Dicit autem, opera digitorum, propter tria: Now, he says, the works of your fingers, for three reasons: quia quae cum digitis facimus, attente et distincte facimus. Et quae de corporibus caelestibus consideranda sunt, non reducuntur nisi in causam intelligibilem; et ideo dicit, opera digitorum tuorum: Ps. 135: qui fecit caelos in intellectu: since what we make with our fingers we make with attention and precision. And the things to be considered about the heavenly bodies can lead back only to an intelligent cause, and so he says, the works of your fingers. Psalm 135:5 says: who made the heavens in understanding. vel respondet ad id quod dicit, elevata. Quando quis facit elevari quod grave est, supponit humerum; sed quando facit elevari quod est leve, supponit digitum; et ideo dicit, opera digitorum, quasi leve sit ei facere caelos: Isa. 40: quis appendet tribus digitis molem terrae, et caelos palma ponderabit? Or it connects to elevated. When someone elevates something heavy, he supports it on his shoulders, but when he elevates something light, he supports it on his fingers, and so he says, the works of your fingers, as if making the heavens was light work for him. Who has poised with three fingers the bulk of the earth, and weighted the heavens with his palm? (Isa 40:12). Vel quae digitis facimus subtilia opera sunt. Ut ostendat ergo quod haec subtiliora sunt aliis, dicit opera digitorum et cetera. Or he says it because those things which we make with our fingers are intricate works. So he says, the works of your fingers to show that these are more intricate than other works. Lunam vero nominat, et non solem, propter gentiles, qui credebant eum summum Deum: et ideo ponit specialiter, lunam et stellas, in quibus non est manifesta ratio erroris: Eccl. 43: species caeli gloria stellarum, mundum illuminans in excelsis dominus. Now, he names the moon, but not the sun, because of the gentiles who believed that it was a high god, and so he particularly mentions the moon and the stars in which no reason for error was shown. The glory of the stars is the beauty of heaven; the Lord enlightens the world on high (Sir 43:10). Mystice apostolos vel Scripturas opera digitorum. Tres digiti tres personae; quasi dicat, opera totius Trinitatis vel spiritus sancti. Lunam, Ecclesia: stellas, doctores. Et haec Deus fundavit. Mystically, the apostles or the Scripture are the works of your fingers. The three fingers are the three persons, as if to say, “The works of the whole Trinity or of the Holy Spirit.” The moon is the Church; the stars are the doctors. And God founded them. 55. Quid. Supra psalmista admiratus est divinae majestatis excellentiam; et nunc commemorat duo beneficia divinitus collata hominibus. 55. What is man. Above, the psalmist marveled at the excellence of the divine majesty, and now he remembers two favors bestowed by God upon the human race. Secundo ex hoc psalmum terminat in laudem, ibi, domine dominus noster et cetera. With the second of these, he ends the psalm in praise: O Lord our Lord, how wonderful is your name. Circa primum tria facit. Regarding the first, he makes three points. Primo ostendit clementiam Dei ad homines, per comparationem ad ea quae sunt supra homines. First, he shows the mercy of God to men, by comparison with those beings which are above men. Secundo per comparationem ad primum hominem, ibi, gloria et honore. Second, by comparison with the first man, at you have crowned him with glory and honor. Tertio per comparationem eorum quae sunt sub homine, et constituisti. Third, by comparison with those things which are under man: you have set him over the works of your hands. Supra hominem duplex est natura: divina scilicet, et angelica. Above man there are two natures: the divine and the angelic. Primo ergo ponit beneficia per comparationem ad Deum. First, therefore, he describes the favors by comparison to God; Secundo per comparationem ad angelos, ibi, minuisti. second, by comparison to the angels, at you have made him a little less. Primo exponatur secundum quod competit quantum ad beneficia naturalia. The first is explained in regard to what is fitting in relation to natural favors. Secundo quantum ad gratuita. Second, in relation to those of grace. Et secundum primum modum et circa eum duo facit. And according to the first way, and concerning it, he makes two points. Primo ponit specialem curam hominis a Deo. First, he describes the special care of man by God; Secundo familiaritatem specialem, aut filius hominis. Mirabile est quod quis magnus alicui parvo speciali familiaritate conjungatur: second, the special familiarity: or the son of man. For it is wonderful that someone who is great should be joined with a particular familiarity to someone little. et ideo primo psalmista commemorat parvitatem hominis ex conditione quid est homo, tam parva res? Job 14: homo natus de muliere: et 25: homo putredo, et filius hominis vermis. And so the psalmist first mentions man’s littleness, from his condition: what is man, such a small thing? Man born of a woman (Job 14:1), and man who is rottenness, and the son of man who is a worm (Job 25:6). Secundo quantum ad originem: quia etiam vilis: Job 14: quis potest facere mundum de immundo conceptum semine? Et 10: nonne sicut lac et cetera. Second, he mentions his littleness in regard to his origin, for it is vile. Who can make him clean who is conceived of unclean seed? (Job 14:4) and have you not milked me as milk and curdled me like cheese? (Job 10:10). Et ideo dicit, aut filius hominis? Sed isti sic parvo, sic vili, dicit quod duo facit: scilicet quod memoratus est ejus, et quod visitat eum. And so he says, or the son of man? But to this one so little, so vile, he says that he does two things: namely, that he is mindful of him and that he visits him. Primum pertinet ad curam. The first pertains to care; Secundum ad familiaritatem specialem. the second, to particular familiarity. Et est talis modus loquendi: