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Chapter 8ChrP.3.8

De armis carnalibus et spiritualibus.

The Tower of David and the Call to Spiritual Arms

The chapter opens with the Song of Songs image of Solomon's bed surrounded by armed warriors, applying it to the guardians of Christ's faith who must defend the Church with spiritual arms rather than carnal ones, citing Judith and the Psalms to show that victory belongs to virtue and faith, not to the sword.

It is written in the Songs that in the tower of David the whole armor of the mighty is sung — from the wisdom that sixty valiant men from the strongest of Israel, all holding swords and most skilled for war, surrounded the bed of Solomon, each man's sword upon his thigh because of the fears of the night.✦ In this it is noted that the guardians of the head of Jesus Christ ought to have arms with which to defend the tower of faith, the ambushers having been destroyed. Let them defend, and let them guard the bed of peace and of rest belonging to the holy mother Church. But because Judith is praised not in the power of arms but in virtue — — on that account, because she killed Holofernes; who trusted in his bow, and his sword saved him.✦ g,. him? Or who possessed the land by their sword?✦

Putting on the Armor of God

Drawing on Ephesians 6 and Boethius, the text exhorts readers to clothe themselves in the armor of God's virtues, introducing the allegorical method by which carnal weapons correspond to spiritual ones, and beginning with the shield as treated in the historical books of Kings and Chronicles.

Therefore, following the teaching of the apostle, we too must put on the armor of God.✦ e. Virtues, which, as Macrobius says, make a person blessed through the sun and protect their possessor through strength. With these weapons of the virtues we too must protect ourselves from our enemies, as Boethius says: 'Such weapons have we bestowed upon you, which, had you not first cast them away, would have protected you with unconquered firmness.' Each weapon, therefore — both carnal and spiritual, morally corresponding to one another, of which sacred Scripture speaks — with which the battle is to be fought in this new war of the Lord, will be set forth here.✦✦ On the shield. 2 Parai. 9. Of the shield it is said that Solomon made two hundred spears and three hundred shields; and in Ecclesiastes…✦

The Shield of Faith

Faith is presented as the foundational shield of all virtues, drawing on Ephesians 6:16, Hebrews 11:6, Augustine, and Mark 11:22–23, with the example of Jehoshaphat whose trust in God caused the enemy to destroy itself.

Ephesus, receive faith, about which Paul says: "In all things taking up the shield of faith," which is the foundation of all virtues; without which, as Augustine says, every virtue — [corrupt text] — like a branch without the strength of the root withers; and as Paul says: "It is impossible to please God without faith," but once it is possessed, all good things come to us together along with it.✦✦ Mark.✦ n, 22f.✦ Therefore the Lord says: "Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever shall say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and shall not have doubted in his heart, but shall have believed that whatever he says will be done — it will be done for him."✦ See how great the power of faith is! This is the impregnable shield, by which Jehoshaphat king of Judah comforted the trembling people — [corrupt text: 'Parai']. 20, [US is? saying: "Trust in the Lord our God, and you will be secure, and all things will turn out well for you." Whence it came to pass that the sons of Ammon and Moab turned against themselves, cutting each other down with mutual wounds, so that no one remained who could escape the slaughter.✦✦

Faith's Triumphs: David, Jonathan, and the Power of Belief

The shield of faith is further illustrated through David's defiance of Goliath, Jonathan's trust in God's deliverance, Judas Maccabeus's victory, and the Johannine teaching that faith in Jesus conquers the world, concluding with the Gospel refrain 'your faith has saved you.'

A great word of faith was spoken when David, about to fight against Goliath, said: you come to me with sword and spear and shield, but I come to you in the name of the Lord, and he handed him over.✦ The Lord handed him over into his own hands.✦ How great was the faith in Jonathan and Judas Maccabeus, when they said: it is not difficult for the Lord to save, whether by many or by few.✦ There, through Jonathan and his armor-bearer, twenty men were struck down in the middle of half an acre, and the nation of the Philistines was thrown into confusion.✦ Here, through Judas and Seron, his army was crushed. This is the victory that conquers the world: but who is it that conquers the world, except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? He says: whoever believes in me, even if he has died, will live.✦✦ Turn over and search through the entire text of the Gospel's story: in every deliverance of bodies and souls, you will find that the Lord has brought it to its conclusion — your faith has saved you.✦ Of the sword.

The Sword of Good Works

The sword is interpreted as good works flowing from faith, drawing on the composite Jeremiah/2 Maccabees tradition of the holy sword given to Judah, Gideon's relentless blade, and James 2:26 on faith without works being dead, with the double-edged sword representing works that both ward off punishment and lead to eternal joy.

About the sword, it is said that Jeremiah stretched out his right hand and gave a sword to Judah, saying: Take this holy sword, a gift from God, by which you will cast down the adversaries of my people Israel. This is the sword by which Judas protected the camps of the sons of Israel. This sword — O bravest soldiers of Christ — just as the sword of Gideon never returned to its sheath, so let it be filled with the enemies of the cross of Christ: outside, the sword will lay them waste, and inside, terror — the young man together with the virgin, the nursing infant with the old man — so that whenever any adversity befalls them, let them always say: it is nothing other than the sword of Gideon. e. Of Christian knighthood. In place of the sword, take up good works, because faith without works is dead.✦ Some arms defend the body from the attack of enemies. The sword of Jacob extends to action, by which the adversary is cast down — and just as it is sharp on both sides, so good works on one side defend their doer from infernal punishment, and on the other side lead them into eternal joys. About the lance.

The Lance of Right Intention and the Word as Shield

The lance signifies right intention in all actions (Colossians 3:17), illustrated by Jehoiada's spears and Joab's killing of Absalom, while the shield is reinterpreted through Isaiah 51:9 and Joshua 8 as the word of God, with Saul's discarded shield serving as a warning to the faint-hearted.

