SR
Chapter 24LiVM.2.24

XXVIIII. Prophetiae de Incarnatione Christi clarae et candidae

XXVIIII. Prophetiae de Incarnatione Christi clarae et candidae

But the book, which is likened to the marble and pure white stone on the back of that same man, signifies that reason, in the protection of the strength of prophecy, which foretold Christ to come, remained and foresaw his incarnation as if in shadow; for whoever sees the back of someone does not yet know his face, but wonders what that face is like; in the same way, the prophets foretold the Son of God, but they did not yet know him in the flesh. From this, there was also a certain hardness, like a marble solidity, in them, because they were filled with the Holy Spirit, flattering no one, but standing firm in the integrity of truth, and they did not divide themselves in their words; for they received nothing other than what they spoke from the one who is wholly and entirely God. And in this way, they were like stone, because they stood firm in their rigor and did not yield at all; yet they did this in the clarity of simplicity, since they spoke nothing other than what they saw and knew, just as an infant in its simplicity speaks only what it sees and knows.

Read the original Latin

Sed quod liber, qui in ala dorsi ejusdem viri, et marmoreo et integro lapidi candidi coloris assimilatur, hoc est quod rationalitas in protectione fortitudinis prophetiae, quae Ghristum futurum prophetabat, manens, incamationem ejus velut in umbra praevidit; quoniam qui dorsum alicujus videt, faciem ejus nondum novit, sed quae facies illius sit, miratur; sic et prophetae Filium Dei prophetabant, sed eum in came nondum sciebant.

Unde etiam quaedam duritia, velut marmorea soliditas, in eis fuit, quia Spiritu Sancto perfusi, nulli adulabantur, sed in integritate veritatis perstiterunt, nec se hac, nec illac in verbis suis scindebant; quoniam de nuUo alio acceperunt quod dixerunt, quam de illo qui totus integer Deus est.

Et hoc modo lapidei erant, quia in rigore suo perstiterunt, nec uUi cedebant: quod tamen in candore simplicitatis faciebant, quoniam nihil aliud loquebantur quam quod videbant et sciebant, sicut nec infans in simplicitate sua aliquid loquitur quam quod videt et scit.

Liber Vitae Meritorum (Book of the Rewards of Life) companion

Examination is a habit, not an event

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Hildegard's rhythm of naming a vice and answering it with virtue continues as short daily examen-style devotionals in the Chosen Portion app

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Chosen Portion — Daily Prayer (free iOS app)