10. OF THE EXACT DIMENSIONS OF THE TEMPLE ITSELF: And The Oracle
BEDE: ON THE TEMPLE
eyes of the Lord are on the watch over his house night and day14 and his ears listening intently to the prayers of his servants15 and this (is so) through the whole extent of the Church which is spread over the world. For the altar of incense16 which indeed stood in the outer compartment but near the doorway, was a type of the inner compartment of the perfectly righteous who though still detained in the world, are nevertheless lifted up to heavenly things by their every desire and who, as it were, with burnt incense send forth smoke which ascends into the Holy of Holies, because being on fire with celestial love they knock upon the ears of their creator with the continual sound of their prayers, and the smoke of their burnt offerings finds the door at the top wide open, because the purer each of them is on earth and the closer they live, so to speak, to their heavenly homeland, the more quickly they receive everything they ask from the Lord. Fittingly then was the inner house made twenty cubits long on account of the mystery of which we have spoken above,17 the mystery of twofold love which in this interim life enlightens the minds of the majority of the elect but which in that homeland, when the works of other virtues come to an end, alone reigns forever.
10. OF THE EXACT DIMENSIONS OF THE TEMPLE ITSELF
AND THE ORACLE
10 (6: 17) And the temple itself before the doors of the oracle was forty cubits long. We have said that the temple itself before the doors of the oracle was a type of the present Church.' Hence it was rightly forty cubits long for this number is often used to signify the present labour of the faithful, just as the number fifty stands for the rest and peace to come. For the number ten contains the precepts, the observance of which leads to life. Likewise the number ten signifies that very eternal life which we desire and for which we live. But the world in which we strive to attain that life is a square. Hence too the psalmist, foreseeing the Church which was to be assembled from the nations said, He has gathered them out of the countries from the l4 cf. 3 K 8:29-30 l5 cf. Ps. 129:2 l6 infra 12.3.5 ** suprn 6.1 **; 9.1 * *
' supra 9.2 * *
BOOK ONE
rising and from the setting of the sun, from the north and from the sea.
Now ten multiplied by four makes forty. Hence the people liberated from Egypt as a figure of the present Church were subjected to many hardships for forty years in the d e ~ e r t , ~ but at the same time were also regaled with heavenly bread? and in this way finally reached the land promised them of old. They were subjected to trials for forty years in order to draw attention to the hardships with which the Church contends throughout the whole world in observing the law of God; they were fed on manna from heaven for those forty years to demonstrate that the very sufferings which the Church endures in the hope of the heavenly denarius, i.e. of eternal happiness, are to be alleviated when those who now hunger and thirst for righteousness will have theirfi115 and as the same Church sings to its redeemer, But as for me, I will appear before your sight in righteousness; I shall be satisfied
[I731 when yourgloty shall appeas6 In the same way then the people of God is both subjected to adversities and regaled with manna to confirm the saying of the Apostle: Rejoicing in hope, patient in trib~lation.~
In this figure too Our Lord fasted forty days before his bodily deaths and feasted forty more with his disciples after his bodily resurrection appearing to them by many proofs and speaking of the kingdom of God, and eating together with them.9 For by fasting he showed in himself our toil, but by eating and drinking with his disciples he showed his consolation in our midst. While he was fasting he was crying out, as it were, Take heed lest perhaps your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the cares of this lqe, lo whereas while he was eating and drinking he was crying out, as it were, Behold I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world;" and: But I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one shall take from you. l2 For as soon as we set our feet upon the way of Ps 106:2-3 cf. Dt 2:7 cf. Ex 16:35
Mt 5:6
Ps 16:15
Rm 12:12 cf. Mt 4 2 ' Ac 13-4 lo Lk21:34
Mt28:20 l 2 Jn 1622