De circumcisione domini
The Fourfold Significance of the Feast
The feast of the Circumcision is celebrated for four reasons: the octave of the Nativity, the naming of the Lord, the shedding of blood, and the rite of circumcision.
They make the day of the Lord's Circumcision a celebrated and solemn one for four reasons. The first is the octave of the Lord's Nativity; the second is the imposition of a new and life-giving name; the third is the shedding of blood; the fourth is the seal of circumcision. The first, therefore, is the octave of the Lord's Nativity. For if the octaves of other saints are solemn, how much more solemn will the eighth day of the Holy of Holies be.✦ But it doesn't seem that the Lord's Nativity should have an octave, because His birth was already tending toward death. The deaths of the saints, however, have octaves because they are born at that moment into the birth that leads to eternal life, so that they may later rise in glorious bodies. By the same reasoning, it seems that the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin and that of blessed John the Baptist should not have an octave, and likewise the Lord's Resurrection, because the Resurrection itself had already taken place in reality. But it should be noted that, as Praepositivus says, there are octaves of completion, such as the octave of the Lord's Nativity, in which we supply what was lacking in the feast itself—namely, the office of the woman in labor. This is why it used to be customary to sing the 'Vultum tuum' and other chants during Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin. Furthermore, there are solemn octaves, such as those for Easter, Pentecost, the Blessed Virgin, and Saint John the Baptist. There are also octaves of devotion, which can be observed for any saint. There are octaves of symbolism, such as those established for certain saints, which signify the octave of the Resurrection.
The Power and Sweetness of the Name Jesus
The name Jesus is explored through its threefold nature, its healing power, and its significance as a source of spiritual nourishment and light.
The second point is the imposition of a new and saving name; for today, a new name was given to Him—a name the mouth of the Lord has spoken—a name that is the only one under heaven by which we must be saved. It is a name that, according to Bernard, is honey in the mouth, music in the ear, and joy in the heart. It is a name that, as the same Bernard says, shines like oil; it nourishes when preached, and it soothes when pondered. And it heals when called upon. He had a threefold name, as the Gospel shows: Son of God, Christ, and Jesus. He is called Son of God because He is God from God; Christ, because He is man assumed by the divine Person in His human nature; and Jesus, because He is God united to humanity. Regarding this threefold name, Bernard says: 'You who are in the dust, wake up and give praise.' Behold, the Lord comes with salvation, comes with ointment, and comes with glory; for He doesn't come without salvation, nor Christ without anointing, nor does the Son of God come without glory, since He Himself is salvation, He Himself is the anointing, and He Himself is glory. However, He wasn't perfectly known by this threefold name before the Passion. As to the first, He was known by some only through conjecture, such as the demons who said He was the Son of God. As to the second, He was known by a few individuals specifically as Christ. As to the third, He was known vocally, because they knew the name Jesus, even if they did not know the meaning of the name, which is 'salvation'. After the resurrection, however, this triple name was glorified. The first name relates to certainty, the second to diffusion, and the third to the meaning of the name. The first name, therefore, is Son of God. And regarding how this name rightly belongs to Him, Hilary says in his book On the Trinity: it is known in many ways that our Lord Jesus Christ is truly the only-begotten Son of God. It is known when the Father testifies to Him, when He Himself professes it, when the apostles preach it, when the religious believe it, when the demons confess it, when the Jews deny it, and when the Gentiles recognize it in His passion. The same author says: we recognize our Lord God Jesus Christ in these ways: by name, by birth, by nature, by power, and by profession. The second name is Christ, which means 'anointed'. For He was anointed with the oil of gladness above His companions. The fact that he is called 'Anointed' implies that he was a prophet, a champion, a priest, and a king. For these four types of people were traditionally anointed. He was a prophet in the teaching of wisdom, a champion in the defeat of the devil, a priest in the reconciliation with the Father, and a king in the distribution of rewards. We take our name from this second title, because we are called Christians after Christ. Regarding this name, Augustine says: 'Christian' is a name for justice, goodness, integrity, patience, chastity, modesty, humanity, innocence, and piety. And how do you defend and claim this for yourself, when you don't possess even a little of these many things? A Christian is someone who is one not only in name, but also in deed. So says Augustine. The third name is Jesus. According to Bernard, the name Jesus is described as food, a fountain, medicine, and light. This food has a manifold effect, for it is a food that comforts, fattens, strengthens, and gives life. Bernard says of these things: the name Jesus is food. Aren't you comforted whenever you remember it? What else satisfies the mind so much when you think about it? What so restores the senses of those who are disciplined, strengthens virtues, invigorates good habits, and fosters pure affections? Secondly, it is called a fountain, of which Bernard says: Jesus is a sealed fountain of life that spreads itself into four streams in the public squares. He is the one who became for us wisdom, justice, sanctification, and redemption: wisdom in preaching, justice in the absolution of sins, sanctification in our way of life or conversion, and redemption in His passion. That is what Bernard says. Elsewhere, it is also said: three rivers flowed from Jesus—the word of sorrow, in which there is confession; the blood of sprinkling, in which there is affliction; and the water of cleansing, in which there is compunction. Third, it is medicine; as it is said, the name Jesus is also medicine. For nothing so restrains the impulse of anger, calms the swelling of pride, heals the wound of envy, restricts the flow of lust, extinguishes the flame of desire, tempers thirst, and puts to flight the itching of greed and every kind of disgrace. Fourth, it is light, and