By the example of the Israelites, he shews that we are not to build too much upon favours received but to avoid their sins and fly from the service of idols and from things offered to idols.
CHA. X. See the argument of the 9 Chapter, vvhich comprehendeth the contents of this also.
1For I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud: and all passed through the sea.Imperocchè non voglio, che voi ignoriate, o fratelli, come i padri nostri furono tutti sotto quella nuvola, e tutti passarono per quel mare;FOR I vvil not haue you ignorant brethren, that our fathers vvere al vnder the cloude, & al passed through the sea,Nolo enim vos ignorare fratres, quoniam patres nostri omnes sub nube fuerunt, et omnes mare transierunt, 2And all in Moses were baptized, in the cloud and in the sea:E tutti furono battezzati per Mosè nella nube, e nel mare:and al in Moyses vvere baptized in the cloude and in the sea:et omnes in Moyse baptizati sunt in nube, et in mari: 3And did all eat the same spiritual food:E tutti mangiarono dello stesso cibo spirituale,and al did eate the same spiritual foode,et omnes eamdem escam spiritalem manducaverunt, 4And all drank the same spiritual drink: (And they drank of the spiritual rock that followed them: and the rock was Christ.)E tutti bevvero la stessa bevanda spirituale: (or bevevano della pietra spirituale, che gli accompagnava: e quella pietra era Cristo).and al drunke the same spiritual drinke (and they drunke of the spiritual rocke that folovved them, and the rocke vvas Christ,)et omnes eumdem potum spiritalem biberunt (bibebant autem de spiritali, consequente eos, petra: petra autem erat Christus): 5But with most of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the desert.Ma non a favore de' più di essi fu il beneplacito di Dio: conciossiachè furono messi per terra nel deserto.but in the more part of them God vvas not vvel pleased. for they vvere ouerthrovven in the desert.sed non in pluribus eorum beneplacitum est Deo: nam prostrati sunt in deserto. 6Now these things were done in a figure of us, that we should not covet evil things, as they also coveted.E queste cose erano figure di noi, affinchè non desideriamo cose cattive, come quegli desiderarono:And these things vvere done in a figure of vs, that vve be not couering euil things, as they also coueted.Hæc autem in figura facta sunt nostri, ut non simus concupiscentes malorum, sicut et illi concupierunt. 7Neither become ye idolaters, as some of them, as it is written: The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.Né siate adoratori degli idoli, come alcuni di loro, conforme sta scritto: si adagiò il popolo per mangiare, e bere, e si alzarono per tripudiare.Neither become ye Idolaters, as certaine of them: as is vvritten: The people sate dovvne to eate and drinke, and rose vp to play.Neque idololatræ efficiamini, sicut quidam ex ipsis: quemadmodum scriptum est: Sedit populus manducare, et bibere, et surrexerunt ludere.
8Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed fornication: and there fell in one day three and twenty thousand.Né fornichiamo, come alcuni di essi, fornicarono, e ne perì in un sol giorno ventitre mila.Neither let vs fornicate, as certaine of them fornicate, and there fel in one day three and tvventie thousand.Neque fornicemur, sicut quidam ex ipsis fornicati sunt, et ceciderunt una die viginti tria millia. 9Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them tempted and perished by the serpents.Né tentiamo Cristo: come alcuni di loro lo tentarono, e furono uccisi da' serpenti.Neither let vs tempt Christ: as certaine of them tempted, and perished by the serpents.Neque tentemus Christum, sicut quidam eorum tentaverunt, et a serpentibus perierunt. 10Neither do you murmur, as some of them murmured and were destroyed by the destroyer.Né mormorate, come alcuni di loro mormorarono, e furono spersi dallo sterminatore.Neither doe you murmure: as certaine of them murmured, and perished by the destroyer.Neque murmuraveritis, sicut quidam eorum murmuraverunt, et perierunt ab exterminatore. 11Now all these things happened to them in figure: and they are written for our correction, upon whom the ends of the world are come.Or queste cose tutte accadevan loro in figura: e sono state scritte per avvertimento di noi, ai quali è venuta la fine de' secoli.And al these things chaunced to them in figure: but they are vvritten to our correption, vpon vvhom the endes of the vvorld are come.Hæc autem omnia in figura contingebant illis: scripta sunt autem ad correptionem nostram, in quos fines sæculorum devenerunt. 12Wherefore, he that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall.Per la qual cosa chi si crede di star in piedi, badi di non cadere.Therfore he that thinketh him self to stand, let him take heede lest he fall.Itaque qui se existimat stare, videat ne cadat. 13Let no temptation take hold on you, but such as is human. And God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able: but will make also with temptation issue, that you may be able to bear it.Non vi ha sorpreso tentazione se non umana: ma fedele è Dio, il quale non permetterà, che voi siate tentati oltre il vostro potere, ma darà con la tentazione il profitto, affinchè possiate sostenere.Let not tentation apprehend' you, but humane, and God is faithful, vvho vvil not suffer you to be tempted aboue that vvhich you are able: but vvil make also vvith tentation issue, that you may be able to susteine.Tentatio vos non apprehendat nisi humana: fidelis autem Deus est, qui non patietur vos tentari supra id quod potestis, sed faciet etiam cum tentatione proventum ut possitis sustinere.
14Wherefore, my dearly beloved, fly from the service of idols.Per la qual cosa, diletti miei, fuggite l'idolatria:For the vvhich cause, my deerest, flee from the seruing of Idols.Propter quod, carissimi mihi, fugite ab idolorum cultura: 15I speak as to wise men: judge ye yourselves what I say.Parlo come a persone intelligenti, giudicate voi di quel, ch'io dico.I speake as to vvise men: your selues iudge vvhat I say.ut prudentibus loquor, vos ipsi judicate quod dico. 16The chalice of benediction which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? And the bread which we break, is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord?Il calice della benedizione, cui noi benediciamo, non è egli comunicazione del sangue di Cristo? E il pane, che noi spezziamo, non è egli comunicazione del corpo del Signore?The chalice of benediction vvhich vve do blesse: is it not the cōmunication of the bloud of Christ? and the bread vvhich vve breake, is it not the participation of the body of our Lord?Calix benedictionis, cui benedicimus, nonne communicatio sanguinis Christi est ? et panis quem frangimus, nonne participatio corporis Domini est ? 17For we, being many, are one bread, one body: all that partake of one bread.Dappoiché un pane solo, un solo corpo siamo noi molti, quanti di quel solo pane partecipiamo.For being many, vve are one bread, one body, al that participate of one bread.Quoniam unus panis, unum corpus multi sumus, omnes qui de uno pane participamus. 18Behold Israel according to the flesh. Are not they that eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?Mirate Israele carnale: non è egli vero, che quegli, che mangiano dell'ostia, hanno comunione coll'altare?Behold Israël according to the flesh: they that eate the hostes, are they not partakers of the altar?Videte Israël secundum carnem: nonne qui edunt hostias, participes sunt altaris ? 19What then? Do I say that what is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? Or that the idol is any thing?Che dico io adunque? Che sia qualche cosa l'immolato agli idoli? o che qualche cosa sia l'idolo?Vvhat then? do I say that that vvhich is immolated to Idols, is any thing? or that the Idol is any thing?Quid ergo ? dico quod idolis immolatum sit aliquid ? aut quod idolum, sit aliquid ? 20But the things which the heathens sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils and not to God. And I would not that you should be made partakers with devils.Ma quello, che le genti immolano, lo immolano ai demonj, e non a Dio. Non voglio che voi siate consorti de' demonj: voi non potete bere il calice del Signore, ed il calice de' demonj.But the things that the heathen do immolate, to deuils they do immolate, and not to God. And I vvil not haue you become fellovves of deuils.Sed quæ immolant gentes, dæmoniis immolant, et non Deo. Nolo autem vos socios fieri dæmoniorum:
21You cannot drink the chalice of the Lord and the chalice of devils: you cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord and of the table of devils.Non potete partecipare alla mensa del Signore, e alla mensa de' demonj.You can not drinke the chalice of our Lord, and the chalice of deuils: you can not be partakers of the table of our Lord, and of the table of deuils.non potestis calicem Domini bibere, et calicem dæmoniorum; non potestis mensæ Domini participes esse, et mensæ dæmoniorum. 22Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? All things are lawful for me: but all things are not expedient.Provochiam noi a emulazione il Signore? Siamo forse di lui più forti? Tutto mi è permesso, ma non tutto è spediente.Or do vve emulate our Lord? Vvhy, are we stronger then he? Al things are lavvful for me, but al things are not expedient.An æmulamur Dominum ? numquid fortiores illo sumus ? Omnia mihi licent, sed non omnia expediunt. 23All things are lawful for me: but all things do not edify.Tutto mi è permesso, ma non tutto è di edificazione.Al things are lavvful for me, but al things do not edifie.Omnia mihi licent, sed non omnia ædificat. 24Let no man seek his own, but that which is another’s.Niuno cerchi quel, che torna a lui, ma ognuno quel che torna per gli altri.Let no man seeke his ovvne, but an other mans.Nemo quod suum est quærat, sed quod alterius. 25Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, eat: asking no question for conscience’ sake.Tutto quello, che si vende al macello, mangiatelo senza cercar altro per riguardo della coscienza.Al that is sold in the shambles, eate: asking no question for conscience.Omne quod in macello venit, manducate, nihil interrogantes propter conscientiam. 26The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof.Conciossiachè del Signore è la' terra, e quello, che la riempie.The earth is our Lordes, and the fulnes thereof.Domini est terra, et plenitudo ejus. 27If any of them that believe not, invite you, and you be willing to go: eat of any thing that is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake.Che se alcuno degli infedeli vi invita a cena, e vi piace di andare: mangiate di tutto quello, che vi è posto davanti, senza cercar altro per riguardo della coscienza.If any inuite you of the infidels, and you vvil goe: eate of al that is set before you, asking no question for conscience.Si quis vocat vos infidelium, et vultis ire: omne quod vobis apponitur, manducate, nihil interrogantes propter conscientiam.
28But if any man say: This has been sacrificed to idols: do not eat of it, for his sake that told it and for conscience’ sake.Che se uno diravvi: questo è stato immolato agli idoli: non ne mangiate per riguardo a colui, che vi ha avvertito, e per riguardo della coscienza:But if any man say, This is immolated to Idols: do not eate for his sake that shevved it, and for conscience:Si quis autem dixerit: Hoc immolatum est idolis: nolite manducare propter illum qui indicavit, et propter conscientiam: 29Conscience I say, not thy own, but the other’s. For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience?Della coscienza, dico, non tua, ma di quell'altro. Imperocché per qual motivo la mia libertà è condannata dalla coscienza altrui?conscience I say not thine but the others. For vvhy is my libertie iudged of an other mans conscience?conscientiam autem dico non tuam, sed alterius. Ut quid enim libertas mea judicatur ab aliena conscientia ? 30If I partake with thanksgiving, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?E se io partecipo di una grazia, e perché si dice male di me per cosa, di cui rendo grazie?If I participate vvith thankes: vvhy am I blasphemed for that vvhich I giue thankes for?Si ego cum gratia participo, quid blasphemor pro eo quod gratias ago ? 31Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever else you do, do all to the glory of God.O mangiate adunque, o beviate, o facciate altra cosa: tutto fate a gloria di Dio.Therfore vvhether you eate, or drinke, or do any other thing: doe al things vnto the glorie of God.Sive ergo manducatis, sive bibitis, sive aliud quid facitis: omnia in gloriam Dei facite. 32Be without offence to the Jew, and to the Gentiles and to the church of God:Non siate d'inciampo né a' Giudei, né a' Gentili, nè alla Chiesa di Dio:Be vvithout offense to the Ievves and to the Gentiles, and to the Church of God:Sine offensione estote Judæis, et gentibus, et ecclesiæ Dei: 33As I also in all things please all men, not seeking that which is profitable to myself but to many: that they may be saved.Siccome io pure in tutto mi adatto a tutti, non cercando la mia utilità, ma quella di molti, affinchè siano salvi.as I also in al things doe please al men, not seeking that vvhich is profitable to my self, but vvhich is to many: that they may be saued.sicut et ego per omnia omnibus placeo, non quærens quod mihi utile est, sed quod multis: ut salvi fiant.
10:1
Witham
Our Fathers, the Jews, were all under the cloud. He means, when God conducted the camp of the Israelites, in the day-time by a cloud, and in the night by a pillar of fire. (Exodus 13:21.) (Witham)
Challoner
In Moses. Under the conduct of Moses they received baptism in figure, by passing under the cloud and through the sea: and they partook of the body and blood of Christ in figure, by eating of the manna, (called here a spiritual food, because it was a figure of the true bread which comes down from heaven) and drinking the water miraculously brought out of the rock, called here a spiritual rock; because it was also a figure of Christ. (Challoner)
10:3
All eat the same spiritual food, to wit, the manna, which seemed to come from heaven, and was a figure of the eucharist, the spiritual food of our souls.
All drank the same spiritual drink, and....rock that followed them, by which is understood the stream of water, that came miraculously out of the rock struck by Moses, and which is said to have followed them, because it ran plentifully through their camp.
Witham
And the rock was Christ, a figure of Christ; for all these things (ver. 11.) happened to them in figure. (Witham)
10:5
10:6
In a figure of us. That is, this was done and written to teach us, what we may expect, if we imitate the murmurs, infidelities, ingratitude, and disobedience of the Hebrew people. Unless we renounce our irregular desires, unless we mortify our passions, baptism and communion will prove our greater condemnation. The greatest graces are but subjects of alarm, unless our life correspond with them.
10:9
Witham
As some of them tempted Christ. This cannot but be understood of Christ, as God. (Witham)
10:11
Witham
Upon whom the ends of the world are come. The last age of the world, which St. John calls the last hour. (Witham)
10:12
Take heed lest he fall. This regards the doctors and teachers in the new Church of Corinth; who, relying upon their own learning, did not think themselves weak, and presuming too much upon their own strength, exposed themselves to the danger of falling. See St. Chrysostom and St. Augustine, de dono. Persev.
Self-diffidence is the foundation of our strength. We prevent many dangerous falls when we keep close to the earth by humility.
10:13
Challoner
Let no temptation [Ver. 13. Tentatio vos non apprehendat. In almost all Greek copies, non apprehendit in praeterito, ouk eilephen. Which reading is also in divers ancient Latin interpreters, as if he puts them in mind that hitherto they had not suffered any great temptations or persecutions. Faciet cum tentatione proventum, is not the saem as progressum, or utilitatem, by the Greek, but that they should escape out of it. sun to peirasme kai ten ekbasin.] take hold on you. Or, no temptation hath taken hold of you, or come upon you as yet, but what is human, or incident to man. (Challoner)
The sense of these words is obscure: we may expound them by way of prayer, let no temptation, but such as are of human frailty, and not hard to be overcome, happen to you. See the Greek text.
Witham
Will make also with temptation issue, that you may be able to bear it. The literal signification of the Latin, compared with the Greek is, that God will bring you off, and make you escape out of those dangers, when you are tempted. (Witham)
The most violent temptations are occasions of merit and triumph to such as are in the hands of God; whilst the lightest are snares and a deep abyss to such as are in their own hands.
10:14
There are various kinds of idolatry. It is the perfection of Angels never to err: it is a human imperfection to fall into error, but a diabolical crime, so to love our error, as to divide the Church by schism, or leave it by heresy: this love of self is the most dangerous idolatry.
10:16
Witham
The chalice of benediction,[Ver. 16. Calix benedictionis cui, (or as it is in the Greek) quem benedicimus. See St. Chrysostom, hom. xxiv. No Catholic now-a-days can declare his faith of the real presence in clearer terms than St. Chrysostom hath in this, and other places: oti touto en to poterio on, ekeino esti, to apo tes pleuras reusan, etc. He calls the eucharist, thusian, a sacrifice.] etc. Which the priests bless or consecrate, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? And the bread which we break, (so called because of the outward appearance of bread) is it not the partaking or communion of the body of the Lord? See St. Chrysostom here, hom. xxiv. p. 396. and p. 400. See also the Annotations, Matthew 26:26. (Witham)
Challoner
Here the apostle puts them in mind of the partaking of the body and blood of Christ in the sacred mysteries, and becoming thereby one mystical body with Christ. From whence he infers, (ver. 21.) that they who are made partakers with Christ, by the eucharistic sacrifice, and sacrament, must not be made partakers with devils, by eating of the meats sacrificed to them. (Challoner)
10:17
Challoner
We being many, are one bread. Or, as it may be rendered, agreeably both to the Latin and Greek, because the bread is one, all we, being many, are one body, who partake of that one bread. For it is by our communicating with Christ and with one another, in this blessed Sacrament, that we are formed into one mystical body; and made, as it were, one bread, compounded of many grains of corn, closely united together. (Challoner)
Witham
From the sacrament of the real body of Christ in the eucharist, he passeth to the effect of this sacrament, which is to unite all those who partake of it, as members of the same mystical body of Christ, which is his Church: and from hence he presently draws this consequence, that such as are members of that body, of which Christ is the head, cannot have any communication with idolaters, or with those that offer sacrifices to idols and devils. (Witham)
10:18
Behold Israel, according to the flesh. That is, the people that were the offspring of Israel or Jacob. Are not these they who offered sacrifices to the true God, and eat of the sacrifices, which were offered on his altars, and by offering to him such sacrifices, acknowledged him to be their God, and the only true God: and so you, if you partake, and eat of the sacrifices of idolaters, and of what they tell you was offered to their idols, you seem at least, to join with them in acknowledging, and paying a reverence to their idols, which are devils: and you cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord, and of the table of devils.
Witham
Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? that is, how dare we provoke our Lord, who is a jealous God, and will admit of no rival, by partaking of sacrifices offered to false gods? how dare we thus contemn his power, as if we were stronger than he, or that he could not punish us? (Witham)
10:19
Witham
What then? do I say, etc. He puts this objection, as if it were contradictory to what he had taught before, (chap. 8:4.) that an idol is nothing, etc. but he answers this objection by saying that all things, that is, all meats are lawful in themselves, but not always expedient, nor edifying, when they give scandal to weak brethren, or when the infidels themselves think that such as eat things offered to idols, join with them in honouring their idols. (Witham)
Estius
The meaning of this passage is: whilst I advise you to abstain from eating of any thing consecrated to idols, I do not advise you as supposing that these offerings have any power in themselves to defile your souls, in the same manner as by eating of the body and blood of Christ we receive strength to overcome our spiritual enemies. St. Paul here anticipates an objection that might be made by some to whom he was writing. (Estius)
10:21
In all this discourse, a comparison is instituted between the Christian host and oblation, its effects, conditions and properties, with the altars, hosts, sacrifices and immolations of the Jews and Gentiles; which the apostle could not have done, had there not been a proper sacrifice in the Christian worship. The holy Fathers teach the same with the ancient Councils. This in the council of Nice: The lamb of God laid upon the altar. Conc. Ephes., The unbloody service of the sacrifice. In St. Cyril of Alexandria, in Conc. Ephes., Anath. 11, The quickening holy sacrifice; the unbloody host and victim. Tertullian, de coron. milit., The propitiatory sacrifice both for the living and the dead. This Melchisedech did most singularly prefigure in his mystical oblation of bread and wine; this also according to the prophecy of Malachias, shall continue from the rising to the setting sun, a perpetual substitute for all the Jewish sacrifices; and this, in plain terms, is called the Mass, by St. Augustine, Serm. CCLI. 91.; Conc. Cartha. II. C. 3. 4. C. 84. Milevit. 12.; St. Leo, ep. 81. 88. 1 Corinthians 2.; St. Gregory, lib. 2:ep. 9. 92. etc. etc. See next chapter ver. 24.
10:23
Calmet
All things are lawful. This is the same sentiment he has expressed in 1 Corinthians 6:12. and in 1 Corinthians 8:8-9. wherein he teaches us, that on some occasions it is necessary to abstain even from things in themselves lawful, as in the case of meats consecrated to idols. (Calmet)
Two excellent rules that can serve as guides on these occasions, are the edification of the Church, and the spiritual good of our neighbour. Without the aid of these guides, we go astray ourselves and decoy others, in doing what the letter of the law permits, but what the spirit of the law, charity, forbids.
10:27
Eat of any thing, etc. Here at length St. Paul prescribes them a rule by which they were to govern themselves, as to meats that they met with. Buy and eat any thing sold in the market, or of any thing that you meet with at the table of infidels, when they invite you, for all are the Lord's creatures, and may be taken with thanksgiving, as we ought to take whatsoever we eat.
Witham
But if any man say, this hath been sacrificed to idols, do not eat of it for his sake, etc. And why must they not then eat of it? because either he is an infidel that says it: and then by saying so, he may mean that they who eat it, ought to eat it in honour of their gods. Or if a weak brother says so, he thereby signifies, that his conscience judges it not lawful to be eaten; so that in one case, you seem to consent that things are to be taken in honour of idols: in the other, you give offence to your weak brother: and I would have you to be without offence, both to Jews and Gentiles; and not to think it enough that you can eat such things with thanksgiving. It may be asked here why the apostle should not absolutely forbid them ever to eat any thing offered to idols, as this seems a thing absolutely forbidden in the council of Jerusalem? (Acts 15:23.) To this some answer, that the apostle here expounds the true sense of that decree, which was only to be understood, when eating such meats gave scandal. Others say, the prohibition was only for a short time, and now was out of date. Others take notice, that the prohibition was not general, nor for all places, but only for the new converted Gentiles that were at Antioch, or in Syria and Cilicia, as specified in the decree. (Witham)
10:29
Theophylactus
For why is my liberty? The meaning of this passage is, that though we ought, on some occasions, to abstain from things in themselves lawful, yet, that on other occasions we are by no means obliged to it, particularly when our brother is not thoroughly instructed on that head. (Theophylactus)
10:2
In Moses.... Under the conduct of Moses, they received baptism in figure, by passing under the cloud, and through the sea; and they partook of the body and blood of Christ in figure, by eating of the manna, (called here a spiritual food because it was a figure of the true bread which comes down from heaven,) and drinking the water, miraculously brought out of the rock, called here a spiritual rock, because it was also a figure of Christ.
10:11
The ends of the world.... That is, the last ages.
10:13
Or.... no temptation hath taken hold of you.... or come upon you as yet, but what is human, or incident to man. Issue.... or a way to escape.
10:16
Which we bless.... Here the apostle puts them in mind of their partaking of the body and blood of Christ in the sacred mysteries, and becoming thereby one mystical body with Christ. From whence he infers, ver. 21, that they who are made partakers with Christ, by the eucharistic sacrifice and sacrament, must not be made partakers with devils by eating of the meats sacrificed to them.
10:17
One bread.... or, as it may be rendered, agreeably both to the Latin and Greek, because the bread is one, all we, being many, are one body, who partake of that one bread. For it is by our communicating with Christ, and with one another, in this blessed sacrament, that we are formed into one mystical body; and made, as it were, one bread, compounded of many grains of corn, closely united together.
10:1
1. The same.] The old figures of our Sacraments. The red sea and the cloud, • figure of our Baptisme: the Manna from heauen and vvater miraculously dravven out of the rocke, a figure of the holy Sacrament of Christes body and bloud: our Sacraments containing the things and graces in truth, vvhich theirs only signified. Vve receiue greater benefites by our Sacraments thē the Iewes did by theirs. And it is an impudent forgerie of the Caluinists, Calu. in hunc 〈◊〉. to vvrite vpon this place, that the Ievves receiued no lesse the truth and substance of Christ and his benefites in their figures or Sacraments, then vve do in ours: and that they and vve al eate and drinke of the self same meate and drinke: the Apostle saying onely, that they among them selues did al feede of one bread, & drinke of one rocke: vvhich vvas a figure of Christ, therein especially, that out of Christes side pearced vpon the Crosse, gushed out bloud and vvater for the matter of our Sacraments.
Concordance Exo. 13, 21.
Concordance Nu. 8, 18.
10:2
Concordance Exo. 14, 22.
10:3
Concordance Exo. 16, 15.
10:4
Concordance Exo. 17, 6. Nu. 20, 10.
10:5
Concordance Nu. 26, 63.
10:6
In the liturgy The Epistle vpon the 9 Sunday after Pentecost.
Concordance Nu. 11, 4.
10:7
Concordance Exo. 32, 6.
10:8
Concordance Nu. 25, 1.
10:9
Concordance Nu. 21, 5.
10:10
Concordance Nu. 11, 23. 14, 37.
10:12
It is profitable to al, or in a maner to al, for to keepe them in humilitie, not to knovv vvhat they shal be• saith S. Augustine. Vvhich maketh agaist the vaine securitie of the protestants.
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13. As to vvisemen.] To cause them to leaue the sacrifices and meates or drinkes offered to Idols, The Apostle and auncient fathers speake couertly of the B. Sacrament. he putteth them in minde of the onely true Sacrifice and meate and drinke of Christes body and bloud: of vvhich and the sacrifice of Idols also, they might not be in any case partakers. Vsing this terme, vt prudentibus loquor, in the same sense (as it is thought) as the Fathers of the primitiue Church did giue a vvatch vvord of keeping secrete from the Infidels and vnbaptized, the mysterie of this diuine Sacrifice, by these vvordes, Norunt fidels, norunt qui initiati sunt. August. in Ps. •9. & 33. Conc. 1. 2. & Ps. 109. Ho. 42. c. 4. in lib. 50 hom. Orig. in Leuit. ho. 9. Chrys. ho. 2• in Gen. in fine ho. 51 ad po. Antioch. ho. 5. in 1 Tim. S. Paul saith, I speake to you boldly of this mysterie as to the vviser and better instructed in the same.
Tentation hath not apprthended.
〈Greek〉
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16. Which vve blesse.] The Apostles blessed the Chalice, & so consecrated. That is to say, Calix 〈◊〉 benedicimus. the Chalice of Consecration vvhich vve Apostles and Priests by Christes commission do consecrate, by vvhich speach as vvel the Caluinists (that vse no consecration of the cuppe at al, 〈Greek〉. blasphemously calling it magical murmuration, and peruersely referring the benediction to thankes giuing to God) as also the Lutherans be refuted, vvho affirme Christes body and bloud to be made present by receiuing & in the receiuing onely. for the Apostle expresly referreth the benediction to the chalice, and not to God, making the holy bloud and the communicating thereof the effect of the benediction.
16. The participation of the body.] Our vniting to Christ by the B. Sacrament. The holy Sacrament and Sacrifice of Christs body and bloud being receiued of vs, ioyneth vs in soul and body and engraffeth vs into Christ him self, making vs partakers and at a peece of his body and bloud. For not by loue or spirit onely (saith S. Chrysostom) but in very deede vve are vnited in his flesh, made one body vvith him, memebers of his flesh and boones. Chrys. ho. 45 in Io. sub finem. And S. Cyril, Such is the force of mystical benediction that it maketh Christ corporally by communicating of his flesh to dvvel in vs. Cyril. li. 10. in Io. c. 13.
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17. One bread, one body.] As vve be first made one vvith Christ by eating his body and drinking his bloud, Our vnion among our selues by the B. Sacrament. so secondly are vve conioyned by this one bread vvhich is his body, and cuppe vvhich is his bloud, in the perfect vnion and felovvship of al Catholike men, in one Church vvhich is his body Mystical. Vvhich name of Body mystical is specially attributed and appropriated to this one commonvvealth and Societie of faithful men, by reason that al the true persons and true members of the same, be maruelously knit together by Christes ovvne one body, and by the self same bloud in this diuine Sacrament. See S. August. li. 21, c. 25 de ciu. Dei. Hilar. li. 8 de Trin. circamed.
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18. They that eate the hostes.] It is plaine also by the example of the Ievves in their Sacrifices, that he that eateth any of the host immolated, is partaker of the Sacrifice, and ioyned by office and obligation to God, of vvhose sacrifice he eateth.
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20. I vvil not haue you.] Participation in Sacrament or sacrifice, shevveth of vvhat societie vve are. I conclude then (saith the Apostle) thus: that as the Christian vvhich eateth and drinketh of the sacrifice or Sacrament of the altar, by his eating is participant of Christes body, and is ioyned in felovvship to al Christian people that eate and drinke of the same, being the host of the nevv Lavv: and as al that did eate of the hostes of the Sacrifices of Moyses Lavv, vvere belonging and associated to that state and to God to vvhom the Sacrifice vvas done: euen so vvhosoeuer eateth of the meates offered to Idols, he shevveth and profesteth him self to be of the Communion and Societie of the same Idols.
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21. You can not drinke.] Vpon the premisses he vvarneth them plainely, that they must either forsake the sacrifice and fellovvship of the Idols and Idolaters, or els refuse the Sacrifice of Christs body and bloud in the Church. The sacrifice of the altar is proued, by the Apostles comparison with the sacrifices of Iewes and Gentils. In al vvhich discourse vve may obserue that our bread and chalice, our table and altar, the participation of our host and oblation, be compared or resembled point by point, in al effects, conditions, and proprieties, to the altars, hostes, sacrifices and immolations of the Ievves and Gentils. Vvhich the Apostle vvould not, nor could not haue done in this Sacrament of the Altar, rather then in other Sacraments or seruice of our religion, if it onely had not bene a Sacrifice and the proper vvorship of God among the Christians, as the other vvere among the Ievves and Heathen. And so do al the Fathers acknovvledge, calling it onely, & continually almost, by such termes as they do no other Sacrament or ceremonie of Christes religion: The lambe of God laid vpon the table: It is proued to be a sacrifice, out of the fathers. Conc. Nic. the vnblouddy seruice of the Sacrifice, In Conc. Ephes. ep. ad Nestor. pag. 605. the Sacrifice of sacrifices: Dionys. Ec. Hier. c. 3. the quickening holy sacrifice: the vnblouddy host and victime: Cyril. Alex. in Conc. Ephes. Anath. 11. the propitiatorie sacrifice both for the liuing and the dead: Tertul. de cor. Milit. Chrys. ho. 41 in 1 Cor. Ho. 3. ad Philip. Ho. 66 ad po. Antioch. Cypr. ep. 66. & de coen. Do. nu. 1. August. Ench. 109. Quaest. 2. ad Dulcit. to. 4. Ser. 34. de verb. Apost. the Sacrifice of our Mediator: the sacrifice of our price: the Sacrifice of the nevv Testament: the sacrifice of the Church: August li. 9. c. 13. & li. 3 de bapt. c. 19. the one onely inconsumptible victime vvithout vvhich there is no religion: Cyprian. de coen. Do. nu. 2. Chrys. ho. 17 ad Hebr. Cypr. Iustin. Irenae. infra. The pure oblation, the nevv offering of the nevv Lavv: the vital and impolluted host: the honorable and dreadful Sacrifice: the Sacrifice of thankes giuing or Eucharistical: and the Sacrifice of Melchisedec. Vvhich Melchisedec by his oblation in bread and vvine did properly and most singularly prefigurate this office of Christes eternal Priesthod and sacrificing him self vnder the formes of bread and vvine: vvhich shal continevv in the Church through out al Christian Nations in steed of al the offerings of Aarons Priesthod, as the Malac. 1, 11. Prophete Malachie did foretel, as S. Cyprian, S. Iustine, S. Irenaeus and others the most auncient Doctors and Martyrs do testifie. Cypr. ep. 63. nu. 2. Iustin. Dial. cum Trypho. post med. Irenae. li. 4. c. 12. And S. Augustine li. 17 c. 20 de ciu. Dei. & li. 1 cont. adu. leg. & proph. c. 18. & li. • de bapt. c. 19: S. Leo ser. 8 de Passione: and others do expresly auouch that this one Sacrifice hath succeded al other and fulfilled al other differences of sacrifices, that it hath the force and vertue of al other, The fathers called this sacrifice, the MASSE. to be offered for al persons and causes that the others, for the liuing and the dead, for sinnes and for thankes giuing, and for vvhat other necessitie so euer of body or soule. Ambros. ep. 〈◊〉. Vvhich holy action of Sacrifice they also call the MASSE in plaine vvordes. August. ser. 251. 91. Con. Carthag. 2, c. 3. 4. c. •4. Mileuit. c. 12. Leo ep. 88. 81 c. 2. Grego. li. 2. ep. 9. 93. &c. This is the Apostles and Fathers doctrine. God graunt the Aduersaries may find mercie to see so euident and inuincible a truth.
21. Partakers of the table.] The distinctiō of Christian Catholikes frō the rest, is by not communicating with thē. specially in their sacrifices, and at the Communion table. Though the faithful people be many vvaies knovven to be Gods peculiar, and be ioyned both to him & among them selues, and also seuered and distinguished from al others that pertaine not to him, as vvel Ievves and Pagans, as Heretikes and Schismatikes, by sundry other external signes of Sacraments, doctrine, and gouernement: yet the most proper and substantial vnion or difference consisteth in the Sacrifice and Altar: by vvhich God so specially bindeth his Church vnto him, and him self vnto his Church, that he acknovvledgeth none to be his, that is not partaker of his one onely Table and Sacrifice in his Church: and acquitteth him self of al such as ioyne in felovvship vvith any of the Heathen at their Idolatrie, or vvith the Ievves at their Sacrifices, or vvith Heretikes and Schismatikes at their prophane and detestable table. Vvhich because it is the proper badge of their separation from Christ and his Church, and an altar purposely erected against Christes Altar, Priesthod, The heretikes Communiō is the very table and cup of Diuels. and Sacrifice, is in deede a very sacrifice, or (as the Apostle here speaketh) a table and cuppe of Diuels, that is to say, wherein the Diuel is properly serued, and Christes honour (no lesse then by the altars of Ieroboam or any prophane superstitious rites of Gentilitie) defiled. 3. reg. 12. And therfore al Catholike men, if they locke to haue felovvship with Christ and his members in his body and bloud, must deeme of it as of Idolatrie or sacrilegious superstition, and abstaine from it and from al societie of the same, as good To bie did from Ieroboams calues and the altars in Dan and Bethel: Tob. 1. and as the good faithful did from the Excelses, 3. reg. 〈◊〉. and from the temple and sacrifices of Samaria. Novv in the Christian times vve haue no other Idols, but heresies, nor Idolothytes, but their false seruices shifted into our Churches in steede of Gods true and onely vvorship. Cypr. de vnit Ec. nu. 2 Hiero. in 11 Osee. & 8. Amos. & in 2. Habat. Aug. in ps. 80. v. 10. De Ciu. Dei li. 18. c. 51.
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23 Al things are lavvful.] Hitherto the Apostles arguments and examples vvhereby he vvould auert them from the meates offered to Idols, Hovv by participatiō with idolaters, idolatrie is committed. seeme plainly to cōdemne their fact as Idololatrical, or as participant & accessory to Idolatrie, & not onely as of scādal giuen to the weake brethren: and so no doubt it vvas in that they went into the very temple of the Idols; and did vvith the rest that serued the Idols, eate and drinke of the flesh and libaments directly offered to the Idol, yea and feasted together in the same bankets made to the honour of the same Idols: vvhich could not but defile them and entangle them vvith Idolatrie: not for that the meate it self vvas iustly belonging to any other but to God, or could be defiled, made noisome or vnlawful to be eaten, but for and in respect of the abuse of the same and detestable dedicating of that to the diuel, vvhich belonged not to him, but to God alone. Of vvhich sacrilegious act that ought not to be partakers, as needes they must, How to auoid scandal in things indifferent. entering and eating with them in their solemnities, to this end hath S. Paul hi• her to admonished the Corinthians. Novv he declareth that othervvise in prophane feasts it is lavvful to eate vvithout curious doubting or asking vvhether this or that vvere offered meates, and in markettes to bye vvhatsoeuer is theresold, vvithout scruple and vvithout taking knovvledge vvhether it be of the Idolothytes or no: vvith this exception, first, that if one should inuite him to eate, or bye this or that as sacred and offered meates, that then he should not eate it, lest he should seeme to approue the offering of it to the Idol, or to like it the better for the same. Secondly, vvhē the vveake brother may take offence by the same. For though it be lavvful in it self to eate any of these meates vvithout care of the Idol: yet al lavvful things be not in euery time and place expedient to be done.
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Concordance Ps. 23, 1.
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 4.27.3
… Neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. But all these things happened to them in a figure, and were written for our admonition, upon whom the end of the world ( sæculorum ) is come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus 4.49
… This is a great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.” And again, in another place: “We know that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud, and in the sea.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John 6.26
… Now, Paul deals with this Scripture, and his warfare is not according to the flesh of it, for he knew that the law is spiritual in a spiritual sense. And he shows us that he understood what is said about the passage of the Red Sea; for he says in his first Epistle to the Corinthians,
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 The Epistles of Cyprian 75.15
… And that that sea was a sacrament of baptism, the blessed Apostle Paul declares, saying, “Brethren, I would not have you ignorant how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;” and he added, saying, “Now all these things were our examples.”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 1.5
… “Secure the words, and seal the book until the time of consummation, until many learn, and knowledge is fulfilled, because when there shall be a dispersion they shall know all these things.” Likewise in the first Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians: “Brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, that all our fathers were under the cloud.”
St Gregory of Nyssa † AD 395 On the Baptism of Christ 1
… And he was laid near the water; for the Law, and those daily sprinklings of the Hebrews which were a little later to be made plain in the perfect and marvellous Baptism, are near to grace. Again, according to the view of the inspired Paul
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 3.18
… “Our old man is crucified,” the Apostle exclaims. Herein, as the example of the fathers teaches us, the Egyptian is swallowed up—the Hebrew arises renewed by the Holy Spirit, as he also crossed the Red Sea dryshod—where our fathers were baptized in the cloud and in the sea.
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Holy Spirit 3.4
… “For our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized in Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink.”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Mysteries 3
12. There is also a third testimony, as the Apostle teaches us: “For all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized to Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 39
Yet not even this suffices for salvation. For we must not only be delivered out of Egypt, but we must also enter into the promise. Since the Jews too, as Paul saith, both went through the Red Sea,
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 23
Chap. x. ver. 1 . “For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Profit of Believing 8
… Neither let us tempt Christ, as certain of them tempted, and perished of serpents. Neither murmur we, as certain of them murmured, and perished of the destroyer. But all these things happened unto them in a figure. But they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world have come.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Lying 26
… and saith of that marvellous benefit which God bestowed upon His people Israel to rescue them out of the bondage in which they in Egypt were oppressed, and of the punishment which avenged their sin on their journey, that these things befell them in a figure:
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 12.29
… For they drank of the spiritual rock which followed them, and that rock was Christ."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Answer to the Letters of Petilian, the Donatist 2.37
… on the point at issue between us at the present time, except so far as that it may appear that the baptism of John was one thing, the baptism of Christ another,—just as that baptism was a different thing with which the apostle says that our fathers were baptized in the cloud and in the sea, when they passed through the Red Sea under the guidance of Moses.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 11.4
… And as to what the Red Sea signifies, hear the apostle: “Moreover, brethren, I would not have you ignorant, that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea.” To what purpose passed they through the sea? As if thou wert asking of him, he goes on to say, “And all were baptized by Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 26.12
… Moreover he adds: “And did all drink the same spiritual drink.” They one kind of drink, we another, but only in the visible form, which, however, signified the same thing in its spiritual virtue. For how was it that they drank the “same drink”? “They drank,” saith he “of the spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 28.9
… Of what things to come? Things which find their fulfillment in Christ. Whence the apostle says, “For all the promises of God are in Him yea;” that is, they are fulfilled in Him. Again he says in another place, “All happened to them in a figure; but they were written for our sakes, upon whom the end of the ages is come.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 45.9
… Certainly it was: but they believed that they were yet to come, and we, that they have come. In like manner does he also say, “They all drank the same spiritual drink;” “the same spiritual,” for it was not the same material [drink]. For what was it they drank? “For they drank of the spiritual Rock that followed them; and that Rock was Christ.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 81.8
… the apostle is witness: for “I would not have you ignorant, brethren,” he said, “that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 114.4
… for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples.”
St John of Damascus † AD 749 An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 4.9
The first baptism was that of the flood for the eradication of sin. The second was through the sea and the cloud: for the cloud is the symbol of the Spirit and the sea of the water
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Tertullian † AD 220 On Baptism 20
… For the people, after crossing the sea, and being carried about in the desert during forty years, although they were there nourished with divine supplies, nevertheless were more mindful of their belly and their gullet than of God. Thereupon the Lord, driven apart into desert places after baptism,
St Basil the Great † AD 379 De Spiritu Sancto 14
31. But even if some are baptized unto the Spirit, it is not, it is urged, on this account right for the Spirit to be ranked with God. Some “were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 39.5
XVII. Now, since our Festival is of Baptism, and we must endure a little hardness with Him Who for our sake took form, and was baptized, and was crucified; let us speak about the different kinds of Baptism, that we may come out thence purified. Moses baptized but it was in water, and before that in the cloud and in the sea.
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Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus 4.49
… “And they did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Mysteries 9
… Whence the Apostle says of its type: “Our fathers ate spiritual food and drank spiritual drink,”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 61
And this the blessed Paul showed even from times of old, when he said, that “They did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink:” and added, that they were not saved; “for they were overthrown in the wilderness.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 14
… For the people of the Jews did not receive the Spirit. What then is his meaning here? It is the letter he giveth this name to, for spiritual it was, and so he called the Law spiritual also, and the water from the Rock, and the Manna. “For they did eat,” he says, “of the same spiritual meat, and all drank of the same spiritual drink.” (
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St Ignatius of Antioch † AD 108 Epistle to the Philadelphians: Shorter and Longer Versions 9
… The ministering powers of God are good. The Comforter is holy, and the Word is holy, the Son of the Father, by whom He made all things, and exercises a providence over them all. This is the Way which leads to the Father, the Rock,
St Justin Martyr † AD 165 Dialogue with Trypho 13
“For Isaiah did not send you to a bath, there to wash away murder and other sins, which not even all the water of the sea were sufficient to purge; but, as might have been expected, this was that saving bath of the olden time which followed
St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Fragments from the Lost Writings of Irenaeus, LII 1
… and as He is flesh, so is He also spirit, and the Word of God, and God. And as He was born of Mary in the last times, so did He also proceed from God as the First-begotten of every creature; and as He hungered, so did He satisfy [others]; and as He thirsted, so did He of old cause the Jews to drink, for the “Rock was Christ”
Tertullian † AD 220 An Answer to the Jews 9
… and this had to come about, not through Moses (that is, not through the Law’s discipline), but through Joshua (that is, through the new law’s grace), after our circumcision with “a knife of rock” (that is, with Christ’s precepts, for Christ is in many ways and figures predicted as a rock
Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 3.5
… But why enlarge on such a subject? When the very apostle whom our heretics adopt, interprets the law which allows an unmuzzled mouth to the oxen that tread out the corn, not of cattle, but of ourselves; and also alleges that the rock which followed (the Israelites) and supplied them with drink was Christ;
Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 5.7
… Of this he boasted, and suffered no man to rob him of such glory —certainly with no view of destroying the law, which he proved that another man might use. For behold Marcion, in his blindness, stumbled at the rock whereof our fathers drank in the wilderness. For since “that rock was Christ,”
Origen † AD 254 Origen De Principiis iv.1.13
… “These things happened to them in a figure, and they are written on our account, on whom the ends of the ages have come.” Now, an opportunity is afforded us of understanding of what those things which happened to them were figures, when he adds: “And they drank of that spiritual Rock which followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen De Principiis iv.1-2.13
… “For they drank of the spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen's Commentary on Matthew 12.11
… For all bear the surname of “rock” who are the imitators of Christ, that is, of the spiritual rock which followed those who are being saved,
St Gregory Thaumaturgus † AD 270 A Sectional Confession of Faith 22
And again, speaking also of the children of Israel as baptized in the cloud and in the sea, he says: “And they all drank of the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Festal and Personal Letters of Athanasius 11
… boldly, ‘Who shall separate us from the love of God ?’ For such men, being confirmed in the Lord, and possessing an unshaken disposition towards Him, and being one in spirit (for ‘he who is joined to the Spirit is one spirit’), are sure ‘as the mount Sion;’ and although ten thousand trials may rage against them, they are founded upon a rock, which is Christ
St Basil the Great † AD 379 De Spiritu Sancto 8
… Then again, on account of the divers manners wherein grace is given to us, which, because of the riches of His goodness, according to his manifold wisdom, he bestows on them that need, Scripture designates Him by innumerable other titles, calling Him Shepherd, King, Physician, Bridegroom, Way, Door, Fountain, Bread, Axe, and Rock.
St Basil the Great † AD 379 De Spiritu Sancto 14
… but because divine things are prefigured by small and human things, it is obvious that we must not therefore conclude the divine nature to be small. The type is an exhibition of things expected, and gives an imitative anticipation of the future. So Adam was a type of “Him that was to come.” Typically, “That rock was Christ;”
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 10.7
7. Moreover, that you may be sure that this is He who was seen of Moses, hear Paul’s testimony, when he says, For they all drank of a spiritual rock that followed them; and the rock was Christ
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Holy Spirit 1.pref.2
… And as soon as the Angel touched them with the end of the staff which he bore, fire burst forth out of the rock, and so the sacrifice which he was offering was consumed. By which it seems clear that that rock was a figure of the Body of Christ, for it is written: “They drank of that rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Exposition of the Christian Faith 2.2
… so that the handiwork of the true Creator might be known, when the fluid became solid, and the rock streamed with water? That we might acknowledge this as the handiwork of Christ, the Apostle said: “And that rock was Christ.”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Exposition of the Christian Faith 4.5
… Is He naturally insensible and immovable, like a stone? He is indeed a stone of stumbling to the wicked, a cornerstone for the faithful; but He is not insensible, upon Whom the faithful affection of sentient peoples are stayed. He is not an immovable rock, “for they drank of a Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Mysteries 8
… See now what happened in the case of the fathers was shadow: “They drank, it is said, of that Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were done in a figure concerning us.”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Concerning Virgins 1.5
… The teats shall not fail from the rock, nor snow from Lebanon, nor the water which is borne by the strong wind.” Who is this virgin that is watered with the streams of the Trinity, from whose rock waters flow, whose teats fail not, and whose honey is poured forth? Now, according to the Apostle, the rock is Christ.
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 57
That thou mayest learn that there also it was Christ who healed him. As Paul saith, “They drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 26
But this he did, seeing some great things before him. “Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.” What is, “the reproach of Christ”? It is being reproached in such ways as ye are, the reproach which Christ endured; Or that he endured for Christ’s sake: for “that rock was Christ” (
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 22.6
… Happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.” Because natural heat inevitably kindles in a man sensual passion, he is praised and accounted happy who, when foul suggestions arise in his mind, gives them no quarter, but dashes them instantly against the rock. “Now the Rock is Christ.”
St Jerome † AD 420 Against Jovinianus 1.21
21. I must not linger over Moses when my purpose is at full speed to lightly touch on each topic and to sketch the outline of a proper knowledge of my subject. I will pass to Joshua the son of Nun, who was previously called Ause, or better, as in the Hebrew, Osee, that is, Saviour . For he,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Confessions 6.4
… and with delight I heard Ambrose, in his sermons to the people, oftentimes most diligently recommend this text as a rule,—“The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life;”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 55.11
… We do not adore sheep or cattle, although Christ is called both a Lamb, and by the prophet a young bullock; nor any beast of prey, though He is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah; nor a stone, although Christ is called a Rock;
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 169.9
… And we must not be disturbed by the fact that the sign sometimes receives the name of the thing signified, as when the Holy Spirit is said to have descended in a bodily form as a dove and abode upon Him; for in like manner the smitten rock is called Christ,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 13.21
… or as if water never flowed from the rock when Moses struck it, because therein Christ can be seen in a figure, as the same apostle says, “Now that rock was Christ!”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 18.48
… For all typical things seem in some way to personate those whom they typify, as it is said by the apostle, “That Rock was Christ.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Christian Doctrine 4.21
… and as soon as the angel of God touched it with the end of the staff that was in his hand, there rose up fire out of the rock and consumed the offering. Now this sign seems to indicate that the rock was a type of the body of Christ, for it is written, ‘They drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ;’
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Holy Trinity 2.6
… whether within in the spirit as it were outwardly, or really outwardly before the eyes of the flesh. But of that dove, which is said to have descended in a bodily form, no one ever doubted that it was seen by the eyes. Nor, again, as we call the Son a Rock (for it is written, “And that Rock was Christ”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Against Lying 24
… without doubt the waves, the gems, the bloom, the snow, for that we find them not in those objects to which we have from other transferred these words, shall by these persons be accounted lies. And Christ a Rock, and the stony heart of the Jews; also, Christ a Lion, and the devil a lion, and innumerable such like, shall be said to be lies.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 16.15
… These things are to some extent allied. But there is the greatest possible distance between the Son of God, by whom all things were made, and a beast or a stone. And yet in the Gospel we read, "Behold the Lamb of God," and in the apostle, "That rock was Christ."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 16.17
… And as water flowed from the smitten rock for those that were athirst, so life comes to believers from the stroke of the Lord’s passion. The testimony of the apostle is clear and decisive on this point, when he says, "This rock was Christ."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on the Grace of Christ, and on Original Sin 2.36
… And what grace but God’s, through our Lord Jesus Christ? Now there was a forecast of His coming undoubtedly contained not only in other sacred institutions of the ancient Jews, but also in their circumcision of the foreskin. For the eighth day, in the recurrence of weeks, became the Lord’s day, on which the Lord arose from the dead; and Christ was the rock
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount 2.25
… “Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, is like unto a wise man, which built his house upon the rock.” For no one confirms what he hears or understands, unless by doing. And if Christ is the rock, as many Scripture testimonies proclaim
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 79.8
… give ear to Him, saying, ‘Do what they say; but do not what they do.’” Whereas they on the contrary say, “If we were not good, ye were lost.” Lo, here is “another that shall come in his own name.” Shall my life then depend on thee, and my salvation be tied up in thee? Have I so forgotten my foundation? Was not Christ the Rock?
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 89.2
… and then that ye may understand as best ye can. What then is “of One Substance”? Let me make use of similitudes to you, that what is imperfectly understood may be made clear by example. As, suppose, God is gold. His Son is gold also. If similitudes ought not to be given for heavenly things from things earthly, how is it written, “Now the Rock was Christ”?
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 17.9
… Let not my neighbor be angry if he be set forth to us by a thing without soul and without feeling. The Lord Himself, even our Saviour Jesus Christ, is called the corner-stone, to build up two in Himself. He is called also a rock, from which water flowed forth: “And that rock was Christ.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 23.1
… than bring ruin on that house by the force of its pressure. Let us regard the Scripture of God to be, as it were, the field where we wish to build something. Let us not be slothful, nor be content with the surface; let us dig deeply until we come to the rock: “And that rock was Christ.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 28.9
… For, “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” And our thirst is quenched from the rock in the wilderness: for “the Rock was Christ,” and it was smitten with a rod that the water might flow. But that it might flow, the rock was smitten twice: because there are two beams of the cross.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 63.2
… His words, however, are not expressed in this way: Now is prefigured the glorification of the Son of man; but expressly, “Now is the Son of man glorified:” just as it was not said, The Rock signified Christ; but, “That Rock was Christ.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 124.5
… just as Christ is not called so from the Christian, but the Christian from Christ. For on this very account the Lord said, “On this rock will I build my Church,” because Peter had said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” On this rock, therefore, He said, which thou hast confessed, I will build my Church. For the Rock ( Petra ) was Christ;
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 40.3
… he has hope, which he was before without; he now walks in Christ, who before used to go astray in the devil. For on that account it is that he says, “He hath set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” Now “that Rock was Christ.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 45.6
6. What follows then? “My tongue is the pen of a writer writing rapidly.” What likeness, my brethren, what likeness, I ask, has the “tongue” of God with a transcriber’s pen? What resemblance has “the rock” to Christ?
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 61.3
… Let us call to mind the Gospel: “Upon this Rock I will build My Church.” Therefore She crieth from the ends of the earth, whom He hath willed to be builded upon a Rock. But in order that the Church might be builded upon the Rock, who was made the Rock? Hear Paul saying: “But the Rock was Christ.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 71.5
… But if many they are, and they trouble me: “my refuge Thou art.” For I will confess mine infirmity, to the end that I may be timid like a “hare,” because I am full of thorns like a “hedgehog.” And as in another Psalm is said, “The rock is a refuge for the hedgehogs and the hares:” but the Rock was Christ.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 78.2
… But without doubt the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven was veiled in the Old Testament, which in the fulness of time should be unveiled in the New. “For,” saith the Apostle, “they did drink of the Spiritual Rock following them, but the Rock was Christ.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 81.21
… How many are delighted with His word, and with the knowledge of His sacraments, with the unfolding of His parables, how many are delighted, how many applaud with clamour! And this honey is not from any chance person, but “from the rock.” But “the Rock was Christ.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 103.8
… Thus also what hath here been said of the eagle: the eagle is not restored unto immortality, but we are unto eternal life; but the similitude is derived from hence, that the rock taketh away from us what hindereth us. Presume not therefore on thy strength: the firmness of the rock rubbeth off thy old age: for that Rock was Christ.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 104.15
… Thou hast before thee the rocks of the mountains, from the midst of the rocks give me thy voice. Let them be heard, who hear from the rock: let them be heard, because also in those many rocks the One Rock is heard: for “the Rock was Christ.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 104.27
27. Nor think, brethren, that the sun ought to be worshipped by some men, because the sun doth sometimes in the Scriptures signify Christ. For such is the madness of men; as if we said that a creature should be worshipped, when it is said, the sun is an emblem of Christ. Then worship the rock also, for it also is a type of Christ.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 104.28
… One that could overcome the wolf, overcome the lion. He is the Rock, He the Shepherd, He the Gate. The Shepherd entereth by the gate: and He saith, “I am the good Shepherd:” and, “I am the Door of the Sheep.” …Learn thus to understand, when these things are spoken figuratively; lest perchance when ye have read that the Rock signifieth Christ,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 115.1
1. “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy Name give the praise” ( ver. 1 ). For that grace of the water that gushed from the rock (“now that rock was Christ”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 137.12
… Evil desires at their birth. For there are, who have to fight with inveterate lusts. When lust is born, before evil habit giveth it strength against thee, when lust is little, by no means let it gain the strength of evil habit; when it is little, dash it. But thou fearest, lest though dashed it die not; “Dash it against the Rock; and that Rock is Christ.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 141.8
… See what followeth: “their judges have been swallowed up beside the Rock” ( ver. 6 ). What is, “swallowed up beside the Rock? That Rock was Christ.
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 7.5
… “Unto the pulling down of fortifications, purging the thoughts, and every height that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every understanding unto the obedience of Christ, and having in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience shall be first fulfilled.”
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 The Ecclesiastical History of Theodoret 1.3
… Does not the Apostle say, ‘ What communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial ?’ and Solomon, that ‘ the way of a serpent upon a rock ’ was ‘ too wonderful ’ for the human mind to comprehend, which ‘rock,’ according to St. Paul, is Christ
Pseudo-Clement The Recognitions of Clement 1.35
… But when Moses had gone up to the mount, and was staying there forty days, the people, although they had seen Egypt struck with the ten plagues, and the sea parted and passed over by them on foot, manna also given to them from heaven for bread, and drink supplied to them out of the rock that followed
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 4.36.6
… For as in the former covenant, “with many of them was He not well pleased;”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 23
… Neither were they in the land of promise when He did these things unto them, but without and afar somewhere, and wide of that country; He thus visiting them with a double vengeance, both by not permitting them to see the land, and this too though promised unto them, and also by actual severe punishment.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 78.2
… because the same Christ was Himself figured to them in a Rock, manifested to us in the Flesh. “But,” he saith, “not in all of them God was well pleased.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 78.3
… For when the Apostle had said, “But not in all them was God well pleased,” thereby showing that there were those too in whom God was well pleased: he hath forthwith added, “For they were overthrown in the desert:”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 105.33
33. …“That they may keep His statutes, and seek out His law” ( ver. 45 ). Lastly, since by the seed of Abraham he wished those to be understood here, who were truly the seed of Abraham, such as were not wanting even in that people; as the Apostle Paul clearly showeth, when he saith, “But not in all of them was God well pleased;”
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Tertullian † AD 220 On Idolatry 5
… or whatever other exposition of that figure has been revealed to worthier men no matter, provided we remember the apostle affirms that all things happened at that time to the People figuratively .
Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 5.7
… But why resort to the figure of a sacred sign given by an extraneous god? Was it to teach the very truth, that ancient things prefigured the Christ who was to be educed out of them? For, being about to take a cursory view of what befell the people (of Israel) he begins with saying: “Now these things happened as examples for us.”
Tertullian † AD 220 On the Resurrection of the Flesh 58
… —to what faith do these notable facts bear witness, if not to that which ought to inspire in us the belief that they are proofs and documents of our own future integrity and perfect resurrection ? For, to borrow the apostle’s phrase, these were “figures of ourselves;”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 23
Ver. 6 . “Now these things were figures of us .”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 4
… temporal things were figures of future things which should be fulfilled in us upon whom the ends of the ages are come, is not my fancy, but the judgment of the apostle, when he says of such things, "These things were our examples;" and again, "These things happened to them for an example, and they are written for us on whom the ends of the ages are come."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 6.2
… In this they contradict the apostle who says, "All these things happened to them for an example, and they were written for our learning, on whom the end of the world is come."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 16.28
28. Regarding the Sabbath and circumcision, and the distinction in foods, in which you say the teaching of Moses differs from what Christians are taught by Christ, we have already shown that, as the apostle says, "all those things were our examples."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 18.6
… Your opponent is the apostle, whose opinion I give in his own words: "All these things were our examples."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 73.4
… That there might be sought for what? Was it things which were not there? No, but things which were there being hidden in figures: not which were not yet there, but which there as it were in a sort were concealed in certain secret things of mysteries. What things? “These,” saith the Apostle himself, “were our figures.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 5.16
These are the seven nations whose lands the Lord promised to give to the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt. And everything which, as the Apostle says, happened to them “in a figure”
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Tertullian † AD 220 On Idolatry 3
… Every form or formling , therefore, claims to be called an idol . Hence idolatry is “all attendance and service about every idol.” Hence also, every artificer of an idol is guilty of one and the same crime, unless, the People which consecrated for itself the likeness of a calf, and not of a man, fell short of incurring the guilt of idolatry.
Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 5.7
… Or did one god borrow examples from another, and a hostile one too? He withdraws me to himself in alarm from Him from whom he transfers my allegiance. Will his antagonist make me better disposed to him? Should I now commit the same sins as the people, shall I have to suffer the same penalties, or not?
Tertullian † AD 220 On Fasting 6
… “The people did eat and drink, and they arose to play.”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Selections from the Letters of St. Ambrose 63.12
12. These then ought to take heed to themselves who have that which they may lose, rather than they who have it not. These ought to act with greater care, these ought to guard against the allurements of vice, or incentives to error, which arise chiefly from food and drink. For “the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 6
… For it is not God that grants to play, but the devil. At least hear, what was the portion of them that played. “The people,” it is said, “sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 23
Ver. 7 . “Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, ‘the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.’”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Thessalonians 8
… Hear Paul saying, “Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us murmur, as some of them murmured, and perished by the destroyer. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them tempted, and perished by the serpents.” (
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St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Holy Spirit 3.8
49. Understand also that whereas Scripture in other places says that the Spirit was tempted, and that God was tempted, it says also that Christ was tempted; for you have the Apostle saying to the Corinthians: “Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them tempted, and perished by serpents.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 23
Ver. 9 . “Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and perished by serpents.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 5.16
… And if we are inclined to think these small matters, let us hear what the Apostle thought about them, and what was his opinion of them: “Neither murmur ye,” says he, “as some of them murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer:” and of temptation: “Neither let us tempt Christ as some of them tempted and perished by the serpents.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Seven Books of John Cassian on the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius 5.9
And when the Apostle wanted to make this clear and patent to everybody he spoke as follows, saying that, “Jesus having saved the people out of the land of Egypt afterward destroyed them that believed not.” But elsewhere too we read: “Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them tempted, and were destroyed by serpents.”
