PL 35 · cols. 2199–2206

Pseudo-Augustinus, De benedictionibus patriarchae Jacob

Editors' preface

ADMONITIO

ADMONITION

DE SEQUENTI OPUSCULO.

ON THE FOLLOWING LITTLE WORK.

Non Augustini, sed Alcuini est isthaec de Benedictionibus Jacob patriarchae quaestio expositioque historica et allegorica, decerpta nimirum ex ipsius libro Quaestionum in Genesim. Quanquam etiam apud Hieronymum sub iisdem ac totidem fere verbis in opusculo, quod item Quaestionum in Genesim inscribitur, expositionem priorem reperias; posterioris vero expositionis partem postremam apud Gregorium in libris Moralium in Job. Imo utraque ex integro, sed ordine nonnihil diverso, atque aliquot permutatis vocibus, habetur in tertio libro Commentariorum in Genesim, qui Eucherio Lugdunensi tributi olim falso fuere, editique in Bibliotheca Patrum.

Not Augustine's, but Alcuin's, is this question and historical and allegorical exposition on the Blessings of the patriarch Jacob, taken, namely, from his book of Questions on Genesis. Yet you may also find the former exposition in Jerome, in the same and almost as many words, in the little work which is likewise entitled Questions on Genesis; and the last part of the latter exposition in Gregory, in the books of the Morals on Job. Indeed both, entire, but in a somewhat different order and with a few words changed, are found in the third book of the Commentaries on Genesis, which were once falsely attributed to Eucherius of Lyons, and were published in the Bibliotheca Patrum.

DE BENEDICTIONIBUS JACOB PATRIARCHAE.

ON THE BLESSINGS OF THE PATRIARCH JACOB.

Quid intelligendum est de benedictionibus, quibus Jacob patriarcha benedixit filios suos? An historice vel allegorice intelligendae sint, dum dicit, Congregamini, filii Jacob, ut annuntiem vobis quae ventura sunt in novissimis diebus (Gen. XLIX, 2): et si videtur ex his verbis magis allegoriam sonare quam historiam? Resp. Utrumque vero, et historiam et allegoriam: historiam de divisione terrae repromissionis, quae divisiones

What is to be understood concerning the blessings with which the patriarch Jacob blessed his sons? Are they to be understood historically or allegorically, when he says, Gather yourselves together, sons of Jacob, that I may announce to you the things that are to come in the last days (Gen. 49:2): and whether from these words it seems to sound more of allegory than of history? Answer. Both indeed, both history and allegory: history concerning the division of the land of promise, which divisions

Editors' notes and page, col. 2199

Page

running head: 2199 DE BENEDICTIONIBUS JACOB (cut off at the image edge)
marginal letters: (none)
old-edition numerals: (none)
other: the column begins with the fragment "lum" of a word broken from the previous column; "est" in "in eo est" has a damaged first letter; the full stop after "Gen" is not visible; "juxta carnem" is set as printed, though unsure; the full-width editors' matter "ADMONITIO DE SEQUENTI OPUSCULO" (Non Augustini, sed Alcuini est...) and the full-width title "DE BENEDICTIONIBUS JACOB PATRIARCHAE" stand between Caput XIV and "Quid intelligendum"; both are cut off at the edge in the column images (superseded: both are now set in the part, from the page-foot images; see the last line and QA Q6); the last word "di-" is split at the column break
other: the column opens with the end of the previous work (another unit); not set here: the unit begins at Quid intelligendum est de benedictionibus
QA Q1 (2026-10-22): the split word "di-" is completed by "visiones" at the head of col 2200 BELOW the full-width title (the right-hand column of the lower half of p. 448), and is now set whole here as "divisiones"; the receipt join had wrongly taken "cernitur" from the top of col 2200, which belongs to the previous work. Col 2200's part still needs: its leading "visiones" tail removed and its English "[di]visions" adjusted; its lines from "ita et in his similitudo" through Caput XVII (the previous work's col 2200 text above the full-width title) do not belong to this unit; its last word "cubile"/"becouch" is another bad join across 2200/2201 to check.
QA Q1 (2026-10-22): the full-width ADMONITIO DE SEQUENTI OPUSCULO and the title DE BENEDICTIONIBUS JACOB PATRIARCHAE are both fully legible in the page-foot images p448_footL/p448_footR; per the unit rules they are still to be set once, with full_width, before "Quid intelligendum" (not done in QA for want of the full_width markup). (Superseded: both are now set in the part; see QA Q6.)
running head: 2199 DE BENEDICTIONIBUS JACOB PATRIARCHAE. 2200
marginal letters: (none)
old-edition numerals: (none)
other: ADMONITIO DE SEQUENTI OPUSCULO (Non Augustini, sed Alcuini est ...) is editors' matter, printed full width; set per driver. Full-width title DE BENEDICTIONIBUS / JACOB PATRIARCHAE set once as one caption line. De mirabilibus text above the band (end of CAP. XIII–XVII) not set, per driver. "di-/visiones" split at the column break, set whole here. UNSURE: the stop after "Gen" in "(Gen. XLIX, 2)" is faint on the scan.
QA Q6 (2026-10-22): the Admonitio (editors' matter, not the work's) and the work's title are set in the part and checked word by word against p448_footL/p448_footR; they carry NO full_width tag yet (the missing one-off tag is a driver fault, NR-215): marked here as not yet set full width, listed for the editorial pass.

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dividendae erant nepotibus eorum; et allegoriam de Christo et de Ecclesia in novissimis temporibus futura. Sed prius historiae fundamenta ponenda sunt, ut aptius allegoriae culmen priori structurae superponatur.

were to be divided among their descendants; and allegory concerning Christ and concerning the Church, things to come in the last times. But first the foundations of history must be laid, so that the summit of allegory may more fittingly be set upon the prior structure.

Ruben primogenitus meus, tu fortitudo mea, principium doloris mei: prior in donis, major in imperio. Effusus es sicut aqua, non crescas; quia ascendisti cubile

Reuben, my firstborn, you are my strength, the beginning of my sorrow: first in gifts, greater in command. You are poured out like water, may you not increase; because you went up onto the couch

Editors' notes and page, col. 2200

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running head: …ONIBUS JACOB PATRIARCHAE. 2200 (figures blurred, read like 2209)
marginal letters: (none)
old-edition numerals: (none)
other: column begins mid-sentence "cernitur"; full-width ADMONITIO DE SEQUENTI OPUSCULO (title and text, "…Benedictionibus Jacob patriarchae quaestio expositioque historica…") and the full-width title DE BENEDICTIONIBUS JACOB PATRIARCHAE stand between Caput XVII and "visiones", cut off at the left edge, not set in this column; their place is the head of col. 2199 (before "Quid intelligendum"), where they are not set either (Q3 2026-10-22: flagged for c2199); "visiones" is the fragment of "di-visiones" broken from the column before; last word "cu-" (cubile) split at column end; "tota" in Caput XV has a damaged first letter, read as t
running head: 2199 DE BENEDICTIONIBUS JACOB PATRIARCHAE. 2200
marginal letters: (none)
old-edition numerals: (none)
other: Ruben paragraph is printed in italic (scripture, Gen 49:3-4), no reference printed here. Last word split at the column break: only "cu-" visible on this page (next column's top not supplied); presumably "cubile", joined on receipt; the English ends at "onto the couch" (Q7 2026-10-22: checked; not at "onto" as first noted), and the rest of the clause ("patris tui", of your father) must follow across the break at the head of the next column.

