Distinction XLIX

GRATIAN. Behold from which vices those who are to be ordained bishop ought to be immune. For those who are prepared as intercessors for the people before God must merit his grace by living well. For, as Gregory says in the Pastoral Rule: §1. “It must be solicitously feared lest the one who is believed able to placate the wrath of God should himself merit it by his own guilt. For we all clearly know that, when one who displeases is sent to intercede, the mind of the angry person is provoked to worse things. Therefore, let one who is bound by earthly desires take care lest, more grievously kindling the wrath of the strict judge, while he delights in a place of glory, he become for his subjects an author of ruin. Accordingly, let each person carefully measure himself and not dare to assume a place of governance if a vice still reigns damnably in him; nor let one whom his own crime corrupts desire to become an intercessor for the faults of others.”

Hence indeed it is said to Moses by the heavenly voice in Leviticus: “Speak to Aaron: A man of your seed throughout their families who has a blemish shall not offer bread to his God, nor approach his ministry.” There it is also immediately added: “If he is blind, if lame, if with a small or large or crooked nose, if with a broken foot, if maimed, if hunchbacked, if bleary-eyed, if having a white film in his eye, if he has chronic scabies, if impetigo on his body, or if he is burdened.” §1. For blind is one who does not know the light of heavenly contemplation, who, pressed by the darkness of the present life, while he does not at all behold by loving it the light that is to come, does not know in what direction to extend the steps of his work. Hence indeed it is said as Hannah prophesies in the Book of Kings: “He will preserve the feet of his saints, and the impious will be silent in darkness.” §2. Lame, however, is one who indeed sees where he ought to go but, through weakness of mind, is not able perfectly to hold to the way of life that he sees; because, evidently, while someone is not raised to the state of virtue from a wavering habit, the step of his work does not effectively follow where his desire strives. Hence indeed Paul says to the Hebrews: “Raise up the hands that hang down and the weakened knees, and make straight steps for your feet, so that what is lame may not go astray, but rather be healed.” §3. One with a small nose, moreover, is one who is not fit to preserve the measure of discretion. For by the nose we distinguish fragrances and stenches. Therefore discretion is rightly expressed by the nose, through which we choose virtues and reject offenses. Hence also in praise of the bride it is said in the Song of Songs: “Your nose is like the tower that is in Lebanon,” because assuredly holy Church, through discretion, perceives from what particular causes temptations arise and from on high detects the coming wars of the vices. But there are some who, while unwilling to be thought dull, often exercise themselves more than is necessary in certain investigations and are deceived by excessive subtlety. Hence here too it is added: “or with a large or crooked nose.” For a large and crooked nose is immoderate subtlety of discretion, which, while it grows more than is fitting, itself confounds the rectitude of its action. §4. One with a broken foot or hand, moreover, is one who is altogether unable to go upon the way of the Lord and, wholly devoid of good acts, remains idle, so that he does not hold to them at least with weakness, as the lame man does, but exists as one entirely alien to them. §5. Hunchbacked, however, is one whom the weight of earthly solicitude presses down, so that he never looks toward heavenly things but attends only to those things that are trodden upon below; and even if he should at some time hear something of the good of the heavenly homeland, weighed down, assuredly, by the weight of perverse habit, he does not lift the face of his heart, since he is unable to erect the posture of his thought, whom the practice of earthly solicitude keeps bent. From the likeness of these the Psalmist says in Psalm XXXVII: “I am bowed down and humbled in every way.” Truth herself also reproves their fault when she says in Luke: “But the seed that fell among thorns—these are those who have heard and, going on, are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and they bring forth no fruit.” §6. Bleary-eyed, however, is one whose natural capacity indeed flashes forth toward knowledge of the truth, but carnal works nevertheless obscure it. In bleary eyes the pupils are healthy, but the eyelids, weakened by a flowing humor, grow thick; and because the pupil is worn by their continual discharge, even its keenness is impaired. And there are some whose practice of carnal life wounds their perception, who by natural capacity could have seen right things subtly, but through the practice of depraved acts grow dim. Therefore one is bleary-eyed whose perception nature has sharpened but whose depravity of conduct confounds; to such a one it