23. The Ten Gold Tables Of The Lord'S House
BEDE: ON THE TEMPLE
to strengthen us in the true faith.2' For the loaves of proposition are the holy teachers whose salutary words or works, anyone who searches in the divine pages will find proposed to us as a model for living. Hence it was prescribed in Exodus that twelve of these loaves be made,22 i.e. on account of the twelve apostles through whose ministry both the New Testament scripture was written and the mysteries of the Old Testament revealed by the condescension of the Lord.
That is to say, this number designates not only these apostles but also all who, by proclaiming the word, administer the nourishment of life to the faithful, because, of course, all follow the same norm of teaching as the apostles received from the Lord. Moreover, we read of these loaves in Exodus23 that they had to be changed every sabbath, and new ones set out in place of the old on the Lord's table, and it was laid down that they must be produced in the one size and from the same kind of flour. From all this the mystical meaning of the internal refreshment shines forth clearer than the light of day.
For new loaves are substituted after the old ones are removed when, after some of the faithful teachers are taken from this life, the holy
Church ordains others in their place, and this only on the sabbath day, because everyone who fights the good fight, finishes the course, and keeps the faith, will at the time of his death enter into the rest of a blessed eternity.24 The reason why the loaves were always made the one size and not of different flour was that it was one and the same form of truth and faith which the apostles first put before their audience and which thereafter their successors and all faithful teachers to the end of the world never failed to preach to the churches of Christ throughout the world.
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23. THE TEN GOLD TABLES OF THE LORD'S HOUSE
23.1 Regarding what we read in the Chronicles that Solomon made ten tables and set them in the temple, jive on the right side, and jive on the lefi; also a hundred bowls of gold,' one cannot believe that these tables were made both to carry the loaves of proposition and 21 cf. Greg., Horn in Ezech. PL 76:1045A-1046(3
22 cf. Ex 25:30; Lv 24:5-6; cf. also Bede De rub. 1,7 CCSL 119A: 1,851-878 23 cf. Lv 243 24 cf. 2 Tm 4:67
' 2 Paralip 4:8
BOOK TWO
the vessels of the Lord, i.e. the bowls which the scripture also reports were made, and the censers, the thuribles, the little mortars and other things which we read about in what follows.2 For as regards what is introduced a little further on in the same Book of Chronicles, and Solomon made all the vessels for the house of God, and the altar of bronze, and the tables upon which the loaves of proposition h ~ y , ~ either he used the plural number for the singular according to the very common practice in the scriptures, as in Joshua son of Nun:
But the children of Israel transgressed the commandments, and took for their own use some of the devoted thing^,^ when it was Achan alone and not several of the sons of Israel who did so; or at least because the loaves of proposition used to be baked before the sabbath so that they could be placed on the table of proposition first thing on the sabbath, it could be that the newly baked loaves were put out on the tables directly and were kept covered there that night until the old loaves were removed at dawn; then these were put out while still warm. But these ten tables do not differ in figurative meaning from this table of proposition.
For just as one table laden with twelve loaves symbolizes the unity of the whole scripture, a harmony guaranteed by the authority of the apostles, so, not implausibly, do the ten golden tables figuratively proclaim the words of the divine law and the prophets, which either offer us the refreshment of God's word like the loaves of proposition, or else put before us the examples, glory and miracles of the faithful vessels of the Lord which, so to speak, are placed upon them.
23.2
And rightly are there two sets of five tables, not only because the lawgiver wrote five volumes, but also because the whole set of Old
Testament books comprises the five ages of the world. The number of five tables is doubled and five are placed on the right and five on the left when, after the incarnation of the Lord, either the same scripture is entrusted to both peoples of God, i.e. Jews and gentiles, or is shown as full of Gospel figures which it was once felt must only be taken literally by the ancient people of God.5 For when, as we read in the 12291 cf. 2 Paralip 4:22
2 Paralip 4:19
Jos7:l cf. Greg., Horn in Ezech. PL 76:96%-970A