About the spear: Jehoiada the priest gave spears to the centurions who were keeping watch over the house of the Lord.✦ These are the spears that Joab, the commander of the army, drove into the heart of Absalom, who was pursuing his own father David.✦ In place of the spear, which is straight, take up a right intention, following the apostle's teaching: whatever you do in word or deed, do it in the name of the Lord — whether you eat or drink or whatever else you do, do it all for the glory of God.✦✦ From this spear the merit and demerit of every work proceeds, because a bad intention never shapes a good work, and conversely, a good intention does not make a bad work good. About the shield. Isaiah urges about the shield: 'Rise up, leaders — seize the shield!'✦ And the Lord said to Joshua: 'Take the shield that is in your hand against the city of Ai, which I will hand over to you.' And in the same place it continues: 'Joshua, however, did not draw back the hand that he had stretched forth on high, holding the shield, until all the inhabitants of Ai were killed.'✦ So let the chosen warriors act — not like Saul, of whom it is recorded that the shield of the mighty was thrown away, the shield of Saul, as if he had not been anointed with oil.✦

The Fiery Shield of God's Word and the Breastplate of Justice

The word of God is a fiery shield against the devil's darts (Ephesians 6:16), exemplified by Judas Maccabeus who armed his men with fine words, while the breastplate signifies justice, interpreted through Ephesians 6:14 and the Maccabean narrative.

Instead of a shield, take up the word of the Lord, by which we are formed for every good work. Concerning this it is said: "The word of the Lord is a fiery shield to all who hope in him."✦ It is called fiery for this reason: because it shields us from all the fiery darts of the devil.✦ Concerning this, Judas Maccabeus is said to have armed each of his men — not with the protection of shield or spear, but with the finest words. But they are called the finest because the word of God does whatever he wills, and it will prosper in those to which it is sent.✦ If it does not profit one person, it benefits another; it will never return empty.✦ On the breastplate. Concerning the breastplate, it is said that Judas Maccabeus clothed himself with a breastplate like a giant and protected his own camp. Instead of a breastplate, take up justice, of which the apostle says: "Put on the breastplate of justice."✦

Justice to God, Neighbor, and Self

Justice is expounded as rendering to each their due—obedience to God, compassion to neighbor, and subjugation of the flesh to self—drawing on Matthew 3:15, Gregory the Great, Ecclesiasticus, and Galatians 5:17, with the promise that justice and peace will kiss when the flesh is properly yoked.

This justice gives to each one what is his own — to God, from Ephesians. The soldiery of subjection, about which the Lord says: 'Thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all justice' — to the neighbor, compassion; whence Gregory: true justice has compassion, false justice has indignation; to oneself, the subjugation of the flesh, because it is right — from Ecclesiasticus.✦ 2, i. Let the flesh be under the yoke of the soul, as a handmaid; whence Ecclesiasticus says: 'Son, as you come to the service of God, stand in justice' — and after certain intervening words it continues: 'For the sake of Ecclesiasticus, struggle for justice for your soul, and fight for justice even unto death, and God will overcome your enemies for you.' And then that word of the psalmist will be fulfilled: 'Justice and peace have kissed.' Otherwise there will be no peace, but the flesh will always desire against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh.✦✦ Concerning the bow and quiver. Concerning the bow and quiver: Isaac said to his son Esau, 'Take your weapons, your quiver and bow, when—'✦ Concerning the arrow.

The Bow of Obedience and the Arrow of Chastity

The bow signifies obedience—bent without breaking through prosperity and adversity—illustrated by Isaac's blessing of Jacob and Isaiah 49:2, with the evangelical counsels of obedience, chastity, and poverty corresponding to the bow, arrow, and quiver, and Gregory's teaching that obedience slays one's own flesh.

Jeremiah 5, n. Of the arrow, Isaiah says: The Lord has roused the king of the Medes against Babylon — fill your quivers with arrows! — so that the word of the Lord may be fulfilled against the enemies of the cross of Christ: I will heap evils upon them, and I will spend my arrows on them.✦✦ Through these three, understand those three which are of the substance of any religious life — namely, obedience, chastity, and poverty. By the bow, obedience is signified — because just as a bow is bent, curved, and drawn back without breaking, so the religious person, amid prosperity and adversity, ought to be bent and drawn back through obedience, with an equal spirit and without murmuring. Concerning this bending of obedience, Isaac, blessing his son Jacob, said: Be lord over your brothers, and let the sons of your mother bow before you — so that the obedient one may say with Isaiah: The Lord has bent his bow and set me as a sign for the arrow.✦✦ How harshly this bow of obedience is drawn there — where the religious person, seeing in battle that the danger of death threatens him, does not dare to retreat! There obedience is better than any sacrifice — because, as Gregory says, through sacrifice it is another's flesh that is slain, but through obedience it is one's own flesh that is slain.✦

Chastity's Renewal and the Arrow That Never Turns Back

Chastity is explored as a divine gift that renews the old self into the new (Ephesians 4:22–24), using the image of an arrow carried on two feathers—renewal of life and its benefit—with Isaiah 40:31's eagle metaphor and Jonathan's arrow that never went backward, and Job 6:4 on the arrows of the Lord purging lust.

Through the arrow, chastity exerts its natural force against the senses of the flesh, which are always prone to evil, and it is necessary also to divine — is. to be filled with God, because no one can be chaste unless God has given it. Likewise, an arrow is carried on two feathers in the manner of a bird, so that it may swiftly kill the enemy; so too chastity uses two feathers — which are the renewal of the old life and the benefit of renewal — to cast down the ancient enemy of chastity. Concerning these two feathers Isaiah speaks: those who hope in the Lord will change their strength — namely, bodily strength into spiritual strength — and will take up wings like an eagle's, which, when it wishes to renew itself, sheds its old feathers and takes on new ones.✦ To the Ephesians — where the apostle exhorts us, saying: 'Put off the old self according to your former way of life, the old man who is corrupted according to the desires of error, and put on the new man, who is created according to God.'✦ And so your youth will be renewed like the eagle's, and you will fly in the strength of chastity, and you will not fail, because Jonathan's arrow never went backward.✦ The flesh of the chaste person can therefore say with Job: 'The arrows of the Lord are in me, whose indignation drinks up my spirit' — namely, the spirit of lust.✦

The Beauty and Power of Chastity

Chastity's fury against lust is known only to the experienced; Bernard of Clairvaux praises its power to transform the unclean into the angelic, Judith is celebrated for her chaste killing of Holofernes, and the quiver is interpreted as poverty that hides and preserves chastity, with Bernard distinguishing true voluntary poverty from comfortable want.

