Sequence - (3)

5.	Iam divinae laus virtutis
	iam triumphi, iam salutis
		vox erumpat libera.
	haec est dies, quam fecit Dominus,
	dies nostri doloris terminus,
		dies salutifera.

A double strophe, corresponding to a longer clausula of the melody.

'Now the praise of the divine power, of triumph;  now the free voice of
salvation bursts forth.  This is the day, which the Lord has made, the day
of the end of our sorrow, the health-bringing day.'

'haec est dies, quam fecit Dominus' is from psalm 117(118):24

Haec est dies quam fecit Dominus:
Exsultemus, et laetemur in ea.

This is also part of the Gradual for Easter Day;  the Alleluia verse,
incidentally, is St Paul's Pascha nostrum immolatus est Christus.  So we see
that Adam is incorporating the liturgical texts for the day into his sequence.

6.  	Lex est umbra futurorum,
	Christus finis promissorum,
		qui consummat omnia.
	Christi sanguis igneam
	hebetavit romphaeam
		amota custodia.

Another double strophe - they go in pairs.

'The law is the shadow of things to come'.  This is from Hebrews 10:1,

Umbram enim habens lex futurorum bonorum, non ipsam imaginem rerum' 

'For the law having a shadow of the good things to come, not the very image
of the things' (Douai)

This - understanding 'the law' as meaning the whole Old Testament, not just
the first five books - is the rationale for the whole sequence, and indeed
for all typological exegesis. 

'Christ [on the other hand is] the end of the things promised, who perfects
all things'

This sums up the doctrine of the Letter to the Hebrews;  cf. 10:14, 'Una
enim oblatione, consummavit in empiternum sanctificatos.'

'The blood of Christ has blunted the fiery dart, the guard having been
withdrawn.'

Cf.  Ephesians 6:16, 'in omnibus sumentes scutum fidei, in quo possitis
omnia tela nequissimi ignea extinguere' - 'In all things taking the shield
of faith, wherewith you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the
most wicked one.'

r(h)omp(h)(a)ea 	is a barbarian missile.  Cf Ecclesiasticus 21:4, 'Quasi
romphaea bis acuta omnis iniquitas' - all iniquity is like a dart sharpened
twice;  or Revelation, 'Haec dicit qui habet rhomphaeam utraque parte
acutam' - He who has the dart sharp on both sides says these things.'

'amota custodia' would seem to refer to the guard placed on the sepulchre.
Cf Matthew 27:65, 'Ait illis Pilatus:  Habetis custodiam, ite, custodite
sicut scitis' - Pilate said to them, 'You have a guard, go, guard (it) as
you know.'  

Actually, it is not said that the guard was removed.  Matthew says that at
the Resurrection, 'Prae timore autem eius exterriti sunt custodes, et facti
sunt velut mortui' - And for fear of him - that is, of the angel who rolls
away the stone - the guards were struck with terror, and became as dead men
(Matthew 28:4).  Now this angel is not said to be carrying a 'romphea ignea'
and I meditate on what can be the connexion between a flaming weapon and the
removal of a guard.

I suspect there is an allusion to the cherub who was placed as a guard, with
a flaming sword, at the gate of the garden of Eden to keep out Adam and Eve:

Eiecitque Adam:  et collocavit ante paradisum voluptatis cherubim, et
flammeum gladium, atque versatilem, ad custiodiendam viam ligni vitae.
(Genesis 3:24).

And he cast out Adam:  and he placed before the paradise of pleasure a
cherub, and a flaming sword which turned in all directions, to guard the way
to the tree of life.

I offer this suggestion with some diffidence;  after all, a romphea is not a
gladius; but then neither is it St Paul's tela.  The couple of instances of
romphea in the Vulgate (Ecclus. and Rev., noted above) are not to the
purpose.  Perhaps Adam has deliberately chosen a neutral word for a weapon.
If my suggestion is correct, then the Resurrection has blunted the fiery
sword of the cherub, and removed him altogther from guarding the way to the
tree of life.  Paradise Lost has been restored.  The identification of the
cross with the tree of life, which we have seen abundantly illustrated in
Venantius Fortunatus and which indeed is common in the Liturgy and medieval
theology generally, would support this suggestion.  

The fall of Adam and his restoration to grace is a prominent feature of the
Easter Liturgy.  Cf. from the Exultet:  'For Christ has ransomed us with his
blood, and paid for us the price of Adam's sin to our eternal Father . . . O
happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam . . . The power of this holy night . .
. restores lost innocence.'

Perhaps punters have better ideas, or evidence which would support or refute
my suggestion?

Tomorrow is another day.

Oriens.



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