St. Bruno of Cologne: Commentary on the Psalms, Psalm 1
For an introduction to St. Bruno and this work, see the introduction to my translation of the Prologue to St. Bruno's Commentary on the Psalms. Recall that St. Bruno is commenting on the Vulgate text of the Psalms; to understand the precise phrases he is discussing, one should consult the Vulgate or the Douay-Rheims, which is, generally, a quite literal translation of the Vulgate.
St. Bruno of Cologne
Commentary on the Psalms
Psalm I
Blessed the man, etc. It says “man,” not in regards to the distinction of sexes, but in regards to the sense of maturity. And this is thus explained: Adam, dying to sin through delight, and consent, and action, and custom, drew all the human race with himself, and so was deservedly unhappy. But there was someone to come, who would be a man, to do all things, not weakly, like Adam, but manfully and maturely. And since he will be man, he will be blessed, that is, by God, with virtue and work, and, later, the blessing of immortality, therefore, being enriched more than anyone can understand.1 And, therefore, he will be proven to be blessed, since he will be thus: who does not depart, that is, has not departed, that is, does not draw away from God, so that he would be placed in the counsel of the impious, that is, in the delight and consent of sin, having come to death through Adam and Eve. And rightly does it say counsel, for, before they commit sin, they accept the counsel to sin, and they find delight in that counsel. And it says “impious,” not in accord with the definition of the word—so that they do not know God—but because it marks them as being apostates, with knowledge of God. For the impious are properly said to be “ignorant of God.” And does not sit in the way of sinners, that is, does not remain in the wicked work in which Adam and Eve remained, they who were sinners, that is, worked wickedness, while they ate the apple in opposition to God’s precept. And does not sit, that is, did not sit, that is, did not dwell in the seat of pestilence, that is, in the custom of sinning, in which Adam and Eve sat when they excused themselves from the sin of the apple, as someone sits in a seat while teaching. And therefore, handing down the document of sinning to us, they led us into pestilence, that is, into common death. For death is often called “pestilence,” since it commonly comes to people due to some corruption of the air. It should be duly noted that it says depart in delight, remain in working, sit in custom. For when someone tends towards another, first, so that he might reach him, he departs from the place in which he is, and, reaching there, he remains, and, afterwards, wanting to dwell there, he sits. So the first parents, tending towards evil working, first departed, that is, they drew back from God through the delight of evil working, and, afterwards, they likewise stood in evil working, and, at the end, not rejecting the custom of sinning, they sat in the seat of pestilence, that is, sitting there, that is, fully dwelling there, by their example, they led others to death by sinning. And, through likeness, it is rightly said that they sat in the seat, for teachers were wont to sit in the seat. And rightly is working called the way; for it is visible, like a worn-away path, and it is public, but delight hides. It is also to be noted that it is not superfluous that, after he refused to depart, he also refused to remain and sit, as if, in the first refusal, the two following ones were necessarily understood. For not all who depart remain, nor sit. But this is added to that so that, this order being refused by Christ, it implies that all of this was in order in Adam.
