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Chapter 6ArcaN.3.6

De ortu arboris sapientiae per compunctionem.

The Treasure Hidden in the Heart

Wisdom arises through compunction, and Christ as the hidden treasure of wisdom was placed by God in the human heart, which was made as a mirror to behold His face.

Sixth, it was said of wisdom that it arises through compunction. The evangelical parable comes to mind here, in which the kingdom of heaven is compared to a treasure hidden in a field.✦ For the kingdom of heaven is eternal life. And eternal life is Christ. Christ is wisdom, and wisdom is a treasure. And this treasure is hidden in the field of the human heart, where man was made in the image and likeness of his Creator.✦ For the human heart was so fashioned that in it, as in a mirror of its own, divine wisdom might shine forth, and what could not be seen in itself might become visible in its own image. A truly great dignity of man: to bear the image of God, to behold his face within oneself continually, and to have him always present through contemplation.

Sin's Cloud and the Obscured Temple

Through the fall, sin hid the treasure of wisdom from human sight, just as the cloud filled Solomon's temple, cutting off worthy access to God.

But after that first parent attained what was forbidden, and, touching the forbidden thing, scattered his delight upon the earth, the dust of sin, cast over the human heart, hid that precious treasure from our eyes, and the darkness of ignorance, spreading out, cut off the light of wisdom. And this is what was prefigured in the temple of Solomon, where we read that after Solomon had completed every work for the building of the house of the Lord, and everything that pertained to the furnishing of the house was finished, a cloud immediately filled the temple, so that the priests could not minister.✦ For 'Solomon' means 'peaceful,' and it signifies the one who is our peace, who reconciled us to God in his own blood.✦ And because this same Jesus Christ our Lord is the wisdom of the Father, Solomon builds a temple to God, because through the wisdom of God the human heart was made so that God might dwell in it as in a temple.✦ This is the wisdom that built itself a house, because, descending into the world, it says its delight is to be with the children of men.✦ But this house, as soon as it was built, is filled with a cloud: because man, having been created, and then falling by sin from that inner lookout of contemplation, slips into these wretched shadows of the present life, where he is no longer able to minister worthily to God, because, wrapped in the darkness of ignorance, he can no longer see for the most part what he ought to do or avoid. So that treasure is hidden in the field of our heart, and it is found only when wisdom arises.✦ But wisdom arises when truth is made manifest.

Digging the Well of Compunction

Compunction drives out ignorance, reveals truth, and restores wisdom, so the soul must continually dig out the heart's well despite repeated obstruction.

Truth is revealed when ignorance is driven out, and ignorance is driven out when the mind is illuminated. Once ignorance is driven out, truth is revealed. With truth revealed, wisdom arises; with wisdom arising, the treasure is found. This compunction is like a sharp stake that digs into the ground of our heart, like a fire that burns up the rust, like a brightness that drives out the darkness. Through this we must dig deep wells in our hearts, casting out all earthliness from us, so that we may find the hidden treasures and the secret vein of living waters. So Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob our fathers dug wells, seeking the living water of wisdom, and whenever the Philistines filled up those wells with earth while they were away, they dug again, and again sought the living water, and they did this frequently.✦ So also we: if evil spirits, once our hearts have been cleansed by the zeal of compunction from all earthliness, lie in wait and fill them again with earth, we must dig them out again through compunction, and cleanse them again. And this we must do for as long as it takes, until we find the living water, and until we find the precious treasure.

Hiding the Treasure and Selling All

Wisdom, once found, must be hidden in humility and sought only for herself, not for praise, lest one repeat Judas's betrayal of Christ.

Once we have found him, we must hide him, because what is carelessly revealed is quickly lost. The one who carries the received gift of wisdom in outward display reveals the treasure that has been found. The one who seeks glory from the gift of wisdom received — not outwardly before the eyes of others, but inwardly before God — hides the treasure that has been found. We must also go and sell everything we have, and buy that field, because whoever inner joys have now been revealed to, for the sake of contemplating them ought willingly to despise all the things that could ever delight in this world.✦ But among these things, those who seek wisdom must carefully consider this: that wisdom is to be sought not for any other reason, but for her own sake. For nothing is better than wisdom, and so the one who intends to obtain something other than her through her is unworthy of wisdom — the one who seeks wisdom not to possess her, but to prostitute her as something for sale. Furthermore, if Christ is wisdom, the one who seeks wisdom for human praise is shown to be like Judas the traitor, who sold Christ.✦ Let us seek hidden treasures, therefore; let us seek wisdom; let us seek Christ — but not like Judas, who sought Christ to sell him, not to possess him.✦✦

Steps of Spiritual Ascent

Drawing on Abraham's call and the example of the holy women at the tomb, the chapter outlines six stages by which fear, grace, pain, faith, devotion, and compunction lead the soul upward.