PL 35:2201

patris tui, et maculasti stratum ejus (Gen. III, 4). Est autem sensus hic: Tu es primogenitus meus, major in liberis, et debebas, juxta ordinem nativitatis tuae, haereditatem quae primogenitis jure debebatur, sacerdotium accipere et regnum. Hoc quippe in portando honore et praevalido robore demonstratur. Verum quia peccasti, et quasi aqua quae quolibet vasculo non tenetur, voluptatis effusus es impetu; idcirco praecipio tibi ut ultra non pecces, sisque in fratrum numero, poenas peccati luens, quod primogeniti ordinem perdidisti. [Principium autem doloris est omnis primogenitus, quia pro eo commoventur viscera parentum]. « Simeon et Levi fratres, vasa iniquitatis bellantia. In consilium eorum non veniat anima mea, et in coetu illorum non sit gloria mea: quia in furore suo occiderunt virum, et in voluntate sua suffoderunt murum. Maledictus furor eorum, quia pertinax; et indignatio eorum, quia dura. Dividam eos in Jacob, et dispergam illos in Israel » (Ibid., 5-7). Significat autem non sui consilii fuisse, quod Sichem et Emor foederatos viros interfecerunt, et contra fas in pacis et amicitiarum tempore sanguinem fuderunt innocentem, et quasi quodam furore, sic crudelitate raptati, muros hospitae urbis everterunt (Id. XXXIV, 26). Unde dicit, maledictus furor eorum, quia pertinax, et reliqua. Et dispergam illos in Israel. Levi enim haereditatem propriam non accepit, sed in omnibus sceptris paucas urbes ad inhabitandum habuit (Josue XXI). De Simeone vero in libro Jesu scriptum est, quod et ipse proprium funiculum non acceperit, sed de tribu Juda quiddam acceperit (Id. XIX, 1, 2). Juda, te laudabunt fratres tui: manus tuae in cervicibus inimicorum tuorum; adorabunt te filii patris tui. Catulus leonis Juda; ad praedam. fili mi, ascendisti, requiescens accubuisti ut leo, et quasi leaena. Quis suscitabit eum? Quia Juda confessio sive laus interpretatur, recte scribitur de Juda, confitebuntur tibi fratres; vel, laudabunt te. Et licet de Christo grande mysterium sit, tamen secundum litteram significat, quod per David stirpem generarentur reges, et quod adorarent eum omnes tribus. Non enim ait, filii matris tuae; sed, filii patris tui. Et quod sequitur, Ad praedam, fili mi, ascendisti, ostendit eum captivos populos esse ducturum, et juxta intelligentiam sacratiorem ascendisse in altum, et captivam duxisse captivitatem. Sive, quod melius puto, captivitas passionem, ascensus resurrectionem significat. Alligans ad vineam pullum suum, et ad vitem asinam suam. Quod videlicet pullum asinae, cui supersedit Jesus (Joan. XII, 14), hoc est Gentilium populum, vineae Apostolorum, qui ex Judaeis sunt, copulaverit; et ad vitem, sive, ut in Hebraeo habetur, Soreth, id est electam vitem, alligaverit asinam cui supersedit, Ecclesia ex nationibus congregata. Quod autem dicit, Fili mi, conversionem ad Christum de ipso Juda facit, eo quod Christus sit universa facturus. [Quod autem dicitur, Non auferetur sceptrum de Juda, et dux de femoribus ejus, donec veniat ille qui mittendus est; et ipse erit exspectatio gentium (Gen. XLIX, 8-11): significat quod non deficerent principes de tribu Juda usque ad tempus, quo natus est Christus, qui missus a Patre exspectatio est gentium.] « Zabulon in littore maris habitabit, et in statione navium, pertingens usque ad Sidonem. Issachar, asinus fortis accubans inter terminos: vidit requiem quod esset bona, et terram quod optima; et supposuit humerum suum ad portandum, factusque est tribus serviens » (Ibid., 13-15). Quia supra Zabulon dixerat, quod maris magni littora esset possessurus, Sidonem quoque et reliquas Phoenices urb⟨es⟩ contingeret, nunc ad mediterraneam provinciam redit,

of your father, and you defiled his bed (Gen. 49:4). And this is the sense: You are my firstborn, the greater among the children, and you ought, according to the order of your birth, to have received the inheritance which was owed by right to the firstborn, the priesthood and the kingship. This indeed is shown in the bearing of honour and in the surpassing strength. But because you sinned, and like water which is not held by any small vessel, you were poured out by the impulse of pleasure; therefore I command you not to sin any further, and to be in the number of your brothers, paying the penalty of your sin, because you lost the rank of the firstborn. [But every firstborn is the beginning of sorrow, because on his account the bowels of the parents are moved.] "Simeon and Levi are brothers, vessels of iniquity waging war. Let my soul not come into their counsel, and in their assembly let my glory not be: because in their fury they killed a man, and in their will they undermined a wall. Cursed be their fury, because it is stubborn; and their indignation, because it is harsh. I will divide them in Jacob, and I will scatter them in Israel" (Gen. 49:5–7). And it signifies that it was not of his counsel that they killed Shechem and Hamor, men bound in alliance, and against what is right, in a time of peace and friendship, shed innocent blood, and, carried away as though by a kind of fury, so by cruelty, overthrew the walls of the hospitable city (Gen. 34:26). Hence he says, cursed be their fury, because it is stubborn, and the rest. And I will scatter them in Israel. For Levi did not receive an inheritance of his own, but among all the tribes had a few cities to dwell in (Josh. 21). Of Simeon, indeed, it is written in the book of Joshua that he too did not receive his own allotted portion, but received something from the tribe of Judah (Josh. 19:1–2). Judah, your brothers will praise you: your hands on the necks of your enemies; the sons of your father will worship you. Judah is a lion's whelp; to the prey, my son, you have gone up; resting, you have lain down like a lion, and like a lioness. Who will rouse him? Because Judah is interpreted confession or praise, it is rightly written of Judah, your brothers will confess to you; or, will praise you. And although there is a great mystery concerning Christ, yet according to the letter it signifies that through the stock of David kings would be begotten, and that all the tribes would worship him. For he does not say, the sons of your mother; but, the sons of your father. And what follows, To the prey, my son, you have gone up, shows that he would lead peoples captive, and, according to a more sacred understanding, that He ascended on high and led captivity captive. Or, which I think better, the captivity signifies the passion, the ascent the resurrection. Binding his foal to the vineyard, and his she-ass to the vine. That is, that He would join the foal of the ass on which Jesus sat (John 12:14), that is, the people of the Gentiles, to the vineyard of the Apostles, who are from the Jews; and to the vine, or, as it is in the Hebrew, Soreth, that is, the choice vine, He would bind the she-ass on which He sat, the Church gathered from the nations. And when he says, My son, he makes a turning to Christ from Judah himself, because Christ was to accomplish all things. [And what is said, The sceptre shall not be taken away from Judah, nor a leader from his thighs, until He comes Who is to be sent; and He shall be the expectation of the nations (Gen. 49:8–11): it signifies that princes would not fail from the tribe of Judah until the time at which Christ was born, Who, sent by the Father, is the expectation of the nations.] "Zebulun shall dwell on the shore of the sea, and in the haven of ships, reaching as far as Sidon. Issachar, a strong ass lying down between the boundaries: he saw rest, that it was good, and the land, that it was excellent; and he put his shoulder to bearing [burdens], and became a serving tribe" (Gen. 49:13–15). Because above he had said of Zebulun that he would possess the shores of the great sea, and would reach Sidon also and the other cities of Phoenicia, now he returns to the inland province,