How great is the fury of chastity against lust — and how it works — no one knows except the one who has experienced it. On the benefit of renewal Bernard says: what is more beautiful than chastity, which makes the world from an unclean seed of conception, from an enemy a friend, and finally from a man an angel?1 Judith also acted manfully and killed Holofernes, and freed the people of the Lord from dangers, because she loved chastity. How beautiful and useful is chaste generation!2 By the quiver — which gets its name from carrying javelins — poverty is signified, because just as the arrow is hidden in the quiver, so chastity is hidden and preserved in poverty, because a widow who lives in luxury is dead.✦3 So chastity can say that word of Isaiah: 'The Lord has placed me like a chosen arrow, and in his quiver he has hidden me.'✦4 Nor is that poverty enough among religious, of which Bernard says: they wish to be poor on the condition that nothing be lacking to them, and so they love poverty that they endure no want at all; but it is that voluntary poverty, joined with genuine lack, of which the Lord says: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit' — which, according to Bernard, consists in spiritual intention and desire, undertaken solely for the good pleasure of God and the salvation of souls.✦56 These are the quivers of the servants of Adadezer, which means 'the chief Separator,' because poverty separates from riches.7

Christ's Poverty and the Healing of the Sling

Christ carried the quivers of David through the world to the cross, teaching poverty by example, which Gregory calls a healing medicine that kills pride and the leeches of avarice and lust; the sling is introduced through Zechariah 9:15 as the weapon by which the Lord's enemies are brought down.

Christ, the one with the desirable countenance — the one into whom the angels themselves long to gaze — carried these quivers of David, and went.✦ Out of. He carried them through this world and brought them to Jerusalem, where he hung naked on the cross, so that we might follow in the footsteps of his poverty. And poverty is healing, because, as Gregory says, those whom the weakness of their ways wounds, the medicine of poverty heals — for poverty kills pride, and it puts down those two infernal leeches, avarice and lust. Concerning the sling. Concerning the sling, it is said in Zechariah: the Lord of hosts will protect them, and they will devour and bring them down with stones of the sling.✦ And it is read in the book of Kings that the soul of David's enemies will be rolled as if in the rush and in the circle of a sling. This is it.

David's Sling and the Staff of the Cross

David's victory over Goliath with sling and stone is recounted and allegorized: the Philistine represents the devil, the staff signifies the holy cross, and the five smooth stones are the five wounds of Christ to be carried in the shepherd's pouch of the heart.

With a sling — the one David used to hurl a stone and strike the Philistine in the forehead, the stone sinking in, and the Philistine falling face-first to the ground — David overpowered the Philistine with that sling and stone, and struck him down dead.✦ About the staff. About the staff, the Lord says through Isaiah: 'Woe, Assyria, rod of my fury, and staff!' — and after some intervening words, it continues: 'The rod will strike you, and the staff will rise over you on the road of Egypt.'✦ As for the spiritual meaning of the staff and the sling, the account tells us that David, about to fight Goliath, took the staff he always carried with him, chose five very smooth stones, put them in a shepherd's pouch, took a sling in hand, and killed the armored Philistine.✦ By the armored Philistine, understand the devil, ready to tempt. Be then a David yourself — strong in hand, repentant — and always carry with you the staff of the holy cross, and choose five sto— — —the five wounds of Christ, and place them in the shepherd's pouch.

The Cross That Raises the Dead and the Helmet of Salvation

The staff of the cross, like Elisha's staff laid on the Shunammite's son, raises the spiritually dead to life, while the helmet is introduced as the salvation received from God through the virtues, drawing on Ephesians 6:17 and the narrative of Saul arming David.

From. Into your soul, and swing the sling by hand.✦ From. The remembrance of all these things — and you will kill him, nor will he prevail against you in any temptation.✦ Indeed, if only this staff of the holy cross, by the counsel of Elisha the prophet, is placed upon the face of the boy —✦ From. The one who lived childishly shall come back to life, dead though he is.✦ On the helmet.✦

The Helmet of Salvation and the Call to Recover the Holy Land

The helmet of salvation is expounded through Ephesians 6:17 and Isaiah 59:17, with the weapons of the virtues shown to be those by which Jacob, Israel, David, and the Maccabees conquered, culminating in a crusading exhortation to avenge the crucified Lord and recover the holy land from unbelievers.

About the helmet: Saul dressed David in his own garments and placed a bronze helmet on his head.✦ And the Lord said through Jeremiah: go out to war, yoke the horses and mount up, riders, and stand ready in your helmets.✦ The helmet signifies the salvation a person receives from God through these weapons of the virtues.✦ Of this the Apostle says: take up the helmet of salvation; and Isaiah: clothed with justice like a breastplate and with a helmet of …✦✦8 17. With these covering your head, you will stand secure in battle, if you are girded with these arms, and the Lord God of your salvation will be your salvation, even to the ends of the earth.9 These are the weapons with which the patriarch Jacob carried off that portion from the hand of the Amorite king with sword and bow, which he gave to his son Joseph, and with these the sons of Israel, after destroying the possessors, took possession of the holy land, and David conquered the enemies of his kingdom, and the Maccabees restored the holy city of Jerusalem after it had been destroyed, and cleansed the temple of the Lord, polluted by the filth of the nations, after killing the enemies.✦✦ O bravest soldiers and renowned warriors, put on these arms and avenge the wrong done to the crucified Lord, and recover the holy land owed to Christians, now occupied by unbelievers.

Be Strong: The Promise of Reward

The chapter closes with an exhortation to strength in battle (2 Chronicles 15:7), the promise of God's reward to Abraham (Genesis 15:1), and the assurance that virtues are never without reward, which is God Himself who gave virtue.