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St Basil the Great † AD 379 The Letters 22.2
2. The Christian ought never to murmur either in scarcity of necessities, or in toil or labour, for the responsibility in these matters lies with such as have authority in them. There never ought to be any clamour, or any behaviour or agitation by which anger is expressed, or diversion of mind from the full assurance of the presence of God.
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 43.7
7. These noble men, suffering from the lapse of time, and feeling a distaste for ordinary food, felt a longing for something more appetising. They did not indeed speak as Israel did, for they were not murmurers
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 56
Hence it is evident, that the saints have angels, or even all men. For the apostle too saith of the woman, “That she ought to have power on her head because of the angels.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 23
Ver. 10 . “Neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured, and perished by the destroyer.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 33
… “Do all things” (he says) “without murmurings and disputings.” ( Phil. ii. 14 .) For whatever work a man does with murmuring, he cuts away and loses his reward; as the Israelites—how great a penalty they paid for their murmurings. Wherefore he says, “Neither murmur ye.” (
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 51.8
8. These things being so, dearly beloved, keep watch over your own soul and cease to murmur against me. For the divine Scripture says: “Neither murmur ye [one against another ] as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of serpents.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 12.37
… Such an objection might come from Jews and Pagans; but those who wish to be considered Christians must yield to the authority of the apostle when he says, "All these things happened to them for an example;" and again, "These things are our examples."
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 4.14.3
… as also Paul says: “For they drank of the rock which followed them: and the rock was Christ.”
Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 5.7
… So that the whole declaration of the apostle lacks a reasonable basis, if it is not meant to relate to the Creator’s discipline. But the fact is, the apostle’s conclusion corresponds to the beginning: “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”
Tertullian † AD 220 Against Praxeas 16
… For as it was on our account and for our learning that these events are described in the Scriptures, so for our sakes also were they done—(even ours , I say), “upon whom the ends of the world are come.”
Tertullian † AD 220 On the Apparel of Women ii.9
… Sufficiently, therefore, have you, too, used your riches and your delicacies; sufficiently have you cut down the fruits of your dowries, before (receiving) the knowledge of saving disciplines. We are they “upon whom the ends of the ages have met, having ended their course.”
Tertullian † AD 220 To His Wife i.2
… And so to the Law presently had to succeed the Word of God introducing the spiritual circumcision. Therefore, by means of the wide licence of those days, materials for subsequent emendations were furnished beforehand, of which materials the Lord by His Gospel, and then the apostle in the last days of the (Jewish) age,
Tertullian † AD 220 To His Wife i.5
… but when He says, “They were marrying and buying,” He sets a brand upon the very leading vices of the flesh and of the world, which call men off the most from divine disciplines—the one through the pleasure of rioting, the other though the greed of acquiring. And yet that “blindness” then was felt long before “the ends of the world.”
St Hippolytus † AD 235 The Refutation of All Heresies 5.3
… And again, he says, the Saviour has declared, “The publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of heaven before you.” For “the publicans,” he says, are those who receive the revenues of all things; but we, he says, are the publicans, “unto whom the ends of the ages have come.”
St Hippolytus † AD 235 On Daniel 6
… “Now these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they were written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the world are come.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen De Principiis iv.1.13
… “These things happened to them in a figure, and they are written on our account, on whom the ends of the ages have come.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen De Principiis iv.1-2.13
… God ordained before the world for the glory” of the just, which “none of the princes of this world knew.” And the same apostle says somewhere, after referring to certain events mentioned as occurring in Exodus and Numbers, “that these things happened to them figuratively, but that they were written on our account, on whom the ends of the world are come.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus 4.43
… “And those which had no spots were Laban’s, and those which were spotted were Jacob’s;” and he says that “God presented his sons with asses, and sheep, and camels,” and did not see that “all these things happened unto them for ensamples, and were written for our sake, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John 1.8
… men that the Godhead was at work, He opened the way for all those who desired it to be disciples of His wisdom, and to understand what things were true and real in the law of Moses, of which things those of old worshipped the type and the shadow, and what things were real of the things narrated in the histories which “happened to them in the way of type,”
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril procatechesis-or-prologue-to-t.2
… and though he dipped his body in water, he enlightened not his heart with the Spirit: his body went down and came up, but his soul was not buried with Christ, nor raised with Him . Now I mention the statements of (men’s) falls, that thou mayest not fall: for these things happened to them by way of example, and they are written for the admonition
St Gregory of Nyssa † AD 395 On Virginity 6
… It is my belief that they would not have reached to this loftiness of spirit, if marriage had softened them. This is not simple history only; it is “written for our admonition
St Gregory of Nyssa † AD 395 On Virginity 18
… “Now all these things happened unto them for types, and they are written for our admonition
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Concerning Virgins 1.3
… Was she not a type of the Church, who as a virgin with unstained spirit joins together the religious gatherings of the people to sing divine songs? For we read that there were virgins appointed also in the temple at Jerusalem. But what says the Apostle? “These things happened to them in a figure, that they might be signs of what was to come.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 2
… For they that dwell in the world, and each day receive wounds, these have most need of medicines. So that it is far worse than not reading, to account the thing even “superfluous:” for these are the words of diabolical invention. Hear ye not Paul saying, “that all these things are written for our admonition”?
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 29
So wash out, if not the whole at once, a part at any rate, part today, and part tomorrow, and then the whole. And with regard to repentance too, and confession, and almsgiving, and justice also, and temperance, and all other things, thou wilt find many examples. “For all these things,” says the Apostle, “were written for our admonition.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 31
… But if any be a lover of wisdom, and a friend to spiritual entertainments, let him be told that even the things which seem to be unimportant in Scripture, are not placed there at random and to no purpose, and that even the old laws have much to profit us. For it says, “All these things are types (A.V. ensamples) and are written for our instruction.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 23
[5.] Ver. 11 . “Now all these things happened unto them by way of example; and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 30
… Know ye not that the Scriptures were written not for the first of mankind alone, but for our sakes also? Hearest thou not Paul say, that “they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come; that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope”? (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 8
What then after so great painstaking? The Apostles also wrote, even as Paul likewise said, “they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” (
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 52.10
… If these were approved by the Lord it was at a time when the priests had to offer victims and when the blood of sheep was the redemption of sins. They were figures typifying things still future and were “written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come.”
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 123.13
… and let us only end our marrying with the close of our lives. And if both before and after the deluge the maxim held good: “be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth:” what has that to do with us upon whom the ends of the ages are come,
St Jerome † AD 420 Against Jovinianus 2.4
… But who does not know that under the other dispensation of God all the saints of past times were of equal merit with Christians at the present day? As Abraham in days gone by pleased God in wedlock, so virgins now please him in perpetual virginity. He served the Law and his own times; let us now serve the Gospel and our times,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Holy Trinity 3.11
… As it is written also to the Corinthians, “Now all these things happened unto them in a figure: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Catechising of the Uninstructed 3
… Wherefore all things which were written aforetime were written in order that we might be taught thereby, and were our figures, and happened in a figure in the case of these men. Moreover they were written for our sakes, upon whom the end of the ages has come.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Good of Widowhood 10
… Forsooth different in the times of the Prophets was the dispensation of holy females, whom obedience, not lust, forced to marry, for the propagation of the people of God,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 6.5
… Now that this sacrifice has been revealed, and has been offered in due time, sacrifice is no longer binding as an act of worship, while it retains its symbolical authority. For these things "were written for our learning, upon whom the end of the world is come."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 6.9
… They were written, as the apostle says, for our admonition, on whom the end of the world is come.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 8
… We have already shown sufficiently why and how we maintain the authority of the Old Testament, not for the imitation of Jewish bondage, but for the confirmation of Christian liberty. It is not I, but the apostle, who says, "All these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the world are come."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 32.9
… and also that we need pay no regard to those who would judge us for not continuing the outward observance; as the apostle says elsewhere to the same purpose, "These things happened to them for an example; and they are written for our admonition, on whom the end of the ages are come."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Baptism, Against the Donatists 1.10
… Therefore she herself bears them in her own womb and in the womb of her handmaids, by virtue of the same sacraments, as though by virtue of the seed of her husband. For it is not without meaning that the apostle says that all these things were done by way of figure.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 11.8
… and the former people itself the present people. For in the Jewish people was figured the Christian people. There a figure, here the truth; there a shadow, here the body: as the apostle says, “Now these things happened to them in a figure.” It is the apostle’s voice: “They were written,” saith he, “for our sakes, upon whom the end of the ages is come.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 62.4
… Something difficult I seem to have propounded. Be ye patient, until it be proved by examples. “For all things” in the old people, as writeth the Apostle, “in a figure used to befall them: but they have been written for our amendment, upon whom the end of the world hath come.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 65.1
… It came to pass, when the seventy years had been completed, the temple was restored which had been thrown down: and there returned from captivity a great part of that people. But whereas the Apostle saith, “these things in figure happened unto them, but they have been written for our sakes, upon whom the end of the world hath come:”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 68.8
… … Lastly, all those men in the desert were stricken down, nor were any of them except two found worthy to go into the land of promise. Although even if in the sons of them that inheritance be said to have been perfected, we ought more readily to hold to a spiritual sense. For all those things in a figure did happen to them;
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 90.1
… Moses was therefore the Minister of the Old, and the Prophet of the New Testament. For “all these things,” saith the Apostle, “happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, unto whom the ends of the world come.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 107.3
… For by the sacrament as it were of the Red Sea, that is by Baptism consecrated with the Blood of Christ, the pursuing Egyptians, the sins, are washed away.…“But all these things happened to them in a figure, and were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 114.1
… We know these things, but yet we should not imagine in this Psalm, to which we have now answered by chanting Allelujah, that it is the purpose of the Holy Spirit, that while we call to mind those deeds of the past, we should not consider things like unto them yet to take place. For “these things,” as the Apostle saith, “happened unto them for ensamples.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 135.11
… Therefore deem not that these mighty deeds of God were then finished and have ceased. “Thy Name, O Lord,” he says, “is for ever.” That is, Thy loving-kindness ceaseth not, Thy hand ceaseth not for ever from doing these things, which then Thou didst afore declare in a figure. “But they are written for our admonition, on whom the end of the ages is come.”
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 Dialogues. The “Eranistes” or “Polymorphus” of the Blessed Theodoretus, Bishop of Cyrus 3
Orth. —All the Old Testament, so to say, is a type of the New. It is for this reason that the divine Apostle plainly says—“the Law having a shadow of good things to come” and again “now all these things happened unto them for ensamples.”
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St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 The Epistles of Cyprian 51.18
… Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ;” also that, rebuking the haughty, and breaking down their arrogance, he says in his epistle, “Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall;”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 3.22
… for thou doest the same things which thou judgest. But dost thou hope, who judgest those who do evil, and doest the same, that thou thyself shalt escape the judgment of God?” Also in the first Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians: “And let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Selections from the Letters of St. Ambrose 63.24
45. “Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 26
7. Let us not then be confident, who stand, but let us say to ourselves, “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall;”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 64
How many other such changes wouldest thou see, both to have taken place of old, and now taking place every day? For this reason then I say, Neither let him on the stave despair, nor let him in the church be confident. For to this last it is said, “Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall;”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 23
Ver. 12 . “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 38
… Since in fact both are alike evils, both despair and slothfulness; the one quickly casting a man down from the very arch of the heavens; the other not suffering the fallen to rise again. Wherefore with respect to the one, Paul said, “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall:” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 23
… The very first feature in tactics is, to know how to stand well, and many things will depend upon that. Hence he discourses much concerning standing, saying also elsewhere, “Watch ye, stand fast.” ( 1 Cor. xvi. 13 .) And again, “So stand fast in the Lord.” ( Philip. iv. 1 .) And again, “Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Philippians 11
… That which leads to Christ Himself. I said, that I believed in “Him, and in the power of His resurrection,” and that I “have fellowship with His sufferings,” and that I “become conformed to His death.” Yet after all these things I am by no means confident; as he said elsewhere, “Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Titus 5
… xiv. 10 .) But if they are not true, how great the fire. Hear what the thief says to his fellow-thief. “For we are also in the same condemnation.” ( Luke xxiii. 40 .) We are running the same hazard. If thou revilest others, thou wilt soon fall into the same sins. Therefore the blessed Paul admonishes us: “Let him that standeth, take heed lest he fall.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 10
… But when we are “thorns and thistles” through and through, whence (tell me) are we confident? And are becoming supine? What is it which makes us inert? If “he that thinketh he standeth” ought to fear “lest he fall”; for (he says) “Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall” (
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 11
… So, too, when the prodigal son returns, his father receives him with joy. Nay more, the apostle says: “Judge nothing before the time.” For “who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth.” And “let him that standeth take heed lest he fall.”
St Jerome † AD 420 Against Jovinianus 2.3
… that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” And again: “There hath no temptation taken you, but such as man can bear; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it.” And,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 20.10
… and go not aside lest ye fall;” and “To his own Master he stands or falls;” and “He that thinketh he standeth, let him take heed lest he fall?”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Christian Doctrine 3.23
… For the sins of these men were recorded to this end, that men might everywhere and always tremble at that saying of the apostle: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Of Holy Virginity 40
… a trial?” Doth it not drive thee back from over-confident arrogance, “Woe unto the world because of offenses?” Dost thou not tremble, lest thou be accounted among the many, whose “love waxeth cold, because that iniquity abounds?” Dost thou not smite thy breast, when thou hearest, “Wherefore, whoso thinketh that he standeth, let him see to it lest he fall?”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on the Predestination of the Saints 1.21
… But sayest thou, God’s will concerning myself is to me uncertain? What then? Is thine own will concerning thyself certain to thee? and dost thou not fear,—“Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall”?
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on the Predestination of the Saints 2.19
… But God has judged it to be better to mingle some who would not persevere with a certain number of His saints, so that those for whom security from temptation in this life is not desirable may not be secure. For that which the apostle says, checks many from mischievous elation: “Wherefore let him who seems to stand take heed lest he fall.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on the Predestination of the Saints 2.33
… but in this life of man, which is a state of trial upon the earth, he who seems to stand must take heed lest he fall.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 23.4
… We too indeed, if we finish our course, shall be equal to the angels of God; but now when we chafe against the wicked, we are as yet but men. And we ought now to give ear to the words, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 38.20
20. But then in the correction and repressing of other men’s sins, one must take heed, that in rebuking another he do not lift up himself; and that sentence of the Apostle must be thought of, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 42.11
… Is it disquieted on account of God? It is on my own account it is disquieted. By the Unchangeable it was revived; it is by the changeable it is disquieted. I know that the righteousness of God remaineth; whether my own will remain stedfast, I know not. For I am alarmed by the Apostle’s saying, “Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 52.9
… Because the Apostle hath said, “In fear and trembling work out your own salvation:” because it hath been said in a Psalm, “Serve the Lord in fear, and exult unto Him with trembling.” Wherefore “with fear”? “Wherefore let him that thinketh himself to stand, see that he fall not.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 13.14
… “Therefore let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man. But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation make also a way of escape that ye may be able to bear it.”
Pseudo-Clement The Second Epistle of the Same Clement 13
… “Thou shalt not long after the beauty a woman, lest she take thee captive with her eyelids;” and, “Thou shalt not look upon a maiden, lest thou perish through desire of her;” and, “With a woman that sings beautifully thou shalt not constantly be;” and, “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
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St Ignatius of Antioch † AD 108 Epistle to the Magnesians: Shorter and Longer Versions 1
… by whom ye have known God, or rather have been known by Him; in whom enduring, ye shall escape all the assaults of this world: for “He is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which ye are able.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen De Principiis 3.2.3
… since it is said of us, “There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen's Commentary on Matthew 11.6
And then the disciples “ having crossed over came to the land Gennesaret, ” of which word, if we knew the interpretation, we might gain some assistance in the exposition of the present passage. And observe, since God is faithful, and will not suffer the multitudes to be tempted above that they are able,
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 3.92
In the first Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians: “No temptation shall take you, except such is human. But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) 2.14.6
… Paul for writing, ‘God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able
St Basil the Great † AD 379 The Letters 139
… this world transformed, why should we be surprised that we, who are apart of creation, should feel the general woe, and be delivered to afflictions which our just God inflicts on us according to the measure of our strength, not letting us “be tempted above that we are able, but with the temptation giving us a way to escape that we may be able to bear it”?
St Basil the Great † AD 379 The Letters 219
The Lord ordereth “all things in measure and weight,” and brings on us the temptations which do not exceed our power to endure them, but tests all that fight in the cause of true religion by affliction, not suffering them to be tempted above that they are able to bear.
St Basil the Great † AD 379 The Letters 256
… to grant the shepherds to their flocks, and that the Church may return to her proper dignity. I am persuaded that if a voice be found to move our good God, He will not make His mercy afar off, but will now “with the temptation make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homily on the Paralytic Let Down Through the Roof 2
… Therefore also Paul saith “But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape that ye may be able to bear it.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 6.3
Nevertheless, I say, fear not. Paul comforteth you, saying, “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 42
Seest thou how God permits trials, and by them stirs up and awakens the disciples, and makes them more energetic? Then let us not sink down under trials: for He Himself will “also make the way of escape, that we may be able to bear them.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 3
… 33 .) What then, they will say, Have not many been turned to flight by these terrors? Yes, but that was not of the nature of temptation, but of their own remissness. But He that “with the temptation maketh also an escape, so that ye may be able to bear it” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 12
… by such as one usually meets with. For he signifies either this, or the moderateness of it, by the term applied, “after the manner of men.” For elsewhere he uses the same word. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Colossians 8
… So doth Paul also exhort us; as when he saith, “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin” ( Heb. xii. 4 .): and again, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 5
And even if there be no persecution, nor tribulation, yet there are other afflictions which befall us every day. And if we do not bear these, we should scarcely endure those. “There hath no temptation taken you,” it is said, “but such as is common to man.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 28
What then, you say, if it overthrow and destroy? Affliction does not do this, but our own slothfulness. How (you say)? If we are sober and watchful, if we beseech God that He would not “suffer us to be tempted above that we are able” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 29
… This he says also in writing to the Corinthians, “There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man” (
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 45.6
… Men call me a mischief-maker, and I take the title as a recognition of my faith. For I am but a servant, and the Jews still call my master a magician. The apostle, likewise, is spoken of as a deceiver. There hath no temptation taken me but such as is common to man.
St Jerome † AD 420 Against Jovinianus 2.3
… “But to whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also: for what I also have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, for your sakes have I forgiven it in the person of Christ: that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” And again:
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Confessions 10.5
… and yet know I that Thou canst not suffer violence; but for myself I know not what temptations I am able to resist, and what I am not able. But there is hope, because Thou art faithful, who wilt not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able, but wilt with the temptation also make a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Holy Trinity 12.10
… And it is a great thing so to pass through this life, on which we travel, as it were, like a road on our return home, that no temptation may take us, but what is common to man.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Holy Trinity 13.16
… concerning which the sacred writings speak through the mouth of the apostle: “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Catechising of the Uninstructed 27
… whereas, if he shall give way to the devil, he shall be damned along with him. But works of mercy, conjoined with pious humility, meet with this acknowledgment from God, to wit, that He will not suffer His servants to be tempted more than they are able to bear.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Of Holy Virginity 47
… “For God,” saith the Apostle, “is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tried above what ye are able but will make with the trial a way out, that ye may be able to bear it.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Good of Widowhood 21
… Rather let us do what is of our own free will, and most absolute power; and let us mock at the Apostle, saying, “God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above what ye are able;”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Lying 43
… in the consideration and treatment whereof altogether there is nothing more meet to be, before all else, borne in mind and made our prayer, than that which the same Apostle saith: “God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able to bear, but will with the temptation make also a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Baptism, Against the Donatists 2.5
… Since then we are men, yet forasmuch as in hope we are angels, whose equals we shall be in the resurrection, at any rate, so long as we are wanting in the perfection of angels, let us at least be without the presumption of the devil. Accordingly the apostle says, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on the Spirit and the Letter 54
… but according to that whereby a thing is brought to pass which is promised, God Himself even is faithful to us; for the apostle declares, “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount 2.9
… concerning which temptations the apostle says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man;” while he says at the same time, “But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 20.3
… but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 90.2
… For this, I think, has to do with human temptation, without which we cannot pass through this life, so that the apostle said, “No temptation should befall you but such as is common to man.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 50.22
… What greater misery in mankind? These things all men do deplore and grieve at, and these are tribulations: in all these they call upon the Lord, and they do rightly. Let them call upon God, He is able either to teach how it must be borne, or to heal it when borne. He knoweth how not to suffer us to be tried above that we are able to bear.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 62.13
… in order that by thyself thou mayest be found out, that knowest not thyself. For where, or from whence, ought we to be secure, except by this power and mercy of God? After that Apostolic saying, “Faithful is God, that doth not suffer you to be tempted above that which ye are able.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 62.14
… do thou only belong to Him; on Himself thy hope set thou, let Himself be thy Helper, thy Salvation: in Him be there the fortified place, the tower of strength, thy refuge let Himself be, and He will not suffer thee to be tempted above that which thou art able to bear, but will make with the temptation also an escape, that thou mayest be able to support it:
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 78.9
… But he whose spirit hath been trusted with God, keepeth hold on God, who is faithful, and “doth not suffer him to be tempted above that which he is able; but will make with the temptation a way of escape also,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 80.4
… but, “Thou wilt be angry with the prayer of Thy servant,” how long? There followeth: “Thou wilt feed us with the bread of tears, and wilt give us to drink with tears in measure” ( ver. 5 ). What is, “in measure”? Hear the Apostle: “Faithful is God, who doth not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able to bear.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 89.10
… It slew Martyrs, scattered seeds of blood, the harvest of the Church sprang up. Safely then let the clouds go forth: let them diffuse Thy truth in circuit of Thee, let them not fear the savage waves. “Thou rulest the power of the sea.” The sea swells, buffets, and roars: but “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted beyond what ye are able:”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 94.22
… But lest we fail in hope, there is near us a provision to encourage us, and to mitigate those very evils which we suffer. For it is not said in vain, “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able: but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it:”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Twelve Books on the Institutes of the Cœnobia, and the Remedies for the Eight Principal Faults 5.16
… For “every one that doeth sin is the servant of sin.” And this will be addressed to us by the blessed Apostle, together with those among whom fornication is named. “Temptation does not overtake you, except such as is human.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Twelve Books on the Institutes of the Cœnobia, and the Remedies for the Eight Principal Faults 5.19
… and deservedly will it be said of us by the Apostle in the language of blame: “Temptation does not overtake you, except what is common to man.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 3.17
… “No temptation hath come upon you but such as is common to man. But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation make also a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 4.6
… for too long a time by Thine aid, can endure by its own steadfastness, and not forthwith give in to the power of the enemy’s side, unless Thou Thyself, as Thou knowest the strength of man, and moderatest his struggles, “Suffer us not to be tempted above that we are able, but makest with the temptation a way of escape that we may be able to bear it.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 7.20
… and so great foes, or meet their attacks, or even bear their cruelty and savagery, were it not that the merciful judge of our contest, and president of the games, Christ Himself, equalized the strength of the combatants, and repelled and checked their excessive attacks, and made with the temptation a way of escape as well that we might be able to bear it.
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 9.23
… Abraham was tempted, Joseph was tempted, but neither of them was led into temptation for neither of them yielded his consent to the tempter. Next there follows: “But deliver us from evil,” i.e., do not suffer us to be tempted by the devil above that we are able, but “make with the temptation a way also of escape that we may be able to bear it.”
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 Letters of the Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyprus 16
… Easy it is for Him to stay it, but we are unworthy of the calm, yet the grace of His patience is enough for us, so that haply by it we may get the better of our foes. So the divine apostle has taught us to pray “for He will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it.”
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 Letters of the Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyprus 77
… A crisis like this proves who is a shepherd and who a hireling; who diligently feeds the flock and who on the other hand feeds on the milk and thinks little of the safety of the sheep. “But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it.”
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 Letters of the Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyprus 174
“God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it,”
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 The Book of Pastoral Rule 1.11
… and it now wounds the body outwardly, because, while sensuality is not repressed in thought, it gains the mastery also in action. For Paul had a care to cleanse away this itch of the skin, when he said, Let no temptation take you but such as is human (
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Tertullian † AD 220 The Chaplet, or De Corona 10
… for with this ceremony, and dress, and pomp, it is presented in sacrifice to idols, its originators, to whom its use is specially given over, and chiefly on this account, that what has no place among the things of God may not be admitted into use with us as with others. Wherefore the apostle exclaims, “Flee idolatry:”
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 19.7
… For as the Bread and Wine of the Eucharist before the invocation of the Holy and Adorable Trinity were simple bread and wine, while after the invocation the Bread becomes the Body of Christ, and the Wine the Blood of Christ
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 24
[2.] Ver. 14 . “Wherefore, my brethren , flee from idolatry.”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 24
Ver. 15 . “I speak as to wise men: judge ye what I say.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 26
Ver. 13 . “Judge ye in yourselves: is it seemly that a woman pray unto God veiled?” Again he places them as judges of the things said, which also he did respecting the idol-sacrifices. For as there he saith, “judge ye what I say:” (c.
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 3.18.2
… the reason why the Son of God did these things, saying, “For to this end Christ both lived, and died, and revived, that He might rule over the living and the dead.” And again, writing to the Corinthians, he declares, “But we preach Christ Jesus crucified;” and adds, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?”
St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 5.2.2
… But if this indeed do not attain salvation, then neither did the Lord redeem us with His blood, nor is the cup of the Eucharist the communion of His blood, nor the bread which we break the communion of His body.
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 6.6
… for we reap no small consolation from this season. For our very meeting together daily as we do, and having the benefit of hearing the divine Scriptures; and beholding each other; and weeping with each other; and praying, and receiving Benedictions,
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 8
… Reverence now, oh reverence, this Table whereof we all are partakers! (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 24
[3.] Ver. 16 . “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion of the Blood of Christ?”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 24
… they exist indeed, but their difference is not seen by reason of their conjunction; so are we conjoined both with each other and with Christ: there not being one body for thee, and another for thy neighbor to be nourished by, but the very same for all. Wherefore also he adds,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 17.5
… This people the Apostle Peter calls “a holy people, a royal priesthood.” But some have translated, “Of Thy sacrifice,” not “Of Thy priesthood,” which no less signifies the same Christian people. Whence the Apostle Paul says, “We being many are one bread, one body.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 21.20
… For these have eaten the body of Christ, not only sacramentally but really, being incorporated in His body, as the apostle says, “We, being many, are one bread, one body;”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 21.25
… for these, say they, have eaten the Lord’s body not only sacramentally, but really, being constituted members of His body, of which the apostle says, “We being many are one bread, one body.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 22.18
… But new additions are daily being made to this body while the Church is being built up, to which it is said, “Ye are the body of Christ and His members;” and again, “For His body’s sake,” he says, “which is the Church;” and again, “We being many are one head, one body.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Correction of the Donatists 11
… For there is but one bread which is the sacrament of unity, seeing that, as the apostle says, "We, being many, are one bread, and one body."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Harmony of the Gospels 3.25
… The deeper significance of all which is this, that no one should consider himself to have attained the knowledge of Christ, if he is not a member in His body—that is to say, in His Church—the unity of which is commended to our notice under the sacramental symbol of the bread by an apostle, when he says: “We being many are one bread and one body.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 26.13
… Be in the body of Christ. For surely my body does not live by thy spirit. My body lives by my spirit, and thy body by thy spirit. The body of Christ cannot live but by the Spirit of Christ. It is for this that the Apostle Paul, expounding this bread, says: “One bread,” saith he, “we being many are one body.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 69.24
… But He had taken Himself pleasant food, when He ate the Passover with His disciples: therein He showed the Sacrament of His Body. Unto this food so pleasant, so sweet, of the Unity of Christ, of which the Apostle maketh mention, saying, “For one bread, One Body, being many we are;”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 147.18
… and God shall drag His people out of the captivity of Babylon; by all means He shall redeem and deliver them, and the number of the saints who bear the image of God shall be perfected.…“Praise in unison,” because thou consistest of many: “praise,” because thou hast been made one. “We being many,” saith the Apostle, “are one in Christ.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 147.26
… yet now they preach the truth, they have been made morsels of bread. Who is that one Bread? “We being many,” saith the Apostle, “are one Body in Christ;” he saith also, “we being many are one Bread and one Body.”
Pope St Leo I the Great † AD 461 Sermons 42
… For the vice of pride is a near neighbour to good deeds, and arrogance ever lies in wait hard by virtue: because it is hard for him that lives praise-worthily not to be caught by man’s praise unless, as it is written, “he that glorieth, glorieth in the Lord
St John of Damascus † AD 749 An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 4.13
… For if union is in truth with Christ and with one another, we are assuredly voluntarily united also with all those who partake with us. For this union is effected voluntarily and not against our inclination. For we are all one body because we partake of the one bread , as the divine Apostle says
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Origen † AD 254 Origen De Principiis iv.1.21
21. This, then, being the state of the case, the holy apostle desiring to elevate in some degree, and to raise our understanding above the earth, says in a certain place, “Behold Israel after the flesh;”
Origen † AD 254 Origen De Principiis iv.1-2.21
21. Such, then, being the state of the case, the apostle, elevating our power of discernment (above the letter), says somewhere, “Behold Israel after the flesh,”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 24
[5.] Ver. 18 . “Behold Israel after the flesh: have not they which eat the sacrifices communion with the altar?”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Christian Doctrine 3.34
… and I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way, and according to their doings, I judged them.” Now it is easy to understand that this applies to that house of Israel of which the apostle says, “Behold Israel after the flesh;”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 68.39
39. “Give ye glory to God, above Israel is the magnificence of Him” ( ver. 34 ). Of whom saith the Apostle, “Upon the Israel of God.” For “not all that are out of Israel, are Israelites:” for there is also an Israel after the flesh. Whence he saith, “See ye Israel after the flesh.”
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Tertullian † AD 220 A Treatise on the Soul 3
Would to God that no “heresies had been ever necessary, in order that they which are approved may be made manifest!”
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 28
… And this was the trick of the Evil One, who abused good to an evil purpose, as in most of his evil deeds. For he laid hold of their desire in its wandering in search of God, in order to distort to himself
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 24
Ver. 19 . “What say I then? That an idol is any thing? or that a thing sacrificed to idols is any thing?”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 5
“Having no hope,” he adds, “and without God.” Though gods indeed they worshipped, but they were no gods: “for an idol is not any thing.” (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 102.19
… that the idol is anything, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything? But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to devils, and not to God; and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 8.24
… Whence the apostle says, “We know that an idol is nothing, but those things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, and not to God; and I would not ye should have fellowship with demons.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Christian Doctrine 2.23
… “Not as if the idol were anything,” says the apostle; “but because the things which they sacrifice they sacrifice to devils and not to God; and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Morals of the Manichæans 14
… Whether, therefore, ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Greeks, nor to the Church of God: even as I please all men in all things not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many that they may be saved. Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ."
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St Justin Martyr † AD 165 The First Apology 5
… and being carried away by fear, and not knowing that these were demons, they called them gods, and gave to each the name which each of the demons chose for himself.
St Ephrem the Syrian † AD 373 Ephraim Syrus: Nineteen Hymns on the Nativity of Christ in the Flesh 3
… The spiritual Bread, as the Giver of it, quickens the spiritual spiritually, and he that receives it carnally, receives it rashly to no profit. This Bread of grace let the spirit receive discerningly, as the medicine of Life. If the dead sacrifices in the name of devils were offered,
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 3.3
… Regard not the Laver as simple water, but rather regard the spiritual grace that is given with the water. For just as the offerings brought to the heathen altars , though simple in their nature, become defiled by the invocation of the idols
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 24
Ver. 20 . “For that which the Gentiles sacrifice,” saith he, “they sacrifice to demons, and not to God.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 245
… But who can expect to find in Scripture express prohibition of every form of wicked superstition, seeing that the apostle says generally, “I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 20.5
… for idols have an existence, though for salvation they are nought. So, to worship a tree with prayers, instead of improving it by cultivation, is not to worship nothing, but to worship in a wrong way. When the apostle says that "the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God,"
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 22.17
… And as this true sacrifice was piously set forth in the Hebrew observances, so it was impiously caricatured by the Pagans, because, as the apostle says, what they offer they offer to devils, and not to God.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 32.13
… For he first says, "The things which the Gentiles offer, they offer to demons, and not to God;" and then adds these words: "I would not that ye should have fellowship with demons."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Harmony of the Gospels 1.15
… Nor should that seem incredible. For we also read in the Gospel that the demons confessed Him; and in our prophets it is written in this wise: “For the gods of the nations are demons.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 12.10
… If this “genius” be any ornament, let the citizens of Carthage live well; and they themselves will be this “genius” of Carthage. But if the “genius” be a devil, ye have heard in that same Scripture, “The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God; and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 96.5
… How is the wood of devils cleared away, unless He who is above them all be preached? All nations then had devils for their gods: those whom they called gods, were devils, as the Apostle more openly saith, “The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice unto devils, and not to God.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 136.3
… Whence also the Apostle says, “We know that an idol is nothing.” This refers to its earthy senseless material. But that no one may think, that there is no living and sentient nature, which delights in the Gentile sacrifices, he adds, “But what the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: I would not have you partaken with devils.”
Pseudo-Clement The Recognitions of Clement 2.71
… for he has become a guest of demons, and has been partaker with that demon of which he has formed the image in his mind, either through fear or love.
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Tertullian † AD 220 The Shows, or De Spectaculis 13
… Nor do we dislike the temples less than the monuments: we have nothing to do with either altar, we adore neither image; we do not offer sacrifices to the gods, and we make no funeral oblations to the departed; nay, we do not partake of what is offered either in the one case or the other, for we cannot partake of God’s feast and the feast of devils.
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 The Epistles of Cyprian 9.2
… but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost shall not have forgiveness, but is guilty of eternal sin.” Also the blessed apostle has said, “Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils; ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table and of the table of devils.”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 The Epistles of Cyprian 30.3
… whereas, not less than if they had approached to the wicked altars,
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 On the Lapsed 15
… and whatever soul eateth of the flesh of the saving sacrifice, which is the Lord’s, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from his people.” Also, the apostle testifies, and says, “Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils; ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table and of the table of devils.”
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 22.7
7. Also the blessed David shall advise thee the meaning of this, saying, Thou hast prepared a table before me in the presence of them that afflict me . What he says, is to this effect: Before Thy coming, the evil spirits prepared a table for men , polluted and defiled and full of devilish influence
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 24
Ver. 21 . “Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons: ye cannot partake of the Lord’s table, and of the table of demons.”
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 22.29
… Is not a brother made to stumble if he sees you sitting at meat in an idol’s temple? Although “unto the pure all things are pure,” and “nothing is to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving,” still we ought not to drink the cup of Christ, and, at the same time, the cup of devils.
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 55.4
… If this seems hard to her and if she cannot leave one whom she has once loved and will not prefer the Lord to sensual pleasure, let her hear the declaration of the apostle: “ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table and of the table of devils,”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 24
… Wherefore also he makes use of this expression, which Moses likewise of old used against the Jews, accusing them of idolatry in the person of God. “For they,” saith He, “moved Me to jealousy with that which is not God; they provoked Me to anger with their idols.” ( Deut. xxxii. 21 .)
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Tertullian † AD 220 On Baptism 17
… But how much more is the rule of reverence and modesty incumbent on laymen—seeing that these powers belong to their superiors—lest they assume to themselves the specific function of the bishop! Emulation of the episcopal office is the mother of schisms. The most holy apostle has said, that “all things are lawful , but not all expedient .”
Tertullian † AD 220 On the Apparel of Women ii.10
… whether (they will do so) with honesty, or with moderation? But how far more praiseworthy (the servant) who abstains entirely; who has a wholesome fear even of his lord’s indulgence! Thus, therefore, the apostle too: “All things,” says he, “are lawful, but not all are expedient.”
Tertullian † AD 220 To His Wife 2.8
These are the things which that utterance of the apostle has, beneath its brevity, left to be understood by us. These things, if need shall be, suggest to your own mind. By these turn yourself away from the examples of some. To marry otherwise is, to believers, not “lawful;” is not “expedient.”
Tertullian † AD 220 On Exhortation to Chastity 8
Let it now be granted that repetition of marriage is lawful, if everything which is lawful is good. The same apostle exclaims: “All things are lawful, but all are not profitable.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen De Principiis 2.7.4
… The phrase “it is not lawful” is, we think, used by the apostle instead of “it is not possible;” as also is the case in the passage where he says, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me; but all things edify not.”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 On the Dress of Virgins 9
9. You say that you are wealthy and rich. But not everything that can be done ought also to be done; nor ought the broad desires that arise out of the pride of the world to be extended beyond the honour and modesty of virginity; since it is written, “All things are lawful, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful, but all things edify not.”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 3.93
Paul, in the first Epistle to the Corinthians: “All things are lawful, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful, but all things edify not.”
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Against the Heathen (Contra Gentes) 4
… and thinking that by the mere fact of moving she is maintaining her own dignity, and is doing no sin in doing as she pleases; not knowing that she is made not merely to move, but to move in the right direction. For this is why an apostolic utterance assures us “All things are lawful, but not all things are expedient
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 3.2
… The upright man must never think of depriving another of anything, nor must he ever wish to increase his own advantage to the disadvantage of another. This rule the Apostle gives thee, saying: “All things are lawful, but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful, but all things edify not. Let no man seek his own, but each one another’s.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 24
Ver. 23, 24 . “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. Let no man seek his own, but each his neighbor’s good.”
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Tertullian † AD 220 On the Apparel of Women ii.2
… Are we to paint ourselves out that our neighbours may perish? Where, then, is (the command), “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself?” “Care not merely about your own (things), but (about your) neighbour’s?”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 74
… Surely he, who seeks his own things only, will receive even from Paul endless blame, and when I say from Paul, I mean from Christ, but the other commendations and crowns. Whence is this evident? Hear what His language is to one, what to the other. “Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 33
… a thing which no how takes place except from love. Seek not therefore thine own, that thou mayest find thine own. For he that seeks his own, finds not his own. Wherefore also Paul said, “Let no man seek his own, but each his neighbor’s good.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 60
… xxxiv. 4 .) As Paul also hath declared in another passage, saying, “For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s” ( Philip. ii. 21 ); and again, “Let no man seek his own, but every man his neighbor’s.” (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 28.6
… She seeketh not her own;” since she gives what she possesses. In another place there is more danger in the expression, if you do not understand it right. For the Apostle, charging the faithful members of Christ after this rule of charity, says, “Let no man seek his own, but another’s.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 17.19
… And what then becomes of the Apostle’s words: “Let no man seek his own but the things of another:” and: “Love seeketh not her own, but the things of others;” and of himself he says: “I seek not mine own good but the good of many that they may be saved?”
Pope St Leo I the Great † AD 461 Sermons 88
… when one purpose animates all alike of declining from evil and doing good; when God is glorified in the works of His slaves, and the Author of all godliness is blessed in unstinted giving of thanks. The hungry are nourished, the naked are clothed, the sick are visited, and men seek not their own but “that which is another’s
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Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 5.7
… how prescient already, and considerate in warning Christians who belong to another god! Whenever cavils occur the like to those which have been already dealt with, I pass them by; certain others I despatch briefly. A great argument for another god is the permission to eat of all kinds of meats, contrary to the law.
Tertullian † AD 220 On Fasting 2
… whereas faith, free in Christ, owes no abstinence from particular meats to the Jewish Law even, admitted as it has been by the apostle once for all to the whole range of the meat-market
Novatian † AD 258 On the Jewish Meats 5
… “Everything that is sold in the market-place eat, asking nothing.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 47.4
… He does not sin who, unwittingly, afterwards partakes of food which he formerly refused because it had been offered to an idol. A kitchen-herb, or any other fruit of the ground, belongs to Him who created it; for “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof,” and “every creature of God is good.”
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 The Ecclesiastical History of Theodoret 3.11
… When those who were called by the Saviour’s name saw what was done, they groaned and bewailed and expressed their abomination; nevertheless they partook, for they remembered the apostolic law, “Everything that is sold in the shambles eat, asking no question for conscience sake.”
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Pope St Clement I † AD 99 The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians 54
… only let the flock of Christ live on terms of peace with the presbyters set over it.” He that acts thus shall procure to himself great glory in the Lord; and every place will welcome him. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 25
Ver. 26 . “For to the Lord belongeth the earth and the fulness thereof.” Not to the devils. Now if the earth and the fruits and the beasts be all His, nothing is unclean: but it becomes unclean otherwise, from our intention and our disobedience. Wherefore he not only gave permission, but also,
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Colossians 3
Then having spoken of His dignity, he afterwards speaks of His love to man also. “He is,” saith he, “the Head of the body, the Church.” And he said not “of the fullness,”
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Tertullian † AD 220 On Idolatry 16
… but neither will I furnish advice, or expense, or any other good office in a matter of that kind. If it is on account of the sacrifice that I be invited, and stand by, I shall be partaker of idolatry; if any other cause conjoins me to the sacrificer, I shall be merely a spectator of the sacrifice.
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 25
Ver. 27 . “If one of them that believe not biddeth you,” saith he, “to a feast, and you are disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 25
… “If any man,” he says, “that is called a Brother, be a fornicator, or covetous or a drunkard, with such an one, no not to eat.” But not so with respect to the heathen: but “If any of them that believe not,” meaning the heathen, “bid you and ye be disposed to go, whatsoever is set before you eat.” (
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Tertullian † AD 220 The Chaplet, or De Corona 10
… and if the smell of some place or other offends me, I burn the Arabian product myself, but not with the same ceremony, nor in the same dress, nor with the same pomp, with which it is done to idols. If the creature is defiled by a mere word, as the apostle teaches, “But if any one say, This is offered in sacrifice to idols, you must not touch it,”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 25
Ver. 28 . “But if any man say unto you, This hath been offered in sacrifice unto idols; eat not, for his sake that showed it.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 46
… Suppose now that the latter statement were false, tell me if I am bound to forbear from using these crops, or the money obtained for them, merely because I have heard the statement made, according to the scriptural rule: “If any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not, for his sake that showed it.”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 25
… (“for the earth is the Lord’s:”) but for the reason I mentioned, for conscience sake; i.e., that it may not be injured.” Ought one therefore to inquire scrupulously? “Nay” saith he “for I said not thy conscience, but his. For I have already said, ‘for his sake that showed it.’” And again,
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 123.15
… He provided things honest not only in the sight of God but in the sight of all men; that the name of God might not be blasphemed among the Gentiles. Though he had power to lead about a sister, a wife, he would not do so, for he did not wish to be judged by an unbeliever’s conscience.
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 25
… but for my brother’s sake, and that I may not become a partaker with devils, and that I may not be judged by the unbeliever. For in this case it is no longer now the nature of the thing, but the disobedience and the friendship with devils which maketh me unclean, and the purpose of heart worketh the pollution.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 20.18
… The animal sacrifices, therefore, presumptuously claimed by devils, were an imitation of the true sacrifice which is due only to the one true God, and which Christ alone offered on His altar. Thus the apostle says: "The sacrifices which the Gentiles offer, they offer to devils, and not to God."
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St Ignatius of Antioch † AD 108 Epistle to Polycarp: Shorter and Longer Versions 5
… If he begins to boast, he is undone; and if he reckon himself greater than the bishop, he is ruined. But it becomes both men and women who marry, to form their union with the approval of the bishop, that their marriage may be according to God, and not after their own lust. Let all things be done to the honour of God.
Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus 8.32
… of corn and wine, and the fruits of trees, of water and of air, do not feed with demons, but rather do they feast with divine angels, who are appointed for this purpose, and who are as it were invited to the table of the pious man, who hearkens to the precept of the word, which says, “Whether ye eat or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen's Commentary on Matthew 11.12
… for not from intemperance, nor from love of pleasure, nor with doubting which draws a man both ways, do the righteous use meats or drinks, mindful of the precept, “Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever other thing ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
St Hilary of Poitiers † AD 367 Homilies on the Psalms 1
… not in a mere perusal of the books and writings, but in a practical meditation and exercise in their respective contents, and in a fulfilment of the Law by the works we do by night and day, as the Apostle says: Whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God
St Basil the Great † AD 379 The Letters 22.2
… Every Christian, with the approval of his superiors, ought so to do everything with reason and assurance, even down to actual eating and drinking, as done to the glory of God.
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Concerning Widows 7
… Every day she was intent on fasting except on the Sabbath and the Lord’s Day and the times of holy days, not as yielding to desire of refreshment, but out of respect for religion. For this is that which is said: “Whether ye eat or drink, all is to be done in the name of Jesus Christ,”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 48
Therefore, delivering ourselves both from evil report, and above all from the hell that is to come, and doing the things that are well-pleasing to God, let us put an end to this devilish custom, that “both eating and drinking we may do all things to the glory of God,”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 24
… So thou wilt make the party a Church, by hymning, in the room of ill-timed shouts and cheers, the Master of all things. And tell me not, that another custom has come to prevail, but correct what is thus amiss. “For whether ye eat,” it says, “or whether ye drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 25
[3.] Ver. 31 . “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Colossians 12
I dare say you consider me offensive. For this too is a property of extreme pervertedness, that even one that rebuketh you incurs your ridicule as one that is austere. Hear ye not Paul, saying, “Whatsoever ye do, whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God”? (
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 127.4
… and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” This meditation in the law she understood not of a review of the written words as among the Jews the Pharisees think, but of action according to that saying of the apostle, “whether, therefore, ye eat or drink or what soever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 133.7
… must the help of God be always indispensable to me?” Thankless, nay blasphemous wretch, hear the apostle’s declaration: “whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 48.3
… —whatever you do, I say, “do all to the glory of God,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on the Grace of Christ, and on Original Sin 1.48
… “You see, therefore,” says he, “because the power of the Lord co-operates everywhere with human efforts, that no man is able to build without the Lord, no man to watch without the Lord, no man to undertake anything without the Lord. Whence the apostle thus enjoins: ‘Whether ye eat, or whether ye drink, do all to the glory of God.’”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 103.1
… thou hast sung as far as thou couldest, thou hast left the church; let thy soul sound the praises of God. Thou art engaged in thy daily work: let thy soul praise God. Thou art taking food; see what the Apostle saith: “Whether ye eat or drink, do all to the glory of God.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 147.2
… Thou devisest no fraud in thy heart: thou singest a Psalm to God. When thou eatest and drinkest, sing a Psalm: not by intermingling sweet sounds suited to the ear, but by eating and drinking moderately, frugally, temperately: for thus saith the Apostle, “whether ye eat or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
Pseudo-Clement The Second Epistle of the Same Clement 6
… For, “whether we eat, or drink, or do anything else, let us do it as for the glory of God.”
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Tertullian † AD 220 On Idolatry 14
… The cursing of well-maintained Discipline is a blessing of the Name. “If,” says he, “I wished to please men, I should not be Christ’s servant.” But the same apostle elsewhere bids us take care to please all: “As I,” he says, “please all by all means.”
St Basil the Great † AD 379 The Letters 42.3
… only to him who thinks it is unclean, to him it is unclean. “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.” “All things are lawful but all things are not expedient.” Among all, with whom you come in contact, be in all things a giver of no offence,
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 15
12. Since then we know the gain that arises from this earnestness, and the danger of indolence (for if our Lord be blasphemed because of us, that were far worse than our perdition), let us “give none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 22
This is that: “let your light shine before men” ( Matt. v. 16 ), not that we are to live for vanity, but that we are not to give those who have a mind for it a handle against us. Whence he says also in another place, “Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 25
Ver. 32 . “Give no occasion of stumbling, either to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the Church of God:” i.e., give no handle to anyone: since in the case supposed, both thy brother is offended, and the Jew will the more hate and condemn thee, and the Gentile in like manner deride thee even as a gluttonous man and a hypocrite.
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 26
And discoursing concerning the idol-sacrifices, he said not that one ought to abstain from things forbidden only, but also from things permitted when offence is given: and not only not to hurt the brethren, but not even Greeks, nor Jews. Thus, “give no occasion of stumbling,” saith he, “either to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the Church of God.” (c.
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 57
… Neither I, perhaps, nor any of the more perfect, suspect any ill; but the simpler brother is harmed by occasion of thy perfection; and thou oughtest to be careful also for his infirmity. And even if he receive no injury, yet the Greek is harmed. Now Paul biddeth us be “without offense, both to Jews and Greeks, and to the Church of God.” (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Of the Work of Monks 14
… For honesty itself reprehends not what their pride doth reprehend, who love to be called, but love not to be, honest. The Apostle then would not disdain either to take in hand any work of peasants, or to be employed in the labor of craftsmen. For he who saith, “Be ye without offense to Jews and to Greeks and to the Church of God,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount 2.1.3
3. For the apostle also says, “If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ;” while he says in another place, “Please all men in all things, even as I also please all men in all things.”
Pseudo-Clement The Second Epistle of the Same Clement 5
… on this account we must be “on our guard that we be to no one a stumbling-block, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor yet to the Church of God; and we must not seek that which is profitable to ourselves only, but that which is for the profit of many, so that they may be saved.”
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St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 The Epistles of Cyprian 51.15
… And what will become, dearest brother, of what the apostle says: “I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. Be ye followers of me, as I also am of Christ.”
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 2.54
… Now he is least of the apostles, now he offers a proof of Christ speaking in him; now he longs for departure and is being poured forth as a libation, now he thinks it more necessary for their sakes to abide in the flesh. For he seeks not his own interests, but those of his children,
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 24
Wherefore also he adds, “Let no man seek his own;” which he every where through the whole Epistle insists upon and in that to the Romans; when he says, “For even Christ pleased not Himself:” ( Rom. xv. 3 .) and again, “Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 25
Ver. 33 . “Even as I also please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Philippians 4
… No, he answers, and this for Christ’s sake, that I may render more loving unto Him those whom I have made his servants, that I may make the plot which I have planted bear much fruit. ( 1 Cor. iii. 9 .). Didst thou not hear me, when I declared that I sought not “that which profited myself” (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 228.9
… You see, also, how much harm is done by their absence, when “they seek their own, not the things that are Jesus Christ’s,” and are destitute of that charity of which it is said, “it seeketh not her own,” and fail to imitate him who said, “I seek not mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 231.4
… The apostle says in a certain place, “If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ;” and the same apostle says in another place, “I please all men in all things,” and adds the reason, “Not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Good of Widowhood 27
… Whence not in vain the Apostle, “We provide good things,” saith he, “not only before God, but also before men;” also he saith, “Please ye all men through all things; even as I also please all men through all things, not seeking what is of profit unto myself, but what unto many, that they may be saved.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on Rebuke and Grace 44
… Just as it was said to the Pharisees, “Ye tithe every herb;” where the expression is only to be understood of every herb that they had, for they did not tithe every herb which was found throughout the whole earth. According to the same manner of speaking, it was said, “Even as I also please all men in all things.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 4.2
… See how his “light shineth before men, that they may see his good works. We commend ourselves,” saith he, “to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” And again, “For we provide things honest, not only in the sight of God, but also in the sight of men.” And again, “Please all men in all things, even as I please all men in all things.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 4.4
… but that He may be made known, who is praised in them that are justified, that so He may bring to pass in him that praises that which is praised in others, that is, that He may make him that praises to be himself the object of praise. Observe the Apostle too, how that when he had said, “Please all men in all things, as I also please all men in all things;”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 28.6
… Now this if thou do, thou doest not well. Hear and listen, thou covetous one: the Apostle explains to thee in another place more clearly this that he said, “Let no man seek his own, but another’s.” He says of himself, “Not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.”
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 The Book of Pastoral Rule 2.8
… Which thing Paul insinuates well, when, manifesting the secret of his affection for us, he says, Even as I please all men in all things (
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Our fathers, i.e., the fathers of the Jews, of whom I am one, as many of you are, O Corinthians.
Under the cloud. This cloud was the pillar which overshadowed the Hebrews in the daytime as a cloud, and shone at night as a fire, which led them for forty years through the wilderness, which settled over the ark and went before their camp, and protected them from the heat by spreading itself over the camp. Its mover and charioteer, so to speak, was an angel. See Exod. xiii.
And all passed through the sea. The Red Sea, and dry shod, because Moses smote the waters with his rod, and divided them. Ver. 2. And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. See Exo 14. The passage of the Red Sea is a type of baptism, in which we are reddened with the blood of Christ, and drown the Egyptians, viz., our sins. Moses is a type of Christ; the cloud is the Holy Spirit, who cools the heat of lust and gives us light. Theodoret says: " Those things were typical of ours. The sea stood for the font, the cloud for the grace of the Spirit, Moses for the priest, his rod for the cross. Israel signified those who were baptized; the persecuting Egyptians represented the devils, and Pharaoh himself was their chief. "
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Unto Moses as the legislator signifies, according to some, that the Hebrews were initiated into the Mosaic law by a kind of baptism when they passed through the sea. So we are baptized into Christ or initiated and incorporated into Christ and Christianity, by baptism. Hence in Exod. xiv., after the account of the passage through the sea, it is added, "They believed the Lord and His servant Moses." But our baptism was not a type of the baptism of the Hebrews in the Red Sea, but, on the contrary, theirs was a type of ours. Moreover, in this passage the Hebrews were not initiated into the law of Moses, for they did not receive it till they reached Sinai. I say, then, that since the Apostle frequently puts into for in, it is more simple to understand the phrase to mean through Moses, or under his leadership. So Ephrem, Chrysostom, Theophylact take it. The sense, then, is: all the Hebrews were baptized by Moses spiritually and typically, or bore the type of our baptism, in that, when they saw the sea divided by Moses, and Moses passing through it before, they, as Chrysostom says, also ventured to trust themselves to the sea, and that in the cloud, that is, under the guidance and protection of the cloud going before then, and in the sea, viz., in which the Egyptians were drowned, and through which they passed from Egyptian slavery to liberty and newness of life, just as we pass through the waters of baptism from the service of the devil to the Kingdom of Christ. So Anselm, Chrysostom, Ambrose, Theophylact. Notice, too, with Chrysostom, that the Scriptures give the name of the type to the antitype, and vice versâ. Here the passage through the Red Sea is called a baptism, because it was a type of one. Hence ver. 6 is explained, where he says, "These things were our examples." Ver. 3. And did all eat the same spiritual meat. Not, as Calvin supposes, the same as we, as though Christians and Hebrews alike feed, not on the Real Body of Christ, but on the typical. You will say, perhaps, that S. Augustine (tract. 25 in Johan.) and S. Thomas explain it to be the same as we eat. I reply: They understand " the same " by analogy, for the Hebrews received typically what we receive really. But this is beside the meaning of the Apostle, who understands the same to refer, not to us but to themselves. All the Hebrews, whether good or bad, ate the same food, that is the same manna. This is evident from the context, " But with many of them God was not well pleased," that is to say, that though all ate the same manna, drank of the same water from the rock, yet all did mot please God. As, then, they had one baptism and one spiritual food, so too have we; and as, notwithstanding, they were not all saved, but many of them perished, so is it to be feared that many of us may perish, although we have the same sacraments common to us all. So Chrysostom, Theophylact, Anselm, and others. And notice with them that manna is here called "spiritual food," or mystical, or typical, because the manna was a type of the Eucharist. So the water from the rock is called "spiritual drink," because it was a type of the blood of Christ. Others take "spiritual" to mean miraculous, i.e., not produced by the powers of nature but of spirits, viz., God and the angels; for of this kind was manna, of which the Psalmist says, "So man did eat angels' food" (Ps. lxxviii. 25). 1. Manna allegorically stood for Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, as is evident from S. John vi. 49, 50. Especially did it represent the contained part, and the effect of the sacrament, as Chrysostom, Theophylact, and Cyril point out at length, in commenting in the passage of S. John just quoted. Hence the Apostle says here: "They did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink." Even Calvin takes this of the Holy Communion, and says that the manna was a type of the body of Christ. From this you may rightly infer that in the Blessed Sacrament the flesh of Christ is truly present, since manna was a symbol of a thing really existing, and not merely imagined; for some of us as well as of the Jews will eat the spiritual meat, i.e., the typical and symbolical flesh, and will not have more of the truth signified than the Jews, nay, much less; for manna was sweeter than our bread, and far more clearly than dry bread represented the body of Christ. A certain minister of this new flock has lately yielded this point as a clear consequence. But who does not see that it is at variance with Holy Scripture and with reason? For the New Law is more excellent than the Old, and therefore the sacraments of the New surpass those of the Old. Therefore the Apostle says: "These things were our examples." But the thing figured is better than the figure, as a body is than its shadow, and a man than his likeness. Therefore the sacraments of the New Law, and especially the Eucharist, as a thing figured, must be more noble than the sacraments of the Old Law, and than the manna itself, which was but a type and figure of our Eucharist. Again, in S. John vi., Christ at some length puts His body in the Eucharist before the manna (vers, 48 and 59). The bread that He there speaks of is that which is Divine, consecrated and transubstantiated into the body of Christ. Who does not see that the manna was a better representation of the body of Christ than bread? It can be shown in many ways.
2. S. Paul has most fittingly compared manna to the body of Christ in the Eucharist, and has most beautifully shadowed it out: (a) the element in the Eucharist and the manna have the same colour; (b) it is not found except by those who have left the fleshpots of Egypt and the lusts of the flesh; (d) to the covetous and to infidels both turn to worms and bring condemnation; (e) the manna was not given till after the passing of the Red Sea the Eucharist is not given till after baptism; (f) after the manna came, the Hebrews fought with Amalek, but before that God alone had fought for them against the Egyptians. They fought and conquered; so the obstacles and temptations which beset the heavenly life are allowed by God to trouble those only who are fortified against them, and they are overcome by the power of the Eucharist. (g) The manna was bread made by angels, without seed, or ploughing, or any human toil; so the body of Christ was formed of the Virgin alone by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. (h) Manna gave every kind of sweet taste to those who were good and devout. Hence Wisdom (xvi. 20) says of manna: "Thou feddest Thine own people with angels' food, and didst give them bread from heaven prepared without labour, containing in itself all sweetness and every pleasant taste." So Christ is milk to babes, oil to children, solid food to the perfect, as Gregory Nyssen says. (j) The manna was small: Christ is contained by a small Host; (k) the manna was beaten in a mortar: Christ was stripped of His mortality in the mortar of the Cross. (l) The faithful wonderingly exclaim, "Man-hu What is this that God should be with us!" (m) All collected an equal measure of manna, viz., one omer; so all alike receive whole Christ, though the species or the Host be greater of smaller, as Rupert says. (n) The manna was collected in the wilderness on the six week-days only; so in our eternal Sabbath and Promised Land the veil of the sacrament will be done away, and in perfect rest we shall enjoy the sight of Christ face to face. (o) The manna melted under the sun, so is the sacrament dissolved when the species are melted by heat. More will be found in the commentary on Exod. xxi.
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Ver. 4. For they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them. The rock which gave water to the Hebrews was a type of Christ, who is the true Rock from which flowed the blood to quench the heat of our lust. But what is meant by saying that this rock followed the Hebrews? 1. The Hebrews reply that their tradition, and the Chaldean rendering of Num. xxi. 16, is that this rock miraculously followed the Jews everywhere in the wilderness till they came to Canaan, and supplied them with water. Hence Ephrem renders this, " They drank of the spiritual rock which same with them; " and Tertullian (de Baptismo, c. ix.) calls this rock their "companion." He says: " This is the water which flowed from the rock which accompanied the people." But farther on he interprets this rock of Christ, who in His Godhead accompanied and led the Hebrews through the wilderness. He says again (contra Marcion, lib. ii. c. 5): " He will understand that the rock which accompanied them to supply them with drink was Christ." S. Ambrose, too (in Psa 38) says: " There is a shadow in the rock which poured forth water and followed the people. Was not the water from the rock a shadow of the blood of Christ, who followed the people, though they fled from Him, that He might give them drink and quench their thirst, that they might be redeemed and not perish? " Again, S, Ambrose (de Sacramentis, lib. v. c. 1) takes the rock to be Christ. He says: " It was no motionless rock which followed the people. Drink, that Christ may follow Thee also. " But I should like to have better authorities for this tradition, for it is against it that after this water came from the rock (Num 20:11), the people murmured again because of the scarcity of water ver. 16). 2. Others soften down the passage and explain it thus: "The waters which burst forth from the rock flowed for a long time and rushed forth as a torrent, and this stream followed the Hebrews till they came to a place where there was plenty of water. For had it been a supply to last but for one day, the rock would have had to be struck on the next day, and the third, and the fourth, and so on, to get a supply of water." And this explanation they support by pointing out that the manna is literal manna, and that therefore the rock or the drink spoken are material rock and material drink; but the objections to the first explanation are equally strong against this. 3. Photius supposes that the word for following simply means serving, and he would paraphrase the verse, "This rock satisfied the thirst of the Hebrews." But the Greek cannot possibly bear this interpretation.
