Omnes scripturas esse legendas; et de benedidione
The Divine Blessing of Knowledge
God's original blessing of humanity provides the foundation for our intellectual liberty and the pursuit of virtue through reading.
This is what was given to the first people and to the sons of Noah; it’s why authority takes precedence over the reason of the Gentiles. It’s reasonable to read all scriptures, provided they aren't of a condemned sort, since everything—not just what is written, but also what has been done—is believed to have been established for the benefit of humanity, even if people sometimes misuse it. For even the angels were in a way established for the sake of the soul, and the physical world was established for the use of the body, according to the assertion of the Fathers. From the beginning, God blessed humanity, saying: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." And adding every herb bearing seed and all the trees for their use (for they are believed to have abstained from eating meat before the flood), He granted them as food. He also blessed those whom the ark, a prefiguration of the Church, had delivered from the plague of the flood, and gave them the law, saying: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth; and let the fear and dread of you be upon every animal of the earth and upon every bird of the air, with everything that moves on the earth; all the fish of the sea are delivered into your hand, and everything that moves and lives shall be food for you; as I have given you the green herbs, I have given you everything, except that you shall not eat flesh with its blood." See how the same grace of blessing was bestowed upon the first people and the sons of Noah, the same authority of dignity, and the same indulgence regarding food was granted. For the increase and multiplication of grace expresses expansion; the dominion over the earth and the fear of beasts expresses the privilege of power; the abundance of provisions is a sign of liberty; for to the pure, all things are pure. I don't recall the privilege of this blessing being granted at any time other than when innocence was given through creation, or restored through the medicine of the Sacrament or penance. For perhaps it was said to them—both to those immediately after the flood and to those before the fall—'Be fruitful and multiply,' so that they might acquire the increase and multiplication of that which God bestowed upon man by nature or restored by grace. Yet man is commanded to grow in himself and, in a sense, to multiply in his offspring: in himself, for the sake of progress in merit; in his offspring, through a certain numerous propagation of virtues. But when nature is corrupted by sin, I don't recall that it is commanded to grow or multiply. Although what was said above can stand literally, since all things yield to the use of human life—and even things that seem deadly to sight, smell, or hearing, let alone touch or taste, such as the most harmful poisons, are food for man or are turned into his food—a mystical investigator will still be able to find another meaning. Yet the historical sense is reinforced by the fact that we see the healthiest fish and wild animals, whose meat is most useful, frequently devouring the most venomous reptiles, and these very poisons are inserted into medicines by which not only is human nature sustained, but infirmity also recovers. But since the historical sense must first be examined, whatever informs the soul more toward faith or toward the works of faith—which are good morals—is more praiseworthy and clearly more useful. For this is what must always be sought in reading: that a person may continually become better than they were.
The Art of Spiritual Digestion
We must approach all texts with discernment, imitating the bee by gathering truth from diverse sources while filtering out the vices that corrupt the soul.
However, since the preceding text can be usefully applied to many things, I agree that it can be adapted to mean that, through the grace bestowed by God's blessing for the increase and multiplication of virtue, the free will is stirred up. To these virtues multiplied by grace is added the subjection of the earth; once a person has subjected this in themselves, they gain dominion over themselves and others, so that, being placed over all living creatures, they strike fear and trembling into all that move upon the earth. Everything is therefore food for them, because the Lord speaks the words of His salvation to them in all creatures. They are clearly fed by everything that helps a person live or shape their character. It is certain that all growth in character comes from the Lord, and when someone is instructed in virtue—whether by an action, a word, or any other way—they are being usefully fed by what the Lord has granted them. Every instruction for salvation is in some way the word of God, and no matter who brings forth the truth of a teaching, it should be accepted, because the truth is always incorrupt and incorruptible. Before and after the flood, provided one abstains from blood, the use of all things was granted; and before and after baptism, provided one avoids sin, no one is forbidden from being instructed by any source. If the Apostle is to some a scent of death