so it says: where do you think such a great and sudden light of faith came from in the whole world, if not from the preaching or the preaching of Jesus? This is the name that Paul carried before the Gentiles like a lamp upon a lampstand. Furthermore, the name Jesus is of great sweetness, and so Bernard says: if you write, it has no flavor for me unless I read Jesus there. If you argue and confer, it has no flavor for me unless Jesus sounds there. Richard of Saint Victor also says: Jesus is a sweet name, a delightful name, a name that comforts the sinner and offers blessed hope. Therefore, Jesus, be Jesus to me. Second, it is a name of great power; hence Peter of Ravenna says: 'You shall call his name Jesus,' which is the name that gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, a steady step to the lame, speech to the mute, life to the dead, and the power of this name drove all the devil's authority out of possessed bodies. Third, it is a name of great excellence and sublimity; as Bernard says: 'The name of our Savior, my brother, my flesh, my blood—a name hidden for ages but revealed at the end of time—a name wonderful, ineffable, and beyond all price; indeed, the more beyond price it is, the more wonderful it becomes, and the more freely given it is, the more welcome it is.' However, this name Jesus was given to him from eternity, by the angel, and by his foster father, Joseph. For 'Jesus' translates to 'Savior.' He is called Savior in three ways: by the power to save, by the habit of saving, or by the act of saving. Regarding the power to save, this name belongs to him from eternity; regarding the habit of saving, it was given by the angel and belongs to him from the beginning of his conception; regarding the act of saving, it is said to have been given by Joseph in view of his future passion. Thus, the Gloss on the passage 'You shall call his name Jesus' says: 'You shall give the name that was given by the angel or from eternity.' The Gloss touches here on this aforementioned triple naming. When it says, "you shall name him," it refers to the naming by Joseph; when it says, "which was given by the angel or from eternity," it refers to the other two. Rightly, therefore, on the day that is the head of the year—established by Rome, the head of the world, and marked by the capital letter of the alphabet—Christ, the head of the Church, is circumcised, his name is given, and the eighth day of his birth is celebrated.
The Mystery of the Shedding of Blood
The shedding of Christ's blood at his circumcision marks the beginning of his redemptive work, which culminates in the sacrament of baptism.
The third is the shedding of Christ's blood. Today he began to shed his blood for us for the first time, he who later chose to shed it many times over. He shed his blood for us on five occasions: first, in his circumcision, which was the beginning of our redemption; second, in his prayer, which showed the longing of our redemption; third, in his scourging, which was the merit of our redemption, because by his stripes we are healed; fourth, in his crucifixion, which was the price of our redemption, for then he paid what he did not steal; fifth, in the opening of his side, which was the Sacrament of our redemption. Blood and water flowed from there, signifying that we must be cleansed through the water of baptism. This baptism was to draw its efficacy from the blood of Christ.
The Spiritual Meaning of Circumcision
Christ's circumcision serves as a model for the believer's interior life, calling for a spiritual 'stripping away' of vices and carnal desires.
The fourth and final point is the sign of circumcision, which Christ deigned to receive today. The Lord chose to be circumcised for many reasons. First, for his own sake, to show that he had truly assumed human flesh; he knew there would be no shortage of people claiming he hadn't assumed a real body, but only a phantom one. So, to refute their error, he willed to be circumcised and to shed his blood there. For a phantom body does not shed blood. Second, for our sake, to show that we must be circumcised spiritually. According to Bernard, there is a twofold circumcision we must undergo: an exterior one in the flesh, and an interior one in the mind. Exterior circumcision consists of three things: our appearance, so it isn't conspicuous; our actions, so they aren't blameworthy; and our speech, so it isn't contemptible. The interior life also consists of three things: that our thoughts be holy, our affections pure, and our intentions upright. So says Bernard. Again, He did it for our sake, so that He might save us. For just as a cautery was applied to one member so that the whole body might be healed, so Christ chose to bear the cautery of circumcision, that in this way the whole mystical body might be saved. Colossians. II. For you have been circumcised with a circumcision not made by hands, in the stripping away of the flesh—that is, the circumcision of Christ. The Gloss says: 'from vices, like a very sharp stone,' for Christ was the stone. I. Corinthians. 10 and Exodus. 4. Zipporah immediately takes a very sharp stone and circumcises the flesh of her son's foreskin, etc. According to the Gloss, this is explained in two ways. In the first way, it is this: you are circumcised, I say, with a circumcision not made by hand—that is, by human work—but by divine work, that is, by spiritual circumcision. This circumcision indeed takes place in the stripping away of the body of the flesh, that is, in the putting off of the carnal man, which is to say, of vices and carnal desires, according to how 'flesh' is understood. 1. Corinthians. VIII. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and so on. You are, I say, circumcised with a circumcision not made by hands, but with a spiritual circumcision. In the second way, it is this: you are, I say, circumcised in Christ, and this by a circumcision not made by hands—that is, by the legal circumcision, which indeed is not made by hands, or rather, the legal rite is performed in the stripping away of the body of the flesh, that is, the body which is flesh, namely the skin of the flesh, which is removed in the legal circumcision. You are not, I say, circumcised by that circumcision, but by the circumcision of Christ—that is, the spiritual one, in which all vices are cut away. Hence, Romans. In its place it offers: for that is not manifest in the flesh, circumcision, and so on. Instead, the one who is a Jew in secret is a Jew, and the circumcision of the heart is in the spirit, not the letter; whose praise is not from men, but from God. You have been circumcised with a circumcision not made by human hands, through the stripping away of the body of the flesh, but by