4. It is better, then, to understand this of the spiritual Rock signified, not the one signifying. The meaning is then: By the power of the Godhead of Christ, which was the spiritual Rock signified by the rock that gave water to the Hebrews, and which was their constant companion in the wilderness, water was given to them from the material rock. It is so explained by S. Chrysostom, Ambrose, Anselm, Œcumenius. It may be said, By "spiritual meat" the Apostle meant manna, not the body of Christ, and by "spiritual drink" he means the water signifying the blood of Christ, not the blood itself; therefore, by parity of reasoning, the "spiritual rock" is the actual rock that typified Christ, not Christ Himself. I deny the consequence, for the Apostle in speaking of the Rock inverts the phrase, and passes from the sign to the thing signified. This is evident from his saying in explanation of the Rock, "That Rock was Christ." In other words, "When I speak of the spiritual Rock, I mean Christ." What can be clearer? For it was not the material but the spiritual Rock which was Christ: one was type, the other antitype. It may be urged again, that the phrase "They drank of the spiritual Rock," means that they drank the spiritual or typical drink, for the rock giving this drink was spiritual or typical. This would give the connecting idea, and the reason for saying that "they drank the same spiritual drink," for the rock was a type of Christ. The answer to this objection is that the sequence of thought is clear enough. The particle for gives the efficient cause of so great a miracle; in other words, the Hebrews drank of water which served as a type, for Christ was foreshadowed by the rock which gave this water, and He miraculously gave them this typical water in order that they might know and worship Christ giving it; but this, as the sequel shows, very many of them did not do. The rock that gave the water allegorically stood for Christ, because Christ, like a rock most firm, supports the Church, and was smitten, i.e., killed, by Moses, i.e., the Jews, with a rod; that is, the Cross poured forth waters, that is, most fruitful streams of grace, to the faithless of contradiction, to the faithful of sanctification. This is especially true of the waters of His blood in the Eucharist, with which He gives us drink in the desert of this life, that, strengthened by them, we may attain to our country in the heavens. See S. John vii. 37 and iv. 14. S. Augustine (contra Faustum, lib. xvi. c. 15). It may be argued: Some Catholic writers, according to the first explanation given above, say that, as "that Rock was Christ" means that it was typical of Christ, so in the same way it can be said of the Eucharist, that "this is My body" means "this bread is a figure of My body." But add that the Apostle expressly says that he us speaking of the spiritual, not the material rock. "They drank of that spiritual Rock," he says, and "that spiritual Rock was Christ." It is called a spiritual Rock, or typical because it was a type of Christ. But neither Christ nor S. Paul speak then of the Eucharist. S. Paul and all the Evangelists uniformly declare that Christ said, "This is My Body," not, "This is My spiritual or typical Body." Secondly, I answer that that explanation of some writers is not a very probable one; for that spiritual Rock, i.e., the One signified, was really Christ, not a type of Him. The words of S. Paul clearly say this. Ver. 5. For they were overthrown in the wilderness. All the Hebrews who left Egypt with Moses died for their sins in the wilderness, except Joshua and Caleb, who, with a new generation, entered the Promised Land (Num 14:29). Ver. 7. Neither be ye idolaters... and rose up to play. Viz., when the Hebrews fashioned and worshipped the golden calf they closed their idolatrous festivities with a banquet. Thus they ate of the victims offered to their idol, that they might, after the manner of the Egyptians, celebrate the worship of this new food of theirs with a banquet and games, Hence it is said, "They rose up to play," i.e., to dance and sing. For Moses (Exo 32:19), when he descended, a little time afterwards, from the mount, saw them dancing. This was the custom of the Gentiles after their sacrifices, and these games were frequently of a most obscene character. Hence the Rabbins and Tertullian (de Jej. contra Psychicos) interpret this play of the Jews of fornication and uncleannes. They celebrated, too, public games, which, Tertullian says, were forbidden to Christians, as being held in honour of idols, and on the same level, therefore, as things offered to idols (SeeTert. de Spectac.). But presently the wrath of God came on the people, as they were worshipping the calf and sporting, and 23,000 of them were slain by the Levites at the command of Moses. S. Paul impresses these thing on the Corinthians, because it was likely that they, before their Christianity, had engaged in such games and feasts, and had eaten of things offered to idols, in honour of their gods, and especially of Venus, to whom they daily offered a thousand maidens for prostitution. They were, too, much given to lust and impurity. Hence here, and in chap. vi. 9, he warns them against fornication. His meaning, then, is: See, O Corinthians, that you do not return to idols, nor eat of things offered to them, and so become partakers of idolatrous sacrifices; and do not give yourselves up to games, to lust, and self-indulgence; otherwise, like the Hebrews, you will be punished by God, as apostates and idolaters, as gluttons and drunkards. Ver. 8. As some of them committed. When they worshipped Baal-peor. i.e., Priapus, and in his honour committed fornication with the daughters of Moab (Num 25.).
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And fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Chrysostom, Anselm, Cajetan, refer this to the plague which was sent because of the fornication with the daughters of Moab, and which is related in Num. xxv. But in ver. 9 of that chapter the number slain is given as 24,000, not 23,000. (1.) Some account for this by saying that on one day only 23,000 were slain, and 1000 on the day before. But this is pure conjecture, for Scripture says nothing of this. (2.) Cajetan explains it by an error of some scribe, who wrote 23,000 for 24,000. (3) Œcumenius says that some read 23,000 in Num 25:9 as well as here. (4.) Others say that the Apostle is not wrong, because the greater number includes the less. But it is simpler and more natural to say that the Apostle is referring to Exod. xxxii. 28, where, according to the Roman Bible, 23,00 fell for worshipping the golden calf. S. Paul, if this be so, is not referring to the punishment inflicted on the fornicators of Num. xxv., but by a Hebrew custom he looks back to the idolaters of ver. 7. We must suppose that, having forgotten to mention the punishment inflicted on them, he now gives it as an after-thought: certainly in the sins he goes on to name he in each case adds the punishment. He does this to warn the Corinthians against such sins, and especially because the worship of the calf and the lust accompanying it were exactly parallel, both in punishment and guilt, to the worship and fornication in the matter of Baal-peor. S. Paul's number agrees with the older rendering of the Greek in Exo 32:28. The LXX. now has 3000. Ver. 9. Neither let us tempt Christ by disbelieving His promises, as some of the Corinthians were doubting of the resurrection, as is seen in chap. xv. See 2Pe 3:4.
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As some of them also tempted. The reference is to Num. xxi. 5. The words there, "against God," S. Paul here applies to Christ; therefore Christ is God. Hence the Greek Fathers say that the angel who appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and led the Hebrews out of Egypt, was a type of Christ to come in the flesh, i.e., of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.
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And were destroyed of serpents. See Num. xxi. 6. These fiery serpents are not so called because they were of a fiery nature, for this is repugnant to their true nature, but from the effect of their bite and the heat of their breath: these caused such a heat in those who were bitten that they seemed to be burning, These snakes are called by the Greeks by names (Praester and Canso), which denote burning, and are found in Libya and in Arabia, through which the Hebrews were then passing.
Ver. 10. As some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer, i.e., the angel by whom God inflicted punishment on the Hebrews for murmuring, because Korah and his followers were swallowed up alive by the earth. Fourteen thousand seven hundred perished by fire (see Num 16:30, Num 16:25, Num 16:40, Num 16:45; Wisd. 18:20; Anselm in loco). This angel seems to have been Michael, the leader of the people, the giver of the law on Sinai and its vindicator, and a type of Christ, as was said just now (see Exo 23:21). Others suppose that this "destroyer" was an evil angel or a devil, and refer to Psa 78:49. But the Psalmist is speaking of the plague sent on the Egyptians, but Paul of those that God inflicted on the Hebrews. Besides, it is truer to say that the plagues were inflicted on the Egyptians by good angels, not by evil ones; for, as S. Augustine says, when commenting in Psa 78:49, it is well known that it was by good angels that Moses turned the water into blood, and produced frogs and lice; for it was by these miraculous punishments that Moses and the good angels strove against the magicians of Pharaoh and the devils: hence at the third miracle of the lice they exclaimed, "This is the finger of God." The good angels are called, in Psa 78:49, "evil," as inflicters of evil. The Hebrews murmured very often in the wilderness, and nearly always were punished by God. He thus wished to show that murmuring and rebellion are worse than other sins in His sight. So, in Num. xi., He slew those who murmured through fleshly lust, and the place was therefore called "the graves of lusts." In the same way all who murmured because of the report of the spies, who said that Canaan was a land strongly fortressed, were excluded from it, and perished in the wilderness; and of 600,000, Joshua and Caleb alone entered it (Num. xiv. 29). So were Korah and his followers punished clearly and severely. Ver. 11. Now all these things happened unto them for types. Viz., all those here mentioned. We are not to imagine that everything that is related in the Old Testament is merely typical, as though it contained nothing which did not figuratively represent something in the New Testament. S. Augustine (de Civ. Dei, lib. xvii. c. 5) says truly: " They seem to me to make a great mistake who think that the things recorded in the Old Testament have no meaning beyond the events themselves, just as much as those people are very venturesome who contend that everything without exception in it contains allegorical meanings." Gabriel Vasquez (p. 1, qu. i. art. 10, disp. 14, c. 6) rightly points out that the word "figure" or "type" used here, does not mean so much an allegorical sense, or a mystical one, as an example which may be well applied for the purpose of persuasion. Thence S. Paul adds, " they are written for our admonition." In other words, God punished the Hebrews that they might be an example to us, and teach us wisdom.
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Upon whom the ends of the world are come. That is, the last age of the world. The Prophets call the time of the Messiah: the last time," (See 2 S. John ii. 18.) Ambrose and Chrysostom add that the Apostle often speaks in this way, as though the end of the world was at hand, that he may keep every one in expectation and in fear of it, that so each one may be taught to prepare for it diligently.
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Ver. 12. Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. S. Augustine (de Bono Persev. cviii.) says: " It is good for all, or nearly all, not to know what they will be, that each one, from not knowing that he will persevere in good, may humbly and anxiously pray for the grace of God, and with it do all he can to watch against falling and to persevere in grace. " Ver. 13. There hath no temptation taken you. The Vulgate reads the verb in the imperative "let no temptation take you." His meaning is: Be it, O Corinthians, that you are tempted to schisms, lawsuits, lust, idolatry, yet remain constant, for these temptations which take you are common to man, and therefore you can easily overcome them if you like. If you take the Roman reading, the meaning is, When, as is often the case, any temptation of those which I have mentioned, or any other, attacks your minds, do not take it in and foster it, so as to let it grow imperceptibly in power, and to become at last unconquerable: for it is impossible to exclude altogether human and light temptations so as to never feel them. Anselm says: " To be overcome by malignant temptation and to sin from malice is devilish: not to feel its power is angelic; to feel it and overcome it is human." See also S. Gregory (Pastoral. i. cxi.).
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God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able. If God does not suffer us to be tempted beyond our strength, therefore much less, or rather in no way does God impel us to sin, as Calvin thinks. 2. Nor does God enjoin impossibilities, as Luther thinks, not foes He even permit them. 3. It follows from this that we can be so strongly tempted by the devil and the flesh as to be unable to resist if the grace of God does not succour us, as Chrysostom and Anselm say. 4. As a matter of fact there is no temptation so great but that it can be overcome by the grace of God. 5. The best remedy, therefore, against temptation is prayer, by which we call down the help of God from distrust of our own strength (S. Matt. xxvi 41). 6. This grace is promised here and elsewhere, not inly to the elect, but to all who duly call on God. See also decrees of the Council of Trent (Sess. xxiv. can. 9, and Sess. vi. can. 11). For the Apostle is speaking to the Christians at Corinth, many of whom were not elect, but some contentious, causing offence, and drunken (chap. xi. 21). What is more, none of them knew that they were elected, so as to be able to apply this consolation to themselves exclusively. 7. It is in the power of each Christian to obtain sufficient help to overcome all temptations and all sins; for God pledges His word to them to this, and He is One to be trusted, as the Apostle says here. His meaning is: no temptation can take you, except on your own side and by your own negligence; for on God's side I pledge myself that God, who is faithful, will perform what He has promised, and will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able, i.e., will not allow you to be tempted, except by human temptation. Understand, however, that this is if you seek His grace and help, as is right, and co-operate with Him. " God," as S. Augustine says (de Nat. et. Gratia, c. 43), and following him, the Council of Trent (Sess. vi. can. ii.), " God does not order impossibilities when He orders us to resist every temptation; but when He orders, it is to bid us to so what we can, to seek help for what we cannot, and then He lends the strength." See S. Matt. xi. 30 and 1 S. John v. 3. S. Ephrem beautifully illustrates this saying of the Apostle as follows: " If men," he says, " do not put upon their beasts more weight than they can bear, much less will God put on men more temptations than they can bear. Again, if the potter bakes his vessels in the fire until they are perfected, and does not remove them before they are properly baked and of the right consistency, and again does not leave them in too ling, lest they be burnt too much and so become useless: much more will God do the same with us, trying us with the fire of temptations until we are purified and perfected; but beyond that point He will not suffer us to be scorched and consumed with temptation. " (de Patientiâ)
But will with the temptation also make a way to escape. God, who suffers you to fall into temptation, will also make it turn out well, as Erasmus and Augustine (in Ps. lxii and Ep. 89) understand it. He makes it good for you and your salvation, and will enable you to come out of it without less, nay, rather victoriously and with glory, as Anselm says. 1. The word translated "way of escape." according to Theophylact, Œcumenius, and the Greeks, means a happy end of the temptations, so that it turns out well and promotes the good of the tempted; for God will either bring the temptation to a speedy ending, or not permit it to go on to the fourth day, if He knows that we cannot bear it for more than three days, as S. Ambrose says; or if He gives it linger life He gives us the power of bearing it, as Ambrose and Anselm say. 2. It does not signify any way of escape, but such a way as when a soldier comes out victorious from a battle of a single combat, more renowned and even with increased strength and courage. So have the saints come out of temptation. The Greek word then also means a progress. Not only will God make the temptation no obstacle, but a means even of advancement, causing an increase of strength, virtue, grace, victory, and glory, a more certain walk in the way of virtue and in the road to heaven. So Photius.
That ye may be able to bear it. The Greek literally means, "to more than bear it," i.e., so to bear it that strength remains over and above to bear something farther. God hives such help that any one can overcome temptation with flying colours, Hence the Fathers often remark that men advance in virtue through temptations chiefly; the reason is, that no one can resist them, except by putting forth contrary acts of virtue strongly and intensely, and where temptation brings out such acts it strengthens and intensifies their habits. 3. The righteous wins merit by such acts; he seeks and receives from God an increased infusion of grace and all virtues.
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Ver. 14. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. Not only avoid the worship which is given in sacrificing to and calling on idols, but also abstain from eating things offered to idols from any feeling of their sanctity, as the heathen eat them when the sacrifice is completed, either at the altars of in the temples. So you would share in their sacrifices, and would be thought to approve of them, and even to offer them. The Apostle is now going on to speak of the eating of things offered to idols. Chapter ix. was a long digression about a paid or unpaid ministry, about the Christian contest, the prize, and the competitors; the earlier part of chap. x. has been about the sins and punishments of the Hebrews; and now, after this long digression, he returns to the subject of things offered to idols, which was begun in chap, viii. The "wherefore" signifies, then, that he had written all that precedes for the purpose of warning them against idolatry and idol-offerings.
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Ver. 16. The cup of blessing which we bless. (1.) That is the wine in the chalice which is blessed by the priest, and hence the chalice itself, containing this consecrated wine, does it not communicate to us the blood of Christ? (2.) It may be called the cup of blessing, because it blesses us and loads us with grace, as Anselm and Chrysostom say. (3.) More accurately, it is called "the cup of blessing," because Christ blessed it before consecration, i.e., called down the power of God to afterwards effect a change both in the bread and in the cup (S. Matt. xxvi. 26). 1. We see from the accounts of the Last Supper in S. Mat 26:20-32., S. Luk 22:14-22, and here and in 1Co 11:23-29 that Christ, before consecration of the Eucharist, gave thanks to God thee Father, and, as He was wont, lifted up his eyes to heaven, as is enjoined in the Roman Canon of the Mass and in the Liturgy of S. James. Hence this sacrament is called the Eucharist, or Thanksgiving, because it is the greatest act of grace, and consequently is to be received with the greatest thanksgiving. 2. Christ blessed the bead and wine, not, as heretics say, His Father. And so Paul says expressly, "The cup which we bless." Christ blessed the bread and the cup, i.e., invoked the blessing and power of God on the bread and wine, that it might be present, both then and at all future consecrations, to change the bread into the body, and the wine of the chalice into the blood of Christ, when ever the words of consecration should be duly pronounced. Of the same kind was the blessing of the bread in S. Luke ix. 16. This blessing, then, was not the consecration, though S. Thomas thinks that it was (pt. iii. qu. 78, art. i. ad 1). Hence in the Liturgies of S. James and S, Basil, and in the Roman, after Christ's example, God is prayed to bless the gifts, that the Divine power may descend upon the bread and the cup to complete the consecration; and it is thence that we have "the cup of blessing," i.e., the cup blessed by Christ.
Is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? 1. The communion, or communication, of the body and blood of Christ not only signifies that we receive the same body and the same blood of Christ, but also, as is said in ver. 17, we become one body and one blood. Therefore, the sacrament is not a type of the blood, as Calvin thinks, but it is the very blood of Christ itself, and is given to us in the Eucharistic chalice. If I were to say, "I give you a golden one," you would rightly understand that I did not mean a painted one. If I were to invite you to dinner, and a feast on the hare or stag caught in the chase, and instead of the hare or stag were to put before you on a dish a picture of animals, should I not be acting ridiculously? should I not hear myself called an impostor? Are not then the Protestants who transform the blood and flesh of Christ, which He declares that He gives, into a figure of that blood and flesh, acting ridiculously? Are they not making Christ an impostor? 2. If this cup is only a figure of the blood, as the Protestants think, then we have not more, but less, in the Eucharist than the Jews had in the manna and the water miraculously provided for their drink. The apostle, too, should have said that we eat the spiritual body and drink the spiritual blood of Christ, that is that which represents them, just as he said that the Jews ate the spiritual meat the manna, and drank the spiritual drink the water from the rock. But as a fact he contrasts the blood and the flesh of Christ in the Eucharist, as the reality and the thing signified, with the manna and water, as the figure and spiritual type, signifying the flesh and blood of Christ. Moreover, he calls the manna spiritual meat, i.e., typical, and the water, spiritual drink; but he calls the body of Christ in the Eucharist the body, and the blood the blood. Who, then, can doubt that, as the manna was truly a type and shadow, so in the Eucharist there is really the blood, flesh, and body of Christ? 3. Theodoret, Theophylact, Anselm, S. Thomas expressly explain this passage in this way. Theophylact says: " He does not say the 'participation,' but the 'communion,' because he wished to indicate something more excellent, viz., the closest possible union. What he really says is this: What is in the chalice flowed from the side of Christ; and when we receive it, we have communion with, or are united to Christ. Are you not then ashamed, O Corinthians, to have recourse to the cup of idols, and to leave this cup which sets us free from idols? " S. Chrysostom most plainly dwells on this thought (in Hom. 24, Moral.), where, exhorting Christians to mutual charity through Holy Communion, he says: " If, then, dearly beloved, we understand these things, let us also strive to maintain unity among ourselves; for this dreadful and wonderful sacrifice leads us to this: it bids us approach one another with concord and perfect charity, and, like the eagles that Christians have been made in this life, let us fly to heaven itself, or rather above the heavens." And again a little further on he thus explains what the body of Christ in the Eucharist is like: " If no one would lightly lay hold of another man's clothing, how can we receive with insults the pure and immaculate body of the Lord, which is a partaker of the Divine Nature, through which we are and live, which burst open the gated of hell and opened heaven? This is the body which was pierced by nails, scourged, unconquered by death; this is the body at the sight of which the sun hid his rays; through which the veil of the Temple was rent, and the rocks and the whole earth quaked; this is the body which was suffused with blood, pierced by the spear, and which poured forth streams of blood and water to regenerate the wwole world." And a little further on he says that the body of Christ in the Eucharist is the same as was in the manger: " This body in the manger the Magi adored, and with great fear and trembling worshipped. But thou seest Him not in a manger, but on the altar. It is not a woman holding Him in her arms that you see, but a priest is before you, and the spirit shed abundantly upon the sacrament spread forth. Let us, therefore, be stirred up and fear, and show greater devotion than ever those barbarians did." And after some other remarks he asserts mist clearly that in the Eucharist we touch and feed on God Himself, and receive from Him all good thing, saying: " This table is the strength of our soul, the vigour of our mind, the bond of mutual trust, our foundation, hope, and salvation, our light and our life, If we depart fortified by this sacrifice, we shall with the greatest confidence climb the sacred hill which leads to heaven's gate. But why speak of the future? For even while we are here in this life, this mystery makes earth heaven: for the body of the King is set before our eyes, on earth, as it is in heaven. I show you, not angels or archangels, not heaven or the heaven of heavens, but the Lord of them all. Nor do you merely gaze on Him: you touch Him, you feed on Him: you receive not a child of man, even though of kingly birth, but the Only-Begotten Son of God. Why, then, do you not shudder at such Presence, and cast away the love of all worldly things? " A new preacher of a new word of God has lately answered these words by saying that S. Chrysostom spoke rhetorically. But this evasion is as silly as futile; for S. Chrysostom is, I admit, an orator, but he is also a teacher of Christian truth. Hence in his commentary itself, he days that he is treating of the literal meaning of the Apostle. It is true that in the application of his sermon he does enlarge on that meaning, but not so as to exceed or to deny the truth, as, i.e., if he were to say that wood is stone, that a man is a brute, that bread is flesh; else he would not be an orator, but a lying impostor, and that in matters of faith. For an orator would be false and foolish who should say that the water of baptism was the very same blood of Christ that flowed from His side, when the Jews pierced His body with nails, and smote it with scourges; if he were to say that it was the God and Lord of all, he would no doubt mean that the water of baptism is a type of the blood of Christ, who applied it to us to wash away our sins. In the same way he is false and foolish who says that the bread and wine are the very blood, the very body of Christ, which was adored by the Magi in the manger, nailed to the Cross, scourged, and crucified by the Jews, nay, that it is the very Lord of all things, and the Only-Begotten Son of God, as S. Chrysostom says. I appeal to you, reader, to read these words of his candidly and impartially, or to say whether they are true of the manna, of the Paschal lamb, or of any such type. Would S. Chrysostom have spoken of them thus? Would Calvin, or Viretus, or Zwinglius, or any of their following, no matter how eloquent an orator he might be, speak of their supper in this way? If it is lawful t sublimate and invert the meanings of authors and the words of the Fathers in this way, it will be lawful to invert all faith, all history, all the opinions of these men, and to twist them to a totally different sense, all this will better appear in the following verses.
The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? The sense is, The communication to us, or the eating of the bread which we break, communicates to us also the very body of Christ, so that each one actually partakes of it in the Eucharist. It may be said: The Eucharist is here called the bread, therefore it is not the flesh of Christ. I reply that bread, by a Hebraism, stands for any food (2Ki 2:22). So Christ is called manna (S. Joh 6:31), and bread (Ibid. ci. 41). The reason is that bread is the common and necessary food of all. Moreover, S. Paul does not say "bread" simply, but "the bread which we break," i.e., the Eucharistic or transubstantiated bread, which is the body of Christ, and yet retains the species and power of bread. In this agree all the Fathers and orthodox doctors. Christ, on other occasions as well as in the Last Supper, is said to have broken and distributed the bread, according to the Hebrew custom by which the head of the house was wont to break the bread and divide the food among the guests sitting at table. For the Easterns did not have loaves shaped like ours, which need a knife to cut them up, but they used to make their bread into wide and thin cakes, as, amongst others, Stuckius has noticed (Convival. lib. ii. c. 3). Hence "to break bread" signifies in Scripture "to feast," and breaking bread signifies any feast, dinner, or meal. In the New Testament it is appropriated to the Eucharist; therefore "to break bread" is a sacramental and ecclesiastical term. Hence S. Paul calls here the Eucharist "the bread which we break," meaning the species of the body of Christ which we break and consume in the sacrament. See further on c. xi. 24.
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Ver. 17. For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. As one loaf is made out of many grains of wheat, so of many faithful is made one holy and living bread, the one mystical body of Christ, the Church. Not only generally and mystically, but properly and substantially, because all are really united to the body of Christ, and become one with it, in the Eucharist, just as food becomes one with him that eats it. Hence it may be rightly argued against Protestants that we all eat really the same body of Christ. They, however, say that in the Eucharist all Christians become one, because they eat the same sacramental bread, which is a type of the body of Christ. But who share in it one, merely because they sit at the same table and eat of the same bread? It would be a statement at once untrue and foolish. It is, however, true when applied t the body of Christ, because we all feed on what is numerically one, especially because this holy bread, as S. Augustine says, when eaten, is not changed into our substance, but rather changed us into its own, and unites us to itself and makes us like it, which ordinary bread does not do. Here Cyril of Alexandria (in Joan. lib. iv. c. 17) says: " As wax is incorporated into wax, and leaven permeated through bread, so do we become fused into the body of Christ." And Cyril of Jerusalem (Catachesis, 4) says: " In Holy Communion we become, not only bearers of Christ, but also sharers of the same body and the same blood as He." This is because we become one with Christ and Christ with us, because we are really blended with the flesh of Christ, and therefore with his Person, His 244 Godhead, and His omnipotence. Irenæus says the same (lib. iv. c. 34), and Hilary (de Trin. lib. viii.). It is for this reason that the Eucharist is called Communion by the Fathers: it really unites us to the body of Christ, so that all become one in Him and with Him. " Communion," then, is the common union of the faithful, who, by feeding on the same true body of Christ in the Eucharist, are made one mystical body, the Church. So says Bede, following S. Augustine. Hence, too, the Council of Trent (sess. xii. c. 8) says: " This sacrament is the sign of unity, the bond of charity, the symbol of peace and concord," no doubt because, in a wonderful way, it signifies and perfects the unity of the body of Christ, i.e., of the faithful of the Church. For this reason, too, the Eucharist was formerly given to infants after their baptism, that they might be perfectly incorporated into Christ (vide S. John vi. 55). Again for the same reason the Eucharist was called by S. Dionysius, Synaxis, i.e., "congregation," because the faithful were in the habit of assembling in the church to receive the Eucharist. Tertullian even says (de Oratione, cap. ult.) that prayer should end when the body of the Lord has been received. The Apostle too, in the next chapter (ver. 20), says: " When ye come together, therefore, into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper." For although the Church becomes the body of Christ through faith and baptism, yet this is done more truly and properly in the Eucharist. Heretics raise the objection that therefore only the good and righteous are parts and members of the Church, for the Apostle says, "We are all one bread;" but bread, they say, is made from grains of wheat, not from chaff; therefore the Church is formed from the righteous, not from the wicked; for the righteous are the corn, the wicked are the chaff. I reply (1.) that this does not follow, because a similitude is not bound to be in all points alike; (2.) that the major premiss is false, for often chaff, grains of sand, lentils are mingled with the wheat, and with it go to make up the bread. Hence S. Paul (c. xi. 29) says that even the wicked eat of this bread. But here he says that all who partake of this bread make up the one body of Christ, which d the Church: therefore the wicked, also, who eat of this bread are of the Church. Vide S. Cyprian (Ep. ad Magnum, lib. i.; Eph 6). Ver. 18. Behold Israel after the flesh... partakers of the alter? That is, of the victim offered on the altar, by metonymy. All this is meant to prove that things sacrificed to idols ought not to be partaken of; and the sense is: See, O Corinthians, Israel after the flesh: when they eat of the victims offered to God, are they not deemed to be partakers of the sacrifice offered on the altar to God, and to consummate the sacrifice, and in a sense therefore to sacrifice? In the same way that they who eat of the Eucharistic bread are sharers of the Eucharistic sacrifice, are they who eat of things offered to idols sharers of idolatrous sacrifices: they consummate them, and in a sense sacrifice to idols. He proves, from the example of the Jews, that they who eat of things sacrificed to idols give their consent to such sacrifices, and tacitly sacrifice to those idols. Ver.19. What say I then? that the idol is anything, &c. By no means: for the idol and that offered to it are nothing, have no influence or power. See viii. 4. Vers. 20, 21. But I say... Ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and of the table of devils. The table is the altar, which is, as it were, God's table at which He feasts with us, See Lev. i.; Mal 1:12; Ambrose, Anselm, and the Council of Trent (sess. xxii. c. 1), where it lays down from this passage that the Eucharist is a sacrifice. For that the Apostle is dealing with the Eucharist and not with the sacrifice of the Cross appears plainly 1. Because the Victim of the Cross has passed away, and long ago creased; but the Apostle is here treating of a sacrifice of which the Corinthians were partakers daily. 2. From the phrase, "the Lord's table," i.e., the altar. Where there is an altar there is a priest and a sacrifice, for the three are correlative terms. If, then, the Corinthians had an altar, they had also a sacrifice, and that of course none other than the Eucharist. 3. "The cup of the Lord" can only be the cup offered to the Lord, for the cup of devils is none other than the one offered to them. From the context, and the line of the Apostle's argument, which is this: As the Jews, when they eat if their peace-offerings, share in and consent to the sacrifice of them that is made on God's altar, so do those who eat of things sacrificed to idols share in and consent to the sacrifice of them that is made to idols; and so do Christians, when they receive the Eucharist, become partakers of the Eucharistic sacrifice, and sacrifice the Eucharist to God by the priest, It is consequently unseemly altogether that they should also sacrifice to a devil, which they do by partaking of things offered to idols, as a part of the idolatrous sacrifice; for no one can at once sacrifice to God and a devil. Cf. S. Augustine (contra Advers. Legis et Prophet. lib. i. c. xix). Chrysostom in loco, Anselm, Theophylact, Œcumenius, Ambrose, Theodoret say the same thing. S. Cyprian (de Lapsis) expressly teaches the same lesson, and confirms it by the numerous examples of those who, after eating of things offered to idols, came to the Eucharist, and were punished by God accordingly; and he adds: " An earthly commander will not suffer any one of his soldiers to fly to the camp of his enemies and there to work; how much less can God suffer His followers to take part in the banquets of devils? " Notice (1.) that when the sacrifice was completed, the flesh which had been offered on the idol's altar was removed from it to a table, near the altar or temple, in order that they who had offered it might, with the friends they had invited, eat of it there; for sacrifices and religious feasts were generally concluded with such a sacred banquet. Cf. the sacrifice offered by Evander and Æneas in Virgil (Æneid, viii. 179-183). So, too, the Jews were in the habit of eating in the porch before the Temple of the sacrifices which they had offered (1 Sam. ix.13). So, too, Christ concluded the concluded the Eucharistic sacrifice with a banquet in it, and a distribution of it to the Apostles. Hence, too, in the primitive Church, all the faithful communicated at the Mass, that they might be partakers of the sacrifice, and conclude it with such a banquet. Again, the heathen, who sacrificed victims to their idols, used, after the sacrifice, to carry home with them portions of it to give to those in their house, and to send to their friends, that so the absent might be partakers of the sacrifice, as Giraldus (de Diis Gentium) points out from Herodotus and others, Similarly, the Christians in the time of persecution used to carry home the Eucharist, and even sent it to the absent, as a mark of love and communion, and to enable them to be partakers of the sacrifice. Cf. Eusebius, Hist. lib. v. c. 24 and 29. Notice (2.) that the Apostle gives a plain answer to the question whether it was lawful to eat of things offered to idols. He says that it never had been, nor was then, lawful to eat of things offered to idols, as such, or as being sacred to idols. He who so eats of them tacitly admits by the very act that the idol is sacred, has some Divine influence, and that, because of the idol, the flesh offered is sacred, because offered to a Divine being, which is idolatry. This takes place whenever such food is partaken of in such a place, in such a way, and under such circumstances, as that the eater is morally thought to eat it out of honour to the idol, as when the offerers sent portions to their friends with the intention of showing worship to the idol, when their friends received and ate them. Again, the case is still more clear, if you eat directly after the sacrifice, near the altar of the temple, together with those that offer the sacrifice, in presence of idolaters; for then you are rightly judged to eat it to the honour of the idol. It is otherwise if afterwards you feed on it alone, and from hunger of greediness, whither it be at home of at the temple, because in that case you are not thought to feed on it as being sacred to the idol, but you are seen to be merely gratifying your hunger or appetite. It may be said, S. Augustine (Ep. 154, and de Bono Conj. c. xvi., and contra Faustum, lib, xxxii. c. 13) asks whether a Christian, when travelling and pressed by hunger, may, if he can find nothing but some food offered to an idol, and if no one is present, eat of it, or whether it is better for him t die; and he answers, It may be said that it is either known to have been offered to the idol or not; if it is known, it is better for it to be rejected by Christian virtue; if it is not known, it may be taken for his necessity without any scruple of conscience." Otherwise, as I have said, it is better to reject it, lest the eater should seem to have communicated with idols. He ought then to abstain from things offered to idols, if they are known to be such. I reply that S. Augustine does not say that he must abstain from it, if he knows that it has been so offered. He says "it is better for it to be rejected by Christian virtue," implying pretty plainly that it is lawful to eat of it, but that it would be better and more noble if he abstained from it and preferred death. There is a parallel case in the Carthusian rule. One in extreme weakness is allowed to eat flesh to save his life; but he will do what is better and more holy if he follow his profession and abstain and so die. Cf. Victoria (Relect. de Temperant. Num 8), Azorius (Morals, lib. v. c. 6), and others. For he is not bound to save his life at all costs, but he may rank it below his vow, or rather the holiness of his profession, so as to give as example of virtue to others, and to hallow the discipline and rigour of his order. The Carthusians do not take a formal vow of abstinence from flesh, but merely have it enjoined on them by the constitution of their order. Ver. 22. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? I.e., to anger. Do we set up a rival to the Lord? De we leave Him, our Bride-groom, and cling to a devil, and the things offered to him, or at all events wish to serve both, and yoke together God and the devil? So Chrysostom, Anselm, Theophylact. S. Paul is alluding to Deu 32:21. S. Jerome, commenting of Habakkuk ii., rightly says the unclean spirits preside over all idols, and answer those who call on the idols, and give oracular replies, and lend them help.
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Are we stronger than He? By no means; therefore our provoking God to anger will not go unpunished by Him. Ver. 23. All things are lawful for me. Viz., all things that are not essentials, such as to eat of things offered to idols, not as sacred, or as things sacrificed, but as common food. So far Paul has treated of things offered to idols as such, and has forbidden the use of them. Hence, in ver. 14, he bids the Corinthians fly from idolatry, i.e., the meats of ver. 20. But in this verse he passes on to the second case, when meat that has been offered to idols is partaken of, not formally as such, but materially, as mere food or flesh; and with regard to this he says, " All things are lawful to me, but all things are not expedient," Because all things do not edify. Materially, you may eat of things offered to idols considered in themselves, but if there is attached to such action the giving of offence, then you may not; see vers. 27, 28, 33. Clement (Stromata) well said: " They who do whatsoever is lawful will easily sink into doing what is unlawful." Theophylact explains this verse differently, but his explanation is beside the drift of the context. Ver. 24. Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth. Let no one seek or buy flesh which, e.g., has been offered too idols, and which is useful and pleasant to himself, just because it is of a low price; but in such matters let each one seek his neighbour's edification, and not to buy it or eat it, so as o cause him offence or spiritual loss. So Theophylact. Ver. 25. Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question. Eat indifferently everything, whether offered to idols or not. Asking no question, i.e., making no difference, or according to S. Ambrose, making no inquiry; according to Theophylact, without hesitation. Herodotus tells us, as well as S. Augustine in the commentary he commenced on the Epistle to the Romans (c. 78), that the heathen custom was to send t the shambles whatever remained over of the sacrificed meats after the feast, and to give the priests the proceeds. In the shambles, therefore, they were looked upon as any other meats, as having returned to secular and common use. S. Augustine says: " Some weaker brethren at that time abstained from flesh and wine, lest they should unknowingly partake of things offered to idols; for all kinds of sacrificial flesh were offered for sale in the shambles, and the heathens used to pour out libations of wine to their images, and even to offer sacrifices at their wine-presses." Hence the Apostle dispels this scruple, and bids them buy and eat freely whatever was sold in the shambles, making no distinction between meats, nor asking where they same from, as if it were a matter of conscience, or as though the flesh needed cleansing, if it came from an idol's temple. The Christians of Antioch followed this teaching of the Apostles, when Julian the Apostate endeavoured to force them into idolatry through idol meats. Theodoret (lib. i. c. xiv.) thus describes the incident: "Julian first polluted the water-spring with victims offered to idols, so that every one who drank of the water was infected. He then polluted in the same way whatever was offered for sale in the market; for bread, flesh, fruits, vegetables, and all other eatables were sprinkled with this water; but when the Christians saw this, though they could not but grieve and detest the wickedness, still they ate of such things, in obedience to the injunction to the Apostle: "Whatsoever is sold in the shambles that eat, asking no question."
10:25
For conscience sake, as though you were bound to ask whether the meat which they wish to sell has been offered to idols, it being not lawful for you to buy and eat such. So Anselm, Ambrose, Theodoret. It is evident from this that Paul is not speaking of the fasts of the Church, or saying that on any day, even a fast day, it is lawful to eat meat which is exposed for sale in the shambles. For these fasts do not belong to the class of non-essentials, but are precepts of the Church. Therefore S. Paul, in Acts 15., Act 15:16., ordered the decree concerning abstinence from things strangled and from blood to be observed, though it was a mere positive precept enjoined by the Apostles alone. Ver. 26. For the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof. Every creature, because it is the Lord's, is good and clean; so, too, things offered to idols are not unclean, as you suppose, because they have been offered to a devil, but are clean, because created by the Lord. So Chrysostom, Theophylact,, Anselm. Theophylact gives another meaning as well: "Abstain from all food sacrificed to idols, for the whole earth is the Lord's, and you can be abundantly satisfied from other sources." But this meaning is not suited to the context, especially, to the injunction, "Eat whatever is sold in the shambles."
10:1
Superius monuit abstinere ab idolothitis, primo propter vitandum scandalum fratrum infirmorum, cap. VIII, secundo propter exemplum suum, qui abstinet propter alios ab acceptione sumptuum, c. IX, hic, tertio, monet ad idem ex consideratione poenae Iudaeorum in deserto idola venerantium, ubi, exemplo poenae istorum, primo monet abstinere a perpetratione peccatorum similium; secundo specialiter a comestione idolis immolatorum, ibi propter quod, charissimi, fugite ab idolorum cultura, et cetera. In prima, primo ostendit quod antiquitus Iudaeis contigit; secundo propter quod, quia non propter se tantum, sed propter nos corrigendos ita evenit haec autem in figura facta sunt nostri, etc.; tertio, ut exemplo eorum caveant, concludit, ibi itaque qui se existimat stare, et cetera. Ergo poena timenda, causa memoranda, cautela adhibenda. In prima, primo ponit beneficia gratiae eis impensa existentibus in Aegypto; secundo praestita in deserto, ibi et omnes eamdem escam, etc.; tertio flagella propter ingratitudinem inflicta, ibi sed non in pluribus, et cetera. In prima tangit tria beneficia. Primum, in protectione nubis; secundum, in transitu maris rubri, ibi et omnes mare transierunt, etc.; tertium, in purgatione Baptismatis, ibi et omnes in Moyse, et cetera. Dicit ergo nolo vos, etc., quasi dicat: sic agendum est, sicuti monui. Non enim sufficiunt sacramenta Ecclesiae suscepta vobis postea peccantibus, sicut nec Iudaeis Dei beneficia, quin postea punirentur. Nolo enim vos ignorare, et cetera. Hoc dupliciter legitur. Uno modo de bonis et malis communiter; alio modo de malis specialiter. Primo modo sic: nolo vos ignorare, fratres, quoniam patres nostri, institutores fidei nostrae, omnes, tam boni quam mali, sub nube protegente fuerunt. Ex. XIII, 21: dominus praecedebat eos ad ostendendum viam per diem in columna nubis, et cetera. Vel sub nube, id est, sub figura et umbra. Hebr. X, 1: umbram habens lex futurorum, et cetera. Et omnes mare rubrum, submersis hostibus, transierunt, non de una ripa ad ripam oppositam, sed ad eamdem, unde transierunt quemdam sinum maris.
10:2
Et omnes in Moyse, id est, in ducatu Moysi, baptizati sunt in nube et in mari, id est, per visa signa illa purgati ab ignorantia; vel a vitiis per fidem, scilicet submersis Aegyptiis. Ex. XIV, 31: timuit populus dominum, et crediderunt domino et servo suo Moysi. Vel baptizati sunt, id est, signum Baptismi receperunt. Nam Baptismus constat ex aqua et spiritu. Io. III, 5: nisi quis renatus fuerit ex aqua et spiritu. Nubes autem symbolum erat spiritus, mare vero aquae, ut dicit Damascenus.
10:3
Deinde, cum dicit et omnes eamdem escam spiritualem, etc., post beneficia exhibita Israel de Aegypto exeunti, hic tangit beneficia exhibita in deserto. Et primo beneficium mannae; secundo beneficium aquae, ibi et omnes eumdem potum, etc.; tertio potus originem mirabilem, ibi bibebant autem, etc.; quarto, originis significationem, ibi petra autem, et cetera. Dicit ergo et omnes eamdem escam spiritualem manducaverunt, manna scilicet de caelo. Vocat autem eam spiritualem, cum esset corporalis, quia miraculose fuit data; de hoc habetur Sap. XVI, 20: panem de caelo praestitisti eis.
10:4
Et omnes eumdem potum spiritualem, scilicet aquam de petra. Num. c. XX, 8: loquimini ad petram, et ipsa dabit vobis aquam. Percussit petram, et fluxerunt aquae. Bibebant autem de petra spirituali, quae dicitur spiritualis propter effectum miraculosum, propter futuri signum. Petra consequente eos. Dupliciter intelligitur consequente, id est, satisfaciente voluntati eorum. Ps. LXXVII, 29: desiderium eorum attulit eis. Aquae enim ubique sequebantur eos. Is. XLVIII, 21: aquam de petra produxit eis, et cetera. Vel consequente eos, id est veritatem sequentem significante. Petra autem erat Christus, non per substantiam, sed per significationem. Matth. XXI, 42 hic est lapis quem reprobaverunt, et cetera. Alio modo legitur de bonis breviter sic nolo vos ignorare, fratres, quoniam patres nostri, institutores fidei nostrae, omnes boni spiritualiter. Unde dicit: patres nostri, non illorum, sub nube fuerunt, sicut prius, et omnes eamdem escam manducaverunt spiritualem, id est, corpus Christi in signo spiritualiter intellecto. Unde eamdem escam spiritalem manducaverunt, idem scilicet quod nos, sed aliam escam corporalem quam nos; et hoc quantum ad maiores in Christum credentes. Manducabant Christum spiritualiter, secundum illud: crede, et manducasti. Et omnes eumdem potum biberunt, scilicet Christi sanguinem, in signo. Sic loquitur de signo et potu spirituali per fidem, non de corporali. Bibebant autem de spirituali, etc., sicut prius. Appetendus cibus et potus, quia sufficiens; unde dicit omnes manducaverunt, indeficiens, quia eumdem; utilis, quia potus et cibus spiritualis: quod notatur in ipso nomine spiritualis, et cetera. Deinde, cum dicit sed non in pluribus, etc., post beneficia tangit flagella. Et primo offensam, secundo poenam, ibi nam prostrati sunt.
10:5
Dicit ergo sed non in pluribus, etc., quasi dicat: his omnibus beneficiis usi sunt Iudaei, sed non in pluribus eorum beneplacitum est Deo: in illis scilicet qui Deum offenderunt, sed tantum in duobus, scilicet Caleph et Iosue, quibus solis concessum est terram promissionis obtinere, Num. XIV, 24. Mal. I, 10: non est mihi voluntas in vobis.
10:6
Superius ostendit quid antiquis Iudaeis contigit; hic ostendit quod non propter se tantum, sed propter nos corrigendos ita evenit. Ubi primo ostendit quod propter nos corrigendos a peccato praedicta facta sunt; secundo quod propter hoc etiam scripta sunt, ibi haec autem omnia in figura, et cetera. In prima ostendit quod ideo facta sunt, ut cohibeamur a peccato, et primo a peccato cordis; secundo a peccato operis, ibi neque idololatrae efficiamini, etc.; tertio a peccato oris, ibi neque murmuraveritis sicut quidam, et cetera. In prima, primo deterret per poenam; secundo ex hoc dehortatur culpam, ibi ut non simus concupiscentes, etc.; tertio malos reducit ad memoriam, ibi sicut et illi concupierunt, et cetera. Dicit ergo haec autem in figura facta sunt nostri, non ficta, sed vere facta. In figura, inquam, ideo scilicet nos considerantes illorum supplicia, non simus concupiscentes malorum, sicut et illi concupierunt, de quibus Ps. CV, 14: concupierunt concupiscentiam in deserto. Num. XI, 4 dicitur quod vulgus promiscuum flagravit desiderio carnium. Et notandum quod sicut in bonis longe melius est quod figuratur quam ipsa figura, ut regnum caelorum quam terra promissionis, ita in malis longe peius est quod figuratur, quam figura significans. Secundum autem Augustinum, illa supplicia quae sustinuerunt, figura Gehennae fuerunt, quae omni poena maior est. Haec autem pertinent ad sapientes inter Corinthios, qui desiderio carnes comedebant in idolio, et scandalizabant infirmos. Unde similes erant Iudaeis carnes desiderantibus in deserto, unde digni erant etiam simili poena. Deinde, cum dicit neque idololatrae, etc., dehortatur peccatum operis, ubi tangit tria peccata. Primo idololatriae; secundo fornicationis, ibi neque fornicemur, etc.; tertio divinae tentationis, ibi neque tentemus, et cetera. In prima, primo dissuadet idololatriae vitium; secundo deterret per exemplum, ibi sicut quidam ex ipsis, etc.; tertio explicat exemplum implicitum, ibi quemadmodum scriptum est, et cetera.
10:7
Dicit ergo neque idololatrae efficiamini idolothitis vescendo in venerationem idoli, vel scandalum infirmorum, sicut quidam illorum, supple idololatrae, fuerunt, Ex. XXXII, v. 4 et Ps. CV, 19: et fecerunt vitulum in Horeb, et adoraverunt sculptile, quemadmodum scriptum est. Ex. XXXII, 6: sedit populus, id est, quidam de populo, manducare et bibere coram idolo, quibus similes sunt qui comedunt idolothita, idola venerando, et surrexerunt ludere, id est, ludos facere, sicut choreas et huiusmodi, in venerationem idoli. Vel surrexerunt ludere, id est, idolum adorare, quod est simile ludo puerorum, qui faciunt imagines luteas. Deinde, cum dicit neque fornicemur, etc., tangit peccatum fornicationis, ubi primo dissuadet tale peccatum; secundo deterret per exemplum culpae, ibi sicut quidam, etc.; tertio poenae, ibi et ceciderunt una die. Dicit ergo neque fornicemur, ut quidam ex vobis, supra V, 1: omnino auditur fornicatio inter vos, sicut quidam ex ipsis fornicati sunt, cum Madianitis scilicet, Num.
10:8
XXV, v. 1 ss., et ideo ceciderunt una die viginti tria, immo viginti quatuor millia, sed maior numerus non excludit minorem, unde non dicitur hic cum praecisione, vel forte vitium scriptorum est.
10:9
Deinde, cum dicit neque tentemus Christum, etc., tangit peccatum divinae tentationis, quod dissuadet, primo, verbo, secundo, exemplo, ibi sicut quidam, etc., tertio, supplicio, ibi et a serpentibus, et cetera. Dicit ergo neque tentemus Christum, diffidendo de eius potentia, sicut illi qui in vobis desperant de resurrectione, sicut quidam eorum tentaverunt Deum vel Christum in Moyse, dicentes: numquid poterit parare mensam in deserto? Et ideo a serpentibus perierunt, donec scilicet serpens aeneus erectus est, ad cuius aspectum sanabantur. De hoc habetur Num. XXI, 8 s., et Deut. VI, 16: non tentabis dominum Deum tuum. Deinde, cum dicit neque murmuraveritis, etc., post peccatum cordis et operis dehortatur peccatum oris. Ubi primo dissuadet murmurationis vitium; secundo adducit quosdam in exemplum, et primo culpae, ibi sicut quidam, etc.; secundo poenae, ibi et perierunt a serpentibus. Dicit ergo neque murmuraveritis contra me, vel minores contra maiores. Sap. I, 11: custodite vos a murmuratione.
10:10
Sicut quidam eorum murmuraverunt contra Moysen. Num. c. XVI, 41: murmuravit omnis congregatio filiorum Israel contra Moysen, et ideo perierunt ab exterminatore, ab Angelo scilicet, qui extra terminos terrae eos percussit. Bar. c. III, 19: exterminati sunt, et ad Inferos descenderunt. Notandum super illud: in Moyse baptizati sunt, quod Damascenus in libro, IV cap. de Baptismo distinguit novem genera Baptismatum, accipiendo Baptismata large. Primum est aqua diluvii, de quo habetur Gen. VI, 11 ss.; secundum mare rubrum, de quo Ex. XIV, 15; tertium aqua expiationis, de qua Num. XIX, 20 s.; quartum Baptismus Ioannis, de quo Matthaei III, 6; quintum Baptismus de quo Christus baptizatus fuit, Lc. III, 21; sextum Baptismus spiritus sancti super discipulos, Act. I, 5: vos autem baptizabimini spiritu sancto; septimum Baptismus poenitentiae et contritionis, de quo Eccli. XXIV, 30: qui baptizatur a mortuo, etc.; octavum Baptismus sanguinis, de quo Lc. XII, 50: Baptismo habeo baptizari, et quomodo coarctor, usque dum perficiatur; nonum Baptismus aquae et spiritus, de quo Io. III, 5: nisi quis renatus fuerit ex aqua et spiritu sancto. Matth. ult.: baptizantes eos in nomine patris et filii et spiritus sancti. Deinde cum dicit haec autem omnia in figura, etc., habito quod propter nos praedicta facta sunt, hic ostendit, quod propter nos etiam scripta sunt. Et primo quod in significatione, secundo quod in correctione, ibi scripta sunt autem, et cetera. Dicit ergo: haec autem, etc.; quasi dicat: ista contigerunt illis, et hoc non tantum propter sua peccata, non autem pro se, sed omnia in figura, nostri scilicet, contingebant illis: erat enim tunc tempus figurarum. Deinde cum dicit scripta sunt autem ad correptionem, tangit quod scripta sunt ad correctionem nostram. Ubi implicantur tria incitantia ad correctionem nostram. Primo antiquorum exempla, quae notantur in Scripturis; secundo exemplorum causa, quae est correctio nostra; tertio, aetas novissima, quae est finis saeculorum.
10:11
Dicit ergo scripta sunt autem ad correptionem nostram, quia quaecumque scripta sunt, ad nostram doctrinam scripta sunt, Rom. XV, 4. Nos, dico, in quos fines saeculorum devenerunt, id est, sexta aetas, quae est ultima aetas laborantium. I Io. II, 18: filioli mei, novissima hora est. Quia ergo in ultima saeculi aetate sumus, tot exemplis priorum corrigi debemus. Vel in quos fines saeculorum devenerunt, id est, in quibus per fidem et amorem Christi finita est saecularitas, quia Phil. III, 20 dicitur: conversatio nostra in caelis est. Unde temporalia non promittuntur tempore gratiae, sicut tempore legis. Unde nec in pactum deducuntur, sed adiiciuntur. Matth. VI, 33: primum quaerite regnum Dei, et cetera. Sed antiquitus erant in pactum. Is. I, 19: si volueritis, et audieritis, et cetera. Ecce ergo exempla certa, quia scripta sunt; utilia, quia ad correctionem nostram; durabilia, quia in quos fines, et cetera.
10:12
Habita primo Iudaeorum punitione, secundo punitionis ratione, hic tertio concludit, quod exemplo eorum debent a malo cavere; ubi primo monet, ut caveant casum; secundo cavendi docet modum, ibi vos non apprehendat, etc.; tertio promittit firmum adiutorium, ibi fidelis autem Deus est, et cetera. In primo implicat quatuor sollicitantia sapientem, scilicet multitudinem cadentium, cum dicit itaque, incertitudinem stantium, cum subdit qui se existimat stare, etc., necessitatem cautelae, cum addit videat, facilitatem ruinae, cum dicit ne cadat. Dicit ergo itaque, etc., quasi dicat: illi et si beneficiis Dei usi sunt, nihilominus propter peccata perierunt. Itaque ex eorum consideratione, qui existimat, aliqua coniecturatione, se stare, id est quod sit in gratia et charitate, videat, diligenti attentione, ne cadat, peccando, vel alios faciendo peccare. Is. XIV, 12: quomodo cecidisti, Lucifer? Ps. XC, 7: cadent a latere tuo mille, et cetera. Ideo Eph. V, 15: videte quomodo caute ambuletis.
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Deinde cum dicit tentatio vos non apprehendat, etc., docet modum cavendi causam, scilicet cavendo tentationem. Ubi primo docet aliquam tentationem fugiendam; secundo aliquam sustinendam, ibi nisi humana. Primo notificat, quia pulsat ut introeat: unde dicitur tentatio; secundo quia impugnat, ut praevaleat; unde subditur non vos apprehendat. Dicit ergo tentatio, etc., quasi diceret: ne cadatis, tentatio, scilicet peccati, non vos apprehendat, trahendo in consensum peccati, nisi humana. Hoc dupliciter exponitur. Uno modo de tentatione interiori mala, et tunc est permissio; quasi dicat: nulla peccati dilectio vos apprehendat, nisi forte de malis, sine qua vita humana non ducitur. Non enim est homo, qui semper faciat bonum et non peccet, III Reg. VIII, 46 et II Paralip. VI, 36. Alio modo exponitur de tentatione exterioris boni. Et tunc est exhortatio, sic: tentatio vos non apprehendat, nisi humana, scilicet tribulationum praesentium propter Christum tolerantia. Augustinus: propter Christum pati humana tentatio est. Tob. XII, v. 13: quia acceptus eras Deo, necesse fuit, ut tentatio probaret te. Deinde cum dicit fidelis Deus, ostendit paratum adiutorium in tentatione. Ubi commendat Deum adiutorem, quia dat nobis resistendi potentiam, quod notatur ibi sed faciet cum tentatione, etc.; perseverantiam, quod notatur ibi ut possitis sustinere, vere fidelis Deus, qui dat potentiam, ne vincamur, gratiam ut mereamur, constantiam ut vincamus. Dicit ergo fidelis etc., quasi diceret: vos ad hoc hortor et moneo, quod potestis: fidelis dominus in omnibus verbis suis, qui non patietur vos tentari supra id, quod potestis: quod utique posset Diabolus, si permitteretur, quia non est potestas super terram, quae ei comparetur, Iob XLI, 24. Et Is. XL, 29: dat lasso virtutem. Ideo Iac. I, 2: omne gaudium existimate, fratres, cum in varias tentationes incideritis. Augustinus: qui dat Diabolo tentandi licentiam, ipse dat tentatis misericordiam. Proventum, inquam, ita ut possitis sustinere, ne deficiatis in lucta, sed vincatis: quod fit per humilitatem, ut dicit Augustinus. Illi enim non crepant in fornace, qui non habent ventum superbiae. Notandum est super illud qui se existimat stare, etc., quod ad casum impellunt nos primo debilitas virium, sicut cadunt pueri, decrepiti, infirmi, Is. XL, 30: in infirmitate cadent, quod contingit per tepiditatem bene operandi et instabilitatem. Secundo onus peccatorum sicut cadunt asini sub onere nimio, Ps. XXXV, 13: ceciderunt qui operantur iniquitatem, quod contingit per negligentiam poenitendi: quia peccatum, quod per poenitentiam, et cetera. Tertio multitudo trahentium, sicut arbor vel domus multis trahentibus deorsum cadit, supra: neque fornicemur, etc., quod contingit per impulsum hostium. Quarto lubricitas viarum, sicut incauti cadunt in lubrico, Eccli. XXVIII, 30: attende ne forte labaris in lingua, et cadas, et in conspectu, etc., quod contingit per incautam custodiam sensuum. Quinto varietas offendiculorum, sicut avis capta in medio laqueorum, Prov. XIX, 8: hi in curribus, et cetera. Prov. XXIV, 16: septies in die cadit iustus, quod contingit per corruptionem creaturarum. Sexto ignorantia agendorum, sicut caeci cadunt de facili, Matth. XV, 14: si caecus caeco ducatum praestet, etc., quod contingit per negligentiam addiscendi necessaria. Septimo exempla cadentium, sicut Angeli ad exemplum Luciferi, Ps. XC, 7: cadent a latere tuo mille, et cetera. Prov. XXV, 26: fons turbatus pede et vena corrupta iustus cadens coram impio, quod contingit per imitationem malorum. Octavo ponderositas corporum, corpus enim quod corrumpitur aggravat animam, sicut lapis in collo natantis, Iob XIV, 18: mons cadens defluit, quod contingit per carnis fomentum superfluum.
10:14
Superius ex consideratione Iudaeorum poenae monuit abstinere a perpetratione peccatorum similium, hic specialiter monet cavere a comestione idolis immolatorum. Ubi primo ponit commonitionem cavendi ab idolothitis; secundo subdit causam commonitionis, ibi quid ergo dico, etc.; tertio docet modum cavendi a dictis, ibi omne quod in macello venit, manducate, et cetera. In prima cavere ab idolothitorum comestione monet, primo ex timore poenae consimilis; secundo ex communione sancti altaris, ibi ut prudentibus loquor, etc.; tertio ex similitudine sacrificii legalis, ibi videte Israel secundum carnem, et cetera. In prima, ut eius obediant dictis, primo arguit inferendo, cum dicit propter quod; secundo allicit blandiendo, cum subdit charissimi mei; tertio instruit exhortando, cum addit fugite, et cetera. Dicit ergo propter quod, etc., quasi diceret: quia sacramenta sola non salvant, et qui cadit punitur, et auxilium Dei non deest, propter quod, charissimi mei, fugite ab idolorum cultura, id est, ab omni idoli veneratione. Glossa: ideo hos apostolus hortatur fugere ab idololatriae superstitione, vel ne sapientes comedant idolothita cum offendiculo infirmorum quibus idololatrare viderentur; vel ne ipsi infirmi idololatrae sint, edendo in idoli veneratione. Fugite ergo ab idolorum cultura, vel putativa, quo ad esum sapientium; vel vera quo ad esum infirmorum.
10:15
Deinde cum dicit ut prudentibus loquor, etc., monet cavere ab idolothitorum comestione ex communione sacramenti altaris. Ubi primo quod dicturus est supponit eorum iudicio; secundo ostendit quid est illud, scilicet quod per communionem Eucharistiae efficimur unum cum Christo, ibi calix benedictionis, etc.; tertio probat, quod ita est, quod omnes sumus unum in corpore eius mystico, ibi quoniam unus panis, et cetera. Dicit ergo ut prudentibus, etc.; quasi dicat: ut fugiatis loquor vobis ut prudentibus. Vel sic loquor vobis altum quid, scilicet quod sequitur ut prudentibus. Vel sic: loquor infirmis, scilicet qui sunt inter vos, ut supra locutus sum prudentibus. Et ideo, vos ipsi, maiores, iudicate quod dico Iob XXXI, 13: si contempsi subire iudicium cum servo meo.
