(Source: secretsofahappylife)
24,175 notes
“But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness”
The Ladder of Ascent and Descent of the Intellect
Perhaps not tree-like at first glance, but certainly branching dichotomously, the steps labelled from bottom to top, with representative figures on the right and upper left: Lapic (stone), Flamma (fire), Planta (plant), Brutum (beast), Homo (human), Caelum (sky), Angelus (angel), and Deus (God), a scheme that shows how one might ascent from inferior to superior beings and vice versa.
After Ramon Lull (Catalan author, mystic, theologian; 1232-1315), “Liber de Ascensu et Descensu Intellectus) written about 1135 but not published until 1512. via
Anonymous, Netherlandish School (15th century)
Martyrdom of St. Matthew at the Instigation of King Hirtacus.The Morgan Library