the circumcision of Christ. Third, for the sake of the Jews, so they would have no excuse. If He hadn't been circumcised, the Jews could have excused themselves by saying, 'We don't accept you because you aren't like our ancestors.' Fourth, for the sake of the demons, so they wouldn't recognize the mystery of the incarnation. Since circumcision was performed to address original sin, the devil believed that the one being circumcised was also a sinner who needed the remedy of circumcision. For that same reason, He willed that His mother, the perpetual virgin, should be betrothed. Fifth, for the sake of fulfilling perfect justice. Just as he chose to be baptized to fulfill perfect justice—that is, the perfect humility of submitting himself to someone lesser—so too he chose to be circumcised to show us that same humility, as the author and Lord of the law chose to submit himself to the law. Sixth, for the sake of approving the Mosaic law, which was good and holy and meant to be fulfilled, because he had not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. Romans. 15: For I say that Jesus was a minister of the circumcision for the sake of the truth of God, and so on.
The Significance of the Eighth Day
The timing of the circumcision on the eighth day is interpreted through historical, anagogical, and moral lenses, symbolizing the perfection of grace and the hope of resurrection.
However, there are many reasons why the circumcision took place on the eighth day. The first comes from the historical or literal interpretation. For as Rabbi Moses—a great philosopher and theologian, though a Jew—says, a child in its first seven days is still as tender as it was while in its mother's womb; but on the eighth day it is strengthened and solidified. Therefore, as he says, the Lord did not want children to be circumcised before the eighth day, so that they would not be harmed too much by their extreme tenderness. But he didn't want the circumcision itself to be delayed beyond the eighth day for three reasons, which the same philosopher provides. The first reason is to avoid danger, so that if it were delayed too long, they wouldn't accidentally die without circumcision. The second is to provide for the pain of the infants; since there is great pain in circumcision, the Lord wanted them to be circumcised while they still had little imagination, so that they would feel less pain there. The third is to consider the sorrow of the parents. For since many infants died from circumcision if they were circumcised when they were already older, and died because of it, the pain for the parents would have been greater than if they died when they were only eight days old. The second reason is drawn from the anagogical or heavenly meaning. It was done on the eighth day so that it might be understood that on the eighth day of the resurrection, we would be circumcised from all pain and misery. In this view, the eight days represent eight ages: the first from Adam to Noah, the second from Noah to Abraham, the third from Abraham to Moses, the fourth from Moses to David, the fifth from David to Christ, the sixth from Christ to the end of the world, the seventh of those dying, and the eighth of those rising again. Alternatively, the eight days refer to the eight things we will possess in eternal life, which Augustine lists, saying: 'What else is it, I will be their God, except that I will be for them that by which they are satisfied?' I will be whatever is honestly desired: namely life, salvation, food, abundance, glory, honor, peace, and every good. Alternatively, the seven days are understood as the human being, consisting of body and soul. For the four days are the four elements from which the body is composed, and the three days are the three powers that exist in the soul: namely, the concupiscible, the irascible, and the rational. Therefore, the person who now has seven days will, when joined to the eternal unity of immutability, possess eight days; and on that eighth day, they will be circumcised from all punishment and even from guilt. The third reason comes from the tropological or moral sense, and in this light, the eight days can be understood in various ways. The first is the knowledge of sin, as the Psalm says: 'For I acknowledge my transgression,' and so on. The second is the resolve to abandon evil and do good, which is seen in the prodigal son, who said: 'I will arise and go to my father,' and so on. The third is shame for sin, as the Apostle says: 'What fruit did you have then in those things of which you are now ashamed?' The fourth is fear of the coming judgment. Job says, 'I feared God like waves swelling over me.' Jerome says, 'Whether I eat, drink, or do anything else, that voice always seems to ring in my ears: Rise, you dead, and come to judgment.' Fifth, contrition. Hence Jeremiah: 'The mourning for an only son,' and so on. Sixth, confession. The Psalm says, 'I said, I will confess my injustice against myself,' and so on. Seventh, hope of forgiveness. Even though Judas confessed his sin, he didn't do so in hope of forgiveness, and therefore he didn't obtain mercy. Eighth, satisfaction; and on this day, a person is spiritually circumcised, not only from guilt but also from all punishment. The first two days are for sorrow over committing sin and the desire to make amends; the next two are for confessing the evils we've done and the good we've left undone; the final four are for prayer, shedding tears, bodily discipline, and generous almsgiving. Alternatively, these eight days can represent eight things whose diligent consideration circumcises every desire to sin from us. In this way, anyone who has diligently considered one of them will have made a great spiritual journey. Bernard lists seven of these, saying there are seven things belonging to the essence of man which, if a person were to consider them, they would never sin: vile material, shameful action, a tearful end, an unstable state, a sorrowful death, a miserable dissolution, and a detestable damnation. And the eighth can be the consideration of ineffable glory. A fourth interpretation is taken from the allegorical or spiritual sense; according to this, five days represent the five books of Moses in which the law is contained, two represent the prophets and the psalms, and the eighth day represents evangelical teaching. But in the first seven days, the circumcision was not perfect; on the eighth day, however, a perfect circumcision is made from all guilt and all punishment—now in hope, but eventually in reality. As for why circumcision was given, there are six reasons noted in these verses: Circumcision was once a harsh thing: a cauterizing, a sign, a merit, a medicine, a figure, and an example.
