12 Senses Historical, Allegorical, and Moral. 6 order, which concerns God and His only-begotten Son; what sort of nature He is of, and in what way He is the Son of God, and what are the causes of His having descended even so far as to human Flesh, and to have entirely taken Man on Himself; and what is His working and toward whom, and when it takes place, and of necessity, as concerning kindred subjects, about the other rational creatures also, both those diviner ones, and those that are fallen from their blessed estate, and the causes of this their fall, it behoved that a place should be assigned in the words of divine instruction; and about the difference of souls, and whence these differences have arisen, and what the world is, and wherefore it came to subsist; and further, whence that great and exceeding wickedness is which is spread over the earth, and whether not only on earth, but elsewhere also, it is needful for us to learn. All these same and the like being present to the Spirit that illumines the souls of the holy servants of the truth, it was a secondary aim, for the sake of those that could not undergo the pains required for finding out these things, to hide the revelation concerning the aforementioned in terms presenting a record giving an account of the works of creation that are objects of sense, and the creation of men, and those that were begotten in succession from those that were first up to a great number, and in other historical accounts relating the deeds of the righteous, and the sins of these same done at any time forasmuch as they were but men, and the evil deeds, and bad passions, and selfish outrages of lawless and ungodly men. And in a most marvellous manner, by the history of wars, and of the conquerors and the conquered, certain particulars of ineffable things are revealed to those that are able to prove these mysteries; and still more wonderfully, through the written delivery of the law, the laws of truth are prophetically delivered; all being written down in sequence with a power truly worthy of the Divine wisdom. For it was designed to make the very clothing of spiritual things, I mean the bodily portion of the Scriptures, not profitless in many, but calculated to better the generality of men, in proportion as they comprehend it." Origen de Princ. 1. iv. c. 14. Origen's theory is more fully brought out and exhibited by his definition of these beings for whom H. S. was given τάς χρωμένας ψυχὰς σώμασιν, (Eccles. Hier. v. part 1.) is a figure of future glory. In the New Law too the things that were done in our Head are signs of the things that we ought to do ourselves. Therefore in so far as the particulars of the Old Law signify those which are of the New Law, this is an allegorical sense, but in so far as all that was done in Christ, or in those things which represent Christ, is significant of what we ourselves ought to do, it is a moral sense; and so far as they signify the things that are in eternal glory, it is an anagogical or celestial sense. And since the literal sense is that which the Author intends, but the Author of Holy Scripture is God, Who comprehends all things at once in His intelligence, it is not in consistent,' as St. Augustine says in his Confessions, b. xii. (see caps. 18, 19, 20, 24, 31.) 'that there should be more meanings than one, even according to the literal sense, in one and the same letter of Holy Writ.'" The word 'anagogical' is used by Origen merely to describe a mystical sense in general, here it expresses a sense that belongs to the state and condition of things in heaven. According to the distinction made by our Lord, iii. 12. " If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things ?" The earthly things being the circumstances of the Christian covenant, as the heavenly things truths concerning God and things in heaven. The Rationale of this manifold sense of Scripture is contained in this account of Origen. "Which things being so, we have to give a sketch of the many lines of the interpretation of the Scriptures as they appear to us. And first it must be shewn how that the scope and aim of the Spirit, Which in God's Providence through the Word, Which was in the beginning with God, enlightened the ministers of truth, the Prophets and Apostles, was first and foremost that which concerned the ineffable mysteries of things relating to men; and by men I here mean, souls making use of bodies; that whosoever is fitted to be instructed, by searching diligently and applying himself through the words to the inmost depth of the sense, may be made partaker of all the determinations of His counsel. with reference to things concerning the souls of men, which cannot otherwise obtain perfection than by the richness and wisdom of the truth concerning God, that is necessarily set in the first But 'souls Senses Historical, Allegorical, and Moral. using bodies,' which both illustrates the relative importance of the primary and secondary uses of Scripture, together with their connection, and also accounts for the same in some degree. All Scripture was held to be written, ab intus,' from the inward mystery, and not 6 13 ab extra,' with a mystical sense put into it. In every case the historical account is the rind or coating, the mystical meaning the essence of Holy Scripture, not the former the essential truth, containing a mystical sense. THE FIRST PART. THE PREFACE, Wherein he in few words goes through the particulars, which are to be laid open in the course of the entire work. 1. It is often a question with many persons, who should be held for the writer of the Book of the Blessed Job; and some indeed conjecture that Moses was the author of this work, others, some one of the Prophets. For because it is Gen. 36, related in the Book of Genesis that Jobab sprung from the stock of Esau, and that he succeeded 'Bale the son of Beor E. V. upon the throne, they have inferred that this Blessed Job 33. 