Commentaria in Leviticum
And St. John, who in his old age at the assemblies said nothing else than: “Little children, love one another.” Being asked why he always repeated the same, he answered: “Because it is the Lord’s command, and if it alone be done, it suffices”; witness St. Jerome in his epistle to the Galatians.
And St. Dominic, whose saying this was: “I have learned more in the book of charity than in all Holy Scripture.” From this book he preached, and converted many, and wished his own to preach from the same.
... to correct a mistress [of sin], plunging himself in water, said: “Go, wretch, to thy foulest pleasures; seest thou not the ruin impending over thy head? I shall here mortify myself for thy sake until I avert the most just wrath of God prepared against thee.”
Ribadeneira is witness in his Life.
And St. Xavier, who, when friends dissuaded him from China because of the dangers, said: “I have no other wish than that even by my death I may purchase the salvation of the Chinese.” Tursellinus is witness, book 3 of his Life, chapter 15.
AS THYSELF.—The word “as” signifies not equality but likeness: for in ordered charity a man loves himself more than his neighbour: yet he ought to show like signs of love to his neighbour and to himself. So is the “as” taken in Malachias 3:4, where Malachias compares the abundance of spiritual goods in the new law with the fruitfulness of the old law and of former times, though in the new law it is far greater.
I AM THE LORD—who, namely, by my right exact and command this very thing, though arduous.
19. THOU SHALT NOT MAKE THY CATTLE TO GENDER WITH BEASTS OF ANY OTHER KIND.—The Hebrews and Cajetan think that this law and the two following are to be taken not literally, as they sound, but symbolically, that is, that they only forbid zeal for novelty and curiosity for new things, says Cajetan, and disturbance and confusion, so that among the Hebrews there be no evil tongue or strife, but perfect unity and charity, say the Hebrews: and they give another reason, that it is evident the Jews had mules, which are generated from different species, namely from a mare and an ass. For David, Solomon, Absalom and the other sons of David rode on mules, 2 Kings 13:29; and 1 Esdras 2:66 it is said that the Jews returning from Babylon had two hundred mules. But others generally take this to the letter, as it sounds: for the words themselves signify this plainly and simply. By this law, therefore, the Jews were forbidden to procure the coupling of an ass with a mare for the generation of mules. The mules, therefore, which the Jews had, were either begotten by chance, an ass and a mare mingling of their own accord; or they bought them from other nations, which procured this mingling and the breeding of mules.
The cause of this law was, first, that God wished the Hebrews to be brought up most honourably according to nature: but this coupling of animals of different species is against nature; secondly, that God wished the species of animals not to be mixed and confounded by the Hebrews, but each to remain simple and entire in its essence; thirdly, lest the Hebrews themselves, by procuring and so watching this coupling of animals, should learn and imitate the like. So Theodoret, question 27. Hence in the Traditions of the Hebrews a precept is found (as R. Moses says) that men turn away their eyes from animals coupling: for easily by this sight a motion of concupiscence is excited in man, says St. Thomas, to be cited shortly.
Tropologically Rudolph: Beasts of burden couple with animals of another kind at the impulse of their masters, when human minds prone to vices, seduced by the example of their pastors, are conformed to lovers of the world.
Allegorically, Hesychius explains thus, as if to say: Thou shalt not permit the faithful to follow circumcision together with baptism.
THOU SHALT NOT SOW THY FIELD WITH DIFFERENT SEEDS.—The literal cause of this and of the following law was, first, that by diverse seed God might cut off from the Hebrews the occasion of novelty and confusion, and admonish them of simplicity; secondly, God wished to be worshipped by this ceremony, namely by simplicity of seed and garment, rather than by duplicity: because it so pleased him to ordain, that he might commend simplicity to men in food, clothing, and every other thing. For God, being in himself most simple, and being simplicity itself, and therefore the unity, primacy and causality of all things, loves simple things, and hates and forbids adulterate mixtures, whether of flesh or of spirit, in his worship, says Theodoret.
