Summa de Ecclesia

¹ Moreover the Church is read as named Woman, and this for two reasons. First, by reason of fitness for fruitfulness. Prov. ult.: Who shall find a valiant woman? the interlinear Gloss: the Church, generating the sons of God. Again another Gloss: The valiant woman is the holy Church. Woman, because from water and the Holy Spirit she bears spiritual sons to God. Valiant, because for the love of God she despises all things adverse or prosperous of this age. Concerning this Church John speaks in the Apocalypse, ch. 12: A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of stars; and in the same place: and being with child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered. Woman, that is, the Church. Clothed with the sun, that is, fortified with the protection of the sun or illumined by the sun; hence the Gloss: Clothed with the sun, she has put on Christ, who illumined her. The moon under her feet, because she despises the prosperity of the present life and endures adversity with equanimity, fortified by the protection of God. On her head is said to have been a crown of twelve stars, because the twelve apostles, as stars shining in the night of this world according to the Gloss, adorned the primitive Church, since, with the Holy Spirit disposing, neither more nor fewer are chosen, because twelve is a perfect number. The perfection of this is proved by arithmetical and divine reasons. Being with child, and crying travailing in birth, and being in pain to bring forth is said of her because, according to the Gloss, she desires to generate others. The second reason why the holy Church is read as named woman is by reason of the likeness of her formation to the first woman. Concerning the formation of the first woman we read written thus in Gen., ch. 2: The Lord God built the rib which he took from Adam into a woman. Pondering this word, blessed Aug. on the psalm says thus: When Christ slept upon the cross he bore the sign, nay fulfilled what had been signified in Adam, because when Adam slept a rib was taken from him and Eve was made; and when the Lord slept upon the cross his side was pierced with a lance, and the sacraments flowed forth, from which the Church was made. And to the same effect is the Gloss on Gen. 2 and on Eph. 4, and blessed Ambrose in book 2 on Luke. The Church therefore is the mother of the living, which God built upon Him, Christ Jesus the highest cornerstone, in whom every structure compacted grows into a temple. Let God come therefore and build that woman, a helper indeed of Adam, but this one of Christ — not because Christ requires help, but because we seek and desire to come to the grace of Christ through the Church — and now she is built, and now she is formed, and now the woman is figured, and now she is created; and therefore Scripture has used a new word, because we are built upon the foundation of the twelve apostles and prophets, and now a spiritual house is founded into a holy priesthood. Come, Lord God, build that woman, build the city, and thy boy shall come; for I believe thee saying, he shall build a city for me; behold the woman, mother of all; behold the spiritual house; behold the city which lives forever because it knows not how to die; it is the city which now is seen on earth, but shall be caught up forever above Elias. For Elias was one, but he shall be transferred above Enoch, whose death is not found.

² Moreover the Church is read as named the friend of God, and this by reason of the singularity of the affection with which Christ embraces the Church herself. Hence in Cant. 4 it is said: How beautiful art thou, my friend. Likewise in the same place: Thou art all fair, my friend, and there is no spot in thee. Concerning the greatness of the love with which God loves the Church herself it is said in Zach. 1: I am zealous for Jerusalem with great zeal. And the Apostle in Eph. 5 says: Love your wives as Christ loved the Church and delivered himself up for her, that he might sanctify her; the Gloss: with the justice of a good life. Plainly greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends: John 15. Concerning this greatness of the love of Christ for the Church Chrysostom says: The Church is dearer to God than heaven, for the Church is not for the sake of heaven, but heaven is for the sake of the Church. And Bernard on the Canticle: In short, not for one soul, but for many to be gathered into one Church, to be bound into one single bride, God both did and suffered so many things, and wrought salvation in the midst of the earth. Most dear is she, one to one, cleaving to no other spouse; what would she not dare to expect from so desirous a lover? What would she not hope for from him who sought her from heaven, called her from the ends of the earth — nor only sought her, but acquired her: add also the manner of the acquisition, in the blood of the acquirer.

³ Again the Church is read as named a dove: Cant. 5: My friend, my dove. Again Cant. 6: One is my dove, and this because she is singularly adorned with spiritual gifts. Concerning the beauty of this dove it is said in Ps. 67: The wings of the dove are silvered, and the hinder parts thereof in the paleness of gold. Her wings are the teachers of the Church, as the Gloss says, through whom the Church is exalted and flies aloft to high things, through whose preaching the glory of the Church is carried into heaven. The wings of the Church are called silvered because she is instructed in the divine eloquence, for through silver the divine eloquence is designated, according to that in Ps. 11: The words of the Lord are chaste words, that is, without any corruption: silver tried by fire; the Gloss: The divine eloquence is compared to silver because, as among all metals there is nothing that rings more sweetly than silver, so among all speech the divine word sounds more sweetly to the mind. The hinder parts of this dove may be called the last times of the Church, which shall be in the common resurrection, which shall shine in the likeness of gold, nay incomparably above gold, according to that in Matt. 13: The just shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their father.