Be strong, and don't let your hands go slack in battle.✦ There will be a reward for your labor — that reward of which the Lord said to Abraham: 'I myself will be your reward, exceeding great.'✦10 If the toil frightens you, look at the reward — knowing that just as vices are never without punishment, so too virtues are never without a reward; and the reward of virtue will be the One who gave virtue itself.11

Read the original Latin

Scriptum est in canticis, quod in turri David omnisa armatura forcium decant -penjepat) e[ jn ppro sapiencie, quod lx fortes ex fortissimis Israel, omnes tenentes gladios et ad bella doctissimi, Salomonis lectulum ambiebant, uniuscujusque ensis super femur suum propter timores nocturnos. In quonotatur, quod custodes capitis Jesu Cristi debent habere arma, quibus turrim fidei exterminatis insidiatoribus. defendant, et sancte matris ecclesie lectum pacis custodiant et quietis. Sed quia Judith non in armorum potencia, sed in virtute laudatur, Ps.' n' 4' eo quod occidit Holofernem; quis in arcu suo speravit et gladius ejus salvavit Ephes. g,. eum? aut qui in gladio suo possederunt terram?

Ideo secundum doctrinam apostoli debemus eciam induere armaturam dei i. e. virtutes, que, ut dicit Macrobius, sole beatum faciunt hominem, et vi tuentur possessorem suum. Hiis armis virtutum debemus eciam ab hostibus nos tueri, ut dicit Boecius: talia tibi contulimus arma, que nisi prior abjecisses, invicta te firmitate tuerentur. Singula ergo arma, carnalia et spiritualia, sibi moraliter correspondencia, de quibus meminit sacra scriptura, cum quibus pugnandum est in hoc bello novo domini, hic ponentur. De scuto. 2 Parai. 9, De scuto dicitur, quod Salomon fecit cc hastas et ccc scuta; et ecclesiasti f.

Ephes accipe fidem, de qua Paulus dicit: in omnibus sumentes scutum fidei, que est fundamentum omnium virtutum; sine qua, ut dicit Augustinus, omnis virtus nebr sicut ramus sine virtute radicis arescit; et ut dicit Paulus: impossibile est deo placere sine fide, sed ea habita veniunt nobis omnia bona pariter cum illa. Marc. n,22f. Unde dicit dominus: habete fidem dei; amen dico vobise, quicunque dixerit huic monti: tollere et mittere in mare, et non hesitaverit in corde suo, sed crediderit, quiaf, quodcunqueg dixerit, fiat, fiet ei. Ecce quanta vis fidei. Hoc est scutum inexpugnabile, quo Josaphath rex Juda populum trepidantem consola Parai. 20, [US est? dicens: confidite in domino deo nostro, et securi eritis, et cuncta evenient vobis prospera; unde factum est, quod filii Amon et Moab versi in semetipsosk concidere mutuis vulneribus, ut non superesset quisquam, qui necem posset evadere.

Magne fidei verbum fuit, cum David pugnaturus contra i Keg Golyam, diceret: tu venis ad me in"1 gladio et hasta et clipeo, ego venio ad te in nomine domini, et tradidit. eum dominus in manus suas. 0 quanta fides fuit i in Jonatha et Juda Machabeo, cum dicerent: non est difficile domino, salvare in multitudine vel in paucis. Ibi per Jonatham et armigerum ejus xx viri in media parte jugeri sunt percussi, et nacio Philistinorum conturbata est. Hic per i Judam Seron et exercitus ejus est contritus". Hec est victoria, que vincit mundum: quis est autem, qui vincit mundum, nisi qui credit, quoniam Jesus est filius dei; qui dicit: qui credit in me, etsi mortuus fuerit, vivet. Volve ergo et revolve omnem evangelice historie textum, quasi in omni salvacione corporum et animarum reperies dominum conclusisse: fides tua te salvum fecit. De gladio.

De gladio dicitur Jeremias extendisse dexteram et dedisse Judea gladium dicens: accipe gladium sanctum munus a deo, quob deicies adversarios populi 2Mac mei Israel. Iste est gladius, quo Judas castra filiorum Israel protegebat. Hie gladius, fortissimi milites Cristi, sicut gladius Saidis nunquam revertatur in anis, ita quod impleatur de inimicis crucis Cristi: foris vastabit eos gladius et intus pavor, juvenem simul acc virginem, lactentem cum homine sene, utd quocienscunquee aliquid adversitatis occurrit eis, semper dicant: non est aliud nisi gladius Gedeonis i. e. milicie Cristiane. Pro gladio accipe bona opera, quia fides sine operibus mortua est. Quedam arma defendunt corpus ab impetu hostium, Jacob gladius se extendit ad opus, quo deicitur adversarius, et sicut ex utraque parte est acutus, ita bona opera ex una parte actorem suum defendunt a pena infernali, ex alia ad eterna gaudia introducunt. De lancea.

De lancea dicitur, quod Jojada sacerdos lanceas dedit centurionibus, qui custodias domus domini observabant. Hee sunt lancee, quas Joab, princeps milicie, fixit in corde Absolonis, qui patrem suum David persequebatur. Pro lancea, que recta est, accipe rectam intencionem, etf secundum doctrinam apostoli: quodcunque facitis in verbo ets opere, in nomine domini facite, et coioss sive manducatis, sive bibitis, sive quid aliud facitis, omnia in gloriam dei fa-icor eite. Ex hac lancea meritum et demeritum cujuslibet operis procedit, quia nun quam fonnat mala intencio bonum o*pus et e converso. De clipeo. De clipeo hortatur Ysaias: surgite principes, arripite clipeum. Et ad Josue dixit dominus: Ieva clipeum, qui in manu tua est, contra urbem Hay, quam tradam tibik, et sequitur ibidem: Josue vero non retraxit manum, quam injos sublime porrexerat, tenens clipeum, donec interficerentur omnes habitatores Hay. Sic faciant preelecti bellatores, non ut Saul, de quo legitur, quod abjectus est clipeus forcium, clipeus Saul, quasi non esset unctus oleo.

