He warns them against false teachers and foretells their punishment.
At not onely Prophets, but also false-prophets vvere in the old Testament, so novv likevvise there shal be Maisters of Heresie, to the damnation of them selues, and of their folovvers. 4 And of their damnation he pronounceth by examples (as he comforteth the vertuous Catholikes or true beleeuers vvith the example of Lot) because of their railing at their Superiors and Prelates, their blaspheming of Catholike doctrine, their voluptuous liuing, their lecherie, their couetousnes, their maner of seducing, and the persons seduced, 20 for vvhom it had been lesse damnable, if they had neuer been Christians.
1But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there shall be among you lying teachers who shall bring in sects of perdition and deny the Lord who bought them: bringing upon themselves swift destruction.Vi furon però nel popolo anche de' falsi profeti, come ancor tra di voi vi saranno de' bugiardi maestri, i quali introdurranno sette perverse, che rinnegheranno quel Signore, che gli ha riscattati, tirandosi addosso una pronta perdizione.BVT there vvere also false• prophets in the people, as also in you there shal be lying maisters vvhich shal bring in sectes of perdition, & denie him that hath bought them, the Lord: bringing vpon them selues speedie perdition.Fuerunt vero et pseudoprophetæ in populo, sicut et in vobis erunt magistri mendaces, qui introducent sectas perditionis: et eum qui emit eos, Dominum negant, superducentes sibi celerem perditionem. 2And many shall follow their riotousnesses, through whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.E molti seguiteranno le impurità di coloro, per causa de' quali sarà bestemmiata la via della verità:And many shal folovv their riotousnesses, by vvhom the vvay of truth shal be blasphemed.Et multi sequentur eorum luxurias, per quos via veritatis blasphemabitur: 3And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you. Whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not: and their perdition slumbereth not.E con parole formate dall'amor del guadagno faran negozio di voi: la dannazione de' quali già tempo non langue, e la perdizione di essi non assonna.and in auarice shal they vvith feined vvordes make merchandise of you, vnto vvhom the iudgement novv long since ceaseth not: and their perdition slumbereth not.et in avaritia fictis verbis de vobis negotiabuntur: quibus judicium jam olim non cessat: et perditio eorum non dormitat. 4For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but delivered them, drawn down by infernal ropes to the lower hell, unto torments, to be reserved unto judgment:Imperocché se Dio non perdonò agli Angeli, che peccarono, ma cacciatili nel tartaro gli consegnò alle catene d'inferno ad esser tormentati, e serbati al giudizio:For if God spared not Angels sinning: but with the ropes of Hel being dravven dovvne into Hel deliuered them to be tormented, that they should be reserued vnto iudgemēt:Si enim Deus angelis peccantibus non pepercit, sed rudentibus inferni detractos in tartarum tradidit cruciandos, in judicium reservari. 5And spared not the original world, but preserved Noe, the eighth person, the preacher of justice, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.E all'antico mondo non perdonò, ma custodì con sette altri Noè predicatore della giustizia, scaricando il diluvio sul mondo degli empi:& he spared not the original vvorld, but kept the eight, Noë, the preacher of iustice, bringing in the deluge vpon the vvorld of the impious.Et originali mundo non pepercit, sed octavum Noë justitiæ præconem custodivit, diluvium mundo impiorum inducens.
6And reducing the cities of the Sodomites and of the Gomorrhites into ashes, condemned them to be overthrown, making them an example to those that should after act wickedly,E le città di Sodoma, e di Gomorra condannò alla distruzione, riducendole in cenere: facendole esempio a coloro, che sono per vivere da empj:And bringing the cities of the Sodomites and of the Gomorrheites into ashes, he damned them vvith subuersion, putting an example of them that shal doe impiously:Et civitates Sodomorum et Gomorrhæorum in cinerem redigens, eversione damnavit: exemplum eorum, qui impie acturi sunt, ponens: 7And delivered just Lot, oppressed by the injustice and lewd conversation of the wicked:E liberò il giusto Lot vessato dalle ingiurie, e dall'impuro vivere d'uomini infami:and deliuered iust Lot oppressed by the iniurie and luxurious conuersation of the abominable men.et justum Lot oppressum a nefandorum injuria, ac luxuriosa conversatione eripuit: 8For in sight and hearing he was just, dwelling among them who from day to day vexed the just soul with unjust works.Imperocché e di vista, e d'udito era giusto: dimorando con gente, la quale ogni di metteva alla tortura quell'anima giusta con le inique operazioni.for in sight and hearing he vvas iust: dvvelling vvith them vvho from day to day vexed the iust soule vvith vniust vvorkes.aspectu enim, et auditu justus erat: habitans apud eos, qui de die in diem animam justam iniquis operibus cruciabant. 9The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly from temptation, but to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be tormented:Sa il Signore liberare i giusti dalla tentazione: e serbare gli iniqui pel dì del giudizio ai tormenti:Our Lord knovveth to deliuer the godly from tentation, but to reserue the vniust vnto the day of iudgement to be tormented:Novit Dominus pios de tentatione eripere: iniquos vero in diem judicii reservare cruciandos. 10And especially them who walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise government: audacious, self willed, they fear not to bring in sects, blaspheming.E particolarmente coloro, i quali dietro alla carne batton le vie dell'immonda concupiscenza, e disprezzan la potestà, audaci, amanti di loro stessi, non temono d'introdurre delle sette, bestemmiando:and especially them vvhich vvalke after the flesh in concupiscence of vncleannesse, and cōtemne dominion, bold, self-pleasers: they • feare not to bring in sectes, blaspheming.Magis autem eos, qui post carnem in concupiscentia immunditiæ ambulant, dominationemque contemnunt, audaces, sibi placentes, sectas non metuunt introducere blasphemantes:
11Whereas angels, who are greater in strength and power, bring not against themselves a railing judgment.Mentre gli stessi Angeli maggiori essendo di forza, e di robustezza, non reggono alla orrenda condannazione portata contro di loro.Vvhereas Angels being greater in strength and povver, beare not the execrable iudgemēt against them.ubi angeli fortitudine, et virtute cum sint majores, non portant adversum se execrabile judicium. 12But these men, as irrational beasts, naturally tending to the snare and to destruction, blaspheming those things which they know not, shall perish in their corruption:Ma questi come bestie irragione voli, naturalmente fatte per esser prese, e consunte, bestemmiando le cose, che ignorano, per la propria lor corruzione periranno,But these men as vnreasonable beastes, naturally tending to the snare and into destruction, in those things vvhich they know not, blaspheming, shal perish in their corruption,Hi vero velut irrationabilia pecora, naturaliter in captionem, et in perniciem in his quæ ignorant blasphemantes in corruptione sua peribunt, 13Receiving the reward of their injustice, counting for a pleasure the delights of a day: stains and spots, sporting themselves to excess, rioting in their feasts with you:Ricevendo la mercede dell'iniquità eglino, che fan loro piacere delle quotidiane delizie: sudiciumi, e vituperi pieni di mollezza, dissoluti ne' conviti, che fanno con voi,receiuing the revvard of iniustice, esteeming for a pleasure the delightes of a day: coinquinations and spottes, flovving in delicacies, in their feastings rioting vvith you,percipientes mercedem injustitiæ, voluptatem existimantes diei delicias: coinquinationes, et maculæ deliciis affluentes, in conviviis suis luxuriantes vobiscum, 14Having eyes full of adultery and of sin that ceaseth not: alluring unstable souls: having their heart exercised with covetousness: children of malediction.I quali hanno gli occhi pieni di adulterio, e di incessante cupidità; che adescano le anime vacillanti, che hanno il cuore esercitato nell'avarizia, figliuoli della maledizione:hauing eies ful of adulterie and incessant sinne: alluring vnstable soules, hauing their hart exercised vvith auarice, the children of malediction:oculos habentes plenos adulterii, et incessabilis delicti. Pellicientes animas instabiles, cor exercitatum avaritia habentes, maledictionis filii: 15Leaving the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam of Bosor who loved the wages of iniquity,Abbandonata la retta strada si sono sviati, seguitando la via di Balaam figliuolo di Bosor, il quale amò la mercede dell'iniquità:leauing the right vvay they haue erred, hauing folovved the vvay of Balaam of Bosor, vvhich loued the revvard of iniquitie,derelinquentes rectam viam erraverunt, secuti viam Balaam ex Bosor, qui mercedem iniquitatis amavit: 16But had a check of his madness, the dumb beast used to the yoke, which, speaking with man’s voice, forbade the folly of the prophet.Ma fu ripreso della sua pazzia: una muta bestia da soma, umana voce parlando, raffrenò la stoltezza del profeta.but had a checke of his madnesse the dumme beast vnder the yoke, speaking vvith mans voice, prohibited the folishnes of the prophet.correptionem vero habuit suæ vesaniæ: subjugale mutum animal, hominis voce loquens, prohibuit prophetæ insipientiam.
17These are fountains without water and clouds tossed with whirlwinds, to whom the mist of darkness is reserved.Questi sono fontane senz'acqua, e nebbie sbattute dai turbini, pe' quali si serba caligine tenebrosa.These are fountaines vvithout vvater, and cloudes, tossed vvith vvhirlevvindes, to vvhom the mist of darkenesse is reserued.Hi sunt fontes sine aqua, et nebulæ turbinibus exagitatæ, quibus caligo tenebrarum reservatur. 18For, speaking proud words of vanity, they allure by the desires of fleshly riotousness those who for a little while escape, such as converse in error:Imperocché spacciando una vanità superba, adescano per mezzo delle impure passioni della carne quegli, i quali poco prima fuggivano da coloro, che son nell'errore:For, speaking the proud things of vanitie, they allure in the desires of fleshly riotousnes, those that escape a litle, vvhich conuerse in errour,Superba enim vanitatis loquentes, pelliciunt in desideriis carnis luxuriæ eos, qui paululum effugiunt, qui in errore conversantur: 19Promising them liberty, whereas they themselves are the slaves of corruption. For by whom a man is overcome, of the same also he is the slave.Promettendo loro la libertà, mentre sono essi stessi servi della corruzione: imperocché da chi uno è stato vinto, di lui è ancor servo.promising them libertie, vvhereas them selues are the slaues of corruption. for vvherevvith a man is ouercome: of that he is the slaue also.libertatem illis promittentes, cum ipsi servi sint corruptionem: a quo enim quis superatus est, hujus et servus est. 20For if, flying from the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they be again entangled in them and overcome: their latter state is become unto them worse than the former.Imperocchè se avendo fuggite le sozzure del mondo mediante la cognizione del Signor nostro, e salvator Gesù Cristo, da queste sono nuovamente avviluppati, e vinti: il secondo loro stato è divenuto peggior del primo.For if fleeing from the coinquinations of the vvorld in the knovvledge of our Lord and Sauiour IESVS Christ, they againe intangled vvith the same be ouercome: the later things are become vnto them vvorse then the former.Si enim refugientes coinquinationes mundi in cognitione Domini nostri, et Salvatoris Jesu Christi, his rursus implicatis superantur: facta sunt eis posteriora deteriora prioribus. 21For it had been better for them not to have known the way of justice than, after they have known it, to turn back from that holy commandment which was delivered to them.Imperocché meglio era per essi il non conoscere la via della giustizia, che conosciutala, rivolgersi indietro dal comandamento santo, che ad essi è stato dato.For it vvas better for them not to knovv the vvay of iustice, then after the knovvledge, to turne backe from that holy cō maundement vvhich vvas deliuered to them.Melius enim erat illis non cognoscere viam justitiæ, quam post agnitionem, retrorsum converti ab eo, quod illis traditum est, sancto mandato.
22For, that of the true proverb has happened to them: The dog is returned to his vomit; and: The sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.Ma si è compiuto in essi quel vero proverbio: il cane tornò al suo vomito: e, la troia lavata a rivoltarsi nel fango.For, that of the true prouerbe is chaunced to them, The dogge returned to his vomite: and, The sovve vvashed into her vvallovving in the mire.Contigit enim eis illud veri proverbii: Canis reversus ad suum vomitum: et, Sus lota in volutabro luti.
2:1
Witham
Lying teachers among you, some of which were already come, and many more were to follow, who shall bring in sects,[Ver. 1. Sectas introducere, doxas, as this Greek word sometimes signifies; witness Aristotle, 4. Eth., where he puts as apposite, kata doxan, kai kat aletheian.] (heresies) leading to perdition, and deny the Lord who bought them, denying the divinity of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer; such were the disciples of Simon, and many after them. (Witham)
Challoner
Sects of perdition; that is, heresies destructive of salvation. (Challoner)
2:2
Witham
Many shall follow their luxuries, or lasciviousness, such as are related of the Nicolaites and Gnostics, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be blasphemed, or ill spoken of, by those who made no distinction betwixt true and false Christians. (Witham)
2:3
Witham
They shall make merchandise of you, preaching such lying doctrine as might please the people, but through a motive of covetousness, and for their own gain. (Witham)
2:4
Witham
If God spared not the Angels, etc. St. Peter here brings these examples of God's justice. 1. Towards the rebellious angels that fell from heaven; 2. that of the general flood, or deluge; 3. when he destroyed Sodom and those other cities. First, angels that sinned, God by his justice delivered them, drawn down with infernal ropes into hell to be tormented, and to be reserved even for greater torments after the day of judgment. This seems to be the liberal sense of this fourth verse, which is obscure, and has divers reading in the Greek. In the examples of the deluge and of Sodom, St. Peter shews not only the severity of God's judgments upon the wicked, but also his merciful providence towards the small number of the just, as towards Noe[Noah], a preacher of justice, the eighth and chief of those who were preserved in the ark, when he spared not the world that was of old, (literally, the original world) or wicked of those ancient times. When he delivered that just man, Lot, at the time he reduced Sodom and those other cities to ashes: for Lot was just both in sight and hearing, without being corrupted by what he saw and heard; chaste as to his eyes and ears, or as to all that could be seen or heard of him, when the wicked among whom he lived vexed and grieved his just soul by their impious deeds. God, therefore, who knows and approves the ways of the godly, preserves them by his providence amidst temptations. (Witham)
2:9
Witham
To reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment, etc. That is, God many times does not punish the wicked in this life, he suffers them to run on in the ways of iniquity, with prosperity as to the enjoyment of a short and vain happiness in this world, but his judgments are most of all to be dreaded, when the punishments are reserved till the next life, as it will appear at the day of general judgment: and from the time of their death they shall be tormented in hell. (Witham)
2:10
Witham
Especially those who walk after the flesh, etc. Such were the Gnostics, and divers of the first heretics, as well as many of them in after ages, who despise authority, contemn the laws, both of church and state; self-willed, full of self-love, lovers of their own infamous pleasures; blaspheming against God, his ministers, and against those who serve God. (Witham)
2:11
Witham
Whereas angels, etc. By comparing this place with what we read in St. Jude, (ver. 9) he speaks of the good angels whom God employed to banish the rebellious angels out of heaven, and on other occasions, who, though they had greater strength and power given them by the Almighty, yet did not bear execrable judgment against themselves; that is one against another, or against those who at first had been happy spirits with them in heaven; did not exult over them with injuries and reviling reflections, but executed their commands in the name of God, saying, let the Lord command you. See Jude, ver. 9. (Witham)
Challoner
Bring not an execrable judgment, etc. That is, they use no railing, nor cursing sentence; not even in their conflicts with the evil angels. (Challoner)
2:12
Witham
But these men, etc. These infamous heretics of whom he speaks, like brutes, void of reason, naturally following the disorderly inclinations of their nature corrupted by sin, tend, or run headlong into the snares of the devil, to their own destruction and perdition, blaspheming against the mysteries of religion, and against what they do not understand. (Witham)
2:13
Witham
Counting the delights of the day to be pleasure; such is their impiety and their folly, that they have no regard to all the punishments they make themselves liable to, if they can but pass their days in this short life, or even one day, in shameful pleasures and delights. They may be called the stains and blemishes, the shame and disgrace of mankind, on account of the abominations they practise in their rioting and banquetings.[Ver. 13. In conviviis, agapais, which reading Dr. Wells prefers before apatais, the common reading: in the Protestant translation, with their own deceivings.] See what St. Epiphanius relates of Gnostics. (Witham)
Challoner
Delights; that is, the short delights of this world, in which they place all their happiness. (Challoner)
2:14
Witham
And what is still an aggravation to the weight of their sins, they entice and allure others, unstable souls, not sufficiently grounded in faith and virtue, by promising them liberty and happiness, though they themselves be miserable slaves to their passions. At the same time they make dupes of them out of covetousness, to get a share of their money and riches. (Witham)
2:15
Witham
In this they are like Balaam, of Bosor, (a town of the Madianites) who coveting the reward promised him, (Judges xi.) was willing, if God had permitted him, to have cursed the people of Israel: but God put a check to his madness, by making the ass which he rode upon speak with a human voice. (Witham)
2:17
Witham
These are fountains without water. The like lively description is given of the manners of these heretics by St. Jude, so that the text of one of these apostles helps to expound the other. (Witham)
2:20
Witham
For if flying, and been happily freed from the pollutions, the abominations, and corruptions of a wicked world, be upon your guard, and take great care not to be entangled again in these dangerous snares and nets, lest your latter condition (as Christ said, Matthew 12:45.) be worse than the former, lest you be like a dog that returns to his vomit, or like a sow that is washed and wallows again in the mire. (Witham)
2:1
Seeds of perdition.... That is, heresies destructive of salvation.
2:11
Bring not a railing judgment, etc.... That is, they use no railing, nor cursing sentence; not even in their conflicts with the evil angels. See St. Jude, ver. 9.
2:13
The delights of a day: that is, the short delights of this world, in which they place all their happiness.
2:1
Concordance 1 Tim. 4. Iude.
〈Greek〉
2:2
Heretikes (of whom he prophecieth here) do gaine scholers, by preaching libertie, and by their owne licentious life, which is specially ioyned to the heresie of these daies.
2:3
Al the sweete wordes of heretikes, speaking much of the vvord of the Lord, the Gospel, IESVS CHRIST &c. are but termes of art to bie and sel poore mens soules.
2:5
Concordance Gen, 7.
Concordance Gen. 19.
2:6
Concordance Gen. 19, 16.
2:9
The special properties of heretikes.
2:11
from our Lord
2:12
So heretikes blaspheme the highest mysteries of our faith through ignorance.
2:13
coinquinationes & maecula,
2:15
Concordance Nu. 22, 23.
2:19
Vvho euer promised more libertie to their folowers then Luther, Caluin, & the like, taking away penance, fasting, continencie or chastitie, keeping of vowes, necessitie of good vvorkes (because faith doeth al) obedience to Ecclesiastical pastors and Coū cels, and such like.
Concordance Io. 8, 34.
2:20
Concordance Ro. 6, 16.
Concordance Mt. 12. 45.
2:22
Concordance Pro. 26. 11.
〈Greek〉
2:1
St Hippolytus † AD 235 A discourse by the most blessed Hippolytus, bishop and martyr, on the end of the world, and on Antichrist, and on the second coming of our lord Jesus Christ 10
… “Know this first, children, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts. And there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies.”
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St Hippolytus † AD 235 The Refutation of All Heresies 10.30
… Do not devote your attention to the fallacies of artificial discourses, nor the vain promises of plagiarizing heretics, but to the venerable simplicity of unassuming truth. And by means of this knowledge you shall escape the approaching threat of the fire of judgment, and the rayless scenery of gloomy Tartarus,
St Hippolytus † AD 235 On Proverbs 1
… In naming the “fourth,” he intends lust in the universal. For as the body is one, and yet has many members; so also sin, being one, contains within it many various lusts by which it lays its snares for men. Wherefore, in order to teach us this, he uses the examples of Sheol (Hades), and the love of women, and hell
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 23.2
… Secondly, it gives me an opportunity of briefly describing her life. Thirdly, it enables me to assure you that the consul-elect, that detractor of his age, is now in Tartarus.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 11.33
… sinned, and were thrust down to the lowest parts of this world, where they are, as it were, incarcerated till their final damnation in the day of judgment, the Apostle Peter very plainly declares, when he says that “God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved into judgment.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 15.23
… but certainly I could by no means believe that God’s holy angels could at that time have so fallen, nor can I think that it is of them the Apostle Peter said, “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 21.23
… more obvious and just, can be found for holding it as the fixed and immovable belief of the truest piety, that the devil and his angels shall never return to the justice and life of the saints, than that Scripture, which deceives no man, says that God spared them not, and that they were condemned beforehand by Him, and cast into prisons of darkness in hell,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Enchiridion 57
… that part of the Church which is in heaven what can we say, except that no wicked one is found in it, and that no one has fallen from it, or shall ever fall from it, since the time that “God spared not the angels that sinned,” as the Apostle Peter writes, “but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment?”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Concerning the Nature of Good, Against the Manichæans 33
But because evil angels also were not constituted evil by God, but were made evil by sinning, Peter in his epistle says: "For if God spared not angels when they sinned, but casting them down into the dungeons of smoky hell, He delivered them to be reserved for punishment in judgment."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 95.4
… for it is judged along with its prince, whom it imitates in its own pride and impiety. “For if God,” in the words of the Apostle Peter, “spared not the angels that sinned, but thrust them into prisons of infernal darkness, and gave them up to be reserved for punishment in the judgment,”
2:5
Pope St Clement I † AD 99 The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians 7
… Let us turn to every age that has passed, and learn that, from generation to generation, the Lord has granted a place of repentance to all such as would be converted unto Him. Noah preached repentance, and as many as listened to him were saved.
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Pope St Clement I † AD 99 The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians 11
On account of his hospitality and godliness, Lot was saved out of Sodom when all the country round was punished by means of fire and brimstone, the Lord thus making it manifest that He does not forsake those that hope in Him, but gives up such as depart from Him to punishment and torture.
Tertullian † AD 220 An Answer to the Jews 2
… Melchizedek also, “the priest of the most high God,” uncircumcised and inobservant of the Sabbath, was chosen to the priesthood of God. Lot, withal, the brother of Abraham, proves that it was for the merits of righteousness, without observance of the law, that he was freed from the conflagration of the Sodomites.
2:7
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 47.3
… I have not sent you any lest I should send works which you already have. But if you care to borrow copies of them, you can do so either from our holy sister, Marcella, who has her abode upon the Aventine, or from that holy man, Domnio, who is the Lot of our times.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 11.6
… She answers, Therefore it is they frighten me, “because they have destroyed what Thou hast perfected.” Where but in their conventicles, where they nourish not with milk, but kill with poison the babes and ignorant of the interior light. “But what hath the Just done?”
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 Register of the Epistles of St. Gregory the Great 11.45
… The Prince of the apostles speaks thus to his disciples, He delivered just Lot, oppressed by the injury and conversation of the wicked. For in seeing and hearing he was just, dwelling among those who from day to day vexed the soul of the just one with their unrighteous deeds (
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Sulpicius Severus † AD 420 The Doubtful Letters of Sulpitius Severus 2.10
… so that they may not listen except to holy and true discourse, that they never admit into them obscene, or infamous, or worldly words, or tolerate any one detracting from another, on account of that which is written, “Hedge up thine ears with thorns, and do not listen to a wicked tongue, that you may have your part with him, of whom it is said, that he was
2:9
Pope St Clement I † AD 99 The Second Epistle of Clement 16
So, then, brethren, having received no small occasion to repent, while we have opportunity, let us turn to God who called us, while yet we have One to receive us. For if we renounce these indulgences and conquer the soul by not fulfilling its wicked desires, we shall be partakers of the mercy of Jesus. Know ye that the day
St Jerome † AD 420 Against Jovinianus 1.39
… For the time past is sufficient for us when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, and other vices. Great and precious are the promises attaching to virginity which He has given us, that through it we may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world through lust.
St Jerome † AD 420 Against Jovinianus 2.3
… He tells us that “whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is become guilty of all.” Which of us is without sin? “God hath shut up all unto disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.” Peter also says:
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St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 3.12
… “As strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; but having a good conversation among the Gentiles, that while they detract from you as if from evildoers, yet, beholding your good works, they may magnify God.”
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St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Marriage and Concupiscence 2.20
… But where is the man whose “evil cogitation can never be changed,” unless because it cannot be effected by himself, but only by divine grace; without the assistance of which, what are human beings, but that which the Apostle Peter says of them, when he describes them as “natural brute beasts made to be taken and destroyed”?
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St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 The Epistles of Cyprian 7.1
… Our Lord did the will of His Father, and we do not do the will of our Lord; eager about our patrimony and our gain, seeking to satisfy our pride, yielding ourselves wholly to emulation and to strife, careless of simplicity and faith, renouncing the world in words only, and not in deeds, every one of us pleasing himself, and displeasing all others,
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St Hilary of Poitiers † AD 367 De Trinitate or On the Trinity 1.18
… And again, though he be aware that he is partaker of the Divine nature, as the holy apostle Peter says in his second Epistle
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 25
… Do not they who did not feed Him go away into “the fire prepared for the devil?” ( Matt. xxv. 41 .) Will not he that hath soiled garments be “bound hand and foot” ( ib. xxii. 13 ), and go to ruin? Will, not he that demanded the hundred pence to be paid, be given over to the tormentors? Is not that said of the adulterers
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St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Exhortation to Martyrdom, Addressed to Fortunatus 10
… Have not I, the Lord God? And now go, and I will open thy mouth, and will instruct thee what thou shalt say.” Nor is it difficult for God to open the mouth of a man devoted to Himself, and to inspire constancy and confidence in speech to His confessor; since in the book of Numbers He made even a she-ass to speak against the prophet Balaam.
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 The Book of Pastoral Rule 3.12
… Whence also it is well said through Peter, He had the dumb beast of burden for a rebuke of his madness, which speaking with a man’s voice forbade the foolishness of the prophet (
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St Jerome † AD 420 Against Jovinianus 2.3
… He tells us that “whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is become guilty of all.” Which of us is without sin? “God hath shut up all unto disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.” Peter also says: “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation.” And concerning false teachers:
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 4.pref.4
4. For as the serpent beguiled Eve, by promising her what he had not himself,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 145.2
… Such victory and emancipation cannot, without God’s grace, be achieved by the human will, which is by no means to be called free so long as it is subject to prevailing and enslaving lusts; “For of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 4.3
… Therefore the good man, although he is a slave, is free; but the bad man, even if he reigns, is a slave, and that not of one man, but, what is far more grievous, of as many masters as he has vices; of which vices when the divine Scripture treats, it says, “For of whom any man is overcome, to the same he is also the bond-slave.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 19.15
… But our Master in heaven says, “Every one who doeth sin is the servant of sin.” And thus there are many wicked masters who have religious men as their slaves, and who are yet themselves in bondage; “for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Enchiridion 30
… For, as a man who kills himself must, of course, be alive when he kills himself, but after he has killed himself ceases to live, and cannot restore himself to life; so, when man by his own free-will sinned, then sin being victorious over him, the freedom of his will was lost. “For of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Enchiridion 118
… Afterwards, when through the law has come the knowledge of sin, and the Spirit of God has not yet interposed His aid, man, striving to live according to the law, is thwarted in his efforts and falls into conscious sin, and so, being overcome of sin, becomes its slave (“for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on the Spirit and the Letter 52
… They do not observe that in the very mention of free will they pronounce the name of liberty. But “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” If, therefore, they are the slaves of sin, why do they boast of free will? For by what a man is overcome, to the same is he delivered as a slave.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise Concerning Man’s Perfection in Righteousness 9
… Now it is just liberty itself that is promised to believers by the Liberator. “If the Son,” says He, “shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” For, vanquished by the sin into which it fell by its volition, nature has lost liberty. Hence another scripture says, “For of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Marriage and Concupiscence 2.8
… We do not deny free will; but, even as the Truth declares, “if the Son shall make you free, then shall ye be free indeed.” It is yourselves who invidiously deny this Liberator, since you ascribe a vain liberty to yourselves in your captivity. Captives you are; for “of whom a man is overcome,” as the Scripture says, “of the same is he brought in bondage;”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Twelve Books on the Institutes of the Cœnobia, and the Remedies for the Eight Principal Faults 5.13
We also ought first to give evidence of our freedom from subjection to the flesh. For “of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he the slave.”
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Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 The Book of Pastoral Rule 3.34
… For unless they looked back, they would not grow weak with any torpor with regard to their undertaken purpose. Let them hear, then, what is written, It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after they have known it, to be turned backward (
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St Hippolytus † AD 235 The Refutation of All Heresies 9.2
… Never at any time, however, have we been guilty of collusion with them; but we have frequently offered them opposition, and have refuted them, and have forced them reluctantly to acknowledge the truth. And they, abashed and constrained by the truth, have confessed their errors for a short period, but after a little, wallow once again in the same mire.
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Second Arian Persecution under Constantius 1
First of all they persuade Ursacius, Valens and their fellows to change sides again, and like dogs
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) 2.18
… but the Arians are without disguise irreligious against the Father Himself. For hearing from the Scriptures that His Godhead is represented in the Son as in an image, they blaspheme, saying, that it is a creature, and everywhere concerning that Image, they carry about with them the phrase, ‘He was not,’ as mud in a wallet , and spit it forth as serpents
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) 3.25
… Unhappy are they, and the more for that their hurt is from thinking against Christ; for they have fallen from the truth, and are greater traitors than the Jews in denying the Christ, and they wallow
St Ephrem the Syrian † AD 373 Ephraim Syrus: Three Homilies 2.8
… With what eyes dost thou look towards God in prayer? What hands dost thou raise when thou askest pardon? Be ashamed and dismayed for thyself, that thou art void of understanding. If when thy neighbour see thee, thou art ashamed and dismayed, how much more shouldst thou be ashamed before God Who sees all? Thou art like the sow,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 96.7
… sinners, that they may remain sinners? No, saith He. And by what means will they cease to be sinners? “Confession and beauty are before Him.” They honour Him by confession of their sins, they vomit the evils which they had greedily devoured; they return not to their vomit, like the unclean dog;
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 The Book of Pastoral Rule 3.30
… For hence it is written, The dog is returned to his own vomit again, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire (
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 Register of the Epistles of St. Gregory the Great 11.45
… 50 ). But, if they say that a short season of penitence may suffice against sin, so that one may be allowed to return again to sin, rightly does the sentence of the first pastor hit them, when he says, It is happened unto them according to the true proverb; The dog is turned to his own vomit again, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire (
St John of Damascus † AD 749 An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 4.9
It behoves us, then, with all our strength to steadfastly keep ourselves pure from filthy works, that we may not, like the dog returning to his vomit
Ecumenical Councils The Canons of the 318 Holy Fathers Assembled in the City of Nice, in Bithynia 12
… 7), by making unworthy attempts—in some cases by bribery—to recover what they had worthily resigned. (Observe the Grecised Latinism βενεφικίοις and compare the Latinisms of St. Mark, and others in Euseb. iii. 20, vi. 40, x. 5.) This the Council describes in proverbial language, probably borrowed from
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1. There were also false prophets, — namely false seers and teachers, who turned the people away from God to idols and vices, promising them peace and abundance of temporal goods, and mocking the oracles and threats of the true Prophets. For the devil, who is the ape of God, raised up such men in every age, so that just as God had his Prophets, so also he himself might have his own, but false ones, who would attack God and the true Prophets, corrupting true faith and religion with false opinions and superstitions, as Tertullian noted, in his book On the Prescription Against Heretics; Justin in his work Against Trypho; St. Irenaeus, Cyprian, Augustine and others. Such were the Prophets of Baal who opposed Elijah, so as to substitute Baal for God, III Kings XVIII, 19; Zedekiah, Hananiah and others, whom Jeremiah censures, cap. XXVIII; Isaiah, cap. IX, vers. 15; Moses, Deuteronomy XIII, 1, and others. In the people — of the Hebrews, who were the people and Church of the true God. And such shall be among you also. — This is an anastrophe: for these words should be arranged in this manner, just as there were once false prophets among the Jews, so also among you, O Christians, there shall be false teachers. For he then speaks of Christians and their false prophets; but he recalls the ancient ones, both so that Christians might not think this new and unheard of, and so that he might represent the character of the new from the character of the old. Such in the time of St. Peter were Simon Magus, the first heresiarch, to whom succeeded Menander his disciple, then Saturninus, Basilides, Ebion, Cerinthus, the Nicolaitans; and soon there would be the Gnostics, Valentinians, Montanists, Marcionites, etc., whom Tertullian, in his book On the Prescription, cap. IV, calls false prophets, that is, false preachers and false apostles, that is, spurious evangelizers, as he himself interprets. St. Paul predicted that these same men would soon be in the Church, Acts XX, 30, and St. John, in his first epistle cap. II, vers. 2. Thus St. Augustine depicts the Manichaeans of his age, lib. III of the Confessions, cap. VI, and recalls that he was captured by them: "I fell," he says, "among men arrogantly raving, and excessively carnal and talkative, in whose mouth were the snares of the devil, and a net made by the mixture of the syllables of thy name, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Paraclete our comforter, the Holy Spirit. For all these things did not depart from their mouth, but in sound only and the noise of the tongue: yet the heart was empty of truth. And they said: truth and truth, and many said it to me, and it was nowhere in them, but they spoke falsehoods, not only concerning thee, who art truly truth, but also concerning these elements of this world thy creatures, concerning which even the philosophers, speaking truth, I ought to have transgressed for love of thee, my Father most high, beauty of all beautiful things." Who shall bring in, — παρεισάξωσιν, that is, shall secretly, covertly and craftily bring in, putting forward the appearance and mask of their piety and reformation as a heresy; as our Calvinists do, who call themselves the Reformed Church, when it is plainly deformed and deforming, indeed deforming all that is sacred and holy; truly these are ravening wolves, who hide themselves and disguise themselves in the fleece of sheep, as Christ says, Matthew VII, 15. These same are foxes, which destroy the vineyard of the Lord, Song of Songs II, vers. 15, whom St. Cyprian, epistle 73, rightly calls apes imitating men; St. Ignatius to the Trallians, tempering hemlock with wine, innkeepers mixing poison with wine. Hence St. Cyprian, epist. 52; St. Augustine, epist. 165; Irenaeus, lib. III, cap. II, and others cut down heresy and heretics, by arguing against it and convicting it of injustice and rapine, namely that they invade the boundaries of Holy Scripture and the Church, and occupy them as unjust possessors, having expelled the legitimate Bishops and teachers. Excellently does Tertullian, in his work On Prescription Against Heretics, cap. XXI, establish this rule of faith: "That which the Church received from the Apostles, the Apostles from Christ, Christ from God, is to be held," he says; "but all other doctrine is to be prejudged as taught falsely, which savors contrary to the truth of the Churches and the Apostles, and of Christ, and of God;" and in cap. XXXI, he demonstrates the same thing from the parable of the seed and the tares, Matthew XIII, "which good seed of wheat," he says, "sown by the Lord first established, but the sterile adultery of oats and vile hay the enemy devil afterward brings in. Thus from the very order itself it is made manifest, that that is the Lord's and true, which was first handed down: but that which is foreign and false, which was afterward introduced;" and in cap. XXXV, that our orthodox faith is prior, he says: "This will be the testimony of truth wherever it holds the first place. That which is not condemned by the Apostles, but defended, this will be the sign of its genuineness;" and in cap. XXXVII, pressing the prescription: To heretics, he says, it must be said: "Who are you? When and whence did you come? What are you doing in what is mine, not yours? Why, in short, Marcion, do you cut down my forest? By what license, Valentine, do you divert my fountains? By what power, Apelles, do you move my boundaries? Mine is the possession: why do you others sow and feed here according to your will? Mine is the possession: I have possessed it long, I possess it first, I have firm origins from the very authors themselves, to whom the thing belonged. I am the heir of the Apostles. As they provided in their testament, as they entrusted to faith, as they bound by oath, so I hold it: you certainly they always disinherited, and cast off as strangers, as enemies." See Vincent of Lérins in his golden little book against the profane novelties of heresies. Sects of perdition. — In Greek αἱρέσεις ἀπωλείας, that is, heresies of perdition, that is, lost and pernicious ones, which lead to destruction both present and eternal. For heresy not only destroys souls in hell, but often also bodies, wealth and empires in the present life, as we have seen this in the preceding age, Hungary and other provinces occupied by the Turks through heresy and heretics; the greatest battles and slaughters committed by the Huguenots in France, by the Puritans in England and Scotland, by the Lutherans in Germany. Hence their leader, their choragus and instigator is the angel of the abyss, namely the devil, "whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, in Greek Apollyon, in Latin Exterminans," Apocalypse IX, 11. Furthermore, Tertullian, in his work On Prescription, cap. VI: "Heresy," he says, "is called by a Greek word from the interpretation of choice, by which someone either to establish or to receive them makes use. Therefore he also said the heretic is damned to himself, because he has chosen that in which he is damned: but to us it is not permitted to introduce anything from our own judgment, nor even to choose what someone has introduced from his own judgment. We have the Apostles of the Lord as authorities, who themselves chose nothing from their own judgment which they would introduce, but the discipline received from Christ they faithfully delivered to the nations. Therefore, even if an angel from heaven should preach otherwise, let him be anathema to us." A heretic therefore is one who chooses what he believes, and therefore does not believe what the Doctors and the Church teach should be believed. For heresy in Greek is the same as choice; but sect is said to be from cutting, in that it is a faction cut off and separated from others, according to that passage of Jude, verse 19: "These are they who separate themselves." And him that bought them, the Lord they deny. — In Greek ἀρνούμενοι, that is, denying, both in the present and in the future, that is, they deny and will deny, because this is their nature and spirit, namely to deny Christ, as if to say: Heretics deny Christ who redeemed them with his blood: which is of the highest ingratitude equally as madness; for they deny their own Saviour and salvation. Moreover they do this, both because most heresies have denied either the divinity of Christ, or his humanity, or his soul, or his will, or redemption, or grace; or they ascribe to Christ things unworthy and blasphemous, such as ignorance, blasphemy, desperation, damnation, as Calvin does: for he who asserts these things denies Christ to be the redeemer, not in word, but in deed; and because they assail the Sacraments of Christ, faith, doctrine and the Church: this is what the follower of St. Peter, St. Jude, says in verse 4: "Denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ;"; and because Simon Magus denied Christ, and said that he himself was the power of God and Christ; as in this age David George, John of Leyden, and similar fanatics did. Finally every heresy ends at last in atheism, and first denies Christ, then the divine nature and providence, finally God; as we now see heretics teaching that anyone, even a Turk and a Pagan, can be saved in his own faith, and therefore that Christ and Christianity are not necessary: which sect now prevails greatly, against which Prelates and Princes ought to strive with all their might. Bringing upon themselves swift destruction, — because after death, which in this life so hastens upon them and presses them, they bring upon themselves eternal fire. Moreover very many heresiarchs were taken away by unhappy, swift and infamous death. Simon Magus, flying by magical art, was cast down from the Capitol by the prayers of St. Peter, and falling headlong broke his legs, and shortly after died from the pain, as Arnobius testifies, book II Against the Gentiles; St. Maximus, homily 5 On the Nativity of Sts. Peter and Paul, and Hegesippus, book III On the Destruction of Jerusalem, chapter II. Manes, who called himself Manichaeus as if a pourer forth of manna, was flayed by the king of the Persians, because he had killed his son whom he had promised to cure, as Epiphanius testifies, heresy 66. Montanus with his Prophetesses strangled himself with a noose, says Eusebius, book V, chapter XVI. The Donatists, throwing the Eucharist to dogs, were torn apart by them, says Optatus, book II Against Parmenion. Arius, going to the church to seize it, seized with pain of the belly, poured out his intestines with his soul in the latrines, as Rufinus testifies, book X of History, chapter XIII. Julian the Apostate, fighting against the Persians, was struck by a heavenly weapon and died, says St. Gregory Nazianzen, oration 1 against Julian. Priscillian was beheaded by the tyrant Maximus. Leo the Armenian, an iconoclast, was killed in the very church. Heraclius the Emperor, having become a Monothelite, met a sudden and foul death, since he could do nothing but urinate upon his own face, says Zonaras in the Annals. Theodoric, king of the Arian Goths, a horrible death and damnation is narrated by St. Gregory, IV Dialogues, chapter XXX. Valens the Arian, defeated by the Goths, fleeing into a house, was burned in it by them, says St. Jerome in the Chronicle. Nestorius—worms ate his blasphemous tongue, says Evagrius, book I of History, chapter VII. Huneric the Arian, persecutor of the faithful, was consumed by worms, says Victor, book III of the Vandals. Anastasius the Emperor, a Eutychian, was struck by lightning and fell, says Zonaras, and Paul the Deacon in his Life. Luther, after a rich supper, died suffocated in the night, as Cochlaeus testifies in the Life of Luther. Zwingli in the Swiss war, promising that he would ward off all the weapons of the Catholics, was killed by them. Andreas Carlstadt was snatched away by a demon and did not appear. Calvin, like Herod, consumed by worms, blaspheming and swearing, breathed out his wretched soul, as Bolsec testifies in his Life.
