He exhorts them to unity, to put on the new man, and to fly sin.
He exhorteth them to keepe the vnitie of the Church most 〈…〉 vvith al humilities bringing them many motiues therevnto: 7 and 〈…〉 that 〈◊〉 the diuersitie it self of offices is not for diuision, as being the gift of Christ him self, 〈◊〉 to build vp the Church, and to held al in the vnitie therof against the 〈…〉 of Heretikes: that vnder Christ the head, in the Church being the body, euery member may prosper. 17 Neither (as touching life) most vve 〈◊〉 like the Heathen, but as it becommeth Christians, laying of al our old corrupt maners, and increasing daily in al goodnes.
1I therefore, a prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called:Vi scongiuro adunque io prigioniero pel Signore, che camminiate in maniera convenevole alla vocazione, a cui siete stati chiamati,I Therfore prisoner in our Lord, beseeche you, that you vvalke vvorthy of the vocation in vvhich you are called,Obsecro itaque vos ego vinctus in Domino, ut digne ambuletis vocatione, qua vocati estis, 2With all humility and mildness, with patience, supporting one another in charity.Con tutta umiltà, e mansuetudine, con pazienza sopportandovi gli uni gli altri per carità,vvith al humilitie & mildenes, vvith patience, supporting one an other in charitie,cum omni humilitate, et mansuetudine, cum patientia, supportantes invicem in caritate, 3Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.Solleciti di conservare l'unità dello spirito mediante il vincolo della pace.careful to keepe the vnitie of the spirit in the bond of peace.solliciti servare unitatem Spiritus in vinculo pacis. 4One body and one Spirit: as you are called in one hope of your calling.Un solo corpo, e un solo spirito, come siete ancora stati chiamati ad una sola speranza della vostra vocazione.One body and one spirit: as you are called in one hope of your vocation.Unum corpus, et unus Spiritus, sicut vocati estis in una spe vocationis vestræ. 5One Lord, one faith, one baptism.Un solo Signore, una sola fede, un solo battesimo.One Lord, one faith, one baptisme.Unus Dominus, una fides, unum baptisma. 6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all.Un solo Dio, e padre di tutti, che è sopra di tutti, e per tutte le cose, e in tutti noi.One God and Father of al, vvhich is euer al, and by al, and in al vs.Unus Deus et Pater omnium, qui est super omnes, et per omnia, et in omnibus nobis. 7But to every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the giving of Christ.Ma a ciascheduno di noi è stata data la grazia secondo la misura del dono di Cristo.But to euery one of vs is giuen grace according to the measure of the donation of Christ.Unicuique autem nostrum data est gratia secundum mensuram donationis Christi. 8Wherefore he saith: Ascending on high, he led captivity captive: he gave gifts to men.Per la qual cosa dice: asceso in alto ne menò schiava la schiavitù: distribuì doni agli uomini.For the vvhich he saith, Ascēding on high, he ledde captiuitie captiue: he gaue giftes to men. (Propter quod dicit: Ascendens in altum, captivam duxit captivitatem: dedit dona hominibus. 9Now that he ascended, what is it, but because he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?Ma che è l'essere asceso, se non che prima anche discese alle parti infime della terra?And that he ascended, vvhat is it, but because he descended also first into the inferiour partes of the earth?Quod autem ascendit, quid est, nisi quia et descendit primum in inferiores partes terræ ?
10He that descended is the same also that ascended above all the heavens: that he might fill all things.Colui, che discese, è quell'istesso, che anche ascese sopra tutti i cieli per dar compimento a tutte le cose.He that descended, the same is also he that is ascended aboue al the heauens, that he might fill al things.)Qui descendit, ipse est et qui ascendit super omnes cælos, ut impleret omnia. 11And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and other some evangelists, and other some pastors and doctors:Ed egli altri costituì Apostoli, altri profeti, altri evangelisti, altri pastori, e dottori,And he gaue, some Apostles, and some Prophets, and othersome Euangelists, and othersome pastors and doctors,Et ipse dedit quosdam quidem apostolos, quosdam autem prophetas, alios vero evangelistas, alios autem pastores et doctores, 12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:Per il perfezionamento de' santi, pel lavorio del ministero, per la edificazione del corpo di Cristo:to the consummation of the sainctes, vnto the vvorke of the ministerie, vnto the edifying of the body of Christ:ad consummationem sanctorum in opus ministerii, in ædificationem corporis Christi: 13Until we all meet into the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ:Fino a tanto che ci riuniamo tutti per l'unità della fede, e della cognizione del Figliuolo di Dio, in un uomo perfetto, alla misura della età piena di Cristo:vntil we meete al into the vnitie of faith and knovvledge of the sonne of God, into a perfect man, into the measure of the age of the fulnes of Christ:donec occurramus omnes in unitatem fidei, et agnitionis Filii Dei, in virum perfectum, in mensuram ætatis plenitudinis Christi: 14That henceforth we be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the wickedness of men, by cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive.Onde non più siamo fanciulli vacillanti, e portati qua, e là da ogni vento di dottrina pei raggiri degli uomini, per le astuzie, onde seduce l'errore.that novv vve be not children vvauering, and caried about vvith euery vvinde of doctrine in the vvickednes of men, in craftines to the circumuention of errour.ut jam non simus parvuli fluctuantes, et circumferamur omni vento doctrinæ in nequitia hominum, in astutia ad circumventionem erroris.
15But doing the truth in charity, we may in all things grow up in him who is the head, even Christ:Ma seguendo la verità nella carità, andiam crescendo per ogni parte in lui, che è il capo (cioè) Cristo:But doing the truth in charitie, let vs in al things grow in him, vvhich is the head, Christ:Veritatem autem facientes in caritate, crescamus in illo per omnia, qui est caput Christus: 16From whom the whole body, being compacted and fitly joined together, by what every joint supplieth, according to the operation in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body, unto the edifying of itself in charity.Da cui tutto il corpo compaginato, e commesso per via di tutte le giunture di comunicazione, in virtù della proporzionata operazione sopra di ciascun membro, l'augumento prende proprio del corpo per sua perfezione mediante la carità.of vvhom the vvhole body being compacte and knit together by al iuncture of subministration, according to the operation in the measure of euery member, maketh the increase of the body vnto the edifying of it self in charitie.ex quo totum corpus compactum et connexum per omnem juncturam subministrationis, secundum operationem in mensuram uniuscujusque membri, augmentum corporis facit in ædificationem sui in caritate. 17This then I say and testify in the Lord: That henceforward you walk not as also the Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind:Questo adunque io dico, e vi scongiuro nel Signore, che non camminiate più, come camminano le nazioni nella vanità de' loro pensamenti,This therfore I say and testifie in our Lord: that novv you vvalke not as also the Gentiles vvalke in the vanitie of their sense,Hoc igitur dico, et testificor in Domino, ut jam non ambuletis, sicut et gentes ambulant in vanitate sensus sui, 18Having their understanding darkened: being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts.Le quali hanno l'intelletto ottenebrato, sono aliene dal viver secondo Dio per la ignoranza, che è in loro a causa dell'accecamento del loro cuore,hauing their vnderstanding obscured vvith darkenes, alienated from the life of God by the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindenes of their hart,tenebris obscuratum habentes intellectum, alienati a vita Dei per ignorantiam, quæ est in illis, propter cæcitatem cordis ipsorum, 19Who despairing have given themselves up to lasciviousness, unto the working of all uncleanness, unto covetousness.Le quali prive di speranza abbandonate si sono alla impurità per commettere a gara qualunque infamità.vvho despairing, haue giuen vp them selues to impudicitie, vnto the operation of al vncleannes, vnto auarice.qui desperantes, semetipsos tradiderunt impudicitiæ, in operationem immunditiæ omnis in avaritiam.
20But you have not so learned Christ:Ma voi non così avete apparato Cristo,But you haue not so learned Christ:Vos autem non ita didicistis Christum, 21If so be that you have heard him and have been taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus:Se pure lo avete ascoltato, e in lui siete stati ammaestrati, come in Gesù, è verità:if yet you haue heard him, and haue been taught in him, (as the truth is in IESVS.)si tamen illum audistis, et in ipso edocti estis, sicut est veritas in Jesu, 22To put off, according to former conversation, the old man, who is corrupted according to the desire of error.Che voi riguardo alla vita passata vi spogliate del vecchio uomo, il quale per le ingannatrici passioni si corrompe.Lay you avvay, according to the old conuersation the old man, vvhich is corrupted according to the desires of errour.deponere vos secundum pristinam conversationem veterem hominem, qui corrumpitur secundum desideria erroris. 23And be renewed in the spirit of your mind:E vi rinnovelliate nello spirito della vostra mente,And be renevved in the spirit of your minde:Renovamini autem spiritu mentis vestræ, 24And put on the new man, who according to God is created in justice and holiness of truth.E vi rivestiate dell'uomo nuovo, creato secondo Dio nella giustizia, e nella vera santità.and put on the nevv man vvhich according to God is created in iustice, and holinesse of the truth.et induite novum hominem, qui secundum Deum creatus est in justitia, et sanctitate veritatis. 25Wherefore, putting away lying, speak ye the truth, every man with his neighbour. For we are members one of another.Per la qual cosa rigettata la menzogna, parli ciascheduno al suo prossimo secondo la verità: conciossiachè siamo membri gli uni degli altri.For the vvhich cause laying avvay lying, speake ye truth euery one vvith his neighbour, because vve are members one of an other.Propter quod deponentes mendacium, loquimini veritatem unusquisque cum proximo suo: quoniam sumus invicem membra. 26Be angry: and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your anger.Se vi adirate, guardatevi dal peccare: non tramonti il sole sopra dell'ira vostra.Be angrie and sinne not. let not the sonne goe dovvne vpon your anger.Irascimini, et nolite peccare: sol non occidat super iracundiam vestram. 27Give not place to the devil.Non date luogo al diavolo:Giue not place to the Deuil.Nolite locum dare diabolo: 28He that stole, let him now steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have something to give to him that suffereth need.Colui, che rubava, non rubi più: ma anzi lavori colle proprie mani a qualche cosa di onesto di modo, che abbia da dare a chi patisce necessità.He that stole, let him novv not steale: but rather let him labour in vvorking vvith his handes that vvhich is good, that he may haue vvhence to giue vnto him that suffereth necessitie.qui furabatur, jam non furetur: magis autem laboret, operando manibus suis, quod bonum est, ut habeat unde tribuat necessitatem patienti.
29Let no evil speech proceed from your mouth: but that which is good, to the edification of faith: that it may administer grace to the hearers.Non esca dalla vostra bocca alcun cattivo discorso: ma tale, che buono sia per l'edificazione della fede, onde dia grazia a quegli, che ascoltano.Al naughtie speache let it not proceede out of your mouth: but if there be any good to the edifying of the faith, that it may giue grace to the hearers.Omnis sermo malus ex ore vestro non procedat: sed si quis bonus ad ædificationem fidei ut det gratiam audientibus. 30And grieve not the holy Spirit of God: whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption.E non contristate lo Spirito santo di Dio, mercé di cui siete stati marcati pel giorno della redenzione.And contristate not the holy Spirit of God: in vvhich you are signed vnto the day of redemption.Et nolite constristare Spiritum Sanctum Dei: in quo signati estis in diem redemptionis. 31Let all bitterness and anger and indignation and clamour and blasphemy be put away from you, with all malice.Qualunque amarezza, e scandescenza, e ira, e clamore, e maldicenza sia rimossa da voi con ogni sorta di malvagità.Let al bitternes, and anger, and indignation, and clamour, and blasphemie be taken avvay from you vvith al malice.Omnis amaritudo, et ira, et indignatio, et clamor, et blasphemia tollatur a vobis cum omni malitia. 32And be ye kind one to another: merciful, forgiving one another, even as God hath forgiven you in Christ.Ma siate benigni gli uni verso degli altri, misericordiosi, facili a per donare scambievolmente, come anche Dio ha a voi perdonato per Cristo.And be gentle one to an other, merciful, pardoning one an other, as also God in Christ hath pardoned you.Estote autem invicem benigni, misericordes, donantes invicem sicut et Deus in Christo donavit vobis.
4:1
Witham
Here begins the second part of this epistle, in which he exhorts them to the practice of Christian virtues. (Witham)
4:4
Calmet
In one hope of your vocation. The three great reasons that we have to love one another are contained in this verse, because we have but one body, of which Christ is the head. We are all animated by the same spirit, viz. the Holy Ghost, who is given to us all, and we all live in the same hope of eternal happiness. (Calmet)
4:5
This contains some more reasons why Christians should love one another. We are all the servants of the same God, believe the same mysteries, and receive the same sacraments, whoever may be the dispenser of them.
St. Hilary
One faith. As rebellion is the bane of commonwealths and kingdoms, and peace and concord the preservation of the same; so is schism, and diversity of faith or fellowship in the service of God, the calamity of the Church: and peace, unity, and uniformity, the special blessing of God therein. St. Cyprian, in his book on the unity of the Church, writeth thus: "One Church, for one is my dove. This unity of the Church, he that holdeth not, doth he think he holdeth the faith? He that withstandeth or resisteth the Church, he that resisteth Peter's chair, upon which the Church was built, doth he trust that he is in the Church?" And again, Ep. xl. "There is one God, and one Christ, and one Church, and one chair, by our Lord's voice founded upon Peter. To set up another altar, or to constitute another priesthood, besides the one altar and the one priesthood, is impossible. Whosever gathereth elsewhere scattereth. It is adulterous, it is impious, it is sacrilegious, whatsoever is instituted by man to the breach of God's disposition. Get ye far from such men: they are blind, and leaders of the blind." St. Hilary also applies this text against the Arians thus: "Perilous and miserable it is that there are now among them as many faiths as wills, and as many doctrines as manners; whilst modes of faith are written as men will, or as they will, so are understood. Whereas the one truth teaches there is but one God, one Lord, one baptism, and also one faith: hence whilst more faiths are made, they begin by falling from that which is the only faith, and end in having no faith at all." (St. Hilary, lib. ad Constantium Augustum.)
4:7
Witham
To every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. That is, as it hath pleased Christ to bestow his free gifts upon us; to shew, says St. Chrysostom, that it was not according to any merit of ours. The words also shew that Christ is the giver and author of graces, and consequently the true God. (Witham)
Tirinus
We must endeavour by all means in our power to preserve this unity, especially by avoiding jealousy, or being envious of the graces which have been given to our neighour; considering that they all proceed from the same God, who divides to each one as he pleaseth. (Tirinus)
4:8
He led captivity captive.[Ver. 8. Captivam duxit captivitatem. On which words St. Jerome: (p. 364.) Descendit ad inferna, et sanctas animas, quae ibi detinebantur, secum ad coelos victor deduxit. See 1 Peter 3.] St. Jerome and others expound these words of Christ's delivering the pious souls that had died before his ascension, and which were detained in a place of rest which is called Limbus Patrum [i.e. Limbo of the Fathers; sometimes called paradise (Luke 23:43.), Abraham‘ bosom (Luke 16:22.), or prison (1 Peter 3:19.)].
Witham
He gave gifts to men. Having delivered men from the captivity of sin, he bestowed upon them his gifts and graces. (Witham)
Tirinus
Wherefore he, David, in Psalm lxvii., makes use of these words, in order to shew that these gifts were gratuitous, and that no person had a right to complain that another had received more: after this the apostle proceeds to shew that Christ even descended to the lower parts of the earth, in order to teach us humility; whence he concludes that we ought to be humble and live in union with our brethren, which is the chief subject of the present chapter. (Tirinus)
4:9
Witham
Into the lower parts of the earth. This cannot signify into the grave only, especially since in that which we look upon as the apostles' creed, we first profess to believe that he was buried, and afterwards that he descended into hell. (Witham)
4:11
Witham
Some indeed he gave to be apostles, etc. It is said (1 Corinthians 12:28.) that God (even with the Greek article) gave some to be apostles, etc. and here it is said of Christ: another proof that Christ is the true God. (Witham)
4:13
Witham
Unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age [Ver. 13. In mensuram aetatis plenitudinis Christi; eis metron elikias (aetatis vel staturae) tou pleromatos tou Christou. See St. Augustine, lib. XXII. de Civ. Dei, ch. XV. et seq. tom. VII. p. 678.; St. Jerome in Epitaphio Paulae. tom. iv. part 2. p. 685.; St. Chrysostom, hom. xi.] of the fulness of Christ; that is, according to the measure of the full and perfect age of Christ. Of the ancient interpreters, some expound this of what shall happen in the next world, after the resurrection, when all the elect shall have bodies every way perfect; and as some conjecture, (when all who rise by a happy resurrection) shall seem to be about thirty, of the stature and age of Christ when he suffered. But others, especially the Greek interpreters, understand this verse of a spiritual perfection in this life, by which the members of Christ's mystical body meet in the unity of faith, and increase in grace and virtue by imitating Christ, and following his doctrine and example. And this seems more agreeable to what follows: that we may not now be children, tossed to and fro by the wickedness,[Ver. 14. In nequitia hominum, en te kubeia, in fallacia: kubeia, est lusus aleae. See St. Chrysostom, p. 821. Ed. Sav.] of men. The Greek word, as St. Jerome observes, may signify by the deceit or fallacy of men; by illusion, says St. Augustine. And St. Chrysostom tells us it is spoken by a metaphor, taken from those who cheat at dice, to gain all to themselves, to draw men into errors and heresies. Such, about that time, were the disciples of Simon the magician. (Witham)
St. Chrysostom
Every one must labour to become perfect in the state in which he is placed, by increasing in the knowledge and love of God, which knowledge and love of God constitute the full measure of a Christian. (St. Chrysostom)
St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Augustine also admits to another interpretation of this place, but prefers the former. According to him, it may mean: that all people, at the resurrection, will be raised in such a state as they would have had if they lived to the age of Christ, viz. thirty-three years. (St. Thomas Aquinas)
This text of the apostle, assuring to the one true Church a perpetual and visible succession of pastors, in the ministry, successors of the apostles, warranted the holy Fathers in the early ages of the Church, as it does Catholics of the present day, to try all seceders by the most famous succession of the popes or bishops of Rome. See this in St. Irenaeus, lib. 3:chap. 3; Tertullian, in praescript. Optatus. lib. 2:contra Parmen.; St. Augustine, contra ep. Manic., ch. IV., Ep. 165 et alibi.; St. Epiphanius, haeres. 27.
4:16
Witham
By what every joint supplieth, etc. St. Paul compares the Church and mystical body of Christ (as he does elsewhere) to a natural body, whose perfection depends on the harmony, union, and concurrence of all the different parts; and so in the Church, of which Christ is the head, some are apostles, some prophets, etc. and Christ hath been pleased to give them different offices, talents, and gifts, for the edifying and increase of the whole body, which is his Church, that they may no longer be like Gentiles,...alienated from the life of God; from such a life as God requires they should lead. (Witham)
Estius
The obscurity of this verse my be thus explained: the apostle compares the mystical body of the Church, of which Christ is the head, to the natural body of man; and as the head directs different members to different operations, according to their various properties, so in the Church Christ distributes to each his proper office, that being all intent upon their relative duties, all may grow up in charity and become perfect. (Estius)
4:19
Witham
Who despairing,[Ver. 19. Deperantes. The Latin interpreter seems to have read apelpikotes, as in some manuscripts, but in most other copies apelgekotes, indolentes. See St. Jerome in his Commentary, p. 368.] (without faith and charity) according to the Latin text and some Greek manuscripts; though according to the ordinary Greek, without grief or sorrow, (to wit, for their sins) have given themselves over to all manner of vices, unto covetousness.[Ver. 19. In avaritiam: en pleonexia, in cupiditate. See ver. 3. of the next chapter.] Some take notice that the Greek word may not only signify avarice, or covetousness of money, but any unsatiable desires or lusts. See Ephesians 5:3. and 5:5. (Witham)
4:26
Be angry, and sin not, as it is said Psalm 4:5. Anger, as a passion of the mind, may proceed from a good motive and be guided by reason; as our Saviour, Christ, (Mark 3:5.) is said to have looked about at the Jews with anger, that is with a zeal against their blindness and malice.
Witham
Let not the sun go down upon your anger. If moved to anger, return without delay to a calmness of mind and temper. (Witham)
Jansenius
Be angry when reason or necessity compels you; but even then, so restrain your anger that you neither offend God nor scandalize your neighbour. Moreover, lay it aside as soon as you are able, so that the sun go not down upon your anger. (Jansenius)
4:29
Witham
That it may afford grace to the hearers; that is that your speech may contribute to their good and edification. (Witham)
4:30
Witham
Grieve not the Holy Spirit: not that the Holy Ghost can be contristated. It is a metaphor; and the sense is, sin not against the Holy Ghost. (Witham)
Sts. Chrysostom
To contristate the Holy Spirit is a metaphorical expression, which signifies to offend God, or the Holy Ghost, who has sealed us by the sacraments of baptism and confirmation with particular marks, by which we shall be distinguished from others in the day of our retribution. (Sts. Chrysostom, Jerome, Ambrose, etc.)
4:11
Gave some apostles—Until we all meet, etc.... Here it is plainly expressed, that Christ has left in his church a perpetual succession of orthodox pastors and teachers, to preserve the faithful in unity and truth.
4:1
In the liturgy The Epistle vpon the 17 Sunday after Pentecost. And in a Votiue Masse against Schisme.
4:5
5. One faith.] As rebellion is the bane of ciuil Commonvvealths and kingdoms, Vnitie of the Cath. Church. and peace and concord, the preseruation of the same: so is Schisme, diuision, and diuersitie of faiths or felovvships in the seruice of God, the calamitie of the Church: and peace, vnitie, vniformitie, the special blessing of God therein, and in the Church aboue al Commonvvealths, because it is in al pointes a Monarchie tending euery vvay to vnitie. but one God, but one Christ, but one Church, but one hope, one faith, one baptisme, one head, one body. Vvhereof S. Cyprian li. de vnit. E•nu. 3. saith thus. One Church the Holy Ghost in the person of our Lord designeth & faith. One is my done. This vnitie of the Church he that holdith not, doth he thinke he holdeth the faith? He that vvithstandeth and resisteth the Church, he that forsaketh Peters chaire vpon vvhich the Church vvas built, doth he trust that he is in the Church? When the blessed Apostle S. Paul also shevveth this Sacrament of vnitie, saying, One body and one spirit &c. Which vnitie vve Bishops specially that rule in the Church, ought to hold fast and maintaine, that vve may proue the Bishoply function also it self to be one and vndiuided, Ep. 40. &c. And againe, There is one God, Schisme detestable. and one Christ, and one Church, and one Chaire, by our Lordes voice founded vpon Peter. An other altar to be sette vp, or a novv Priesthod to be made, besides one altar, & one Priesthod, is impossible. Whosoeuer gathereth els vvhere, scattereth, it is adulterous, it is impious, it is sacriligious, vvhatsoeuer is instituted by mans furie to the breach of Gods diuine disposition. Get ye far from the contagion of such men, & fle• from their speaches at a canker and pestilence, our Lord hauing praemonished and vvarned before hand, They are blind, leaders of the blind, &c. Vvhereby vve learne that this vnitie of the Church commended so much vnto vs, consisteth in the mutual fellovvship of al Bishops vvith the See of the Peter. S. Hilarie also (li. ad Constantium Augustum) thus applieth this same place of the Apostle against the Arians, as vve may do against the Caluinists. Among heretikes as many faithes as willes. Perilous and miserable it is, saith he, that there are novv so many faithes as vvilles, and so many doctrines as 〈◊〉, vvhiles either faithes are so vvritten ad vve vvill, or as vve vvil, so are vnderstood: and vvhereas according to one God, and one Lord, and one Baptisme, there is also one faith, vve fall avvay from that vvhich is the only faith, and vvhiles mee faithes be made, they beginne to come to that, that there is none at al.
Concordance Malat. 2, 10.
4:6
In the liturgy The Epistle vpō Ascension eue. And vpon SS. Simon and Iudes day.
Concordance Ro. 12, 4 1. Cor. 12, 4.
4:8
Concordance Ps. 67, 19.
4:9
He meaneth specially of his descending to Hel.
4:11
11. Some Apostles.] The heretikes folish negatiue argument against the Pope, ansvvered. Many functions that vvere euen in the Apostles time, are not here named: vvhich must be noted against the Aduersaries that call here for Popes, as though the names of Bishops, Priests, or Deacons vvere not as vvel leaft out as Popes: vvhom yet they can not deny to haue been in vse in S. Paules daies. And therfore they haue no more reason, out of this place to dispute against the Pope, then against the rest of the Ecclesiastical functions. Neither is it necessarie to reduce such as be no: specified here, to these here named: though in deede both other Bishops and Prelates and specially Popes may be conteined vnder the names of Apostles, The Popes office is called an Apostleship. Doctors, and Pastors. Certes the roome and dignitie of the Pope is a very continual Apostleship, and S. Bernard calleth it Apostolatum. Bernard. ad Eugen. li. 14. c. 4 &c. 6 in fine.
Concordance 1. Cor. 12, 28.
4:13
13. Vntil vve meete.] The Church of God shal neuer lacke these spiritual functions, or such as be ansvverable to them, Continual succession of Bishops, an euident argument of the true visible Church. according to the time and state of the Church, til the vvorldes end. Vvhereby you may proue, the Catholike Church, that is to say, that visible companie of Christians vvhich hath euer had, and by good records can proue they haue had, a continual ordinarie succession of Bishops, Pastors, and Doctors, to be the onely true Church: and these other good fellovves that for many vvorldes or ages together can not shevv that they had any one Bishop, or ordinarie yea or extraordinarie officer for them and their sect, to be an adulterous Heretical generation. The father's refuted heretikes by the succession of the Bishops of Rome. And this place of the Apostle assuring to the true Church a perpetual visible continuance of Pastors and Apostles or their successors, vvarranted the holy fathers to trie al Heretikes by the most famous succession of the Popes of Rome. So did S. Irenaeus, li. 3. c. 3. Tertullian, in prascript. Optatus, li. 2 cont. Parm. S. Augustine, in ps. cont. part. Donat. et cont. ep. Manich. c. 4. et ep. 165. Epiph. har. 27. and others.
