Prologue to the Breviloquium
The Scriptures alld God's Word -----Prologue to the Breviloquium For this reason I bow my knees before the Father oj our Lord
Jesus Christ, from whom every fatherhood in heaven and on earth receives its name. I pray that, according to the riches oj his glory, he may grant that you be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that being rooted and grounded in love, you might be able to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
I I [Eph 3:14-19] In these words the great doctor of the Gentiles and preacher of truth, filled with the Holy Spirit as a chosen and sanctified instrument, discloses the source, procedure, and purpose of holy scripture, which is called theology. He suggests that scripture derives its origin from an inflowing of the most blessed
Trinity; that its manner of proceeding corresponds to the demands of our human capacities; and that its purpose or fruit is an abundance of overflowing happiness.
Scripture does not owe its origin to human inquiry; no, it flows from divine revelation, from the Father ojlights [J as 1: 1 7], from whom every fatherhood in heaven and on earth receives its name.
It is from him, through his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, that the Holy Spirit flows also into us. It is through that Holy Spirit, who apportions his gifts and allots to each one according to his will
[1 Cor 12:11] that faith is given, and it is throughfaith that Christ dwells in our hearts. This is the knowledge of Jesus Christ from whom the authority and understanding of all sacred scripture flows. Hence, no one can begin to comprehend it unless he or she has been infused with faith in Christ-the lamp, the door, and the very foundation of all scripture. For as regards every supernatural illumination, as long as we are away
The Scriptures and God's Word --------------from the Lord [2 Cor 5:6], faith is the foundation that supports us, the lamp that directs us, and the door that lets us in. It is according to the measure of faith, furthermore, that any wisdom given us by God must be gauged, lest anyone be more wise than it behooves to be wise, but to be wise with sober judgment, each according to the measure offaith that God has assigned [Rom 12:3]. And so, as the apostle clearly intimates in the first part of the text with which we began, it is by means of faith that the knowledge of holy scripture is given to us according to the measure of the blessed Trinity's inflowing.
The procedure of sacred scripture-unlike the other sciences-is neither restricted according to the laws of reasoning, defining, or dividing, nor is it limited to only one aspect of the universe: Rather, it proceeds, by supernatural inspiration, to give us human wayfarers as much knowledge as we need to gain salvation. And so, in language that is sometimes literal, sometimes symbolic, as in a kind of summa, it describes the' contents of the entire universe, and so covers the breadth; it narrates the course of history, thus comprehending the length; it portrays the excellence of those who will ultimately be saved, thus showing the height; and it depicts the misery of those who will be damned, thus plumbing the depth, not only of the universe, but also of the very judgments of God. In this way it describes the breadth and length and height and depth of the entire universe, insofar as it is expedient to have a knowledge of it for salvation. Furthermore, in the way it unfolds, scripture reflects this same fourfold pattern, which will be described below. This manner of proceeding was called for by our human capacities of understanding, for the human intellect was made to grasp many and great things in a truly magnificent way. Like a certain noble mirror, it was designed to reflect the whole complex of created reality, not only naturally but also supernaturally.
Thus, the procedure of sacred scripture may be considered as fully responding to the demands of our human capabilities.
Finally, the purpose or fruit of sacred scripture is not simply any kind, but the fullness of everlasting happiness. For these are writings whose words are of eternal life; they were written,
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not only that we might believe, but also that we might possess that life unending in which we shall see and love and our desires will be completely satisfied. Then we shall really know that love which surpasses knowledge and thus be filled with all the fullness of God. This is the fullness to which the divine scriptures would lead us, as is truly said in the words of the apostle I have cited above. This, then, must also be the goal and the intention with which the holy scripture is studied, taught, and even heard.
That we may attain this fruit and end rightly, by the straight path of scripture itself, we must begin with prayer. That is, we must reach out in true faith to the Father of lights, bending the knee of our hearts, so that through his Son and in the Holy
Spirit he might give us a true knowledge of Jesus Christ, and together with this knowledge, love for him. By knowing and loving Christ, by being confirmed in faith and rooted in love, we may be able to know the breadth, length, height, and depth of scripture, and through such knowledge attain the all-surpassing knowledge and measureless love which is the blessed Trinity.
This is the aim of the longings of all the saints; this is the resting place and the fulfillment of all that is good and true.