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2. And many shall follow their riotousness. — In Greek ἀπωλείαις, that is, destructions and ruinations. But the Royal, Complutensian, and other editions read ἀσελγείαις, that is, wantonness, riotousness, intemperance. This is what Jude says in verse 4, that heretics have turned the grace of our God into riotousness. And Paul calls them lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, II Timothy III, 4. St. Jerome in chapter III of Jeremiah expressly says, "that no heresy is constructed except on account of gluttony and the belly, so as to seduce women laden with sins;" and in chapter IX of Hosea: "It is difficult," he says, "to find a heretic who loves chastity." Well known are the sacrileges and monstrous lusts of Calvin, Luther, Beza and others. Wherefore Thomas More, when someone objected to him that many were turning to Luther's sect, and therefore it seemed to be true, replied shrewdly: "There is no more miracle in men running to Luther than in stones falling down from on high;" for most run and fall to gluttony, lust and the liberty of the flesh, like pigs to a wallow, which Luther permits, nay teaches. By whom the way of God shall be blasphemed. — Hebrew דרך derech, that is, way, signifies an institution, a norm and manner of living. The "way" therefore "of God" is the true religion and Christianity sanctified by God; this is blasphemed by heretics, both in deed and in life, because they defile it with impure morals, and expose it to Turks and Pagans to be mocked and blasphemed; both in tongue and in writing, because they teach many blasphemous errors, and cast many insults and blasphemies against Christ, the Blessed Virgin, the Saints, Religious, Monks, vows, fasts, celibacy, the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist.
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3. And in avarice with feigned words. — He alludes to merchants who with feigned words and artfully composed speech, beyond the truth praise and extol their wares, so that they may more easily thrust them upon others and sell them at a higher price. Thus indeed heretics, in order to sell and spread their heresy, adorn it with bland and elegant words, and as it were paint a harlot with the seduction of speech, so that it may appear beautiful and elegant like Helen. Whence for "feigned" in Greek it is πλαστοῖς, that is, as Pagninus and the Zurich Bible have it, factitious, or rather fictitious, because after the manner of plasterers and potters they fabricate many things, so that they may veil, clothe and adorn the idol of their heresy. This is what Paul says in Romans XVI, 18: "By sweet words and blessings they seduce the hearts of the innocent;" and St. Gregory, in the fifth book of the Morals, chapter XI, or otherwise XII: "Truly always bland are," he says, "the things which they propose, but harsh are the things which they bring in by pursuing;" and St. Jerome, in his letter to Oceanus and Pammachius: "Thus," he says, "they temper words, thus they turn the order about, and they also compose ambiguous things, so that they may hold both our confession and that of the adversaries, lest the heretic be heard differently from the Catholic;" as the Arians, in order to remove ὁμοούσιον, that is consubstantial, said that Christ is ὁμοιούσιον, that is, similar to the Father in substance, so that they might seem to say the same thing as the orthodox; but by adding a single iota to ὁμοιούσιον or ὁμοούσιον they overturned it, as St. Cyril testifies, Dialogue on the Trinity, book I. Most excellently St. Augustine, in the book On the Harmony of the Decalogue with the Ten Plagues of Egypt: Those who, he says, contradict Christian truth, "and deceived in their vanity deceive, are frogs, bringing indeed tedium to the ears, but providing no food to the minds." But these frogs are struck silent by the light of the Church and truth, according to that saying of the Poet: Struck by the light the frogs cease to curse, And the sophist conquered by the light of truth is silent. The same, in sermon 87 On the Seasons, compares them to gnats, which flying you do not see, but feel stinging. For the heretic "pierces souls with minute and subtle stings of words, and circumvents with such cunning, that each deceived one neither sees nor understands whence he is deceived." The same, in book V of the Confessions, chapter III On Faustus the Manichaean: "Faustus," he says, "was a great snare of the devil, and many were entangled in him through the allurement of his sweet speech;" and in chapter VI: "I experienced a man pleasing and agreeable in words, and speaking those very things which the Manichaeans are accustomed to say, much more sweetly;" but he adds that his thirst for true wisdom could not be satisfied by him, especially when "it appeared that he was ignorant of those arts," he says, "in which I thought him to excel," etc. For their books are full of very long fables about heaven, and the stars, and the sun, and the moon. Whence St. Augustine confesses that, leaving him, he transferred himself elsewhere to seek wisdom. They shall make merchandise of you, — ἐμπορεύσονται, that is, shall traffic in you; Vatable, shall huckster you, shall abuse you for gain; both because they will fleece your purses, and because they will sell you to the devil. Therefore avarice is the proper vice of heretics, but contempt of riches is that of the Apostles and orthodox Doctors. Whence Paul preached freely, I Corinthians IX, 13, and I Thessalonians II, 5. This is what Paul says to Titus I, 10: "Who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of base gain;" and Jude, verse 16: "Admiring persons for the sake of gain." Whence painting them graphically St. Ignatius, in epistle 3: "Whose god," he says, "is their belly, who savour of earthly things, lovers of pleasures and not of God; bearing indeed the appearance of piety, but denying the power thereof; χριστέμποροι, that is, merchants of Christ, preaching the word of God in shops, and selling our Lord Jesus Christ, corruptors of women, coveting the things of others, and lovers of money." Whose judgment now of old ceaseth not, — as if to say "Judgment," that is punishment and damnation by the just judgment of God from of old, namely from eternity, decreed for them does not delay, but presses on and threatens, although they themselves here triumph as if secure, blessed and happy. In Greek οὐκ ἀργεῖ, that is, does not idle, that is, as Oecumenius says, will not be idle or vain, does not slumber, does not grow sluggish, but proceeds strenuously and hastens. Whence explaining it he adds: "And their destruction slumbereth not." This is what Isaiah thunders to sinners, XXX, 33: "Tophet is prepared from yesterday, prepared by the king, deep and enlarged. The nourishment thereof is fire and much wood: the breath of the Lord like a torrent of brimstone kindling it:" see the things said there.
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4. If God spared not the angels that sinned. — Understand, much more will He not spare vile men, namely heretics, as Peter explains, verses 9 and 11. Thus Cassian, book XII of the Institutes, chapter IV, and Damascene, I Paralipomenon VI. By "sinning," understand also those persisting in their sin unto the end: "For what death is in man, this is a fall or lapse in angels," namely the end of the way, of penance and of merits, says Nyssenus or rather Nemesius, book I On Man, chapter III, and from him Damascene, book II, chapter IV. Just as therefore man is a wayfarer until death, and can repent and be saved: so also the angels had some space, though brief, in which they were wayfarers until their fall from heaven, in which they could have repented, says Nyssenus, if they had wished; but they did not wish, and therefore all fell and were damned, as the Fathers and Doctors teach everywhere. Nor does St. Thomas seem to have wished anything else, I part., Question LXIII and LXIV, when he says that the nature of angels according to the will is inflexible, so that in what it once deliberately chose, it persists constantly, as indeed all both good and bad persisted in their choice: for he understood it to be inflexible because it is scarcely bent, in that it considers and perceives all things exactly beforehand before choosing, which man often does not do, and therefore is more easily bent and changes his purpose. Otherwise indeed the angel, since he is most free, is absolutely flexible, and can change his choice, as Scotus proves in II, dist. 6, Question II, and Gabriel there Question I, art. 2. It is credible however that God did not give them the grace exciting to penance that was necessary, because they sinned most freely, and hardened themselves in sin, as St. Gregory teaches, II Morals, chapter III or IV; Cassian, collation IV, chapters XIII and XIV; Prosper, book I On the Contemplative Life, chapter III; Fulgentius, On Faith, chapter III; Isidore, book I On the Highest Good, chapter XII, opinion II; St. Anselm, book I Why God Became Man, chapter XVI. And for this reason some Doctors hold that demons, as soon as they fell into sin, were at the end of their way, and therefore could not rise again through penance and be saved; yet the sentence of damnation pronounced upon all was not from God unless their perseverance and obstinacy in sin was consummated: which being pronounced, they were immediately hurled from heaven into the depths. See Gabriel Vasquez, I part., Question LXIV, art. 2, disp. 239, chapter VII, where he also recounts from the Fathers five reasons why God spared sinning man, not the angel. The first is, because man, fragile through the weakness of the flesh, sinned, and therefore obtained mercy: but the angel is a pure and vigorous spirit, says St. Gregory, IV Morals, chapter IX, otherwise X, and Damascene, book II On Faith, chapter III. The second, because the angel sinned with no one persuading, but man sinned with the devil persuading: thus St. Gregory in the place cited. The third, because in angels not the whole nature fell, but a part of it; in man however the whole nature fell: the posterity of Adam therefore, he sinning, were worthy of pardon, because they were not conscious of his sin: thus St. Augustine, Enchiridion, chapter XXIX. The fourth, because the angel on account of the supreme perspicacity of mind sinned with full will: thus Cassian, collation IV, chapter III. The fifth, because the angel was created in the highest order of honor which he could have in the way, and was to be confirmed only through contemplation of his Creator; therefore having fallen from there, he was not recalled through penance: but man, placed on earth, destined for generation, so that from there he might pass to a better life without death, was constituted in a state more remote from blessedness; and therefore more space was constituted for man than for the angel, and penance was granted to man, not to the angel: thus the Author of Wonders of Holy Scripture in St. Augustine, book I, chapter II. Moreover, the sin of Lucifer and the angels was pride, because, instigated by Lucifer, they rebelled against God; but in what it consisted, the Doctors vary. First, Gabriel Biel and Scotus in II, dist. 5, hold that it consisted in this, that they took excessive pleasure in their own beauty and excellence. Second, others hold that it consisted in this, that they were unwilling to depend upon God, but to live for themselves and to be self-sufficient. Third, others hold that it consisted in this, that they wished to arrogate beatitude to themselves and to attain it by their own powers, not God's: thus Alexander, Albertus, St. Thomas, St. Bonaventura in II, dist. 5 and 6. Fourth, others hold that it consisted in this, that they wished to be preferred to others and to be subject to none: thus St. Augustine, lib. XIV De Civitate cap. XI, and St. Gregory, XXXIV Moral., cap. XVII, otherwise XIV: "They," he says, "sought the right of liberty, that they might rule over others, and be subject to none." Fifth, probably Francis Suarez, lib. VII De Angelis, cap. XVIII, num. 13, holds that they coveted the hypostatic union of the Word, namely that this union should be conferred upon one of the angelic order, namely upon Lucifer their prince, not upon some man, namely Christ. For Lucifer seems to have coveted this union, and to have envied it to Christ, and therefore to have urged others to consent with him. The Apostle hints at this same thing, Hebr. cap. I, vers. 6, saying: "And when he again bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith: And let all the angels of God adore him." Catharinus holds the same opinion here, and Tertullian hints at it, lib. De Patientia; St. Basil, homil. De Invidia; St. Cyprian, tract. De Zelo et livore; St. Bernard, serm. 1 De Adventu; Rupertus in cap. VIII, vers. 5 Joannis, and others. But with chains (some wrongly read in Bede, with rust) of hell, dragged down into Tartarus, he delivered to be tormented. — With chains, that is, with infernal chains, namely by binding them with fire and hell, so that by no power or force can they shake them off, or free themselves from them. In Greek it is σειραῖς ζόφου, that is, chains of darkness, or of night. By "chains of hell" St. Peter signifies the power, right and force which hell had and exercised, as it were the minister and officer of God, upon the angels in heaven immediately upon their sinning, and being condemned by God, so that hell, with Michael casting them down together with the good angels, by its supernatural force, insofar as it was the instrument of divine vengeance, would draw them to itself from the heavens, and bind them to itself as a torturer and torment, inseparably and indivisibly; just as that same infernal fire holds the demons wandering wherever on earth, so that they cannot escape its activity anywhere. Just as therefore vehement fire seeks its fuel, and so if it smells straw or stubble even from a distance, immediately it seizes them, grasps them and sets them on fire: so also the fire of hell, having smelled its fuel in heaven, namely demons, immediately snatched them to itself, dragged them down and inflamed them, and made them bellows and fuel of Gehenna. Note here a paradox: for then hell had right over heaven, that is, over the angels in heaven, and therefore heaven was as it were hell, indeed subject to hell. Nor is this strange: for it is more strange that the sin of angels was in heaven, than the punishment of sin. Here see and gather from this punishment, how great is the gravity of sin and pride, which changed heaven as it were into hell, and angels into demons. Yet they can more easily in Greek refer "chains of hell" not to the word dragged down, but to the word delivered, as if to say: God delivered the sinning angels and consigned them to the prison and fire of hell, and bound them there perpetually, and as it were with certain chains, or, as the Greek has it, chains of darkness bound and most firmly constrained them, so that they can never shake them off or escape. These therefore chains and ropes are nothing other than the barriers of hell. Whence St. Augustine, lib. XI De Civit., cap. XXXIII, and St. Gregory, lib. VIII Moral., cap. XI, read thus: "But thrusting them back into the prisons of the darkness of hell, he delivered them to be reserved for punishment, or to be tormented in judgment." St. Cyprian depicts these chains graphically, De Laudibus martyrii: "Raging," he says, "the place which is called Gehenna, with great wailing and groaning of those lamenting, and with tormenting flames through the horrible night of thick darkness, always breathes forth the savage fires of a smoking furnace, a mass of flames is compressed and blocked up, and is released into various outlets of punishment. Then many kinds of torments, then it coils upon itself whatever heat the devouring flame has emitted in burning. Those to whom the voice of the Lord was refused, and his commands were despised, it restrains with unequal deaths, and for the exact merit of salvation it supplies its forces, while the distinction of crime imposes the penalty." And these things indeed are universally altogether true. But soon distinguishing the individual kinds of punishments: "And some indeed," he says, "are bent down by intolerable weight; others are hurled headlong down a steep and precipitous slope by savage force, and the heavy weight inclines the grating chain-bonds. There are also those whom the wheel constrains tightly and unceasing rotation, and those whom bodies adhering to bodies hold fast in mutual dense compactness; so that fire consumes, iron weighs down, and a multitude of many torments tortures them." These things indeed, unless you understand them metaphorically and improperly, appear fabulous and similar to the fictions of poets: for although it is certain that the damned in hell are tormented in various punishments and ways, nevertheless in demons, who do not have a body, these things cannot take place unless one says that demons in hell assume horrible bodies, so that they may torment damned men more, and may themselves be tormented more, which Isaiah suggests, XXXIV, 14, as I said there. Furthermore, from the fact that the Greek has "chains of darkness," many understand by darkness not hell, but this thick air; and from this they teach that this air is full of demons: for part of the demons have been thrust into hell, but part wander here to tempt all, which on the day of judgment will be relegated to tartarus: thus St. Jerome, in cap. VI to the Ephesians, verse 12; St. Chrysostom, homily 11 in the first epistle to the Thessalonians; Tertullian, Apology cap. XXII; Theodoret, lib. IV On the Affections of the Greeks; St. Antony in St. Athanasius; St. Augustine, On the Nature of Good, cap. XXXIII, and VIII of the City of God, XXII, and tract. 95 in John, and elsewhere; who also adds that this lowest air can be called hell. This opinion is true, but does not agree with our version, which has "with the ropes of hell:" for these are not in the air; nor does it agree with the Greek ταρταρώσας, that is, hurling into tartarus. Wherefore this darkness must be understood in hell, as Jude explains, verse 6, saying: "He kept with eternal chains under darkness;" for in hell are the eternal chains of demons, not in the air. Note: τὸ "did not spare" contains a meiosis: for it says little, but signifies far more, as if to say "He did not spare," but pronounced upon them an irrevocable sentence of damnation, according to that in I Kings cap. XV, verse 29: "The Triumpher in Israel will not spare, and will not be bent by repentance; for he is not a man, that he should do penance." Wherefore the error of Origen, long since condemned, that demons are someday to be recalled by God and saved, is false. To this is added Ambrosiaster in cap. III to the Ephesians, asserting that some of the demons were freed by Paul from error, sin and the tyranny of Lucifer. Some refer to this that passage of Severus Sulpicius, which he himself ascribes to St. Martin in his Life, cap. XXIV, where he narrates that St. Martin said to the devil possessing a demoniac: "If you wish to repent and be converted, God will have mercy on you." But if St. Martin said this, he did not say absolutely that God would have mercy on the devil, but conditionally, namely if he wished to repent; yet this condition is impossible: for the demon is obstinate in evil and utterly impenitent, neither wishes nor is able to repent: therefore it is equally impossible according to the ordinary law that God should have mercy on him. Wherefore most truly St. Augustine, lib. XXI of the City of God, XXIII: "Let it be held," he says, "fixed and immovable, that the devil and his angels will have no return to justice and the life of the saints; because Scripture, which deceives no one, says to them that God did not spare them, and thus they are among the impious pre-damned by him, so that thrust back into the prisons of the darkness of hell they would be kept, and at the last judgment punished, when eternal fire receives them, where they will be tormented for ever and ever." Cast down into tartarus. — In Greek it is more significant: ταρταρώσας, that is, Tartarizing, striking with lightning, hurling into tartarus. Now tartarus, and in the plural tartara, are said ἀπὸ τοῦ ταράσσειν, that is to disturb; or rather ἀπὸ τοῦ ταρταρίζειν, that is from tartaric trembling of cold; tartarus therefore signifies a place of the greatest cold: thus from Hesiod Plutarch, in the work On the First Cold. Just as therefore hell is called gehenna from fire and heat, so the same is called tartarus from cold and frost, according to that in Job cap. XXIV, verse 19: "Let him pass from the waters of the snow to excessive heat," which Philip the Presbyter, Bede, Lyra, St. Thomas, Studita and others explain of hell. The same is signified by the gnashing of teeth, of which Christ speaks in Matthew XXV, 30 and 41. For this gnashing arises from cold. Whence Bede, lib. V of the History of the English, relates that St. Diethelmum saw souls in Purgatory rising from fires to snows. Tartarus therefore is the deep and lowest place of the infernal regions, says Servius and Suidas. Whence Virgil, VI Aeneid: Then Tartarus itself opens twice into the abyss so far, and stretches beneath the shadows, As much as the ethereal heaven of Olympus is looked up to. The same in the same place: Hence the way which bears to the waves of infernal Acheron; Here a turbid gulf seethes with mud and vast chasm, And eructates all the sand into Cocytus. Which the rapid river Phlegethon, Tartarean, surrounds with flames, And torments the resounding rocks. Lucretius, book III: Tartarus eructating horrible heats from its jaws. You will ask from what place the demons were dragged down, and consequently where were they created? I answer, first, St. Augustine, book III On Genesis according to the letter, chapter X, and Rupertus in Genesis, book I, chapter XI, held that they were created in the upper air, which is near to heaven, and from there were dragged down. The same opinion was held by Eugubinus, book VII of Perennial Philosophy, chapter XXXVIII, but falsely based on the foundation, namely that angels are corporeal, and as to body were created from air. Second, St. Jerome (whom our Lorinus and Ascanius Martinengus in Genesis chapter 1, and Francis Suarez, tract. On Angels, book I, chapter IV follow), book VI in Isaiah chapter XIV, verse 13, explaining that passage of Lucifer: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven," holds that Lucifer and the demons were created in the firmament, or the eighth sphere, in which are the stars and heavenly bodies, and from there wished to ascend into the empyrean heaven. Third, St. Augustine, XI On Genesis according to the letter, chapters XVII and XIX, holds that demons were created in this lower world, but the good angels in heaven. Fourth, St. Thomas, I part., Question LXI, article 4, to 2, suggests that the lower angels, who preside over creatures, such as the heavens and elements, were created in those very places, but the others in the empyrean heaven. Fifth, others everywhere hold that all angels, both good and bad, were created in the empyrean heaven, and from there the bad ones were cast down into Tartarus by Michael and his companions: thus the Gloss, Bede, homily 2 of the Hexaemeron, which work others ascribe to Junilus; the Master of the Sentences in II, distinction 2; St. Thomas and the Scholastics, I part., Question LXI, article 4. The reason is, first, because angels are the noblest creatures and the purest spirits: therefore the noblest and purest place was owed to them; such is the empyrean heaven. Second, because angels were created on the first day of the world, namely with the world itself. On the first day, however, only the empyrean heaven, the earth and the abyss of waters were created: for the other heavens were created on the fourth day of the world, as I showed in Genesis chapter 1, verses 1 and following. Therefore it was necessary that all angels be created in no heaven other than the empyrean. Third, the empyrean heaven is immobile; for the other heavens are moved and carried by the motion of the first mover, but angels are quiet and stable; nor does it befit them to be carried along like the heavens, or their place and home to be carried while they remain unmoved, so that their seat and place be taken from them: therefore they were created in the immobile heaven, namely the empyrean. Fourth, because in the empyrean is the seat and throne of the glory of God; the attendants of that are angels: therefore, etc. Furthermore, the passage of Isaiah does not conclude that Lucifer was created in the firmament; for the meaning of Isaiah is different, as I said there: otherwise from the same passage it would have to be concluded that Lucifer was created in the lowest region of the air; for he says: "I will ascend above the height of the clouds; nay, I will sit in the mount of the covenant in the sides of the North," that is, in the mount and temple of Sion. Isaiah therefore speaks of an earthly man, namely of the king of Babylon, as he himself says verse 4, not of the devil. You will say: Adam was created outside Paradise, and was transferred by God into Paradise: therefore likewise it was fitting that angels not be created in the place of glory, which is the empyrean heaven, but be transferred to it through merits. I answer, I deny the consequence; and to the antecedent I say that Adam was created outside Paradise, because he himself was earthly and lord of the whole earth, and his descendants were to be scattered through all regions of the earth. Add that it is almost the same to be created in Paradise and immediately from creation to be placed gratuitously in Paradise, as happened to Adam; hence Eve also was created in Paradise: but to angels on account of the excellence of their nature no other place was fitting than the empyrean heaven. Furthermore, if Adam contaminated Paradise by sinning, what wonder if Lucifer also contaminated the empyrean heaven by sinning? For not the place, but the sinning person is properly contaminated by sin. Note: St. Peter compares and equates heresiarchs here with Lucifer, heretics with demons, their heresy with sin, both in guilt and in punishment. First, because Lucifer sinned through intolerable pride, so also the heresiarch. Second, because Lucifer and demons rebelled against God and the heavenly Church: thus also heretics rebel against God and the earthly Church. Third, Lucifer with demons committed the crime of lèse-majesté against the divine majesty; for he wished to invade his throne when he said: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will be like the Most High," Isaiah XIV, 13. Thus also heretics commit the crime of lèse-majesté against the divine majesty, because they attack his truth, faith, religion, worship, Church, and Sacraments; and therefore they strive to introduce a new god as it were, a new faith, religion, Church, in which the heresiarch presides as an earthly Lucifer, assisted by heretics who believe in him as if they were angels and demons. Fourth, Lucifer strives to draw all, both angels and men, with him into ruin: thus the heresiarch seduces many and drags them with him into destruction and hell. Fifth, because Lucifer is the author of all heresy, and therefore many heresiarchs had demons as associates and familiars, as I showed in I Timothy IV, 1. Whence Cassian, Collation VII, cap. XXXII, affirms that he heard a demon confessing that through Arius and Eunomius he had produced the impiety of a sacrilegious dogma. Indeed, Luther, in his book On the Angular Mass, and to the Elector of Saxony, confesses that he ate with the devil more than a peck of salt, and received from him arguments by which he attacked the Mass. Calvin, when Bucer objected to him about his zeal for railing and cursing, responds in a letter to the same man, that this is a disease of his not so much of his intellect as of his genius, certainly an evil one; for he is impelled by a certain genius, so that whether he writes or preaches, he constantly curses and rails. Zwingli, in his book On the Supplement to the Eucharist, professes that he was taught at night the manner of distorting the words of consecration: "This is my body," namely by explaining body through the figure of a body; and he adds that he does not know whether this genius was white or black. Carlstadt was seized by a demon, which is public report. Hosius, in his book On Heresies, writes that some adored the devil ten times a day, and from this were called Demoniacs. This is relevant to what Tertullian, in his book On Prescription, cap. XLIII and following, writes, that heretics have dealings with Magi; indeed that the first heresiarch Simon and his disciple Menander were magicians. In this age there is a sect of Diabolists, who boast that they are sorcerers and marked with the character of the devil, which when they have grown warm with wine, they do not fear to show on their naked flesh. It has been heard from their own confession that their number has grown to sixty thousand in the Gauls. They say they believe something when it is expedient: conversely they believe nothing when it is thus expedient: thus from the Parisian book Rescius in the Century of Sects. Let each one beware of them as of the devil, especially princes; for they strive to insinuate themselves into their courts and minds, so as to be their counselors, by simulation of wisdom. See our Delrio in the preface to the Disquisitions on Magic, where he recounts five causes why magic accompanies heresy: whence Apocalypse cap. IX, vers. 3, the locusts representing heretics, come forth from the pit of the abyss. Hence also Antichrist, who will be the head and prince of heretics, will be so possessed by the devil that he will appear to be an incarnate demon. Whence concerning him the Apostle says II Thessalonians II, 9: "Whose coming is according to the operation of Satan in all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and in all seduction of iniquity." Sixth, just as Lucifer is the lowest in hell, so also heresiarchs are the deepest in hell, as it were assessors of Lucifer. Wherefore St. Chrysostom Against the Arians thus concludes: "Arius is, therefore the devil is." St. Athanasius, however, in his second sermon Against the Arians, calls Arius an atheist. St. Augustine, XXI On the City of God, XXV, teaches that a heretic is worse than a pagan. He gives the reason: "Since he is certainly worse who is a deserter of the faith and has become an opponent of it from being a deserter, than he who did not desert what he never held." And Tertullian, in his book On Patience: "Pagans," he says, "by not believing believe" many things about God known by natural light; "but heretics by believing do not believe," because they say they believe the word of God, when in fact they do not believe." He delivered them to be tormented, reserved for judgment. — St. Peter speaks of demons as of defendants already condemned to extreme punishment: for after the sentence of damnation they are delivered to a jailer, that he may keep them in prison and bind them, until they are led out to punishment. In like manner God has enslaved demons to hell until the day of judgment and punishment. Although indeed τὸ cruciandos is not in the Greek, yet it is understood. Gagneius suspects that our interpreter read ταριχομένους, that is, those who are preserved, or τετηρημένους, that is, preserved, that is, to be preserved, for τηρουμένους, that is, those who are kept, and for that rendered cruciandos (to be tormented): and indeed some codices have κολαζομένους, that is, those who are punished and tormented. Some from this place and similar ones, as Matthew cap. VIII, vers. 29, where demons beseech Christ not to send them into the abyss, have thought that demons are not yet tormented by the fire of hell, but are to be tormented by it after the day of judgment: thus it seems St. Justin speaks, Against Trypho; Irenaeus, lib. V, cap. XXXIII; St. Hilary, can. 8 in Matthew; Eusebius, IV History, XVII or XVIII; Lactantius, lib. VII, cap. XXVI. But it is certain that all demons, even those who wander in this air, are tormented by the fire of hell, whether because that fire acts at a distance, or because they invisibly carry that fire with them and are bound to it: for God therefore cast them down into tartarus, that they might be perpetually tormented and burned there. Wherefore the Fathers already cited must be explained as speaking of accidental punishment: for this punishment will increase for demons on the day of judgment. First, because in the universal judgment, before all angels and men, they will receive from Christ the judge a public sentence of damnation, whose face and wrath will be so horrible, that demons and the damned would prefer to remain in hell and be tormented there, rather than go forth into the valley of Josaphat to judgment, according to that in the Apocalypse VI, 16: "They say to the mountains and to the rocks: Fall upon us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of their wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?" Secondly, because in the judgment all liberty to wander through the earth will be taken from them, and to tempt and destroy men, and they will be shut up in hell as in a perpetual prison, never to go forth from thence; which will greatly torment them: whence demons besought Christ not to send them into the abyss, Matthew cap. VIII. Thirdly, because in the judgment all Angels and the Blessed with Christ will condemn them and rebuke them, I Corinthians VI, 3; Wisdom V, 1. Again, demons in the judgment will see the glory of Angels and Saints, and them succeeding and being raised to thrones and seats once destined for themselves, while they themselves are thrust down into hell, which will greatly torment them. Fourthly, because then all the damned and demons together will be thrust into hell, where each one, seeing the torments of all the others, will be tormented by the same, especially because one curses another there and execrates him, afflicts and torments him, especially those who tempted him to sin, and were therefore the cause of his damnation, as demons were. This is what St. John says, Apocalypse XX, 9: "The devil who seduced them, was cast into the pool of fire and brimstone, where both the beast and the false prophet shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." In hell therefore all torment one another, gnash and tear each other like mad dogs. This is what St. Clement, VII Const. XXXIII, says, that Christ will come to judge the devil, the deceiver of the world. And Lactantius, lib. VII, 26: On the day of judgment, he says, "The Lord will seize them (the impious, namely Satan) with their ministers, and condemn them to punishment; with whom likewise all the multitude of the impious for their crimes in the sight of angels and the just will be burned in perpetual fire for eternity." Finally St. Bonaventure, in IV, dist. XXVII, art. 1, Quaest. IV, hints that an essential part of the punishment of demons is also deferred to the day of judgment; yet this is not approved by others generally.