4:14
14. With euery vvinde.] The special vse of the spiritual Gouernours is, to keepe vs in vnitie and constancie of the Catholike faith, Heretical blastes carie away the inconstant only. that vve be not carried avvay vvith the blast or vvind of euery heresie. Vvhich is a very proper note of sectes and nevv doctrines that trouble the infirme vveaklings of the Church, by certaine seasons of diuerse ages: as sometime the Arians, then the Manichees, an other time the Nestorians, then the Lutherans, Caluinists, and such like: vvho at diuers times in diuers places, haue blovven diuers blastes of flase doctrine.
4:17
Concordance 1 Pet. 4, 3. Ro. 1, 21.
4:19
Concordance Ro. 1, 24.
4:21
Concordance Colos. 3, 8
4:22
Concordance Heb. 12, 1.
4:23
The Apostle teacheth vs not to apprehēd Christs iustice by faith only, but to be renevved in our selues truly, & to put on vs the nevv mā formed & created in iustice and holines of truth. By the which, free vvil also is proued to be in vs, to worke with God, or to consent vnto him in our sanctification.
4:25
Concordance Zach. 8, 16.
4:26
Concordance Ps. 4, 5.
4:1
St Ignatius of Antioch † AD 108 Epistle to the Antiochians 1
The Lord has rendered my bonds light and easy since I learnt that you are in peace, that you live in all harmony both of the flesh and spirit. “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you, that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,”
Tertullian † AD 220 On the Veiling of Virgins 2
… They and we have one faith, one God, the same Christ, the same hope, the same baptismal sacraments; let me say it once for all, we are one Church.
Tertullian † AD 220 On Exhortation to Chastity 10
… For there is a prophetic utterance of the Old Testament: “Holy shall ye be, because God is holy;” and again: “With the holy thou shalt be sanctified; and with the innocent man thou shalt be innocent; and with the elect, elect.” For it is our duty so to walk in the Lord’s discipline as is “worthy,”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 The Epistles of Cyprian 74.24
… endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 16.8
… When thou writest to the Ephesians, thou sayest, “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you, that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 21.10
… For this diadem is a display of your princely virtue, but it is also a token of the munificence of him who gave it; but the crown woven from this your humanity will be entirely your own good work, and that of your own love of wisdom; and all men will admire you less for the sake of these precious stones,
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 6
He has mentioned Christ’s great and affectionate care; he now passes on to his own, insignificant indeed as it is, and a very nothing in comparison with that, and yet this is enough to engage them to himself. For this cause, saith he, am I also bound.
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 8
… Thus then was the punishment of the keepers owing to the unrighteousness of the judge. For why did not the Jews act in the same way? For now again I am reminded of yet another prison. The first was that at Rome, next, was this at Cæsarea, now we come to that at Jerusalem.
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 12
… For when the words spoken by men as coming from fellow-servants are not sufficient to kindle the soul, it then becomes necessary to make over the case to God. This accordingly Paul does also; for having discoursed
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 22
Whenever the discourse is about to conclude, he always employs this turn. Said I not well from the first, that every man’s house is a camp in itself? For look, having disposed of the several offices, he proceeds to arm them, and to lead them out to war.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Answer to the Letters of Petilian, the Donatist 2.70
Chapter 70.— 155. Petilianus said: "Though the Apostle Paul says, ‘I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you, brethren, that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.’"
John Cassian † AD 435 The Seven Books of John Cassian on the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius 4.11
… “I drew them with chains of love.” For indeed great are these chains, and chains of ineffable love, for those who are bound with them rejoice in their fetters. Do you want to know whether this is true? Hear how the Apostle Paul exults and rejoices in his chains, when he says: “I therefore a prisoner in the Lord beseech you.”
4:2
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 The Epistles of Cyprian 51.24
… since the apostle admonishes that we should mutually sustain one another, and not withdraw from the unity which God has appointed, and says, “Bearing with one another in love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 On the Advantage of Patience 15
… loveth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, beareth all things.” Thence he shows that it can tenaciously persevere, because it knows how to endure all things. And in another place: “Forbearing one another,” he says, “in love, using every effort to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 44.11
… “Forbearing one another in love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 210
… and if He bestows these things, as I have said, even on the wicked, what does He prepare for those who bear with one another? Into this number you rejoice that through His grace you have been gathered, “forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 22.87
… We learn also from the book of Tobit, that Pentecost was the feast of seven weeks. To forty-nine, which is seven times seven, one is added to denote unity. To this effect is the saying of the apostle: "Bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Baptism, Against the Donatists 1.9
… if, under the pressure of any persecution, they give their bodies with us to be burned for the faith which they like us confess: yet because they do all these things apart from the Church, not "forbearing one another in love," nor "endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace,"
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Baptism, Against the Donatists 1.18
… yet under these circumstances he did not sever himself, by refusal of communion, from the others who thought differently, and indeed never ceased to urge on the others that they should "forbear one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Baptism, Against the Donatists 6.7
… and his colleagues, with whom he held that Council, maintained with those of different opinions, disturbing and overthrowing thereby the seditious calumnies of heretics and schismatics in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, who, speaking by His apostle, says, "Forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace;"
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Baptism, Against the Donatists 7.51
… This house is also called wheat, bringing forth fruit with patience, some thirty-fold, some sixtyfold, and some an hundredfold. This house is also in vessels of gold and of silver, and in precious stones and imperishable woods. To this house it is said, "Forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace;"
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Answer to the Letters of Petilian, the Donatist 2.79
… For how neatly it is said under covering of the sheep’s clothing, "Charity beareth all things, endureth all things!" but when you come to the test, the wolf’s teeth cannot be concealed. For when, in obedience to the words of Scripture, "forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,"
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Answer to the Letters of Petilian, the Donatist 3.5
… For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself." Let us therefore "forbear one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace;"
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 17.9
… but, when made whole, he carries the bed? What does the apostle say? “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so shall ye fulfill the law of Christ.” Now the law of Christ is love, and love is not fulfilled except we bear one another’s burdens. “Forbearing,” saith he, “one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Ten Homilies on the First Epistle of John 1.12
… “A new commandment give I unto you that ye love one another.” What is the Law but commandment? Moreover, how is it they do not take occasion of stumbling, but because they forbear one another? As Paul saith, “Forbearing one another in love, studying to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 96.2
… that old ruin whose shadow that ancient temple represented. For there what was old was destroyed, that what was new might be built up.…The Apostle bindeth us together into this very structure, and fasteneth us when bound together in that unity, saying, “Forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
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St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 On the Unity of the Church 8
… but that ye be joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” And again, he says, “Forbearing one another in love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 The Seventh Council of Carthage under Cyprian. Concerning the Baptism of Heretics 1
… Then indeed they will be able to be sons of God, as says the apostle: “Taking care to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, as ye have been called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God.”
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Festal and Personal Letters of Athanasius 10
2. While I then committed all my affairs to God, I was anxious to celebrate the feast with you, not taking into account the distance between us. For although place separate us, yet the Lord the Giver of the feast, and Who is Himself our feast , Who is also the Bestower of the Spirit , brings us together in mind, in harmony, and in the bond of peace
Rufinus of Aquileia † AD 411 The Apology of Rufinus. Addressed to Apronianus, in Reply to Jerome's Letter to Pammachius 1.41
… What then? are we to lose the fruit of all the trouble we have taken further back on this point? Such is the power of effrontery. However, let it be as he chooses; I put aside the truth of the matter and accept his own terms; but he will still be convicted. I will refer on the matter now in hand to the second book of these Commentaries, at the passage
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 43.23
… servants and friends of God have always had to bear with some among their own people, with whom, nevertheless, they partook in the sacraments of that dispensation, and in so doing not only were not defiled by them, but were to be commended for their tolerant spirit, “endeavouring to keep,” as the apostle says, “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 61
2. When, therefore, any come to us from the party of Donatus, we do not welcome the evil which belongs to them, viz. their error and schism: these, the only obstacles to our concord, are removed from between us, and we embrace our brethren, standing with them, as the apostle says, in “the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Holy Trinity 6.5
… holiness, it is manifest that He is not one of the two, through whom the two are joined, through whom the Begotten is loved by the Begetter, and loves Him that begat Him, and through whom, not by participation, but by their own essence, neither by the gift of any superior, but by their own, they are “keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace;”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 12.15
… whence it is said, "Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Baptism, Against the Donatists 2.6
… All of these catholic unity embraces in her motherly breast, bearing each other’s burdens by turns, and endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Baptism, Against the Donatists 6.12
… For then indeed will they be able to become the sons of God, as the apostle says, ‘Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God.’
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Baptism, Against the Donatists 6.22
… yet in turn, with anxious piety, they showed toleration towards each other, though without violation of Christian charity they entertained different opinions, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Correction of the Donatists 10
… What, then, he says, do we receive with you, when we come over to your side? I answer, You do not indeed receive baptism, which was able to exist in you outside the framework of the body of Christ, although it could not profit you; but you receive the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 21.28
… so now he should acknowledge that he has received the Holy Ghost, who is held by the bond of the peace of the Church, which is spread throughout all nations. Whence the Apostle says, “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 38.21
… it is nothing; it profiteth him nothing.” He possesseth all things to no useful end, who hath not that one thing by which he may use all these things well. So then let us embrace charity, “studying to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Socrates Scholasticus † AD 440 The Ecclesiastical History of Socrates Scholasticus 1.6
Inasmuch as the Catholic Church is one body, and we are commanded in the holy Scriptures to maintain ‘the bond of unity and peace,’
Pope St Leo I the Great † AD 461 Letters 10
… and in this way “the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace
Pope St Leo I the Great † AD 461 Sermons 95
… The love of the world does not consort with the love of God , nor doth he enter the alliance of the sons of God who will not separate himself from the children of this generation. Whereas they who are in mind always with God , “giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 The Book of Pastoral Rule 3.22
… iii. 3 )? Hence again he says also, Follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord ( Heb. xii. 14 ). Hence again he admonishes, saying, Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace: there is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling (
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 Register of the Epistles of St. Gregory the Great 5.43
… Let us then give thanks to Him who, having abolished enmities, has caused that in His flesh there should be in the whole world one flock, and one sheepfold under Himself the one shepherd; and let us be ever mindful how the preacher of truth admonishes us, saying, Be careful to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace (
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 Register of the Epistles of St. Gregory the Great 7.4
But, when you have wisely professed a right faith, it remains doubtless that you should keep the more warily the peace of hearts, because of what the Truth says, Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another ( Mark ix. 50 ). And Paul the apostle admonishes, saying, Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 Register of the Epistles of St. Gregory the Great 7.31
… You ought, then, to shew the beauty of this charity to me and to all your brethren by this good work in the first place,—your hastening to discard that word of pride whereby grave offence is engendered in the Churches, thus fulfilling in all ways what is written, Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (
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Pope St Clement I † AD 99 The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians 46
… Why are there strifes, and tumults, and divisions, and schisms, and wars among you? Have we not [all] one God and one Christ? Is there not one Spirit of grace poured out upon us? And have we not one calling in Christ?
St Ignatius of Antioch † AD 108 Epistle to the Ephesians: Shorter and Longer Versions 6
… Nor indeed do ye hearken to any one rather than to Jesus Christ, the true Shepherd and Teacher. And ye are, as Paul wrote to you, “one body and one spirit, because ye have also been called in one hope of the faith.
St Ignatius of Antioch † AD 108 Epistle to the Philippians 2
… And there is also one Son, God the Word. For “the only-begotten Son,” saith [the Scripture], “who is in the bosom of the Father.” And again, “One Lord Jesus Christ.” And in another place, “What is His name, or what His Son’s name, that we may know?” And there is also one Paraclete. For “there is also,” saith [the Scripture], “one Spirit,”
Tertullian † AD 220 On Baptism 15
… Permit me to call to mind what I have omitted above, lest I seem to break off the train of impending thoughts in the middle. There is to us one, and but one, baptism; as well according to the Lord’s gospel as according to the apostle’s letters, inasmuch as he says , “One God, and one baptism, and one church in the heavens.”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 On the Unity of the Church 4
… Does he who strives against and resists the Church trust that he is in the Church, when moreover the blessed Apostle Paul teaches the same thing, and sets forth the sacrament of unity, saying, “There is one body and one spirit, one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God?”
St Hilary of Poitiers † AD 367 De Trinitate or On the Trinity 8.7
… Yes, assuredly, through faith, for through this the soul and heart of all were one. Again I ask, is the faith one or is there a second faith? One undoubtedly, and that on the authority of the Apostle himself, who proclaims one faith even as one Lord, and one baptism, and one hope, and one God
St Hilary of Poitiers † AD 367 De Trinitate or On the Trinity 11.1
1. The Apostle in his letter to the Ephesians, reviewing in its manifold aspects the full and perfect mystery of the Gospel, mingles with other instructions in the knowledge of God the following: As ye also were called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, and through all, and in us all
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Deposition of Arius 1
… are, and the cavils which their heresy has adopted, and that, should Eusebius write to you, you may pay no attention to him, for he now desires by means of these men to exhibit anew his old malevolence , which has so long been concealed, pretending to write in their favour, while in truth it clearly appears, that he does it to forward his own interests.
St Basil the Great † AD 379 The Letters 191
… But I must not be behindhand in this virtuous rivalry, and so I thus salute your reverence in return; and inform you as to how I am minded, in that, since agreement in the faith is established among us, there is nothing further to prevent our being one body and one spirit, as we have been called in one hope of our calling.
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 12
… For when the words spoken by men as coming from fellow-servants are not sufficient to kindle the soul, it then becomes necessary to make over the case to God. This accordingly Paul does also; for having discoursed
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Baptism, Against the Donatists 5.26
… It is handed down to us, therefore, as he himself records, by the apostles, that there is "one God, and one Christ, and one hope, and one faith, and one Church, and one baptism."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Baptism, Against the Donatists 6.8
Chapter 8.— 11. Cæcilius of Bilta said: "I know of one baptism in the one Church and of none outside the Church. The one will be where there is true hope and sure faith. For so it is written, ‘One faith, one hope, one baptism.’
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 99.6
… “As ye are called,” he says, “in one hope of your calling.” “One Lord,” where he certainly meant Christ to be understood; but it remained that he should also name the Father: and accordingly there follows, “One faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
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St Ignatius of Antioch † AD 108 Epistle to the Ephesians: Shorter and Longer Versions 6
… Nor indeed do ye hearken to any one rather than to Jesus Christ, the true Shepherd and Teacher. And ye are, as Paul wrote to you, “one body and one spirit, because ye have also been called in one hope of the faith. Since also “there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all.”
St Ignatius of Antioch † AD 108 Epistle to the Philadelphians: Shorter and Longer Versions 4
… there is but one altar for the whole Church, and one bishop, with the presbytery and deacons, my fellow-servants. Since, also, there is but one unbegotten Being, God, even the Father; and one only-begotten Son, God, the Word and man; and one Comforter, the Spirit of truth; and also one preaching, and one faith, and one baptism;
St Ignatius of Antioch † AD 108 Epistle to the Antiochians 4
… “The Word,” says [the Scripture], “became flesh, and dwelt among us.” And again: “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” And those very apostles, who said “that there is one God,” said also that “there is one Mediator between God and men.”
St Ignatius of Antioch † AD 108 Epistle to the Philippians 1
… and also one baptism, which is administered that we should have fellowship with the death of the Lord; and also one elect Church; there ought likewise to be but one faith in respect to Christ. For “there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is through all, and in all.”
St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 4.32
… and there was light;” and as we read in the Gospel, “All things were made by Him; and without Him was nothing made;” and the Apostle Paul [says] in like manner, “There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father, who is above all, and through all, and in us all”
Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 5.10
… His only aim in alluding to it was) that he might all the more firmly insist upon the resurrection of the body, in proportion as they who were vainly baptized for the dead resorted to the practice from their belief of such a resurrection. We have the apostle in another passage defining “but one baptism.”
Tertullian † AD 220 On Baptism 12
And now, as far as I shall be able, I will reply to them who affirm “that the apostles were unbaptized.” For if they had undergone the human baptism of John, and were longing for that of the Lord, then since the Lord Himself had defined baptism to be one ;
Tertullian † AD 220 On Exhortation to Chastity 7
… In a word, shun to be found guilty of digamy, and you do not expose yourself to the necessity of administering what a digamist may not lawfully administer. God wills us all to be so conditioned, as to be ready at all times and places to undertake (the duties of) His sacraments. There is “one God, one faith,”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 The Epistles of Cyprian 74.26
… They who contend that persons baptized among the heretics ought to be received as if they had obtained the grace of lawful baptism, say that baptism is one and the same to them and to us, and differs in no respect. But what says the Apostle Paul? “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God.”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 The Seventh Council of Carthage under Cyprian. Concerning the Baptism of Heretics 1
Cæcilius of Bilta said: I know only one baptism in the Church, and none out of the Church. This one will be here, where there is the true hope and the certain faith. For thus it is written: “One faith, one hope, one baptism;”
St Hilary of Poitiers † AD 367 De Trinitate or On the Trinity 8.34
… For the same Apostle says, But for us there is one God, the Father, of Whom are all things, and we in Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom are all things, and we through Him . And again, One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, Who is both through all, and in us all
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 On the Symbols 'Of the Essence' And 'Coessential.' 1
… and the guilty and murderous heresy of the Arians may disappear, and the truth may shine again in the hearts of all, so that all every where may ‘say the same thing’ ( 1 Cor. i. 10 ), and think the same thing , and that, no Arian contumelies remaining, it may be said and confessed in every Church, ‘One Lord, one faith, one baptism’ (
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Synodal Letter to the People of Antioch. (Tomus ad Antiochenos.) 1
… yourselves being our beloved and truly most-desired fellow-ministers. We rejoice at the said tidings, and pray that even if any be left still far from us, and if any appear to be in agreement with the Arians, he may promptly leave their madness, so that for the future all men everywhere may say, ‘One Lord, one faith
St Basil the Great † AD 379 De Spiritu Sancto 15
… buried with him in baptism.” And there is, as it were, a cleansing of the soul from the filth that has grown on it from the carnal mind, as it is written, “Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” On this account we do not, as is the fashion of the Jews, wash ourselves at each defilement, but own the baptism of salvation to be one.
St Basil the Great † AD 379 The Letters 226
… For “the Lord will give you understanding” to know what is the right doctrine, and what the crooked and perverse. If indeed we are to subscribe one creed to-day and another tomorrow, and shift with the seasons, then is the declaration false of him who said, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril procatechesis-or-prologue-to-t.7
7. We may not receive Baptism twice or thrice; else it might be said, Though I have failed once, I shall set it right a second time: whereas if thou fail once, the thing cannot be set right; for there is one Lord, and one faith, and one baptism
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Concerning Repentance 2.2
… “Thy youth shall be renewed like the eagle,” because the eagle after death is born again from its ashes, as we being dead in sin are through the Sacrament of Baptism born again to God, and created anew. So, then, here as elsewhere, he teaches one baptism. “One faith,” he says, “one baptism.”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Selections from the Letters of St. Ambrose sermon-against-auxentius-on-th.37
… For that is not a baptism of men, but from heaven, which the angel of great counsel has brought to us, that we might be justified to God. Wherefore, then, does Auxentius hold that the faithful ought to be rebaptized, when they have been baptized in the name of the Trinity, when the Apostle says: “One faith, one baptism”?
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 9
… v. 11; iv. 5 .) For both the artificer and the learner contribute to the edifying. Wherefore he saith, “But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereon.” ( 1 Cor. iii. 10 .) But if faith had been the subject of these sayings, the thing affirmed is not reasonable. For in the faith all ought to be equal, since “there is but one faith;” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 10
Ver. 5 . “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Holy Trinity 13.2
… For when, too, we see two men exceedingly alike, we wonder, and say that both have one countenance. It is therefore more easily said that the souls were many,—a several soul, of course, for each several person—of whom we read in the Acts of the Apostles, that they were of one soul, —than it is, where the apostle speaks of “one faith,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Answer to the Letters of Petilian, the Donatist 2.32
75. Next, however, with regard to your statement that there is indeed one baptism,
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 Letters of the Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyprus 83
In the same manner we call those men corrupt and exclude them from the assembly of the Christians, who divide our one Lord Jesus Christ into two persons or two sons or two Lords, for we have heard the very divine Paul saying “One Lord, one faith, one baptism”
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 Letters of the Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyprus 84
… They ought to listen to those words of the Apostle which openly declare “one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things,” and again “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 Letters of the Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyprus 146
… If, as our slanderers allege, we preach two sons, which do we glorify and which do we leave unworshipped? It were the wildest folly to believe that there are two sons, and to give the doxology to one alone. And who is so distraught as, while hearing the words of the divine Paul “one Lord, one faith, one baptism,”
Pope St Leo I the Great † AD 461 Letters 166
… We know indeed that an unpardonable offence is committed, whenever in accordance with the institutions of heretics which the holy Fathers have condemned, any one is forced twice to enter the font, which is but once available for those who are to be reborn, in opposition to the Apostle’s teaching
Pope St Leo I the Great † AD 461 Sermons 24
… that, as the prophet says, “they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart .” A mighty bulwark is a sound faith, a true faith, to which nothing has to be added or taken away: because unless it is one, it is no faith, as the Apostle says, “one Lord , one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all
Anonymous A Treatise on Re-Baptism by an Anonymous Writer 10
… So that the invocation of the name of Jesus, which cannot be done away, may not seem to be held in disesteem by us; which assuredly is not fitting; although such an invocation, if none of those things of which we have spoken should follow it, may fail and be deprived of the effect of salvation. For when the apostle said that there was “one baptism,”
4:6
St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 2.2.5
Now, that this God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Paul the apostle also has declared, [saying,] “There is one God, the Father, who is above all, and through all things, and in us all.”
St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 4.20.2
… Rightly also has Malachi said among the prophets: “Is it not one God who hath established us? Have we not all one Father?” In accordance with this, too, does the apostle say, “There is one God, the Father, who is above all, and in us all.”
St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 5.18.2
… but the Word is through all things, and is Himself the Head of the Church; while the Spirit is in us all, and He is the living water, which the Lord grants to those who rightly believe in Him, and love Him, and who know that “there is one Father, who is above all, and through all, and in us all.”
St Hippolytus † AD 235 Against the Heresy of One Noetus 14
… and then there is the third, the Holy Spirit. The Father decrees, the Word executes, and the Son is manifested, through whom the Father is believed on. The economy of harmony is led back to one God; for God is One. It is the Father who commands, and the Son who obeys, and the Holy Spirit who gives understanding: the Father who is above all ,
Eusebius of Caesarea † AD 339 The Oration of Eusebius 1.6
6. Lastly, he who is in all, before, and after all,
St Gregory of Nyssa † AD 395 Against Eunomius 2.12
… But even if no word be said of these, the one utterance of Paul is enough by itself to point to them all inclusively—the one utterance which says that He “is above all, and through all, and in all
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St Hilary of Poitiers † AD 367 De Trinitate or On the Trinity 8.33
… And again, He that descended is the same also that ascended far above all the heavens that He might fill all things. And he gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of ministering
St Jerome † AD 420 Against Jovinianus 2.10
… “to the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God.” You observe that it is a varied and manifold wisdom of God which is spoken of as existing in the different ranks of the church. And in the same epistle we read,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 188.3
… apostle of Christ, who, having said, “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts,” lest any one should think that he had this love through his own free will, immediately subjoined, “by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us.” Understand, then, how greatly and how fatally that man errs who does not acknowledge that this is the “great gift of the Saviour,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Holy Trinity 15.19
34. Paul the apostle also says, “To each of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ;” and then, that he might show that by the gift of Christ he meant the Holy Spirit, he has gone on to add, “Wherefore He saith, He hath ascended up on high, He hath led captivity captive, and hath given gifts to men.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 68.22
… 18 ). Of this the Apostle thus maketh mention, thus expoundeth in speaking of the Lord Christ: “But unto each one of us,” he saith, “is given grace after the measure of the giving of Christ: for which cause he saith, He hath gone up on high, He hath led captive captivity, He hath given gifts to men.”
4:8
St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 2.20.3
… Her passion, as they declare, gave origin to a female offspring, weak, infirm, unformed, and ineffective; but His passion gave rise to strength and power. For the Lord, through means of suffering, “ascending into the lofty place, led captivity captive, gave gifts to men,”
Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 5.18
… I, on my part, now wish to engage with you in a discussion on the allegorical expressions of the apostle. What figures of speech could the novel god have found in the prophets (fit for himself)? “He led captivity captive,” says the apostle.
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 14
… yet I will now again cursorily put thee in mind of what was then said. Remember what is distinctly written in the Psalms, God is gone up with a shout ; remember that the divine powers also said to one another, Lift up your gates, ye Princes , and the rest; remember also the Psalm which says, He ascended on high, He led captivity captive
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 11
Ver. 8 . “Wherefore he saith, When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Confessions 13.13
… to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” And, “Be not children in understanding, howbeit in malice be ye children,” that in “understanding ye may be perfect;” and “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you?” But now not in his own voice, but in Thine who sentest Thy Spirit from above; through Him who “ascended up on high,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Holy Trinity 4.13
… for of Him, too, is understood what is read in the Psalm, “For Thou hast made Him a little lower than the angels:” so that He, being Himself put to death, although innocent, by the unjust one acting against us as it were by just right, might by a most just right overcome him, and so might lead captive the captivity wrought through sin,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Holy Trinity 13.10
… For then He promised that He Himself would send Him, and He sent Him; because then, as it was written and foretold of Him, “He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on Nature and Grace 79
But let us revert to the apostle’s assertion: “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” By whom given if not by Him who “ascended up on high, led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men?”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 3.9
… But how should they be feared, when by the blood of the martyrs in Christ, as by oil, the ardour of love is inflamed? “Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God.” The body can address this to its own Head. For at His rising the body was saved; who “ascended up on high, led captivity captive, gave gifts unto men.”
