: the Gloss: "Giving manifold graces": 1 Corinthians 12: "There are divisions of graces, etc. But all these things one and the same Spirit works, dividing to each one as he wills." One: the Gloss: "Uniting the good"; Ephesians 4: "Careful to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace." Subtle, that is, causing hidden things to be penetrated: 1 Corinthians 2: "The Spirit searches all things," that is, causes all things to be searched, "even the deep things of God." Likewise, subtle, that is, producing subtlety or furnishing keenness of understanding: whence he is called "the spirit of understanding," Isaiah 11. Modest, that is, teaching to maintain measure in all things: Philippians 4: "Let your moderation be known to all men." Eloquent, that is, making others eloquent: below, chapter 10: "He made the tongues of infants eloquent." Mobile, that is, making others mobile through obedience: Ezekiel 1: "Wherever the spirit went, the wheels likewise were lifted up, following him. For the spirit of life was in the wheels."
Undefiled etc. Here he describes his goodness in his own nature and first his absolute goodness in himself: second, his goodness in comparison to us: Loving the good: third, the immutability of both: Steadfast.
He touches upon absolute goodness in three respects, namely in purity, when he says: Undefiled: in truth: Sure: in tranquility, when he says: Sweet.
(Verse 22.). He says therefore undefiled: the Gloss: "That is, without stain," whence he also cleanses stains in baptism: John 3: "Unless one is born again of water and the Spirit," etc.; likewise Titus 3: "Through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit," etc. Sure: the Gloss: "He neither deceives nor is deceived"; whence it is said, John 16: "The Spirit of truth." Sweet, that is, tranquil, having nothing of harshness: the Gloss: "Gentle and merciful"; below, chapter 12: "O how good and sweet is your Spirit in us, O Lord!"
Loving the good etc. Here he shows his goodness in comparison to us, first, in the love of the good; second, in its promotion: Who nothing [hinders]; third, in the communication of himself or communion: Humane: fourth, in the communication of his own, there: Kind.
He says therefore: Loving the good, in act; 1 Corinthians 13: "It does not rejoice over iniquity, but rejoices with the truth": who in no way hinders doing good, indeed he assists; Romans 8: "The Spirit helps our weakness"; Proverbs 3: "Do not forbid doing good," etc.
(Vers. 23.). Humane: The Gloss: "Common to all"; Acts 10: "In truth I have found that God is no respecter of persons." Or: humane, that is, compassionate, the sign of which is what is said in Romans 8: "The Spirit intercedes for us with unspeakable groanings." Or: humane, that is, willingly dwelling among men; Proverbs 8: "My delights are to be with the sons of men." Kind: that is, generous "by innate goodness"; above, chapter 1: "The spirit of wisdom is kind," etc.; likewise: Kind, by forgiving evils, giving good things, directing toward the homeland; whence kindness is said to be a fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5. Steadfast, namely in himself, according to that saying of Boethius: "And remaining steadfast," etc.; likewise, giving steadfastness in his promised gifts. Nor is it surprising if here he is called steadfast and above in the same passage mobile, because here it is said with respect to diverse effects, concerning which the Psalm says: "He set my feet upon a rock and directed my steps." Or: mobile in active things, steadfast in contemplative things; or: steadfast in Christ, mobile in other Saints; John 1: "Upon whom you shall see the Spirit remaining." Or thus: steadfast, in the good; sure, that is, constant in the true; secure, from evil, according to that saying of the Psalm: "No evil shall approach you." And just as in himself he is steadfast and sure and secure, so also those whom he inhabits he makes steadfast in the good, sure in the true, secure from evil; Colossians 1: "Grounded in faith and steadfast and immovable from the hope of the Gospel."
Having every virtue. Here he shows its universal sufficiency, first, in goodness; second, in wisdom: Overseeing all things; third, in power: And who comprehends all intelligible spirits.
He says therefore: Having every virtue; in the Psalm: "By the Spirit of his mouth is all their virtue."
But to the contrary: Because he does not have faith, since faith is enigmatic knowledge and an imperfect virtue.
It must be said that he speaks of every virtue, not any whatsoever, but perfect virtue.