leading to death, what prevents the vessels of death from being useful to someone for life? When it is said, therefore, 'Eat whatever you wish, except for blood,' it is the same as if it were said through an image: 'Provided you flee from vices, read whatever you like.' Just as there are some foods that are digested usefully, while others turn into raw humors or are expelled entirely by the body's natural force; and just as some things benefit the healthy if taken in moderation, yet harm the sick, while others help the weak but are less beneficial to the healthy and those recovering—for these don't strengthen the constitution as much, since more delicate foods nourish less than common, more substantial ones, so to speak—so it is with books. There are books that benefit everyone, provided they are read with a sense of moderation, so that they contain nothing but what builds up faith and character; there are those that are meant for stronger souls and should certainly be kept away from the reading of the simple; there are those that a good mind should reject entirely; there are those that one should digest for the sake of character or eloquence; and there are those that harden the soul and create nothing but raw indigestion in faith and good works. Yet it's hard to find a book where a prudent reader won't find something to pass over, whether in its meaning or its words. Catholic books are generally safer and more cautious to read, while pagan works are more dangerous for the simple; but it is most useful for more faithful minds to be exercised in both. For a careful reading of individuals makes one very learned, while a cautious selection of the best makes one excellent. As we read in the Saturnalia and in Seneca’s letters to Lucilius, we ought to imitate bees: they wander about and gather flowers, then arrange what they've brought back, divide it among the honeycomb, and change the varied nectar into a single flavor through a certain mixture and the unique property of their own spirit. We, too, should convert whatever we gather through diverse reading into the practice of virtue, so that everything may coalesce into an orderly way of life, directed by the judgment of reason. For things are kept better when they are distinguished in the mind, and this very distinction—not without a certain ferment by which the whole is seasoned—blends various offerings into the use of a single flavor, so that even if it appears where it was taken from, it still appears to be something other than its source, just as we see nature do in our own bodies without any effort of our own.
Vigilance in the Garden of Wisdom
While we may learn from pagan authors, we must remain watchful for hidden dangers, ultimately finding our true protection in the love of Holy Scripture.
The food we eat is a burden to the stomach as long as it stays in its original state and remains solid; but once it has been changed from what it was, only then does it turn into strength, for blood is produced by divine command as vices are cast aside. The pastor of the Church is commanded to slaughter and eat reptiles and unclean things; while this refers properly to the calling of the Gentiles, it can also teach us through the conformity of example that, once the errors of the Gentiles have been put to death, we should by no means shrink from their teachings. Listen to the Pythagoreans when they teach about innocence, fragility, and contempt for the world; but when they push the souls they had raised to heaven back into the bodies of beasts, let even Plato be slaughtered. For in this he followed Pythagoras too much, in that he taught that just as the dead are made from the living, so the living are made from the dead in return, and that they migrate through various bodies according to the quality of their character. Hence that saying: 'I myself, for I remember, was Euphorbus the son of Panthous in the time of the Trojan War, in whose left breast the heavy spear of the younger Atrides stuck from the front.' Read them, therefore, in such a way that authority doesn't prejudice reason; for even a nettle, while one is picking a rose, sometimes stings the hand of the one touching it. Wisdom is indeed a kind of fountain from which flow the rivers that irrigate the whole earth, and they not only fill the garden of delights of the divine page, but also pass over to the Gentiles so that they aren't entirely lacking even to the Ethiopians. From this come the flowering, fragrant, and fruit-bearing gardens of the Gentiles. If a simple reader happens to enter them, let him always remember that poet: 'You who pick flowers and strawberries growing on the ground, flee from here, O boys, a cold snake lies hidden in the grass.' For no lazy person carries off the apples of the Hesperides, which a watchful dragon guards; nor does anyone who reads the Scriptures not as if they were awake, but as if they were dreaming while drowsy, or as if they were using spurs to rush toward the end of their reading. It is certain that a faithful and prudent reader, who keeps watch over the Scriptures out of love, always shuts out vices and in all things draws closer to life. This is why the doctor of doctors, Jerome, said: 'Love the knowledge of the Scriptures, and you won't love the vices of the flesh.'
