Chastity And Cleanliness

Gloriosum et insignem inter caeteras virtutes locum castitas et munditia tenet, fratres charissimi, quia ipsa sola est quae mundas mentes hominum praestat videre Deum. Unde ipsa Veritas ait: Beati mundo corde, quoniam ipsi Deum videbunt; ac si e contrario diceret: Illi vero miseri sunt quorum corda carnali concupiscentia sunt polluta, quia aeternas merguntur in tenebras. Castitas enim angelica est vita; castitas cum humilitate, Spiritus sancti merebitur habitationem, quem expellit immunditia libidinum, dicente Scriptura: Corpus peccatis subditum Spiritus sanctus effugiet. Membra nostra debent Deo esse dicata, non fornicationi: opponat homo desiderio carnis suae aeternorum flammas tormentorum; assuescat juvenis castitatem, ut sit dignus sapientiae Dei. Ubi immunditia est corporis, ibi habitatio diabolici spiritus, qui maxime gaudet in inquinatione carnis nostrae. Omnes immunditiae Deo displicent, et maxime quae non sunt naturales. Admonet itaque nos Scriptura sancta dicens: Post concupiscentias tuas non eas, et a voluntate tua avertere. Si praestes animae tuae concupiscentias ejus, faciet te in gaudium inimicis tuis venire. Ejus quoque modi Salomon sapientissimus proferebat sententias de cavenda immunditia carnis, dicens: Favus enim distillans labia meretricis, et nitidius oleo guttur ejus. Novissima autem illius amara quasi absinthium, et acuta quasi gladius biceps. Pedes ejus descendunt ad mortem, et ad inferos gressus illius penetrant. Per semitam vitae non ambulant, vagi sunt gressus ejus et investigabiles. Nunc ergo, fili, audi me, et ne recedas a verbis oris mei. Longe fac ab ea viam tuam, et ne appropinques foribus domus ejus. Hoc siquidem non solum de meretricum immunditia dixit, sed etiam de omni carnis concupiscentia, quae sollicitat animam suam consentire desideriis suis: sed ratio mentis prohibere debet impetus carnis et refrenare voluptates ejus iniquas. Item ille qui supra, prohibens cohabitationem feminarum juvenibus, dicit: Nunquid abscondere potest homo ignem in sinu suo, ut vestimenta illius non ardeant; aut ambulare super prunas et non comburantur plantae ejus: sic qui ingreditur ad mulierem proximi sui, non erit mundus cum tetigerit eam. Similiter et beatus Paulus admonet nos: Bonum est, inquiens, mulierem non tangere, quasi statim in tactu periculum esset: pulchra est enim casta juvenum pudicitia, et Deo amabilis, et ad omne bonum utilis. Qui filios habet spiritales, vel carnales, nutriat illos in castitate, Deo, non in fornicatione, diabolo. Quid prodest homini filium habere, nutrire, amare, si aeternis eum nutriat tormentis. Qui in castitate vivunt, angelicam habent in terris conversationem. Castitas hominem coelo conjungit, angelis facit civem. Rabanus Maurus, Homilia XLVII, De Castitate et Munditia Source: Migne PL 110.87a-88a

Chastity and cleanliness hold a glorious and wondrous place among the other virtues, dearest brothers, because it is only those with pure minds who are given the sight of God. Hence the Truth Himself says, 'Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God,' 1 as if on the contrary He had said, 'They are wretched whose hearts are defiled with carnal lusts, because they shall sink into eternal darkness.' Chastity is the angelic life, chastity with humility merits the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, whom the uncleanliness of lust expels, with Scripture saying, 'The Holy Spirit flees a body ruled by sin.' 2 Our members should be dedicated to God not to a whore. A man sets himself in the flames of eternal torment with his carnal desires. Accustom a youth to chastity so that he might be worthy of the wisdom of God. When the body is unclean a diabolical spirit dwells there, one who loudly rejoices in the defilement of our flesh. All uncleanliness is displeasing to God, especially those which are not natural. Holy Scripture warns us, saying, 'Do not go after your desires, and turn away from your will. If you give your soul to its desires you shall come to be the joy of your enemy.' 3 The most wise Solomon also sets forth passages to warn against the uncleanliness of the flesh, saying, 'Honey drips for the lips of a whore and her neck shines with oil, but soon enough she shall be as bitter as wormwood, and as sharp as a two edged sword. He feet lead down to death, and her steps walk into hell. They do not walk on the path of life, those steps wander and are unaccountable. Now then, my son, hear me, and do not turn from the words of my mouth. Keep her far from your way, and do not approach the doors of her house.' 4 Certainly he was not speaking only of the uncleanliness of a whore, but even of every lust of the flesh, which invites the soul to agree to its desires. But the rational mind should forbid the urging of the flesh and bind back its wicked pleasures. A little later the same author, prohibiting the cohabitation of women with young men, says, 'It is never possible for a man to hide a fire in his lap so that his clothing is not burnt, or to walk upon coals and not burn the soles of his feet, so he who goes to see the wife of his neighbour shall not be clean when he touches her.' 5 Likewise Paul warns us, 'It is good for one not to touch a woman,' 6 as if a touch were instant peril. Fair is the chastity of young men, loveable to God, and useful in everything. He who has spiritual sons and not carnal ones, shall nourish them on chastity for God, and not on fornication for the devil. What does it profit a man to have a son and to feed hm and to love hm, if he raises him for eternal torment? Those who live chastely, they have the way of angels on earth. A man of chastity is bound to heaven, a fellow citizen with angels. Rabanus Maurus, from Homily 47, On Chastity and Uncleanliness 1 Mt 5.8 2 Wisd 1.5 3 Sirach 18.30-31 4 Prov 5.3-8 5 Prov 6.27-29 6 1 Cor 7.1

Piety And Seeking

Sentite de Domino in bonitate, et in simplicitate cordis quaerite illum. In bonitate autem de Domino sentit qui sacram Scripturam secundum pietatem legit atque intelligit, et in simplicitate cordis eum quaerit, qui humiliter ejus voluntati se subjicit ad custodiendum videlicet mandata ejus. Nam qui pie quaerit Dominum, honorat sacram Scripturam, et non reprehendit quod nondum intelligit, et propterea non resistit: quod est mitem esse, de quo in Evangelio Veritas ipsa ait: Beati mites, quoniam ipsi possidebunt terram. Hinc ergo mundi philosophi, et eorum sequaces haeretici excipiuntur qui ratione humana secreta se aestimant capere posse divina, cum scriptum sit: Sapientiam Dei praecedentem omnia quis investigabit? Et Apostolus manifeste dicat: Incomprehensibilia esse judicia Dei, et investigabiles vias ejus: qui in praesenti vita potius colendus est recta fide, quam incauta disputatione. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Librum Sapientiae Wisdom, Liber I, Caput I Source: Migne PL 109.673b-c

