Commentaria in Exodum
Secondly, this opinion is urged by the Septuagint, who render urim and thummim by delosin kai aletheian, that is, manifestation and truth, and by our Interpreter, who renders truth: for who does not see that it would be plainly harsh for the twelve gems, though placed in the rational for an oracle, to be called “doctrine” and “truth”? If the Holy Spirit had willed this, why did He not express it in the Hebrew, or at least why did none of the Interpreters explain it, by saying: “Thou shalt put urim and thummim,” that is, thou shalt put an oracle, “in the rational”? Yet while they commonly render: “Thou shalt put in the rational doctrine and truth,” what else do they signify than that these very things were inscribed on the rational? and this the demonstrative particle sufficiently signifies, which is added in the Hebrew and prefixed to urim and thummim, as if to say: Thou shalt put and write the urim and the thummim in the rational.
Thirdly, because St. Augustine, Question 117, puts forward this opinion among others; Philo, book 3 On the Life of Moses; Rupert, Hugh the Cardinal and Victorinus here; Radulphus, book 6 on Levit. chap. 15; Alcazar on Apoc. chap. 11, note 7; Bellarmine, book 4 On the Pontiff, chap. 3. St. Jerome to Fabiola also favours it, and St. Gregory, part 2 of the Pastoral Rule, chap. 2, and Rabanus here; likewise Cyril in the exposition of the Nicene Creed, where he says: “On the breast of the high priest were twelve stones, in the midst of which were figured manifestation and truth, two other stones again; but by these twelve the choir of the Apostles was enigmatically shown, as if in a circle surrounding Emmanuel, who is the manifestation and truth.”
Nor does Josephus stand in the way, book 3 of the Antiquities, chap. 9, from whom the authors of the sixth opinion drew theirs: for in that chapter Josephus only relates that these twelve gems of the rational were wont to shine in time of war, and by their brilliance to announce the victory of the Hebrews, and that therefore the essen (Hebrew choshen), that is, the rational, was called by the Greeks logion, that is, oracle, because it contained these gems foretelling victory by their brilliance. But this kind of prediction ceased already two hundred years ago, says Josephus. Josephus, therefore, does not assert that in every doubtful matter the event that was to be was foretold by the gems; nor indeed could it be that the gems by their brilliance should speak and announce the manner, time and other circumstances of a future matter: whence, as we saw before, the response or oracle of urim is called in Scripture an oracle through the priest, or the voice of the priest. Secondly, in those ancient matters the credit of Josephus sometimes wavers; but suppose we grant what he says, that these stones in time of war changed colour or brilliance, and so signified the future outcome of the war, which however St. Augustine laughs at; nay suppose we grant that Josephus says that this happened not only in war but in any other matter, yet from this you will not prove that Josephus says that urim and thummim were these twelve gems of the rational: for Josephus does not name those radiant stones urim and thummim; nor does he deny that urim and thummim were inscribed on the rational: for they could be inscribed on it as indications and signs of the miracle, or oracle, which was given through the stones and their brilliance. You will object first, no mention is made of this Scripture, of urim in the rational, in Exodus chap. 39, where yet the making of the ephod is exactly described.
I answer, it is sufficiently expressed here, and from this place sufficiently understood, that it was made according to the Lord’s precept and inserted in the rational, chiefly because in that place almost only those things are recounted which concern the skill of the craftsman Beseleel, or the material and parts of the work. Such are the stones, chains, bars, boards, rings, etc., but not the writing or weaving of two names, which it is likely were embroidered not by Beseleel but by some embroiderer, male or female. Whence Moses there also passed over many other things for brevity’s sake which he narrates at length here, as is plain of the composition of the oil and incense, chap. 37, verse 29; of the manner of the inscription of the names on the onyx stones, chap. 39, verse 6. On the contrary, certain things are supplied there which are passed over in silence here, as is plain of the middle bar, chap. 36, verse 33; of the little crowns of the mitre, chap. 39, verse 27; of the mirrors of the women, from which the brazen laver was made, chap. 37, verse 8; of the weight of metal spent on the work, chap. 37, verse 24. It is no wonder, then, that urim and thummim are passed over and understood in Exodus chap. 39, especially since conversely in Levit. chap. 8, verse 8, they are expressed and the gems of the rational are passed over: “He fitted on,” he says, “the rational, on which was doctrine and truth,” where by the rational he understood its 12 stones in brief; but he expressed and named doctrine and truth, which ought most to adorn the priest.