2:5
5. And spared not the original world. — In Greek ἀρχαίου κόσμου, which Pagninus and Vatablus translate as the ancient world; Clarius, the old; Gagneius, the rude and ignorant, namely in the knowledge of God and things of salvation. He calls therefore the "original" world the ancient and primeval, which was before the flood: for then was the origin of the world and of men in Adam, from whom Noah was the tenth, under whom God punished this entire world with the flood, because it was ungrateful, and forgetful of its recent origin and creation and of its Creator, having turned to the flesh and to crimes; especially since the descendants of Seth joined marriages with the descendants of Cain, as is related in Genesis VI. After the example of the punishment of demons, St. Peter proposes the example of the flood, by which God drowned all sinners and destroyed the entire world, so that each impious person, especially a heretic, might reflect with himself: If God spared not the whole world, therefore neither will He spare me, who am one and alone. Note, just as a little before St. Peter compared heretics and heresiarchs to Lucifer and devils, so here he compares the same to giants; for these were the cause of the flood. First therefore, just as giants were born from the lust of the sons of God, namely the descendants of Seth, with the daughters of men, namely of Cain, Genesis VI, 4: so lust has driven many monks and apostates to heresy, so that they become ministers of heretics. Secondly, because giants were proud and ἄθεοι: so also heretics are most proud Titans, who fight against Christ and God, and finally become atheists and introduce atheism. Thirdly, just as giants were tyrants and oppressors of men, so also are heretics. Fourthly, just as Nemrod and the giants built the tower of Babel as if about to fight against heaven and God: so also heretics build the Church of schism and confusion, which Babel signifies, so that they might assail both the heavenly Church and the earthly. Fifthly, just as God drowned the giants in the flood and cast them down into Tartarus, so also He casts down heretics: see what is said concerning the giants, Genesis VI. But Noah, the eighth, a preacher of justice, He preserved. — Titelmannus thinks Noah was the eighth from Adam; but he is mistaken: for he was the tenth from him. He is called therefore the eighth, namely of those who were saved through the ark: for St. Peter alludes to what he said in his first epistle, III, 20: "Eight souls," that is men, "were saved by water;" therefore Noah was the eighth of them. Others from Josephus, book I of Antiquities, chapters IV and V, think Noah was the eighth preacher of justice, because he followed seven generations, in which the descendants of Seth cultivated justice and holiness. Others think "eighth" is said because he was born in the eight-hundredth year, not from the creation of the world: for from it he was born in the year 1050; but from the beginning of impiety and corruption of the world, which had lasted before Noah for seven hundred years. Others imagine seven other preachers of justice in that age, whom Scripture does not express, of whom Noah was the eighth. But the first sense is the genuine one. Furthermore Philo, in the book On the Congress for the sake of acquiring learning, notes that Noah, who is the first in Scripture to be called just, was the tenth from Adam: "So that," he says, "he might openly teach, that just as the number ten, which follows unity thereafter, is the most perfect: so justice in the soul is truly the end of the life of actions." Note: Noah is called a preacher of justice. First, because he foretold the just vengeance of crimes hanging over the world through the imminent flood. Secondly, because he himself was a cultivator of justice and holiness, and preached it by word and example. Thirdly, because he was a Prophet and foretold the coming of the Just One, namely Christ, that he himself would assume flesh; and therefore it would be unworthy to stain the flesh with gluttony and lust, which the Son of God was about to exalt to divinity. Hence Josephus, book I of Antiquities, chapter IV: "Noah," he says, "bearing with difficulty and indignation the deeds of the men of his age, persuaded them to change their minds and works for the better. But when he saw that they did not obey him, and all succumbed to the sweetness of vices, fearing lest they destroy both himself and his family, withdrawing with his own he migrated to another region. And God, delighted with the justice of the man, not only condemned the malice of others, but when He had decreed to extinguish the entire human race, and to establish another new and pure from vices, first He circumscribed their life within a shorter span, and abolishing longevity confined it within one hundred and twenty years; then He transformed the continuous land into the face of the sea, and thus abolished that entire race." Wherefore St. Paul thus celebrates Noah and his faith and justice, chapter XI to the Hebrews 7: "By faith Noah, being warned of things not yet seen, moved with fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his house, by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the justice which is by faith." And St. Ambrose, book I On Noah, chapter 1: "Noah," he says, "the Lord God reserved to renew the seed of men, that he might be a seminary of justice, etc., so that while we consider holy Noah with greater attention, we ourselves may be refreshed, just as all mankind rested in him from his works and sorrow. Whence also Noah is said in Latin to mean just, or rest." And soon after he adds: "That justice alone is that which, born rather for others than for itself, seeks not what is useful to itself, but what is useful to all. This makes us rest from works of iniquity, recalls us from sorrow by light; because while we do those things which are just, we fear nothing by the security of a pure conscience." And in chapter XX, he teaches that on account of the justice of Noah was made the restoration of the human race, lest the whole body of mankind either be seen abolished on earth, or be left cut off from the grace of God, etc. "And therefore the just man whom the Lord did not see, sought Him, free from corruption, desirous of eternity." The same St. Ambrose in Psalm CXVIII, octon. 7, asserts "that Enoch on account of devotion was caught up to heaven, escaped the poison of earthly malice; that Noah on account of justice, victor of the flood, became survivor of the human race; that Abraham on account of faith, spread the seed of his posterity throughout the whole world; that Israel on account of endurance of labors, consecrated a people of believers with the seal of his own name; that David on account of meekness was honored with royal dignity, preferred before his elder brothers; that Elias on account of zeal for God was lifted up in a chariot into the air and acquired the dwelling of a heavenly seat for a new race of inhabitants;" see St. Augustine, sermon 46 On the Times, where he demonstrates and celebrates the charity and holiness of Noah. He kept — both in justice and in life, lest he perish in the flood, but that he might be the preserver and restorer of the human race, and father and patriarch of the new age after the flood. Bringing the flood upon the world of the impious. — He calls "the world of the impious" not the impious alone, but the whole world full of the impious: for the whole world on account of the impious, together with them was submerged in the flood. Concerning Noah and the flood, see what is said in Genesis VI.
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6. And reducing the cities of the Sodomites and Gomorrites to ashes. — St. Peter proposed to the impious, namely heretics, first, the punishment of demons; second, the vengeance of the flood. Here third, he proposes the conflagration of Sodom and Gomorrah on account of unspeakable crimes and perverted lusts. Wherefore deservedly the Emperor Justinian, in Novella Constitution 77, forbidding them, calls them unlawful, impious and diabolical lusts, on account of which God sends grave calamities upon the world. And the Emperors Valentinian, Theodosius and Arcadius decreed that these be punished by flames, and sodomites be burned, just as God burned the Sodomites, indeed reduced the entire Pentapolis, although most pleasant and fertile, to ashes, lest even the remnants of so great and so enormous and infamous a crime remain upon the earth. Thus also heresiarchs are delivered to flames as expiations and cleansings of the earth, lest they defile it, but expiate it; for they themselves are not rarely corporeal, but always mystical Sodomites, because they adulterate the faith, and introduce perversion: for which reason St. Peter here compares them to the Sodomites. Setting forth an example of those who will act impiously, — namely, by this example showing that all the impious are to be punished similarly to the Sodomites, and will burn perpetually in Gehenna: of which matter the burning of Sodom was ὑπόδειγμα, that is, an example, image, specimen, paradigm, exemplar, likeness and type: which was so great that even now that entire land is dark and smoking, full of bitumen, nourishing nothing living; indeed even leaves, flowers and fruits as soon as they are plucked turn into ashes and cinders, as if the ancient fire there still lay hidden and endured, and thus represents the perpetual fire of Hell. Whence Josephus, in Book V of the Wars, Chapter V: "To this Arabia," he says, "is adjacent the Sodomitic land, once indeed as fortunate in fruits as in the riches of cities, but now entirely burned, so that it is remembered to have been consumed by the thunderbolts of the impiety of its inhabitants; finally, in it one can still see the remnants of divine fire, and the images of five cities, and ashes renewing themselves in fruits: which in color are similar to edibles, but dissolve in the hands of those gathering them into smoke and ash." And Philo, in the book On Abraham: "The thunderous fire of Sodom," he says, "is never extinguished; it either creeps or vaporates, which is seen by the eyes themselves; there also remain as evidence of the ancient calamity smoke exhaling perpetually, and sulphur which is dug there." Add that plainly all the Sodomites and Pentapolitans after the burning are seen to have been condemned to the burning of Hell, as St. Cyprian teaches, in the sermon On the Passion. This is what, consonant with St. Peter, St. Jude clearly asserts, verse 7: "As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the neighboring cities in like manner, having committed fornication, and gone after other flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire."
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7. And just Lot oppressed by the injury of the wicked (Sodomites) and licentious conversation he rescued, — through angels just as he also rescued Noah from the impious and the flood: see the history of Lot in Genesis XIX.
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8. For in sight and hearing he was just, — that is to say, Lot was rescued from the burning of Sodom, because he was holy and chaste in both eyes and ears, whereas the Sodomites were incestuous and obscene in both: hence he himself was torn apart by such obscenities of theirs, which he unwillingly and with great difficulty saw and heard. Tormented. — The Interpreter reads ἐβασάνιζον, that is, they tormented, in the plural: now they read in the singular ἐβασάνιζεν, that is, he tormented, namely himself and his own soul Lot; but the sense comes to the same thing: for the Sodomites tormented Lot with their unspeakable crimes just as much as Lot tormented and was tormented by himself on account of them, saying that word of St. Polycarp, On Heretics: "Good God, to what times have you preserved me, that I should hear these things?" as Eusebius testifies, Book V of the History, Chapter XX. For, as St. Gregory says, Book I of the Morals, VII: "The life of the wicked did not delight the ears and eyes of the just by pleasing them, but by striking them;" for he detested and execrated it. Note here, it is the mark of the Saints to be tormented by crimes and offenses against God and neighbor committed in their congregation, city, province and kingdom; thus David, Psalm CXVIII, 139: "Zeal," he says, "has consumed me, because my enemies have forgotten thy words." And verse 158: "I saw transgressors, and I was grieved." For because they love God supremely, and are zealous for his honor, just as for the salvation of their neighbors, hence they grieve supremely and are tormented on account of the contempt of God and the perdition of their neighbors.
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9. The Lord knows how to deliver the pious (Noah, Lot and their followers) from temptation. — The Lord knows not only speculatively, but also practically; "knows," therefore, that is, he knows, is able, wills and is accustomed (this is a metalepsis) to deliver the pious, according to that which he promised through Isaiah, chapter XLIII, verse 2: "When thou shalt walk through the waters, I will be with thee, and the rivers shall not cover thee; and when thou shalt walk through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, and the flame shall not burn thee in thee." For Noah was freed from the waters, Lot from the fire. Thus God delivered Abraham from Ur, that is, the fire of the Chaldeans, Genesis XI, 31; Jacob from the hand of Esau, Joseph from the hand of his brothers and prison, Moses and the Hebrews from the hand of Pharaoh, David from the hand of Saul, Susanna from the hand of the elders, Daniel from the lion's den, the three youths from the furnace, Mordecai from the hand of Haman, Judith from the hand of Holofernes, Tobias from the hand of Asmodaeus, the Maccabees from the hand of Antiochus, Elijah from the hand of Jezebel. Truly the Psalmist: "Many," he says, "are the tribulations of the just, and from all these the Lord shall deliver them," Psalm XXXIII, 20. And Psalm XLIX, 15: "Call upon me in the day of tribulation: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." And Psalm XC, 15: "I am with him in tribulation, I will deliver him and will glorify him." Let the Saints therefore say in tribulation with Paul: "In all things we suffer tribulation, but are not distressed; we are straitened, but are not destitute; we suffer persecution, but are not forsaken; we are cast down, but we perish not," II Corinthians IV, 8. And: "For thy sake we are put to death all the day long, we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter; but in all these things we overcome because of him that hath loved us," Romans VIII, 37. Wherefore the greater the tribulation and anguish, the more must one hope, and hope must be more firmly and securely fixed in God, because God is nearer to those more tribulated. Acutely Pliny, book VIII, chapter XVI: "Then," he says, "the principal place of prayers is, when there is no hope." This is what Nahum, that is, the Consoler, chapter 1, verse 7, says: "The Lord is good, and strengthening in the day of tribulation." For then the wonderful goodness of God shines forth, when he sees the just so oppressed that they cannot be rescued and saved by human means. Whence the Zurich version translates: "A refuge in the most difficult times;" others, "strength in the day of anguish," the Hebrew is מָעוֹז maoz, for which the Septuagint is accustomed to translate ὑπερασπιστής; the Vulgate, protector, according to that in Wisdom V, 17: "His right hand shall cover them, and his holy arm shall defend them;" in Greek ὑπερασπιεῖ, that is, as a satellite and with his protected shield he shall protect them. Thus God said to Abraham, Genesis XV, 1: "Fear not, Abraham, I am thy protector;" in Hebrew, I am a shield to thee; the Septuagint, ἐγὼ ὑπερασπίζω, that is, I protect thee, by placing before thy enemies and opposing a most strong shield. Hence by David, Psalm LIX, 9, God is called "the strength of my head," Hebrew maoz; Septuagint, κραταίωμα, that is, firmness, security, fortification. And Psalm IX, 10: "Helper in opportunities, in tribulation." Proverbs X, 29: "Strength of the simple, the way of the Lord;" Hebrew maoz; Septuagint, ὀχύρωμα, that is, fortification, citadel, bulwark. Canticles 1, 8: "I have likened thee to my horses in the chariots of Pharaoh," that is, as my people, when the Red Sea lay before them and hindered their flight, and behind them the raging Pharaoh with most powerful forces pursued, and on the sides cliffs denied passage, reduced to such straits and destitute of all human aid, I came to help opportunely; so also shall I come to help thee, O my spouse, in whatever anguish. But the wicked to reserve for the day of judgment to be tormented. — This is an antapodosis, or a return and completion of the similitude begun in verse 4. For that sentence: "If God spared not the angels that sinned," hangs unfinished, and the hanging sentence suspends the reader hitherto: here it is completed. Indeed Pope Hyginus, epistle 2, having cited the preceding words of St. Peter concerning the angels, Noah and Sodom, immediately adds: "What do you think will happen to the wicked and impious persisting in wickedness?" or whether these things are done by them, he says, secretly, it is shameful to say. Whether he once read this in the epistles of St. Peter, or not having read it, but having understood it, supplied it. The sense therefore is, as if to say, "If God spared not the angels, but those bound in chains of darkness delivered to Tartarus to be reserved in judgment to be tormented," etc.; therefore he himself knows, that is, knows, is able and wills to reserve wicked men, such as the Sodomites and those drowned in the flood, and others "for the day of judgment to be tormented." Hence some thought that the damned are not tormented by the fire of hell before the day of judgment. Which opinion Guido the Carmelite attributes to the Greeks; but this is an error condemned in the Council of Florence, indeed by Christ in Luke XVI, 19, where he narrates that the soul of the rich man Epulon was tormented in the fire of hell. Just as therefore the souls of the Saints after the death of Christ, if they are fully expiated, immediately fly to heaven, and there are blessed by the vision of God: so the souls of the reprobate are immediately snatched into Tartarus, so that they are burned by fire, as St. Gregory says, IV Dialogues, XX. What therefore is said here that they are reserved for the day of judgment to be tormented, understand it because then not only in the soul as now, but also in the body in which they shall rise, they shall be tormented, and shall undergo other accidental punishments, equally as the demons, as I said in verse 4.
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10. But especially (in Greek μάλιστα, that is, chiefly: St. Jerome, book I Against Jovinian, especially) those (supply and repeat what preceded, namely: "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly from temptation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be tormented;" for to this it aptly coheres "but especially those") who walk after the flesh in the concupiscence of uncleanness. — That is to say: God on the day of judgment will punish all the impious, but especially luxurious heretics, who despise dominion, etc.; for as their crime is greater, so likewise will their judgment and punishment be greater. Lyra from "especially," or, as it is in Greek, "chiefly," gathers that the sin of heresy, especially in the heresiarch, is graver than the sin of the Sodomites and of those who were drowned in the flood, and even than that of demons, and therefore is to be punished more gravely in hell. Which understand not of all, but of many: for the sin of Lucifer stirring up others to rebel against God was graver. Add that heresy includes all other sins; and especially lust, even perverted: as that Calvin and Beza were pederasts their life and writings teach. This is what Jude says, verse 7, that they like Sodom, having gone a-whoring, go after strange flesh. Who walk after the flesh (that is, following the flesh and its carnal appetites) in the concupiscence of uncleanness (in Greek μιασμοῦ, that is, of contamination and pollution) — Whence St. Jerome, book I Against Jovinian, thus reads: Who walk after the flesh in the desires of pollution, that is, polluted, by which they contaminate and pollute both body and soul. St. Peter censures the heretics of his age, namely the Simonians, Nicolaitans, Gnostics, for their lusts and filthiness, says Oecumenius. The same was the character of other heretics, especially of this age, as prudent and experienced men know. Hence concerning the same Paul, Ephesians v, 12: "For the things that are done by them in secret, it is a shame even to speak of." And despise dominion. — First, that is to say: They despise Magistrates, Bishops, Superiors both secular and ecclesiastical, who rule in the Church or Commonwealth. Thus Vatablus; whence St. Jerome, book I Against Jovinian, reads in the plural, and despise dominions. In the same way read the Royal Bible and the Complutensian. How true this is all histories speak, nay we have seen it with our own eyes in the wars which rebellious heretics stirred up in France, Germany, England, and the Low Countries. Indeed Luther, in the book On Secular Power: "You ought to know," he says, "that from the beginning of the world a prudent prince is a very rare bird, a virtuous prince still much rarer: they are commonly the most foolish and worst knaves on earth, and they themselves are the lictors and executioners of God." And in the Preface against two mandates of Caesar: "The Turk," he says, "is ten times more prudent and virtuous than our princes." And in the little book against the Peasants, he calls them tyrants and persecutors of the Gospel. "Scripture," he says, "calls them beasts, that is, wild animals, such as wolves, boars, bears, lions. Neither therefore will I make men of them; yet they are to be borne, if God wishes to afflict us through them with plagues. I truly feared both, if the peasants prevailed, the devil would be Abbot; if on the other hand such tyrants prevailed, his mother would be Abbess." The same in the Bull against the Ecclesiastical Order, he calls Bishops masks of the devil, and adds: "Whoever gives aid, expends body, goods and reputation in this, that Bishoprics be laid waste, and the rule of Bishops be extinguished, these are the beloved sons of God and true Christians, observing the precepts of God, and resisting the ordinances of the devil: or if they cannot do this, let them at least despise it. On the contrary, those who hold fast the rule of Bishops and obey them, these are ministers of the devil." And again: "Wherever the Gospel comes, it is necessary that there be tumult; unless it do this, it is not true." In the year 1560 a council was held at Geneva concerning the King of France, his wife the Queen, the Queen Mother, his children, the nobles and Catholic magistrates, to be slaughtered on a certain day, with Beza as the leader, Calvin as the author, the Ottoman as the undersigner, Spifamius as the persuader, all the brigands and gladiators of Gaul as accomplices. A letter of Calvin to Viret was found and printed concerning this council and conspiracy, as Bolsec relates in the Life of Calvin, cap. xxi. Calvin in cap. iv of Daniel says: "Today," he says, "just as almost all kings are foolish and brutish, so also are they like horses and asses, brute animals." Zwingli, priest of Mars and Bellona, lib. IV of Letters, fol. 186: "The Roman," he says, "empire, or rather any empire whatsoever, when it begins to oppress sincere religion, if we suffer it negligently, we shall be no less guilty of contempt for religion than the oppressors themselves." Eder, in the II part of the Gospel Inquisition, among the dogmas and axioms of the Flacians lists these: "The Pope is the true Antichrist, a poisonous dragon, the administrator of the devil, the man of sin, the son of perdition. Caesar and kings when they are consecrated by the Pope or his Bishops, then they receive the sign of Antichrist: all in the Papacy properly are the kingdom of the devil, the people of demons, a horrible and cruel beast and arch-deceivers." See more in Stanislaus Rescius, lib. I On the Atheisms of the Evangelicals, cap. vii. Indeed, Aurifaber, a disciple of Luther, in the Symposiacs, title on Sectarians: "It is certain," he says, "that any heretic or sectarian is seditious: for after he has taught and spread lies, he then seals them with murders." And again on folio 367: "The seditions and murders of heretics are, as it were, the very seal of the devil." Hence so many crimes of the followers of Luther, so much so that Luther himself, astonished at so many and such great evils, said that men are worse in Lutheranism than in the Papacy. For Aurifaber in the Table Talk of Luther's sermons writes that Luther often said with sighs: "After the Gospel was revealed (by Luther), virtue has been killed, justice oppressed, temperance bound, truth torn by dogs, faith lame, wickedness daily, devotion driven out, heresy left behind." That famous case of Heshusius the Lutheran, expelled from Heidelberg and five other cities, is well known: It is asked, why was Heshusius expelled from the sixth city? The cause is at hand: he was seditious. Secondly and more precisely, that is to say, they despise the Dominion of God, they deny that God is the governor and lord of His own things and of human affairs, they deny God's providence. Thus St. Jude explains it, verse 4, saying: "Denying the Lord and our Lord Jesus Christ." For the Nicolaitans and Gnostics, as Irenaeus says, lib. I, cap. 1: "They say Savior: for they do not wish to call Him Lord;" according to what Peter said, verse 1: "And deny the Lord who bought them," that is to say, they strip Christ their redeemer of supreme dominion, that is of divinity, as the Arians afterwards did: for the proper name of God is Lord, on account of His complete dominion over all things. Whence St. Thomas professing the divinity of Christ: "My Lord," he says, "and my God," John xx, 28. Oecumenius gives the reason: "Then," he says, "through these things expelled from the creation of the world and providence by dominions, they rushed into all carnal uncleanness." For thus heretics and atheists deny the divine nature and God's providence, so that without fear of a judge and avenger they loosen the reins to their desires, and indulge them wholly like horses and swine. By κυριότητα therefore St. Peter signifies divinity, by which dominating all things, namely his supreme empire, or rather any empire, dominion, right, power, will, authority, governance and providence over all things, which Simon Magus with his followers took away from Christ and arrogated to himself. "Dominion" therefore, that is the Lord, as St. Jude explains it, and his dominion and providence, for which shortly after Valentinus substituted the names and portents of his thirty Aeons, as if divine beings, as is evident from Tertullian, Irenaeus, St. Augustine, Epiphanius in his heresy. Whence against them St. John asserts this dominion of Christ, Apocalypse xix: "He has," he says, "written on his garment and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords." And Paul, Ephesians cap. 1, verse 21: "Setting," he says, "Christ at his right hand in the heavenly places above all principality, and power, and virtue, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this world, but also in the future." Indeed Tertullian, in the book On Prescription, chapter XLIII: "From the manner of conversation," he says, "the quality of faith can be estimated; discipline is the index of doctrine. They deny that God is to be feared. Therefore all things are free and unbound for them: but where is God not feared, except where He is not? where God is not, neither is there any truth; where there is no truth, deservedly such is the discipline also. But where God is, there is fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom. Where there is fear of God, there is honest gravity, and astonished diligence, and solicitous care, and tested affection, and deliberate communion, and deserved advancement, and religious subjection, and devout appearance, and troublesome procession, and united Church, and all things of God." Thus Luther, in the book Against the Heavenly Prophets, writes concerning Andreas Carlstadt his disciple, that he was so impious as not to believe that any God exists either on earth or in heaven. Calvin, in book II of the Institutes, writes that Servetus, who called himself the greatest Prophet of the world, impiously blasphemed that God who is called Jehovah, saying that in wood there is wood, in stone there is stone, in a tree there is a tree; because He truly has the form and substance of wood, stone and tree. Heshusius, in the book Against Illyricus, writes that from the doctrine of Illyricus it is drawn that man's soul was created not by God but by the devil. Bernardinus Ochinus in the penultimate Dialogue of his, professing himself devoid of religion, teaches that God is the first mover, yet is not to be adored; nor is anything of protection to be expected from Him. Beza denies that God can do all things. Luther, Melanchthon and Calvin make Him the author of works both evil and good, namely of sins. Justly therefore Cardinal Hosius calls atheism the perfection of Lutheran and Zwinglian perfidy, elsewhere the center, elsewhere the summit of the ladder. Whose schoolmasters, swine from the herd of Epicurus (among whom John calls old Beza), that which, as Viretus testifies, they were accustomed to sing to their own ears, that he is blessed who, as the Poet says: Hath put beneath his feet all fears and inexorable fate, and the noise of greedy Acheron. Finally Molinaeus, according to Genebrand in the Chronology, makes Calvin the prince of Atheists. Bold. — For what do they not dare who despise the dominion of God and men? Thus Oecumenius. Luther sent this gift to the Apostolic See for the new year: "Martin Luther to the Holy Roman See my grace and salvation. Most Holy See, burst." The same, in the book Against the King of England: "Who is this Henry? a new Thomist, merely a disciple of so cowardly a monster;" and soon after: "Here I stand, here I remain, here I glory, here I insult the Papists, Henricians, Sophists, all the gates of hell: divine Majesty makes it so with me that I care nothing, if a thousand Augustines, a thousand Cyprians, a thousand Henrician Churches stood against me; my dogmas will stand, and the Pope with the Henricians will fall, all the powers of hell unwilling, and the powers of the air, earth and sea." Thou hast heard a Thraso, thou hast heard a Lucifer. Pleasant to themselves — αὐθάδεις, that is, impudent. Thus St. Jerome, book I Against Jovinian; Catharinus, insolent; Gagneius, obstinate; Clarius, shameless; the Zurich Bible, stubborn; Vatablus, of their own sense and head; Pagninus, contumacious. Thus also Oecumenius: "Contumacious," he says, "that is, those who wish entirely to follow and defend what pleases themselves;" others, intractable, insolent, arrogant, contemners of others: for heresy consists in the obstinacy of one's own sense and error. For αὐθάδεια is the same as moroseness, self-love, contumacy, rashness, hardness, obstinacy, impudence, pride, disdain, arrogance. Our translator rendered it word for word, pleasant to themselves, because ἅδω means I please, so that αὐθάδης is as it were ἅδων ἑαυτῷ, that is pleasing to himself; or, as Hesychius says, as it were αὐτὸς ἐν ἑαυτῷ, that is the same in himself; or, as others say, as it were αὐτὸς ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ, that is the same from himself. Thus Erasmus, called by Luther an incarnate devil, in his Apology against him, calls Luther more insane than Orestes, maddened by hatred, drunk with self-love, and therefore veratrum ought to be given him to drink, that he might write more sanely. Indeed the Wittenbergers themselves, although Luther was their master, called him self-loving, contentious and eristic, that is quarrelsome, hyperbolic, who makes a camel out of a gnat, meddlesome, who impudently and boldly meddles in all affairs, a show-off of talent, a Stoic, harsh, headstrong, a dreamer, because he sold nocturnal visions born in his drunken head as pure and true word of God, as John Spangenberg relates in the book entitled: A True Narrative of the Benefits Conferred through Dr. Martin Luther, etc. They do not fear to introduce sects. — The word "introduce" is not in the Greek; for it reads thus: "they do not tremble while blaspheming glories," which can first be translated, "they do not fear to blaspheme and revile glories," so that by "glories" are understood those celebrated in glory and endowed with majesty. Thus Gagneius, Pagninus, the Zurich Bible, Catharinus, Clarius, Salmeron and others. Wherefore St. Jude, verse 8, alluding to this says: "But they despise dominion, and blaspheme majesty (in Greek, glories)." Whence also here the Gothic Bible reads, "Majesty, or majesties they do not fear." Therefore by "glories" some understand the angels of God, administrators, leaders and governors of the Church and the world. Thus Turrianus, lib. II On the Hierarchy of Orders, cap. IX, who translates "glories" as "glories" or "splendors." Others understand Magistrates, Kings, Princes, Bishops. Thus Oecumenius: "For those who," he says, "from contempt do not fear any dominion, what wonder if they also despise all glory and excellence?" For "glory" in Greek is the same as majesty, splendor, glory, dignity, reputation, and also opinion, judgment. But Our translator, better understanding the implied "to bring in," translates "they do not fear to introduce sects," for this is the proper characteristic of heretics; and the Greek "glory" signifies opinions and sects; so that St. Peter says here the same thing he said in verse 1: "Who shall bring in sects of perdition." Moreover, it is no wonder that the Interpreter translates "glories" as "sects" here, but in the epistle of St. Jude translates it as "majesty," because the meaning of St. Jude is different, and that of St. Peter is different; for St. Jude says: "But they despise dominion, and blaspheme majesty (glories);" where "glories" cannot be translated as "sects": for heretics do not blaspheme sects, but rather seek them. But St. Peter interjects other things, and says: "And despise dominion, bold, pleasing themselves, they do not fear to introduce sects (glories) blaspheming." Where the word "sects" explains the word "bold, pleasing themselves," as if to say: How bold and self-pleasing they are is evident from this, that contrary to the common doctrine of the Church and the Fathers and their consensus, they dare to introduce new opinions fabricated from their own brain, and thus make sects. Add that Our translator, equally as the Syrian, read in St. Jude "glory" in the singular, which signifies majesty, not sects; but in St. Peter read "glories" in the plural, which signifies sects, not majesty. Note: The word "sects" signifies first, errors and heresies; secondly, schisms and divisions by which they rend the unity of the Church, and cut themselves off from it, so as to constitute their own Church and school, of which they themselves are held to be the authors, and followers are named from themselves; just as from Simon are called Simonians, from Arius Arians, from Nestorius Nestorians, etc. Thirdly, the word "sects" signifies not only that heretics are divided among themselves, but that one and the same heresy is immediately divided into various sects and schisms: for heretics, since they are driven by pride and arrogance, and believe neither in God nor in man, but in their own brain, are unwilling to be disciples of others, but rather authors. Whence many fabricate new opinions and errors, so that they may be held as their authors, and draw disciples after them, and give them their own name. St. Augustine, in the book On Heresies, enumerates ninety heresies from Christ down to his own times; from St. Augustine down to Luther as many are counted: so that through 1500 years Sanderus collected no more than 180 heresies. But truly from Luther, namely from the year of Christ 1517 down to the year of Christ 1595, two hundred and seventy heresies are enumerated by Staphylus, Hosius, Lindanus, Prateolus, Ederus, and from these Stanislaus Rescius, lib. I On Atheisms, cap. IX. "Thus fertile is error," he says, "the erring one knows not what he wills, nor knows what he wills not." Nor is it a wonder that Luther's disciples departed from Luther their master, and brought in so many sects: for Luther himself departed from himself, and often changed his dogmas and heresies, as Cochlaeus shows in the book whose title is: Luther the seven-headed. For truth is constant and always the same; but falsehood is always inconstant and varies. Wisely Trismegistus, in the tract On Truth, teaches that falsehood is known from change, truth from immutability. "For nothing," he says, "which does not remain in itself is true: for whatever is altered is falsehood, not remaining in that which it is." The same author, in the tract On Piety and Philosophy: "What is always becoming," he says, "is also always perishing: what was made once is never corrupted;" here therefore is the source, origin and mother of heresy, namely pride and ambition. Hence the experience of all ages has taught that almost all heresiarchs have fallen away from the Church, and have invented their heresies, because, being ambitious for the first Chairs, Bishoprics and Doctorates in the Church, when repulsed from these, they established them outside the Church, so that they might obtain there the primacy which they could not obtain in the Church. Truly St. Augustine, in the book On Pastors, chapter eight: "In diverse places," he says, "there are diverse heresies, but one mother, pride, has begotten them all, just as one mother, our Catholic Church, has begotten all faithful Christians scattered throughout the whole world." Thus Eusebius, book IV of the History, chapter twenty-two: "Theobutes," he says, "because he deserved rejection from the Episcopate, began at first to disturb all things and to corrupt them." And Tertullian, in the book Against the Valentinians, after the beginning: "Valentinus," he says, "had hoped for the Episcopate, because he was able both in talent and in eloquence; but indignant that another had obtained it through the prerogative of martyrdom, he broke away from the Church of the authentic rule, as minds excited for priority are wont to be inflamed by the presumption of vengeance." Concerning Marcion the same Epiphanius testifies, heresy 42, at the beginning: "Marcion," he says, "lifted up by rivalry, when he did not receive the presidency, devises a council for himself;" and below: "Therefore moved by rivalry, and lifted up to great indignation and pride, he makes a schism, erecting a heresy for himself, and saying: I will split your Church, and I will send a split into it forever. And indeed he sent a split, not a small one, but he did not split the Church, but rather himself and those who obey him." Concerning Montanus Theodoret testifies, book III of the Heretical Fables: "He," he says, "moved by ambition and desire to obtain the first place, called himself the Paraclete." Novatian, because St. Cornelius was preferred to him in the pontificate, made a schism and introduced a heresy, indeed constituted himself Pope, namely an Antipope, as Eusebius testifies, book II of the History, thirty-three, and St. Cyprian, epistle 49, 52, 64, 68. Arius, being ambitious for the Episcopate of Alexandria, when he saw himself excluded from it by Alexander being placed before him, armed his tongue against him and the Church, and introduced Arianism, as Theodoret testifies, book IV of the Heretical Fables. The same concerning Aetius, when Eustathius was preferred to him in the Episcopate, Epiphanius writes, heresy 75. That John Wyclif, because he had fallen from the Episcopate, became a heresiarch, Thomas Waldensis asserts, book II of the Doctrine of Faith, chapter 60. Luther, the leader and standard-bearer of all the heresies of this age, began his heresy by preaching against Indulgences, because their promulgation had been transferred from him and his Augustinian Order to the Preaching Friars, as Cochlaeus narrates in the acts of Luther, in the year 1517. Moreover, Luther's pride was so great that in a book against the King of England he asserts that Kings, Princes, Pontiffs are not worthy to loose the latchet of his shoes, and wishes to be held as a saint against the will of all, and to make little account of a thousand Cyprians and a thousand Augustines; for his opinion was: Thus I will, thus I command, let will be in place of reason. And: I was a plague while living, dying I shall be your death, Pope. But the false one deceived and the pseudoprophet lied: for Luther died, but the Pope and the Papacy live and flourish. The same calls kings lice of his head, the Parisian academy Sodom, the Louvain academy Gomorrah, Bishops and priests shaven and anointed heads, St. Thomas one of the seven bowls of the wrath of God. Blaspheming,—because they hurl insults not only against God, holy things and the Saints, but also against one another, and those most atrocious, yet often true. Thus in this age Bucer against Calvin, calls him an idol, impiously bold, rapacious, a fratricide. Calvin calls Valentinus Gentilis a Tritheitist, a heretic, a dog, a traitor, a madman, Satan surpassing in shamelessness, a Lucifer vomiting forth insults, etc. In turn Gentilis calls Calvin a Quadritheitist, hostile to truth, cruel, biting, fascinated by execrable error, as Aretius reports, in the book On the Punishment of Gentilis. Smidelinus confesses that he is called by the Saxons a chameleon, a polyp, a liar, a forger, a charlatan, an associate of thieves, a sophist, a hypocrite, shameless, devoid of conscience, endowed neither with eyes nor with heart, lacking in mind. There came forth an anonymous pamphlet of a certain Lutheran in the year of our Lord 1586, printed at Jena, whose title is this: That Calvinists are not Christians, but only baptized Jews and Mahometans. Theomorus, a Calvinist, in his book enumerates nine most shameful blemishes imputed to Calvin by men of his sect: first, that he was a heretic worse than any heretic; second, that he was ambitious and most desirous of tyranny; third, that he was a notorious usurer; fourth, that he was a notorious money-changer, or banker; fifth, that he was most avaricious; sixth, that he was a gambler; seventh, that he was a most libidinous fornicator, and that openly; eighth, that he was immoderately bilious and wrathful; ninth, that he was most desirous of vengeance, cruel and bloodthirsty. Sturm in his Palinode, to Lucas Osiander, calls him Caligula, a descendant of Ulysses, a courtier of every hour. Postel writes that Calvinists have nothing of man except the form of man, have abandoned the messenger of the Catholic faith, live in the manner of beasts. The Zwinglians published a writing, in the year of our Lord 1527, in which they call Luther a Brewer, a Pope, a nephew of Antichrist, a lunatic, a sophist, gross, rustic, a seducer, a false prophet, a near kinsman of Antichrist, a murderer of Christ, a violator of sacred Scripture. Zwingli himself in his Response to Luther's book On the Sacrament, calls Luther a false prophet, imprudently asserting whatever comes to his mouth, a sodomite, a buffoon, incorrigible, a heretic, an impostor, a denier of Christ, an oppressor of truth, an Antichrist. See more things among Stanislaus Rescius in the Ministromachia, where he cites Lutherans, who call Calvinists blasphemers, capital enemies of the Son of God, ignorant, mad Doctors sent by Satan, Suermers, Molossian dogs, swine, phantoms of the devil, seducers, buffoons, a generation of vipers, worse than Turks, thieves of body and soul, fanatics, fools, blockheads, heads of demons, soul-murderers, slanderers, infernal wolves, the stench of Satan, their doctrine having come forth from the most secret abyss of the infernal court, etc. Truly Plato, in the book On Friendship: "The good man alone," he says, "is a friend to the good man alone; but the bad man is never truly a friend either to the good or to the bad." More truly St. Augustine, in the book Against the Letters of Petilian: "Dissension and division make heretics; but peace and unity make Catholics;" and Tertullian, in the book Against Hermogenes, chapter 1: "Such men (heretics)," he says, "esteem loquacity eloquence, regard shamelessness as constancy, and judge cursing everyone to be a duty of conscience." Furthermore, blasphemies properly so called against God and the Saints are very many among heretics. Luther dared to write Against James Latomus: "My soul hates this word ὁμοούσιος." The same man removed from the Litanies that form of prayer, which the Church has always used: "Holy Trinity one God, have mercy upon us." Calvin called this same prayer barbarism, as the Ministers of Geneva testify, in the letter On the Blasphemy of Valentinus Gentilis. For thus Calvin says in his letter to the nobles of Poland, folio 63: "The prayer commonly used, Holy Trinity one God, have mercy upon us, does not please me, and is altogether barbarous." The same man compared God the Father to Grammar, the Son to Dialectic, the Holy Spirit to Rhetoric. Thus Manlius reports in the Common Places, on the title concerning God. Valentinus Gentilis, just as he wished three persons, so also he wished there to be three natures in the deity, namely three gods. The New Arians deny that the Son is God, and call the Symbol of Athanasius the Symbol of Satanasius. Lindanus testifies in the Christomachia, that Calvinists in many places of Gaul expunged that verse: "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost," from their hymn-books. Beza, in the book Against Brentius, teaches that there are two hypostatic unions in Christ, one of flesh with soul, the other of God with man. The Transylvanian Ministers, such as George Blandrata, who was afterwards justly suffocated by his own nephew by the judgment of God, Paul Alciatus, Laelius Zosimus, Francis David in the Transylvanian Collation (I shudder while writing), call the Holy Trinity a three-headed Cerberus, a three-bodied Geryon, a new idol, the Tower of Babel, a fictitious and sophistical God, a Sabine idol. They therefore mock these names in divine matters: Essence, Person, Relation, Property; nor do they acknowledge any distinction of persons in God, lib. II Disp. Albana, cap. IV. Others taught that Christ was a mere man, the son of Joseph, who could not free himself from punishments, and therefore is not to be invoked, much less is he the redeemer of the world, etc. Staphylus relates that there was in Moravia a Luke Sterbergius, "who was the first of all in those parts to teach all those who confess and worship the name of the Holy Trinity that they falsely devise three gods, when Trinity is a superfluous and empty name, and there is but one God in heaven; he wished therefore that in place of that, O venerable Trinity, there should be sung, O venerable Goodness of God. That impious man also desires (the mind shudders to write it) that all demons should carry away and remove the Trinity: saying that he does not know whether it be female or male; but rather he has persuaded himself that that Trinity was a certain woman who had three husbands. He taught moreover that Christ was not true God, but merely a man like other mortals, the son of Mary and Joseph the carpenter, not by his own divine power, but by the power of the Almighty he rose from the dead, and then at last was adopted as a son, when at John's baptism a voice from heaven was heard: This is my beloved Son. He mocks the Holy Spirit, saying it is nothing other than a dove. He denies that the Mother of God was a perpetual virgin; he teaches that the Sabbath is to be sanctified, not the Lord's Day; he calls baptism an institution of Satan." Concerning the blasphemies of Calvin see Fevardentius in the Calvinist Theomachia, and William Reginaldus in Calvinism. Conradus Vorstius, a Calvinist, in his book On God and Divine Attributes, holds these atheisms: first, God is not infinite; second, God according to his substance is not present everywhere in this world, but only in heaven; third, in God there are true accidents really distinct from the substance of God; fourth, the decrees of God, such as the decree of predestination or reprobation, are not from eternity; fifth, the eternity of God is not indivisible, and all at once, but successive. See our Martin Becanus in the Calvinist Titles, tit. 4. Finally, at verse 18, I shall show that Calvin and his followers do not worship the true God, but the devil.