Once our desires and intentions are fixed upon this end of holy scripture, once we have both believed in their Source and invoked him, it remains for us to explore their unfolding, which regards their breadth, length, height, and depth, following the path and order of the apostle's text. The breadth of scripture refers to the variety of its parts; the length, to its description of times and ages; the height, to its account of the ordered levels of hierarchies; the depth, to the multiplicity of its mystical senses and interpretations.
The Breadth of Holy Scripture -I If we wish to behold the breadth of sacred scripture, the first thing we discover is that scripture is divided into two Testaments; namely, the Old and the New. The Old is replete with many books: legal, historical, sapiential, and prophetic. There
The Scriptures and God's Word -----------------------are five books in the first group, ten in the second, five in the third, and six in the fourth, for a total of twenty-six books.
Similarly, the New Testament has books corresponding to these arranged in the same fourfold division. The gospels correspond to the legal books; the Acts of the Apostles to the historical; the letters of the apostles, especially Paul, to the sapiential; and the Apocalypse, to the prophetic. Thus there is a wondrous concordance between the Old and New Testaments, not only in the consistency of meanings, but also in their fourfold division. This is what was prefigured and signified by Ezechiel, who saw the wheels of four faces and a wheel within each wheel. The Old Testament is contained in the New and the New in the Old. The legal and evangelical books have the face of a lion because of their powerful authority; the historical, the face of an ox because of their convincing strength; the sapiential, the face of a man because of their keen wisdom; the prophetic, the face of an eagle because of their penetrating vision.
Now, it is fitting that holy scripture is divided into an Old and a New Testament and not into practical and speculative branches in the manner of philosophy. This is because scripture is properly founded in that knowledge which stems from faith, which grounds and supports morality, justice, and all right living; therefore, in it there cannot be any dissociation between the knowledge of things we should believe and the knowledge of moral conduct. This is not, however, the case with philosophy, which does not only treat the truth of morals but also gives consideration to purely speculative topics. Since scripture is a knowledge moving the soul to good and withdrawing it from evil, a goal accomplished by fear and by love, it follows that scripture is divided into two Testaments which, as Augustine says, "to put it briefly, differ as fear does from love."
Now, there are four ways a person may be prompted toward good and drawn away from evil: namely, by the precepts of a most powerful authority; by the teachings of a most wise truth; by the examples and benefits of a most innocent goodness; and, finally, by a combination of thcse three ways. This is why
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the four kinds of scriptural books were handed down in both the Old and New Testaments; they correspond to these four ways. The legal books move people by the precepts of a most potent authority; the historical, by the examples of a most innocent goodness; the sapiential, by the teachings of a most prudent truth; and the prophetic, by a combination of the foregoing, which their content clearly illustrates. Hence, these latter are, as it were, a recalling of all legal and doctrinal wisdom.
Holy scripture, then, is like a vast river which continually grows in size by the addition of many tributaries as its course lengthens. Scripture first began with the legal books. Later, the streams of wisdom found in the historical books were added to it. The teachings of the most wise Solomon followed; then, those of the holy prophets. Finally, the gospel doctrine was revealed, uttered by the lips of Christ incarnate, set down in writing by the evangelists, and related by the holy apostles, together with the other testimonies, which the Holy Spirit, descending on them, taught us through them. Thus, the apostles, instructed in all the truth by the Spirit according to the divine promise, could give the Church of Christ the entire doctrine of saving truth and, by completing holy scripture, extend the knowledge of that truth.
The Length of Holy Scripture Sacred scripture also possesses length, which consists of its description of the times and ages from the beginning of the world until the day of judgment. It considers the world's course through three times: the law of nature, the written law, and grace. Within these three times, it also distinguishes six ages: the first from Adam to Noah, the second from Noah to Abraham, the third from Abraham to David, the fourth from David to the Babylonian exile, the fifth from the exile to Christ, and the sixth from Christ until the end of the world.
The seventh, which runs concurrently with the sixth, com-
The Scriptures and God's Word mences with the repose of Jesus in the tomb and lasts until the general resurrection, which marks the beginning of the eighth.
Thus, scripture traverses the greatest possible length, since it begins with the origin of the world and time in the first chapter of Genesis and continues until the end of the world and time in the closing chapters of the Apocalypse.