Beholding all things: Job 37: "He beholds above all the heavens, and his light is over all the ends of the earth"; likewise Hebrews 4: "All things are naked and open to his eyes." And who apprehends all spirits, namely the angelic ones, "because they run within him, wherever they may be sent," according to Bede on that passage in Luke 1: "I am Gabriel, who stand before God." Spirits Angels are called with respect to their substance or nature; intelligible, with respect to their power, or because they are by nature not uniteable to bodies. Or: apprehends, that is, causes to apprehend, all spirits, that is, all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, concerning which Isaiah 11: "The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding," etc. Pure, namely through the purity of innocence: for Angels are, according to Dionysius, "pure and most brilliant mirrors"; and he adds: pure, to distinguish them from unclean spirits, that is, demons. Subtle, through the keenness of understanding; or: subtle, through wisdom; Gregory: "What is there that they do not see, who see him who sees all things?" Some books have pure, subtle: pure the spirit of wisdom is, because without the dregs of matter; subtle, because it is pure form. But the first reading is more correct, because thus Rabanus has it in the text and in the exposition. Or: pure the spirit of wisdom is called, because it cleanses from past sins and preserves from future ones; or because in the present it purges from guilt, in the future from punishment; undefiled, because it can contract no impurity either from itself or from another; subtle, because it penetrates all things, or because it works in us subtlety of affection with respect to the gift of wisdom, and of understanding with respect to the gift of intelligence or understanding.
For more mobile than all mobile things. Here he shows that wisdom, through its nature and through the power that is in it, was able to be the medium by which he was instructed. And to demonstrate this he first adduces its mobility; second, its purity: But she reaches; third, its power: And being but one; fourth, its beauty: For she is more beautiful.
(Verse 24). I have rightly said that in her there is a spirit, etc. For more mobile than all mobile things, by whatever kind of motion, namely whether in substance, or in quality, or in quantity, or in place, wisdom is more mobile, that is, swifter in working; the Gloss: "Nothing is more subtle and mobile than wisdom, which created, governs, and orders all things"; more mobile, I say, not because it is moved, but because it moves all things while remaining itself immobile, according to that saying of Boethius:
And remaining stable, you give all things to be moved.
Likewise Acts 17: "In him we live and move and have our being."
But she reaches, etc. Here he shows her purity, first through this, that she proceeds, or emanates, from the most pure fountain; second, because she represents in herself the brightness of the fountain: She is the brightness, etc.
Thus I said, that wisdom is more mobile than all mobile things: and not only so; moreover, standing for "but": but what is more, it reaches everywhere, that is, from the limit of the highest creature to the lowest creature: Ambrose in the Hexaemeron: "Divine wisdom has penetrated even to the locust."
But against this: Job 28: "The abyss says: It is not in me; the sea says: It is not with me."
The response is that there he speaks not of creatures, but of the defects of creatures. Or better it should be said that God is not in the abyss or in the sea by containment, since he can be contained by nothing, but he is there by presence, according to that Psalm: "If I ascend into heaven, you are there; if I descend into hell, you are present."
On account of its purity, that is, its abstraction from all material dregs: for because it is entirely immobile, therefore it is uncircumscribable, according to Damascene.
(Verse 25). For it is the vapor of the power of God, that is, emanating from God the Father, as vapor from heat: the Gloss: "That is, to warm the cold of our unbelief": Sirach 24: "Like an uncut Lebanon I sent forth vapor in my dwelling." And it is a certain emanation of the brightness of almighty God, that is, emanating from God the Father, as splendor from light, namely to illuminate the darkness of our intellect: Hebrews 1: "Who being the splendor of glory" etc.; likewise Isaiah 62: "Until his just one goes forth as splendor." Pure, without admixture of darkness: 1 John 1: "God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all." Moreover this procession is without diminution of the paternal substance, or separation, but with personal distinction, according to that of Athanasius: "Neither confounding the persons, nor separating the substance." And because it proceeds as light, which cannot be contaminated, therefore nothing defiled, by defilement either culpable or even natural, falls upon it, namely uncreated wisdom: the Gloss: "Evil does not approach the highest good."
(Verse 26). And truly nothing defiled falls upon it. For it is the brightness of eternal light, that is, the purest light from eternal light, namely proceeding from the Father; whence it is sung: "Light from light you appeared, O Christ." In this light the eternal light is seen, according to that Psalm: "In your light we shall see light"; likewise John 14: "He who sees me sees the Father also." It is therefore the brightness of eternal light, with respect to the representation of wisdom, and the spotless mirror of the majesty of God, with respect to the representation of divine majesty and power, according to that of John 5: "For whatever things he," namely the Father, "has done, these the Son likewise does." Without spot, I say, of sin, because "he did not commit sin" etc., 1 Peter 2. And the image of his goodness: the Gloss: "That is, the full representation of his goodness ": Colossians 1: "Who is the image of the invisible God."