Think of the Lord in goodness, and seek Him in simplicity of heart. 1 They think of the Lord in goodness who piously read and understand Holy Scripture, and they seek Him in simplicity of heart who humbly subject themselves to His will, that is, in the guarding of His commandments. For he who piously seeks the Lord reveres Holy Scripture, and he does not dispute what he does not yet understand, on account of which he is not impeded, which is to be meek, concerning which the Truth says in the Gospel, 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit he earth.' 2 Therefore the worldly philosophers, and those who are followers of heretics, are excluded, who with human reason think they can draw out and grasp Divine secrets, even when it it is written, 'Who is able to investigate the wisdom of God which excels everything?' And the Apostle openly says, 'The judgements of God are incomprehensible and His ways are beyond investigation,' 3 who in the present life would rather have care for correct faith than foolish arguments. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary on the Book of Wisdom, Book 1, Chapter 1 1 Wisdom 1.1 2 Mt 5.4 3 Sirach 1.3, Rom 11.33

The Treasure Of Wisdom

Infinitus enim thesaurus est hominibus: quo qui usi sunt, participes facti sunt amicitiae Dei, propter disciplinae dona commendati. Infinitum ideo thesaurum dicit esse sapientiae, quia quanto quis studiosius eam discit, tanto profundiorem esse cognoscit; et quanto magis in ea meditando profecerit, tanto ipsam altius petere intelliget; ideoque ipsius meditatores amicitiae Dei participes facti sunt, quia praeceptorum et voluntatis Dei veri fiunt agnitores: de quo ipsa Veritas ad discipulos in Evangelio ait: Jam non dicam vos servos, quia servus nescit quid faciat Dominus ejus. Vos autem dixi amicos: quia omnia quaecunque audivi a Patre meo nota feci vobis. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Librum Sapientiae Wisdom, Liber II, Caput III Source: Migne PL 109.669c

She is an endless treasure to men, by use of which they become friends of God, being commended for the gift of discipline. 1 The treasure of wisdom is said to be an endless because the more a man is more studious in learning from her, so the much more he is able to know deeply, and the more he advances in contemplation, so the much more he understands how to seek high things. Therefore those who meditate in this manner are made participants in the friendship of God, because they have truly become those who know the commandments and will of God, concerning which the Truth says to the disciples in the Gospel, 'Now I do not call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master will do, but I say you are friends because everything which I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.' 2 Rabanus Maurus, Commentary on the Book of Wisdom, Book 2, Chapter 3 1 Wisdom 7.14 2 Jn 15.15

The Cherubim And The Flaming Sword

Et collocavit ante paradisum voluptatis cherubim et flammeum gladium atque versatilem ad custodiendam viam ligni vitae. Item quia cherubim scientiae multitudo, sive scientia multiplicata interpretatur, bene cherubim et flammeus gladius ad custodiendam viam ligni vitae collocatus esse perhibetur; quia nimirum per disciplinae nobis scientiam coelestis, et per laborem temporalium afflictionum, reditus ad supernam patriam patet, ex qua per stultitiam praevaricationis, perque appetitum carnalium voluptatum discessimus. Et bene non simpliciter flammam, sed gladium dicit flammeum ante paradisum esse collocatum, ut feriendas in nobis illecebras concupiscentiae temporalis insinuet gladio spiritus quod est verbum Dei, si ad lignum vitae, quod est Dominus Christus, penetrare concupiscimus. Bene eumdem gladium versatilem esse refert, ut indicet mystice non nobis semper hunc necessarium esse gladium, sed, ut scriptum est, tempus esse belli, tempus pacis denuntiet: belli videlicet, cum in hujus vitae studio adversum aereas potestates, vel etiam nostrae mentis et corporis vitia, certamus; pacis autem, cum perfecta victoria coronamur. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Genesim, Liber I, Caput XX Source: Migne PL 107.501a-502a

And He placed before the paradise of pleasure Cherubim, and a flaming sword, turning every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. 1 Because 'Cherubim' is interpreted as 'multitude of knowledge' or 'knowledge multiplied,' it is said that the Cherubim and the flaming sword were assigned to guard the way to the tree of life, certainly because it is through the discipline of heavenly understanding and endurance of temporal afflictions that there is an opening for us to return to the heavenly fatherland from which we were cut off by the foolishness of transgression and the appetite of carnal pleasure. And well does it not say just a flame, but a flaming sword was set before paradise, so that the snares of temporal pleasures we bear in us might be destroyed by the Spirit's insertion of the blade that is the word of God, 2 if to the tree of life, which is the Lord Christ, we desire to penetrate. And well is it said that sword is turning, for spiritually this indicates that this sword will not always be necessary for us, but as it is written, there is a time of war and there is a time of peace, 3 that is, the time of war is when we struggle with zeal in this life against the powers of the air, 4 or indeed against the vices of our own minds and bodies, but there is peace when we are crowned with consummate victory. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On Genesis, Book 1, Chapter 20 1 Gen 35.24 2 Ephes 6.17 3 Eccles 3.8 4 Ephes 2.2, 6.12

Delivering From Evil

Sed libera nos a malo, amen. Qua impetrata, contra omnia quae diabolus et mundus operantur securi stamus et tuti Sed hoc in praesenti fit, quantum divinum examen nobis utile esse prospexerit. Unde dicit Apostolus: Fidelis est Deus, qui non patitur vos tentari supra id quod potestis, sed facit cum tentatione proventum, ut possitis sustinere. Orandum est enim ut non solum non inducamur in malum quo caremus, quod sexto loco petimus, sed ab illo etiam liberemur, quo jam inducti sumus. Quod cum factum fuerit, nihil remanebit formidolosum, nec omnino metuenda erit ulla tentatio. Quod tamen in hac vita, et quandiu istam mortalitatem circumferimus, ubi serpentina persuasione inducti sumus, non sperandum posse fieri, sed tamen aliquando futurum sperandum est. Opportuno autem tempore perficietur beatitudo, quae in hac vita inchoata est, et cui capessendae atque obtinendae aliquando nunc omnis conatus impenditur.  Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Matthaeum, Liber V, Caput XIII Source: Migne PL 107.821a-b