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Iudicate, inquam, hoc quod sequitur calix benedictionis, id est, potus calicis, per quem participantes benedicuntur, Lc. XXII, 20: similiter et calicem postquam caenavit, dicens: hic calix, et cetera. Cui benedicimus, id est, quod nos fideles exaltamus credendo et gratias agendo; vel cui benedicimus, id est, quem nos sacerdotes consecramus; nonne communicatio sanguinis Christi est? Faciens nos unum cum ipso, secundum illud Augustini: nec tu me mutabis in te, sicut cibum carnis tuae, sed tu mutaberis in me. Est ergo sua ratio talis: sicut participans calicem domini fit unum cum eo, sic participans calicem Daemoniorum fit unum cum eis; sed Daemonum unitas est maxime fugienda, ergo et participatio idolothitorum in eorum veneratione. Et ideo fugite ab idolorum cultura. Et panis quem frangimus, id est, sumptio panis fracti in altari, nonne participatio corporis domini est? Faciens nos unum cum Christo: quia sub specie panis sumitur corpus Christi.
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Deinde cum dicit quoniam unus panis, etc., ostendit, quod omnes sumus unum in corpore eius mystico. Ubi proponit primo unitatem, secundo subdit unitatis rationem, ibi omnes qui de uno, et cetera. In primo tangit duplicem unitatem: primam incorporationis, qua in Christum transformamur, cum dicit unus panis, et cetera. Aliam vitae et sensus, quam a Christo capite accipimus, cum addit et unum corpus, et cetera. Dicit ergo quoniam unus, etc., quasi dicat: per hoc patet, quod unum sumus cum Christo, quoniam unus panis, unione fidei, spei et charitatis, et unum corpus multi sumus, per subministrationem operum charitatis. Corpus scilicet illius capitis, qui est Christus. Multi, dico, scilicet omnes, qui de uno pane, id est corporis Christi, et de uno calice, id est sanguine, participamus, digna participatione, scilicet spirituali, non tantum sacramentali. Augustinus: accipite, quia unus panis et unum corpus Ecclesia Christi dicitur, pro eo quod sicut unus panis ex multis granis, et unum corpus ex multis membris componitur, sic Ecclesia Christi ex multis fidelibus charitate copulatis connectitur. De ista unitate infra cap. XII dicitur. Hic quaeritur super illo omnes in Moyse baptizati. Glossa: per visa illa legalia purgati. Contra, legalia non iustificabant. Respondeo. Iustificabant dispositive a remotis, non causative, quia per modum signi, non causae. Item super illud petra autem erat Christus, Glossa: non petra dedit aquas, sed Christus. Contra Num. XX, 8: loquimini ad petram, et ipsa dabit vobis aquas. Respondeo. Petra dabat originaliter, non effective. Item super illud omnes eamdem escam, Glossa: si quis manducaverit ex hoc pane, non morietur in aeternum, scilicet qui manducat corde, non qui premit ore. Contra: ergo non oportet sacramentaliter manducare. Respondeo. Non qui premit ore, solum scilicet. Item super illud eumdem potum spiritualem, Glossa: idem est effectus in illis sacramentis, sed non tantum quantum in nostris. Contra, sacramenta vetera non efficiebant quod figurabant. Respondeo. Idem est effectus, sed aliter: nam illorum per modum signi: nostrorum per modum causae. Item super illud haec autem in figura facta sunt, Glossa: omnes poenae minores sunt Gehenna. Contra, carentia visionis Dei maior est, quam Gehenna, secundum Chrysostomum. Respondeo. Loquitur de poenis temporalibus. Item super illud qui stat, videat ne cadat, Glossa: non quod sit aliquis sine casu. Contra, multi sunt sine mortali. Respondeo. Duplex est casus, unus a domino per mortale, alter in domino per veniale. Item super illud fidelis Deus, Glossa: qui dat tentandi Diabolo licentiam, dat tentatis misericordiam. Contra, quod fit de licentia, licite fit. Ergo licet Diabolo tentare. Respondeo. Licentia accipitur hic pro permissione, non pro concessione. Item vos ipsi iudicate. Contra, non est inferiorum iudicare de factis superiorum. Respondeo. Non debent iudicare iudicio superordinationis, sed licet iudicio discretionis. Item super illud benedicimus, Glossa: nos sacerdotes. Contra: quod minus est a maiori benedicitur. Respondeo. In sacramento altaris benedictio sacerdotis fertur super terminum a quo, id est, super panem, non super terminum ad quem, id est, corpus Christi. Item panis, quem frangimus, et cetera. Contra: iam tunc non est ibi panis. Respondeo. Ponitur significatum pro signo, id est, panis pro specie panis. Item super illud nonne participatio, etc., Glossa: per partes manducatur in sacramento, et manet integer in caelo. Contra: Christus sub sacramento est impartibilis. Respondeo. Manducatur per partes sacramenti, non sui. Item ibidem Glossa: in illo sacramento corpus suum et sanguinem commendavit, quod est, fecit nos ipsos. Contra: non fecit nos corpus Christi verum. Respondeo. Quod id est cuius significatum, unde relatio est simplex.
Superius monuit abstinere a comestione idolothitorum, primo ex timore poenae consimilis, secundo ex communione altaris; hic tertio monet ad idem ex similitudine sacrificii legalis. Ubi primo excitat attentionem; secundo ostendit propositum, ibi nonne qui edunt hostias. Dicit ergo videte. Hoc dupliciter legitur. Uno modo de sacrificiis Iudaeorum, alio modo de ritu gentilium. Primo modo hoc, quod dico Israel, est accusativi casus, alio modo vocativi. Primo modo sic, quasi dicat: multi unum corpus sumus, qui de uno pane, et de uno calice participamus. Et hoc patet per hanc similitudinem videte Israel secundum carnem, supple ambulantem, id est carnalibus sacrificiis deservientem. Hoc dicit ad differentiam Israel secundum spiritum. De utroque Rom. II, 28: non enim qui in manifesto Iudaeus, et cetera.
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Nonne qui edunt hostias, legales, participes sunt altaris, legalis? Sicut qui edunt carnem Christi et sanguinem, participes sunt corporis eius. Secundo modo legitur sic: videte, o Israel, o vos qui estis Israel, spiritualis videntis, scilicet Deum; videte, inquam, ea quae sunt secundum carnem, id est, in idololatriae ritu carnali. Nonne qui edunt hostias, idolis scilicet immolatas, participes sunt altaris, Daemonum et idolorum? Quasi dicat: sic. Est ergo sua ratio talis: qui edunt hostias oblatas altari, participes sunt altaris. A simili qui edunt hostias immolatas idolis, participes sunt idolorum sive Daemoniorum.
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Deinde cum dicit quid ergo dico, etc., superius posuit monitionem cavendi ab idolothitorum comestione, hic ponit causam admonitionis. Ponit autem quatuor causas quare debent ab idolothitis abstinere: primo propter vitandam Daemonis societatem, secundo propter vitandam sacrae communionis exclusionem, ibi quia non potestis calicem domini bibere, etc., tertio propter vitandam Dei indignationem, ibi an aemulamur dominum, etc., quarto propter fratrum laesionem, ibi omnia mihi licent, et cetera. In prima, primo ostendit per hoc, quod non dicit hoc, eo quod alicuius virtutis reputet idolum, vel idolothitum; secundo, quod potius ideo, quia Daemonibus est immolatum, ibi sed quae immolant, etc.; tertio, quod non vult eos esse socios Daemonum, ibi nolo autem vos socios, et cetera. Dicit ergo: quid ergo? Quasi dicat: moneo cavere ab idolothitis. Quid ergo dico? Id est, quid dicere videor hoc monendo? Numquid hoc, supple quod illud, quod idolis est immolatum, sit aliquid, vel alicuius virtutis, ut noceat, aut quod idolum sit aliquid veneratione dignum? Quasi dicat: non. Ps. CXXXIV, 17: neque enim est spiritus in ore ipsorum.
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Sed hoc potius dico quod quae immolant gentes, idolo, Daemoni immolant, et non Deo. Ps. XCV, 5: omnes dii gentium Daemonia. Deut. XXXII, 17: immolaverunt Daemonibus, et non Deo. Deinde cum dicit nolo autem vos fieri, etc., ostendit, quod non vult eos fieri socios Daemonum, quod fieret si communicarent mensae idolorum. Et hoc est, quod dicit nolo autem vos, qui fideles estis, socios fieri Daemonum, edendo scilicet de his, quae idolis immolantur. II Cor. VI, 14 s.: quae societas lucis ad tenebras, aut quae conventio Christi ad Belial? Deinde cum dicit non potestis calicem, et cetera. Ecce secunda ratio quare abstinendum est ab idolothitis, quae est talis: omne quod excludit a communione corporis et sanguinis Christi, vitandum est: comestio idolothitorum est huiusmodi; ergo vitanda est. Primo ergo ostendit, quod huiusmodi comestio excludit a communione sanguinis Christi; secundo, quod et a communione corporis Christi, ibi non potestis mensae domini participes, et cetera. Dicit ergo non potestis, etc., quasi dicat: nolo vos fieri socios Daemoniorum.
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Hoc autem ideo dicit quia non potestis calicem domini bibere, potu spirituali, non sacramentali tantum, Ps. CXV, 13: calicem salutaris accipiam, et calicem Daemoniorum, simul: et hoc quoad sacramentum sanguinis. Non potestis mensae domini participes esse, quoad sacramentum corporis, et mensae Daemoniorum. Matth. VI, 24: nemo potest duobus dominis servire. Ecce ergo calix fructuosus, quia ad bibendum spiritualiter pretiosus, quia domini specialiter purus et mundus, quia non datur immundis utiliter. Similiter potest dici de mensa.
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Deinde cum dicit an aemulamur dominum, etc., ecce tertia ratio, talis: omne illud quod provocat iram Dei, vitandum est; comestio idolothitorum est huiusmodi, ergo vitanda est. Primo ergo ostendit, quod Deus provocatur ex tali comestione; secundo, quod stultum est eum provocare, ibi numquid fortiores illo, et cetera. Dicit ergo an aemulamur, id est, ad iram provocare volumus dominum, comedendo idolothita? Vel sic an aemulamur dominum, id est, invidemus ei, ut quasi in contemptum eius hoc faciamus? Deut. XXXII, v. 16: provocaverunt eum in diis. Numquid, quasi dicat: non debemus eum provocare. Numquid illo fortiores sumus? Quasi dicat: non. Iob IX, 19: si fortitudo quaeritur, robustissimus est. Fatuum est enim provocare fortiorem se. Notandum super illud nolo autem vos socios fieri, quod est societas bona et mala, et utraque quadruplex. Est ergo societas bona, prima personarum divinarum, de qua I Io. I, 3: ut societatem habeamus cum Deo, et societas nostra sit cum patre et cum filio eius Iesu Christo. Et hoc exigit summa iucunditas, quia nullius rei sine socio iucunda est possessio. Secunda Angelorum sanctorum, de qua Tob. V, 27: credo enim, quod Angelus Dei bonus comitetur ei, et hoc exigit hominis dignitas. Hieronymus: magna est dignitas animarum, et cetera. Tertia virorum iustorum, de qua Gal. c. II, 9: Iacobus et Ioannes dextras dederunt mihi et Barnabae societatis, et hoc exigit nostra utilitas. Eccle. IV, 9: melius est duos, et cetera. Quarta beatorum, de qua Apoc. I, 9: ego Ioannes socius vester et frater in tribulatione et regno, et hoc exigit communis felicitas; quia si socii sumus passionis, erimus et consolationis, II Cor. I, 7. Societas mala similiter quadruplex: prima a parte malorum, de qua Is. I, 23: principes tui infideles socii furum. Haec est societas Herodis et Pilati in crucifixione Christi. Secunda hypocritarum, de qua Iob XXX, 29: frater fui draconum et socius struthionum, quae alas habere videtur et volare non potest. Haec est societas vulpis et lupi. Tertia Daemonum, de qua Iob XVIII, 15: habitent in tabernacula eius socii eius, qui non est. Haec societas catti et muris, carnificis et bovis. Quarta damnatorum, de qua II Cor. c. VI, 14: quae societas lucis ad tenebras? Haec est societas incarceratorum in igne. Deinde cum dicit omnia mihi licent, etc., ponitur quarta ratio talis: omne illud quod laedit proximorum salutem vitandum est; sed comestio idolothitorum est huiusmodi, ergo vitanda. Primo ostendit, quod talis comestio comedenti non proficit; secundo, quod alterum laedit, ibi omnia mihi licent, et cetera. Dicit ergo omnia mihi, etc., quasi dicat: si illos peccare dicam, qui comedunt idolothita, non tamen dico cibos in se illicitos, quia omnia quae ad escam pertinent, mihi licent. Vel: et si omnia mihi licent, sed non omnia expediunt, id est, adiuvant me in cursu meo. Simile supra VI, 12. Omnia mihi licent, id est, et si omnia mihi licerent sed non omnia aedificant proximos, sed ea, quae charitatis sunt, supra VIII, 1: scientia inflat, charitas aedificat.
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Et quia non omnia aedificant, nemo quod suum est quaerat tantum, charitas enim non quae sua sunt quaerit, infra XIII, 5, sed quod alterius, id est, quod alteri proficit. Sed heu. Phil. II, 21 dicitur: omnes quae sunt sua quaerunt. Audiendus est ergo apostolus, qui et docet verum, et monet bonum. Docet verum duplex, scilicet expedientiae sibi, quia omnia licent, sed non expediunt, et aedificationis aliis, quia omnia licent, sed non omnia aedificant. Monet bonum duplex, scilicet expedientiae sibi nemo quod suum est quaerat, et aedificationis aliis sed quod alterius.
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Superius monuit cavere ab idolothitis, et posuit rationem quadruplicem suae monitionis: hic tertio docet modum cavendi a praedictis, ostendendo quomodo liceat edere, et quomodo non. Primo ergo ostendit an liceat edere; secundo quando non licet, si quis autem dixerit, etc.; tertio quid in utrisque debent attendere, ibi sive ergo manducatis, et cetera. In prima primo ponit duos casus in quibus licet idolothita comedere. Primus, quando comedit per se; secundus, quando cum aliis, ibi si quis autem infidelium, et cetera. Vel primus, quando nescit idolis immolatum; secundus, quando non in proximi scandalum. In primo casu primo tangit comedendi licentiam, secundo comedendi praestat cautelam, ibi nihil interrogantes, et cetera. Dicit ergo omne quod in macello venit, id est venditur, etc.; quasi dicat: quia licet edere, sed non expedit aliquando, ideo sic edite. Omne quod in macello venit, id est, venditur, manducate, si vultis. Omnis enim creatura Dei bona, et nihil reiiciendum, et cetera. I Tim. IV, 4. Vos, dico, nihil interrogantes, scilicet an sit idolis immolatum, vel non, et hoc propter conscientiam, astantis infirmi.
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Domini est terra, et cetera. Quasi dicat: hoc secure potestis facere, quia domini est terra, et plenitudo eius, id est, omnia quibus terra impletur. Ps. XLIX, 10: quoniam meae sunt omnes ferae. Ambrosius hoc in loco: non potest esse immundum, quod domini est; sed omnes carnes sunt domini, ergo de se mundae sunt et licitae. Deinde cum dicit si quis autem vocat, etc., ostendit quando licet comedere idolothita cum aliis, quando, si dantur in convivio, et ignoratur ab infirmis, quod sint idolis immolata. Ubi implicantur quatuor expedientia cuilibet convivae, scilicet ne sit impudens, se ingerendo, quod notatur ibi si quis vocat vos, quod non sit offendens in respuendo, quod notatur ibi et vultis ire, quod non sit onerosus in petendo, quod notatur ibi omne quod vobis apponitur, quod non sit indiscretus in loquendo, ibi nihil interrogantes. Dicit ergo si quis infidelium, id est, gentilium. Nam cum Iudaeis comedere prohibitum est, XXVIII, qu. 1, c. Omnes, ubi sic dicitur: omnes deinceps, sive clerici, sive laici, Iudaeorum convivia vitent, nec eos ad convivium quisquam recipiat, quia cum Iudaei apud Christianos cibis communibus non utantur, indignum atque sacrilegum est eorum cibos a Christianis sumi. Si quis ergo infidelium, id est gentilium, vocat vos ad coenam, et vultis ire, id est placet vobis invitatio, omne comestibile quod vobis apponitur, manducate. Concessio est, non iussio. Lc. X, 8: manducate quae vobis apponuntur.
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Vos dico, nihil interrogantes, an sit immolatum idolis, vel non. Et hoc propter conscientiam infirmorum.
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Deinde cum dicit si quis autem dixerit, etc., ostendit quando non licet comedere. Ubi assignat triplicem causam quare non licet comedere. Primo propter alterius conscientiam; secundo propter damnationem propriam, ibi ut quid enim libertas mea, etc.; tertio propter imperitorum blasphemiam, ibi si cum gratia participo, et cetera. Prima ratio talis est: nihil faciendum est scienter, quod laedat conscientiam eius qui facit, sed comestio idolothiti est huiusmodi; ergo nihil tale est faciendum. Primo ergo proponit idolothiti cognitionem; secundo dissuadet eius comestionem, ibi nolite manducare, etc.; tertio subdit huius rationem, ibi propter illum qui indicavit. Dicit ergo si quis autem dixerit, etiam non interrogatus, hoc est immolatum idolis, nolite manducare; et hoc propter illum, qui indicavit, hoc esse immolatum idolis, ne scilicet credat te manducare sub veneratione idoli, non quod cibus de se sit immundus. Rom. XIV, 14: scio et confido in domino, quod nihil commune est per ipsum, nisi illi, qui existimat aliquid commune esse. Sed etiam propter conscientiam aliorum infirmorum. Conscientiam autem non tuam, quae firma est, sed alterius, scilicet infirmi, II Cor. c. VI, 3: nemini dantes ullam offensionem.
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Deinde cum dicit ut quid enim libertas mea, et cetera. Ecce iam secunda ratio, quae est talis: quod facit ad iudicium damnationis propriae vitandum est: sed comestio idolothiti cum scandalo proximi est huiusmodi; ergo talis comestio vitanda est. Et hoc est, quod dicit ut quid, etc., quasi dicat: nolite manducare propter conscientiam infirmi, ut quid enim libertas mea, id est, quod liberum mihi est, iudicatur ab aliena conscientia? Id est, mihi fit damnabile propter conscientiam alienam ratione scandali. Quasi dicat: si comedo cum alterius scandalo, sic ago ut reddam me damnabilem. Matth. XVIII, 6: qui scandalizaverit unum de pusillis istis, expedit ei ut suspendatur mola asinaria, et cetera. Ut quid ergo sic ago? Quasi dicat, male ago.
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Deinde cum dicit si ego cum gratia participo, et cetera. Ecce ratio tertia talis: cavendus est casus in blasphemiam et vituperium aliorum; sed comedendo idolothitum, cum scandalo comedo sic; ergo, et cetera. Ubi primo tangit modum edendi debitum, secundo nihilominus blasphemiam insipientium, ibi quid blasphemor. Dicit ergo si ego cum gratia, id est cum gratiarum actione, participo, id est, comedo. Sic enim semper sumendus est cibus, Io. VI, v. 11: gratias agens benedixit et fregit. Quid blasphemor? Ab imperitis dicentibus idololatrare. Blasphemor, inquam, pro eo, quod gratias ago, id est, quod gratias agendo participo. Rom. XIV, 16: non ergo blasphemetur bonum nomen vestrum.
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Habito quando licet de idolothitis comedere et quando non, hic ostendit, quin in utroque debent intendere. Primo respectu Dei, quia debent quaerere eius gloriam; secundo quid respectu proximi, quia debent cavere eius offensam, ibi sine offensione estote, et cetera. In prima, primo inducit actum multiplicem; secundo persuadet actuum intentionem debitam, ibi omnia in gloria Dei, et cetera. Dicit ergo sive ergo, etc., quasi dicat: quia haec mala contingunt, ergo sive manducatis, sive bibitis, quae sunt opera necessitatis, vel aliud quid facitis, omnia in gloriam Dei facite, et cum invocatione creatoris, ea intentione, ut Deus laudetur et glorificetur. Matth. V, 16: sic luceat lux vestra coram hominibus, et cetera. Col. III, 17: omne quodcumque facitis in verbo aut opere, omnia in gloriam Dei facite. Augustinus in Ps. XXXIV, concione II, in fine: haec si recte fiunt, laudes Dei sunt. Non ergo solum vox tua sonet laudes Dei, sed etiam opera tua concordent cum voce tua. Cum enim Deus laudatur de bono opere, Deum laudas, et cum blasphematur Deus de malo opere tuo, Deum blasphemas.
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Deinde cum dicit sine offensione estote, etc., monet ut caveant ab offensa aliorum, et persuadet hoc primo, verbo, secundo, exemplo, ibi sicut et ego per omnia, et cetera. Ubi ponit se in exemplum, primo pacificae conversationis; secundo fructuosae operationis, ibi non quaerens quod mihi utile, etc.; tertio rectae intentionis, ibi ut salvi fiant. Felix cuius conversatio amabilis, operatio utilis, intentio salubris. Dicit ergo sine offensione, etc., quasi dicat: ut omnia in gloriam Dei fiant, sine offensione estote Iudaeis, qui non adorant idola, et ideo in tali comestione scandalizantur, et gentibus, qui adorant idola, et ideo per huiusmodi comestionem in errore confirmantur, et Ecclesiae Dei, quantum ad infirmos in fide, qui inde offenduntur. Iudaei sunt sub lege, sed non sunt sub fide; gentes nec sub lege, nec in fide; Ecclesia Dei et sub lege et in fide. Rom. XII, 18: si fieri potest, quod ex vobis est, cum omnibus hominibus pacem habentes.
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Sicut et ego per omnia omnibus placeo, tamquam conversus sine scandalo. Ego, inquam, non quaerens quod mihi utile est tantum, sed quod multis. Ecce optimus modus placendi omnibus, si omnium utilitas, non privatum commodum procuretur. Charitas, inquam, non quaerit quae sua sunt. Quod est utile, inquam, multis, et non hoc ad aliquod commodum temporale, sed ad hoc ut salvi fiant. Phil. ult.: non quaero datum, sed fructum. Notandum, quod multa sunt quae merito placere faciunt hominibus. Primum prudentia in consiliis, sicut advocatus clienti, dispensator principi placet. Gen. XLI, 37: placuit Pharaoni consilium, et omnibus servis eius. Eccli. XX, 29: vir prudens placebit magnatis. Secundum, munditia in factis, sicut coniux coniugi, instrumentum utenti placet. I Reg. II, 26: puer autem Samuel crescebat et proficiebat, placens tam Deo, quam hominibus. Non sic filii Heli. Tertium, pietas in suffragiis, sicut medicus infirmanti, baculus seni placet. Unde de sepultura Abner dicitur II Reg. III, 36: placuerunt eis omnia, quae fecit David, et cetera. Quartum, sapientia in verbis, sicut lumen viatori, viror visui placet. Ios. XXII, 33: placuit sermo cunctis audientibus. Eccli. XX, 29: sapiens in verbis producet seipsum, et homo prudens placebit magnatis. Quintum, clementia in responsis, sicut sapor gustui, melodia auri placet. II Par. X, 7: si placueris populo huic, et lenieris eos verbis clementibus, servient tibi omni tempore. Sextum, fortitudo in bellis, sicut pugil conductori, miles principi placet. I Reg. XVIII, v. 22: dixerunt servi Saul ad David: ecce places regi, et omnes servi eius diligunt te. Septimum, largitas in beneficiis, sicut pluvia terrae arenti, sicut fons sitienti placet. I Mac. XIV, 4 de Simone: quaesivit bona gentis suae, et placuit illis potestas eius. Hic quaeritur super illud nolo vos esse socios Daemoniorum. Glossa: ad hoc genus pertinent quae fiunt in quibusdam rebus suspendendis, vel alligandis. Contra, ergo suspensio herbarum ad collum, vel chartularum, quae fieri solet, ad idololatriam pertinet. Responsio. Aut herbae habent a natura vim naturalem ad effectum illum, aut non. In primo casu non pertinet ad idololatriam, sed in secundo. Similiter cedulae, aut continent solum verba sacra, et ex hoc creduntur habere vim, aut non. In primo casu non pertinet ad idololatriam, sed in secundo. Item super illud omnia mihi licent, Glossa: potestate liberi arbitrii, et doctrina legis naturalis. Contra, secundum legem naturalem multa sunt illicita. Respondeo. Hic loquitur de cibis specialiter. Item ibidem Glossa: praecepto domini illa prohibentur. Respondeo. Illa praecepta ad tempus fuerunt, et revocata sunt. Item nihil interrogantes. Contra, Tob. II, 21: videte ne forte furtivus sit. Respondeo. Non est simile, quia cibum furtivum non est licitum in se comedere, sed idolo immolatum licet edere, nisi propter scandalum alterius. Item omnia in gloriam Dei facite. Contra: ergo nullus actus est indifferens. Respondeo. Relatio haec in gloriam Dei intelligitur, vel in actu, vel in aptitudine referendi, quae non est solum in bonis, sed etiam in indifferentibus. Item domini est terra et plenitudo. Contra, eadem ratio fuit sub lege. Ergo si omnia sunt modo munda, quia domini sunt, et tunc fuerunt. Respondeo. Reputatione legis immunda dicta sunt, sed non sui natura. Item sicut ego per omnia omnibus placeo. Contra Gal. I, 10: si hominibus placerem, Christi servus non essem. Item, quomodo placebat persecutoribus suis. Respondeo ad primum: placere volebat hominibus propter Deum, non propter se. Ad argumentum secundum intelligitur hoc, non de omnibus generaliter, sed de ecclesiasticis viris, secundum Glossam.
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1. Nolo enim vos ignorare fratres. A sua persona sermonem transfert Apostolus ad exhortationem eorum, quibus scribit, generatim docens, quae vitia fugbre debeant; ut ne excidant a statu justitiae, in quo per Christi fidem et baptismi sacramentum erant constituti. Id autem facit adducto exemplo populi Israelitici: qui etsi permagna beneficia a Deo accepisset, eorum quae per Christum acceperant Corinthii praefigurativa: propter peccata tamen et ingratitudinom magna parte rejectus fuit et gravissime punitus. Graeca non enim, sed autem legunt. Caeterum, inquit, fratres, nolo vos ignorare, id est, commemoro vobis ne ignoretis.
Quoniam patres nostri omnes sub nube fuerunt. Graece ^oav erard. Communes patres appellat Hebraeos, ait Cajetanus, gula patres sunt fidei. Causam alii reddunt, quia typum gesserunt earum rerum, quae accidunt in ecclesia. Neutri recte, quantum existimo. Nam patres populi fidelis novi testamenti vocari populum illum veterem et carnalem, insolens videtur, ac praetor morem Scripturae: quae Judaeorum ex eis genitorum, praesertim carnalium, patres illos appellare solet, ut Matth. 23. Implete mensuram patrum vestrorum. Joann. 6. Patres vestri manducaverunt manna in deserto, et mortui sunt. Actor. 7. Sicut patres vestri, ita et vos. Rectius igitur illi, qui censent pronomen nostri, noii complecti in universum Corinthios, ad quos scribit; sed Judaeos, ex quibus Paulus, et quorum aliqui etiam Corinthii, non gente, sed patria ct habitatione: quasi dicat, patres gentis nostrae. Omnes autem dicit, qui tunc erant, quando haec, quae memorat, acciderunt; omnes inquam, tam bonos quam malos; fuerunt enim haec beneficia utrisque communia. Nam ut paulo post dicitur: non in pluribus eorum beneplacitum fuit Deo. Quaeri potest, quomodo dicat omnes sub nube fuisse: quum nubis illius exhibitae populo Israelitico oflScium fuerit, non stare supra populum, sed ipsum praecedere, et ducatum praebere per desertum: ut refertur Exod. 13. et 14. et alibi. Verum constat ex aliis Scripturae locis, usum ejusdem nubis fuisse etiam in operiendo tabernaculo per omne tempus, quo populus quiescebat, ut habetur Num. 9., adeoque in protegendo et obumbrando populo per diem adversus aestum solis. Hunc enim usum cum priori conjungit Moses Num. 14. Dominum sic alloquens: Audierunt, quod nubes tua protegat illos (Hebraice, stet supra eosj, et in columna nubis praecedas eos per diem, et in columna ignis per noctem. De hoc usu posteriore loquuntur et aliae Scripturae, Psalm. 104. Expandit nubem in protectionem eorum. Sic enim esse legendum, non autem profectionem, ut quidam codices habent, ex Graecis et Hebraeis liquet. Item Sap. 10. Fuit illis in velamentum die, sive, per diem; et in lucem stellarum nocte, et cap. 19. Nubes castra eorum obumbrabat. Fuit autem hoc beneficium nubis praecedentis ac protegentis perpetuum Israelitis ab egressu ex Aegypto, usque ad ingressum in terram promissionis; ut et beneficium ignis lucentis per noctem. Sic enim legitur Exod 13. Nunquam defuit columna nubis per diem, nec columna ignis per noctem coram populo.
Et omnes mare transierunt. iidem omnes, inquit, per mare rubrum traducti sunt, ingenti miraculo ac beneficio divino, persequentibus eos Aegyptiis, Exod. 14. Traductos intellige, non in adversam oram maris, sed ad eandem, sinu maris medio, quod constat ex ipsius maris et mansionum, ad quas prdxime post egressum appellebant, geographica descriptione. Idque etiam Aquinas hic annotat. Cur autem illud mare rubrum fuerit appellatum (quoniam non hoc loco sic appellatur), exponemus ad illud Hebr. 11. fide tran- sierunt mare rubrum.
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2. Et omnes in Moyse baptizati sunt
in nube et in mari. In Moyse, Graece elz xov fxoua^v^ in Mosen, quemadmo- dum legit Hilarius enarrans Psalm. 134. Id Graeci sic exponunt: freti Mose ductore. Alii vertunt, sub Mose, id est, tempore Mosis, quomodo dici solet aliquid gestum sub hoc aut illo pontifice, rege, consule aut proconsule, ut Luc. 3. Sub principibus sacerdotum Anna et Caipha. Act. 11. Sub Claudio Caesare. 1 Tim. 6. atque in symbolo fidei, sub Pontio Pilato. Verum Graeca praepositio non respondet; nec omnino eum usum habet £ic apud Graecos. Augustinus in enarratione Psalm, 77. et tract. 11. et 26. super Joannem legit, per Mosen, quasi sensus sit: autore et velut administro Mose. Denique sunt, qui sic exponant: in Mosen baptizati sunt, hoc est, cultui ac legi per Mosen sibi tradendae specie quadam baptismatis initiati; quomodo nos in Christum baptizari dicimur, id est, Christo ac religioni Christianae per baptismum initiari. Qui quidem sensus non modo percommode ex significato Graecae praepositionis habetur, verum etiam contextui quam optime quadrat; idemque confirmatur ex ipsa historia Exod. 14., ubi post descriptum maris rubri transitum, de Israelitis dicitur: Crediderunt Domino et Moysi servo ejus, id est, Dominum quidem ut Deum, Mosen vero ut principem ac divinae voluntatis interpretem, agnoverunt. Baptizatos in nube et in mari S. Thomas interpretatur, visis tantis miraculis purgatos ab ignorantia et peccatis per fidem. Cajetanus ablutos a diffidentia divinae protectionis. Verum quia Paulus commemorat beneficia tam malis quam bonis communia; tantumque significare vult, quid visibiliter ab illis aut circa illos tunc actum fuerit: ideo melius ahi baptizatos in nube et in mari intelligunt, quatenus in figura sacri baptismatis per mare et sub aquosa nube ambularunt; ita ut credibile sit, eos etiam guttis, tum ex aquis maris hinc inde qua transibant in altum erectis, tum ex nube supra ipsos expansa fuisse nonnihil aspersos; quo baptismi sacramentum evidentius significaretur. Hanc enim mysticam significationem Apostohis innuere volens baptizatos dixit. Atque hunc sensum secundo loco adfert etiam Aquinas. Apposite vero nubes illa etmarebaptismum novae legis praefigurarunt. Nam quomodo nubes populum Hebraeum protegebat ab aestu per diem, eademque noctem illuminabat, ut habetur Exod. 14.; ita Chi-isti baptismus animas sanctificans, aestum concupiscentiae refrigerat, et infuso lumine fidei tenebras ignorantiae nostrae dispellit. Unde qui baptizati sunt, illuminati vocantur, Hebr. 6. et 10. Et quomodo mare rubium transitum praebens Hebraeis, Aegyptiorum manibus eos eripuit, ipsos autem Aegyptios submersit ac perdidit: ita nos salvos facit baptisma, demersis et extinctis hostibus, id est, peccatis nostris. Rursus quomodo populus ille per mare rubrum traductus pervenit ad manna typicum: sic ablutibaptismo Christi sanguine consecrato, perducuntur ad verum illud manna, quod soli norunt fideles. Ad hunc modum super figura transitus Hebraeorum per mare rubrum philosophatur August. tract. 11. in Joann. Nam et de manna nunc sequitur.
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3. Et omnes eandem escam spiritualem manducaoerunt.
10:4
4. Et omnes eundem potum spiritualem biberunt. Quaeritur, utrum quod dicit eandem escam omnes comedisse, sit intelligendum, eandem omnes inter se, an eandem nobiscum; et de potu similiter. Augustinus tract. 26. super Joannem intellexit tam escam quam potum eundem nobiscum; videlicet spiritualem, ut ait Apostolus; etsi corporalem escam potumque diversum. Nam illi manna et aquam de petra, non aliud. Spiritualem vero escam et potum illorum nobiscum interpretatur eundum, id est, Christum, quem olim et manna significavit de coelo descendens, et petra fundens aquas: et quem apud nos significat ac repraesentat altai'e Dei. Nam, inquit, sacramenta illa fuerunt, in signis diversa, sed in re, quae significatur, paria. Hunc intellectum videri potest exigere series verborum Apostoli. Monet enim in consequentibus Corinthios, ne sibi promittant Impunitatem, si concupiscentes sint malorum, si idolorum cultu polluantur, si fornicentur, et caetera, etiamsi Christi participes facti sint, utpote in Christum baptizati, et mystico cibo potuque refecti: quia nec Israelitae impune tulerunt, similia peccantes, quamvis et illo suo quodam baptismo essent abluti, et cibum potumque divinitus sabministratum percepissent; ac per ista Christi quoque participes effecti fuissent, tanquam unius ejusdemque nobiscum alimoniae spiritualis, sub signis diversis. Huc Augustinus allegat et illud, quod Apostolus subjungit, bibisse illos de spirituali petra; quoJque hanc petram interpretatur Christum. Sensum hunc etiam Graeci in suis commentariis insinuant magis quam tradunt. At vero Latini plerique intelligunt, patres illos eandem inter seipsos escam edisse, eundemque potum bibisse, ut totius loci sensus sit: Etsi patribus nostris omnibus communia fuerint haec beneficia, nubis protectio, et baptismus sub nube et mari; item manna, et aqua de petra, quemadmodum et alia multa; non omnes tamen in tfrram promissionis introducti fuerunt; quia, sicut infra dicitur: non in pluribus eorum beneplacitum est Deo. Sic igitur, inquit, et nos, quamvis omnes eundem cibum ac potum mysticum de mensa Domini sumamus, quemadmodum et omnes uno Christi baptismo sumus abluti; non tamen impunitatem.sperare debemus, si peccaverimus. Hic sensus planus acperspicuus est, idemque germanior. Nondum enim escae potusque nostri mentionem ullam fecerat Apostolus, ut illuc referri possent hae voces eandetn et eundem. Neque saltem dixit eandem nobisoum; quod dictum aut indicatum oportuit, si relationem ad nos intelligi voluisset: sed absolute xo autb ppcu/jia, t6 a.[)~b TioixOL, eundem cibum, eundem potum. Ut si dicam: omnes Hispani eundem habent regem, nec addam cum quibus eundem, utique significo, quod eundem inter se. Prior autem sensus vel ex eo refelli potest, quod verum non sit, omnes illos patres, de quibus Apostolus loquitur, Christi participes factos fuisse per fidem, ut Augustinus intelligit. Nam saepissime eorum incredulitatem et rebellionem increpasse leguntur Dominus et Moses. Et Paulus ipse statim subjicit, in multis eorum non fuisse beneplacitum Deo. Porro spiritualem vocat Apostolus escam illam et potum, id est manna et aquam de petra; vel quia non humana opera, sed praeter naturam divino miraculo suppeditabatur utrumque, quemadmodum multi exponunt; vel potius, uti docet Liranns, propter signiiicationem spiritualem seu mysticam. Erant enim illa spiritualia, non in se, sed in rebus significatis, quarum erant figurae: sicut et alia multa, quae in illo populo vel exhibebantur vel gerebantur in typum futuroruir. Quid autem manna mystice significaverit, hoc loco non dicit Apostolus, sed infra declarat, ubi meminit unius panis, de quo omnes participamus, id est, corporis Dominici. Item aqua populo data quid mystice significaverit, non explicat, sed intelligendum relinquit, videlicet sanguinem Dominicum, cujus sub nomine calicis eodem loco mentionem facit. Est autem aqua de petra sanguis de latere Christi. Quas quidem mysticas significationes luculenter expositas videre est in commentariis Graecorum. Quomodo enim, ait Chrysostomus, tu comedis corpus Domini, sic illi manna: et quomodo tu bibis sanguinem, sic ilU aquam de petra. Et infra: illis manna et aquam; tibi corpus praebuit et sanguinem. Jam quod ipsa petra Christi figuram gesserit, confestim audiemus.
Bibebant autem de spiritali consequente eos petra. Graece: Biberunt enim de spiritali sequente petra: ut sit probatio partis praecedentis, qua dictum est, omnes eundem potum bibisse. Similiter habet textus Ambros. omisso etiam pronomine eos, licet quidam codices addant. Sed haec lectio, Graecis consona, antiquiorum est Ambros. codicum, et facile colligitur ex verbis commentarii. Nam et in eodem commentario ad illud cap. 14. Spiritus Prophetarum Prophetis subjectus est, citantur eadem haec verba absque pronomine. Rursus exstat haec Graecorum lectio apud Irenaeum lib. 4. cap. 28. et 45. et apud.'^ugustiuum passim, ut homil. 27. inter. 50., tract. 26. et 45. in Joan., lib. 12. contra Faustum cap. 29. et alibi: item apud Hieron. (seu quisquis autor) in enarr. Psalm. 41., tametsi pronomen eos ad sensum commode suppletum est, non solum a nostro interprete, verum etiam ab aliis nonnullis. Porro cum legamus, bis Mosen e petra baculo percussa populo sitienti aquas eduxisse, primum Exod. 17., deinde Num. 20., quaeritur ad utram scripturam hic respiciat Apostolus. Quod enim Hieronymus ab Oleastro scribens in Numeros sentit, unum idemque esse aqua fluentis e petra miraculum, quod utroque loco describitur, in Exodo brevius, in Numeris prolixius ac plenius, eam opinionem Cajetanus illo antiquior, in utrumque locum scribens bene refellit, tum ex temporum difi"erentia, tum ex ordine rerum gestarum. Nam alterum contigit in undecima mansione apud Raphidim, priusquam ventum esset ad montem Sinai, id est, anno primo post egressionem populi, tabernaculo nondum exstructo: alterum commemoratur in mansione trigesima tertia, quae erat in deserto Sin apud Cades, id est, sub initium anni quadragesimi: ac proinde longe post tabernaculi structuram. Quod vel ex eo liquet: nam ibi narratur Moses tulisse virgam, quae erat in conspectu Domini, id est, in tabernaculo foederis, ubi scilicet Domino jubente fuerat antea reposita, Num. 17. Quibus adde, quod Num. 20. murmurantes dicunt: Vtinam periissemus inter fratres nostros coram Domino: quod Exod. 17. dicere non poterant quando populus nuUa adhuc plaga percussus fuerat a Domino. Movetur Oleastrius eo argamento, quoniam qui in libro Numerorum ob aquae penuriam murmurarunt, erant ex iis, qui egressi fuerant ex Aegypto. Dicunt enim: Quare nosfecistis ascendere de Aegypto? Atqui quadragesimo post egressionem anno nulli eorum, qui de Aegypto ascenderant, superstites erant, praeter Mosen, Aaron, Josue etCaleb. Sed facile respondetur, et quidem dupliciter: vel ut ascendisse dicantur non in se, sed in parentibus; nam parentes eorum ascenderant. Vel quia revera etiam ipsi cum parentibus ascenderant de Aegypto, nondum tamen nati viginti annos. Quod enim dicitur, omnes, qui educti fuerant ex Aegypto, periisse in deserto, de iis intelligendum constat, qui Num. 1. leguntur numerati fuisse a viginti annis et supra, sicut expresse Dominus suis verbis id declarat Num. 14. Cum igitur manifestum sit, diversas esse aquae fluxiones e petra, quae in Exod. et Numeris describuntur, Cajetanus in hujus loci commentario censet, Apostolum ad utramque respicere. Nam et uterque Scripturae locus hic ad marginem annotari solet. Aquiras tantum refert ad historiam Numerorum. Liranus vero tantum ad locum Exodi. Quod postremum etiam nobis maxime probatur. Etenim licet utraque petra baculo percussa Christi figura fuerit in ligno passi, lanceaque perforati; de sola tamen priori petra Paulum loqui docent verba sequentia, cum dicit: in pluribus eorum non fuisse beneplacitum Deo; prostratos enim esse in deserto. Nam haec poena, quam infra suo loco exponemus, antecessit eam populi de aquae defectu murmurationem, quae Numerorum 20. describitur, ut patet ex ejusdem lib. cap. 14. Quare ad eam referri non potest, sed solum ad illam, de qua in Exodo; quam sine dubio poena illa secuta est, etsi non continuo. Nunc videndum, quam Apostohis intelligat petram spiritualem. Chrysostom. aliique Graeci Christum ipsum interpretantur, propter id quod sequitur, petra autem erat Christus; atque etiam propter hoc quod dicit, petram consecutam seu comitatam illos fuisse; quod de petra materiali, quae suo loco mansit immota, non videtur accipi posse. Sic igitur Apostohim exponunt: Bibebantdeaqua, quam eis praebebat petra spiritualis, id est, Christus, qui per divinitatem tunc erat, et nusquam aberat: quique toto itinere varia beneficia praestando eos comitabatur, repraeseulatus per angelum populi ductorem: de quo dicemus infra. Verum si Christus significaretur, non diceret Apostolus, sequente, sed praecedente petrei. Angelus enim velut ductor populum praecedebat, ut loquitur Scriptura Exod. 23. et 32. Quocirca magis placet petram materialem intelligi, illam ipsam, ex qua aquae eruperant in deserto, quae fere Latinorum interpretatio est; ut sit sensus: Bibebant ex petra (Graece £X Trstpai^) fundente aquas; quomodo bibere quis dicitur e dolio, ex quo vinum depromitur. Haec autem petra comitata dicitur Israelitas, eo quod aquae, quas petra copiosissime fundebat, prc commoditate populi in rivos divisae, longo spatio profluerent, donec veniretur ad locum, ubi esset aquarum copia. Unde Psalm. 77. de illis aquis dicitur: Et deduxit tanquam flumina aquas, et torrentes inundaverunt, et Psalm. 104. Dirupit petram, et fiuxerunt aquae: abierunt in sicco fumina. Hanc exposilioiaem comitantis petrae videre est in glossa ordinaria, et apud B. Ariam, aliosque recentiores. Et huc revocari potest ille multorum commentarius, qui petram comitantem interpretatur obsequentem populi desiderio. Quod vero quidam referunt, filios Israel hanc petram secum retulisse per viam, addita etiam fabula de ejus parvitate, ut a Maria sorore Mosis in sinu gestaretur, deque ejus spontaneo per castra motu: totum id merito velut Judaicum somnium rejicit atque explodit Haimo. Spiritualis autem vocatur eadem petra, quomodo manna et aquas e petra fluentes dictum est vocari escam et potum spiritualem, propter spiritualem videlicet significationem. Nec vero contextus Apostoli diversum intellectum ab eo, quem dedimus, facile recipit. Si enim nubes et mare, omnium interpretum consensu, intelliguntui- illa materialia, mystice tamen aliud significantia; igitur et esca, potus, petra, materialia debent intelligi, quamvis spiritualia dicta propter significationem; secundum id quod in sequentibus testatur, haec omnia in figura nostri facta esse. Et quidem petra, quomodo spiritualis fuerit significatione, continuo declarat.
Petra autem erat Christus. Hujus enuntiati subjectum an petra sit, an Christus, haud liquet, ne quidem ex Graeco. Nam utrique praepuuitur articulus: rj dh. Tiizpa. f^v 6 ^^piaiog. Certe non improbabile est, vocem Christus subjecti locum tenere, ut ordo et sensus sit: Christus erat illa petra, id est, Christus erat res per illam petram spiritualiter ac mystice significata. Neque enim insolitum est in sermone, subjecti et praedicati, etiam substantivorum, ordinem inverti. Exempla sunt Joan. 1. Deus erat verbum, et cap. 4. Spiritus est Deus, et Psalm. 94. Deus magnus Dominus. Quae^-ecto ordine sic efi^eras: Verbum erat Deus. Deus est 8piritus. Dominus est Deus magnus. Confirmatur autem haec syntaxis ex eo, quod Petrus Act. 4. simili sensu de Christo dixit: Hic est lapis, qui reprobatus est etc. Plerique tamen ordinem verborum sequentes, vocem petra subjecti loco statuunt. Pro quibus facere fortasse videatur verbum praeteriti temporis erat: cum alioqui dicendum videretur in praesenti, Christus est petra, id est, res per illam petram significata; quomodo Petrus dixit, Christum esse lapidem angularem, non fuisse. Quanquam nec huc convincit. Nam propter significationem olim factam utrumque dici potuit, et petiara fuisse Christum, quia Christum significabat: et Christum fuisse petram, quia per petram significabatur. Nam et Joannes non dixit, Verbum esse Deum, sed fuisse: ut ejus significaret aeternitatem. Itaque parum refert, utrum ordinem hic sequamur: utraque enim constructio redit in eundem sensum. Utrovis autem modo ordinentur Apostoli verba, non est existimandum, erat pro significabat positum esse, quod volunt Sacramentarii; ut hoc exemplo suadeant etiam in illis Christi verbis: Hoc est corpus meum, verbum est idem valere, quod significat. Quam verbi est significationem nec in Scriptura reperies usquam, nec grammatici tradunt. Sed sicubi repugnantia est inter subjectum et praedicatum proprie sumpta, necesse est in altero eorum improprietatem agnoscere; ut si hominem stupidum voces asinum aut stipitem. Itaque si (petra) construatur ex parte subjecti, sensus enuntiationis apostolicae erit: illius petrae significatum erat Christus, sive, quod per petram significabatur, est Christus: ut nimirum (petra) pro re per ipsam significataponatur, retenta propria significatione verbi copulantis: quomodo exponendum est illud Apoc. 17. Aquae multae sunt populi multi, et alia hujusmodi. Cum autem inter extrema hujus propositionis: Hoc est corpus meum, nulla sit repugnantia (nam operatorius est Christi sermo): nequaquam consequens est, ad consimilem modum ea verba recte exponi. Sed hac de re latius egimus, et ex professo, ad distinctionem 8. lib. 4. sentent., rursus aliquid dicturi ad vers. 24. cap. proxime seq. Caeterum qua ratione petra a Mose percussa Christum significaverit, non est difficile declarare. Christus enim ut petra firmissima totam sustinet ecclesiam; idemque percussus et occisus a Judaeis, quorum figuram Moses gerebat, exundavit aquas uberrimas gratiarum, quibus salubriter reficimur in hujus vitae deserto, quicumque tendimus ad terram promissionis spiritualem seu mysticam, id est, patriam coelestem. Jam vero sicut petram Apostolus Christum dixit, ita dicere potuit, nubem et mare esse baptismum, et manna esse corpus Domini, et aquam de petra sanguinem; scilicet per significationem. Verum haec insinuare quam exprimere maluit, interpretibus enucleanda relinquens. J
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5. Sed non in pluribus eorum bene- i placitum est Deo. Negatio secundum sensum sequitur: sed in pluribus eorum non fuit beneplacitum Deo: Hebraismus, id est, plurimi eorum Deo non placuerunt, imo vehementer displicuerunt: utique propter incredulitatem, murmurationes, et alia peccata, quibus iram Dei adversum se provocaverunt, uti mox speciatim ipse Paulus explicat. Bene autem dicit in pluribus, id est, quam plurimis: quoniam e sexcentis millibus altero egressionis anno in numerum relatis, duo tantum Caleb et Josue, post annum quadragesimum, terra promissa potiti sunt: caeteri omnes in solitudine per annos quadraginta vat-iis plagis ac mortibus exstincti. Lege Numer. cap. 14. et 26. Hinc sequitur:
Nam prostrati sunt in deserto. Synecdochicus sermo. Nam de cadaveribus eorum loquitur. Respicit enim ad id, quod dicitur ac repetitur Num. 14. In solitudine jacebunt cadavera vestra. Sic Heb, 3. de iisdem: quorum cadavera prostrata sunt in deserto. Ex his intelligi vult Apostolus, etiam nobis nihil profuturum, quodper Christum e daemonum servitute liberati et baptismo mundati, caeterisque Christi sacramentis refecti sumus, si Israelitas peccando fuerimus imitati. Ideo sequitur:
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6. Haec autem in figura facta sunt nostri. Graece ad verbum: Haec autem figurae nostrae, vel nostri fuerunt, vel facta sunt. Et hoc fere modo citant istam sententiam Cyprianus epist. 77. ad Magnum, et Augustinus libr. 4. contra Faustum cap. 2. ubi legit nostri, et lib. 16. cap. 28. aliisque locis, in quibus legitur nostrae: ut et apud Bedam in collectaneis ex Augustino. Legit ad hunc modum etiam Tertull. lib. de corona militis cap. 9. Alibi vero aliter, ut libr. 5. contra Marcionem cap. 7. Haec autem exempla nobis sunt facta. Sensus tamen idem est. Haec, inquit, quae commemoravi contigisse patribus nostris, fuerunt typi quidam ac figurae, et exempla eorum, quae fiunt, aut futura sunt circa nos, qui sumus adscripti in populum Dei: et ita quidem, ut ad nostram doctrinam, instructionem et cautelam referenda sint; ut infra dicit vers. 11. Scripta sunt autem ad correptionem nostram. Quod et hic consequenter ac per species peccatorum declarat. TJt non simus concupiscentes malorum. In Graeco expressius significatur causa finalis: ad hoc ut nos non simus concupitores malorum. Qua parte notat in Corinthiis concupiscentiam gulae: qua titillante miscebant se epulis sacrorum gentilium. Dicitur autem mala concupiscere, quicumque vel rem illicitam seu prohibitam concupiscit, ut primi parentes; vel rem licitam male atque illicite, ut Israelitae in deserto: de quibus sequitur:
Sicut et illi cncupierunt. Non res aut natura malas aut prohibitas, sed bonas licitaLque male et inordinate; velut carnes, pisces, pepones, cucumeres, porros, allia, caepe: non contenti cibo, quem ilUs Deus tanto miraculo caelitus mittebat. Respicit enim Apostolus ad historiam Num. 11., ubi hujusmodi concupiscentia et plaga subsecuta describitur, eaque tam gravis, ut loco nomen remanserit sepulcra concupiscentiae. Significat autem, futurum, ut et nos similia patiamur, si similiter ut illi malorum concupiscentes fuerimus. Similia dico, juxta proportionem poenarum hujus saeculi, cum poenis saeculi futuri. Nam et plagae Israelitarum figurae fuerunt poenarum, quas infliget Deus iis, qui post baptismum ac mensae Dominicaeparticipationem, ad priora vitia relapsi fuerint.
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7. Neque idololatrae efficiamini. Mutat personam more Hebraeis familiari. Nam prius dixerat: Ut non simus concupiscentes malorum. Hanc mutationem rursus observare est in sequentibus. Sensus: Ad idolorum, et omnino falsorum deorum cuUum ne redeatis; sive ex animo per apostasiam, sive opere qualicumque externo per communionem cum infidelibus idola falsosque deos ex animo colentibus, propter quod infra dicit: Nolo vos socios fieri daemoniorum. Hunc enim posteriorem modum idohilatriae in consequentibus ab eo loco: Fugite ab idolorum cultura, apertius exponit ac prohibet. Addidi generatim de falsis diis: nam spC' ciem posuit pro genere, cum hic, tum alibi, quoties ab idololatria fideles revocat, eo nomine comprehendens omnem cultum, quo pro Deo colitur quod non est Deus.
Sicut quidam ex ipsis. Graece, sicut quidam eorum., quomodo vertit infra vers. 9. Supplendum, facti sunt idololatrae, videlicet aureum vitulum, quem sibi erexerant, pro Deo suo colentes ac dicentes: Hisuntdiitui, quemadmodum legitur Exod. 32., pro quo Nehemiae 9. Iste est Deus tuus. Quod in Hebraeo unum idemque est. Dicit autem quidam ex ipsis. Nam illi, per quos Mose jubente trucidati fuerunt idololatrae, non sunt idololatris annumerandi.
Quemadmodum scriptum est. Exodi loco jam citato. Sedit populus manducare et hibere, et surrexerunt ludere. Latinius hoc modo: Consedit populus ad edendum tt bibendum: et mrrexerunt ad ludendum. In his verbis significatio est idololatriae. Nam ederunt et biberunt epulo constructo ex hostiis pacificis, quas aureo vituli simulacro obtulerant. Proxi me enim illud praecedit: Surgentesque mane obtulerunt holocausta et hostias pacificas. Simul hac parte Corinthios, qui in mensa talibus instructa dapibus accumbebant, perstringit Apostolus, tanquam idololatriae participes. Quae res infra plenius ab eo docetur. Porro saturi ac temulenti coeperunt hadere, choros ducendo, cantando, tympana pulsando, et his similia faciendo pro solemnitate erecti idoli, uti liquet ex historia. B. Augustinus quaest. 61. inter 83. et ex eo glossa ordinaria, hisum hunc interpretantur idoli cultum. Quidenim, inquit Augustinus, lusui puerili tam simile est quam idola colere? Verum Scriptura Exod. 32. vers. ticat, quam eo modo quo dixi, licet id fecerintob idoli solemnitatem, eaque ratione cultus idoli recte vocetur: ut ab Aquinate, Lirano et aliis annotatum est.
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8. Neque fomicemur. Necte post epulas fornicationis meminit: quia ciborum vinique satietas libidinem provocare solet. Fomicari in Scriptura generale vocabulum est, comprehendens omnem concubitum viri cum muliere non conjugalem: ut annotavimus ad initium cap. 5., tametsi interdum strictius sumatur. Erat hoc vitium apud gentiles adeo commune, ut de eo, qui ex gentibus crediderant, specialiter admonendi essent Apostolico decreto. Act. 1-5. Nominatim vero Corinthios scortationi deditos fuisse, colligi potest ex iis, quae scripsit cap. 5. et 6. Passim quoque scriptores ethnici Corinthia scorta commemorant: videlicet ad publicam prostitutionem Veneri consecrata, cujus in ea civitate templum erat celebre.
Sicut quidam ex ipsis fornicati sunt. Respicit ad historiam Num. 25., ubi leguntur Israelitae fornicati fuisse cum mulieribus Madianitarum, consilio Balaam, de quo Num. 31., in castra submissis: a quibus et ad sacrificia vocati, de iis comederunt, et deos ipsarum adoraverunt. Solam tamen fornicationem hic nominat Apostolus, quia fornicatio principalior erat. Non enim studio peregrini cultus, quomodo patres eorum peccaverant in adoratione vituli; sed ut mulieribus, quarum amore capti erant, obsequerentur, deos earum venerati sunt.
Et ceciderunt una die viginti tria millia. Ceciderunt interfecti a judicibus Israel, quibus praeceperat Moses dicens: Occidat unusquisque proximos suos, qui initiati sunt Beelphegor: quod erat idolum Madianitarum: cum prius jussu Domini principes populi suspensi fuissent contra solem in patibulis. Verum numerus occisorum convenire non videtur. Nam in lib. Numerorum occisi leguntur viginti quatuor millia hominum. Cajetanus putat errore scribarum factum, ut alterum numerum pro altero positum vel hic, vel in Numeris habeamus. Quam solutionem etiam Aquinas suggerit. Oecumenius referens ipsa veteris Scripturae verba, numerum exprimit eundem quem Paulus; ac subjungit: Quidam autem veterum scriptorum posuerunt viginti quatuor millia. Ex quo apparet, exemplaria Graeca memorati loci Scripturae quondam variasse: licet nunc constanter habeant viginti quatuor, ut est in Hebraeo. Certe in verbis Pauli falsitas esse non potest, cum minor numerus contineatur in majore. Qua responsione multi sunt contenti. Quanquam et illud dici potest, Mosi non fuisse propositum, ut numerum occisorum exacte redderet: nec enim id solent historici. Quum ergo numerus occisorum esset inter tria et quatuor millia supra viginti; Moses ulteriorem numerum scripsit, Paulus citeriorem. Est et alia conciliatio, quam adfert Catharinus. Urget enim illud, quod Paulus, non Moses, scripsit una die. Ut pridie quidem principes, id est, illustres ex populo viri circiter mille fuerint interfecti: altera vero die e reliquo populo viginti tria millia. Hoc solum a Paulo dictura, Mosen utrumque numerum fuisse complexum. Mihi prima responsio, quae est utriusque Thomae, suffragante Oecumenio, plus caeteris probatur.
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9. Neque tentemus Christum. Christum tentare, et signa requirere Judaicum erat. Judaei, inquit, signa petunt; supra cap. 1. Qui et in Evangelio Christum ita compellant: Quod ergo tu facis signum, ut videamus et credamus tibi? Joan. 6. Sed et scribae et pharisaei Christum tentasse leguntur, signum de coelo quaerentes ab eo, Matth. 12. et Luc. 11. Quidam igitur hunc locum sic exponunt: Ne tentemus Christum, diffidentes ejus promissis, et ex hujusmodi diffidentia signa petentes: quales Apostolus Petrus 2. epist. 3. praemonet venturos, nempe qui dicerent: Ubi est promissio adventus ejus? Nam et verisimile est, iuter Corinthios fuisse, qui de Christi promissis haesitare inciperent: vehit eos, qui fidem resurrectionis mortuorum vertebant in dubium, ut infra cap. 15. Primasius huc refert illam tentationem, de qua Paulus in 2. ad eosdem Corinthios epist. cap. 13. dicens: An experimentum quaeritis ejus, qui in me loquitur Christus? Mihi magis videtur illud ad rem praesentem pertinere, quod dicit infra vers. 22. An aemulamur, seu provocamus Dominum? Numquid fortiores illo sumus? Hoc enim erat Christum tentare, potentiae ejus periculum facere.
