Lectio 1 Lecture 1 Vetum sanctum saeculare Old sanctuary ^9:1 Habuit quidem et prius justificationes culturae, et sanctum saeculare. [n. 413] ^9:1 The former indeed had also justifications of divine service and a sanctuary. [n. 413] ^9:2 Tabernaculum enim factum est primum, in quo erant candelabra, et mensa, et propositio panum, quae dicitur sancta. [n. 416] ^9:2 For there was a tabernacle made the first, wherein were the candlesticks and the table and the setting forth of loaves, which is called the holy. [n. 416] ^9:3 Post velamentum autem secundum, tabernaculum, quod dicitur sancta sanctorum: [n. 420] ^9:3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the holy of holies: [n. 420] ^9:4 aureum habens thuribulum, et arcam testamenti circumtectam ex omni parte auro, in qua urna aurea habens manna, et virga Aaron, quae fronduerat, et tabulae testamenti, ^9:4 Having a golden censer and the ark of the testament covered about on every part with gold, in which was a golden pot that had manna and the rod of Aaron that had blossomed and the tables of the testament. ^9:5 superque eam erant cherubim gloriae obumbrantia propitiatorium: de quibus non est modo dicendum per singula. ^9:5 And over it were the cherubims of glory overshadowing the propitiatory: of which it is not needful to speak now particularly. 413. Supra ostendit Apostolus dignitatem Novi Testamenti respectu Veteris in generali, hic ostendit idem in speciali, descendendo ad singula, quae erant in utroque Testamento. 413. Having showed in general the dignity of the New Testament as compared to the Old, the Apostle now shows the same in particular by reaching down to the individuals in each Testament. Et circa hoc facit duo. In regard to this he does two things. Primo enim comparat ea, quae sunt Veteris Testamenti ad ea quae sunt Novi, ut super hoc ostendat dignitatem Novi; First, he compares things of the Old Testament with those of the New to show the dignity of the New; secundo manifestat quaedam, quae supposuerat, X cap., ibi umbram enim habens. second, he clarifies some things he had presupposed, at for the law, having a shadow (Heb 10:1). Circa primum tria facit, quia In regard to the first he does three things: primo exponit illud, quod fuit in Veteri Testamento; first, he explains what was present in the Old Testament; secundo ostendit significatum suum, ibi hoc significante Spiritu; second, he shows what it signified, at the Holy Spirit signifying this (Heb 9:8); tertio ex his arguit ad propositum, ibi et ideo Novi Testamenti. third, from these facts he argues to his conclusion, at and therefore he is the mediator (Heb 9:15). Iterum prima in duas. In regard to the first he does two things. Primo enim describit conditionem Veteris Testamenti; First, he describes the qualities of the Old Testament; secundo prosequitur, ibi tabernaculum enim factum. second, he explains what he had said, at for there was a tabernacle made. 414. Circa primum sciendum est quod tam Vetus quam Novum Testamentum ad hoc instituta sunt, ut per ipsa anima accedat ad Deum. Ad hoc autem duo sunt necessaria, scilicet recessus a peccato, et unio ad Deum. Primum fit per iustificationem; secundum per sanctificationem, et in utroque Testamento fit iustificatio et sanctificatio. 414. In regard to the first it should be noted that both the Old and New Testaments were instituted in order that by them the soul might come to God. But two things are needed for this, namely, withdrawal from sin and union with God. The first is brought about by justification, and the second by sanctification; and in both Testaments justification and sanctification took place. Unde dicit: sic dictum est, quod prius veteravit. Sed quale fuit illud vetus? Tale quod habuit quidem et prius iustificationes culturae, scilicet latriae, secundum Graecum. In Veteri enim fuerunt quaedam ablutiones per quas mundabantur, non quidem a macula peccati, sed a quibusdam irregularitatibus quibus impediebantur a cultu Dei, sicut ex tactu mortui vel alicuius immundi, non poterant intrare tabernaculum, nisi expiati per aliquas ablutiones. Et ideo dicebantur iustificationes culturae, quia scilicet per ea fiebat idoneus ad cultum divinum. Et de hoc habetur Lev. c. XXII. Hieronymus: iustificationes, id est, ablutiones, quibus purificatis licebat accedere. Sed sanctificatio eorum erat. Et sanctum saeculare. Hence, he says: so we have said that he has made the former old. But what were the qualities of that Old Testament? It was such that the former indeed had also justifications of divine service, i.e., latreia in Greek. For in the Old there were washings, by which they were cleansed not from the stain of sin, but from certain irregularities, which hindered them from the worship of God. Thus, after touching a corpse or anything unclean, they could not enter the tabernacle until they were purified by certain washings. Therefore, they were called the justifications of worship because by them they were made fit for divine worship. This is treated in Leviticus (Lev 22). Justifications, i.e., washings, purified so that they could approach (Jerome). But their sanctification was a worldly sanctuary. 