Judas sought Christ, after all—he found him and had him in his grasp, but he didn't hold on to him, because he sold him.1 But the holy women who came to the tomb with spices sought Christ, found him, held on to him, and kept him—because they didn't seek him to sell him, but to possess him.2 So let's take wisdom through fear: it's sown through fear, watered through grace, it dies through pain, takes root through faith, and rises through compunction.34 These, it seems to me, are the steps signified where Abraham is told to go out from his own land, his own family, and his father's house—but only then is the land to be shown to him.✦5 'Go out,' the Lord says, 'from your land, your family, and your father's house, and come into the land I will show you.'✦6 Therefore through fear we go out from our land, through grace we go out from our family, through pain we leave our father's house, through faith and devotion we follow the Lord, and so then, at the sixth step, the promised land is shown to us through compunction.78 Through fear we leave behind earthly wealth, through grace and pain we change our attachment, through faith and devotion we strengthen our soul, and through compunction we find our desire.91011 We go out from our land when we leave behind the earthly goods that are held out in the world.12

The Land Shown by the Lord

Leaving behind earthly goods, kindred vices, and the world ruled by the devil, the soul at last perceives, through the Holy Spirit, the distant fragrance of the promised land.

We leave our kindred when we renounce the vices that are born in us and spring from us. We leave our father's house when we set the whole world, and everything in it, completely apart from our thinking, and fix the entire intention of our soul solely on eternal things. Our father, according to that birth by which we are born in sins, is the devil, because by that birth we belong to his dominion—he who is the author of sin. His house is this world, because by his perversity he has been made the ruler of this world and of those who love this world. But once we have gone out from our land, and from our kindred, and from our father's house, another land is shown to us by the Lord, when, having died perfectly to this world, we are granted, as it were from far off, to catch the scent of the joys to come. For when the soul is breathed upon by the Holy Spirit, it grows cheerful with an unusual joy, and marvels at what the thing to be tasted may be, which even by its scent so wondrously refreshes.

Read the original Latin

Sexto loco de sapientia dictum est, quod per compunctionem oritur. Hic mihi occurrit evangelica illa parabola, in qua regnum coelorum thesauro abscondito in agro comparatur. Regnum quippe coelorum est vita aeterna. Vita autem aeterna Christus est. Christus autem sapientia est, sapientia vero thesaurus est. Et hic thesaurus est absconditus in agro cordis humani, ubi factus est homo ad imaginem et similitudinem Creatoris sui. Quoniam ita conditum est cor hominis, ut in eo tanquam in speculo quodam suo divina sapientia reluceret, et quae in se videri non potuit, in sua imagine visibilis appareret. Magna prorsus dignitas hominis portare imaginem Dei, et illius in se jugiter vultum aspicere, atque eum semper per contemplationem praesentem habere.

Sed postquam primus ille parens, vetitum assecutus, et interdictum tangens delectationem suam in terram sparsit, peccati pulvis superjectus cordi humano pretiosum thesaurum istum ab oculis nostris abscondit, et caligo ignorantiae obtensa lumen sapientiae intercepit. Et hoc est illud quod in templo Salomonis figuratum est, ubi legitur quod postquam perfecit Salomon omne opus ad aedificationem domus Domini, et consummata sunt universa, quae ad instructionem domus pertinebant, continuo nebula implevit domum, ita ut sacerdotes ministrare non possent. Salomon quippe interpretatur pacificus, et significat illum qui est pax nostra, qui reconciliavit nos Deo in sanguine suo. Et quia idem ipse, Jesus Christus Dominus noster sapientia est Patris; Salomon Deo templum aedificat, quia per sapientiam Dei cor hominis factum est, ut in eo quasi in templo Deus habitaret. Haec est sapientia, quae aedificavit sibi domum, quia descendens in orbem terrarum delicias suas dicit esse cum filiis hominum. Sed haec domus, ut aedificata est, nebula impletur, quia homo conditus, ac deinde peccando ab illa internae contemplationis specula corruens, in has miseras praesentis vitae tenebras labitur, ubi digne Deo ministrare non valet, quia caligine ignorantiae obvolutus quid agendum vel vitandum sibi sit ex maxima parte jam non videt. Absconditus ergo est thesaurus iste in agro cordis nostri, qui tunc invenitur, quando sapientia oritur. Sapientia autem oritur, quando veritas manifestatur.