Relics and the Rejection of Pagan Superstition
The chapter concludes by discussing the tradition of the Lord's circumcised flesh as a relic and warning against the persistence of pagan superstitions during the New Year.
As for the flesh from the Lord's circumcision, it's said that an angel brought it to Charlemagne, who then placed it honorably in the Church of Saint Mary at Aachen; later, it's said that Charles moved it to Charroux, though now it's said to be in Rome, in the church known as the Sancta Sanctorum. And so, it's written there as well: Christ's circumcised flesh is a clear sign, and the precious cutting of the navel also has its place here. This is why a station is held on that day at the Sancta Sanctorum. But if this is true, it's certainly quite marvelous. For since that flesh itself belongs to the reality of human nature, we believe that when Christ rose again, it returned to its glorified place; some have said that this is true according to the opinion of those who claim that only the part of human nature passed down from Adam rose again. It should be noted that in the past, pagans and gentiles observed many superstitions during these calends, which even the saints could barely root out among Christians, and which Augustine mentions in a certain sermon. For believing, as he says, that Janus was some kind of leader and a god, they venerated him greatly during these calends and depicted him with two faces—one behind him and one in front—because he was the end of the past year and the beginning of the next. Furthermore, during these calends they would take on monstrous forms, some dressing in the skins of cattle, others putting on the heads of beasts, indicating that they had not just the appearance, but the mind of a brute. Others dressed in women's tunics, not blushing to insert their soldierly arms into those women's garments. Others used to watch for omens, refusing to give fire from their homes or any other favor to anyone who asked. They would also accept devilish gifts from others and pass them on in turn. Others would set out lavish tables at night and leave them that way until morning, believing that their feasts would continue in such abundance for them throughout the year. Augustine adds: whoever wants to observe anything from the customs of the pagans, it is to be feared that the name of Christian may not be able to help him. Whoever shows any kindness to foolish people who are playing around should not doubt that he is a participant in their sin; but for you, brothers, it shouldn't be enough that you don't do this evil yourselves—wherever you see it happening, argue against it, correct it, and punish it. So says Augustine.
Read the original Latin
Circumcisionis dominicae diem quatuor celebrem faciunt et solemnem. Primum est octava nativitatis domini, secundum impositio novi et salutiferi nominis, tertiwm effusio sanguinis, quartum signaculum circumcisionis. Primum ergo est octava nativitatis domini. Si enim aliorum sanctorum octavae solemnes sunt, quanto magis octava dies sancti sanctorum solemnis erit. Sed non videtur, quod nativitas domini debeat habere octavam, quia ejus nativitas tendebat ad mortem. Obitus autem sanclorum ideo octavas habent, quia ipsi tmc nascuntur ea nativitate, quae est ad vitam aeternam, ut ‘postea resurgant in corporibus gloriosis. , Eadem ratione videtur, quod non debeat habere octavam nativitas beatae virginis nec beati Johannis baptistae, similiter nec resurrectio domini, quia jam facta erat ipsa resurrectio in re. Sed notandum, quod, sicat dicit Praepositivus, sunt octavae suppletionis, ut est octava nativitatis domini, in qua supplemus, quod minus in festo factum fuerat, scilicet oflicium de parturiente.