415. Saeculum quandoque sumitur pro quacumque duratione. Ps. CX, 3: in saeculum saeculi. Quandoque significat mundum istum. II Tim. IV, 9: Demas me dereliquit diligens hoc saeculum. Illa ergo sanctificatio potest dici saecularis, quia temporalis erat, et non perpetua. 415. Now ‘worldly’ is sometimes taken for any duration: forever and ever (Ps 111:3); sometimes it signifies the world itself: Demas has left me, loving this world (2 Tim 4:9). Therefore, that sanctification can be called ‘worldly’ because it is temporal and not perpetual. Sed littera Graeca non sic accipit, quia dicit sanctum mundanum. Unde est differentia inter Novum Testamentum et Vetus, quia licet utrumque sit corporale, tamen novum continet gratiam, et sacrum est, in quo sub tegumento rerum visibilium divina virtus salutem secretius operatur, quod non erat in Veteri Testamento, quoniam in se nullam continebat gratiam. Gal. IV, 9: quomodo iterum convertimini ad infirma et egena elementa? But the Greek text does not take it that way, because it says, mundane holy. Hence, a difference between the New Testament and the Old was that, although both are bodily, the former contains grace and is holy, and in it the divine power works salvation under cover of visible things. This was not so in the Old Testament because it contained no grace in itself: how turn you again to the weak and needy elements? (Gal 4:9). 416. Deinde cum dicit tabernaculum, etc., exponit illud quod dixit. 416. Then when he says, for there was a tabernacle made the first, he explains what he has said. Et primo quantum ad dispositionem tabernaculi; First, in regard to the disposition of the tabernacle; secundo quantum ad ministerium sacerdotum, ibi his vero ita, et cetera. second, as to the ministry of the priests, at now these things (Heb 9:6). 417. Circa primum propter intellectum litterae, sciendum est quod Dominus in deserto praecepit fieri tabernaculum, quod haberet triginta cubitos vel passus in longitudine, et decem in latitudine, ita quod ostium erat ad orientem, ante quod dependebat velum super quatuor columnas, et quoddam tentorium, in quo erat altare holocaustorum. 417. In regard to the first, to understand the literal meaning, it should be noted that the Lord commanded a tabernacle to be made in the desert. It was to be twenty cubits or paces long, and ten wide, with an entrance facing the east. In front of the entrance a curtain hung from four pillars. There was a small tent in which was the altar of holocausts. Sed de hoc nihil ad propositum, quia Apostolus de hoc non facit aliquam mentionem, sed in tabernaculo versus occidentem spatio decem cubitorum longitudinis, et decem latitudinis appendebatur velum super quatuor columnas; et istud dividebat partem unam decem cubitorum ab alia viginti cubitorum. Pars autem viginti cubitorum dicitur sancta, et tabernaculum primum; sed illa decem dicitur sancta sanctorum et tabernaculum secundum. But all this was left unmentioned by the Apostle, because it contributed nothing to his thesis. In the tabernacle toward the west, before an area ten cubits long and ten wide, was hung a veil, which divided one area ten cubits long from the other twenty cubits long. The area twenty cubits long is called the sanctuary and the first tabernacle, the other of ten cubits in length is called the holy of holies and the second tabernacle. 418. Ista distinctio dupliciter potest exponi. Uno modo, quia ea quae fuerunt in Veteri Testamento, fuerunt figura Novi Testamenti. Novum etiam est figura caelestis patriae. Sic ergo per primum tabernaculum, Vetus Testamentum; et per secundum, Novum. 418. This distinction can be explained in two ways: in one way because the things of the Old Testament were a figure of the New, and the New a figure of the heavenly country. Thus, therefore, by the first tabernacle was signified the Old Testament, and by the second, the New. Alio modo per primum tabernaculum, praesens Ecclesia; per secundum, caelestis gloria. Inquantum ergo significat Vetus Testamentum, est figura figurae; sed inquantum significat praesentem Ecclesiam, quae adhuc significat futuram gloriam, est figura veritatis, quantum ad utrumque. In another way, by the first tabernacle the present Church, and by the second, heavenly glory. Therefore, inasmuch as it signifies the Old Testament, it is a figure of a figure; but inasmuch as it signifies the present Church, which in turn signifies future glory, it is a figure of the truth in regard to each. Circa hoc ergo duo facit, quia primo describit illud quod erat in primo; secundo illud, quod erat in secundo, ibi post velamentum. In regard to these he does two things: first, he describes what was in the first; second, in the second, at and after the second veil. 419. In primo autem tria erant, scilicet candelabrum aureum ad meridiem, quod ita erat factum. Ex uno enim longo hastili procedebant sex calami, quasi sex brachia, scilicet tres a dextris et tres a sinistris. Et sic in summitate erant septem rami et in quolibet erat una lucerna, quae ardebat. Item in quolibet calamo erant quatuor, scilicet calamus, qui erat ex