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11. Where angels in strength and virtue (in Greek δυνάμει, that is in power and might) are greater, they do not bring against themselves an execrable judgment. — Many hold that here there is discourse concerning evil angels, that is demons, as if he compares heretics to them, whom, as he said a little before, "despise dominion," and signifies that they are worse than demons, and therefore to be punished more severely; as if to say: Just as the audacity and impudence of heretics is great, "who despise dominion, and introduce sects not fearing, blaspheming," so also their punishment will be great. For if evil angels, that is demons, who are greater in strength and might, do not bring against themselves "an execrable judgment," in Greek a blasphemous judgment, that is an execrable condemnation and eternal curse, how will these bear the same, when they are men weak and feeble in body and soul? Indeed they themselves "in miseries" of hell will not endure, Psalm 139, verses 11 and 12. Thus Genebrardus, in that place. Or more briefly and plainly, as if to say: How do bold heretics not fear to introduce sects and blaspheme, when they know that demons who are far more powerful, on account of schism and rebellion are so punished that they do not bear an execrable judgment, that is a dreadful condemnation brought against them by God, and the torment of hell? This exposition agrees very well with the Latin version, and with the Greek μάλιστα, that is especially, verse 10, as if to say: God especially, namely with immense and intolerable torments, will torment heretics luxurious and stubborn, as is evident from demons, who although they are equal to them in wickedness, are superior and stronger in nature, yet do not bear an execrable judgment, that is condemnation and the torment of hell. Thus the Gloss, Lyra, Thomas Anglicus, Hugo, Dionysius, Catharinus, Titelmannus and others. Secondly, others, as if to say: Demons do not dare to curse and blaspheme the Prelates of the Church, even though they are opposed to them, indeed in exorcisms they submit to them, though forced: how then do heretics dare to blaspheme them and assail them with insults? Thus Gagneius. Thirdly, Clarius, as if to say: Demons, although they are stronger to bear the torments of hell, yet do not dare to blaspheme God the author of them, lest they be punished more severely by him: how then do heretics dare to blaspheme him? To this Arias adds, as if to say: Demons although enemies of God, yet do not dare to deny or overturn the first practical truths of God, namely the first principles and precepts of virtue and piety: how then do heretics deny and overturn them? Fourthly, others, as if to say: Demons do not curse one another, nor do they mutually blaspheme each other: how then do men, namely heretics, dare to curse one another and blaspheme? But others everywhere take angels here properly, and therefore good ones. These therefore "do not bring against themselves an execrable judgment," in Greek οὐ φέρουσι κατ' αὐτῶν παρὰ Κυρίῳ βλάσφημον κρίσιν, that is, "do not bring, do not bring against themselves from the Lord a blasphemous judgment," that is, do not hurl against their enemies an execrable sentence, so that namely they would curse the devil with evils from God, and deserved torments, which are dreadful and execrable. For St. Peter seems to say the same thing here as what St. Jude says, verse 9, namely that Michael contending with the devil concerning the body of Moses, did not dare to "bring a judgment of blasphemy," that is to blaspheme, curse and revile the devil, and to inflict upon him the just punishment of blasphemy, saying: Be silent, accursed devil; go, blasphemer, into hell: in it may God torment you, as you and your blasphemy deserve; but said: "The Lord command thee;" for the following words of St. Jude are almost the same as the following words of St. Peter, as is evident to one comparing the Greek text on both sides. Again τὸ κατ' αὐτῶν can be translated, first, against them themselves, namely δόξας, that is glories, that is the mighty, as demons are; secondly, "against themselves," as our translator renders it, as if to say: Angels since they are most pure and most holy, do not dare even to name anything which in any way sounds of blasphemy, that is of cursing, lest even by a shadow they appear to contaminate their angelic mouth, and because they most greatly abhor blasphemy and blasphemers. Finally τὸ from the Lord, which is in the Greek, signifies "from the Lord," who is the avenger of crimes, to wish evils. Thus Oecumenius: "St. Peter says," he says, "that these wretched men without any regard curse glories, when yet neither those who are greater in power and strength than these flagitious men, do not bring, that is, do not bring against them themselves namely glories a cursing judgment before the Lord." Then, having cited the example of Michael, which St. Jude relates in verse 9, he adds: "And there is a greater argument in this manner: If the devil, who is more worthy to be cursed, because nevertheless he is a partaker of a certain glory, did not obtain this from Michael the Archangel before the Lord; certainly those do not act wisely who thus rashly pursue all glory with curses, when nevertheless they are established in rank much lower than the dignity of angels." Oecumenius is followed by Adam, Gagneius, Clarius, Salmeron and others. To this Fevardentius adds, explaining it thus, as if to say: How do heretics dare to speak against dominions, that is, magistrates and orthodox princes, even though they oppose them, to revile, curse and resist, when good angels do not execrate magistrates and princes of the Gentiles, even though hostile to the faith and the people of God, but honor and revere them, as is evident in the angels of the Persians and Greeks fighting for Persians and Greeks against the angel of the Hebrews and the people of God, Daniel, chapter 10, verses 5 and following.
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12. These indeed (false teachers, namely heresiarchs, of whom verse 1 speaks) like irrational beasts; Pagninus, "like brute animals naturally," namely they tend and rush, "into captivity and destruction;" in Greek φυσικὰ γεγεννημένα εἰς ἅλωσιν καὶ φθοράν, that is, by nature begotten into captivity and destruction, says Pagninus. "It is natural," says the Venerable Bede, "for irrational animals often to fall unwittingly into captivity and destruction on account of food:" thus heretics on account of their gluttony and their unbridled appetites to be satisfied, fall into the snares of the devil and eternal destruction. On the other hand, Arias explains these things actively, as if to say: Heretics are like wild beasts, namely bears, lions and wolves, which are naturally borne into captivity and destruction, namely into the prey and slaughter of other animals. Both are true: for heretics both passively rush into ruin, and actively drag others ensnared by their snares along with them into the same ruin. It is a hyperbole: for it is not the nature of heretics that is depraved, and begotten into captivity and destruction; but the sense is, as if to say, Heretics are wholly depraved, wholly corrupted, so that they seem to be born and made for this evil, because they follow the corruption and concupiscence of their nature. Again, heresy so affects and infects their nature that it wholly devours it and drags it to evil. Thus we are said by nature to be children of wrath, Ephesians ii, 3; the natural malice of the worst men is called, Wisdom xii, 10, because by blind natural impulse they are borne whither the ardor of lust, or the desire for honors and riches, or the fury of anger and ambition carries them. St. Peter compared the heresiarchs of his age, namely the Simonians and Gnostics, on account of pride, avarice and lust, first, to demons; secondly, to impious men submerged in the flood, and to Sodomites; now, thirdly, he compares them to wild beasts and animals, which are driven not by reason, but by the ardor or fury of their wild nature, and therefore fall, nay rush, and drag others along with them into the snares of hunters, so that they may be captured and killed. St. Jude says the same thing in almost the same words, verse 10: "But these men blaspheme whatever things indeed they know not; and whatever things naturally as dumb animals they know, in these they are corrupted." And St. Ignatius, a contemporary of both, in his epistle to Antioch: "Behold," he says, "mad dogs, and serpents creeping over the breast, scaly dragons, and asps, basilisks, scorpions: these are thoes (a kind of wolves), foxes and apes imitating human beings." For, as Clement of Alexandria says, Exhortation to the Gentiles, "men are called serpents, who are deceivers; lions, who are spirited and provoked to anger; swine, who are devoted to pleasure; wolves, who are rapacious." Blaspheming in those things which they know not, — that is, as St. Jude says: "Whatever things they know not, they blaspheme;" Zurich, "speaking evil of those things which they do not understand." It is a Hebraism: for the Hebrews construct verbs of contact, whether real, or mental, or verbal, such as to blaspheme, with the ablative by means of the preposition in, as they say to strike in the face for to strike the face, I believe in God, for I believe God. Thus here: "In those things which they know not," that is, these things which they know not, "they blaspheme." He censures those who called themselves Gnostics, that is, knowing ones, when they were ignorant, and therefore proudly and shamelessly rejected and blasphemed the orthodox teachings, which they either knew not or were unwilling to know and believe; of whom St. Paul justly says, Romans cap. 1, verse 22: "Saying that they were wise, they became fools." To this pertains the "diabolical privilege" of heretics (Manichaeans), as St. Augustine calls it, lib. XXII Against Faustus, cap. xv, so that "whatever is in the Gospel by which they think their heresy can be helped, they hold that it was said by Christ; but whatever from the same codices has sounded against them, they do not hesitate to say was inserted by falsifiers with an impudent and sacrilegious mouth." The same, lib. XIII, cap. XII, compares them to the partridge: "For the partridge," he says, "is known to be an excessively contentious animal, with what eagerness it runs into the snare on account of its contentiousness." In their corruption they shall perish. — In Greek there is an elegant paronomasia: Ἐν τῇ φθορᾷ αὐτῶν καταφθαρήσονται, that is, in their corruption they shall be corrupted; for this is the end and reward of foul pleasure. For, as St. Paul says: "He who sows in his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption," Galatians cap. vi, verse 8; and Philippians cap. III, verse 19, marking these heretics: "Whose God," he says, "is their belly, and their glory in their shame, who mind earthly things."
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13. Receiving the reward of injustice, — not only in the future, but also in the present life, namely that they give themselves over to foul and perverse pleasures of Venus and the belly, by which they corrupt, pollute and destroy both body and soul; for this is the corruption of which a little before, which they have willingly brought upon themselves, as Oecumenius says. Whence St. Jerome, book I Against Jovinian, reads: "And they shall receive the reward of iniquity in luxury;" as the Philosophers received, who, when they did not worship God whom they knew, were delivered unto a reprobate sense and sodomitic lusts, concerning which Paul, Rom. cap. 1, vers. 24. Hence St. Peter, explaining this reward, subjoins: Esteeming pleasure the delights of a day. — In Greek τὴν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τρυφήν. The Zurich Bible, for pleasure counting, if in a day delights, or as Vatable, daily delights to enjoy; Pagninus, esteeming pleasures those things which are in a day delights. Therefore he calls daily delights the delights of a day, which last for a day, that is, a short time, whereas true delights are solid, constant and eternal. Thus Arias, Titelmannus, Adamus, Gagneius and Salmeron; or, as Oecumenius, "of a day," that is, throughout individual days, daily: "Pleasure," says Oecumenius, "esteeming daily luxury, that is, constituting true and pleasant joy and pleasure in daily enjoyment of gluttony." Most excellently St. Jerome, book II against Jovinian, near the end: "That many," he says, "acquiesce in your opinion (addressing Jovinian), is a sign of pleasure; and you reckon it great wisdom if more swine run after you, whom you nourish for the filth of hell?" And after some remarks: "Basilides, master of luxury and most shameful embraces, after so many years in Jovinian, as if in Euphorbus, has been transformed, so that the Latin language also might have his heresy." Again, after a few words: "The standard of the cross and the authority of preaching had destroyed the temples of idols; on the other hand luxury of belly and throat strives to overturn the strength of the cross. Finally, false prophets always promise sweet things, and please for a short time: truth is bitter, and those who preach it are filled with bitterness; for in unleavened bread of truth and sincerity the Lord's Passover is celebrated, and it is eaten with bitter herbs." And St. Ambrose, epistle to the Church of Vercelli: "I hear," he says, "men who say there is no merit in abstinences, that those who chastise their flesh are mad, so as to make it subject to the mind: which Paul would never have written, nor done, if he had thought it madness. But he glories, saying: I chastise my body, and bring it into servitude, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should be found reprobate: therefore those who do not chastise their body, and wish to preach to others, are themselves held to be reprobate." But soon, censuring those who in this matter would imitate the Gnostics: "What," he says, "new school of Epicureans sent these, who preach pleasure, persuade delights? The Lord Jesus, wishing to make us stronger against the temptations of the devil, was about to contend and fasted, so that we might know that otherwise we could not overcome the allurements of evil. For what reason Christ fasted, let them assert, unless that his fasting might be an example to us?" And St. Basil in the Rules discusses more fully, Rule 17: "As," he says, "the best condition and good color of the body distinguishes the boxer from others: so leanness of body and fading pallor, which is as it were a companion joined to continence, distinguishes the Christian from others: for it is a sign that he is truly a fighter of Christ's commandments, who in the strength of his body prostrates his adversary in the struggle; and how powerful he is in the contests of piety, he declares fittingly in those words: When I am weak, then am I powerful." Indeed, his servant asserted that Luther, when he had supped sumptuously in the evening, was driven by night to desperation and the furies of a demon, and inflicted death upon himself by a noose, as Thomas Bozius relates in his Signs of the Church, vol. II, book XXIII, cap. III. Where he also adds that Carlstadt, Bucer, Oecolampadius perished strangled by Satan, that Calvin was tormented by a louse and nine other most dreadful diseases for four years and died most shamefully, as Bolsec his disciple testifies in the Life of Calvin. Thus Dionysius the tyrant, professing his own and the unhappiness of tyrants, said: "We tyrants are certainly like those animals which are fattened, to which the abundance of eating and drinking is usually offered for no other purpose than their own destruction," as Eusebius relates, book VIII of the Preparation, cap. v. Truly St. Chrysostom, homily 45 on Matthew, speaking concerning heretics: "They crawl upon their belly," he says, "because whatever they do, they do it for the belly, and for the vain glory of their breast. They eat the earth, because they gain no one except those who are on the earth, that is, carnal men." And St. Leo, sermon 1 On the Ascension: "To whom," he says, "do carnal pleasures wage war against the devil, who rejoices to bind souls tending toward heavenly things with the delights of corruptible goods, and to lead them away from those seats from which he himself fell?" The same, in sermon 5 On the Epiphany: "Let harmful pleasures be fled," he says, "inimical joys, and desires now and presently perishing: what fruit is there, and what utility is there in desiring incessantly those things which, even if they do not abandon you, must be abandoned?" And St. Basil, homily On Reading the Books of the Gentiles: "The body," he says, "must be chastised, and restrained like a wild beast, and the tumults arising from it against the soul must be checked by reason as with a whip; lest by loosening the bridle entirely to pleasure, the mind like a charioteer be carried away and snatched by unruly horses and those scarcely obedient." He cites Plato, who chose for his Academy at Athens a place of pestilence, so that he might cut off bodily luxury; and Pythagoras, who said to someone fattening himself: "Hey, wretched man! do you not cease preparing a harder prison for yourself?" And St. Salvian, book 1 To the Catholic Church: "Dwelling in the abyss of lusts, they bury themselves in their own ruins." Defilements and blemishes. — Σπίλοι καὶ μῶμοι. Pagninus, filth and blemishes; Vatablus, defilements and blemishes. Σπίλοι indeed, according to Gellius, are stains from wine or oil adhering to garments, which discolor them, thus called from σπᾶν ὅλην, that is, from dragging through mud. Thus he calls the heresiarchs, as if to say, They are most defiled and most blemished. Such are they, both because they are most corrupted by their pleasures; and because by the same they corrupt others; and also because they inflict a foul stain upon the Church and upon the Christian name, so that the Gentiles turn away from it and blaspheme it. "For indeed, as Oecumenius explains, those who have nothing of purity in themselves, but like filth in a clean garment, that is, adhering to pure and sincere life, and staining all things, when they have turned some away from holiness, and have been able to make flagitious those men or women dwelling with them, they think this to be their delight." Hence they are μῶμοι, that is, reproaches and disgraces, the vituperation, ignominy and infamy of Christ and Christianity, and this by the deceit of Satan: for, as St. Epiphanius wisely observes, heresy 27: "They are suborned and produced by Satan for the reproach and scandal of the Church of God. For they have taken upon themselves the name of Christians for this reason, so that the Gentiles may be offended through them, and may turn away from the utility of the holy Church of God, and from the true preaching on account of their wicked deeds and incomparable depravity. And so that the Gentiles, considering their wicked works, may think that the holy Churches of God are such, and may turn their ears away from the doctrine of God and truth." Moreover, St. Jude says that these blemishes were in their feasts, which were full of drunkenness, gluttony, vomiting, wantonness and luxury: for he says, verse 12: "These are spots in your feasts, feasting together without fear." St. Peter also takes these into account; whence he adds: Abounding in delights in their feasts. — Wisely Gorgias the Sophist, when he was in his one hundred and eighth year, said that he had come to such a long life because he had never gone to the feasts of others, as Lucian relates in the Macrobius. On the contrary, St. Jerome, book 1 Against Jovinian, an enemy of abstinence and continence, paints him thus: "When he boasts that he is a monk, and after a filthy tunic, and bare feet, and scanty bread and the drinking of water, he betakes himself to a white garment, and shining skin, to mulled wine and elaborate meats, to baths and taverns, it is manifest that he prefers the earth to heaven, vices to virtues, the belly to Christ, and thinks the purple of his color to be the kingdoms of heaven. This handsome monk, fat, shining, whitened, and always walking about as if a bridegroom." St. Jerome seems to be painting the present ministers of heretics. Note: For "in their feasts," the Interpreter reads in the Greek, ἐν ἀγάπαις: for formerly the feasts, or common tables of Christians after the holy Synaxis were called Agapae, because they were a symbol of common love and fraternal charity of the faithful. Now they read ἐν ἀπάταις, that is, feasting in their errors, or frauds and deceptions. Thus Oecumenius, Pagninus, Vatable and others, as if to say: The heresiarchs from their error and heresy seek nothing other than to feast and indulge themselves. Whence St. Jerome, book I Against Jovinian, reads: "Thinking of nothing but pleasures." Now hear Minutius Felix in the Octavius describing the stains and obscenity of feasts among the Gnostics: "They gather for feasts on a solemn day with all their children, sisters, mothers, people of every sex and every age. After many feasts, when the banquet has grown warm and the fever of incestuous lust has been kindled, a dog tied to a candelabrum is provoked to rush and leap by throwing a morsel beyond the line to which it is bound. Thus with the conscious light overturned and extinguished, shameless darkness envelops the bond of unspeakable desire." Clement of Alexandria writes the same thing about the Carpocratians, book III of the Stromata, where he also adds that they sacrilegiously abused this saying of Christ for this promiscuous and abominable lust: "Give to everyone who asks you," Luke vi, 30. Philastrius and Theodoret testify the same about these same people in the book On Heresies, and Tertullian in the Apology, chapter vii. Similar to these are certain Anabaptists and Adamites today, whose parent and leader was Luther, who spent whole days in feasts, drinking bouts and beds, and there forged his heresies; and he did this so that he might bury in wine the remorse of conscience barking at him and constantly throwing his apostasy in his face: and he persuaded his followers to do the same. Wherefore our Frusius rightly wrote against him: "Your Bibles are Bacchic cups, Luther; your pharmacy is your library." Whoever wishes to know the delights, dissipations and pleasures of Calvin, let him read Bolsec in his Life. Heshusius in the Antidote against Illyricus, a rigid Lutheran, writes that he himself carries with him the very same epicureanism and overturns the entire religion from its foundations. Smidelinus complains thus about his Lutherans, in sermon 4, on chapter xxi of St. Luke: "So that the whole world may know that they are not Papists, nor trust in good works at all, they exercise none of their works whatsoever. In place of fasting they devote themselves to feasting and drinking night and day; where they ought to deal kindly with the poor, they flay and skin them: they turn prayers into oaths, blasphemies and execrations of the divine name, and so perditely that not even the Turks themselves blaspheme so greatly today. Finally, in place of humility, pride, haughtiness and arrogance reign everywhere; and this entire manner of life is called by them the evangelical institution." Erasmus, in a letter to Vulturius, in the year of the Lord 1529: "Look around," he says, "at this evangelical people, and observe whether luxury, lust and money are indulged there less than among those whom you detest. Show me whom this Gospel has made sober from a drunkard, gentle from fierce, liberal from rapacious, blessed from cursing, modest from shameless. I will show you many who have become worse than themselves." Indeed, Luther himself (as his disciple Aurifaber reports in the Table Talk of Luther, sermon, page 244) asserted "that the disciples of his school are for the most part Epicureans, measuring sermons from their own brain, and seeking only this, that they have good days: such monstrous rogues are not found in the papacy; called evangelical reformers, when in reality they seem rather to be incarnate demons, so that if anyone wishes to see a gathering of some rogues, dissolute, rebellious and fraudulent men, he ought to enter some evangelical city; scarcely among Pagans, Jews, Turks can there be found such contumacious people, among whom all honesty and whatever virtue there is has utterly perished, and no account is taken of any sin." Who would not believe Luther here, as a master testifying about his own disciples? Luxuriating with you. — In Greek συνευωχούμενοι ὑμῖν, that is feasting with you, as Oecumenius and St. Augustine read it, in the book On Faith and Works, xxv, and St. Jude, verse 12: "Feasting without fear," in Greek συνευωχούμενοι ἀφόβως. Thus also Clement of Alexandria in the second book of the Paedagogus, I, says ἑστία, that is, a full, public and perpetual banquet is held in the heavens; therefore it is called from a good sitting: δεῖπνον, that is, a meal, on earth, because after this there is πονεῖν, that is to give effort and to labor. And in the same sense our "luxuriating" could be understood; for luxury sometimes signifies the luxury of foods and banquets, as in Ephesians v, 18: "Be not drunk with wine, wherein is luxury," in Greek ἀσωτία, that is, luxury, ferocity, drunkenness, debauchery. But because a seething belly foams forth into lusts, as St. Jerome says, and because the Gnostics directed their feasts and banquets toward satisfying their lusts, Our translator, wishing to embrace all these things, carefully rendered it luxuriating. For he saw that it pertained to what follows: "Having eyes full of adultery." Oecumenius explains this most excellently: "Indeed," he says, "while they feast with you, they do not do so for charity, but in order to seize an opportunity to deceive women. For these men, having eyes, look at nothing other than adulterous women, and sinning in this without any limit, as children of curse, they ensnare unstable souls." St. Peter therefore signifies that the Gnostics insinuated themselves into the agapae, that is, the banquets of the faithful after the Eucharist, and there by wanton looks and touches drew the faithful to their lusts. Thus St. Augustine, On Faith and Works, chapter xxv: "For they were mixed," he says, "with the good in the feasts of the Sacraments and in the readings of the people." Perhaps also the Translator read συνοχευόμενοι for συνευωχούμενοι, that is luxuriating: for ὀχεύω indeed signifies to luxuriate, to lie with, to commit venery. "Luxuriating therefore with you," that is among you and concerning you, as if to say They lie in wait for your chastity, and in their mind, eyes and touch exercise their lusts concerning you, so that they may allure you to complete them in full action. Beware of them therefore as of lions, nay rather as robbers of chastity. Wherefore it is strange that Erasmus, Vatable, Pagninus translate it as "insulting." "In their errors," they say, "that is through their deceptions, by which namely they have prepared riches for themselves, they insult you and curse you ill;" for the Greek word signifies nothing of the sort.
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14. Having eyes full of adultery. — Μεστοὺς μοιχαλίδος, that is, full of an adulteress, that is, full of "libidinous and adulterous glances of adulteresses," as if to say: Women whom they desire and strive to make adulteresses, they continually gaze upon, they carry them in their eyes, in their mind, in their countenance, they look upon and think of nothing but them, so as to entice them to adultery. Thus Oecumenius. Whence St. Cyprian, in the book On Individual Clergy, reads full of adulteries, namely, Eyes are leaders in love, as Propertius says in the second book of the Elegies, 15; and another: As soon as I saw, so I perished, so did evil error carry me away. Whence Jeremiah, Lamentations III, 51: "My eye hath made a prey of my soul;"; and, as St. Jerome says there, "through the eye of the body he brought the plunder of the heart." For, as Christ says: "Whosoever shall look on a woman to lust after her, hath already committed adultery with her in his heart," Matthew v, 28. Wherefore rightly must the greatest care be applied to the eyes, because "death entereth in by the windows," Jeremiah ix, 21. Thus Job, chapter XXXI, verse 1: "I made," he says, "a covenant with my eyes, that I would not so much as think upon a virgin." "Lest," as St. Jerome says on Lamentations iii, 51, "he should first look upon it unwarily, which afterwards he would unwillingly love; for once the form of beauty is bound to the heart through the eyes, it is scarcely loosed by great struggle: for so that a pure mind may be kept in thought, the eyes must be restrained from the lasciviousness of their pleasure, as it were certain robbers unto guilt." And David, Psalm cxviii, 37: "Turn away," he says, "my eyes that they may not behold vanity." Thus those elders lying in wait for Susanna had eyes full of adultery, and therefore "they perverted their own sense, and turned away their eyes that they might not look unto heaven, nor remember the just judgments," Daniel XIII, 9. Rightly St. Ambrose, in the book On Joseph, chapter III: "First," he says, "the weapons of an adulteress are the eyes, second the words; but he who is not taken by the eyes can resist words;"; for the eyes are the windows of our minds, says Salvianus, book III On Providence, who also adds, "all wicked desires enter into the heart through the eyes, as it were through natural tunnels." Wherefore rightly Zeleucus, legislator of the Locrians, established by law that the eyes of adulterers should be torn out, as the first adulterers in man, as Aelianus relates, book XIII of Miscellaneous History, chapter xxiv. See St. Gregory, XXI Morals, chapter ii, and St. Basil, book On Virginity, and Augustine in the Rule for Monks, and epistle 109, where among other things he says: "Nor say that you have chaste minds, if you have unchaste eyes; because an unchaste eye is the messenger of an unchaste heart, and when hearts announce to each other unchaste things even by mutual glance and with silent tongue, and according to the desire of the flesh delight in each other's ardor, even with the bodies untouched by unclean violation, chastity flees from the character." And of incessant sin, — that is, of perpetual sin, as if to say: The Gnostics with perpetually libidinous eyes impudently gaze upon women, so as to make them adulteresses; hence they perpetually sin and transgress with them, so that they do not cease from sin for a moment, because they continually turn them over in their mind and lust after them: they never cease from sin, because they never cease from shameful gazing, thought and lust of adultery. The Interpreter reads ἀκαταπαύστου, that is, incessant; now they read ἀκαταπαύστους ἁμαρτίας, that is, incessant, namely, eyes, which namely never cease from sin. Thus Pagninus, Vatablus and others. St. Jerome, book I Against Jovinian, reads, with insatiable lust. Hear St. Cyprian, On the Singularity of Clerics, treating this passage excellently: "They are utterly mad," he says, "burning with desire for women, and neighing with obscenities, they prefer to die rather than be content to be separated from the sides of women by some distance, so that to satisfy the gluttony of their greed they are not without the pleasure of a woman for a moment of time; and they have this fruit in women, that always with fixed intention in them, they satisfy the desires of their eyes. Thus integrity dies among them, where all remembrance, whether by living together or dwelling together, is polluted by corrupted affections. Those whom St. Peter the Apostle designated, saying: Luxuriating in their feasts, having eyes full of adultery and unceasing sins, seducing unstable souls. Thus in this age Luther, when he was a priest and monk who had professed chastity by solemn vow, writes, vol. V sermons Wittemberg, fol. 419: "As it is not in my power to be a man, so it is not in my right to be without a woman; and to associate with women is as necessary as to eat and drink." Zwingli in letters to all the cities of the Swiss republic, speaking of himself testifies "that he was so inflamed by the heat of lust and fleshly desires, that the studies of lustful flesh were turned over in his mind, in these alone he spent all his thoughts, he meditated on this and was wholly in it, that he might satisfy the fury of the flesh." Wigandus, On the Goods and Evils of Germany, in Surius in History, page 664 and following, asserts "that fornications and drunkenness prevail much more than ever in Germany: because," he says, "they have greater freedom to grow than ever before, and luxury has now broken through and exceeded all bounds of shame;" and, as Luther says in I Corinthians xv: "As they believe, so they live; they are and remain swine, they believe like swine, and like swine they die." Thus the modern heretical Ministers, adorned as if they were suitors of Penelope, even in the very pulpit of the Word of God carry their eyes about full of adultery, testifies Archibaldus Hamilton in Calvin. confus. demonstr. lib. II, cap. xxix; where he asserts that in Scotland "scarcely any of the Ministers abstain from the wives or maidservants of others." The same Stanislaus Rescius shows at length concerning the Ministers of other nations in their Atheisms on the sacrament of Orders, where among other things he describes the cenotaph of Beza from Gabriel Fabricius in the response to Beza: "There stands," he says, "at Geneva in his mausoleum a statue of Beza supported by four columns. In the first, skillfully carved with hidden work, Candida with her arrow-bearing Cupid, polluted not by many incestuous loves, but debauched. In the second a Harpy laden not with many robberies, but with sacrileges, as if with the rich spoils of Gaul. In the third Bellona girt about with parricides, and stained with the blood of many citizens. In the fourth a Chimaera painted with manifold deceit. And these are the four cardinal virtues of Beza, Venus, Harpy, Bellona, Chimaera." Note morally here that the epithet of lust is "unceasing sin," because once the love of lust has occupied someone's mind, he is so inflamed by it as by fire, that he cannot extinguish it or cease from it, namely lust never says: "It is enough," Proverbs xxx, 16. Thus Theotimus preferred to lose his eyes, as the physician had foretold him, rather than to abstain from his wife; whence he exclaimed: "Farewell, friendly light," as St. Ambrose relates, lib. IV in Luke, cap. iv. The same is to be seen in beasts, such as horses, bulls, cows, which while driven by love, seem to rage, and cannot be restrained by anyone. A notable example was in Henry VIII, King of England, who in order to satisfy his insane lust with Anne Boleyn, squandered his wealth, his faith, his conscience, his fame, and his kingdom. Whence the Poet at the funeral rites of the Queen of Scotland, at Paris in the year 1587, thus sang of him: Juno, sister and wife of Jupiter, truly Anne Boleyn was both the spurious daughter and wife of Henry. Enticing unstable souls — δελεάζοντες ψυχὰς ἀστηρίκτους, that is, ensnaring weak souls, not well established and solidified in faith and chastity. St. Cyprian, On Individual Clergy: "capturing weak souls." St. Jerome, Book I Against Jovinian: "deceiving souls not yet strengthened by the charity of Christ." Wherefore he wisely admonishes in Ecclesiastes, chapter V, verse 12: "Be firm in the way of the Lord, and in the truth of thy sense." Just as therefore fowlers capture birds by casting bait before them: so heretics are fowlers of weak and inconstant souls, such as are little women: for they ensnare them by casting before them the bait of pleasure and lust, through wanton eyes and glances. Hence they deny God's judgment, vengeance, hell, the immortality of the soul, the resurrection, etc. Indeed Calvin reckons hell to be not fire, but the apprehension by which the damned torment themselves, while they think that they have offended God, and have him angry and offended against them. John Sturm in the Antiproem writes that Pappus and Osiander came to this conclusion, that they regard all faith as mockery. For he says: "Heaven of heavens is a dream to them, hell a phantom; heaven is the dwelling place both of God and of the devil." Again the Calvinists teach that no one ought to resist desire or lust, because forsooth it is from God, who is the author of all movements and actions both evil and good, to whom one must always and in all things obey, and that without shame or scruple, because no one ought to be ashamed of divine movements: concerning which verse 18. Having a heart exercised (some wrongly read, blinded) in avarice. — Pagninus and the Zurich Bible: "having a heart exercised in rapines." St. Paul agrees, I Timothy VI, 10: "The root," he says, "of all evils is covetousness," in Greek φιλαργυρία, "which some coveting have erred from the faith." Thus in this age Lutherans and Calvinists have plundered very many temples and monasteries in Germany, France, and indeed concerning England alone truly did the Poet sing at Sander's On the English Schism: Ten thousand temples one year hath taken away: How much I fear for punishments scarce one year will suffice. Again heretics are usurers, and teach that usuries are lawful, as Molinaeus taught, tract. On Usuries. Excellently St. Prosper, Book II On the Contemplative Life, chapter XIII: "Those," he says, "who serve God must flee riches; those who wish to have them seek them not without labor, find them not without difficulty, keep them not without care, possess them not without anxious delight, lose them not without sorrow." Children of malediction. — κατάρας τέκνα. Zurich Bible, children of execration, that is, first, execrable and to be execrated; second, worthy of execration and eternal malediction, so that namely they may hear from Christ on the day of judgment: "Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels," Matthew chapter XXV, 41. For the name son among the Hebrews, when joined to a genitive of punishment or reward, is the same as worthy, as son of death and of Gehenna, that is, guilty of death, worthy of Gehenna; sons of the kingdom, that is, worthy of the kingdom of heaven. Thomas the Englishman understands by malediction the devil; for he is first cursed by God, Genesis chapter III, verse 1, as if to say Heretics are sons of the devil. "A heretic, if not a brother of the devil, is certainly a helper and son of his," says St. Augustine, Book On Pastors, chapter XII. But this is symbolic, not literal. Indeed William Rosseus, Book That Calvinism is far more detestable than Paganism and Turkism, comparing the dogmas and customs of each, clearly proves this very thing from their books. Whence also he adds that Calvinists in Poland were not far from publicly rejecting Christ, and professing the Alcoran of Mahomet; the cause being that Calvinists are possessed by Satan, so that through them as through tubes and channels Satan speaks and acts, and pours out his venom upon the Church of Christ, and therefore they are driven by enthusiasm and as it were by frenzy: wherefore Vigilantius the heresiarch is to Calvinism, and his ravings to the frenzies of Calvinists, as much inferior as a dwarf is to Hercules, a wart to a mountain, a straw to a beam, and a gnat to an elephant.