Editors' notes and page, col. 2201

Footnotes

(1) ‹anchor: de ipso Juda facit› · call in col 2201

Ms. Corb.: Quod autem dicit, Fili mi, apostrophen ad ipsum Judam facit.

The Corbie manuscript reads: "But in saying, My son, he makes an apostrophe to Judah himself."

(printed under page 449)

(a) ‹anchor: et maculasti stratum ejus (Gen. III, 4)› · call in col 2201

Ex Hieronymo, lib. Quaest. in Genesim.

From Jerome, the book of Questions on Genesis.

(printed under page 449)

(b) ‹anchor: commoventur viscera parentum› · call in col 2201

Haec non sunt Hieronymi.

These words are not Jerome's.

(printed under page 449)

Leg. sorec : sic enim vitis hebraice appellatur.

Read sorec: for that is what the vine is called in Hebrew.

(printed under page 449)

(d) ‹anchor: est exspectatio gentium› · call in col 2201

Non sunt haec Hieronymi.

These words are not Jerome's.

(printed under page 449)

Page

running head: 2201 APPENDIX.
marginal letters: (none)
old-edition numerals: (none)
misprints kept as printed: "Gen. III, 4" (for Gen. XLIX, 4; the English gives Gen. 49:4)
QA Q2a (2026-10-22): the calls (a) and (b) are visible in the column images (after "(Gen. III, 4)" and after "viscera parentum"); anchors set accordingly.

PL 35:2202

et Issachar, qui juxta Nephtalim pulcherrimam in Galilaea regionem possessurus est, benedictione sua habitatorem facit. Asinum autem osseum vel fortem vocat, et humerum dicit supposuisse ad portandum; quia in labore terrae et vehendis ad mare, quae in finibus suis nascebantur, plurimum laboraret, regibus quoque tributa comportans. Aiunt Hebraei per metaphoram significari, quod Scripturas sanctas de die ac nocte meditans studium suum dederit ad laborandum: et idcirco ei omnes serviunt, quasi magistro dona portantes. Dan judicabit populum suum sicut et alia tribus in Israel. Fiat Dan coluber in via, cerastes in semita, mordens ungulas equi, ut cadat ascensor ejus retro. Salutare tuum exspectabo, Domine (Gen. XLIX, 16-18). Samson judex in Israel de tribu Dan fuit (Judic. XIII, 2). Hoc ergo dicit: Nunc videns in spiritu comam nutrire Samsonem nazaraeum tuum, caesisque hostibus triumphare, quod in similitudinem colubri regulique obsidens vias nullum per terram Israel transire permittat; sed etiam si quis temerarius, virtute sua quasi velocitate equi confisus, eam voluerit praedonis more populare, non effugere valebit. Totum autem per metaphoram serpentis et equitis loquitur. Videns ergo tam fortem nazaraeum tuum, quod ipse propter meretricem mortuus est, et moriens nostros occidit inimicos (Id. XVI, 30), putavi, o Deus, ipsum esse Christum Filium tuum: verum quia mortuus est, et non resurrexit, et rursum ductus est Israel in captivitatem; alius mihi Salvator mundi et mei generis praestolandus est, ut veniat cui repositum est, et ipse exspectatio gentium. Gad accinctus praeliabitur ante eum, et ipse accingetur retrorsum (Gen. XLIX, 19). Significat, quod Gad, Ruben, et dimidia tribus Manasse ad filios, quos trans Jordanem in possessionem dimiserat, post quatuordecim annos revertens, praelium adversus eos gentium vicinarum grande repererit, et victis hostibus fortiter dimicaverit. Lege Jesum Nave et Paralipomenon. Nephtalim, cervus emissus dans eloquia pulchritudinis; sive, Nephtalim ager irriguus (Ibid., 21). Utrumque significat Hebraeum verbum, Aiala Seluha. Significat autem, quod aquae calidae in ipsa nascantur tribu, sive quod super lacum Genesar fluento Jordanis esset irriguus. Hebraei autem volunt propter Tiberiadem, quae Legis videbatur habere notitiam, agrum irriguum et eloquia pulchritudinis prophetari. Cervus autem emissus temporaneas fruges et velocitatem terrae uberioris ostendit. Sed melius si ad doctrinam Salvatoris cuncta referamus, quod ibi vel maxime docuerit Salvator, ut in Evangelio quoque scriptum est (Matth. IV, 15, 16). « Filius meus Joseph accrescens, Filius meus accrescens et decorus aspectu: filiae decurrerunt super murum; sed exasperaverunt eum, et jurgati sunt, invideruntque illi habentes jacula. Sedit in forti arcus ejus, et dissoluta sunt vincula brachiorum et manuum ejus per manus potentis Jacob. Inde pastor egressus est lapis Israel » (Gen. XLIX, 22-24). O filii Joseph, qui tam pulcher es, ut te tota de muris et turribus ac fenestris puellarum Aegypti turba prospectet, inviderunt tibi, et ad iracundiam te provocaverunt fratres tui, habentes livoris sagittas et zeli jaculis vulnerati. Verum arcum tuum et arma pugnandi posuisti in Deo, qui fortis est pugnator: et vincula tua quibus te fratres ligaverunt, ab ipso soluta sunt et disrupta, ut ex tuo semine tribus nascatur Ephraim fortis et stabilis, et instar lapidis durioris invicta, imperans quoque decem tribubus Israel. Benjamin lupus rapax, mane comedot praedam, et vespere dividet spolia (Ibid., 27). Quam de apostolo Paulo, quae dicta sunt, manifestissima sit prophetia, omnibus patet; quod in adolescentia persecutus sit Ecclesiam, in senectute praedicator Evangelii fuerit. Hebraei autem ita dixerunt: Altare in quo immolabantur hostiae, et victimarum sanguis ad basim illius fundebatur, in parte tribus Benjamin fuit: hoc, inquiunt, significat, quod sacerdotes immolant mane hostias, ad vesperam dividunt ea quae sibi ex lege collata sunt; lupum sanguinarium, lupum voracem

