Folio 34v - cedars, continued. De pellicano; Of the pelican
that is, birds of prey. They make nests there as robbers build strongholds on the estates of the rich. Their fledglings are their accomplices or henchmen. These birds hide in the the cedars in order to catch their prey, as robbers are empowered to commit crimes by evil rulers.
But 'the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon' (Psalms, 29:5), that is, he will destroy the rich of the world, some by repentance, some by vengeance.
The Lord will break some by repentance as he will humble the calf of Lebanon. He will humble them like the calf of Lebanon (see BSV, Psalmi, 28:6; NEB, Psalms, 29:6), in imitation of the life of Christ, making of each rich man a calf fit for sacrifice, who will mortify his flesh and carry his cross with Christ. He will break others by vengeance because they will be kept for eternal fire.
Many profit from the felling of the aforesaid cedar, as when Christ with his death redeemed the world. 'Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit' (John, 12:24). Therefore the felling of the cedar represents the death of Christ. Truly, many benefitted from the death of Christ; by descending into hell, rising from the dead and ascending into heaven, he gave to the dying the hope of resurrection. For what good is there in living afflicted by distress and in dying at the end, if hope of resurrection does not follow? And what good is resurrection unless it is agreed that immortal man lives on without endless punishment?
Likewise, when the cedar which the Lord planted is felled, it is of great profit, because it is transferred to the dwelling-place of eternal bliss.
But if the cedar which the Lord did not plant is felled, it, too, will be of no little use, because the tree which bore no fruit in Lebanon, that is, in this secular world, may, when it is felled, support the weight of the building in a temple of the spirit.
What I have said applies only if you cut down the pride of the cedar with repentance. If, however, you cut it down with vengeance, you consign it to the fires of Gehenna to be reduced forever to ashes.
Of the pelican
'I am like pelican of the wilderness' (Psalms, 102:6). The pelican is a bird of Egypt, living in the wilderness of the River Nile, from which it gets its name. For Egypt is known as Canopos.
It is devoted to its young. When it gives birth and the young begin to grow, they strike their parents in the face. But their parents, striking back, kill them. On the third day, however, the mother-bird, with a blow to her flank, opens up her side and lies
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Commentary
Text
Felling the cedars of Lebanon. The Pelican.
Comment
One text correction in margin: -??-uendo reservat [start unclear, but a correction for ‘reservandos’]. Initial type 2.
Folio Attributes
- Transcription and Translation
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Transcription
id est raptores. Nidos componunt, quia in possessionibus divitum raptores\ munitiones construunt. Pulli sunt complices raptorum seu mini\stri. He volucres in cedris ut rapiant latent, quia raptores nocendi\ potentiam, a principibus perversis habent. Sed: dominus confringet cedros Libani, id est\ divites mundi, quosdam per penitentiam quosdam per vindictam. Per penitentiam\ confringet, [quando] [PL, quia] sicut vitulum Libani comminuet. Comminuet sicut vitulum\ Libani ad imitationem vite Christi, ut fiat vitulus sacrificiis aptus, ut car\nem mortificet, et cum Christo crucem portet. Per vindictam confringet alios\ quia eterno igni reservandos. Predicta cedrus succisa multis proficit, quia\ Christus morte propria mundum redemit. Nisi enim granum frumenti cadens in terram\ mortuum fuerit, ipsum solum manet. Si autem mortuum fuerit, multum fructum affert. Cedrus ergo succiditur dum Christus moritur.\ Mors siquidem Christi multis proficit, descendens ad inferos, surgens a mortuis\ ascendens in celos spem resurgendi morientibus dedit. Quid enim prodesset\ vivere tribulationibus concuti, ad extremum mori, nisi sequeretur spes resur\gendi? Et quid prodesset resurrexisse, nisi constans esset hominem immortalem\ absque supplicio sine fine manere? Similiter cum cedrus quam plantavit\ dominus succiditur, multum proficit quia ad eterne beatudinis edificium transfertur.\ Si autem cedrus quam non plantavit dominus succisa fuerit, non minime utilitatis e\rit, quia que nullum fructum ferebat in Libano, id est in seculo, pondus edificii succisa\ sustinet in spirituali templo. Ita dico si cedri superbiam succidas per penitenciam, si\ vero per vindictam succidas gehenne incendiis illam concremandam in perpetuum servas.\ De pellicano\ Similis factus sum pellicano solitudi\nis. Pellicanus Egiptiaca avis est, habitans in solitu\dine Nili fluminis unde et nomen sumpsit. Nam Canopos\ Egyptus dicitur. Amatorum est nimis filiorum. Qui cum genuerit\ natos et ceperint crescere, percuciunt parentes suos in faciem.\ Sed parentes repercucientes eos occidunt. Tercia vero die mater\ eorum percuciens costam suam aperit latus suum et incumbit \Translation
that is, birds of prey. They make nests there as robbers build strongholds on the estates of the rich. Their fledglings are their accomplices or henchmen. These birds hide in the the cedars in order to catch their prey, as robbers are empowered to commit crimes by evil rulers. But 'the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon' (Psalms, 29:5), that is, he will destroy the rich of the world, some by repentance, some by vengeance. The Lord will break some by repentance as he will humble the calf of Lebanon. He will humble them like the calf of Lebanon (see BSV, Psalmi, 28:6; NEB, Psalms, 29:6), in imitation of the life of Christ, making of each rich man a calf fit for sacrifice, who will mortify his flesh and carry his cross with Christ. He will break others by vengeance because they will be kept for eternal fire. Many profit from the felling of the aforesaid cedar, as when Christ with his death redeemed the world. 'Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit' (John, 12:24). Therefore the felling of the cedar represents the death of Christ. Truly, many benefitted from the death of Christ; by descending into hell, rising from the dead and ascending into heaven, he gave to the dying the hope of resurrection. For what good is there in living afflicted by distress and in dying at the end, if hope of resurrection does not follow? And what good is resurrection unless it is agreed that immortal man lives on without endless punishment? Likewise, when the cedar which the Lord planted is felled, it is of great profit, because it is transferred to the dwelling-place of eternal bliss. But if the cedar which the Lord did not plant is felled, it, too, will be of no little use, because the tree which bore no fruit in Lebanon, that is, in this secular world, may, when it is felled, support the weight of the building in a temple of the spirit. What I have said applies only if you cut down the pride of the cedar with repentance. If, however, you cut it down with vengeance, you consign it to the fires of Gehenna to be reduced forever to ashes. Of the pelican 'I am like pelican of the wilderness' (Psalms, 102:6). The pelican is a bird of Egypt, living in the wilderness of the River Nile, from which it gets its name. For Egypt is known as Canopos. It is devoted to its young. When it gives birth and the young begin to grow, they strike their parents in the face. But their parents, striking back, kill them. On the third day, however, the mother-bird, with a blow to her flank, opens up her side and lies