4:9
St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 4.22
… but coming the second time, He aroused them, and made them stand up, in token that His passion is the arousing of His sleeping disciples, on whose account “He also descended into the lower parts of the earth,”
St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 5.31
… and He descended to them, to rescue and save them.” And the Lord Himself says, “As Jonas remained three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the Son of man be in the heart of the earth.” Then also the apostle says, “But when He ascended, what is it but that He also descended into the lower parts of the earth?”
St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Fragments from the Lost Writings of Irenaeus, LII 1
… And as He died, so is He also the Resurrection of the dead. He suffered shame on earth, while He is higher than all glory and praise in heaven; who, “though He was crucified through weakness, yet He liveth by divine power;” who “descended into the lower parts of the earth,” and who “ascended up above the heavens;”
Tertullian † AD 220 Against Praxeas 30
… For the Son, therefore, to die, amounted to His being forsaken by the Father. The Son, then, both dies and rises again, according to the Scriptures. It is the Son, too, who ascends to the heights of heaven, and also descends to the inner parts of the earth.
St Hilary of Poitiers † AD 367 De Trinitate or On the Trinity 10.65
… Whether, therefore, dead or buried, descended into Hades or ascended into Heaven, all is one and the same Christ: as the Apostle says, Now this ‘He ascended’ what is it, but that He also descended to the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended far above all heavens, that He may fill all things
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 11
Ver. 9, 10 . “Now this, He ascended, what is it, but that He also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended, is the same also that ascended far above all the Heavens, that He might fill all things.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 17.4
… For the Lord Christ has ascended into heaven, and is to come thence to judge the quick and dead. For, as saith the apostle, “Who hath ascended but He who hath also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up above all heavens, that He might fill all things.”
4:10
St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 3.21.6
6. But what Isaiah said, “From the height above, or from the depth beneath,” was meant to indicate, that “He who descended was the same also who ascended.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus i.35
… and this sign is said to be “in the depth or in the height,” since “He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things.”
Novatian † AD 258 A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity 17
… nor did an angel command these things, as the fact shows. Then it remains that He must have descended, of whom the Apostle Paul says, “He who descended is the same who ascended above all the heavens, that He might fill all things,”
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) 1.11
… For after saying, ‘He hath humbled Himself even unto death,’ He immediately added, ‘Wherefore He hath highly exalted Him;’ wishing to shew, that, although as man He is said to have died, yet, as being Life, He was exalted on the resurrection; for ‘He who descended, is the same also who rose again
St Basil the Great † AD 379 De Spiritu Sancto 6
… We shall have no more to say. A plain statement of the view will at once expose its absurdity. They who refuse to allow that the Father pervades all things do not so much as maintain the logical sequence of thought in their argument. The faith of the sound is that God fills all things;
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 2
Moreover the Angels did not say, ‘whom you have seen taken up,’ but, “going into heaven:” ascension is the word, not assumption; the expression “taken up,” belongs to the flesh. For the same reason they say, “He which is taken up from you shall thus come,” not, “shall be sent,” but, “shall come. He that ascended, the same is he also that descended” (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 102.29
… “Who hath ascended up into heaven and descended?”—a question brought to remembrance by the words of Paul: “He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens;”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 22.18
… but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body, unto the edifying of itself in love.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 68.38
… But hath not “to the East,” which he hath added, expressed the very spot; since in the quarters of the East is where He rose again, and whence He ascended? Therefore above the Heaven of Heaven He sitteth at the right hand of the Father. This is what the Apostle saith, “the Same is He that hath ascended above all Heavens.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Seven Books of John Cassian on the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius 4.6
… And so the Apostle’s teaching is admirably in accordance with those sacred words: (“for He that descended,” says He, “is the same that ascended also above all heavens, that He might fill all things,”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Seven Books of John Cassian on the Incarnation of the Lord, Against Nestorius 6.17
… It follows certainly that you deny His ascension also, for there cannot be the ascension without the resurrection. And if we do not believe that He rose again, we cannot either believe that He ascended: as the Apostle says, “For He that descended is the same also that ascended.”
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 Letters of the Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyprus 83
… Jesus Christ into two persons or two sons or two Lords, for we have heard the very divine Paul saying “One Lord, one faith, one baptism” and again “One Lord Jesus Christ by Whom are all things” and again “Jesus Christ the same yesterday and to-day and for ever” and in another place—“He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens.”
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Tertullian † AD 220 The Prescription Against Heretics 14
So long, however, as its form exists in its proper order, you may seek and discuss as much as you please, and give full rein to your curiosity, in whatever seems to you to hang in doubt, or to be shrouded in obscurity. You have at hand, no doubt, some learned
Origen † AD 254 Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John 1.5
… but that all the new Scripture is the Gospel. It not only says as in the beginning of the Gospel, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world;” it also contains many praises of Him, and many of His teachings, on whose account the Gospel is a Gospel. Again, if God set in the Church
Eusebius of Caesarea † AD 339 The Church History of Eusebius 3.23.8
8. But the presbyter taking home the youth committed to him, reared, kept, cherished, and finally baptized him. After this he relaxed his stricter care and watchfulness, with the idea that in putting upon him the seal of the Lord he had given him a perfect protection.
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 13.29
… What then shall I now decree? I will command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it . For the clouds which are the Prophets were removed from them, and are for the future in the Church; as Paul says, Let the Prophets speak two or three, and let the others judge ; and again, God gave in the Church, some, Apostles, and some, Prophets
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 2.3
… while others should be pastors and teachers,
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 1.1.2
… For we can no longer now escape from the duty of teaching which the needs of the priesthood have laid upon us, though we tried to avoid it: “For God gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 8
… Now why wonder, if in the case of unworthy men these things are done for others’ sake, seeing that so it is, even when they are wrought by saints? For Paul saith, ( 1 Cor. iii. 22 .) “All things are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or life, or death:” and again, (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 11
Ver. 11, 12 . “And He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ.”
St Jerome † AD 420 Jerome's Apology for Himself Against the Books of Rufinus 2.25
… Hearken then, my rival: listen, my calumniator; I do not condemn, I do not censure the Seventy, but I am bold enough to prefer the Apostles to them all. It is the Apostle through whose mouth I hear the voice of Christ, and I read that in the classification of spiritual gifts they are placed before prophets ( 1 Cor. xii. 28 ;
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 19.2
… The truth also has its prophets, as we learn from Jesus as well as from Paul. Jesus says: "Behold, I send unto you wise men and prophets, and some of them ye shall kill in divers places." And Paul says: "The Lord Himself appointed first apostles, and then prophets."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 68.13
… For he was working in the sons of disobedience, of whose unbelief he made use to work his own will. These vessels the Lord cleansing by the remission of sins, sanctifying these spoils wrested from the foe laid prostrate and bound, these He hath divided to the beauty of His House; making some apostles, some prophets, some pastors and doctors,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 68.18
… 14 ). While He “above the heavens,” He that ascended over all heavens that He might fulfil all things, “while He distinguisheth kings over Her,” that is, over that same “Dove silvered.” For the Apostle continueth and saith, and “He hath Himself given some for Apostles, and some Prophets, and some Evangelists, and some Pastors and Teachers.”
St John of Damascus † AD 749 An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 4.15
… Let us honour the apostles as the Lord’s brothers, who saw Him face to face and ministered to His passion, for whom God the Father did foreknow He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son , first apostles, second prophets , third pastors and teachers
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 On the Holy Martyr, S. Babylas 3
… They fought against the teeth of beasts, but this man bore off the most dangerous of our passions, anger. For all these things let us give thanks to God, because he hath thus granted us noble martyrs, and pastors worthy of martyrs, for the perfecting of the saints, for the edifying of the body of Christ
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 22.17
… as He hung lifeless upon the cross, was pierced with a spear, and there flowed from it blood and water, and these we know to be the sacraments by which the Church is “built up.” For Scripture used this very word, not saying “He formed” or “framed,” but “built her up into a woman;” whence also the apostle speaks of the edification of the body of Christ,
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 5.16
… But if you will only gaze with the eyes of the spirit on those countless hosts of our foes, which the Apostle enumerates where he says: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places,”
4:13
St Hippolytus † AD 235 Treatise on Christ and Antichrist 3
… But He seeks all, and desires to save all, wishing to make all the children of God, and calling all the saints unto one perfect man. For there is also one Son (or Servant) of God, by whom we too, receiving the regeneration through the Holy Spirit, desire to come all unto one perfect and heavenly man.
Origen † AD 254 Origen De Principiis 1.6.2
… “That they may be one, even as We are one; I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one.” And this is further confirmed by the language of the Apostle Paul: “Until we all come in the unity of the faith to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”
Origen † AD 254 Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John 10.20
… But when the resurrection itself takes place of the true and more perfect body of Christ, then those who are now the members of Christ, for they will then be dry bones, will be brought together, bone to bone, and fitting to fitting (for none of those who are destitute of fitting ( ἁρμονία ) will come to the perfect man), to the measure
Origen † AD 254 Origen's Commentary on Matthew 10.3
… so that even now the light of the disciples of Jesus shines before the rest of men, and after death before the resurrection, and after the resurrection “until all shall attain unto a full-grown man,”
Origen † AD 254 Origen's Commentary on Matthew 13.26
… And so indeed I understand the words about Jesus having assumed a human soul, “Jesus advanced;” for as from the free-will there was an advance of His soul in wisdom and grace, so also in stature. And the Apostle says, “Until we all attain unto a full-grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ;”
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) 3.25
… that they too may become perfect, having oneness with It, and having become one in It; that, as if all were carried by Me, all may be one body and one spirit, and may grow up unto a perfect man
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 2.45
… And with good reason, for they would not be strengthened according to Christ, nor make that laudable increase, which the Word produces in one who is rightly fed, by making him a perfect man, and bringing him to the measure of spiritual stature.
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 11
Ver. 13 . “Till we all attain,” he proceeds, “unto the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a full-grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
Rufinus of Aquileia † AD 411 The Apology of Rufinus. Addressed to Apronianus, in Reply to Jerome's Letter to Pammachius 1.42
“In the end of all things, when we shall have begun to know God face to face, and shall have come to the measure of the age
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 108.25
… I was not one person at ten years old, another at thirty and another at fifty; nor am I another now when all my head is gray. According to the traditions of the church and the teaching of the apostle Paul, the answer must be this; that we shall rise as perfect men in the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Confessions 5.5
… And yet even a weakness such as this in the dawn of faith is borne by our Mother Charity, till the new man may grow up “unto a perfect man,” and not be “carried about with every wind of doctrine.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 22.12
… And if the saying of the apostle, that we are all to come to the “measure of the age of the fullness of Christ,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 22.17
From the words, “Till we all come to a perfect man, to the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Of the Work of Monks 40
… For of Whom but Him is it said, “Until we come all to unity of faith and to knowledge of the Son of God, to the Perfect Man, to the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ; that we be no longer babes, tossed and carried about with every wind of doctrine, in sleight of men, in cunning craftiness for machination of error.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise Against Two Letters of the Pelagians 4.31
… as are perfect.’ Unless, perchance, there is one perfection in this world, another after this is completed, of which he says to the Corinthians, ‘When that which is perfect is come;’ and elsewhere, ‘Till we all come into the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, into the perfect man to the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ.’
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 65.7
… a multitude they have made of themselves, there is not one to be taken to Him. But they that abide in the bond of Christ and are the members of Him, make in a manner one man, of whom saith the Apostle, “Until we all arrive at the acknowledging of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Twelve Books on the Institutes of the Cœnobia, and the Remedies for the Eight Principal Faults 5.4
… But when all come together into the unity of the faith and virtue, He is formed into the “perfect man,”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 7.6
… kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force,” for no virtue is acquired without effort, nor can anyone attain to that mental stability which he desires without great sorrow of heart, for “man is born to trouble,” and in order that he may be able to attain to “the perfect man, the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 21.5
… but by counsels all are rather stimulated to grace, that those who are great may deservedly be crowned by the perfection of their virtues, while those who are small, and not able to come up to “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ,”
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Origen † AD 254 Origen Against Celsus 5.18
… to quote his words, which have been already adduced, let us, with regard to the problem (as in an apologetic work directed against an alien from the faith, and for the sake of those who are still “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”
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Persecution in Egypt 1
… and if the Emperor should command them to adopt any other profession, they are ready to change again to that also. Their ignorance of true godliness quickly brings them to submit to the prevailing folly, and that which happens to be first taught them. For it is nothing to them to be carried about by every wind
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 2.42
… They are, in consequence, borne and turned about hither and thither by one plausible idea after another, and, after being deluged and trodden down by all kinds of doctrine,
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 38
… For if they were persuaded that there is no resurrection of bodies, he would have gradually persuaded them that neither was Christ raised. And thereupon he would introduce also this in due course, that He had not come nor had done what He did. For such is the craft of the devil. Wherefore also Paul calls it “cunning craftiness
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 11
… “With every wind,” saith he, “by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error.” The word “sleight” means the art of gamesters. Such are the “crafty,” whenever they lay hold on the simpler sort. For they also change and shift about everything. He here glances also at human life.
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 130.17
… Of women who are thus presumptuous the apostle says that they “are carried about with every wind of doctrine,
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 133.4
4. Such being the state of the case, what object is served by “silly women laden with sins, carried about with every wind of doctrine, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth?”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Confessions 4.14
23. But that orator was of the kind that I so loved as I wished myself to be such a one; and I erred through an inflated pride, and was “carried about with every wind,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Baptism, Against the Donatists 3.14
… I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal." For such are carried about with every wind of doctrine, of which kind he says, "That we be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 16.2
2. This then did John say concerning Christ. And what said Christ of John? We have just now heard. “He began to say to the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?” Surely not; for John was not “blown about by every wind of doctrine.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John chapter21.8
… the whole man is He and we. This is what the Apostle Paul saith: “That we be no longer babes, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine.” But above he had said, “Until we all come together into the unity of faith, and to the knowledge of the Son of God, to the perfect man, to the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 48.6
… Now let none presume on full sails, and on the seeming fair state of this life, as of the sea. Be our foundation in Sion: there ought we to be stablished, not to be “carried about with every wind of doctrine.”
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 Letters of the Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyprus 132
… the great, and says, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these” “which believe in me” “ye have done it unto me.” I pray you in that you are conspicuous for right doctrine, and shine by worthiness of life, and therefore have great boldness before God, help me in your prayers, that I may be able “to stand,” to use the words of the Apostle,
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 The Book of Pastoral Rule 3.18
… To the former it is said through Paul, Be not wise in your own conceits ( Rom. xii. 16 ): but the latter on the other hand should hear this; Let us not be carried about with every wind of doctrine (
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St Basil the Great † AD 379 De Spiritu Sancto 5
9. In his Epistle to the Ephesians the apostle says, “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ; from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body.”
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 2.3
… in order that both may be so united and compacted together, that, although one is lacking and another is pre-eminent, they may, like the members of our bodies, be so combined and knit together by the harmony of the Spirit, as to form one perfect body, really worthy of Christ Himself, our Head.
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Holy Spirit 2.9
… “That we may be increased through all things in Him, Who is Christ the Head, from Whom,” says he, “the whole body, framed and knit together through every joint of the supply for the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love.”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Exposition of the Christian Faith 3.7
… “Because He is the Head of the Body, of the Church; Who is the beginning, first-begotten from the dead.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 11
… speaking truth,” saith he, “in love, may grow up in all things into Him, which is the Head, even Christ, from whom,” (that is, from Christ,) “all the body fitly framed and knit together, through that which every joint supplieth, according to the working in due measure of each several part, maketh increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 3.9
… wherefore in another place he saith, “But doing the truth in love, we may increase in Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, from whom the whole body is joined together and compacted.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 102.2
… The penitent also are among His limbs. For they are not shut out, nor separated from His Church: nor would He make the Church His spouse, unless by words like these: “Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Let us then hear what the head and the body prayeth, the bridegroom and bride, Christ and the Church,
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 3.19.3
… that, as the Head rose from the dead, so also the remaining part of the body—[namely, the body] of everyman who is found in life—when the time is fulfilled of that condemnation which existed by reason of disobedience, may arise, blended together and strengthened through means of joints and bands
St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 4.32
… one baptism, one God and Father, who is above all, and through all, and in us all” —this man will first of all “hold the head, from which the whole body is compacted and bound together, and, through means of every joint according to the measure of the ministration of each several part, maketh increase of the body to the edification of itself in love.”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 3.9
… “Better is a patient man than a strong man; for he who restrains his anger is better than he who taketh a city.” Also in the same place: “The imprudent man declareth his anger on the same day, but the crafty man hideth away his dishonour.” Of this same thing to the Ephesians: “Be ye angry, and sin not. Let not the sun set upon your wrath.”
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 40
XXXIX. And in addition to what has been said, it is good with our head cleansed, as the head which is the workshop of the senses is cleansed, to hold fast the Head of Christ,
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 To Those Who Had Not Attended the Assembly 7
… May the God of peace and love, having banished from our soul all wrath and bitterness, and anger, deign to grant that we being closely knit one to another according to the proper adjustment of the parts,
Rufinus of Aquileia † AD 411 The Apology of Rufinus. Addressed to Apronianus, in Reply to Jerome's Letter to Pammachius 1.42
42. I have given you one instance in which he has expressed his own opinion without any ambiguity on the universal resurrection. I will give one more, and with this bring to an end the first book of my Apology. His statements, indeed, on this point are innumerable. The one I select is on the passage where it is written:
St Jerome † AD 420 Jerome's Apology for Himself Against the Books of Rufinus 1.26
26. The fifth passage selected by him for blame is the most important, that in which I explain the statement of the Apostle.
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Tertullian † AD 220 On Modesty 17
… “In which we too had our conversation, doing the concupiscences and pleasures of the flesh.” Branding, in fine, such as had denied themselves—Christians, to wit—on the score of having “delivered themselves up to the working of every impurity,”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on First Corinthians 15
… Thus writing to the Thessalonians, he said, ( 1 Thess. iv. 4, 5 , καὶ τιμῆ om. τὰ λοιπὰ inserted.) “Let every one possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification, not in the passion of lust, even as the rest of the Gentiles.” And to the Colossians and Ephesians, (
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St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 139.18
… 19, 20 ). The words seem to be connected in this order; “If Thou, O God, shall slay the sinners, they shall receive in vanity their cities.” Thus are sinners slain, because, “having their understandings darkened, they are alienated from the life of God.”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 11
… But the being delivered, hints the assistance from God. But what is the form of doctrine?
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 13
… 20 .) For how could a profligate man, one more immersed in the practice of indiscriminate lewdness than the swine that wallow in the mire, and who is a lover of money, and has not so much as any desire after temperance, enter upon a life like this? They made the thing, saith he, their “work.” Hence their “hardening” (
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 5.16
… “Neither let us tempt Christ as some of them tempted and perished by the serpents.” Of backbiting: “Love not backbiting lest thou be rooted out.” And of despair: “Who despairing have given themselves up to lasciviousness unto the working of all error, in uncleanness.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 6.11
… For of these the Psalmist says: “They are not in the labours of men; neither shall they be scourged like other men.” For they are not worthy of being healed by the visitation of the Lord which gives life, and by plagues in this world, as “in despair they have given themselves over to lasciviousness, unto the working of all error unto uncleanness,”
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Pope St Clement I † AD 99 The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians 3
… For this reason righteousness and peace are now far departed from you, inasmuch as every one abandons the fear of God, and is become blind in His faith, neither walks in the ordinances of His appointment, nor acts a part becoming a Christian,
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) 4.26
… whence to his followers with reason does he teach his heresy. But ‘we did not so learn Christ, if so be that we heard’ Him, and were taught from Him, ‘putting off the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,’ and taking up ‘the new, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 13
Ver. 20, 21 . “But ye did not so learn Christ,” he continues, “if so be that ye heard Him, and were taught in Him even as truth is in Jesus.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 78.8
… “But ye have not so learned Christ, if so be that ye have heard Him, and have been taught by Him.”
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St Hilary of Poitiers † AD 367 De Trinitate or On the Trinity 12.48
… nor is He only made but also created, as it is said: Even as the truth is in Jesus, that ye put away according to your former manner of life, that old man, which becomes corrupt according to the lusts of deceit. However, be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put ye on that new man, which is created according to God
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Of the Work of Monks 40
… For, giving the same admonition, he thus saith in another place: “As is the truth in Jesus, that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, him which is corrupt according to the lust of deception; but be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, him which after God is created.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants 1.46
… “As the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off, concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
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Tertullian † AD 220 On the Resurrection of the Flesh 45
But in their blindness they again impale themselves on the point of the old and the new man. When the apostle enjoins us “to put off the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and to be renewed in the spirit of our mind; and to put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness,”
Tertullian † AD 220 On the Resurrection of the Flesh 49
… that is, of what I have already said, because the conjunction “ for ” connects what follows with the preceding words) “that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,” —he means the flesh and blood to be understood in no other sense than the before-mentioned “image of the earthy;” and since this is reckoned to consist in “the old conversation,”
Tertullian † AD 220 On Fasting 8
By and by the Lord Himself consecrated His own baptism (and, in His own, that of all) by fasts; having (the power) to make “loaves out of stones,” say, to make Jordan flow with wine perchance, if He had been such a “glutton and toper.” Nay, rather, by the virtue of contemning food He was initiating “the new man” into “a severe handling” of “the old,”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 3.12
… Put off the old man of the former conversation, who is corrupted, according to the lusts of deceit. But be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, him who according to God is ordained in righteousness, and holiness, and truth.”
Aphrahat † AD 346 Aphrahat: Select Demonstrations 6.1
… Whosoever receives the Spirit of Christ, let him adorn his inner man. Whosoever is called the temple of God, let him purify his body from all uncleanness. Whosoever grieves the Spirit of Christ, shall not raise up his head from griefs. Whosoever receives the body of Christ, let him keep his body from all uncleanness. Whosoever casts off the old man ,
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Against the Arians. (Orationes contra Arianos IV.) 2.19
… generation, and the people that is created shall praise the Lord ;’ and again, ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God ;’ and Paul in Ephesians says, ‘Having abolished the law of commandments contained in ordinances, for to create in Himself of two one new man ;’ and again, ‘Put ye on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Festal and Personal Letters of Athanasius 1
… but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Putting off the old man and his deeds, let us put on the new man
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 1.2
… and having put off the miserable bondage of his sins, and taken on him the most blessed bondage of the Lord, so may he be counted worthy to inherit the kingdom of heaven. Put off , by confession , the old man, which waxeth corrupt after the lusts of deceit , that ye may put on the new man, which is renewed according to knowledge of Him that created him
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 20.2
… For since the adverse powers made their lair in your members, ye may no longer wear that old garment; I do not at all mean this visible one, but the old man, which waxeth corrupt in the lusts of deceit
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 38
IV. This is our present Festival; it is this which we are celebrating to-day, the Coming of God to Man, that we might go forth,
St Gregory of Nyssa † AD 395 On Virginity 20
… for so he thinks things will be most likely to turn out as he wishes. Now just in the same way the man who is courting the spiritual alliance will first of all display himself, by the renewal of his mind
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 13
Ver. 22 . “That ye put away as concerning your former manner of life, the old man.”
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 69.7
… If filthiness is cleansed, how much more is cleanness kept from defilement. “A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit.” Yes, for “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision but a new nature.” Wherefore the song also which we sing is a new song, and putting off the old man
St Jerome † AD 420 Against Jovinianus 1.38
… We walked in the lusts of the flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts, and were children of wrath, even as the rest. But now He has raised us up with Him, and made us to sit with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Christian Doctrine 2.16
… Or again, the statement that the serpent gets rid of its old skin by squeezing itself through a narrow hole, and thus acquires new strength—how appropriately it fits in with the direction to imitate the wisdom of the serpent, and to put off the old man, as the apostle says, that we may put on the new;
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Holy Trinity 4.3
… Because, if even the inner man certainly is renewed day by day, yet undoubtedly it is old before it is renewed. For that is done inwardly of which the same apostle speaks: “Put off the old man, and put on the new;” which he goes on to explain by saying, “Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man truth.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Reply to Faustus the Manichæan 24
… He says to the Ephesians, "That ye put off according to your former conversation the old man, which is corrupt through deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and holiness of truth."
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 8.10
… but that they who bear the image of the heavenly Man, should be rather called sons of men; for the former again is called the old man and the latter the new; but the new is born of the old, since spiritual regeneration is begun by a change of an earthy, and worldly life;
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 104.31
… But he seems to me to speak here of some new creation, of which the Apostle saith, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God.” All who believe in Christ, who put off the old man, and put on the new,
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St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Holy Spirit 2.7
… He then who is born after the Spirit is born after God. Now we are born again when we are renewed in our inward affections and lay aside the oldness of the outer man. And so the Apostle says again: “But be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man which is created according to God in truth and righteousness and holiness.”