The full compass of time, running according to a triple law-innately given, externally imposed, and infused from above-rightly passes through seven ages, comes to a close with the end of the sixth. In this way the course of the macrocosm corresponds with that of the microcosm-namely, of man, for whose sake the larger world was created.
The world's first age, when the material world was formed, the demons fell, and the angels were confirmed in good, fittingly parallels the first day of creation when light was made and separated from the darkness. The second age, when the wicked perished in the flood and the good were placed in the ark, parallels the second day when the firmament was established, separating the waters. The third age, when Abraham was called and the synagogue begun, that it might be fruitful and bring forth offspring for the worship of God, corresponds to the third day when land appeared and brought forth vegetation. The fourth age, in which the kingdom and the priesthood flourished because David expanded the worship of God, corresponds to the fourth day when the heavenly lights and the stars were formed. The fifth age, in which the exiles were scattered and spread through many nations, corresponds to the fifth day in which the production of the fishes from the waters was accomplished. The sixth age, in which Christ, the true image of God, was born in human likeness, corresponds to the sixth day in which the first man was formed. The seventh age, which is the everlasting rest of souls, corresponds to the seventh day on which God rested from all the work that he had done.
These seven ages are thus distinguished by the signs found in their beginnings, whereby they correspond to the days of the world's creation. The first age is also called infancy, for just
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---------------as our infancy falls into oblivion, so all memory of this first age was drowned in the flood. The second is called childhood, because as we begin to talk at that age, correspondingly, it witnessed the separation of tongues. The third is called adolescence, because as the procreative power becomes active then, so in this age Abraham was summoned, receiving both circumcision and the promise of offspring. The fourth is called young adulthood, for just as then we are in our prime, so too in this age the synagogue flourished under the Icings. The fifth is called decline, for as in our declining years one's powers diminish and beauty fades, so the exile witnessed the diminishment of the Jewish priesthood. The sixth is called old age, for just as human old age is linked with death but possesses insight and wisdom, so too this sixth age of the world ends with the day of judgment, but in it wisdom advances through the teaching of Christ.
And so the whole course of the world is shown by scripture to run in a most orderly fashion from beginning to end, like an artfully composed melody through which every mind can contemplate, by means of the succession of events, the diversity, multiplicity, and symmetry, the order, rectitude, and excellence, of the many judgments, which proceed from God's wisdom governing the universe. Just as no one can appreciate the loveliness of a song unless one's perspective embraces it as a whole, so none of us can see the beauty of the order and governance of the world without an integral view of its course. Since no mortal neither lives long enough to see all this with bodily eyes, nor can any individual foretell the future, the Holy Spirit has given us the book of sacred scripture, whose length corresponds to God's governance of the universe.
The Height of Holy Scripture Sacred scripture, as it unfolds, also possesses a height, which consists of the description of the hierarchies in their ordered ranks. These hierarchies are the ecclesiastical, the an-
The Scriptures and God's Word -----------------gelic, and the divine-or, in other words, the subcelestial, the celestial, and the supercelestial. The first is described clearly, the second somewhat more indirectly, and the third more obscurely still. From its description of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, we can see that scripture is lofty, and from its description of the angelic that it is loftier still, and from its description of the divine that it is most exalted. Thus we can say with the prophet: Such knowledge is too wondeiful for me; it is so high that J cannot attain it [Ps 139:6].
This is true enough. Since things have existence in matter, they should have existence in the soul through acquired knowledge, have existence in that soul through grace, have existence in it through glory, and have existence in the Eternal
Art. Now philosophy is concerned with things as they exist in nature, or in the soul by innate or acquired knowledge, but theology, as a science based on faith and revealed by the Holy
Spirit, deals with things which concern grace and glory and even eternal wisdom. Theology, therefore, subjects philosophical knowledge to itself, borrowing from the nature of things what it needs to construct a mirror for the representation of divine realities. Thus, it erects a ladder, as it were, set up on earth but whose top touches heaven. All this is done through that one hierarch, Jesus Christ, who, by reason of the human nature he assumed, is hierarch not only in the ecclesiastical hierarchy but also in the angelic hierarchy and is the middle person of that supercelestial hierarchy of the blessed Trinity.
Through him, from the very height of God, the grace of unction descends not only upon the heard, but also even to the skirt of his garment [Ps 133:2]: not only upon the heavenly Jerusalem, but even to the Church militant.
