Lectio 4
Lecture 4
Jerusalem caelestis
The heavenly Jerusalem
12:18 Non enim accessistis ad tractabilem montem, et accensibilem ignem, et turbinem, et caliginem, et procellam, [n. 696]
12:18 For you are not come to a mountain that might be touched and a burning fire and a whirlwind and darkness and storm, [n. 696]
12:19 et tubae sonum, et vocem verborum, quam qui audierunt, excusaverunt se, ne eis fieret verbum. [n. 700]
12:19 And the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, which they who had heard excused themselves, that the word might not be spoken to them. [n. 700]
12:20 Non enim portabant quod dicebatur: et si bestia tetigerit montem, lapidabitur.
12:20 For they did not endure that which was said: and if so much as a beast shall touch the mount, it shall be stoned.
12:21 Et ita terribile erat quod videbatur. Moyses dixit: exterritus sum, et tremebundus. [n. 703]
12:21 And so terrible was that which was seen, Moses said: I am frighted, and tremble. [n. 703]
12:22 Sed accessistis ad Sion montem, et civitatem Dei viventis, Jerusalem caelestem, et multorum millium angelorum frequentiam, [n. 705]
12:22 But you are come to mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the company of many thousands of angels, [n. 705]
12:23 et ecclesiam primitivorum, qui conscripti sunt in caelis, et judicem omnium Deum, et spiritus justorum perfectorum, [n. 708]
12:23 And to the church of the firstborn who are written in the heavens, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirit of the just made perfect, [n. 708]
12:24 et testamenti novi mediatorem Jesum, et sanguinis aspersionem melius loquentem quam Abel. [n. 711]
12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new testament, and to the sprinkling of blood which speaks better than that of Abel. [n. 711]
696. Supra posuit Apostolus monitionem ad vitandum mala culpae, hic assignat istius monitionis rationem, quam sumit ex comparatione Novi et Veteris Testamenti.
696. Having warned them to avoid the evils of guilt, the Apostle now assigns the reason, which is based on a comparison between the Old and New Testaments.
Et circa hoc duo facit:
In regard to this he does two things:
primo enim ponit comparationem illam;
first, he makes the comparison;
secundo ex ipsa arguit, ibi videte ne recusetis.
second, he argues from it, at see that you refuse him not (Heb 12:25).
Circa primum duo facit; quia
In regard to the first he does two things:
primo proponit ea quae pertinent ad Vetus Testamentum;
first, he mentions what pertains to the Old Testament;
secundo ea quae ad Novum Testamentum, ibi sed accessistis.
second, what pertains to the New, at but you are come.
Circa primum sciendum est, quod, ut dicit Augustinus, brevis differentia legis et Evangelii est timor et amor. Lex enim tamquam paedagogus noster fuit in Christo: parvuli autem terroribus ducendi sunt. Prov. XIX, 25: pestilente flagellato, stultus sapientior erit. Et ideo hic dicit Apostolus, quod in datione legis facta sunt quaedam terribilia. Unde
In regard to the first it should be noted that, as Augustine says: the slight difference between the law and the Gospel is fear and love, for the law was as our pedagogue in Christ. But children are influenced by fear: the wicked man being scourged, the fool shall be wiser (Prov 19:25). Therefore, the Apostle says here that when the law was given, certain fearful things took place:
primo ponit illa quibus territi sunt hi quibus lex dabatur;
first, therefore, he mentions the things which frightened those to whom the law was given;
secundo agit de terrore legislatoris, ibi Moyses dixit.
second, he deals with the terror inspired in the lawgiver, at Moses said.
Quantum ad primum tria ponit,
In regard to the first, he mentions three things:
scilicet terrorem quantum ad visa;
first, the frightening things they saw;
secundo quantum ad audita, ibi et procellam;
second, the frightening things they heard, at and storm;
tertio quantum ad comminationes, ibi et si bestia tetigerit.
third, in regard to threats, at and if so much as a beast.
