Bonaventure, on Wis 15:10

“For his heart is ashes, and his hope vain earth, and his life more base than clay:”

“For ashes is etc., as if to say: thus he glories: for, in place of "but"; or thus: thus he glories, which nevertheless he ought not to do; for, in place of "because": ashes, that is, a vile thing, is, as it were, ashes is his heart, that is, his thought, because in ash and dust, from which he fashions his god, he sets his heart: Ecclesiasticus 10, "Why does earth and ashes pride itself?" And superfluous earth, that is, useless, is his hope, that is, his desire and affection, because namely he places it in an earthen idol: above, chapter three: "Empty is their hope"; for such an idol is empty earth and nothing, concerning which Jeremiah 4: "I looked upon the earth, and behold, it was empty and nothing." And his life, that is, his conduct, is viler than clay, because namely he occupies his life in making and worshipping a clay idol; in the Psalm: "Like the clay of the streets I shall destroy them." Now the clay of guilt is viler than the clay of nature: whence the Gloss: "His life is more sordid than filth"; 2 Peter 2: "The sow that was washed returns to wallowing in the mire."”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.