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Holy Spirit 3.10
64. Who is he who is born of the Spirit, and is made Spirit, but he who is renewed in the Spirit of his mind?
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Concerning Repentance 2.2
… “For we are buried with Him through baptism into death, that, like as Christ rose from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we, too, should walk in newness of life.” And in another place: “Be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man which is created after God.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 13
Ver. 23 . “And that ye be renewed,” saith he, “in the spirit of your mind.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Holy Trinity 12.7
… For the thought is a debased and empty one, which holds God to be circumscribed and limited by the lineaments of bodily members. But further, does not the same blessed apostle say, “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, which is created after God;”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On the Holy Trinity 14.16
… For that image cannot form itself again, as it could deform itself. He says again elsewhere: “Be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind; and put ye on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on the Soul and its Origin 4.36
… Not as you interpret the statement, “The whole mind is meant, which consists of soul and spirit,”—a view which I know not where you obtained. By our “mind,” indeed, we usually understand nothing but our rational and intellectual faculty; and thus, when the apostle says, “Be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 96.5
… the former are wrought in unchaste bodies, the latter are beyond the reach of all bodies; the one is perpetrated in the filthiness of the flesh, the other is scarcely perceivable by the pure mind. “Be ye therefore renewed in the spirit of your mind,”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 6.14
Theodore : It is needful that one must either, as the Apostle says, “be renewed in the spirit of the mind,”
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St Hilary of Poitiers † AD 367 De Trinitate or On the Trinity 12.48
… This was not the birth of the divinity, but the creating of the flesh; the new Man taking the title of the race, and being created according to God Who was born before the ages. And how the new man was created according to God, he explains in what follows, adding, in righteousness, and in holiness, and in truth
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Festal and Personal Letters of Athanasius 2
… ‘For there is no peace to the wicked, saith the Lord .’ And as Wisdom saith, ‘Gladness and joy are taken from their mouth .’ Such are the feasts of the wicked. But the wise servants of the Lord, who have truly put on the man which is created in God
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 16.2
… The first wisdom is a life worthy of praise, and kept pure for God, or being purified for Him Who is all-pure and all-luminous, Who demands of us, us His only sacrifice, purification—that is, a contrite heart and the sacrifice of praise, and a new creation in Christ, and the new man,
St Gregory of Nyssa † AD 395 Against Eunomius 2.10
… For He Who for our sakes became like as we are, was in the last days truly created ,—He Who in the beginning being Word and God afterwards became Flesh and Man. For the nature of flesh is created: and by partaking in it in all points like as we do, yet without sin, He was created when He became man: and He was created “after God
St Gregory of Nyssa † AD 395 Against Eunomius 3.2
… the wanderers a new and living way , even I myself, Who am the way.” And this view, that the sense of “created me” has reference to the Humanity, the divine apostle more clearly sets before us by his own words when he charges us, “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ ,” and also where (using the same word) he says, “Put on the new man which after God is created.
St Gregory of Nyssa † AD 395 Against Eunomius 4.3
… the first creation had waxed old and vanished away, it was needful that there should be a new creation in Christ, (as the Apostle says, who asserts that we should no longer see in the second creation any trace of that which has waxed old, saying, “Having put off the old man with his deeds and his lusts, put on the new man which is created according to God
St Gregory of Nyssa † AD 395 Against Eunomius 12.1
… For having by purity brought into closest relationship with the Father of our nature that new man which is created after God
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants 2.9
… Internally we put off the old man and put on the new; for we then and there lay aside lying, and speak truth, and do those other things wherein the apostle makes to consist the putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Socrates Scholasticus † AD 440 The Ecclesiastical History of Socrates Scholasticus 2.21
… and thunder in another figure implying the preaching of the Gospel. Again he that says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God,” said not this as if he had no heart; but prayed that his mind might be purified. Thus also it is said, “That he might create the two into one new man,” instead of unite. Consider also whether this passage is not of the same kind,
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 4.37.4
… and [by the expression] “not expedient” pointing out that we “should not use our liberty as a cloak of maliciousness,” for this is not expedient. And again he says, “Speak ye every man truth with his neighbour.”
Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 5.18
… “Putting away lying,” (says he,) “speak every man truth with his neighbour;”
Tertullian † AD 220 On the Resurrection of the Flesh 45
… And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: but be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ hath forgiven you.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 15
What! is it a bear that is fighting? a wild beast? a serpent? It is a man, one who hath in every respect fellowship with thee: a brother, a member.
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Colossians 8
… Under the head of “passion and railing” he means revilings, just as under “wrath” he means wickedness. And in another place, to shame them, he says, “for we are members one of another.” (
Rufinus of Aquileia † AD 411 The Apology of Rufinus. Addressed to Apronianus, in Reply to Jerome's Letter to Pammachius 2.2
2. Let us see what my adversary himself says on this point in those Commentaries which he has selected. In the second book, in commenting on the words
St Jerome † AD 420 Jerome's Apology for Himself Against the Books of Rufinus 1.18
… On the other hand to those who do not know how to make a good use of falsehood, the practice should be altogether prohibited.” Now take the words of Origen: “When we consider the precept
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 On Lying 6
… nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” Hence the Apostle also in giving precept for the putting off of the old man, under which name all sins are understood, says straightway, “Wherefore putting away lying, speak ye truth.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Against Lying 2
… On this account they think the Apostle Paul, when he had said, “Putting away lying, speak ye truth,” to have immediately added, “Every man with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.”
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 Letters of the Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyprus 77
… Thus reflecting I have been confounded and filled with much discouragement, for, as says the divine Apostle, “whether one member suffer all the members suffer with it.” We are members one of another,”
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St Polycarp † AD 155 Epistle to the Philippians 12
For I trust that ye are well versed in the Sacred Scriptures, and that nothing is hid from you; but to me this privilege is not yet granted. It is declared then in these Scriptures, “Be ye angry, and sin not,” and, “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”
Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 5.18
… “Putting away lying,” (says he,) “speak every man truth with his neighbour;” and again, using the very words in which the Psalm expresses his meaning, (he says,) “Be ye angry, and sin not;”
Tertullian † AD 220 On Prayer 11
… After that, the Lord, “amplifying the Law,” openly adds the prohibition of anger against a brother to that of murder. Not even by an evil word does He permit it to be vented. Ever if we must be angry, our anger must not be maintained beyond sunset, as the apostle admonishes.
Tertullian † AD 220 On Patience 12
… No one who is at variance with his brother in his mind, will finish offering his “duteous gift at the altar,” unless he first, with intent to “reconciliate his brother,” return to patience. If “the sun go down over our wrath,” we are in jeopardy:
Tertullian † AD 220 On Modesty 19
… And (a right distinction it was); for John has here sanctioned it; in that there are some sins of daily committal, to which we all are liable: for who will be free from the accident of either being angry unjustly, and retaining his anger beyond sunset;
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 23
… And then he will work wonders, cleansing lepers, raising paralytics, expelling demons, proclaiming things remote just as things present, raising the dead, helping widows, defending orphans, loving all, reconciling in love men who contend, and saying to such, “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath;”
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Life of Antony. (Vita Antoni.) 55
… hold in your heart the commandments of Scripture; be mindful of the works of the saints that your souls being put in remembrance of the commandments may be brought into harmony with the zeal of the saints.’ And especially he counselled them to meditate continually on the apostle’s word, ‘Let not the sun go down upon your wrath
St Basil the Great † AD 379 The Letters 22.3
… He should be grieved over as a limb cut from the body. The sun ought not to go down upon a brother’s wrath,
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 45
… because most of our Mysteries may not be carried out to them that are outside, nor is there beyond this night any further purification; and procrastination is not creditable to those who have a share in the Word. For just as it is good and well-pleasing to God not to let anger last through the day,
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 20.13
13. We are commanded to have only one enemy, the devil. With him be thou never reconciled! But with a brother, never be at enmity in thy heart. And if there should be any narrowness of soul, let it be only an ephemeral thing, and never last beyond a day’s space. For, “let not the sun,” he saith, “go down upon your wrath.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom 16
Being angry then is not a transgression, but being so unseasonably. For this cause the prophet also said, “Be ye angry, and sin not.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 34
… Thus also here: the one is wroth, the other not so. The same happens also in matters where we are concerned. And the sharp contention with good reason, that Mark may receive a lesson, and the affair may not seem mere stage-playing. For it is not to be thought that he who bids, “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath,” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 41
… the misery they suffer! Forgive him the offence, and free thyself from the torment. Why continue always in a state of punishment, that thou mayest once punish him, and take thy revenge? Why establish for thyself a hectic disease? Why, when thy wrath would fain depart from thee, dost thou keep it back? Let it not remain until the evening, says Paul. (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 4
“Let not,” says he, “the sun go down upon your wrath” (
St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 130.13
… For so long as we dwell in the tabernacle of this body and are enveloped with this fragile flesh, we can but restrain and regulate our affections and passions; we cannot wholly extirpate them. Knowing this the psalmist says: “be ye angry and sin not;” which the apostle explains thus: “let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”
St Jerome † AD 420 Against the Pelagians 2
Eph. iv. 26 . Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 The Confessions 9.4
10. I read further, “Be ye angry, and sin not.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 38.2
… Anger dares to increase with boldness more suddenly than men suppose, for it does not blush in the dark, when the sun has gone down upon it.
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 City of God 15.6
… See that none render evil for evil unto any man.” And in another place, “If a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” And elsewhere, “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount 1.10
… And to this belongs also what is said in another passage: “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 8.7
… For sometimes a man remitteth with the mouth, and in the heart retaineth; he remitteth with the mouth for men’s sake, and retaineth in the heart, as not fearing the eyes of God. But do ye remit entirely. Whatever ye have retained up to these holy days, in these holy days at least remit. “The sun ought not to go down upon your wrath,”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 25.5
… What! can he who is in the Church, have his Lord absent from him? When has he his Lord absent from him? When he is overcome by any lust. For as we find it said in a certain place in a figure, “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil:”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 6.8
… lest he be brought to that, the disastrous commencement of which he experiences now. And therefore he did not say, mine eye is extinguished, but, “mine eye is disordered by anger.” But if he mean that his eye is disordered by his own anger, there is no wonder either in this. For hence perhaps it is said, “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath;”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 58.13
… “Fire hath fallen upon them,” fire of pride, a smoky fire, fire of lust, fire of wrath. How great a fire is it? He upon whom it shall have fallen, shall not see the sun. Therefore hath it been said, “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Twelve Books on the Institutes of the Cœnobia, and the Remedies for the Eight Principal Faults 8.9
… Lastly, the blessed Apostle, when he made use of the testimony of this verse, and said, “Be ye angry and sin not,” added, “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 2.4
Such is discretion, which is not only the “light of the body,” but also called the sun by the Apostle, as it said “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 16.6
… first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” For it will be of no use for you to declare that you are not angry, and to believe that you are fulfilling the command which says: “Let not the sun go down upon thy wrath;” and: “Whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment,”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 16.17
… “Whoever is angry with his brother is in danger of the judgment;” and: “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath,”
Theodoret of Cyrus † AD 458 Letters of the Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyprus 96
… In my confidence in the evidence of my conscience I hope for the former. All men are adorned by magnanimity, and not least those who, following the example of your excellency, trained in outside education as well as instructed in divine principles, both hear the apostolic laws loudly exclaiming “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath”
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Tertullian † AD 220 On Prayer 23
… We, however (just as we have received), only on the day of the Lord’s Resurrection ought to guard not only against kneeling, but every posture and office of solicitude; deferring even our businesses lest we give any place to the devil.
Tertullian † AD 220 De Fuga in Persecutione 9
… By bearing with them? Well, he says that people must be supported, if anywhere they have committed a fault through the weakness of their faith, just as (he enjoins) that we should comfort the faint-hearted; he does not say, however, that they should be sent into exile. But when he urges us not to give place to evil,
Origen † AD 254 Origen De Principiis 3.2.4
… “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest perhaps we should let them slip.” And when he says, “Neither give place to the devil,”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 The Epistles of Cyprian 61.2
… virgins to dwell with men,—I do not say to sleep together, but to live together —since both their weak sex and their age, still critical, ought to be bridled in all things and ruled by us, lest an occasion should be given to the devil who ensnares us, and desires to rage over us, to hurt them, since the apostle also says, “Do not give place to the devil.”
St Basil the Great † AD 379 The Letters 341
You have not yet ceased to be offended with me, and so I tremble as I write. If you have cared, why, my dear sir, do you not write? If you are still offended, a thing alien from any reasonable soul and from your own, why, while you are preaching to others, that they must not keep their anger till sundown,
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 2.3
3. Yet thou art not the sole author of the evil, but there is also another most wicked prompter, the devil. He indeed suggests, but does not get the mastery by force over those who do not consent. Therefore saith the Preacher, If the spirit of him that hath power rise up against thee, quit not thy place
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament 17.4
… They are but vessels, which another uses, they are but instruments which another handles. “The devil,” saith the Scripture, “entered into the heart of Judas, that he should betray the Lord.” One may say then, what have I done? Hear the Apostle, “Give not place to the devil.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John 7.7
… thou makest Him the partner of that devil to whom thou didst sell thyself by thy sin. “Woe to the double-hearted,” to those who in their hearts give part to God and part to the devil. God, being angry that the devil has part there, departs, and the devil will possess the whole. Not in vain, therefore, says the apostle, “Neither give place to the devil.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 43.3
… “It is good for me that Thou hast humbled me, that I might learn Thy righteousnesses.” By being lifted up, I had learned my own iniquities; let me by being “humbled,” learn “Thy righteousnesses.” “Why go I mourning, while the enemy harasses me?” Thou complainest of the enemy. It is true he does harass thee; but it was thou didst “give place”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Expositions on the Book of Psalms 142.2
… if God is to reward thee, pour out thy prayer before Him; and close the door, lest the tempter enter. Therefore the Apostle, because it is in our power to shut the door, the door of our hearts, not of our walls, for in it is our “closet,”—because it is in our power to shut this door, saith, “neither give place to the devil.”
Pseudo-Clement The Clementine Homilies 19.2
… And I know that He has said somewhere else, ‘If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself: how then is his kingdom to stand?’ And He pointed out that He saw the evil one like lightning falling down from heaven. And elsewhere He said, ‘He who sowed the bad seed is the devil.’ And again, ‘Give no pretext to the evil one.’
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Tertullian † AD 220 On Modesty 17
… “Let him who was wont to steal, steal no more.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 14
Ver. 28 . “Let him that stole,” saith he, “steal no more.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Philippians 6
… Why say Paul? no one ever praised even a common man, as thou dost praise Christ, because he did not take that rule which was not his due. To admire for such things as this, is to give evidence of much evil. And why? because with evil men this is a matter of praise, as of one that stealeth, if he steal no more; but it is otherwise among good men. (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 44
… that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without” ( 1 Thess. iv. 10, 11, 12 ); and again; “Let him that stole, steal no more; but rather let him labor, working with his own hands, that he may have to give to him that needeth.” (
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Against Lying 18
… and not hear the Apostle saying, “Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands that which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth?”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Of the Work of Monks 14
… Whatever therefore of these with innocence and without fraud men do work, is good. For the Apostle himself takes precaution of this, that no man through necessity of sustaining life should turn aside to evil works. “Let him that stole,” saith he, “steal no more; but rather let him labor good with his hands, that he may have to impart to him that needeth.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount 2.17
… And when the same apostle writes, “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth;”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Twelve Books on the Institutes of the Cœnobia, and the Remedies for the Eight Principal Faults 10.17
In the Epistle to the Ephesians also he thus gives a charge on this subject of work, saying: “He that stole, let him now steal no more, but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have something to give to him that suffereth need.”
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St Irenaeus of Lyons † AD 202 Against Heresies 4.37.4
… And again he says, “Speak ye every man truth with his neighbour.” And, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor scurrility, which are not convenient, but rather giving of thanks.”
Tertullian † AD 220 On Modesty 17
… and he who was wont to fornicate hitherto, not fornicate: for he would have added these (admonitions) too, had he been in the habit of extending pardon to such, or at all willed it to be extended—(he) who, not willing pollution to be contracted even by a word, says, “Let no base speech proceed out of your mouth.”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 The Epistles of Cyprian 41.2
… “Thy mouth abounded in malice, and thy tongue embraced deceit. Thou satest and spakest against thy brother, and slanderedst thine own mother’s son.” Also what the apostle says: “Let no corrupt communication proceed from thy mouth, but that which is good to the edifying of faith, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 3.14
… and all who heard him shall place their hands upon his head, and all the assembly of the children of Israel shall stone him.” Of this same thing in Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians: “Let no evil discourse proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good for the edification of faith, that it may give grace to the hearers.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch 15.4
… If, then, thou wouldest take good counsel for thyself, avoid not merely foul words, and foul deeds, or blows, and wounds, and murders, but unseasonable laughter, itself, and the very language of banter; since these things have proved the root of subsequent evils. Therefore Paul saith, “Let no foolish talking nor jesting proceed out of thy mouth.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles 31
… Thus that man has not only disgraced the other, but himself as well and his hearers, and the common nature of men: he has wounded the hearer, done no good. For this reason Paul says: “If there be any word that is good for edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 14
Ver. 29 . “Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Philippians 10
… vi. 34 .) Did he make thy mouth? Let it do nought that is displeasing to Him, but sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. “Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth,” says the Apostle, “but such as is good for edifying as the need may be, that it may give grace to them that hear” (
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews 1
… Let us train therefore our tongue to speak good words. For “refrain,” it is said, “thy tongue from evil.” ( Ps. xxxiv. 13 .) For God gave it not that we should speak evil, that we should revile, that we should calumniate one another; but to sing hymns to God withal, to speak those things which “give grace to the hearers” (
Sulpicius Severus † AD 420 The Doubtful Letters of Sulpitius Severus 2.17
… wherefore it should be long thought over before it is uttered. Blessed, assuredly, are the lips, which never utter what they would wish to recall. The talk of a chaste mind ought itself also to be chaste, such as may always rather edify than injure the hearers, according to that commandment of the Apostle when he says, “Let no
Early Popes (Pseudo-Isidorian Decretals) The Epistle of Pope Anterus 1
… And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ hath forgiven you.”
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Tertullian † AD 220 On Prayer 12
Nor merely from anger, but altogether from all perturbation of mind, ought the exercise of prayer to be free, uttered from a spirit such as the Spirit unto whom it is sent. For a defiled spirit cannot be acknowledged by a holy Spirit,
Tertullian † AD 220 Ad Martyras 1
… yet not only the trainers and overseers, but even the unskilled, nay, all who choose, without the slightest need for it, are wont to animate from afar by their cries the most accomplished gladiators, and from the mere throng of onlookers useful suggestions have sometimes come; first, then, O blessed, grieve not the Holy Spirit,
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 On the Advantage of Patience 16
… Finally, the apostle warns us, and teaches, saying: “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and anger, and wrath, and clamour, and blasphemy, be put away from you.”
St Cyprian of Carthage † AD 258 Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews 3.8
Paul the apostle to the Ephesians: “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in which ye were sealed in the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and indignation, and clamour, and blasphemy, be taken away from you.”
Aphrahat † AD 346 Aphrahat: Select Demonstrations 6.1
… Whosoever cleanses his heart from deceits, His eyes shall behold the King in his beauty . Whosoever receives the Spirit of Christ, let him adorn his inner man. Whosoever is called the temple of God, let him purify his body from all uncleanness. Whosoever grieves the Spirit of Christ,
St Hilary of Poitiers † AD 367 De Trinitate or On the Trinity 2.29
… take away a part, and the whole faith is marred. If any man demand what meaning we attach to this conclusion, he, as well as we, has read the words of the Apostle, Because ye are sons of God, God hath sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father , and Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in Whom ye have been sealed
St Athanasius of Alexandria † AD 373 Defence Against the Arians (Apologia Contra Arianos) 2
… It is neither holy nor just, in order to gratify the petty feeling of a few persons, to reject those who have never been condemned and thereby to grieve the Spirit
St Basil the Great † AD 379 De Spiritu Sancto 16
… For among the glories of the saints are “many mansions” in the Father’s house, that is differences of dignities: for as “star differeth from star in glory, so also is the resurrection of the dead.” They, then, that were sealed by the Spirit unto the day of redemption,
St Basil the Great † AD 379 De Spiritu Sancto 19
… For to make the loving kindness of your benefactor a ground of ingratitude were indeed a very extravagance of unfairness. “Grieve not the Holy Spirit;”
St Cyril of Jerusalem † AD 386 The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 17.37
… He will care for thee, as for his own soldier; for thy goings out, and thy comings in, and thy plotting foes. And He will give thee gifts of grace of every kind, if thou grieve Him not by sin; for it is written, And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye were sealed unto the day of redemption
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Holy Spirit 3.8
48. And we may behold this unity also in other passages of the Scriptures. For whereas Ezekiel says to the people of the Jews: “And thou hast grieved Me in all these things, saith the Lord;” Paul says to the new people in his Epistle: “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in Whom ye were sealed.”
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 14
Ver. 30 . “And grieve not,” he adds, “the Holy Spirit of God.”
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants 1.46
… that ye put off, concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” And again: “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
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Tertullian † AD 220 On Prayer 11
… For what sort of deed is it to approach the peace of God without peace? the remission of debts while you retain them? How will he appease his Father who is angry with his brother , when from the beginning “all anger” is forbidden us?
St Basil the Great † AD 379 The Letters 22.2
2. The Christian ought never to murmur either in scarcity of necessities, or in toil or labour, for the responsibility in these matters lies with such as have authority in them. There never ought to be any clamour, or any behaviour or agitation by which anger is expressed,
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John 26
… Anger is a kind of drunkenness, or rather it is more grievous than drunkenness, and more pitiable than (possession of) a dæmon. But if we be careful not to be loud in speech, we shall find this the best path to sobriety of conduct. And therefore Paul would take away clamor as well as anger, when he says, “Let all anger and clamor be put away from you.” (
John Cassian † AD 435 The Twelve Books on the Institutes of the Cœnobia, and the Remedies for the Eight Principal Faults 8.5
And so a monk aiming at perfection, and desiring to strive lawfully in his spiritual combat, should be free from all sin of anger and wrath, and should listen to the charge which the “chosen vessel” gives him. “Let all anger,” says he, “and wrath, and clamour, and evil speaking, be taken away from among you, with all malice.”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 5.16
… “Let all bitterness, and anger, and indignation, and clamour, and blasphemy be put away from you with all malice,”
John Cassian † AD 435 The Conferences of John Cassian 5.19
… For of them we read: “Let all bitterness and anger and indignation and clamour and blasphemy be put away from you with all malice:” and again: “But fornication and all uncleanness and covetousness let it not so much as be named among you, or obscenity or foolish talking or scurrility.”
Pope St Gregory I the Great † AD 604 The Book of Pastoral Rule 3.9
… xiii. 4 ); shewing certainly that those whom in patience she bears with in kindness also she ceases not to love. Whence the same excellent teacher, when he was persuading his disciples to patience, saying, Let all bitterness, and wrath, and indignation, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you (
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Tertullian † AD 220 On Modesty 2
… ‘abundant in pitiful-heartedness,’ which He holds ‘dearer than all sacrifice,’ ‘not thinking the sinner’s death of so much worth as his repentance’, ‘a Saviour of all men, most of all of believers.’ And so it will be becoming for ‘the sons of God’ too to be ‘pitiful-hearted’ and ‘peacemakers;’ ‘giving in their turn just as Christ withal hath given to us;’
St Augustine of Hippo † AD 430 Letters of St. Augustin 48.3
3. Moreover, when you are exerting yourselves with energy and fervour, whatever you do, whether labouring diligently in prayer, fasting, or almsgiving, or distributing to the poor, or forgiving injuries, “as God also for Christ’s sake hath forgiven us,”
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I BESEECH YOU THEREFORE. — as if to say: Because God through Christ has affected us with such great benefits, and you, O Ephesians, although you were Gentiles, equally with the Jews he called to his faith, grace, and glory, as I showed in the three preceding chapters: hence it is fitting that you be grateful for such a vocation, and live it worthily and in a Christian manner, and serve God holily, which that you may do, I beseech and entreat you. I WHO AM BOUND IN THE LORD, — on account of the Lord and the Lord's Gospel. See chapter 23. Concerning the dignity and glory of these bonds, see Chrysostom here. Symbolically St. Jerome: "This body is a bond and prison of the soul, from which the Apostle desired to depart, and to be with Christ." THAT YOU WALK WORTHY OF THE VOCATION IN WHICH YOU ARE CALLED, — that is, that you live worthily for the hope, worthily for Christ, worthily for the Church, worthily for the angels, worthily for heavenly glory; to all these things you are called. Note: "Walk," that is, conduct yourselves: for he who walks repeats and continues his steps, so that with the same pace and manner he may progress and proceed on the path begun, thus he walks. Hence to walk among the Hebrews signifies the custom of living and acting, the tenor of life, the manner of actions. St. Bernard often asked himself: "Bernard, for what did you come?" Let the Christian often ask himself: For what, Peter, did you come, for what are you called? Walk worthily of your vocation, walk worthily of your name. You are called to humility, sobriety, holiness: do not be proud, do not become drunk, do not fornicate. You are called to work: do not be idle. You are called to cultivate the vineyard, that is, your soul: see that you do not fill it with the tares and thorns of vices, to be burned in hell. You are called to good works: strive for these, flee evils. You are called Christian by Christ, so that as a Christian you imitate Christ: imitate Christ, live as Christ lived, suffer what Christ suffered.