But deliver us from evil. Amen 1 Which is sought against all the works of the devil and the world, so that we may stand securely and in safety. And this is done in the present as much as the Divine examination is useful for us, hence the Apostle says, 'God is faithful and shall not suffer you to be tried beyond your strength, but with the coming of temptation He acts so that you will be able to endure.' 2 And one must pray that we are not only not led into the temptation we lack, as we sought in the sixth passage of this prayer, but that we are delivered from what we have been led into. When that is accomplished nothing shall be formidable, nor shall there be any trial to be feared. In this life, however, while we will carry around this mortality, where the serpent's persuasion has led us, we should not think it to be possible, but rather one should hope for it at some future time. For then is the right time for the perfection of blessedness, which in this life is just beginning, and that we are all now exhorted to try to seize and obtain sometime.  Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Book 5, Chapter 13 1 Mt 6.13 2 1 Cor 10.13

Thorns And Riches

Alia autem ceciderunt in spinas, et creverunt spinae, et suffocaverunt ea. Spinas autem divitias interpretatur idem Salvator. Nec mirum videri debet quare spinis divitias comparaverit, cum illae pungant, istae delectent. Recte enim spinae vocantur, quia cogitationum suarum punctionibus mentem lacerant. Et cum usque ad peccatum protrahunt, quasi inflicto vulnere cruentant, simulque crescentes spinae sementem suffocando ad fructum pervenire non sinunt, quia exaggeratio divitiarum mentem strangulando spiritales virtutum fructus gignere non permittit; quin potius, si quid viriditatis habere potuit, squalore asperitatis suae illud transcendendo opprimit, et vitalem succum funditus in eo interimit. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Matthaeum, Liber V, Caput XIII Source: Migne PL 107.940d-941a

Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them... 1 The Saviour interprets the thorns as riches. And one should not wonder why He compared riches to thorns, when thorns hurt and wealth delights. Rightly they are called thorns which with their points wound the thoughts of the mind. And when they draw one to sin, it is as an infliction of bloody wounds, and at the same time the seed choked by the thorns is not able to grow because the heaping up of riches strangles the soul and it cannot bring forth the spiritual fruit of the virtues, but rather, even if it does have some greenness, the roughness of its bitter state overwhelms and suppresses it and the living fruit in it is killed off. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Book 5, Chapter 13 1 Mt 13.7

Different Trials

Benignus est enim spiritus sapientiae, et non liberabit maledictum a labiis suis, quoniam renum illius testis est Dominus, et cordis ejus scrutator est verus, et linguae illus auditor. Haec sententia destruit errorem illorum, qui sicut bonas cogitatione a Deo nobis constat inspirari, ita etiam malas ipso instigante putant in nostra mente generari, cum nullo modo Deus, qui summe bonus est, et omnes homines vult salvari, atque ad agnitionem veritatis pervenier, necessitatem mali verbi aut pravi actus alicui imponet, per quem perire possit, sicut Jacobus apostolus ostendit, dicens: Nemo ergo cum tentatur, dicat: Quoniam a Deo tentor; Deus enim intentator malorum est, ipse enim neminem tentat; ac si diceret: Nemo cum rapinam, furtum, falsum testimonium, homicidium, stuprum, vel caetera hujusmodi commiserit, dicat, quoniam Dei cogente necesse habuerit haec patrare, et ideo nullatenus horum effectum potuerit declinare. Deus enim malorum intentator est, subauditur, tentamentorum; ipse enim neminem tentat, ea videlicet tentatione, quae decipit miseros ut peccent. Duplex est enim genus tentationis, unum quod decipit, aliud quod probat; secundum hoc quod decipit, Deus neminem tentat; secundum illud quod probat, Deus tentavit Abraham. De quo et Prophea postulat: Proba me, Domine, et tenta me. Unusquisque vero tentatur a concupiscentia sua abstractus est et illetus, scilicet abstractus a recto itinere, et illectus in malum quo tamen justo Dei judicio permittitur cadere qui Spiritui veritatis noluit obedire. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Librum Sapientiae Wisdom, Liber I, Caput II Source: Migne PL 109.674d-675b

The spirit of wisdom is benevolent and it does not overlook a curse from the lips, because the Lord observes a man's interior, and is a true watcher of his heart, and he hears his tongue. 1 This passage overthrows the error of those who think that just as good thoughts are constantly inspired by God, so at His instigation evil ones are generated in our minds, when in no way does God, who is the greatest good, and who wishes every man to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth, impose the necessity of an evil word or depraved act on anyone, through which they perish, as James the Apostle shows, saying, 'Let no one when he is tempted say, 'I am being tempted by God.' For God does not tempt with evils, He tempts no one.' 2 As if he said, Let no one when they plunder, or thieve, or give false witness, or murder or fornicate, or do anything like that, say that because of some overwhelming force of God they had to do it, and therefore they were in no way capable of refusing to do it. For God does not tempt with evils, that is, with temptations, for He tries no man, that is, with temptation, which deceives the wretched so that they sin. There are two types of trials, one that deceives and one that proves. According to that which deceives, God never makes trial, according to what proves, God tested Abraham. Concerning which the prophet asks: 'Prove me, O Lord, and test me.' 3 However, everyone seized and trapped by his own desire, certainly he is taken from the right path and snared in evil, into which he who did not wish to be obedient to the spirit of truth is permitted to fall by the just judgement of God. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary on the Book of Wisdom, Book 1, Chapter 2 1 Wisdom 1.6 2 James 1.13 3 Ps 25.2