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15. Forsaking the right way (of truth, faith and holiness) they have gone astray, following the way (that is, the norm, institution, customs, actions) of Balaam from Bosor, — that is, sprung from Bosra, a city of Moab. Thus Bede, the Gloss, Dionysius, and Thomas Aquinas. But Balaam was not sprung from Moab, but from Mesopotamia, as is evident from Deuteronomy XXIII, 4. In that region therefore was the city Bosor, which the Hebrew, Chaldaic and Septuagint texts, which St. Peter is accustomed to follow, call Petor or Petora, Numbers XXII, 5. Others say, as it were, Born of the father Bosor, so that Bosor is the same as Beor: for he was the father of Balaam, Numbers XXII, 5. Whence St. Augustine, Questions XLVIII on Numbers, reads, sons of Beor. Thus Pagninus, the Zurich Bible, Gagneius, Cajetan, Adams, Salmeron and others, and this is suggested by the Greek τοῦ Βοσόρ: for the article τοῦ is accustomed to denote a son, not a place. Who loved the reward of iniquity, — namely the gifts of Balac, king of Moab, which Balaam, loving them, wished to curse the Hebrews, that is, the people of God, as I said in Numbers XXII and XXIII. St. Peter teaches that heresiarchs are devoted to avarice, just as Balaam was, and therefore they devise errors pleasing to the people. Again, just as Balaam gave counsel to King Balac to send beautiful maidens into the camp of the Hebrews, who would entice them to lust, and thence to idolatry and the worship of Beelphegor, Numbers XXV, 1: so heretics preach the liberty of the flesh, that by this bait they may entice men into their heresy.
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16. But he had a rebuke for his madness. — In Greek ἔλεγξιν δὲ ἔσχεν ἰδίας παρανομίας, that is, he had a rebuke for his own iniquity, or transgression. Our translator seems to have read παραφρονίας instead of παρανομίας, that is, madness, folly, derangement; for St. Peter immediately adds this, saying: "Restrained the folly of the prophet." Now this rebuke was made through the ass, of which he adds: A dumb beast of burden (namely an ass accustomed to bear a yoke and a rider, dumb and brute) speaking with the voice of a man — through an angel, who was forming articulate sounds in the mouth of the ass, saying: "What have I done to thee? Why strikest thou me, behold now the third time? Am not I thy beast, on which thou hast always been wont to ride? Tell me if I ever did any such thing to thee?" Numbers XXII, 28. Origen and the Gloss think that this angel was he who presides over the species of asses and all asses: for each species of things has its own presiding angel. More truly Theodoret, Procopius and Abulensis think it was St. Michael, formerly the presiding angel of the Synagogue and the Hebrews, now the presiding angel of the Church and Christians. Now Balaam was mad and senseless, in that he contended with the ass and wished to kill her, nor did he think that an angel was speaking through her mouth, but rather anger and fury drove and blinded him: perhaps also he himself, being a magus accustomed to speak with a demon, thought that a demon was speaking through the mouth of the ass and wished to impose upon him and hinder his journey and turn aside the gain which he expected from Balac. Whence Dionysius the Carthusian, on Numbers XXII, thinks that he contended with the ass for this purpose, that the demon speaking through her might understand his indignation against him, and so he contended with him indirectly by being angry against her, and to her shame by beating her, and wishing to slay her. Wherefore the angel, showing himself to him with a flashing sword and threatening death, removed from him this error, stupor and arrogance; yet Balaam, soon blinded by avarice, went on to Balac, and since he could not curse the Hebrews as he wished, he gave Balac the worst counsel concerning the maidens, which I recounted a little before, and therefore he was slain by the Hebrews in the war against the Midianites, Numbers XXXI, 7 and 8. That the flashing sword which the angel brandished against him was a presage of this, Anastasius of Nicaea teaches, Questions XXXII on Scripture. Mystically Bede says: Just as, he says, the ass rebuked Balaam, so often do pagans rebuke and confute heretics, laymen clerics, subjects prelates, the unlearned the learned, women men, the common people the wise. On Balaam and the ass see what is said on Numbers XXII and XXIII, and Apocalypse II, 14.
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17. These are fountains without water, — because they are devoid of the water of life, that is, of sound doctrine, as if to say the Gnostics boast and promise great wisdom, but do not actually exhibit it. Thus St. Jerome, book II Against Jovinian; and Oecumenius: "The water of life," he says, "that is, the pure and sweet water of preaching they have lost;" whereas on the contrary Christ promises and bestows to his own: "He that believeth in me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water," John vii, 38. Heretics therefore are philologists, not philosophers; they give leaves, not fruit; words, not knowledge; sophisms, not solid arguments: they boast and crack the Holy Scripture, but do not understand it, nay rather they pervert it. Secondly, St. Augustine, book On Faith and Works, chapter xxv: "For this reason St. Peter," he says, "also calls them dry fountains: fountains namely, because they have received knowledge of the Lord Christ; dry however, because they do not live accordingly (for they are destitute of the water of grace and good works). For what Peter says, dry fountains; this Jude says, clouds without water; this James, dead faith." Again the Gloss: "Where," it says, "there is a fountain without water, there is mud of error and sin, and it does not wash, but defiles." St. Peter alludes to that passage in Jeremiah xv, 18: "Thy hand hath been made unto me as the lying waters of the unfaithful;" for unfaithful waters are fountains which promise water, and do not provide it, but dry up in summer, when men have the greatest need of it for drinking, refreshment and watering their crops. Thus St. Jude, verse 12, compares heretics to clouds without water, that is, sterile and unfruitful, and therefore lying and deceptive: "These," he says, "are clouds without water, which are carried about by winds." And mists. — "Mist" is a sterile and unfruitful cloud, namely the residue of cloud and vapors: hence a mist as it were appears to promise rain and moisture; but either provides none, or provides what is harmful to crops: thus the doctrine of heretics is painted, false, sophistical, pestilential. Tossed about by whirlwinds. — He compares the heresiarchs to mists, which by whirlwinds, that is, winds rotating in a circle, or contrary winds clashing with one another are driven and swept hither and thither, and thus are dispersed and vanish. For thus heretics are driven by the demon, the spirit of dizziness, and as it were by a whirlwind of errors, so that they teach things contrary to one another and clash most bitterly, according to that passage in Isaiah chapter xix, verse 2: "I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians;" nay more, one and the same person frequently changes his errors, and now teaches one, now another, and often a contrary doctrine, and therefore his doctrine shows its own falsity, perishes and vanishes. This character of the heretics of his age was noted by St. Irenaeus, book I, chapter v; St. Justin, Question IV to the Orthodox; Tertullian, On Prescription, chapter XLII, and Novatian, book VII On the Trinity, where he says: "Our faith, while they oppose themselves to it, they affirm, and by that inconstancy they show that all things are uncertain and vain among them, and their war is the peace of the Church." St. Augustine gives the reason, book XVIII On the City of God, chapter LI: "The devil wished," he says, "through heretics to bring it about that there should be free dissensions in the Church, as there were in the Academies of the Philosophers, so that, as those through many divisions finally perish and are consumed by one another, so it might happen in the Church." But he is deceived and deceives falsely. For the Church, as founded by Christ upon the firm rock of Peter in faith, always remains consistent with itself, and therefore the sects which the devil introduces to obscure it, rather indicate and illustrate it. St. Paul noted the same thing in heretics, Ephesians iv, 14, saying: "That henceforth we be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." See the remarks there. For whom the mist of darkness is reserved. — The Greek texts add εἰς αἰῶνα, that is, forever the mist of darkness, that is, the densest darkness and murky fires of hell. St. Jude, verse 13: "For whom the storm of darkness is reserved forever." Symbolically Hugo, the Gloss and Thomas Anglicus: Darkness is reserved for heretics, because they grow in it daily, so that those who are blind become blinder and seduce more, according to that passage in Revelation xxii, 11: "He that doth hurt, let him hurt still, and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still."
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18. For speaking proud vanities. — He gives the reason why he called the heresiarchs "fountains without water and clouds driven by whirlwinds," namely because like fountains and clouds they are vainly lifted up and puffed with pride. "For speaking proud vanities," that is, proud vanity, or empty pride, the swelling and arrogance with which they are inflated, namely that they speak and belch forth haughty, vain and proud things; hence they call themselves Gnostics, that is, knowers, when they are ignorant of all things. Truly Tertullian, On Prescription, chapter XLI: "All," he says, "are puffed up, all promise knowledge; catechumens are perfect before they are taught. How forward are the very women heretics! who dare to teach, to contend, to perform exorcisms, to promise cures, perhaps even to baptize." Note: For proud (some wrongly read, pride) in Greek it is ὑπέρογκα, that is, swollen beyond measure, lofty, great, proud, turgid, immoderate, immense, intolerable; the Zurich version, exceedingly haughty, of which Horace speaks, in the Art of Poetry: He casts away bombast and sesquipedalian words. St. Jerome, book I Against Jovinian, translates it, they speak swollen words. "The Apostolic discourse," he says, "described Jovinian speaking with swollen cheeks, and weighing inflated words." St. Jude, verse 16: "Their mouth speaketh great swelling words." He alludes to the clouds, to which he compared the heresiarchs a little before: for just as clouds like mists become dense, swell and are turgid, but within are vain, empty and void, lacking moisture, dew and rain: so also heretics swell with arrogance, and boast their wisdom with their mouth, but in their heart they are empty and void of it; whence they are like sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. And this is what τὸ φθεγγόμενοι signifies, which our translator renders, speaking; for φθέγγομαι means the same as to resound, to cry out, to vociferate, as heretics do, who when they are overcome by reason, strive to overcome the orthodox by contention and clamor. They allure. — Δελεάζουσι, that is, they bait, they catch with bait offered, as fowlers catch birds, fishermen fish. In the desires of the flesh of luxury, — The luxury of the flesh, that is, the luxurious flesh, or of carnal luxury, the Interpreter reads ἀσελγείας, that is, of luxury in the singular genitive, as also St. Augustine reads it, book On Faith and Works, chapter xxiv: "They allure," he says, "in the concupiscences of the flesh of unchastity," that is, unchaste, or in the unchaste. Now they read ἀσελγείαις in the plural dative. Whence Vatablus translates, they bait men through the concupiscences of the flesh with pleasures. Moreover ἀσέλγεια is general, and signifies luxury, wantonness, lust, lasciviousness, such as is in unchaste touches and looks, of which verse 14. This is what St. Jude says, verse 4: "Turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness." Furthermore, bait for luxury, and consequently for heresy, is given in many ways by heretics. First, Luther gave this, that chastity is impossible; but luxury is to man as necessary as eating and drinking. Truly the impostor spoke, but of himself and his followers only: for chastity is impossible to them, both because they persuade themselves of this: for it is impossible that he remain chaste who thinks this to be impossible; for the affection follows the light and judgment of reason; both because they reject the faith and grace of God, without which chastity is impossible, Wisdom viii, 21; both because they deny free will, and think man is necessarily driven and carried away by his appetite and imagination like a beast; both because like swine they have of their own accord wholly given themselves over to flesh, to Venus and to the belly. The second is common to heretics, namely that present certain goods should be cared for, not future uncertain ones. Whence either openly, or tacitly they deny the immortality of the soul, the resurrection and hell. Hear Brentius in St. Luke chapter xx, homily 35: "Although," he says, "there be no public profession among us that the soul perishes together with the body, and that there is no resurrection of the dead, yet that most impure and profane life, which the greatest part of men pursue, clearly indicates that they do not believe there is life after this. Indeed such words escape from some as much when drunk among cups as when sober in familiar conversations." This is what Luther said of his followers: "They believe like swine, they live like swine, they die like swine." The third is Calvin's, that God is the author of all movements and actions, both evil and good. From this principle of his, his disciples, the Libertines, draw out two rules, which Calvin himself reviews, Instruction against the Libertines, XIII. The first is: "Since all things are works of God, it is permitted to men, as with loosened reins, to do whatever comes to mind, not only because we are outside the danger of sinning, but also because to restrain any desire is to impede God. Thus fornications and robberies will be approved by God, whose works they are: thus it is not necessary to be concerned that stolen things be restored, because it is not fitting that God be corrected." The other: "Let no one be moved by the conscience of any matter. Nor does this follow only from what was set forth above, but they themselves confess this very thing; and indeed they propose this especially to themselves, that they may lull consciences to sleep, so that men, free from all anxiety, may perpetrate whatever presents itself, whatever they have desired." For when this principle is posited, that God is the author of all lusts, desires, pleasures, robberies, murders, etc., anyone will say: I can neither resist God nor ought I to; therefore I shall obey him, I shall cooperate with him; I shall indulge in lusts, desire, pleasure without scruple, indeed with praise, because I follow God. Hence epicureanism has so prevailed, and prevails more each day, that Calvin himself marvels that in Gaul alone there are so many schools of Doctors who, in sowing it, render diligent service, and an infinite multitude of disciples. Wherefore Sebastian Castellio, On the New God of Calvin, asserts that Calvin transforms God into the devil: for he is the author of all evil; and therefore Calvin and his followers worship and adore the devil in place of God. "There are," he says, "two gods, one the true God of Christians, the other the false god of Calvinists: the false God is slow to mercy, prone to wrath, because he created the greatest part of the world for destruction, and predestined them not only to damnation, but also to be the cause of damnation. Therefore he decreed from eternity, and wills and effects that they sin necessarily, so that neither thefts, nor murders, nor adulteries are committed except by his will and impulse; for he suggests to men depraved and dishonorable affections, not only permissively, but efficaciously, and hardens them so that, while they act impiously, they do the work of God rather than their own. He thus makes Satan a liar, so that Satan is no longer the father of lies, but the God of Calvin is; indeed, he often carries one thing in his mouth, another in his breast. But that God whom the sacred Scriptures teach is plainly contrary to this one. He wills all to be saved, etc. And this God came to destroy the works of that Calvinian God." Furthermore, these two contrary gods imbue and form their worshippers with contrary morals. For, as Castellio adds: "The true God came to destroy the works of that Calvinian God; and these two gods, as they are contrary to each other by nature, so they generate sons also contrary to each other: namely, the Calvinian God generates the unmerciful, the proud, the cruel, the envious, the bloodthirsty, the slanderous, the false, those who carry one thing in their heart, another in their mouth, the impatient, the malicious, the seditious, the contentious, the ambitious, the avaricious, those who love pleasure more than God, those full of all depraved and dishonorable affections, which their own father suggests. But the other God generates the merciful, the humble, the meek," etc. And so that you may see that this is not the sense of Castalion alone, but the common sense of others, Smiedelius Against Grynaeum: "The Calvinist spirit," he says, "is lying, homicidal, dark, worst, fugitive, slippery, diabolical, false, furious, verbose, gross, blind. Calvinism, Arianism, and Mahometanism are brothers and sisters: three stockings of the same cloth. Camarina, into which many heresies have flowed; the last wrath of Satan." Luther in Gretser, book I Against Goldasius, chapter XII: "Calvinists," he says, "are fanatics, a viperous brood, soul-murderers, impious, blasphemers, deceivers, bloodthirsty, infernal mastiffs, German Turks sent and possessed by Satan, baptized Mahometans, through-devilized, trans-devilized, super-devilized." Godfrey of the Valley at Paris, in the year 1572, publicly burned, wrote a book, On the Art of Believing Nothing, in which he teaches "that one must first become a Calvinist who wishes to be an atheist." William Reginaldus in Calvinism-Turkism demonstrates that Calvinism differs little from Turkism or atheism, and he who is truly a Calvinist scarcely avoids being a Turk or atheist. Finally, the Most Serene King of England James in the Basilicon asserts that his Puritans in England, that is, pure Calvinists, are "fanatic spirits, perjurers, perfidious, breathing nothing but sedition and calumny, uttering curses without reason, having found more faith in savage robbers than in Puritans; that he has been not only from birth continually vexed by Puritans, but also in his mother's womb almost extinguished by them." Those (refer to entice, that is, Heretics entice into their heresies through the bait of luxury those) who have scarcely escaped, (those) who dwell in error. — Namely those who have scarcely escaped, Gentiles and Jews, who dwell in the error of Gentilism and Judaism, that is, Heretics entice to themselves novices, or those wavering and weak in faith, namely those recently, or weakly converted from Judaism or Gentilism to Christ: for since they are tender, infirm and rude in faith, they easily allow themselves to be seduced. For scarcely the Interpreter reads ὀλίγῳ; others read οὕτως, that is, thus, that is, in some small way; others ὄντως, that is, truly. Again the Interpreter reads in the present ἀποφεύγοντας, that is, those who escape; now in the aorist they read ἀποφυγόντας, that is, those who had escaped. Thus indeed this whole sentence is read in Greek: τοὺς ὀλίγως ἀποφυγόντας, τοὺς ἐν πλάνῃ ἀναστρεφομένους, which you render plainly and clearly thus, they entice those who had scarcely escaped, those who dwell in error, namely Jews, Gentiles, or rather Gnostic heretics, that is, Gnostics entice those who had recently been converted from their heresy to the orthodox faith back again to their heresy, by refreshing and thrusting upon them the bait of former pleasures and lusts, in which they had indulged in heresy; wherefore from the memory of these, habit and custom, they easily relapse into heresy, since they have been recently converted from it, and therefore tender and weak in orthodox faith. This sense is greatly favored by what follows, and St. Augustine, book On Faith and Works, chapter xxiv, when he reads thus: "They entice in the lusts of the flesh of impurity those who have scarcely escaped to dwell in error;" and St. Jerome, book II Against Jovinian, when he translates thus, "they entice in the desires of the flesh of luxury those who have scarcely escaped and have returned to error," for the Greek ἀναστρέφειν means both to return and to dwell. In sum, St. Peter signifies that heretics seduce, not those who are strong and veteran in faith, but those who are novices in it, weak, and therefore easily waver and are seduced by the bait of pleasure offered, to which they had previously been accustomed and had wholly devoted themselves. Whence St. Augustine, tract. On the Usefulness of Believing, vol. IX: "Grain," he says, "either does not leave the threshing floor, or returns: the enemy carries off something of the chaff by the wind of temptation, whence he may make for us not a way of perdition, but a work of exercise." In the same place he teaches that the devil introduced heresies in place of idolatry. Just as indeed fish and birds escaped from a net, if they fly or swim near it, grasping at the bait of the net, easily fall back into it and are ensnared: so also those converted from error, if they hear its teachers and listen to their pleasures, easily relapse into the same; so that they may be safe, they ought entirely with their whole heart to renounce error, and to recede very far from it and its teachers, and plainly to close their ears, lest they hear anything of it even from afar.
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19. Promising them freedom (both from sin, and from the law, and from the subjection of lords and princes, so that they may freely do whatever they please; for they say that luxury is not a sin, but a work of God and nature), while they themselves are slaves of corruption—namely of lust and pleasure, which corrupts both mind and body. For just as chastity is the integrity of mind and body, so luxury is the corruption of both: therefore they make themselves its slaves: "For whosoever committeth sin, is the servant of sin," John cap. viii, vers. 34. Cicero wrote a Paradox: "That the wise man alone is free;" and Philo: "That the virtuous man alone is free; for the vicious man, though he deny it, is the slave of as many masters as he has vices." Diogenes used to say that between slaves and wicked masters there is no difference except in name, except that slaves serve masters, while masters serve their desires, which are brutal and base. Seneca, lib. De Vita beata, cap. v: "Born in the kingdom," he says, "to obey God is freedom." With good reason does St. Ephrem marvel, Adhort. ad pietatem, tom. I, that even one can be found who would rather serve a creature than the Creator. For the mind is free which, serving the one God alone, rules over vices and all creatures and the whole world, and therefore is happy and blessed. Hear St. Salvian, De Provid., lib. I: "No one," he says, "is wretched by the judgment of others, but by his own, and therefore those cannot be wretched by false judgment who are truly blessed by their own conscience, etc. To none, in my opinion, are happier than those who act from their own knowledge and will. The Religious are humble, they will this; they are poor, they delight in poverty; they are without ambition, they reject ambition; they are dishonored, they reject honor; they mourn, they desire to mourn; they are infirm, they rejoice in infirmity. When I am infirm, says the Apostle, then am I powerful. And so whatever happens to those who are truly Religious, they are to be called blessed, because among however many hardships, none are happier than those who are what they will to be." See the sayings in Epistle I, cap. ii, vers. 16. Furthermore, in this age the sect of the Libertines flourishes, so called from the evangelical freedom which Luther first proclaimed. Stanislaus Rescius describes this thus in his Centuries of Sects: "A fanatical race of men, in whom you would rightly believe the Gnostics and Valentinians have revived, to whom nothing is so displeasing as the simple, proper and genuine sense of Scripture. To them Christ is Satan, vice is virtue, and virtue is vice. For according to their opinion, nothing is sin except in the opinion of those who think themselves to be sinning. True fear of God, and a conscience imbued with it, is held by them for hell: but for paradise a conscience contemptuous of divine judgment, secure, stupid and lulled to sleep. They teach that all things are lawful to man without any exception, and they approve every kind of living: they want a pimp to perform his office, they boldly command thieves to steal, they want marriages to be dissolved when a wife has grown weary of her husband: hence they praise promiscuous intercourse, and call it spiritual marriage; they call the communion of saints the communion of temporal goods, and therefore they persuade each one, as much as he can, to seize. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and no other judgment is to be expected. They now affirm that all Christians have already risen, when they know that the human soul has already become that immortal spirit of God, indeed has returned into the essence of God, whence, they say, it came forth, and is so joined to it that a single spirit remains." Finally, our heretics in Gaul, Belgium, England, etc., at the beginning of their heresy took up arms against orthodox princes, and put forward the title of conscience as the cause of war. But when they obtained power, they overthrew that very freedom for which they had fought so many years and shed so much blood, and indeed deprived themselves of it as well. For they do not permit themselves or others freedom of religion and faith, but force all to be Protestants or Calvinists, and persecute the orthodox even unto death, unto unheard-of torments, more than they do Turks and Saracens, indeed more than the Turks do Christians. Is this the freedom sought and promised by so much slaughter, indeed sworn to? Our Perpinianus, an eyewitness, elegantly depicts these plagues of the human race, furies of the Church, torches of kingdoms, or rather burning brands of hell, oration 8. For by whom a man is overcome, of him also is he the servant. — In Greek δεδούλωται, that is, enslaved, or delivered into servitude. Hence a slave is called as if captured by hand in war, and a servant as if saved from the enemy, says St. Augustine, book XIX of the City of God, chapter xv. For by the law of nations servitude was thus introduced, when victors, having captured enemies in war whom they could have killed, spared their lives and commuted death into servitude, as Justinian teaches in the Institutes concerning the law of persons, book IV, § 1. Whence the same Augustine reads this passage thus: "For by whom a man is overcome, to him also is he the servant bound;" and St. Jerome, book I Against Jovinian: "For each one is subject to the passion by which he is conquered." "What iniquity," exclaims St. Augustine, in the book On the Honesty of Women, chapter xxx, "that a soul which Christ redeemed by his blood, a lustful man sells and delivers to the devil for the pleasure of one hour?" And the sinner delivers to the devil the written agreement of this sale, secured by his own signature. Thus Origen explains, homily 23 on Genesis, that passage to the Colossians chapter ii, verse 14, Blotting out the handwriting that was against us: "This handwriting," he says, "was the bond of our sins: for each one of us in those things in which he sins becomes a debtor, and writes the letters of his sin." The Gentiles saw the same thing in their own way. "Diogenes called himself an emperor, but Alexander the Great the servant of servants, because he served his own desires, over which he himself ruled." Thus Manutius in the Apophthegms of Diogenes, book III, century 1, number 47. To the same Alexander the Brahmans wrote, "It profits nothing to become lord of the world, but to serve the basest and vilest thing: to overthrow external enemies, so that he may cherish and sustain internal ones."
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20. For if, fleeing the defilements of the world (that is, errors and sins, namely the superstitions and idolatries of paganism, and thence the consequent license of pleasures and lusts. The sense is, as if to say, Such persons who, namely fleeing the defilements, pleasures and lusts of the world, betook themselves to the knowledge, that is, to the faith and worship of Christ, if apostatizing from him to paganism, or rather to the heresy of the Gnostics, again entangled in those defilements) are overcome (which they had overcome before, as St. Jerome reads it, book I Against Jovinian), their latter state has become worse than their former,—both because the evil of relapse is more grave; and because they immerse themselves more deeply and profoundly in their former vices, and assume a stronger habit; and because, ungrateful for the grace of God, they are abandoned by it. He alludes to, nay cites, that saying of Christ: "The last state of that man becomes worse than the first," Matt. cap. xii, vers. 45; and Jer. cap. ii, vers. 36: "How vile art thou become exceedingly, repeating thy ways!" St. Basil, Rule 289 from the shorter recension, acutely notes that when anyone relapses into sin, it is a sign that he had not completely withdrawn from sin at first, nor rooted out its source, but the appetite and concupiscence of sin still secretly remain in his soul. Whence William of Paris infers, in his book On the Sacrament of Penance, cap. v, that such a one did not have valid and efficacious contrition. St. Peter compares the Gnostics with idolaters; so that those who from idolaters became Christians, if from Christians they become Gnostics, appear to relapse into idolatry, because the Gnostics in many things imitated the nefarious worship of the unfaithful, and because the impiety of both was equal, the same lust, the same parent. Whence Tertullian, in his book On Prescription, cap. xl, teaches "that heresies are not distant from idolatry, since they are of the same author and work as idolatry: but they fashion God as another against the Creator; or if they confess one creator, they discourse of him otherwise than he truly is. Therefore every lie that is spoken of God is in some way a kind of idolatry." For, as St. Augustine says, Questions XXIX on Joshua: "Whoever thinks of God as God is not, certainly carries another and false god in his thought." Morally note here that just as the relapse of a recovering sick man into disease is graver and more dangerous than the former disease, so also is the relapse of the justified into sin. Hear St. Paul, Heb. cap. vi, vers. 4: "It is impossible," he says, "for those who were once illuminated, and have tasted also the heavenly gift, and have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost, have moreover tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, and have fallen away, to be renewed again to penance." And elsewhere: "For if we sin wilfully after having the knowledge of the truth, there is now left no sacrifice for sins, but a certain dreadful expectation of judgment, and the rage of a fire which shall consume the adversaries." And St. Chrysostom, homily On the Fall of the First Man: "Do not," he says, "sin after pardon, do not be wounded after healing, do not be defiled after grace: think, O man, that guilt is graver after pardon, that a renewed wound hurts worse after healing, that it is more troublesome for a man to be defiled after grace. Wherefore he is ungrateful for pardon, who sins after pardon; he is unworthy of health, who wounds himself after he has been healed; nor does he deserve to be cleansed, who defiles himself after grace." And after a few intervening remarks: "It is grave for an instructed man to offend, graver for an absolved man to sin: it is worse for a slave, who offends his patron after liberty has been given: he is ungrateful for benefits, who despises the giver with the arrogance of pride." See our John Busaeus in the Arca Medica, word Relapse, where he suggests five remedies against the relapse of sin, and confirms them with testimonies of Holy Scripture and the Fathers.
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21. Better, — not positively, as though it were a greater good, since it is not good at all; but negatively, because it is a lesser evil, that is, the guilt of an unbeliever who is ignorant is less than that of a believer who knows, and therefore his punishment will also be less. "For that one has not yet approached, this one has looked back," says St. Augustine in Psalm lxxxiii. The same St. Augustine, in sermon 2 on Psalm xxx: "When he says," he says, "It would have been better for them not to know the way of justice, did he not judge those enemies placed outside to be better than those living badly within, by whom the Church is pressed and burdened?" And Salvian, book IV On Providence: "Now," he says, "because you have already known Christ, who have been received as it were into the mouth of God through the knowledge of faith, you will be cast out through lukewarmness; which also blessed Peter explained, saying of the vicious and lukewarm: It would have been better for them," etc. Not to know, — μὴ ἐπεγνωκέναι, that is, not to have known. The way of justice, — that is, the institution and religion is the way leading us to true virtue and justice before God, in which therefore it is permitted to no one to stand still, but each one ought always to progress and advance in it, until he arrives at the goal, namely the heavenly homeland and glory. Some read ἀληθείας for justice, that is, truth, that is, true doctrine and faith, namely the Gospel. Turned back from the holy commandment. — St. Augustine, On Faith and Works, chapter XXIV, reads, "turned back from what was handed down;" St. Jerome, book I Against Jovinian, "turned back, and to abandon the holy commandment which was handed down to them." He calls the Gospel law the "holy commandment." First, because its author is Christ and the Holy Spirit. Second, because the Gospel law teaches and commands all purity and holiness, and forbids all defilement and impurity. Third, because it sanctifies all who obey it through doctrine, grace and the sacraments which it provides. Fourth, because it ought to be kept holily: for its manner, as well as its end, is holiness, according to that: "That we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, may serve him in holiness and justice before him all the days of our life," Luke I, 78. Fifth, because many things in it cannot be observed without sanctifying grace, among which the first is the law of charity, the reception of the Eucharist, the administration of the Holy Sacraments, etc. Sixth, because it has God as its object, who is holiness itself: for it worships him through faith, hope, charity, religion and other Christian virtues. Seventh, the Gospel commandment is holy because it is sanctioned and established by God, so that it endures through all ages, and throughout all eternity, and so that it may be fully and perfectly fulfilled by the Saints in heaven. Indeed, Salvian most excellently, book IV to the Catholic Church, at the end: "All," he says, "who hate the sacred commandment, have the cause of their hatred in themselves. All disgust is not in the precepts of the law, but in their own morals. For the law is good, but the morals are bad, and through this let men change their purpose and affection. For if they make their morals acceptable, nothing in what the good law commands will displease them: for when anyone has begun to be good, he cannot but love the law of God, because the holy law of God has within itself what holy men have in their morals." St. Peter speaks of apostasy and those apostatizing from the holy faith and law of Christ to the impure sect of the Gnostics. Yet you may rightly adapt his meaning to Priests and Religious, who apostatize from the priesthood and religious life, and return to the world, or take wives, or rather concubines: as to how great a wickedness this is, see in St. Basil, Longer Rules, Rule 14; Caesarius, sermon 3 to Monks; the Author of a sermon to the Brothers in the desert in St. Augustine, vol. X, sermons 8 and 34, and our Jerome Platus, III On the Good of the Religious State, XXXVII. He especially censures the sect of the Agapetae, which arose a little before the time of St. Jerome and spread greatly, and therefore many of the Fathers, such as SS. Jerome, Augustine, Chrysostom, Nazianzen, and Basil, in his book On Virginity, inveigh sharply against it. They were called in Greek ἀγαπηταί, that is, beloved ones (also adoptive sisters, as St. Chrysostom says), because under the pretext of charity they would cohabit with spiritual men, as if to be instructed and formed by them in piety and virtue, but under this pretext they lived shamefully, as still happens in some places. Wherefore the Fathers already cited teach that virgins and devout women ought to be completely separated from men, even spiritual ones. Hear St. Jerome to Eustochium, in his book On the Custody of Virginity: "I am ashamed to say it (O abomination!) it is sad, but true. Whence has the plague of the Agapetae entered into the Churches? Whence without marriage another name for wives? nay, whence a new kind of concubines? I will say more: Whence harlots of one husband? They are held in the same house, in one chamber, often in one bed, and they call us suspicious if we think anything of this. A brother abandons his virgin sister; a virgin scorns her unmarried brother, and seeks a strange brother. And when they pretend to be in the same purpose, they seek the spiritual consolation of strangers, that they may have carnal commerce at home. Such men Solomon despises in Proverbs, saying: Can a man hide fire in his bosom, and his garments not burn? Or can he walk upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? Again the same Jerome a little above in the same place: "These are," he says, "they who are wont to say: All things are clean to the clean, My conscience is enough for me. God desires only a clean heart. Why should I abstain from foods which God created for use? And if sometimes they wish to live gaily and pleasantly, when they have gorged themselves with wine, coupling sacrilege to drunkenness they say: God forbid that I should abstain from the blood of Christ. And when they see one pale and sad, they call her wretched and Manichaean. And consequently to such a purpose fasting is heresy. These are they who walk noticeably in public, and with furtive glances of the eyes draw troops of youths after them, who always hear through the Prophet: Thou hast had a harlot's forehead, thou art not ashamed. Purple only in the garment thin and loose, so that the hair falls down, the head bound: a baser slipper, and across the shoulders a hyacinthine cloak fluttering with purple; sleeves drawn tight to the arms, and with loosened knees a broken gait. This is all their virginity among them."
