Folio 27r - Mistice de columba; The mystic aspects of the dove. Item de columba; Also of the dove.
The mystic aspects of the dove
'If you sleep among the sheepfolds...a dove, its wings sheathed in silver and its tail feathers in the pale colour of gold' (see BSV, Psalmi, 67:14; NEB, Psalms, 68:11-13).
The silver-covered dove is the Church, instructed by the teaching of the holy word.
It is said that the Church has a rostrum, pulpit, for preaching, divided for the purposes of receiving the ideas of the Old and New Testament, by analogy with the beak, rostrum, of the dove, which is divided to gather grains of barley and corn. The dove has a right and a left eye, signifying moral and mystic perception. With the left eye the dove regards itself, but with the right, it contemplates God.
It has two wings, signifying the active and the contemplative life. At rest, it is covered by them; in flight, it is raised by them to heavenly things. We are in flight, when we are in a state of ecstasy. We are at rest when we are among our brothers in a sober state of mind.
Feathers are set in these wings. They are teachers, fixed in the wings of righteous behaviour and the contemplation of God. The word cleros in Greek we translate into Latin as sortes, shares assigned by lot. There are two such shares, the two Testaments. Between them rest those who agree with and trust in the authors of the Old and New Testaments.
'Its tail feathers in the pale colour of gold'. The back of the dove is said to be the part of the body to which the base of each wing is joined naturally. The heart, too, is seated there; lying just beneath the golden plumage of the dove's back, it will be covered in time to come with the gold of eternal bliss. As gold is more precious than silver, the bliss of the world to come is more precious than the joy of the moment. Therefore the tail feathers of the dove's back will be in the pale colour of gold, because the righteous will shine with surpassing brilliance in eternal bliss.
Also of the dove
'If you sleep among the sheepfolds...a dove, its wings sheathed in silver and its tail feathers in the pale colour of gold' (see BSV, Psalmi, 67:14; NEB, Psalms, 68:11-13).
The dove, with its silver-covered feathers, signifies every faithful and pure soul, renowned for the high esteem accorded to its virtues. The dove gathers as many grains of seed for food as the soul does examples of righteous men as models of virtuous conduct.
The dove has two eyes, right and left, signifying, that is, memory and intelligence. With one it foresees things to come; with the other it weeps over what has been. Our ancestors in Egypt closed their eyes since they did not understand the works of God, nor remembered the multitude of his mercies.
The dove has two wings, signifying love of one's neighbour and love of God. One is spread out in compassion
- Commentary
-
Commentary
Text
The mystic aspects of the dove.
Comment
Editorial mark in left margin: -'tur' (expansion of ‘ponitur’). Initials type 2, and folio mark of three 'match sticks' bottom right.
Folio Attributes
- Transcription and Translation
-
Transcription
Mistice de columba \ Si dormiatis inter medios cleros, penne columbe deargentate et posteriora \dorsi eius in pallore auri. Columba deargentata, est ecclesia, \doctrina divini eloquii erudita. Que per similitudinem fertur \habere predicationis rostrum ratione divisum quo grana colligat ordei \et frumenti, sententias scilicet veteris et novi testamenti. Habet dextrum \et sinistrum oculum, moralem et misticum sensum. Seipsam res\picit sinistro, deum vero contemplatur dextro. Duas alas habet, activam \et contemplativam vitam. His duabus alis sedens tegitur, his dua\bus volans ad celestia sublevatur. Volamus, cum mente excedimus. \Sedemus, cum inter fratres sobrii sumus. In his siquidem alis, penne sunt \inserte. Penne vero sunt doctores, ale recte actionis et divine \contemplationis firmiter inherentes. Cleros enim Grece sortes \vocamus Latine. Due sortes, duo sunt testamenta. Inter quas sortes dor\miunt, qui auctoribus veteris et novi testamenti concordant et ad\quiescunt. Et posteriora dorsi eius in pallore auri. Dorsum columbe illam partem cor\poris esse dicunt, cui radices alarum sese invicem naturaliter coniun\gunt. Ibidem cor ponitur, quod dorso proximum auro perpetue beatudi\nis in futuro operietur. Sicut aurum preciosius est argento, sic et beatitudo \futuri seculi preciosior est felicitate presenti. Posteriora igitur dorsi columbe in \pallore auri erunt, quia iusti in eterna beatudine nimia claritate fulge\bunt. \ Item de columba \ Si dormiatis inter medios cleros, penne columbe deargentate \et posteriora dorsi eius in pallore auri. Columba est quelibet fidelis anima et simplex dear\gentata in pennis, declarata in virtutibus per famam bone opinionis. \Que tot in cibum colligit seminum grana, quot ad bene operandum \assumit sibi iustorum exempla. Duos habet oculos dextrum et sinistrum, me\moriam scilicet et intellectum. In uno futura previdet, in altero transacta de\flet. Hos oculos clauserunt patres nostri in Egipto quoniam non intellexerunt \opera dei, nec fuerunt memores multitudinis misericordie eius. Duas vero habet \alas, amorem proximi et amorem dei. Una extenditur per compassionem \Translation
The mystic aspects of the dove 'If you sleep among the sheepfolds...a dove, its wings sheathed in silver and its tail feathers in the pale colour of gold' (see BSV, Psalmi, 67:14; NEB, Psalms, 68:11-13). The silver-covered dove is the Church, instructed by the teaching of the holy word. It is said that the Church has a rostrum, pulpit, for preaching, divided for the purposes of receiving the ideas of the Old and New Testament, by analogy with the beak, rostrum, of the dove, which is divided to gather grains of barley and corn. The dove has a right and a left eye, signifying moral and mystic perception. With the left eye the dove regards itself, but with the right, it contemplates God. It has two wings, signifying the active and the contemplative life. At rest, it is covered by them; in flight, it is raised by them to heavenly things. We are in flight, when we are in a state of ecstasy. We are at rest when we are among our brothers in a sober state of mind. Feathers are set in these wings. They are teachers, fixed in the wings of righteous behaviour and the contemplation of God. The word cleros in Greek we translate into Latin as sortes, shares assigned by lot. There are two such shares, the two Testaments. Between them rest those who agree with and trust in the authors of the Old and New Testaments. 'Its tail feathers in the pale colour of gold'. The back of the dove is said to be the part of the body to which the base of each wing is joined naturally. The heart, too, is seated there; lying just beneath the golden plumage of the dove's back, it will be covered in time to come with the gold of eternal bliss. As gold is more precious than silver, the bliss of the world to come is more precious than the joy of the moment. Therefore the tail feathers of the dove's back will be in the pale colour of gold, because the righteous will shine with surpassing brilliance in eternal bliss. Also of the dove 'If you sleep among the sheepfolds...a dove, its wings sheathed in silver and its tail feathers in the pale colour of gold' (see BSV, Psalmi, 67:14; NEB, Psalms, 68:11-13). The dove, with its silver-covered feathers, signifies every faithful and pure soul, renowned for the high esteem accorded to its virtues. The dove gathers as many grains of seed for food as the soul does examples of righteous men as models of virtuous conduct. The dove has two eyes, right and left, signifying, that is, memory and intelligence. With one it foresees things to come; with the other it weeps over what has been. Our ancestors in Egypt closed their eyes since they did not understand the works of God, nor remembered the multitude of his mercies. The dove has two wings, signifying love of one's neighbour and love of God. One is spread out in compassion