Judith's Blessing

Joacim autem summus pontifex de Jerusalem venit in Bethuliam cum universis presbyteris suis ut videret Judith. Quae cum exisset ad illum, benedixerunt eam omnes una voce, dicentes: Tu gloria Jerusalem; tu laetitia Israel; tu honorificentia populi nostri: quia fecisti viriliter, et confortatum est cor tuum, eo quod castitatem amaveris, et post virum tuum, alterum nescieris : ideo et manus Domini confortavit te, et ideo eris benedicta in aeternum. Et dixit omnis populus : Fiat, fiat. Quid per Joachim summum pontificem de Jersualem nisi Redemptor noster intelligitur, qui factus est a Deo nobis pontifex in aeternum secundum ordinem Melchisidech, per quem habemus accessum ad Patrum, et spem vitae aeternae. Quod etiam nominis ejus interpretatio exprimere videtur: interpretatur enim Joachim Domini resurrectio. Unde ipsa Veritas in Evangelico ait: Ego sum resurrectio et vita: qui credit in me, non morietur in aeternum. Hic ergo pontifex venit de Jerusalem in Bethuliam, cum de coelis descendit in uterum virginis, ex qua carnem assumens homo factus est pro nobis. Unde elegit discipulos, quos ipse fratres suos in Evangelico nominavit; qui merito presbysteri propter honoris dignitatem et sapientiae perfectionem nominantur, ut videret Judith, ut probaret scilicet Ecclesiae suae fidem et confessionem. Quae cum exisset ad illum, hoc est, devotionem mentis sua bona operatione ostenderet, benedixerunt illam omnes una voce dicentes: Tu gloria Jerusalem, tu laetitia Israel, tu honorificentia populi nostri. Benedixit ergo Ecclesiam suam Dominus, cum eam gratiarum suarum ubertate replet, et omnibus laudabilem esse demonstrat, pro quo et ad Patrem gratias agens in Evangelio ait: Confiteor, tibi, Pater, Domine coeli et terrae, quia abscondisti haec a sapientibus et prudentibus, et revelasti ea parvulis. Hinc e per Salomonem dicitur: Surrexerunt filii ejus, et beatissimam praedicaverunt; vir ejus, et laudavit eam. Gloria ergo Jersulaem est sancta Ecclesia, quia ad coelestem pertinet civitatem Dei, et societatem et beatitudinem sanctorum angelorum, quae fecit viriliter, contra mundi confligens principatum, contemnendo minas e persecutione hostium; castitatem amavit, quia sinceritatem fidei servavit, per quam omnem multitudinem fidelium Apostolus se colesti regi deponasse gloriabatur dicens: Desponsavi enim vos uni viro, virginem castam exhibere Christo. Cujus thoro immaculatam ipsa se custodit, nec haereticoum errori communicare ullo modo consentit. Ad benedictionem pontificis e presbyterorum respondit: Fiat, fiat, hoc est: Amen, amen: quia a majoribus sive minoribus filiis matris Ecclesiae ipsa sola in toto orbe predicabitur, et condigna coelesti sponso ubique et semper laudabitur. Rabanus Maurus, Expositio in Librum Judith, Caput XIII Source: Migne PL 109.579b-580a

Joachim the high priest came from Jerusalem to Bethulia with all his elders to see Judith. When she had come out to him, they all blessed her with one voice, saying, 'You are the glory of Jerusalem, you are the joy of Israel, you are the honour of our people, for you have acted bravely and your heart has been strengthened because you loved chastity, and after your husband you have not known any other, therefore the hand of the Lord has strengthened you and you will be blessed forever.' And all the people said: 'So be it, so be it.' 1 What is to be understood by Joachim the high priest coming from Jerusalem but that he is our Redeemer, who was made by God a high priest for us in eternity according to the order of Melchizedek, through whom we have access to the Father, and hope of eternal life. Whence his name seems to be expressed by the interpretation 'the raising of the Lord,' 2 and the Truth Himself says in the Gospel: 'I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me shall not die in eternity.' 3 Therefore this high priest comes from Jerusalem to Bethulia when from heaven He descended into the womb of the Virgin, from whom He took up flesh and was made man for us. Whence He chose disciples, who He names in the Gospel His brothers, 4 and who are rightly named here elders on account of the dignity of their honour and consummate wisdom, and so he sees Judith so that He might approve the faith and confession of the Church. And she came out to him, that is, she showed the devotion of her mind in good works, and all blessed her with one voice, saying, 'You are the glory of Jerusalem, you are the joy of Israel, you are the honour of our people.' Thus the Lord blessed His Church, filling it abundantly with His graces, and He shows it to be worthy of praise by everyone, for which He gives thanks to the Father in the Gospel, saying, 'I confess to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and the clever and revealed them to children.' Whence He says through Solomon, 'Her children have risen up, and they have spoken blessings, and her husband praised her.' 5 Therefore the Church is the glory of Jerusalem, because it refers to the heavenly city of God and the society and blessedness of the holy angels. And she acted bravely by fighting against the powers of the world, and by scorning the threats of the enemy's persecutions, and living chastely, by which she guarded the purity of the faith, and through the whole multitude of the faithful the Apostle himself glories in having presented her to the heavenly king, saying, 'I have espoused you to one man, exhibiting you as a chaste virgin to Christ.' 6 And she guarded herself unstained for His throne by not consenting to any touch of the errors of heretics. And then to the blessing of the high priest and elders it was answered, 'So be it, so be it,' because by the greatest and the least of the sons of mother Church she herself, the Church, will alone be proclaimed throughout the whole world, and everywhere and always praised as being worthy of the heavenly husband. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On Judith, Chapter 13 1 Judith 15.9-12 2 The Hebrew translates litterally as 'God raises up' 3 Jn 11.25 4 Jn 20.17 5 Mt 11.25, Prov 31.28 6 2 Cor 11.2

Reasons For Killing

Tunc Herodes videns quomodo illusus esset a magis, iratus est valde, et mittens occidit omnes pueros, qui erant in Bethlehem et in omnibus finibus ejus, a bimatu et infra. Verisimile est ergo, quod postquam Herodi magi nihil renuntiaverunt, eum credere potuisse illos fallacis stellae visione deceptos, posteaquam non invenerunt quem natum putaverant, erubuisse ad se redire, atque ita eum, timore depulso, ab inquirendo ac persequendo puero quievisse. Cum ergo post purgationem matris ejus, in Jerusalem cum illo venissent, et ea gesta essent in templo, quae a Luca narrantur, quia verba Simeonis et Annae de illo prophetantium, cum coepissent ab eis qui audierant praedicari, ad pristinam intentionem revocatura erant animum regis, admonitus per somnum Joseph cum infante et matre ejus fugit in Aegyptum. Deinde vulgatis rebus, quae in templo dictae factaeque fuerant, Herodes a magis se sensit illusum, ac deinde ad Christi mortem cupiens pervenire multos infantes, sicut Matthaeus narrat, occidit in Bethlehem, et in omnibus finibus ejus, et hoc a bimatu et infra. Quia crudelitas animi per invidiam et furorem exardescens, modum in nullo tenuit, sed malitia omnes superare contendit. Nam non contenta est sola vastatione Bethlehem, sed et omnes simul ejus fines devastavit, nec etiam parvulae aetatis ullam misericordiam habuit, quin omnes a filio unius noctis usque ad filium duorum annorum pariter occidit. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Matthaeum, Liber I Source: Migne PL 107.762b-d

