EJUSDEM NICOLAI DE LIRA PROLOGUS. In moralitates Bibliorum.
PROLOGUE OF THE SAME NICHOLAS OF LYRA. On the moralities of the Bible.
Prologus in moralitates Bibliorum
33B« Vidi in dextera sedentis super thronum, librum scriptum intus et foris (Apoc. V). » Sedens super thronum gloriae, est Deus gloriosus; et sublimis, regens universum, in cujus dextera est sacra Scriptura divinitus data, secundum quod dicitur Deuteronomii trigesimo tertio: « In dextera ejus ignea lex. » 33CLex enim Veteris et Novi Testamenti bene dicitur ignea, quia revelatione Spiritus sancti (qui divinus est ignis) fuit inspirata. Et haec Scriptura bene dicitur liber scriptus intus et foris: foris, quantum ad sensum litteralem; intus vero, quantum ad sensum mysticum sub littera latentem. Deus enim, qui est auctor hujus Scripturae, non solum utitur vocibus ad aliquid significandum, sed etiam rebus per voces significatis. Et sic facta Veteris Testamenti significaverunt ea quae in Novo Testamento fiunt, sicut dicit Apostolus primo ad Corinthios decimo: « Omnia in figura contingebant illis. » Sensus igitur qui per voces significatur, proprie dicitur litteralis: ille vero qui per res significatur, mysticus nominatur; et hic est triplex; quia si per talem modum significetur aliquid pertinens ad credibilia, dicitur allegoricus, si autem pertineat ad agibilia, dicitur moralis; si autem ad speranda in beatitudine futura, dicitur anagogicus: ἀναγωγικὸς, id est, mysticus, nos in 33Daltum ducens; unde versus: Littera gesta docet, quid credas allegoria, Moralis quid agas, quo tendas anagogia, exemplum in hoc nomine Jerusalem, quod secundum sensum litteralem significat quamdam civitatem in terra Judae sitam; et quoniam haec civitas a Deo fuit electa ad divinum cultum (ut habetur III Regum XIV) qui colitur in anima viri justi, et in Ecclesia militante, et etiam triumphante: ideo Jerusalem secundum sensum moralem in sacra Scriptura signat animam fidelem, secundum sensum allegoricum Ecclesiam militantem, et secundum sensum anagogicum Ecclesiam triumphantem.
Sciendum autem quod licet sacra Scriptura habeat quadruplicem sensum praedictum, hoc tamen non est in qualibet sui parte, secundum quod dicitur in Collationibus Patrum, collatione octava. Nam alicubi habet tantum sensum litteralem sicut Deuteronomii sexto: « Audi, Israel, Dominus Deus tuus, 34BDominus unus est. Diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde, » etc.; in istis enim, et consimilibus, non est mysticus sensus requirendus. Alicubi vero non habet litteralem sensum proprie loquendo; verbi gratia, Judicum IX: « Ierunt ligna, ut ungerent supra se regem, » etc. Et Matth. V: « Si manus 34Ctua scandalizat te, abscinde eam, et projice abs te. » Sensus enim litteralis est proprie qui significatur, ut praedictum est, et talis sensus non est hic, nec in consimilibus; sequeretur enim quod sensus sacrae Scripturae esset falsus, quia ligna nunquam hoc fecerunt nec facere potuerunt: Similiter Salvator non monuit quod homo manum sibi abscindat ad litteram; sed in istis est tantum sensus mysticus, qui per res significatas intelligitur. Nam per ligna intelliguntur habitatores urbis Sichen, qui fecerunt Abimelech super se regem, ut ibidem in textu exponitur; et per manum abscindendum, intelligitur amicus, quantumcunque propinquus, praebens occasionem ruinae, et hujus familiaritatem debet homo abscindere a se. Quod autem aliqui doctores dicunt sensum parabolicum esse litteralem; hoc est intelligendum large loquendo, quia ubi non est sensus per voces significatus, parabolicus est primus; et ideo large loquendo dicitur litteralis, eo quod litteralis 34Dest primus quando non est ibi alius: et ad hoc significandum ipsi dicunt parabolicum contineri sub litterali; et hoc modo loquendo ego sensum parabolicum vocavi in pluribus locis litteralem, scribendo super libros sacrae Scripturae. Alicubi vero sacra Scriptura habet sensum litteralem et mysticum; sicut in Genesi dicitur quod Abraham duos filios habuit, scilicet Isaac et Ismaelem: et hoc est verum secundum litteralem sensum, et similiter secundum mysticum. Nam per illos allegorice significata fuerunt duo Testamenta, ut dicit Apostolus ad Gal. IV. Et eodem modo moraliter possunt significari duo filii spirituales unius praelati, quorum unus proficeret et alter deficeret; et anagogice angeli stantes, et cadentes. Item, sicut dictum est, sensus mysticus est qui per res significatur, et unius rei subjective sunt plures proprietates reales, et aliquando valde diversae; ideo una res subjective, aliquando mystice plura et diversa significat: sicut leo per proprietatem constantiae Christum significat Apoc. V: « Ecce 35Avicit leo de tribu Juda, » et per voracitatem signat diabolum, primae Petri V: « Adversarius vester diabolus tanquam leo rugiens, circumit quaerens quem devoret. »
Postquam autem sacram Scripturam cum Dei adjutorio exposui secundum litteralem sensum, et Deus dedit mihi spatium vitae: confisus de Dei auxilio propono eam iterum exponere secundum sensum mysticum, ubi est mystice exponenda, prout mihi Dominus dabit; non tamen intendo omnes sensus mysticos scribere, nec per singula verba discurrere; sed aliqua breviter ordinare, ad quae lectores Bibliorum, ac praedicatores verbi Dei recurrere poterunt, 36Aprout et quando eis videbitur expedire. Ne quis miretur si in expositione mystica plura dimittam. Nam hoc faciam propter brevitatem; et quoniam sic fecerunt praecedentes expositores, et etiam Christus qui Matthaei XIII et Marci IV exponens parabolam seminantis, illud quod dicitur in fine: « Dederunt fructum: aliud centesimum, aliud sexagesimum, aliud tricesimum, » inexpositum dimisit: et in aliis parabolarum expositionibus similiter fecit ipse Christus. Igitur in nomine Jesu Christi incipiam a libro Genesis; et per alios consequenter discurram, quandiu Dominus donabit sua gratia mihi vitam.