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2. WITH ALL HUMILITY AND MEEKNESS. — "Whoever," says St. Jerome, "knows that he is earth and ashes, and after a little while is to be dissolved into dust, will never be lifted up by pride; and whoever, having perceived the eternity of God, shall think upon the brief span of human life, which is almost like a point, will always have destruction before his eyes, and will be humble and cast down" (whence also St. Anselm: "Humble is said as if earthed, and meek as if accustomed to the hand and tractable"); "moreover, all humility is not so much in speech as in the mind, so that we may know ourselves to be humble in conscience, and never esteem ourselves to know, or to understand, or to be anything:" thus far St. Jerome. Whence for humility in Greek it is not ταπείνωσις, that is, humility, baseness, abjection; but ταπεινοφροσύνη, that is, a humble sense of oneself, or the virtue by which someone feels humbly and modestly about himself, opposed to pride, which feels magnificently and arrogantly about itself, esteems its own things greatly, and makes light of others and their deeds. Meekness is the daughter of humility: for he who is humble and mild acts and speaks meekly with all. WITH PATIENCE, — μακροθυμία, that is, longsuffering, by which a man becomes gentle and slow to anger; for the Hebrews call this ארך אפים erech appaim, long in the nostrils, that is, slow, or reluctant to anger: for anger is chiefly shown in the face and nostrils. Ambrose translates it as magnanimity: for he who is long is great, and longsuffering is magnanimity. Hence, as Seneca teaches in the book On Clemency, magnanimous men and patient princes are disturbed or offended by nothing, when injured they do not avenge themselves, but rather show clemency even to all enemies: on the contrary, the base, the common people and others, who have a small and contracted mind, and have little brain and judgment, are stirred to anger and vengeance by small things, by a small injury, by one harsh word, and break forth into quarreling and blows. BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER (so that one may bear the character of another, though unlike to himself and his condition, though rustic, though rough, though petulant, though morose, though irascible, and thus one may bear the burden of another, as he said to the Galatians, chapter VI, verse 2, and that) in charity, that is, through charity.
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3. SOLLICITI, — σπουδάζοντες, that is, being diligent, doing this thing diligently, applying themselves to this matter with great zeal. St. Augustine, in book II Against the Letters of Petilian, chapter LXIX, reads, acting diligently; the Syriac version renders it, take pains. SERVING (that you may serve) THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT, — that is, mutual charity, whose author is the Holy Spirit, says Chrysostom. Secondly more simply, "the unity of the spirit," that is, the unity of mind and soul, so that namely although you are divided and separated in body, yet in mind and soul you may be joined, united and as it were one. For this unity preserves even the weakest men, just as schism dissolves even the strongest: for by concord small things grow, by discord the greatest things fall apart. See how much one ought to strive for unity and concord, and how much one ought to beware of schism, as Chrysostom teaches in the moral homily 11, where among other things he says that the sin of schism cannot be expiated even by martyrdom: which understand thus, if someone remaining in schism is killed for the faith and becomes a martyr; then indeed although materially he is a martyr, formally however he is not; for martyrdom requires that the martyr be in the Church, and not separate himself from it through schism. St. Bernard guarded this solicitude for peace, who to the Abbot of the Premonstratensians, who was offended by him because of a certain one of his monks received by him, thus writes, epistle 252, at the end: "I, he says, brothers, whatever you do, I have decreed always to love you, even though not loved. I will cleave to you, even if you are unwilling; I will cleave, even if I myself am unwilling. Once I bound myself with a strong bond, with charity not feigned, that which never fails. With the troubled I will be peaceful, and to those who trouble me I will also give place to anger, lest I give place to the devil. I will be overcome by quarrels, I will overcome by obedience. To the unwilling I will show kindness, to the ungrateful I will add more, I will honor even those who despise me. And now my soul is sad, because by whatever occasion I have offended you, and it will be sad until your forgiveness relieves it," etc. IN THE BOND OF PEACE, — ἐν συνδέσμῳ τῆς εἰρήνης, that is, as Erasmus says, in the binding together and concatenation of peace; St. Augustine, in the joining of peace. A bond therefore here is not of one, but of two or more, which namely binds together and connects two or more. Secondly, "in the bond of peace," that is, in the bond which is peace itself: for peace as it were a chain, indeed as it were a glue, connects souls to one another, associates them, binds them and binds them together.
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4. ONE BODY (supply, is of all the faithful, namely of the Church, whose head is Christ) and one spirit, namely, he who running through each member of this body, that is through each of the faithful, brings to each spiritual life and motion: thus Adam. Secondly and better, "one body and one spirit," supply, you are. Thus the Syriac, Theophylactus, Vatablus and others: for all these things are not of one asserting, but exhorting. Whence he subjoins: AS YOU ARE CALLED IN ONE HOPE OF YOUR VOCATION: that is to say, Thus preserve the unity of spirit, so that you may be as it were one body and one spirit, so that you may all appear to be one man, consisting of the same body, the same soul, the same spirit: "as you are called in one hope," that is, to one and the same hope of salvation, immortality and heavenly glory; for thus a commonwealth and the Church is said to be one civil man, or one civil and political body, which is united and animated by the same law, concord, charity and spirit, and tends toward and conspires to the same end, namely a good and blessed life. Note: A great stimulus to union and concord is the hope of vocation, by which we are all called to behold the same eternal inheritance of God the Father. Since therefore we shall enjoy that for a brief time, and are called from earth to heaven, where we shall live together most amicably, most joyfully, most happily for all eternity, why do we here dispute about a clod of white or red earth? Why do we not all together strive toward heaven? If anyone had beheld this hope, if anyone had stood in heaven with those blessed minds, and had looked down upon this small earth, he would surely have exclaimed: This is the point which is divided among mortals by iron and fire. O how narrow are the bounds of mortals! How narrow the minds of mortals!
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5. ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISM, — supply it, that is to say, All Christians have one Lord, one Christian faith, one baptism by which they have been reborn and made Christian; since therefore we all have one Lord, one faith, one baptism, what remains but that, bound together by so many bonds, indeed united, we should love, worship and serve this unity of the Spirit? Thus in Paris (which is the royal seat of the Most Christian king) this emblem and symbol of unity, both of king and law and of God and faith, is seen inscribed on the gate of St. Anthony: One God, one faith; One king, one law. One God, one faith; One king, one law. Note first: God is called by the Hebrews אדוני Adonai, that is, Lord, because He Himself is the universal and supreme Lord of heaven and earth, of angels and men. Hence Attalus the martyr, when asked by a tyrant in contempt what name God had, replied: Those who are many are distinguished by names; but He who is one does not need a name. Eusebius is witness, lib. VI of the History, cap. III. Note secondly: There is one faith, which leads us to God and salvation, not many: there is one Lord, not many; plainly therefore our Political Libertines go astray, and lead into error and eternal ruin, who promise salvation to their followers in the faith of Luther, Calvin, Menno, and any other whatsoever, as well as in the one true Catholic Roman faith, provided they believe Christ to be the redeemer and live honestly; for it is certain that these are not one faith, but different and various faiths: but the Apostle teaches that there is only one true faith, which is the straight path to salvation. Whence it follows that other and diverse faiths from this true faith, indeed contrary to it, are not faith, but perfidy, which leads not to heaven, but to hell. Again, just as our one Lord and redeemer Christ consists of divinity and humanity, so that whoever takes away from Him either the divinity, or the humanity, or the soul or mind, or the human will, removes this one Lord of ours from the midst; and just as one baptism is completed in its parts, so that whoever wishes to baptize not with water, but with wine, or not in the name of the Trinity, but of the Father alone, or of the Son alone or of the Holy Spirit alone, or in the name of angels, overturns and removes the one and true baptism from the midst: so too whoever obstinately denies one article of faith, or one essential proposition of faith, overturns the one and true faith, and is not faithful, but unfaithful. For just as Christ and baptism are completed in their parts, so faith is completed and composed in its articles. Whoever wavers and fluctuates here, ponder these things carefully, and as much as you care for and hold dear your eternal salvation, so seriously and diligently seek, embrace and follow this one, true, sound and ancient faith of all ages. Thus St. Valerianus, the spouse of St. Cecilia, sent by her to St. Urban the Pontiff, that he might be baptized by him, when he approached him, saw an elder clothed in white garments, who held in his hand this title written in golden letters: "One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and in all of us." And he adds: "Do you believe it to be so?" Valerianus replied: "There is nothing that can be believed more truly under heaven." Immediately St. Urban baptized him. This sentence is therefore the token of orthodox faith, and a summary of the Apostles' Creed. Thus the Acts of St. Cecilia relate this matter, which Anthony Bosius, Doctor of Laws, published pure and sincere from the most ancient Roman library copies. Thus Liberatus the abbot, Boniface the deacon, Rusticus and Servus the subdeacons, Rogatus, Septimus and Maximus the monks, dragged from the monastery to Carthage, were first solicited by blandishments to Arian perfidy. But they, with one voice and mind, confessed their faith before all, saying: "One God, one faith, one baptism; nor can it be repeated in us, which in the doctrine of the Gospel was given once by precept: For he that is washed once does not need to be washed again, but is wholly clean. It is better to endure momentary torments than to undergo eternal tortures." The king orders a ship to be filled with brushwood, and the confessors, bound, to be placed upon it, and with fire applied beneath, the ship to be burned in the midst of the sea. They sang with great confidence: "Glory be to God on high. Behold now is the acceptable time, behold now is the day of salvation, when we shall endure torments for the faith of our God, lest we lose the garment of the faith we have acquired." When the fire was kindled repeatedly, it was extinguished. Therefore the king, struck with shame and fury, commanded them to be killed with oars. Thus Victor of Utica, lib. III of the Vandal persecution. ONE BAPTISM. — "Against Valentinus he did this," says St. Jerome, "who contended that there are two baptisms; and against all heretics, so that they might know they do not have baptism, but in the one Church of Christ there is a vital font." Where St. Jerome seems to say that heretics do not have baptism, nor is their baptism valid, and consequently those who are baptized by them ought to be rebaptized; which was the error of St. Cyprian — namely, that one baptism is said to be that which is conferred by one and in the one Catholic Church; and therefore heretics, who confer baptism outside the Church, confer not true but false baptism, and consequently those baptized by heretics ought to be rebaptized. But St. Jerome is to be excused from this error: for he wishes only to assert against Valentinus that there are not two, namely one of the heretics and one of the Catholics; but that there is only one baptism, namely that which is in the Catholic Church; which however if heretics usurp, they usurp true baptism, and truly baptize; but if they introduce another baptism of their own, namely another matter or form of baptism, they introduce false baptism and that which is not, so that those who are thus baptized are not baptized, but ought to be rebaptized, or rather ought to be baptized for the first time. Secondly, St. Augustine: "One baptism is called," he says, "that which ought not to be repeated: for once baptized, one ought not to be baptized a second time." Thirdly, St. Jerome: "One baptism" is said, because although we are baptized three times (that is, immersed or sprinkled with water three times in baptism) on account of the mystery of the Trinity, nevertheless it is reckoned as one baptism. Fourthly and genuinely: Just as there is one true faith, so there is only one true baptism, namely that which was given to the Church by Christ, having its matter, namely water, and its form of words, instituted by Christ, so that by washing the body and saying: I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, we wash the soul of the baptized from all sins; for whoever should bring another baptism, or another matter or form of baptism, would take away the one true baptism, and would introduce a second false and lying baptism. This therefore is the badge of our faith: "One God, one faith, one baptism." Just as the badge of Mohammedanism is: "God is one, and Mohammed is his counselor." The badge of the Arians was: "The Son is ὁμοιούσιος, not ὁμοούσιος to the Father," that is, the Son is of like substance with the Father, not of the same. Hence the Arians introduced a new god, as it were, a new faith, a new baptism, and indeed they took care that Catholics be rebaptized in their manner, so that thus they might begin and profess Arianism. A certain Cyrilla, an Arian Bishop, suggested this impious counsel to King Huneric. Huneric therefore commanded all Catholics to be rebaptized by the Arians, under penalties of exile, imprisonment and death. But the Catholics, although they endured the extremities, stood firm in the faith.
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6. ONE GOD AND FATHER OF ALL, WHO IS ABOVE ALL, AND THROUGH ALL, AND IN ALL OF US. — Supply what the Apostle intends to infer from this: therefore we are all brothers as children of the same God the Father, and consequently we ought to love one another as brothers and preserve the unity of the spirit, because we dwell and live in the same house of God our Father, namely the Church. Note: God is "above all" through majesty, power and divine dominion and transcendence; He is "through all," because through power and wise governance, operation, efficacy, He passes through and traverses all things; He is "in all" through essence, loving union and containment of all things; "in us" also, Christians and the just, He is through grace and holiness. Thus Jerome, Theophylactus, Anselm. Second note: The Greek ὁ ἐπὶ πάντων can be translated as "who is above all things"; our Interpreter, however, preferred to translate "who is above all," namely gods, so as to strike at the Aeons of Valentinus and the gods of Simon Magus, Hesiod and the Poets, which the Apostle often does in this epistle, as I have noted in the preceding. Third note: Some understand by God and Father the first person of the Most Holy Trinity, and attribute to it these three things, that it is above all, through all and in all. But Jerome and others more rightly take the name of Father here not with respect to the Son and the eternal Word, but with respect to creatures, so that it is common to the whole Most Holy Trinity: for this is God, and Father of all; then he designates its three persons when he says: "Who is above all, through all, and in all." For "above all" is appropriated to the Father, and corresponds to what he said in Romans XI, last, "from whom are all things": for he who is above all and all things is the author of all things; "through all" is appropriated to the Son; "in all," to the Holy Spirit. Thus Jerome. Fourth note: To God the Son is attributed διά, that is, through, because just as through him all things were created, so also through him all things are governed, directed, perfected. Thus Zeno, the founder of the Stoics, according to Laertius: Δία μὲν γάρ φασι δι᾽ οὗ τὰ πάντα, Ζῆνα δὲ καλοῦσι παρ᾽ ὅσον τοῦ ζῆν αἴτιός ἐστιν. "They call," he says, "Jupiter Δία, because through him are all things; the same they call Ζῆνα, because he is the cause of life." Whence Virgil concludes and sings: "God goes through all lands and tracts of the sea, and the deep heaven." For from the fact that all things were created through God, it follows that all things are preserved, consist and are governed through God, and God penetrates and pervades all things both through his power and efficacy, and through his presence and essence.
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7. BUT TO EACH ONE OF US GRACE HAS BEEN GIVEN ACCORDING TO THE MEASURE OF THE GIFT OF CHRIST, — that is, to each has been given grace not one and equal, but various and unequal, to this one greater, to that one less; given, I say, not from merit, or the measure of our merits, but from the measure of the gratuitous gift of Christ, to whom it pleased to give to this one that measure of grace, to that one this, to another another. This is the fifth argument by which Paul, as I said at the beginning, stirs up the Ephesians to mutual charity, as if to say: There is no reason why the lesser in grace should envy the greater, nor is there reason why the greater should be proud and despise the lesser (for this is indeed the root of discord, which disturbs all union and concord), because both the gift and the measure of his gift each has received from God, who has measured out to each his own measure of gift which he foresaw would be fitting for him, from his infinite liberality and wisdom, in which all ought to rest, and give thanks to him, and praise and celebrate both his own gifts and those of others: for he who is the weigher of spirits and Lord could not measure out and distribute his gifts in any way but the best and most wisely. Note, however, that God often measures the measure of his grace by the measure of our disposition, so that the greater or lesser the disposition, the greater or lesser grace he gives; but this disposition itself ought to be begun and to flow from God's grace. "God," says Jerome, "whose magnificence has no number, does not give the spirit by measure, but pours out the liquid according to the measure of the vessels, giving as much of the gift as he to whom it is given can receive." He adds also a similitude: "Just as," he says, "the sea in itself is immense, but each one draws from it as much as he can hold and carry: so the Holy Spirit in himself is immense, but to each is given from him as much as is expedient and he can hold."
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8. FOR WHICH REASON (namely, that he might show that Christ from his own liberality gives and distributes to each one the measure of his grace) HE SAYS (Holy Scripture, and the Holy Spirit through the mouth of David, Psalm LXVII): ASCENDING ON HIGH HE LED CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE. Note: Psalm LXVII, the royal Prophet under the type of the triumph of Israel over his enemies (which he touches upon in passing as if alluding to it) sings of the triumph of Christ and the Church from Christ's ascension and the sending of the Holy Spirit, the conversion of the Gentiles through the Apostles. Thus Psalm LXXI and LXXXVIII depict the kingdom of the Messiah through the type of the kingdom of Solomon. Thus Isaiah, chapter XIV, describes the fall of the king of the Babylonians, and Ezekiel, chapter XXVIII, describes the fall of the king of Tyre through the fall of Lucifer and the devil. And so in these and similar passages Holy Scripture has two literal senses: for it embraces both senses, namely both in these of the type and of the antitype, both of the allegory or parable and of the thing signified by it, and refers and orders one to the other. Which I have demonstrated elsewhere at greater length. Thus in this Psalm LXVII, the sense of the type is the triumph of Israel, both over Pharaoh through Moses, and over the Philistines and other enemies through David. Whence it says: "The chariots of God are ten thousand fold, thousands of the rejoicing: the Lord is among them in Sina in the holy place," that is to say, The chariots by which God is carried to battle and triumph are multiplied infinitely, because these chariots are infinite thousands of rejoicing angels, for the captives namely passively, or actively for those taking captive, as I have said. Secondly, for the Hebrews to take captivity is nothing other than to take, to make captive, to lead bound, whether these captives were previously taken captive by another or not. Whence in the books of Kings David and others are said to take or lead away captivity, when they make their enemies, whom they had fought against, captive to themselves after first conquering them. Thirdly, Euthymius thus expounds: "Thou hast ascended, O Christ, on high," that is, on the high and triumphal cross, by which thou didst conquer and triumph, and hast taken captive and made thy captives all of us whom thou hast redeemed. Whence thou thyself sayest: "When I shall be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all things to myself." This sense is not literal, but accommodative and preliminary to the literal: for to the letter it treats of the triumph of Christ after death and the cross, when the victor ascended into heaven, as the Apostle here explains. Fourthly, for ascending in Greek is ἀναβάς, when he had ascended, etc., "he gave gifts"; for the Apostle does not intend to treat properly of the ascent of Christ, but of the distribution of gifts which after the ascent he sent from heaven and distributed to the Apostles and other faithful. Now secondly, the sense of the antitype, or of the thing signified by the type already mentioned, is the triumph of Christ foreshadowed and signified by the triumph of Moses, David and Israel: for to Christ ascending in triumph into heaven these things apply far more truly and clearly than to Israel. Whence it says: "The chariots of God are ten thousand fold. Thousands of the rejoicing: the Lord is among them in Sina in the holy place," that is to say, The triumphal chariot of Christ our God is attended and driven by many myriads of angels like innumerable chariots and phalanxes, rejoicing and exulting in the triumph; and the Lord Christ among them and above them as if riding into his holy heaven and throne of glory is carried with such, nay far greater pomp and majesty, than formerly attended by the same, triumphing over Pharaoh, he showed himself gloriously in Sina through lightnings, thunders, the sound of a trumpet, smoke and flame, and gave the law to Israel. It follows: "Thou hast ascended," as a conqueror, "into heaven" empyrean, "thou hast taken captivity," or, as the Apostle says, "he led captivity captive" (for he changes the second person to the third, for he had begun to speak of Christ in the third person), namely a twofold captivity, as Theophylactus rightly says: First, active, namely sin, death, the devil, hell, idols, tyrants, who had taken us captive, Christ led in triumph. Thus Chrysostom and Vatablus. Secondly, passive, as Jerome and others say, namely the Patriarchs, Prophets and other Saints drawn out from the captivity of hell, and now in the blessed captivity of Christ, Christ triumphing led with him into heaven. Thus the Fathers everywhere, and it is evident here from the Apostle. Note: Captivity in the abstract is put for the concrete. HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN. — You will say, Psalm LXVII, 19, it is said: "Thou hast received gifts among men." How then does the Apostle say he gave instead of received or he received? St. Augustine responds first: Christ received these gifts not in himself, but in his body, which is the Church, and he gave the same gifts to his Church, inasmuch as he is its head. This is true, but it does not seem to satisfy the question: for it introduces one sense of Paul, another of David, when one and the same sense ought to be maintained. Add to this, that in truth the person is thus changed: for the person of Christ is one, the person of the Church is another, whereas here one and the same person is he who is said in the psalm to have received gifts, and who is said by Paul to have given the same gifts. Second, St. Jerome: The Psalmist speaks, he says, before the incarnation of Christ; for then Christ as God received these gifts from the Father, so that after the incarnation he might give them to men. Whence also, now born, he gave them to men, as the Apostle here says. Third, Jansenius in Psalm LXVII: The Apostle changes, he says, received into gave, so as to signify that God did not receive gifts in men, and from men, except those which he had first given to them. Fourth, Theodoret: Christ, he says, gives gifts, and receives gifts, because these gifts given by Christ ought to redound to and be expended for the glory of Christ. And Euthymius in Psalm LXVII: From those, he says, to whom God received faith, namely faithful use of gifts, and faithful obedience and thanksgiving, to these he gives his gifts. Thus also Theophylactus: Christ, he says, who gives his charisms to men, receives from them ministry; each one who receives a charism does not receive it to be idle, but to trade with it, and to return it to Christ with increase, receives it. But also one and the same reasoning stands against the first explanation offered. Fifth, plainly and genuinely, "thou hast received gifts in men," that is, for men, on account of men; for the Hebrew beth, that is in, is taken here, as also elsewhere, for baabur, that is on account of, or for the dative lamed, as if to say: Christ received from the Father gifts which he might give, and which in fact he gave to men, as Paul here explains, and thus to receive is the same as to give: for Christ received these gifts not that he might keep them for himself, but that he might give them to men. Hence the Hebrew lacach, that is to receive, sometimes signifies to give, or to bring, as testified by Aben Ezra and R. Solomon, as in Genesis xxxviii, 6: "Judas gave a wife to his firstborn," for gave in Hebrew is locach. Exodus xxv, 2, in Hebrew is vaikechu li teruma, that is, they shall receive (that is, give or bring) to me an oblation. Thus III Kings xvii, 10: "Give me a little water," in Hebrew for give is receive. Thus Hosea, last chapter, verse 3: "Take away all iniquity, receive (that is, give) good, and we will render the calves of our lips." Thus here "thou hast received," that is, thou hast given, or increased, gifts to men. Thus the Chaldean. It is a metalepsis: because we are accustomed to receive gifts first from the treasury or elsewhere before giving them; hence to receive in order to give is taken for to give. It could secondly be translated, thou hast purchased gifts for men, or on account of men. Purchased, namely with the price of thy blood, O Christ. For lacach sometimes signifies to purchase, as is evident from Proverbs, last chapter, verse 16, and IV Kings v, 26. Hence those things which are sold and purchased, namely merchandise, are called mickechot. These gifts are the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which at Pentecost, and thereafter, Christ the conqueror poured out upon the Apostles and Christians, as in a triumph gifts and money are accustomed to be scattered upon the people for the common joy of all. Thus Genebrardus in Psalm LXVII, Ambrose and Jerome here. Namely these are the gifts which follow, such as apostleship, teaching, prophecy, etc., which Christ distributed for this purpose, that they might build up and perfect each of the faithful, and consequently the whole body of Christ himself, namely the Church, in one true faith and charity of his: for all these things aim at exciting in the Ephesians unity and concord in faith and charity, as I said in the argument.
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9. THAT HE ASCENDED, WHAT IS THIS EXCEPT THAT HE ALSO DESCENDED FIRST INTO THE LOWER PARTS OF THE EARTH? — That is, what David says in Psalm LXVII, already cited, that Christ ascended, what does it signify except that Christ had already descended before "into the lower," εἰς τὰ κατώτερα, that is, into the lowest (as Vatable translated it, and indeed Beza himself) parts of the earth? In this place and in other similar passages that article of faith is confirmed by which we believe and say of Christ: "He descended into hell;" namely, that with Christ's body buried, his soul descended into hell, that is, into the limbo of the fathers. Calvin and Beza deny this, who understand by hell the sepulchre, so that "he descended into hell" is the same as "he was buried." But thus the Apostles would commit an absurd tautology in the Creed, when they say, "suffered, died, and was buried, descended into hell." For they would explain the word "buried," which is most clear, by an obscure and ambiguous one, namely by "descended into hell." Again, the Apostle says here that Christ descended into the lowest parts of the earth: what are the lowest parts of the earth except hell properly so called, which is in the midst of the earth around its centre? Beza responds that the lowest parts of the earth are called the earth itself, which is the lowest part of the world. Against this, the Apostle does not say that Christ descended into the lowest parts of the world, but of the earth; therefore you invert, O Beza, and distort the words of Paul, if you take not the lowest parts of the earth, but of the world: for Paul does not even mention the world; why therefore do you add and append that to Paul's words, which are clear and perfect in themselves? If Paul had wished to say what you yourself wish, he ought certainly to have said that Christ descended into the earth, which is the ultimate part of the world. Thus when I say: The Praetor descended into the lowest parts of the prison, you understand, and all understand me to say that he descended into the deepest places of the prison, not however of the house in which the prison is: why do we not here likewise, by the lowest parts of the earth, the lowest, not of the world, but of the earth, as the words sound, understand? Behold, I pray, these Novationists, who wish to rely on Scripture alone and its words, how they lacerate and distort them with their interpretations, and therefore how they rely not on Scripture, but on their own invention and the figments of their own brain, and drag Scripture to those things, willing or unwilling, and force it. Again the Apostle adds: "He that descended," supply into the lowest parts of the earth, as preceded, "the same also is he that ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things," that is to say, Christ ascended most highly above all the heavens, because he humbled himself most deeply and descended into the lowest parts of the earth, namely into hell, and thus he filled the highest and the lowest, and consequently the intermediate things also, and indeed all things: for if Christ did not descend into the limbo of the fathers, where the greater part of the Church was, and so many thousands of Saints, namely all who lived from Adam to Christ for almost four thousand years, then he did not fill all things, which nevertheless the Apostle asserts. Finally, thus the Fathers explain it. St. Jerome: "The lower parts of the earth," he says, "are understood as hell, to which our Lord and Saviour descended, that he might lead away with him to the heavens as victor the souls of the Saints, which were held shut up there." And the Apostle hints at this when he says: "Ascending on high, he led captivity captive," which namely he had freed from hell by descending there. Ambrose: "Christ descended," he says, "into the heart of the earth, that his death might be a preaching to the dead; that as many as were desirous of him might be set free." Chrysostom and Theophylactus: "He descended," they say, "into the lowest parts, after which there is nothing else; and he ascended above all things, beyond which there are no others." Anselm calls "the lower parts of the earth" the places of hell: "For there," he says, "according to his soul Christ descended, that he might powerfully lead out all his own from there." You will say: Christ descended into the limbo of the fathers, not however into the hell of the damned; therefore he did not descend into the lowest parts of the earth. I answer: Hell, purgatory, the infernal regions, speaking generally, are one place, namely the lowest part of the earth, and are called and said by one name, hell. Thus the Fathers cited. You will ask: Why does the Apostle mention hell here, and what does this descent of Christ accomplish toward his purpose, which is to exhort the Ephesians to unity and concord? Theophylactus answers that through this descent of Christ the Apostle exhorts the Ephesians to humility, which is the mother of concord, as pride is the mother of envy and discord. The Apostle therefore touches the root of evil: for why are there quarrels and schisms in the Church, in the city, in the family? The cause is that some wish to excel over others, and others are unwilling to suffer this, that is to say, Theophylactus says: Just as Christ did not refuse to descend most deeply; so also you, O Christians, through humility humble yourselves, and condescend to others and obey them, that you may preserve mutual unity; nor is there reason to fear that this descent will harm your honour: for just as it did not harm Christ, so neither will it harm you. Indeed, just as Christ ascended most highly above all the heavens because he humbled himself most deeply and descended below the earth: so the more deeply you humble yourselves, the more highly will you be exalted. Thus it happened to St. Francis and to other Saints.
