Читать книгу Gesammelte Aufsätze zur romanischen Philologie – Studienausgabe. Herausgegeben und ergänzt um Aufsätze, Primärbibliographie und Nachwort von Matthias Bormuth und Martin Vialon онлайн

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sol factus est niger tamquam saccus cilicinus, et luna tota facta est sicut sanguis, et stellae ceciderunt super terram: pro eo quod sacerdotium asperitas iniquitatis denigrat, imperium furor crudelitatis cruentat, alii vero sancti relicta altitudine contemplationis coelestis devolvuntur in terrenis. … (Patr. Lat., CXCIII, 272).

The denigratio of the Sacerdotium leads us back to the decoloratio in Cant. 1, 4–5. Most of the explanations given by mediaeval commentators are not suitable for our purpose; they consider it mostly either as an effect of the persecution (the Church is ‘black’ because she is persecuted by the evil powers of the world,35 but pure, white, beautiful36 within because of her virtues) – or as an effect of the burning grace of Christ. But only discoloration through moral corruption would suit our purpose; this is suggested by some passages of Gregory and of Honorius;37 one may also quote Bernard’s words concerning Sir. 13, 1 (qui tangit picem etc., ibid., CLXXXIII, 1178).