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22. A dog returning to his vomit. — He compares the Gentiles who have relapsed from Christianity into the heresy of the Gnostics to dogs. First, because such persons, like dogs, return to their vomit, that is, to the errors, gluttony and lusts which they had vomited forth and cast away in Christianity. Moreover, to resorb vomit is foul and abominable. Whence St. Augustine, commenting on Psalm XXX: "See," he says, "how horrible a thing he has compared them to. It is indeed a horrible thing to resorb one's own vomit, nor would anyone resort to it even in the extremity of hunger." Second, because they are shameless and impudent like dogs, which couple together in public. Whence the impure Diogenes was called Cynic on account of canine obscenity and shamelessness, that is, a dog-like creature and dog, as Laertius testifies. Again, the dog denotes the wandering and promiscuous lusts of the Gnostics, and adulteries: for such are the ways of dogs; whence the proverb: "A male dog has infinite lairs." Third, because heretics bark against truth and true faith, and persecute the orthodox by word and writing like barking dogs: thus St. Chrysostom, in his homily On the Cross of the Lord: "Dogs," he says, "are all heretics, who extend the utterances of blasphemy against their Creator." Fourth, because a dog is a vile and foul animal and legally unclean, as is evident from Deuteronomy XXIII, 18; heretics likewise are such. Whence Ecclesiasticus XIII, 22: "What communion," it says, "has a holy man with a dog?" And Isaiah, in the last chapter, 3: "He that killeth a beast, as if he put out a dog's eye;" and Christ, Matthew VII, 6: "Give not that which is holy to dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine." Alluding to this, Peter employs both of Christ's similitudes, namely dogs and swine. Fifth, because, as St. Jerome says to Rusticus: "They proceed in public with the trappings of pomp to exercise canine eloquence," namely that composed solely for cursing and quarreling, which has been called canine from quarreling and the barking of dogs. Moreover, this cursing reveals the cowardice, falsehood and lack of confidence of heretics. For just as dogs are most timid and bark most loudly because they dare not or cannot bite; whereas silent dogs bite and do not bark: so heretics, because they fear and distrust their cause, being false and erroneous, hence strive to cover it with clamors and curses, and to obtain victory through these, which they know they cannot obtain through arguments and reasoning. Sixth, dogs are beggars: for they beg by standing at their master's table, intent upon him, waiting for a morsel and bones. Whence the proverb: "A dog helping a beggar." For dogs are hostile to beggars as to fellow-practitioners, who namely exercise the same art with them and snatch away bread: whence beggars are accustomed to conciliate dogs to themselves by throwing them a crust. Thus heretics beg, and gaze upon the tables and purses of the rich, and wander about like dogs around a butcher's shop and entrails. "For the sense of smell in dogs is keen," and wherever it scents food, it insinuates itself there. Seventh, a dog is prone to vengeance, but stupidly bites the stone thrown at it; but lets go the one who threw it, as if he dared not touch him, as Plato says in Book V of the Republic. Thus heretics are inclined to vengeance, and when they cannot attack and avenge themselves upon truth and the learned, they fall upon the unlearned common people. Eighth, dogs live idly and securely at another's expense, according to that saying: "A dog living on bran," that is, on bran, flour and other sweepings of the hands; and: "A dog like one sailing to Delos," accustomed to be thrown on its back, idle, secure, and living a life of pleasure: for at Athens the voyage to Delos was easy and safe. Heretics live the same life. Whence Paul: "Beware," he says, "of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision," Philippians III, 2. Ninth, dogs keenly pursue game in hunting, and surround it until they capture and tear it; "for it is a keen race of wolves and dogs," as Virgil says in the third Georgic. And with dogs you will hunt the hare, with dogs you will hunt the does, there. And Ovid in the Ibis: The greedy dogs will tear the treacherous hearts. Thus heretics hunt souls like hares, and do not cease until they capture and kill them. Tenth, dogs howl horribly, which Lucretius calls "baubare." Hence the poets say that in the underworld there is a three-headed dog, namely Cerberus, like a horrible monster, which bites and torments the damned. Similar is the howling, biting, horror and torment of heretics, especially in hell. Hence Cerberus is called as it were κρεοβόρος, that is, "flesh-devouring," of which Virgil, in the sixth Aeneid: Cerberus, this huge beast, with his triple-throated barking shakes these realms, lying monstrous in the opposite cave: and soon after: He, opening his three throats with ravenous hunger, seizes what is thrown to him, and dissolves his huge back. Morally, St. Gregory, in the third part of the Pastoral Care, admonition XXXI, applies this saying of St. Peter to any who return to sins that have been forgiven. For St. Peter alludes to that passage in Proverbs XXVI, 11: "As a dog that returneth to his vomit, so is the fool that repeateth his folly." For those who lament their sins committed, yet nevertheless do not abandon them, must be admonished, says St. Gregory, and likewise those who abandon them, yet nevertheless do not lament. For those must be admonished who lament their sins committed, yet do not abandon them, so that they may know to consider carefully that they wash themselves in vain by weeping, who soil themselves by living wickedly, since they wash themselves with tears in order to return clean to filth. Hence it is written: "As a dog that returneth to his vomit, so a sow that is washed to wallowing in the mire." For a dog, when it vomits, certainly casts forth the food which was weighing down its breast; but when it returns to its vomit, from which it had been relieved, it is burdened again. And those who lament their sins committed, certainly cast forth by confession the wickedness from which they had been badly satisfied, and which was weighing down the innermost parts of their mind; but when after confession they repeat it, they take it up again. But a sow, when it is washed in the mire, becomes filthier. And he who laments his sin committed, yet does not abandon it, subjects himself to the punishment of a graver fault, because he both despises the pardon which he was able to obtain by weeping, and as it were rolls himself in muddy water, because while he deprives his life of purity by his tears, he makes even those very tears filthy before the eyes of God; and a little further down: "Hence by a certain wise man it is said in Ecclesiasticus XXXIV: He that washeth himself after touching a dead body, if he touch it again, what doth his washing avail? For he is washed by a dead body, who is cleansed by tears from sin: but after baptism he touches a dead body, who repeats his guilt after tears." William of Paris, in the book On Penance, chapter XII, aptly and piously teaches that in confession sins are vomited forth, and therefore those are detestable who afterwards return to sins and reabsorb the virulent works which they once vomited. See St. Augustine on Psalm LXXXIII, after the beginning, where he presses the example of Lot's wife, who looking back towards Sodom, was turned into a pillar of salt, and citing this passage of St. Peter: "As a dog," he says, "that returneth to his vomit. For the weight of the consciousness of sins was pressing down your breast; having received pardon, as if you had vomited, your breast was relieved. A good conscience was made from a bad conscience. Why do you turn back again to your vomit? If a dog doing this horrifies your eyes, what will you be in the eyes of God?" A sow that is washed (returning, and again wallowing) in the mire. — Whence the Greek texts more clearly have: "A sow washed to the wallow of mire," namely, having returned. A wallow is a muddy place where pigs wallow, concerning which Virgil, in book III of the Georgics: Often in forest wallows you will disturb the boars driven by barking. And Horace, in book I, epistle 2: And the pig friendly to mud. It denotes the Gnostics, both because the pig, says Horus, and from him Pierius, Hierology IX, is a symbol of men who spurn the truth, the profane, the pernicious, and those who are utterly turned away from God, such as the Gnostics were; and because the Gnostics were called Borborites, that is, muddy or filthy, from βόρβορος, that is, mud or mire. "For they, as Philastrius says in On Heresies, going into mire, and from there forgetting themselves, deformed their faces and limbs with mire;" and St. Augustine, in heresy 6: "Some," he says, "call them Gnostic Borborites, as it were muddy, on account of the excessive filthiness which they are said to practice in their mysteries." Similar new muddy Gnostics, recently sprung from the Anabaptists, arose in Holland, whose sect is called the cart of dung; because it carries the bilge of the most foul errors and blasphemies, and casts off all care of religion, says Rescius from Ulemberg in the Centuries of Sects; where he also from Hosius recounts another sect of those called Suists, because they follow the dreams of their own head. "Rustic," they say, "was Luther, a monk Bucer, stigmatized Calvin, executioner Sudrovius; therefore each must follow the counsels of his own spirit: let each interpret Holy Scripture by his own spirit from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and let him be wise to himself and consult himself." Truly Suistic, nay swineish, is this saying of theirs. Morally, Origen, homily 4 on Psalm XXXVII, rightly compares sinners to swine. First, because just as swine love filthy and putrid things and have them for delights, beauty and most pleasant odor, so also sinners: "They are said to be like swine," he says, "who delight in the stench of sins like swine, which seek out all foulness as if it were the most pleasant odor. Consider therefore the sinner who delights in his sins and is glad in his evils, because he himself wallows in filthy dung, and perceives no sense of the foulness which arises from the dung of sin, and as if in the highest pleasures and most agreeable delights he delights." Indeed, Cicero also, in De Arusp. resp.: "Just as a certain swine in mud, so he delights in debaucheries;" and Horace: A pig from Epicurus' herd. Second, because the sinner is unclean and foul in himself like a swine, especially a sow, which is a hot, obscene and foul animal. Whence some think it was said "foul" because in striking it a foul animal was slain, that is a sow, according to that of Virgil, VIII Aeneid: They stood, and joined covenants with a slain sow. From this flowed the phrases "to strike, to smite, to strike a covenant," because namely a sow was struck to ratify the covenant. Hence the devil loves swine, and often appears in the form of a swine, and takes on the body or form of a swine, as is evident from the Life of St. Anthony; indeed, he even asked Christ for the faculty of entering into swine, Matthew VIII, 31: especially because all swine in Italy and neighboring places are black (whence Alba, a city near Rome, and its parent and rival, was so named from the prodigy of a white sow which gave birth there contrary to custom to thirty piglets); but the devil is most black, not in colors, but in morals and in the fires of hell. Third, because a sow feeds on filthy things, so also the glutton; hence the proverb: "A sow feasts." Again, a sow is fattened so that it may be slain: so the sinner fattens himself so that he may be slain, and provides a feast for the devil in hell. Fourth, a pig prone to the belly looks upon nothing but the earth, lies upon the earth, and is nothing but a mass of flesh, earthly and heavy: so also the sinner yearns for earthly things, lies upon the belly and flesh. Hence Luther called his Lutherans cast into the belly swine, as I said above. Hear Lactantius, lib. IV, cap. XVII, who, giving the reason why the eating of swine's flesh was forbidden to the Jews, thus speaks: "For this animal is muddy and unclean, and never looks upon heaven, but is cast down to the earth with its whole body and mouth, and always serves the belly and food, and can provide no other use while it lives, as other animals do, which either provide a seat for riding, or help in the cultivation of fields, or draw plows with their necks, or carry burdens on their backs, or exhibit clothing from their hides, or abound in the supply of milk, or keep watch over houses. He forbade therefore the use of swine's flesh, that is, lest they imitate the life of swine, which are nourished only for death; lest, serving the belly and pleasures, they be useless for doing justice, and be brought to death. Also lest they immerse themselves in foul lusts, as a sow which immerses itself in mud, or lest they serve earthly idols, and soil themselves with mud; for they soil themselves with mud, who worship gods, that is, who worship mud and earth." Fifth, because a sow is shameless, and does not recognize its master while eating; indeed, sometimes when wild while nursing her young, she attacks boys, kills and devours them. Hear Aristotle, lib. VI Hist. anim., cap. XVIII: "Swine when aroused by lust, which is called subare, or attack men." So the sinner is shameless, ungrateful and infamous, because he does not recognize, does not care for, does not fear God his creator. See what is said about the sow and pig, Leviticus XI, 7. Sixth, continuous eating of swine's flesh creates leprosy and other grave diseases: so pleasures create diseases of the body and torments of the soul for the sinner. Finally, concerning the sow, Pliny, lib. VIII, cap. LI: "This animal," he says, "is most brutish, and it is not inelegantly thought that a soul was given to it in place of salt." So the sinner is brutish, and from a man has nothing of man except the soul, which like salt preserves the body from putrefaction and corruption. Seventh, the wildness of boars and wild swine is immense, so much so that they dig up and destroy and tear apart plants and trees: so lust and every sin makes man wild and cruel. Hear Aristotle, lib. I De Hist. anim., cap. 1: "Some animals," he says, "are spirited, stubborn, altogether brutish, like wild swine." Finally, the dullness and stupidity of swine is evident from their bristly hair, swine-like face, eyes, snout, grunting, etc. Hence the proverb among Suidas: "An ass hears the lyre, a pig hears a stupid trumpet," said of those who hear excellent things, but neither understand them nor marvel at them, and that saying: "A pig to Minerva," when someone stupid wishes to teach the wise; and that: "A pig to a stick," when someone stupidly hurls himself into present danger and ruin; and that: "A pig through roses," said of rustics and intractable persons: for indeed a pig cannot be led through roses without fouling them; and that: Acinos sus improba pendis, that is, a small benefit at the cost of great harm. All these things are easily applicable to the sinner, who most stupidly hurls himself into every evil for the sake of a crumb or drop of pleasure. This then is the idea of the heretic, which throughout this entire chapter St. Peter has graphically depicted with these characteristics, as it were with colors painted to the life. First, verse 1: Heretics, he says, are false prophets and lying teachers. Second, they introduce sects of perdition. Third, they deny the Lord who bought them. Fourth, verse 2, many follow their luxuries. Fifth, through them the way of truth is blasphemed. Sixth, verse 3, in avarice they traffic with demons concerning the bodies and souls of the faithful. Seventh, they are hypocrites and flatterers: for they use feigned words and smooth speech, and composed for seduction. Eighth, their perdition hastens. Ninth, verse 4, they are like Lucifer and demons. Tenth, verse 5, they are like carnal ones submerged in the flood, and like Sodomites. Eleventh, verse 10, they walk after the flesh in the uncleanness of concupiscence. Twelfth, they despise dominion. Thirteenth, they are bold. Fourteenth, they please themselves. Fifteenth, they are blasphemers. Sixteenth, verse 12, they are like irrational beasts born for capture and perdition. Seventeenth, they blaspheme what they do not understand. Eighteenth, verse 13, they are voluptuaries, stains and blemishes, abounding in delights. Nineteenth, luxuriating in feasts, having eyes full of adultery and unceasing sin. Twentieth, verse 14, they seduce unstable souls. Twenty-first, they have a heart exercised in avarice. Twenty-second, they are children of malediction. Twenty-third, verse 15, forsaking the right way they go astray. Twenty-fourth, they follow the way of Balaam, who loved the reward of iniquity, and therefore perished. Twenty-fifth, verse 17, they are fountains without water. Twenty-sixth, they are clouds driven by whirlwinds, for whom the darkness of shadows is reserved. Twenty-seventh, verse 18, they speak proud vanities. Twenty-eighth, they seduce through the bait of pleasures and luxury those newly turned away from it. Twenty-ninth, verse 19, they promise liberty, while they themselves are slaves of corruption. Thirtieth, verse 20, their latter things become worse than their former. Thirty-first, verse 22, they are like dogs returned to their vomit, and like pigs washed returned to wallowing in mud.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
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1. Fuerunt vero et pseudoprophetae in populo. Transitus est opportunus a mentione prophetarum ad argumentum principale hujus Epistolae, quod esl de cavendis pseudoprophetis ac falsis magistris, quorum in genero studia moresque describit hoc capite; quemadmodum et Judas Apostolus, hoc ipsum in sua Epistola tractans argumentum. Hortatus sum, inquit, ad lectionem sanctorum Prophetarum, et unde eorum interpretatio petenda sit, indicavi. Nunc moneo, ut falsos prophetas falsosque magistros vitetis. Nam sicut olim non defuerunt pseudoprophetae, qui pro veris Dei prophetis sese populo venditarent, dicentes: Haec dicit Dominus: ita neque nunc, exorta luce Evangelii, tales defuturi sunt inter Christianos. Eisi namque Christus suam gubernet Ecclesiam, ad ejusdem tamen utilitatem haereses exoriri permittit. Nam oportet et haereses esse, ut, qui probati su7itj manifesti fiantj ait Paulus 1 Cor. 11.
Sicut et in vobis erunt magistri mendaces. Sicut, id est similiter. Magistri mendaces, Graece: ^tu8o8idday.aX(ji, id est falsi magistri. Quamvis autem haeretici revera pseudoprophetae sint, juxta generalem prophetiae acceptionem, quia Scripturas sacras falso et perverso sensu interpretantur; juxta quam generalem significationem intelliguntur pseudoprophetae Matth. 7. et 24.; non dicit tamen Apostolus: Erunt et in vobis pseudoprophetaCj sed: pseudodidascali, quia veteris testamenti tempus proprie prophetarum fuit. Unde Dominus Luc. 16.: Lex et prophetae usque ad Joannem. Tempus autem novi testamenti magistrorum est, de quibus multa Jacobus in sua Epistola. Siquidem in veteri testamento mysteria praedicebantur, quod est prophetarum, stricto nomine sic appellatorum; at in novo praedicta explicantur, quod est magistrorum. Illud autem: erunt in vobis, non sic intellige: in vobis gentilibus, sicut fuerunt in populo Judaico; sed in vobis Christianis, sicut in veteri populo. Nam in vobis, id est gentibus, non quadrat, cum non minus essent futuri inter Judaeos Christianos, ex quibus, post Ecclesiae initia, multi et praecipui prodierunt magistri mendaces. Et quidem, vivente Petro, jam quidam emerserant; ut Simon magus cum suis discipulis, Cerinthus, Nicolaitae et alii. Unde et in sequentibus multa de iis dicit, utens verbis praesentis temporis. Sed et Paulus, et Judas de talibus suo jam tempore in Ecclesia seu contra Ecclesiam grassantibus meminerunt. Dicit tamen in futuro: erunt, vel quia timore, dum viveret Petrus, circamcisionis Apostolus, comprimebantur, post ejus obitum sese prodituri, ut vult auctor glossae interlinealis; vel potius, quod, qui jam exorti erant, pauci admodum essent eorum comparatione, qui adhuc erant exorituri. Ita Paulus 2 Tim. 3. futuros dicit in novissimis temporibus homines se ipsos amantes etc. De quibus tamen, velut jam exortis, ipsum Timotheum admonet, dicens: Et hos devita.
Qui introducent sectas perditionis. Introducent, Graece: uapstca^ouotv^ id est, subintroducent A quo verbale nomen napeKzdxzoi, quo Paulus utitur Gal. 2., ubi Latine sic legimus: propter subintroductos falsos fratres. Judas simile verbum habet: Subintroierunt quidam. Erasmus hunc locum ita vertit: Qui clam inducent sectas perniciosas. Est enim Hebraismus, quo genitivus effectum denotans, vel epitheti loco, vel restrictionis causa adjungitur suo nomini: sectas per~ ditioniSf id est, perditionem adferentes. Nam ubi fidei naufragium, ibi certus interitus est. Dixi: vel restrictionis causa 'j nam sectae, quod Graece est aipeosig^ quamvis usu totius Ecclesiae jam olim in malam partem accipiatur significatione notissima, tamen apud profanos auctores, atque etiam in Scriptura sacra, vocabulum medium est, significans opinionem, quam quis sibi delegerit, seu veram, seu falsam. Porro quas sectas introduxerint primi inter Christianos ex Judaeis haeretici, late docet Epiphanius lib. 1.
Et Eum, qui emit eos, Dominum negant. Negant, Graece participium est: apvo6|X£VOl; quamquam id verbi loco positum videri potest, nisi malis hanc partem connectere cum illa: In vobis erunt magistri mendaces, et Dominum, qui eos mercatus est, negantes. Sensus autem est: Christum redemptorem suum, qui mercatus est eos et redemit suo sanguine, eoque jure Duminus ipsorum est, abnogaturi sunt; si non verbo, certe factis et pravitate doctrinae; videlicet Dei nostri gratiam transferentes in luxuriam, et per hoc solum dominatorem et Dominum nostrmn Jesum Christum negantes; ut exprimit B. Judas in sua Epistola, qui locus cum nostro est conferendus, et ipse Petrus hic indicat, dicens, quod multi sequentur eorum luxurias, per quos via veritatis blasphemabitur. Ex hoc loco bene colligitur, Christum redemisse quosdam reprobos, nimirum illos, qui rcdcmptionis ejus secundum aliquos effectus facti sunt participes; cujusmodi erant hi, de quibus Petrus loquitur; utpote per fidem in baptismo regenerati, et peccatorum veniam consecuti, licet postea in veterem peccati servitutem relapsi. Quae eadem doctrina est Concilii Valentini, ante annos paene 800. in Galliis habiti, cap. 5. affirmantis, Christi redemptionem etiam ad eos pertinere, qui, etsi non salventur, quia non perseverant, baptismo tamen regenerati fuerunt, et in sanguine Christi a peccatis suis abluti. Sed ne hinc colligas, ad omnes omnino homines effectum redemptionis extendi, quod in eodem Concilio cap. 4. diserte negatur. Vide, quae dicta sunt ad verba
Superducentes sibi celerem perditionem. Allugio est ad id, quod dixerat, eos introducturos sectas perditionis; ac si dicat: Dum subinducent sectas perditionis, sibi ipsis superducent, id est, accersent, celerem perditionem, hoc est, inopinatum interitum. Quod enim inopinatum atque inexspectatum est, id celeriter ac subito videtur accidere, etiamsi post multum tempus accidat. Loquitur autem de damnatione aeterna, quae malis ac praecipue errorum magistris superveniet inexspectata.
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2. Et multi sequentur eorum luxurias. In Graecis codicibus duplex est lectio. Multi habent: aucDXstatg, ut vertendum sit: sequentur eorum perditiones, sive exitia. In aliis non paucis, quos annotavit Robertus Stephanus, legitur: aasXysiaic quae vox luxurias sive lascivias significat. Nec dubium, quin noser interpres ita legerit. Estque ea lectio longe probabilior. Non enim proprie, nec usitate quis dicitur sequi alterius perditionem; licet ejus mores imitando perdi cum eo mereatur. Et alioqui dicendum erat: perditionem, singulari numero; quomodo jam semel et iterum dixerat. Sed et quod sequitur: Per quos via veritatis blasphemabitur, satis arguit luxurias legendum, non perditiones. Veruntamen possunt haec duo sensu conjungi, in hunc modum: Multos habebunt suarum lasciviarum imitatores, et impurae doctrinae sectatores, quos secum trahent in simile exitium. Talos fuere Simoniani et Nicolaitae, in quos ex parte haec dicta videntur. Ita Paulus 2 Tim. 3.: Mali homines et se~ ductores proficient in pejus, errantes et in errorem mittentes.
Per quos via veritatis blasphemabi' tur. Per quos, refert multos sequentes illorum luxurias. Et sensus est: Quorum causa CLristianismus male audiet apud infideles. Dum enim multi, sub nomine Christiano libertatem carnis sectantes, dedent se omni lasciviae et immunditiae, fiet, ut propter eos vera et sana doctrina maledictis et conviciis infidelium exponatur. Sic ad quosdam Paulus, Rom. 2.: Nomen enim Dei per vos blasphematur inter gentes. Via pro genere vitae, et via veritatis pro secta, doctrina seu religione vera, Hebraismi sunt. Qui interpretantur, ipsos errorum magistroa aut eorum sequaces blasphematuros, id est, maledictis exagitaturos viam veritatis, quomodo solent haeretici doctrinam CathoHcam, ii mentem Apostoli non sunt assecuti, nec vero ad consuetam locutionem Scripturae satis attenderunt.
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3. Et in avaritia fictis verbis de VO' bis 71 egotiabuntur. Hic notat falsorum magistrorum avaritiam, quam Graeco vocabulo TiXsovs^tav appellat, id est, studium semper plus habendi. Fictis verbis, Graece: TtXaoToTq Aoyoig, id est, ficticiis et compositis verbis sive sermonibus. Nec est; de vobis, sed: vos negotiabuntur 'j tametsi bene ac Latine interpres reddidit: de vobis. Quod et Erasmus, et alii secuti sunt. Sensus est: Per avaritiam, hoc est, impellente eos avaritia (utpote cor exercitatum avaritia habentes, sicut infra dicitur versu 14.), quaestum ex vobis facient, ad suum quaestum vobis abutentur, idque artificioso et ad persuadendum composito sermone. Ducta est metaphora ab avaris mercatoribus, qui, quo merces suas quam plurimo vendant, omni arte verborum, etiam per mendacia, commendare eas student.
Quibus judicium jam olim non cessat. Graece: oux apysT, non tardat. Quamquam et cessare pro tardare dicitur Latine, ut apud Virgilium: Cessas in vota precesque? Judicium autem pro damnatione, seu poena per judicium inferenda, ponitur Hebraeo more. Sensus: Quibus jam olim et ab aeterno destinata, et in Scripturis praedicta ac praemonstrata damnatio non tardat; sed opinione et exspectatione citius eos opprimet. Nam sicut non tardat Dominus promissionem suamy infra cap. 3., ita nec tardat comminationem; quantumvis tam istam, quam illam in longum diflferre videatur. Nec enim tardare dicitur, qui, quod addixit, praestat tempore constituto. Sunt, qui adverbium olim de futuro tempore exponant, hoc sensu: Quibus absque retractatione praeparatur olim ventura damnatio. Constat enim, apud Latinos olim interdum ad futurum tempus referri. Sed repugnat huic intellectui Graecum adverbium exixaXat, quodsonat: ex antiquo, proindeque non dicitur, nisi de praeterito. Sensum priorem confirmat, quod de iisdem B. Judas ait: Qui olim praescripti sunt iji hoc judicium.
Et perditio eorum non dormitat. Pro eo, quod diceret: Et quorum perditio non dormitat. Hebraismus, qualem observare est in cantico Virginis: Fecit mihi magna, qui potens est, et sanctum nomen ejus, id est, et cujus nomen sanctum est. Quamvis, inquit, ipsi, more dormientium in utramque aurem, securi sint, dicentes: JJbi est adve^Uus ejus? ubi judicium? ut infra cap. 3., tamen perditio eis a Deo destinata atque praedicta non dormit, neque dormitat, sed vigilat, certissime eos comprehensura suo tempore; instar illius virgae, de qua Jeremias cap. 1.: Virgam vigilantem ego video. Cui respondet Dominus: Bene vidisti, quia vigilabo ego super verbo meo, ut faciam illud. Nonnulli perditionis nomine diabolum accipiunt perditissimum, et omnis perditionis auctorem, qui numquam dormit, sed semper vigilat in perniciem hominum. Verum hic sensus proposito non congruit.
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4. Si enim Deus angelis peccantibus non pepercit. Deinceps Apostolus adductis ex antiquitate exemplis ostendit, non posse eos effugere Dei judicium, qui pravorum dogmatum auctores sunt ac magistri. Adducit autem tria exempla sane horrenda: de angelis, de mundo originali, de Sodomis; quorum primum et tertium adferuntur etiam a Juda Apostolo. Peccantibus, Graece: d/jiapT7joav- Ttov, qvi peccaverunt. Non enim impeccabiles angeli a Deo creati sunt. Ecce, ait quidam in libro B. Job, qui serviunt ei, non sunt stabiles j et in angelis suis reperit pravitatem, Job 4. Peccatum eorum describit B. Judas: Quod non servaverunt suum principatumy sed dereliquerunt suum domicilium. Quorum verborum expositio suo loco servanda est. Illud satis constat, primum Angelorum peccatum fuisse superbiam. Nam initium omnis peccati est superbia, Eccles. 10.; et: In ipsa initium sumpsit omnis perditio, Tob. 4. Estque ea communis et receptissima Theologorum, tam veterum, quam recentiorum, de angelorum peccato sententia. Qaa de re late disputatur apud Magistrum in 2. sent. dist. 6. Quaeri potest, cur Deus angelis peccantibus non pepercerit, qui pepercit homini, providens ei redemptorem et Salvatorem. Ad hoc variae rationes adferri solent; sed, salva judiciorum Dei inscrutabili profunditate, haec videtur praecipua: Quia humana natura tota corruerat in primo parente, quippe qui suo peccato obligavit totum genus. Quod proinde ne totum periret, misericordia Dei subvenit. Angelica vero natura non tota cecidit; sed pars ejus aliqua, atque ea multo minor, quam sit eorum, qui in sua rectitudine perstiterunt. Itaque genus ipsum, ut ita dicam, iu illis opus non habuit reparatione. Possumus et hoc addere, quadam ratione plus praestitum angelicae naturae, quam humanae. Nam plures angeli servati sunt, ne caderent, pauciores cadere permissi sunt; homines vero plures pereunt, pauciores salvantur. In eo tamen humana natura prae angelis honorata est, quod eam sibi Filius Dei in unitatem personalem aduuaverit. Caeterum indicat B. Petrus argumentum a majore, quod GuiL Estii Couim. Toto. III. explicat postea versu 11.; quasi dicat: Si Deus angelis, qui multo nobilioris sunt naturae, quique fortitudine et virtute sunt majores, peccantibus non pepercit, spem veniae ostendendo etc. Quomodo non pepercerit, declarant verba sequentia:
Sed rudentibus inferni detractos in tartarum tradidit cruciandos, in judi" cium reservari. Participio: cruciandos, in Graeco nihil respondet, paucis exceptis codicibus, quorum non tanta fides; in quibus est: xoXaCo/xsvoug, puniendos, Quod tamen etiam Augustino legitur lib. 11. de civit. Dei, cap. 33., et de natura boni, cap. 33., nec. non. Fulgentio lib. 2. ad Trasim. cap. 2.; quum alioqui videri possit hoc additum ab interprete, vel alio quopiam, illustrandi sensus gratia; quamvis, an eo conducat, non facile dixerim. Graeca sic habent: Sed catenis caliginis in tartarum detrusos tradidit in judicium servatos, nisi quod pro: TSTYjpTjfxsvoug, servatos, alii codices habent: ty]pou|jL£VO'JC, servandos, sive qui servantur. Quod sensum non variat. Nam quod Gaignaeus putat, interpretis tempore aliam fuisse lectionem in aliquibus codicibus, et pro: TYjpouiisvoug, fuisse scriptum: TSipo/jilvoug, id est, afflictos et vexatos, pro quo interpres vertit: cruciandos^ fallitur in ea re. Siquidem et apud Judam legitur idem verbum, a quo participium hujus loci. Jam et caeteras voces expendamus. Pro: catenis, Augustinus et Fulgentius legunt: carceribus. Cujus versionis etiam Beda meminit. Sed, ut Vives apud Augustinum annotat, carceres pro claustris interpres ille posuit, qmbus exire daemones prohibentur; quales erant illi in circo, quibus equi, antequam currerent, coercebantur. Inferni, Graece: Cocpou, caliginis; quemadmodum et iidem auctores legunt, et noster interpres vertit in Epistola B. Judae. Mirum autem, cur Erasmus veitere maluerit: noctis, quod Graeca vox non significat, et ipse quoque iu Epistola Judae caliginem transtulerit. Quod autem noster vertit: detractos in tartarum, et Erasmus, eumque secutus Hentenius: in tartarum praecipitatos, Graecis una dictio est: Tapxapwaag, quam explicatius ita reddes: cum in tartarum mi$isset, seu detrusisset. Verbum quidem insolitum est, nec usquam alibi legitur, cujus tamen significatio satis ex contextu colligitur, nisi quod de tartari significato paulo post agemus. Porro vocabulum rudentibus, sive ca^ teniSj multi faciunt ablativum instrumenti, ref erentes ad participium: detractos; ac si dicatur, angelos transgressores validis funibus (nam rudens funis nauticus ost) sive catenis detractos fuisse in tartarum. Et hoc modo verba B. Petri intellexisse videtur interpres, qui vertit: detractos. Quamvis enim in Graeco dativus sit osipaTc, catenis, notissimum tamen est, illum casum apud Graecos, qui ablativo carent, etiam servire instrumento significando. Verum multo convenientius ad sensum Petri et Scripturae sacrae dativus ille sic accipitur, ut regatur a verbo: tradidit; quomodo dicimus, aliquem tradi custodiae, carceri, vinculis, videlicet retinendum ac puniendum 5 item ministro, tortoribus, Matth. 5. et 18.; neque vero aliter locus Judae, qui huic similis est, et cum quo ea, quae hic dicuntur, omnino conferenda sunt, accipi potest. Sic enim habet: Angelos, qui non servaverunt etc, in judicium magni diei vinculis aeternis sub caligine reservavit. Ita legimus Apoc. 20., diabolum catena magna ligatum teneri in abysso per annos mille, ut non seducat amplius gentes. Nec opus admonere lectorem, vincula, catenas, carceres in hujusmodi Scripturis accipi metaphorice. Quaeritur autem, quid tartari nomine B. Petrus significatum voluerit in illo verbo: xapTapwaac. Plerique, S. Augustinum et Bedam secuti, tartarum interpretantur aerem hunc caliginosum, in quem veluti in carcerem detrusi sunt daemones, et in quo detinentur usque ad extremum judicium. Addit Adamus, exponens locum Judae, hunc aerem a Petro tartarum appellari, quod turbulentissi^ mus sity a, verbo xapaxTCO, id est, turbo sive confundo. Verum quod tavtarus accipiatur pro aere, in quo nos versamur, vel qui supra nos est, quantumvis interdum turbulento, non arbitror uUius scriptoris, neque sacri, neque profani, qui sic usurpaverit, auctoritate posse probari. Quocirca magis placet, per tartarum significari infernum damnatorum, quem vocamus; ubi umbra mortis et nullus ordo; sed sempiternus horror inhabitat, Job 10.; ut maxime nomen illud a verbo TapaTTOJ derivatum sit. Quem locum aliae Scripturae abyssum vocant, ut Luc. 8., Rom. 10., Apoc. 9. 11. 17. et 20. Qui postremus locus, paulo ante citatus, quia et catenae, et alligationis meminit, hanc, quam probamus, tartari significationem non parum confirmat. Est et significationis affinitas inter abyssum et tartarum. Nam abyssus significat aquarum immensam profunditatem; tartarus vero, secundum Platonem, est aquarum thesaurus, quas evomit atque resorbet. Unde, sicut in sacris literis abyssus, ita apud auctores profanos tartarus accipitur pro locis inferorum profundissimis. Hoc modo tartarum intellexit Oecumenius, et inter Latinos neotericos Cajetanus, Catharinus, Titelmannus, Lorinus; a quibus nec Carthusianus dissidet, tametsi prioris quoque sensus meminerit. Neque tamen isti negant, etiam aerem hunc caliginosum esse carcerem et habitaculum daemonum. Est enim haec, ut scribit Hieronymus, exponens caput sextum Epistolae ad Ephesios, omnium doctorum opinio, quod aer iste, qui, coelum et terram medius dividens, inane appellatur, plenus sit contrariis fortitudinibus. Sed tantum, quid tartari nomine Petrus intellexerit, exponunt; nec ulla repugnantia est. Ut enim multi daemones in hoc aere versantur, ita multi quoque detinentur claustris inferni. Ac verisimile est, omnes angelos apostatas, simul atque peccaverunt, in locum se dignum, hoc est, in profundum infernum dejectos ac praecipitatos fuisse; postea vero principem eorum, Dei judicio, perroissiim tentare primos parentes; ac post horum transgressionem etiam aliis (Deo, quibus vellet, permittente) concessum fuisse, ut in hoc aere, velut assignato eis carcere temporario, morarentur, humanum genus tentaturi, atque pro meritis multifariam vexaturi. Hinc Oecumenius, scribens in hunc locum, illud Luc. 8.: Et rogabant eum, ne imperaret illis, ut in abyssum irent, sic interpretatur: ne in nbyssum remitterentur, in quam videlicet initio dejecti fuerant. Quamvia enim etiam aer isto carcer eorum sit, hunc tamen malunt, quam abyssum. Hic enim regnum suum promoverepossunt, non illic. Poterit igitur sententia B. Petri sic explicari: Deus angelis praevaricatoribus non pepercit; sed mox in barathrum illud tartareum eos praecipitavit, et vinculis caliginosis (id est, infernalibus, ubi perpetuae sunt tenebrae) eos tradidit servandos ad judicium magni illius diei, quomodo Judas loquitur; quando nimirum ct angelos, et homines judicaturus est Dominus. Id vero non sic intellige, tamquam interim nullas poenas sustineant daemones, sive in tartaro detenti, sive in hoc aere vagantes; semper enim, ubicumque sunt, poenam primae suae damnationis circumferunt, vel alligati, vel addicti igni gehennae, sicut eam rem declarant Theologi. Sed in illo die judicandi dicuntur et condemnandi, tum quia per illud judicium omnis nocendi potestas in posterum eis auferetur; tum maxime, quia imbecillitas eorum et nequitia atque superbia coram toto mundo traducetur. Quae res evit superbissimis illis spiritibus poena longe molestissima; praesertim quod in aeternum sperare non poterunt ullam vel potestatis, vel honoris pristini recuperationera. Confer, quae scripsimus ad 2. sent. dist. 6.
