Moralia in Job 1434 part 2/2

What then can be understood according to the letter, that the prophet should place an iron pan between himself and the city which is to be besieged? But although all this which is read in the drawing of the tile under the figure of the city of Jerusalem was done according to the letter, yet it is to be known by us that something typical is figured by the iron pan, and the true besieging of Jerusalem is described. 21.

From which thing we are instructed that, while we know one thing to have been fulfilled according to the history, and recognize another to be empty of reason according to the history, we should hold both in the sacred word: so that we may believe the besieging of Jerusalem, which according to the letter was afterwards done, to be figured in the words and deeds of the prophet, and yet through that same siege another siege, that is, an interior one, is designated. In which we rightly ask what can be designated by the iron pan, which is called an iron wall. That siege, therefore, by which the city of Jerusalem was destroyed, we know to have already taken place; but let us now seek another, an inward one, which is carried on daily. Concerning which it is said by way of signification:

'And thou, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and portray upon it the city of Jerusalem.' 22. But first it must be inquired by us why the prophet Ezekiel, whenever he beholds sublime things, or whenever he is commanded to do certain mystical things, is first called son of man. For often he is lifted up to heavenly things, and his mind is fed with hidden and invisible realities. It is necessary therefore that, among the hidden things which he penetrates, he be called son of man, so that he may always acknowledge what he is, and may never be exalted from the things to which he is led. For what is it to say 'son of man' always to a prophet lifted up to spiritual things, but to make him mindful of his own infirmity?

So that, conscious of his weak condition, he ought not to be lifted up in thought from the greatness of his contemplation. 23. But because this same prophet, as we have already said above, holds the type of preachers or teachers, rightly is it now said to him: 'Take thee a tile, and lay it before thee.' For every teacher, when he receives some earthly hearer to the teaching of the heavenly word, takes up a tile. To whom, when he begins to speak what is the recompense of the heavenly fatherland, what the vision of supernal peace, he portrays the city of Jerusalem upon the tile.

Whom he places before himself, because with intent mind he considers the quality of the hearer, that is, he beholds his progress or defect, and moderates the words of his preaching according to that one's understanding, so that the city of Jerusalem, that is, the vision of peace, may be portrayed in the hearer's mind. Let it be said therefore: 'Take thee a tile,' namely the neighbour who is earthly. 'And lay it before thee,' that is, that thou mayest guard his life and understanding with intent mind. 'And portray upon it the city of Jerusalem,' that thou mayest make known to him what are the supernal joys of the vision of peace.

For Jerusalem is, as it were, already portrayed on the tile, when the earthly mind begins to know what are those true joys of inward peace, and to pant after beholding the glory of the heavenly fatherland. As it were, the vision of peace is portrayed on the earth, when the mind, which before had savoured earthly things, is now lifted up through love to contemplate the glory of the heavenly kingdom. 24. But as soon as the soul begins to love heavenly things, as soon as it has gathered itself with all its intention to the vision of inward peace, that ancient adversary who fell from heaven envies it, and begins to lay snares more, and applies fiercer temptations than he was wont, so that very often he tempts the soul thus resisting as he had never tempted it before, when he possessed it. Whence it is written:

'My son, when thou comest to the service of God, stand in justice and fear, and prepare thy soul for temptation' (Ecclus. 2:1). Whence also the demoniac who is healed by the Lord is torn by the demon as it comes forth, as it is written: 'And crying out, and rending him sore, he came out of him' (Mark 9:26). For what is it that the ancient enemy, whom he had not torn when he possessed the man, tears him as he departs, forsaking the possessed man, but that very often, while he is expelled from the heart, he generates fiercer temptations in it than he had aroused before, when he possessed it in quiet? Whence also the Israelites say to Moses and Aaron:

'The Lord look upon you and judge, because you have made our savour to stink before Pharaoh and his servants, and have given him a sword to slay us' (Exod. 5:21). For in Moses and Aaron the law and the prophets are figured. And often the weak soul, as it were, murmurs within itself against the sacred oracles, because after it has begun to hear and follow the heavenly words, the adversity of the king of Egypt, that is, the temptation of the malignant spirit, increases. 25. The teacher ought therefore watchfully to make known to the advancing soul what temptations follow it, that it may be able to prepare itself, wary against the snares of the malignant spirit. Whence well is it now said to the prophet, after the city of Jerusalem has been portrayed on the tile: 'And thou shalt lay siege against it,'