Having refused these three, it thus implies that three others, contrary to these, which Adam lacked, will be in Him: He will not depart, He will not remain, He will not sit. But in the law of the Lord He was to fulfill His will, that is, He will fulfill the law of the Lord voluntarily, not unwillingly. Here it is noted, too, how He delights in fulfillment, as Adam delighted in transgression, and He will fulfill the law of the Lord by good working, as Adam transgressed by evil working. I say that He will willingly fulfill God’s law, and He will meditate on fulfilling His law, not for an hour, but day and night, that is, at every time. And it rightly says that He will meditate, that is, He will fulfill [the law] not negligently, but with meditation. Through this, it is also noted that it says He will meditate, since, as Adam was accustomed to working evilly, so He, too, will be accustomed to working rightly. And since He will not depart, will not remain, will not sit, and will meditate on the law of God, He will be like a tree, that is, truly the tree of life to others, which was prefigured in that tree of life which is said to have been in paradise (Gen 2:9). And it shows, by this, that He will be a tree of life to others, when He subjects. Which is planted, that is, is conceived in the Virgin, beside the descents of waters, that is, through the infusions of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which refresh and purge like waters, so that that Gabrielic [word] would be fulfilled: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you” (Lk 1:35), etc. As if it says: “Truly, He will be a tree of life, when He is like a tree which is planted, that is, will be conceived by the descents of waters, that is, next to the out-running of peoples, as if it says, ‘Such will be the tree of life, that it will be thus conceived, so that it would have a nature descending to death, like the people (who, therefore, are called “waters,” since they are slippery and ebbing in death, like waters descending).’” And, through this, it commends His obedience unto death, and confirms our faith, lest, because of the divinity’s sublimity, we would be ignorant of the mortality’s humility. And so it called Him tree, lest someone think that, whatever he be born from, the fruit for which he comes to give himself there thus determines what the tree gave.2 His fruit, namely, the reparation of the human race, which will be the fruit of His death, will not come from Him immediately, but in His time, that is, in the time of His mortality. And since He is a tree of life, His leaf, that is, His word, shall not wither, that is, shall not be destroyed, as He Himself testified: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Mt 24:35). Or, as it continues, according to another sentence: and, though He is planted by the descent of waters, that is, peoples, that is, though He descends to death like the peoples, yet His leaf, that is, word, shall not wither. And rightly does it call “word” leaf, for, as leaves adorn the tree, and the fruit dwells among them, so, too, His words are the ornament of the Church, and in them is the as-yet hidden fruit, namely, eternal life. Or this could be a simile, like: and since He meditated on the law, He will be like a tree, which is planted by the descent of waters, which will give its fruit in its time, and its leaf shall not wither, that is, He will be comparable to a tree planted alongside the abundance of waters, giving fruit in its time, whose leaf shall not wither, since, as it does not lack moisture for giving fruit in its time, so neither does He lack the vigor and doctrine of the Holy Spirit, to fructify His spiritual sons in the fullness of time, for God, and so the leaves of this tree shall not wither, just as His word shall not wither. And, when such and so much is the fruit, every work and miracle, whatsoever He does, shall prosper for those believing in Him, that is, whatever He does in this world, He yields to their use and edification.
There follows: Not so the impious, etc. When it says, Not so the impious, it means us to understand, through aposiopesis,3 that they will not be like Christ, since the pious will be like Christ, as He Himself says: Be holy like [Me], because I am holy (Lev 11:42; Mt 5:48). Not that any saint would have as much holiness as He had, but that each one—one more, another less clean2—would retain God’s holiness, as the Apostle says: “As is the earthly Adam, namely, such also the earthly,” (1 Cor 15:48), namely, conformed to him. As is the spiritual, that is, Christ, such also the spiritual, that is, those obeying Him. But this verse thus continues and explains. The blessed man will not depart, will not remain, will not sit, but will meditate on the law of the Lord. And, therefore, he will be like a tree, and those who are similar, namely, the pious, will similarly be [trees]. But the impious not so will be, not so. This repetition is done to confirm the pious and terrify the impious, which repetition is not in the Hebrew. But they will be like dust, that is, similar to dust, that is, dry of doctrine, like dust without moisture, which the wind casts away, that is, the devil separates from the face of the earth, that is, from the presence of Christ, Whom the faithful are supported by as we are supported by this earth. And therefore, since they will be dust, the impious do not rise again,4 that is, shall not rise again in judgment, that is, so that they be judged, as the Apostle testifies: “Those who sinned without the law will perish without the law” (Rom 2:12). Truly it is to be known that, on the day of judgment, others will rise again in judgment, others, not in judgment, like the Gentiles. But, in the judgment, others [will rise again] so that they might judge, like the perfect, others, that they be judged. They who will be judged, some will be saved, like the good, others will be damned, like false Christians, heretics, and Jews. There is indeed doubt, since there is no authority, whether the words “in judgment” refer simply to the future [judgment], or not. If, according to some, it does not mean the future [judgment], “in judgment” would thus be explained: the impious shall not rise again in judgment, that is, so that only at that time would be it certain that they are damned, since it is certain now; but of the false faithful, judgment, that is, certitude, will be made only at that time. For only at that time will it be clear to all that they are worthy of damnation. For if it were certain now, certainly the sedulity of the living would not offer prayers and sacrifice to God for them. But when the perfect ones judge, that is, by comparison of holiness, they will show that those similar to them will be saved, but those dissimilar will be damned.