and Issachar, who was to possess the most beautiful region in Galilee next to Naphtali, he makes an inhabitant by his blessing. He calls him a bony or strong ass, and says that he put his shoulder under to carry burdens; because he would labour very greatly in the toil of the land and in carrying to the sea the things that grew within his borders, also bringing tributes to kings. The Hebrews say that it is signified by a metaphor that, meditating on the holy Scriptures by day and by night, he gave his zeal to labouring: and for that reason all serve him, as though bringing gifts to a teacher. Dan shall judge his people like another tribe in Israel. Let Dan be a snake in the way, a horned serpent in the path, biting the hoofs of the horse, so that its rider falls backwards. I will await Thy salvation, O Lord (Gen. 49:16–18). Samson, a judge in Israel, was of the tribe of Dan (Judg. 13:2). This therefore is what he says: Now seeing in the spirit Samson, Thy Nazarite, growing his hair and triumphing over slain enemies, because, besieging the roads in the likeness of a snake and a basilisk, he lets no one pass through the land of Israel; and moreover, if any rash man, trusting in his own strength as in the speed of a horse, should wish to ravage it in the manner of a robber, he will not be able to escape. The whole, however, he speaks by a metaphor of a serpent and a horseman. Seeing therefore Thy Nazarite so strong, that he himself died on account of a harlot and in dying killed our enemies (Judg. 16:30), I thought, O God, that he was Christ Thy Son: but since he died, and did not rise again, and Israel was again led into captivity, another Saviour of the world and of my race must be awaited by me, so that He may come for whom it is laid up, and He Himself is the expectation of the nations. Gad, girded, shall fight before him, and he himself shall be girded behind (Gen. 49:19). It signifies that Gad, Reuben and the half tribe of Manasseh, returning after fourteen years to their sons whom they had left in possession beyond the Jordan, found a great war of the neighbouring nations against them, and, having conquered the enemies, fought bravely. Read Joshua son of Nun [Jesus Nave] and Paralipomenon. Naphtali, a hart let loose giving words of beauty; or, Naphtali a well-watered field (Gen. 49:21). The Hebrew word Aiala Seluha signifies both. It signifies, moreover, that hot waters spring up in that very tribe, or that above the lake of Genesar it was watered by the stream of the Jordan. The Hebrews, however, hold that on account of Tiberias, which was thought to have knowledge of the Law, a well-watered field and words of beauty are prophesied. The hart let loose shows the early fruits and the swiftness of a more fertile land. But it is better if we refer everything to the teaching of the Saviour, because there the Saviour taught most of all, as is also written in the Gospel (Matt. 4:15–16). "My son Joseph is growing, my son is growing and comely in appearance: the daughters ran to and fro upon the wall; but they provoked him, and quarrelled, and envied him, having darts. His bow sat in the strong one, and the bonds of his arms and hands were loosed by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob. Thence the shepherd went forth, the stone of Israel" (Gen. 49:22–24). O son of Joseph, who are so beautiful that the whole crowd of the girls of Egypt looks out at you from walls and towers and windows, your brothers envied you and provoked you to anger, having the arrows of spite and wounded by the darts of jealousy. But you placed your bow and the weapons of fighting in God, Who is a strong fighter: and your bonds, with which your brothers bound you, were loosed and broken by Him, so that from your seed should be born the tribe of Ephraim, strong and stable, and unconquered like a harder stone, ruling also over the ten tribes of Israel. Benjamin is a ravening wolf, in the morning he shall eat the prey, and in the evening he shall divide the spoils (Gen. 49:27). How very manifest a prophecy the things said are concerning the apostle Paul is plain to all; that in his youth he persecuted the Church, and in old age was a preacher of the Gospel. The Hebrews, however, said thus: The altar on which the victims were sacrificed, and at whose base the blood of the victims was poured out, was in the portion of the tribe of Benjamin: this, they say, signifies that the priests sacrifice victims in the morning, and towards evening divide the things that were conferred on them by the law; a bloody wolf, a voracious wolf

Editors' notes and page, col. 2202

Page

running head: APPENDIX. 2202
marginal letters: (none)
old-edition numerals: (none)
other: first line's Nephtalim is blurred in the scan (looks like Nephtaiim), set as Nephtalim; italic Domine also blurred (looks like Dominc), set as Domine; column printed as one continuous paragraph; left column partly visible in images, not set
misprints kept as printed: "comedot" (for comedet, in "mane comedot praedam")

PL 35:2203

super altaris interpretatione ponentes, et spoliorum divisorem super sacerdotibus, qui servientes altari vivunt de alt⟨a⟩ri. Haec autem historice.

setting [him] over the interpretation of the altar, and as divider of the spoils over the priests, who, serving the altar, live from the altar. These things, then, [are said] historically.

