Wisdom And Heaven

Quis enim hominum poterit scire consilium Dei? aut quis poterit cogitare quid velit Deus? Cogitationes enim mortalium timidae, et incertae providentiae nostrae; corpus enim quod corrumpitur aggravat animam, et terrena inhabitatio deprimit sensum multa cogitantem. Et difficile aestimamus quae in terra sunt, et quæ in prospectu sunt invenimus cum labore: quae autem in caelis sunt, quis investigabit? Sensum autem tuum, quis sciet, nisi tu dederis sapientiam... Quis enim hominum etc. Hic ostendit finis difficultatem, primo ostendens, quod Dei voluntas sine sapientia sciri non potest; secundo, quod solum per eam sciri potest: Sensum autem tuum. Quod sine illa sciri non possit, ostendit primo ex divini sensus profunditate; secundo, ex sensus humani imperfectione: Cogitationes enim; tertio, ex rerum sensibilium comparatione, ibi: Et difficile aestimamus etc. Bene dixi: Mitte illam etc; quis enim hominum, scilicet purus homo, poterit scire, scilicet sine sapientia tua, consilium Dei? quod est in praevidendo et disponendo fienda; Isaiae quadragesimo: Quis adiuvit spiritum Domini , aut quis consiliarius eius fuit? Aut quis poterit cogitare, id est cogitando nosse, quid velit Deus? scilicet operando praevisa, quasi dicat: nullus; unde ad Romanos undecimo: altitudo divitiarum sapientiae et scientiae Dei etc. Cogitationes enim mortalium, scilicet quamdiu sumus in statu mortalitatis, timidae; Glossa: Id est fragiles; et hoc quantum ad ea quae sunt supra rationem. Et incertae providentiae nostrae; Glossa: Quia anima mutabilis est, et caro corruptibilis, et hoc quantum ad ea quae sunt sub ratione et veri cogitatione. Corpus enim, quod corrumpitur, id est, quod continuae corruptioni subiacet, propter quod putredini comparatur; lob vigesimo quinto: Homo putredo, et filius hominis vermis. Aggravat animam, scilicet affectum eius a caelestibus retrahendo; ad Galatas quinto: Caro concupiscit adversus spiritum. Corpus, quod corrumpitur, aggravat animam. Notandum, quod corpus animam peccato originali maculat; lob decimo quarto: Quis potest facere mundum de immundo conceptum semine? Item necessitati peccati venialis obligat; ad Romanos septimo: Quod odi malum , illud facio. Item , ad peccatum mortale inclinat; Genesis octavo: Proni sensus, et cogitatio humani cordis in malum prona sunt ab adolescentia. Item, intellectum a contemplatione veritatis obnubilat; supra secundo: Umbrae transitus tempus nostrum, umbrae, scilicet interpositione corporis opaci inter animam et solem iustitiae. Item, affectum ab amore caelestium retardat, ut hic: Corpus, quod corrumpitur, aggravat animam. Item, potentias motivas a bono impedit et ligat; in Psalmo: Educ de custodia, vel de carcere, animam meam; item ad Romanos septimo: Non, quod volo bonum, hoc ago. Item, spiritui continuum bellum suscitat; ad Galatas quinto: Caro concupiscit adversus spiritum. Item, cura sui spiritum sollicitat, contra quod Matthaei sexto: Nolite solliciti esse etc. Item, suis molestiis animam perturbat; Danielis decimo tertio: Angustiae mihi sunt undique. Item, sui mutabilitate eius quietem turbat et variat; lob decimo quarto: Et nunquam in eodem statu permanet. Et terrena inhabitatio deprimit, id est, deorsum premit a contemplatione aeternorum retrahendo, id est ad terrena inclinando; sensum, id est intellectum humanum; Genesis octavo: Sensus et cogitatio humani cordis prona sunt in malum ab adolescentia, ideo ad Romanos septimo: Infelix etc. Sensum, inquam, multa cogitantem, id est temporalia, quae multa sunt, non aeterna, quae unum sunt, secundum illud Lucae decimo: Turbaris erga plurima , porro unum est necessarium. Et difficile etc, quasi dicat: Et hoc patet, quia difficile aestimamus, id est, aestimative non certitudinaliter cognoscimus; Ecclesiastae primo: Cunctae res difficles; quae in terra sunt, id est sensibilia inferiora. Et quae in prospectu sunt, id est, in aperto, sicut naturas rerum sensibilium superiorum; invenimus cum labore; Ecclesiastae octavo: Et homo, qui diebus ac noctibus somnum non capit oculis; et intellexi, quod omnium operum Dei nullam possit homo invenire rationem. Philosophus: Sicut se habet oculus noctuae ad lucem solis, sic intellectus noster ad manifestissima naturae. Quae autem in caelis sunt quis investigabit? cum sint tam remota a nobis; Ecclesiastici tertio: Altiorate ne quaesieris; Ecclesiastae quinto: Deus in caelo,et tu super terram; idcirco pauci sint sermones tui. Sensum autem tuum etc. Hic ostendit, quod voluntas divina potest solum sciri per sapientiam. Hoc autem ostendit appropriando ei triplicem effectum,scilicet effectum instruendi intelligentiam; corrigendi culpam: Et sic correctae; sanandi naturam, ibi: Nam per sapientiam etc. Sanctus Bonaventura, Commentarius In Librum Sapientiae, Caput IX Source: Here, 391e-392