Unde etiam olim in missa consueverat cantari ad honorem beatae virginis: vultum tuum etc. ltem sunt octavae vene rationis, ut Paschae, Penthecostes, beatae virginis, beati Johaunis baptistae. Item devotionis, ut cujuslibet sancti possunt fieri octavae. Figurationis, ut sunt octavae institutae de sanctis, quae significant octavam resurrectionis. Secundum est impositio novi et salutiferi nominis, hodie enim impositum est ei nomen novum, quod os domini nominavit, Nomen pater, quod non est aliud sub caelo, in quo oporteat nos salvos fieri. Nomen, quod secundum Bernardum est mel in ore, melos in aure et jubilus in corde. Nomen, quod, sicut dicit idem Bernardus, instar olei lucet, praedicatum pascit, recogitatum lenit. et ungit invocatum.
Habuit autem triplex nomen, sicut ex evangelio manifestatur, scilicet filius Dei, Christus et Jesus. Vocatur autem filius Dei, in quantum est de Deo Deus, Christus, in quantum est homo a persona divina quantum ad humanam naturam assumtus; Jesus, in quantum est Deus humanitati unitus. De hoc triplici nomine dicit Bernardus: vos qui in pulvere estis, expergiscimini etlaudate. Ecce dominus venit cum salute, venit cum unguento, venit cum gloria neque enim sine salute venitJesus neque Christus sine unctione, neque sine gloria venit filius Dei, siquidem ipse salus, ipse unctig, ipse gloria. Quantum autem ad hoc triplex nomen, ante passionem perfecte notus non erat. Nam quantum ad primum, ab aliquibus cognoscebatur conjecturaliter, sicut a daemonibus, qui dicebant ipsum esse filium Dei. Quantum ad secundum particulariter, ab aliquibus enim , licet paucis, cognoscebatur esse Christus. Quantum ad tertium vocaliter, quia quo ad hanc vocem Jesus, licet non quo ad rationem nominis, quod est salutare.
Post resurrectionem autem hoc nomen triplex clarificatum est. Primum nomen quo ad certitudinem, secundum quo ad diffusionem, tertium quo ad nominis rationem. Primum igitur nomen est filius Dei. Et quod hoc nomen sibi recte conveniat, sic dicit Hylarius in libro de trinitate: vere Dei filium unigenitum dominum nostrum Jesum Christum esse, multis modis cognitum est. Dum de eo testatur pater, dum de se ipse profitetur, dum apostoli praedicant, dum religiosi credunt, dum daemones confitentur, dum Judaei negant, dum gentiles in passione cognoscunt. Idem: dominum Deum nostrum Jesum Christum his modis cognoscimus, nomine, nativilate, natura, potestate, professione. Secundum nomen est Christus, quod interpretatur unctus. Ipse enim fait unctus oleo laetitiae prae participibus suis.
Per hoc autem quod dicitur unctus, insinuatur, quod ipse fuit propheta, pugil, sacerdos et rex. Istae enim quatuor personae olim consueverunt inungi. Fuit enim propheta in doctrinae eruditione, pugil in dyaboli debellatione, sacerdos in patris reconciliatione, rex in praemiorum retributione. Ab hoc secundo nomine denominamur, quia a Christo dicimur Christiani. De quo nomine sic dicit Augustinus: christianus justitiae, bonitatis, integritatis, patientiae, castitatis, pudentiae, humanitatis, innocentiae, pietatis est nomen. Et tu istud quomodo tibi defendis et vindicas, cui de tam plurimis rebus nec pauca subsistunt? Christianus est ille, qui non nomine tantum, sed etiam opere est. Haec Augustinus.
Tertium nomen est Jesus. Hoc autem nomen Jesus secundum Bernardum dicitur cibus, fons, medicina, et lux. Hic autem cibus multiplicem habet effectum, est enim cibus confortativus, impinguativus, roborativus et vegetativus. De his sic dicit Bernardus: est cibus hoc nomen Jesus. An non toties confortaris, quoties recordaris? Quid aeque mentem cogitantis impinguat? Quid ita exercitatos reparat sensus, virtutes roborat, vegetat bonos mores atque castas fovet affectiones? Secundo dicitur fons, unde dicit idem Bernardus: Jesus est fons vitae signatus, qui in quattuor rivos se diffundit in plateas.
Unde qui factus est nobis sapientia, justitia, sanctificatio et redemptio; sapientia in praedicatione, justitia in peccatorum absolutione, sanctificatio in conversatione vel in conversione, redemptio in passione. Haec Bernardus. Alibi quoque sic dicitur: tres rivi fluxerunt a Jesu, verbum doloris, in quo est confessio, sauguis aspersionis, in quo est afflictio, aqua emundationis, in qua est compunctio. Tertio est medicina, unde sic ait: est eliam hoc nomen Jesus medicina. Nihil enim ita irae impetum cohibet, superbiae tumorem sedat, sanat livoris vulnus, restringit luxuriae fluxum, exstinguit libidinis flammam, sitim temperat, avaritae et totius dedecoris fugat pruriginem. Quarto est lux, unde ait: unde putas, in toto orbe tanta et tam subita fidei lux, nisi de praedicatione vel praedicato Jesu, hoc est nomen, quod Paulus portabat coram gentibus tamquam lacernam super candelabrum. Hoc iterum nomen Jesus est multae snavitatis, unde Bernardus: si scribas, non sapit mihi, nisi legero ibi Jesum. Si disputes ac conferas, non sapit mihi, nisi sonuerit ibi Jesus.
