SEnno me pare & cortesìa empazir per lo bel Messìa
The Wisdom of Holy Folly
The author argues that the apparent madness of loving Christ is actually the highest form of wisdom and spiritual education.
It seems wise and noble to me to go mad for the beautiful Messiah.1 To me, anyone willing to go mad for God possesses such great wisdom that even Paris has never seen such profound philosophy. Anyone who has gone mad for Christ may seem afflicted and troubled, but he is a master, fully trained in natural philosophy and theology. Anyone who goes mad for Christ looks like a fool to everyone else; whoever hasn't experienced it thinks he's lost his way. Whoever wants to enter this school will find a new teaching: no one knows how good this madness is until they’ve experienced it.
The Humility of the Cross
True love for Christ requires abandoning the pursuit of worldly honor and embracing the humility of the cross.
Anyone who wants to join this dance finds a love beyond all measure; a hundred days’ pardon for anyone who insults him.2 But anyone who goes looking for honor isn't worthy of his love, because Jesus hung on the cross between two thieves. But it seems to me that anyone seeking out of shame is just wasting their time; they won't learn anything more in Bologna to master another skill.
Read the original Latin
SEnno me pare & cortesìa empazir per lo bel Messìa.
Ello me sa sì gran sapere a chi per Dio uol empazire, en Parige non se uidde ancor sì gran phylosophìa.
Chi per Christo ua empazato, par afflicto et tribulato; ma è maestro conuentato en natura & theologìa.
Chi per Christo ne ua pazo, a la gente sì par matto; chi non ha prouato el facto, pare che sia fuor de la uia.
Chi uol entrare en questa scola, trouerà doctrina noua; la pazìa, chi non la proua, già non sa que ben se sia.
Chi uol entrar en questa danza, troua amor d’esmesuranza; cento dì de perdonanza a chi li dice uillanìa.
Ma chi ua cercando honore, non è degno del suo amore, ché Iesù fra doi latrone en mezzo la croce staìa.
Ma chi cerca per uergogna, ben me par che cetto iogna; ià non uada più a Bologna a mparar altra mastrìa.
Notes
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