Spiritualiter autem in Ruben prioris populi Judaeorum ostendit esse p⟨e⟩rsonam, cui a Domino dicitur, Israel primogenitus meus (Gen. XLIX. 3; Exod. IV, 22). Etenim juxta quod primogenito debebatur, ipsius erat accipere sacerdotium et regnum. Additur, tu virtus mea. Utique quod ex ipso populo fundamentum fidei, ex ipso virtus Dei, qui est Christus, advenit. Quomodo autem ipse sit principium dolorum, nisi dum Patri Deo semp⟨e⟩r irrogaverit injuriam; dum convertit ad eum dorsum, et non faciem? Iste prior in donis, quia primum ipsi credita sunt eloquia Dei (Rom. III, 2), et legislatio, et Testamentum sive promissio. Iste major imperio; utique pro magnitudine virium quia copiosius caeteris in hoc saeculo populus idem regnavit. Effusus est autem sicut aqua, peccando in Christum, quae vasculo non tenetur: voluptatis effusus est impetu, et idcirco addidit, Ultra non crescas; quia populus ipse postquam in universo orbe dispersus est, valde imminutus est. Sed quare talia meruit, ita subjecit: Quia ascendisti cubile patris tui. Primogenitae autem plebis audaciam praedicat, quae ascendit cubile patris sui, et maculavit stratum ejus, quando corpus dominicum, in quo plenitudo divinitatis requiescebat (Coloss. II, 9), raptum in cruce suspendit, et ferro commaculavit. Simeon et Levi fratres, vasa iniquitatis bellantia. Per Simeon et Levi Scribae et Pharisaei et Sacerdotes Judaici populi intelliguntur. De Simeone enim Scribae erant Judaeorum, de tribu vero Levi principes sacerdotum, qui consilium fecerunt ut Jesum dolo tenerent et occiderent. De quo consilio dicit, In consilium eorum ne veniat anima mea: horrebat enim tanta scelera, quae novissimis temporibus facturi erant Judaei. Quia in furore suo occiderunt virum: id est Christum, de quo dicitur, Ecce vir, Oriens nomen ejus (Zach. VI, 12); et alibi, Femina circumdabit virum (Jerem. XXXI, 22). Suffoderunt murum: id est, illum spiritualem fortissimum murum, qui custodit Israel, lancea confoderunt. Maledictus furor eorum, quia pertinax: utique quando furore accensi et ira, obtulerunt Christum Pontio Pilato, dicentes, Crucifige, crucifige. Et indignatio eorum, quia dura: dum Barabbam latronem peterent, et principem vitae crucifigendum postularent. Dividam eos in Jacob, et dispergam illos in Israel: quia nonnulli ex ipsis crediderunt, quidam in infidelitate permanserunt. Dicuntur enim divisi ii, qui ab eis separantur, et veniunt ad fidem; di⟨s⟩persi autem, quorum patria temploque subverso, per orbem terrae incredulum genus spargitur. Juda, te laudabunt fratres tui. Per hunc Judam verus confessor exprimitur Christus, qui ex ejus tribu secundum carnem est genitus. Ipsum laudabunt fratres sui: Apostoli scilicet et omnes cohaeredes ejus, qui per adoptionem Patris, filii Dei effecti sunt, et Christi fratres per gratiam, quorum ipse est Dominus per naturam. Manus tuae in cervicibus inimicorum tuorum: eisdem enim manibus atque eodem crucis tropaeo et suos texit, et inimicos et adversarias potestates curvavit. Juxta quod et Pater promittit ei dicens, Sede ad dexteram meam, donec ponam inimicos tuos scabellum pedum tuorum (Psal. CIX, 1, 2). Adorabunt te filii patris tui: quando multi ex filiis Jacob ad⟨o⟩rant eum, per electionem gratiae salvi facti (Rom. XI, 5). Catulus leonis Juda: quando nascendo factus est parvulus, sicut scriptum est, Parvulus natus est nobis (Isai. IX, 6). Ad praedam, fili mi, ascendisti: id est, ascendens in crucem, captivos populos redemisti; et quos ille contrarius invaserat, tu moriens eripuisti: denique rediens ab inferis, ascendisti in altum, captivam duxisti captivitatem (Psal. LXVII, 19; Ephes. IV, 8). Requiescens accubuisti, ut leo: manifestissime Christus in passione accubuit, quando inclinato capite tradidit spiritum; et quando

Spiritually, however, he shows that in Reuben is the person of the former people of the Jews, to whom it is said by the Lord, Israel is my first-born (Gen. 49:3; Exod. 4:22). For according to what was owed to the first-born, it was his to receive the priesthood and the kingship. There is added, you are my strength. Certainly, because from that very people came the foundation of faith, from it came the power of God, which is Christ. But how is he himself the beginning of sorrows, unless in that he has always inflicted injury on God the Father, in that he turned his back to Him, and not his face? He is first in gifts, because to them first were entrusted the oracles of God (Rom. 3:2), and the giving of the law, and the Testament or promise. He is greater in rule; certainly by reason of the greatness of its strength, because that same people reigned in this world more abundantly than the rest. But he was poured out like water by sinning against Christ, water which is not held by a vessel: he was poured out by the onrush of pleasure, and therefore he added, May you not increase further; because that people itself, after it was dispersed throughout the whole world, was greatly diminished. But as to why he deserved such things, he added thus: Because you went up to your father's bed. He proclaims, then, the audacity of the first-born people, which went up to its father's bed and defiled his couch, when it seized the Lord's body, in which the fullness of the Godhead rested (Col. 2:9), hung it on the cross, and defiled it with iron. Simeon and Levi are brothers, warring vessels of iniquity. By Simeon and Levi are understood the Scribes and Pharisees and Priests of the Jewish people. For the Scribes of the Jews were from Simeon, and from the tribe of Levi the chief priests, who took counsel that they might seize Jesus by guile and kill Him. Of which counsel he says, Let not my soul come into their counsel: for he shuddered at such great crimes as the Jews were to commit in the last times. Because in their fury they slew a man: that is, Christ, of Whom it is said, Behold a man, the Dawn is His name (Zech. 6:12); and elsewhere, A woman shall encompass a man (Jer. 31:22). They undermined a wall: that is, they pierced with a lance that spiritual and most mighty wall which guards Israel. Cursed be their fury, because it is stubborn: certainly when, inflamed with fury and anger, they handed Christ over to Pontius Pilate, saying, Crucify, crucify. And their wrath, because it is harsh: when they asked for Barabbas the robber, and demanded that the Prince of life be crucified. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel: because some of them believed, others remained in unbelief. For those are called divided who are separated from them and come to the faith; but scattered, those whose unbelieving race, its homeland and temple overthrown, is scattered throughout the world. Judah, Thy brothers shall praise Thee. By this Judah is expressed Christ, the true confessor, Who according to the flesh was born of his tribe. Him shall His brothers praise: namely the Apostles and all His co-heirs, who through the adoption of the Father have been made sons of God, and brothers of Christ by grace, of whom He Himself is Lord by nature. Thy hands are on the necks of Thine enemies: for with the same hands and the same trophy of the cross He both protected His own and bowed down His enemies and the adverse powers. According to which the Father also promises Him, saying, Sit at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies the footstool of Thy feet (Ps. 109:1–2). The sons of Thy father shall worship Thee: when many of the sons of Jacob worship Him, saved through the election of grace (Rom. 11:5). A lion's whelp is Judah: when by being born He became a little child, as it is written, A little child is born to us (Isa. 9:6). To the prey, my son, Thou didst go up: that is, going up on the cross, Thou didst redeem captive peoples; and those whom that adversary had seized, Thou by dying didst snatch away: then, returning from the underworld, Thou didst ascend on high, Thou didst lead captivity captive (Ps. 67:19; Eph. 4:8). Resting, Thou didst lie down like a lion: most manifestly Christ lay down in His passion, when, with head bowed, He gave up His spirit; and when

Editors' notes and page, col. 2203

Footnotes

(a) ‹anchor: vivunt de altari› · call in col 2203

Hucusque ex Hieronymo.

Up to this point, from Jerome.