Hence symbolically, St. Cyril, book 8 On Adoration, says that by this law double-natured manners are forbidden. “For all of us at the beginning of conversion no virtue is more necessary than modest simplicity,” says St. Bernard. So St. Job is praised as a simple and upright man: “simple, because he desired to hurt no one, nay to benefit; upright, because he allowed himself to be corrupted by none,” says Bede, book 1 On the Temple of Solomon.
Hence the Wise Man, Proverbs 11:20:
“A perverse heart is abominable to the Lord, and his will is in them that walk simply.” And chapter 20, verse 7: “The just man that walketh in his simplicity shall leave behind him blessed children.” “You will be simple,” says St. Augustine, homily 9 on John, “by unfolding yourself from the world; by entangling yourself, you will be double.” “What,” says St. Jerome, “is more divine than simplicity? which, like a good father of a family, is sufficient for itself, and content with its own purity, seeks not another’s: nor gnaws, but pretends nothing about others: nor changes itself into various parts, as cunning does, which, in order to be cautious, fears everything, and does not trust its own counsels: it turns over its own opinions; but simplicity knows not how to fear anything.” And again: “Prudence without simplicity is malice, and simplicity without reason is called folly.” Hence Christ says: “Be ye wise as serpents, and simple as doves.”
Hear the Gentiles also. Cicero, book 1 On Duties:
“It is a short road to glory,” he says, “that each be such as he wishes to be thought.” And in the book On Friendship: “To hate or love openly is more the part of a free man than to hide one’s opinion behind a face.” Seneca, epistle 10: “Good things follow virtue in good faith, which does not adorn and paint itself; but it is the same whether seen on notice or unprepared and suddenly; truth in every part of itself is always the same.” The same to Nero: “No one,” he says, “can wear a feigned mask long; feigned things quickly fall back into their own nature.” The same in the Proverbs: “The wicked man, when he pretends to be good, is then the worst.”
Thirdly, God forbade this mixing of seeds in agriculture “in detestation of idolatry, in which the Egyptians, in veneration of the stars, made diverse mixtures, and in seeds diverse conjunctions of stars. Again, all such mixtures are forbidden in detestation of intercourse against nature,” says St. Thomas.
Tropologically, “thou shalt not sow thy field with different seed,” that is, thou shalt not teach in the Church things contrary to the divine doctrines, says Hesychius. Secondly, Rudolph: “The preacher sows a different seed who speaks good things and does evil; who with the word scatters wheat, but by the example of sin casts a sowing into the hearts of his disciples.”
THOU SHALT NOT WEAR A GARMENT THAT IS WOVEN OF TWO SORTS—of wool and linen.
He does not say a garment sewn together of two cloths: for this was not forbidden the Jews, says Abulensis, but one woven of two materials, namely of wool and flax. So the Chaldee, and so this law is explained in Deuteronomy 22:11. Except from this law the vestments of the High Priest: for these were variegated, woven of linen or byssus, scarlet, purple and hyacinth. Nay Josephus asserts that for this cause a garment of two threads, namely woven of linen and wool, is here forbidden to the laity, lest they should be clothed as the High Priest, but should be distinguished from him in dress as in station.
Tropologically Rudolph: Wool, because it is coarser, is a visible work; flax, because it is finer, signifies hidden malice; they put on a garment woven of wool and flax, therefore, who speak peace with their neighbour, but evils are in their hearts, Psalm 27. So also St. Cyril, book 7 On Adoration, p. 144: Figuratively, he says, the law forbids duplicity, namely the desire of pleasing men, which is composed of two zeals and wills, namely to wish to be evil, and to wish to seem good to men. Rupert has similar things, book 1 on Deuteronomy, chapter 17, and Procopius on Deuteronomy 22:11.
20. EVEN BETROTHED (nubilis).—So we must read, with the Roman edition, not “nobilis,” as the Plantin editions have.
For the Hebrew is nechereepheth, that is, betrothed, that is, to be betrothed to a husband: for passive participles among the Hebrews are often taken for verbal nouns (1).
BOTH SHALL BE SCOURGED.—The Hebrew is, there shall be a scourging to them with oxhide thongs: for this signifies biccoret, derived from bacar, that is, ox. So Vatablus (1).