HIS WRITINGS.
Raban was a voluminous author. But like the other writers 1 Migne, CVII. col. 82, 83, 84. 2 Migne, CIV. col. 519.
2 1G7. RABANUS MAURUS. 719
of his time, he made mostly compilations from the Fathers and the later ecclesiastics. He was quick to respond to the needs of his day, and to answer questions of enquiring students. He betrays a profound acquaintance with the Holy Scripture. His works may be divided into seven classes.
I. BIBLICAL. (1) Commentaries upon the whole Bible, ex cept Ezra, Nehemiah, Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Canticles, the Minor Prophets, Catholic Epistles and Revelation. He com mented also on the Apocryphal books, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus and Maccabees.1 These commentaries were probably in part compiled by his pupils, under his direction. They pre served a knowledge both of the Bible and of the Fathers in an age when books were very scarce and libraries still rarer. A single fact very strikingly brings out this state of things. Frechulf, bishop of Lisieux, in urging Raban to comment on the Pentateuch, states that in his diocese there were very few books of any kind, not even a whole Bible, much less any complete exposition of it.2 Raban thus gives his views of biblical inter pretation :3 "If any one would master the Scriptures he must first of all diligently find out the amount of history, allegory, anagoge and trope there may be in the part under consideration. For there are four senses to the Scriptures, the historical, the allegorical, the tropological and the anagogical, which we call the daughters of wisdom. Through these Wisdom feeds her chil dren. To those who are young and beginning to learn she gives the milk of history ; to those advancing in the faith the bread of allegory ; those who are truly and constantly doing good so that they abound therein she satisfies with the savory repast of tropology ; while, finally, those who despise earthly things and ardently desire the heavenly she fills to the full with the wine of anagoge"
1 Unprinted are the commentaries on Isaiah, Daniel and John ; lost those on Mark, Luke and Acts. The remainder are found in Misne, CVII. col. 439-670:727-1156. CVIIL, CIX., CXI. 679-1616. CXII 9-834.
a Preface to Matt., Migne, CV1I. col. 727. s Migne, CXII. col. 849.
720 FOURTH PERIOD. A. D. 590-1049.
In accordance with these principles his commentaries, except that of Matthew, the earliest issued (819), contain very little proper exegesis, but a great deal of mystical and spiritual inter pretation. The labor in their composition must have been con siderable, but he carried it on for twenty years. He did not always copy the exact language of his sources, but reproduced it in his own words. He was particular to state the place of his excerpts. Each successive commentary had a separate dedication. Thus, those on Judith and Esther were dedicated to the empress Judith, because, he says, she resembled the Hebrew heroines ; that on Chronicles to Louis the Pious, her husband, as a guide in government ; that on Maccabees to Louis the German ; that on Jeremiah to Lothair.
(2) He also prepared a commentary in the same style upon the Biblical hymns sung in morning worship.1
(3) Scripture Allegories? a conveniently arranged dictionary in alphabetical order of terms which were defined allegorically. Thus, " Annus is the time of grace, as in Isaiah [Ixi. 2], 'the acceptable year of the Lord.7 Also, the multitude of the redeemed, as in Job [iii. 6], ' let it not be joined unto the days of the year ' among the elect who are saved. Also the eter nity of Christ, as in Psalm [cii. 24], ' thy years are throughout all generations/ because the eternity of God lasts forever. It also signifies our life, as in Psalm [xc. 9], 'our years are thought upon as if a cobweb' (Vulg.) i. e.f our life rushes along in emptiness and corruption." 3
(4) The life of Mary Magdalene and her sister Martha* It incl udes the related sections of our Lord's life and the legendary history of the sisters, and is in its way an interesting work. But he confounds Mary the sister of Lazarus with Mary of
1 Comment, in cantica qucs ad matutinas laudes dicuntur. rCXII. col. 1089-1166.
2 Allegories in universam Sacram Scripturam. Ibid. col. 849-1088. 8 Ibid. col. 858.
4 De vita beatce Maria Magdalence et sororis ejus sanctoz Marthce, ibid. col. 1431 -1508.