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10. HE THAT DESCENDED, THE SAME ALSO ASCENDED ABOVE ALL THE HEAVENS. — "He descended and ascended" are here in the past tense: for this is what the Greek κατάβας and ἀναβάς signify. "Curious men," says Beza, "here dispute that there is no place above the heavens, and therefore the body of Christ is ἀπερίγραπτον: but we," he says, "believe that the body of Christ is finite, and that His soul ascended into the heavens, and sits at the right hand of the Father, and will not come thence before the day of judgment: let us leave other matters to be vexed by curious sophists." But it is not curious to search out the sense of Scripture, which Scripture itself suggests and sets before us, indeed expresses. Secondly, from the terms it is clear that above the heavens is not the same as in the heavens, as he wishes. Thirdly, the body of Christ is not ἀπερίγραπτον, that is uncircumscribed, that is infinite in space, for this reason, because it is in those empty spaces which are above the heavens: for by its own dimensions, figure and quantity it is circumscribed and bounded, although outwardly it is not circumscribed by air or any other surrounding body. Therefore the second opinion is that of certain Catholics, who say that Christ ascended above, that is above all the heavens, in that sense in which one is said to ascend above a tree, when he ascends above a part of the tree, namely above the trunk into the branches, even if he does not surpass or transcend the whole tree and the very top of the tree. But the Greek ὑπεράνω signifies more: for it is composed of ὑπό, that is above, and ἀνά, that is over, as if to say, Above above, that is, altogether above all the heavens Christ ascended. Whence Beza translates, far above all the heavens He ascended. But it could be answered that ὑπεράνω is taken for ὑπέρ: for thus it is taken elsewhere. Whence this opinion is probable, and our Lessius follows it, lib. III De Summo Bono, cap. viii. Thirdly, it can be said with probability that by all the heavens here are understood all the ethereal heavens, commonly known to philosophers, as if to say, Christ ascended above all the ethereal heavens into the very empyrean heaven. But since the Apostle names all the heavens absolutely, why should we restrict the word all to the ethereal heavens alone? Add to this, that thus nothing rare or peculiar is said of Christ: for it is common to all the Saints, that they ascend above all the ethereal heavens to the empyrean heaven. I say therefore fourthly, if we take the words of the Apostle properly and simply as they sound, as they seem to be taken, since nothing stands in the way, we must admit that Christ ascended above all the heavens, even the empyrean, so that He might be eminent above it, and be in that empty space which is above the heaven, either by part of His body, or even by His whole body, so that He might stand with His feet upon the convex surface of the empyrean heaven. Thus St. Thomas, Anselm, Paludanus, Cajetan, whom Francis Suarez cites and follows, III part., Quaest. LVIII; and Chrysostom, Theophylactus, Oecumenius seem to hold the same view, when, as I said above, they assert that Christ ascended above all things, beyond which there are no other things. Christ is therefore there, that He might fill all things, and that He Himself, the Lord of the whole universe, might be eminent above it to the whole universe, and might show His glory and dominion above it even in those empty spaces. Finally, that, as He descended below the lowest earth, so ascending above all the Saints and above the highest heaven, He might place there the throne of His glory. Blessed therefore are they in the very empyrean heaven; but Christ their King is eminent above them, and stands upon the empyrean heaven, yet so that He has the whole empyrean heaven before Him, as it were one vast hall or basilica, in which He sees and perceives all things and each thing distinctly, and the better because He Himself is in a higher place: just as if a king sitting upon the highest throne should see all things that are done in the hall subject to the throne; and by this very fact he is considered to be king and to dwell in the same hall, especially because the hall of Christ is most vast, and comprises not only the empyrean heaven, but also those immense empty spaces which are above it. For in these Christ can rule, and there create new worlds, a new empyrean heaven, new dwellings of the Blessed, new seats and choirs. Nor does it stand in the way that thus Christ is in those spaces as if in a void: both because God by His power easily effects that He Himself sees, hears, speaks through a void; and because it is probable that that small space, in which Christ is, which before was void, is now not void, but full of the ether of the empyrean heaven, which by the will of God flows around the body of Christ. From what has been said, it is clear that Christ dwells on that convex surface of heaven, not in the manner as if someone were to dwell on earth outside his own house on the roof of the house. For that surface is not the roof of heaven, but is the royal and magnificent throne of Christ: whence it ought to be reckoned not to be outside, but within heaven at its summit. Just as therefore a prince, in order to watch the games, sits at the summit of the amphitheater, so that he projects above the amphitheater with his head and neck, and from there beholds the spectacles better, and sees more than those who are in the middle or at the bottom of the amphitheater; indeed he also clearly contemplates those sitting themselves, their ranks, and all the spectators one by one; and nevertheless he is reckoned to be, and is in the amphitheater itself: so it is with Christ standing upon the empyrean heaven. For he himself, as it were the Lord of the world, is superior to the world, so that he may have the whole world present before him and subject to himself, may recreate it, direct it and govern it. Mystically St. Jerome says: "Christ," he says, "ascended above all the heavens, that is above all invisible things," namely above all the orders of angels. THAT HE MIGHT FILL ALL THINGS. — That is, ruling in the heavens and the whole world, and sending the Holy Spirit, he might fill all his kingdoms with faith, religion, and worship, says Anselm. Secondly, that he might restore and fill the seat and number of all the elect angels and men. Thus the same Anselm. Thirdly, Christ descended to the lower regions and ascended into heaven, so that to those above and those below, as also to those on earth, he might show that his blood availed, and thus he filled all the places of the world with the fruit of his blood. Thus Jerome. Fourthly, that he might fill all things which were prophesied concerning him: for among these the last are his descent to the lower regions and his ascension into heaven. Thus Chrysostom. Fifthly, that he might fully conclude his pilgrimage and the work of our redemption, whose end and terminus is the ascension both of Christ and of us into heaven. Thus St. Thomas. For Christ by his ascension opened the way to heaven for us, and brought with him the firstfruits of us, namely the holy Patriarchs and Prophets. Sixthly, that from heaven he might fill the Church with all kinds of graces and gifts, and by the sending of guardian angels, according to his majesty and munificence. Thus Ambrose, epistle 16, and St. Thomas. Seventhly and most clearly, Christ descended and ascended successively from one place to another, namely from the lower regions to heaven, passing through, so that in the lowest, highest and middle space of the world he might declare his glory and power, everywhere freeing his elect, and despoiling and vanquishing his enemies, and thus might indicate that he has dominion over all creatures whatsoever, and now enters upon and takes full possession of the kingdom of the whole world: and this by right of the deepest humility, by which he descended below all men and creatures, and even to the lower regions, as if to say, Christ descended and ascended, that he might fill all things with his power, majesty, victory, glory, triumph, possession, kingdom, dominion, and as it were inauguration: just as a king fills all cities with his power, retinue and pomp, when he is inaugurated in them, or enters them in triumph. Thus Theophylactus and Oecumenius. Whence St. Bernard, sermon 2 On the Ascension: "Christ ascended," he says, "above all the heavens, that he might fill all things: for now that he had proved himself lord of all things that are on earth, and in the sea, and in hell, nothing remained except that he should prove himself to be lord of the air and the heavens, by similar arguments, or certainly by more powerful ones: for the earth knew the Lord, because at the voice of his power, it cried out to him with a great voice: Lazarus, come forth, and he raised the dead. The sea knew him, because it proved firm under his feet, so that the Apostles thought him to be a phantom. Hell knew him, whose brazen gates and iron bars he himself broke; where also he bound that insatiable murderer, who is called the Devil and Satan. Truly he who raised the dead, cleansed the lepers, enlightened the blind, strengthened the lame, and drove out all infirmity, was Lord of all, and with the same hand by which he had made them, he restored those things that had failed." And below: "To close therefore your seamless tunic, Lord Jesus, to perfect the integrity of our faith, it remains that before the eyes of the disciples, as lord of the air, you ascend through the midst of the air above all the heavens. From then on it will be proved that you are lord of all things, because you have filled all things in all; and now assuredly it will be owed to you that in your name every knee should bend of those in heaven, on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that you are in glory and at the right hand of God the Father." Hence the Ubiquitarians wrongly conclude that the body of Christ, just as his divinity to which it is joined, is everywhere, and fills all the places of the world simultaneously with its real presence. For from what has been said it is clear that this is another mind than the Apostle's, indeed it is repugnant to the Apostle's mind: for he says that Christ ascended into heaven; therefore before he ascended into heaven, he was not in heaven: for he would ascend there in vain, if he were already there. Again, he says that Christ descended to the lower regions; therefore before he descended there, he was not there. For ascended and descended signify a change of place, by which someone, leaving one place, transfers himself to another. Add to this: the Apostle teaches that through and after the descent and ascent Christ filled all things, and therefore he did not have this from the force of union with the divinity, so that because the divinity is everywhere, hence also the body united to the divinity would be everywhere, and would fill all places; which nevertheless the Ubiquitarians wish, and this is their fundamental reasoning: for thus Christ's body would have had this ubiquity (as the Scholastics speak) from the first instant of the incarnation, when it was united to the divinity; but would not have acquired it through descent to the lower regions, and through ascent to heaven: which nevertheless the Apostle teaches here, if by filling all things he means this ubiquity, as they wish; therefore the Apostle conflicts with their ubiquity and its principles.
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11. AND HE HIMSELF GAVE SOME INDEED APOSTLES, AND SOME PROPHETS, AND OTHER SOME EVANGELISTS, AND OTHER SOME PASTORS AND DOCTORS. — He enumerates gifts not all, but a few, under which he understands the rest, which, as he said in verse 8, Christ ascending on high gave to men, and the graces which were given to each according to the measure of the gift of Christ, as he said in verse 7; namely these gifts and graces freely given are apostleship, prophecy, the office of evangelizing, pastorship, doctorship: under which understand sanctifying grace, which is given to each according to his office and function which he has received from God, suitable and fitting, so that he may fulfill it holily, piously and fruitfully for his own salvation and that of others. Note: Apostles were and were called those who were sent throughout the whole world to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, so that everywhere they might establish and found Churches: such were those twelve whom Christ while living chose, and named Apostles; likewise Paul, Barnabas, Silas and others. Prophets were those who predicted future things, as Agabus and others: to these succeeded, says Ambrose, interpreters of sacred Scripture. For a prophet is not only one who predicts the future, but also one who reveals and explains hidden and obscure things. Anselm adds another reason, namely because these interpreters of sacred Letters, through them announce to men the future joys of the just and the punishments of the wicked. Evangelists are four, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, who wrote the Gospels. Thus Anselm and Theophylactus. Secondly, the Seventy disciples and similar ones, who served the Apostles in preaching the Gospel, and who, as Theophylactus says, did not go about everywhere, nor traverse all places, but here and there preached the Gospel; such were Priscilla and Aquila, Stephen and Philip the deacons; for they served the Apostles, as deacons serve presbyters, and as catechists serve preachers: for they were as it were catechists, who taught the articles of faith and Gospel necessary for salvation to the unfaithful, and prepared them for baptism. Whence Ambrose, Theophylactus, Anselm, by Evangelists understand deacons. "Evangelists," says Ambrose, "are deacons, as Philip was: for although they are not priests, they can nevertheless evangelize without a chair, just as Stephen and the aforesaid Philip." Hence even today in the Mass deacons sing the Gospel, says Anselm, and when they are ordained, they receive the power to announce the Gospel. Whence it seems to belong to them by their Order to have the power of preaching, as St. Gregory teaches, book IV of the Register, chapter LXXXVIII, which however they ought not to exercise while a priest is present who can preach, and only with the permission of the Bishop, as Sylvester in the word Deacon, and others teach. Pastors are Bishops, and properly called Pastors, who in one parish or diocese, which they preside over and govern, confine themselves; or to whom certain Churches are committed, as Ephesus was committed to Timothy, Crete to Titus. Thus Theophylactus. St. Augustine, epistle 59, St. Jerome and Anselm, wish these to be the same, pastors and doctors: for he who is a pastor ought to be a doctor. "Nor in Churches," says Jerome, "should anyone, however holy he may be, assume for himself the name of pastor, unless he can teach those whom he feeds." Whence the Apostle does not say, "some pastors, some doctors," as he said of the preceding ones, "some Apostles, some Prophets;" but he says, "some pastors and doctors," as if they were the same, or as if these two were the offices and functions of one and the same president of the Church. The Syriac and others distinguish, as we still see in the Church some are pastors, who feed the people in the Church; others are doctors, who teach the learned in schools, so that the sincere doctrine of dogmas may be retained in the Church: such as at Alexandria were Heraclas, Pantaenus, Origen, Clement and others. Note secondly: This hierarchy of the Church and the orders which are in the Church, Ambrose thus adapts, so that Apostles are Bishops, Prophets are interpreters of sacred Scripture, Evangelists are deacons, pastors are readers, who feed the people with sacred readings, doctors, or masters are exorcists, who in the Church restrain and strike the unruly. Somewhat differently Anselm: To Apostles, he says, correspond Primates and Archbishops, to Prophets interpreters of Scripture, to Evangelists Deacons, to Pastors Bishops, to Doctors Presbyters. But this sense is accommodated, not literal.
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12. FOR THE PERFECTING OF THE SAINTS. — The Greek κατάρτισμον comes from κατάρτίζειν, which signifies two things: first, to restore and repair something that has collapsed; second, to perfect, complete, consummate. According to the first signification, Erasmus and Vatablus translate it as for the restoration of the saints, namely that men fallen through sin may be repaired, restored and recalled to their original holiness. Second, and better, our Interpreter, Ambrose, Oecumenius, translate it as perfecting, that is the completion and perfection of the saints, as if to say: God gave in the Church Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, etc., so that the saints and elect in Christ may be completed and perfected both in number and in merits, and thus from all the saints as it were his members the Church, which is the building and house of Christ, may be completed in all its parts, so that nothing is lacking to its structure, but the whole may be perfected on every side: that the Apostle has regard to this building and perfecting of the Church is evident from what follows, when he adds: "For the edifying of the body of Christ;" whence also Jerome reads it as for the instruction and perfection of the saints: for by instruction he does not understand teaching and doctrine, but perfection, just as a house is said to be furnished with all things when nothing is lacking to it and it has all its perfection; yet the Church acquires this perfection of itself through instruction properly so called, that is doctrine. Whence St. Jerome adds: If anyone does not build up the Church of Christ, nor instructs the people subject to him, so that from the subject people of Christ the Church may be built up, he is not to be called an Apostle, nor Prophet, nor Evangelist, nor Pastor, nor Teacher. FOR THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY. — Namely that each Apostle, Prophet, Pastor, Doctor may fully and vigorously exercise the work of his ministry entrusted to him; for if one were to do all things, he would not do each thing perfectly, says Anselm. Whence Vatablus translates it as for the work of dispensation, namely that he may dispense prophecy, the Gospel, doctrine and other talents entrusted to him by God. This teaching of Paul presses upon Apostles, Pastors, Doctors, lest they become arrogant in their dignity, but may think themselves to be ministers and dispensers of the people, and may remember that God will exact from them an account of this dignity and its dispensation. Whence St. Gregory, homily 9 on the Gospel: "The reading," he says, "of the Gospel admonishes us to consider carefully, lest we, who are seen to have received more than others in this world, be judged more severely by the author of the world on that account; for when gifts are increased, the accounts for those gifts also grow; therefore each one ought to be so much the more humble and ready to serve God from his office, as he perceives himself to be more obligated in rendering an account." See what is said at I Cor. chapter xii. FOR THE EDIFYING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST. — Namely of the Church, so that it as the spiritual building of Christ may gradually rise up, and may advance in number and in virtues, until at length it is completed and filled out and perfected in all its parts, with all its adornment and perfection. Thus Anselm.
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13. UNTIL WE ALL COME TOGETHER INTO THE UNITY OF FAITH AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE SON OF GOD, INTO A PERFECT MAN, INTO THE MEASURE OF THE AGE OF THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST. — That is to say, these degrees and this hierarchical order of the Church, so that some are Apostles, others Prophets, others Evangelists, others pastors and teachers, will remain and endure until all the unfaithful are called to the one faith of Christ and to the Church, so that they believe in Christ the Son of God and all know Him, as many as God foreknew and predestined would believe; and until in His knowledge and love all of us who have believed grow to perfect age and solid maturity in Christ and in the spirit of Christ. Note: In the word come together there is a metaphor taken from those who, setting out from diverse places, meet together in one place: thus indeed from the East are called the Chinese and Japanese, from the South Africans, from the North Germans, French, Poles, from the West Mexicans and Peruvians, so that they might meet one another in the same faith and spirit, and come together in the same Christian Church. INTO A PERFECT MAN. — From this passage many have thought that women would not rise in their own sex, but would be transformed into the masculine sex and into men, as St. Augustine testifies, book XXII of The City of God, chapter xvii and following. And this seems to be the opinion of St. Jerome, Basil on Psalm cxiv, Hilary on that passage of Matthew xxii: "In the resurrection they shall neither marry nor be married," etc.; Athanasius, sermon 3 Against the Arians, toward the end, and others, who say that in the resurrection there will be no diversity of sexes. Among the Scholastics, however, Scotus in II, distinction xx, expressly teaches that all women, except one, the Blessed Virgin, will rise in the masculine sex. His reason is that the feminine sex is an accident and an imperfection of man; in the resurrection, however, all imperfection will be removed. Again, woman is a defective male, says the Philosopher. Whence in the production of woman nature seems to have erred, so that when it wished to produce a male as it were a perfect human being, the generative power of the seed failing (because it was not sufficiently powerful to form a male), it produced a female instead of a male: hence indeed woman is said (as appears) to be a defective male. But this is an error, the contrary of which, namely that women will rise in their own feminine sex, is taught by St. Augustine in the place cited; Tertullian, in the book On the Resurrection of the Flesh, chapter lx; Jerome, epistle 61 to Pammachius against the errors of John of Jerusalem, and commonly by the Scholastics in IV, distinction xliv. The reason is that in the resurrection the same body in number will rise; therefore it will rise in the same sex. For if the same body in number rises, therefore it will have the same accidents and the same individuating conditions, among which not the least, indeed one of the principal, is a certain and determined sex. Hence the fundamental reason of Scotus is refuted. For it is false that the feminine sex is an imperfection: it is indeed a perfection, though less than the masculine; nor is it a defect, but a nature and natural condition. For if it were an imperfection and a defect, it would not have existed in paradise and in the state of innocence: but now it is established that God in paradise formed woman from man, Eve from Adam. For woman is necessary for the propagation of offspring, and consequently for the preservation of the human species. Whence it is equally false that woman is a defective male, because God and nature intend by themselves to produce Eve and woman, so that through male and female the human species would be propagated. In this sense, however, woman could be called a defective male, because Jerome, Theophylactus, Ambrose, Oecumenius. Thus in I Corinthians xiii, he says: "When I was a little child, I spoke as a little child: but when I became a man, I put away the things of a child." Where, as also here, man does not signify sex, but partly age, partly perfection, strength and manly constancy by catachresis. A perfect man therefore is an adult, constant and robust. Whence as if explaining it he adds: "In the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be little children tossed about, and carried about by every wind of doctrine." Where you see a perfect man opposed to a little child tossed about and unstable in faith and doctrine; and consequently a perfect man is here called one who is constant and perfect in faith and doctrine, that is to say, In the Church some will be Apostles, others pastors and teachers, etc., until all Christians, who are predestined, come together in one faith and Church, and in it we are not infants and little children, but adults in the faith and love of Christ, and thus in Christ we attain full and perfect spiritual age, that is perfect understanding, knowledge and love of God. Secondly, he says "into a perfect man," not "into perfect men," because the Apostle speaks not only of individual and all Christians, but also and more of the whole Church, and calls and compares it and all who are in it to one perfect man. Whence the Syriac version translates it, until we all be one perfect man. For just as in the preceding verse he called the Church the building of Christ: so immediately, to show that this building is not inanimate and of stone, but living and human (for thus the Hebrews call בן ben, that is son, as it were the work and building of the father, from the root בנה bana, that is he built), he calls it the body of Christ, the man of Christ, the perfect man of Christ; thus namely so that the Church of this man and male be the body, Christ of the same be as it were the soul, or rather the head, as he says in verse 15, concerning which I have spoken in I Corinthians XII, 12. Therefore just as with the body growing and the organs of the body growing, the strength and vigor of the soul grows, and conversely; again, just as with the body growing the head grows, and conversely, so that the whole man grows, until he reaches a just and consistent age and manly stature: so likewise the Church in all its members, that is in us the faithful, grows and increases in Christ, that is in the faith, grace and virtues of Christ, and in turn Christ increases in us, until the Church reaches a just perfection and stature as it were manly. Whence Clement in the Pedagogue understands by the name of man Christ himself, who as we grow seems to grow with us and in us into a perfect man. Thus in Galatians III, 28, he says: One, or as Chrysostom reads it, one (namely a political man) "are you in Christ." Christ therefore is one man, and one political body, that is, Christ is one Christian Church. For Christ is to his Church as it were the hypostasis, soul and life, as I have said in I Corinthians XII. And thus all Christians in the Church are as it were one, nay one civil and political man in Christ. And this is the root of that rule of Ticonius in St. Augustine, which teaches that sacred Scripture attributes to Christ those things which are of the Church of Christ; and conversely, attributes to the Church those things which are of Christ: as if there were a communication of idioms between Christ and the Church, as there is between Christ the man and Christ God. You will say, in Matthew XXII, 30, Christ says: "In the resurrection they shall neither marry, nor be married, but shall be as the angels of God in heaven." I answer: Christ here denies only that in heaven there will be marriages and the use of marriage, but not that there will be women; nay he sufficiently insinuates that they will be in heaven when he says: "Neither shall they marry," namely men, "nor be married," namely women. You will press further: Christ adds that they shall be as the angels of God: but angels lack sex. I answer: They shall be as angels not as to nature, or the privation of sex, but as to purity, spiritual, immortal and blessed life. For Christ opposes this to marriages, which among mortal men are necessary to perpetuate the species, so that man who dies may endure as it were immortal in the son whom he begot, and leaves living after him. Whence St. Luke adds: "For neither can they die any more, and they are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection," that is to say, the Saints in body and soul will be most like to God, and will pertain to the blessed resurrection, and will be immortal; and therefore marriages and the use of marriage, which is employed to perpetuate the species, and to acquire a certain immortality, will have no need of these things in heaven. Note here a Hebraism: for the word son, with a genitive of punishment or reward among the Hebrews signifies one guilty or worthy and destined. Thus they are called sons of death, of Gehenna, of the kingdom, of the resurrection, that is worthy of death and Gehenna, worthy of the kingdom and resurrection. And this alone is what Jerome, Basil, Athanasius and other Fathers mean, when they deny that in heaven there will be diversity of sexes; namely they deny it as to use, but not as to substance: but the Apostle in this place says nothing of the sort, but his meaning is far different, as I shall say immediately. Whence secondly, others explain this passage thus: "into a perfect man," that is to say, we shall rise as men to a mature and perfect judgment, such as is that of men, even if in this life we died in the age and judgment of childhood. Whence, by the name of man as it were the more worthy, he comprehends also women. Just as also Psalm 1: "Blessed is the man (that is blessed is the man, and blessed is the woman) who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly." But the Apostle does not treat here properly of the resurrection, as will soon be evident. I say therefore thirdly, "into a perfect man," that is, so that in the faith, knowledge, and love of Christ we may not be infants and children, but men, that is, advanced, manly, perfect, steadfast. Thus Chrysostom. Where note: The Apostle speaks here of the Church as of a single man and one unique person, both to declare and inculcate that unity to which he exhorted the Ephesians from verse 3 up to this point; and so that individuals may remember that this doctrine pertains to each one severally, and that they ought to grow in Christ into a perfect man, or into members of a perfect man, so that thus as each grows, consequently the whole Church grows into a perfect man, so that thus the Church becomes perfect and consummated, and the stature, proportion and perfection of each member of the Church, which will happen at the end of the world and the common resurrection, not before; and therefore this hierarchical order will endure until then, and all these things, so that some may exercise the apostolate, others the pastorate, others the teaching office, etc. By these things the Church grows, advances and is perfected "unto the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ." Note first: By these words he explains the "perfect man" which I mentioned. Second, by a Hebraism "the age of fullness" is called a full and perfect age, namely adult and manly. Third, although age can properly be taken here, yet we shall more clearly take it metonymically as age for stature, which age brings with it, and which is wont to be in manly age: for the Greek ἡλικία from ἧλιξ, that is, how great, signifies both quantity, magnitude and stature, and age. Whence Our Lord sometimes translates it as stature, as in Matthew VI, 27, Luke XIX, and the Syriac here translates it קומתא kometa, that is, stature, as if to say: Until we grow, and "we all come together unto a perfect man," that is, "unto the measure" and magnitude "of the age," that is of stature, "of fullness," that is of full and manly, "of Christ," or which Christ had in the age of adulthood and manhood: so that, just as Christ in the year of his age 34 had the just stature of a man, so also analogously and proportionally may he acquire and have the same in us, that is, in the increase and perfection of our faith, grace, spirit and virtues. Thus Ambrose, Jerome, Chrysostom. He persists in the metaphor by which, as I said, he calls the Church one perfect man, whose members are individual believers, and whose soul and head is Christ; so that as the body grows the head grows, and the soul itself also, that is, the extension, force and vigor of the soul, and conversely, that is, as the Church grows, Christ grows in it, and conversely: so that Christ is said to acquire his just and full stature in us, while we acquire just perfection and magnitude in the faith and grace of Christ. For our stature, magnitude and perfection is the stature, magnitude and perfection of Christ, as is evident from what has been said. It could also be explained by the force of Christ as in Christ, as if to say: Until in Christ, that is in the faith, grace and body of Christ, which is the Church, we obtain a just measure and full and manly stature. Second, otherwise Anselm, Gagneius, St. Thomas and the Scholastics explain it in IV, dist. XLIV, as if to say: Until we all rise again in the measure, magnitude and stature of the body full and perfect, such as was Christ's in the age full and perfect, so that just as Christ in the year of his age 34 had the just stature of a human body: so also in the resurrection all men, even those who died here in infancy or childhood, may have the just magnitude and stature of their body: not as if we shall all be equal in stature of body to Christ; but that we shall all be of that magnitude and stature which we had, or would have had (if nature had been vigorous, and not impeded) in manly age, namely in the year of age 34, which was the age of Christ, and has been the age of man. St. Augustine brings forth both this and the preceding explanation, lib. XXII De Civit., cap. XV, and the three following, but more approves the preceding, and without doubt the preceding is plainly genuine and from the mind of the Apostle. It can however be extended with the cited authors to this second sense: because that spiritual measure and stature of the Church full and perfect, of which the Apostle properly treats here, will be only in the resurrection, when in equal proportion the Church will have its corporeal stature full and perfect: namely when the Saints who are in the Church, just as souls and spirits, so also of body will have just magnitude and perfection. Beautifully St. Augustine, On True Religion, chapter XXVI, volume X, attributes seven ages and growths to the inner man equally as to the outer man, namely infancy, childhood, adolescence, youth, manhood, old age and decrepitude. "This one," he says, "is called the new man, and the inner, and the heavenly man, having also himself a proportion not distinguished by years, but by certain spiritual ages distinguished by progress. The first, in the breasts of useful history, which nourishes by examples. The second, already forgetting human things and tending toward divine things, in which it is not contained in the bosom of human authority, but leans upon the highest and unchangeable law by the steps of reason. The third, already more confident and joining the carnal appetite to the strength of reason, and rejoicing inwardly in a certain conjugal sweetness; when the soul is joined to the mind, and is veiled with the veil of modesty, so that now it is not forced to live rightly, but even if all should permit, it does not please to sin. The fourth, already doing the same thing much more firmly and in better order, and shining forth into the perfect man, and apt and suitable for sustaining and breaking even all persecutions, and the storms and waves of this world. The fifth, peaceful and tranquil in every respect, living in the riches and abundance of the unchangeable kingdom, of the highest and ineffable wisdom. The sixth, passing through all manner of change into eternal life, and even unto the complete forgetting of temporal life into the perfect form, which was made to the image and likeness of God. The seventh indeed is already eternal rest, and perpetual blessedness to be distinguished by no ages: for as the end of the old man is death, so the end of the new man is eternal life. For that man is of sin, this one is of justice."