Then Herod, seeing how he was deceived by the Magi, was greatly angered, and he ordered all the young boys who were in Bethlehem to be killed, and in all the surrounding region, from two years and under. 1 It is therefore likely to be true that after the Magi had not reported back to Herod, that he thought that they had been deceived by their seeing of a misleading star, and after they had not found the boy whom they thought they would, they were too embarrassed to return to him, and thus he who was struck by fear because of the questions about the boy and the seeking of him, was placated. But after the purification of His mother, when they came with Him to Jerusalem, and those things happened in the temple about which Luke tells us, the words of Simeon and Anna making prophecy about Him, when these things began to be told by those who had heard them, the soul of the king was recalled to its former intention, and therefore Joseph was warned in a dream to flee with the child and his mother into Egypt. Then with the things that were said and done in the temple spreading abroad, Herod felt he had been made sport of by the Magi, and desiring the death of Christ, he decided to kill the many infants in Bethlehem of two years and under, and in all the surrounding region, as Matthew says. 2 Because the cruelty of a soul blazes up through envy and anger, he held to no moderation, but strove to overcome all things with evil. For he was not content with the devastation of Bethlehem alone, but at the same time even all the surrounding region, having no pity at all on the little ones, since he slew every one of them, from the son of one night, even to the son of two years. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Book 1 1 Mt 2.16 2 cf Augustine De Consensu Evang 2.11

Four Types Of Tears

Beati qui lugent, quoniam ipsi consolabuntur. Notandum autem quod quattor modis fit planctus sanctorum, cum priora peccata deplorant cum in infernum cadentes plangunt, cum in peccatis viventes, cum pro desiderio regni coelestis admodum tristes fiunt, et quatuor species lacrymarum natura continet. Sunt quidem lacrymae humidae, ut abluant sordes peccatorum, et restituant perditum baptismum; sunt salsae et amarae, ut restringant carnis fluxum, et terent dulcedinem voluptatum; sunt calidae, ut praevaleant contra infidelitatis frigus. Sunt purae, ut a pristinis erroribus mundatos, in pura constituant conversatione. Hae ergo pro amissis charis saepius fiunt, ut nos admoneant quatenus amissa bona opera reparemus, et ad desertam a nobis propter praevaricationem paradisi patriam per mandatorum Dei custodiam redeamus. Semper enim luctus inter duas laetitias consistit, id est, inter mundi praecedentem, et coelestis regni appropinquantem, et beatus cui temporalis tristitia aeternam parturiet laetitiam. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Matthaeum, Liber II, Cap V Source: Migne PL 107.796a-b

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 1 It should be noted that there are four ways of weeping for those who are holy, first when they deplore sins once committed, then when they weep over the descent to hell, then when there is living in sin, and then when they are made tearful because of longing for the kingdom of heaven. And these four types of tears are found in nature. There are tears of water, so that the filth of sins may be washed away and the ruin of baptism restored. There are salty and bitter tears that restrain the urges of the body and wear away the sweetness of pleasures, There are warm tears that prevail against the frigidity of faithlessness. And there are pure ones that cleanse from old errors and establish one in a wholesome way of living. And all these most frequently come from a lack of love and admonish us to look to the repair of a lack of good deeds, that from the waste made by us because of sin we may return to the fatherland of paradise by the keeping of the commandments of God. For grief is always found between two joys, between the preceding things of the world and the approaching things of the kingdom of heaven, and blessed is he who in temporal sorrow gives birth to eternal joy. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Book 2, Chapter 5 1 Mt 5.5

The Earth Of The Meek

Beati mites, quoniam ipsi possidebunt terram Hieronymus: Non terram Judaeae, nec terram istius mundi, nec terra maledictam spinas et tribulos afferentem, quam crudelissimus quisque et bellator magis possidet, sed terram quam Psalmista desiderat, dicens: Credo videre bona Domini in terra viventium. Hujuscemodi possessor, et post victorim triumphator etiam in quadragesimo quarto psalmo describitur: Et intente, prospere procede, et regna propter veritatem, et mansuetudinem, et justitiam. Nemo enim terram istam per mansuetudinem, sed per superbiam possidet. Augustinus: Significat enim quamdam soliditatem et stabilitatem haereditatis perpetuae, ubi anima per bonum affectum, tanquam loco suo requiescit, sicut corpus in terra; et inde cibo suo alitur, sicut corpus ex terra: ipsa est requies et vita sanctorum. Mites autem sunt qui cedunt improbitatibus, et non resistunt malo, sed vincunt in bono malum. Rixentur ergo immites, et dimicent pro terrenis et temporalibus rebus: Beati autem mites quoniam ipsi haereditate possidebunt terram, de qua evelli non possint.  Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Matthaeum, Liber II, Cap V Source: Migne PL 107.795b-d

Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth. 1 Jerome: 2 This is not the earth of Judea, not the earth of this world, not the cursed earth that bears thorns and thistles, 3 which the most cruel warmonger delights to possess, but the land which the Psalmist desires, saying, 'I believe I will see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.' 4 This possessor triumphant after victory is described in the fourty fourth Psalm: 'And look, and go forth prosperously and reign on account of truth and meekness and righteousness.' 5 For none possess this earth because of meekness but because of pride. Augustine: 6 This signifies a certain firmness and stability of the perpetual inheritance, where the soul though its good disposition rests as in its own place, just as the body rests on the earth, and it is nourished from there with its own food, as the body is from the earth. This is the rest and life of the saints. But the meek are those here who give way to wickedness and do not resist the evil man, 7 but overcome evil with good. 8 Let those, then, who are not meek dispute and fight for earthly and temporal things, but 'blessed are the meek,' for by inheritance they shall possess the earth, from which they will not be able to be uprooted. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Book 5 1 Mt 5.4 2 Jerome Com Mat, chap 5 3 Gen 3.18 4 Ps 26.13 5 Ps 44.5 6 Augustine, Our Lord’s Sermon On the Mount 2 7 Mt 5.39 8 Rom 12.21