Veritas autem manifestatur, quando ignorantia pellitur, ignorantia autem pellitur, quando mens illuminatur. Pulsa autem ignorantia veritas manifestatur. Manifestata veritate sapientia oritur, oriente sapientia thesaurus invenitur. Haec compunctio, et quasi palus acutus terram cordis nostri fodit, et quasi ignis rubiginem exurit, et quasi splendor tenebras pellit. Per hanc debemus fodere altos puteos in cordibus nostris, ejicientes omnem terrenitatem a nobis, ut possimus, invenire thesauros absconditos, et occultam venam aquarum viventium. Sic Abraham, Isaac et Jacob patres nostri puteos foderunt, quaerentes aquam vivam sapientiae, et quando Alophyli puteos illos absentibus eis terra repleverunt, ipsi rursum foderunt, rursumque aquam vivam quaerebant, et hoc frequenter faciebant. Ita et nos si maligni spiritus corda nostra studio compunctionis ab omni terrenitate emundata rursus insidiantes terra repleverint, iterum fodere ea per compunctionem, iterumque emundare debemus. Et hoc tandiu facere oportet, quousque aquam vivam inveniamus, et quousque thesaurum pretiosum reperiamus.

Cum autem invenerimus abscondere eum debemus, quia cito amittitur quod incaute manifestatur. Thesaurum autem inventum manifestat, qui acceptum donum sapientiae in ostentatione portat. Thesaurum autem inventum abscondit, qui accepto dono sapientiae non foris in oculis hominum, sed intus coram Deo inde gloriari quaerit. Oportet etiam nos ire, et vendere omnia quae habemus, et emere agrum istum, quia quicunque ille est, cui interna gaudia jam revelata sunt, pro contuitu eorum libenter debet contemnere omnia, quae in hoc mundo ipsum delectare poterunt. Sed inter haec sollicite considerandum est iis, qui sapientiam quaerunt, quod non ob aliud, sed propter seipsam quaerenda est sapientia. Nihil enim melius est sapientia, et ideo indignus est sapientia, qui aliud quam ipsam per ipsam obtinere intendit, qui non ut possideat, sed ut vaenalem prostituat sapientiam quaerit. Praeterea, si Christus est sapientia, qui sapientiam pro humana laude quaerit, similis esse convincitur proditori Judae, qui Christum vendidit. Quaeramus ergo thesauros absconditos, quaeramus sapientiam, quaeramus Christum, sed non sicut Judas, qui Christum quaesivit ut venderet, non ut possideret.

Quaesivit enim Christum Judas, et invenit et tenuit, sed non retinuit, quia vendidit. Sed sanctae mulieres ad sepulcrum cum aromatibus venientes Christum quaesiverunt et invenerunt, tenuerunt et retinuerunt, quia non quaerebant ut venderent, sed ut possiderent. Dicamus ergo de sapientia, per timorem seminatur, per gratiam rigatur, per dolorem moritur, per fidem radicat, per compunctionem oritur. Hi gradus videntur mihi significari, ubi jubetur Abraham exire de terra sua, et de cognatione sua, et de domo patris sui, at tunc demum terra ei demonstranda permittitur. Exi, inquit Dominus, de terra tua, et de cognatione tua, et de domo patris tui; et veni in terram quam monstravero tibi. Igitur per timorem eximus de terra nostra, per gratiam eximus de cognatione nostra, per dolorem de domo patris nostri egredimur, per fidem et devotionem Dominum sequimur, ac sic deinde in sexto gradu terra nobis promissa per compunctionem demonstratur. Per timorem relinquimus censum terrenum, per gratiam et dolorem mutamus affectum, per fidem et devotionem confirmamus animum, per compunctionem invenimus desiderium. De terra nostra eximus, cum ea quae foris possidentur terrena bona derelinquimus.

