...sanctifies, and descends into it, as into a temple. St. Thomas Aquinas, On Psalm 10.

Treasure. The soul is a treasure, and indeed a vast one. Lobbetius, cited in § 7.

Wind. In sacred speech, souls are designated by the subtlety of winds. St. Gregory the Great, commenting on that passage of Job: He gave weight to the winds. Moralia, book 19, chapter 4. St. Gregory interprets the "weight" as the gravity or stability God gives to otherwise flighty human spirits.

Vineyard. The soul is a vineyard, faith is the vine, virtues are the branches, works are the clusters of grapes, and devotion is the wine. St. Bernard, Sermon 30, On the Song of Songs.

Shrub. By the shrub of the field, he shows that the invisible Creature is to be understood, which is the soul. It is called a shrub because of the vigor of life, and a herb because that same life never withers. St. Isidore of Seville, chapter 3, On Genesis.

Life. The soul is the life of the body; God is the life of the soul. Isidore, book 1, On the Supreme Good.

Will. Reason is the eye, the soul is the will, and memory is the belly. St. Thomas Aquinas, book 3, distinction 6, Sentences. The "belly" of memory is a common medieval metaphor suggesting a place where knowledge is "digested" and stored.

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TITLE VIII.

THE HOLY SOUL.

Young Maiden. Young maidens is the name given to the souls of the elect—because the more they are conscious of their own fragility, the more greatly they love Christ. St. Thomas, On Song of Songs 1. What is meant by "young maidens" if not holy souls? St. Gregory the Great, On Song of Songs 1. The "young maidens" are the souls of the elect, renewed by the grace of baptism. St. Isidore of Seville, On Song of Songs 1.

Agriculture of the Monk. A good soul bearing fruit according to the Gospel is the agriculture of the monk. St. Ephrem, Admonition 1.

Altar of God. What is the Altar of God if not the mind of those who wish well? — Where the fire burns from the sorrow of compunction Compunction: a theological term for the piercing sting of conscience and sorrow for one's sins., and the flesh is consumed. St. Gregory, Homily 22, On Ezekiel.

Friend of Christ. Because of faith, Christ calls his Bride (that is, the holy soul) his friend; for without faith it is impossible to please God. St. Gregory the Great, On Song of Songs, chapter 2. She becomes a friend by acknowledging God; beautiful, by preserving the humility of Christ; a dove, by seeking nothing of earthly desires. Aponius, book 4, Commentary on the Song of Songs. Aponius was a 5th-century writer whose commentary on the Song of Songs was highly influential in the Middle Ages.

Little Garden Bed. By the little garden bed (mentioned in Song of Songs 6), the soul of each faithful person is understood. St. Thomas, On Song of Songs, chapter 6.

Noah's Ark. The holy soul is Noah’s Ark, built with three levels: faith, hope, and charity. St. Bonaventure, On Psalm 67.

Ark of the Covenant. What is the mind of the righteous man if not the Ark of the Covenant? It is tilted when carried by kicking oxen: because even a good leader, when shaken by the confusion of the people subject to him, is never moved toward the lowering of his administration out of love alone; rather, the tilting of his strength is thought to be a fall by the unskilled. St. Gregory, Moralia, book 5, chapter 10. Gregory is using a complex metaphor about how leaders must sometimes "bend" or "tilt" their high standards to meet the needs of their struggling followers, though observers might mistake this for weakness.

Dry Land. The dry land is the soul thirsting for God. St. Isidore, chapter 2, On Genesis.

Dawn. The mind of the righteous is the dawn; which, leaving behind the darkness of its sin, now breaks forth into the light of eternity. St. Gregory, Moralia, book 16, chapter 29.

Fiery Coal. A fiery coal is not black; rather, it is glowing and bright; but when it is extinguished, it is made black. So the soul, ignited by the love of God, is both beautiful and bright. Ezekiel 1: Their appearance was like the fire of burning coals. St. Bonaventure, Sermon 2, On the Lord’s Supper.

Noah's Dove. The dove, which did not find a place where its foot might rest (Genesis 8), returned to the ark. So must the soul, not finding rest for its mind outside, return to the conscience within. The same author, Sermon 2, On the Epiphany of the Lord.

Valley. Valleys signify humble minds, whose lily is Christ. St. Thomas, On Song of Songs 2.

Wine Cellar. Our soul ought to be a wine cellar, and a receptacle for the divine fire. St. Bernard, Opuscule on Charity, chapter 40.

Wax. The faithful soul is figured by the boy (in 4 Kings 4), and the Lord by Elisha: who, just as a seal joins to wax, so joins Himself to the soul. He puts his eyes upon its eyes, because He illuminates the intellect; He warms the flesh, because He inflames the affection with charity; He puts mouth to mouth, because He delights the taste of memory with spiritual sweetness; He puts hands to hands, because He preserves it in good work until the end; and thus He perfects the whole man. St. Thomas, Opuscule on the Sacrament of the Altar, chapter 22. In the Vulgate Bible used by the author, 4 Kings corresponds to 2 Kings in modern Bibles. The reference is to Elisha reviving the Shunammite's son.

City. Morally, the soul is a city, full of a "people" of good affections; a mistress of "nations" (the vices); a prince of "provinces" (the senses); desolated of the support of the good; a widow of the embraces of the bridegroom; under the tribute of vices. St. Thomas, On Lamentations of Jeremiah 1. This is the city which is built as a city: avarice does not build this city, but destroys it; lust does not build it, but burns and ignites it. Do you wish, however, to build the city? Better is a little with the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 15). St. Ambrose, book 7, letter 44. Just as Jerusalem is said to be built as a city, so are peaceful souls. The same author, book 8, On Luke. Note, that the soul is the city of the Highest King—but the Ishmaelites—that is, the devils—besiege it. St. Bonaventure, On Psalm 118.

Food of God. What else should we call the souls of men but the food of the Lord? They were created for this: that they might be passed into His body. St. Gregory, Homily 17, On the Gospels.

Heaven. Spiritually, he signifies holy souls by the name of heavens; and by "earth," sinful ones. St. Augustine, On the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, book 1, chapter 17. The soul of the righteous is heaven. St. Thomas, On Revelation, chapter 8.

Hill, Mountain. In incense, the holy devotion of prayers...