2. Thetencurtains
BEDE: ON THE TABERNACLE
THETENCURTAINS
When the Lord delivered the ceremonies of the law and the code of behavior to Moses, who was with him on Mount Sinai for forty days and nights, among other things he said:
26:l And you shall make the tabernacle in this manner: you shall make ten curtains of fine twisted linen, and blue and purple and scarlet twice dyed,variegated with embroidery work. The tabernacle of the Lord is made from curtains variegated with diverse sorts of colours because the Holy Church universal is built from many elect persons, from many churches throughout the world, and from the flowers of diverse virtues. All its perfection is contained in the number ten because in whatever direction the Church has been spread throughout the world, among diverse nations and tribes and peoples and tongues,' it stands completely firm in the single love of God and neighbour which was contained in the Decalogue of the law. And there is 110 other way for persons truly to attain to membership in the Church, unless with a whole heart they will learn to love both him through whom the Church is built and those in whom it is built (that is, God and his elect).
Now the diverse beauty of the colours with which these same curtains were distinguished is the grace of the various virtues with which the Holy
Church shines in the sight of its Maker, being composed with wonderful and quite heavenly skill. Surely blessed Peter was eager to build the tabernacle of God with such variety and with embroidery, as it were, since he says: A s evety one ofyou has receivedgrace, administer the same to one another, asgood stewards of the manijddgrace of God2 Paul saw that this appertains to the curtains of the tabernacle (that is, to the minds of the faithful), since he says: To one, indeed, is given through the Spirit the utterance ofwisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another the grace of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, and the other things in that pa~sage.~
Surely John also bears witness that the fine linen, which is mentioned first, represents the beauty of virtues, since he says in the Apocalypse: For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his spouse hasprepared herself; and to her it has been granted that she should clothe herselfwithline linen,
1 Rev. 5:9
2 1 Pet. 410
3 1 Cor. 12:s10; 'otherthings', namely: the discernment ofspirits, various kinds oftongues, and the interpretation of tongues
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glittering and white-for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
Solomon says of the same spouse of the Lamb (that is, the Church of Christ) that her clothing is fine linen and purple,2 but when John expounds the figure of one colour he implies that the others are to be interpreted figuratively as well.
Fine linen does indeed spring up from the ground: but it is then dug out of the ground [and subjected to] a long process of drying, pounding, cleaning, baking, and spinning, so that it is accustomed to lose its grassy colour and take on the colour of white. Therefore, it designates bodies that are gleaming with the beauty of chastity, for although they are indeed begotten in the enticements of the flesh, by the great labour of continence they sweat out (as it were) their natural moisture and come to the beauty of a purity that is worthy of God, diligent in fasts and vigils, in prayers and reading, and in the practice of patience and humility. Of these [bodies] can rightly be said that apostolic [word]: Or do you not know thatyour members are the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in And tlus fine linen is twisted into the curtains of the tabernacle because we do not gird only the loins of the flesh but also, as Peter admonishes, the loins of our mind in ~obriety,~ so that we may restrain both the flesh from lascivious impulses and the heart from enticing thoughts.
Blue, because it resembles the appearance of air and heaven, designates the minds of the same elect, who are seeking heavenly tlungs with every hope and desire. Commending the sacrament of this colour to us, the Apostle says: qyou have risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.6
(461 Purple, because it displays the colour of blood7 and is also dyed with the actual purple blood of shellfish, designates the devout hearts of those who are able to say with the Apostle, I am ready not only to be bound but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord JesusS8 and to the Lord with the prophet, 'Because for your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are counted as sheepfir the slaughter. *9
1 Rev. 19:7-8 2 Prov. 3 1:22
3 Isidore, Efymol. 19,27, 1,4 (ed. Lindsay, vol. 2); Pliny Naf. hist. 19, 1, 5 (LCL 5: 422)
4 1 Cor. 6:19
5 1 Pet. 1:13
6 Col. 3:l 7 Isidore, Efymol. 12,6, SO (ed. Lindsay, vol. 2) 8 Acts 21:13
9 Ps. 44:22 (43:22)
BEDE: ON THE TABERNACLE
Scarlet, because it has the appearance of fire,' is rightly compared to the most ardent love of the saints. For this same reason, some of those who had been smitten with this [love] while the Lord was present and keeping company with them were saying: 'Was not our heart burning within us while he was speaking on the road and opening the Scriptures to us? On the other hand, withreference to this love it is said concerning the reprobate:
And because iniquity has abounded, the charity of many will grow This is dyed twice, as it were, when it is inflamed with the love of God and neighbour, when we love the former with all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength, and the latter as oursel~es.~
And so, the four just characteristics of the elect are expressed in these four colours of the curtains: in fine linen, the purified flesh that is shining with chastity; in blue, the mind that is desiring things above; in purple, the flesh that is subject to afflictions; in scarlet twice dyed, the mind that in the midst of afflictions is shining with the love of God and neighbour.