(printed under page 450)

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in sepulcro securus, velut quodam corporis somno quievit. Sed quare ut leo, et velut catulus leonis? In somno enim suo leo fuit, quando non necessitate, sed potestate hoc ipsum complevit, sicut ipse dicit: Nemo tollit a me animam meam, sed ego pono eam (Joan. X, 18). Quod vero addit, Et ut catulus leonis: inde enim mortuus, unde natus. Bene ergo Christus ut leo requievit, qui non solum mortis acerbitatem non timuit, sed et in ipsa morte mortis imperium vicit. Quod autem dicit, Quis suscitabit eum? quia nullus nisi ipse, juxta quod ipse ait: Solvite templum hoc, et in triduo resuscitabo illud (Id. II, 19). Non deficiet dux de Juda, et reliqua. Hoc manifestissime ad Judam refertur. Diu enim fuit ex semine illius intemerata apud Judaeos successio regni, donec Christus nasceretur, sicut supra diximus. Alligans ad vineam pullum suum. Pullus suus populus ex Gentibus, cui adhuc nunquam fuerat Legis onus impositum. Hunc copulavit ad vineam, ad Apostolos scilicet qui ex Judaeis sunt. Nam vinea Domini Sabaoth domus Israel est (Isai. V, 7). Et ad vitem asinam suam. Ipse dicit, Ego sum vitis vera (Joan. XV, 1). Ad hanc ergo vitem alligat asinam suam, synagogam tardigradam scilicet, et gravi Legis pondere depressam. Lavit in vino stolam suam: sive carnem suam in sanguine passionis, sive sanctam Ecclesiam illo vino, quod pro multis effundetur in remissionem peccatorum. Et in sanguine uvae pallium suum. Pallium Gentes sunt, quas corpori suo junxit: sicut scribitur, Vivo ego, dicit Dominus, nisi hos omnes induam sicut vestimentum. Pulchriores oculi ejus vino. Oculi Christi Apostoli sunt et Evangelistae, qui lumen scientiae Ecclesiae praestant: quorum praecepta austeritatem vini priscae Legis superant, quia longe leviora sunt. Et dentes ejus lacte candidiores. Dentes praeceptores sunt sancti, qui praecidunt ab erroribus homines, et eos quasi comedendo in Christi corpus transmittunt. Candidiores autem effecti sunt doctores Ecclesiae lacte veteris Legis. Zabulon habitabit in littore maris, et in statione navium. Zabulon interpretatur Habitaculum fortitudinis, et Ecclesiam significat. Haec in littore maris habitat et in statione navium, ut credentibus sit refugium, et periclitantibus demonstret fidei portum. Haec contra omnes turbines saeculi inconcussa firmitate solida spectat naufragium Judaeorum, et haereticorum procellas, qui circumferuntur omni vento doctrinae; quorum etsi tunditur fluctibus, non tamen frangitur. Pertendit autem usque ad Sidonem, hoc est, usque ad Gentes. Legitur etiam in Evangelio inde assumptos esse Apostolos aliquos, et ipsis locis Dominum saepe docuisse, sicut scriptum est, Terra Zabulon, et terra Nephtalim, populus qui sedebat in tenebris, vidit lucem magnam (Isai. IX, 1, 2; Matth. IV, 15, sqq.). Sidon interpretatur Venator vel venatrix. Venatores qui sunt, nisi Apostoli? Qui, ut supra diximus, ex illis locis assumpti sunt, de quibus dicitur: Mittam venatores multos, et venabuntur vos in omni monte (Jerem. XVI, 16). Issachar asinus fortis. Issachar qui interpretatur Merces, refertur ad populum Gentium, quem Dominus sanguinis sui pretio mercatus est. Hic Issachar asinus fortis scribitur, quia prius populus gentilis quasi brutum et luxuriosum animal nullaque ratione substitit, sed postmodum jugum disciplinae evangelicae libenter portavit. Hic accubans inter terminos, vidit requiem quod esset bona, et terram quod optima. Inter terminos autem cubare, est praestolato mundi fine requiescere, nihilque de iis, quae nunc versantur in medio, quaerere, sed ultima desiderare. Et fortis asinus requiem et terram optimam videt, cum simplex gentilitas idcirco se ad robur boni operis erigit, quia ad aeternae vitae patriam tendit. Unde etiam apponit humerum suum ad portandum, quia dum ad promissam requiem pervenire desiderat, cuncta mandatorum onera libenter portat. Unde factus est tributis serviens, hoc est, Christe

secure in the tomb, He rested as if in a kind of sleep of the body. But why as a lion, and as a lion's whelp? For in His sleep He was a lion, since He accomplished this very thing not by necessity but by power, as He Himself says: No one takes My soul from Me, but I lay it down (John 10:18). As for what he adds, And as a lion's whelp: it is because He died in that from which He was born. Rightly, then, did Christ rest as a lion, He Who not only did not fear the bitterness of death, but even in death itself conquered the dominion of death. As for his saying, Who shall rouse Him? it is because no one does but He Himself, according to what He Himself says: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again (John 2:19). The leader shall not fail from Judah, and the rest. This most manifestly refers to Judah. For a long time there was from his seed an unbroken succession of the kingdom among the Jews, until Christ should be born, as we said above. Binding his colt to the vine. His colt is the people from the Gentiles, upon whom the burden of the Law had never yet been laid. This He joined to the vine, that is, to the apostles, who are from the Jews. For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel (Isa. 5:7). And his ass to the vine. He Himself says, I am the true vine (John 15:1). To this vine, therefore, He binds His ass, that is, the slow-paced synagogue, weighed down by the heavy burden of the Law. He washed his robe in wine: either His flesh in the blood of the passion, or holy Church in that wine which shall be poured out for many for the remission of sins. And his cloak in the blood of the grape. The cloak is the Gentiles, whom He joined to His body, as it is written: As I live, says the Lord, I will surely clothe Myself with all these as with a garment. His eyes are more beautiful than wine. The eyes of Christ are the apostles and evangelists, who furnish the light of knowledge to the Church; their precepts surpass the harshness of the wine of the ancient Law, because they are far lighter. And his teeth whiter than milk. The teeth are the holy teachers, who cut men off from errors and, as if by chewing them, pass them into the body of Christ. And the teachers of the Church have been made whiter than the milk of the old Law. Zebulun shall dwell on the shore of the sea, and in the haven of ships. Zebulun is interpreted Dwelling-place of strength, and signifies the Church. She dwells on the shore of the sea and in the haven of ships, so that she may be a refuge for believers and may show the harbour of faith to those in peril. Unshaken against all the whirlwinds of the world in solid firmness, she looks upon the shipwreck of the Jews and the storms of the heretics, who are carried about by every wind of doctrine; and though she is beaten by their waves, yet she is not broken. And he reaches as far as Sidon, that is, as far as the Gentiles. One also reads in the Gospel that some of the apostles were taken from there, and that the Lord often taught in those very places, as it is written, The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the people that sat in darkness has seen a great light (Isa. 9:1–2; Matt. 4:15 ff.). Sidon is interpreted Hunter or huntress. Who are the hunters, if not the apostles? They, as we said above, were taken from those places of which it is said: I will send many hunters, and they shall hunt you on every mountain (Jer. 16:16). Issachar a strong ass. Issachar, which is interpreted Reward, refers to the people of the Gentiles, whom the Lord purchased at the price of His blood. This Issachar is written a strong ass, because formerly the Gentile people stood like a brute and wanton animal with no reason at all, but afterwards willingly bore the yoke of the evangelical discipline. He, lying down between the borders, saw rest, that it was good, and the land, that it was very good. Now to lie down between the borders is to rest while awaiting the end of the world, and to seek nothing of those things that now go on in the midst, but to desire the last things. And the strong ass sees rest and the very good land when simple Gentile humanity raises itself to the vigour of good work for this reason, that it is making for the homeland of eternal life. Hence also he puts his shoulder to carrying, because while he desires to arrive at the promised rest, he willingly carries all the burdens of the commandments. Hence he became one serving under tributes, that is, to Christ

Editors' notes and page, col. 2204

Footnotes

(a) ‹anchor: terram quod optima› · call in col 2204

Ex Gregorio, lib. i Moral., cap. 6.

