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The dance of David before the Ark of the Covenant and the following scene with Saul’s daughter Michal (II Sam. 6, 1–23 and I Parai. 13–16), which DanteDante uses as a second example of humility (Purg. 10, 55–69), had a considerable influence upon the mediaeval idea of David; the interpretationFiguraldeutung of this episode led, or at least greatly contributed, to the fact that David was principally praised for his humilitashumilitas. The self-humiliation of the great king and hero offered a welcome opportunity for developing the basic Christian antithesisAntithese humilitas – sublimitassublimitas, fundamental for the redemption through Christ’s incarnation; in this way David easily became figura Christi (just as the Ark was figura Ecclesiae). Gregory the GreatGregor d. Große (Moral., Patr. Lat., LXXV, 444) writes on this theme: Coram Deo egit vilia et extrema, ut illa ex humilitate solidaret quae coram hominibus gesserat fortia. Quid de eius factis ab aliis sentiatur ignoro; ego David plus saltantem stupeo quam pugnantem … He compares his dancing with that of a buffoon (scurra); and he explains the verse 11 Sam. 6, 22 (et vilior fiam plus quam factus sum, et humilis ero in oculis meis) with regard to the voluntary self-humiliation of Christ.13

The mention of David in the eye of the eagle (Par. 20, 37–41) also contains the theme of humilitashumilitas: because the migration of the Ark from place to place was considered as the humility of the Church during the epoch of persecution. I have found the motif di villa in villa in Honorius of AutunHonorius v. Autun (Patr. Lat., CLXXIII, 369): Ecclesia siquidem olim a contribulis suis tanto odio est habita, ut nullus ei locus manendi tutus esset, sed semper de civitate in civitatem fugiens migraret, unde multi scandalizati sunt, qui Christianos miserabiliores omnibus hominibus reputaverunt.