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14. THAT WE MAY NOW BE NO MORE CHILDREN TOSSED TO AND FRO (in Greek περιφερόμενοι, that is, carried about), AND CARRIED ABOUT BY EVERY WIND OF DOCTRINE IN THE WICKEDNESS OF MEN. — Behold, here he explains what he said, "unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ," as if to say: That we may not be as children, who are agitated by every wind, impulse, persuasion, as the Syrian says, and allow themselves to be carried away in every direction; but rather against all the impulses, persuasions and new dogmas of the Novatians, as strong and steadfast men may we persist in the true faith and Christian Church. Paul alludes to the Hebrew פתי peti, that is, a little child and foolish one, to whom anything is persuaded: for the root פתה pata (whence the Greek πείθω) signifies to persuade, to convince, to entice, to bend, to incline. Note, "in the wickedness of men," that is, through the wickedness of men, through wicked and deceitful men, namely false apostles and heretics, who make you waver in faith, and winnow you with new doctrines. In Greek ἐν τῇ κυβείᾳ ἀνθρώπων, in the game of dice, or dicing of men, that is in the fallacy used by deceitful gamesters, which St. Augustine above calls illusion, our translator calls wickedness. For κυβεύειν signifies to play with dice or at dice: in which game skill is necessary, and the player strives to circumvent his fellow player if he can; for he regards only his own advantage: hence κυβεία, that is, dicing, signifies craftiness, deceitful artifice, and the artificer's deception, says Erasmus. He compares false teachers therefore to fraudulent gamesters, says Theophylactus, who transpose the doctrine of faith like dice and knucklebones for the applause of men. Thus the sense is, as if to say: That we may not be carried about by every wind of doctrine, wherever wicked men and deceivers may drive us. Therefore first, by the metaphor of dice and gamesters he notes the uncertainty of heresy and heretics. Secondly, inconstancy and desultory levity, in that they cast faith like dice, and as it were change doctrine at the throw of dice, so as to gratify these or those, or so as to indulge their own brain's inventions, fantasies and new dreams; and this with such skill, that it can scarcely be perceived and refuted except by the keen-sighted: just as skilled gamesters turn the dice so dextrously that they deceive their fellow player with whom they play, and scarcely anyone notices. Thus in our age Luther, Philip, Calvin and other Novatians changed their catechisms, institutions and confessions many times within a few years, and issued and invented other and even contrary dogmas: hence those who follow them are carried about by them in every wind of doctrine; so that deservedly George, Duke of Saxony, when asked by Catholics what their Lutherans believed, answered: "What they believe now, I know; what they will believe next year, I am utterly ignorant." St. Hilarius teaches the same thing concerning the Arians in his book to the Emperors Constantius and Constans: "It is dangerous," he says, "for us and also wonderful, that there are now as many faiths as there are wills; that we have as many doctrines as there are customs; and that as many causes of blasphemies spring up as there are vices, while the faith heard is written as we wish, or is understood as we wish. Thus many faiths have begun to exist, so that there may be none; nay rather, annual and monthly faiths concerning God are decreed; the old are subverted by the new," etc. Thirdly, by dice and gamesters; as Chrysostom, Theophylactus, Vatablus, the Apostle notes the frauds of false teachers, by which through their captious arguments and fair speech, they conceal their heresies and errors, and substitute them for articles of faith, and entice the common people into them. Whence it follows: IN CRAFTINESS UNTO THE CIRCUMVENTION OF ERROR, — namely that by craftily circumventing and deceiving the simple and unwary they may lead them into error. For circumvention in Greek is μεθοδείαν, that is, snares of deception and insidious falsehoods. St. Augustine above translates it, machinations; for μεθοδεύειν signifies to attack a man on the way stealthily and from ambush. But all these things are great wickedness, as our translator rightly rendered it, not word for word, but rendering and transferring the sense. Secondly, for error in Greek is πλάνης, that is, imposture, so that by their imposture namely they circumvent and deceive the simple, as if to say: These Novatians are impostors; by their impostures they strive to impose upon all.
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15. BUT SPEAKING THE TRUTH. — Ἀληθεύοντες δέ, that is, but following the truth. Thus Vatablus. Note: There is a fourfold truth. First, the truth of the mind, by which the mind and its conception and judgment conform to the object and thing, and it thus conceives it and judges of it as the thing truly is in itself: to this falsity is opposed, by which the mind judges of a thing otherwise than the thing has in itself. Second, truth is of the mouth, that is, truthfulness, by which our speech conforms to the mind and intention, so that the mouth speaks what the mind truly thinks and intends, and the tongue answers to the mind; to this lying is opposed, by which we speak one thing and think or intend another. And this truth is twofold, one assertory, by which we assert what is true; the other promissory, which is fidelity by which we perform what we have promised. Both this truth of the mouth and of the mind is as it were formal. Hence third, truth is objective, namely the truth of doctrine and faith, by which the doctrine and faith is in itself true, so that if you assent to it and teach it, you assent to the truth and teach the truth. Fourth is the truth of actions and of life, which is nothing other than rectitude and conformity, by which our actions correspond to their rule, namely so that they conform to true practical judgment, to reason, to law, to the will of God and to the precept of virtue. And so this truth is the debt and duty of each one, or that which it befits each one to do: hence to it depravity and sin are opposed, which deviates and is deformed from reason and law. Thus it is said in John VIII, 44: "He (namely the devil) was a murderer from the beginning, and he stood not in the truth," that is, he stood not in the integrity and rectitude of nature in which he was created, he did not remain in his degree and office, he did not do what was fitting, right and just, he did not act as it befitted an angel and a creature so wise and noble to act, namely that he should acknowledge, worship, subject himself to his creator, and give him thanks for such great gifts in himself: hence consequently he fell from the truth, as is evident from the fact that now "the truth is not in him," and that "he is a liar, and the father thereof," namely of lying. For this abstract thing tacitly lies hidden and is contained in the concrete liar: and thus the Hebrews often refer their relative pronouns to an antecedent not expressed, but tacit and hidden in another which they have expressed. Thus often elsewhere in Scripture truth is taken, as when in the Psalms it is said so many times that all the works of the Lord are true, or truth: for the sense is, the works of the Lord are right, equitable, just, holy. Here the Apostle understands partly the third truth, namely of doctrine: for he opposes it to the error which preceded, as if to say, Do not follow the errors of the Novatians and impostors, but follow the true faith and doctrine. Partly the fourth: for he wishes not only that we believe and teach the truth, but also that we do it, as our translator renders it: namely that according to our faith we live as Christians, and express the truth of doctrine by the truth and rectitude of life; hence he says: But speaking the truth, that is, performing the duties of Christianity, in charity, that is, through charity and the works of charity; let us grow, αὐξήσωμεν, let us increase; Vatablus, let us grow up; others, let us become great; Theophylactus, let us increase, namely both good works, he says, and faith, both holy life and doctrines. Thus also Chrysostom, who wishes a threefold increase to be signified here. First, by which the body makes increase, while the spirit works in each member, according to the measure and requirement of each member. Second, by which each member receives increase from the supply of the spirit. Third, by which the spirit itself increases, while flowing from the head it goes through all members, touching and connecting each one; this is indeed what he says: "Let us grow in him through all," namely members. Again, "through all," that is, in every direction, in length, breadth, thickness, in every increase, namely in all gifts, graces and virtues: for as charity increases, all gifts and virtues likewise increase in man. Note, "in him," namely Christ: hence explaining it he adds: "Who is the head Christ;" for by Hebraism the antecedent is redundant in it. For in Latin it should have been said: "Let us grow in Christ, who is the head." For Christ as head infuses grace and the power of growing and increasing into each member of the whole body, that is, the Church: so that this body and each of its members grow in Christ, that is, by the virtue and influx of Christ its head; and conversely Christ as head in the Church as in his body. For when the Church grows, Christ grows as it were, that is, Christ's influx, faith, grace, operation, glory and kingdom. This is fully explained in the following verse.
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16. FROM WHICH (namely from Christ the head) THE WHOLE BODY (of the Church) COMPACTED (συναρμολογούμενον, that is joined together and fitted: for from the head all members are fitted together, and through their joints they descend. Thus from Christ all Christians, whether Gauls, Spaniards, Belgians, Italians, or Africans, Syrians, Indians descend, and are fitted together into one body of the Church) AND CONNECTED (so that namely member to member, the faithful to the faithful through the same faith and spirit cohere, and from all one body is made, namely the Church) BY EVERY JOINT (that is by every seam, by which one member is joined and connected to another. For the Greek ἁφή signifies the mutual contacts of joints, by which parts namely are joined. Whence St. Augustine above reads, by every contact) OF SUPPLY (that is by every joint supplying, namely animal and vital spirits, that is by mutual union, by which the spirit and grace of Christ our head is supplied to us), ACCORDING TO THE OPERATION (κατ᾽ ἐνέργειαν, from the force and efficacy acting and working within. Understand the power of Christ, who like a head flows in, and nourishes each member) IN THE MEASURE OF EACH MEMBER (that is according to the mode, measure and requirement of each member, so that namely each member, for instance each of the faithful, according to its own nature, state and condition from the force of the nourishing soul, that is from the grace and spirit of Christ, receives the proper measure and increase: and thus) MAKES THE INCREASE OF THE BODY (supply the body itself: for this subject from the beginning of this verse demands the word makes for itself. It is a Hebraism: the body makes the increase of the body, that is of itself, as if to say, the body itself builds up and perfects itself, namely the Church, so that the whole grows equally, but uniformly in a non-uniform manner, as the Philosophers speak: because namely individual members grow unequally, but proportionally, and each according to its own nature and condition. For although, for example, the foot and arm grow absolutely more than the eyes, nevertheless the eyes grow proportionally as much as the foot and arm) IN THE BUILDING UP OF ITSELF (so that it builds up, completes and perfects itself, this body which is the Church) IN CHARITY, — that is through charity, as if to say, Charity is that joint or seam of members, by which to each member is supplied nourishment, spirit, growth and the force of increasing, so that thus with each member growing the whole body of the Church grows, is built up and perfected. Note first: This charity is the union to which from verse 3 hitherto he has exhorted the Ephesians. Just as therefore one member cannot be a partaker of common nourishment and growth in the body, unless it is united to the remaining members and to the whole body: so the faithful cannot be a partaker of the common spirit, grace and increase of the Church, unless he coheres with the remaining faithful and with the whole Church through union and charity. For just as the joint of limbs, or seam, supplies to each member: so charity supplies to each of the faithful the common spirit, vigor and life of the body, namely the Church. Thus Chrysostom. Secondly better, charity here is not taken as a joint, but as the soul of the Church, as I shall show presently. Note secondly, with St. Jerome, this body of the Church is said, and ought to be compacted: because if a member is divided and severed from it through schism, it will receive no vigor or spirit from the body. Again it ought to be connected, so that namely each member consists in its place, bond and order. For if the foot is dislocated, so that it comes out of its joint and bone, it afflicts itself and the whole body with pain: so if anyone, abandoning his own rank, office, state, invades another, he brings forth no fruit, but much trouble to himself and others. Thus Chrysostom. Note thirdly: When it is said "joint of supply," the word supply can be taken both actively and passively. First, passively, so that it signifies a joint supplied, that is furnished, to each member from the whole body, and from the head; or so that the joint of supply is the joint of members, to which the common spirit, vigor and life of the body is supplied; as if to say, says Chrysostom: The members of the body if according to their own proper measure receive the necessary supply of nourishment and spirits, thus will they grow; or the spirit infused from the brain and supplied to each member according to its capacity, thus makes increase, first of the member itself, then consequently of the whole body. Secondly and more significantly in an active sense, so that "the joining of supply" is a joining supplying through veins and arteries both the influx of the heart, namely vital spirits, and blood; both the mutual concourse and aid, by which through the joining one member bound to another, it nourishes and helps that member in all things, so that, while each supplies its own part, faculty and operation, and in a certain way brings its own contribution to the common good, hence also other members participate, and the whole body grows and is perfected; and especially the influx of the head, and its animal spirits necessary for motion, sensation and life. For thus Christ, as it were our head, pours forth motion, sensation and spiritual life into us through the joinings, that is through the mutual union by which one member is joined to another, that is one faithful person to another, and is subordinated, both through the internal union of souls, and through the external union, communion and communication in the same Sacraments, sacrifices, prayers, sermons, readings, assemblies. For to this external union pertains all society of neighbors, instruction, edification, by which we are advanced in spirit and piety through mutual examples, exhortations, counsels, prayers, etc. IN CHARITY. — Note: Of this political body, of which the Apostle here treats, the head is Christ, the body itself is the Church, the members are individual faithful, the joining is the mutual union and communication of the faithful, the soul is faith and charity, and the vital and animal spirits are the preventing and exciting graces, which descend from the brain, that is from Christ, and are breathed into individual members, that is into the faithful. Hence secondly, although Chrysostom and some others adapt charity in this body to the joining, as if the Apostle explains what he said, "through every joining," by what he adds, "in charity," that is through charity, as if to say: The charity of which I spoke is that joining which supplies to all members all the spirit of the body, and joins and adds member to member, so that thus it may be dilated and grow, and the body of Christ, which is the Church, may be completed with all its members, that is with the faithful. Yet others better understand "joining" as mutual union, concord, communication; and they judge charity to be the soul of this body, that is of the Church, for indeed the words of the Apostle clearly signify this: "The increase," he says, "of the body makes for its edification in charity." Where the Syriac version renders it, for the increase of its body, whose edification is perfected in charity. For no other soul can be imagined for this body, namely the Church, than faith and charity: nor is there any part in this body more noble than charity. Whence in the preceding verse the Apostle said: "In charity let us grow in Christ, who is the head, in all things." Charity therefore, as it were the soul, makes us grow in Christ, so that as charity grows, the whole man grows in Christ, and in this way as each one grows in faith and charity, the whole body of the Church grows, as if to say: See therefore, O Ephesians, that you diligently cultivate, preserve and increase the mutual union to which from the beginning up to this point I have exhorted you, so that through it you may become partakers of the spirit of Christ and the Church, and may grow in faith and charity, and thus as each one grows, the whole Church grows and is perfected. For the magnitude, progress, increase and perfection of each faithful person, and consequently of the whole Church, is situated in the progress, increase and perfection of faith and charity, and consequently of the other virtues which accompany charity: so that, in proportion as each faithful person makes progress in the acts of faith and charity, and consequently in their habits, so much does his spiritual magnitude grow; and in proportion as all the faithful grow in these, so much does the magnitude of the whole Church grow and become perfected. You will say: If charity is the spirit and soul of the Church, therefore sinners who lack charity are not members and parts of the Church: for a part which is not informed by the form of the body, and in living things a part which is not animated by the soul of the body, is not a part and member of the body. For the response, note that the Church is like a civil and political man, and has its own soul and its own body. The body of the Church are the faithful themselves, who outwardly and visibly profess the same faith of Christ, and who communicate among themselves with the same visible head, namely the Roman Pontiff, who is Christ's vicar on earth, in the same Sacraments, sacrifices, doctrine, governance and polity. For this is the external form of the body of the Church, as it is a visible commonwealth. And thus priests and Bishops, who secretly are heretics, so long as they retain this external profession of true faith and the communion of the Church already mentioned, are members of the same body and commonwealth, and cohere to it, and retain the jurisdiction which they received in the Church. The soul of this body, namely the Church, is faith; so that whoever have faith, live by the soul of the Church. There is, however, also another more noble and more perfect soul of the Church similar to it, namely charity. For just as an embryo first lives by a sensitive soul, and is said to be living and sentient, before it lives by a rational soul: so the faithful through faith first lives, and truly is a living part of the Church, even if he does not yet have charity; but having it, he lives by a far more noble soul and life. For as much as the rational soul exceeds the sensitive, so much does charity exceed faith. And concerning this second form Paul speaks here and elsewhere, so as to call only the Saints endowed with charity the body and Church of Christ: not as if he wishes to exclude the faithful who are in sin from it, but because the saints who abound in charity are the most perfect members, and have the most perfect body and form of the Church and soul, and live the life of grace, which is the most perfect life of Christ; but the other faithful, who lack charity, are indeed members of Christ, but more imperfect, inasmuch as they live only by the soul of faith. Just as therefore in man some members exercise only the offices of the sensitive soul, but one head exercises the offices of the rational soul, so that the head alone can rightly be called the body of the rational soul, as it is rational and uses reason: so sinful faithful exercise the offices of faith, and are members of the Church, which is nothing other than a gathering and congregation of the faithful; but only the Saints exercise the offices of charity, which is as it were the rational soul and the most perfect life of Christ and the Church: hence these alone are said by Paul to be the body (that is the Church) of Christ, understand the most noble and most perfect. Hence again the Church is said to be holy, because namely its most noble part, which is that of the just, is holy, concerning which again in the following chapter, verse 27.
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17. THIS THEREFORE I SAY AND TESTIFY IN THE LORD (μαρτύρομαι, that is I testify and beseech by the Lord), THAT YOU WALK NO MORE (do not conduct yourselves) AS ALSO THE GENTILES WALK (conduct themselves) IN THE VANITY OF THEIR SENSE, — τοῦ νοὸς αὐτῶν, that is of their mind. For the mind in man and the soul holds the principal place, and directs and governs the rest: and therefore if the mind be corrupted and devoted to vanity, the other powers of the soul and the whole man must necessarily be corrupted and become vain. Thus we see a merchant, who with mind and spirit turns and seeks nothing but gains, wholly occupied in gold and silver; thus a drunkard, who with mind thinks not of God, not of heaven, but of cups and drinks, wholly occupied in wine and drinking parties, thinking, imagining, dreaming, speaking of nothing else; thus a proud man in honors, a filthy man in lusts, an angry man in vengeance, and so of others. The Apostle therefore signifies the gentiles, because with mind they handled nothing but vain things, devoted themselves wholly to vanity, and occupied themselves with vain things and goods.
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18. HAVING THEIR UNDERSTANDING DARKENED. — This is the source of the vanity of the Gentiles, namely that they have their understanding, in Greek διανοίαν, that is, their thought, darkened by infidelity and other practical errors which follow from it, so that they neither know God nor Christ, but think wooden and stone idols are gods, worship demons, and at the suggestion and instigation of demons think that fornication, drunkenness, thefts, robberies are not sins. For thus with the understanding corrupted, as it were the guide and light of man, it is necessary that the appetite and all the actions of man be corrupted, so that he freely fornicates, steals, gets drunk, while he thinks these are not, or certainly are only slight sins. ALIENATED FROM THE LIFE OF GOD (from the manner of living which God instituted, commanded, and declared to be pleasing and acceptable to himself, and that) THROUGH IGNORANCE, — because namely they are ignorant of God, of God's law and will. BECAUSE OF THE BLINDNESS OF THEIR HEART, — In Greek πώρωσιν, because of their blindness. It could also be translated, because of their hardening; or, as Ambrose says, the hardness of their heart: and thus this part is distinguished from the preceding ones, lest the Apostle repeat the same thing, as if to say: just as their understanding is darkened through ignorance in the Gentiles, so consequently their heart, that is their appetite, is hardened by the evil habit of living, and has developed a callus (for πῶρος indeed signifies a callus). Hence, as follows, they have fallen headlong into desperation, insensibility, and every abyss of crimes.
