14. THE CARVING OF THE WALLS AND OVERLAYING OF: The Floor With Gold
BEDE: ON THE TEMPLE
understood, truthfully foretold as events that were to happen. But the coming of antichrist, the end of the world, the critical moment of the last judgement, and the eternal glory of the good and punishment of the wicked, both testaments demonstrate with harmonious truth.
The reason why the inner wings of the cherubim touched each other above the ark was that the testaments are in full agreement in their testimony about the Lord. Moreover, with their outer wings, one of them touched one wall, the other touched the second because the Old Testament was written specifically for the ancient people of God, whereas the New was written for us who arrived at the faith after [I831 the Lord's incarnation and we are rightly compared to the second wall, i.e. the north wall, for to us it was granted to know the light of truth after the figure and the darkness of idolatry. For even though the primitive Church bloomed mainly from Jewish soil and one may believe that all Israel is to be saved near the end of the world, nevertheless the majority of believers of this age are drawn from the gentiles to receive the mysteries of the Gospel, and to them
God has also given this gift, namely, that the eyes of their heart have been unveiled so that they can recognize clearly that the letter of the Old Testament is full of the mysteries of the grace of the Gospel. The cherubim have their faces turned towards the outer house because for our sake who are still standing outside and are saved not in fact but in hope,25 the divine books were written because their writers, who are already reigning with the Lord and praising him together in heaven, have our salvation at heart and appeal to his compassion for our aberrations. The cherubim are overlaid with gold because the authority of the testaments is enhanced by the illustrious works of the writers. After the knowledge of the divine scriptures or the inner glory of the heavenly hosts (for the two cherubim, as we have said, denote both the angels and the testaments) had been spread throughout the world, many at once began to convert to the faith and abound in good works.
14. THE CARVING OF THE WALLS AND OVERLAYING OF
THE FLOOR WITH GOLD
14.1 Whence it is aptly added:
(6:29) And the Temple walls all round he carved with various 25 Rm 8:24
BOOK ONE
figures and etchings. All the walls of the temple all the way round are all the peoples of the holy Church laid upon the foundation of Christ; with these he has filled the earth's entire circle, and the building of the faith which was begun, does not cease to this day to increase by the new progeny of its members, by the addition, as it were, of precious stones. For these walls are carved with various figures since to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another giFs of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the intepretation of tongues. And to come to those virtues which we can all have, love, joy, peace, forbearance, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, seFcontroP and the other fruits of the Spirit, what (are these) but the carved figures of the temple walls which are the adornment of the minds of the people of God? These walls are also chased with carvings when the faithful are endowed with a spirit ready to do all that the Lord has commanded, to suffer all that he permits, saying from the heart, whatever befalls them, I shall bless the Lord at all times,3 and, My heart is ready, 0 God my heart is ready, I shall sing and say a psalm to the Lord.4 They are chased with carvings when they concentrate their efforts on virtues alone so that they cannot be turned away from the pursuit of them by any obstacles posed by circumstances or by any enticements. For since the sculptor both excels the other arts in speed, and himself observes the rule by which he completes the work without going wrong, by this (rule) is designated the devout life of the saints which is ever ready to obey the will of God and has learnt by long practice of the virtues to fulfil this obligation of obedience without deviation.
Hence the holy Church too in the Canticle of Canticles in admiration of the virtues of her spouse and redeemer said, His handr are turned and as of gokf, full of hyacinths5 His hands are turned in the sense
[I841 that the power and wisdom of God6 appearing in the flesh wrought * 1 co 12%-10 Ga 5:22
Ps33:2
Ps 56:8
Sg5:14 cf. 1 co 1:24
BEDE: ON THE TEMPLE
whatever cures and miracles he wished without any hesitation or delay and without any tardiness due to error. (His hands) are of gold because, being full of divine power, he effected internally what he had ordered externally by his word. His hands are full of hyacinths because he referred to the Father's glory all that he did, since by the works he performed he raises up our senses to seek the things of heaven. Therefore, all the walls of the temple round about are chased with figures and carvings when the whole Church throughout the world devotes itself with eager zeal and absolutely unswervingly to the practice of spiritual virtues. Here are fittingly added the words:
14.2 (6:29) And he made cherubim and palm-trees in them, and various representations, as it were, in relief and protruding from the waL7 Solomon makes cherubim in the temple walls when the Lord grants to his elect to guide their lives according to the rule of the holy scriptures which contain a great store of knowledge. He makes cherubim when he teaches them to imitate in this world, according to their limited capacity, the chastity of the life of angels, and this is done particularly by vigils and the divine praises, by sincere love of the creator and the neighbour. He makes palm-trees when he fixes in their minds the thought of their eternal reward so that the more they have the reward of righteousness ever before the eyes of their hearts, the less likely are they to fall from the pinnacle of uprightness.
He makes several representations, as it were, standing out in relief from the wall when he assigns to the faithful the manifold functions of the virtues, for instance, compassion, kindness, lowliness, patience and selfrestraint to show forbearance towards one another and forgive one another and above all these things to have love which is the bond ofperfiction.8 That is to say, these virtues when they become such
[I851 a habit with the elect that they seem, as it were, to be naturally ingrained in them, what else are they than the pictures of the Lord's house done in relief as if they were coming out of the wall, because they no longer learn the words and works of truth extrinsically from others but have them deeply rooted within themselves, and, holding them in constant readiness, can bring forth from their inmost hearts what ought to be done and taught. infra 16.1 ** ' Col 3:12-14