Pro clipeo accipe sermonem domini, quo ad omnia bona opera informemur m, de quo dicitur: sermo domini clipeus ignitus" est omnibus sperantibus in se. Qui ideo ignitus dicitur, quia ab omnibus telis igneis dyaboli defendit. De hoc Judas Machabeus dicitur singulos suorum armasse, non clipei nec° haste municione, sed sermo-2 nibus optimis. Sed ideo optimi dicuntur, quia verbum dei, quecunque voluit, facit, et prosperabitur in illis, ad que missum est. Si non proficit in uno, prodest in altero; nunquam vacuum revertetur. De lorica. De lorica dicitur, quod Judas Machabeus induit se loricap tanquam gigas, et protegebat castra sua. Pro lorica accipe justiciam'1, de qua apostolus dicit: induite loricam justicie.

Hec justicia reddit unicuique, quod suum est, deo hu-Ephes,. militatem subjectionis, de qua dicit dominus: sic decet nos implere omnem justiciam; proximo compassionem, unde Gregorius: vera justicia compassionem habet, falsa indignacionem; sibi carnis subjugacionem, quia justum est, quod Ecci. 2, i. caro tanquam ancilla sub jugo sit anime, unde' dicit ecclesiasticus: fili, accedens ad servitutem dei, sta in justicia, et interpositis quibusdam sequitur: pro Ecci justicia agonizare pro anima tua, et usque ad mortem certa pro justicia, et deus expugnabit pro te inimicos tuos. Et tune implebitur iilud psalmiste: justicia eth pax osculate sunt, aliter non erit pax, sed caro semper concupiscet adversus spiritum, spiritus vero adversus carnem. De arcu et pharetra. Genes De arcu et pharetra dixit Isaac filio suo Esau: sume arma tua, pharetram et ar cum. De sagitta.

jerem. 5i,n. De sagitta dicit Ysaiasc: suscitavit dominus regem Medorum contra Babilonem, sagittis implete pharetras; ut impleatur verbum domini in hostibus crucis Cristi: congregabo super eos mala et sagittas meas complebo in eis. Per hec tria intellige illa tria, que sunt de substancia cujuslibet religionis, scilicet obedienciam, castitatem et paupertatem. Per arcum obediencia designatur, quia sicut incurvatur, flectitur et reflectitur sine fractura, ita religiosus inter prospera et adversa equo animo sine murmure debet incurvari per obedienciam et reflecti. De qua incurvacione obediencie Ysaac benedicens filium suum Jacob, ait: esto dominus fratrum tuorum, et incur„ventur ante te filii matris tue; ut ihren possit dicere obediens cum Ysayad: tetendit arcum suum dominus et posuit me quasi signum ad sagittam. 0 quam dure tenditur ibi arcuse iste obediencie, ubi religiosus in bello, videns sibi mortis periculum imminere, non audet retrocedere. Ibi melior estf obediencia, quam victima, quia, ut dicit Gregorius, per victimam aliena, per obedienciam caro propria mactatur.

Per sagittam castitas anime sue vim naturalem contra sensus carnis, qui semper proni sunt in malum, et oportet et ipsum divinare i. e. deo' plenum esse, quia nemo potest esse castus, nisi deus dederit. Item sagitta fertur duabus pennis ad modum avis, ut hostem celeriter interficiat, sic castitas, ut antiquum castitatis inimicum deiciat, utitur duabus pennis, que sunt renovacio vite veteris et renovaisa cionis utilitas. De hiis duabus pennis loquitur Ysaias: qui sperant in domino, mutabunt fortitudinem scilicet corporalem in spiritualem, assument pennas ut aquile, que cum se vult renovare, veteres pennas deponit et novas accipit. Ad EPhes quod nos hortatur apostolus dicens: deponite vos secundum pristinam conversacionem veterem hominem, qui corrumpitur secundum desideria erroris, et induite novum hominem, qui secundum deum creatus est. Et sic renovabitur ut aquile juventus tua, et volabisk in virtute castitatis, et non deficies, quia sagitta Jonathe nunquam abiit retrorsum. Potest ergo dicere caro casti hominis cum Job: sagitte domini in me sunt, quarum indignacio ebibit spiritum meum scili cet luxurie.

Quanta sit indignacio castitatis contra luxuriam, et quomodo, nemo novit, nisi qui expertus est. De renovacionis utilitate dicit Bernardus: quid castitate decorius, que mundum de immundo conceptum semine, de hoste domesticum, angelum denique de homine facit? Judith eciama viriliterb egit et Holofernem occidit, populumque domini a periculis liberavit, eo quod castitatem amavitc. 0 quam pulcra et utilis est casta generacio. Per pharetram, que a ferendo jacula dicitur, denotatur paupertas, quia sicut in pharetra sagitta sic castitas in paupertate absconditur, et conservatur, quia vidua in deliciis vivens mortua est. i Unde potest castitas dicere illud Ysaie: posuit me dominus quasi sagittam electamd, et in pharetra sua abscondit me. Nec sufficit illa paupertas in religiosis, de qua Bernardus ait: volunt esse pauperes eo pacto-, quod nihil eis desit, et sic diligunt paupertatem, ut nullam inopiam paciantur; sed illa voluntaria et cum defectu paupertas, de qua dicit dominus: beati pauperes spiritu, que secundum Bernardume est cum intencione et desiderio spirituali propter solum beneplacitum dei et salutem animarum. Hee sunt pharetre servorum Adadezer, qui interpretatur precipuus Separator, quia paupertas a diviciis separat.

Quas pharetras David, vultu desiderabilis, Cristus, in quem et angeli desiderant prospicere, tulit i. e. pertulit in hoc mundo, et attulit eas in Jerusalem, ubi nudus pependit in cruce, ut paupertatis ejus vestigia imitemur. Uec paupertas medicinalis est, quia, ut dicit Gregorius, quos morumf infirmitas vulnerat, paupertatis medicina sanat: paupertas enim superbiam occidit, et duas sanguisugas infernales avariciam et luxuriam suffbcat. De funda. De funda dicitur in Zacharia: dominus exercituum proteget eos, et devorabunt et subicient eosh lapidibus funde. Legitur et in libro regum: quod anima inimicorum David rotabitur, quasi in impetu et ink circulo funde. Hec est1!