De cognatione nostra eximus, quando vitiis, quae in nobis, et ex nobis nata sunt abrenuntiamus. De domo patris nostri eximus, quando mundum omnem, et ea quae in mundo sunt, prorsus a cogitatione nostra sequestramus, et omnem animi intentionem in sola aeterna defigimus. Pater noster secundum illam nativitatem, qua in peccatis nati sumus, diabolus est, quia secundum nativitatem ad ejus dominium pertinemus, qui auctor est peccati. Ejus domus est mundus iste, quia merito suae perversitatis mundi hujus, et eorum qui mundum istum amant, princeps factus est. Egressis autem de terra nostra, et de cognatione nostra, et de domo patris nostri, alia a Domino terra ostenditur, quando, nobis perfecte huic mundo mortuis quiddam jam de futuris gaudiis quasi de longe odorare conceditur. Afflatus enim, Spiritu sancto insolito gaudio animus hilarescit, et miratur quale ad gustandum esse possit, quod tam mire etiam per odorem reficit.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Matt.13.44 — The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again; and in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
  2. ↩Gen.1.26-Gen.1.27 — Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Gen.1.27 — So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
  3. ↩1Kgs.8.10-1Kgs.8.11;2Chr.7.1-2Chr.7.3 — And it came to pass, when the priests went out from the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD. 1Kgs.8.11 — And the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. 2Chr.7.1 — Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the house. 2Chr.7.2 — And the priests were not able to enter the house of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. 2Chr.7.3 — And when all the sons of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever."
  4. ↩Eph.2.14 — For he himself is our peace, who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of hostility
  5. ↩1Cor.3.16;Eph.2.21-Eph.2.22 — Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? Eph.2.21 — in whom the entire building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord; Eph.2.22 — in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
  6. ↩Prov.8.31 — rejoicing in his inhabited earth, and my delight is with the children of man
  7. ↩Matt.13.44 — The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again; and in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
  8. ↩Gen.26.15-Gen.26.22 — Now all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped up and filled with earth. Gen.26.16 — Then Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go away from us, for you have become far too powerful for us." Gen.26.17 — So Isaac departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar, and settled there. Gen.26.18 — And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. And he called their names after the names that his father had called them. Gen.26.19 — And Isaac's servants dug in the wadi, and they found there a well of living water. Gen.26.20 — The herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, "The water is ours!" So he named the well Esek, because they contended with him. Gen.26.21 — They dug another well, and they quarreled over it also, and he called its name Sitnah. Gen.26.22 — And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he called its name Rehoboth, and said, "For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land."
  9. ↩Matt.13.44 — The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again; and in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
  10. ↩John.13.2 — And during supper, the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him.
  11. ↩Matt.13.44 — The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again; and in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
  12. ↩John.18.2-John.18.5 — Now Judas, who was betraying him, also knew the place, because Jesus had often gathered there with his disciples. John.18.3 — So Judas, having received the cohort and officers from the chief priests and from the Pharisees, comes there with lanterns and torches and weapons. John.18.4 — Jesus, knowing everything that was coming upon him, went out and said to them, 'Whom are you seeking?' John.18.5 — They answered him, "Jesus of Nazareth." He said to them, "I am he." And Judas, the one who was betraying him, was standing with them.
  13. ↩Gen.12.1 — Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your land and from your kindred and from your father's house to the land that I will show you.
  14. ↩Gen.12.1 — Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your land and from your kindred and from your father's house to the land that I will show you.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩enim rendered as 'after all' to give the explanatory, almost rueful force of the Latin rather than a stiff 'for'.
  2. 2 ↩cum with ablative aromatibus taken as prepositional 'with' (not temporal 'when'), following the difficulty note.
  3. 3 ↩ergo rendered as 'So' to open the hortatory sequence naturally; dicamus as 'let's take' (hortatory subjunctive).
  4. 4 ↩compunctionem → compunction (preserved as a technical devotional term per lexeme policy).
  5. 5 ↩at tunc demum rendered adversatively: 'but only then' to capture the contrastive force of at and the temporal weight of tunc demum.
  6. 6 ↩Direct quotation of Genesis 12:1 (Vulgate form); monstravero as future perfect 'I will show.'
  7. 7 ↩ac sic deinde rendered 'and so then' to capture the additive ac and the temporal deinde.
  8. 8 ↩compunctionem → compunction (preserved per lexeme policy).
  9. 9 ↩compunctionem → compunction (preserved per lexeme policy).
  10. 10 ↩affectum → attachment (negative/disordered sense per lexeme policy for affectio in negative contexts).
  11. 11 ↩animum → soul (rendered in the sense of the inner person being strengthened).
  12. 12 ↩cum with indicative taken temporally ('when') rather than causally, given the context.

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