Hearing, sight, step inert, He cleansed; and, for a "book,"hyperlink
Sprinkled, by speaking.hyperlink words of presage, those
105 His witnesses: demonstrating the Law
Bound by His holy blood.
This cause withal Our victim through "the heifer" manifests
From whose blood taking for the People's sake
Piacular drops, them the first Levitehyperlink bare
Footnotes
102 i.e., to life.
103 I have ventured to alter the "Morti," of the edd. into "Forti;" and "causas" (as we have seen) seems, in this late Latin, nearly = "res."
104 i.e., the grain.
105 This may seem an unusual expression, as it is more common to regard the fruit as gracing the tree, than the tree the fruit. But, in point of fact, the tree, with its graceful form and foliage, may be said to give a grace to the fruit; and so our author puts it here: "decoratos arbore fructus."
106 I read "primum" here for "primus."
107 "Tantum" = "tantum quantum primo fuerat," i.e., with a body as well as a spirit.
108 Pignus: "the promise of the Father" (Acts i. 4); "the earnest of the Spirit" (2 Cor. i. 22; v. 5.). See, too, Eph. i. 13, 14; Rom. viii. 23.
109 The reference is to John iii. 6, but it is not quite correctly given.
110 See note on 245, above.
111 See 2 Cor. v. 1. sqq.
112 I read "inerum" - a very rare form - here for "inermem." But there seems a confusion in the text, which here, as elsewhere, is probably corrupt.
113 "Cerae," which seems senseless here, I have changed to "cereris."
114 There seems to be a reference to 2 Pet. i. 17.
115 Here again I have altered the punctuation by a very simple change.
116 See 1 Cor. xv. 54; Isa. xxv. 8 (where the LXX. have a strange reading).
117 Isa. liv. 1; Gal. iv. 27.
118 Gal. iv. 19-31.
119 The Jewish people leaving Christ, "the fountain of living waters" (Jer. ii. 13; John vii. 37-39), is compared to Hagar leaving the well, which was, we may well believe, close to Abraham's tent.
120 Et tepidis errans ardenti sidere potat. See Gen. xxi. 12-20.
121 See Matt. xix. 27; Mark x. 28; Luke xviii. 28.
122 See Matt. xxiii. 35.
123 i.e., apparently the "giants;" see Gen. vi. 4; but there is no mention of them in Enoch's time (Migne).
124 i.e., over the general sinfulness.
125 I suggest "translatus" for "translatum" here.
126 See Gen. vii. 1.
127 Loosely; 120 years is the number in Gen. vi. 3.
128 Gente.
129 Speculo vultus. The two words seem to me to go together, and, unless the second be indeed redundant, to mean perhaps a small hand-mirror, which affords more facilities for minute examination of the face than a larger fixed one.
130 "Sortis;" lit. "lot," here = "the line or family chosen by lot." Compare the similar derivation of "clergy."
131 Lignum.
132 I have ventured to substitute "Christo" for "Christi;" and thus, for
"Cum Christi populo manifeste multa locutus,"read,
"Cum Christo (populo manifeste) multa locutus."The reference is to the fact, on which such special stress is laid, of the Lord's "speaking to Moses face to face, as a man speaketh with his friend." See especially Num. xii. 5-8, Deut. xxxiv. 9-12, with Deut. xviii. 17-19, Acts iii. 22, 23, vii. 37.
133 The Latin in Oehler and Migne is thus:
"Accepram legem per paucos fudit in orbem;"and the reference seems to me to be to Ex. xxxii. 15-20, though the use of "orbem" for "ground" is perhaps strange; but "humum" would have been against the metre, if that argument be of any weight in the case of a writer so prolific of false quantities. Possibly the lines may mean that "he diffused through some few" - i.e., through the Jews, "few" as compared with the total inhabitants of the orb - "the Law which he had received;" but then the following line seems rather to favour the former view, because the tables of the Law - called briefly "the Law" - broken by Moses so soon after he had received them, were typical of the inefficacy of all Moses' own toils, which, after all, ended in disappointment, as he was forbidden, on account of a sin committed in the very last of the forty years, to lead the people into "the land," as 'he had fondly hoped to do. Only I suspect some error in "per paucos;" unless it be lawful to supply "dies," and take it to mean "received during but few days," i.e., "within few days," "only a few days before," and "accepted" or "kept" by the People "during but a few days." Would it be lawful to conjecture "perpaucis" as one word, with "ante diebus" to be understood?
134 i.e., the sign of the cross. See Tertullian, adv. Marc., l. iii. c. xviii. sub. fin.; also adv. Jud., c. x. med.
135 i.e., all the acts and the experiences of Moses.
136 Moses.
137 See Ex. xxiii. 20-23; and comp. adv. Marc., l. iii. c. xvi.
138 Legitima, i.e., reverent of law.
139 i.e., virtuous acts.