Growing And Multiplying

Dixitque ei: Ego Dominus omnipotens: Cresce et multiplicare; gentes et populi nationum erunt ex te; reges de lumbis tuis egredientur; terramque quam dedi Abraham et Isaac, dabo tibi et semini tuo post te; et recessit ab eo. Haec promissio ad spirituale semen Jacob pertinet, sicut de Abraham ante jam dictum est. Omnes enim qui supplantant vitia, et veterem hominem cum acitbus ejus deponunt, mentisque suae oculos ad videndum Deum intentos habent, rite ad Jacob pertinent, cujus fidem et actus imitantur; regesque de lumbis ejus egredientar, hoc est sancti, qui vere reges dicuntur, eo quod veraciter secundum Dei voluntatem semetipsos ac sibi subditos regunt. De ejus semine spirituali, hoc est fidei imitatione in bonis operibus fecundantur. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Genesim, Liber III, Caput XXIII Source: Migne PL 107.616c-d

And He said to Jacob, 'I am the Lord Almighty. Grow and multiply. Nations and peoples of the nations shall come from you. Kings shall come forth from your lions, and the land I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I shall give to you and your seed after you.' And He withdrew from him. 1 This promise pertains to the spiritual seed of Jacob, as it was spoken to Abraham previously. For all who overthrow vices and cast down the old man with his acts, and have the eyes of the soul intent on seeing God, rightly belong to Jacob, and they imitate his faith and deeds. And kings shall come forth from his lions, that is, saints, who rightly are named kings, because more correctly, according to the will of God, they rule themselves and those below them. Concerning his spiritual seed, it is by the imitation of faith they are made fruitful in good works. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On Genesis, Book 3, Chapter 23 1 Gen 35.11-12

Judith And The Watchmen

Et dixit Judith a longe custodibus murorum: Aperite portas, quoniam nobiscum est Deus, qui fecit virtutem in Israel. Custodes murorum, hoc est, tutores castrorum Ecclesiae, sunt doctores sancti qui verbo et exemplo, atque etiam oratione assidua muniunt vitam credentium, et ad aeternam beatitudinem illis praeparant introitum; de quibus per prophetam dicitur: Super muros tuos, Jerusalem, constitui custodes, tota die, et tota nocte non tacebunt laudare nomen Domini. Possunt angelicae virtutes custodes murorum intelligi spiritualium, quae nobis deputatae sunt, ut nos suis solatiis contra malignos spiritus defendant. Clamat ergo Judith a longe custodibus, postulans sibi aperiri portas, eo quod secum sit Deus. Sic et Ecclesia in peregrinatione istius mundi, et via praesentis vitae constituta totis medullis cordis clamans postulat, ut per suffragia sanctorum sibi supernae patriae pandatur introitus, ut ibi nominis sui expleat officium, dicens cum propheta: Aperite portas justitiae, et ingressus in eas confitebor Domino, haec porta Domini, justi intrabunt per eam. Et unde hoc deposcat addit dicens: quia nobiscum est, qui fecit virtutem in Israel. Valde enim justum est ut qui se unitum cum capite suo agnoscit, de quo scriptum est, Dominus virtutem populo suo dabit, et benedicet populum suum in pace, cum eo ad coelestis regni apicem ascendat, quia sine eo nullo modo illuc pervenire potest. Unde ipsa Veritas in Evangelio ait: Nemo ascendit in coelum, nisi qui descendit de coelo filius hominis, qui est in coelo. Potest et hoc quod dicit Judith custodibus murorum, Aperite portas, devotio cordis auditorum suorum ab ea postulata intelligi, hoc est, ut praeparet intentionem cordis ad accipienda ea quae sibi dicuntur; sicut Salvator in Evangelio per parabolas docens dixit: Qui habet aures audiendi audiat. Et Joannes apostolus in Apocalypsi sua eamdem sententiam saepius repetit dicens: Qui habet aures audiendi audiat quid spiritus dicat ecclesiis. Merito ergo illa, quae virtutes Domini, quas fecit, expromere vult, auditores devotos quaerit, quia scriptum est: Beatus qui causam suam loquitur in aurem audientis. Rabanus Maurus, Expositio in Librum Judith, Caput XIII Source: Migne PL 109.574a-d

And from afar Judith said to the watchman on the walls: 'Open your gates, because God is with us, He who has power in Israel.' 1 The watchman on the walls, that is, the teachers of the fortresses of the Church, who with their words and example, and even with their prayers, diligently fortify the lives of the faithful, and prepare entry into eternal blessedness, concerning which it is said by the prophet: 'Upon your walls, Jerusalem, I have set watchmen, all day and all night, and they shall not cease to praise the name of the Lord.' 2 It is also possible to understand the angelic powers to be the guards of the spiritual walls, who are given to us so that with their support we might defend ourselves against malignant spirits. Therefore Judith cries out from afar to the guards, asking them to open the gates, because God is with them. So even the Church in its journey in this world, set in the way of this present life, with all the strength of its heart cries out and asks that by the assistance of the saints entry be opened to the heavenly fatherland, so that there may be fulfilled the office of the name, saying with the prophet, 'Open the gates of righteousness, and entering in, I shall confess to the Lord. These are the gates of the Lord, the righteous shall enter through them.' 3 And whence earnestly entreating this, she adds to it, saying: 'Because He is with us, He who has power in Israel.' Certainly it is right that he who knows himself united to the head, concerning whom it is written: 'The Lord shall give strength to his people, and He shall bless His people with peace,' 4 ascends with Him to the height of the heavenly kingdom, because without Him there is no way he can come there. Whence the truth says in the Gospel: 'No one has ascended to heaven, unless He who has descended from heaven, the son of man, who is in heaven.' 5 It is possible that this which Judith says to the the watchmen on the wall, 'Open the gates' is to be understood as touching on the attention of the hearts of her hearers to her requests, that is, she is preparing the intention of the heart for the reception of the things that are said, as the Saviour in the Gospel says, 'He who has ears, let him hear.' And John the Apostle in his Apocalypse often repeats the same meaning, saying, 'He who has ears to hear let him hear what the spirit says to the churches.' Rightly, then, this woman, who is the virtue of the Lord, wishing to show what she has done, seeks devout hearers, because it is written: 'Blessed he who speaks his cause in the ear of one who will hear.' 6 Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On Judith, Chap 13 1 Judith 13.13 2 Isaiah 62.6 3 Ps 117.19-20 4 Ps 28.11 5 Jn 3.13 6 Sirach 25.12