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5. Et originali mundo non pepercit. Alterum hoc exemplum est ex historia Gen. 6. et 7., quo docet, errorum magistros horrendum Dei judicium non evasuros. Simul hoc et sequenti exemplo pariter ostendit, justos eripi, malis pereuntibus. Originalem mundum dixit interpres pro prisco, antiquo mundo, ut alii verterunt. Nam Graece est: apx<xio\) xoofjiou, vox eadem, quae repetitur aliquoties, Matth. 5.: Dictum est antiquis. Igitur originalem, id est, antiquum mundum vocat eum, qui fuit olim ab initio hominis creati usque ad diluvium. Ac mundi nomine genus humanum intellige. Subauditur autem vocula: si, repetenda ex versu superiori, sic: Et si prisco mundo non pepercit.
Sed octavum Noe justitiae praeconem custodivit. Octavum vocat, non ab Adam, a quo decimus reperitur; sed quia octo tantum animae conservatae fuerunt, ut idem Apostolus dicit 1 Epist. 3. Quo in numero erat Noe, et quidem tamquam caput; qui proinde octavus dicitur, modo loquendi etiam vulgaribus usitato. Prae^ conem seu praedicatorem appellat justitiae, non civilis, authumanae, sed, ut plerique exponunt, ejus justitiae, qua Deo placetur, et quae coram Deo justitia est. Sicut dicitur Luc. 1.: Erant autem justi ambo ante Deum. Ejus, inquit, justitiae, quae per fidem est; sicut de Noe dicit Paulus Heb. 11.: Et justitiae, quae per fidem est, haeres est institutus, Nam ipsius Noe justitiam ita commendat Scriptura Gen. 6., ut de eo dicat, quod justus atque perfectus fuit in generationibus suis, quodque cum Deo ambulavit. Hanc justitiam praedicabat Noe, non solum exemplo, quatenus lux justitiae ejus lucebat coram hominibus; sed et facto, et verbo. Facto quidem, id est, ipsa per tot annos arcae fabricatione, in qua mysterium justitiae per fidem et aquam adipiscendae continebatur, uti B. Petrus docuit in priori Epistola. Verbo autem, quia, ut verisimile est omnino, interim, dum parat arcam, hortatus est homines ad Dei cultum et sectandam justitiam, et ad vitam improbam corrigendam, denuntians alioqui futurum, ut omnes perirent. Tale quid a Noe factum, et propter hoc exosum luisse peccatoribus, et Josephus refert lib. 1. antiq. Judaic. cap. 3. Quamquam potest hic locus accipi specialiter de Dei justitia, scelerum et peccatorum vindice, quam Noe praedicabat, exstruens arcam, ac profitens, propter exuberantem hominum malitiam instare mundo superabundantiam aquarum, nec ab illis cuiquam extra arcam, quam fabricabat, eftugium futurum. Congruit hic sensus cum eo, quod de Noe dicitur Heb. 11.: Per quam {arcam) damnavit mundum. Vide ejus loci commentarium. In ea porro custodivit Deus, id est, a diluvio servavit octavum Noe, id est, ipsum Noe cum septem aliis; quos si non omnes sua justitia servavit (nam incertum est, an omnes justi fuerint), donati tamen sunt ipsi Noe, ut principi familiae, propter ejus insignem jastitiam, ac reservati in seminarium mundi futuri.
Diluvium mundo impiorum inducens. Graece: STca^ag, cum induxisset, id est, inducere coepisset. Mundus impiorum erat geaus humanum illius temporis, quod totum, paucis exceptis, a vera pietate recesserat.
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6. Et civitates Sodomorum et Gomorrhaeorum in cinerem redigens, eversione damnavit. Tertium exemplum. Ubi rursus particula: si, repetenda est, oratione adhuc pendente. Nota est historia Gen. 19. Atque hujus exempli meminit etiam Judas in sua Epistola. Gomorrhaeorum, Graece: Gomorrhae, quomodo dixerat: Sodomorum, non Sodomaeorum. Nam civitatum nomina sunt, Sodoma plurale, et Gomorrha singulare; quamvis et illud numero singulari, et hoc plurali interdum legatur. Has civitates cum aliis duabus, Adama etSeboim (nam quinta Segor, Pentapolim complens, data fuit precibus et meritis Lot), incolis earum ac totius regionis sulphure et igne coelitus demisso consumptis, redactas in cinerem (est enim in Graeco participium aoriston: TS^pcooac) eversione seu subversione condemnavit, hoc est, funditus evertendo punivit. Ob quae peccata sic punitae fuerint, Scriptura non tacuit. Primum Gen. 12. et 18. et 19., ubi de inhospitalitate et infanda eorum libidine. Deinde et Ezech. 16. Quo loco Dominus Jerusalem per Prophetam sic alloquitur: Ecce, haec fuit iniquitas Sodomae, sororis tuae: superbia, saturitas panis, et abundantia, et otium ipsius et filiarum ejus; et manum egeno et pauperi non porrigebant etc.
Exemplum eorum, qui impie acturi sunt, ponens. Exemplum, non hic Graece est: TiapaSstyiia, sed: uTioSciyiia. Pro quo apud Judam legitur: dsTy/jia, simplex; ut intelligas, ait Erasmus, non exemplum, quod imiteris, sed quod admoneat, quid sit vitandum. Tametsi illud Erasmi discrimen inter eas voces non est perpetuum. Sentit autem Petrus, Deum statuisse civitates illas non in exemplum vulgare; quomodo, qui publicis suppliciis afficiuntur, statuuntur exempla, ne caeteri similia committant; sed in exemplum typicum, secundum hoc, quod ait Paulus: Omnia in figura contingebant illis, 1 Cor. 10. Nam per illam punitionem horribilem, sed temporalem, velut per typicum quoddam exemplum significata fuit aeterna poena, longe furmidabilior, quae manet homines impios, praesertim impietatis magistros.
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7. Et justum Lot oppressum a nefandorum injuria ac luxuriosa conversatione eripuit. Nonnihil variant Latini codices; nam iu quibusdam pro: injuria, scribitur: injusta, in aliis: impudica. Nec desunt, in quibus pro: injuria ac luxuria, tantum legatur: impudica. Quae lectio plus aHis convenit cum Graecis, quae sichabent: Et justum Lot oppressum (sive qui opprimebatur) a nefariorum in lascivia conversatione, eripuit. Et sensus est, Lot, virum justum, quem illi nefarii ac flagitiosi homines per libidinosam suam conversationem graviter affligebant, ac velut labore eaectum fatigabant, missis ad eum angelis suis Deus eripuit, ne cum illis involverctur incendio. Justitiam Lot satis commendat Scriptura, quod cum Abraham egressus fuerit de terra nativitatis suae, Gen. 13.; quod solus cum parva familia servatus de incendio Sodomorum; quodque propter eum etiamSegor servata, Gen. 19.; tum quod ab hospitalitate sic laudatus, ut, quemadmodum Abraham, sic et ipse, etiam angelos meruerit hospitio suscipero, ibidem et Heb. 11. Quomodo autem justitiae ejus non deroget, quod Sodomitarum libidini filias obtulit, ab expositoribus historiae Genesis petendum.
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8. Aspectu enim et auditu jastus erat. Declaratio est ejus, quod dixit, justum Lot oppressum fuisse a nefandorum luxuriosa conversatione. Quare partis hujus sensus non est, Lot externa specie justum fuisse, ut, qui videbant eum et audiebant, nihil haberent, quod reprehenderent; sed juxta hanc quidem nostram lectionem laudat eum Apostolus, quod inter pessimos, cum quibus ei conversandum erat, nec oculis, nec auribus hauserit contagium scelerum. Quae est maxima virtus, inter malos et impios constantiam servare justitiae et pietatis. Quis autem secundum Graecam lectionem germanior sensus videatur, statim dicemus.
Habitans apud eos, qui de die in diem animam justam iniquis operibus cruciabant. Totus versus in Graeco sic habet: Aspectu enim et auditu justus inhabitans inter eos, diem ex die animam justam iniquis operibus cruciabat. Nam Graece est; ipaoavtCsv, singulare, non: spaaavtCov_, plurale. Quod si dicas, una tantum literula haec dififerre, proindeque facillimam esse alterius in alterum mutationem, primum obstat consensus Graecorum codicum in verbum singulare. Redamat deinde etiam grammaticae ratio, nisi nominativas voces (quod Gaignaeo placet) pro genitivis absohite positis accipias. Sed hoc insolitum est, etiam in sacris literis. Graecam igitur lectionem multi sic interpretantur: Lot, quum essei oculis et auribus justus, ut cujus omnes sensus a Sodomae sceleribus abhorrerent, animam suam quotidie malis eorum operibus, quae videre et audire cogebatar, oxcrnciasse. Verum articulus vocabulo (5ixatog appositus diversam constructionem et censum postulat hujusmodi: Justus enim ille, cum versaretur inter illos nefarios homines, quotidie justam animam suam (id est, 80 ipsum) pravis eorum actionibus excruciabat, videndo eas et audiendo. Nam multa videbat et audiebat, quae ipsius animum vehementer offenderent; quomodo dictum est a Davide: Vidi praevaricantes, et tabescebam, quia elo' quia tua non custodierunt, Psalm. 118. Qui modus loquendi per tropum etiam ad Deum transfertur, ut Jes. 1.: Solennitates vestras, inquit, odivit anima mea; facta sunt mihi molesta; lako~ ravi sustinens. Caeterum Hebraismus est; animam suam cruciare, pro animo discruciari; qualis: benedicent se, pro benedicentur, Gen. 12. et alibi. Quae forma sermonis etiam Gallis usitata est: II se rompera. II se poutrira. Istud rumpetur. Istud putrefiet.
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9. Novit Dominus pios de tentatione eripere. Orationem huc usque pendentem ab illo loco: Si enim Deus angelis peccantibus etc, nunc claudit, alteram partem ei reddens, in hunc modum: Si Deus angelis et hominibus olim peccantibus non pepercit, sed graviter punivit; si justos Noe et Lot e malis eripuit: igitur novit Dominus pios e tentatione eripsre, et impios ad cruciatum reservare. Sic post Bedam Cajetanus partem hanc connectit superioribus. Quamquam Graeca scholia separant, et orationem, quae manserat imperfecta, absolvunt addito hujusmodi supplemento: Igitur et istos magistros mendaces condigno tradet exitio; vos autem, qui cum illis in mundo commoramini, servabit et salvos faciet; ut redditio subaudiatur ex praecedentibus, ubi de magistris mondacibus dixerat: Quibus judicium jam olim non cessat, et perditio eorum non dormitat. Id enim probandum sumpserat. Hoc modo supplet etiam Hyginus Papa in Epist. 2., ubi, locum hunc allegans, poet illa verba: exemplum eorum, qui impie acturi sunt, ponens, haec adjicit: Quid, putatis, iniquii et perseverantibus in nequitia eorum erit? Secundum hos id, quod nunc addit Petrus: Novit Dominus etc.j non illatio est, sed confirmatio dictorum; ac si dicat: Ita omnino tacturus est Dominus, quia novit pios e tentatione eripere, id est, opus hoc ei placitum est et familiare, veros sui cultores ex angustiis et persecutionibus, quibus tentantur et probantur, educere et liberare; quemadmodum et id, quod sequitur.
Iniquos vero in diem judicii reservare cruciandos. Graece: Injustos autem in diem judicii puniendos servare. Hoc quoque novit Doryiinus, notitia decreti et approbationis, quia, licet non gaudeat in poenis impiorum, vult tamen et probat opus suae justitiae, qua punit impios et omnes injustos, id est, peccatores. Diem judicii, intellige extremi, velut passim alibi. Nec tamen hinc consequens est, animas impiorum non puniri ante illum diem. Non enim de animabus separatis loquitur B. Petius, sed de hominibus, deque punitione perfecta, qua simul in anima et corpore punientur.
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10. Magis autem eos, qui post carnem in concupiscentia immunditiae ambulant. Magis, Graece: |ia/.laTa, maxime, pro quo Hieronymus: praecipue, lib. 1. contia Jovin. cap. 24., ubi multa citat hujus loci. Oni ambulont, 7;op£uo|i£vo'j(;, qui incedunt. Et lULiaojuioc non simpliciter immunditiam, sed pollutionem significat; quemadmodum et Hieronymus legit. Doctrinam generalem accommodat Apostolus suo instituto, rediens ad id, quod initio capitis agere coeperat, id est, ad descriptionem falsorum magistrorum, qui partim jam tum exorti erant, partim non multo post exorituri. De quibus vide, quae scribit in comment. Oecumenius, et ab eo citatus Irenaeus lib. 1. adversus haereses, cap. impios et peccatores servari in diem judicii puniendos; maxime tamen ac praecipue puniendos eos, qui, carnem, id est, carnalia desideria sequentes, vitam ezigunt in omni genere turpium voluptatum. Quod breviter dixit Judas Apostolus: Hi carnem quidem maculant.
Dominationemque contemnunt. Similiter Judas: Dominationem autem spernunt. Hieronymus plurali numero legit: dominationes. Sic enim et Graeca quaedamhabent: xuptOTTjTac;, nominatim Complutensia et regia. Sed verisimilius est, B. Petrum scripsisse: xupiOTTjTOQ, genitivum singularem; nam verbum xaTa- «ppovsTv, contemnere, non accusativum regit, sed genitivum, et singulare est apudJudam. Porro ({n&m dominationem intelligat uterque Apostolus, non liquet. Multi de politico magistratu interpretantur, id est, de regibus et principibus, ac caeteris in sublimitate constitutis, ut Paulus loquitur 1 Tim. 2. Nam hi dominari solent, secundum illud Matth. 20.: Principes gentium dominantur eorum. Unde et Dominationes salutantur. Verum haereticos illos, de quibus hic agitur, magistratum contempsisse, non legitur. Imo Neroni Simon magus assentatus fuit usque ad adorationem. NonnuUi cum glossa interlineali exponunt de suprema Christi dominatione, quam contempserunt, qui pro Christo angelos ad Deum mediatores substituerunt. Quam Paulus vocat religionem angelorum, Col. 2. Sed hoc si vellent Petrus et Judas, clarioribus verbis eam rem expressissent, ut Judas in alia parte suae Epistolae, dicens: Et solum dominatorem tt Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum ntgantes. Oecumenius significari putat universalem dominationem Dei, qua mundum instituit et gubernat; qua mendaces illi magistri, per suas fabulas de mundi creatione et gubernatione confictas, quorum Irenaeus meminit, spreta atque repulsa, tamquam oculis a Deo omnium dominatore aversis, converterunt se ac demerserr.nt in omnem carnalem impudicitiam. Similia repetit idem auctor in expositione Epistolae Judae. Qui quidem sensus propius, quam caeteri, respondere videtur ad dogmata haereticorum Apostolici temporis.
Audaces, sibi placentes, Subaadien- dum: 01 stat, qui simt, «t admonet Oecumeninsj aiit: ovxsg^ cum sint, ut haereat haec pars cum sequentibus. Sunt enim hae duae voces non accusandi casus, sed nominandi in Graeco, quamvis praecesserint accusativi. Audaces ad aggrediendum ea, quibus suum institutum promoveant. Item audaces ad maledicendum, ponentes in coelum os suum, ut statim audiemus. Sibi placentes, Graece ab^ddeiQ, praefracti, ut alii vertunt, id est, homines sui sensus, suique capitis, ut dici solet. Hieronymus legit: procaces. Noster interpres alibi au^ddf] superbum interpretatur, ut Tit, 1. Quadrant haec epitheta in haereticos omnium aetatum.
Sectas non metuunt introducere blasphemantes, Secundum hanc receptam loctionem sensus promptus est. Exponitur enim effrenata audacia haeresiarcharum, qui non verentur nova dogmata excitare et spargere, et sectas facere. Sed sciendum, in codicibusGraecis atque etiam Latinis quibusdam manuscnptis, quorum et Erasmus meminit, non haberi verbum introducere. Sic autem habent Graeca: d6^a<z ou Tpsjuiouai pXaacpYjptouv- XBQ. Quod ita reddas Latine: Glorias non verentur blasphemare, seu convi' ciis incessere. Pro quo Apostolus Judas dixit: Glorias autem blasphemant Ex quo etiam refelluntur, qui dividunt hanc partem in duas: Glorias non metuunt, et blasphemantes, nec advertunt, participium loco verbi infinitivi positum esse, juxta proprietatem Graeci sermonis. Cur autem interpres eandem vocem hicsectaSy apud Judam majestatem, seu majestates transtulerit in sententia simili, seu potius eadem, mihi non liquet. Ac sane, quamvis 66^a non solum gloriam, sed etiam opinionem significet, pro secta tamen usurpatum legisse, non memini; licet ex opinionibus fixis et obstinatis sectae suboriri soleant. Nam quod supra legimus: sectas perditionis, Graece est: aipeastQ. Porro glorias Erasmus interpretatur: gloria praecellentes, id est, viros gloria ac majestate praeditos, ut sunt reges, principes ac magistratus. Qui et aliorum multorum commentarius est. Caeterum Oecumenius duplicem adfert expositionem, dum So^ag esse dicit sive divinas virtutes, sive etiam ecclesiasticos principatus; divinas virtutes, ut arbitror, intelligens coelestes ac Dei ministros spiritus; ecclesiasticos autem principatus eos, qui in Ecclesiarum regimine -sunt constituti, id est, Episc^pos caeterosque praelatos. Nam hos maledictis et calumniis haereticorum obnoxios esse, quotidiana docet experientia. De divinis virtutibus, id est angelis, etiam alii nonnulli internretati sunt, ut Turrianus lib. 2. de hierarch. ordinat. cap. 9., et Hasselanus, ejusque discipulus Adamus in comment. Constat enim, inquit Adamus, ex historia antiquitatis, scholam hanc, id est, Simonis et Gnosticorum, mirabilia finxisse de angelis, et indigna prorsus excogitasse. De quibus legendi Irenaeus et Epiphanius, scribentes adversus haereses, et post hos Theodoretus lib. 3. haeret. fabularum. Nec absimile vero est, Petrum eos hic vocare glorias, sive dignitates, sive majestates (his enim vocibus Latinis §6^ac reddunt interpretes), quos Paulus vocat principatus, potestates, virtutes, dominationes, thronos, Eph. 1. et Col. 1. Certe Gregorius hom. 8. super Ezechielem majestatum coelestium, meminit, cum dicit, Christum etiam majestatibus angelorum esse superpositum. At de his sermo redibit in exponenda Epistola Judae. Nam et illud, quod in ea Epistola refertur de Michaele archangelo, non auso inferre diabolo judicium blasphemiae, favet dictae expositioni de angelis, quemadmodum ethoc, quodjam sequitur:
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11. Ubi angeli fortitudine et virtute cum sint majores, non portant adversum se exsecrabile judicium. Ubi, pro cu7n adverbio posuit. Sic enim tam Graecis, quam Latinis interdum usurpatur. Noluit autem cum dicere, ne bis diceretur in tam paucis verbis, quia sequitur: cum sint majores. Portani, Graece: ^lpooa'., ferunt Exsecrabile judicium, ^\oi^^r^\iov xpiatv id est, blasphemum, maledicum judicium. Deinde Graeca plus habent: Tzapa xupuo^ pro quo reperitur in antiquis nonnullis Latinis: a Domino. Sed melius Erasmus et alii vertunt: apud Dominum. Non ferunt adversum sese apud Dominum maledicum judicium. Sic enim passim sumitur in Scriptura Graeca, tam veteris, quam novi Testamenti. Qui ad Graeca non respcTerunt, nec ad locum Judae Apostoli, sic fere partem hanc interpretati sunt: Haeretfcorum valde gravia et intolerabilia fore tormenta, cum nec angeli praevaricatores, qui natura praestantiores et fortiores sunt hominibus, Dei adversum se judicium sustineant. sed ut importabile exsecrentur. Alii alios huc adferunt sensus, usque ad octo vel novem numero, quos recensent Fevardentius et Lorinus. Pro ser.su, quem nos veriorem putamus, notandum, id, quod Graece est: xaT^ auTWv^ adversum se, positum es^e pro: xaO' ia'JTa)v\, ut et quaedam Graeca habent, id ost, adversum se ipsos; quod exponitur: adversum se mutr.o, alius adversus alium; quomodo reciprocum illud frequenter accipitur, ut alibi docuimus. Eodem redit. si adversum se exponas: contra suae natarae et excellentiae socios. Nam et daemones angeli sunt ex principatibus, et potestatibus et virtutibus, Rom. 8. et 1 Cor. 15. Juxta quem sensum dictio se reciprocationem innuit generis seu naturae; ut si dicas: Lupi sesp non comedunt. Sensus igitur hic esse videtur: Isti Simonis discipuli non verentur coelestibus ac gloriosis virtutibus, id est angelis gloriosis, maledicere, cum ipsi angeli, robore ac virtute eis majores, non inferant sibi mutuo, id est, alii Mliis, boni malis, judicium blasphemum, non impingant eis notam mpledicti, non ingerant verba maledica, non eos cim maledictis exsecrentur, si quando controversiam peu disceptationem cum eis habent ap7id Dominum vel coram Domino. Nam, nt alter Apostolus refert, Michael archangelus cum diaboJo disputans de Mosi corpore, non est ausus judicium inferre blasphemiae. Ad hanc enim Michaelis cum diabolo altercationem coram Domino habitam (ut solet filiis Dei coram Domino assistentibus adesse etiam Satan, Job 1. et 2.), in qua a convicio Michael abstinuit, tantumque dixit: Imperet tibi Dominus, B. Petrum respicere, plus quam verisimile est; ut ex angelorum comparatione exaggeret haereticorum audacem maledicentiam, qui, homines cum sint, angelis non parcunt; quando nec angeli, natura inter se aequales, alii aliis maledicunt. Si tamen per glorias intelligere quis maluerit homines gloria praecellentes, nihilominus valebit criminis eorum, qui his maledicunt, exaggeratio ab angelis sumpta.
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12. Hi vero, velut irrationabilia pecora, naturaliter in captionem et in perniciem. Pergit Apostolus describere mores corruptissimos pseudodidascalorum. Irrationabilia pecora, Graece: aXoya Cwa^ irrationalia, seu ratione carentia animalia, sive, ut interpres in Epistola Judae, et Erasmus hoc loco vertunt, bruta animalia. Nam brutum dicitur, quod sermonis et rationis est expers Caeterum pro adverbio: naturaliter, in Graeco sunt duo vocabula, nomen et participium: 9'jaixa ysysvTjpisva, naturalia genifa. Quod sic exponunt: naturalite'!^ genita seu producta, scilicet ad id, quod sequitur, id est, ad capturam et perniciem. Nam Deus bruta animantia, quadrupedia, volatilia, natatilia creavit, ut ab hominibus capta et occisa cedant in eorum usum. Alii vocabulum ©uaixa seorsim accipiunt, exponentes hoc modo: Quae naturali impetu feruntur, non ratione; ut sit declaratio vocabuli praecedentis: aXoya. Qui sensus aptior est: nam juxta priorem sensum potius dicendum erat: 9'jaixa)': sen '-puasi ysYsvyyjieva, naturaliter seu natura genita ad capturam ete. Sentit Apostolus, eos, adversus quos scribit, more brutorum animantium, quae sensu, non ratione ducuntur, et in hoc nata sunt, ut capta ab hominibus occidantur, quum et ipsi sensuum voluptatibus totos se dedant, tandem judicii die, tamquam laqueo captos, ad interitum trahendos. Quidam active locum hunc interpretantur de rapacibus et noxiis animalibus, quibus naturale est, alias animantes capere et perdere; cujusmodi sunt lupi, leones, accipitres, aquilae; quasi dicat B. Petrus, ad eundem modum seductores istos capere simplicium animas et perdere. Verum prior sensus germanus est, et explicatur sequentibus verbis.
In his, quae ignorabant, hlasphemanteSj in corruptione sua peribunt. Hoc dicit, quod pluribus B. Judas: Hi autem, quaecumque quidem ignorant, blasphemant; quaecumque autem naturaliter, tamquam muta animalia, norunt, in his corrumpuntur. Ergo quod Petrus Rcripsit: In his, quae ignorant, blasphemantes, idem est cum eo, quod Judas: Quaecumque ignorant, blasphemant; ut Petri phrasis, alioqui insolita, sic exponi possit: In iis, quae ignorant, suam exercent maledicentiam; vel potius similis sitHebraismo frequenti in Scripturis, quo invocare in nomine Domini, idem est, quod invocare nomen Dominij quemadraodnra interpretes Hieronymus et alii phrasim Hebraicam reddiderunt. Quae tamen nobis etiam legitur Psalm. 19.: Nos autem in nomine Domini Dei nostri invocabimus. Simile est illud Psalm. 72.: Donec intelligam in novissimis eorum, id est, donec eorum exitum vidcnra et considerem. Porro satis apparet, utrumque Aposto- Inm respicere ad blasphemiam, de qua proxime locuti fuerant; ea scilicet, qua perditi isti homines blasphemabant glorias seu majestates. Per quas si intelligantur angelicae virtutes, quem intel lectum superius ostendimus esse probabilem, facilis erit hujus loci coraraentarius. Nam angeloium natura, respublica, ordines, officia, sensum et cognitionem humanam longe excedunt, nisi quantum de illis Deus in Scripturis revelavit. Hos autem isti blasphemabant, quia irreverenter et fabulose tractabant, ut ante dictura est. Quamquam potest haec par.s ulterius extendi ad alia fidei nostrae mysteria, de quibus illi nugacissirae fabulabantur. Jam in eo, quod sequitur: In corruptione sua peribunt, in Graeco allusio est nominis et verbi: iv ttq cp^opa auxdiv xaxacp^apI^oovTat. Quod Erasmus sic reddit: in perditione sua peribunt. Hieronymus autem expressius e Graeco: In corruptione sua corrumpentur. Ubi corruptionem Apostolus intelligit eam, quam supra cap. 1. v. 4. et hic infra V. 19. De qua loquitur et Judas, dicens: In his corrumpuntur. Ea corruptio est, qua per foedas et innaturales libidines dehonestatur ac vitiatur humana natura, ejusquo dignitas laeditur ac violatur. Sensus autem est: Instar brutorum animantium, ea, quae non intelligunt, dentibus maledicentiae lacorantes, dum sese totos voluptatibus sensuum, etiam contra naturam, tradunt et immergunt, atque per hoc naturam suam corrumpunt, tandem in aeternam corruptionem, id est, perditionem et interitum praecipitandos esse.
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13. Percipientes mercedem injustitiae. Percipientes, Graece: xo/iiou/isvot, reportaturi. Cohaeret enim praecedentibus, et hic finiendus erat versus. Sic eandem vocem transtulit interpres in priori Epistola cap. 1.: Reportantes finem fidei vestrae salutem animarum. Caeterum injustitia more Scripturae generaliter accipitur, comprehendens omne genus peccatorum, etiam carnalium, de quibus hic agitur; ut ex sequentibus amplius patebit. Sensus est: Eam poenam, id est, corruptionem aeternam recepturos esse pro mercede suarum corruptelarura.
Voluptatem existimantes diei delicias. Constructio: Hi, inquam, qui voluptatem existimant diei delicias, Graece: T7JV iv y^nipa. Tpu^f/jv, eas, quae in die, delicias. Et sensus est, quem Erasmi versio paraphrastica significat: Pro VO" luptate ducentes, si in diem deliciis fruantur; ac si dicat Apostolus: Felicitatem statuunt in praesentibus deliciis carnis et sensuum, more Epicuraeorum, securi temporis ac judicii post hanc vitam secuturi. Adamus diei delicias interpretatur: delicias dieculares. SIc enim vocat, et hunc sensum reddit: Posse uno et altero die deliciarij eam reputant unicam et summam voluptatem. Sunt, qui diem a nocte distinguant, facientes hunc sensum: Exuto prorsus omni pudore, etiam interdiu comessantur et libidinantur, quum haec noctu fieri ab improbis soleant, dicente Paulo: Qui ebrii sunt^ nocte ebrii sunt, 1 Thess. 5. Placet hic sensus Erasmo, tam in paraph., quam in annotat. Atqui sensum primo loco datum magis genuinum arbitror. Convenit enim cum placito negantium resurrectionem et Christi adventum ad judicium, qui dicunt apud Paulum 1 Cor. 15.: Manducemus et bibamus; cras enim moriemur. Et apud Petrum infra cap. 3.: Lbi est promissio aut adventus e^us? quos ibidem vocat: juxta proprias concupiscentias ambulanteSy id est, tales, cujusmodi hic describuntur.
Coinquinationes et maculae. Sic legendum pluraliter casu nominandi, ex castigatione Romana, Graecis omnibus exemplaribus et melioribus Latinis consentanea; quum in multis, atque etiam apud Bedam male legeretur in genitivo singulari: Coinquinationis et maculae. Numerum pluralem expiessit Hieronymus: sordes et maculas. In Graeco sic legitur: oiO.Xoi xal /jiai/jiGi, id est, labes et vituperia. Prius vocabulum etiam Paulo usurpatur Eph. 5.: Non habentem maculam. Hi ipsi, de quibus Petrus, a Juda OTriAa^cC, derivata voce, id est, labes seu maculae vocantur. Ex eodem Apostolo discimus, cur eos Petrus appellet his nominibus; eo nempe, quod in epulis suis turpia quaedam, et omni vituperatione digna exercerent; qualia de iis Epiphanius refert in haeresi Gnosticorum. Erant igitur labes et maculae seu vituperia, quia toti, et animo, et corpore polluti erant, et sua spurcitie coetus sub nomine Christi congregatos contaminabant, ipsumque Christi nomen vituperio atque infamiae exponebant. Indicat hoc et Petrus verbis sequentibus:
Deliciis affluentes in conviviis suis, luxuriantes vobiscum. Graeca, quae nunc sunt in manibus, sic habent ad verbum; Deliciantes in deceptionibus suis, coepulantes vobis. Nam pro conviviis, Graece est: aTiaxaig, id est, erroribus, ut vertitErasmus, seu potius deceptionibus. Sed quia noster interpres vertit: conviviis, admodum verisimile est, eum in Graeco legisse: ayaTiaic;. Quae vox caritates quidem significat, sed jam inde a tempore Apostolorum usurpata fuit pro conviviis Christianorum inter se, quod ad ea pauperes advocando caritatem in eos exercerent. Quam hujus appellationis rationem inter alios adfert Tertullianus in Apologetico, cap. 39. Firmat hane conjecturam Epistola B. Judae, in qua sic legitur: Hi sunt in epulis etc, Graece: £V zalz OLyoLKaiQ; quod hoc loco vertit: in conviviis. Nam et illic additur: auv£ua)Xo6[jLcV0i, quod hic quidem luxuriantes transtulit, sed ibi melius: convivantes. Pro quo legit Augustinus: coe-' pulantes, lib. de fide et op. cap. 25. Itaque sensus est: Toti deliciis ac luxu diffluunt in agapis illis suis, id est, in conviviis specioso agaparum nomine obvelatis, quae vobiscum exercent. Quamquam haec convivia Augustinus extendit ad epulas, ut vocat, sacramentorum, et dilectiones, id est agapas, plebium. Porro Graecum participium: IvTpu^cov- T£c, Erasmus insultantes vertit, idemquo jungit cum pronomine: (JjiTv, vobis, id est, primam dictionem cum ultima, faciens hyperbaton minime necessarium. Quamvis enim Graecum verbum IvTpu^av ambiguum sit ad insultare et deliciari, tamen hoc posterius praesenti loco magis quadrat, et in eum sensum accepisse videtur Oecumenius, licet interpres ejus variet, Erasmi versioni nimium inhaerens.
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14. Oculos habentes plenos adulterii et incessabilis delicti. Adulterii, Graece: /ioixa^t'^oc, adulterae. Tamquam dicat Apostolus: In ipsis oculis adulteram gestantes, et nihil aliud, quam adulteras explendae libidinis gratia spectantes. Sic enim Gaignaeus exponit, Graeca scholia secutus. Quod sensu diversum non est ab eo, quod nos habemus: plenos adulterii, quodque legitur in libro de singularitate clericorum, sub nomine Cypriani: plenos moechationibus. Oculos autem nominat, quod per oculos maxime, velut fenestras, hauriantur vanitates mundi. Propter quod orat Psalmista: Averte oculos meos, ne videant vanitatem, Psalm. 118. Et de se commemorat S. Job. 31.: Pepigi foedus cum oculis meis, et iterum: Si secutum est oculos meos cor meum. Nam et Dominus adulterii ingressum in oculis posuit, dicens: Qui viderit mulierem ad concupiscendum eam, jam moechatus est eam in corde suo, Matth. 5. Quod sequitur: Et incessabilis delicti, Graece est: xal dxaTa7:a6oT0uc dfxapTtag^ et incessahiles peccati; ut ad oculos pertineat, quia peccando cessare nesciant, uti vertit Erasmus. Breviter dixeris: Irrequietos a peccato, videlicet aspectus libidinosi mulierum, quasi dicat: Oculos habent insatiabiles ad videndum id, quod libidinem provocat. Gaignaeus suspicatur, interpretem legisse genitivo singulari: dxaTa7ca6aTOU. Mihi verisimilius est, eum scripsisse: incessahiles, quod in nonnullis adhuc exemplaribus legitur. In sensu tamen haud multum est discriminis. Nam sensus vulgatae lectionis est, oculos eorum intentos esse ad peccandum indesinenter et continue.
Pellicientes animas instabiles. Hoc jam non ad oculos refertur, ut ex Graeco constat; sed ad ipsos homines, quemadmodumetsequentia. Pellicientes, Graece: deXedCovTsg, inescantes, nimirum per voluptates carnis, quas promittit et tradit eorum doctrina, quasque affatim exercent. Nam voluptas esca malorum est, ut Plato dicebat, quod ea videlicet homines mali capiantury ut hamo pisces, referente Cicerone in libro de senectute. Animas instabile» vocat Apostolus eorum, qui nondum firmi sunt in fide, sed adhuc nutant. Quod significat Graeca vox: doTTjpiXTOU^;. Unde in libro de singularitate clericorum sic legitur: capientes animas infirmas. Tametsi Hieronymus de caritatis infirmitate exponit, dum hanc partem ita reddit paraphrastice: Decipiunt animas necdum Christi caritate robustas. Nam et qui in caritate minus sunt radicati, facilius ab haereticis seducuntnr; quamvis infirmitatem fidei ab Apostolo significari, verisimilius est. Nam his opponuntur OTSpsol Iv 7iiaT£t_, fortes seu firmi in fide, apud eundem Apostolum, 1 Epist. cap. 5.
Cor exercitatum avaritia habentes. Avaritia, Graece: TtXsoveiiaic^ id est avaritiis seu cupiditatibus. Erasmus: rapinis. Nam TcXsovs^ta non simplex habendi cupiditas est, sed dum quis rem alienam arte non bona sibi conquirit. Sumitur interdum apud Paulum pro insaturabili turpium voluptatum aviditate, ut Ephes. 4.: In operationem omnis immunditiae, in avaritia; sicut eo loco ostendimus. Itaque putat Oecumenius, hic intelligi posse cupiditatem, sive impudicitiae, sive possessionum; impudicitiae quidem propter ea, quae praecedunt; possessionum vero ac pecuniarum propter exemplum Balaam, quod mox inducitur. Quae posterior expositio fere omnium est interpretum, ac revera probabilior; ut quae etiam cum eo, quod proxime praecessit, optime cohaereat. Nam ad hoc seductores illi inescabant doctrinae suae blanditiis auditores, ut pecunias emungerent, et rem suam augerent. Hoc igitur est, quod Apostolus dicit, eos multo usu tenere artes acquirendi per fas et nefas ab iis, quibus se magistros ingerunt. Quod et supra dixit, vers. 3.: Et in avaritia fictis verbis de vobis negotiahuntur.