You will object secondly: The rational was very small; it does not seem, therefore, that it could contain the 12 stones together with this writing, urim and thummim.
I answer: The rational was large enough for this; for both in length and in breadth it had a span; it could therefore have contained many more stones. Next, in the rational there was a space between the several rows of stones, and the stones themselves, in which these ten letters, urim and thummim, could easily be written, not only small but large and conspicuous.
It is likely, therefore, that these two words were embroidered with the needle, in Phrygian work, in the rational, among the twelve gems, although Cyril in the words before cited intimates that they were inscribed on two stones, distinct from the twelve gems.
Finally, these two words might be inscribed on some cloth or parchment, and appended to the rational itself, and this is hinted in Levit. chap. 8, verse 8, in the Hebrew.
You will ask secondly, why urim and thummim, that is, doctrine and truth, were inscribed on the rational?
I answer first: The historical and literal reason was that by this the dignity of the priesthood might be commended to the people, when it saw the high priest, clothed in the rational and urim, taught by God of future events, and pouring forth the oracles of God, not that God answered through these words urim and thummim, embroidered in the rational, but that through the high priest, clothed as it were in pontifical garments and now discharging the pontifical office, God revealed those things about which He was consulted, and this writing urim and thummim signified, namely that the high priest, clothed in the rational, was in urim and thummim, that is, received from God doctrine and truth about the doubtful matters about which he was consulted. Urim, then, was not the oracle, but the index of the oracle; and when Scripture says that God was consulted by urim, or answered, this is to be explained metonymically, that it may be signified that God answered through the priest clothed in the rational in which was urim. What is said, then, in 1 Esdras chap. 2, verse 63, and Nehemias chap. 7, verse 65: “And Athersatha said to them (the priests not finding their genealogy) that they should not eat of the holies of holies, till there should rise up a priest learned and perfect”; in Hebrew it is, till there should rise up a priest in urim and thummim, that is, till there should rise up some high priest who, by the rational and urim, in the manner now said, should be taught, and perfectly understand from God, whether those whose genealogy was uncertain were to be held priests or not. In like manner among the Egyptians, says Aelian, book 14, chap. 34, the chief priest (who was also the supreme judge) wore on his neck an image of sapphire hanging, which was called “Truth,” and Aelian intimates that this effigy of truth was impressed on the sapphire itself. Secondly, the allegorical reason was that the high priest, wearing urim and pouring forth oracles, might be a type of Christ the High Priest and Prophet, by whom truth was made and brought to us from the bosom of the Father, John chap. 1, verses 17 and 18. Consequently that the same might be a type of the Vicar of Christ, namely the Roman Pontiff, who by the assistance of the Holy Ghost has infallible authority for the government of the universal Church, in decisions both of faith and morals. Whence, after the manner of urim, he wears, and communicates to other Archbishops to wear, the pallium; for this signifies the fulness of authority and power. So Alcazar, Apocal. chap. 11, p. 586. Let truth, then, adorn the breast of Christ and of Christians, as a divine and most beautiful necklace. For, as St. Augustine says, epist. 9: “Incomparably more beautiful is the truth of Christians than the Helen of the Greeks: for for this our Martyrs fought more bravely against this Sodom than for that a thousand heroes against Troy.” For truth is as a sun illuminating the world. Among the heathen there was an image of Fidius, in which Honour, represented in the form of a man, held out his hand to Truth, who was figured in the likeness of a maiden; and in the midst was placed Love. By this effigy they signified, first, that to truth honour and love are due; secondly, that Fidius, that is, faith, rests on truth, love and honour. For “the faith of men (as one says) truth begets, honour sustains, love nourishes.” Symbolically, honour is God the Father, truth is the Son, love is the Holy Ghost: these three conspire into one, and beget in us faith, grace and salvation. Pythagoras said, “truth is to be worshipped next after God, as that which makes men nearest to God”; St. Jerome is witness, Against Rufinus.