Et ista tria referuntur ad tria, quae ibi erant terribilia, scilicet ex parte Dei, ex parte legis datae, et ex parte ministrorum legis.
Those three things are related to the three things which were frightening there, namely, on the part of God, on the part of the law, and on the part of the ministers of the law.
697. Quantum ad primum, scilicet ex parte Dei, ponit tria terribilia, scilicet zelum ad puniendum, severitatem poenae, et occultationem dantis legem.
697. On the part of God he mentions three frightening things, namely, the zeal to punish, the severity of the punishment, and the concealment of the one giving the law.
Zelus designatur per ignem. Deut. IV, 24: Dominus Deus tuus ignis consumens est, Deus aemulator. Mal. III, 2: ipse enim quasi ignis conflans. Unde ipse Deus frequenter vocat se Zelotem, quia crimen sponsae non dimittit inultum. Ex. XX, 5: ego enim sum Dominus Deus tuus fortis Zelotes. Et XXXIV, 14: Dominus Zelotes nomen eius. Prov. VI, 34: zelus et furor viri non parcet in die vindictae.
The zeal is designated by fire: the Lord, your God, is a consuming fire, a jealous God (Deut 4:24): he is like a refining fire (Mal 3:20). Hence, God frequently calls himself jealous because he does not let his spouse’s crime go unavenged: I am the Lord, your God, mighty, jealous (Exod 20:5); the Lord, his name is Jealous (Exod 34:14); the jealousy and rage of the husband will not spare in the day of revenge (Prov 6:34).
Unde dicitur hic non enim accessistis sicut illi ad tractabilem et accessibilem ignem. Ille enim ignis, ut dicitur Ex. XIX, 18, erat corporalis, et ideo palpabilis et sensibilis, et etiam in certo loco, ut ad ipsum posset accedi. In nova autem lege datus fuit ignis Spiritus Sancti, Act. II, 4. Sicut enim Iudaeis quinquagesimo die ab egressu de Aegypto apparuit ignis aemulationis, ita discipulis quinquagesimo die a die resurrectionis, ignis Spiritus Sancti non palpabilis, sed mente perceptibilis. Thren. I, 13: de excelso misit in ossibus meis ignem, et erudivit me. Iste ignis infinitus est natura et loco, lucem enim habitat inaccessibilem, I Tim. VI, 16. Et ideo non est accessibilis.
Hence, it says here: for you are not come to what might be touched and a burning fire. For that fire was corporeal, and therefore, could be felt; it was in a definite place, so that one could approach it (Exod 19:18). But in the new law the fire of the Holy Spirit was given (Acts 2). For as the fire of emulation appeared to the Jews fifty days after their departure from Egypt, so the Holy Spirit’s fire, which could not be sensed, but perceived by the mind, appeared to the disciples on the fiftieth day after the resurrection: from above he sent fire into my bones and has instructed me (Lam 1:13). But that fire was infinite in nature and place, for he inhabits light inaccessible (1 Tim 6:16) and could not be approached.
698. Severitas poenae significatur per turbinem, qui est ventus cum aqua. Iob IX, v. 17: in turbine conteret me.
698. The severity of the punishment is signified by the whirlwind, which is wind accompanied by rain: he shall crush me in a whirlwind (Job 9:17).
Vel potest referri ad tentationes. Lex enim non refraenabat concupiscentiam, quia non dabat gratiam adiutricem ex opere operato, sed tantum cohibebat actum, et ideo generabat turbinem tentationum.
Or it can refer to temptations. For the law did not restrain concupiscence, because it did not give grace that would aid ex opere operato, but it only repressed the act; consequently, it generated a whirlwind of temptations.
699. Occultatio autem dantis legem, significatur per caliginem: in qua figurabatur quod status legis occultus erat, id est, velatus. II Cor. III, 15: usque in hodiernum diem, cum legitur Moyses, velamen positum est super cor eorum. Sed in nova lege istud velamen ablatum est, in cuius signum in passione Christi velum templi scissum est, quia nos revelata facie gloriam Domini speculamur, ubi supra.