Item Richardus de Sancto Victore: Jesus est nomen dulce, nomen delectabile, nomen confortans peccatorem et beatae spei. Ergo Jesu esto mihi Jesus. Secundo est multae virluositatis, unde Petrus Revennas: vocabis nomen ejus Jesum, hoc est, nomen, quod dedit caecis visum, surdis auditum, claudis gressum, sermonem mutis, vitam mortuis totamque dyaboli potestatem de obsessis corporibus virtus hujus nominis elfugavit. Tertio est multae excellentiae et sublimitatis, unde Bernardus: nomen salvatoris nostri, fratris mei, carnis meae, sanguinis mei, nomen a seculis absconditum , sed in fine saeculorum revelatum , nomen mirabile, nomen ineffabile, nomen inaestimabile, imo eo mirabilius, quo inaestimabilius, eo magis gratum, quo gratuitum. Hoc antem nomen Jesus impositum est ei ab aeterno, ab angelo et a patre putativo, id est a Joseph. Jesus enim salvator interpretatur. Dicitur antem salvator tripliciter, vel a potentia salvandi, vel ab habitu, vel ab actu. Secundum quod dicitur a potentia salvandi, convenit ei hoc nomen ab aeterno, secundum quod dicitur ab habitu salvandi, sic fuit impositum ab angelo et convenit ei a principio conceptionis; secundum quod dicitur ab actu salvandi, dicitur impositum a Joseph ratione futurae passionis, unde Glossa super illud: vocabis nomen ejus Jesum , dicit: nomen impones, quod ab angelo vel ab aeterno impositum est.
Et tangit hic Glossa hanc praedictam triplicem denominationem. Cum enim dicitur: nomen impones, tangitur denominatio a Joseph; cum dicitur: quod ab angelo vel ab aeterno impositum est, tanguntur aliae duae. Recte igitur in die capitis anni constituta a Roma capite mundi et insignita capitali littera alphabeti Christus caput ecclesiae circumciditur, nomen ejus imponitur et ejus nativitatis octavus dies colitur. Tertium est effusio sanguinis Christi. Hodie enim sanguinem suum primo pro nobis fundere coepit, qui ipsum postmodum pluries effundere voluit. Quinque enim vicibus sanguinem pro nobis effudit, primo in circumcisione, et haec effusio fuit nostrae redemptionis initium; secundo in oratione, et haec ostendit nostrae redemptionis desiderium; tertio in flagellatione, et haec fuit nostrae redemptionis meritum, quia livore ejus sanati sumus; quarto in crncifixione, et haec fuit nostrae redemptionis pretium, tunc enim, quae non rapuit, exsolvebat; quinto in lateris apertione et haec fuit nostrae redemptionis sacramentum. Inde enim exivit sanguis et aqua, quod figuravit nos per aquam baptismi debere mundari. Qui quidem baptismus habiturus erat efficaciam a sanguine Christi.
Quartum et ultimum est signaculum circumcisionis, quod quidem Christus hodie accipere dignatus est. Voluit autem dominus cireumeidi propter multas rationes. Primo ratione sui, ut veram carnem humanam se assumsisse ostenderet, sciebat enim non defnturos, qui dicerent ipsum non corpus verum, sed fantasticum assumsisse. Et ideo ut eorum errorem confutaret, voluit cireumcidi et sanguinem ibi emittere. Corpus enim fantasticum sanguinem non emittit. Secundo ratione nostri, nt nos spiritualiter debere circumcidi monstraret. Duplex enim est cireumcisio secundum Bernardum, quae debet fieri a nobis, scilicet exterior in carne et interior in mente. GCircumciSio exterior consistit in tribus, scilicet in habitu, ne sit notabilis, in actione, ne sit reprehensibilis, et in sermone, ne sit contemptibilis.
Interior autem similiter in tribus consistit, scilicet in cogitatione, ut sit sancta, in affectione, ut sit pura, in intentione, ut sit recta. Haec Bernardus. Iterum ratione nostri, ut nos salvaret. Quemadmodum enim fuit canterium in uno membro, ut totum corpus sanetur, sic Christus voluit portare cauterium circumcisionis, ut sic lotum corpus misticum salvaretur. Coloss. II. Circumcisi enim estis circumcisione non manu facta in exspoliatione carnis, scilicet circumcisione Christi, Glossa: a vitiis tamquam petra acutissima, petra enim erat Christus. I.
Corinth. X et Exod. IV. Tollit illico Sephora acntissimam petram et circumcidit carnem praeputii filii sui cireumcisione etc. Dupliciter exponitur seeundum Glossam. Primo modo sie: circumcisi, inquam, estis circumcisione non manu facta, id est, humano opere; sed divino, id est, circumcisione spirituali. Quae qnidem circumcisio fit in exspoliatione corporis carnis, hoc est, depositione carnalis hominis, id est, vitiorum et desideriorum carnalium, secundum quod caro accipitur. I.