tribus partibus quasi tribus petiis, scilicet cyphi, spherulae, et lilia: quia ibi duae partes iungebantur. In fine cuiuslibet partis erat quasi quidam cyphus, in quo duo cyphi iunguntur in nucis modum, et duae spherulae volubiles, et duo quasi folia lilii hinc et inde. 419. In the first tabernacle were three things, namely, the golden candlestick at the south. It was made in the following way: from a long shaft proceeded six branches, as it were, six arms, namely, three from the right side and three from the left, so that at the top were seven branches, in each of which burned a lamp. Then in each arm were four things, namely, the arm which divided into three cups, namely, cups, bowls, and lilies, because two parts were joined there. At the end of each part was a cup in which two cups are joined in the manner of a nut, and two revolving bowls and two leaves of a lily. Item in parte aquilonari erat mensa aurea in modum altaris, super quam ponebantur in sabbato duodecim panes calidi, et super quemlibet thus lucidum in patena aurea. Et stabant illi panes, qui dicebantur propositionis, usque ad diem sabbati, ubi oportebat illos amoveri, et reponebantur alii loco illorum. Then in the northern area was a golden table upon which twelve freshly baked loaves were placed on the sabbath, and over each one was incense burning on a paten of gold. Those loaves, which were called the bread of the presence, remained there until the sabbath, when they were removed and others put in their place. Item in medio erat altare aureum ad adolendum thymiama boni odoris, et hoc ad litteram, ne domus foeteret propter multitudinem immolatitii sanguinis. Furthermore, in the middle was a golden altar for burning sweet-smelling thyme to prevent the house from stinking from the vast quantity of blood pouring from the victims. Per candelabrum autem quod illuminat, et per mensam designatur ad litteram, quod qui altari servit de altari vivat. By the candlestick, which gives light, and by the table was designated that those who serve the altar should live off the altar. Dicit ergo tabernaculum prius, id est, anterior pars tabernaculi, factum est in quo erant candelabra, quae unum erant quantum ad substantiam, sed plura quantum ad ramos, et hoc ad meridiem, et mensa ad Aquilonem, et propositio panum, id est, panes propositionis per hypallagen, sicut perflavit fistula buccas, et ista pars dicitur sancta. De hoc habetur diffuse Ex. XXV, XXVI et XXVII. Therefore, he says, for there was a tabernacle made the first, i.e., the front part of the tabernacle was made first, wherein were the candlesticks, which were one as to substance but many as to branches. This was to the south: and the table to the north and the setting forth of loaves, i.e., the bread of the presence. This part is called the holy place. All this is treated in detail in Exodus (Exod 25, 26, 27). 420. Deinde cum dicit post velamentum, etc., describit ea, quae erant in secundo tabernaculo, scilicet arca testamenti, de lignis sethin imputribilibus, circumtecta ex omni parte, id est, tam intus quam extra, auro. In arca autem erant tria, scilicet urna aurea habens manna, et hoc in memoriam illius beneficii eis praestiti, Ex. XVI, 32 ss., et virga Aaron quae fronduerat,Num. XVII, v. 8, in memoriam sacerdotii Aaron ne alius extraneus praesumeret accedere; et tabulae testamenti, Ex. XXV, 21, in memoriam legis. Item super arcam duo Cherubim qui tangebant se duabus alis, et tangebant alis duabus latera tabernaculi. Inter duas autem alas quibus tangebant se, erat tabula aurea eiusdem longitudinis et latitudinis, et arca, scilicet duorum cubitorum in longitudine, cubiti et semis in latitudine, et erat supereminens, quae dicebatur propitiatorium. Unde erat quasi sedes, de qua Deus exaudiret ad repropitiandum populo. Ps. LXXIX, 2: qui sedes super Cherubim, et cetera. Arca vero erat quasi scabellum pedum. Illi duo Cherubim versis vultibus ad seipsos respiciebant in propitiatorium. 420. Then when he says, and after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the holy of holies, he describes the things that were in the second tabernacle, namely, the ark of the testament made of incorruptible sethim wood, covered about on every part, i.e., inside and outside, with gold. In the ark were three things: a golden pot that had manna in memory of the benefit bestowed on them; and the rod of Aaron that had blossomed (Num 17:8), in memory of Aaron’s priesthood, lest a stranger should presume to approach; and the tables of the testament in memory of the law. Then, over the ark were two Cherubim, who touched each other with two wings and touched the two sides of the tabernacle with the other two. Between the two wings, with which they touched each other, was a golden table of the same length and width as the ark, namely, two cubits in length and a cubit and a half in width, overshadowing the mercy seat. Hence, it served as a throne from which God would listen, to be re-propitiated toward the people: you that sit upon the cherubim (Ps 80:2–3). But the ark was, as it were, a foot stool. The two cherubim facing each other looked at the mercy seat.