And since it says that the impious will not be resurrected in judgment, and it greatly depresses them by this, lest the false faithful, being resurrected in judgment, might think that they would be saved by faith alone without works, it removes this, thus: The impious will not rise again in judgment, nor sinners, that is, those apostates from God in the council of the just, that is, so that they might be in the congregation of the just, although they rise again in judgment. But, in the Hebrew, it says in the Synagogue.5 Therefore, rightly is it in the council in Latin. Yet it could be read in the counsel. For we call “council” a congregation decreed to be gathered for some useful purpose. And “synagogue” is interpreted congregation. Or this verse can be read thus: If the impious were generally accepted above as both the unfaithful and the faithful sinners, the impious will not be so. And it shows, by parts, why this is said. And therefore this, that the impious, that is, the unfaithful, do not rise again in this world from their unfaithfulness in judgment, that is, through judgment, that is, so that they might judge by confession, that is, damn their unfaithfulness. “For if they judge themselves” (so the Apostle says), “certainly they will not be judged by God” (1 Cor 2:31). Nor sinners, that is, false faithful, will rise again in this, so that they would be in the counsel of the just, that is, so that, like the just, they would put their own wills after God’s wills. And this can be said both about the unfaithful, that they are impious, that is, not knowing God, and not rising again in judgment, and [about] sinners, that is, those putting their own wills before God’s wills, therefor,e not being in the council or counsel of the just. There follows: Since He knew, etc. The same is thus continued: The pious will be like a tree, that is, like Christ, and, therefore, since the Lord knew, that is, tested, loved the way of the just, that is, the good life in this world which is the way to eternal life. And the impious will not be so; and, therefore, because God did not know their path, that is, life. And when it ought to say did not know, it, with like meaning, placed the effect for the cause, namely, perish instead of not know. The path of the impious will perish, that is, their depraved life, which is their path to hell, will perish, that is, will make them perish, when it is not known by God, that is, not loved, as is also testified to in the Gospel: Amen, I say to you: I do not know you (Mt 25:12), that is, I do not love [you]. Or this is continued in another way, so that the explanation does not change: Sinners will not rise again in the council or counsel of the just, and the impious in judgment; and, therefore, it will be so, since the Lord knew the way of the just, and the path of the impious will perish, that is, because He does not want them to be with the just, since the life of the just pleases Him, but the life of the impious displeases.
1 I am a little unsure of this translation: ...adeo ditandus quantum nulli est aperire facultas.↩
2 I am a little unclear about the meaning of this sentence and its syntax: Et quia dixerat eum llignum, ne putaret quilibet ex quo nasceretur, fructum pro quo veniret illico se daturum, determinat sic quid lignum dabit.↩
3 A figure of Greek rhetoric in which the author breaks off a sentence incompletely, due to an excess of passion. The classical example used by Latin grammarians was in Virgil’s Aeneid I.133-135: “Now, winds, do you dare to mix up heaven and earth without my command, and to raise such troubles? Whom I—but it’s better to compose the troubled flows.” Neptune breaks off his rebuke of the winds in order to turn to fixing the problem at hand. See Richard Upsher Smith, Jr., A Glossary of Terms in Grammar, Rhetoric, and Prosody for Readers of Greek and Latin: A Vade Mecum (Mundelein, IL: Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc., 2011), 94.↩
4 Resurgent generally just means "rise up," though, etymologically, it means "rise" (surgere) "again" (re-). I have translated it etymologically, since St. Bruno's focus, in interpreting this verb, is on the general resurrection.↩
5 The Hebrew word is עדה (‘edah), meaning “congregation,” one of the common words used to describe the people of Israel as a whole. Synagogue here is not a reference to the building; instead, it is a term Christian writers would often use to describe the people of Israel, like ‘edah.↩
Source: PL 152:639D-643C.
Translation ©2024 Brandon P. Otto. Licensed via CC BY-NC. Feel free to redistribute non-commercially, as long as credit is given to the translator.
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