Corinth. VIII. Caro et sanguis regnum coelorum uon possident etc. Estis, inquam, circumcisi circumcisione non manu facta, sed circumcisione spirituali. Secundo modo sic: cireumcisi, inquam, estis in Christo et hoc circumcisione non manu facta, id est, circumcisione legali, quae quidem non manu facta sive legalis fit in exspoliatione corporis carnis, id est, corporis, quod est caro, scilicet cutis carnis, quae in circumcisione legali aufertur. Non estis, inquam, circumcisi ista circumcisione, sed circumcisione Christi, id est, spirituali, in qua omnia vitia amputata sunt. Unde Roman. , quorum loco offert: qnam manifesta in carne ciroumcisio elc.
cisio: sed qui in abscondito Judaeus est, et circumcisio cordis in spi ritu non littera; cujus laus est non ex hominibus, sed ex Deo. Circumcisi estis circumcisione non manu facta in exspoliatione corporis carnis, sed circumcisione Christi. Tertio ratione Judaeorum, ut inexcusabiles essent. Si enim circumcisus non fuisset, potuissent se Judaei excusare et dicere: ideo te non recipimus, quia dissimilis es patribus. Quarto ratione daemonum, ne scilicet incarnationis misterium cognoscerent. Cum enim circumcisio fieret contra originale peccatum, credidit dyabolus et hunc, qui circumcidebatur , similiter peccatorem esse, qui circumcisionis remedio indigeret. Propter eandem causam voluit, ut mater sua virgo perpetua esset desponsata. Quinto ratione perfectae justitiae adimplendae.
Sicut enim baptizari voluit, ut perfectam justitiam, id est, perfectam humilitatem, quae est subdere se minori, impleret, sic etiam voluit cireumcidi, ut eandem nobis humilitatem ostenderet, dum auctor et dominus legis voluit se subdere legi. Sexto ratione legis Mosaycae approbandae, quae erat bona et sancta et complenda, quia non venerat legem solvere sed adimplere. Roman. XV: dico enim Jesum ministrum fuisse circumcisionis, propter veritatem Dei etc. Quare autem circumcisio octava die fiebat, multiplex potest ratio assignari. Prima sumitur penes intellectum hystoricum sive litteralem. Nam sicut dicit Rabbi Moyses, maximus philosophus et theologus, licet Judaeus: puer in septem diebus tantae adhuc teneritudinis est, quantae est adhuc in utero matris existens, in octava autem die fortificatur et solidatur et ideo, ut dicit, noluit dominus parvulos ante octavum diem circumcidi, ne ob nimiam teneritudinem nimium laederentur. Ultra octavum vero diem ipsam circumcisionem noluit prolongari propter tres causas, quas philosophus idem assignat.
Prima ut periculum evitetur, ne scilicet, si nimium differretur, sine circumcisione eos mori contingeret. Secunda, ut dolori parvulorum provideatur, Cum enim in circumcisione maximus dolor sit, voluit eos dominus circumcidi, dum parvam adhuc ymaginationem haberent, üt minorem ibi dolorem sentirent Tertia, ut parentum tristitiae consulatur. Nam cum ex circumcisione plerique parvuli morerentur, si circumcisi fuissent jam magni et ex hoc mortui, major dolor fuisset parentibus, quam si morerentur octo tantum dies habentes. Secunda ratio sumitur penes intellectum anagogicum sive coelestem. Ideo enim octavo die fiebat, ut daretur intelligi, quod in octava resurrectionis ab omni poena et miseria cireumcideremur. Et secandum hoc octo dies erunt octo aetates, prima ab Adam usque ad Noae, secunda a Noae usque ad Abraham, tertia ab Abraham usque ad Moysen, quarta a Moyse usque ad David, quinta a David usque ad Christum, sexta a Christo usque ad finem mundi, septima morientium, octava resurgentium. Vel per octo dies intelliguntur octo, quae in aeterna vita possidebimus, quae enumerat Augustinus dicens: quid aliud est, ego ero illorum Deus, nisi ero iis unde satientur. Ero, quaecunque honeste desiderentur, scilicet vita, salus, victus, copia, gloria, honor, pax et omne bonum.
Vel aliter per septem dies intelligitur homo constans ex corpore et anima. Quattuor enim dies sunt quattuor elementa, ex quibus corpus consistit, el tres dies sunt tres potentiae, quae sunt in anima, scilicet concupiscibilis, irascibilis et rationalis. Homo igitur, qui nunc habet septem dies, quando unitati aeternae incommutabilitatis conjungetur, tunc octo dies habebit, et in illo octavo die ab omni poena et etiam culpa circumeidetur. Tertia ratio sumitur penes intellectum tropologicum sive moralem et secundum hoc octo dies diversimode possunt accipi. Primus potest esse peccati cognitio; Psalm: quoniam iniquitatem meam ego cognosco etc. Secundus propositum deserendi malum et faciendi bonum, quod notatur in filio prodigo, qui dixit: surgam et ibo ad patrem meum etc. Tertius pudor de peccato, unde apostolus: quem enim fructum tunc habuistis in illis, in quibus nunc erubescitis? Quartus timor defuturo judicio.