It should be noted that the mirror is the Son of God, immaculate in act and in potency. The mirror is also the Angel, according to Dionysius, pure and most clear, and although immaculate in act, yet stained in potency, at least remotely. The mirror is also the human spirit, in which the divine image shines forth, Genesis 1, stained in act and in potency. The mirror is also said to be every creature, because through it, as through its vestige, the invisible things of God are represented: Romans 1: "The invisible things of God are clearly seen from the creation of the world, being understood through the things that have been made": likewise 1 Corinthians 13: "We see now through a mirror in an enigma." The mirror is also Sacred Scripture : James 1: "He is compared to a man considering the countenance of his birth in a mirror."
(Verse 27). And being one, namely in essence with the Father, according to that saying of John 10: "I and the Father are one"; she can do all things, that is, she has the same power as the Father; whence below, chapter 18: "Your almighty word, O Lord, came from the royal throne."
But, if she can do all things, then she can lie or die: which is false.
It must be said that she can do all things that do not contradict her goodness, or those things which to be able to do is some power, not impotence.
And remaining in herself, namely unchangeable, according to that saying of James 1: "With whom there is no change" etc.: she renews all things, namely temporal things through continuous generation; Ecclesiastes 1: "A generation passes away, a generation comes": and spiritual things through spiritual regeneration: 2 Corinthians 5: "If any be a new creature in Christ, the old things have passed away": Revelation 21: "Behold, I make all things new." And through nations, carnal, or rather spiritual, of which John 3: "Unless one be born again of water" etc. Into holy souls, that is, those cleansed from sin, she conveys herself, through the spiritual coming of grace into the mind: John 14: "We will come to him" etc. It should be noted that to convey herself is said not through a new position or by changing place, but through a new effect: whence it follows: Friends of God, through the enkindling of the affections, and prophets she constitutes, through the illumination of the intellect: John 15: "I will no longer call you servants, but friends, because all things whatsoever I have heard from my Father, I have made known to you."
(Verse 28). For God loves no one except him who dwells with wisdom, namely by remaining with him "who shall meditate on the law of the Lord day and night," according to the Gloss: Proverbs 8: "I, wisdom, dwell in counsel and am present among learned thoughts." And if God loves no one except him who dwells with wisdom: " blessed therefore is the man who shall abide in wisdom," Ecclesiasticus 14.
God loves no one etc. - On the contrary: Below in chapter 11: "You love all things that are," and yet not all things dwell with wisdom.
But it must be said that there he speaks of natural love, here of gratuitous love.
For she is more beautiful etc. Here he treats of the beauty of wisdom, preferring it to the beauty of the sun, and first he sets forth the comparison; second, the proof of the comparison: For night succeeds it.
(Verse 29.) I have rightly said that God loves him who dwells with wisdom, and deservedly so. For she, namely wisdom, is more beautiful than the sun, because spiritual beauty surpasses corporeal beauty: above in the same chapter: "Above health and beauty I loved her"; than the sun, namely the material sun, because she is the beauty of the sun of justice, of which Malachi 4 says: "The sun of justice shall arise for you who fear my name." And above every arrangement of the stars, it must be repeated: she is more beautiful. For she herself made the stars, Genesis 1, and it is certain that she retained more beauty for herself than she gave to the stars; therefore above in chapter 4: "O how beautiful is the chaste generation with brightness!" namely, of wisdom. Compared to light, namely both of the sun and of the stars, she is found to be prior, namely in eternity, dignity, and causality; whence Sirach 24: "I caused an unfailing light to rise in the heavens"; the Gloss: "Corporeal light, which now sets, now rises, compared to spiritual light, appears as a spark. Christ also far transcends the brightness of the saints."
(Verse 30.) For night succeeds it, namely corporeal light, according to that passage in Genesis 8: "Night and day shall not cease"; likewise Isaiah 21: "Morning comes and also night." But night does not succeed spiritual light; whence it follows: But malice, which is spiritual darkness, does not overcome wisdom, which is spiritual light, according to John Damascene; whence John 1: "The light shines in the darkness."