Epg funda, cum qua David jecit et percussit Philisteum in fronte, et infixus est lapis in fronte ejus, et cecidit in faciem suam in terram, prevaluitque David adversus Philisteum in funda et lapide, percussumque Philisteum interfecit. De baculo. De baculo dicit dominus per Ysaiam: Ve Assur, virga furoris mei et bacu- lus; et interpositis" quibusdam sequitur: virga percuciet te, et baculum levabit super te in via Egipti. De spirituali significacione baculi et funde legitur, quod David pugnaturus contra Golyam, tulit baculum, quem semper habebat secum, et elegit quinque lapides limpidissimos, quos posuit in peram pastoralem, et fundam manu tulit, et occidit Philisteum armatum. Per" Philisteum armatum intellige dyabolum, paratum ad temptandum. Sis ergo tu David manu fortis, penitens, et semper tecum habeas baculum sancte crucis, eligasque quinque la pides i. e. quinque vulnera Cristi, et pone in peram pastoralem i.

e. in animam tuam, et circumduc manu fundam i. e. rememoracionem omnium horum, et occides eum, nec tibi in temptacione aliqua prevalebit. Immo si solum" iste baculus sancte crucis ad consilium p Helisei prophete ponatur super faciem pueri i. e. pueriliter viventis'1 mortui, reviviscet. De galea.

De galea dicitur, quod Saul induit David vestimentis suis et posuit galeam jerem eream super caput ejus. Dixit et dominus per Jeremiam: procedite ad bellum, jungite equos et ascendite equites, et state in galeis. Per galeam significatur salus, quam homo consequitur a deo de hiis armis virtutum. De qua dicit aposEphes tolus: galeam salutis assumite; et Ysaias: indutus justicia uta lorica et galea isa. 17. sa]utjs capite ejUSq qUam securus stabis in bello, si hiis armis fueris circumcinctus, et erit tibi dominus deus salutis tue, salus tua usque ad extremum terre. Hec sunt arma, quibus Jacob patriarcha partem illam tulit de manu Amor rei in gladio et arcu, quam dedit filio suo Joseph, quibus et filii Israel terram sanctam exterminatis possessoribus possederunt, et David hostes regni sui devicit, et Machabei civitatem sanctam Jerusalem destructam reparaverunt, et templum domini sordibus gencium pollutum interfectis hostibus mundaverunt. 0 fortissimi milites et bellatores incliti, induite hec arma et vindicate injuriam crucifixi domini et terram sanctam Cristianis debitam recuperate, ab infidelibus occupatam.

