Didascalicon, Book V: the senses of Scripture and the three kinds of readers
Chapter III. That things also signify in divine Scripture
It must also be known that in the divine utterance not only words but also things have signification, which manner is not so commonly found in other writings. The philosopher knows only the signification of words, but the signification of things is far more excellent than that of words; because use instituted the latter, nature dictated the former. This is the voice of men, that is the voice of God to men. This, once uttered, perishes; that, created, subsists. “The voice is a slender sign of the senses; the thing is an image of divine reason.” What the sound of the mouth, which begins to subsist and ceases at once, is to the reason of the mind, that all the space of time is to eternity. The reason of the mind is the inward word, which is made manifest by the sound of the voice, that is the outward word; and the divine wisdom, which the Father uttered from his heart, invisible in itself, is recognized through creatures and in creatures. From this it is surely gathered how profound an understanding is to be sought in the sacred letters; where through the voice one comes to the understanding, through the understanding to the thing, through the thing to the reason, through the reason to the truth. This, while some less learned persons do not consider, they think there is no subtlety in them where talents may be exercised, and on this account betake themselves to the writings of the apostles, because indeed they conceive there nothing else than the mere surface of the letter, ignorant of the power of truth. That the sacred utterances use the signification of things we will show by a brief and plain example. Scripture says: Be sober and watch, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about (1 Pet. 5). Here if we say that the lion signifies the devil, we must understand not the word but the thing. For if these two words, devil and lion, signified one and the same thing, the likeness of the same thing to itself would be unfitting. It remains, therefore, that this word lion signifies the animal itself, but the animal designates the devil; and all the rest are to be taken in this manner, as when we say that worm, calf, stone, serpent, and the like signify Christ.