From the book
Centuries of Meditations
Thomas Traherne · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordBrazen means made of brass or bronze.
- In TraherneThe comparison distinguishes two modes of seeing.
- In this editionThe 2026 note links Numbers 21:8–9, John 3:14, and Genesis 3:15.
- A place to beginThe visible serpent is compared with the soul’s apprehension of Christ crucified.
Meaning
Brazen means made of brass or bronze. The raised serpent recalls the scriptural object the afflicted Israelites looked upon to live; Traherne reads it as a figure of Christ lifted up.
Use in the book
The comparison distinguishes two modes of seeing. Israel saw the material serpent with bodily eyes; the meditator sees Christ through the soul. This spiritual sight is not treated as less urgent or less effective. The reader needs the reality signified by the earlier figure even more than the Israelites needed its visible sign. The change from serpent to the serpent’s slayer also matters: Christ fulfills the saving figure while defeating the evil associated with the serpent. The image joins typology to the meditation’s practical summons to attend to the Cross.
Places to read
- I.57The visible serpent is compared with the soul’s apprehension of Christ crucified.
In this edition
The 2026 note links Numbers 21:8–9, John 3:14, and Genesis 3:15. “Brazen” here does not mean shameless or impudent.
Source note
Primary text: I.57; scriptural identifications: 2026 edition note to I.57.