Pars 2, Cap. 5
by St. Bonaventure
Source text: Public Domain Mark 1.0. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://bonaventure.wrootpress.com/browse/5/d/2/q/bon-brev-p2-c5
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### Chapter V. *On the manner of describing the foresaid in sacred Scripture.*

From what has already been said it is gathered that, just as God *founded* things in order as regards time, and *disposed* them in order as regards place, so also he *governs* them in order as regards influence; and Scripture *narrates* them in order as regards the sufficiency of doctrine — although it does not so explicitly describe the distinction of the orbs, neither the celestial nor the elemental, says little or nothing of the motions and powers of the higher bodies and of the mixtures of the elements and of things composed of elements, and, what is more, narrates nothing explicitly of the founding of the higher spirits, especially when it describes this universe as produced into *being*.

Now the reason for the understanding of the foresaid is this: that since the first principle renders itself knowable to us both through Scripture and through the creature, through the book of the creature it manifests itself as the *effective* principle, and through the book of Scripture as the *reparative* principle; and because the *reparative* principle cannot be known unless the *effective* also be known, therefore sacred Scripture, although it treats principally of the works of reparation, must nonetheless treat of the work of founding, insofar however as this leads into the knowledge of the first principle that effects and restores; and therefore it is itself a knowledge *sublime* and *salutary*: *sublime*, because it is of the *effective* principle, which is God the creator; *salutary*, because it is of the *reparative* principle, which is Christ the saviour and mediator.

Again, because it is *sublime*, inasmuch as it treats of the first principle and the highest being, therefore it does not descend to describing the particular natures, motions, powers and differences of beings; but it stands within a certain generality, in which the particulars are implied — describing, namely, the founding of the world as regards its disposition and influence, with respect to the luminous, the opaque and the pervious nature, within a certain generality.

And since the first principle of which it treats has in itself the *order of nature* in existing, the *order of wisdom* in disposing, and the *order of goodness* in influencing — so that the *order of nature* has simultaneity and equality; the *order of wisdom* regards priority and posteriority; the *order of influence*, superiority and inferiority — therefore, to intimate the *order of nature*, Scripture determines, according to what it befitted God to work, that *in the beginning*, before the course of time, that threefold nature was produced from *non-being* into *being*, when it says: *In the beginning God created*

*heaven and earth; and the Spirit of God was borne over the waters*. Where by the name of *heaven* the luminous nature is intimated; by the name of *earth*, the opaque; by the name of *water*, the pervious or transparent, whether subject to contrariety or raised above contrariety. — Where also the eternal Trinity is intimated: namely the Father in the name of *God creating*, the Son in the name of *beginning*, the Holy Spirit in the name of the *Spirit of God*. — And thus is to be understood that which is said: *He who lives for ever created all things together*; not because he created them in a chaos of every kind of confusion, according to what the poets have feigned, since he produced this threefold nature, the *highest* in the highest place, the *middle* in the middle, and the *lowest* in the lowest; nor yet in a *being* of every kind of distinction, since *heaven* was perfect, while *earth was without form*, the *middle* nature, as it were holding the middle, had not yet been brought to perfect distinction.

But to intimate the *order of wisdom* in disposing, it determines that this threefold nature was not *at once* both *distinguished* and *adorned*, but, according to the requirement of the threefold created nature, was *distinguished* through three days and *adorned* through another three; so that, just as God in the beginning created the threefold nature at once at the first moment of time, so by a succession of time, in the threefold measure of time — namely of the threefold day — he might make the threefold distinction of the threefold created nature; and again, in another three days, the threefold adornment of the threefold distinguished nature.

But to intimate the order of *goodness* in influencing, it determines that this threefold nature was placed in the world according to *below* and *above*, in keeping with its own *dignity* and *influence*. — And because the *luminous* has most of species, therefore the *circumference* is due to it; because the *opaque* has least of species, therefore the *centre* is due to it; but because the *pervious* holds the middle, therefore it was allotted the *middle* place. And since the nature of the *pervious and transparent* is common to the celestial and the elemental nature, and again the *luminous* belongs to both, therefore the firmament is rightly said to have been made *in the midst of the waters* — not because the waters above the heavens are flowing, cold, heavy and corruptible waters, but because they are subtle and incorruptible, pervious and raised above all contrariety, and through this of a celestial nature and to be placed among celestial things by reason of the *nobility of their form*.

They are placed there also by reason of *power* and *influence*. For since every corporeal action in lower things takes its rule, origin and vigour from the celestial nature — since there are two active qualities, namely the *hot* and the *cold*, and there is some heaven principally influencing and *hot*, namely the *starry* heaven by reason of its luminosity — it was fitting that some heaven should exert influence over the *cold*, and thus the *crystalline*. — And just as the *starry* heaven, although it exerts influence toward heat, is nevertheless not formally hot, so also the heaven which is called *watery* or crystalline is not essentially cold. — Hence what the Saints say, that the waters are there established to restrain the heat of the higher bodies, and other like things, are to be understood not according to formal predication but according to efficiency and influence. — The founding of the creature according to the foresaid order therefore corresponds to the order of the creating wisdom and of divine Scripture, because it is a *sublime* science.

Again, because it is itself a *salutary* science, therefore it determines nothing of the work of founding except for the sake of the work of reparation. And since the Angels were so founded that, once fallen, they are in no way restored — as will appear in what follows — therefore the fall and the founding of the Angels is passed over in silence according to the outward letter, because no reparation was to follow.

But because it did not befit the *sublimity* of Scripture to be wholly silent about the founding of the most sublime creature, therefore sacred Scripture so describes the founding of things as the *sublime* and *salutary* science requires; yet in such a way that, according to the *spiritual* understanding, the whole founding described *literally* may be referred *spiritually* to the describing of the angelic and the ecclesiastical hierarchy. Therefore according to the *spiritual* sense there is described, in those three natures first produced, the *angelic* hierarchy under the name of *heaven*, and the *ecclesiastical* under the name of *earth*, and *grace*, by which both are watered, under the name of *water*.

Again, through the *sevenfold* number of days is understood the sevenfold state of the Church according to the course of the seven ages. Through the same sevenfold number is also under-

stood the sevenfold conversion of the Angels from the creature to God. — And thus from the foresaid there appears the sufficiency and the truth of Scripture amid the diverse opinions of the Saints, namely of Augustine and of others, which do not contradict one another, since they are true if they be rightly understood.