Sicut quidam eorum tentaverunt. Graece hoc et sequenti versu: Sicut et quidam etc. Cajetanus in hac parte ex Graeco legendum annotatmmpro eorum, Stapulensem secutus autorem: qui id prior annotavit, adeoque sua versione expressit: quemadmodum et aliqui ipsum tentaverunt, sed haud dubie vitioso usus exemplari, in quo scriptum esset autov pro auTU)V. Nam in textu Paulino tam supra quam infra legitur auxtiiv eorum. Sed quem tentaverunt? Deum vel Christum, ait Thom. in comment. Si repetas Christum, ut fere Latini interpretes (nam et planus textus id omnino videtur exigere, nimisque coactum est, aliud, quam quod praecessit, velle subaudire), valebit hic locus ad destruendam haeresin Photinianam, quae negat Christum fuisse ante Mariam: imo generaliter adversus eos, qui Christum Deum negant. Nam tentationis peccatum proprie committitur in Deum. Sic et Augustinus accepit hunc locum lib. 3. contra Maxim. cap. 26. verbis etiam a Beda citatis. Favet hic locus opinioni a veteribus Theologis tam Latinis quam Graecis traditae de angelo, qui duxit filios Israel per desertum in terram promissionis: nempe Christi in carne venturi personam in eo fuisse praefiguratara, ac quodammodo repraesentatam: ut propterea, quae ab illo vel adversus illum gesta aut facta fuerunt, ad Christum rtjferant, tanquam ab eo vel adversus eum gesta aut facta. Estque eadem traditio de angelo, (jui patribus antiquis apparuisse legitur, ut Abrahae in convalle, sive juxta LXX. ad quercum Mambre, Gen. 18., Jacob in Bethel, Genes. 28., Mosi in rubo et in monte, Exod. 3. et 24. et Act. 7., Josue in campestribus Jericho, Jos. 5. Denique et regi Nabuchodonosor in fornace ignis, Dan. 3. Nam unum et eundem angelum fuisse, qui in typum Christi venturi, inque ejus specie omnibus illis apparuerit, censent dicti Theologi. Etenim quia Deus Pater invisibilis est, et Spiritus sanctus invisibilis: solus autem Filius Dei futurus erat naturaliter visibilis, quia carnera assumpturus, idcirco eum solum angelus ille visibiliter referebat, apparens videlicet in ea specie, in qua Dei Filius aliquando erat assumpta carne conspiciendus. Hinc rex ille dicebat, se videre speciem angeli similem Filio Dei. Et Christus ipse ad Judaeos: Abraham, inquit, pater vester exultavit, ut videret diem meum: et vidit et gavisus est, Joan. 8. Quin et illud Jesaiae 6. Yidi Dominum sedentem super solium excelsum etc. de Christo Domino a Propheta viso dictum esse, idem Joannes affirmat cap. 12., quum post alia recitata ejusdem Prophetae verba subjungit: Haec dixit Jesaias, quando vidit gloriam ejus, et locutus est de eo. Nam relativum ejus, eo, procul dubio refertur ad Jesum: inquit Jansenius cap. 111. commentarii sui Evangelici. Dicuntur autem hi Dominum, et Christum, et Dei Filium vidisse, quia propriam ac manifestam carnis ejus speciem, angelico ministerio suis oculis oblatam viderunt: quomodo qui in speculo videt expressam alicujus hominis imaginem, ipsum hominem videre dicitur. Jam istuc et aliae Scripturae alludunt. Jesus, inquit Apostolus Judas, populum de terra Aegypti salvans, secundo eos, qui non crediderunt, perdidit, et Paulus HeLr. 12. de Christo loquens: Cujus vox tnovit terram tunc: nunc autem repromittit etc. Stephanus quoque Act. 7. eum, qui Mosi locutus est, et ductor populi fuit, nunc angelum, nunc Dominum vocat. Eodem referri potest illud Sap. 18. Om~ nipotens sermo tuus de coelo durus debellator in mediam exterminii terram prosilivit. Huc igitur et Paulum respicere, cum dicit, Christum ab Israelitis olim fuisse tentatum, verisimile est. Ita commentator Ambros. Christum tentasse dicuntur, inquit, quia Christus erat, qui ad Mosen loquebatur. Tradunt hanc, quam retuli sententiam, primum Graeci scriptores, Justinus in dial. adversus Tryph. Irenaeus lib. 3. advers. haereses cap. 6. et lib. 4. cap. 23. Eusebius lib. 5. demonst. Evang. cap. 9, et sequentibus, nec non in prooemio hist. eccl. et Athanasius in apol. suae fugae. Quibus accedunt Latini, Tertull. compluribus locis a Pamelio annotatis Paradoxo 19. Cyprianus lib. 2. testim. cap. 5. et 6. Hilarius lib. 5. de Trin. et in exposit. Psalm. 68. Ambrosius praefat. in Lucam, et lib. 1. de fide ad Grat. cap. 5. Prudentius in apotheosi adversus Patripass. et Judaeos. August. in conc. ad catechumenos cap. 15. et autor quaest. vet. et novi testamenti quaest. 117. et rursum parte 2. quaest. veteris testamenti quaest. 18. Postremo valde confirmat hanc patrum traditionem vox ecclesiae in adventum Dominicam canentis illam antiphonam: O Adonai, et dux domus Israel, qui Mosi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti, veni ad /'cdimendum nos in brachio extento. Quam orationem, ut et caeteras ejusdem ordinis antiphonas, ad Christum Dei Filium proprie dirigi, non est dubium. Talis est et illa paschalis antiphona: Surrexit Christus de sepulcro, qui liberavit tres pueros de camino ignis ardentis. Secundum haec igitur tentaverunt Israelitae Christum in illo angelo ductore suo, Christi personam eo quo dictum est modo repraesentante. Ac saepe quidem populus ille Dominum tentavit in deserto: ut Exod. 17. quando deficiente aqua dixit: Estne Dominus in nobis, an non? Et vocatum est nomen loci illius tentatio. Item Exod. 16., quando panem petiverunt; et Num. 11. quando carnes. Haec enim eos fecisse tentando Deum, ac de ejus potentia dubitando, testatur David Psalm. 77. dicens: Et tentaverunt Deum in cordibus suis, ut peterent escas animabus suis. Et male locuti sunt de Deo; dixerunt: Numquid poterit Deus parare mensam in deserto? Et iterum: Numquid et panem poterit dare, aut parare mensam populo suo? et quae sequuntur. Denique Dominus ipse Num. 14. testatur dicens: tentaverunt me jam per decem vices, nec obedierunt voci meae. Verum hoc loco respicit Apostolus ad historiam Num. 21., ubi populus pertaesus itineris ac laboris, locutus est contra Dominum, dicens: Deest panis, non sunt aquae etc. Tunc enim illos secuta est ultio divina, de qua subjungit:
Et a serpentibus perierunt. Scilicet morsibus eorum interfecti. Scriptura serpentes ignitos, id est, urentes vocat. Putantur fuisse, quas Graeci dipsades appellant, nomine deducto a siti. Id enim consonat historiae. Nam in Arabia praecipue nascuntur, et morsu sitim ardentissimam inducunt; quae nec potu restingui queat, sed omni humore consumpto, mox hominem exstinguat. Meminit Apostolus hujus peccati atque vindictae, dans occasionem mysterii cogitandi. Nam qui hoc modo peccaverunt, a serpentibus perierunt, donec serpens aeneus erectus est: quem qui intuebantur, a morsibus serpentium sanabantur, ut annotat Lombardus. Qua quidem in re fuit expressa Christi salvatoris in cruce exaltati figura, ab ipso Christo exposita, Joann. 3.
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10. Neque murmuraveritis. Vel contra Deum, vel potius contra homines vobis praefectos: quae tamen murmuratio in Deum redundat, protestante Mose: Non contra tios est murmur vestrum, sed contra Dominum, Exod. 16. Est autem murmuratio, quando sine justa ratione px*accepto seu voluntati superioris contradicitur, aut de ejus administratione querimonia suscitatur. Tale quid apud Corinthios fideles accidisse, mirum non videbitur reputanti factiones et schismata, quae inter eos erant: de quibus cap. 1. 3. et 11. Nam et PhiUppenses, utique laudatiores, admonet dicens cap. 2. Omnia facite sine murmurationibus.
Sicut quidam eorum murmuraverunt. Saepissime legitur populus ille in deserto murmurasse contra Deum et Mosen. Itaque videri potest incertum, de quo eorum murmure Paulus loquatur. Verum ex poena subjuncta colligitur, eum loqui proprie de murmure, quo contra Mosen et Aaron murmuravit omnis multitudo filiorum Israel, dicens: Vos interfecistis populum Domini (his enim verbis describitur Num. 16. sub finem), non autem de alio quopiam murmure. Nam murmurationem unam et alteram, quae narrantur Exod. 16. et 17., nulla punitio legitur subsecuta. Nondum enim populus legem acceperat. Sed neque sermo est de murmuratione, quae Num. 11. describitur; nec rursum de ea, quae cap. 14. ejusdem libri. Quae duo loca fere solent hic in margine notari. Nam cap. 11. puniuntur, qui carnes concupierant; de quibus jam ante locutus est Apostolus. Et cap. 14. murmuratio quidem populi describitur, non tamen punitio, sed generalis quaedam comminatio, scilicet morituros esse in deserto, nec visuros terram promissam. Rursus initio cap. 11. fit mentio cujusdam plagae per ignem devorantem extremam partem castrorum: quae et ipsa propter murmur populi divinitus immissa fuit. Non eo tamen Apostolum hic respicore, sed ad historiam Num 16., patebit ex eo, quod sequitur:
Et perierunt ab exterminatore. Exterminatorem nonnulli interpretantur ignem egressum a Domino: proptei'ea fortasse, quod in Numeris legatur multitudinem fuisse vastatam incendio, juxta versionem quidem vulgatam. Verum in Hebraeo nulla fit ignis aut incendii mentio: quemadmodum nec in Graeco, sed tantum plagae seu percussionis. Latini interpretes fere intelligunt angehim percussorem; Graeci potentiam quandam ultricem, quod eodem recidit. Quae est enim ultrix illa potentia, nisi angelus Dei minister? quo et alias saepenumero legitur usus ad punienda homiuura peccata: vehit Gen. 19., 3 Reg. ult., 4 Reg. 19., Act. 12. Quod vero Latinorum quidam exterminatorem exponunt eum, qui percussit extra terminos terrae promissae, parum scienter ab illis dicitur. Nam Graeca vox oXo&psuTrjC nullam habet termini significationem, sed eum significat, quipenitus vastat ac perdit; quem et Cicero latine dixit exterminatorem, in oratione pro domo sua. Porro hujus exterminatoris fit etiam mentio Judith. 8. illis verbis: Exterminati sunt ab exterminatore, et a serpentibus perierunt: ut videri possit Apostolus haec scribens illum locum in mente habuisse. Ejusdem exterminatoris mentio fit Sap. 18. in fine, cum dicitur: His autem cessit, qui exterminabat, et haec extimuit. Ex quo etiam loco docemur, ad quam plagam his suis verbis respiciat Apostolus; nimirum ad eam, quam populo immissam ac saevientem compescuit Aaron sacerdos; quando stans inter mortuos ac viventes, atque incensum offerens, pro populo deprecatus est. Hanc enim rem gestam Sapiens illo loco diserta oratione commemorat. Rationem vero, cur haec plaga prae aliis adscriba tur exterminatori, id est, perdenti angelo, hanc esse existimo: quia modus plagae, fueritne ea per ignem, an per serpentes, an aliter facta, non fuit a Mose expressus; aut certe, quia genus plagae insolitum fuit, et extraordinaria quadam operatione virtutis angelicae inflictum. Quod et dici potest de percussione exercitus Assyriorum sub Ezechia rege, 4 Reg 19. Quaeritur, qualis fuerit hic extenuinator angelus, bonus an malus, et omnino quis fuerit? Librum Sapientiae legenti videbitur de numero malorum fuisse: eo quod sacerdoti pontificalibus ornamentis induto cessisse dicatur atque extimuisse, imo et victus ab illo fuisse. Nam pro eo, quod nos ibi legimus: Yicit autem turbas, in multis Graecis habetur Ivtxr^as dk Tov oXo&pcUOVxa, vicit autem exterminantem sive vastantem: et mox sequitur, quod verbo illum, qui vexabat, Graece xov xoXaCovxa ultorem, subjecit Verum haec, ut figmato sermone dicta, non incommode etiam de bono angelo possunt accipi. Nam et angehis, qui luctatus fuit cum Jacob, superatus ab eo legitur Gen. 32. et flevisse ac rogasse eum Hoseae 12., qui utique bonus erat, ipiusque adeo Dei personam repraesentabat: ut propter eum in lucta superatum, Jacob dictus sit Israel, id est, praevalens Deo. Genes. ibidem. Quare et hunc bonum angelum fuisse, mihi valde probabile est; nec vero qualemcunque, sed illum ipsum, qui ductor fuit Israelitici populi per desertum, et Christi in carne venturi personam praetulit; ideoque Deus et Christus et Jesus nominatus legitur. Nam de angelo ductore, quod idem ultor scelerum futurus esset, ita testatur Dominus Exod. 23. Ecce, ego mittam angelum, qui praecedat te, et custodiat m via; etintroducatin locum, quem praeparavi. Observa eum, et audi vocem ejus; nec contemnendum putes: quia non dimittet, cum peccaveris. Quod autem gesserit personam et nomen Dei, docet id, quod proxime sequitur: Et est nomen meum in illo, videlicet rexpa- Ypa}ijjiaTOV. Hoc enim nomine saepe vocaJur, et vocat seipsum, ut Exod. 3. 13. appellatus sit, jam supra habuimus ex illis Apostoli verbis: Neque tentemus Christum, sicut quidam eorum tentaverunt. Quod Jesus dictus, ostendunt verba Judae Apostoli dicentis in epistola, quod Jesus populum de terra Aegypti salvans, secundo eos, qui non crediderunt, perdidit. Quibus etiam ex verbis patet, ipsum incredulorum exterminatorem fuisse. Dicitur autem haec fecisse Dominus Jesus per angelum, de quo loquimur, personam ipsius gerentem. Jam nec ab hoc angelo diversum fuisse putamus eum, qui percussit Aegypti primogenita (neque enim illis assentior, qui malum eura fuisse putant) et cujus ministerio lex data fuit in monte Sina; quique cum Mo.se locutus fuit in deserto: et cum Josue iu agro urbis Jericho: et qui populum legis oblitum objurgavit, dicens: Eduxi vos de Aegypto, et introduxi in terram, pro qua juravi patribus vestris etc. Judicum 2. Denique ipsum fuisse Michaelem archangeluraprincipem populi Dei, qui corpus Mosi sepeUvit: de quo in epist. Judae. Sed haec singula suis argumentis ostendere, non est hujus loci. Vide, quae commentabimur ia epist. Judae vers. 5. et 9.
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11. Haec autem omnia in figura contingebant illis. Hic rursum Graece est Tuuoi figurae, plurali numero, Haec autem omnia figurae, id est, tanquam figurae, contingebant illis, ac si dicat: Haec omnia, quae illis antiquis contigisse memoravi, fuerunttypi, figurae, seu tabellae quaedam praenuntiae eorum, quae in ecclesia Christi contingerent. Qua de re B. August. lib. 22. contra Faust. cap. 24. Dico, inquit, illorum hominum non tantum linguam, verum etiam vitam fuisse propheticam; totumque illud regnum gentis Hebraeorum, magnum quendam, quia et magni cujusdam, fuisse Prophetam. Sic ille. Porro codex unus et alter observatus est, in quo scriptum esset: xuTitxuic ouvepocivsv auToTg, id est, typice seu figurative contingebant illis. Sed qui ita scripsit, explicare voluit, quod ab Apostolo obscurius dictum videbatur. Erat enim prior ille populus totus figurativus ac propheticus respectu populi Christiani. Obiter admoneo, S. Thomam passim in Summa Theologica legere quarto causu in figuram, ut 1. 2. quaest. 102. art. 2. et 6. et quaest. 103. art. 1. et quaest. 104. art. 2. item 2. 2. quaest. 87. art. 1. Quae lectic ad sensum clarior est. Idem tamen in commentario legit in figura.
Scripta sunt autem ad correptionem nostram. Graece Tipoc vou&eaiav ■^p.wVj ad seu propter admonitionem nostri, pro quo TertuUianus ad commonendos nos, lib. 5. adversus Marc. cap. 7. Sensus: ut iis lectis vel auditis admoniti sapiamus, ne similiter peccantes similia patiamur.
In quos fines saeculorum devenerunt. Graece, xaTTjvTTjasv occurrerunt, id est, inciderunt, ut Erasmus vertit. Irenaeus lib. 4. advers. haeres. cap. 28. et 45. et Augustinus lib. 32. contra Faust. cap. 9. et alibi, legunt numero singulari. In quos finis saeculorum devenit, aut obvenit. Graeci tamen codices constanter habent pluralem numerum, quem et legit Gall. Estii Conun. Tom. 1. Tertullianus: in quos, inquit, fines aevorum decurrerunt; adversus Marcionem loco prius citato, et adversus Praxeam cap. 16. Est autem in his verbis hypallage. Nam recto ordine diceretur: qui in fines saeculorum, id est, in ultima tempora mundi, incidimus. Ultimam quippe mundi aetatem significat, quae ab adventu Christi protenditur usque ad saeculi consummationem. Eandem Joannes vocat novissimam horam, 1. epist. 2. et rursum Paulus, consummationem saeculorum, Heb. 9. Hoc autem tempus est decurrentis ecclesiae, quo implendae sunt figurae priorum temporum. Loquitur enim Apostolus non tantum in persona fidelium sui temporis, sed et eorum, qui post futuri erant usque ad finem saeculi. De hac phrasi Scripturae plura reperies a nobis annotata ad dictum cap. 9. epist. ad Hebraecs.
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12. Itaque qui se existimat stare, videat, ne cadat. Scilicet alieno cautus exemplo. Significat enim, quorsum superiora de Israelitis adduxerit. Et quamvis sententia generalis est, tamen praecipue notat eos, qui scientiae nomine sibi placentes, cum destructione proximorum et idololatriae periculo, cibos idolis immolatos comedebant: de quibus dixerat cap. 8. Si quis se existimat scire aliquid, nondum cognovit quemadmodum oporteat eum scire. Ad hoc enim nunc a digressione revertitur. Et observa, Paulum non dicere, qui stat, sed qui se existimat stare, Graece, 6 Soxtov eGTavat^ quod Erasmus et alii vertunt sensu prorsus eodem, qui sibi videtur stare. Multi namque sibi stare videntur, qui non stant. Fallunt enim semetipsos, aut certe falluntur. Quales utique erant, quos inflabat scientia, caritate destitutos aedificante. Igitur ex hac Apostoli sententia, adversus duo speciali's ac novitiae fidei capita, duo statuuntur fidei catholicae dogmata: alterum, non esse nos certos infallibiliter, quod stemus, id est, justi simus; alterum, nec eum, qui justus est, ceitum esse, quod sit perseveraturus, sed timendum illi esse et cavendum, ne a justitia cadat in peccatum, et peccati merito pereat in aetemum. Unde patres banc sententiam interdum absolute citant de homine stante, absque vocabulo videtur, ut S. Leo serm. 5. de quadrag. Dicente namque Apostolo, inquit, qui stat, videat, ne cadat: nemo est tanta firmitate suffultus, ut de stabilitate sua debeat esse securus. Imo Chrysostomus ad ipsum Paulum extendit, in comment. ita loquens: Cave casum. Nam si timuit Paulus, qui erat omnium fortissimus; multo magis nos timere oportet. Porro August. lib. de dono persever. cap. 8. locum hunc ita legit: Qui videtur stare etc. non addito pronomine sibi, quod nec in Graeco est. Ged id recte noster interpres et alii suppleverunt. Intelligitur enim ex consuetudine Graeci sermonis; sicut et supra cap. 7. Si quis turpem se videri existimat. Vide, quae illic annotata.
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13. Tentatio vos non apprehendat nisi humana. In libris Complutensibus ac regiis, aliisque nonnullis tam vetustis c[uam recentioribus, atque in Missali Romano, legitur apprehendit, cum tertia vocali. Quae lectio sincerior est. Nam Graeci codices habent sfAr/f £ cepit, verbo praeteriti temporis. Consentiunt et Graeci tractatores, et versio Syriaca. Sed et apud Cyprianum lib. 3. testim. cap. 91. pro verbo apprehendit, legitur occupavit. Legunt quidem exhortandi sive optandi modo, apprehendat, Ambrosiaster et Primasius in commentariis, item August. lib. 2. de serm. Dom. in monte cap. 9. et autor quaest. vet. et novi testam. quaest. 99. Verum reprehendit et corrigit eam lectionem Sedulius, ita scribens: Quod Apostoli testimonium non intelligentes quidam, posuerunt pro indicativo optativum modum. Aliuqui Pelagium quoque indicativum legisse, satis arguit ejus expositio. Nomine tentationis id intelligitur hoc loco, quod in oratione Dominica, ne nos inducas in tentationem: ea nimirumtentatio, qua quis tentatur, hoc est, solicitatur ad peccatum; sive diabolo incitante, seu mundo, seu carne: licet hic potissimum respicere plerisque videatur Apostolus ad eas tentationes, quae sunt a mundo, id est, a malis hominibus bonos persequentibus. Cujusmodi tentationes non admodum graves adhuc passi fuerant Corinthii. Nondum enim, ut annotat Cajetanus, a praefectis provinciarum erant vexati propter fidem Christi. Ita tentationem hic accipi, suadet illud, quod sequitur, qui non patietur vos tentari etc, ut sensus sit: Moneo vos, ut qui stare vobis videmini, lapsum metuatis; nec vobis placeatis, quasi valde graves tentationes superaveritis. Nam hactenus quidem non nisi humana, id est, modica, mediocris ac superatu facilis tentatio vos occupavit, vobis incubuit. Nondum gravia passi estis. Quod aliis verbis ad Heb. 12. dixit: Nondum usque ad sanguinem restitistis. Igitur tacite Corinthios admonet, \\t sese praeparent ac muniant adversus graviores tentationes superventuras: ne qui sibi placent de levioribus superatis, gravioribus succumbant. Humanum autem esse Paulo, quod moderatum ac facile est, tanquam humanis accommodatum viribus, probat locus Rom. 6. Humanum dico propter infirmitatem carnis vestrae. Et huic opponitur tentatio supra hominem; qualis illa Pauli, de qua 2 Cor. 1. Quoniam, inquit, supra modum gravati sumus, supra virtutem. Et hic quidem commentarius de tentatione, quae fit a mundo, probabilis est. Quanquam sunt, qui Paulum loqui putent de tentatione, quae a carne est, id est, a gula tentante ad idolothyta comedenda. Quem sensum, ut scopo praesentis doctrinae viciniorem, minime rejiciendum arbitror. Nam et tentatio, quam excitat gula, levis est comparatione tentationum, quas commovet mundus, persequendo fideles usque ad bonorum direptionem et mortem ipsam. Et has tamen etiam superare se posse ne di£Bdant, ostendit a quo victoriam sperare debeant, dum subjungit: Fidelis Deus etc. Quod vero commentator Ambrosius et autor quaestionum supra dictus distinguunt tentationem humanam a divina: docentes humanam esse tentationem, propter spem Dei diiiidere de homine, divinam vero, desperare de Deo, humanum auxilium requirendo: prorsus alienum est ab hoc loco, et sensum Apostoli magis obscurat, quam explicat. Quis enim dixerit, opus bonum et sanctum, quale est, propter spem Dei diffidere de homine, esse tentationem; praesertim ejus generis, de quo hic agitur?
Fidelis autem Deus est, qui non patietur vos tentari supra id, quod potestis. Patietur, Graece iaoet, sinet. Post terrorem subjicit consolationem. Nonnulli locum hunc in eum sensum exponunt, quasi Deus nullum hominem supra vires tentari permittat; idque pertineat ad fidem promissorum Dei. Qui commentarius hactenus admitti potest, quia Deus nihil homini praecepit impossibile; et quia ad implenda praecepta suum auxilium promisit. Est autem ejus praeceptum, ut tentationibus resistamus, easdemque resistendo superemus. Et sic intelligendum illud Cypriani capitulum 91. lib. 3. testimoniorum: Tantum unumquemque tentari, quantum potest sustinere. Quod confirmat Paulino hujus loci testimonio. Sic etiam intelligendus Augustin. in Tract. de pastoribus, ubi semel et iterum haec Apostoli verba sic accipere videtur, tanquam universe de omnibus hominibus dicta sint. Neque enim imperaret quicquam ut faceremus, si impossibile judicaret, ut ab homine fieret; ait idem Augustin. in exposit Psalm. 56. Verum constat quam plurimis hominibus, praesertim infidelibus, et in profundum peccatorum demersis, non esse possibile, tentationes omnes superare, nisi potentia multum remota: nempe quatenus adhuc in via hujus vitae constituti, dum utiliter pro eis orari potest, Deo miserente possunt ad bonum converti, et tentationibus evadet-e superiores. Sed neque promissio divina de non permittenda supra vires tentatione, pertinens ad omnes homines, invenitur in Scripturis alia, quam qua Deus adjutorem se pomittit afflictis et tentatis. Atqui non iis simpliciter omnibus promittit, sed petentibus. Ait enim: Petite et dabitur vobis, et: Omnis, qui petit, accipit, Matth. 7. Quam multi vero tentati non petunt? imo quam multi nec petere possunt? ii maxime, qui Deum non noverunt? Nam quomodo invocabunt, in quem non crediderunt? Rom. 10. Sane quod ad hunc locum attinet, non dicit Apostolus: Fidelis Deus, qui neminem sinit; sed qui vos non sinet tentari supra id, quod potestis. Ex quo satis apparet, quod sententiam suam restrictara esse velit ad certum genus hominum: utpote vel ad fideles, vel ad justos, vel ad electos. Est autem optimus commentarius eorum, qui de electis exponunt. Solet enim Paulus ad electos respicere, sicubi fidem Dei allegat: ut hujus epistolae cap. 1., ubi cum dixisset: Qui et confirmabit vos usque in finem sine crimine, mox addidit: fidelis Deus. Et manifestius 1 Thess. 5. Fidelis est, inquit, qui vocavit vos, qui etiam faciet, et 2 Thess. 3. Fidelis Dominus est, qui confirmabit vos et custodiet a malo. Loquitur enim ad hunc modum Apostolus, propterea quod promissiones novi testamenti principaliter ad electos pertineant; quibus Deus absolute promisit ac praeordinavit vitam aeternam, et omnia bona ad eam consequendam necessaria; quale est vincere tentationes, et hoc ipsum a Deo petere. Nam hujusmodi prcmissio nec omnibus fidelibus, nec omnibus justis facta est, sed solis et omnibus electis: eo nimirum sensu, quia quamvis interdum Deus sinat eos supra vires tentari, ac tentatione dejici; quemadmodum accidit Petro, qui ante tentationem putabat se posse, quod se velle sentiebat, quando dicebat Domino: Animam meam pro te ponam, inquit Augustinus lib. de grat. et lib. arb. cap. 17., sed non fallebatur, qui dixerat ei: Non potes me modo sequi, Joann 13., verumtamen finaliter nulla tentatione a Deo separantur; secundum illud, quod in eorum persona dicit Apostolus Rom. 8. Si Deus pro nobis, quis contra nos? Et iterum: Quis nos separabit a caritate Christi? et quae sequuntur. Exstant autem promissiones illae partim apud Prophetas, partim in Evangeliis, potissimum apud Joannem, Domino de suis ovibus, id est, electis, inter alia sic loquente cap. 10. Oves meae vocem meam audiunt: et ego cognosco eas, et sequuntur me. Et ego vitam aeternam do eis: et non peribunt in aeternum; et 7ion rapiet eas quisquam de manu mea. Nec obstat huic expositioni, quod aliqui Corinthiorum, ad quos scribebat Paulus, non erant electi, ut nec omnes erant justi. Nam in hujusmodi sermone sive primam personam exprimat Apostolus, ut ad Romanos scribens; sive secundam, ut hic et alibi, respicit electos, qui in illis erant, ad quos scribit, ut sensus hujus loci sit: 1 idelis Deus, qui suos electos, quorum in numero multos vestrum esse confido, non sinet tentari supra vires. In hanc sententiam, id est, de electis, praesentem locum acceperunt Romani ponti6ces Hormisdas et Gregorius primus. Hormisdae verba sunt in epistola ad Possessorem episcopum: Deus, qui per beatum Apostolum dixit: Qui vos non dimisit tentari super quod potestis; ipse pro sua pietate, quos suos elegit esse, de laqueis adversariorum, sicut semper, eripiet. Eosdem intellexit Gregorius sub nomine filiorum Dei, lib. 14. Mor. cap. 17. Citatis enim Apostoli verbis, infert eos non esse filios, sed hostes, quorum vires flagella superant. Electos autem se intelligere declarat lib. 28. cap. 7., ubi Scripturam hanc repetit. Nec ab his diversum sensit Leo pontifex utroque anterior. Nam in serm. 7. de jejunio decimi mensis, haec Apostoli verba sic allegat, ut satis ostendat, ea se intelligere dicta proprie de redemptis et sacro baptismate renatis, iisque militantibus atque pugnantibus: quod fit potissimum (juxta Domini praeceptum) vigilando et orando, ne in- iremus in tentationem. Quare etiam, ex hujus pontificis sententia, pertinet hic locus ad electos, ut qui soli perseveranter, orant. Consimili intellectu tractat eundem hunc locum Augustinus lib. de dono persev. cap. 9. et in enarr. Psalm. 61. 77. et 120. Quo postremo loco rationem hanc adfert, quia novit Dominus, qui su7it ejus, quae est electorum notio. Quos et illa specialiter indicat memorati Leonis sententia, qua dicit in epist. 27. scripta ad Flavianum episcopum: Providentia Dei semper suis necessarium praestat auxilium. Sed et Haimo de perventuris ad regnum coeleste, et Hugo de iis, qui cum Deo sunt, utique perseveranter, Apostoli mentem exponunt, id est, de electis. Apertissime vero de iisdem glossator interlineaUs, ac totidem verbis Lombardus, ita scribens: Deus est fidelis, id est, verus in promissionibus, qui se protectorem suorum electorum fore promisit. Unde et statim addunt, quod electis est proprium: Qui non patietur vos tentari supra id, quod potestis ferre; quia vel cadere non sinit, vel a casu erigit. Quanquam non minus aperte sensum hunc tradidit istis omnibus antiquior interpres Pauli, vulgo dictus Ambrosius, diserte et graviter inculcans vim promissionis divinae, videlicet ejus, quae spectat electos: eoque allegans illud Evangelicum, de magnis tribulationum tentationibus a Domino dictum: Nisi breviati fuissent dies illi, non fieret salva omnis caro: sed propter ehctos breviabuntur dies illi. Nec vero dissonant a supradictis Graeci commentatores Chrysostomus, Theophylactus et Oecumenius, licet expresse electorum non meminerint. Dicunt enim, omnem tentationem vires nostras superare, nisi Christus auxilietur, et felicem eventum praebeat. Quod quidem finaliter solis praestatur electis. Nec de aliis intellexit Theodoretus. Exponit enim de iis, qui divinum petunt auxilium, nempe sicut oportet, ac imprimis perseveranter. Quod soli faciunt electi. Jam nec aliud existimandum est sensisse patres concilii Tridentini, quando sess. 24. can. 9. loquentes de iis, qui continentiam vovemnt, dicunt, Deum recte petentibus non denegare donum castitatis: cum non patiatur nos supra id, quod possumus, tentari: nos, inquam, recte petentes. Id enim relinquitur intelligendum ex eo, quod proxime praecessit. At recte petentes, finaliter, ut dictum est, soli sunt electi. Nam alioqui, in eo, quod dicunt, donum illud recte petentibus non denegari, satis profecto significant, denegari, sive non dari, non recte petentibus, aut non petentibus omnino: qui proinde supra id, quod in praesenti possunt, tentantur. Quodipsum apertius docent iidem patres sess. 6. cap. 11., ubi cum dixissent: Deus impossibilia non jubet; addunt ex Augustino de natura et gratia cap. 43. Sed jubendo monet et facere, quod possis, et petere, quod non possis, deque suo: et adjuvat, ut possis: adjuvat, inquam, petentem. Hinc et Catechismus Romanus iu expositione precationis Dominicae docet, petendum a Deo, ne nos tentari sinat supra id, quod possumus, sed faciat etiam cum tentatione proventum. Idque etiam admonet Augustinus libro de catechiz. rudibus cap. 25. his verbis: Humilis esto Deo, ut non te permittat tentari ultra vires tuas; et capit. ultimo: Opera misericordiae cum pia humilitate impetrant a Domino, ut non permittat servos suos tentari, plusquam possint sustinere. Idem in fine tractatus de urbis excidio: Oremus et gemiscamus ad Dominum, ut servetur erga nos, quod Apostolus dicit: Fidelis, qui non vos sinet tentari supra id, quod potestis, sed faciet cum tentatione etiam exitum. Rursus idem Augustinus lib. 2. de serm. Domini in monte cap. 9. exponens illam partem orationis Dominicae: A'e nos inducas in tentationem: Deus, inquit, induci patitur eum, quem suo auxilio dtseruerit, ordine occultissimo. Et quibusdam interjectis adferens haec Apostoli verba: Fidelis Deus etc, ita prosequitur: Tn qua sententia satis ostendit, non id nobis orandum esse, ut non tentemur, sed ne in tentationem inducamur. Inducimur autem, si tales acciderint, quales ferre non possumus. Quem locum Augustini cum aliis huc adducit Beda in collectaneis. De ea re B. Hieronymus exponens illa Domini verba Matth. 26. Vigilate et orate, ut non intretis in tentationem, sic ait: Unde et in oratione Dominica dicimus: Ne nos inducas in tentationem, quam ferre non possimus: non tentationem penitus refutantes, sed vires sustinendi in tentationibus deprecantes. Sic ille rectissime. Necesse est enim, ut quo auxiliante vincimus, eo iterum non adjuvante vincamur: uti praeclare scripserunt Innocentius I. in epistola ad concilium Carthaginense, et Coelestinus I. sui praecessoris verba repetens, in epistola ad episcopos Galliae cap. 6. Possent huc et alia multa ex Scripturis et Patribus adferri, quibus ostendatur, non omnibus hominibus, nec semper, adesse vires, quibus tentationi resistant. Sed hoc argumentum alterius est loci. Denique non ad omnes homines, sed ad solos electos Apostoli verba referenda esse, manifeste probat, quod sequitur:
Sed faciet etiam cum tentatione proventum. Graece: Sed faciet cum tentatione etiam exitum, eventum, evasionem. His enim modis Ixplaoiv recte vertas. Exitum legunt Hieronymus in commentario Jonae Prophetae cap. 2. et Augustinus in verbis paulo ante recitatis ex tractatu de urbis excidio, itemque iu expositione Psalm. 61. et in epistola 89. ad Hilarium quaestione 2., nec non lib. 2. de sermono Domini in monte cap. 9. juxta citationem Bedae. Sic et Cassianus collatione 7. cap. 20. Porro Cyprianus in testimoniis ad Quii-mum ita refert hunc locum: Sed faciet cum tentatione etiam evadendi facuHatem. Quae versio probari non potest, nisi fac.ultatem intelligas in actu positam, id est, evasionem ipsam. Exitus autem iste, sive evasio, sine dubio proventus est tentati, quia victoria. Sensus enim est: Is, qui vos permittit tentari, faciet, ut bonum exitum habeat tentatio: hoc est, ut eam superetis, ac victoriam iude reportetis. Quod quidem perspicuum est non omnibus praestari, sed solis electis, eo sane modo, quo dictum est supra, id est, finaliter.
Ut possitis sustinere. Pro verbo sustinere, Graece est in Regiis et omnibus Robertinis, OTtcVSYxsTv, id est, sufferre, sustinere. In aliis vero quibusdam legitur (jTcspsvsyxslv, id est, ferendo praevalere, quasi dicas superferre. Sic legit Erasmus, et exponit, ita ferre, ut oneri supersis ac superes: quomodo dictum est Roman. 8. U7ispvixa>fJicV, supervincimus. Scito tamen hoc posterius in sacris literis vix esse usitatum. Quod ad sensum hujus partis attinet, Origenes libro 3. Tcspi apydv cap. 2. scribit, ideo dixisse Paulum, ut possitis sustinere, non autem, ut sustineatis; quia Deus dat posse sustinere et vincere, non autem ipsum sustinere et vincere. Qui locus, ut et alii multi similes apud illum autorem, caute legendi sunt; ut qui ad haeresim Pelagianam apertis tibiis praeludant. Verissime namqu3 dictum est ab Hieronymo in epistola ad Ctesiphontem, adversus Pelagium scripta, Pelagii doctrinam Origenis esse ramusculum. Sensus igitur Apostoli catholicus ac germanus est: Deum subministraturum vires, quibuf reipsa et actu sustineant ac superent tentationem; ita nimirum, ut ad Dei beneficium non tantum referenda sit vincendi possibilitas, quod vult Origenes, quodque postea docuit Pelagius; sed ipsa victoria tentationis, id est, ipsum pugnare et vincere: id quod perspicue testatur idem Apostolus infra cap. 15. dicens: Deo gratias, qui dedit nobis victoriam per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum. Atque hunc sensum plane exigit particula praecedens: faciet cum tentatione proventum. Non enim facit proventum, sed proventus tantummodo possibilitatem, qui non dat sustinere, sed tantum posse sustinere. Jam quo manifestius etiam haec pars ad electos pertineat, Lombardus glossam secutus interlinealem, ita supplet: ut possitis perseveranter sustinere. Thomas quoque perseverantiam hic notari dicit. Unde patet ex hujus etiam doctoris sententia, praesentem locum de electis accipiendum esse. Ex dictis intelligitur, hac parte ut possitis sustinere, non significari causam finalem, sed expositioaem contineri praecedentis vocabuli proventum, quasi dicat: faciet proventum per hoc, quod vires dabit efficaces ad sustinendum usque in finem. Sic enim usurpatur interdum infinitivus Graecus praefixo vel subintellecto articulo tou, quod observare est in canticis beatae Mariae Virginis et Zachariae Luc. 1.
10:14
14. Propter quod, carissimi mihi, fugite ah idolorum cultura. Carissimi mihi, graece, dilecti mei: pro quo Theophylactus legit fratres, et expendit, Videtur et Chrysostomus legisse. Dicit enim: Mitigat eos nomine consanguinitatis. Regia biblia conjungunt utrumque: Fratres mei dilecti. Nunc apertius exponit, quo tendat proxime praecedens admonitio, nimirum ad revocandum eos a contagione cultus idolorum, propter quam superius dixerat: Neque idololatrae efficiawini. Cujus criminis participatione coinquinari docet fideles idolothytis vescentes: etiam illos, qui sibi inter eos primi videbantur, id est, prae aliis scientia praeditos. Nam supra quidem cap. 8. de iis agens, qui scientia sua freti, sine respectu fratrum infirmorum, idolothyta comedebant, ostendit, quam graviter illi in fratres peccarent. Hic vero, quo magis ab ejusmodi mensis eosdem retrahat, praeter scandalum fiatrum, de quo postea sermonem repetit, etiam idololatriam quandam subesse commonstrat: utique ratione participationis. Unde non dicit: Ne colatis idola, sed: fugite ah idololatria, ut in Graeco, id est, ah idolorum cultu. Christianus enim idolothytum una cum idololatris comedens, etsi non proprie colebat idohim, tamen ab idoli cultu non satis recedebat. Nam esus ille idolothyti participatio quaedam erat cultus idololatrici: quemadmodum in sequentibus ipse Paulus explicat. Simili sensu Joannes Apostolus praecipit fidelibus in fine primae suae epistolae dicens: Filioli, custodite vos a simulacris.
10:15
15. Ut prudentibus loquor. Graece, Xsya) dico: scilicet id, quod sequitur, ac si dicat: Cum prudentibus et intelligentibus mihi sermo est. Nam ab hujusmodi charismatis eos laudavit initio epistolae, tametsi proprie eos appellat, quos supra cap. 8. comprehendit illis verbis: Scimus quoniam omnes scientiam habemus.
Vos ipsi judicate quod dico. Graece, judicate vos quod dico: ubi in Graeco non jam Xlyu), sed ©T^fJtlj quod idem tamen valeat. Sensus: Id quod volo dicere tale est, ut vos ipsi, tanquam prudentes, facile de eo judicare possitis. Ad prudentiam quippe pertinet judicium de agendis. Hac delatione judicii cum laude conjuncta, mire benevolentiam conciliat. Est autem sermo de judicio non potestatis, Sed discretionis: quod ad unumquemque prudentem spectat. Ideo praemisit, ut prudentibus loquor. Sic et supra cap. 2., ubi dixit, spiritualem omnia judicare, quemadmodum illic annotavimns propter eos, qui Scripturas ejusmodi detorquent ad potestatem judicandi de rebus fidei controversis, quam vel omnibus Chi-istianis, vel omnibus saltem doctis ac prudentibus, volunt esse communem.
10:16
16. Calix benedictionis, cui benedicimus, nonne communicatio sanguinis Christi est? Cui benedicimus, sive quem benedicimus, ut legitur apud Irenaeum lib. 3. cap. 20. et commentatorem Ambros. Nam Graece est, xo TiOTT^piov x^g suXoyiac^ 6 £uXoy&u/ji£v ^ poculum benedictionis, quod benedicimus etc. Duobus argumentis, altero sumpto ex spirituali sacrificio Christianorum, altero ex carnali sacrificio Judaeorum, revocat Corinthios ab idolothytis, quibus indiscrete vescebantur, excusationem hanc praetexentes, quod hominiChristiano nullus cibus sitimmundus, quodque idolum nihil sit; ut vidimus cap. 8. Cum autem Christianorum sacrificium duarum rerum constet oblatione, corporis videlicet sanguiuisque Dominici: prius sanguinis meminit, ut postea de corpore loquens sub nomine panis, aliud quiddam adjiciat eodem pertinens, nempe de significatione ejus mystica. Porro benedictionem, quam hic nominat Apostolus, alii consecrationem, alii gratiarum actionem interpretantur. Quorum neutrum dici posse nobis videtur. Etenim haud dubie Paulus de ea benedictione loquitur, de qua Evangelistae Matthaeus et Marcus in descriptione coenae Domini novissimae. Atqui illa benedictio neque consecratio fuit, neque gratiarum actio. Consecrationem non fuisse, quamvis ita multi sentiant Latini posteriores, ex eo patet, quia prolationem verborum, quibus fit consecratio, praecessit; ut ex Graeco textu apud utrumque Evangelistam, ubi de pane loquuntur, perspicuum est. Utuntur enim participio aoristo suAoy/pac;^ habente significationem praeteriti temporis; ut locus ex Graeco commodissime reddatur hoc modo: Cum benedixisset, fregit, et dedit discipulis, et dixit: Accipife comedite, hoc est corpus meum. Nam quod quidam respondent, aoristum positum esse loco participii praesentis temporis, ut interdum fit; ejus rei haud facile exempla dederint in aoristis hujus flexionis et formae. Et omnino rarissima sunt aorista, in quibus usus obtinuit, ut praesens tempus indicent, velut arcoxpidstg respondens, siTiwv dicens: et si quod aliud tale. Certe cum Evangelistae tam in descriptione coenae, quam in narratione utriusque miraculi panum multiplicatorum (de quo legantur etiamLucas et Joannes), nunc utantur participio suXoyTjaag^ nunc vr/jxpio-rpo.z, utroque aoristo simillimae formae: qui convenit, ut hoc potius quam iUud resolvas in verbum praeteriti temporis? quomodo noster interpres resolvit zhya^iQxipoir, Joan. 6. cum gratics egisset. His accedunt pro confirmatione verba concilii Tridentini sess. 13. cap. 1., quibus, ut equidem arbitror, exponere voluerunt illius concilii patres id, quod a duobus Evangelistis Matthaen et Marco scriptum est. Verba concilii de eucharistiae sacramento loquentis haec sunt: Hoc tam admirabile sacramentum in ultima (cum dlscipuHs) coena redemptorem nostrum instituisse: cum post panis vinique benedictionem, se suum ipsius corpus illis praebere, ac suum sanguinem, disertis ac perspicuis verbis testatus est. Quod si post benedictionem panis et vini Christus testatus est, se suis discipulis praebere corpus suum et sanguinem, testatus, inquam, iis verbis, quibus fit consecratio; quaeque atribusEvangelistis et Paulo capite sequenti referuntur (constat enim non de aliis verbis synodum loqui): palam certe consequens est, consecrationem fuisse benedictione posteriorem; et proinde benedictionem per consecrationem, tanquam eadem sit, non recte exponi. Nec video post tam aperta concilii verba, quis locus esse possit tergiversationi. Jam nec dici potest, illam benedictionem fuisse eandem cum gratiarum actione. Nam benedictio ad sjmbola proposita refertur, gratiarum actio non nisi ad Deum. Quod utrumque docere non est difficile. Et quidem benedictionem ad symbola referri, quamvis ex descriptione coenae apud Matthaeum et Marcum non liquido pateat (non enim exprimunt ad quid referatur, et loquuntur do gratiarum actione similiter): tamen ex hoc loco Pauli manifestum est. Dicit enim non sine inculcatione: Calix benedictionis, cui seu quem benedicimus. Estque eadem ratio de pane: ut dicere potuerit: Panis benedictionis, quem benedicimus. Nec minus manifestum ex verbis concilii: post panis vinique benedictionem. Idem ostenditur ex benedictionibus, quas adhibuit Dominus in aliis seu miraculis seu factis suis; nominatim in miraculo multiplicationis quinque panum et duorum piscium: in quo desciibendo iisdem fere verbis, quibus in institutione eucharistiae narranda, utuntur Evangelistae, quorum Lucas cap. 9. benedictionem definite retuHt ad panes et pisces, dicens: euXoYTjoe auxoug, benedixit illos, seu illis, ut habet nostra versio. Nec aliter accipienda benedictio, cujus mentio est in miraculo septem panum apud Matthaeum et Marcum: ct cujus In coena Domini cum duobus discipulis in Emmaus apud Lucam cap. 24., licet iis locis casus rei patientis non fuerit expressus. Rursum autem expressit Lucas in fine ejusdem capitis, dicens ac repetens, Christum ascensurum in coelum benedixisse suis discipulis: et Marcus cap. 10. referens, quemadmodum Christus manibus super parvulos impositis benedixerit eos. Porro gratiarum actionem, cujus in hoc mysterio describendo tres Evangelistae et Paulus meminerunt, ad Deum referendam esse, quamvis nec id quisquam eorum expresserit, dubitari tamen non potest, posteaquam in sacro canone missae, tam ante panis consecrationem quam vini, idipsum clare expressum habemus: ut taceam de ea re consensum interpretum Pauli et Evangelistarum; quorum nulli venit in mentem haec violenta sytaxis, euxaptaxT^oag xov apTov, quae nec Latine posset efferri. Sane distinguenda esse haec duo, gratias agere et benedicere, vel inde coUigas, quod in eodem canone, ante utriusque symboli consecrationem, simul ambo junguntur, gratias agens benedixit, tanquam significatu differentia: et ita quidem, ut gratiarum actio benedictionem praecedat. Cum ergo satis jam ostensum sit, benedictionem, de qua nunc agimus, neque consecrationem esse, neque gratiarum actionem, unum id reliquum est, ut eam accipiamus in significatione, dum ad res aut personao creatas refertur, in Scripturis usitatissima, qua benedicere est bene precari, et benedictio bona precatio, qua scilicet alicui rei vel personae bene precamur. Quae quidem benedictio, quatenus precatio, Deum respicit: ipsum tamen benedicendi verbum transit in rem vel personam, quae seu cui benedicitur. Sic igitur, et non aliter, in Evangelica narratione capitur hoc verbum, ubi Christus acceptum panem benedixisse legitur. Sensus enim est, eum pani bene precatum fuisse, nimirum oratione super eum fusa ad Deum Patrem, oculis in coelum elevatis (ut in canone missae dicitur), qua ipse ut homo et sacerdos peteret illms creaturae, quam manibus tenebat, sanctificationem, utique mox futuram per mirabilem ejus in suum corpus transmutationem: quam idem ipseutDeusomnipotenti sua virtute simul cum Patre et Spiritu sancto esset effecturus. Quo Christi sacerdotis exemplo, minister ac vicarius ejus sacerdos ad altare prius Deum precatur, ut proposita dona fiant Christi corpus et sanguis: ac deinde procedit ad eorum consecrationem. Nam quod de panis benedictione diximus, id de calicis benedictione similiter intellige. Quamvis enim de calice loquentes Evangelistae, benedictionem non nominent; canon tamen liturgicus nominat, ut et hoc loco Paulus. Itaque mihi videtur optime reverendissimus Jansenius, praeceptor meus, benedictionem panis et calicis definivisse precationem super illa effusam, et invocationem divinae beneficentiae super illa, Commentariorum in Concordiam Evangelic. cap. 131. Quam ejus sententiam etiam cardinalis Bellarminus merito collaudat Hb. 1. de Eucharistia cap. 10., licet eam non satis explicet. Quod igitur Evangelistae in descriptione coenae mysticae. nunc benedictionem, nunc gratiarum actionem nominant, non eo factum, quod harum vocum significationem confundant, ut quidam opinantur: sed quia Christus in sua ad Patrem oratione, quam consecrationi praemisit, utrumque fecit, et gratias illi pro beneficiis acceptis agens, et precationem adjungens super pane in melius commutando, quod est panem benedicere: quorum alterum alteri, in eadem oratione, conjanctum erat; quemadmodum hanc rem idem Jansenius docte explicat. Siquidem et alias illa duo, gratiarum actionem et benedictionem, Christus Dominus velut ex more conjunxisse legitur: ut quando resuscitaturus eratLazarum, Joan. 11., et quando panes piscesque multiplicaturus semel et iterum. In quo gemino miraculo describendo, similitev ut in coena mystica, videre est, Evangelistas modo gratiarum actionem nominasse, modo benedictionem: non quod haec eadem sint, sed quod, ut dixi, conjuncta, tanquam ejusdem oratio nis partes seu membra quaedam, ex quorum utrolibet synecdochice totum possit intelligi; nec non alterum ex altero. Hinc illa fidelium consuetudo, ut cibos sumpturi Deum agnoscant donatorem, quod est gratias agere; rogentque, ut sumentibus faciat salutares, quod est benedicere. Id enim a Christo acceptum Apostoli fidelibus tradiderunt: ac meminit Paulus 1 Tim. 4., quum de cibis, quos Deus creavit ad percipiendum, loquens, et gratiarum actionem nominat et orationem, id est, benedictionem. Qui et in omnibus pene Epistolis suis eum morem servat, ut prius Deo gratias agat de beneficiis in eos collatis, ad quos scribit; deinde perseverantiam iisdem imprecetur, et giatiam uberiorem. Denique ut intelligas, haectria, gratiarum actionem, benedictionem et consecrationem esse inter se diversa; respice ad id, quod ab ecclesia Christum imitante agitur in sacrificio missae. Nam ut ille gratias egit, benedixit, consecravit: sie et illa per sacerdotem haec eadem agit eodem ordine. Primum namque tota canonis praefatione gratias agit Deo cum laude: deinde dona proposita benedicit tum initio canonis, tum rursus ac potissimum illis verbis: Quam oblationem tu Deus etc. Post haec consecrat eadem dona verbis Christi. Et quoniam ille subjunxit praeceptum: Hoc facite in meam commemorationem, idcirco etipsa, repetitis praecepti verbis, subjungit: Unde et memores Domine nos servi tui etc. Quarum quidem actionum duas medi.is, eodem ordine suisque nominibus, scilicet benedictionis et sanctificationis, etiam Augustinus distinxit epist. 59. ad Paulin. quaest. 5., ubi tractans L^cum Pauli 1 Timoth. 2. Obsecro primum omnium fieri obsecrationes, orationes etc. orationes interpretatur eas, quae fiunt, cum benedicitur et sanctificatur et ad distribuendum comminuitur illud, quod est in Domini mensa. Quae sane verba benedictionem a sanctificatione, id est, consecratione, non minus secernunt, quam a comminutione, id ost, fractione. Ex dictis intelligitur, Christi benedicere, juxta definitionem a Jansenio datam et a nobis probatam, non idem esse quod benefacere, sicut ajunt quidam; nisi sensu consecutivo, propterea quod omnis ejus precatio sit efficax seu potius efficaciter impetratoria ejus, quod petit; ipso videlicet una cum Patre et Spiritu sancto hoc ipsum, quod petit, praestante; non quidem semper statim cum ipsa petitione, sed quum voluerit: velut in re praesenti, ad illa verba prolata, tanquam instrumentaliter operatoria: Hoc est corpus meum. Hic est sanguis meus. Et in Lazari resuscitatione ad illa: Lazare veni foras. In panum autem pisciumque miraculo tunc, quando fiebat illorum in turbas distributio. Jam quod Theophylactus in commentario calicem benedictionis interpretatur gratiarum actionis; nec id quidem supra dictis adversatur, ubi benedictionem ab actione gratiarum distinximus. Non enim illis verbis exponit, quid benedictio significet: sed declarat, quem Apostolus calicem benedictionis vocet; eum videlicet, quem fideles calicem eucharistiae seu gratiarum actionis appellare solent. Alioqui Theophylacto non eadem esse haec duo, probant verba ejus sequentia, quibus utriusque vocabuli rationem distinguens ait: Manibus enim eum tenentes, benedicimus ei (nempe calici, de quo Apostolus, cui benedicimus) et gratias agimus ei, quisanguinem suum pro nobis effudit. Sic ot Oecumenius, calicem benedictionis, inquit, calicem vocat sanguinis Christi: non quod bene dictio sanguis sit Christi, sed quod calix ille fidelibus hoc nomine sit notissimus. Haec de vocabulo benedictionis, ut ab Evangelistis, et hoc loco a Paulo usmpatum est, dicta sufficiant. Non enim hic discutimus, quid suAoysi.v interdum significetusupatrum Graecorum, quidve benedicere usu Latinorum: et an usurpent ea alicubi pro consecrare, sicut multis videtur. Quod si ita est, non adeo mirum, quandoquidem et verbum elx^P^^- TsTv in ea significatione Graeci quidam veteres usurpasse videntur: nominatim Justinus martyr in apolog. 2., ubi panem vinumquemysticumvocat apTOV xat oivov suxapiOTrjOevTa, et Tpo^rjv suxcf-piOTri^tl- Qav, ac si dicat, panem, vinum, cibum eucharistizatum. Et Irenaeus lib. 1. adversus haereses cap. 9., ubi habes (Epiphanio Graeca citante, haeresi 34.) tiott^pia ofvo) xsxpajxsva suxaptOTsIv, pocula vino mista eucharistizare. Verum id propter nomen eucharistiae inditum pani et vino in corpus et sanguinem Domini consecrato; ut iis locis, quibus sic loquuntur, su^apiOTsTv sit eucharistiam facere. Sed non ideo consequens, eam vocem in Scripturis sic accipi. Constat enim multa vocabula, partim a scriptoribus ecclesiasticis docendi causa (quod in disciplinis tradendis fieri necesse est), partim communi consensu fidelium, ad aliqua significanda, quae Christianae sunt religionis aut observantiae, fuisse introducta, quae non eandem in Scripturis inveniantur habere significationem: cujusmodi sunt sacramentum, character, ordo, clerus, lector, ostiarius, confirmatio, chrisma, poenitentia, absolutio: ut haec sunt nomina, quibus sacramenta vel eorum partes aut adjacentia quaedam significantur: item praescitus, id est, reprobatus, indulgentia, aureola. Quibus et verbum zux<^piOTB\v, ut consecrare significat, liceat aunumerare: siquidem et su/aptaTSia pro sacramento corporis et sanguinis Domini sumpta, non Scripturae, sed ecclesiae vocabulum est: quemadmodum et ejusdem significationis ebXrj-^ia, licet minus usitatum. Atqui nobis propositum fuit explicare, quae propria sit horum verborum suAoysIv et su)^apiaTsTv apud Paulum et Evangelistas significatio, Verumtamen dispiciat Theologus, anne Patres tam Latini, quam Graeci, iis ipsis locis,ubibenedictionem pro consecratione, et su^apiaTsTv pro consecrare videntur accepisse; respiciant ad illam significationem, quam ostendimus eas voces habere in Scriptura: ut apud Latinos panis et vinum dicantur consecrari benedictione, id est, invocatione praevia sacerdotis super panem et vinum efiFusa, qua petit, ut fiant corpus et sanguis Christi; quemadmodum de Christo benedicente dictum est supra: ac similiter apud Graecos apxoc xal oXvor zlya^i^xyp^ivztr sint panis et vinum oratione (quam sjnecdochice gratiarum actio significat) per sacerdotem sanctificata;autsuperquibussanctificandis Deus cum gratiarum actione fuit invocatus. Nam et apud Paulum 2 Cor. 1. passive legitur ydpi^iia suxapioxr^Osv^ id est, donum, pro quo actae sunt gratiae. Sane quantum ad benedictionem attinet, quae in precibus super aliqua re fusis consistit, quod ea seu per eam res sanctificari et consecrari dicatur, ut altare, templum, aqua, oleum, vasa, vestes, usitatissimum est. Quo loquendi more etiam dicimus sanctos homines suis precibus mortuos suscitasse, caecos illuminasse, morbos fugasse, aliaque miracula fecisse; sive verba hujusmodi, surge, respice, sanus esto, subjunxerint, sive non. Convenit autem cum hoc sensu, quem suggessimus, etiam iUud, quod Patres interdum, dicunt sacerdotum precibus Christi corpus et sanguinem consecrari: ita tamen ut intelligamus, complementum precibus addi per verba Dominica, quae consecratoria vocantur. Haec enim sunt, quae praestant sacrificio firmitatem: nt loquitur Chrj^sost. in serm. de prodit. Judae. Sed ad Apostoli verba redeamus, quae vel hoc modo possunt exponi: Calix, qui vocatur calix benedictionis, quia in mysteriis preces super eo fundimus (hoc est enim, quod addit, cui vel quem benedicimus), est calix sanguinis Christi, quem unum et eundem omnes sumimus. Vel isto modo: Id, quod est in calice benedictionis, sanguis Christi est, quem unum etc. Nam calicem metonymice poni pro liquore contento, frequens est in Scripturis. Potest sermonis improprietas etiam sic explicari, quomodo Aquinas et Cajetanus explicant: Usus calicis mystici, dum a nobis potatur, est communrcatio sanguinis Christi, omnibus nobis de calice potantibus. Ubi notanda duplex relatio in vocabulo communicationis; altera communicantium ad rem communicatam, ut hoc loco, sanguinem Christi: altera communicantium inter se. Quam utramque relationem Paulum prae oculis habere, sed magis ac principalius priorem, animadvertet qui totum sermonis ejus contextum usque ad versum 22. attente perlegerit. Porro quod dicit, benedicimus, plurali numero, vel in persona presbyterorum dicit, qui soli mysteriorum sunt administri: vel generaliter in persona fidelium, qui mysteriis intersunt. Qui quidem omnes calici benedicunt eo modo et sensu, quo omnes ibidem praesentes dicuntur una cum sacerdote ofFerre, videlicet animi consensu ac devdtione, cum desiderio fructus ex sacrificio percipiendi, tametsi fateor priorem sensum, quem et glossa tradit ordinaria, mihi magis probari.