140 Or, "valour."
141 The Latin runs thus:
"Acer in hostem.
Non virtute sua trtelam acquirere genti."I have ventured to read "suae," and connect it with "genti;" and thus have obtained what seems to me a probable sense. See Judg. viii. 22, 23.
142 I read "firmandus" for "firmatus."
143 Mundo.
144 I have again ventured a correction, "coarescere" for "coalescere." It makes at least some sense out of an otherwise (to me) unintelligible passage, the "palm" being taken as the well-known symbol of bloom and triumph. So David in Ps. xcii. 12 (xci. 13 in LXX.), "The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree." To "dry" here is, of course, neuter, and means to "wither."
145 I have changed "eadem" - which must agree with "nocte," and hance give a false sense; for it was not, of course, on "the same night," but on the next, that his second sign was given - into "eodem," to agree with "liquore," which gives a true one, as the "moisture," of course, was the same, - dew, namely.
146 Equite. It appears to be used loosely for "men of war" generally.
147 Which is taken, from its form, as a sign of the cross; see below.
148 Refers to the "when" in 99, above.
149 Lychno. The "faces" are probably the wicks.
150 "Scilicet hoc testamen erat virtutis image."
151 The text as it stands is, in Oehler: -
... "Hic Baal Christi victoria signo
Extemplo refugam devicit femina ligno;"which I would read: -
... "Hunc Jael, Christi victorioe signo,
Extemplo," etc.
152 For "hic" I would incline to read "huic."
153 i.e., child.
154 i.e., instead of.
155 i.e., to his unshorn Nazarite locks.
156 Viros ostendere Christos.
157 See 1 Sam. xxviii. (in LXX. 1 Kings) 11-19.
158 i.e., to whom, to David.
159 "Ex utero:" a curious expression for a man; but so it is.
160 i.e., emulous of David's virtues.
161 Comp. especially 2 Chron. xxix. xxx. xxxi.
162 Our author is quite correct in his order. A comparison of dates as given in the Scripture history shows us that his reforms preceded his war with Sennacherib.
163 The "tactus" of the Latin is without sense, unless indeed it refer to his being twice "touched" by an angel. See 1 Kings (in LXX. 3 Kings) xix. 1-8. I have therefore substituted "raptus," there being no mention of the angel in the Latin.
164 "Aras" should probably be "aram."
165 See 2 Kings (in LXX. 4 Kings) i. 9-12.
166 For "transgressas et avia fecit," I read "transgressus avia fecit," taking "transgressus" as a subst.
167 Sortis.
168 Sortem.
169 Our author has somewhat mistaken Elisha's mission apparently; for as there is a significant difference in the meaning of their respective names, so there is in their works: Elijah's miracles being rather miracles of judgment, it has been remarked; Elisha's, of mercy.
170 The reference is to a famine in Elisha's days, which - 2 Kings (in LXX. 4 Kings) viii. i. - was to last seven years; whereas that for which Elijah prayed, as we learn in Jas. v. 17., lasted three and six months. But it is not said that Elisha prayed for that famine.
171 We only read of one leprosy which Elisha cleansed - Naaman's. He inflicted leprosy on Gehazi, which was "to cleave to him and to his seed for ever."
172 Praestata viam vitae atque probata per ipsam est. I suspect we should read "via," quantity being of no importance with our author, and take "praetestata" as passive: "The way of life was testified before, and proved, through him."
173 This seems to be the meaning, and the reference will then be to Jer. xxxiv. 8-22 (in LXX. xli. 8-22); but the punctuation both in Oehler and Migne makes nonsense, and I have therefore altered it.
174 See the apocryphal "Susanna."
175 For "servatisque palam cunctis in pace quievit," which the edd. give, I suggest "servatusque," etc., and take "palam" for governing "cunctis."
176 Ignibus et multa consumpta volumina vatum. Multa must, apparently, be an error for some word signifying "mould" or the like; unless, with the disregard of construction and quantity observable in this author, it be an acc. pl. to agree with volumina, so that we must take "omnia multa volumina" together, which would alter the whole construction of the context.
177 Ablutor.
178 Ablutor.
179 Juventus.
180 Mundo.
181 Salutem = Christum. So Simeon, "Mine eyes have seen Thy salvation," where the Greek word should be noted and compared with its usage in the LXX., especially in the Psalms. See Luke ii. 30.
182 Comp. 1 John i. 1, 2.
183 See 2 Cor. xii. 1 sqq.
184 The common reading is, "Atque suae famulae portavit spreta dolorem." for which Oehler reads "portarit;" but I incline rather to suggest that "portavit" be retained, but that the "atque" be changed into "aeque," thus: "Aeque suae famulae portavit spreta dolorem;" i.e., Since, like Sarah, the once barren Christian church-mother hath had children, equally, like Sarah, hath she had to bear scorn and spleen at her handmaid's - the Jewish church-mother's - hands.
