Les deux sens du Sponsus: la leçon de la glose et le langage du drame

Abstract

The Gospel of Saint Matthew draws from the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins an explicit lesson: Do not sleep, but be watchful, for you know neither the day nor the hour (Matthew 25: 13). This parable occurs at the end of a long set of teachings by Jesus on the theme. But the story itself suggests a different lesson. For the foolish virgins are not reproached for having gone to sleep (after all, the wise virgins did the same thing), but for having lacked the foresight to equip themselves with an adequate supply of oil - oil signifying, according to the exegetes, Charity, a clear conscience, or good works. If one reads the full text of the Sponsus, including the latin text and the passages written in vernacular, one finds that the drama has a coherent meaning, illustrating the second and more complex of these lessons. But if one reads - or understands - only the vernacular, the meaning of the ensemble changes and reduces to the Vigilate of the Gospel.