Et panis, quem frangimus, nonne participatio corporis Domini est? Et abest in Graecis ac nonnullis etiam Latinis MSS. Participatio, Graece 'xoivu)V''a communicatio, ut in priori membro. Sicque in utroque legit Augustinus apud Bedam. Unde et Theophyl. post Chrysostom. notanter observat, Apostolum non dixisse jJiSToyr/;, id est, participationem, sed xoivtov.av^ id est, communionem seu communicationem; nimirum ad significandam, ut volunt, excellentem quandam unionem. Quae illorum observatio, licet in priori parte posita, pertinet aeque ad hanc partem. Utrum tamen Apostolus eo consilio sic fueritlocutus, dubito. Nam ixi~(j'/7,v paulo post nominat: ut potius videatur his duobus vocabulis tanquam synonymis usus fuisse, quemadmodum utitur 2 Cor. 6. vers. 14. Sensus autem est: Panis, quem in mysteriis frangimus, est corpus Domini; quod unum et idem omnes fideles accipimus. Nam, utmoxait, om.nes de uno pane participamus. Aquinas et Cajetanus coufonniter cum parte superiori sic exponunt: Usus panis mystici, dum a nobis editur, communicatio corporis Domini est, omnibus nobis illum panem edentibus. Corpus Domini panem Apostolus vocat, tum quia ex pane factum est: qua ratione homo pulvis seu terra vocatur Gen. 3., tum potissime, quia speciem panis totamque ejus operationem retinet: non autem, ut haeretici volunt, quod in hoc sacramento vera maneat panis substantia. Fractionem quoque intelligit eam, qua panis ille, id est, corpus Domini, secundum externum atque visibilem speciem frangitur, ut in multos distribuatur. Cujus fractionis etiam Lucas meminit in Act. Apost. cap. 2. et 20. Fiebat autem hujus panis fractio tempore primitivae ecclesiae, primum quidem a presbyteris et diaconis; deinde vero magisque particulatim a caeteris fidelibus, quibus Eucharistia dabatur in manus, ut eam ipsi porro vel in ipso coetu inter se, vel domi inter suos, distribuerent. Nam et hoc indicat Lucas in Actis, quum fractionem panis in genere fidelibus attribuit dicens cap. 2., quod erant perseverantes in communicatione et frartione panis, ut habet Graecalectio. Et iterum: Frangentes circa domos panem, Graece -mx olxov, per singulas domos: quomodo Tit. 1. xaxa TioAiv per singulas civitates. Non enim presbyteros habsbant, qui domesticatim consecrarent. Quod autem et in conventu idipsumfieret, indicant haec ejus verba ca]). 20. Una sabbati, cum convenissemus ad frangendum panem, vel ut in Graeco: cum convenissent discipuli ad frangendum panem. Sic autem et Christi discipulos in ultima coena fecisse, non est improbabile: ut quibus dixerit Christus: Accipite, et dividite inter vos, Luc. 22. Quod etsi de calice dictum sit, nihil tamen vetat de pane similiter intelligi. Prima tamen et principalis fractio, sicut illic a Christo facta est, ita deinceps ex illius institutione per ministros altaris fieri debet. Quare et hoc verbum frangimus in persona ministrorum ecclesiae dictum arbitror a Paulo, sicut verbum benedicimus. Jam ex hoc loco manifesta probatio est adversus Sacramentarios, in Eucharistiae sacramento sumi a fidelibus ipsum corpus et sanguinem Domini: non autem, ut illi volunt, nudum corporis et sanguinis Dominici signum. Nam et ipsa percontandi forma qua dicit: Nonne etc, vim habet affirmationis vehementioris tanquam de re apud fideles nota et confessa, cui nullus audeat contradicere. Sic paulo post: Nonne qui edunt hostias, participes sunt altaris? et Christus apud Joannem cap. 1 1. Nonne duodecim sunt horae diei? Denique in hunc istius loci sensum omnes interpretes Orthodoxi tam Graeci quam Latini conspirant. Sed et iis omnibus antiquior Irenaeus, Episcopus et Martyr, haudquaquam aliter haec Pauli verba se intellexisse declarat verbis admodum perspicuis, lib. 5. advers. haeres. cap. 2., quae nos hic omittimus, ne justo prolixiores simus. Locum Irenaei diligenter expendit et ab Oecolampadii corruptionibus vindicat Joannes Fisherus itidem Episcopus et Martyr. lib. 4. de Euch. cap.
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17. Quoniam unus panis, unum corpus multi sumus. Explicat mysterium.sto-nificatum in Eucharistiae communione, quod et ejusdem sacramenti eflfectus est. Nam quia multi sumimus unum eundemque panemmysticum, ideo multi per significationem et effectum sacramenti sumus unus panis: et quia idem ille panis oorpus Christi est, ideo multi sumus unum corpus. Multos intellige coetum fidelium; id est, ecclesiam, tam particularem quamlibet, quam universalem. Porro unus panis et unum corpus EccUsia Christi dicitur, ait glossator ex Augustini sententia, tract. 26. super Joannem et alibi, quia sicut unus panis ex multis granis conficitur, et unum corpus ex multis membris componitur; sic Ecclesia Christi ex multis fidelibus, caritate copu- laute, connectitur. Quae res etiam a Graecis expositoribus hoc loco est anno- tata. Propter quod et a Patribus Eucha- ristia symbolum unitatis appellatur. De quo sic exclamat in tract. jam dicto S. Augustinus: O sacramentum pietatis, o signum unitatis, o vinculum caritatis Aquinas vero subtiliter ac sublimiter in his Apostoli verbis duplicem observat unitatem: primam incorporationis, qua in Christum transformamur, cum dicit, unus panis: alteram vitae et sensus, quam a Christo capite accipimus: cwn addit, unum corpus. Nec abs re est, quod Apostolus juxta fidem Graecae lectionis et optimorum codicum Latinorum, Augustino etiam suflFragante, sine media conjunctione dixit, unus panis, unum corpus. Voluit enim significare in signo hujus unitatis non aliud esse panem, aliud corpus Christi, sed unum et idem: quia panis ipse est corpus Christi (quomodo diserte Chrysostom., Theophylact. et Oecumeu. in suis commentar. loquuntur), sicuti res significata una est et eadem, scilicet mysticum Christi corpus, quod est Ecclesia.
Omnes qui de uno pane participamus. In quibusdam codicibus cum addito legitur: Omnes, qui de uno pane et de uno calice participamus. Idque totum a Latinis plerisque mediae aetatis tractatoribus exponitur. Verum codices Latini meliores eam partem, et de uno calice, non agnoscuntj ut nec Graecus textus, nec Syriacus. Et in Graeco quidem atque Syriaco sic habetur: Nam omnes ex seu de uno pane participamus. Quae lectio etiam in compluribus exstat Latinis MSS. Similiter August. lib. 1. contra adversar. legis cap. 19. Omnes enim de uno pane participamus. Textus Ambros.: Omnes enim qui. Lombardus ita legit: Quoniam omnes, et Hervaeus: Quia omnes de uno pane participamus: ut hic autor nec illud, et de uno calice, legisse videatur. Utrovis autem modo legas, continet haec pars probationem superioris: valetqueratio a signo et causa, quemadmodum illic expb'catum est. Unum panem rursus juxta sensura et expositionem omnium orthodoxorum, intelligit ipsum corpus Domini. Nec vero aliter absque manifesta falsitate exponi potest. Nam de pane materiali falsissimum esse constat, omnes fideles de uno pane participare. Quare et ex hoc loco Sacramentariorum haeresis aperte redarguitur. Quod si dicant adversarii, sensum esse: Omnes fideles ejusdem ecclesiae et ejusdem synaxeos de eodem pane participare: eo quod unus panis in omnes, qui ad eandem coenam Dominicam convenissent, divideretur; idque ad significandam eorum omnium in Christo, tanquam membrorum ejusdem corporis unitatem: facile et hoc refellitur. Sic enim dicendum fuerat in secunda persona: Vos Corinthii estis unum corpus, quia de uno pane participatis. Nam Paulus, qui procul aberat, secundum hunc sensum non participasset cum illis de eodem pane. Nunc autem dicit: unum corpus sumus, et: de uno pane participamus, in prima persona. Ubi sicut in priori parte non potest intelligi ipse, qui loquitur, exclusus; ita nec in posteriori. Ut et hoc addam, non esse verisimile, omnes Corinthios in Coena Dominica congregatos participasse de uno pane materiali: siquidem pro tanta multitudine hominum plures panes apponi debebant. Dixei-at enim Paulo Dominus: Quoniam populus est mihi multus in hac civitate. Actor. 18. Certe pro totius ecclesiae instructione haec scribebat Paulus: atqui f uturum non ignorabat, ut aliquando tam numerosus esset unius ecclesiae vel parochiae populus, cui panis unus sufficere non posset: quando nec de eo soliciti fuerunt Apostoli, ut in quantocunque fidelium conventu, tantum unus panis apponeretur. Num igitur apud eos, quibus unus panis non sufficeret, locum non haberet hoc tam salutare documentum: Vnum corpus multisumus, omnes, qui de uno pane participamus? Quis hoc dixerit? quum profecto dubium esse non debeat, quin etiam et maxime de corpore Christi, quod est universalis ecclesia, loqui Paulus intendat. Itaque prorsus evanescit effugium haereticorum. Obluctantur tamen et ajunt, Eucharisticum panem propositum per omnes ecclesir.s unum dici, quemadmodum unus agnus Exod, 12. vers. 3. dicitur, qui ab universa flUorum Israel multitudine per cunctas familias immolabatur: quum numero quidem plures essent, significatione tamen et mysterio unus. Haec enim adversarii cujiasdam verba sunt. Atqui primum falsa est allegatio. Nam nec eo loco Exodi, nec alibi scriptum legitur, omnes unum agnum accepisse et edisse, aut de uno agno participasse: sicut hic omnes de uno pane participare dicimur. Imo locus citatus aperte contrarium significat. Sic enim habet ad verbum exHebraeo: Loquimini ad omnem coetum Israel, dicendo: In decima mensis hujus accipient sibi vir (id est unusquisquej agnum per domum patrum, agnum per domum, hoc est, singuli per familias agnos singulos, ut tot sint agni, quot familiae. Sed et hoc, quod addunt, unum esse panem significatione et mysterio, nihil eos adjuvat. Non enim quaecumque multa aliquid uaum mystice significant, continuo dici possunt res una, velut unus agnus, unus hoedus, unus vitulus, si multi sunt; sed dumtaxat unum dicentur secundum quid, nempe secundum illud, quod mystice significant. Nam quis alioqui sic loquatur: Omnes antiquae legis sacerdotes unum agnum, aut hoedum, aut vitulum toto legis tempore mactarunt? omnes cum universo populo de uno agno comederunt? nisi qui velit intelligi, unam ejusmodi animal omnium mactationi et esui potuisse sufiicere; quomodo recte dicas, omnes homines ejusdem familiae unum agnum, aut de uno agno comedisse. Jam adversus Sectarios et illud obiter observa, Paulum dicentem, de uno pane participamus, alludere sive respicere ad morem sacrificii, in quo de una re per sacerdotem oblatamulti participant. Unde et hic quaedam insinuatio est externi sacrificii Christianorum. Sed de eo clarius infra loquetur vers. 21. Quaeret aliquis, cur Apostolus mysterium unitatis Ecclesiae non declaraverit ex pirte vini et sanguinis Domini: quemadmodum fecit ex parte panis et corporis. Haec ratio videri potest, quia satis ei fuit mysterium ilhid declarasse ex principaliori parte Sacramenti, et ea quidem, quae semper futuris saeculis ab omnibus fidelibus esset participanda. Aut sane quia in superiori sententia vinum non nominaverat, sed calicem, ideo nec de unitate per vinum significata quicquam adjiciendum putavit. Quanquam August. etiam hujus partis mysterium non reliquit inexplicatum: quum loco supra citato docet, ita ex multis fidelibus ecclesiam congregari, sicut ex multis acinis vinum confluit. Caeterum ostendit uti-aque explicatio, quam convenienter in pane et vino ad unitatem ecclesiae significandam efliciendamque, corporis et sanguinis sui mysteria Christus instituerit. Sed jam restat, ut argumentum, quod in praedictis verbis urget Apostolus, applicetur ad id, quod instituerat de fugiendis idoli)thytis. Sic ergo ratiocinatur: Nos Christiani, quicunque de uno pane, i id est, corpore Domini, et de uno calice, J id est, sanguine Domini communicamus, I hoc ipso cum Christo Domino et inter nos * societatem sanctae religionis habemus atque fovemus; adeoque unum inter nos et cum illo tanquam capite, mysticum corpus efficimur: ergo fideles una cum infidelibus ex immolatitiis idolorum eden tes, societatem impiae religionis cum eis ineunt, atque idololatriae participes efficiuntur; imo, sicut infra dicit, ipsorum daemoniorum socii fiunt. Quod quidem peccatum vobis Christo sociatis et incorporatis summopere fugiendum est.
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18. Videte Israel secundum carnem. Alterum hoc argumentum est eodem spe- g ctans. Israel quarti casus e.st tov 'lopayjk. f Quod admoneo propter glossam (quae etiam Lombardum et Aquinatem fefellit), exponentem vocativo casu, o Israel: tametsi et veriorem sensum adferunt, qui talis est: Vos, quibus tanquam pradentibus loquor, videte Israelem, id est, populum secundum carnem ex Israele progenitum et attendite, quae apud eos fiunt. Ideo dicit, Israel secundum carnem, quoniam est et Israelita secundum spiritum, de quo Rom. 9. Non enim omnes, qui ex Israel, ii sunt Israelitae, qui etiam Gal. 6. vocatur Israel Dei. Quidam, inter quos Cajetanus, particulam secundum carnem, referunt ad totum illud, videte Israel; et exponunt, secundum carnales hostias illius populi. Pro quo sensu nonuibil facere videtur, quod in Graeco non est additus articulus tov_, qui illud secundum carnem annectat Israeli. Quod etiam ab Erasmo observatum est. Verum, eo non obstante, priorem sensum etiam Graeci interpretes uno consensu tradunt. Nec enim in ejusmodi sermone perpetuum est, ut articulus exprimatur: nec Paulus repetendum putavit proximae dictioni jam praepositum.
Nonne qui edunt hostias, participes sunt qltaris? Participes, Graece xotvcovolj socii, ut legit August. lib. 1. cont. advers. legis, id est, societatem et communionem cum aliquo habentes. Socios noster vertit infra versu 20. Altaris, O^uoiaoTTjptou^ pro quo minus recte Erasmus sacrificii: quum constet, Graeca voce passim in sacris literis altare significari, non sacrificium. Id jam superiori cap. vers 13., ubi similiter impegit Erasmus, annotavimus. Quanquam hoc loco Paulus ex consequenti sacrificium vult intelligi. Nam sensus est: Nonne, qui edunt de hostiis immolatis secundum legem, participes ac socii sunt altaris, ipsiusque saci-ificii, quod in altari Deo oblatum est? ac si dicat, omnino. Nam utique in veteri lege, quicumque admittebantur ad edendum de hostiis oblatis, censebantur ipsius sacrificii, tanquam etiam pro ipsis oblati, fieri participes, et per illud sanctificari. Ex quo rursus colligendum relinquit, eos, qui cum infidelibus idolothyta comedunt. una cum illis eflici participes altaris et sacrificii oblati, ac per illud coinquinari. Discimus ex hac Apostoli sententia, similiter omnes eos, quibus communicatur corpus Domini, etiam extra locum et tempus sacrificii, prout in ecclesia fieri consuevit, ipsius sacrificii, quo illud oblatum est, fructum participare: quandoquidem et in veteri lege extra tempus et locum sacrificii de immolatis edebatur, idque cum effectu sanctificationis legalis, ut dictum est.
10:19
19. Quid ergo? dico, quod idolis immolatum sit aliquid? aut quod idolum sit aliquid? In Graecis alia distinctio est, et diversus ordo. Sic enim habent: Quid ergo dico? quod idolum aliquid est? aut quod idolothytum aliquid est? Nec secus habet textus Syriacus. Quanquam ad sensum non multum interest. Hoc enim est, quod sentit Apostolus. Dum ab esu idolothytorum vos revoco, tanquam in eo sit periculum contaminationis, non dico, quod idolum aut idolothytum aliquid sit, ut possit idolum per idolothytum, id est, per cibum sibi immolatum, edentes occulta vi quapiam afficere: quomodo verus Deus per oblata sibi sacrificia sanctificat eos, qui de oblatis participant. Movet itaque Paulus his verbis objectionem, qua dicere poterant, qui scientiam habebant: Idolum et idolothytum nihil est, sicut tu ipse jam ante docuisti, dicens: Scimus, quia nihil est idolum in mundo, supra cap. 8. Non igitur ex idolothyto, si eo vescamur, metuere debemus aliquam coinquinationem peccati. Quo autem sensu idolum et idolothytum Apostolo nihil sit, dicto loco satis expositum est. Sequitur objectionis solutio.
10:20
20. Sed quae immolant gentes, daemoniis immolant et non Deo. Graece plenius: Sed quod, quae immolant gentes etc, et est sensus: Sed dico, quod ea, quae gentes infideles in suis sacrificiis immolant, daemoniis immolantetnon vero Deo. Immolant enim diis suis, de quibus in Psalm. 95. secundum LXX. scriptum est, et per totam Ecclesiam canitur: Omnes dii gentium daemonia. Quamvis enim plerique idololatrae non haberent intentionem colendi daemonia, sed deos, quos sibi finxerant aut fecerant; revera tamen omnis potentia, quae se exserebat in illo cultu tanquam a diis profecta, sive in reddendis oraculis, sive in praestandis interdum beneficiis, opera daemonum illic assistentium exercebatur. Nam omnibus simulacris immundos spiritus assidere, testatur Hieron. exponens illud Habac. 2. et omnis spiritus non est in visceribus ejus. Igitur quando gentiles colebant talium operationum effectores, iisque victimas immolabant; reipsa totum eum cultum impendebantdaemonibus, id est, apostatis angelis, quorum princeps est diabolus. Eos Scriptura daemones seu daemonia vocat, Graeco nomine: quo fere significabantur apud Ethnicos dii minores; quos Latini genios seu lares appellant. Hinc ipso nomine declarat Apostolus, deorum cultum revera non aliud esse, quam cultum malignorum spirituum.
Nolo autem vos socios fieri daemoniorum. Socios xotvcovoug^ id est, communicatores, communionem habentes, quod paulo ante vertit, participes. Socii daemoniorum in universum sunt, quicunque agunt aliquid, per quod societate cum daemonibus jungantur, Quales imprimis sunt, qui eos expresse vel per se, vel per alios invocant, aut consulunt, ut vel benefaciant vel male. Deinde quicumque cum eis paciscuntur, ut certis quibusdam signis vel positis vel ablatis aut noceant aut nocere desinant. Nec non quicumque ejusmodi signis in alterutram partem utuntur. Huc denique pertinet innumera multitudo vanarum observationum, id est, quarum nulla ratio reddi possit: quas sive pro sanitate sua aut suorum, sive pro aliis effectibus usurpat hominum curiosa cupiditas. Ad primum genus referuntur, qui invocantibus sese consociant, sive in sacrificiis offerendis, sive in edendis idolothytis; etiam si fideles sint, et daemonum cultum ex animo detestari videantur. Igitur ostendit Apostolus eos, qui miscebant se infidelibus ad edendum idolothyta, non leviter peccare, quamvis idolum et idolothytum nihil esse scirent; ut qui cum ipsis daemonibus quadam societate jungerentur. Quod tale est, ac si quis regi subditus atque juratus socie- tatem ineat et consilia communicet cum ejus hoste jurato: imo tanto pejus ac de testabilius, quanto Dei quam regis hominis dominium universalius est atque perfectius. Eodem pertinent, quae sequuntur.
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Non potestis calicem Domini bibere et calicem daemoniorum. Ex antithesi seu repugnantia monstrat indignitatem facti. Nulla enim major inimicitia, quam inter Christum et daemonia. Nam ad hoc Christus venit, ut regnum diaboli destrueret. Itaque rem agit vehementer absurdam et perversam, ac moraliter, ut loquuntur, impossibilem (id enim est, quod ait, non potestis), qui modo communicat cum Domino, bibendo de calice Domini inter fideles; modo communicat cum daemoniis, bibendo de calice daemoniorum inter infideles. Calix Domini, qui dicatur, notum est ex supradictis. Calicem autem daemoniorum dicit, in quo vinum aut quicumque alius potus continebatur, idolo, et per hoc daemoniis, consecratus: quia quicquid gentes, quae Deum non noverunt, consecrant, daemoniis consecrant.
21. Non potestis mensae Domini participes esse et mensae daemoniorum. Eadem absurditas et perversitas hic significatur, quae in parte praecedenti. Mensa Domini est, ex qua fidelibus ministratur cibus et potus mysticus, id est, corpus et sanguis Domini. Quae mensa eadem est et altare Domini: sicut mensa daemoniorum erat, quae cibos praebebat daemoniis immolatos. Vocat enim mensam daemoniorum eam, quae sternebatur in idolio, de quo supra cap. 8., destinata videlicet epulis idolothyticis: ut proinde mensa significetur hoc loco, quae vel altare sit, vel altare faciat intelligi; qualis est mensa ciborum immolatorum: quomodo per metalepsin eorum, quae conjuncta sunt, alterum ex altero intelligitur; ut ex fumo, ignis. Qua ratione etiam nomen altaris ad sacrificium cogitandum nos ducit: maxime cum sacrificium in altaris definitione claudatur. Recte igitur hoc Apostoli testimonium. inter alia, patres concilii Tridentini adducunt sess. 22. cap. 1., quo doceant Eucharistiam a Christo Domino institutam] esse non solum ut sacramentum, verni etiam ut sacrificium. Id enim, inquiunt, non obscure innuit Apostolus Paulus Corinthiis scribens, cum dicit non posse eos, qui participatione mensae daemoniorum polluti sint, mensae Domini participes fieri; per mensam altare utrobique intelligens, modo videlicet jam explicato; ut mensa vel proprie sit altare, vel ipsum praesupponat. Id vero Paulum velle, etiam ex eo facile colligitur, uti docte Cajetanus observat, quia de immolatis agit hoc loco, sive cum loquitur de 60, quod apud Judaeos fiebat, sive cum de eo, quod apud gentiles. Quare et cum pro argumento adducit participationem mensae Domini, credendus est intelligere, ea, quae de mensa Domini percipiuntur, oblata sive immolata esse. Porro mensam pro altari legimus et alibi in Scripturis, ut Jes. 65. Qui ponitis Fortunae mensam, et libatis super eam, et Malach. 1. Mensa Domini despecta est. Id enim mensam vocat, quod prius altare, dicens: Offertis super altare meum panem pollutum. Similiter infra: Mensa Domini contaminata est: etquod superponitur, contemptibile est, cum igne, qui illud devorat. Ubi perspicuum est, per mensam altare significari. Exstat apud Augustinum locus serm. 113. de diversis, de mensa Cypriani, sicappellata a reliquiis ejus sub ea conditis, ubi et martyrio fuerat affectus. Iti eodem, inquit, loco mensa Deo constructa est: tamen mensa dicitur Cypriani, non quia ibi est unquam Cyprianus epulatus, sed quia ibi est immolatus: et quia ipsa immolatione sua paravit hanc mensam, non in qua pascat sive pascatur: sed in qua sacrificium Deo, cui et ipse oblatus est, offeratur. Sed ut mensa illa, quae Dei est, etiam Cypriani vocetur, haec cav^a est: quia ut illa modo cingatur ab obsequentibus, ibi Cyprianus cingebatur a persequentibus, etc.
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22. AnaemulamurDominum? Aetnulamur, Graece uapaCifjAoDixsv: quod verbum significat irritare, lacessere, sive, quomodo vertit idem interpres Rom. 10. et 6ail. Estii Camm. Tom. 1. 11., ad aemulationem adducere, ad aemulationem provocare. De quo verbi istius significato Vallam consule. Num, inquit Apostolus, audemus Christum Dominum ad iram et zelotypiam concitare, quasi contemnentes ejus potentiam, et probare volentes, an punire nos possit, ad rivalem et hostem ipsius diabolum transeuntes? Id enim facit, qui particeps effectus mensae Domini, postea sese mensae daemoniorum associat: sumpta metaphora a mulieribus, quae, viris suis contemptis, non verentur adulteros admittere. Similes autem hi sunt Judae proditori, qui e mensa Dominica pastus, statim se contulit ad diabolicum pertractandum cum Judaeis, hostibus Domini sui, commercium. Observa Paulum ea, quae passim in Scripturis de Deo dicuntur, Christo tribuere. Est enim Deus zelotes, qui gloriam suam non patitur ad alios transferri: de quo Moses in cantico Deut. 32. dicit: Provocaverunt Deum in diis alienis, et in abominationibus ad iracundiam concitaverunt, etalia, quae sequuntur. Significat igitur Apostolus hujusmodi sermone, Christum Deum esse, videlicet illum, de quo scriptum est: Dominus zelotes nomen ejus: Deus est aemulator. Exod. 34. Porro de peccantibus in prima persona loquitur, quasi seipsum illis annu merans: ut ostendat, factum illorum cedere ia injuriam totius Ecclesiae, cujus mem- • bra.sunt: ut in illis ipsa quadantenus Ecclesia Christum sponsum suum ad zelotypiam commovere, et iram ejus adversum se provocare videatur.
Numquid fortiores illo sumus '? Scilicet ut eum lacessamus ac provocemus velut ad pugnam adversum nos? ac si dicat: Minime. Ille enim fortissimus est ac potentissimus: et proinde non impune nobis cedet istiusmodi provocatio.
Omnia mihi licent, sed non omnia expediunt. Occupatio est ejus, quod objici poterat, et a sciolis dicebatur: Omnia nobis licent, intelligentibus adiaphora, quae nulla peculiari lege prohibita sunt: quale erat idolothyto vesci. Respondet Apostolus, multa licere, quae tamen ob rerum circumstantiam non expediant, ac per hoc illicita reddantur. Habetur eadem sententia supra cap. 6., ubi plenius a nobis exposita est. Hoc autem loco eam repetit propter illos, de quibus nunc agit, imprudenter ac temere comedentes idolothyta: tanquam dicat esum idolothytorum ense quidem de genere eorum, quae per se non sunt illicita; plerumque tamen non expedire, propter occurrentes circumstantias. Quae duae potissimum erant, ut si fieret in idolio, vel coram infirmo: quarum illa laedebat honorem Dei et Christi ejus, ista salutem proximi. De priori circumstantia egit hactenus; nunc illa dimissa tractat alteram, admonens et instruens eos, qui scientiam de idolothytis habebant, quemadmodum ea deberent uti sine aliorum oflFensione. Quod argumentum jam ex parte tractaverat supra cap. 8. Verum hic generalius loquitur, offensionem prohibens non tantum fratrum infirmorum, sed etiam infidelium, ut patebit ex iis, quae sequuntur. De licitis, quatenus expediant aut non expediant, prudenter aestimandis, vide, quae disserit August. lib. 1. de adult. conjug. 14. '^t aliquot sequentibus.
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23. Omnia mihi licent, sed non omnia aedificant. Hoc est: Non omnia, quae mihi licent, etiam faciunt ad promcvendum publicum ecclesiae bonum, ' quod consistit in salute hominum; sed quaedam magis destruunt. Vult enim ex boni negatione mahira oppositum intelligi; sicut et in parte priori, cujus haec repetitio est: nisi quod aedificare phis aliquid sonat quam expedire. Nam expressius re?picit commune bonum ecclesiae, prout a Paulo passim usurpatur hoc vocabulum. De quo latius supra ad ilUid cap. 8. Caritas aedificat. Explicatur ea significatio praecepto subsequente.
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24. Nemo, quod suum est, quaerat, sed quod aUerius. Plenius in Graeco: ocAAa TO Tou iTspou exaaTOC^ sed quisque, quod alterius est. Aher et proximus, eadem sunt Apostolo. Sic ait Rom. 13. Qui diligit proximum, Graece tov STspov^ legem implevit. Itaque et hic verti poterat, sed quod proximi, ad commendandam expressius proximi dilectionem. Quaerere, quod suum est, phrasi Scripturae dicitur, qui privatis commodis et utilitati studet, neglecto et posthabito communi multitudinisbono. Ad quod significandum plerumque aliquid additur; ut hoc loco, sed quod alterius, id est, bonum cujusque proximi, quem debes diligere sicut teipsum, et iu fine hujus capitis: Non quaerens, quod mihi utile est, sed quod multis. Item PhiL 2. Non quae sua s^mt singuli considerantes, sed ea, quae aliorum. Ibidemque rursus: Omnes, quae sua sunt, quaerunt, non quae Jesu Christi. Caeterum in hujus Epist. cap 13. absolute dicitur, et sine addito: Caritas non quaerit, quae sua sunt. Quo loco de hac phrasi pluribus agemus. Unde et intelligetur, non opus esse supplemento particulae exclusivae in dicta phrasi interpretanda, scilicet ad hunc modum: Nemo tantum, quod suum est, quaorat, sed etiam quod alterius: quomodo quidam interpretantur. Absolute enim dictum estab Apostolo, caritatem non quaerere, quae sua sunt: sicut absolute, non aemulatur, non agit perperam, non inflatur, non est ambitiosa, etc.
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25. Omne, quod in macello venit, manducate, nihil interrogantes propter conscientiam. Graece Tcdv t6 ev fiaxe)J^u> TrwXoujjisvov, etc., omne, quod in macello venditur. Et pro verbo interrogantes in Graeco est auoxpt^vovTSC, id est, disquirentes, ut legit infra vers. 27. commentator Ambros., seu discutientes, ut vertit Oecumenii interpres, melius quam Theophylacti haesitantes. Accipitur enim ut supra cap. 9. Mea defensio apud eos, qui me interrogant. Et sic exponunt commentarii Graecorum. Applicat Apostohis hac parte sententiam generalem, qua dixerat multa licere, quae non expediant, nec aedificent, ad praesentem doctrinam de esu idolothytorum; quae non solum in idoliis edenda solebant apponi, verum etiam publice cum aliis carnibus in macello proponi venalia, deinde et in mensis privatis infidelium apponi. Quae duo nunc ordine tractat, instruens quid in his agendum. Quaslibet, inquit, carnes in macello seu foro venales, emere potestis et comedere: ita ut nolim vos interrogare et disquirere, num carnes immolatitiae sint, quantum quidem ad rationem conscientiae vestrae pertinet, ne ea maculetur; ut qui sciatis nullum cibum esse immundum, et idolum atque idolothytum nihil esse, proindeque comedentis animum maculare non posse. Haec enim scientia debet omnem istiusmodi inquisitionem excludere. Qui cum sit planus hujus loci sensus, liquet profecto, quam insulse vulgus haereticorum detorqueat Apostoli sententiam adversus Ecclesiasticam carnium abstinentiam certis diebus praescriptam; quasi lege ecclesiae non obstante licitum Christiano sit quovis tempore quidvis comedere. Quod ab Apostoli mente prorsus alienum esse, qui Heb. 13. praecipit dicens: Obedite praepositis ve~ stris; quique sequentis capitis initio laudat Corinthios, quod praecepta sibi ab ipso tradita tenerent, nemo sanae mentis dubitaverit. Supponit autem Apostolus in hac generali senteatia, tam id quod legis est divinae et Ecclesiasticae, quam quod legis naturae. Quare sicut carnes insalubres et nocituras in macello venum expositas, eder^i tibi non licet, quoniam id lex naturae prohibet: ita certis temporibus simpliciter a carnibus abstinendum est tibi Christiano, quoniam id ecclesia praecipit, quam Christus jubet audiri, Matth. 18. Nec vero aliud vult Apostolus hac sententiae generalitate, quam quod alibi docet: Omnia munda mundis, Tit. 1. et: Omnis creatura Dei bona est: et nihil rejiciendum, quod ct;m gratiarum actione percipitur, 1 Tim. 4. Unde et hic subjungit: Domini est terra, etc. Sunt, qui conscientiam hic intelligant alienam, eo quod Apostolus infra vers. 29. sic interpretetur: conscientiam dico non tuam, sed alterius. Itaque sensum hic esse volunt: ne tua iuterrogatiu dubitationem aut scrupulum pariat astanti cuipiam, dum emis, aut assidenti, dum edis aut edere paras. Sed puto falluntur. Nam illa Pauli interpretatio tantum est de eo, quod proxime praecedit. Alioqui discrimen est; quia praecipiens non interrogandum, pacare vult conscientiam ementis aut edentis: dicens autem: Nolite manducare, jam providet alterius conscientiae.
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26. Domini est terra et plenitudo ejus. In Graecis et Syriacis exemplaribus, nec non apud interpretem Ambros. additur causalis particula: Domini enim terra etc, quae in nostris omissa videtur, eo quod in Psalterio non legatur. Est enim versiculus initialis Psahn. 23., quem sic intellige: Terra et quicquid terra copiose gignit ac profert, aut nutrit, Deum habet autorem ac Dominum. Ex quo colligi vult Apostolus, ea omnia bona esse et munda: nam quicquid Dei est, ut autoris ac Domini, bonum ac mundum est. Rursus: Si Domini Dei sunt omnia, quae terra profert ac nutrit, sive in cibos hominum cessura, sive in alios usus: nihil ergo daemonum est, ut ab illis, tanquam ' dominis, immutari possit, nosque propterea de cibis, an de sacrificio veniant, interrogare debeamus.
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27. Si quis vocat vos infidelium. Nunc docet, qua libertate et cautela fidelibus utendum sit in mensis privatis infidelium. Graece: Si quis autem vocat etc. Sicque legerunt Lombardus et Aquinas. Quod vero quidam Latini codices addunt ad coenam, in Graecis et Sjriacis non habetur, ut nec in Latinis castigatioribus. Quanquam subaudiendum est aliquid tale, ad mensam, ad convivium.
Et vultis ire. Significat hoc non esse illicitum. Neque enim prohibebantur fideles cibum sumere cum infidelibus, inter quos habitabant; nec eorum conviviis interesse: uti nec commercia cura iis exercere, quemadmodum idem Apostolus supra docuit cap. 5., ubi et idolis servientes numerat inter homines hujus mundi, quorum consortium negat se fidelibus inhibere. Nam alioquin, inquit, debueratis de hoc mundo exiisse. Erat igitur et hoc inter ea, de quibus dixit: Omnia mihi licent. Veinim an et quatenus expediret et aedificaret, ex circumstantiis erat dijudicandum. Ideo tanqaam de re media et rationis arbitrio relinquenda loquitur, et vuUis ire.
Omne, quod vobis apponitur, manducate, nihil interrogantes jiropter conscientiam. Hoc totum intellige juxta sensum prius datum. Nam et liic conscientiam intelligit eorum, quos alloquitur; non alienam, ut volunt ii, de quibus ante dictum est.
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28. Si quis autem dixerit. Subjungit exceptionem a generallconcessione praecedente. In Graecis et Syriacis additur, vobis. Hoc immolatum est idolis. Multi codices MSS. non immolatum, sed immolatitium legunt. Quo modo si vertit interpres, verisimile est non fuisse ab eo additum idolis. Certe commentator Ambros. absque eo legit: Hoc immolatitium est. At in Graeco semper eadem est dictio, idolothytum; quam noster interpres varie transfert.
Nolite manducare, propter illum, qui indicavit. Cum dixisset: nolite manducare, ne quid videatur idolo tribuere, continuo causam adjecit: propter illum, qui indicavit; ne videlicet ei scandalum praebeatis manducando, sive fidelis ille sit, sive infidelis. Uterque enim ex facto tuo scandalizari poteiit: fidelis quidem infirmus, exemplo tuo contra suam conscientiam de idolothyto comesturus; aut certe judicaturus te velut male agentem: infidelis autem, quia putabit te prae metu aut pudore non audere religionem tuam, quae omnem idololatriam exsecratur, libere confiteri; aut certe per intemperantiam gulae prodere sinceritatem tuae religionis; et per haec minus bene de Christianis sentiet, atque iis etiam insultabit, non sine Christi injuria: tantum aberit, ut eum Christo sis lucrifacturus; cujus rei potissimum causa ad mensam hominis infidelis accedere debueras. Jllum, qui indicavit, exponimus tam infidelem quam fidelem, quia sermo est de convivio, ad quod promiscue fideles et infideles invitabantur: poteratque indicium ab utrolibet fieri. Solicitus est autem Apostolus, ne vel his vel illis ofi^endiculum detur. Unde concludens infra sic ait: Sine ojfensione estote Judaeis et gentibus et ecclesiae Dei. Caeterum quod sequitur, ad solum fidelem infirmum arbitramur pertinere.
Et propter conscientiam. Ac si dicat: Specialiter autem propter conscientiam, nempe fratris: uti statim ipse Paulus exponit. In Graecis codicibus pene omnibus post haec verba repetitur illud Psalmi: Domini enim est terra et plenitudo ejus, repetuntque ejus hoc loco mentionem omnes enarratores Graeci. Videri potest repetitum errore scribae propter homoeoteleuton clausulae praecedentis. Alioqui nec Syrus interpres repetivit, et huic loco parum apte quadrat: nisi forte Pau- Ius hic adjecit ad aliud docendum, quam supra, tanquam diceret: Cum terra copiose praebeat cibos a Domino creatos, quos citra cujusquam off^ensionem edere potestis; non est, quod hunc cibum idolo consecratum edas cum alterius offendiculo.
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29. Conscientiam autem dico non tuam, sed alterius. Dicendo non tuam, mutat numerum, velut unum compellans e pluribus scientiam habentibus, ad quos superiorem direxerat sermonem: idque facit, quo doctrina sit in singulorum animis efficacior. Qua ratione et ad Galat. 6. repente numerum mutat, cum post allocutionem multorum subjungit: Considerans teipsum, ne et tu tenteris. Caeterum Attice dixit, ut notat Valla, tyjv eauToD pro ttjv osauxou tuam ipsius. Conscientiam, inquit, propter quam prohibeo ne manduces, non tuam dixi, de qua prius loquebar (nam ea cum bene sit instructa, manducatione non laeditur), sed alterius, scilicet fratris infirmam habentis conscientiam, uti dictum est cap. 8. Qui si similiter, ut tu, conscientiam haberet informatam, non oporteret te propter illius conscientiam abstinere. Theophylact. et Oecumen. atque etiam Theodoretus conscientiam alterius interpretantur Graeci sive gentilis nondum ad fidem conversi. Quibus et Ambros. commentator accedit. Verum id sensu minus commodo. Nam et Chrysost. hac quidem parte nobiscum facit.
Ut quid enim libertas mea Judicatur ab aliena conscientia? Aliena, Graece et Syriace alia, quod et in MSS. quibusdam Latinis legitur, adstipulantibus Ambros. commentatore et Primasio; tamelsi probe redditum aliena, id est, alterius hominis conscientia. Nam quod veteres quidam legunt ab infideli conscientia, ut Hieronym. in epist. ad Ageruchiam, et autor sive interpres libri de sin^ul. cleric. apud Cyprianum, nec non Sedulius in commentario; tanquam aliena conscientia restringenda sit ad conscientiam hominis infidelis: primum a Graeca voce ea lectio recedit; deinde nec congruere mihi videtur cum mente Pauli, qui non de infideli nunc agit, ssed de fratre infirmo. Probat enim, non esse vescendum idolothyto coram fratre intirmo, qui tibi iudicavit, hoc immolatitium esse; quia si vescaris, ausam ei dabis graviter in te peccandi, sicque vulnerabitur ejus conscientia. Mutat autem nunc personam secundam in primam, ut ex sua persona alios doceat. Interrogandi modus tva ■:<., ut quid, ad quid, quorsum, apud Hebraeos plerumque significationem habet improbantis et aversantis aliquid, tanquam ingratum, inutile, illicitum, aut quovis modo absurdum, velut Jerem. 6. Vt quil mihi thus de Saba adfertis? Marc. 14. JJt quid perditio ista unguenti facta est? Ita Paulus hoc loco; quasi dicat: Nulla ratione committere debeo, nec occasionem dare, ut alius erroneam et infirmam habens conscientiam, judicet, id est, damnet libertatem meam, qua possum indifferenter quidvis edere. Atqui id futurum est, si comedam, postquam mihi ille dixerit hoc immolatitium esse. Nonnulli putant haec cum sequentibus esse verba Ubertate Christiana abutentium, quae per mimesin huc inserat Pauhis, ac si dicat quispiam illorum: Cur ego mea libertate spolior alio male de ea judicante? et caetera. Quibus respondeat Apostolus: Sive ergo manducatis, etc. Sed refellunt hunc commentarium conjunctiones enim et e7'go: quarum illa probantis est, non objicientis; ista concludentis, non ad objecta respondentis.
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30. Si ego cum gratia participo. Cum gratia, graece /apiTi. Si autem ego gratia participo. Quod potest exponi tribus modis: Si comedo per gratiam et beneficentiam Dei, cujus est terra et plenitudo ejus, ut supra dixit, et qui praestat nobis omnia abunde ad fruendum, 1 Tim. 6. Vel: si comedo per gratiam mihi a Deo concessam, qua scio et credo idolum nihil esse, et proinde nihil mihi metuendum ab idolothyto; quae Graecorum expositio est. Vel aliter: si comedo cum gratiarum actione, sciens nihil rejiciendum, quod cum gratiarum actione percipitur, 1 'i im. 4. Nam xapt*; pro gTatiarum actione non infrequens est, etiam in sacris literis, ut Luc. 6. semel et iteram: Quae vobis estgratia, et cap. 17. Numquid gratiam habet servo illi? et 2 Cor. 8. Gratia Deo, qui dedit etc. Denique sensum hiiuc exigere plane videtur, quod sequitur, pro eo quod gratias ago. Nam quud legitur apud Ambros. commentatorem atque Sedulium, et in libro de singul. cleric. Si ego gratiae participo, sive particeps sum; eam versionem Graeca syntaxis non admittit: Hcet etiam Theophylacti interpres, sed praeter sensum sui autoris, itatranstulerit.
Quid blasphemor prc eo, quod gratias ago? Pro eo quod etc. graece, pro quo ego gratias ago? Clarius hanc partem alii verterunt: Cur ob id mihi maledicitur, pro quo ego gratias ago? Sensus enim est: Committere non debeo, ut alius mihi maledicat, aut male de me loquatur, propter id, pro quo ego Deo gratias ago; id est, propter cibum. Sed potius abstinebo, quamvis alioqui (juxta triplicem intellectum superius datura) cum gratia participaturus. Quod ait, blasphemor, facere cuipiam videbitur pro sensu Graecorum, qui haec referunt ad infidelem. Nam infideliummos estblasphemare Christianos. Verum si locus hic conferatur cum eo, qui est Rom. 14., ubi dicit Apostolus: Non ergo blasphemetur bonum nostrum: facile verus sensus apparebit. Nam utrobique significatur, fratrem infirmum oiFensum libertate fratris, qui vel cibis utitur lege vetitis, vel sacrificatis, male de eo loqui, tanquam de homine guloso, qui per intemperantiam aut immundum se faciataut idololatriae participem. Nunc ad pleniorem intelligentiam doctrinae, quam de esu idolotbjtorum vitando, tam hoc loco, quam superiori cap. 8. tradit Apostolus, quaerendum: An extra periculum scandab' sit ant abqnando fuerit licitum, vesci idolothyto, quod scias idolothytum esse. Nam id simpbciter ac per se, et non sobim causa scandali illicitum esse, putaverit aliquis ex eo, quod Apostolus supra v. 20. in hujusmodi esu constituit societatem cum daemonibus; rem utique per se illicitam. Atque ita sensisse videtur August. in epist. 154. ad Public, ubi proposita sibi quaestione de viatore Christiano, qui fame pressus nihil inveniat nisi cibum in idolio positum, ubi nullus alius est hominum: utrum ei satius sit fame emori, quam illud in alimentum sumere: breviter, inquit, respondeo: Aut certum est esse idolothytum, aut certum est non esse, aut ignoratur. Si ergo certum est esse, melius Christiana virtute respuitur: si autem vel non esse scitur, vel igp.oratur, sine ullo conscientiae scrupulo necessitatis assumitur. Sic ille. Cujus et haec est absoluta sententia lib. de bono conjugali cap. 16. Satius est mori fame, quam idolothytis vesci. Sed et Hieron. nuc adfertur, qui in comment. super Matth. cap. 15. ita sibi opponit: Si quod intrat in os, non coinquinat hominem; quare idolothytis non vescimur? Deinde respondet: sciendmn, quod ipsi quidem cibi et Dei creatura per se omnis munda sit: sed idolorum ac daemonum invocatio ea faciat immunda. Quod rursus significare videtin-, exponens ilhul epist. ad Titum cap. 1. Omnia munda mundis. Excipit enim idolothyta, tanquam simpliciter ad esum illicita, propter Apostolicam hujus loci doctrinam. Similis est locus apud Cyrillum HierosoL catechesi. 3. Quae, inquit, in aris idolorum offeruntur, cum natura sint pura, invocatione daemonum impura efficiuntur. Hinc et eos, qui immolatitiis cibis erant polluti, poenitentiae satisfactione purgandos esse, rescripsit Leo pontifex ad Nicetam Episcopum epist. 79. cap. 5. Sive, inquit, hoc terror extorserit, sive fames suaserit. Accedit argumentum ex Apostolorum decreto, quod describitur Actor. 15., quo gentibus ad Deum conversis praecipitur, ut abstineant ab immolatis simulacrorum; nulla addita Hmitatione scandali, sed absolute, quomodo prohibentur caetera in eodem decreto comprehensa. Verum profecto nihil horum obstat, quo minus atque indubie tenendum sit, esum idolothytorum, extra certos casus, licitum Christianis esse et fuisse. Id enim planissime liquet ex ipsius Pauli doctrina, qui cap. 8. hujus epist. rem istam facit adiaphoram, nec aliter prohibet, quam si frater infirmus eo facto sit passurus scandalum. Similiter et hoc capite esum idolotbyti palam inter ea censet, de quibus dicit: Omnia mihi licent, sed non omnia expediunt. Ac rursum libertatem hominis Christiani extendit ad esum hujusmodi. Quapropter et prohibet de eo disquiri propter ipsius edentis conscientiam. Denique nota sunt ejusdem Apostoli de cibis axiomata: Omnia munda, nihil immundum, nihilque commune per seipsum. Tit. 1. et Rom. 14. et, quod in hae epist. docet, idolum et idolothytum nihil esse. Nec non illa snperins a nobis citata, Deum praestare nobis omnia ahunde ad fruendum, et nihil rejiciendum, quod cxim gratiarum actione percipitur; quia Domini terra est, et plenitudo ejus. Et quid multa? quum universaliter ipse Christus pronuntiet Marci 7. dicens: Nihil est extra hominem introiens in eum, quod possit eum com- (juinare, subjuncta hac certissima ratione: {Juia non intrat in cor ejus, id est, animum ac voluntatem ejus afficere non potest. Astipulantur huic sententiae omnes hujus loci commentatores, veteres ac recentiores, tam Graeci quam Latini. Nec mirum, ubi textus per se tam apertus est. Ut igitur ad priora respondeamus, illud primum non advei'satur, quod de societate daemonum objicitur. Nam ea secundum Apostolum non contrahitur ex esu idolothyti, nisi quando quis idolothytum edendo sacris idololatricis communicat; ut si cum infidelibus in idolio mensae accumbat; quam vocat Apostolus mensam daemoniorum; vel alias religionis causa, jussus aut rogatus de idolothyto comedat. Neque enim sacris illis communicabit, si vel solus nemine conscio, vel etiam una cum aliis extra locum hujusmodi convivio deputatum, quamvis sciens, idolothyto vescatur. Vide Cajetanum hanc rem in commentario diligenter explicantem. Ad Augustinum porro quod attinet, etsi verba ejus ad Publicolam scripta difficultatem habeant, ut verisimile sit ea retractaturum fuisse, si illuc usque retractationum suarum opus perduxisset, aut monitus rem propius expendisset, ut Erasmus loquitur in annot. cap. 8., constat tamen, eum non loqui prorsus generaliter, sed solum de cibo in idolio reperto; quem si comederet Christianus, videri posset iis, quibus forte ejus factum innotesceret, cum diis, id est, daemonibus, quibus oblatus putaretur ille cibus, communicasse. Quanquam non dicit, male facturum si comedat; sed melius, inquit, Christiana virtute respuitur. Alioqui idem August. lib. 32. cont. Faust. Manich. cap. 13. mentem suam satis aperit, cum solam hanc adfert rationem, cur, ut ait, non expediat immolatitio vesci Christiano: ne daemonibus communicasse videatur: adducto Pauli testimonio ex hoc loco, nolo vos sociosfieridaemoniorum. Certe in eo quod dicit, non expediat: sicut et ad Publicolam, melius respuitur • plane significat, hoc esse de iis, quae licent, etsi non expediant. Quae autem licent, utique licite fiunt aliquo casu. Convenit eadem responsio ad locum de bono conjugali. Nam et ibi comparative dicit satius esse; non absolute damnans, si quis edat urgente fame, modo cum debita cautione, ne daemonibus communicasse videatur, ut ante dictum est ex eodem Augustino. Quod vero ex Hieronymo et Cyrillo adferebatur, hunc sensum habet: invocationem daemonum facere cibos immundos, non simpliciter; ced invocantibus et consentientibus, seu quovis modo communicantibus. Ut enim omnia munda mundis; ita immundis efc male utentibus omnia immunda. Id enim sequitur: Coinquinatis et infidelibus nihil est mundum. Nam et ei, qui existimat quid commune esse, illi commune est, Rom. 14. Dicit autem Hieron. idolothytis non vescimur: quia vix est occasio Chrl.itianis idolothyto vescendi, scientibus esse tale, nisi cum periculo peccandi. Nam sive sit infidelis, qui indicaverit idolothytum esse, sive fidelis; utrimque periculum est, si comedas: inde sacrilegae communionis, hinc scandali fraterni: ut ita demum, et vix aliter evadas, quam si secreto comedas, adhibita cautione, ne factum tuum prodatur. Ad rescriptum Leonis responsio facilis est. Agit enim de Christianis quibusdam, qui quum apud infideles essent captivi, vel terrore vel fame compulsi fuerant, edere cibos immolatitios: per quod utique daemonibus communicaverant, aut communicasse videbantur. Unde e diverso laudatur fortitudo quadraginta rusticorum, qui carnes immolatitias, compellentlbus Longobardis, edere quum nollent, simul omnes occisi sunt, ut refert S. Gregorius lib. 3. dial. cap. 27. Quae quidem fortitudo non tantum in veris immolatitiis respuendis necessaria est: sed tunc etiam, si non imraolatitiae pro talibus edenuae exhibeantur; exemplo nimirum Eleazari senis, qui nec simulato esu carnis lege vetitae, vitam redimere sustinuit, 2 Mach. 6. Nam ad exemplum nihil interest, utrum facias an facere te simules. Ita legimus iu vita S. Sabae martyris conscripta ab ecclesia Gotthiae; cum illius gentis principes ac magistratus coepissent cogere Chi-istianos, ut ederent ea, quae essent idolis immolata, et gentiles quidam Christianis propinquis suis pro immolatis, quae immolata non essent, proponerent, quo eos servarent: re cognita B. Sabam non solum ipsum eos cibos edere recusasse, sed palam omnibus protestatum fuisse dicentem: Si quis ex carnibus illis comederit, Christianus esse n,on potest. Atque ita cavit, inquit Ecclesia, ne omnes in diaboli laqueuminciderent. Habetur historia apud Surium 12. Aprilis. Restat argumentum, quod ex Apostolorum decreto petebatur, solvendum: ad quod in primis respondeo, decretum illud pro tempore, sicut Augustln. scribens contra Faustum loquitur, ab Apostolis conditum fuisse, in cujus observatione cum Israelitis etiam gentes convenirent, quo facilius uterque populus coalesceret in unam religionem: paulatim vero legem illam, utpote Lumanam, causa cessante, vim legis amisisse, atque in desuetudinem abivisse. Verumtamen quia lex illa vigebat adhuc eo tempore, quo Paulus hanc epistolam scripsit; adeoque scrupulus remanet, quomodo Paulus extra pericukim sacrilegae communionis et scandali fraterni liberum faciat Corinthiis idolothyto vesci: propterea plenius argumento satisfaciendum est. Dicunt igitur aliqui, praeceptum apostolicum non obligasse quenquam, nisi existente casu seu periculo jam dicto, cujus avertendi causa positum erat decretum. Sed infirma est ea responsio. Nam etsi finis Apostolici praecepti fuerit evitatio scandali, vel aliquid simile: tamen ipsum praeceptum non erat de fine, sed de medio ad finem ordinato; id est, de re praecepto expressa, non addita nec innexa conditione finis. Unde in toto illo decreto nulla fit mentio vitandi scandali: sed absolute praecipitur fidelibus, ut abstineant ab immolatis, etc. Distinguendum est etenim inter haec duo: rationem constituendae legis non esse nisi vitationem scandali; et legem non obligare nisi in casu scandali. Nam lex ob aliquam rationem constituta, non tantum obligat, ubi ea ratio reperitur: sed simpliciter ac generaliter, uti sonat. Exempli gratia: lex jejunii, lata ad edomandam carnem, obligat etiam hominem egregie mortificatum, qui forte edomatione carnis opus non habeat. Idque verum, quamdiu nondum universaliter cessat ratio legis: salva tamen legitima legis circa quosdam dispensatione. Sunt qui objectioni respondeant, apostolicam legem aboleri coepisse jam eo tempore, quo Paulus haec scribebat. Sed quis credat, legem tam necessariam, tanta cum deliberatione nuper ab Apostolis communi decreto sancitam, ut patet ex Act. 15., tam cito evanescere potuisse; et quidem ratione legis, quae superius ex ■ Augustino adducta est, adhuc durante? m quum, etiam cessante ea ratione, multis post saeculis, apud multos in observatione remanserit, uti dicemus infia. Respondent igitur alii, decretum Apostolorum nondum pervenisse ad Corinthios eo tempore, quo scripta est haec epistola. Sed et hoc refellitur. Nam ut praetermittam illud tempus, quod a Concilio Apostc^orum fluxit usque ad primum Pauli ad Corinthios adventum, qui describitur Actor. 18., certe per ipsum Paulum, qui Concilio interfuerat, quemque scribit ibidem Lucas annum et sex menses atque eo diutius apud Corinthios moratum fuisse, facile potuit illis apostolicum decretum annuntiari; praesertim cum de Paulo et Sila dicatur ejusdem lib. cap. 16., quod cum pertransirent civitates, tradebant eis custodire dogmata, quae erant decreta ab Apostolis et senioribus, qui erant Hierosolymis. Quod si Paulus primo ad Corinthios adventu non putaverit id faciendum, metuens forte, ne novitios adhuc et infirmos hoc velut onere proposito absterreret a lege Christi: saltem hac epistola, qua eos accurate de singulis, quae apud ipsos dubitabantur, instruit, legem apostolicam eis insinuare debuisset. Nobis igitur vera solutio totius diflBcultatis petenda videtur ex ipsius dtcreti inscriptione seu titulo, qui sic habet: Apostoli et Seniores fratres, his qui sunt Antiochiae et Syriae et Ciliciae fratribus ex gentibus, salutem. E quibus verbis liquet, epistolam ad Apostolis scriptam, qua decretum continebatur, non fuisse directam ad omnes ubique fideles ex gentibus: sed ad eos solum, qui in Palaestina aut ejus vicinia agebant: cujusmodi erant provinciae in titulo nominatae: quod iis in locis quam plurimi essent Judaei; non item in locis a Palaestina remotioribus, uti maxime erat Achaia, in qua Corinthus. Proinde nequaquam apparet, Corinthios hac apostolica lege fuisse comprehensos. Paulus quoque et 8ilas non ubicumque Evangelium praedicabant, sed solum per Syriam et Ciliciam, ut in fine cap. 15. Act. dicitur, Apostolica decreta servanda praecipiebant. Circa quae et illud notandum est, fideles, qui apostolica lege tenebantur, non fuisse jussos interrogare, num quod erat venale expositum, aut mensae appositum, esset immolatitium: sed tantum prohibitos edere, si scirent esse tale, etiam ubi nullum esset, ut ante dixi, scandali periculum. Nunc si quis objiciat, apostolicam legem multis post annis, imo saeculis, quando ratio legis supradicta jam dudum cessaverat, observatam fuisse etiam in ecclesiis a Judaea remotissimis: quae res ex variis autoribus, atque ex synodis, quae diversis saeculis habitae fuerunt, ostendi potest: ut videre est apud Cardinalem Baronium in Annal. ad annum Domini 51., respondeo, non quidem fuisse mentem apostolorum, ut hac lege ecclesiam universalem, eamque perpetuis temporibus asfcringcrent (nam hodie nusquam in catholica observatur, maxime quod de suffocato et sanguine constitutum fuit: et qui forte pauci, inquit, Augustin. contra Faustum, adhuc tangere ista formidant, a caeteris irridentur): sed tamen alias ecclesias eam legem postea recepisse, et multo tem})ore retinuisse, propter honorem ac reverentiam Apostolorum, a quibus profecta fuernt: ratione non prorsus absimili, qua lex vetus, quae divina erat, aliquamdiu ])Ost Christum a Judaeis Christianis observata fuit; ut, quomodo loquuntur patres, ad sepulcrum cum honore deduceretur.
