De supradictis scalis moralis repetitio.
The Four Ascents of the Soul
The soul's ascent is mapped onto four directions, each with its own ladder of three virtues leading to justice and perfection.
Now let us return to the allegory of the ladders. For those climbing up from the cold of the east, the first ladder is fear, the second sorrow, the third love. For those climbing up from the cold of the west, the first ladder is knowledge, the second meditation, the third contemplation. For those climbing up from the heat of the west, the first ladder is patience, the second mercy, the third compunction. And these three ladders bring justice to perfection. On the fourth ladder follow the remaining three groups of four virtues. For those climbing up from the heat of the east, the first ladder is temperance, the second prudence, the third fortitude. These individual virtues are also depicted in their proper places.
From Fall to Gathering
Humanity's fall from the heat of the east into all four corners of the world is reversed as the soul is gathered back through the Church and begins to rise again.
We make the four corners correspond to the four parts of the world, from which are gathered those who rise to the reward of heavenly recompense — God's chosen ones — from the heat of the east, from the cold of the east, from the heat of the west, from the cold of the west. The heat of the east is spiritual fervor; the cold of the east is the fear of pride. The heat of the west is the desire of the flesh; the cold of the west is the blindness of ignorance. The first human was created in the heat of the east; afterward, through pride, he passed over to the cold of the east, as though to the north, to the fellowship of the devil. Then through the desire of the flesh he fell into the heat of the west, and through ignorance into the cold of the west. And so he was scattered and dispersed through the four parts of the world. But when he is gathered and called back, he first approaches the ark — that is, the Church — from the four parts of the world, and from there, ascending upward, he gradually gathers himself into one until he reaches the summit. And where he first fell, there he first rises — that is, in the cold of the east — and there he tramples the serpent's head, which is pride.
Trampling the Serpent
The ascending soul progressively tramples the serpent's body—pride, desire, and ignorance—and is guarded by the symbols of the four evangelists at the ark's corners.
Afterward, the ascent is from the heat of the west, and there it tramples the belly of the serpent — that is, desire. Afterward, the ascent is from the cold of the west, and there it tramples the chest of the serpent — that is, ignorance. Afterward, it returns to the heat of the east, where it was created, and from there, going upward, it presses down the whole serpent coiled below, so that on each of the ladder-rungs — the last of the climbers — it seems to trample with its foot each post of the serpent that has embraced the ladder. The two posts, however, designate body and soul, which the serpent embraces, because in each it still somehow dominates. But those who ascend by the paths — that is, by divine precepts — everywhere press the serpent downward. In the four corners of the ark, four evangelists are also depicted. In the cold of the east, a lion, to terrify the proud. In the cold of the west, an eagle, to illuminate the blind.
The Book and the Tree of Life
The soul is fed by the tree of life and taught by the book of life, where rebuke and doctrine flow from Scripture to guide each ascent.
In the heat of the west, a calf, to sacrifice the flesh. In the heat of the east, a man, to call man back to his origin. Through the book of life, which looks toward the north, ascend those who come from the cold of the east, and those who come from the cold of the west; and so on each side, from the top of the lower rung, a hand is stretched down inside with an open scroll, so that, as if coming from the book of life, it may from here rebuke and from here teach.✦ In one scroll is written rebuke. Woe, woe, woe.✦ In the other scroll is written the teaching of the Jew. In the beginning God created heaven and earth, according to what the signification of the ascents of each requires.✦ Through the tree of life ascend those who come from the heat of the east, and those who come from the heat of the west; therefore on each side, from the top of the lower rung, a branch is stretched down, having leaves on this side and fruit on that, so that, as if coming from the tree of life, it may feed some and shade others.✦
The Virtues Within
The virtues are depicted on the inside of the ark against each ladder, completing the moral imagery of the ascent.
The virtues, however, are depicted on the inside, against each ladder, in this way.