'and build forts, and cast a mound.' For in that soul in which the vision of peace is already portrayed, it is necessary that the wars of temptations be announced. For, that it may be able to attain to those eternal joys of peace, it doubtless behoves it here to sustain many contests of tribulations. Concerning which it is well said: 'Lay siege against it.' The preacher indeed lays siege against the soul to be instructed, when by forewarning he indicates in what ways the vices oppose the virtues: how lust strikes at chastity, how anger disturbs tranquillity of mind, how much foolish gladness dissolves the vigour of the mind,

how much loquacity destroys the fortification of the heart, how envy slays charity, how pride digs away the citadel of humility, how falsehood, when it has corrupted truth in speech, corrupts it also in knowledge, so that he who was unwilling to speak the truth which he understood may now not even understand what he might be able to say. The siege is therefore laid by the preacher, when through the words of holy admonition it is shown to each several virtue by what ways the vices lie in wait for it. And against the Jerusalem which he portrays on the tile, the preacher builds forts, when he demonstrates how well-fortified all evils come against the mind, so that vices may hide themselves under the appearance of virtues;

so that, as we have often already said, immoderate anger seeks to appear as justice, and remission of discipline wishes to appear as gentleness, and tenacity names itself frugality, and inordinate profusion of things calls itself benevolence. For forts are, as it were, built against the mind, when vices grow up under the appearance of virtues, and show themselves on high through an image, which always lie low in reality through action. 26. Yet further it is added: 'And cast a mound.' For the more the mind begins to desire heavenly things, the more the malignant spirits, by their temptations, heap up earthly thoughts against it. The prophet therefore

casts a mound, when the holy preacher declares to good minds in what ways earthly desires are wont to creep in. And still it is added: 'And set camps against it, and place battering-rams round about it.' The teacher, as it were, sets camps against the soul, when he judges the gathered and united snares of the malignant spirits against it, so that sometimes they may tempt not only out of one, but out of joined vices together. 27. For there are certain vices that are, as it were, near to one another by a kind of kinship, such as dissolution of spirit, appetite of the gullet, and the uncleanness of lust; such as loquacity, falsehood, and perjury.

For from dissolution of spirit the mind is dragged to the gluttony of the belly, and while the belly is stretched with food, the flesh is drawn to lust, captive through pride. And again, from loquacity falsehood is generated, because it is very difficult that one who speaks much should not also lie; and often a lie is even covered by perjury, that it may be veiled before human judgments. Pride too can in no way be without envy and vainglory. For every proud man envies others the honour which he himself desires. And when perhaps he has obtained it, he is lifted up into the elation of temporal glory, and what he beholds others to have been by no means able to obtain, this he rejoices through vainglory to have above the rest. 28.

It is also to be known that often several vices come not to the mind at the same time, but are placed underneath, so that one succeeds another in temptation. And one comes against the face, but another subjects itself from the side into temptation, so that while resistance is made to the one, we may be captured, deceived from within by the other. For those vices which we mentioned above often furtively substitute themselves, one for another; as sometimes, while we strive to conquer anger in ourselves, we occupy the mind with more gentleness than is necessary, so that it may by no means set forth to sinners the sharpness that is fitting. But often, while an incautious mildness displeases us as being in us, zeal drags itself into fury, and snatches the mind captive beyond the limit of patience.

Because therefore the vices come mingled together and united against the mind, rightly in the mouth of the preacher camps are set against the portrayed Jerusalem. And because sometimes single vices strike the sense from this side and that, battering-rams are arranged round about. The preacher therefore places battering-rams round about, while he warily declares how gently lust strikes, how harshly impatience slays, how laboriously avarice kindles and destroys, how swellingly pride extinguishes. To place battering-rams round about is therefore, by preaching, to show what points of the vices are wont to strike the soul from every side. 29. There follows: 'And thou, take thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city.'

Because iron is a strong metal, and in a pan food is fried, what is signified by the iron pan but the strong frying of spiritual zeal? For all spiritual zeal fries the teacher's soul, because he is greatly tormented while he beholds all the weak forsaking eternal things and delighting in temporal ones. How well had Paul taken up the iron pan, when, tormented by the goad for souls, he said: 'Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is scandalized, and I do not burn?' (2 Cor. 11:29). His very heart, which he had set aflame with zeal for souls, what else had he made but a pan, in which through love of virtues he burned against the vices? For what was burned was the pan.

For he glowed and cooked, because he was set on fire with bitterness; yet he prepared the nourishment of virtues out of his afflicted thought. 30. But what is it that the prophet places this same pan as a wall of iron between himself and the city, but that this same strong zeal, which is now carried on in the teacher's mind, will be a witness in the day of the last judgment between him and the soul which he zealously desires to keep from vices? So that even if he who is taught has been unwilling to hear, yet the teacher, for the zeal which he displays, may not be guilty of the negligence of the hearers. He places therefore a wall of iron between himself and the city, because at the time of vengeance the teacher is fortified from the peril of damnation on that side from which he now suffers the frying through the zeal of the heart's guardianship.