There is indeed great beauty in the fabric of the world; but there is far greater beauty in the Church, adorned with the splendor of holy charisms; and greater beauty yet in that heavenly Jerusalem; but the greatest beauty of all is to be found in that supreme and most blessed Trinity.
Not only, then, do the scriptures possess a most lofty subject matter, which engages our mind and raises aloft its vision,
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but they themselves are also most elegant, delighting the intellect in a certain wondrous manner; thus, as they deepen this pleasure more and more, they ready us for the anagogical visions of divine marvels.
The Depth of Holy Scripture Finally, scripture has depth, which consists in its having many mystical understandings. Besides its literal meaning, in many places it can be interpreted in three ways: allegorically, morally, and anagogically. Allegory occurs when by one thing is indicated another which is a matter of belief. The tropologicalor moral understanding occurs when, from something done, we learn something else that we should do. The anagogical meaning, a kind of "lifting upwards," occurs when we are shown what it is we should desire, that is, the eternal happiness of the blessed.
It is right that scripture should have this threefold sense over and above the literal sense, for this is appropriate to the subject matter of scripture, its hearer or student, its origins, and its end.
It is appropriate to its subject matter, which is doctrine, for this is concerned with God, with Christ, with the works of redemption, and with the content of belief. In terms of its substance, its subject is God; in terms of its virtue, Christ; in terms of the action described, the works of redemption; in terms of all these things together, the content of belief. Now, God is three and one: one in essence and three in person. Therefore, scripture, which is concerned with God, contains within the unity of the letter a threefold understanding. The same is true of Christ: Though the Word is one, all things are said to have been made through him [In 1 :3] and shine forth in him, so that his wisdom is both manifold and one. Similarly, though the works of redemption are many, they all look toward the one principal offering of Christ. Finally, the content of belief as such sheds its light in different ways according to the differing
The Scriptures and God's Word ---------------------states of believers. Scripture, then, responding to all these circumstances, gives us many-faceted meanings in the one text.
The manifold meaning of scripture is also appropriate to its hearer. For no one is a suitable hearer without being humble, pure, faithful, and attentive. So as a deterrent to pride, under the husk of the obvious literal meaning are hidden profound mystical understandings. This depth of meaning lying within the humble letter of the text abashes the arrogant, keeps out the unclean, drives away the deceitful, and arouses the idle to an understanding of the mysteries. Also, the hearers of this doctrine are not all of one kind, but are of all types-for every person who would be saved should know something of it.
Scripture, therefore, has a manifold meaning so that it may win over every mind, meeting each at its own level while remaining superior to all, illuminating and setting afire with shafts of love every mind that searches it with care.
The manifold meaning of scripture is also appropriate to its source, for it came from God, through Christ and the Holy
Spirit, who spoke through the prophets and the other holy people who committed this doctrine to writing. Now God speaks not only with words alone but also through deeds, because with him to say is to do and to do is to say. All created things, being the result of God's action, point toward their cause. In scripture, which has been handed on to us by God, deeds no less than words have meaning. Again, Christ the teacher, lowly though he was in the flesh, remained exalted in his divinity. It was fitting, therefore, that he and his teachings should be humble in word yet profound in meaning, just as Christ was wrapped in swaddling clothes, so the wisdom of God in scriptures should be contained in humble images.
Finally, the Spirit gave enlightenment and revelations to the hearts of the prophets in various ways. No mind can remain hidden from him, and he was sent to teach the truth in its entirety. It is fitting then that his doctrine should harbor several meanings within a single passage.
It is equally appropriate to the end of scripture. For scripture was given so that we human beings might be guided in
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what we must know and what we must do; that we might come at last to the things for which we should hope. Because all creatures have been made to serve us in our ascent to our heavenly homeland, scripture takes on the various aspects of creatures, so that through them it might teach us the wisdom which guides us to eternal life. We are not guided to eternal life unless our intellect knows the truth we should believe, unless our will chooses the good that we should do, and unless our affections yearn to see God and to love and enjoy him. Thus, sacred scripture, given to us by the Holy Spirit, takes up the book of creation, making it relate to its own end through a threefold manner of understanding: The tropological meaning lets us know what we should resolutely do; the allegorical meaning, what we should truly believe; the anagogical meaning, what we should desire for our eternal delight. In this way, cleansed by virtuous deeds, illumined by shining faith, and made perfect by burning love, we may come at last to the prize of eternal happiness.