Confortamini et non dissolvantur manus vestre in bello. Erit enim merces operi vestro, merces illa, de qua dominus ad Abraam dixit: ego ero merces tua magna nimis. Si labor vos terret, videte mercedem, scientes, quod, sicut vicia nunquam sunt sine pena, itab virtutes sine premio, et premium virtutis erit ipse, qui virtutem dedit.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Song.3.7-Song.3.8 — Behold, the bed that is Solomon's—sixty mighty men surround it, mighty men of Israel. Song.3.8 — All of them are sword-trained, skilled in battle; each man has his sword upon his thigh, against the terror of the night.
  2. ↩Ps.44.6 — For not by my bow do I trust, and my sword does not save me;
  3. ↩Ps.44.3 — For it was not by their own sword that they took the land, nor did their own arm save them; but it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them.
  4. ↩Eph.6.11 — Put on the full armor of God, so that you are able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
  5. ↩2Cor.10.4 — For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but powerful to God for the tearing down of strongholds,
  6. ↩Eph.6.12 — For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
  7. ↩1Kgs.10.16-1Kgs.10.17;2Chr.9.15-2Chr.9.16 — King Solomon made two hundred shields of beaten gold — six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. 1Kgs.10.17 — And three hundred shields of beaten gold — three minas of gold went into each shield — and the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. 2Chr.9.15 — King Solomon made two hundred shields of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of beaten gold went into each shield. 2Chr.9.16 — And three hundred shields of beaten gold — three hundred gold pieces went up for each shield — and the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
  8. ↩Eph.6.16 — In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
  9. ↩Heb.11.6 — And without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
  10. ↩Mark.11.22-Mark.11.24 — And Jesus said to them, "Have faith in God." Mark.11.23 — Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Mark.11.24 — Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
  11. ↩Mark.11.22 — And Jesus said to them, "Have faith in God."
  12. ↩Mark.11.22-Mark.11.23 — And Jesus said to them, "Have faith in God." Mark.11.23 — Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.
  13. ↩2Chr.20.20 — They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa. As they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: trust in the LORD your God, and you will stand firm; trust in his prophets, and you will succeed."
  14. ↩2Chr.20.22-2Chr.20.24 — And at the time they began with shouting and praise, the LORD set ambushers against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who were coming against Judah, and they were struck down. 2Chr.20.23 — The sons of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, to utterly destroy and annihilate them; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, each helped the other to destruction. 2Chr.20.24 — And Judah came to the watchtower in the wilderness, and they turned toward the multitude, and behold, they were fallen corpses on the ground, and there was no survivor.
  15. ↩1Sam.17.45 — Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
  16. ↩1Sam.17.46 — This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and take your head from you; and I will give the corpses of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God for Israel.
  17. ↩1Sam.14.6 — And Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, "Come, let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised ones. Perhaps the LORD will work for us, for there is no restraint upon the LORD to save by many or by few."
  18. ↩1Sam.14.14-1Sam.14.15 — And the first strike that Jonathan and his armor-bearer [REDACTED] was about twenty men, within as it were half a furrow's length in a field. 1Sam.14.15 — And there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people; the garrison and the raiding party also trembled, and the earth quaked, and it became a trembling from God.
  19. ↩1John.5.4-1John.5.5 — For everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1John.5.5 — Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
  20. ↩John.11.25-John.11.26 — Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live." John.11.26 — and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?
  21. ↩Luke.8.50;Luke.18.42;Luke.17.19 — But Jesus, having heard, answered him, 'Do not fear; only believe, and she will be saved.' Luke.18.42 — And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has saved you." Luke.17.19 — And he said to him, 'Rise and go; your faith has saved you.'
  22. ↩Jas.2.26 — For just as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
  23. ↩2Kgs.11.4-2Kgs.11.12 — In the seventh year, Jehoiada sent and took the commanders of the hundreds, the Carites, and the guards, and brought them to him in the house of the LORD. He made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the LORD, and he showed them the king's son. 2Kgs.11.5 — He commanded them, saying, "This is what you are to do: a third of you who come in on the Sabbath shall keep guard over the king's house, 2Kgs.11.6 — And a third of you shall be at the Gate of Sur, and a third at the gate behind the guards, and you shall keep the watch of the house, as a defense. 2Kgs.11.7 — And the two divisions that are among you—all who go out on the Sabbath—shall keep the charge of the house of the LORD for the king. 2Kgs.11.8 — And you shall surround the king on every side, each man with his weapons in his hand; and anyone who comes into the ranks shall be put to death. And be with the king when he goes out and when he comes in. 2Kgs.11.9 — The commanders of the hundreds did just as Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each man took his own men — those coming on duty that Sabbath and those going off duty — and they came to Jehoiada the priest. 2Kgs.11.10 — And the priest gave to the captains of the hundreds the spears and the shields that belonged to King David, which were in the house of the LORD. 2Kgs.11.11 — Then the guards took their positions, each man with his weapons in his hand, from the right side of the temple to the left side of the temple, by the altar and the temple, surrounding the king. 2Kgs.11.12 — Then he brought out the king's son and placed on him the crown and the testimony, and they anointed him and made him king. They clapped their hands and said, 'Long live the king!'
  24. ↩2Sam.18.14 — Then Joab said, "I will not wait before you." And he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the heart of the oak.
  25. ↩Col.3.17 — And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
  26. ↩Col.3.23;1Cor.10.31 — Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for human masters. 1Cor.10.31 — So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
  27. ↩Isa.51.9;Isa.51.9 — Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Are you not the one who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon? Isa.51.9 — Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Are you not the one who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon?
  28. ↩Josh.8.18-Josh.8.26 — Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand." So Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city. Josh.8.19 — And the ambush rose quickly from their position and ran as soon as he stretched out his hand, and they entered the city and captured it, and they hurried and set the city on fire. Josh.8.20 — And the men of Ai turned back and looked, and behold, the smoke of the city had gone up to the sky, and they had no power to flee this way or that way, and the people who had fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuer. Josh.8.21 — When Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had captured the city and that smoke was rising from the city, they turned back and struck down the men of Ai. Josh.8.22 — And these came out of the city to meet them, and they were in the midst of Israel—these on this side and those on that side—and they struck them down until none remained, neither survivor nor fugitive. Josh.8.23 — And they captured the king of Ai alive, and they brought him to Joshua. Josh.8.24 — And it came to pass, when Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness where they had pursued them, and they all fell by the edge of the sword until they were consumed, that all Israel returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword. Josh.8.25 — And it came to pass that all who fell on that day, from man to woman, were twelve thousand — all the people of Ai. Josh.8.26 — But Joshua did not withdraw his hand that he had stretched out with the javelin until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.
  29. ↩1Sam.31.4-1Sam.31.5;1Chr.10.4 — Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and make sport of me." But the armor-bearer [REDACTED] not, for he was greatly afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell on it. 1Sam.31.5 — When the armor-bearer [REDACTED] that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him. 1Chr.10.4 — Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, 'Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and abuse me.' But his armor-bearer [REDACTED] not, for he was greatly afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell on it.
  30. ↩Prov.30.5;Ps.18.30;2Sam.22.31 — Every word of God is refined; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Ps.18.30 — For by you I rush upon a troop, and by my God I leap over a wall. 2Sam.22.31 — As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is refined; he is a shield to all who take refuge in him.
  31. ↩Eph.6.16 — In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
  32. ↩Isa.55.11;Ps.33.9 — So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Ps.33.9 — For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
  33. ↩Isa.55.11 — So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
  34. ↩Eph.6.14 — Stand firm, then, having fastened the belt of truth around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.
  35. ↩Matt.3.15 — But Jesus answered him, "Permit it now, for it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he permitted him.
  36. ↩Ps.84.11 — For better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
  37. ↩Gal.5.17 — For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do the things you wish.
  38. ↩Gen.27.3-Gen.27.4 — Now then, take your gear — your quiver and your bow — and go out to the field, and hunt some game for me, Gen.27.4 — Make me some savory food, the kind I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, in order that my soul may bless you before I die.
  39. ↩Jer.51.11 — Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers! The LORD has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, for his purpose is against Babylon, to destroy it; for it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple.
  40. ↩Jer.51.25 — Look, I am against you, O destroying mountain, declares the LORD, you who destroy the whole earth; and I will stretch out my hand against you, and I will roll you down from the rocks, and I will make you a burned mountain.
  41. ↩Gen.27.29 — May peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you; be lord over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. Those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed.
  42. ↩Isa.49.2 — He has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he has hidden me, and he has made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he has concealed me.
  43. ↩1Sam.15.22 — And Samuel said, "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
  44. ↩Isa.40.31 — But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not grow weary; they shall walk and not faint.
  45. ↩Eph.4.22-Eph.4.24 — you were taught to put off your former way of life, the old self, which is being corrupted according to the desires of deceit; Eph.4.23 — and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, Eph.4.24 — and put on the new self, created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
  46. ↩1Sam.20.22 — But if I say to the young man, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' go, for the LORD has sent you away.
  47. ↩Job.6.4 — For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, their poison drinking my spirit; the terrors of God array themselves against me.
  48. ↩1Tim.5.6 — but the one who lives in self-indulgence is dead even while she lives.
  49. ↩Isa.49.2 — He has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he has hidden me, and he has made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he has concealed me.
  50. ↩Matt.5.3 — Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
  51. ↩1Pet.1.12 — To them it was revealed that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things now announced to you through those who proclaimed the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.
  52. ↩Zech.9.15 — The LORD of hosts will protect them, and they shall eat and trample slingstones, and they shall drink and roar as with wine, and they shall be filled like a basin, like the corners of the altar.
  53. ↩1Sam.17.49 — David reached his hand into the bag, took a stone from there, and slung it, striking the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.
  54. ↩Isa.10.5 — Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger— the staff in their hand is my wrath!
  55. ↩1Sam.17.40 — And he took his staff in his hand, and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag that he had, in the pouch; and his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.
  56. ↩1Sam.17.49 — David reached his hand into the bag, took a stone from there, and slung it, striking the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.
  57. ↩1Sam.17.40-1Sam.17.50 — And he took his staff in his hand, and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag that he had, in the pouch; and his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine. 1Sam.17.41 — And the Philistine came on, drawing near to David, with the man bearing the shield before him. 1Sam.17.42 — And the Philistine looked and saw David, and he despised him, for he was a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 1Sam.17.43 — And the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 1Sam.17.44 — And the Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and to the beasts of the field." 1Sam.17.45 — Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 1Sam.17.46 — This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and take your head from you; and I will give the corpses of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God for Israel. 1Sam.17.47 — And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hand. 1Sam.17.48 — And when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David hurried and ran toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 1Sam.17.49 — David reached his hand into the bag, took a stone from there, and slung it, striking the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. 1Sam.17.50 — So David prevailed over the Philistine with the sling and the stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him, though there was no sword in David's hand.
  58. ↩2Kgs.4.29-2Kgs.4.36 — Then he said to Gehazi, "Tie up your garment, take my staff in your hand, and go. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer him. And lay my staff on the face of the boy." 2Kgs.4.30 — But the boy's mother said, "As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." So he arose and went after her. 2Kgs.4.31 — Gehazi went ahead of them and laid the staff on the face of the boy, but there was no sound and no response. So he went back to meet him and told him, "The boy has not awakened." 2Kgs.4.32 — When Elisha came into the house, behold, the child was dead, lying on his bed. 2Kgs.4.33 — Then he went in and shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to the LORD. 2Kgs.4.34 — Then he went up and lay upon the child, and he put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands, and he stretched himself upon him, and the flesh of the child grew warm. 2Kgs.4.35 — Then he went back and walked back and forth in the house, once this way and once that way. Then he went up and stretched himself over the child. And the boy sneezed seven times, and the boy opened his eyes. 2Kgs.4.36 — And he called to Gehazi and said, "Call this Shunammite woman." And he called her, and she came to him. And he said, "Pick up your son."
  59. ↩2Kgs.4.35 — Then he went back and walked back and forth in the house, once this way and once that way. Then he went up and stretched himself over the child. And the boy sneezed seven times, and the boy opened his eyes.
  60. ↩Eph.6.17 — And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
  61. ↩1Sam.17.38 — Then Saul clothed David with his own garments, and he placed a bronze helmet upon his head, and he put a coat of mail on him.
  62. ↩Jer.46.4 — Harness the horses, and mount up, O horsemen, and take your stand with helmets on; polish the spears, put on the armor.
  63. ↩Eph.6.17 — And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
  64. ↩Eph.6.17 — And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
  65. ↩Isa.59.17 — He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself with zeal as a cloak.
  66. ↩Gen.48.22 — And I am giving to you one portion more than your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my bow and my sword.
  67. ↩Deut.6.10-Deut.6.11 — And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you great and good cities that you did not build, Deut.6.11 — and houses full of every good thing that you did not fill, and hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and you shall eat and be satisfied.
  68. ↩2Chr.15.7;Isa.35.3-Isa.35.4 — But you, be strong and do not let your hands drop, for there is a reward for your work. Isa.35.3 — Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Isa.35.4 — Say to the anxious in heart, "Be strong; do not fear! Look, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.
  69. ↩Gen.15.1 — After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield; your reward will be very great.'

