History of Monsters, 232

...this can be a symbol of the Most Holy Trinity.

The fingers are protected by nails. Thus, the woman's nails that are to be trimmed in Deuteronomy are a symbol of pagan knowledge, which must be utterly rejected. And the "diamond nail," with which the sin of Judah is said to be written in Jeremiah, reveals the difficulty of erasing such a crime. Since the nail is the terminus of the body and a diamond is so hard that it cannot be cut by iron, it follows that the term "diamond nail" designates an eternal end.

Let us now descend to the belly, which in sacred literature is considered the receptacle for reason and the mind. For when we read in Jeremiah, "My belly, my belly! I am pained," it is not the physical belly that is meant, but the spiritual one. This is further explained in the Gospel where Christ says: "Whoever believes in me, rivers of living water shall flow from his belly." Yet the belly described as a heap of wheat in the Song of Songs is understood to be the belly of Mary, ever Virgin, who brought forth Christ—the grain of wheat and the living bread—for us. For this reason, in Isaiah, God called Christ from the belly. The belly of the bridegroom likewise in the Song of Songs can denote Christ’s human nature. Furthermore, the belly can signify the synagogue, from which Paul emerged to take refuge in the faith of Christ, as we read in the Epistle to the Galatians. Similarly, Christ is said to have emerged from this belly when, leaving behind the unbelieving Jews, he passed over to the Gentiles—just as Joseph fled, leaving his cloak in the hands of the adulteress.

In Psalm 43, it is written: "Our belly is glued to the earth." Saint Augustine interprets this as a man clinging too much to worldly things. But the "filled belly" in Psalm 16 signifies gluttony and excess; as Terence once said: "Thrust your fists into his belly." Donatus explains this passage as: "Thrust your fists into the parasites, who always distend their insatiable bellies by eating." In Isaiah, Israel is called a transgressor "from the belly"—namely, from the time it left the land of Egypt—since it was carried by God as if in a womb. Finally, the belly of the bronze statue in Daniel signifies doctrine aimed at vainglory.

Moreover, because the navel adorns the belly, it should be known that in the sacred pages the navel refers to lust. Ezekiel said this of the profaned Jerusalem: "On the day you were born, your navel was not cut," meaning the soul was not at all separated from its origin, as it still clings to softness and concupiscence.

Before we descend to other parts, something must be shared regarding the womb. Indeed, a womb is also attributed to God. In Psalm 109, we find these words: "From the womb, before the morning star, I begot you." This womb indicates the hidden origin of God the Father's substance or essence, from which, in an ineffable way before all created things, He begot a Son consubstantial and co-eternal with Himself. However, others interpret the womb of God as His incomprehensible judgments, which no one is permitted to investigate.

Likewise, the womb in which God is said to have carried the Jews in Isaiah denotes the constant mercy with which He embraced sinners; indeed, it indicates the grace of God, in which the Jews were cherished as if in a womb. But because at the coming of the Lord they lost the fervor of faith and charity—as if constricted by the cold of perfidy—they were expelled from the secret bosom of grace like ice coming out of the Creator's womb, as it appears in Job. Again, in Job it is written: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there."

These words describe one who, troubled by temptations, recognizes that he was born into the faith through first grace without any merits; yet after the temptations, aware of his weakness and fearing to be deprived of virtues, he returns to grace supported by great humility, attributing whatever virtue he possesses to divine help. Finally, the mother's womb in Psalm 138 signifies the corrupt customs of the world, from which he emerges who is led back to a good harvest by divine assistance.

Next follow the thighs, knees, legs, and buttocks. Regarding the thighs, according to the thought of George the Venetian, these once designated the Sun as the parent of generation. Therefore, we read in the sacred pages that when Abraham was about to send his servant to find a wife for his son Isaac—from whose lineage Christ was to be born—he ordered him to swear upon his thigh. Furthermore, Jacob’s thigh, limping after his struggle with the Angel, denoted the source from which the children of Israel emerged, who frequently "limped" in their observance of the law. Knees least