For to Almighty God there is no such sacrifice as the zeal of souls. Hence the Psalmist says: 'The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up' (Ps. 69:10). But how much the frying of the heart which is carried on by spiritual zeal pleases the Almighty Lord God, is openly shown when the fine flour is commanded to be offered in sacrifice by fire. Concerning which it is written: 'It shall be fried in a pan with oil, and the priest that by right succeedeth his father shall offer it hot for a most sweet savour to the Lord, and it shall be wholly burnt on the altar' (Lev. 6:21-22). For then is the fine flour fried in the pan, when the pure mind of the just man is burnt through the ardour of holy zeal.

Which is commanded to be sprinkled with oil, that is, to be mingled with the brightness of mercy, which burns and shines in the sight of the Almighty Lord. Let the mind therefore that is fried in the pan be sprinkled with oil, because it is necessary that the severity of holy zeal both burn and grow bright out of the virtue of mercy. For it loves the very one whom it seems to pursue. Whence also it is commanded to be offered hot for a most sweet savour to the Lord, because if zeal has not love, that which is brought forth from the pan grows cold. And it is to be noted who is commanded to offer it, namely the priest that by right succeeds his father.

For that priest succeeds his father by right, who shows himself by his manners to be the son of the Almighty Lord, and who does not depart by the ignobility of his works from the inward nobility. Which is commanded to be wholly burnt on the altar, that is, that it may become a holocaust. For a holocaust we call something wholly burnt. Whence also in another translation, in this place, this same fine flour which is fried in the pan is commanded to become a holocaust. Now there is this difference between a holocaust and a sacrifice, that every holocaust is indeed a sacrifice, but not every sacrifice is a holocaust. For there are many good things which are done as sacrifices, but are not holocausts, because they do not by any means kindle the whole mind into spiritual love.

For those who so work the things that are of God, that yet they do not relinquish also certain things that are of the world, doubtless offer a sacrifice and not a holocaust. But those who forsake all things that are of the world, and kindle the whole mind with the fire of divine love, these doubtless become to the Almighty Lord a sacrifice and a holocaust. The fine flour in the pan is therefore the pure mind of the just man in the ardour of spiritual zeal; which is fried through solicitude for souls, and is reckoned to be to the Lord not only a sacrifice, but even a holocaust. Let us therefore take up the iron pan, and place it as a wall of iron between us and the city, that is, let us assume a strong zeal, that between us and the soul of our hearer we may find this afterwards a strong fortification.

For then shall we find it a wall of iron, if now we hold it strongly, namely by teaching, guarding, persuading, rebuking, soothing, terrifying, sometimes acting gently, but sometimes even more severely. Concerning which severity it is rightly subjoined: 'And thou shalt set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged.' 31. What is it to set the face against the Jerusalem portrayed on the tile, but that to that soul to which the teacher announces the vision of heavenly peace, if he still beholds it weak in its acts, he should by no means show himself the more remiss and lenient? Whence it is written: 'Hast thou daughters? keep their body, and show not thy face cheerful toward them' (Ecclus. 7:26).

For weak souls, and given over to the appetite of the world, are sometimes better kept by severity, so that the set face, that is, drawn away by the guardianship of severity from all hope of frivolous relaxation, may terrify the inconstant soul, and restrain it from the delight of vices by the vigour of strictness. Which, when it is done by the teacher, it is always necessary that sweetness and humility be held in the heart, that he may both love much, and never be proud against him through elation, to whom nevertheless he refuses to betray his love and humility for that one's benefit. 32. There follows: 'And thou shalt surround it.'

The teacher surrounds the hearer's soul, when he declares that in everything that is done in this life the snares of temptations can be set, so that while the mind is everywhere made fearful, everywhere circumspect, the more timid it is, the more vigilant it may live. 33. There follows: 'This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.' If we refer it to the history of the siege which was done according to the letter, it is a sign to the house of Israel that the prophet made; if to the mystery which is daily carried on regarding each individual soul by the teacher, it is a sign to the house of Israel both this which he did, and this which by doing he announced, because just as the house of Israel bodily endured the siege, so each soul that already begins to serve the Almighty God feels the snares of the malignant spirits besieging it.

From which, if it truly desires to be rescued, it ought to know that it cannot be rescued by its own strength; but it is necessary that it hope for the help of Him who, while we live in corruptible flesh, is able through the mystery of His redemption to strengthen us even above the spirits which are without flesh—Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.