26:2 The length of one curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width shall be four cubits. The length of the curtains expresses the longsuffering patience of the Holy Church, and their width expresses the breadth of that love, which is accustomed not only to return love to those who love us (God and the neighbour), but also to receive the adversary who hates us into our bosom spread wide with sweetness, and with knees bent in prayer to commend our persecutors to the Lord, saying: 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them. "
This width is aptly four cubits because there are four books of the gospels in which we are taught by the exemplary deeds and words of our Lord and Redeemer how that same chanty is to be maintained. There are also four virtues through the performance of which rtus same charity is to be exercised, namely: temperance, fortitude, justice, and prudence. Thus, chanty should be kept incormpt and whole in God; that pertains to temperance. It should not be crushed by misfortunes; that pertains to fortitude. It should serve no one else; that pertains to justice. And it should bevigilant inmatters of discernment, lest deceit and guile steal it away little by little; that pertains to prudence.
Now the length of the curtains was twenty-eight cubits, which is the number produced by multiplying seven times four; on account of the (471 1 Isidore, Etymol. 19,28, 1 (ed. Lindsay, vol. 2)
2 Luke 24:32
3 Man. 24: 12
4 Mark 12:30-1 5 Acts 7:60
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sabbath day, the eternal rest of the saints is accustomed to be represented by the number seven. Therefore the length of the curtains extends to four times seven cubits because by believing and keeping evangelical doctrine, and through exercising the spiritual virtues of which we have spoken, the long-suffering patience of the Holy Church stretches out toward eternal rest.
There is also another sacrament in the number twenty-eight which likewise pertains to the number seven. If you will count the whole succcssion of numbers between one and seven, you will reach the sum of twenty-eight, for one plus two plus three plus four plus five plus six plus seven make twentyeight. Therefore, the length of the curtains is rightly contained in the number twentyeight because the parts of the number seven are found in it. For in everything that they do or suffer, the saints whose faith and patience are adorned with a variety of virtues are not expecting the glory of human favour but the blessedness of heavenly rest. That explains why the psalm of this number is entitled At the finishing of the tabernacle, for the whole of this song concerns the perfection of the Holy
Church, as is particularly apparent from those [verses] which say, Adore the Lord in his holy court, and again, And in his temple aN shall say
'Glory! '2 The twentyeighth psalm is aptly inscribed A t thefinishing of the tabernacle, since it contains the perfection of the Holy Church's pilgrimage in this world, so that through faith and through good works it may proceed to its rest in the world to come. And there properly follows:
26:2 All the curtains shall be of one measure. Although the curtains differed from one another in having different colours of embroidery, they were nevertheless all proportioned with lengths and widths of the same measure. For although the elect have gifts that differ according to the grace that is given theq3 there is nevertheless one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all4 26:3 Five curtains shall be joined to one another; and the other five shall be attached in the same way. Josephus relates that the tables of the covenant were composed in such a way that each table in the Decalogue of the law contained five words.5 For this reason it was fitting that the ten curtains that were joined together to complete the beauty of the tabernacle were also divided at a suitable internal so that five on each side might remain together. When those who ministered the holy things, with the people of [48] 1 Ps. 29:2 (28:2) 2 Ps. 29:9 (28:9) 3 Rom. 12:6
4 Eph. 4:5-6 5 Josephus, Ant. Jud. 3,6,5 (ed. Blan, 235, 26-7)
BEDE: ON THE TABERNACLE
God, saw this, they would have been reminded of the law that is always to be observed, which was comprised of ten words in two tables, divided so as to number five in each table.
Furthermore, on account of this verse we are also able to speak of the number of the curtains as two times five, so that they represent those in each testament who follow the divine law. Surely the first five, which covered or formed the front and foremost part of the tabernacle, bore a type of the ancient people of God, who fulfilled the decrees of the law according to the letter in the sacrament of circumcision and the observance of the various sacrificial rites. But the five curtains that follow, which covered the rear sides of the tabernacle or actually formed them by covering them, designated those of us born after the coming of the Lord in flesh, who keep the books and sacraments of the law spiritually, as he himself has revealed and provided.
All the curtains were embroidered with one and the same handiwork and colours but they were joined together in [groups of] five, because all the worshipers in both testaments believed in one and the same God and served him with works of one and the same piety and charity, but in the celebration of the sacraments each people played its own separate part. For they celebrated the sacrament of the Lord's passion (through which each of the two peoples has been redeemed) in the flesh and blood of sacrifices, but we celebrate it in the oblation of bread and wine. They believed in and confessed as things to come the Lord's nativity in flesh, his preaching, his working of miracles, h s temptation, his passion, his burial, his resurrection and ascension, as well as the coming of the Holy Spirit and the faith of the Gentiles, but we believe and confess that all these things have already happened and that there is nothing more left to be accomplished. Nevertheless, at the time when the tabernacle was being erected all the curtains were fastened to one another, because when the beauty of the whole Catholic
Church from the beginning unto the end of the world is considered, it is assuredly as if ten curtains joined together into one adorn the tabernacle of the Lord.