John And The Nativity

Hic est enim de quo dictum est per Isaiam prophetam dicentem, Vox clamantis in deserto: Parate viam Domini, rectas facite semitas ejus. Idem vero Joannes secundum alium evangelistam requisitus quis esset, respondit: Ego vox clamantis in deserto. Qui ideo vox a propheta vocatus est, quia verbum praeibat. Vox ergo inter duo verba solet fieri, hoc est animae incorporale et oris corporale. Sic et Joannes venit inter nativitatem Christi divinam, de qua dicitur: In principio erat Verbum, et humanam, de qua ita scribitur: Et Verbum caro factum est, et habitavit in nobis. Qui etiam in deserto clamat, quia derelictae et destitutae Judaeae solatium redemptionis annuntiat. Quid autem clamaret aperit, cum subditur: Parate viam Domini, rectas facite semitas ejus. Omnis qui fidem rectam et bona opera praedicat, quid aliud quam venienti Dominio ad corda audientium viam parat, ut hanc vis gratiae penetret, et lumen veritatis illustret, ut rectas Deo semitas faciat, dum mundas in animo cogitationes per sermon bonae praedicationis format. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Matthaeum, Liber I Source: Migne PL 107.767c-d

For this is the one concerning whom it is spoken through the prophet Isaiah: 'A voice crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.' 1 And then the same John, according to another Evangelist, being asked who he was, answers: 'I am a voice crying out in the wilderness.' 2 He who thus was called a voice as a prophet, because he came before the Word. Therefore 'voice' is accustomed to found shared between two words, that is between the incorporeal of the soul and the corporeal of the mouth. So John comes between the Divine nativity of Christ, about which it is said 'In the beginning was the Word,' 3 and the human birth, about which it is written: 'And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.' 4 And he cries out in the wilderness because he announces the consolation of redemption for the forsaken and lost Jews. And what he cries out is revealed when it says after: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.' Everyone who preaches on correct faith and good works, does so that he might prepare a way in the hearts of those who hear for the coming of the Lord, so that the power of grace might penetrate, and the light of truth shine. So he makes the straight paths to God, while he fashions clean thoughts in the soul by the speech of good preaching. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Book 1 1 Mt 3.3, Isaiah 40.3 2 Jn 1.23 3 Jn 1.1 4 Jn 1.14

Hands And Help

Et cum imposuisset eis manus, abiit inde. Imponit ergo Dominus parvulis manus, quando humilibus auxilii sui gratiam tribuit, et secundum voluntatem suam dirigit ut in omnibus suis possint obsequi praeceptis. Unde et ad eum per Psalmistam dicitur: Tenuisti manum dextram meam, et in voluntate tua deduxisti me, et reliqua. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Matthaeum, Lib VI Cap XIX Source: Migne PL 107.1019d

And when He had placed His hands on them, He went away from there. 1 The Lord places His hands on the little ones, when He gives the grace of His help to the humble, and according to His will directs them so that they are able to follow His commands in everything. Whence even tof Him it is said through the Psalmist: 'You took my right hand, and according to your will you led me.' 2 Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Book 6, Chap 19 1 Mt 19.15 2 Ps 72.24

Prudent Feasting

Et dixit ad eam Holofernes: Bibe inde et accumbe in jucunditate, quoniam gratiam invenisti coram me. Et dixit Judith: Bibam, Domine, quoniam magnificata est anima mea hodie prae omnibus diebus meis. Et accepit et manducavit, et bibit coram ipso omnia quae paraverat illi ancilla ejus. Nota quod Judith apud Holofernem conversans, non coinquinata est cibis vel potu gentilium, sed ea manducavit et bibit quae sibi praeparaverat ancilla ejus: quia Ecclesia inter gentes habitans nullo modo polluitur idololatria aut superstitione gentilitatis, sed his utitur quae victui suo judicat esse condigna, quae devotio fidelium per obedientiam et exercitium boni operis sibi praeparat. De quo cibo ipsa Veritas in Evangelio ait: Operamini cibum, non qui perit, sed qui permanet in vitam aeternam. Et alibi discipulis rogantibus eum, ut manducaret, respondit. Ego cibum habeo manducare, quem vos nescitis; meus enim cibus est ut faciam voluntatem ejus qui misit me et perficiam opus ejus. Rabanus Maurus, Expositio in Librum Judith, Caput XII Source: Migne PL 109.572a-b

And Holofernes said to her, 'Drink and recline as you will, because you have found favour before me.' Judith said, 'I shall drink, lord, because my soul is exalted today above all my days.' And she took and ate and drank before him all that her handmaid had provided for her. 1 Note that while Judith conversed with Holofernes she was not defiled by the food and drink of Gentiles, but she ate and drank what was prepared for her by her handmaid, because the Church dwelling among the nations is in no way is polluted by pagan idolatry or superstition, but it makes use of what victuals it judges to be most appropriate, which the devotion of the faithful through obedience and exertion in good works prepares for her. Concerning this food the Truth says in the Gospel: 'Do not work for the bread which perishes but that which remains in eternal life.' And in another place He replies to His disciples who were asking Him to eat, 'I have my own food to eat, which you do not know. For my food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to fulfill His work.' 2 Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On Judith, Chap 12 1 Judith 12.17-19 2 Jn 6.27, Jn 4.32-34

Loving Wisdom

Concupiscite ergo sermones meos, et diligite illos, et habebitis disciplinam. Verum est quod qui diligit sapientiam et assiduus est illius in meditatione, conservet disciplinam in moribus, nec aliter potest amator probari sapientiae nisi conservator sit disciplinae. Unde ipsa Veritas ait: Si diligitis me, mandata mea servate. Et iterum: Si quis diligit me sermonem meum servabit. Hinc et Jacobus ait: Estote ergo factores verbi et non auditores tantum fallentes vosmetipsos, quia non auditores legis justificabuntur apud Dominum, sed factores legis. Clara est, et quae nunquam marcescit sapientia; et facile videtur ab his qi diligunt eam, et invenitur ab his qui quaerunt illam. Decor sapientiae immarcescibilis est, et his solis patet qui eam in veritate diligunt, et studiose requirunt. Qui autem eam ficte quaerunt nollo modo ad eam pertingent, quia, sicut superius dictum est, Spiritus sanctus disciplinae effugiet fictum, et in malevolam animam non introibit sapientia. Unde in Proverbiis sapientia dicit: Ego diligentes me diligo, et qui mane vigilant ad me invenient me. Et iterum: Beatus homo qui audit me, qui vigilat ad fores meas quotidie, et observat ad postes ostii mei. Qui me invenerit inveniet vitam, et hauriet salutem a Domino. Qui autem in me peccaverit laedet animam suam. Omnes qui oderunt me, diligunt mortem. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Librum Sapientiae Wisdom, Liber I, Caput XIII Source: Migne PL 109.694c-d

