SR
← De gradibus humilitatis et superbiae (On the Steps of Humility and Pride)/Book 1 · De gradibus humilitatis et superbiae
Chapter 24GradH.1.24

De gradibus humilitatis et superbiae

Christ Alone Ascends: The Unique Ascension

Only Christ, who descended from heaven, truly ascends — not like Elijah or Paul, but by His own sovereign power and in the sight of chosen witnesses.

From this I can clearly gather that because the Father did not descend, the Apostle could not ascend to the third heaven to see Him — yet he remembered that he had been carried up to it.✦ Scripture says plainly: No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven.✦ And so you don't think this refers to the first heaven or the second, David tells you: His going forth is from the highest heaven.✦ Regarding this, He was not suddenly snatched away, not secretly lifted up — but, as He says, in the sight of them — that is, the Apostles — He was raised up.✦ Not like Elijah, who had one witness, and not like Paul, who had none — for Paul could barely call even himself as witness or judge, since as he testified himself: 'I do not know; God knows.' But as the Almighty, He descended when He willed and ascended when He willed, choosing by His own judgment witnesses and spectators, place and time, day and hour — waiting, with those very ones watching whom He deems worthy of so great a vision — and He was lifted up.✦✦✦

Raised by His Own Power: The Self-Sufficient Ascension

Christ was not snatched away or aided from without but raised up by His own power, passing from the disciples' carnal sight into a new mode of spiritual knowledge.

Paul was snatched away, Elijah was taken up, Enoch was carried over — and our Redeemer is said to have been raised up, that is, lifted up by his own power, with no help from any outside source. In short, it was not by a chariot's vehicle, not by an angel's support, but sustained by his own power that a cloud took him up from before their eyes.✦ Why this? Did it help someone who was already weary? Did it spur someone who was sluggish? Did it catch someone who was falling? Far from it. But a cloud took him from the carnal sight of the disciples, who, though they had known Christ according to the flesh, would know him that way no longer.✦

The Threefold Ascent: Son, Spirit, Father

The soul is called by the Son through humility into the first heaven, gathered by the Spirit through love into the second, and exalted by the Father through contemplation into the third.

Those whom the Son calls to the first heaven through humility, the Spirit gathers into the second through love, and the Father exalts to the third through contemplation.✦1

Three Steps into Truth: Humility, Love, and Contemplation

The soul is first humbled in truth, then rejoices in fraternal love, and finally is carried away into the secret depths of contemplation.

First, they are humbled in truth, and they say: "In your truth, you humbled me."2 Second, they rejoice together in the truth, and they sing: "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together as one" — for it is written of love: "Truth rejoices together."✦✦345 Third, they are carried away into the secrets of truth, and they say: "My secret is mine, my secret is mine."✦67

Read the original Latin

Unde nimirum colligo, quod, quia Pater non descendit, Apostolus, ut eum videret, ad tertium caelum ascendere quidem non potuit, quo tamen se raptum memoravit. Denique: Nemo ascendit in caelum, nisi qui descendit de caelo. Et ne putes de primo dictum vel secundo, dicit tibi David: A summo caelo egressio eius. Ad quod iterum non subito raptus, non furtim sublatus, sed: Videntibus, inquit, illis id est Apostolis, elevatus est. Non sicut Elias, qui unum, non sicut Paulus, qui nullum, -vix enim vel seipsum testem aut arbitrum habere potuit, ipso perhibente: Nescio, Deus scit-, sed ut omnipotens, qui quando voluit descendit, quando voluit ascendit, pro suo arbitrio arbitros et spectatores, locum et tempus, diem et horam exspectans, videntibus illis, quos scilicet tanta visione dignatur, elevatus est.

Raptus est Paulus, ratus est Elias, translatus est Enoch; Redemptor noster legitur elevatus, hoc est ex seipso levatus, non aliunde adiutus. Denique non currus vehiculo, non angeli adminiculo, sed propria virtute subnixum suscepit eum nubes ab oculis eorum. Cur hoc? An fessum iuvit? An pigrum impulsit? An cadentem sustinuit? Absit. Sed suscepit eum ab oculis carnalibus discipulorum, qui etsi Christum noverant secundum carnem, sed ultra iam non noscerent.