⁴ But although above, in chs. 6, I said many things about the unity of the Church, it is not useless to add some things in this place about the unity of the Church, especially since from this point that special authority is taken, when it is said: One is my dove. It is therefore to be noted that the dove, that is the Church, is called one in many ways. For she is one as one fold under one shepherd. John 10: Let there be one fold and one shepherd. And Hos. 7: There shall be one shepherd of them all. Also she is one as one house under one father of the family. Exod. 12: In one house shall it be eaten, nor shall you carry forth of the flesh thereof out of doors — said of the paschal lamb, which blessed Gregory expounds of the Church, saying in ch. Quia, 24, q. 1: For in one house it is eaten, because in the one catholic Church the true victim of redemption is sacrificed. Also she is one as one city under one prince. Isa. 19: The city of the sun shall be called one. Also one as one kingdom under one king. Ezek. 37: One king shall be ruling over all. Also one as one ship under one helmsman or ruler, as is signified in Luke 5, where it is said that Christ went up into one ship which was Simon's, that is, into the Church, whose care and governance was committed to Simon Peter as vicar of Christ. Matt. 16: To thee I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven. To Peter alone it was said: Launch out into the deep. Luke 5 — and Ambrose brings this in ch. non turbatur, 24, q. 1. Also she is one as one wife of one husband. 2 Cor. 11: For I have espoused you to one husband to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ; the Gloss: I have espoused you with the ring of faith, not to many but to one, not to an adulterer but to a lawful husband, namely Christ the true spouse. Moreover it is to be noted that the dove, that is the Church, is called one through conformity of nature and life: Rom. 12, as in one body we have many members, so we being many are one body. Second, through one unity of spirits or minds — whence in praise of the primitive Church it is said in Acts 4: And they had one heart and one soul in the house, not dissonant in sense, namely, and in the same will, with faith the companion of love and with perfect unanimity of judgment; concerning which conformity of grace Paul, the teacher of the Gentiles, thus exhorts the Corinthians, saying: But be perfect in the same mind and in the same knowledge; the Gloss: in the same will and the same understanding — as Hilary expounds, in the same judgment — that is, on 1 Cor. 1. And with a like exhortation the same Apostle to the Philippians says the same: Fulfil ye my joy, that you be of one mind; the Gloss: not diverse. Having the same charity; the Gloss: toward all. Of one accord; the Gloss: of one will. Feeling the same thing; the Gloss: that the evils of whomsoever be of all. Phil. 2. Third, she is called one on account of participation in one inheritance or reward: Ps.: One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; Ps. 76 and Luke 10 it is said: But one thing is necessary; the Gloss: to cleave continually to God.

⁵ Again the Church has been called perfect in that text of Cant. 6: One is my perfect one; this is because, as the Gloss says, she is perfected with all virtues. With good reason is the holy universal Church called singularly perfect, since she herself is incomparably more perfect than all others; hence of her it is said in the last chapter of Proverbs: Many daughters have gathered riches; thou hast surpassed them all — so that blessed Bernard in sermon 69 on the Canticle says: Nor will she arrogate to herself, however eminent she may be in holiness, all the prerogatives of the one catholic multitude, by reason of which all are one person out of the multitude.

⁶ Again the Church is read as named the sister of Christ; hence Cant. 5: I have come into my garden, my sister. Again: Open to me, my sister. The holy Church is called the sister of Christ for two reasons. First, by reason of the great conformity which exists between Christ and the Church. For she is the sister of Christ in the flesh through conformity in nature. Concerning her it is said in Cant. 8, where the Church, entreating with great desire the incarnation of the Son of God, through which she might be made his sister by conformity of nature, says: Who shall give thee to me as my brother sucking the breasts of my mother?⁷ She is the sister of Christ in spirit through participation in grace or conformity of will. Matt. 12: Whosoever shall do the will of my Father, he is my brother and my sister. Second, the Church is called the sister of Christ through participation in one heavenly paternal inheritance: Rom. 8: If sons, heirs also; heirs indeed of God, and joint heirs with Christ; the Gloss: in whom and with whom we shall be blessed. And upon that: Thou hast wounded my heart, my sister, the Gloss says: joint heir.

⁸ Moreover the Church is also read as named daughter, according to that in Cant. 7: How beautiful are thy steps in shoes, O daughter of the prince; the Gloss: that is, of God. And in Ps. 44 it is said: Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thy ear. The Church is called the daughter of God through grace and adoption, according to that in John 1: He gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name, where the Gloss says: A wondrous power, that those who were sons of the devil should be called sons of God and brothers of Christ, freed through him.