699. But the concealment of the lawgiver is signified by the darkness, which showed that the state of the law was hidden, i.e., veiled: even to this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart (2 Cor 3:15). But in the new law that veil is removed: as a sign of this, the veil of the temple was rent in Christ’s passion, because we behold the glory of the Lord with open face (2 Cor 3:18).
Item caligo illa significabat divinam excellentiam. Sicut enim illud quod in caligine est, clare videri non potest, et lux excellens hebetat oculum, ita et facit ipsum caligare qui lucem habitat inaccessibilem.
Likewise, that darkness signifies the divine excellence. For just as that which is in the dark cannot be clearly seen and a strong light blinds the eye, so he who inhabits light inaccessible made himself dark.
700. Deinde cum dicit et procellam, ponit terribilia quantum ad auditum, quae sumuntur ex parte legis. In lege autem tria erant valde terribilia, scilicet magnitudo comminationum, gravitas praeceptorum et multiplicatio ipsorum.
700. Then when he says, and storm, he mentions the things terrifying to the hearing on the part of the law. Now there were three terrifying things to the law, namely, the severity of the threats, the strictness of the precepts, and the large number of precepts.
Quantum ad primum dicit et procellam, quae proprie est conturbatio maris: large autem dicitur turbatio aeris cum turbine et pluvia; unde significat austeritatem comminationum quae erant in veteri lege. Deut. XXIX, v. 23 ss. Sonitus tubae significat gravitatem praeceptorum, ad quorum adimpletionem indicebatur homini quasi bellum contra seipsum. Vox verborum significat multitudinem praeceptorum. Verborum, inquam, Dei per subiectam creaturam, scilicet per angelum. Gal. III, 19: ordinata per angelos, et cetera. Deus enim per angelos ibi loquebatur.
In regard to the first, he says, and storm, which, strictly speaking, is a disturbance of the sea; but in a wide sense it is a disturbance of the air accompanied by whirlwind and rain. Hence, it signifies the severity of the threats that were in the old law (Deut 29:23ff.). And the sound of a trumpet signifies the strictness of the precepts, whose fulfillment was enjoined on man as though he were waging war against himself. The voice of words signifies the vast number of precepts. These were God’s words spoken by a subject creature, namely, an angel: being ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator (Gal 3:19). For God spoke there through angels.
Quae omnia a Deo terribilia fuerunt, quod illi qui vocem illam audierunt, excusaverunt se ne eis fieret verbum. Unde dicitur Ex. c. XX, 19: perterriti, atque timore percussi fuerunt, et steterunt procul dicentes Moysi: loquere tu nobis, et audiemus: non loquatur nobis Dominus, ne moriamur.
All these things were so terrifying that they who had heard that voice excused themselves, that the word might not be spoken to them. Hence, it is stated in Exodus: being terrified and struck with fear, they stood afar off, saying to Moses: you speak to us and we will hear. Let not the Lord speak to us, lest we die (Exod 20:18).
701. Causam autem huius excusationis subiungit, dicens: quia non poterant verba Dei portare. Unde non portabant, id est, non sustinebant, quod dicebatur. Deut. V, 26: quid est omnis caro, ut audiat vocem Dei viventis, qui de medio ignis loquitur, sicut nos audivimus, et possit vivere?
701. He mentions the reason why they excused themselves, namely, because they could not endure God’s words; hence, they did not endure, that is, put up with, that which was said: what is all flesh that it should hear the voice of the living God, who speaks out of the midst of the fire, as we have heard, and be able to live? (Deut: 5:26).
Tunc autem dicuntur non portari verba Dei, quando vel intellectu non capiuntur, vel excedunt affectum.
For God’s words are said to be unendurable either when they cannot be understood by the intellect or when they transcend the affections.