Maledictionis filii. Hebraismus est, vel pro eo, quod diceret: Homines maledicti, exsecrabiles, id est, omnium exsecratione digni, ut plerique exponunt; vel potius, ut ita dicantur maledictionis filii, sicut alibi leguntur filii mortis, irae, gehennae, id est quibus mors, ira, gehenna debeatur ac praeparata sit. Igitur maledictionis filii, quos manet illa maledictio Judicis: Ite, maledicti, in ignem aeternum, Matth. 25.
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15. Derelinquentes rectam viam erraverunt. Hoc dicere videtur: Eos, semel relicta recta via, id est, vera et saiia Christi doctrina, jam non in uno aliquo dogmate consistere; sed vagari per varios errores doctrinae, nunc hoc, cras aliud docentes, prout commodum viderint quaestui. Id quod significat subjunctum de Balaam exemplum. His consonat B. Judas, dum eos appellat: sidera errantia.
Secuti viam Balaam ex Bosor, qui mercedem iniquitatis amavit. Hujus quoque meminit Judas, dicens: Et errore Balaam mercede effusi sunt. Historia est Num. 22. 23. et 24., ubi Balaam describitur ut vates munerum cupidissimus, adeo ut paratus esset, si posset impune, pro mercede maledicere populo, quem sciebat a Deo benedictum. Quam Petrus vocat mercedem iniquitatis seu i}ijustitiae, Graece: aSr/.iaq, id est amatam, desideratam et exspectatam pro opere injusto et impio. Hanc viam perversam (sic enim vocat eam angelus Num. 22.), recta via relicta, dicit Apostolus istos secutos, scilicet illius Simonis discipulos ac sequaces, cui, Spiritum sanctum emere et vendere volenti, dixit idem Apostolus: Pecunia tua tecum sit in perditionem, Act 8. Illud: exBosor, quaestionem habet; nam Graece est: Tou Poaop, ipsius Bosor; ut filius Bosor intelligi possit, licet Scriptura Numerorum patrem ejus non Bosor, sed Beor nominet; nisi forte binomius fuit. Nam Augustinus quaest. 48. super Numeros, recitans hunc Petri locum, legit: filii Beor, tamquam idem sit Beor et Bosor. Vel ex Graeco potest intelligi natus in loco, cui nomen Bosor. Id quod placet Bedae et aliis nonnullis. Fit enim illius loci mentio Deut. 4. et alibi, tamquam urbis in Madian sitae. Verum priori intellectui, quem tradunt recentiores, Erasmus, Cajetanus, Gaignaeus, Adamus et alii, favet articulus tou, qui magis solet parentem designare, quam locum nativitatis. Interim vide, si operae pretium videtur, Lorinum plura huc adferentem.
2:16
16. Correptionem vero habuit suae vesaniae. Graece: Redargutionem vero habuit propriae iniquitatis. Sensum reddit Erasmi versio: Sed redargutus fuit de sua iniquitate. Tametsi hic in Graeco non est: dStXLac, ut in parte praecedenti, sed: Tzapavojiiag, quod magis trajisgreS' sionem significat, dum quis sciens legem violat. Tale enim erat peccatum Balaam, qui, cognita Dei voluntate, nitebatur in contrarium. Quidam suspicantur, interpretem non Tiapavo/iiac, sed Tcapa^povtac legisse, id est dementiae, quae vox est in parte sequenti:
Subjugale mutum animal, hominis voce loquens, prohibuit Prophetae insipientiam. Modum correptionis seu redargutionis explicat. Non enim per hominem, sed insolito ac stupendo miraculo per subjugale mutum ac stupidum animal, videlicet asinam humana voce loquentem, sicut historia Numerorum testatur, prohibitus fuit Balaam a sua dementia, qua contra Dei voluntatem, avaritia stimulante, proficiscebatar ad maledicendum Israeli. Non quod in verbis asinae fuerit aperta reprehensio jam dicti criminis, sed quia ex verbis ejus expostulatoriis intelligere debuit Propheta, viam suam esse perversam, Deoque contrariam; sicut ei statim ab angelo denuntiatum fuit. Cujus etiam ministerio vox humanae similis in ore asinae fuerat a Deo formata. Porro supplenda est causalis conjunctio: Nam subjugale etc, quam interdum subticent et intelligendam relinquunt Hebraei et alii. Nec in Graeco additur: animal, uti nec apud Bedam, nec apud Gregorium, Curae pastor. part. 3. admonit. 13., ubi hunc locum adducit; denique nec in omnibus antigraphis Latinis. Nec sane opus, ut addatur. Nam oTzoCoyiov, id est subjugale, substantive sumitur et animal includit; velut si dicas: jumen^ tum. Rursus in eo, quod Graeca habent, atque etiam Latina quaedam, Beda et Gregorio suffragantibus: in hominis voce loquens, manifestus Hebraismos est. Illud quaeritur, quomodo Petrus eum vocet Prophetam, quem Moses ariolum nuncupat, id est, divinatorem ac vatem daemonum, ut plerique intelligunt. Certe Prophetam Dei fuisse, sed avarum et improbum, constat ex iis, quae de eo refert Scriptura Numerorum. Nam a vero Deo exspectabat et accipiebat responsa. Quod declarant illa ejus verba, cap. 22.: Respondebo, quidquid mihi dixerit Dominus, Hebraice niD^ ®^ ^^V- 24.: Non potero praeterire sermonem Domini; et iterum: Quidquid Dominus mihi dixerit, hoc loquar. Unde et dicitur Dominus posuisse verba benedictionis in ore ejus, cap. 23. Nam et oracula, quae protulit, atque illud nominatim: Orietur stella ex Jacob, et consurget virga de Israel, ab omaibus agnosc?intur divina. Accedit, quod Petrus absolute Prophetam eum appellat, nec reprehendens in eo falsum cultum, sed avaritiam. An autem ad vaticinandum etiam daemones aliquandoadvocaverit, haudliquet; tametsi multi ita sentiant, eo quod ariolus vocetur. Sed sciendum, loco hujus vocabuli in Hebraeo legi: Pethorah, quod et LXX. Graecis literis (paTOupa expresserunt. Estque loci nomen, Pacoria Ptolemaeo dicta. Kepetitur autem Deut. 23., ubi Hieronymus vertit: De Mesopotamia Syriae. Vocatur quidem Balaam etiam Jos. 13. ariolus, in nostra versione; sed Hebraea dictio: casas, quae illic legitur, patet ad diversas divinandi species, etiam licitas. Unde et LXX. verterunt: fJiavTtv, id est vatem, generali nomine; quamvis id in Scripturis non soleat Dei Prophetis attribui. Ut hinc non improbabilis sit suspicio, Balaam, hominem avarum, quaestus causa apud populos infideles, inter quos morabatur, etiam ad illicitas divinationes operam suam venalem exposuisse.
2:17
17. Hi sunt fontes sine aqua. Fontes proprie nulli sunt sine aqua; sed fontes vocat fontium receptacula, quae interdum, venis fontium obstructis, autalia excausa, aquis destituuntur. Augustinus fontes siccos legit lib. de fide et op. cap 25. Nam in Graeco una vox est: oivodpoi, sicci, aqua carentes. Inaquosum vertere solet vulgatus intevpres. Igitur hac parte significatur hypocrisis et fallacia pseudodidascalorum. Ut enim fons aqua carens procul venientes invitat ad hauriendum et bibendum; at ubi propius accesserint, frustrat eos ac fallit: ita et isti veritatem, pietatem, salutem, et salutis securitatem auditoribus promittunt; aed re ipsa nihil horum praestant, utpote, secundum Paulum, habentes speciem quidem pietatis, virtutem autem ejus abnegantes, 2 Tim. 3. Simili tropo Judas dixit: Nubes sine aqua, id est, nubes leves ac steriles, quae pluvias promittunt, nec fundunt tamen, sed in aere dissipantur.
Et nebulae turbinibus exagitatae. Graece, non addita conjunctione: Nubes a procella actae, impulsae. Sic apud Judam: Nubes, quae a ventis circumferuntur. Notatur instabilitas doctrinae, dum more nubium, quae a ventis procel-^ losis huc illuc agitantur, inconstantes sunt in placitis suis, mutantes et invertentes ea, prout commodum visum fuerit. Testantur id de antiquis haereticis Tertullianus lib. de praescript. advers. haeret. cap. 42. et Irenaeus lib. 1. cap. 5. et 21. De novis autem ac nostrae aetatis haereticis id ipsum abunde quotidiana testatur experienlia.
Quibus caligo tenebrarum reservatur. Plus est in Graeco: Quibus caligo tenebrarum in aeternum servata est. Quibus, non nebulis seu nubibus, sed iis, quos demonstrat illud praecedens: Hi sunt fontes etc, id est falsis magistris. Est enim qXq masculinum. Idque etiam patet ex Epistola B. Judae, ubi nubium mentio longiub- praecedit, et, aliis interpositis, tandem dicitur: Quibus procella tenebrarum servata est in aeternum. Quamquam nec convenit haec descriptio nubibus, praesertim quae leves et steriles sunt. Porro verisimile est, particulam: in aeternum, quam Graeca habent, non Latina, ex Apostolo Juda hac insertam esse codicibus Graecis; ut hac parte sinceriorem arbitrer lectionem Latinam. Caligo tenebrarum Hebraea phrasi caliginem tenebrosam significat, id est, tenebras densissimas, quas in Evangelio Dominus tenebras exteriores vocat, Matth. profundissimas, a lucis regione remotissimas. Significatur ergo linis et supplicium, quod manet errorum magistros. Ac ne tolerabilis videatur haec tenebrarum poena, additur in Evangelio tribus locis praedictis: Illic erit fletus et stridor dentium.
2:18
18. Superba enim vanitatis loquentes. Mendose legitur in quibusdam codicibus: superbia. Nam superba legendum, liquet ex Graecis et melioribus quibusque Latinis. Unde et Hieronymus ejus loco nunc verba tumentia legit, nunc grandia • illud lib. 1. contra Jovin. cap. 24.; hoc lib. 2. cap. 2. Graece est: UTCSpoyxa, id est, supra modum turgida, sive, ut Erasmus vertit, vehementer fastuosa. Proprie competunt haec in scholam Simonis, ex qua orti Gnostici, qui, sibi solis scientiam vendicantes, de rebus maximis et abstrusis magno cum fastu vanissime nugabantnr. Quod erat, superba vanitatis verba loqui. Pro quo B. Judas: Et os eorum loquitur superba, Graece similiter: uTispOYxa.
Pelliciunt in desideriis carnis luxuriae. Pelliciunt, Graece: SsXeaCouatv, inescantf uti paulo ante: inescantes. Luxuriae, Graece: aasAYstaig, id est luxuriiSf seu potius lasciviis. Quamquam verisimile est, B. Petrum scripsisse, et interpretem nostrum legisse: aasXyeiag, casu genitivo numeri singularis, quandoquidem et veteres Latini Hieronymus in 2. contra Jovin. et Augustinus de fide et op. cap. 25. legunt, alter: luxuriae, alter: impudicitiae. Nec hodie desunt Graeci codices, quibus idem casus legitur. Estque facillima hujus lectionis in alteram mutatio, colo jota addito. Certe vulgata Graecorum lectio commodum sen- 8um non recipit, nisi conjunctionem addas: et lasciviis. Nostra vero sensum habet obvium: Pelliciunt per desideria carnis lascivientis. Ut enim Hebraea phrasi caro peccati vocatur a Paulo Rom. 8. caro peccatrix seu peccato obnoxia: sic a Petro caro lasciviae posita est hoc loco pro carne lasciva, id est, in libidinem propensa. Nisi magis placeat, illud luxuriae seu lasciviae pendere a vocabulo: desideriis, sicut ex eodem pendet istud: carnis, sed diversa habitudine. Sunt enim haec desideria carnis, id est, partis sensitivae, non obedientis rationi. Eadem sunt desideria lasciviae, luxuriae, quatenus voluptatem libidinosam pro objecto habent,
Eos, qui paululum effugiunt. In Graecis paene omnibus participium est aoristum, tempus praeteritum significans: aTio^uYovTag, eos, qui effugerunt. Nec secus legunt Hieronymus et Augustinus. Estque ea lectio ad sensum aptior, uti statim patebit. Quod autem nos legimus: paululum, varie legitur in Graecis. Plerique codices habent: ovTCog, id est vere, revera. Quidam: oXt ytoc, parumper. Alii: h\i^^QV, paululum, ut editiones Complutensis ac regia. Atque alterum horum legisse crediderim veterem interpretem. Nam quod Erasmus et Vatablus, nullis exemplaribus subnixl, suspicantur, ouTCDg scriptum a Petro, quoddicunt usurpari pro: utcumque, paululum, velut Joan. 4.: Jesus sedebat sic supra fontem, ubi pro: sic, malunt: paululum vel utcumque: id ut verum sit, tamen non propterea credendum est, interpretem hic legisse: ouTCog. Porro conveniunt in hac parte cum nostro interprete Hieronymus et Augustinus locis allegatis. Quid autem sit, paululum effugere, vel effugisse, et quo sit hoc referendum, dissentiunt expositores. Atqui verus commentarius pendet ex eo, quod continuo sequitur:
Qui in errore conversantur. Hoc quidam referunt ad: superba loquentes, qui pelliciunt etc, quos utique constat in errore versari et conversari. Verum Graeca repugnant, in quibus non est nominandi casus, sed accusandi: Toug dvaOTp£90|ui£vouQ, eos, qui conversantur. Regitur autem, quorundam judicio, a verbo: pel" liciunt, a quo regebatur: Toug ciTCOcpuydv- Tae; tamquam dicat Apostolus: Pelliciunt eos, qui paululum eflfugerunt; eos, inquam, qui in errore conversantur. Verum sensus iste non congruit. Non enim pelliciunt eos, qui errant, sed ut in errorem mittant. Deinde, quomodo in errore conversantur, qui jam effugerunt? Ergo potius et omnino dicendum, quod regatur a participio proximo dTrocpuyovxag, ut haec sit structura: Pelliciunt eos, qxii paululum effugerant illos (vel ab illis), qui in errore conversantur. Ita paulo post loquitur: Si enim refugientes coinguinationes mundi etc, participio eodem. Quoniam autem totus hic locus obscurior est, paraphrastice eum elucidemus: Verbis, inquit, tumentibus, id est grandibus, superbis ac fastu plenis, vanissimis tamen, inescant seductores iili per concupiscentias carnis ad lasciviam pronae, cui permittunt, quidquid libet (sic enim facilius ipsis creditur), eos, qui paululum, id est imperfecte, nec satis firma fide (vel potius paululum, id est non multo ante, sed nuper admodum conversi ad Christum) effugerunt ac recesserunt ab eis, qui in errore conversantur, scilicet infidelitafis et vitae carnalis; cujusmodi conversatio erat in ethnicismo ac Judaismo. Quas infra vocat: coinquinfltiones mundi. Quae vita describitur ab eodem Apostolo, priori.s Epist. cap. 4. dicento: Sufficit enim praeteritum tempus ad voluntatem gentium consummandam, his, qui ambulaverunt in luxuriis etc. Porro qui legunt: oVTCog, revera, sic exponunt: Eos, qui serio poenitentiam professi, vere effugerant atque reliquerant errorem pristinae conversationis, novo erroris genere decipiunt.
2:19
19. Libertatem illis promittentes. Significat, qua potissimum arte pelliciant alios ad suam doctrinam; nimirum promissa libertate, qua nihil optabilius ac suavius audiri solet. Unde solemne est haereticis, libertatem suis sectatoribus polliceri. Hoc enim habent erroris ac malitiae suae velamen, ut idem Apostolus loquitur in priori Epist. cap. 2. Erat autem ea carnis libertaS) de qua B. Judas in Epistola, dicens, subintroiisse quosdam homines, Dei nostri gratiam transferentes in luxuriam, De qua Paulus quoque fideles admonet Gal. 5. his verbis: Vos in libertatem vocati estis, fratres; tantum ne libertatem in occasionem detis carnis. Quomodo libertatem hanc promiserint Apostolicorum temporum haeretici, nempe Simoniani, Nicolaitae, et horum successores Gnostici, laxantes carni habenas ad omne genus turpium voluptatum, tradit Epiphanius in istarum haereseon descriptione. Quadrat autem apprime locus iste etiam in haereticos nostri temporis, qui ex sola fide promittunt hominibus salutem, eamque certissime consequendam, nullis obstantibus peccatis, quae quis post fidem semel susceptam patraverit. Porro quae vera sit libertas hominis Christiani, tota lex evangelica abunde docet.
Cum ipsi servi sint corruptionis. Ostendit, falso eos promittere libertatem, argumento a repugnantibus, quoniam ipsi sunt servi pessima servitute, servi, inquam, corruptionis; ut proinde aliis libertatem praestare nequaquam possint. Corruptionis nomine quidam peccatum in genere significari putant, de cujus regno, dominio, servitute Paulus disserit Rom. 6., licet eo loco verius sit, per pec" catum intelligi concupiscentiam, id est, peccati fomitem. Est autem peccatum corruptio, quia privat eum, in quo est, magno bono suo, simulque ducit ad corruptionem, id est, mortem aeternam. Hoc tamen loco probabilius est, vocabulo corruptionis significari corruptelas libidinum, quibus sese velut in servitutem addixerant hi, contra quos agit B. Petrus. Unde et mox coinquinationes mundi vocantur. Vide, quae diximus supra ad illud capitis 4.: Fugientes ejus, quae in mundo est, concupiscentiae corruptionem.
A quo enim quis superatus est, hujus et servus est. Graece: to^to) xal dedoo- XiDTCHi, id est, huic et servus factus est, sive huic et servus addictus est. Quo posteriori modo citat Augustinus in lib. de fid. et oper. et alibi, nec non alii veteres. Quod dixit Apostolus, eos esse servos corruptionis, id probat comparatione ex jure belli, in quo victor victum et captum sibi faciebat mancipium sive servum. Itaque sensus est: Qui in bello superatus est, is victori jure cedit in servitutem; sic ergo, qui se patitur superari a corruptione, jure quodam servus efficitur coriuptionis. Estque eadem ratio de peccato in genere, dicente Domino Joan. 8.: Omnis, qui facit peccatumj servus est peccati. Faciens enim peccatum subjicit se peccato tamquam domino. Nescitis, inquit Paulus, quoniam, cui exhibetis vos servos ad obediendum, servi estis ejuSf cui obeditis, sive peccati ad mortem, sive obeditionia ad justitiam? Rom. 6. Cur autem ex hujusmodi servitute non sit consequens, eum, qui peccat, necessario et non libere peccare, tamquam in peccati potestatem redactus, servum et non liberum habeat arbitiium, ut voluit Lutherus, diximus ad illud ejusdem Epistolae ad Rom. 6.: Finem vero vitam aeternam.
2:20
20. Si enim refugientes coinquinationes mundi in cognitione Domini nostri et Salvatoris Jesu Christi. Referunt hanc partem quidam ad falsos magistros, qui aliquando, per baptismum renati, voluptatibus saeculi renuntiaverant. Verum ex superioribus patet, de eis dici, quos falsi magistri pelliciunt in errorem per desideria carnis; utpote quos hoc pacto non solum in servitutem corruptionis retrahunt, sed in pejorem statum adducunt, quam in quo fuerant, Christi notitia nondum percepta. Sunt enim iidem, quos ante dixit paululum effugisse eos, qui in errore conversantur, et quos nunc dicit refugisse coinquinationes mundi, U8U8 eodem participio, quo prius: aTio- ^UYOVTSQ. Ut clarior versio sit: Si enim, postquam effugerunt inquinamenta mundi per agnitionem Domini et Salvatoris Jesu Christi (nam nostri Graeca noD addunt), id est, postquam semel ab hujus saeculi corruptelis et inquinamentis elapsi sunt per fidem Chrisli, mundantem et purificantem, Joan. 15. et Act. 15. Tempus nimirum significat, quo primum facti fuerant Christiani.
His rursus implicati superantur. Graece: Touxoig dk uaXtv etc. Ubi particula dk, autem, vel redundat, vel potius exponenda est, ut Erasmus vertit: tamen his rursum etc. Id est, a seductoribus istis inescati ac male persuasi, rursus iisdem mundi corruptelis ac sordibus sese involvunt, et per hoc iterum in peccati victoris servitutem rediguntur.
Facta sunt illis posteriora deteriora prioribus. Graece: Postrema pejora primis. AUusio est ad verba Christi Matth. 12.: Et fiunt novissima hominis illius pejora prioribus. Ubi similiter habes in Graeco: Postrema pejora primis. Sequitur hujus partis probatio.
2:21
21. Melius enim erat illis non cognoscere viam justitiae. Cognoscere, Graece: eTCcyvcoxEvat, cognovisse. Melius autem, id est, minus malum. Comparantur enim duo mala, quorum alterum altero pejus est. Viam justitiae vocat doctrinam, quae tradit modum assequendi veram et salutarem justitiam, fide et operibus constantem.
Quam post agnitionem retrorsum converti ab eo, quod illis traditum est, sancto mandato. Retrorsum Graeci codices non habent, praeter paucos; tametsi legunt Hieronymus et Augustinus. In Graeco sic habetur: Quam, ubi cognoverunt, converti etc. Quidam tamen Graeci codices pro: kiziQzpi^OLi, legunt: avaxa^ij;at_, reflecti. Et ita B. Augustinus Sanctum mandatum appellat, quod prius viam justitiae, id est, legem Christianam, quae tradit praecepta juste et sancte vivendi, ac insuper modum, quo ea observentur, sic ut ab hominibus Deo serviatur in sanctitate et justitia coram ipso, Luc. 1. Addidit autem mandato epithetum sancti, per antithesim ad coinquinationes mundi, ut quae cum sanctitate ex diametro pugnent. Et hoc argumento ostendit Augustinus, sanctum mandatum hic intelligi non illud solum, quod continet praecepta credendij sed quo praeceptum est, ut, ah hujus mundi coinquinationibus recedentes, casta conversatione vivamus. Quamquam, inquit, praecepto fidei totum continetur, si eam intelligamus fidem credentium, quae per dilectionem operatur. Porro liqaet ex his Apostoli verbis, posse viam veritatis cognitam deseri, ac proinde (quod sectarii negant) fidem et caritatem semel habitam amitti. Nam et domus per inhabitantem Spiritum sanctum mundata et ornata rursus occupari potest a spiritu nequam, ut fiant illius novissima pejora prioribus, Matth. 12. Hinc et illud consequens est, hominem fide et caritate imbutum non esse certum de sua salute, contra quam docent iidem omnes sectarii. Quaeritur, quae sit ratio comparationis, quam adstruit B. Petrus, id est, cur hoc illo sit pejus. Respondeo, triplicem esse rationem. Prima est, quam indicat Apostolus, dicens: post agnitionem, quia, qui viam veritatis agnitam deserit, jam sciens peccat. Scriptum est autem: Servus, qui cognovit voluntatem Domini sui, et non fecit, vapulabit multis, Luc. 12. Item: Scienti bonum facere, et non facienti, peccatum est illi, Jac. 4. Secunda ratio, quam indicat dicens: ab eo, quod illis traditum est, sancto mandato, quia peccatper ingratitudinem, abjiciens dona a Deo accepta, fidem seu veritatis notitiam, justitiam, sanctitatem ac caetera charismata Spiritus sancti. Quod peccatum vehementer in hoc genere exaggerat Apostolus Hebr. 6. et 10. Tertia ratio, quam significat, cum dicit: retrorsum converti, quia peccat gravissimo peccato vel haeresis, vel apostasiae. Nam esti non omnes, qui post baptismum relabuntur ad hujus mundi coinquinationes, in haeresim vel apostasiam incidant: proclive tamen est, ut, qui bonam conscientiam repellunt, circa fidem naufragium faciant, 1 Tim. 1., ideoque periculo amittendae etiam fidei sese exponunt. Graviter hoc peccatum ponderat idem Paulus iisdem locis.
2:22
22. Contigit enim eis illud veri proverbii. Graece: Contigit autem. Hieronymus ita legit: Completumque est in eis verissimum illud proverbium. Augustinus fere nobiscum: Contigit enim illis res veri proverbii, id est id, quod vero proverbio dici solet, ut vertit Erasmus.
Canis reversus ad suum vomitum, Scilicet: resorbendum. Quod est abominabilis immunditiae. Nota est origo proverbii. Legitur autem apud Salomonem, Prov. 26.: Sicut canis, qui revertitur ad vomitum suum, sic imprudens, qui iterat stultitiam suam.
Et sus lota in volutabro luti. Et, subaudi: Ulud alterius veri proverbii contigit eis. Sunt enim duo proverbia sive adagia, licet ad eandem rem usurpata. Nec Graece est: in volutabro, sed: ad volutabrum; subintelligitur enim ex priori proverbio: reversa est. Verisimile est autem, interpretem vertisse: in volutabrum. Jam si legas causaliter: Contigit enim etc, erit in his proverbiis probatio quaedam partis praecedentis, eo quod haec dici soleant in homines relapsos in pristina vitia, qui, propter rationes supra dictas, gravius peccant, quam ante peccaverant. Alioqui possunt haec accipi, ut simpliciter dicta in eos, qui ita peccant, ut sese similes reddant iis animalibus, quae propter insignem immunditiam dant locum adagiis. Unde et Christus utrumque hoc animal suo sermone conjunxit, dicens: Nolite sanctum dare canibus; neque mittatis margaritas vestras ante porcos, Matth. 7. Conjunxit et Poeta hoc versu: Vixis-^ set canis immundus, vel amica luto sus. Competunt autem haec proverbia in omnes quidem relapsos, sed potissimum ac propriissime in illos, qui semel ab hujus saeculi immunditiis abluti ac mundati, et sanctificati, iisdem sese rursus involvunt. Ut olim, qui impurissimae sectae Gnosticorum sese adjungebant. Nam pro luto sive coeno Graece est: ^opPopog, a quo nomen acceperunt Gnostici, ut Borboritae dicantur. Caeterum pulchre et apposite B, Augustinus, in tract. de decem chordis sub finem, peccatorum confessionem comparat cum vomitu, respiciens ad hunc Petri locum: monetque, ne peccator post confessionem, tamquam vomitu relevatus a peccatis, canino more ad vomitum, id est ad peccata, quae vomendo projecit, redeat. Sicut autem hoc de cane proverbium apte refertur ad Sacramentum reconciliationis, ita alterum de 8ue referri potest ad Sacramentum baptismi, in quo lavamur et purgamur a sordibus ac coeno peccatorum.
2:1
… fosters divisions, separate after a first and second warning" (Tit. 3:10-11). "If anyone does not bring you the doctrine of Christ, do not receive him into your house; do not greet him!" (2 Jn. 7, 11). Peter denounces the sects or heresies of perdition (2 Pt. 2:1) and declares that it would have been better for their supporters never to have known the truth, than to abandon the holy law received from tradition (ibid. 2:21-22; cf. Jude 3, 4; …
2:4
… der Söhne Gottes, Rome 1937). In the New Testament the angels are presented instead more clearly as spirits (Hebr. 1:14), invisible (Col. 1:16), who have no carnal relations (Mt. 22:30), and there is explicit mention of their fall (Iud. 6; II Pt. 2:4).
… Jesus said to his disciples: "I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning" (Lk. 10:18). The devil fell because he "did not persevere in the truth" (Jn. 8:44). St. Peter speaks expressly of "angels who have sinned and whom God cast down into hell" (2 Pt. 2:4). And St. Jude (v. 6) alludes to the "angels who did not keep their principality, but who abandoned their own dwelling."
In the New Testament the d. or Satan is the head of the fallen angels or demons (v.), who stirs up evil and perdition (Mt. 25:41; 2 Cor. 12:7; 2 Pt. 2:4; Jude 6; Rev. 9:11; 12:7-9).
All the angels will be judged (I Cor. 6, 3; II Pt. 2, 4; Jude 6) and all men (Mt. 25, 32; Rom. 14, 10; II Cor. 5, 10; Rev. 1, 7) concerning their thoughts (I Cor. 4, 5), their words (Mt. 12, 36), their deeds (Rom. 2, 6) and their omissions …
… St. Thomas, taking his cue from certain biblical texts (II Pt. 2, 4; Apoc. 20, 1-3; Iud. 6), held that fire, per modum alligationis, prevents, in a tormenting constraint, the free movement of the spirit, which thus falls into a new boundless anguish …
… ancient serpent, the seducer of all the earth": Apoc. 12:9) is imprisoned in the bottomless pit for 1000 years (Apoc. 20:2); then he is released and deceives the nations, but in the end he is cast into the lake of fire (Apoc. 20:10; cf. Enoch 54:5-6; II Pt. 2:4).
… Iud., III, 8, 5). In the New Testament the f. is called ᾱᾱᾱ, whose dominion is not over the earth (cf. Wis. 1:14), but beneath it (Mt. 11:23 = Lk. 10:15; Rev. 9:1). God cast the rebel angels down into Tartarus (ἐταρτάρωσα), shutting them in those dark cavities (II Pt. 2:4); so too Enoch 10:12; 18:11-19:1; 88:1; there Satan is imprisoned for 1000 years (Rev. 20:7). The hell (v.) of the damned is called gehenna (v.); Jesus insists on the eternal torment …
2:5
The Flood is recalled in the Old and New Testaments: Wis. 10, 4; 16, 6 ff.; Sir. 16, 7; 44, 17-19; Is. 54, 9; Mt. 24, 37-39; Lk. 17, 26 ff.; I Pt. 3, 20 ff.; II Pt. 2, 5; Heb. 11, 7. These passages affirm the historicity not only of the fact, but also of the circumstances narrated in Genesis. …
Noe (Heb. Nōah; Septuagint Nōe; cf. Old Babylonian Nuḫīja)
… 14:14, 20), "hope of the world," who through trust in God preserved the human race (Wis. 14:6), "renewer in the time of destruction" (Eccl. 44:17-18), model of faith (Hebr. 11:17), "herald of the righteousness" that God punishes in universal corruption (II Pt. 2:5). There is further recognized in him an image of Christ in the hope that he brought with his birth, the virtues that he practiced,
… Methuselah according to the Masoretic text and the Samaritan died during the flood (in 1656 according to the Masoretic, in 1307 according to the Samaritan and in 2262 according to the Septuagint), and Lamech would have died 5 years after the flood, against Gen. 6:17; 7:4, 21-24; 1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 2:5 (see Table b).
Both give the number of those saved with Noah (1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 2:5), speak of the flood as a type (1 Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 2:5), bring the prophets close to the announcers of the Gospel (1 Pet. 1:12; 2 Pet. 1:16, 21; 3:2), and consider Christianity as …
2:6
Among these elements Scripture (Mt. 13, 4-42; 25, 41; II Pt. 2, 6; Iud. 7) and Tradition (v. above) enumerate, by preference, fire, which on account of a complex of positive data is commonly held to be real, not metaphorical (cf. A. Michel, Feu de …
… them back beyond Damascus, thus freeing L. and recovering his possessions (ibid. 14:1-16). L., though living among sinful people, kept himself righteous and merited, also through Abraham's prayers, to escape from the slaughter of Sodom (cf. Wis. 10:6; 2 Pet. 2:6-8).
… enemies of God, is often evoked in biblical tradition either with the name of S. alone (Ezek. 16:49; Matt. 11:23-24; Luke 10:12) or associated with G. (Amos 4:11; Isa. 1:9; 13:19; Jer. 23:14; 49:18; 50:40; Matt. 10:15; Rom. 9:26; Jude 7; II Pet. 2:6: an example for those who would live wickedly in the future).
2:9
… fire prepared for the devil and his angels..." (Mt. 25, 31-46; cf. Mk. 13, 26-27; Lk. 21, 27). The Apostles echoed the Master's teaching (Acts 10, 42; 17, 31; 24, 25; Rom. 2, 16; 14, 10; I Cor. 3, 4; 4, 5; II Cor. 5, 10; II Tim. 4, 15; II Thess. 2, 5; II Pt. 2, 9; Jude 15; Rev. 20, 12).
2:12
… persecutors "paenas dabunt in interitu aeternas" (II Thess. 1, 9). St. Peter with imaginative expressions foretells to the wicked their future suffering: "Hi sunt fontes sine aqua et nebulae turbinibus exagitatae quibus caligo tenebrarum reservantur" (II Pt. 2, 12-17). St. Jude recalls the punishment of the Pentapolis to admonish the sodomites "exemplum ignis aeterni paenas sustinentes" (Jud. 7) and compares sinners to wandering stars "quibus pro-
2:13
Agape (Ἀγάπη "love, charity" in the New Testament)
… The "breaking (v.) of bread" (Acts 2:42; 20:7, 11) was the eucharistic celebration; even if in Acts 2:46 common meals were meant, it does not appear that they were united to the Eucharist, and still less so for the charitable meals of Acts 6:1-6. In Jude 12 and II Pt. 2:13 (in codex B and a few others, since the best-attested reading is ἀπάται "deceits") the ἀγάπαι of the Christians are named, but (although the Latin Vetus has in the two passages translated …
2:15
… Perhaps B. in his heart was no longer disposed to observe the condition imposed by Yahweh, enticed by the ample promises of the one inviting him (2 Pet. 2:15 accuses him particularly of venality). …
3. - In 2 Pt. 2:15, the Vulgate has "Bosor" with the majority of the Greek codices, instead of Beor, father of Balaam. …
2:16
… Testament by various other expressions: ἀμαρτία or ἀμάρτημα, that is, the act by which man turns away from the attainment of his end (Rom. 5:12; 7:7; 8:3); παράβασις or ἀνομία or παρενημία, that is, transgression of the law, which man is bound to observe (2 Pt. 2:16; Rom. 4:15; 1 Jn. 3:4); παράπταμα, that is, the state of one who has fallen from his dignity or moral perfection (Mk. 11:25-26).
2:17
… because they are excluded from the Kingdom of God (Lk. 13:28) for having rejected the invitation of God (Mt. 24:13; 24:51; 25:30; Lk. 14:24) and of neighbor (Mt. 25:41-45); cf. II Thess. 1:9. Into the dark underworld (ὁ ἕδρος τοῦ ἀκόνους, II Pt. 2:17; Jude 13) the smoke of the torments of the wicked will rise (Rev. 14:10-11). The hades-death for all will be transformed, after the resurrection and the judgment of all according …
2:19
… Sin holds them beneath itself as slaves (Rom. 6:17, 20; John 8:34; 2 Pet. 2:19); they are subject to the devil as subjects to their head (John 12:31; 14:30). The devil is the god (θεός) "of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4; 1 Cor. 2:6; Gal. 2:15).
2:21
… house; do not greet him!" (2 Jn. 7, 11). Peter denounces the sects or heresies of perdition (2 Pt. 2:1) and declares that it would have been better for their supporters never to have known the truth, than to abandon the holy law received from tradition (ibid. 2:21-22; cf. Jude 3, 4; 17, 23). Other directives equally firm in the Didaché (4:13; 6:1; 11:1-2); around 95, in the first letter of Clement (7:1-2; cf. 42); around 100 in that of pseudo-Barnabas …
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.