Jobus: quasi tumentes super me fluctus timui Deum, Hieronymus: sive comedam, sive bibam, sive aliquid aliud faciam, semper mihi videtur illa vox in auribus meis insonare: surgite mortui et venite ad judicium. Quintus contritio. Unde Jeremias: luctum unigeniti factibi etc. Sextus confessio. Psalmus : dixi confitebor adversum me injustitiam meam etc. Septimus spes veniae. Nametsi Judas peccatum suum confessus fuerit, tamennon in spe veniae, et ideo non est misericordiam consecutus. Octavus satisfactio et in hac die homo spiritualiter cireumciditur, non solum a culpa, sed etiam ab omni poena.
Vel duo primi dies sunt dolor de perpetratione peccati et desiderium emendandi; alii duo confiteri mala, quae fecimus, et bona quae omisimus; alii quattuor sunt oratio, lacrimarum effusio, corporis afflictio, eleemosinarum elargitio. Vel octo dies possunt esse octo, quorum diligens consideratio omnem voluntatem peccandi a nobis circumcidit. Ita, quod, qui unum diligenter consideravit, unam magnam diaetam faciet. Quorum septem emunerat Bernardus dicens: septem sunt de essentia hominis, quae si homo consideraret, in aeternum non peccaret, scilicet materia vilis, operatio turpis, exitus flebilis, status instabilis, mors tristabilis, dissolutio miserabilis et damnatio detestabilis. Et octava potest esse consideratio gloriae ineffabilis. Quarta ratio sumitur penes intellectam allegoricum sive spiritualem et secundum hoc V dies erunt V libri Moysis, in quibus continetur lex, duo erunt prophetae et psalmi, octavus dies erit doctrina evangelica. Sed in septem primis diebus non fiebat perfecta circumcisio, in octavo autem perfecta circumcisio fit ab omni culpa et ab omni poena, nunc in spe, sed tandeni in re Quare autem data fuerit circumcisio, sex sunt causae, quae notantur in his versibus:
Cauterium, signum, meritum, medicina, figura, Exemplum fuit olim circumcisio dura. De carne autem circumcisionis domini dicitur, quod angelus eam Carolo Magno attulit et ipse eam Aquisgrani in ecclesiam Sanctae Mariae honorifice collocavit, Carolus vero illam postea fertur Carosium transtulisse, nunc autem dicitur esse Romae in ecclesia, quae dicitur Sancta Sanctorum. Unde et ibidem scriptum legitur :
Circumcisa caro Christi sandalia clara Atque umbilici viget hic praecisio cara. Unde et ea die fit statio ad Sanctam Sanctorum. Sed si hoc verum, valde utique mirabile est. Cum enim caro ipsa sit de veritate humanae naturae, credimus, quod resurgente Christo rediit ad locum suum glorificatum, Aliqui dixerunt, quod hoc verum sit juxta opinionem illorum, qui dicunt illud solum esse de veritate humanae naturae, quae ab Adam traducta est, et istam solum resurgere. Notandum, quod olim a paganis et gentilibus in his calendis multae superstiliones observabantur, quas sancti etiam a Christianis vix exstirpare poterant, quas Augustinus in quodam sermone commemorat. Gredentes enim, ut dicit, Janum ducem quemdam Deum esse, eum in his calendis plurimum venerabantur et ci duas facies figurabant, unam post se, aliam ante se, quia erat terminus anni praeteriti et principium sequentis. Rursus in his calendis formas monstruosas assumebant, alii vestientes se pellibus pecudum, alii assumentes capita bestiarum, ex quo indicabatur, non tantum habitum, sed belluinum habere sensum. Alii tunicis muliebribus vestiebantur, non erubescentes inserere tunicis muliebribus militares lacertos.
Alii ita auguria observabant, ut focum de domo sua vel aliud quodcunque benefactum cuilibet petenti non tribuerent. Dyabolicas etiam strenas et ab aliis accipiunt et aliis tradunt. Alii in nocte mensas laute praeparant et sic tota nocte manere sinunt, credentes, quod per totum annum convivia in tali sibi abundantia perseverent. Et subdit Augustinus: qui de paganorum consuetudine aliquid observare voluerit, timendum est, ne nomen christiani ei prodesse non possit. Qui etiam stultis hominibus ludentibus aliquam humanitatem impenderit , peccati eorum participem se esse non dubitet: vobis auiem, fratres, non sufficiat, quod non hoc malum facitis, sed ubicunque fieri videbitis, arguite, corrigite, castigate. Haec Augustinus.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Dan.9.24 — Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city: to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.
The Golden Legend (Legenda Aurea) companion
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