26:4 You shall make loops of blue on the sides and tops of the curtains, so that they may be joined to one another. We have said that blue, because it is the colour of the air, is appropriate as a sign of heavenly blessings.' Therefore the curtains are joined to one another with blue loops when a single hope of supernal blessedness joins the hearts of all the elect throughout the world together in one and the same devotion. These loops
[ansulue] are aptly named, because they were to be made not only on the [49] 1 k d e , De tab. 2,2 (CCSL 119A: 45, 149-51)
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sides of the curtains but also on the tops, that is, at the extreme ends of the comers [anplorum].' For not only do the life and the work of the saints hasten to perfection along the common road of right intention, but even the first stage of the good life, which we obtain by confession of the faith and the reception of the heavenly sacraments, is not alien or different, but all are linked by an equal and similar grace of truth. Likewise, at the end of temporal life we all have the common assurance of one and the same hope when we close our eyes in death, so that having first received the viaticum of the heavenly mystcry,2 we may be confident of finding ourselves very quickly in the true life and of remaining in it forever.
This agrees with that passage in the Book of Numbers in which the childrenof Israel are instructed that they shouldmake for themselvesfi.inges on the corners of their garments, putting in them blue cords. Surely the children of Israel have fringes and blue cords on the comers of their garments when the elect and all those who wish to see God so labour to clothe themselves with works of righteousness that they do not esteem these mortal things as a praiseworthy goal, lest by chance it could be said of them that they have their r e ~ a r d , ~ but amidst those things they look rather to the eyes of the inner Judge, and to eternal rewards. For tlus reason, in that place it is also immediately added by way of explanation: When they shall see these things, let them remember all the commandments of the Lord, lest they should follow their own thoughts, and their eyes that have gone whoring aJer diverse things.'
We should also make use of these words in our explanation of the blue loops. For we may say that the reason that the curtains were joined togethcr with loops of that sort was in order that the children of Israel who then had them in their sight might be reminded of the heavenly commandments, and that we who read about them now might be mindful that as long as we continue in this life as childrenof the eternal promise we are separated from one another in time and space, but in heaven there is a homeland in which its citizens, being gathered from the fourwinds of heaven, are foreverjoined together in an indivisible fellowship.
26:5 Every curtain shall have fifty loops on both sides, inserted in such a way that one loop may be set against another, and one may be
1 Bede's point is that it is appropriate for the ansulae ('loops') to be so called, because they are located in the similar-sounding angulae ('corners').
2 On Bede's emphasis on the importance of receiving communion from the reserved sacrament as viaticum ('food forthe journey') at the time of death, see Carroll (1946), 10910.
3 Num. 15:38
4 Man. 6:5
5Num. 15:39
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fitted to the other. We read in the law that the fitieth year was ordered to be designated as a jubilee (that is, a [year for] releasing or exchanging'), in which the whole people should rest from all cultivation of the land and everyone's debts should be cancelled,2 and we know that in the New
Testament the grace of the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost (that is, the fiitiethday ofthe Lord's resurrection) and hallowed the beginnings of the Church that was being brought into existence by its coming3 It is agreed, then, that by th~s number can rightly be figured either the grace of the Holy Spirit or the joy of future blessedness, to which one is brought through the gift of the same Spirit and in the perception of which alone is true rest and joy.
[SO] Aptly did the curtains have fifty loops by which they were fastened to one another, because only by the gift of the Holy Spirit does it happen that the elect are joined to one another in the fellowship of peace which is the bond ofperl;~tion,~ and nothing but the hope and remembrance of future fellowship and peace makes those who are in ttus life still separated in time and space into servants of Chnst united in a common piety. And it is properly said that the curtains had loops on both sides so that every single curtain embraced the curtains near to it on either side as if with arms extending in both directions, because it is doubtlcss necessary that we should with the open arms of pure piety embrace all the faithful, both those who precedcd us in Christ and those who have followed us, and that all of us who are in Christ should revere withone affection both those who taught us in Christ and those whom we have taught with the help of Christ himself.
We ought to hasten to see the face of our Creator by living well, so that we by no means forsake the neighbours who are running with us, but are eager to come into the presence of the Divine Glory together with them.
For all the curtains were supported by the boards in such a way that they extended to the ceiling and shone up above with the varied luster of their own embroidey on the inside, so that they by no means fell short of those curtains that together with them were either borne aloft or shone from their position on high. After the fashion of those curtains, we should assist the faithful by admonition and by example as they advance with us in the service of God. And in whatever virtue we have beenable to make progress, in the same way we should treat all our companions in that virtue in a manner appropriate to these virtues. Therefore, loop is set against loop so 1 Jerome, Nom. (CCX 72: 67, 10) 2 Lev. 25:lO-11 3 Acts 2:l-2 4Col. 3:14