Read the original Latin
Nunc revertamur ad scalarum allegoriam. Ascendentibus a frigore orientis prima scala est timor, secunda dolor, tertia amor. Ascendentibus a frigore occidentis, prima scala est cognitio, secunda meditatio, tertia contemplatio. Ascendentibus a calore occidentis, prima scala est patientia, secunda misericordia, tertia compunctio. Et istae tres scalae justitiam perficiunt. In quarta scala sequuntur reliquae tres quaternarum virtutum. Ascendentibus autem a calore orientis prima scala est temperantia, secunda prudentia, tertia fortitudo. Sunt etiam singulae virtutes istae in suis locis depictae.
Quatuor angulos respondere facimus quatuor partibus mundi, a quibus colliguntur ii qui ad praemium supernae remunerationis ascendunt, electi Dei, a calore orientis, a frigore orientis, a calore occidentis, a frigore occidentis. Calor orientis est fervor spiritualis, frigus orientis est timor superbiae. Calor occidentis concupiscentia carnis, frigus occidentis, caecitas ignorantiae. In calore orientis creatus fuit primus homo, postea superbiendo transivit ad frigus orientis quasi ad Aquilonem ad consortium diaboli. Deinde per concupiscentiam carnis cecidit ad calorem occidentis, et per ignorantiam ad frigus occidentis. Sicque per quatuor partes mundi diffusus est et dissipatus. Cum autem colligitur et revocatur, primum de quatuor partibus mundi ad arcam, id est ad Ecclesiam, accedit, et inde sursum ascendens paulatim se in unum colligit, quousque ad summum perveniat. Ubi autem primum cecidit, ibi primum ascendit, id est in frigore orientis, et ibi calcat caput serpentis, id est superbiam.
Postea ascendit a calore occidentis, et ibi calcat ventrem serpentis, id est concupiscentiam. Postea ascendit a frigore occidentis, et ibi calcat pectus serpentis, id est ignorantiam. Postea revertitur ad calorem orientis, ubi creatus fuit, et inde ascendens totum serpentem complicatum deorsum premit, ita ut in singulis scalis qui ultimus est, ascendentium serpentem pede utrumque stipitem scalae amplexum sic calcare videatur. Duo autem stipites corpus et animam designant, quos serpens amplectitur, quia in utroque adhuc quoquomodo dominatur. Sed ii qui per tramites, id est divina praecepta ascendunt, ubique deorsum serpentem premunt. Sunt etiam in quatuor angulis arcae quatuor evangelistae depicti. In frigore orientis leo, ut terreat elatos. In frigore occidentis aquila, ut illuminet caecos.
In calore occidentis vitulus, ut carnem mactet. In calore orientis homo, ut hominem ad originem suam revocet. Per librum vitae, qui ad aquilonem respicit, ascendunt qui a frigore orientis, et qui a frigore occidentis, et propterea utraque parte a summitate inferioris scalae intrinsecus manus cum volumine aperte deorsum extenditur, ut quasi a libro vitae veniens, hinc increpet, hinc erudiat. In uno scripta est increpatio. Vae, vae, vae. In altero scripta est eruditio Judae. In principio creavit Deus coelum et terram, secundum quod significatio ascentionum utriusque exigit. Per lignum vitae ascendunt, qui a calore orientis, et qui a calore occidentis, propterea in utraque parte de summitate inferioris scalae ramus tenditur deorsum, hinc habens folia, hinc fructum, ut quasi a ligno vitae veniens hos pascat, illos obumbret.
Virtutes autem contra singulas scalas a latere intrinsecus hoc modo depictae sunt.
Scripture echoes
- ↩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.
- ↩Rev.8.13 — And I looked, and I heard one eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, 'Woe! Woe! Woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpets of the three angels who are about to sound!'
- ↩Gen.1.1 — In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
- ↩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.
De Arca Noe Morali et Mystica (On the Moral and Mystical Ark of Noah) companion
Keep the ark under construction
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