185 Dolorem.
186 i.e., Ishmael's.
187 "Immanes," if it be the true reading.
188 This is the way Oehler's punctuation reads. Migne's reads as follows: -
... "Of whom the first
Whom mightiest Rome bade take his place and sit
Upon the chair where Peter's self had sat," etc.
189 "Is spostolicis bene notus." This may mean (a) as in our text; (b) by his apostolically-minded writings - writings like an apostle's; or (c) by the apostolic writings, i.e., by the mention made of him, supposing him to be the same, in Phil. iv. 3.
190 Legem.
191 Legis.
192 Germine frater.
193 An allusion to the well-known Pastor or Shepherd of Hermas.
194 Our author makes the name Anicetus. Rig. (as quoted by Oehler) observes that a comparison of the list of bishops of Rome here given with that given by Tertullian in de Praescr., c. xxxii., seems to show that this metrical piece cannot be his.
195 The state of the text in some parts of this book is frightful. It has been almost hopeless to extract any sense whatever out of the Latin in many passages - indeed, the renderings are in these cases little better than guess-work - and the confusion of images, ideas, and quotations is extraordinary.
196 See the preceding book.
197 I have changed the unintelligible "daret" of the edd. into "docet." The reference seems to be to Matt. xxiii. 8; Jas. iii. 1; 1 Pet. v. 2, 3.
198 Molem belli deducere terrae.
199 Aemulamenta. Migne seems to think the word refers to Marcion's "Antitheses."
200 i.e., apparently Marcion's.
201 Monumenta.
202 See the opening of the preceding book.
203 "Conditus;" i.e., probably (in violation of quantity) the past part. of "conditio" = flavoured, seasoned.
204 I have altered the punctuation here.
205 Inferni.
206 Locator.
207 These lines are capable, according to their punctuation, of various renderings, which for brevity's sake I must be content to omit.
208 i.e., the People of Israel. See the de Idol., p. 148, c. v. note 1.
209 See Deut. vi. 3, 4, quoted in Mark xii. 29, 30.
210 This savours of the Nicene Creed.
211 Migne's pointing is followed, in preference to Oehler's.
212 "Unum hunc esse Patrem;" i.e., "that this One (God) is the Father." But I rather incline to read, "unumque esse;" or we may render, "This One is the Sire."
213 See 1 Cor. viii. 5, 6 (but notice the prepositions in the Greek; our author is not accurate in rendering them); Eph. iv. 4, 5, 6.
214 Ad quem se curvare genu plane omne fatetur. The reference is to Phil. ii. 10; but our author is careless in using the present tense, "se curvare."
215 The reference is to Eph. iii. 14, 15; but here again our author seems in error, as he refers the words to Christ, whereas the meaning of the apostle appears clearly to refer them to the Father.
216 Legitimos. See book iv. 91.
217 See Gal. iii. 20. But here, again, "Galatas" seems rather like an error; for in speaking to the Corinthians St. Paul uses an expression more like our author's: see 2 Cor. xi. 2. The Latin, too, is faulty: "Talem se Paulus zelum se scripsit habere," where, perhaps, for the first "se" we should read "sic."
218 Comp. Ex. xx. 5; Deut. v. 9.
219 See Isa. i. 10-15; Jer. vi. 20.
220 Causa etenim fidei rationis imagine major.
221 Comp. 1 Cor. xiii. 12; Heb. x. 1.
222 Moses. See Heb. ix. 19-22, and the references there.
223 Comp. Heb. ix. 13.
224 Alluding probably to our Lord's bearing of the cross-beam of His cross - the beam being the "yokes," and the upright stem of the cross the "plough-beam" - on His shoulders. - See John xix. 17.
225 Templum. Comp. John ii. 19-22; Col. ii. 9.
226 Libro. The reference is to the preceding lines, especially 89, and Heb. ix. 19, auto to Biblion. The use of "libro" is curious, as it seems to be used partly as if it would be equivalent to pro libro, "in the place of a book," partly in a more truly datival sense, "to serve the purposes of a book;" and our "for" is capable of the two senses.
227 For this comparison of "speaking" to "sprinkling," comp. Deut. xxxii. 2, "My doctrine shall drop as the rain; my speech shall distil as the dew," etc.; Job xxix. 22, "My speech dropped upon them;" with Eph. v. 26, and with our Lord's significant action (recorded in the passage here alluded to, John xx. 22) of "breathing on" (enefushsen) His disciples. Comp., too, for the "witnesses" and "words of presage," Luke xxiv. 48, 49; Acts i. 6-8.
228 i.e., the chief of the Levites, the high priest.