VISIO NONA, cap. V
The Fish and the Fall
The allegorical fish-form signifies the Son of God's wholly holy birth and righteous life, while Adam's fall, exile, and the devil's boastful claim over fallen humanity unfold the tragedy of sin.
And so, with the rest of the body covered entirely with the fins of fish, not the wings of birds, it is signified that just as the form of fish is unlike the form of birds, and just as it is hidden how fish are born, how they grow, and how the waters in which they live run swiftly, and the fish themselves even flow swiftly along with them, so too the Son of God was born wholly in holiness, and in an alien nature — that is, separated from other human beings — he was wholly righteous, and in that righteousness, spreading the wings of all good works, he bore humanity up into heaven, just as it had also been foreshadowed many times in the ancient law through the signs of sacrifices, and so that through him it might then be fulfilled in the virgin nature. For as soon as Adam ate the deadly fruit, he conceived a taste in sin, so that he was able to sin. And so the glory of paradise withdrew from him, and he was sent into exile. At once, too, the devil brought lust against God, and he overthrew the birth of human beings with shameless disgrace, and in his deceit he thought that a human being, filthy as he was in such squalor, could not enter the kingdom of heaven, since he was not a people of fornication, nor was God himself theirs. For in filthiness the devil greatly rejoiced in the impulses of the flesh, and he said to himself: 'I cast the human being down from his glorious place, and I plunged him into the deepest filth, and therefore there is no part of God in him, because the whole world itself does not want or receive any defilement.' And therefore the human being will remain in my place.
The Secret Victory Over the Serpent
God secretly defeats the ancient serpent through his Son, breaking the hook of captivity and raising it as the banner of the cross, while the heavenly host sings a new song of praise for the liberated souls.
But God concealed the ancient serpent's plan for how he would free the human being, and through his Son he washed away the filth that had gushed out through that serpent's deceit, and he destroyed the wounds that lust had inflicted on the human being through him. This God did in the midst of his power, in which he was before all beginnings, and in the midst of the infernal pit of night he brought it about, just as he had also signified in the midst of the night through the striking angel — namely, in the midst of his power, because he was able to do whatever he wished; and in the midst of the night, when the ancient enemy in his proud opinion supposed that he had seized human beings just as he pleased, and so had possessed such a great multitude of people, as if he held them in the depths of his heart: then the Son of God, as was said before, came secretly, without the devil knowing, and with his humanity he broke the hook by which he used to catch human beings, and after conquering his enemies he hung it up as a sign of victory on the banner of the cross, and showed it to his Father with all the army of the heavenly host. And so that same host raised up a song of new praise, rejoicing that so great a multitude of blessed souls had been set free from such a savage captivity, because the Son of God spoken of before had placed them in a place of blessedness.✦
Why the Sinless One Suffered
The Father allowed his sinless Son to suffer so that the ancient deceiver would have no claim, since only one free from sin's debt could break the rope of captivity and redeem humanity through the garment of his humanity.
And why did almighty God allow his only Son, who owed nothing in the way of sin, to suffer such great sufferings? For this reason, namely, so that the ancient deceiver would not have any opportunity against God, because man had willingly consented to him, and since he had followed his precepts in all things. For if a sinful man were killed for other men, the wicked spirit would say that he could free no one, since he would have to be accused for his own sins, in which he had consented to it — and so he would have no possibility of drawing away the rope of captivity both for himself and for others. That is why the living God gave his Son, whose form was like the form of Adam, so that through the garment of his humanity he might redeem man.✦
The Five Mirrors on the Wings
A transitional note introduces the symbolic meaning of five mirrors appearing on the two middle wings of the image and how their inscriptions are to be understood.
Concerning the five mirrors appearing in various places on the two middle wings of the same image: what they signify, and how the writing shown on them is to be understood.
Read the original Latin
Unde et reliquo corpore velut piscium et non volatilium pennulis per totum velato designatur quod sicut forma piscium formae volatilium dissimilis existit, et ut occultum est quomodo pisces nascantur, et qualiter crescant et aquae in quibus vivunt festinum cursum habent, et pisces etiam cum ipsis festinanter fluunt, ita quoque et Filius Dei totus in sanctitate natus est, et in aliena natura, scilicet ab aliis hominibus separatus, in justitia totus sanctus fuit, in qua et hominem expansis alis omnium bonorum operum in coelum reportavit, sicut et in antiqua lege per signa sacrificiorum multoties praesignatum fuerat, et ut per ipsum in virginea natura deinde completum est. Mox enim ut Adam noxiale pomum comedit, gustum in peccatis concepit, ita ut peccare posset. Quapropter et paradisiaca gloria ab ipso recessit, et in exsilium missus est. Statim quoque diabolus luxuriam adversus Deum protulit, et nativitatem hominum cum impudica confusione evertit, atque in dolo suo cogitabat, quod homo qui in tantis sordidus esset, regnum coelorum intrare non posset quoniam fornicationis non esset populus Dei, nec ipse Deus eorum. In spurcitiis namque motus carnis diabolus valde gaudebat, et intra se dicebat: « Ego hominem de glorioso loco suo dejeci, eumque in maximas sordes misi, et ideo nulla pars Deo in illo est, quia ipse totus mundus nullam sordiditatem vult nec recipit. Quapropter et homo in loco meo remanebit. » Sed Deus antiquum serpentem celavit quomodo hominem liberare vellet, et spurcitias quae per dolum illius ebullierant, per Filium suum abluit, et vulnera quae homini luxuria inflixerat per illum delevit. Istud Deus in medio potentiae suae, in qua ante omnia initia fuit, et in medio noctis infernalis putei fecit, sicut et in medio noctis per angelum percutientem signaverat, in medio videlicet potentiae suae quoniam potens erat facere quaecunque voluit; atque in medio noctis, cum antiquus inimicus superba opinione putabat quod homines cepisset sicut vellet, et ita tantam multitudinem hominum possedisset, quasi eos in medio cordis sui haberet: tunc Filius Dei, ut praefatum est, diabolo nesciente, occulte venit, atque humanitate sua hamum illius quo homines capiebat confregit, quem etiam devictis hostibus suis pro signo triumphi in vexillum crucis suspendit, et Patri suo cum omni militia coelestis exercitus ostendit.
Unde et idem exercitus canticum novae laudis elevabat, gaudens quod tam magna multitudo beatarum animarum a tam truculenta captivitate liberata esset, quia praedictus Dei Filius eas in locum beatitudinis collocaverat.
Et quare omnipotens Deus unicum Filium suum qui nullum debitum in peccatis habuit, tantas passiones pati permisit? Idcirco videlicet, ne antiquus deceptor ullam occasionem adversus Deum haberet, quia homo illi libenter consenserat, et quoniam praecepta illius per omnia secutus fuerat. Si enim homo peccator pro aliis hominibus occideretur, malignus spiritus diceret quod ille nullum liberare posset, quoniam de propriis peccatis arguendus esset, in quibus ei consensisset, quapropter et nullam possibilitatem haberet, ut et sibi et aliis funem captivitatis abstraheret. Unde vivens Deus Filium suum dedit, cujus forma similis formae Adae fuit, quatenus per indumentum humanitatis suae hominem redimeret.
De quinque speculis in diversis locis duarum mediarum alarum ejusdem imaginis apparentibus, quid designent, et quomodo scriptura quae in eis ostensa est intelligenda sit.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Rev.14.3 — And they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. And no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand, those who have been redeemed from the earth.
- ↩John.3.16 — For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.
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