is well said through the Angel in the Apocalypse: “Anoint your eyes with eye-salve, so that you may see.” For we anoint our eyes with eye-salve so that we may see when, for knowing the brightness of the true light, we aid the keenness of our understanding with the medicine of good work. §7. One has a white film in his eye, however, who is not permitted to see the light of truth because he is blinded by arrogance concerning his wisdom or justice. For the pupil of the eye, being black, sees; while bearing a white film it sees nothing, because evidently the perception of human thought, if it understands itself to be foolish and sinful, apprehends knowledge of inward brightness. But if it attributes to itself the whiteness of justice or wisdom, it excludes itself from the light of heavenly knowledge, and it by no means penetrates the brightness of the true light to the degree that it exalts itself before itself through arrogance, as is said of certain persons in Romans: “For, saying themselves to be wise, they became fools.” §8. One has chronic scabies, however, over whom the wantonness of the flesh rules without cessation. For in scabies the heat of the inner organs is drawn to the skin, by which lust is rightly designated, because if the temptation of the heart leaps forth as far as action, assuredly the inward heat breaks forth as far as the scabies of the skin, and now wounds the body outwardly, because while pleasure is not restrained in thought, it rules also in action. For Paul was, as it were, taking care to wipe away the itching of the skin when he said to the Corinthians: “Let no temptation take hold of you except what is human,” as if he were saying openly: It is indeed human to suffer temptation in the heart, but demonic to be overcome in the contest with temptation and in action. §9. Whoever is ravaged in mind by avarice also has impetigo on the body, which, if it is not checked in small things, assuredly spreads without measure. For impetigo occupies the body without pain and, growing without the weariness of the one occupied, disfigures the beauty of the limbs, because avarice both delights, as it were, and ulcerates the mind it has captured; while it sets before thought whatever things are to be acquired, it kindles it toward enmities, and it causes no pain in the wound, because it promises abundance from the fault to the agitated mind. But the beauty of the limbs is lost, because through it the beauty of the other virtues also is corrupted; and it makes, as it were, the whole body rough, because it trips up the mind through all things, as Paul bears witness, who says to Timothy: “The root of all evils is covetousness.” §10. Burdened, however, is one who does not practice baseness in deed but is nevertheless weighed down in mind by continual thought of it without restraint; one who is indeed by no means dragged as far as the wicked deed, but whose spirit delights in the pleasure of lust without any goad of resistance. For the defect of being burdened occurs when the humor of the inner organs descends to the genitals, which indeed swell with troublesome disgrace. Therefore burdened is one who, flowing down with all his thoughts toward wantonness, carries the weight of baseness in his heart; and although he does not perform depraved works, he nevertheless is not lifted from them in mind, nor is he able to rise openly to the practice of good work, because a base weight burdens him in secret. §11. Therefore, whoever is subdued by any of these vices is prohibited from offering loaves to the Lord, lest indeed one whose own offenses still devastate him be able to wash away the offenses of others. §12. Since, therefore, we have shown in a few words how a worthy man may come to the pastoral office of teaching, and how an unworthy man should fear it, let us now show how one who has worthily attained it ought to live in it.

Likewise Jerome on Malachi [on c. 1, vv. 7–8]. Priests despise the name of the Lord and, insofar as it lies with them, offer polluted bread, who approach the altar unworthily and who presume to obtain the priesthood after a gift has been given. One also pollutes the bread who distributes the doctrine of the Lord badly among the people, and one who honors the powerful and despises the poor. And below: §1. “If you offer what is blind for sacrifice, is it not evil?” etc. Accused above concerning the loaves, they are now accused concerning the victims. One offers a blind animal who ordains an unlearned man in place of a learned one and makes a master of one who could scarcely have been a disciple. One offers a lame animal who appoints one seeking earthly gains, as one who sets a foot in different directions, one in divine matters and the other in carnal matters, against whom that statement from the Book of Kings may be brought: “How long do you limp between two sides?” One offers a sick animal who regards a vicious man as religious and who approves a slow and idle man as patient, saying that he should be reproved for negligence. For it is unworthy to give to God what a human being disdains.