From Gregory, Moralia, book 1, chapter 6.

(printed under page 450)

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PL 35:2205

regi suae fidei dona et operum bonorum offerens munera. Dan judicabit populum suum sicut aliae tribus in Israel. Fiat Dan coluber in via, cerastes in semita, et reliqua. Dicunt quidam Antichristum per haec verba et praedici de ista tribu futurum, pro eo quod hoc loco Dan et coluber asseritur et mordens, et quod inter tribus Israel primus Dan ad aquilonem castrametatus est (Num. II, 25), illum significans qui se in lateribus aquilonis sedere dicit, et de quo figuraliter dicit propheta, A Dan auditus est fremitus equorum ejus (Jerem. VIII, 16). Qui non solum coluber, sed etiam cerastes vocatur. Κέρατα enim graece cornua dicuntur. Serpens ergo ille cornutus esse perhibetur, per quem digne Antichristus asseritur, quia contra vitam fidelium cum morsu pestiferae praedicationis armabitur etiam cornibus potestatis. Quis autem nesciat semitam angustiorem esse quam viam? Fit ergo Dan coluber in via, quia in praesentis vitae latitudine eos ambulare provocat, quibus quasi parcendo blanditur: sed in via mordet, quia eos quibus libertatem tribuit, erroris sui veneno consumit. Fit

the King, offering the gifts of his faith and the offerings of good works. Dan shall judge his people as the other tribes in Israel. Let Dan become a snake in the way, a horned serpent in the path, and the rest. Some say that by these words the Antichrist is also foretold as going to come from this tribe, because in this place Dan is asserted to be both a snake and one that bites, and because among the tribes of Israel Dan was the first to encamp towards the north (Num. 2:25), signifying him who says that he sits in the sides of the north, and of whom the prophet says figuratively, From Dan was heard the snorting of his horses (Jer. 8:16). He is called not only a snake but also a cerastes. For in Greek horns are called κέρατα. That serpent, then, is said to be horned, and by it the Antichrist is fittingly represented, because against the life of the faithful, together with the bite of pestilential preaching, he will be armed also with the horns of power. And who does not know that a path is narrower than a way? Dan therefore becomes a snake in the way, because he invites to walk in the breadth of the present life those whom he flatters as though sparing them; but in the way he bites, because those to whom he grants liberty he consumes with the venom of his error. He becomes

Editors' notes and page, col. 2205

Footnotes

(a) ‹anchor: Dicunt quidam› · call in col 2205

Ex Gregorio, lib. 31 Moral., cap. 10.

From Gregory, Moralia, book 31, chapter 10.

(printed under col 2205, above the full-width rule) (*) ‹anchor: none; unnumbered editors' censura printed in small type across the full page width below the rule, no call letter› · cols 2205–2206 Hoc opus Augustino abjudicant eruditi quique. Nec injuria sane, quandoquidem res ratioque docendi, ut de stili distantia nihil dicamus, procul abhorret a S. Doctoris ingenio et fide. In quaestione secunda dicitur Deus, ut diaboli praesumptionem non potestate sed ratione destrueret, materiam condidisse, quae esset rerum confusio, ex qua faceret mundum. In Q. decima tertia infantes qui in Sodomis cum parentibus perierunt, a gehenna liberos esse, quia in aliena causa occisi sunt, absolute pronuntiatur. Quo loco Quaestionum auctor, quisquis est, originale peccatum inficiari videbatur Bellarmino. Et revera ad hanc ipsam quaestionem respondens Alcuinus in opere super Genesim, interrog. 103, cum alioquin iisdem, quae hic leguntur, verbis usus fuerit, nequaquam tamen originalis peccati reatum dissimulavit : Nonne, ait, provisum est illis, ne diu viventes exempla sequerentur patrum; et ut levius in futuro crucientur, vel omnino non, aliena causa occisi? In Q. vigesima prima, et quadragesima quinta, contendit auctor, mulierem non esse creatam ad imaginem Dei : contra quam docet Augustinus in lib. 3 de Genesi ad litt., cap. 22. In Q. vigesima tertia non patitur quidquam difficultatis, ut Augustinus, circa originem animae. Q. vigesima septima non Samuelem a pythonissa excitatum, sed ejus spectrum sive diabolum Saüli apparuisse sic asserit, ut falsam et absurdam esse velit aliam opinionem : quam tamen pulchre congruere sacris Scripturis ostendit Augustinus in lib. 2 Quaest. ad Simplicianum. Q. quadragesima prima illud Geneseos, Spiritus Domini ferebatur super aquas, pugnat ne intelligatur de Spiritu sancto, de quo passim ab Augustino explicatur. Q. quadragesima tertia vehementer improbat votum Jephte, quem facinorosum appellat, nullumque justitiae testimonium habere dicit, cum is tamen inter insignes viros laudetur in Epistola ad Hebr., cap. 11. In Q. quadragesima sexta nota ignorantiae aut stultitiae condemnat eos, qui dicunt Samuelem functum officio sacerdotis, quod ipse cum aliis plurimis sentit Augustinus in lib. 17 de Civit. Dei, cap 4. In Q. quadragesima octava de Filio Dei loquitur more Arianorum. Q. quinquagesima sexta dicit immerito quibusdam videri (quod tamen Augustino etiam visum est) Joseph esse filium Heli et Jacob, unius secundum naturam, alterius secundum Legem. Q. quinquagesima nona quod apud Joannem dixit Dominus, Spiritus ubi vult spirat, vult de vento interpretandum esse, non de Spiritu sancto : cum Augustinus aliter interpretetur. Q. centesima octava multis conviciis insectatur eos, qui volunt Hebraeos dictos ab Heber, non ab Abraham : at Augustinus in lib. 2 Retract., cap. 16, et de Civitate Dei lib. 16, cap. 11, eam sequitur sententiam. Q. centesima nona incumbit ut suadeat Melchisedech non hominem fuisse, sed Spiritum sanctum, ipsumque in oblatione dici summum sacerdotem improbat. Q. centesima decima quinta dicit Abrahamum cum patre suo idola coluisse : contra Augustinus, in lib. 16 de Civit. Dei, cap. 13. In Q. centesima decima sexta ille pascha a passione, Augustinus vero ab hebraea voce transitum significante censet fuisse appellatum, in Epist. 53 ad Januarium, n. 2. Praeterea Pelagianam haeresim quaestiones aliquot resipiunt Lovaniensium Theologorum judicio, veluti Quaest. septuagesima nona, octogesima, octogesima tertia, etc. Perpaucae demum sunt, quae non aliqua ex parte pugnent in Augustini doctrinam; ut superfluum sit his addere, quod hujus operis prolixi nullam S. Doctor mentionem facit in libris Retractationum, cum illic diligenter Quaestionum libros alios recenseat.

