Hrabanus Maurus: De Universo Volume Two

Volume two of Hrabanus Maurus' encyclopedic DE UNIVERSO, a work which adds typological, historical and mystical interpretation of scripture to selections of Isidore's ETYMOLOGIES. As stated in the preface to the anonymous 12th century ALLEGORIAE, a work formerly attributed to Hrabanus: "Whoever wishes to attain knowledge of holy scripture, should carefully consider when its narration is composed historically, when allegorically, when analogically, and when tropologically. We call these four ways of understanding the four daughters of mother Wisdom. We are not able to come close to an inquiry of wisdom, without first recognizing these". Much of Hrabanus’ exegesis is taken directly from Augustine, Jerome, Bede, Origen, Eusebius, and Gregory the Great, and this compendium (from a variety of his previous works) is intended as a ready reference work.