sicut si aliquis artifex fecisset magna, et inter aliqua unum minimum, scilicet acum, et quando fecit acum ostendit se habere ejus scientiam. Sed quod in dispositione operum curaret de acu, esset valde mirabile; et ideo dicit, quid est homo, quod inter magnas creaturas recordaris ejus? Eccl. 16: ne dicas, a Deo abscondar et cetera et quae est anima et cetera. Quia propter parvitatem Deus non obliviscitur tui. And the manner of speaking is this: it is as if some artificer were to make great things, and, among them, one small thing, a needle. When he made the needle, he showed that he had knowledge of it. But if in disposing of his works he should have care for the needle, it would be very amazing, and so he says, what is man that you should be mindful of him among the great creatures? Say not, “I shall be hidden from God . . . for what is my soul in such an immense creation?” (Sir 16:16, 17). God has not forgotten you because of your littleness. Sed quid magnum est hoc? Deus enim habet curam de omnibus: Sap. 12: nec est enim alius quam tu, cui cura est de omnibus. Dicendum, quod de homine habet specialem curam, scilicet quod in judicio remunerentur actus ejus: Job 14: dignum ducis super hujuscemodi aperire oculos et cetera. But what great work is this? For God has care for all. For there is no other but you, who has care of all (Wis 12:13). It should be said that he has special care for man because he rewards his deeds in judgment. And do you think it meet to open your eyes upon such an one? (Job 14:3). Item non curam solum habet de homine, sed familiaritatem habet cum eo; et hoc est quod dicit, quoniam visitas cum. Sola natura rationalis est capax Dei, cognoscendo et amando. In quantum ergo Deus nobis praesens efficitur per amorem vel cognitionem, visitat nos: Job 10: visitatio tua custodivit et cetera. Sic ergo magna clementia Dei est in comparatione hominis ad Deum. Further, he has not only care for man, but familiarity with him: that you visit him. Only rational nature is capable of God, by knowing and loving. Therefore, God visits us insofar as he is made present to us through love or knowledge. Your visitation has preserved my spirit (Job 10:12). Therefore, God’s mercy is great in the comparison of man to God. 56. Sed sequitur de homine hoc in comparatione ad angelos, quibus homo invenitur propinquus. Minuisti. In angelis invenitur imago Dei per simplicem intuitum veritatis, absque inquisitione; in homine vero per discursum; et ideo in homine aliquantulum. Inde est quod homines dicuntur angeli: Malach. 2: legem requirent ex ore ejus: quia angelus domini exercituum est. Est et homo corruptibilis, sed modicum; quia aliquando homo in patria omnia sine discursu cognoscet; et erit secundum corpus incorruptibilis: 1 Cor. 15: oportet corruptibile hoc induere incorruptionem. 56. What follows is said about man in comparison to the angels, to whom man is found to be close: you have made him a little less than the angels. The image of God is found in the angels through the simple intuition of the truth without inquiry, while in man it is through discursive inquiry, and so it is in man only to a small extent. So it is that men are called angels: they shall seek the law at his mouth, because he is the angel of the Lord of hosts (Mal 2:7). And man is corruptible, but only a little, since in the end man will know without discursive reasoning in the fatherland, and this will be because of his incorruptible body. For this corruptible must put on incorruption (1 Cor 15:53). Consequenter ostendit clementiam Dei ad hominem, per comparationem ad ipsum hominem, cum dicit, gloria et honore et cetera. Coronari est regum. Deus fecit hominem quasi regem inferiorum et est gloria, scilicet claritas divinae imaginis: et haec est quaedam corona hominis: 1 Cor. 11: vir imago est et gloria Dei: Ps. 4: signatum est super nos lumen vultus tui domine. Next, he shows the mercy of God to man through comparison to man himself, when he says, you have crowned him with glory and honor. To be crowned befits kings. God has made man in a sense the king of all below and this is glory (that is, the splendor of the divine image), and this is a particular crown belonging to man. Man . . . is the image and glory of God (1 Cor 11:7). The light of your countenance, O Lord, is signed upon us (Ps 4:7). Sed ille honoratur, qui non subjicitur alicui. Homo enim nulli creaturae naturali corporali subjicitur, quantum ad animam, nec in ingressu nec in progressu: non in ingressu, quia a creatura non producitur, et libere agit: nec perit cum corpore; et in hoc honor hominis consistit; et ideo dicitur Sap. 2: nec judicaverunt honorem animarum sanctarum et cetera usque fecit illum: Ps. 48: homo cum in honore esset non intellexit et cetera. Now, he is honored who is not subjected to another. For man is subject to no natural corporeal creature in regard to his soul, neither in coming into existence nor in his progress. Not in his coming into existence, since he is not produced by any creature, and acts freely. Nor does he perish with the body, and in this the honor of man consists. And so it is said, nor esteemed the honor of holy souls; for God created man incorruptible, and to the image of his own likeness he made him (Wis 2:22–23). Man when he was in honor did not understand (Ps 48:13). Consequenter cum dicit, constituisti, ponit clementiam Dei ad hominem per comparationem ad ea quae sunt sub homine, quia voluit habere hominem dominium super ista inferiora: Next, when he says, you have set him over the works of your hands, he presents God’s mercy to man through comparison with those things which are beneath man, because he willed man to have dominion over these lower things. et circa hoc tria facit. And he makes three points about this. Primo proponit dominium. First, he presents the dominion; Secundo facultatem dominandi. second, the ability to dominate; Tertio numerum subditorum. third, the number of those subjected.