1 Bela lived long before the times of Moses, evidently from ignorance of the manner of Holy Writ, which in the earlier parts is wont to touch slightly upon events that are not to follow till long afterwards, when the object is to proceed without delay to particularize other events with greater exactness. Whence it happens, that in that case likewise it is mentioned of Jobab, that he was before there arose kings in Israel. Therefore we clearly see that He never could have lived before the Law, who is marked out as having lived during the time of the Judges of Israel; which being little attended to by some, they suppose that Moses was the writer of his acts, as placing 2ut vide him long before, so that in effect the self-same person who was able to deliver the precepts of the Law for our instruction, should be supposed also to have commended to us examples of virtue derived from the life of a man that was a Gentile. But some, as has been said, suppose some one of the Prophets to have been the Author of this work, maintaining that no man could have knowledge of those words of God, which have such deep mystery, save he whose mind was raised to things above by the spirit of Prophecy. licet. a Potuit. It is difficult to see whether in this word and videlicet he means to imply an unfitness that it should be so. §. 4. might lead one to think that he does, as he makes the giving an example from among the Gentiles a farther step, taken after the Law had been rejected. Such a view is not derogatory to the book of Job. Writers of Holy Scripture but the pens of the Spirit. 15 2. But who was the writer, it is very superfluous to PREF. enquire; since at any rate the Holy Spirit is confidently believed to have been the Author. He then Himself wrote them, Who dictated the things that should be written. He did Himself write them Who both was present as the Inspirer in that Saint's work, and by the mouth of the writer has consigned to us his acts as patterns for our imitation. If we were reading the words of some great man with his Epistle in our hand, yet were to enquire by what pen they were written, doubtless it would be an absurdity, to know the Author of the Epistle and understand his meaning, and notwithstanding to be curious to know with what sort of pen the words were marked upon the page. When then we understand the matter, and are persuaded that the Holy Spirit was its Author, in stirring a question about the author, what else do we than in reading a letter enquire about the pen? John 19, 3. Yet we may with greater probability suppose that the same blessed Job, who bore the strife of the spiritual conflict, did likewise relate the circumstances of his victory when achieved; nor should it influence us that it is said in the same book, ‘Job said,' or, ' Job bore this or that;' for it is the manner of Holy Scripture for the persons who are writing so to speak of themselves in it, as though they were speaking of others. Whence it is that Moses says, Now the Numb. 12, 3. man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. Hence John says, that Dis- 26. ciple whom Jesus loved; hence Luke says, that two of them Luke24, were walking by the way, Cleophas and another; which 13. other indeed, while he was so carefully silent about him, he shewed to have been no other than himself, as some assert. The writers then of Holy Writ because they are moved by the impulse of the Holy Spirit, do therein so bear witness of themselves as though of other persons. Thus the Holy Spirit by the mouth of Moses spake of Moses, the Holy Spirit speaking by John spoke of John. Paul too intimates that he did not speak from the dictates of his own mind, by saying, Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking 2 Cor. in me. It is hence that the Angel who is described to have 13, 3. appeared to Moses, is now mentioned as an Angel, now as 61. 16 Job inspired might speak of himself as of another. PREF. the Lord; an Angel in truth, in respect of that which was subservient to the external delivery; and the Lord, because He was the Director within, Who supplied the effectual power of speaking. Therefore as the speaker is inwardly directed, by virtue of his obedience to instructions, he receives the name of Angel, by virtue of his inspiration, Ps.78,1. that of Lord. Hence David exclaims, Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. For it was neither David's law, nor David's people, but he, assuming the character of Him from whom He spoke, speaks with His authority with Whose inspiration he was filled. This we perceive to be daily practised in the Church, if we regard the thing attentively; for the reader standing Exod. 3, in the midst of the people exclaims, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Yet that he is himself God, he says not certainly with truth, nor yet by saying what he does is the line of truth deviated from; for by his voice he first proclaims the sovereignty of Him, Whose minister he is in the office of reading. Therefore the writers of Holy Writ, because when full of the Holy Spirit they are lifted above their own nature, are as it were put out of themselves, and in this manner they deliver sentiments about themselves, as though about other persons. In this way Blessed Job also, being under the influence of the Holy Spirit, might have written his own acts, which were, for that matter, gifts of inspiration from above, as though they were not his own; for in so far as it was a human being, who spoke things which were of God, all that he spake belonged to Another, and in so far as the Holy Spirit spake of what is proper to a human being, it was Another that gave utterance to the things that belonged to him. ii. 4. But we should now leave these points behind us, and hasten forward to consider the particulars of the Sacred History. Every man, even from this, that he is a man, ought to understand the Author of his being, to Whose will he must submit the more completely, in the same proportion that he reflects that of himself he is nothing; yet we, when I conditi created' by Him, neglected to take God into our thoughts. Precepts were had recourse to: precepts likewise we have |