Chapter VI
THE MYSTICAL ARK
discover beyond these any other things to which you still have to ascend. Certainly there is nothing beyond God, and for that reason knowledge is unable to ascend higher or farther.
Therefore if "cherubim" means "fullness of knowledge," see how rightly the last product of our work, in which the supreme stages of all knowledge are expressed in a symbolic figure, is named "cherubim." Certainly you are able to grow daily in awareness of God, and each day you are able to be lifted up higher and higher in this lofty flight. But above this watchtower of contemplation you are now completely unable to find another that is higher. For it is one thing to run about here and there in this kind of manifestation and to enlarge one's knowledge in knowing God; it is another thing to want to seek above these things for other and higher things that you cannot find in any way. There is nothing above God—nothing that exists, that might be able to exist, or that can be thought to exist. There is nothing higher to which knowledge might ascend, nor is it capable of ascending higher. And so, the fullness of knowledge is to know
God. However the fullness of this knowledge is the fullness of glory, the consummation of grace, perpetuity of life: "This is eternal life: that they may know you, the true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3). And so, to know Him who is the true God is the conclusion of all consummation. These last speculations advance us to the fullness of this knowledge little by little and whenever they are able to guide. The perfection of this fullness is begun in this life, but it is consummated in future life. Therefore, the symbolic expression of this work in which we are initiated to the fullness of all knowledge is rightly called "cherub."
Chapter VI That it is arduous and difficult to obtain grace for oneself in these last kinds of contemplation But now let us consider what it means that we are commanded to make these last works of beaten work.
Surely beaten work is produced by striking, and little by little it is brought closer to the intended form by means of frequent blows and much hammering.
RICHARD OF ST. VICTOR
Therefore I think that there is need in this work more for inner compunction than profound investigation; more for sighs than arguments; more for frequent lamentations than an abundance of argumentations. However, we know that nothing so purifies the innermost places of the heart and nothing so renews the purity of the mind; nothing so drives away the clouds of ambiguity; nothing leads better or more quickly to serenity of heart than true contrition of soul, than deep and innermost compunction of soul. But what does Scripture say? "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they themselves shall see God" (Matt.
5:8). Therefore, let him who desires to see God and hurries to rise up in contemplation of divine things strive for purity of heart. O how much urgency, O how much carefulness is needed in such skillful zeal and zealous skill before the soul thoroughly cleans away the dross of earthly love and consumes it with the fire of true love; before the soul melts down the gold of its understanding to that purity in order that the soul may produce aptness and worth according to the dignity of this work. Without doubt and without any contradiction it is neither a light nor an easy thing for the human soul to assume angelic form and go beyond a certain earthly state to a truly more-than-human one, to receive spiritual wings, and to raise itself to the heights. O how often it is necessary to place one's gold in the fire and draw it out again, to turn it now on this side, now on that, and hammer it with frequent blows on all sides before one forges the angelic form and produces the cherubim. O how much prudence, O how much foresight there must be in forming the material of our work. Hence, one ought to be tempered by regard for love and fear of the Divine, lest the soul that has been relaxed because of excessive regard for divine mercy should become soft on account of excessive confidence in Him or the soul that has been hardened with immoderate regard for divine severity should little by little become tepid because of hopelessness and should despair completely concerning the consummation of the work it has undertaken. O with how much prudent caution, O with how much frequent reproof it is necessary to watch and press forward, lest any deviation of the mind or wandering of thought be hidden from the sharp-sightedness of discretion or pass through without reproof and strong criticism. But who can worthily describe what skill and care are needed while the human soul trans-