Fathers

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What the Fathers say

Proverbs 31:13

Western Saints

Augustine of Hippo

The sacred text describes this housewife as a weaver of woolens and linen. But what we want to find out is what wool represents and what linen does. I think wool means something of the flesh, linen something of the spirit. I hazard this conjecture from the order we wear our clothes in; our underclothes or inner garments are linen, our outer garments woolen. Now everything we do in flesh is public, whatever we do in the spirit is private. …

Sermon 37:6 ↗

Bede

"She seeks wool and flax," etc. The beginning of this verse, the strong woman, that is the holy Church, customarily takes and observes even according to the letter; according to the prophetic saying, "When you see the naked, cover him, and do not hide yourself from your own flesh" (Isaiah 58). …

Commentary on Proverbs ↗

Bonaventure

'She sought wool and flax.' Wool is that from which coarse garment is made; flax is that from which fine garment is made. From wool is made a warm garment, from flax a delicate garment. Likewise, from wool is made an outer garment, while from flax is made an inner garment. According to this threefold property there are three senses, namely the allegorical, anagogical, and tropological. According to allegory, by wool and flax are signified the New and Old Testaments. …

Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 7 ↗