For who among men can know the counsel of God? Or who can think of what God wishes? Our mortal thoughts are hesitant, and our foresight doubtful. Our body which is corrupted weighs down the soul and the earthly habitation presses down the mind with many thoughts. And with difficulty we judge the things of earth and what is ahead we find with toil. Who, then shall investigate the things in heaven? Who may know your mind unless you give wisdom? 1 Here is shown the resolution of the difficulty, firstly by showing that the will of God cannot be known without wisdom, secondly, that only by her is it possible to know. 'Your counsel.' That without her it is impossible to know, he shows first from the profundity of Divine counsel, secondly from the imperfection of human counsel. 'For thoughts...' thirdly from a comparison with sensibile things, where: 'with difficulty we judge...' Well I said, 'Send her...' 2 Who among men, that is, the pure man, can know, that is, without your wisdom, the counsel of God, that is in foreseeing and disposing things to be. In the fortieth chapter of Isaiah: 'Who gives aid to the spirit of God, or who was his counsellor?' 3 'Or who is able to think on...' that is, to know by thinking, 'what God wills?' That is, to have foresight in the work, as if he said: 'No one.' Whence in the eleventh chapter of Romans: 'O height of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God.' 4 For 'mortal thoughts...' that is, while we are in mortal state, 'are hesitant.' The Gloss: 'that is, fragile.' And this as much as they are for things above reason. 'And our foresight doubtful.' The gloss: 'Because the soul is changeable and the flesh corruptible.' And this as much as they are for things beneath reason and thought of the truth. 'For the body which is corrupted...' that is, which is subject to continual corruption, on account of which it is compared to putrification. In the twenty fourth chapter of Job: 'A man rots, and the son of man is a worm.' 5 'Weighs down the soul.' that is, it draws its desires away from heavenly things. In the fifth chapter of Galatians: 'The flesh desires against the spirit.' 6 'The body which is corrupted weighs down the soul...' Let it be noted that the body stains the soul with original sin. In the fourteenth chapter of Job: 'Who is able to be made clean from the conception of unclean seed?' 7 The same binds to inescapable venial sin. In the seventh chapter of Romans: 'The evil I hate, I do.' 4 The same inclines to mortal sin, in the eighth chapter of Genesis; 'The mind sinks, and the thought of the human heart inclines to evil from its youth.' 8 The same obscures the understanding from contemplation of truth. Concerning which the second chapter of Wisdom says: 'Our time passes by like a shadow.' 9 A shadow as the interposition of a opaque body between the soul and the sun of righteousness. The same drags away affection from the love of heaven,as here: 'The body which is corrupted weighs down the soul.' The same impedes the potential motion to good and fetters it. In the Psalm: 'Lead from captivity,' or from prison, 'my soul.' 10 In the seventh chapter of Romans, 'I do not do the good I wish.' 4 The same is fuel for continual spiritual warfare. In the fifth chapter of Galatians: 'The flesh desires against the spirit.' 6 The same has care of its own spirit, against which the sixth chapter of Matthew says: 'Do not be anxious...' 11 The same with its own troubles disturbs the soul. In the thirteenth chapter of Daniel: 'There is anguish for me on every side.' 12 The same distresses and bewilders with its mutability. In the fourteenth chapter of Job: 'And he never remains in the same state.' 13 'And the earthly habitation presses down...' that is, it presses one down to things below, dragging one away from the contemplation of eternal things, that is, it inclines one to the earth. 'The mind...' that is, the human intellect. In the eighth chapter of Genesis: 'The mind and thought of the human heart inclines to evil from its youth.' 8 Therefore in the seventh chapter of Romans: 'Unhappy...' 14 'The mind,' I say, that thinks of much, that is on temporal things, which are many, and not eternal things which are one, according to the tenth chapter of Luke: 'You are troubled by many things, one thing is necessary.' 15 'And with difficulty,' as if he said: 'And this is evident,' that 'with difficulty we judge,' we know by estimate not certitude. In the first chapter of Ecclesiastes: 'All things are difficult,' 16 which are on the earth, that is, sensible things below. And what is in view, that is, openly, as the natures of sensible things above, we discover with labour. Ecclesiastes chapter eight: 'He is a man who does not give sleep to his eyes day and night.' 17 And he is not able to find the cause of all the things of the works of God. The Philosopher: 'As the eye of the little owl for daylight, so our intellect to the most manifest things of nature.' 18 'Who shall investigate the things of heaven? When they are so remote from us. In the third chapter of Ecclesiasticus: 'Do not seek things far above you.' 19 In the fifth chapter of Ecclesiastes: 'God is in heaven and you are on earth, therefore let your words be few.' 20 'Your mind...' Here he shows that the Divine will cannot be known but by wisdom. For here he shows the triple effect of appropriating it, that is, the effect of instructing the intellect, correcting fault, and so corrected, healing nature. So 'Unless you give wisdom...' Saint Bonaventura, Commentary On Wisdom, Chapter 9 1 Wisd 9.13-17 2 Wisd 9.12 3 Isaiah 40.13 4 Rom 7.15 5 Job 25.6 6 Galat 5.17 7 Job 14.4 8 Gen 8.21 9 Wisd 2.5 10 Ps 141.8 11 Mt 6.31 12 Dan 13.22 13 Job 14.2 14 Rom 7.24 15 Lk 10.41-42 16 Eccl 1.8 17 Eccl 8.16 18 Aristotle, Metaph 2 993b (but bats' eyes for owl) 19 Sirach 3.22 20 Eccl 3.1