The Mode of Procedure of Holy Scripture Among all the many kinds of wisdom which are contained in the breadth, length, height, and depth of sacred scripture, there is one common way of proceeding: that of authority.
Grouped within this are the modes of narration, precept, prohibition, exhortation, instruction, threat, promise, supplication, and praise. All of these modes may be placed under the one general mode of proceeding by authority and quite rightly so.
This doctrine exists so that we might become good and be saved, and this is not achieved through speculation alone but by a disposition of the will. Sacred scripture, therefore, had to be handed down in the way that would dispose us best. Now, our affections are moved more strongly by examples than by arguments, by promises than by reasoning, by devotions than by definitions. This is why scripture had to avoid the mode of
The Scriptures and God's Word ----------------proceeding by deA nit ion, clivi ion, and synthesis in rdef 0 prove tile properties of sam subje t . s do the aU' r s iences.
J t had rather to adapt. its own mod to tJ, various di positions of peopl s' minds, whidl incline those minds dif£ reDtly.
If ome ar · not moved to heed prec pls and. prohi! iLions, they may b mov cI by the xamples narraL d; if lhey ar n t moved by these, they may b mov d by the b 'n fits h ld out to them;
:.md if they are not mov .d by Lhese, they m.ay b mav d by wise aUt) niLi .I1" trustworthy I remises or terrifying threats, and thus be stirred to devotion and praise of God, thereby receiving the grace which will guide them to the practice of virtuous deeds.
Now, these narrative modes cannot proceed byway of certitude based on reasoning, because particular facts do not admit of £onn3.l proof. Lest cripture seem doublful and, onsequently, lose some of its power to move, d ha giv>l\ it, in plac of'~ eerti ude ba. don r ·a oning, a ertitu I ba eu on authority. which is so great that it LUlJasses the keenest ofhuman mil us. The authOlity of one who can deedv and b deceived is not absolutely certain, and there is no one who cannot be deceived and is incapable of deceiving but God and the Holy Spirit. This is why sacred scripture, in order that it be perfectly authoritative as it should be, was handed down not through human in<luiry bUl by divine rev latioll .
No passage of scripture, thea, houl l b di mi d as us Jess, scorned as false, or rejected as viI , for it aU-p ffe t autho', the Holy SpiJ'jt, ould not say anything fa lse, SUI erflu us, or Tivial. This i why heaven fIIld c(;(.1t:h will pass awn)" but the w(/rd ' of a r d ctip ur will not pas ' away lMl
24:25] without beLng fulfille l. For until henvc17 6t11d earth pass aW~!J7, not om letter, not one stroke of a lettcr, will pass from t"fu law, until it all i. accomplished, as our Savior affirms. TIlCrif01'e, whoel!er breaks what scripture teaches, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches it will be called great in the kingdom of heaven [M t 5: 18-19].
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The Mode of Expounding Holy Scripture Scripture has this special mode of proceeding and should be understood and expounded in a way that corresponds to it.
Since it hides several meanings under a single text, the expositor must bring hidden things to light [Jb 28: 11]; that is, once a meaning has been brought forth, to clarify it through another, more evident, scriptural passage. For instance, if I were expounding the words of the psalm, Take hold of arms and shield, and rise up to help me [35:2], and wanted to explain what is meant by the divine "arms," I would say that these are God's truth and good will. I would then use a more explicit biblical passage to prove that this is so. For it is written elsewhere: You have crowned us, as with a shield of your good will [Ps 5: 13], and again: His truth shall compassyou with a shield [Ps 91 :5]. No one will find this kind of thing an easy task except by long practice in reading the text and committing its literal sense to memory.
Otherwise, he will never have any real capacity to expound the scriptures. The person who is too proud to learn the letters which make up a word can never understand the meaning of those words or grammatical constructions; so, too, the one who scorns the letter of sacred scripture will never rise to interpret its spiritual meanings.
The interpreter should realize, however, that one should not look for an allegorical sense everywhere, and that not everything should be given a mystical interpretation. In this regard, it must be noted that holy scripture has four parts. The first deals in a literal way with forms of being in this world, but through them signifies our redemption, as appears in the accounts of the world's creation. A second treats the actions and wanderings of the people of Israel, through which it points to the redemption of the whole human race. The third, using plain words, signifies and expresses all that concerns our redemption in terms of faith and morals. The fourth announces the mystery of this salvation, partly in plain words and partly in those which are enigmatic and obscure. Consequently, a
The Scriptures and God's Word ----------~------uniform method of exposition should not be used in explaining these various parts of scripture.
