De columnae in arcae medio erectae significatione mystica, de tignorum super eam erectione, de mansionibus inter quadraturas tignis infixas designatis, de columnae supradictae positione, et de omnium horum mysterio.
The Column as the Tree of Life
The central column of the ark signifies the Lord Jesus Christ as the tree of life planted in the midst of paradise, with its northern face representing his humanity and its southern face his divinity.
This column, which is raised in the middle of the ark, signifies the tree of life, which was planted in the middle of paradise—that is, the Lord Jesus Christ, planted in the middle of the Church in the humanity he assumed, who is Christ, God and man.✦✦ And so the side of the column that faces north signifies his humanity, which he assumed for sinners; but the side that looks toward the south figures his divinity, by which he feeds the minds of the faithful.✦
Constructing the Dwellings
The structural process of raising beams and inner quadratures from the column creates the three distinct dwellings or mansions within the ark, tapering to a single cubit at the top.
And this is why we depicted the height twice on the flat drawing: because the surface of each side had to be represented, which couldn't be done without making a twin figure. With the column set up in the middle of the ark, then, let beams be raised from each corner all the way to its top, and let them be fixed to it under the prominence of the outermost edge. Then let the two inner quadratures be raised upward, until each one is joined at right angles by the same beams from every side, while the outermost quadrature remains at the bottom. And then you'll see how the space between the first and second quadrature is reckoned as the first dwelling, what is between the second and third as the second, and what is between the third and the topmost cubit as the third. This done, you have the complete form of the ark: broad below and narrow above, up to the measure of one cubit.
The Column's Position and Colors
Rising from the bottom to bear the whole structure, the column's southern side is overlaid with green as the tree of life, and its northern side with sapphire as the book of life.
The position of the column mentioned earlier is such that it rises from the middle of the ark's bottom, holds the middle place in all the dwellings, and bears the whole structure. The mystery of this is as follows: the column is Christ; its southern side, which signifies his divinity, is called the tree of life, and so it is overlaid with a green color.✦ The northern side, which represents his humanity, is called the book of life, and it is overlaid with a sapphire color.✦
Christ Sustaining and Ordering His Church
Just as the column supports the ark and structures its dwellings, Christ sustains his Church, dispenses spiritual growth, distributes gifts, and dwells in the midst of his gathered people.
The ark rests on its pillars, and Christ's Church rests on him, because she certainly couldn't stand at all unless he himself sustained her, according to what is written in the Song of Songs: Who is this that ascends from the desert, abounding with delights, leaning on her beloved?✦ Again, just as the column measures the height of each mansion, so Christ dispenses the virtue and progress of each person. And just as the column distinguishes the stations, so Christ, according to the will of his gracious favor, has distributed the gifts of his graces in the holy Church, appointing some as prophets, others as apostles, others as evangelists, and all the rest as partakers of spiritual gifts.✦ And just as the column holds the middle place everywhere, so the Lord Jesus Christ says: Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst.✦
Consolation for the Weak
Those unable to ascend to the higher mansions should not despair, but stand firm in the unity and faith of the first mansion, where Christ will come to help and raise them up.
If, then, our weakness is so great that we can't ascend into the third or second dwelling, let's not despair; but let's be gathered into one through faith in his name, and let's at least be in the first dwelling, let's stand in the unity of the Church, let's hold fast to the right and inviolate faith, and he himself will come to us, to stand in our midst, rejoicing over our good beginning, ready to help and to raise us to higher things, so that he may be one in all, one among all, one before all—the Lord Jesus Christ.
Read the original Latin
Columna ista, quae in medio arcae erigitur, significat lignum vitae, quod plantatum est in medio paradisi, id est Dominum Jesum Christum secundum formam humanitatis susceptae in medio Ecclesiae plantatum, qui Christus Deus et homo est. Et ideo latus columnae, quod ad aquilonem respicit, humanitatem ejus significat, quam pro peccatoribus assumpsit; illud autem, quod ad austrum spectat, divinitatem ejus figurat, qua mentes fidelium pascit. Et haec est causa, quare in plano bis altitudinem depinximus, quoniam oportebat utriusque lateris superficiem repraesentari, quod nisi geminata figura fieri non potuit. Statuta igitur columna in medio arcae, erigantur a singulis angulis tigna usque ad summitatem ipsius, eique sub eminentia extremae orae infigantur. Deinde duae interiores quadraturae sursum eleventur, quousque utraque secundum suam positionem tignis eisdem ex omni parte orthogonaliter conjungatur extrema quadratura in imo remanente; et tunc videbis quomodo illud spatium, quod est inter primam quadraturam et secundam, pro prima mansione computetur, quod est inter secundam et tertiam pro secunda, et quod est inter tertiam et supremum cubitum pro tertia. Hoc facto completam habes formam arcae subtus latam, et desuper angustam usque ad mensuram unius cubiti. Supradictae autem columnae positio talis est, ut a medio fundo arcae surgat, et in omnibus mansionibus medium locum obtineat et totam portet fabricam. Cujus mysterium hoc est, columna Christus est, australe latus ejus (quod divinitatem ipsius significat) lignum vitae vocatur, et ideo viridi colore superductum est.
Aquilonare vero latus (quod humanitatem ejus figurat) liber vitae dicitur, et hoc sapphirino colore superductum est. Columnae arca innititur, et Christo innititur Ecclesia sua, quia nimirum stare nullatenus posset, nisi ipse eam sustineret, secundum quod scriptum est in Canticis canticorum: Quae est ista, quae ascendit de deserto, deliciis affluens, innixa super dilectum suum? Rursum sicut columna singulorum mansionum altitudinem metitur, sic Christus uniuscujusque virtutem et profectum dispensat. Et sicut columna distinguit stationes, sic Christus pro arbitrio dignationis suae in sancta Ecclesia dona gratiarum suarum distribuit, alios constituens prophetas, alios apostolos, alios vero evangelistas, et caeteros quoscunque spiritualium donorum participes. Et sicut columna medium ubique tenet locum, sic Dominus Jesus Christus dicit: Ubicunque duo vel tres congregati fuerint in nomine meo, ibi ego sum in medio eorum. Si ergo tanta est infirmitas nostra, ut ascendere non possimus in tertiam vel secundam mansionem, non tamen desperemus, sed congregemur in unum per fidem nominis ejus, et simus saltem in prima mansione, simus in unitate Ecclesiae, teneamus rectam et inviolatam fidem, et ipse veniet ad nos, ut stet in medio nostrum congratulans bono incoepto nostro, paratus adjuvare et ad altiora erigere, ut sit unus in omnibus, unus inter omnes, unus prae omnibus Dominus Jesus Christus.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Gen.2.9 — And the LORD God made to grow from the ground every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, and the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
- ↩John.1.14;Col.2.9 — And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. Col.2.9 — For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
- ↩John.6.35;John.10.11 — Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will not hunger, and the one who believes in me will never thirst." John.10.11 — I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
- ↩Rev.22.2 — In the middle of the city's street, and on both sides of the river, stood the tree of life, producing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
- ↩Rev.20.12 — And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their works.
- ↩Song.8.5 — Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? Under the apple tree I awakened you; there your mother was in labor with you; there she who bore you was in labor.
- ↩1Cor.12.28;Eph.4.11 — And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, gifts of helping, gifts of administration, and various kinds of tongues. Eph.4.11 — And he gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers.
- ↩Matt.18.20 — For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them.
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