Read the original Latin
quae primigenis data est etfiliis Noe; et quod rationi auctoritas nvMius gentilium praeiudicet. Omnes tamen scripturas legendas esse probabile est, nisi sint reprobatae lectionis, cum omnia non modo quae scripta sed etiam quae facta sunt ad utilitatem hominis, licet eis abutatur interdum, instituta credantur. Nam et angeli quodammodo propter animam, mundus corporeus secundum assertionem patrum ad corporis usum institutus est. Ab initio benedixit Deus homini dicens: Crescite et multiplicamini et replete terram et subicite eam et dominamini piscibus maris et uolatilibus celi et uniuersis animantibus quae mouentur super terram. Et adiciens omnem herbam afFerentem semen et uniuersa ligna in usu suo (nam a camis edulio ante diluuium creduntur abstinuisse) concessit eis in cibum. Illis quoque, quos a peste diluuii archa praefiguratrix Ecclesiae liberauerat, benedixit et legem dedit dicens: Crescite et multiplicamini et replete terram; et terror uester ac tremor sit super cuncta animalia terrae et super omnes uolucres celi cum uniuersis quae mouentur in terra; omnes pisces maris manui uestrae traditi sunt, et omne quod mouetur et uiuit erit uobis in cibum; quasi olera uirentia tradidi uobis omnia, excepto quod carnem cum sanguine non comedetis. Ecce quia primigenis et filiis Noe eadem benedictionis collata est gratia, eadem auctoritas dignitatis, eadem et ciborum fere concessa est indulgentia. Augmentum namque et multiplicatio gratiae dilatationem exprimit; dominium terrae et bestiarum terror priuilegium potestatis, uictualium uniuersitas est indicium libertatis; omnia siquidem munda mundis.
Nec recolo huius benedictionis priuilegium alio indultum tempore quam quo innocentia per creationem data est aut per medicinam sacramenti uel penitentiae reparata. Nam et his statim post diluuium et illis ante peccatum ideo forte dictum est: Crescite et multiplicamini, ut illius dumtaxat augmentum et multiplicatio adquiratur quod Deus homini contulit per naturam aut reformauit per gratiam. Hoc autem et crescere iubetur in se et quodammodo multiplicari in sobole; in se quidem ad meriti profectum, in sobole numerosa quadam propagatione uirtutum. Cum uero natura sit uitiata per culpam, ut crescere aut multiplicari iubeatur non memini. Licet autem quae praemissa sunt stare queant ad litteram, cum omnia in usum uitae hominis cedant, et ea ipsa quae uidentur esse mortifera etiam uisu odoratu auditu nedum tactu uel gustu, qualia sunt nocentius uenenosa, cibus sint hominis aut eius uertantur in cibum, poterit tamen et alium sensum scrutator misticus inuenire. Sensum tamen historicum roborat quod pisces sanissimos et feras, quarum cames utilissimae sunt, uidemus crebro uenenatissima reptilia deuorare, et ipsa uenena inseruntur medicamentis quibus non modo natura sustentatur humana a sed etiam infirmitas conualescit. Cum uero primum sit excutiendus sensus historicus, quicumque animum uel ad fidem uel ad opera fidei, quae sunt boni mores, magis informat, laudabilior et plane utilior est. Hoc enim lectione semper quaerendum est ut homo seipso melior iugiter fiat.
Verum cum littera praecedens utiliter ad multa possit referri, et ad hoc posse aptari consentio ut per gratiam ex benedictione Dei collatam ad uirtutis incrementum et multiplicationem liberum excitetur arbitrium et uirtutibus multiplicatis per gratiam adiciatur subiectio terrae quam cum in se ipso homo subiecerit, dominium sui aliorumque consequitur, ut, cunctis animantibus praelatus, timorem et tremorem incutiat omnibus quae mouentur in terra. Sunt ei ergo cuncta in cibum quia in omnibus creaturis ei uerba salutis suae loquitur Dominus. Plane cibatur in cunctis quibus ad uitam uel mores componendos uita hominis proficit. Constat enim quod omnis edificatio morum a Domino est et, cum quis ad uirtutem aut ab opere aut a uerbo aut quocumque modo instruitur, concessis sibi a Domino utiliter cibatur. Omnis enim instructio salutis quodammodo uerbum Dei est, et a quocumque ueritas doctrinae proferatur, acceptanda est eo quod ueritas incorrupta semper et incorruptibilis est. Ante diluuium et post, dum sanguine abstineatur, concessus est omnium usus; et ante baptismum et post, dummodo peccatum uitet, nemo undecumque instrui prohibetur. Si Apostolus est aliquibus odor mortis in mortem, quid prohibet et uasa mortis alicui prodesse ad uitam? Cum ergo dicitur: Quicquid uis praeter sanguinem comede, perinde est ac si quadam imagine dicatur: Dummodo uitia fugias, quod uolueris lege.