Notes

  1. 1 ↩The phrase 'de immundo conceptum semine' is rendered 'from an unclean seed of conception' — the grammar is compressed and the exact sense (whether 'conceived from unclean seed' or 'from the unclean seed of conception') is ambiguous.
  2. 2 ↩The raw text begins with '0' which appears to be a scribal or printing mark, not a word; it is omitted in translation.
  3. 3 ↩The phrase 'vidua in deliciis vivens mortua est' echoes 1 Timothy 5:6 ('quae in deliciis vivit mortua est'); the allusion is noted but not resolved here.
  4. 4 ↩The quotation corresponds to Isaiah 49:2 (Vulgate): 'posuit me quasi sagittam electam, et in pharetra sua abscondit me.' Rendered from the Latin as given.
  5. 5 ↩The contrast is between a comfortable poverty (where nothing is lacking) and a true voluntary poverty that embraces actual deficiency. The translation preserves this distinction.
  6. 6 ↩The Beatitude 'beati pauperes spiritu' is Matthew 5:3 (Vulgate).
  7. 7 ↩The etymology of Adadezer as 'precipuus Separator' is a medieval interpretive gloss, not a standard modern translation of the Hebrew name.
  8. 8 ↩The source text is corrupt here ('aposEphes tolus', 'uta', 'isa'); the translation reconstructs the most likely intended sense from the Pauline 'helmet of salvation' (Ephesians 6:17) and Isaiah's imagery of justice as armor.
  9. 9 ↩The source text is corrupt ('sa]utjs capite ejUSq qUam'); the translation reconstructs the most likely intended sense from the context of spiritual armor and the concluding promise of God's saving presence.
  10. 10 ↩The quotation 'ego ero merces tua magna nimis' echoes Genesis 15:1 (Vulgate: 'ego ero merces tua nimis magna'), where God speaks to Abraham.
  11. 11 ↩The Latin reads 'itab' at the start of the virtues clause, likely a scribal error for 'ita' ('so'). The translation assumes the intended reading 'ita' ('so too').

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