230 Ulisse Aldrovandi

the vice of an ungrateful mind; for since the arm serves the body with all its strength and even brings food to the mouth, it is then devoured by a man unmindful of such a great benefit. According to the opinion of Isaiah, the Lord has prepared His holy arm in the eyes of all nations—a point explained a little earlier when we discussed the mystical doctrine of the eyes.

Regarding the withered arm mentioned in Zechariah, Saint Jerome interprets this as the power of the Antichrist, routed and scattered. Finally, the "everlasting arms" mentioned in Deuteronomy signify, according to the interlinear gloss, the vengeance of Christ the Lord, by which He condemns the wicked and delivers the just. Since the elbow is related to the arms, it is not out of place to bring forward the assertion of Ezekiel concerning those who "place pillows under every elbow," for this is how idle and overly delicate men are designated.

The hand is assigned many mystical meanings. First and foremost, it is taken to represent authority and power; it is in this sense that the Psalmist says, "Let your hand be exalted." Likewise, Jeremiah, speaking of the supreme power of God, said: "As clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel." Indeed, the sacred page proclaims everywhere that "all the ends of the earth are in the hand of God," which is to say, in His power.

In another sense, theologians understand "the right hand that upholds" as divine help, since it has been an accepted custom since ancient times to extend the right hand to offer assistance—the hand in which strength and the aptitude for work reside more than in the left. Therefore, we read in the sixty-third Psalm: "You have held my right hand," meaning, like a most excellent liberator, "You have grasped my hand and led me out of Babylonian slavery." Though others interpret this passage differently, understanding the "right hand grasped by God" to mean those better works which are received by God with a grateful and kindly spirit.

This seems quite reasonable, because elsewhere "hands" are understood as actions. Thus, we read in the seventy-eighth Psalm: "I sought God with my hands in the night before Him." In this context, the hands denote righteous actions performed at night—that is, in secret—and solely before God. This is further supported by the fact that in Leviticus, the hands offering a sacrifice to the Lord are explained by theologians as representing works. Moreover, hands applied to a sacrifice in that same passage indicate theological mysteries. It is enough for us to touch these things only lightly, for one who contemplates the sublime is compared to a person who, to keep warm, only moves his hands near the fire and does not stretch them further lest they be burned. Similarly, he who desires to penetrate the divine inner sanctuaries through speculation runs the risk of blasphemy when he cannot grasp the understanding of heavenly secrets. A symbol of this was the Israelite people, who did not ascend the mountain of the Lord but sat down at the base of the mountain, arranged in a circle.

In this mystical doctrine, hands are also attributed to God. For instance, in Exodus, the "mighty hand" signifies the hand of God; this hand is said to be Christ the Son, through whom the Father works all things. Likewise, in Isaiah, it says: "My hand has made all these things," which Eucherius interprets as the Son. Others, however, hold that the "hands of God" are both the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Furthermore, in the 118th Psalm, the "hands of God" are called Angels, Apostles, or Preachers, through whom God acts as through ministers. Moreover, both a "right" and a "left" hand are considered in God. From the right, through the Son of God, flows the law of grace and mercy; for this reason, the Son is always said to be at the right hand of God, since from this hand come liberality, kindness, and all things pleasing and joyful. Thus, in the 110th Psalm, Christ is seen sitting at the Father's right hand. From this, theologians understand "sitting" to mean the rest and delight of divine rule, which is proper to both Father and Son and equal in honor. Therefore, we should interpret the right hand of God as His immense kindness and, conversely, the left hand as the severe scourges with which the criminal are punished. In Angels, hands indicate active power, as we read in Genesis when Lot was seized.

We must now turn to the mystical sense of those things said to be "in the hand of the Lord." First, in Isaiah, a cup is said to be in the hand of the Lord when He is actively exercising punishment. Likewise, the winnowing fan in the hand of Christ in Matthew can signify the judgment of judicial power. Similarly, the seven stars in the hand of Christ, as found in the first chapter of Revelation, foretell the peoples placed under His dominion. The hands