Prologue — Prologue of St. Thomas

Ezekiel 2:9

Behold, a hand was sent to me, wherein was a book wrapped up. And he spread it before me, and it was written within and without: and there were written in it lamentations, and canticles, and woe.

From these words, four things can be learned about the present work of the Lamentations of Jeremiah; namely, its author, method, usefulness, and subject matter.

In the author there is indicated benignity, whence it says*: behold, a hand was sent*. This hand is the wisdom of God, by which all things were made: you have made all things in wisdom (Ps 103:24).

It is she who opens the mind to see. The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he led me thither in the visions of God (Ezek 40:1–2).

She is the one who sets free the tongue to speak. The Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth: and the Lord said to me: behold I have given my words in your mouth (Jer 1:9).

She is the one who directs the hand to write. There appeared fingers, as it were, of a man, writing (Dan 5:5): these are those of the prophets and other doctors to whom we attribute different gifts of wisdom, so that all that man does in transmitting divine wisdom externally, she herself perfects by her authority. For you have wrought all our works for us (Isa 26:12). Not that we are sufficient to think anything of ourselves, as of ourselves: but our sufficiency is from God (2 Cor 3:5).

This wisdom is so exalted, such that while we are sick ourselves, we are able to receive nothing from her unless it be sent to us. And that is why the goodness of the author is represented in the outstretching of a hand. O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! (Rom 11:33).

This wisdom is sent to us in three ways.

In the creation of things from which we can examine it. The invisible things of God are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made (Rom 1:20). By the greatness of the beauty, and of the creature, the Creator of them may be seen (Wis 13:5).

She is also sent by an internal inspiration. Through nations she conveys herself into holy souls, making them the friends of God and prophets (Wis 7:27).

She was sent most eminently in the Incarnation where invisible wisdom appeared before bodily eyes. Send her out of your holy heaven, and from the throne of your majesty, that she may be with me, and may labor with me, that I may know what is acceptable with you for all time (Wis 9:10).

In the method is shown the difficulty; whence it follows: wherein was a book wrapped up.

It is this same book wrapped up in an ornament of words: that is why it is written in verses and colored with rhetorical ornaments. The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge (Prov 15:2).

Likewise, it is wrapped up in the depth of mysteries. Yet by the Spirit he speaks mysteries (1 Cor 14:2). And as it is said by the apostles to all persons who have consumed the Sacred Scripture: to you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven (Matt 13:11).

It also is wrapped up in a variety of similitudes, just as all other books of the prophets. He shall understand a parable, and the interpretation, the words of the wise, and their mysterious sayings (Prov 1:6). I have multiplied visions, and I have used similitudes by the ministry of the prophets (Hos 12:10).

And this is signified through three wrappings with which the sacred vessels were wrapped (Num 4:7–8).

For by the veil, which was colored diversely and was distinguished by its beautiful variation (Exod 26:1), is signified the diversity of similitudes.

By the skin and the hyacinth-colored coat, is signified the celestial mysteries with which this book is impregnated.

By the purple coat is signified the ornaments of words. For this wrapping up of the Holy Spirit is explained by the sacred expositors, through whom Sacred Scripture was explained by the same Spirit by which it was produced, as Augustine says.

Thus it follows: he spread it before me.

For God opens the words of Scripture; whence it says in Luke: he opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45).

He reveals hidden mysteries. Verily your God is the God of gods, and Lord of kings, and a revealer of hidden things (Dan 2:47).

He explains similitudes. At the brightness that was before him the clouds passed (Ps 17:13).

In the multiplicity is also shown its usefulness; whence it follows: it was written within and without, for on both sides it contained written wisdom, namely, the literal sense on the scroll and the sense of understanding in the hidden part, so that as it may be truly said: he shall go in, and go out, and shall find pastures (John 10:9).

In its subject matter, there is shown diversity; whence it follows: and there were written in it lamentations, and canticles, and woe.

The book mourns the death of Josiah, and in regard to this, it contains **lamentations. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him, particularly Jeremiah: whose lamentations for Josiah all the singing men and singing women repeat unto this day (2 Chron 35:24).

It mourns over the people trampled, and in regard to this, it contains canticles. Son of man, sing a mournful canticle for the multitude (Ezek 32:18).

It also mourns the devastation of Jerusalem and the whole civilization, and in regard to this, it contains woe. Woe unto us, for we are laid waste (Jer 4:13).

Or these three can refer to a threefold sense in which this book is explained in the Glosses.

Woe refers to the figurative sense, tropological or moral, by which he weeps over the slavery of sin. The crown is fallen from our head: woe to us, because we have sinned (Lam 5:16).

Canticles refers to the mystical sense, by which he weeps over the widowhood of the Church. And he put a new canticle into my mouth, a song to our God (Ps 39:4).

Lamentations refers to the historical sense, by which he laments the captivity of the Jews. A voice of lamentations is heard out of Zion: how are we wasted and greatly confounded? (Jer 9:19).

And it is from this that the book takes its name, for by some it is called “Threni,” which in Greek means “lamentation”; although there are some who say “Treni,” as if to say, “Terni,” because in the beginning of the book, the verses proceed by threes under a single letter, and whence it varies by three orders of letters. At first, there are three clauses under one letter until the third chapter, where the same letter is put in front of three distinct clauses. In the fourth chapter, two clauses are included under each letter.

It should be noted that, in Hebrew, the individual distinctions, as they are called, begin with the individual letters in order, just as we do in that hymn, A solis ortus cardine. (This medieval chant has twenty-three verses, corresponding to the number of letters in the Latin alphabet. The first verse begins with the letter A (A solis ortus cardine); the second with the letter B (Beatus auctor saeculi); etc.) And according to this sort of interpretation of the letters, the individual letters correspond to the sentences of the clauses, before which they are placed.