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31. Sive ergo manducatis, sive bibitis, sive aliud quid facitis; omnia in gloriam Dei facite. Aliud interpretis supplementum est. Nam in CTraeco efc Syriaco non exprimitur, suffraganfcibus Latinis quibusdam MSS. et textu commentarii Ambros. Generali sententia concludit Apostolus superiorem doctrinam de non edendis idolothytis: admonens actiones nostras omnes referendas esse ad Dei gloriam. Quod utique non faciunt, qui cum Dei injuria aut fratrum scandalo quippiam agunt: sed magis ejusmodi facto gloriam Dei minuunt. Convenit cum hac sententia, quod ait Col. 3. Omne quodcunque facitis in verbo aut in opere, omnia in nomine Domini nostri Jesu Christi: et quod Petrus 1 epist. 4. Ut in omnibus honorificetur Deus per Jesum Christum. Quaeritur, an itageneraliter hocdictum et praeceptum sit, ut peccent homines in omni opere, quod non referunt in gloriam Dei. Si ita: consequens ex eo fiet, infideles, qui Dei notitiam non habent, in omni opere peccare. Nihil enim facere possunt in gloriam Dei, quem non noverunt. Opinantur quidam, Apostolum loqui non de omnibus in universum operibus humanis: sed de iis tantum, quae coram aliis fiunt, ac talia sunt, ut ex illis prox'mus vel aedificari vel scandalizari possit, Deique nomen apud homines vel honorificari vel blasphemari. Cujusmodi actiones sunt edere, bibere, sermonem miscere cum aliis. Atque hi gloriam Dei intelligunt, qua glorificatm- apud homines in hoc saeculo: ut consentaneus sit hic locus cura praeceptn Christi, Matth 5. Sic luceat lux vestra coram hominibus: ut videant opera vestra bona, et glorificent Patrem vestrum, qui in coelis est. Hic sensus satis quidem congruit Apostoli scopo, qui de scandalis sedulo fugiendis toto hoc loco disserit: unde et proxime sequitur: Sine offensione estote. Verum, praeterquam quod per eum sensura adhuc non evitatur, quo minus infideles peccent in omni saltem opere, quod coram hominibus faciunt: profecto non videtur illa satis plena tam insignis Apostolicae sententiae doctrinaeque declaratio; siquidem et ea, quae soli facimus ac sine arbitris, ad Dei gloriam referre debemus. Idque docet August. in epist. 81. ad Eudoxium Abbatem: ubi post multas actiones enumeratas, etiam quae a solis ac secreto fieri solent, tandem generaliter infert: Omnia in gloriam Dei facite: addita ratione, qui operatur omnia in omnibus^ ac rursus in enarrat. Psalmi 146. promiscue recensens ationes homiDum diurnas atque nocturnas. Cujus loci verba transcripsit Beda in collect. Hieron. quoque scribens ad Ctesiphontem adv. Pelag. cap. 3. Pauli sententiam extendit ad quaslibet actiones, etiam secretas et secundum naturam viles ac sordidas: quales illic nominat sputa jacere, nares purgare, vesicam et alvum relevare, quae S. Thomas opera necessitatis vocat, comprehensa sub illis verbis, sive manducatis, sive bibitis, quatenus tamen humanae sunt actiones. Igitur alii fatentur quidem, Apostoli seasum esse generalem: sed dicunt, eum liujnsmodi verbis non praecipere, verum hortari tantum et suadere, ut omnes actiones nostras ad Dei gloriam referamus: ideoque non continuo peccare hominem sive fidelem, sive infidelem, si quas suas actiones, alioqui bonas, in Deum non referat. ■ Sed hic commentarius aberrat a scopo Pauli; qui ex eo, quod omnia in gloriam Dei facienda sunt, consequenter intelligi vult eos peccare, qui comedunt idolothyta, non habita ratione divini honoris aut conscientiae fraternae: quod non escet consequens, si ilhid prius tantum esset consilii. Itaque merito sensum eorum, qui praeceptum esse negant, rejicit S. Thomas, exponens similem huic sententiam Coloss. 3. Ejusdem doctoris expressa verba sunt, 2. 2. quaest. 69. art. 1. Ex praecepto tenemur omnia in gloriam Dei facere. Quod et repetit verbis idem valentibus quaest. 83. art. 14. et quaest. 89. artic. 4. Probat autem 1. 2. quaest. 100. art. 10. ex praecepto, quo Deum diligere jubemur ex toto corde: ad quod pertinet, inquit, ut omnia referantur in Deum: et ideo praeceptum caritatis implere homo non potest, nisi etiam omnia referat in Deum. Pulcre vero Liranus hanc obligationem praocepti declarat a simili. Tota enim, inquit, creatura ordinatur ad Deum, sicut exercitus ad ducem. Exercitus autem hene ordinatus primo et principaliter quaerit gloriam ducis, quae est victoria. Eodem modo omnis creatura, et potissime rationalis, in omnibus operibus suis primo et principaliter debet quaerere gloriam conditoris. Haec ille. Jam quod ad sensum attinet hujus generalis praecepti, S. Thomas in comment. relationem istam operum ad gloriam Dei, dicit intelligendam, vel in actu vel in aptitudine referendi. Et hanc aptitudinem Cajetanus extendit ad opera infidelium, quae moraliter bona vocantur. Haec enim, qua ratione bona sunt, apta sunt referri ad gloriam Dei: ut proinde ex, apostolico praecepto non sit consequens, infideles ea faciendo peccare. Verum ipse sanctus doctor alibi clarius de sensu hujus praecepti suam mentem aperit. Nam 1. 2. quaest, 88. artic. 1. ad 2. ita scribit: Non facit contra hoc praeceptum, quicumque non actu refert in gloriam Dei omne quod facit. Sufficit enim ut habitualiter referat se et omnia sua in Deum, et in commentario Coloss. 3. Non est necessarium, ut omnia referantur in Deum actu, sed habitu. Similiter Carthusianus in hunc locum,, pharibus rem declarans. Omnia, inquit, in gloriam Dei facite, id est, ad Dei honorem finaliter ordinate; ejusque laudem et glorificationem semper intendite vel actu vel habitu. Et rationem addit: Omnia quippe propter semetipsum operatus est Dominus. Unde sicut omnia bona fontaliter ab eo profluxerunt; ita ad ejushonorem, laudem, et gloriam sunt referenda. Sic ille. Videntur autem hi doctores, quum dicunt omnia, quae facimus, in Deum actu vel habitu referenda esse, vocem habitu usurpare pro virtute: quomodo idem S. Thomas 3. p. quaest. 64. artic. 8. ad 3. dicit, ad perfectionem Sacramenti in ministro sufficere intentionem habitualem, intelligens virtualem. Sic enim explicat: Puta cum sacerdos accedens ad baptizandum, intendit facere circa baptizandum quod facit Ecclesia. Vnde si postea in ipso exercitio actus cogitatio ejus ad alia rapiatur, ex virtute primae intentionis perficitur sacramentum. Et quidem hanc esse mentem sancti Thomae, quod ad sensum attinet loci praesentis, ipse disertis verbis alibi declarat: ut in disputatis de caritate, articulo 11. ad 2., ubi dicit hoc pertinere ad perfectionem coritatis, ad quam omnes tenentur, quod omnia virtute referantur in Deum. Et hoc modo, inquit, Apostolus praecipit, quod omnia in gloriam Dei referantur. Et ad 3. Virtualiter omnia referre in Deum, cadit sub praecepto caritatis. In eundum sensum etiam Carthusianus se ipsum exponere videtur; quum dicit, eum, qui implet hoc praeceptum, in omni actu, imo et dormiendo mereri, saltem propter praecedentem intentionem; scilicet virtute manentem. Quo magis autem hujusmodi intentio virtute maneat in actionibus nostris quotidianis, frequenter actu renovanda est. Quod quidemfacimus, dumorationem Dominicam frequentamus: in qua primo loco petimus, quod intentione primum ac perpetuum esse debet, ut sanctificetur, id est, glorificetur nomen Dei. Quod etiam in publicis precibus et canticis facit ecclesia; dum, ut ostendat gloriae Dei studendum in omnibus, identidem repetit versura doxologieum: Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui sancto. Quare et illi cum his, quos jani dixi, fere idem volunt, qui praeceptum Apostoli sic exponunt: Studete gloriae Dei per omnia promovendao, soliciti, ne quid committatis, quod ejus honorem quoquo pacto laedat aut imminuat. Item qui hoc modo: Conari debetis ad eam perfectionem, ut omnia ad Dei gloriam faciatis. Nam ideo studere et conari ad haec debemus, quia de omnibus ad Dei gloriam agendis praeceptum habemus. Porro videtur hoc praeceptum pertinere non ad omnes homines, sed solum ad fideles, et eos, quibus fides Christi fuit annuntiata: qui proindehabentauthabere debent notitiam finis supernaturalis, ad quem ordinat religio Christiana. Nam et in illum finem omnia Christi et Apostolorum ejus praecepta nos dirigunt: ideoque nobis ille finis semper actu aut habitu seu virtute prae oculis est habendus, nobis, inquam, fide Christi imbutis: quomodo loquitur S. Thomas 1. 2. quaest. 102. art. 6. ad 7. dicens, quod intentio coelestis omnibus operibus nostris debet adjungi. Nostris, utique fidelium, quibus coelestia revelata sunt. Ex quo jam fundamento solvitur objectio de infidelibus: qui quamvis suas actiones alioqui bonas in hunc finem gloriae Dei non referunt, adeoque nec referre possunt, ii saltem, qui de Christo nihil audierunt: dum tamen in illis spectent finem, ad quem dictante ratione naturali referendae sunt; non reprehensionem merentur, sed laudem, tametsi vix inveniri infidelium hominum facta, quae justitiae debitam laudem defensionemve mereantur, si discutiatur, quo fi?ie fiant, testis est Augustin. in lib. de spiritu et litera cap. 27. Quod vero dicunt aliqui, infideles opera sua moraliter bona facere in gloriam Dei implicite, quatenus ea faciunt propter bonum aliquem finem: eo quod, ut ajunt, semper ex bonis.operibus sequatur, ut qui eavident, Deum glorificent, aut certe glorificare possint; id revera non satis est, ut ipsi, qui faciunt, facere ea ad Dei gloriam dicantur. Hic enim sermo praecepti: Jn gloriam Dei facite, intentionem gloriae Dei in faciente requirit: quam quidem infideles in suis operibus nullam habent, si praesertim veri Dei notitia sint penitus destituti.
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32. Sine offensione estote Judaeis et gentibus et ecclesiae Dei. Sine offensione, Graece aTtpo-xoTiot. Quae vox etsi interdum passive capiatur pro iis, qui non offenduntur, hic tamen activam habet significationem, Latine inoffensivi, qui non offendunt. Judaeis et gentibus, Graece, et Judaeis et Graecis. Sicque legitur apud commentatorem Ambros. et in libro de singularitate clericorum. Sed CTraecos synecdochice gentiles dicit, ut alibi, quale illud Rom. 1. et 2. Judaeo primum et Graeco. Tales. inquit, vos gerite, ut nullum praebeatis offendiculum neque Judaeis, neque gentilibus, neque ecclesiae Dei. Judaeos et gentiles recte plerique restringunt ad eos, qui foris sunt, id est, infideles, et ecclesiam nondum ingressos. Nam de fidelibus est tertium membrum, et ecclesiae Dei. Hancvero intellige tam in genere quam in membris ejus singulis, nam et multitudinis et singulorum cavendae sunt offensiones. Praecipit autem hoc de cavendis aliorum offendiculis, non ut plane diversum a priori; tanquam illic agatur, ne in Deum ejusque honorem peccefcur, hic, ne in fratrem, ut quidam volunt: sed ut aliquid ad impletionem prioris ordinandum. Nam qui fratrem scandalizat, in Deum peccat, cujus opus destruit, Rom. 14. NoU propter escam destruere opus Dei. Peccat et in Christum, perdens illum, propter quem Christus mortuus est. Sic, inquit, peccantes in fratres, in Christum peccatis, supra cap. 8. Adde, quod hic non soli fratres scandalizandi prohibentur, sed etiam, qui foris sunt; uti dictum est.
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33. Sicut et ego per omnia omnibus placeo. Ad ea, quae praecepit, tanquam bonus magister suo cohortatur exemplo. Nam, inquit, et ego non solum caveo, ne cuiquam praebeam offendiculum; verum etiam me per omnia omnibus accommodo, omnibus placere studeo. Omnia vero intellige, qualia, de quibus supra disseruit, ac de quibus dixit: Omnia mihi licent, hoc est adiaphora, quae et bene et male fieri possunt; ne quis ad ea trahat, quae legibus adversantur, maxime divinis. Eadem sententia cum illa ca))itis superioris: Omnibus omnia factus sum. Tale etiam est, qund praecipit Rom. 15. Unusquisque vestrum proximo suo placeat. Nec cum his pugnat, quod scribit Gal. 1. An quaero hominibus placere? Si adhuc hominibus placerem, Christi servus non essem. Negat enim illic se hominibus placere, id est, neglecta veritate id agere, ut hominibus ea, quae carnis sunt, sapientibus, placeat, eisque suam doctrinam commendet. Quem sensum eo loco plenius explicatum invenies. Hic vero et aliis duobus locis allegatis, placere vult omnibus ad salutem. Dicens enim se omnibus omnia factum, addit: ut omnes facerem salvos: et praecipiens, ut quisque proximo suo placeat, adjungit: in bonum, ad aedificationem. Similiter hoc loco, ne male intelligatur, quod dixit, se per omnia omnibus placere, subjungit:
Non quaerens, quod mihi utile est, sed quod multis, ut salvi fiant. Graece, non quaerens meum ipsius commodum, id est, utilitatem, sed multorum, etc. Sic Hilarius enarrans Psalmum 52. Non quaerens quod meum utile est, sed quod multorum. Et sensus est: Non anteponens commoda mea privata publicae multorum utilitati, sed contra faciens. Ecce, inquit S. Thom., optimus modus placendi omnibus, si omnium utilitas, non privatum commodum, procuretur. Id enim argumentum est caritatis, quae non quaerit, quae sua sunt, infra cap. 13. Quid autem magis efficit hominem omnibus carum, quam ipsa caritas? Porro quis secundum Scripturam dicatur ouaerere quod suum est, quodque sibi utile, pluribus explicatum habes hoc eodem capite ad illud: Nemo, quod suum est quaerat, sed quod alterius, ac rursum infra, ad dictum locum cap. 13. Denique quam multorum utilitatem quaerere se dicat apostolus, exponit dum addit, ut salvi fiant, id est, ad salutem adducantur aeternam: quae res maxime cedit in gloriam Dei. Potest etiam haec particula, ut salvi fiant, referri ad illud, omnibus placeo. Quod enim sequitur, non quaerens, etc. modum et viam ostendit omnibus placendi.
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1. No/o entm (sc. ut vobis ipsi consulatis) vos 1gnorare, fratres, quoniam Patres nostri omnes sub nube fuerunt et omnes mare transierunt. In praecedente sectione Graecis quodam modo Graecus factus ex eorum ludis argumentum suum desumserat, nunc Iudaeis Iudaeus factus ex Iudaeorum historia argumentatur ; utrosque autem, et Ethnicochristianos et Iudaeochristianos, in utroque argumento respicit, quum appellatione fratres integram ecclesiam comprehendat. Neque ideo exclusi censendi sunt Ethnicochristiani, quia Israelitas ex Aegypto egredientes vocet patres nostros (uti arbitrantur Est. Lap. etc.); neque enim ad sanguinis cognationem, sed ad fidei religionisque coniunctionem (cfr TÀom. (αἱ. Iustin. etc.) attendit, qua ratione omnes Christiani, quemadmodum sunt semen Abrahae (liom. 9,6; Gal. 3,7) , etiam posteri sunt eorum, qui tantis beneficiis in exitu ex Aegypto sunt ornati. Iamvero baptismus Novi Test. est in aqua et Spiritu (loan. 3,5); quorum duorum elementorum, quibus unus baptismus efficitur, typos Paulus videt in nube et in mari : « Nubes, inquit cum aliis TÀom., erat symbolum Spiritus, mare vero symbolum aquae »!. Nubes autem, de qua loquitur Paulus, est columna nubis, quae non tantum Israelitas continuo praecedebat, ut dux esset itineris (Exod. 13,21), sed super eos expansa velut velamentum eos obumbrabat ct protegebat (Ps. 105,39; Sap. 10,17; 19,7 cfr Exod. 15,19 sqq.; Num. 15,1* etc.), ut revera omnes sub nube essent. Porro nubes iam ante transitum maris apparuit, quare Apostolus ordine chronologico retento eam priore in loco commemorat. Nube igitur protecti ct obumbrati omnes per mare transierunt, ita ut quasi mediis in aquis essent; « erat enim aqua quasi murus ἃ dextra eorum et a sinistra » (Exod. 15,22). Haec ex historia neophytis erant cognita, sed sublimiorem sensum eis nunc aperit Paulus addens :
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9. et omnes in Moyse (lege : ἐπ Moysen) 6aptizati sunt in nube et in mari, vel si alteram lectionem graecam (ἐδαπτίσαντο) praefers : « baptismo in Moysen se subiecerunt in nube et in mari »!. Textus graecus (si; Μωυσῆν) prohibet, quominus explicemus : per Moysen, licet haec Theodoreti sententia esse videatur, S. Augustinus quoque semel (in Ioan. tract. 11,4; sed cfr tract. 26, 19) ita legerit, atque multi iuniores Latini lectione sua in errorem inducti hanc (per Moysen) vel similem (duce Moyse) interpretationem praetulerint. Recte potius inter Latinos iam monuit Pe/., Moysen hic esse typum Christi, ut Israelitae in Moysen dicantur baptizati, sicut Christiani in Christum baptizantur, vel « cultui ac legi per Moysen iradendae specie quadam baptismatis initiati, quomodo nos in Christum baptizari dicimur, i. e. Christo et religioni christianae per baptismum initiari » (Est.). Revera quemadmodum Christus est mediator Deum inter et homines in Nova Lege, ita Moyses in Vetere Lege munere mediatoris functus est Deum inter et populum; « data est enim lex disposita per angelos, in manu mediatoris (videlicet Moysis) secundum provocationem populi dicentis : Loquere tu nobis et non loquatur nobis Deus » (S. Basil. De S. Spir. 33 cfr σαί. 3,19; Exod. 20,19). Figurativo igitur baptismo illa occasione Israelitae omnes se submiserunt : nubes fuit figura Spiritus realiter dandi in antitypico baptismo ; transitus per mare, quod sicco pede transierunt aquis nullo modo ad eos pertingentibus, figura fuit realis immersionis in fontem baptismalem ; sicut baptismus noster baptizandos ab eorum peccatis realiter abluit, ita figurativus ille baptismus Israelitas ab eorum ineredulitate abluit, i. e. effecit, ut Moysi postea crederent; egressus enim e mari « timuit populus Deum et crediderunt Domino οὐ Moysi servo eius » ( Exod. 15,31); sicuti baptismo nostro fideles Christo consecrantur legique per eum datae adstringuntur, ita typico illo baptismate Israelitae Moysi sese addixerunt Legique per eum promulgandae sese subiecerunt; demum iure merito cum Patribus antiquioribusque interpretibus, qui hoc fere solum urgerc solent, addc re licet, figurativo baptismo Israelitas ex temporali Pharaonis Aegyptiorumque potestate esse liberatos, sicut nos baptismo nostro a daemonis iugo liberamur. Non satis rccte nonnulli (ria beneficia (protectionem nubis, transilum maris, baptismum typicum) enumoerata vident (Thom!. Dion!. Cai. ctc.) aut saltem duo iprotectionem nubis, qua praefi;zzuretur protectio Spiritus S., ct transitum maris, «uo praefigurctur baptismus. Gayn. otc.); nam ex v. 2. clarc elucet, Apostolum dc uno baptismo typico loqui voluisse. — Acatholici nonnulli (Mey. IHlcinr.) nubo Spiritum praefigurari negant, quia secus dicendum forct, baptismum Spiritus baptismati aquac temporo antecessisse; at quis prudens umquian. baptismum Spiritus ct baptismum aquao ita distinxit, ut duos baptismos dicerct? Unum baptisma in Spiritu ct in aqua iuxta duplex suum elementum, spiritualo et materiale, praefiguratur atque in fi;uris illis indicandis Paulus, ut diximus, chronologicum ordinem tcnuit. At monct alter, uno membro non posso spirituale, altero matcriale clementum pracfizurari (Ev.); cur vero id fieri noqueat, non apparct, idquo co minus, quia nubes, de qua Paulus agit, ipsa iam erat symbolum Dei in incdio populo commorantis eumque p:zotegentis. Id tamen concedimus, non salis ad typicum characterem attendissc cos, qui cum Est. putant, « Israciitas gutlis tum ex aquis maris hinc indc qua transibant in altum erectis, tum ex nube supra ipsos expansa fuisse nonnihil aspcrsos, quo baptismi sacramentum cvidentius signilicarctur ». Sicco enim pedo transierunt maro neque nubcs data erat, ut super populum plueret; si realis aspersio aquac requircrcetur, ut baptismus praefigurarelur, non minus realem gratiac communicationem requiri dicendum esset, ita ut non amplius typum sed rem ipsam haberemus; e typus autem partem indicat, inquit S. Hier. (in Os. 11,1. 2); quod si totum pracccedat in typo, iam non est typus, scd historiae vcritas appellanda est ». Typico baptismo igitur muniti omnes Israelitae in stadium ingressi sunt, et credentes Deo et Moysi ad legem accipiendam Moysenque ducem sequendum parati erant promtique ad luctam subeundam ; verum ut in stadio fortiter concertare possent, eliam cibo potuque spiritali indigebant, quo continuo conforiarentur; quem eis datum esse Apostolus nunc ita describit, ut in illo typus Eucharistiae non cognosci non possit :
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3. et omnes eandem escam spiritalem. menducaverunt. Esca, qua toto peregrinationis tempore iu deserto quotidie vescebantur, manna erat, qui cibus, quia in sua origine, in sua natura, in sua significalionc miraculosus erat, imnerito vocatur spiritalis (πνευματικὸν βρῶμα). Origo eius erat de coelo (cfr Exod. 16,4; Ps. 71,95; 1054,40; Sap. 16,20), id quod eum carnalibus [udaeis crasso sensu intelligere non licet (loan. 6,31), sed praeternaturalem atque immediate divinam eius productionem innuit; in se ipso eum miraculosum fuisse, ex tota eius descriptione luculentifimc apparet ( Exod. 16,16-2* ; Sap. 16,90 sq. etc.) ; eum sublimioris quoque cibi in nova oeconomia dandi, veri panis de coelo, figuram fuisse, Dominus haud obscure docuit (Joan. 6,&8 sqq.) ct apertius Paulus hoc loco docet. Sed quid sibi vult : eandem escam manducaverunt? Utique inter se eandem; iuxta S. Aug. quidem, cuius explicatio in G/ ord. recepta a mediae aetatis interpretibus haud paucis (up Tuzt. Herv. H Vict. Lomb. Thom!. etc.) magis minusve est adoptata, Israelitae in deserto « eandem nobiscum escam » manducaverunt !; at haec explicatio fini ct scopo Apostoli non convenit. Neque enim lsraelitas nobiscum ratione beneficiorum comparare vult, sed eos inter sc aequales quidem nc pares fuisse, quum iisdem donis omnes essent ornati, neque tamen omnes ad finem praestitutum venisse docet; hanc enim ob causam quatuor his primis versibus quinquies illud omnes urget, ut v. 5. statim inter eos discrimen fuisse ostendat. Neque eodem tantum cibo, sed etiam eodem potu spiritali omnes nutriti sunt :
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4. δὲ omnes eundem potum spiritalem bibebant. Sed quia potus, «quo in deserto utebantur, aqua erat naturalis, addit probationem, qua illum iure spiritalem vocari ostendat, siquidem et modo praeternaturali est datus et sanguinem Christi in nova oeconomia dandum pracfiguravit : 5:1bebant autem (legc cum Graecis et aliis verss.* : entm) de spirttal? consequente eos petra; petra autem erat Christus. Quae in verba egregie CArys. : « Sicut tu corpus Christi comedis, ita illi manna ; et sicut tu sanguinem bibis, ita illi aquam de petra. Etiamsi enim illa, quae fiebant, sensilia erant, spiritali tamen modo praebebantur, non secundum naturae cxigentiam, sed iuxta doni gratiam , et cum corpore, quia ad fidem adducebant, etiam animam nutriebant. Ideo de cibo quidem nihil dixit; erat enim non solo modo, quo dabatur, sed etiam in se prodigiosus; manna quippe erat. Sed quia in potu solus dandi modus praeter naturam erat, ideo probatio requirebatur; quapropter subiunxit, eos de consequente petra bibisse, petram autem Christum fuisse. Neque enim natura petrae aquam emittebat; alioquin efiam antea illam scaturiisset; verum alia quaedam petra spiritalis hoc totum faciebat, i. e. Christus, «qui semper eis praesens aderat et omnia mirabiliter operabatur; ideo quoque dixit : de consequente petra ». obscure docuit (Joan. 6,48 sqq.) et apertius Paulus hoc loco docet. Sed quid sibi vult : eandem escam manducaverunt? Utique ?nler se eandem; iuxta S. Aug. quidem, cuius explicatio in Gl ord. recepta a mediae aetatis interpretibus haud paucis (up Tut. Herv. H Vict. Lomb. Thom!. etc.) magis minusve est adoptata, Israelitae in deserto « eandem nobiscum escam » manducaverunt !; at haec explicatio fini ct scopo Apostoli non convenit. Neque enim lsraelitas nobiscum vatione beneficiorum comparare vult, sed eos inter sc aequales quidem nc pares fuisse, quum iisdem donis omnes essent ornati, neque tamen omnes ad finem praestitutum venisse docet; hanc enim ob causam quatuor his primis versibus quinquies illud o»nes urget, ut r. 5. statim inter eos discrimen fuisse ostendat. Neque eodem tantum cibo, sed etiam eodem potu spiritali omnes nutriti sunt : 4. e£ omnes eundem potum spiritalem bibebant. Sed quia potus, «quo in deserto utebantur, aqua erat naturalis, addit probationem, qua illum iure spiritalem vocari ostendat, siquidem et modo praeternaturali est datus et sanguinem Christi in nova oeconomia dandum pracfiguravit : :ibebant autem (legc cum Graecis et aliis verss.* : enzm) de spiritali consequente eos. petra; petra autem erat Christus. Quae in verba egregie CArys. : « Sicut tu corpus Christi comedis, ita illi manna; et sicut tu sanguinem bibis, ita illi aquam de petra. Etiamsi enim illa, quae fiebant, sensilia erant, spiritali tamen modo praebebantur, non secundum naturae exigentiam, sed iuxta doni gratiam , et cum corpore, quia ad fidem adducebant, etiam animam nutriebant. Ideo de cibo quidem nihil dixit; erat enim non solo modo, quo dabatur, sed etiam in se prodigiosus; manna quippe erat. Sed quia in potu solus dandi modus praeter naturam erat, ideo probatio requirebatur; quapropter subiunxit, eos de consequente petra bibisse, petram autem Christum fuisse. Neque enim natura petrae aquam emittebat ; alioquin ctiam antea illam scaturiisset; verum alia quaedam petra spiritalis hoc totum faciebat, i. e. Christus, «ui semper eis praesens aderat et omnia mirabiliter operabatur; ideo quoque dixit : de consequente petra ». Christianis Deus esset collaturus, ita in sorte totius illius populi propter peccata in deserto interemti figuram videt multo graviorum poenarum, quibus Christianos, si similia peccata commissuri sint, Deus sit puniturus. Hinc strages Israelitarum in deserto relate ad nos eum finem habuit, «£ non stmus concupiscentes malorum , sicut et 2/li concupierunt. Generali expressione (concupiscere mala), uti recte Chrys. adnotat, Apostolus utitur, quae sequentibus exemplis accuratius definitur ; omnia enim peccata ex concupiscentia exoriuntur (cfr etiam Theod. Oec. TheopA. A'tr Lom. etc. Lap. Men. Mai. — Mey. God. eic.). Porro iria singularia Israelitarum peccata enumerantur, quae id habent commune, quod directe sint contra Deum; prae oculis enim Páulus semper habet finem suum, ut ab idolothytorum usu Corinthios retrahat. Quae tria peccata : idololatria (7. 8), tentatio Christi (v. 9), murmuratio contra Deum (v. 10), iterum ultimo membro (v. 11) comprehenduntur, sicut v. 6. comprehensa sunt. quoque et Cai. tria peccatorum genera distinguunt, scd non satis recte, nisi omnia nos fallunt. Etenim Thom. peccata cordis (v. 6), oporis (7. 8. 9.), oris (c. 10) distinguit; Cai. voro peccatum cordis (v. 6) et peccatum opcris (v. 7) vclut duo extrema vel maxima « peccatis modiis » (8. 9. 10) opponit. Dc solis enim pcecatis externis loquitur Apostolus, atque concupiscentiam illam commomorat, quia vorbis et operibus sese manifestaverat ; quid vero sibi illa « crimina media » vclint, ignoro; velut leviora enim peccata Apostolus profecto nec fornicationem , nec tentationem Dei, noc murmurationom contra Deum consideravit, quas tam gravibus poenis castigatas describit. Ad particularia igitur peccata veniens primo in loco Apostolus idololatriam vitari iubet :
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7. Neque :dololatrae efJiciamini sicut quidam ez 1psis, quemadmodum scriptum. est : Sedit populus manducare. et bibere δὲ surrexerunt ludere. Iuxta verba ex E.cod. 32,6. allegata in- *eger quidem populus eriminis istius fuit reus; quidam ez zpsis autem illud commisisse ab Apostolo cum aliqua, ut videtur, litote dicuntur, quia inter seductores et seductos distinguere voluit; ex poena enim secuta, quae Ezod. 32,96 sqq. narratur, satis apparet, haud paucos aliorum exemplo seductos aut etiam vi coactos partem aliquam sceleris, de quo sermo cst, attigissc. Ceteroquin quamnam idololatriam hic maxime prae oculis habuerit Paulus, ctiam textu allegato docet, quum de epulis loquatur, quas populus, postquam vitulo aurco sacrificia oblata erant, in deserto celebravit; indircctam ergo illam idololatriam quasi digito monstrat, cuius neophyti nonnulli in idoliis epulis sacrificalibus accumbentes reos sese faciebant. Simili ratione alii indirectae idololatriae rei facti sunt fornicatione, «quae cultus nonnullis diis exhibiti pars erat non minus essentialis, quain epulae sacrificales. Haud plane immerito 76). (de iei. 6) ad verba surrexerunt ludere monet : « Intellige Scripturae verecundiam; lusum , nisi impudicum, non denotasset ». Revera verbum παίζειν, quo Alexandrini hebr. ἘΠῚ reddiderunt, etsi per se significationem ludendi vel choreas agendi et saltandi habet et saltationes cum coenis sacrificalibus saepe coniunctas esse constat, tamen peiorem quoque significationem luxuriose agendi interdum admittit (Gen. 26,8; 39,15. 17 ctc.), nec quidquam impedit, quominus hoc in loco isto sensu sumatur. Sed quae illis verbis obscurius tantum innuit, ea Apostolus clare in sequenti versu proponit :
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8. Neque fornicemur, sicut. quidam ez ipsis fornicati sunt, et ceciderunt una die viginti tria millia. Quin Apostolus ad. Num. 25,1 sqq. alludat, vix est dubium : « fornicatus est populus cum filiabus Moab, quae vocaverunt eos ad sacrificia sua; at illi comederunt et adoraverunt deos eorum initiatusque est Israel Beelphegor » etc. Simili enim modo, quo Moabitae suum Beelphegor impudieitiis colebant, Corinthi Aphrodite impurissimum suum eultam habebat; cidem igitur periculo, cui Israelitae in cultu 1doli moabitici, neophyti corinthii erant expositi, quatenus cum scortis illi dcae dicatis fornicantes reos se reddcbant indireciae idololatriae. Difficultas quaedam in eo est, quod iuxta Paulum viginti £ría, iuxta Num. 25,9 viginti quatuor millia virorum interiisse dicantur. Quam dissonantiam ut removeamus, absil ut cum multis modernis acath. (quibus ex cathol. Mai. et cx parte ZA. consentiunt) l'aulo lapsum memoriae atiribuamus; idem enim esset, ac si epistolae nostrac inspirationem negaremus. Variae propositae sunt solutiones : minus recte aliqui cum TÀom'. minore numero non excludi maiorem aut maiore minorem includi monent; neque rectius alii illud «una die urgent, quod Paulus addat, Moyses omittat, ac si mille pridie aut postridie interiissent; neque utrumque numerum, utpote rotundum, veritati consonare cum aliis arbitramur, ac si interem- Lorum numcrus tria et viginti millia superaverit sed infra viginti quatuor millia haescrit; neque cum modernis nonnullis (God. ctc.) ad rabbinicam consuetudinem appellari posse putamus, iuxta quam ad vitandam exaggerationem minor numerus adhiberi soleat (cfr 2 Cor. 11,96 ct Deut. 35,3); nec rcctius alii rabbinicam supponunt traditionem, iuxta quam viginti tria. millia lue ἃ Deo immissa perierint, mille a populi iudicibus sint suspensi et occisi; sed cum 74om?. aliisque multis errorem librarii antiqui statuere malumus; facile enim «qx (i. c. τέσσαρες) ct τρεῖς γιλιάδες permutari potuerunt !. Interrogat Chrys., cur Paulus, qui antea (6,129 sqq.) de fornicatione egit, cam hic iterum vitandam moneat, atque nonnullis (cfr Est. etc.) approbantibus respondet , eum eflicacius ab hoc peccato Corinthios absterrere eiusque originem in deliciis et gula sitam esse docere voluisse. lteclius vero, uti iam innuimus, respondemus, Paulum hic fornicationem velut formam cultus idololatrici considerare. Alterum peccatum, quo Israelitae interitum in deserto sibi attraxerunt atque Christiani quoque periculo ultimi exitii sese exponunt, est tentatio Christi :
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9. Neque tentemus Christum, sicut quidam eorum lentaverunt et a serpentibus perierunt. Vulgatae lectionem (CAristum) testimoniis criticis probabiliorem reddi, jam diximus (cfr VV. LL.) ; nomine Chrisli autem, quem Israelitae in deserto tentaverunt, intelligi Verbum incarnandum, atque eodem nomine, si Corinthii monentur ne Christum tentent, intelligi Verbum incarnatum, clarum est (cfr ad v. &). De quanam vero Christi tentatione loquatur Apostolus, ex narratione, ad quam alludit, desumatur oportct; variae enim sunt tentationis Dei species pro variis attributis divinis, quae aliquis factis suis explorat. lam vero ad intimum nexum, qui inter tentationem Christi, quam in Israelitis Apostolus punitam esse dicit, et inter tentationem illam intercedit, a qua Corinthios absterrere vult, multi interpretes non satis attendentes in explicando hoc versu a vero aberrarunt; ita cum aliis CArys. censet, Corinthios moneri, ne miracula postulantes divinam potentiam explorent, Thom. ne dubitationibus suis de futura resurrectione eandem potentiam tentent, Theodor. ne linguarum dono ad propriam gloriam abutentes maiestatem divinam tentent etc. Attamen in narratione , quam respicit Paulus (Num. 21,5 sqq.), Deus in populum ignitos serpentes immisisse refertur, quia « taedere coepit populum itineris et laboris locutusque est contra Deum et Moysen dicens : Cur eduxisti nos de Aegypto, ut moreremur in solitudine? Deest panis, non sunt aquae; anima nostra iam nauseat super cibo illo levissimo ». Querelis igitur de difficili sua conditione in deserto Israelitae Deum tentaverunt; sese enim dubitare ostendebant, num Deus in suis promissionibus esset fidelis specialemque protectionem promissam cesset daturus. Simili ratione neophyti Christum tentassent, si eos legis christianae taedere coepisset, aut quia a multis, quae antea licita crediderant, iam sese abstinere cogebantur, aut quia cultu minus sollemni, qualis tunc temporis erat in nascentibus ecclesiis, non contenti sollemnitatum ethnicarum desiderio flagrabant atque omni quo potuerunt modo earum partem quandam habere conabantur coenis sacrificalibus accumbentes. Simile est tertium peccatum, quod vitari iubetur :
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10. Neque murmuraveritis, sicut quidam eorum murmuraverunt, et. perterunt ab exterminatore. Saepe populus in deserto murmurasse legitur, ut difficile sit dictu, ad quodnam factum particulare Apostolus alluserit. Istae procul dubio murmurationes , quae Exod. 15,95 (de aqua amara), 16,2 (de cibi defectu), 17,3 (de inopia aquae) referuntur, praetermittantur oportet, quia Dominus populum vix ex Aegypto cgressum nequedum lege data eruditum non punivit sed inopia laborantem miraculis adiuvit. Oraitti quoque debet prima murmuratio post legem acceptam, quia poena secuta est levior neque Apostoli descriptioni respondet (Num. 11,1-3). Ob eandem rationem etiam illa intelligi non potest, quam fallax exploratorum relatio provocavit (Num. 1&), licet aliqui interpretes ad eam alludi censeant; integer quidem populus murmuravit, sed soli decem exploratores mendaces coram Domino percussi sunt atque reliquis futurus dumtaxat interitus praedictus est (Num. 15,26 sq«q.). Duae aliae remanent narrationes, quae ambae desceriptioni Apostoli satis consonant; ob defectum enim deliciarum, quibus fruiti erant in Aegypto, Israelitae murmuraverunt carnes postulantes (Num. 11,^ sqq.), atque iterum propter severum iudicium , quo Deus arrogantiam Corae eiusque asseclarum suppressit, omnes murmurarunt (Num. 16) ; iuxta priorem narrationem Deus populo utique carnes dedit, sed « adhuc carnes erant in dentibus eorum et ecce furor Domini concitatus in populum percussit cum plaga magna nimis » (11,33); iuxta alteram « egressa est zra a Domino οἱ desaeviit plaga magna », quae Aarone thymiama offerente cessavit, postquam quatuordecim millia et septingentos homines abstulerat (16,56 sqq.). Longe plerique interpretes cath. (TÀom. etc., Est. lust. ekc., Mai. Disp. LR. etc.) et acath. ad alterum factum alludi censent, idque ni fallor recte. Neque enim tantum prius iam v. 6. commemoratum est, sed etiam auctor Sap. (18,95) alterum referens eadem appellatione (ὁ ὀλοθρεύων), qua nostro in loco Paulus (o óXofpsuv/c), utitur, ita ut Apostolus simul ad librum Sap. respexisse videatur. De reliquo utra ex his duabus narrationibus praeferatur, parvi est momenti ; iuxta utramque enim filii Israel directe οἵ proxime contra duces suos divinitus constitutos murmuraverunt indirecteque dumtaxat Deum attigerunt (cfr Exod. 16,8); iam vero recte monere videntur interpretes (cfr Calm. Nat. Mai. LR. etc. — God. Heinr. etc.), Apostolum tale exemplum elegisse, quia Corinthii nonnulli contra ipsum, velut doctorem scveriorem, murmurare vel etiam in genere liberius de magistris suis iudicare iisque obloqui coeperant. Etenim v. 7. et 10., ubi de idolothytis et de murmuratione loquitur, secundam personam adhibet Corinthios alloquens (ne efficiamin? idololatrae, ne murmuraveritis),, sed v. 6. 8. 9., ubi peccata attingit, quorum periculo omnes Christiani magis minusve erant eodem modo expositi, primam personam usurpat (ne simus concupiscentes malorum etc.). In neutra narratione, nec Num. 11. nec Num. 16., « exterminator » (0 ὀλοθρευτής) nominatur; at nihil obstat, quominus Paulum per prosopopoeiae figuram furorem Domzni aut iram a Domino egressam velut personam repraesentasse dicamus. Antiquiores tamen plerique interpretes angelum designari putant, quo velut instrumento Deus ad populum puniendum usus sit. Media aetate Latini latinae denominationis (exterminator) etymologiam haud sane recte urgentes « angelam, qui eztra termznos terrae promissae Israelitas percusserit », intellexerunt (Hero. Lomó. Thom. Lyr. Dion. ctc.) ἃ Glossae interlin. auctore, ut videtur, in errorem inducti. Num malus an bonus angelus fuerit, inquirunt alii (cfr Est. Tust. Lep. etc.), atque nonnulli eum Angelum Domni fuisse arbitrantur ad. Exod. 23,920. 21 provocantes (cfr Nat.); sed hae quaestiones parum videntur csse utiles, quum de angelo quodam velut poenae istius. exsecutore cogitare nec Pauli nec auctoris 1l. Sap. verbis cogamur. Quae singula enumeravit, nunc comprehendit Apostolus, ut deindc ad directam exhortationem transeat :
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11. Haec autem. omnia in figura contingebant illis (τυπικῶς συνέβαινεν αὐτοῖς), Deo providentia sua ita singulos eventus disponente, ut et peccata, quac Israelitae in deserto commiserunt, et poenae, quas peccatis sibi attraxerunt, sint reales propheliae eorum, quae Christianis contingere possunt; scripta sunt autem. ad correptionem nostram , 1n. quos fines saeculorum devenerunt. « Neque enim, inquit 7Aeod., propter illorum utilitatem effecit Deus, ut haec scriberentur; quam enim utilitatem caperent moríui ex scriptis? » Profecto eadem providentia, quae rerum cursum ita direxerat, ut nos docere posset , etiam effecit, ut singuli eventus ad nostram correptionem (πρὸς νουθεσίαν ἡμῶν 1. q. ad nostram admonitionem ; cfr &,1** νουθετῶ moneo) scribercntur; Israelitarum enim fatis admonemur, nos quoque, si beneficiis nostris antitypicis negleetis peceaverimus, poenas esse luituros, quae ad Israelitarum stragem eadem ratione se habeant, qua nostrae gratiae ad corum typica beneficia. Porro recte adnofat Ca?., omnia propter nos scripta dici, « quia omnes Scripturae sint propter tempus Messiae » (cfr Hom. 15. ^). Etsi enim antiquo populo velut manuductor ad Christum inserviebant, plenam tamen suam et perfectam utilitatem exhibere non coeperunt, nisi quando tempore messianico figuris el vaticiniis impletis Vetus Testamentum in Novo patere coepit. Quamobrem Paulus quoque messianicam aetatem denotat dicens, fines saeculorum in nos devenisse , vel accuratius iuxta graecum (xat/,vrzxev) nobis occurrisse. lines saeculorum (τὰ τέλη τῶν αἰώνων) enim illam aetatem designant, quam alibi consummationem saeculorum (συντέλειαν τῶν αἰώνων Hebr. 9,96) aut plenitudinem temporis vcl temporum (τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χούνυν, τῶν χαιρῶν Gal. &,&; Eph. 1,10) nominavit atque SS. Petrus et Ioannes ad prophetarum loquendi usum (novissimi dies) propius accedentes novissimum tempus (καιρὸν ἔσχατον 1 Petr. 1,5) vel novissimam horam (ἐσχάτην ὥραν 1 Ioan. 2,18) appellarunt; significaturilla periodus, quae antemessianicae opposiia a primo Domini adventu initium suum sumit, et secundo eius adventu ita terminatur, ut regnum messianicum terrestre in coeleste transmutetur. Per hypallagen vero quandam, ut monet Est., fines saeculorum nobis occurrere dicuntur, dum recto ordine nos in illa tempora incidere diceretur; sed maioris momenti est, quod plurali numero de /iubus saeculorum loquens Apostolus varias innuat periodos, quas aetas messianica complectitur ; errant ergo, qui ex eius verbis nonnullis, quae perverse interpretantur, eum aetatem illam brevi finituram et Christum mox ad iudicium adventurum credidisse asserunt (cfr ad 6,11; 7,26). Ceterum iuxta eius sententiam omnia, quae Israelitis in aetate antemessianica contigerunt, illa quae tempore messianieo sunt futura praefigurant! atque in illorum, qui felici ista aetate victuri sint, utilitatem sunt scripta. Unde sua sponte fluit eius monitum :
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12. Itaque qui se existimat stare, videat ne cadat. Israelitarum enim lapsus et interitus nos, qui omnes baptismo e mundo egressi eucharisticoque cibo et potu refecti nobis stare videmur, admonet, lapsum et interitum nobis esse pertimescendum ; quare cauti nobis invigilemus oportet, ne cadamus. Utrum verba standi et cadendi hic cum plerisque catholicis de firmitate in via virtutis et de lapsu in peccata (CArys. etc., Ae" etc., Thom. etc., Est. etc.; — multi acath.), an cum nonnullis acath. (Calv. Beng. etc.) immediate de perseverantia in gratia intelligantur, per se parum interest, quamvis prior explicatio contextui, qui ad vitanda peccata et tentationes superandas exhortatur, sit conformior; iuxta utramque enim explicationem duo dogmata catholica invicte demonstrant. Hominem gratiam iustificantem, quam a Deo accepit, amittere posse clare docent, atque in huius doctrinae confirmationem allegantur a Conc. Trid. (Sess. 6. de iustif. c. 13.), neque minus clare insinuant, hominem de suo statu gratiae plenam perfectamque certitudinem non habere. Neque enim Apostolus dixit : qu stat, sed qui se stare existimat (ὁ δοχῶν ἑστάναι) ; quae verba cave ne explices : quz videtur stare (sed revera non stat), uti semel legit S. Aug. (de dono persev. 8); qui enim non stat, cadere non potest; sed loquendi istum modum elegit Paulus ad incertitudinem illam exprimendam, quam diximus. Nimis tamen verba haec urget CArys., si illis etiam arrogantiam, qua Corinthii propriis suis viribus confidebant, carpi censet, siquidem eiusmodi vituperium nec verbis ipsis nec contextu innuitur. Recte tamen addit : « hac in terra stare non est firmiter stare, donec a praesentis vitae fluctibus liberati ad tranquillum portum pervenerimus. Noli itaque altum sapere, sed cave lapsum; si enim Paulus timuit (cfr 9,27), omnium fortissimus, multo magis nos timere oportet ». Verumtamen ne neophyti, quando cunctos duobus exceptis Israelitas magnis divinis beneliciis non obstantibus in deserto periisse recordabantur, hunc quoque typum urgentes animis caderent seseque stare posse desperarent atque plus, quam praestare possent, a se postulari existimarent, Apostolus eos ita evigere voluit, ut exhortationem suam non infirmaret sed potius confirmarot, explicarct, suoque tliemati accuratius adaptaret. Itaque duas tentationum species, quibus ad lapsum adduci possunt, distinguit : priores, quae hominem sinc eius culpa apprehendunt nec praecaveri queunt, magnum non creare periculum docet, siquidem ad eiusmodi tentationes vincendas auxilium divinum non sit defuturum (v. 13.); quam maxime vero cavendas esse alteras, quibus sua sponte et sine ulla necessitate vel utilitate homo sese exponit (v. 15.). De prioribus igitur agens ait :
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13. Tentatto vos non apprehendat (lege : apprehendit) nis? humana; fidelis autem Deus est, qui non patietur vos tentari supra id quod potestis, sed faciet eliam cum tentatione proventum , u£ possitis sustznere.. Consueta Graecorum lectio (εἴληφε apprehendit), quam praeferendam esse critica testimonia suadent (cfr VV. LL.), etiam contextui aptius respondet; quomodo enim Apostolus, si cum Με. coniunctivum (καταλάθη appreAendat) adhibuit, ex hoc suo desiderio et voto exhortationem sequentem (v. 14) velut sequelam desumserit, non apparet. Cum praecedente quidem sententia quis sit huius versus nexus, particula nulla indicavit; tacitae autem neophytorum obiectioni occurrisse videtur ostendens, suam exhortationem (v. 12.) nihil continere, quod eorum animas percellere aut frangere possit. Ad eorum enim experientiam provocans docet, omnes tentationes, quas hucusque experti sint, eiusmodi fuisse, ut eas ἃ Deo adiuti superaverint; propter fidelitatem Dei quoque, qui eos ad fidem et ad salutem vocavit, confidere eos iubet, in posterum quoque se alias non esse experturos, nisi quas cum eodem divino auxilio sint superaturi; quapropter, uti addit v. 1*., id unum maxime eis est cavendum, ne ipsi sese in tentationes iniiciant. Tentationis (πειρασμός) nomine non solas hic intelligi persecutiones tribulationesque (CÀrys. Oec. etc.), sed quidquid hominem ad peccatum alliciens ei causa ruinae spiritualis fieri potest, ex nexu cum superiore versu et tota. praecedente pericopa plerique interpretes recte desumunt; eodem igilur sensu universali vocabulum hic adhibetur, quo in sexta orationis dominicae petitione; neque enim ulla est ratio, cur de externis solis aut de solis internis incitationibus ad malum sumatur. Namque humanas eas non vocat Apostolus, quia ex hominis concupiscentia exoriantur (TAom!. etc.) aut daemoniacis opponantur (Dion. etc.) , sed quia hominis infirmitati adaptatae « parvae, breves, moderatae » (CArys.) sint e£ « humanae naturae conveniant » (Theod. ; cfr Caz. Est. etc., Nat. etc., Mat. Δ Ev. etc. ; — acath. multi); quem sensum voci competere, Chrys. alüque ex fom. 6,19 haud immerito colligere videntur (cfr 7o/et. in Rom. 6,19), alii non minus recte, sed clarius, ex alterius membri oppositione (supra τὰ quod potestis) colligunt. Humana igitur remanet tentatio, licet in se gravissima sit, quamdiu vires hominis non superat. Verum animadverte, humanas vires ab Apostolo non nudas aut divino auxilio destitutas considerari, siquidem in altero membro Deum facere proventum dicit. Namque argumentum ex neophytorum experientia desumtum , quae eos stare potuisse demonstret, Paulus altcro confirmat et extendit ad fidelitatem divinam provocans : Deus enim, qui ad fidem eos vocavit, ut salutis participes fierent, fidelitate sua tenetur, ut in tentationibus, quas ipse supra eos venire patitur, cos ita corroboret, ut illis omnibus superatis ad salutis portum perveniant. Nolite itaque timere, inquit, quia fidelis Deus supra vires vestras vos tentari nou patietur. Idem est Deus, qui ut tentemur permittit et qui tentationibus nos resistere iubet; iam vero « Deus impossibilia non iubet, sed iubendo monet facere quod possis, et petere quod non possis, οἵ adiuvat ut possis » (Conc. Trid. Sess. 6. de iustif. 11; cfr S. /4ug. de nat. ct gr. 43). Etenim faciet cum teniatione proventum , τὴν ἔχθασιν i, e. exitum eumque felicem (quare Vulg. vertit « proventum ») ex tentatione vcl, uti antiqua versio exhibuit, evadendz facultatem (efr S. Cypr. Test. c. lud. Ilt. 91). « Ipse enim perseverantiam praeslat et celerem liberationem affert, ut hac ratione tentatio ferri possit » (CÀrjys.); Deum autem tentatis auxilium statim dare, recte cum 7/eopA. aliisque ex eo colligimus, quod cwm tentatione simul et evadendi facultatem dare dicatur. Tentationes igitur omnes, quae iuxta sapientissimum Dei consilium nos apprehendunt quibusque Deus nos exerceri patitur (attende, verbo ἐᾶν, pati, aliquid plus exprimi, quam negativa expressione : non impedire), vires nostras non superant, quia Deus semper adest auxilio suo nos roboraturus, ut eas sustinere in iisque stare possimus. « Vere fidelis Deus, qui dat potentiam ne vincamur, gratiam ut mereamur, constantiam ut vincamus » (7/Àom.). Confidere igitur debent neophyti, se a Deo adiutos lapsum evitaturos, $1 Sine sua culpa in tentationes quascumque inciderint; at aliter se res habet, si sponte ac libere in eas se iniicientes proximam quasi peccandi occasionem quaesierint; quamvis enim ad eiusmodi tentationes evitandas Deus cis non sit defuturus, in eis tamen sustinendis, 81 temere periculo peccandi sese exposuerint, idem auxilium eis non est promissum : « qui amat periculum, in eo peribit » (Eccli. 3,91). Hinc intelligitur conclusio Apostoli :
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1&4. Propter quod, carissimi miht, fugite ab idolorum cultura (ἀπὸ τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας). Ex omnibus gravibus tentationibus, in quas homines temere ipsi irruunt, unam solam nominat, ut post longain digressionem ad practicam quaestionis de idoloth ytis propositae solutionem veniat ; idololatriae enim nomine hic indirectam illam designari, cuius periculo sese exponunt, qui epulis sacrificalibus ethnicorum accumbunt, quum descriptio sequens (v. 16 sqq.) tum exempla praecedentia (v. 9, sqq.) docent. lam vero idolothytorum usum nullam afferre utilitatem atque eos, qui epulis sacrificalibus accumbunt, infirmis fratribus scandalum praebere, supra (8,8 sq«.) jam ostenderat; at epulae in se ipsae gravissimum peccandi periculum continent, quia, etsi idololatria per se non sunt, cum ea tamen intime cohaerent cultusque idololatrici pars quaedam sunt atque convivas suos constituunl socios daemoniorum (cfr v. 20). Iure merito igitur Apostolus earui societatem velut gravem tentationem considerat, cui Christianus sponte ac libere sese exponere non potest, nisi cadere et prosterni velit. « Hortatur nunc , inquit /4'^", ut abstineant se ab omni socictate idololatriae, ut non solum spes sed et animus inde tollatur, ne per hoc nascatur in Deum tentatio. Nemo enim assiduus in idolio nihil sperat ab eo (sc. idolo); hinc autem sperare dubitare de Deo est ». Quapropter Apostolus neophytos societatem illam fugere iubet periculi gravitatem et magnitudinem expressione (φεύγετε ἀπὸ τῆς εἰδωλολατρείχς « fugiendo discedite ab idololatria ») manifc- Stans; neque enim ipsam idoloruni venerationem et adorationem , id quod per 56 patet, vitandam esse sed omnia illa quoque longe arcenda esse innuit, quae quomodocumque ad illam adducunt; amplior enim est verbi φεύγειν vis, si cum praepos. ὅπό, quam si cum nudo accusativo (6,18) coniungitur. Quin etiam compellatione caritatis plena (ἀγαπητοί μου carissimi mihi) se aliquid magni ab eis postulare ostendit, quod difficile quidem sit, sed necessarium (cfr C/v'ys. Theod. etc.). bona ad cam consequendam necessaria ; quale est vrecere tentationes et hoc ipsum a Deo petere. Nam huiusmodi promissio nec omnibus fidelibus ncc omnibus iustis facla est, sed solis et omnibus electis : eo nimirum sensu, quia, quamvis interdum Deus eos sinat supra vires tentari ac tentatione deiici,... tamen finaliter nulla tentatione a Dco separantur ». Totam hanc quaestionem de Lentationibus tractare ad nos non spectat; 564, adnotemus S. Paulum pronomine vos totam ecclesiam corinthiam alloqui, quam solis electis atque absolute ad salutem praedeslinalis constitisse, nemo prudens asseruerit. Porro suis verbis Apostolus Corinthios procul dubio erigere ct confortare voluit, ut stare studerent et lapsum caventes tentationem non timerent; atqui nemo, quamdiu hac in terra vivit, sino speciali revelatione scire potest, num ex numero electorum sil ; si quis vero «e electum esse scivisset, illa confortalione non indiguisset; in acrem igitur locutus esset Paulus, si pronomine vos solos electos οἱ absolute pracdestinatos intellexisset atque praecedens monitum (qui se existimat stare, videat ne cadat) prorsus fuisset superfluum , ne dicam absurdum. Clarissimis quoque Pauli verbis aperle contradicit listius cum Iansenistis, si. illa de sola ultima tentatione intelligens ipsos electos « interdum supra vircs tentari » asserit. llominem enim non obstante gralia sufliciente, quam Deus ci oflert, « interdum tentalione dceiici » certissimum est, at lapsus cius non exinde provenit, quod tentatio cius vires superat, scd exinde, quod ipse vircs suas divinitus adiulas et corroboratas non adhibet. Patribus omissis, quorum ne unus quidem de solis electis verba paulina ita cst interpretatus, ut ex numero eorum, «quos Deus supra eorum vires tentari non patitur, omncs alios excludoret, sutlicit demum monuisse, a Conc. Trid. textum istum latiore sensu adhiberi. Vuathema enim dixit asserentibus « posse omnes contrahere inatrimonium, «qui non sentiunt se castitatis, etiamsi cam vovcerint, habere donum, quum Deus id recte petentibus non deneget nec patiatur nos supra id quod possumus tentari » (Conc. Trid. Sess. 94. De sacr. matr, can. 9.); num forte Concilium omnes, qui castitatem voverunt, dicere voluit electos? Aut si Concilium sub anathemate doctrinam prohibet « Dei praecepta homini ctiam iustificato sub gralia constituto esse ad observandum impossibilia » (Sess. 6. De iustif. can. 18), numquid « homines iustificatos el sub gratia constitutos » dicemus osse solos electos? Rectius quidem, quain Estius, verba explicat af. « Electis, ad quos praecipue pertinent promissiones Novi Test. et quos nemo rapict de manu illius, Deus certissime tribuet evasionem c tentationibus et in fine saltem vitae tentationum victoriam; iustis autem omnibus, quibus nihil impossibile praecipit, evadendi et vincendi facullatem, eoruni infirmitatem auxilio sufficiente gratiae suae muniens, quoties urget praecepturm ». At non satis accurata est explicatio, quia nullo verbo distinctio inter electos et inler iustos omnes ἃ Paulo innuitur. Neque accuratius Calm. verba interpretatur, si electis οἱ iustis semper proximum in tentationibus auxilium dari, reprobis et impiis ad summum remota auxilia offerri insinuat; nam haec quoque distinctio e verbis paulinis non eruitur, sed in ca ingeritur. Nihil aliud asserit Paulus, nisi Deum fideles supra corum vircs tentari non pati atque auxilio suo, sive remoto sive proximo, cis adfuturum, ut tentationem, quac secundum suum consilium eos apprehendit, possint sustinere et vincere. An et quomodo hacc verba, quae de solis fidelibus pronuntiavit Paulus, de infidelibus quoque intelligi possint, est quaestio, de qua agunt theologi dogmatici. Non multi sunt interpretes, qui simili modo, quo nos, duas tentationum specics ἃ Paulo distingui monent (efr Iustin., qui v. 14. de tentationo « non amplius humana, scd plano diabolica, ἃ qua longissimo si! recedecudum » ΒΟΥ ΠΟ ΠΟΙ esso conset; Bisp. LR. etc.; — ex acath. God.) àtquo cundem vel similem trium versuum (12-14) nexum admittunt. — Latini non tantum antiquiores (Jferv. Lomb. Thom. ctc.) sed etiam haud pauci recentiores (Lap. Men. Tir. Calm. ctc.) latinam lcclionem (apprehendat) rctinent, sed a v. 14. scquentom particulam inchoant, nequo tamon, quid sibi vclit particula propter quod satis sciunt (cfr ex. gr. Thom. « dicit crgo propter quod, ac si dicerct : quia sacramenta sola non salvant ct qui cadit punitur ct auxilium Dci non deest, fugite » ctc. ; aut Lap. « por τὸ propter quod significat so omnia praccodentia dixisse, ut eos absterrcat ab idololatria ct idolothytis » etc.). Plerique tamen iuniorcs graccam lectionem (apprehendit) rectc praeferunt, scd in noxu statuendo (Chrys. aliosque Graecos sequuntur. Qui in v. 12. reprossionem superbiac Corinthiorum humilitatisque commendationem deprehendunt, quae v. 13. confirmetur : « lPostquam veteribus narratis exemplis cos satis terruit verbisque : Qui videtur stare videat πὸ cadat, in animi angorem cos iniecit, nunc rursus (no «licerent : Cur nos terres ct timorc atficis? neque enim in illis malis inexercitati sumus, quia multa iam pericula sustinuimus) illorum tumorem reprimens ait : Teniatio ros non apprehendit nisi humana i. c. parva, brevis, moderata; no itaque altum sapiatis ac si tempestatem superavcritis; nondum enim vidistis periculum, quod mortem minatur, neque usquc ad sanguinem restitistis. Dcinde exterritos, postquam illis humilitatem commencavit, iterum crigit, dicens Fidelis Deus » ctc. (Chrys.). Paulus igitur scribere dcbuit : « Miucusquo tentatio vos non apprehendit, nisi humana; maiores tentationes instant; sed nolite timere, nam fidelis est Deus » etc. Nescio vcro, an eiusmodi supplementum legitimo admittatur; sin vero admittatur, remanet difficultas annectendi verba sequentia, quae velut conclusio ex pracecedentibus inferuntur. At do hoc nexu Graeci non loquuntur; inter Latinos vero aliqui τ. 11. immodiate cum «. 12. coniungunt (« ut quilibet cavoat, nc cadat, fugite ab idololatria » Caí. etc.), alii cum ultimis verbis v. 13. (« quia Dco adiuvante omnes tentationes sustinore et vincero potestis, fugite ab idololatria » Dr. cto.); alii alio modo, sed omncs, ut videtur, parum apte. III. — Praclica solulio quaestionis de 1dolollilis (10,15-11,1). Pro more suo Apostolus ultimo praecedentis pericopae versu viam sibi paraverat ad novum argumentum tractandum. Itaque postquam suo exemplo proposito et fatis Israelitarum typice explicatis Corinthios docuit, strenue viro cliristiano esse laborandum, ut salutem suam assequatur divinaque gratia adiutus omnibus tentationibus resistat, practicam tradit quaestionis de idolothytis solutionem regulis indicatis, quae observandae sint. Diversimode autem «e hac re iudicandum esse docet pro diversa ratione, qua idolothyta adhibebantur; omnino enim ab indirecta illa idololatria abstinendum esse, quae committitur, si quis in idolorum fanis epulis sacrificalibus accumbit (10,15- 29"): quod si vero in mensa communi idolothyta proponantur, ad id maxime esse attendendum, nc fratribus scandalum praebeatur (10, 92^-11,1). iudicio quasi subiiciens (v. 15) ostendit, Christianos suis epulis sacrificalibus, i. e. sumtione cucharistici panis et vini, intime cum Christo uniri (16., 17), sicut Israelitae infideles e suis sacrificiis comedentes cum altari uniuntur (r. 18); unde consequens est, ut ii, qui ethnicorum epulis sacrificalibus accumbunt, cum iis uniantur, quibus ethnici sua sacrificia revera olferunt, i. e. cum daemoniis; quam perversum autem sit, simul cum Christo et cum daemoniis uniri velle, per se clarum est (19-22"). Quoniam satis frequentes erant inter ethnicos epulae sacrificales, utpote cum omnibus fere domesticis ccelebritatibus coniunctae, facile intelligitur, neophytos ethnicos non nisi aegerrime illis renuntiasse; ab illis enim sese abstinentes omnia fere consanguinitatis et amicitiae vincula abrumpere cogebantur. Quapropter, ut molestum et difficile, quod daturus erat, mandatum mitigaret (cfr CAÀrys. ete.), neophytos ipsos velut iudices constituit ad eorum sapientiam, «qua gloriabantur, appellans :
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15. Ut prudentibus loquor (ὡς φρονίμοις λέγω), tamquam viris, quibus tanta competit rerum sacrarum scientia, ut verba mea intelligere et diiudicare possint, sententiam meam eiusque probationem exponam : vos zpsz tw«dzcate , quod dico. (ua. praemissa benevolentiae . captatione statim velut rem neophytis cognitam et ab eis admissam ostendit eucharistica coena veram et propriam unionem cum Christo iniri :
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16. Calix benedictionis , cuz benedicimus , nonne communicatio (κοινωνία) sanguinis Christi est? et. panis, quem frangimus , nonne participatio (χοινωνία) corporis Domini esi? « Ideo primum calicem nominat, inquit Pe/., ut possit de pane latius disputare »; revera integro versu sequente lianc unionem, quac pane consecrato initur, accuratius explicat et ab ea ad Iudaeorum et ethnicorum sacrificia transit; at eodem ordine calicem ante panem nominat vv. 90. 21; quare forte melius dicemus, hunc ordinem ab Apostolo esse electum. quia a libatione epulae sacrificales ethnicorum inchoabantur. Ceterum ubi de ordine, quo iuxta Christi institutionem Eucharistia celebratur, agit, panem ante calicem nominat (11,23 sqq.) !. εὐλογοῦμεν) sit calix consecratus vel, si sine metonymia loquimur, illud quod peracta consecratione in calice eucharistico continetur, nemini est dubium; sed dubia est verborum ipsorum interpretatio. luxta CArys. hoc nomine appellatur, quia « omnem divinae bencficientiae thesaurum » continens benedictionem sumentibus tribuit ; cui sentenliae parum convenit phrasis relativa (cui benedictmus), quae genitivi benedictionis explicationem et rationem dare videtur !. Iuxta Oec. TÀom. (cír Summa theol. ΠῚ. qu. 78. a. 1) multosque juniores Latinos vocabulis benediclionis ct benedicendi ipsa consecratio directe indicatur ?, contra quam sententiam alii (cfr Est. Lap. ctc.) acriter disputant monentes verba εὐλογεῖν et εὐχαριστεῖν a Patribus quidem sensu consecrandi adhiberi, in Scriptura vero de precibus illis usurpari, quae consecrationem ipsam praecesserunt ( Matth. 26, 26 sq., Marc. 15,92). Quae etsi recte essent dicta, nihil tamen obstaret, quominus et preces, quae consecrationem praecedunt sequunturque, el ipsam consecrationem illis verbis indicatas diceremus , ita ut calix benedictionis, cui. benedicimus sit calix, quem praemissis precibus Dominus in ultima coena consecravit (cfr ad 11,25) quemque iuxta eius mandatum in eius memoriam nos praemissis precibus consecrainus (cfr Herv. etc., Maz. etc.). Sufficiens autem ratio deest, ut cum nonnullis modernis (Maz. Bisp. etc. — (0d. ctc.) appellatione calicis benedictionts ad hebr. 2325 ci», quo nomine rabbini tertium poculum in coena paschali adhibitum appellant, alludi dicamus. Porro prima persona plur. utitur Apostolus (6enedicimus) non tam quia in persona sacerdotum loquitur (G4 ord. Herv. elc.), sed potius quia omnes fideles, quum sacrificio eucharistico adstent, una cum sacerdote sacrificium offerunt suoque /men preces benedictionesque a sacerdote prolatas certo quodam modo suas faciunt (Chrys. Thom. Cat. Est. etc.). | Calix benedictionis igitur, cui benedicimus, dicitur esse commuwunicatio (κοινωνία communio) sanguinis Christi; quia « hoc quod in calice est, illud ipsum est, quod ex latere eius fluxit » (CArys.), ita ut ex calice bibentes fideles sanguinis Christi participes fiant e£ cum eo uniantur. Quo sensu et quem in finem Apostolus haec dicat, ex altero membro clarius apparet, quum illud ipse explicet. Et panis, quem 1. Prorsus inepte receus quidam inlerpres acath. (God.) genitivo benediclionis senten- Liam expriini censet : « Sit Deus benedictus propler hunc calicem », dum phrasis relativa (cuf benedicimus) sensum habeat : « Utinam hic calix nobis benedictioni sit »; quomodo altera haec explicatio verbis consonet, nemo prudens dixerit. 2. Similis est plerorumque Protestantium sententia (efr Grot. etc, Beng. cic., einr. elc.), quos tamen veram consecrationem non admittere, opus non est dictu. frangimus , nonne participatio (κοινωνία communicatio, vel potius : communio) corporis Christi est? De pane eucharistico consecrato Apostolum loqui, iterum inter omnes constat. Frangere panem. (κλάζειν ἄρτον) enim inde ab co temporc, quo Dominus in ultima coena « panem gratiis actis (εὐγχριστήσας) fregit » (11,9; Luc. 99,19; cfr Matt. 26,26; Marc. 14,99) expressio est usitatissima, qua quum corporis dominici consecratio, tum tota Eucharistiae celebratio vel, ut accuratius loquamur, integrum sacrificium eucharisticum designatur (Act. 2,42. 46; 20,7. 11; Doctr. duodec. Apost. 1^ etc.). Porro iuxta Apostolum panis consecratus es/ communzo corporis Christi, quatenus isto pane vescimur, sicut calix consecratus est communio sanguinis Christi, quatenus ex illo calice bibimus. Quae phrases accurate perpendendae sunt, quia sul speciebus panis et vini corpus et sanguinem Domini vere et realiter adesse demonstrant. Neque enim ista manducatio et potio nostram cum Christi corpore et sanguine unionem significare aut dumtasat producere dicitur, sed ipsa es/ unio; atqui quomodo id esse potest, nisi corpus et sanguis Christi vere et realiter et substantialiter adsint? Attende quoque, Apostolum non usum esse vocabulo μετοχῆς (participationis), uti monet CArys., sed dixisse χοινωνίαν (communiouem vel unzonem), quia panem illum edentes et e calice illo bibentes vere et proprie cum Christo sizmur. Praecipua vis argumentationis est in hac unione (χοινωνία), quapropter Apostolus eam demonstrat ex effectu (unione fidelium inter se) ad causam (unionem fidelium cum Christo) concludens :
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17. Quontam unus panis, unum corpus multi sumus, omnes qui de uno pane partictpamus, vel clarius et rectius (cfr VV. L L.) in secundo membro : omnes enim de uno pune participamus. Quae verba, ut eorum sensus clarius illucescat , hac ratione exponere liceat : Uti conceditis, nos fideles omnes, quamvis multi simus (oi πολλοί), wnwm constituimus panem mysticum, unum. corpus mysticum; unde intima haec inter nos unio? Nonne ex eo, quod omnes ez «no eodemque pane (ix τοῦ ἑνὸς ἄρτου) partictpamus? Sed quomodo participatio ex uno pane efficere potest, ut unum corpus simus? Quia hic panis est ipsum Domini corpus, quod a nobis sumtum nos in 56 transmutat nosque sibi concorporeos facit. S. Aug. (Conf. VII. 10) Dominum in Eucharistia ad fideles loquentem inducit : « Nec tu me mutabis in te, sicut cibum carnis tuae, sed tu mutaberis in me »; atque S. Cyr. Ier. (Catech. 22,3) catechumenos, qui prima vice ad mensam eucharisticam admittebantur, alloquitur : « Cum omni certitudine haec tamquam corpus et sanguinem Christi sumamus. In figura panis datur tibi corpus, ct in figura vini datur tibi sanguis, ut, quum corpus et sanguinem Christi sumseris, concorporeus et consanguis οἱ cfficiaris » (iva γένῃ, μεταλαδὼν σώματος xai αἵματος Χριστοῦ͵ σύσσωμος xxi σύνχιμος αὐτοῦ) !. Inter nos unimur, quia cum Christo per Eucharistiam unimur, atque duplici ratione panis, quem frangimus, et calix, cui benedicimus, est unio corporis el sanguinis Domini : namque, uti apposite explicat Damasc. (de orthod. fide IV. 15) : « communio (χοινωνία) dicitur et vere cst Eucharistia, quia nos per illam unimur Christo et participamus eius carnem et divinitatem; atque communio ctiam est, quia unimur per ipsam inter nos. Quia enim ex uno pane participamus, omnes efficimur unum corpus Christi et unus sanguis οἱ ad invicem membra, concorporei Christo effecti ». Duobus vocabulis (24s panis , unum corpus) Apostolus iuxta Thom. duplicem unitatem, qua inter nos unimur exprimere voluit : « primam incorporationis, qua in Christum transformamur, quum dicit : unus panis; alteram vitae et sensus, quam a Christo capite accipimus, quum addit : et unum corpus »; rectius vero, ni fallor, unam solam indicari dicimus, «uae pro duplici argumenti, quod tractat, ratione duobus istis vocabulis exprimitur : panis enim, cuius species post consecrationem remanent, ex multis, uti monent Patres, granis conficitur, et corpus Cliristi quum verum tum immysticum multis membris componitur (cfr 6/ ord.). Unitas porro haec exoritur « quia omnes de uno pane participamus », quae sententia novum praebet argumentum ad realem praesentiam Domini sub speciebus panis demonstrandam. Quodsi enim illud, quod propter remanentes species panis vocatur, non est corpus Christi, sed corpus Domini significat tantum, fideles de uno eodemque pane (τοῦ ἑνὸς ἄρτου) non participant; alius enim panis Corinthi, alius Ephesi distribuebatur, alius hodie, alius cras distribuitur; eadem vero rerum distinctarum significatio non potest efficore, ut diversae istae res fiant una eademque res; num forte omnia Veteris Test. sacrificia, quia omnia sacrificium »Domini praefigurabant et significabant, vocari possunt unum idemque sacrificium? numquid toto antiquae oeconomiae tempore unus idemque sacerdos unum eundemque vitulum obtulit atque omnes Israelitae ex uno eodemque vitulo participabant? At «quia panis, quem frangimus, est corpus Christi, ideo ubique et semper numcrice unus idemque est ideoque etiam hic panis solus omnes, qui ex eo participant, et secum et ad invicem unit. Profecto tam clare his verbis vealis praesentia docetur, ut iam S. Iren. (c. haer. V. 2) ex iis contra Gnosticos demonstraverit, Christum vere redeinisse nos sanguine suo 8c proinde vere hominem esse factum , atque carnem nostram esse resurrecturam eamque capacem esse incorruptibilitatis !. non corpora multa sed unum corpus. Sicut enim panis ex multis granis constans unitus cst, ita ut grana nusquam apparcant, sed sint quidem ipsa, non autcm manifesta sit illorum differentia propter coniuuctionem : sic nos ct inter nos ct cum Christo unimur. Ncequo cnim ox altero corporc bic, cx altcro ille nutritur, sed ex uno codemquc omncs; quapropter addidit : omncs enim ex uno pane participamus. Bi autem cx eodem omnes et idipsum cfficimur omncs, cur non candem quoquc caritatem exhibemus οἱ sccundum hanc quoquc unimur? » etc. Et S. Aug. explicans Ioan. 6,52 (« Panis, quem ego dabo, caro mea cest pro mundi vila ». In Ioan. tr. 26,13) : « Norunt, inquit, fideles corpns Christi, si corpus Christi esso non negligant. T'iant corpus Christi, si volunt vivere «de spiritu Christi ; de spiritu Christi non vivit nisi corpus Christi. Intelligitc, fratrcs mci, quid dixcrim. IIomo es ct spiritum lhabcs et corpus habes. Spiritum dico, quae anima vocatur, qua constat, quod homo €8 ; conslas cnim ex anima ct corporc. IIabcs igitur spiritum invisibilem, corpus visibile. Dic mihi, quid cx quo vivat : spiritus luus vivit cx corpore tuo, an corpus tuum ex Spiritu tuo? Respondet omnis : corpus mcun vivit de spiritu mco. Vis crzo et tu viverc do spiritu Christi? In corpore esto Christi. Numquid enim corpus mcum vivit de spiritu tuo? Mcum vivit do spiritu mco ct tuum do tuo. Non potcst viverc corpusa Christi, nisi de spiritu Christi. Indc est, quod exponens nobis Apostolus Paulus hunc panem : Unus panís, inquit, unum corpus multi sumus. Ὁ sacramcntum pictalis! o signum unitatis! o vinculum caritatis! Qui vult vivere, habet ubi vivat, habct undc vivat; accedat, credat, incorporetur, ut vivificetur. Non abhorreat a compage membrorum, nonsit putre membruin quod resecari mercatur, non sit distortum dc quo erubescatur. Sit pulchrum, sit aptum, sit sanum; hacrcat corpori; vivat Doo dc Dco; nunc laboret in terra, ut postca regnet in coclo ». Antiqua vers. 17. conslructio ct explicatio, quam secuti sumus, omnino est rctinenda, ila ut duo substantiva unus panis, unum corpus codem modo ad pracdicatum phraseos pertincant, cuius subicctum cst nos multi. Ità. cum Chrys. rcliqui Gracci et cum A^? antiqui Latini plerique (inscrita particula et duo substantiva coniungentces) phrasin construxcrunt. Novam viam inicrunt plerique moderni, scd dissensu suo multiplici sc infelicem viam elegisse ostendunt. Alii nexum intor cr. 16. cL 17. negantes explicant: « quia unus panis cst, idco unum corpus sumus multi » (Nat. Mai. — Beng. ctc., God. Heinr. cic.); alii intimum nexum causalem v. 17. ad v. 16. rctinentes coniungunt : « participatio corporis Domini cst, quia uuus panis est ideoque unum corpus sumus » (Mey. clc.) aut : « quia, sicut unus panis cst, ita unum corpus sumus » (De W. ctc.). Quod si Paulus duas phrascs distinguere voluissct, in priore copulam non omisissct (ὅτι εἷς X2zog ἐστίν, ὃν σῶμα ot πολλοί 234», quin ctiam articulo inserto subiectum a pracdicato distinguere debuisset (ὅτι ὁ ἄρτος εἶς). Ex vv. 16. 17. igitur corpus et sanguinem Domini sub speciebus cucharisticis realiter adesse clare deducitur, quia sumtio panis ct vini consecrali iuxta apostolicam doctrinam nos cum corpore οἱ sanguine Domini intime unit; sed ex iisdem character sacrificalis quoque Eucharistiae clare demonstratur, siquidem ex analogia sumtionis Eucharistiae ad ethnicorum epulas sacrificales concludere non potuisset Paulus, nisi ex utraque parte ratio sacrificii adesset οἱ sumtio Euchavistiae' rationem dapis saerificalis haberet; id quod clarius ex sequentibus patebit. Etenim a sacrificio christiano ad sacrificium iudaicum transit, ut altero analogo epulis sacrificalibus unionem quandam produci ostendat.