Sicut in escis carnalibus quaedam sunt quae digeruntur utiliter; quaedam uertuntur in crudos humores, alia per uim expulsiuam eiciuntur omnino; quaedam sunt quae sanis, si tamen modeste sumantur, conferunt et obsunt egrotatiuis; quaedam debilioribus faciunt, minus tamen conducunt sanis et sanatiuis; nam haec ipsa non adeo naturam roborant; delicatiora siquidem minus nutriunt, magis communia et alimenti, ut ita dixerim, pinguioris. Sic et in libris sunt quae omnibus prosunt, dum tamen legantur modestia dispensante, ut quae nichil continent nisi edificationem fidei et morum; sunt quae solidioribus animis faciant, habenda quidem procul a lectione simplicium; sunt quae natura bonae mentis omnino eiciat; sunt quae digerat in usum morum aut eloquentiae; sunt quae indurent animam et in fide et bonis operibus solam faciant cruditatem. Yix autem inuenietur scriptum in quo, si non in sensu uel in uerbis, non reperiatur aliquid quod pradens lector emittit. Ceteram libri catholici tutius leguntur et cautius, et gentiles simplicibus periculosius patent; sed in utrisque exerceri a fidelioribus ingeniis utilissimum est. Nam exquisita lectio singuloram doctissimum, cauta electio melioram optimum facit. Vt enim in libro Satumalioram et in epistolis Senecae ad Lucilium legitur, apes quodammodo debemus imitari, quae uagantur et flores carpunt, deinde quicquid adtulere disponunt et per fauos diuidunt et succum uarium in unum saporem mixtura quadam et proprietate spiritus sui mutant. Nos quoque, quicquid diuersa lectione quaesiuiraus, conuertamus in usum uirtutis ut omnia in ordinem gerendorum rationis iudicio digerente coalescant. Nam et in animo melius distincta seraantur, et ipsa distinctio non sine quodam fermento, quo conditur uniuersitas, in unius saporis usum uaria libamenta confundit ut, etiamsi appab raerit unde sumptum sit, aliud tamen esse quam unde sumptum noscetur appareat, quod in corpore nostro facere uidemus sine omni opera nostra naturam.
Alimenta quae accipimus, quamdiu in sua qualitate perseuerant et solida innatant, male stomaco oneri sunt; at cum ex eo quod erant mutata sunt, tum demum in uires transeunt; sanguis enim ex diuino mandato diducitur dum uitia declinantur. Pastor Ecclesiae reptilia et immunda mactare praecipitur et comedere; quod, licet ad uocationem gentium proprie referatur, uel exempli conformitate docere potest ut iugulatis erroribus gentilium dogmata nequaquam horreamus. Dum innocentiam, fragalitatem, contemptum mundi docent Pitagorici, audiantur; dum animas, quas in celum euexerunt, retrudunt in corpora bestiarum, iuguletur uel Plato. Nam in eo Pitagoram nimis secutus est quod sicut mortuos ex uiuis, ita ex mortuis reciproce uiuos fieri docuit et per uaria corpora pro morum qualitate migrare. Vnde illud: Ipse ego, nam memini, Troiani tempore belli Pantoides Euforbus eram, cui pectore leuo haesit ab aduerso grauis hasta minoris Atridae. Sic ergo legantur ut auctoritas non praeiudicet rationi; nam et urtica, dum rosa legitur, quandoque manum tangentis urit. Sapientia siquidem fons quidam est de quo egrediund tur flumina quae irrigant omnem terram, et non modo ortum deliciarum diuinae paginae replent sed etiam ad gentes pertranseunt ut nec etiam Ethiopibus omnino desint. Inde sunt floridi redolentes et fructiferi gentium orti, quos si forte simplex lector ingreditur, semper poetici illius meminerit: Qui legitis flores et humi nascentia fraga, frigidus, o pueri, fugite hinc, latet anguis in herba.
Nam et poma Hesperidum, quae draco peruigil seruat, nullus asportat ignauus aut qui scripturas non quasi uigilans legerit sed quasi dormitans sompniauerit ac si ad finem legendorum utens calcaribus properet. Certum est quia fidelis lector et prudens et qui litteris ex amore ina uigilat, uitia semper excludit et in omnibus accedit ad uitam. Hinc est illud doctoris doctorum leronimi: Ama scientiam scripturarum et camis uitia non amabis.
Policraticus companion
Study the argument weekly; pray the tradition daily
Pair the outline with the Chosen Portion app, which serves short daily portions from the same royal devotional tradition — free on iOS.
John of Salisbury argued that rulers must keep the law of God before their eyes daily; Chosen Portion gives modern readers that same daily discipline in five minutes a morning.
- 8 weeks, one book per week, with the 3-4 key chapters flagged in each
- Discussion questions usable for a reading group from week one
- A daily 5-minute companion portion in the app alongside your weekly study