The Eyes Of The Wise

VERANUS. Quare dicit: Sapientis oculi in capite eius, stultus autem in tenebris ambulat? Nunquid oculi stulti non sunt in capite ipsius? SALONIUS. Oculi in hoc loco non possunt corporales, sed spirituales intelligi: oculi videlicet mentis, id est sensus et intentiones animi. Per caput vero designatur Christus, unde Apostolus ait: Caput viri Christus. Oculi viri sapientis in capite sunt, quia vir sapiens omnem intentionem suam ad Christum dirigit, et in Christo collocat, et oculos suae mentis semper ad coelestia meditanda sublevat: stultus vero in tenebris ambulat, quia et stultitiae simul, et peccatorum suorum tenebris obscuratur, et amore huius mundi obscuratur; odit enim coelestia, et ideo non potest, sicut vir sapiens, ad coelum oculos suos erigere, quia non cogitat ea quae Dei sunt, sed quae huius saeculi. VERANUS. Quid ergo distat inter virum sapientem et stultum? SALONIUS. Hoc distat, quia iste sapientia et claritate illustratur et exornatur; ille vero errore stultitiae suae obtenebratur et deturbatur. Tantum quippe distat inter sapientem et stultum, quantum inter diem et noctem, lucem et tenebras. VERANUS. Quomodo tantum distat inter sapientem et stultum, cum unus sit interitus utriusque: sic enim moritur doctus ut indoctus, sapiens ut insipiens? SALONIUS. Quamvis unus sit occasus, et similis mors sapientis et stulti, et saepe in hac vita magis affligatur sapiens quam stultus; tamen non erit similis memoria in futuro nec aequalem percipient remunerationem, quoniam sapiens in die iudicii ad regni coelestis elevabitur gloriam, stultus vero demergetur in aeterna damnationis tormenta. VERANUS. Quis est ergo iste sapiens qui tantum distat a stulto quantum lux a tenebris? Nunquid ille qui philosophicae tantum disciplinae pollet affluentia, vel liberalium artium splendet eloquentia? SALONIUS. Nonnunquam saecularis prudentia inimica Deo est, et carnalis sapientia, quamvis eloquentiae floribus exornetur, nullum tamen in se spiritualem, nullum perpetuae beatitudinis fructum continet: sed ille veraciter est sapiens qui Dominum diligit, qui eius mandata custodit, et quantum possibile est humanae fragilitati, eius voluntatem in omnibus studet implere, de quo paulo inferius dicit: Homini bono, in conspectu suo dedit Deus sapientiam, et scientiam, et laetitiam. Salonius Viennensis, Expositio mystica in Ecclesiasten Source: Migne PL 53.997b-998a

Veranus: Why is it said 'The eyes of a wise man are in his head but a fool walks in darkness?' 1 Are the eyes of a fool not in his head? Salonius: In this passage eyes are not to be understood bodily but spiritually, that is, they are the eyes of the mind, that is, the sense and intention of the soul. The head signifies Christ, hence the Apostle says, 'The head of a man is Christ.' 2 The eyes of a wise man are in his head because the wise man directs all his intent to Christ, and in Christ he places himself, and he is always lifting up the eyes of his mind to heavenly things. The fool, however, walks in darkness because his sins set him in darkness and at the same time the love of this world blinds him, so that he despises heavenly things and therefore is not able, unlike the wise man, to raise his eyes to heaven, because he does not think on the things of God but the things of this world. Veranus: What, then, is the difference between the wise man and the fool? Salonius: This is the difference, the former is brightened and adorned with wisdom and enlightenment, but the latter is set in darkness and cast down. There is as great a distance between the wise man and the foolish man as between day and night, light and darkness. Veranus: How is there such a great distance between the wise man and the foolish man when one ruin comes upon both, for the learned die like the unlearned and the wise like the unwise? 3 Salonius: Although death is one and alike the wise man and the foolish man die, and often in this life the wise man suffers more afflictions than the fool, yet there shall not be the same remembrance of them in the future nor will they receive an equal reward, because on the day of judgement the wise man will be lifted up to the glory of the heavenly kingdom but the fool will be driven down to the endless torments of damnation. Veranus: Who, then, is this wise man who is as greatly different from the fool as light from darkness? Is it not the one who excels in the riches of philosophy and is resplendent in the eloquence of the liberal arts? Salonius: Often the wisdom of the world is an enemy of God, and carnal wisdom, even if adorned with the flowers of eloquence, has nothing spiritual in itself, and contains no fruit of perpetual beatitude. He is truly wise who loves the Lord, who keeps His commandments, and as much as it is possible for human fragility is zealous in fulfilling His will in all things, concerning which it is said a little below, 'To the man who is good in His sight God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy.' 4 Salonius of Geneva, A Spiritual Exposition of Ecclesiastes 1 Eccl 2.14 2 1 Cor 11.3 3 Eccl 2.14-15 4 Eccl 2.26