Therefore desire my words, and love them, and you shall have discipline. 1 It is true that he who loves wisdom and is assiduous in its meditation, maintains discipline in his conduct, for it is not possible otherwise that a lover shall be approved by Wisdom unless he is a keeper of discipline. Whence the Truth Himself says: 'If you love me, keep my commandments.' 2 And again, 'If someone loves me He shall keep my word.' 3 Whence James also says: 'Be, then, brothers, doers of the word and not only hearers, deceiving yourselves.' 4 'It is not the hearers of the law who shall be justified before God, but the doers.' 5 Bright she is, and wisdom bears no spot, and easily she is seen by those who love her, and she is found by those who seek her. 6 The beauty of wisdom is spotless and to these alone she shows herself: they who love her in truth and devotedly seek her. He who is not true in the search for her has no chance of reaching her, because as it was said before, 'The Holy Spirit flees the fiction of discipline, and Wisdom does not come into a wicked soul.' 7 Whence in Proverbs Wisdom says: 'I love those who love me, and he who watches in the morning shall come to me.' 8 And again, 'Blessed the man who hears me, who watches at my doors every day, and looks toward the posts of my gate. He who finds me, shall find life, and he shall drink salvation from the Lord. But he who sins against me, he wounds his own soul. All who hate me love death. 9 Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On Wisdom Book 1, Chapter 13 1 Wisd 6.12 2 Jn 14.15 3 Jn 14.23 4 James 1.22 5 Rom 2.13 6 Wisd 6.13 7 Wisd 1.4-5 8 Prov 8.17 9 Prov 8.34-36

Attributing Victory

Sensus enim, inquit, et cogitatio humani cordis in malum prona sunt ab adolescentia sua. Corruptionis malum quod unusquisque nostrum ab ortu desideriorum carnalium sumpsit, in profectum aetatis exercet, et nisi hoc citius divinae formidinis manus reprimat, omne conditae naturae bonum, repente culpa in profundum vorat. Nemo igitur sibi cogitationum suarum victoriam tribuat, cum Apostolis dicat: Neque qui plantat est aliquid, neque qui rigat; sed qui incrementum dat Deus. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Genesim, Liber II, Caput VIII Source: Migne PL 107.523b

The mind and thought of the human heart is inclined to evil from its youth. 1 The evil of corruption which each of us takes up from the springing up of the desires of the flesh, exerts itself with the progress of age, and unless the hand of Divine disapproval restrains, sin swiftly swallows down into the depths every good of our created nature. No one, therefore, should attribute victory over his own thoughts to himself, but as the Apostle says, 'Neither he who plants is anything, nor is he who waters, but God who gives the growth.' 2 Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On Genesis, Book 2, Chapter 8 1 Gen 8.21 2 1 Cor 3.7

Knowing Divine Things

Sensum autem tuum quis scivit, nisi tu dederis ei sapientiam, et miseris Spiritum sanctum tuum de altissimis? Manifestum est enim quod non nisi per sancti Spiritus gratiam divinarum rerum possumus percipere scientiam, quia nemo scit quae sunt in homine, nisi spiritus hominis qui est in homine. Ita et quae Dei sunt nemo novit nisi Spiritus Dei. Spiritus enim omnia scrutatir, etiam profunda Dei; ipse corda sanctorum illuminat, et de invisibilis ac coelestius instruit, ita ut intellectum divinae majestatis pro modulo suo percipiant, et ejus bonitatem semper amare necessitantur. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Librum Sapientiae, Liber II, Caput VI Source: Migne PL 109.715c

But who knows your mind, unless you have given wisdom to him, and you send your Holy Spirit from the heights? 1 It is manifest that we cannot grasp the knowledge of Divine things unless by the grace of the Holy Spirit, because 'no one knows what is in a man unless the spirit of man which is in a man, and thus no one knows what is of God unless the spirit of God, because the spirit of God scrutinises everything, even the depths of God.' 2 He illuminates the hearts of the holy, and instructs them about things unseen and heavenly, so that they may perceive in His own manner the understanding of the Divine majesty, and be led to the love of His benevolence. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On the Book of Wisdom, Book 2, Chapter 6 1 Wisd 9.17 2 1 Cor 2.11

Empty Hope, Fruitless Labours

Sapientiam enim et disciplinam qui abjecit infelix est; et vacua est spes illorum, et labores sine fructu, et inhabitabilia opera illorum sunt. Nunc ostendit quid sit hoc, quod superius dixerat a Domino recessisse, hoc est, sapientiam et disciplinam abjicere, quorum vacua est spes, et labores sine fructu, quia in vanum sperant se temporalibus perpetualiter uti posse, vel peccata faciendo impunitos posse evadere, horum et labores sunt sine fructu futurae mercedis, et opera illorum inhabitabilia: quoniam operarium ipsorum coelestis habitationis non possunt facere participem. Cui cum iniquorum omnium capite improperando scelera sua Psalmista praedixit dicens: Propterea destruet te Deus, in fine evellet te, et emigrabit te de tabernaculo tuo et radicem tuam de terra viventium. Possunt et haeretici in hac sententia non inconvenienter accipi, qui sapientiam divinam et regulam rectae fidei abjicientes, labores doctrinae suae atque errorum sectas in vacuum et sine fructu vitae aeternae expendunt, quorum intentio stulta et nequissima sunt opera. Rabanus Maurus, Commentariorum In Librum Sapientiae Wisdom, Liber I, Caput VII Source: Migne PL 109.683b-c

He who casts aside wisdom and discipline is wretched, and their hope is empty, and their labours are without reward, and their works are a waste... 1 Now he shows what this may be, what he said previously about withdrawing from the Lord, that it is to cast off wisdom and discipline, and their hope is empty, and their labours fruitless, because in vain they hope they shall have temporal things forever, or that committing sins they shall be able to escape punishment, and the fruitless nature of their labours pertains to the future reward, and their works are a waste because they are not able to make them participants in the celestial mansions. Concerning which, with the condemnation of their crimes through the leader of all the wicked, the Psalmist foretells, saying: 'On account of which God shall destroy you, in the end he shall pluck you out, and tear you from your tabernacle, and your root from the land of the living.' 2 It is also possible to understand heretics in this pronoucement, who casting off the Divine wisdom and the rule of right faith, expend the labours of their teaching and the ways of their errors in emptiness and without the fruit of eternal life, those whose purpose is foolish and their works wicked. Rabanus Maurus, Commentary On Wisdom Book 1, Chapter 7 1 Wisd 3.11 2 Ps 51.7