The two meanings of the 'Sponsus': the lesson in the gloss and the language of the drama

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 nei ther 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 sugg ests a different lesson. For the foolish virgins are not reproached for hav ing gone to sleep (after all, the wise virgins did the same thing), bur for having lacked the foresight to equip themselves with an adequate supply or oil - oil signifying, according to the exegetes, Charity, a clear conscien ce, 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 dram a has a coherent meaning, illustrating the second and more complex of these lessons. but if one reads - or understands - only the vernacular, the mean ing of the ensemble changes and reduces to the "Vigilate" of the Gospels.