In explaining holy scripture, the interpreter should be guided by three rules, which may be drawn from Augustine's
On Christian Doctrine. The first is this: Where the primary signification of the words denote created realities or individual acts of human behavior, in the first instance they refer to the facts signified by these words, but then secondly to the mysteries of our redemption. Where the primary signification of the words expresses some aspect of faith or love, then one has no need to look for any allegorical meaning.
The second rule is this: When the words of scripture signify created realities or an aspect of the life of the people of Israel, there the interpreter must use some other part of scripture to find what each thing signIfies, and then elicit the meaning of that passage using words which plainly signify some truth of our faith or of some correct principle of morality. For instance, if the text says: Theflocks ofsheep all bear twins [Sg 4:2], the interpreter must show that here "sheep" mean human beings, and "twins," the two ldnds of charity.
The third rule is this: When a certain scriptural passage has a possible literal and spiritual meaning, the interpreter ought to judge whether that passage relates better to the literal or to the spiritual meaning-if, that is, it cannot be accepted in both senses. If it can be accepted in both senses, then it ought to be given both a literal and a spiritual interpretation. If it is capable of only one interpretation, then it must be taken in the spiritual sense alone. Examples of this are the statements that the law of the Sabbath has perpetual force [Ex 12: 14], that the cultic priesthood is eternal [Ex 40: 13], that Israel's possession of the land is unending [Gn 17:8], and that the covenant of circumcision is everlasting [Gn 17: 13]. All of these statements have to be referred to their spiritual meaning.
And, bearing on this: If one is to advance through the forest of sacred scripture, hacldng with an axe and thus laying it open, it is necessary that he have first acquired a knowledge of the explicitly expressed truth of the actual text of that holy
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- - ----scripture. In other words, one needs to know how scripture describes the beginnings, progress, and final end of the two groups of people who confront each other from opposing sides: the good, who humble themselves in this world so that they might be exalted forever in the world to come, and the wicked, who exalt themselves in this world but will be crushed eternally in the next.
Scripture, then, deals with the whole universe: high and low, first and last, and all that comes between. In a sense, it takes the form of an intelligible cross on which the whole fabric of the world an be described and in som way or an th r be seen in the light ohhe mind. To gaIn an und r ·tanding f th is one mu t kn w abOlrt God. th origin of" all thing, about Lh 'cation of those things about Lh ir fa ll about th ir red. . mpti n through t.h blood of Jesus Christ, about their r · formation through grace, about their healing through the sacraments, and finally about their retribution through punishment or their reward in the form of everlasting glory.
This doctrine has been handed down in such a diffuse state in the writings of the saints and the doctors that it cannot be r ad or heard by hos who com tal taught in the subject of • a r ' d sc.riptur . ven if they devote. long period of tim
their studies. Tn fac, b ginning Ll1e logians oft "n dread th ·' scrip lre it, elf, feeling it LO b as confu ing, orderl 5S and uncharted a 5 m imp n ' trabl Forest.111a is why mycompanionshav sk d me, from my own mod st knowledge, to wri t a hd f summary of th truth of theology. Yielding to h· ir
"vishes, l have agre d to compos wha might b 'all 'd a kind of oncise il traduction or Urcl1iloquill1ll. 11'1 i J will summariz not all topi s but tho" item wh.i h are more LUiportant La h Jd, ad ling such e)"planations for undcrst:mcUng th rn as b.ave ome to mind in the CO LlfS of writing,
Because theology is, indeed, discourse about God and the first Principle, as the highest science and doctrine it should resolve everything in God as its first and supreme principle. That is why, in giving the reasons for everything contained in this little work or tract, I have attempted to derive each reason
The Scriptures and God's Word from the first Principle, in order to demonstrate that the truth of sacred scripture is from God, of God, according to God, and for God as its end. It will be seen, therefore, that this science has true unity and order and that it is not improperly called theology. If, therefore, anything here is found to be imperfect, obscure, superfluous, or inaccurate, let it be imputed to pressing business, brevity of time, and poverty of knowledge; if anything is found to be good, let honor and glory be referred to God alone.