Quos ergo ad primum caelum per humilitatem Filius vocat, hos in secundo per caritatem Spiritus aggregat, ad tertium per contemplationem Pater exaltat.

Primo humiliantur in veritate, et dicunt: In veritate tua humiliasti me. Secundo congaudent veritati, et psallunt: Ecce quam bonum et quam iucundum, habitare fratres in unum, de caritate quippe scriptum est: Congaudet autem veritati. Tertio ad arcana veritatis rapiuntur, et aiunt: Secretum meum mihi, secretum meum mihi.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩2Cor.12.2-2Cor.12.4 — I know a person in Christ fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know; God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 2Cor.12.3 — And I know that such a person—whether in the body or apart from the body, I do not know; God knows— 2Cor.12.4 — that he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a person to speak.
  2. ↩John.3.13 — And no one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.
  3. ↩Ps.18.7;Ps.20.7 — In my distress I called upon the LORD, and to my God I cried for help. He heard my voice from his temple, and my cry before him entered his ears. Ps.20.7 — Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heavens with the saving power of his right hand.
  4. ↩Acts.1.9 — And after he said these things, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
  5. ↩2Kgs.2.11 — And it came to pass, as they were walking along and talking, that behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
  6. ↩2Cor.12.2-2Cor.12.4 — I know a person in Christ fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know; God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 2Cor.12.3 — And I know that such a person—whether in the body or apart from the body, I do not know; God knows— 2Cor.12.4 — that he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a person to speak.
  7. ↩Acts.1.9 — And after he said these things, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
  8. ↩Acts.1.9 — And after he said these things, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
  9. ↩2Cor.5.16 — So then, from now on we know no one according to the flesh. Even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, we no longer know him that way.
  10. ↩2Cor.12.2 — I know a person in Christ fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know; God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven.
  11. ↩Ps.132.1 — A Song of Ascents. Remember, O LORD, for David all his afflictions
  12. ↩1Cor.13.6 — It does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.
  13. ↩Isa.24.16 — From the ends of the earth we have heard songs: 'Glory to the righteous One.' But I said, 'I am wasting away, I am wasting away! Woe to me! The treacherous deal treacherously; indeed, the treacherous deal very treacherously.'

Notes

  1. 1 ↩The triadic ascent schema (humility → love → contemplation) maps onto the three heavens and the three Persons of the Trinity. 'Caritas' rendered as 'love' here carries its full theological-virtue weight.
  2. 2 ↩The quoted phrase echoes Psalm 118:75 (Vulgate): In veritate tua humiliasti me.
  3. 3 ↩The quoted phrase is Psalm 132:1 (Vulgate): Ecce quam bonum et quam iucundum habitare fratres in unum.
  4. 4 ↩Congaudet autem veritati echoes 1 Corinthians 13:6 (Vulgate): Non gaudet in iniquitate, verum congaudet veritati — 'It does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices together with the truth.'
  5. 5 ↩autem rendered as a mild adversative pivot ('but' implied in the scriptural echo); here it introduces the scriptural warrant for the preceding psalm verse.
  6. 6 ↩Secretum meum mihi echoes Isaiah 24:16 (Vulgate): Secretum meum mihi, secretum meum mihi.
  7. 7 ↩arcana rendered as 'secrets' to preserve the sense of hidden, intimate divine mysteries.

De gradibus humilitatis et superbiae (On the Steps of Humility and Pride) companion

Humility is climbed one day at a time

Take the next step each morning with a free daily devotional in Chosen Portion.

Bernard frames humility as a ladder climbed by small repeated acts; Chosen Portion turns that into practice with one daily devotional step at a time.

  • A daily 10-minute portion focused on one virtue at a time
  • Re-take the 12-step self-check monthly and see real movement
  • Historic texts like Bernard's, one readable portion per day
Chosen Portion — Daily Prayer (free iOS app) →