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18. Videte Israel secundum carnem ; nonne quiedunt hostias participes (xowevot) sunt altaris? Israel. secundum carnem Israeli secundum spiritum (qua quidem appellatione Apostolus nusquam utitur, quam tamen innuit Ztom. 9,98 sq. ; (4/. 5,29), aut, s mavis, Israeli Dei (Ga/. 6,16) opponitur. Secundum carnem proxime quidem est Israelita, qui naturali generatione per lacobum ab Abraham originem trahit; at in oppositione expressa vel tacita ad Israel Dei Apostolus nomine /srae(zs secundum carnem omnes illos complectitur Iudaeos, qui quia Messiam suum respuerant nullam amplius benedictionum patribus eorum factarum partem habebant ; Jsrae/ Det vero omnibus iis constat, qui Christo inserti ad illud iam semen Abrahae pertinent, cui promissiones sunt factae (G«/. 3,29). Jam vcro ante Domini passionem sacrificia populi israelitici, utpote a Deo ipso ad praefigurandum et significandum crucis sacrificium instituta, si debito modo dcbitaque cum animi dispositione offerebantur, Deo grata acceptaque fuerant, veram quoque virtutem quandam (non utique ex sese, sed ex sacrificio quod praefigurabant) habuerant, quin etiam certo quodam modo offerentes, «qui ex hostiis manducabant, cum Deo unierant; integra victima Deo quidem tradita erat, sed eius partem aliquam Deus offerentibus reliquit, ut ex ea epulas pararent; qui autem his epulis accumbebant , ii convivae erant Dei atque hac ratione velut cum eo reconciliati considerabantur. Verum postquam Dominus in ara crucis sese ipse Deo sacrificium obtulit, antiqua sacrificia iudaica, quae ex sola sua ad futurum sacrificium relatione eiusque praefiguratione totam suam virtutem hauserant, inanes factae erant ceremoniae, quae quia a Deo non amplius accipiebantur etiam offerentes et manducantes cum Deo non amplius uniebant; itaque Israel secundum carnem suis sacrificiis ct epulis sacrificalibus solius altaris, in quo offerebantur, particeps (κοινωνός) ficbat, sacrificiorum autem et epularum continuatione semper suam persuasionem de unitiva eorum virtute pvofitebatur. Quapropter Apostolus iure merito sacrificia, quae tum temporis in templo ierosolymitano offerebantur, velut alterum analogum attulit. At in ethnicorum quoque sacrificiis pars victimac comburebatur in altari, nihilominus ethnicos opulis suis sacrificalibus, a quibus Christianos abstcrrere vult, non cum altari, in quo offerebant, sed cum daemonibus, quibus offerebant, uniri innuit Apostolus (v. 90). — Cai., quocum Est. lIwst. Lap. cic. (ex acath. 108. et haud pauci) fere consentiunt, nomine altaris metonymice sacrificium in ceo oblatum significari censet; at non tantum superfluum erat dicere, cos qui edunt hostias cum hostiis uniri, sed otiam non attenditur, de cífectu huius unionis cum hosliis quaestionem esse. — Neque ininus a vero uberrant, qui altare quasi instrumentum vel medium, quo gratiae a Dco confercbantur, considerari putant (Hai.), aut unione cum altari simul unionem cum Doo indicari asserunt (Bisp. LR. .— Rück ctc.); de Israele secundum carnem cnim agitur, qui, quatenus Zsraeli Dei opponitur, nec cum Deo uniri nec ab co gratias accipere potest. — Ob similem quoque rationem corum rcprobatur opinio, qui altare velut centrum religionis mosaicae considerantes sacrificiis unionem cum hac religione asseri volunt (Mey. Heinr. God. cic.); nudum enim altare, quod solum Israeli sccundum carnem reliquum crat, centrum religionis ei ncc fuit nec essc potuit. Itaque remanet explicalio, quam supra innuimus. Iam duo haec analoga Apostolus ad thema suum de epulis sacrificalibus ethnicorum ita adhibet, ut ncophytorum animi ab iis non abhorrere non possint. Duobus enim exemplis allatis constat, epulis sacrificalibus hominem cum eo uniri, cui sacrificia sunt oblata. Perfectissimo modo unio haec habetur in mensa eucharistica : Christiunus enim corpus et sanguinem Domini sub speciebus panis et vini sumens cum Christo , cum eius humanitate et divinitate ac proin cum Dco ipso, cui sacrificium eucharisticum offertur, intima quae excogitari potest unione coniungitur; imperfectiore modo antiqui Iudaei cpulis suis sacrificalibus cum Deo, quatenus eos in convivium suum adhibebat , coniungebantur, atque huius unionis testis remanet Israel secundum carnem, qui, quia nemo amplius adest, «ui eius sacrificia accipere velit, cum nudo altari coniungitur : ἃ simili igitur ethnici suis epulis sacrificalibus cum iis coniungantur necesse est, quibus sacrificant. Quibus vero ethnici sacrificia sua offerant, explicat Apostolus praecavens errorem , ne idolis, quippe «uae nihil sint. (8,5), offerri putentur :
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19. Quid ergo? Dico, quod idolis immolatum stt alzquid? aut quod idolum stt aliquid? Clarior et concinnior est sermo, si interpungimus : Quid ergo dico vel assero? Quod. ?dolothytum sit aliquid? aut idolum sit aliquid? Apostolus sententiam suam de inanitatc idolorum nequaquam mutat, id quod aliquis ex eius argumentatione concludere potuit ; nec Iupiter nec Venus nec aliud quodcumque idolum , cui ethnici sacrificabant, sunt aliquid in rerum natura ideoque etiam victimis, quae illis offeruntur, nihil virtutis tribuere possunt; idolothytum igitur qua idolothytum nihil est nec prodesse cuiquam aut obesse potest, atque idolum nihil est. Haec firma rataque manent,
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20. sed quae immolant gentes , daemonits immolanl, et non Deo. Δαιμόνιον, quo nomine Graeci suas divinitates designabant, in toto Novo Test. (si Act. 17,18 excipitur, quo in loco Athenienses ethnici loquuntur) semper spiritus malos, diabolum aliosque, qui cum eo ceciderunt, angelos Dco adversarios significat atque codem sensu iam ab alexandrinis interpretibus adhibetur; nullo igitur modo cum nonnullis acath. (Mosh. Neand. etc.) vocabulum hoc in loco de falsis ethnicorum diis explicare licet. Iuxta Apostolum gentes sua sacrificia malis spiritibus offevunt; dii enim illi, quos colere praetendunt, quum nihil sint, quidquam efficere nequeunt; ab iis igitur potestas illa praeterhumana, quae quum in oraculis ethnicis nonnullisque quae inter gentes fiunt prodigiis tum in apparenti ethnicarum precum exauditione et in reliquo eorum cultu interdum 5056 inanifestat, procedere non potest; progreditur autem a principe huius saeculi et angelis eius, qui hac vatione ethnicos semper magis occaecaverunt. llli sacrificia accipiunt, et quamquam gentes daemoniis sacrificare directe non intendunt, neque clare sibi conscii sunt, sua sacrificia a daemonibus acceptari, indirecte tamen id intendunt et obscure id percipiunt, quatenus totam suam idololatriam cultui veri Dei adversari non ignorant atque ita se ipsos velut servos exhibent potestatum illarum, quae vero Deo adversantur. Hanc explicationem innuit Apostolus, quum gentes non tantum daemonis zmmolare asserat, sed simul addat eos non Deo ?mmolare. Eandem doctrinam Alexandrini iam expresserant in textu Deut. 25,17, ad quem Apostolus alludit (immolaverunt daemoniis et non Deo, diis, quos ignoraverunt), uti aliis in locis (Ps. 105,37; 95,5; Bar. *.1), eandemque expressit S. loannes (Apoc. 9,20). Quam tamen ita intelligere non licet, ut in idolis ipsis daemones quasi praesentes fuisse aut, ut censet Est. « omnibus simulacris immundis spiritus assedisse » dicantur; id enim si verum esset, Apostolus dicere non potuisset :dol« nihil esse ; neque cum nonnullis Patribus verba apostolica ita intelligere licet, ut singulis falsis ethnicorum diis certus daemon respondisse credatur. Sed tota idololatria totusque polytheismus daemonibus ita adscribitur, ut sacrificia, quae ethnici suis idolis offerre intendebant, re in daemoniorum honorem, cederent iisque offerrentur. IHaec asserit Paulus; quapropter dubitare non licet, quin daemones in polytheismo cultuque ethnico magnam immo primam partem habuerint. Hinc intelligitur exclamatio Pauli : Nolo vos socios fieri (κοινωνοὺς γενέσθαι, unionem inire) daemoniorum, quae severum continet praeceptum. Qui epulis sacrificalibus accumbit (id analogis allatis constat), cum eo unitur, cui sacrificium est oblatum; consequens est, ut ii, qui ethnicis epulis sacrificalibus accumbunt, cum daemoniis uniantur. « Quae autem conventio Christi ad Belial? quae societas luci ad tenebras » (2 Cor. 6,13)? Absonum est duobus istis dominis servire illisque adhaerere et cum iis uniri velle : No» potestis calicem Domini bibere et calicem daemontorum ;
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94. non potestis mensae Domini participes esse (wsz£yaw, partem habere) e£ mensae daemoniorum. Insignis Christo inferretur contumelia, si eius membra cum acerbissimis eius adversariis unionem inirent; neophyti eucharistico cibo et potu Domino concorporei et consanguines (σύναιμοι) facti sunt; quomodo igitur iidem ethnicis epulis accumbentes sese cum daemonibus unire eorumque quasi membra fieri possunt? Nonne maius hoc est crimen, quam si quis corpus suum, quod est membrum Christi, membrum faciat meretricis (6,15)? Profecto tale crimen is solus committere potest, qui Dominum ad iracundiam provocare stultissunus audeat, ac si cum eo concertare posset :
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22. /1i aemulamur (παραζη- λοῦμεν) Dominum? numquid fortiores tllo sumus? Verbum παρατελοῦν ἃ Chrys. explicatur : « tentare Deum num punire possit eumque irritare »; Deut. 32,91 (αὐτοὶ παραζάλωσάν με ἐπ᾽ οὐ θεῷ), ad quem locum Apostolus alludere videtur, hebraico wip respondet atque idem est quod « iram alicuius provocare excitata aemulatione »; quae significatio ad nostram sententiam quadrat. Sunt, qui formam παραζηλοῦμεν pro irregulari coniunctivo (παραζηλῶμεν, cfr Gal. 8,17 ζηλοῦτε pro ζηλῶτε) habeant, qui voluntativi locum occupet (numquid Domini iram provocare volumus?); at aptior est indicativus, quum eiusmodi homines, qui liberaliore sua agendi ratione Dei iram provocaverunt, Corinthi revera insinuct adfuisse; eorum vero stultitiam et insolentiam acerba cum ironia interrogatio altera castigat ct reprimit. stolorum Eucharistia non erat sacrificium sed tantum sacramentum, ex hoc loco manifeste confutari ; uam hic clare de Eucharistia, qua!cnus est sacrificium, est sermo. Expresse enim connumerat sacrificia Judaeorum et sacrificia gentilium ad nihil aliud nisi ad ostendendum sacrificium Christianorum non posse simul participare cum sacrificio genltiliun; unde et iisdem utitur nominibus mensae Domini et mensae daemoniorum ». Revera quin 7ensa daemoniorum altare proprie dictum, in quo .viclimac offerebantur, quarum pars epulis sacrificalibus inserviebat , aut directe significet, aut illud saltem innuat, quatenus mensa in idolio ins(ructa volut altaris ipsius pars quaedam considerabalur cum eo tam arcte coniuncta, ut idem utrique nomen competat, non potest esse dubium. Iam a sacris scriptoribus nomen mensae qme τράπεζα) et de altari veri Dei (Mal. 1,1; /"zech. 44,10) et de altari idolorum (7s. 65,11) adhibetur; apud graecos quoque scriptores profanos 4 τράπεζα $ ἱερά aut ctiam 4 τράπεζα (sine ullo addito. altaro in templo erectum signi(lcat (cfr StepA. 'l'hes. s. v.); hinc etiam Patribus θυσια- στήρια et τράπεζαι unum idemque significant (cfr S. Bas. cp. 911 al. (3,9 ; S. Greg. Nyss. Orat. in bapt. Chr. M. 46,381 ctc.) iidemque frequentissimo nomine τραπέζης de altari, in quo corpus et sanguis Doinini consecrantur, ita utuntur, ut in hoc paulino loco verum sacrificium se deprchendisse manifestent (cfr 5. Hipp. fragm. M. 10,628 ; Orig. c. Cels. VIII. 17; S. CÁrys. in Eph. hom. 3,4 etc. etc.). Invicte quoque constat ex Doctír. duod. Apost. 14. tenipore apostolico Eucharistiam velut sacrificium essc consideratum. 9. De idolothytis in mensa communi appositis (10,22-11,1). Duae primae sententiae (92 ". 23) a plerisque antiquioribus (CAÀxys. elc., Thom. etc.) praecedenti pericopae adiunguntur; at de epulis sacrificalibus, quas Apostolus velut absolute illicitas ct impias respuit, non nisi coacte intelliguntur. Pro introductione igitur novae sectionis ens rectius sumimus, quippe in qua de re per se licita, de idolothytorum nimirum in mensis communibus appositorum usu, agat. Etenim supra (8,5 sqq.) hanc quaestionem theorctice iam ita tractaverat, ut idolothyta, quum idolum nihil sit nec proin victimas sibi oblatas polluere possit, a reliquis cibis non differre ostenderet, in eorum tamen usu ad adiuncta attendendum esse et ob infirmorum fratrum scandalum ab iis interdum abstineri oportere monerct. (uam quaestionis solutionem ad vitam practicam accommodaturus praeprimis docet, in adiaphororum usu ad eorum utilitatem esse attendendum (22-94) ; licet igitur nulla per se sit ratio, cur in ciborum communi in mensa appositorum naturam curiosius inquiratur (25-27), ab illis tamen cibis, quos aliquis idolothyta esse monuerit, abstinendum esse, ne monenti scandalum praebeatur (28-30) ; quas regulas terminat exhortans, ut ad suum exemplum neophyti in omnibus suis actionibus gloriam Dei sectentur (11,1). Simili modo, quo suam fornicationis increpationem, explicatis limitibus, quibus adiaphororum usus circumscribitur (εὐ ad 6,19), hanc expositionem inchoat : Oma mihi licend, sed non omnia expediunt ; 23. omnia mhz licent, sed non omnia aedificant. Ex sola liceitate res hon suni diiudicandae, sed si de eorum usu quaestio agitatur, ad utilitatem attendatur oportet, quam ipsi agenti et proximo afferant, atque ab iis abstineatur necesse est, si alterutri spirituale afferant damnum. « Nam dicere : non expedit (συμφέρει, utile est), est propriam perniciem subindican!is; dicens autem : non aedificat, fratris scandalum innuit » (CArys.:. Quin immo in huiusmodi rebus ad proximi magis aedificationem, quam ad propriam utilitatem, attendendum esse Paulus docet addens :
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24. Nemo quod suum est, quaerat , sed quod altertus; eo ipso enim, quod fratrem iuvat, suum quoque bonum spirituale promovet. Se ipsum ita egisse atque agere, longa illa digressione de sustentatione ostenderat (9,1 sqq.); ac de simili argumento agens simile quoque monitum Romanis dedit Christi ipsius exemplo proposito (Rom. 15,1 s«qq.), iisdemque fere verbis, quibus illa in epistola, statim (v. 33 sq.) suum monitum repetet illud inculcans, quod infra docebit, caritatem non quaerere, quae sua sunt (13,5; cfr etiam PA. 9,4). Quibus praemissis duas regulas de usu idolothytorum in mensa communi statuit Apostolus, prius docens, quomodo neophyti agere debeant domi (25. 26), deinde quomodo se gerere debeant, si ab ethnicis sint invitati (v. 27). Itaque
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25. omne quod in macello vaenit (πᾶν τὸ iv μαχκέλλῳ πωλούμενον, quidquid in macello venditur) menducate, nihil interrogantes (ἀναχρίνοντες inquirentes) propter conscien- (am. Duplicem explicationem sententia admittit prout vocabula propter conscientiam ad verbum manducate aut ad participium znterrogantes trahuntur. Priorem praeferre videtur CArys., ut sensus sit : nullo praevio examine manducate quaecumque ex macello afferuntur, ne forte conscienlia vestra gravetur, si illas carnes idolothytas esse auditis. Communior tamen et aptior est altera : ad pacandam conscientiam vestram supervacaneum est inquirere, undenam sint carnes, quae in macello emtae in mensa apponuntur ; ita aptissime adnectitur sequens sententia :
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26. Domznz (enzm) est terra et plenitudo etus, Quia res omnes Domini sunt, etiam nihil immundi in se habent nec inquinare possunt eun, qui iis vescitur; immundae autem fiunt, uti recte habet CArys., ex cogitatione (i. e. ex erronea conscientia) et ex inobedientia. Verba ipsa ex Ps. 93,1 desumta sunt, atque particulam causalem (enzm), quam graeci codd. et aliae versiones exhibent, in Vulg. ideo esse omissam, quia in Psalmo ipso desit, Es/. haud immerito suspicatur. Pauci interpretes antiquiores (Dion Carth. Cat. etc.) et recentes (Maz. — )) W. Rück. etc.) eodem modo hic, uti v. 28., intelligunt conscientiam alterius ínolite interrogare, ne forte infirmi fratris conscientia perturbetur); at parum recte, quum Paulus non solis fortioribus, sed omnibus Christianis has regulas tradat; neque minus procul dubio hie, quam v. 29., explicationem addidisset, si alterius conscientiam intelligi voluisset. Porro quemadmodum in suis domibus omni cibo sine ullo scrupulo vesci possunt, ita etiam iis, qui ab ethnicis ad. coenam sunt invitati, cibos appositos manducare licet :
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91. S? quis vocat vos inf/ideltum (ad coenam sc. communem, minime vero ad epulas sacrificales; de his enim post ea, quae v. 20 sqq. docuit, non amplius potest esse sermo) οὐ cultis ire (hoc enim prohihitum non est; cum christianis quideni peccatoribus notoriis cibum sumere nou licet iuxta 5,11; cthnicorum autem invitationem aliquis sequi potest) omne quod vobis «pponitur manducate, nihil interrogantes propter conscienttum ; omnes enim cibi sunt mundi. In hisce regulis Apostolus solam illius, qui manducavit, conscientiam respexerat illudque omaa mh Eicent solum explicaverat; aliter vcro res sese habere possunt, si etiam proximi conscientia respicitur, ita ut certis in casibus generales illae regulae non valeant. Ad quas exceptiones nunc transit Apostolus :
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28. δὲ quis autem dizerit (te non interrogante nec si in macello carnes emas nec si invitatus mensae communi amici alicuius ethnici accumbas) : Aoc ?tmmolatum est ἑοῖς, noltte manducare propter. illum , qui indicavit, et propter conscientai. Moderni aliqui interpretes (cfr Ma. — Mey.) inquirur?, utrum is, qui monuisse dicatur, ethniceus an ludaeus, an infirmus frater fuisse supponatur. At supervacanea est inquisitio nec ullo modo indefinitum Pauli praeceptum restringerc licet, quum omni in casu periculum scandali adesse queat. Etlhinicus enim sive ex bona sive ex mala intentione rem monens, a christiana religione retineretur, si Christianum suam ipsius legem spernere vidisset; neque enim convivii tempore longa disputatione convinci potuit, idola nihil esse ac proin Christianis usum idolothytorum non prohiberi. Iudaei deinde, quibus omnibus idolothyta abominationi erant, multo magis essent scandalizati, si Christianos etiam monitos sine ullo scrupulo iis vesci vidissent; quanto demum periculo exemplum istud infirmis fratribus fuisset, Apostolus ipse iam descripsit (8,10 sqq.). Quisquis igitur est qui monet, a manducandis idoloth ytis Christianus se abstineat oportet, quia hic usus, quamvis per se licitus sit, proximum non aedificat ; hanc solam esse rationem, cur abstinendum sit, docet Paulus addens : propter 20lum , qui indicavit et (quidem) propter (eius) conscientiam, ne sc. spirituale aliquod damnum patiatur. Ne vero neophyti putent, eodem sensu hic dictum esse propter conscien- (iam, sicut vv. 25. 27., clarius suam sententiam explicat eamque simul probat :
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29. Conscienttam autem non dico tuam, sed alterius (τοῦ ἑτέρου in genere, quum eius, qui monct, tum aliorum, qui testes adsunt). Ratio vero, cur non moniti sed monentis aliorumve conscientia sit intelligenda, est clara; mea enim conscientia alterius errore scrupulisve non ligatur : Ui quid enin libertas mea 1udicatur αὖ aliena consctentia; mea conscientia non polluitur, si id ago, quod ego licitum esse scio, quamvis alius idipsum pro peccato habeat; quem in finem (tva τί) enim libertatem meam iudicio alterius conscientiae ita subiiciam, ut id iam mihi per se illicitum esse arbitrer, quod per se licitum esse cognovi? Nulla igitur ratione propter propriam conscientiam abstinere debeo, sed propter alterius conscientiam, ne illam percutiam et ad peccandum aedificem (8,10 sqq.). Quae simili argumento confirmat :
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30. δὲ ego cum gratia participo , quid blasphemor pro eo, quod gratias ago. Contra plerorumque enim sententiam censeo, formam βλχσοφημοῦμαι hoc in loco non esse passivam sed medialem, ita ut sensus phraseos sit : si re aliqua cum gratiarum actione fruor, quid est causae, cur me ipse de hac re vituperem? Christianus, si cibum sumit, gratias agit Deo, a quo, quum illius sit terra ct plenitudo eius, hunc quoque cibum accepit (cfr 8,6; lom. 15,6); atqui nihil reiiciendum vel reprobandum est, quod cum gratiarum actione percipitur, sanctificatur enim per verbum Dei et orationem (1 7m. 5,5. 5); nulla igitur est ratio, cur se ipse de hac manducatione vituperet, licet alius ob erroneam conscientiam istum cibum per errorem pro polluto et immundo habeat ideoque cum gratiarum actione eo vesci non possit. ita ut codem modo, quo illa, incisum illud (non dico tuam conscientiam) confirmot. A Chrys. aliisque Graecis phrasis χάριτι μετέγω (quam Vulg. recte vertit : cum gratia participo) explicatur : « per gratiam Dci, quae me stabilem ct firmum fccit, utor omnibus creaturis Dei , ut nullam velut impuram reiiciam »; at quo sensu χάρις hic usurpetur, sequons verbum εὐχαριστῶ extra dubitationem ponit. Demum ut doctrinam suam de idoloth ytis concludat, generalem regulam Apostolus proponit, quam in omnibus actionibus Christiani prae oculis habeant oportet :
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31. Seve ergo manducabitis , sive bibitis, sive aliud quid facitis, omnia ?n gloriam Dei facite. In tertio membro (sive aliud quid facitis) Orig. (in Gen. hom. 5,54) sola « inverecunda matrimonii negotia verecundo sermone signari » nimis arcte nec recte arbitratus est ; recte potius TAeod. « pulchre, inquit, omnia comprehendit et sedere et ambulare et disserere et misereri et castigare , ut omnium unus finis sit Dei gloria », neque immerito cum C/rys. aliisque multis velut illustrationem verba Domini (Matth. 5,16) allegat : « Sic luceat lux vestra coram hominibus, ut videant opera vestra bona et glorificent patrem vestrum, qui in coelis est ». Porro verba Pauli (nisi forte iis merum consilium exprimi minus apte cum S. Donav. aliisque censeas) non ita explicare licet, ut nos singulas vitae actiones positivo actu ad Deum referre iubeant, sed id vult Apostolus, ut Christiani in rebus quoque, quae per se sunt indiffcrentes (de his enim agi, contextus et exempla ab co allata ostendunt) non suam voluptatem suumve commodum, sed ultimum suum ac supremum finem prae oculis habeant, solliciti ne quid committant, quo Dei honor laedatur aut imminuatur, omnia potius ad Dci gloriam promovendam inserviant !. Quam commuuem explicationem respicientes nonnulli interpretes (efr Lap. Est. eic.) dictum Pauli, quamvis verba sint affirmantia, negalivum praeceptum continere non plane inepte dixerunt. Revera enim Apostolus ipse negativo praecepto praccedentia sua verba videtur explicare :
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32. Ste. offensione estote Iudaeis et gentibus et ecclesiae Dei. Divina enim gloria non promovetur sed conculcatur et vilipenditur, si Christiani, qui fidem legemque suam suis actionibus reprobant, malis suis exemplis Iudaeos et gentiles a recipiendo Evangelio retinent; neque promovetur, sed laeditur, si infirmi fratres aliorum exemplis ad ea facienda seducuntur, quae ipsi peccata esse putant, quamvis revera peccata non sint. At quoniam scit, sc rem difficilem a neophytis postulare, ideo iterum (uti supra 9,1 sqq.) suum exemplum eis proponit eosque exhortatur, ut se imitentur, immo vero Dominum, quem ipse imitari studeat :
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33. s?cut et ego per omnza omnibus placeo, non quaerens quod mihi utile est, sed quod multis, ut salvi fiant. 11,1. Dhnitatores mei estote, sicut et ego Christi. Verbum ἀρέσκειν (placere) de placendi studio aliquoties adhibetur (110m. 15,9; 1 Thess. 2,4 etc.) eodemque sensu hic usurpatur; etsi enim Iudaeis Iudaeus factus erat iisque, qui sine lege erant, ac si sine lege essct, Apostolus nec omnibus ludaeis nec omnibus gentilibus placuerat; pro sua iamen parte omnia fecerat, ut eis per omnia (uti per se patet, divinae legi nou contraria) placeret. Porro sicut verba per omnta ex natura rei ad adiaphora restringuntur, ita alia, quae addit (non quaerens, quod mihi utile est) ctiam iuxta contextum de commodo vel utilitate temporali intelligenda esse, vix opus est ut moneamus; omnia enim fecit propter Evangelium, ut particeps eius fieret (9,93). Verum suo commodo longe praetulit salutem multorum (τῶν πολλῶν), quibus sese accommodavit plenae suae libertati renuncians eorumque servum sese constituens, ut plures (τοὺς πλείονας) lucrifaceret (9,19). Qua ratione agens Dominum imitatus est, qui non sibi placuit , i. c. non propriis commodis servivit nec proprio sauguini aut propriae vitae pepercit, ut nostram salutem operaretur, sed improperia improperantium , omnium sc. hominum peccata, in se suscepit, ut morte sua cruenta pro iis salisfaceret (Hom. 15,3). Tale igitur exemplum imitatus Paulus iure merito sese ipse neophytis velut exemplum imitandum proponit. ritate usus idolothytorum erat prohibendus, sed explicandum erat, quomodo et cur certis in casibus eorum usus sil intrinsece malus, aliis in casibus prohibitus ob vitandum scandalum, aliis demum in casibus licitus. Fateri autem debemus exeunte iani 5800. 4. aut ineunte saec. 2. decretum apostolicum severiore modo explicari coeptum esso, ita ut Christiani etiam ab emendis victimarum carnibus, quae in macellis vaenibant, abhorrerent ; id enim ex notissima epistola Plinii ad imperatorem Traianum constat. Quam severiorem praxin errores, ni fallor, haereticorum provocaverunt : Nicolaitas enim (Apoc. 2,14. 91 cfr S. ren. c. hacr. I. 26,3), Dasilidianos (S. Jren. c. haer. 1. 28), Valentinianos (l. c. I. 6,3) aliosque haereticos (efr S. lust. c. Tryph. 34. 35) idolothytis indifferenter decreto apostolico non attento esse usos tradunt Patres; quare facile intelligitur, episcopos, ut gregem suum ab haereticis tuerentur, omnem prorsus idolothytorum usum interdixisse. Sed hinc quoque factum est, ut iuniores Patres aliqui non satis accurate de idolothytis locuti sint eaque, quae Paulus de solis epulis sacrificalibus dixerat, de omnibus idolothytis sine distinctione intellexisse videantur. Ita ex. gr. S. Cyr. Ier. « ea, quae in aris genlilium offeruntur, licet natura sua nuda et simplicia sint, invocatione idolorum contaminari » dicit (Cat. 3,3; 19,1); atque similiter S. Hier. (in Matth. 43,11) « cibos et Dei creaturas per se quidem mundas esse, sed idolorum ac daemonum invocatione immundas fieri » scribit (cfr eundem in Tit. 1,15). Neque plane ad S. Pauli mentem S. Augustinum locutum esse arbitror, si nulla omnino distinctione adhibita « satius esse censet emori fame, quam idolothytis vesci » (De bono coniug. 16); ncque etiam si sententiam suam fusius ita explicat : « Restat, ut dicamus aliquid de illo viatore christiano, quem commemorasti victum famis necessitate, si nihil uspiam invenerit nisi cibum in idolio positum, ubi nullus alius est hominum (scandalum igitur praeberi non potest], utrum ei satius sit, fame emori, quam illud in alimentum sumere. In qua quaestione, quoniam non est consequens, ut cibus ille idolothytum sit (potuit enim vel ab iis, qui ibi ab itinere divertentes corpus refecerant, oblivione seu voluntate dimitti, vel ibi ob aliam quamlibet causam poni) breviter respondeo : aut certum est, esse idolothytum , aut certum est non esse, aut ignoratur. Si ergo certum esl essc, melius chritiana virtute respuitur; si autem vcl non esse scitur vel ignoratur, sine ullo conscientiae scrupulo in usum necessitatis assumitur » (ad Public. ep. 41,6). Haec enim casus solutio de iis solis valet, qui « idolum nihil esse » ignorantes « cum conscientia usque nunc idoli quasi idolothytum manducant » (8,4. 7). & 3. De mulierum in coctibus religiosis habitu (11,2-16). A vita domestica (7,1 sqq.) et sociali (8,1 sqq.) Apostolus ad vitam dum ordinem » peragant (11,9-15,&0). Tres sunt quaestiones, quas tractat : ad honestatem enim et modestiam christianam pertinere docet, ut mulieres non nisi velato capite in ecclesiis orent (11,9-16); indecorum modum , quo agapae celebrari solebant, vehementer vituperat (11,17-34); de charismatis demum uberrime agens regulas practicas de eorum usu tradit (19,1-14,40). Utrum de his quoque rebus, quae inter se interno quidem vinculo non connectuntur, omnes tamen ad publicum religionis exercitium pertinent, Corinthii in sua epistola (7,1) Paulum interrogaverint necne, cum certitudine definiri nequit; sed a plerisque recte admitti videtur, siquidem ipsum huius iractatus exordium (11,9) non immerito ad Corinthiorum verba alludere censetur ac tertiam quaestionem eadem formula Apostolus inchoat (12,1), qua responsa sua de matrimoniis (7,1) et de idolothytis (8,1) inchoaverat. Prima igitur quaestio est de habitu externo, quo in coctibus sacris mulieres uti deceat. Contra ea, quae apud Iudaeos fieri solebant, qui capite tecto in templo et in synagogis Deo apparebant, Graeci sacra sua aperto capite faciebant, atque Paulus eundem morem, ut videtur, Corinthi retineri iusserat, quippe qui relationi, quae Christum inter et virum christianum intercedit, apprime conveniret. At etsi ubique terrarum is est mos, ut alio habitu viri, alio mulieres in publicum procedant, et in Achaia quoque mulieres velo uti semper consueverant, neophytae tamen nonnullae Corinthi illud deponere et virorum morem secutae capite aperto in coetibus sacris orare et prophetare inceperant. Quoniam iuxta Apostolum enim omnia in Christo ita sunt instaurata, ut omnes differentiae nationales, domesticae, naturales disparuerint (« non est Iudaeus nequc Graecus, non est servus neque liber, non est masculus neque femina : omnes enim vos unus estis in Christo » Ga. 3,28), mulieres hanc doctrinam non recte interpretalae sibi eadem quoque, quac viris, in vita sociali licere concluserant !. Quem abusum Apostolus non sine acerbitate reprimens praeprimis mulierem non nisi velatam publice orare vel prophetare iubet ob inferiorem locum, quem in hierarchica membrorum Ecclesiae dispositione occupet (11,2-6); viro deinde eam inferiorem cssc ex historia creationis protoparentum confirmat (11,7-19); praeceptum suum demum sensui naturae communi usuique in tota Ecclesia recepto conforme esse monet (11,13-16;. 1.) Ob inferiorem locum , quem in Ecclesia tenent , mulieres ?n coetibus religiosis caput velare decet (11,2-6). Cum praecedente sententia, qua ncophytos, ut se imitarentur, exhortatus erat, novum tractatum ita coniungit, ut eos in plerisque quidem se imitatos esse concedat (v. 2), at novum, quod nondum acceperant, praceptum eis proponat (v.
10:1
… this "day of the Lord," this "coming" of his (v. FABUSIA) which for us is sudden inasmuch as it is absolutely unknown (Matt. 24:37-51; 25:1-30; Mark 13:32-37; Luke 12:16-21, 35-46; 17:26-35; 21:24-36; Rom. 13:11-14; 14:10 f.; 1 Cor. 3:10-15; 7:20-32; 10:1-12; Phil. 2:15 f.; etc.) and the desire of the just man to "die to be with Christ" (2 Cor. 5:1-10; Phil. 1:21-26, etc.; cf. Bonsirven, pp. 311-15).
The religious meaning of the book is in general entrusted to this emphasis on the merciful and provident goodness of the Lord toward his faithful, though so little worthy of his predilection, but other teachings are gathered in particular episodes that mark the intervention of God (1 Cor. 10:1-11; Heb. 3:12-19; John 3:14-15) and above all in the messianic prophecy of the "star from Jacob... scepter from Israel" (24:17), which the foreign soothsayer uttered inspired by God.
10:2
… Or else, taking their cue from St. Paul (I Cor. 10, 2-5, 11), they like to find a parallel between the historical fact of the Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt with the crossing of the Red Sea, and the spiritual event of the departure from …
Red Sea (Gr. Ἡ Ἔρυθρά Θάλασσα; Heb. Jām Sūph)
instead an allusion to the battle of the Milvian Bridge with the defeat of Maxentius; F. I. Dölger a symbol of Baptism, according to St. Paul (1 Cor. 10:2).
… "Therefore, brethren, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions (κρατειτε τὰς παραδόσεις) in which you were taught, whether by word or by our letter" (II Thess. 2, 15). Indeed, before appealing to what is written, he appeals to his living voice (cf. I Cor. 10, 2; 11, 23; 15, 3; I Thess. 4, 2), and admonishes Christians to beware of those who teach differently "from the doctrine in which you were instructed" (Rom. 16, 17). In the pastoral …
10:3
… While "typical sense" is the technical and classical expression, there are also similar terms, which however are to be used with great caution, because they can give rise to misunderstandings: "parable" (Heb. 9:9), "allegory" (Gal. 4:24), "spiritual" (1 Cor. 10:3 f.).
10:4
… Thus 1 Cor. 10:4 and Jude 9 ff. contain references to Jewish legends: cf. 2 Tim. 3:8; Mt. 23:35; Heb. 7:3, etc. Thus the liturgy wishes the soul eternal peace "with Lazarus who was once poor." A body …
… was represented quite early in primitive Christian funerary art; the patriarch strikes the rock of Horeb and from it gushes the water that slakes the thirst of the people of Israel (Ex. 17:5). Already St. Paul teaches that Petra autem erat Christus (1 Cor. 10:4).
… Many prophecies of the Old Testament announce that from the Messiah must gush torrents of graces, rivers of living water (Is. 12, 3; 55, 1; 48, 21; Zach. 12, 10). St. Paul presents the Messiah as the miraculous rock, which gives the refreshing water to the Hebrews in the desert (I Cor. 10, 4). St. John emphasizes that the rivers of living water must spring from the depths of the Humanity of Jesus (Io. 7, 37), and points to the fulfillment
10:6
The name is strictly biblical: "type" (Rom. 5:14; 1 Cor. 10:6), τυπικῶς "typically" (1 Cor. 10:11); corresponding to it is the antitype (ἀντίτυπος; 1 Pt. 3:21: Baptism is the antitype of the flood, which is the reality signified by the type). …
10:10
… It seems that A. is identified with the fallen star of Rev. 9:1, perhaps also with the beast from the abyss (Rev. 11:7), with the dragon (Rev. 12:3-4) and with Satan (Rev. 20:7). A similar personification is in Wis. 18:25 (ὁ Ὀλοθρεύων; cf. I Cor. 10:10).
(I Cor. 10:10; etc.). …
… "A murderer from the beginning" (Io. 8:44), S. kills those whose master he is (cf. II Cor. 2:11); this death-dealing function of his, annulled by the Crucified One (Hebr. 2:14), is perhaps connected with that of the destroying angel (Ex. 12:23; II Sam. 24:16; II Reg. 19:35; Sap. 18:25; I Cor. 10:10 ff.). …
10:11
… But from the apostolic age onward, we live in the "end of times" (I Cor. 10:11), and Jesus' victorious campaign against his enemy is in progress (Io. 16:33; Apoc. 2:27; Eph. 1:21-22); the parousia of Jesus will mark the decisive clash, the epilogue of eternal …
Luke 1:32 f.). This is the conception of the entire New Testament: the messianic time is called: καιρός ἔσχατος (1 Pet. 1:5, 20; Jude 18; 1 Tim. 4:1; 1 John 2:18); πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου (Gal. 4:4); τῶν καιρῶν (Eph. 1:10); τὰ τέλη τῶν αἰώνων (1 Cor. 10:11); συντέλεια τῶν αἰώνων (Heb. 9:26; cf. F. Spadafora, Ezechiele, Turin 1948, pp. 280 f., 291 f.; E. B. Allo, Apocalypse, p. cxxix; J. Bonsirven, p. 307 f.).
… Like the Kingdom of God, the p. of Christ is constantly progressive: it has opened the era of the definitive (I Cor. 10:11 "the ends of the ages have come upon us") as "first fruits," then it will mark the end in the full attainment of the goal (ibid. 15:23-28), when Jesus will reappear in the glory …
I. MORAL THEOLOGY AND CANON LAW. - Polygyny is first of all contrary to divine-positive law, proclaimed by God to the first parents Adam and Eve (Gen. 2:23) and then recalled and confirmed by Jesus Christ (Mt. 5:31 ff., 19:4-9; cf. also St. Paul: 1 Cor. 10:11). Therefore the Council of Trent, also gathering the traditions of the holy Fathers and theologians, declared anathema anyone who asserted that polygyny is not forbidden by any divine law (sess. …
The name is strictly biblical: "type" (Rom. 5:14; 1 Cor. 10:6), τυπικῶς "typically" (1 Cor. 10:11); corresponding to it is the antitype (ἀντίτυπος; 1 Pt. 3:21: Baptism is the antitype of the flood, which is the reality signified by the type). …
10:12
… This special providence is all the greater the longer the just man's perseverance in good will be (v. also in this sense the Council of Trent: Denz-U, 832, and various passages of Sacred Scripture, e.g., Phil. 1:3-6; I Cor. 10:12 ff.; Jo. 17:11-16; Eph. 6:10-18; Hebr. 10:32 ff.; I Pt. 5:8 ff.; the petition of the Pater: "lead us not into temptation").
10:13
God, the supreme good, cannot solicit us to evil: "when one is tempted, let him not say: it is God who tempts me, for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one" (James 1:13), but, in his infinite wisdom, he permits it, giving Grace to overcome it (I Cor. 10:13). True causes, which often act together, making the temptation more effective, are: the devil, the world, concupiscence. …
10:14
His A Discourse concerning the true Notion of the Lord's Supper (London 1642) had vast repercussions, in which, basing himself on 1 Cor. 10:14-22, he maintains that the Supper is not a sacrifice, but a symbolic banquet ἐκ τῆς θωλίας. …
10:16
Breaking of Bread (Ἐλᾶσις τοῦ δρῦσου)
… multiplication (Mt. 14, 19; 15, 36; Mk. 6, 41; 8, 6; Lk. 9, 16; Jn. 6, 11). On the eve of his death he repeated the rite in the institution of the Eucharist (Mt. 26, 26; Mk. 14, 22; Lk. 22, 19; I Cor. 11, 24), which St. Paul calls « panis quem frangimus » (ibid., 10, 16).
… Ἰεσσαγγέλων (8 times), "the cross" (I Cor. 1:17; Gal. 6:12; Phil. 3:18), "the sufferings" (II Cor. 1:5 and Col. 1:24; cf. Act. 3:18; 17:3; 26:23), Ἰάγιπτη (Rom. 8:35; II Cor. 5:14; Eph. 3:19), "the Blood" and "the Body" of his sacrifice (I Cor. 10:16; Rom. 7:4; Eph. 2:13; τοῦ Κυρίου in I Cor. 11:27). The equivalence Σωτήρ = Χριστός is openly affirmed in Lk. 2:11. Even the "C." of Jn. 4:29 is equivalent to "the savior …
… supper was finished and the hands washed, was poured, with the prayer of thanksgiving after the meal added to it: it was therefore called the "cup of blessing" (in calling it thus St. Paul confirms the hypothesis that the consecrated cup was the third: I Cor. 10:16). To the consecration of the chalice Jesus added the words: "I will not drink from henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I shall drink it new with you in the kingdom …
… And the bread which we break, is it not the partaking (κοινωνία) of the Body of Christ?" (1 Cor. 10:16). According to the force of the Greek term κοινωνία, St. Paul means to say that eucharistic Communion is the real, physical participation in the Body of Jesus, whole and undivided.
… St. Paul speaks of a "κοινωνία" (1 Cor. 10:16), that is, of a union of the communicant with the body of Christ so profound as to suggest to St. John Chrysostom and St. Cyril of Alexandria a parallel with the Incarnation, an idea …
X. NOMENCLATURE, CLASSIFICATIONS AND DIVISIONS OF THE MASS. - 1. The oldest names of the Mass are "fraction of the bread" (1 Cor. 10:16) or "Lord's Supper" (ibid. 11:20). From the 1st century the name "Eucharist" also comes into use, and even the gifts themselves and the consecrated species of the Mass are called "Eucharist" …
10:17
The social union (concorporatio) is revealed in the classic Pauline text, 1 Cor. 10:17: "We all, though many, form one bread, one body, because we partake of one bread." This ecclesiological point is widely used by the Didaché, by St. Cyprian, by St. Hilary of Poitiers …
… Romans (8, 14): "For whosoever are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." 5) The principle of unity in the total Christ is first of all the Eucharistic bread: "For we, being many, are one bread, one body, all that partake of one bread" (I Cor. 10, 17).
To the concept of the Mystical Body is connected that of the intimate solidarity among the faithful, as members of one and the same organism, and therefore that of the Communion of saints (cf. I Cor. 10, 17; Eph. 4, 4-6).
… whether Jews or Gentiles, whether bond or free: and in one Spirit we have all been made to drink." And as in Baptism, so in the Eucharist the unity of the Church is manifested: "For we, being many, are one bread, one body, all that partake of one bread" (1 Cor. 10:17).
10:20
in order to know or obtain something from him, because with him no friendship can be established and toward him there can be no submission (cf. I Cor. 10:20); it is lawful, however, to adjure him imperatively, so that, in the name of God, he cause no harm, whether spiritual or temporal (cf. Mk. 16:17; Lk. 9:1; 10:19; Acts 19:13). This …
… An indomitable adversary, by his Jewish origin and his Christian education, of paganism, he bursts out with that cry: "Quae autem conventio Christi et Belial" (II Cor. 6:15) and with that warning: "Nolo vos socios fieri daemoniorum" (I Cor. 10:20), which fully reveal his spirit. …
… beings to which worship is paid; and the hagiographer is not unaware that often beneath an image and a simulacrum men pay their adoration to demons; but commonly under the name of idol is indicated the image of a false divinity (Deut. 32:17; Ps. 106:37; I Cor. 10:20 etc.; cf. also F. Prat, Idole, in DB, III, coll. 816-25).
St. Paul sets alongside the Gospel testimonies: I Cor. 10:20-21: "Quæ immolant gentes, daemonis immolant et non Deo. Nolo vos socios fieri daemoniorum: non potestis calicem Domini bibere et calicem daemoniorum: non
10:24
… beati Pauli in unam, requested by the same cardinal, which in 73 chapters logically groups together what St. Paul wrote on each virtue (for example, ch. 7 De Caritate is composed thus: Rom. 5:5; 8:28, 35-39; 13:8-10; 12:9-11; I Cor. 6:17; 8:3, 11; 10:24; 12:31; 13:1-8, 13; 14:1; 16:14, 20, 22, 24; II Cor. 6:11-13; 8:24; 11:2; Gal. 5:13-14; Eph. 5:1; Col. 3:14; I Thess. 4:9-10; I Tim. 1:5-6; Hebr. 10:24-25; Phil. 2:4).
10:29
… W also contains I Cor. 10, 29 and fragments of the Epistles to the Corinthians, to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians, to the Hebrews, to Timothy, to Titus, to Philemon. …
10:30
… φήμη = voice) means "injurious word." In Sacred Scripture this term designates the uttering of insult either against God or against creatures (II Sam. 21:21; II Reg. 13:28-35; 19:10, 13, 22; Ez. 20:27; Tob. 13:16; I Par. 20:7; I Cor. 4:13; 10:30; Tit. 3:2); but according to the observation of St. Augustine: "blasphemia non accipitur nisi mala verba de Deo dicere" (PL 32, 1354), by b. is meant an injurious expression against God.
10:31
The apostle Paul wishes the faithful to perform every action for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31) and in all things to give him thanks (Col. 1:3, 17; 5:18). The words of the Apostle find their widest application in Christian prayer, both public and private, which gives so large …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Rheims 1582), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.