238 The History of Monsters

...son of man, and not a man, because although he descends from the lineage of Adam, he is not a "man" in the true sense, for he is not subject to corruption; though he may be "a worm and no man," as is found in the book of Job. To this we might add that the "first man," according to the opinion of the ancient Rabbis, signifies the Mother of the Redeemer, who was brought forth alongside Adam in terms of her substance, and from whom Adam himself proceeded. Indeed, they report that God created the world out of love for the Messiah and his Mother, and they understand that proverb to refer to this first "man": *The first to plead his case seems right, until his friend comes and examines him.*

This "first man"—who, as Galatinus explains, is the Mother of the Messiah (the reason why he himself is called the "son of man")—is the one who is "right" in her case, even as she is accused by adversaries of being conceived with the stain of original sin. Thus her "friend" comes—namely, God—and, investigating this dispute, delivers his verdict in the Song of Songs, saying: *You are altogether beautiful, my love, and there is no flaw in you.* The name of "man" is also sometimes attributed to an Angel, since Angels are assigned a human form; they flourish in intellect, possess a power of vision like that of men, and are fit to command and protect.

However, the man made in the image and likeness of God refers in mystical doctrine to the "interior man," who existed in the divine mind before God formed the "exterior man" from the dust of the earth. Therefore, when "man" is mentioned in the book of Numbers, it is understood as the interior man possessing his own nourishment and clothing, just as are required for the exterior man; this is the mind, the reason, or the soul, since those things belonging to the exterior man can be referred to the interior.

This, then, is the man in the Gospel of Matthew who, by sowing mustard in his field, finds a treasure. To confirm this, we can bring forward that passage from Genesis where the name "man" designates the mind and reason; the words are: *There was no man to till the ground.* This is interpreted as a time when the mind was not yet exercising the idea of the senses. "Man" also signifies a prophet and a wise person; for instance, in Job, the "land without man" refers to the heathens who were without prophets. Likewise, the "man" in the 103rd Psalm who rules over the beasts represents the perfect man who presides over the ignorant. Similarly, the "man" created in Genesis to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the heaven indicates the just and perfect man, who excels others in holiness, wisdom, and learning.

When a man is joined to the Sun, he is said to procreate a male, as we read in Plato; this signifies that a man joined to the divine light will perform virile and righteous work, for the Sun is held to be the image of the supreme light. Conversely, a man is said to be joined to the earth when he clings to lust, and in such a case, he procreates earthly and "feminine" work. This is supported by the maxim of Pythagoras, who asserted that a man must "become one." In these words, the mystical sense should be understood as a man adhering to God; for God is truly One, and he who adheres to God is made one spirit with Him. For this reason, man was created by God as one, and not as many, because, in the opinion of Saint Augustine, man was propagated for the sake of harmony and the mystery of unity, so that the image of God might shine forth in him. Thus, just as all things flowed from one God through creation, so all people would stem from one man through propagation.

The man carrying a jar of water, as found in Mark, is Moses carrying the letter of the Law; he is not called by his proper name because the Christian name was not yet known.

The man with the withered hand, who was freed by Christ in the Gospel of Luke, designates one who performs no good works, but who, after being healed by Christ, begins to undertake righteous actions. Finally, the figure of the man among the four living creatures around the throne of God in the Apocalypse denotes Saint Matthew the Evangelist, who concerns himself with the humanity of the Son of God—as we also explained when discussing the mystical face of man earlier.

Furthermore, the name of "man" in the plural also has its own mystical significations. For the "men multiplied" in Genesis can designate the rational powers multiplied into virtues. Likewise, the "men of Egypt" and the "men of the region of the Amorites," mentioned in two places in Exodus, represent profane men who devote themselves to worldly and voluptuous things. Finally, there is the verse in the 35th Psalm: *You preserve both men and beasts, O Lord.* By these words, we should first understand perfect and just men, and secondly, men led by sense rather than reason, who are also saved, provided they embrace perfection and advance along the path of salvation.