Prologue on the Moralities of the Bible
33B« I saw in the right hand of him that sat upon the throne, a book written within and without (Apoc. V). » He that sits upon the throne of glory is the glorious God; and sublime, ruling the universe, in whose right hand is Holy Scripture divinely given, according to what is said in Deuteronomy thirty-three: « In his right hand a fiery law. » 33CFor the law of the Old and New Testament is well called fiery, because it was inspired by revelation of the Holy Spirit (who is the divine fire). And this Scripture is well called a book written within and without: without, as to the literal sense; but within, as to the mystical sense lying hidden under the letter. For God, who is the author of this Scripture, not only uses words to signify something, but also the things signified by the words. And so the deeds of the Old Testament signified those things which are done in the New Testament, as the Apostle says in First Corinthians ten: « All things happened to them in figure. » The sense, therefore, which is signified by the words is properly called literal: but that which is signified by the things is named mystical; and this is threefold; for if by such a mode something is signified pertaining to things to be believed, it is called allegorical, but if it pertains to things to be done, it is called moral; and if to things to be hoped for in future beatitude, it is called anagogical: ἀναγωγικὸς, that is, mystical, leading us 33Don high; whence the verse: The letter teaches deeds, allegory what thou shouldst believe, The moral what thou shouldst do, anagogy whither thou shouldst tend, an example in this name Jerusalem, which according to the literal sense signifies a certain city situated in the land of Judah; and since this city was chosen by God for divine worship (as is found in III Kings XIV), which worship is paid in the soul of a just man, and in the Church militant, and also triumphant: therefore Jerusalem according to the moral sense in Holy Scripture signifies the faithful soul, according to the allegorical sense the Church militant, and according to the anagogical sense the Church triumphant.
But it must be known that although Holy Scripture has the fourfold sense aforesaid, this nevertheless is not so in every part of it, according to what is said in the Conferences of the Fathers, the eighth conference. For in some places it has only the literal sense, as in Deuteronomy six: « Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God [Vulg. Dominus Deus noster, "the Lord our God"], 34Bthe Lord is one. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, » etc.; for in these, and in the like, the mystical sense is not to be sought. In some places, however, it does not have a literal sense, properly speaking; for example, Judges IX: « The trees went to anoint a king over them, » etc. And Matth. V: « If thy 34Chand scandalize thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee. » For the literal sense is properly that which is signified, as was said before, and such a sense is not here, nor in the like; for it would follow that the sense of Holy Scripture were false, because trees never did this nor could do it: Likewise the Saviour did not admonish that a man should cut off his hand according to the letter; but in these there is only the mystical sense, which is understood through the things signified. For by the trees are understood the inhabitants of the city of Sichem, who made Abimelech king over them, as is expounded there in the text; and by the hand to be cut off is understood a friend, however near, who furnishes an occasion of ruin, and a man ought to cut off his familiarity from himself. But as to what some doctors say, that the parabolic sense is literal; this is to be understood speaking broadly, because where there is no sense signified by the words, the parabolic is the first; and therefore, speaking broadly, it is called literal, since the literal 34Dis the first when there is no other there: and to signify this they say that the parabolic is contained under the literal; and speaking in this way I have in many places called the parabolic sense literal, in writing on the books of Holy Scripture. In some places, however, Holy Scripture has both a literal and a mystical sense; as in Genesis it is said that Abraham had two sons, namely Isaac and Ishmael: and this is true according to the literal sense, and likewise according to the mystical. For by them the two Testaments were allegorically signified, as the Apostle says to the Gal. IV. And in the same way there can be signified morally two spiritual sons of one prelate, of whom one should advance and the other fall away; and anagogically the angels standing, and falling. Again, as has been said, the mystical sense is that which is signified by things, and of one thing, as subject, there are several real properties, and sometimes very different ones; therefore one thing as subject sometimes signifies mystically many and different things: as the lion by the property of constancy signifies Christ, Apoc. V: « Behold 35Athe lion of the tribe of Juda hath conquered, » and by its voracity signifies the devil, First Peter V: « Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour. »
But after I have, with the help of God, expounded Holy Scripture according to the literal sense, and God has given me space of life: trusting in the aid of God I propose to expound it again according to the mystical sense, where it is to be expounded mystically, as the Lord shall give me; I do not, however, intend to write all the mystical senses, nor to run through every single word; but to set in order some things briefly, to which readers of the Bible and preachers of the word of God may have recourse, 36Aas and when it shall seem expedient to them. Let no one wonder if in the mystical exposition I pass over many things. For I shall do this for the sake of brevity; and because the preceding expositors did so, and also Christ, who in Matthew XIII and Mark IV, expounding the parable of the sower, left unexpounded that which is said at the end: « They yielded fruit: some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold, » and in other expositions of parables Christ himself did likewise. Therefore in the name of Jesus Christ I shall begin from the book of Genesis; and run through the others in order, as long as the Lord shall grant me life by his grace.