Every scholar denies this work to Augustine, and rightly so, since its matter and its way of teaching (to say nothing of the difference in style) are far removed from the holy Doctor's mind and faith. In the second question God is said to have created matter, a confusion of things out of which he would make the world, so that he might overthrow the devil's presumption not by power but by reason. In the thirteenth question it is stated outright that the infants who perished in Sodom with their parents are free of hell, because they were killed in another's cause. In this place the author of the Questions, whoever he is, seemed to Bellarmine to deny original sin. And indeed Alcuin, answering this very question in his work on Genesis, interrogation 103, though he otherwise used the same words that are read here, by no means passed over the guilt of original sin: "Was it not provided for them," he says, "that they should not live long and follow their fathers' example; and that they should be tormented more lightly in the future, or not at all, being killed in another's cause?" In the twenty-first and forty-fifth questions the author contends that woman was not created in the image of God, against which Augustine teaches in book 3 of On Genesis according to the Letter, chapter 22. In the twenty-third question he does not allow, as Augustine does, any difficulty about the origin of the soul. The twenty-seventh question asserts that it was not Samuel raised by the pythoness, but his phantom or the devil, that appeared to Saul, and so asserts it as to hold the other opinion false and absurd; yet Augustine, in book 2 of the Questions to Simplician, shows that this opinion fits the holy Scriptures beautifully. The forty-first question argues that the verse of Genesis, "The Spirit of the Lord was borne over the waters," is not to be understood of the Holy Spirit, of whom Augustine everywhere explains it. The forty-third question vehemently condemns the vow of Jephthah, whom it calls a criminal and says has no witness to his righteousness, though he is praised among the illustrious men in the Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 11. In the forty-sixth question it condemns of ignorance or folly those who say that Samuel performed the office of a priest, which Augustine himself, with very many others, holds in book 17 of the City of God, chapter 4. In the forty-eighth question it speaks of the Son of God in the manner of the Arians. The fifty-sixth question says that some wrongly think (as Augustine nevertheless also thought) that Joseph was the son of Heli and of Jacob, of the one by nature, of the other by the Law. The fifty-ninth question would have what the Lord said in John, "The Spirit breathes where he will," interpreted of the wind, not of the Holy Spirit, whereas Augustine interprets it otherwise. The hundred and eighth question assails with many insults those who hold that the Hebrews are named from Heber, not from Abraham; but Augustine follows that opinion in book 2 of the Retractations, chapter 16, and in the City of God, book 16, chapter 11. The hundred and ninth question labours to persuade that Melchizedek was not a man but the Holy Spirit, and rejects his being called high priest in the offering. The hundred and fifteenth question says that Abraham worshipped idols with his father; against this Augustine, in book 16 of the City of God, chapter 13. In the hundred and sixteenth question that author [derives] "pasch" from "passion", whereas Augustine judges that it was so named from a Hebrew word meaning "passing over", in Letter 53 to Januarius, number 2. Moreover, in the judgement of the Louvain theologians several questions smack of the Pelagian heresy, such as questions seventy-nine, eighty, eighty-three, etc. Finally, very few are not at odds in some respect with Augustine's teaching; so that it is superfluous to add that the holy Doctor makes no mention of this lengthy work in the books of the Retractations, although there he carefully reviews his other books of Questions.

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old-edition numerals: (none)
other: the column continues with ADMONITIO IN LIBRUM QUAESTIONUM (another unit); not set here
QA Q1 (2026-10-22): the work does not end in col 2205. Col 2205 ends with the word "Fit"; the text from "cerastes in semita, quia quos fideles reperit" to "Amen." is printed in col 2206 (the right-hand column above the full-width admonitio) and sits in this part under the 2205 rail, with no 2206 rail. It needs its own "###### PL 35:2206" rail, and it was not checked against the page here (the column images show only its first letters, which agree). Col 2206 also carries a footnote numbered 1 (beginning "In", with "iniqui…" and "…citur" visible) that was not recorded and was not read here.
QA Q2a (2026-10-22): footnote (a) "Ex Gregorio, lib. 31 Moral., cap. 10.", printed at the foot of col 2205 above the full-width rule, was missing and is now recorded. The part c2205_a.md now holds only col 2205's text, ending at "Fit". The (*) entry above is not a page-foot note: it is the body of the next unit's full-width ADMONITIO IN LIBRUM QUAESTIONUM VETERIS ET NOVI TESTAMENTI (heading and rule above it), which begins the next unit. It was checked word by word against p451_footL/R and agrees; it is kept here only for reference, and the next unit should set it as editors' prose.

PL 35:2206

cerastes in semita, quia quos fideles reperit, et sese int⟨e⟩r angusta praecepti coelestis itinera constringentes, n⟨o⟩n solum nequitia callidae persuasionis impetit, sed etiam terrore potestatis premit; et in persecutionis languore, post beneficia fictae dulcedinis, exercet cornua potestatis. Equus iste cujus ungulas cerastes mordere dicitur, hunc mundum insinuat, qui per elationem suam in cursu labentium temporum spumat. Et quia Antichristus extrema mundi hujus apprehendere nititur, cerastes iste equi ungulas mordere perhibetur. Ungulas quippe equi mordere est extrema saeculi feriendo contingere. Ut cadat ascensor ejus retro. Plebs infidelis Judaea, erroris sui laqueis capta, pro Christo Antichristum exspectat. Bene Jacob eodem loco repente in electorum vocem conversus est dicens, Salutare tuum exspectabo, Domine: id est, non sicut infideles Antichristum; sed eum qui in redemptionem nostram venturus est, verum credo fideliter Christum. Amen.

a cerastes in the path, because those whom he finds faithful and binding themselves within the narrow routes of the heavenly precept he not only assails with the wickedness of cunning persuasion but also presses with the terror of power; and in the weariness of persecution, after the favours of a feigned sweetness, he wields the horns of power. That horse whose hooves the cerastes is said to bite signifies this world, which through its pride foams in the course of the gliding times. And because the Antichrist strives to seize the extremities of this world, this cerastes is said to bite the horse's hooves. For to bite the hooves of the horse is to reach the extremities of the age by striking. That its rider may fall backwards. The unbelieving Jewish people, caught in the snares of its error, awaits the Antichrist in place of Christ. Well did Jacob in the same place suddenly turn to the voice of the elect, saying, I will await Thy salvation, O Lord: that is, not, as the unbelievers do, the Antichrist; but I faithfully believe in Him who is to come for our redemption, the true Christ. Amen.

Editors' notes and page, col. 2206

Footnotes

1 In Ms. Corb sic desinit: Ascensor equi est quisquis iniquitatibus hujus mundi extollitur, qui retro cadere dicitur.

1 In the Corbie manuscript it ends thus: The rider of the horse is whoever is lifted up by the iniquities of this world, who is said to fall backwards.