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19. WHO DESPAIRED, — namely of salvation, and of the way of virtue and blessedness. Our Interpreter reads, and with him the Syriac version, ἀπηλπικότες: for ἐλπίζω means the same as I hope; ἀπελπίζω means the same as I despair, as if to say: The Gentiles, since they did not believe, nor hope that the soul was immortal, that God was the avenger of evils and the rewarder of the good, that the Saints were to be blessed with eternal life, and thought that no other state of punishments or rewards remained after this life, boldly and as if with impunity gave themselves over to pleasures and lusts. Whence also Erasmus judges that this reading fits this place most excellently, namely that we should read despaired: since those who despair that there is another life after bodily death most eagerly seize the pleasures of this life, and gorge themselves with them, as if, having lost them, they would have nothing sweet. But the Greek texts already have ἀπηλγηκότες, and thus Jerome, Chrysostom and the Greeks read it, that is, those who have ceased to grieve; the unfeeling, and, as St. Jerome translated it, those without pain, who namely ceased to grieve, and who lost all sense of pain: for ἀλγέω means to grieve; ἀπαλγέω, to put away and lose pain: which the Comic poet calls to grieve excessively; Ovid, to cease grieving: "The best avenger, he said, was he who broke the chains that wounded the breast, and ceased grieving once." That is, who once put away and cast off all sense of pain (for thus a pot is said to have cooled, when it ceases to boil, and thus he is said to lose wisdom, who ceases to be wise), which Cicero calls to harden a callus against pain: "Custom, he himself says to Varro, has already hardened a callus on my stomach." Just as therefore custom induces a callus, as it were, on the sense, so that it does not feel the disease and pain to which it has become accustomed: so also it induces a callus on the mind, so that it does not feel remorse or pain in the sins to which it has become accustomed. And so from the custom and shamelessness of sinning, there arises in the mind ἀπαλγησία, that is, insensibility, or cessation of grief, by which the mind has become so deaf and hardened in evils, that it does not feel sins, so that when it sins, it loses all remorse of conscience, and as if with conscience cut away does not repent, grieves not at all; but like a brute rushes headlong into whatever it pleases, however foul and abominable, and delights and glories in it, as Jerome says. Because therefore insensibility arises from the custom of sinning, and the custom of sinning arises from despair, and is connected with it: hence both are true, namely both that the Gentiles despaired, and that the Gentiles without feeling gave themselves over to all uncleanness in paganism. See into what an abyss despair, and freedom and custom of sinning, lead a man. THEY THEMSELVES GAVE THEMSELVES OVER TO UNCLEANNESS, UNTO THE WORKING OF ALL UNCLEANNESS, IN COVETOUSNESS. — St. Ambrose reads, unto the working of all uncleanness and covetousness, and properly takes the name of covetousness, as if to say: The Gentiles, not having hope of future life, gave themselves over to all uncleanness and covetousness, so that they might desire and seize the things of others insatiably. But in Greek it is, εἰς ἐργασίαν ἀκαθαρσίας πάσης, ἐν πλεονεξίᾳ, that is, as Our Interpreter translated it, "unto the working of all uncleanness, in covetousness;" or, as it is in Greek, in covetousness. Where note, that covetousness is here attributed to uncleanness, and pertains not to the desire for riches, but to lust and luxury, as Jerome says: for in Greek it is not φιλαργυρία, but πλεονεξία, which Vatablus and Erasmus translate as greediness; Theophylactus, as immoderate desire. Properly to the word, πλεονεξία is excessive desire to have, whether this desire be for riches, or honors, or lusts, as it is here, and other pleasures, as if to say: The Apostle says: Gentiles who do not have hope of another life, with insatiable greediness and desire, or most greedily and most eagerly (for it is a Hebraism: "in covetousness," that is most covetously and most eagerly) work all uncleanness, and rush toward it with all their force; just as greedy merchants are wholly bent on gain, so that they contend over it, and each strives to snatch it from another, and to excel all others in gain and riches: so these Gentiles are so greedily and intemperately driven toward unclean pleasures, that each strives to snatch them from others, and to surpass another in them, so that their lust has no limit, because they wish to enjoy the pleasures of this life, and to satisfy and bless themselves with them, since they expect nothing else. Covetousness therefore signifies here the greedy desire of lust and pleasures, which always opposes temperance and continence: and also justice, as when someone, not content with his own wife, seizes another's, and not one, but many, so that he might avoid satiety of pleasure, and remove its disgust by changing persons. And this is πλεονεξία, of which in I Thessalonians IV, 3: "This is, he says, the will of God, your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication, that each of you should know how to possess his vessel (his wife) in sanctification and honor: not in the passion of desire, as also the Gentiles who know not God; and that no one should overreach, nor circumvent (in Greek πλεονεκτεῖν, the same as here) his brother in business (so that he might secretly desire and solicit his wife), because the Lord is the avenger of all these things."
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20. BUT YOU HAVE NOT SO LEARNED CHRIST, — Christ, that is, the doctrine of Christ, or Christianity. For Christ is taken for Christ with the adjuncts, according to Canon 37, q.d. You have not learned this in the doctrine of Christ, you have not been so instructed in Christianity, namely so as to live luxuriously, as the Gentiles do. Thus Jerome and Anselm; to learn Christ, says Jerome, is to learn the temperance, wisdom, virtue of Christ; and Theophylactus: to learn Christ, he says, is to live rightly: for those who live wickedly are ignorant of Christ; for God (says the Apostle elsewhere) "they confess that they know him, but in works they deny him."
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21. IF INDEED YOU HAVE HEARD HIM. — The particle if is not one of doubting, but of affirming, in this place, as also in II Thessalonians, chapter 1, verse 6: "If indeed (that is, as certainly) it is just with God, to render tribulation to those who trouble you." Thus Chrysostom, q.d. The Apostle: As certainly you have heard Christ and the doctrine of Christ and have learned it. AND HAVE BEEN TAUGHT IN HIM (namely in Christ and in Christ's school and discipline). AS THE TRUTH IS IN JESUS, — q.d. As the truth, that is, as it is true, through Jesus, namely I swear. Thus Vatablus, for the preposition in the Hebrew is a particle of swearing: "in Jesus," that is through Jesus, whom I testify and swear by. For thus we swear saying: By God, By my soul. But the Syriac translator rendered it better, if indeed you have heard and have been taught, how great the truth is in Jesus. Thus also nearly Vatablus, if indeed, he says, you have been taught, what the truth of his doctrine is, which teaches that the former manner of life is to be put off, as follows, q.d. If indeed you have been taught by that doctrine which is truth, and the true doctrine "in Jesus," that is of Jesus Christ (for in the Hebrew it signifies the government of the genitive: in the Lord, that is of the Lord; in Christ, that is of Christ). Or more plainly, if indeed you have been taught so truly, as we are taught the truth by Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life. Or thirdly, as others, if indeed you have been taught so, as those are taught who truly and seriously know Jesus and the doctrine of Jesus. For thus the Greek καθώς, which our translator renders as, is conveniently explained. This therefore the sense of the Syriac and the Greek phrase and Paul's style aptly corresponds, and is most fittingly connected with what precedes. Fourthly, this can be taken with St. Chrysostom, Theophylactus and Anselm, the truth both of life and of doctrine, of which I spoke verse 15, q.d. "As the truth is in Christ," that is, as in Christ and Christ's school, namely the Church, we are taught nothing but to live truly, that is, justly, piously, soberly and chastely. Whence from St. Chrysostom Theophylactus: "But what he says, As the truth is, thus understand, that not, as the Gentiles walk in vanity, so also you are disposed and compared to the same vanities. For those things which are Christ's, both dogmas and life, are not vanity, but truth: but sin is vanity and falsehood, as that which lacks substance and subject, and has no perfection. But virtue is truth, as that which subsists, and has perfection and end. What then have you been taught? And what is truth according to Christ? namely that we put off the old man, that is the customs of our former manner of life and conversation."
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22. TO PUT OFF. — Theophylactus, Vatablus and others refer it to "you have been taught," that is, You have been taught by Christ to put off the old man. Secondly, it can be a Grecism and Hebraism, by which through enallage of moods the infinitive is put for the imperative, "to put off," that is, put off: for thus the following infinitives in Greek, ἀνανεοῦσθαι and ἐνδύσασθαι, our Interpreter translated by imperatives, be renewed and put on. Thirdly, and most excellently according to the manner and spirit of Paul, refer "to put off" to verse 17: "This therefore I say, and testify to put off," that is, that you put off the old man. For often the Apostle, and especially in this epistle, seized by the abundance of things and the force of the spirit, deflects the discourse he has begun to another place, and after a long parenthesis returns to himself and to the discourse begun. Thus we have seen him do in chapter III, where the first verse hangs and is completed in verse 14. For thus when the Apostle thought to subjoin this verse 22 immediately to verse 17, he was seized by the vanity of the Gentiles, which he had mentioned in verse 17, so that he might explain their blindness and shameful deeds, up to verse 22, where he returns to the sentence begun in verse 17. PUT OFF YOU ACCORDING TO (that is, as to) YOUR FORMER CONVERSATION THE OLD MAN. — That is, I say and desire that you put off the old man, not as to nature and substance, but as to the former manner of living, desiring and sinning. Whence the Syrian, rendering not the words but the sense, clearly translated saying, "that you put off from yourselves your former conversations, that man (I say) the old one, who is corrupted by the desires of error." THE OLD MAN. — Note: "The old man" is the old life and morals of the sinful man, which he drew from the old or first Adam, namely the old habits of desiring, and following his desires and sinning. For as was the life of the old Adam sinning, so also is it of those who, born from him, drew from him that old ferment of concupiscence. Or more properly and fittingly, the old man is the man himself, who once a Gentile and sinner, and as it were clothed in and imitating the old Adam the first-formed, followed his old desires, and inveterate evil habits, as will appear more clearly in the following verse. WHICH IS CORRUPTED ACCORDING TO THE DESIRES OF ERROR. — Because namely concupiscences, while man indulges in them, corrupt and destroy body and soul, says Theophylactus. Secondly and genuinely, the old man is corrupted and corrupts the integrity of the first Adam and of man, who was created, as follows, in justice and holiness of truth: this therefore old man already mentioned, is thus corrupted and is corrupted more and more daily, and grows old, while he continues to follow the desires of error, that is, carnal erroneous desires and contrary to reason, or deceptive lusts. Whence St. Jerome notes that the Apostle does not say "the old man" who is corrupted, but "who is corrupted," because by each hour and moment he is corrupted more and more, and from man and human life degenerates into the brutal and bestial. Thirdly, Theophylactus adds that the old man is said to be corrupted here, because, as the man himself is old, so also those desires of his are dissolved and perish by disease, old age and death. But the second sense is the genuine one; for the Apostle adds: "Who is corrupted according to the desires of error;" by his own desires and concupiscences therefore, not by death or old age, is this old man corrupted.
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23. BE RENEWED (ἀνανεοῦσθαι, that is to be renewed, in the infinitive, which depends on verse 17, as I said, that is, I say to be renewed, that is, that you be renewed, which Our Interpreter clearly translated, be renewed) IN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MIND, — that is, by that vivifying force of grace and spirit given to our minds, by which the Holy Spirit regenerates us and transforms us into new men, namely Christians and holy ones. It is the same as what he said in Romans XII, 2: "Be reformed in the newness of your sense;" whence explaining he adds here:
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24. AND PUT ON THE NEW MAN, WHO IS CREATED ACCORDING TO GOD IN JUSTICE AND HOLINESS OF TRUTH. — Where note first: by "the new man" he understands Christ, as Jerome and Anselm hold, or more simply Adam newly and recently created by God, as follows, in grace, innocence and justice, whom Christ renewed as he was growing old through sin, and restored to that first new man as he had been created by God, and in baptism and penance he stripped us of the old Adam as it were, and clothed us again in the new, since the first and new Adam restored to us new grace, innocence and holiness. Note secondly the phrase of the Apostle: he sets here two men mutually contrary to each other, and says that we put them on, so that while we strip off one, we put on the other. In a similar phrase he says we put on Christ, as I said on Rom. XIII, 14. Just as therefore we strip off the old garment that we may put on the new: so we strip off the old man, that is, the customs and vices of the old Adam, that we may put on the new man, that is, of the new Adam created in grace, and the newness of Christ repairing him, new morals, namely purity and Christian holiness. Note thirdly: Just as we are said to put on Christ, so also Adam: Adam, I say, not as he was a particular person, but as he was the parent and head of all his descendants. For thus the new man was created, and received the newness of grace and holiness, not for himself alone, but also for all his descendants; which newness and new man, if he had not sinned, he would have transmitted to all his descendants. Thus therefore the Apostle speaks here of the new man, as also of the old, as it were an abstract universal and common one, which each individual can and ought to put on, and which is communicated to each individually like a Platonic idea. For thus Plato held that the idea of man is communicated to this man, that man, and any other man in particular, and communicates to him his being as man, so that through it each particular man becomes man; thus through this new man as it were abstract and universal, each particular Christian is a new man, as the Apostle speaks; not that there truly is some universal man like a Platonic idea, but that this newness of the new man may be signified as common, and communicated to individual Christians, that through it they may be renewed. For this new man (that is, the newness of the new man just mentioned) was given to Adam, that through him as the head of the human race it might be communicated to all his descendants: but he sinning, this new man was given to Christ, that through Christ as the parent it might be communicated to all Christians. Hence Christ is called in Isaiah IX, "the father of the future (new) age," and concerning him the Sibyl sings: A mighty order of ages is born anew, / Now a new generation is sent down from high heaven. / Do thou, O chaste Lucina, favor the boy now being born, / By whom the iron age shall first cease, and a golden race arise (of Christians) throughout the whole world. / He shall receive the life of God, and shall see / Heroes mingled with gods, and shall himself be seen by them. Note fourthly: Renew yourselves and put on signify that we, although renewed, regenerated and clothed by baptism, ought nevertheless daily more and more to renew ourselves and put on newness, and more to put off and strip away the old man (that is, concupiscence), who is so innate to us and adheres to us that in this life he cannot be completely put off and entirely renewed. The Apostle therefore wills that each Christian daily more and more mortify and uproot the old evil habits, vices and propensities to evil which each one feels in himself; and that he implant in his soul the contrary virtues of Christ and of the first and new Adam, renew them, increase them through fervor and zeal of profiting and perfecting himself. "For the mind," says St. Gregory, lib. XXII of the Morals, cap. IV, "while it is refined in the fire of love, always preserves in itself the brightness of beauty through daily renewal of fervor. For the mind knows not how to grow old, which always strives through desire to begin anew." See the sayings at Rom. XII, 2. St. Jerome also speaks beautifully here: "Put on the new man, that is," he says, "as he says in another place (Rom. XIII), put on Jesus Christ. For he is the new man, whom all believers ought to put on and be clothed with. For what was not new in the man who was assumed by our Savior? His conception, birth, nativity, infancy, teaching, life, virtues, and finally the cross and passion in which he despoiled the principalities and displayed contrary fortitudes, his resurrection also and ascension to heaven. He therefore was truly created in justice and holiness of truth, because he was true God, the Son of the true God, and all the religion and justice of God was in him completed in truth. Whoever therefore can imitate his conversation and express in himself all virtues, so that he be meek as he was meek and humble of heart; and lay down his soul for his friends, as he laid it down for his sheep; being beaten answer not, being cursed curse not, but overcome pride in humility: he is clothed with the new man, and can say with the Apostle: I live, now not I, but Christ liveth in me." WHICH IS CREATED ACCORDING TO GOD. — The Greek κατά, that is, according to, corresponds to the Hebrew כ caph, which is the mark of likeness and assimilation, by which the image is assimilated to its exemplar, from which it is expressed, as if to say: Put on the new man, who is created according to God's exemplar. For it alludes to Gen. cap. 1, vers. 26: "Let us make man to our image and likeness." Hence it is asked here, in what this image of God in man consists. Oleaster in cap. 1 of Genesis, and Eugubinus in the Cosmopoeia think that God, when he created man, put on human form, so that he might create man according to it and its likeness. But this is frigid and Jewish. Note therefore first, that "image" here is taken metonymically for the exemplar from which the image is expressed, and which it reflects and represents. As if God said: Let us make man according to our exemplar, so that he be an image expressed from us and from our nature as if from an exemplar, and which reflects and represents our divinity. It can however secondly be taken properly, if by Hebraism you thus expound it: "Let us make man to the image," that is, so that he be an image of us, which expresses and represents us as its exemplar. Note secondly: Many distinguish "image and likeness"; but I say it is a hendiadys, as if to say: Let us make man to the image of our likeness (as the Wise man speaks, Wisdom II, 23), that is, to an image very like, or most like us. Hence Holy Scripture sometimes uses one, sometimes the other, sometimes both; as sometimes it says man was created to God's image, sometimes to his likeness, sometimes to his image and likeness: as appears in Gen. V, 1; Eccli. XVII, 1; Coloss. III, 10. Whence it is gathered that image is not distinguished from likeness. Note thirdly: This image of God is not in man alone, as Theodoret wishes, but also in the angel and in woman. For both Eve, woman and angels, and Adam and man were created to the image of God, as St. Augustine teaches at length, lib. XII of the Trinity, VII, and St. Basil, homil. 10 of the Hexameron. I say therefore: This image of God is situated in the mind of man, or in that which makes man occupy the highest rank of things, in which God and angel exist, namely that he is of an intelligent nature, that is, a rational animal. From this six outstanding properties of man arise and follow, in which now one, now another, the Fathers place this image of God in man: they place it, I say, not fully and adequately, but partially and incompletely. The first is that man has an incorporeal and individual soul: the second, that the soul of man is immortal; the third, that it is endowed with intellect, will and memory; the fourth, that it has free will; the fifth, that it is capable of wisdom, virtue, grace, blessedness and the vision of God, and of all good, as Nyssenus says; the sixth, that it can preside over and have dominion over all animals. Whence when God had created all other things, He said: "Let us make man" as it were a king of creatures, that he might preside over them: A creature more noble than these was still lacking, and one capable of a lofty mind, which could have dominion over the rest; man was born. To which add a seventh, just as in God are all things and all grades of things either formally or eminently; so also proportionally are all things in man. For man has in himself and binds together all the grades of spiritual and corporeal things: for with angels he understands, with brutes he senses, with plants he is nourished, with inanimate things he is and subsists; and man, having one soul in three powers, is an image of the uncreated world, that is, of the Most Holy Trinity, and a testimony of its infinite art and wisdom, and a most perfect work: but of the created world man is king, end, compendium, bond, nexus and microcosm. An eighth, man is an image of the wisdom of God, because he can contemplate and understand all things; again of the omnipotence of God, because man is as it were omnipotent, in that he can form and fashion all things in mind, and many things also by art. Moreover, just as God is the end of all things and of the whole world, so in his own way man is the end of all things. Finally, just as God is wholly in the world, and wholly in each part of the world, and is as it were the soul of the world, not properly, as the Platonists hold, but metaphorically, because namely, as the Poet sings: The spirit within nourishes, and mind infused throughout the limbs / Moves the whole mass, and mingles itself with the great body: so the soul of man is wholly in the whole body, and wholly in each part of his body. This therefore is the natural image of God in man, which could not be lost by sin, as St. Augustine teaches against Origen, lib. II Retract., XXIV, where he retracts what he had said lib. VI De Genes. ad litt., cap. XXVII, that Adam by sinning lost the image of God. Which, he says, understand thus, not as if no image of God remained in Adam; but that it became so deformed by sin that it needed reformation. I say secondly: There is also another image of God in man, namely a supernatural one, which is situated in the justification, holiness and grace of man, by which he becomes a partaker of the divine nature, and which will be confirmed and perfected in heavenly glory. Whence St. John, epist. I, cap. III, vers. 2: "We know, he says, that when He shall appear, we shall be like to Him: because we shall see Him as He is." That Adam was created in this supernatural image, and that this is to be understood literally, when God said: "Let us make man to Our image and likeness;" equally as the former one which is natural, of which I spoke a little before, is evident from this passage of the Apostle, and Coloss. III, 10, and is the common opinion of the Fathers. For the words of the Apostle clearly signify this: "Who, he says, according to God," that is, to the exemplar of God, "was created in justice and holiness of truth." Therefore the image of man is situated in justice and holiness, in which he was created to the exemplar of justice and holiness, which is in God. Note: This supernatural image of God depends on the will of man, and by its sinning is lost; and thus subsequently Augustine, as I said, and other Fathers say that the image of God was lost by sin, namely this supernatural one, but not the former natural one, of which I spoke a little before), but it is repaired by grace and justification. By grace therefore and holiness man is more properly and perfectly an image of God than by the nature of a rational soul and free will: because by grace man participates in, and expresses in himself, the highest degree of being, which is in God, namely the divine and supernatural being itself, by which God Most Holy is in Himself, most perfect and most glorious, and is the source of all goods not natural, but supernatural, namely of all grace and glory, which transcend all the nature of man and angel, indeed of any creature whatsoever, which can be created by God. This supernatural image all Christians receive in baptism, and they perfect it daily, while through acts of grace and virtues they grow in holiness. Whence the Apostle here exhorts the Ephesians, already baptized and sanctified, that they renew themselves more each day, and more put on and assume the new man, who according to God is created in holiness and justice of truth. "Put on" indeed here signifies not an inchoate act, but a continued, advancing and perfect one, according to Can. 32, q. d. Put on, that is, continue to put on, clothe, perfect yourselves in a new, just, Christian and holy life, which you put on, assumed and began in baptism. To this the teaching of Abbot Agathon greatly helps, lib. VII in the Lives of the Fathers, cap. XLII: "Observe," he says, "above all this, that such as you enter on the first day into the community of the brethren, so conduct yourself for the remaining time, and with peace you will fulfill your pilgrimage. Guard yourself lest you ever assume confidence in speaking." And another which another gave there, cap. ult.: "From the time," he says, "I renounced the world, I said to myself: Today you are born again, today you have begun to serve God, today you have begun to dwell here; so be each day a pilgrim, and tomorrow to be set free. This I counseled myself daily." IN JUSTICE AND HOLINESS OF TRUTH, — that is, in true holiness, not feigned, not masked, not imputed, such as the Novatians introduce. Thus Chrysostom. "Holiness," says St. Dionysius, and from him Anselm, "is free from all defilement, most uncontaminated and most perfect purity." Hence I Corinthians VII, verse 34, he says the virgin ought to be "holy (that is, chaste and pure) in body and spirit." Hence again "holy" is called ὅσιον, which, says Origen, is composed (symbolically) of γῆ, that is earth, and α privative, as if you were to say, without earth, so that ἅγιον, that is holy, is that which is separated from earth and earthly things, pure, heavenly, divine, and clinging to God, devoted and consecrated. Here however in Greek it is not ἁγιότης, but ὁσιότης, which nevertheless signify the same thing. Ὅσιος indeed, says Chrysostom and Theophylactus, is said of him who is immune from all crime and stain, pure and clean. Secondly, he who fulfills and pays every debt. Hence ὅσια are called, that is, parentalia, funeral rites, just funerals which are owed to the dead. Thirdly, ὅσια signifies expiation, hence ἀφοσιοῦν, properly is to do something for the sake of satisfying the mind with religious scruple, as when we pay what we have vowed. Thus Budaeus. Again ἀφοσιοῦν signifies to expiate, to dedicate, to consecrate: thus therefore ὁσιότης, that is holiness, first, is purity and innocence; secondly, is justice; thirdly, penance and expiation of sins; fourthly, religion and religious worship of God, by which the soul dedicates and consecrates itself to God.
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25. WHEREFORE PUTTING AWAY LYING SPEAK YE THE TRUTH. — Here he descends to the parts and members of the old man, and opposes to them the parts and members of the new man. For a teacher and preacher must descend from thesis to hypothesis. For sermons which treat in general of vices and virtues are of little use to the people, who are rude, and know not how to apply to themselves those things which are said generally. Whence those who wish to teach him well and preach to him rightly, ought to prescribe to him in particular practical rules of living, so that he may know in particular, here and now, what he ought to do, what to avoid. The particular members of the old man, therefore, which the Apostle wishes to be put off and stripped away, are lying, fraud, anger, injustice, theft, lust and the rest which follow. To these he opposes the members of the new man, and wishes them to be assumed and put on, namely truth, meekness, justice, liberality, chastity, etc. SPEAK YE THE TRUTH EVERY MAN WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, — so that you do not deceive your neighbor, do not defraud him, but faithfully render to him what you have promised him. FOR WE ARE MEMBERS ONE OF ANOTHER, — as if to say, One member does not lie to another, does not deceive another, but each is faithful to the other, and sincerely helps it as much as it can, for example the hand does not deceive the foot, does not place a stumbling block in its way that it might strike it and fall; but rather it warns it, and takes care that the foot is not deceived: thus also Christians individually, who are members one of another, ought to deceive no one, but be faithful to all, and faithfully and sincerely help all. Plato therefore errs, who in lib. III of the Republic teaches that it is sometimes lawful for a good and wise man, and especially for a prince and magistrate, to lie: "To the gods," he says, "lying is useless, but to men it is useful as a medicine. Wherefore it should be granted to public physicians, but not to private men to touch it. Therefore it is lawful for those administering the republic to lie, either for the sake of enemies or of citizens, for the common utility of the state; but the rest ought to abstain from lying." Far more truly and holily does Paul here prescribe truth to every man universally, and forbid lying. Which the Christians in the first centuries so imbibed, that Justin Martyr writes in his second Apology that Christians preferred to die rather than lie even once.
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26. BE ANGRY. — He cites Psalm IV, verse 5, where in Hebrew it is רגזו rigzu, which although it signifies to the Hebrews tremble, nevertheless to the Syrians (whose idiom the Psalmist sometimes uses in the psalms as in verse for elegance) it signifies be angry, namely at pleasure, as Hesychius says in the Greek Catena, on Psalm IV. Secondly, Theophylactus: be angry, namely at yourselves, at your sins and vices, punishing them through penance. Thirdly: If you are Prelates and set over others, exhibit anger, that is severity of correction, toward the vices of your subordinates when they offend. Whence Eusebius in the Catena of the Greeks, on Psalm IV, understands these literally to be the words of David to his illustrious men, as Jerome translated them, namely to Joab, Abishai and other commanders and soldiers indignant and preparing themselves for battle with Absalom the parricide, as if David said: O Joab and you soldiers of mine, be angry at Absalom, fight against him, but beware lest your anger and vengeance exceed the measure of just fighting and war. Fourthly, most excellently and most genuinely, in this Psalm IV David speaks to his enemies, and exhorts them to acknowledge, worship and invoke God, the protector of His worshippers, and not to persecute His Saints, but if ever they are stirred to anger and become angry at them, nevertheless to beware lest they sin; as if to say: If, O Philistines and other enemies of mine and of the just, anger against me or another just or innocent person should arise in you, and if (as Aquila translated) you are troubled, namely against me or anyone whomever: nevertheless do not sin, that is do not foster and complete anger; but restrain it by fear of the divine power and death, as the Chaldean says. Thus Origen, Chrysostom, Theodoret in the Catena of the Greeks: who hence teaches that anger which precedes reason is not a sin. Secondly, that anger, if governed by reason, is a whetstone of virtue. For this reason indeed the passion of anger was given to man, that he might undertake and overcome difficult things. He says therefore "be angry;" as if to say: If it should happen that you, on account of the fragility and proneness of nature, are stirred to anger and suddenly become angry (for the Greek παροργισμός signifies commotion, irritation and stirring, that is sudden anger; the same is signified by the Hebrew רגזו rigzu, from which some derive the Greek ὀργή), nevertheless do not sin, that is, do not consent to anger by will and reason, so that you cling to it and indulge it by devising and executing vengeance; but as quickly as possible through the dominion of reason and through fear of God break off and restrain anger: so that: LET NOT THE SUN GO DOWN UPON YOUR ANGER. — It is a proverb signifying that anger must be restrained immediately: for the Apostle does not permit at all that anyone indulge in anger the whole day and avenge himself, provided he lay it aside at sunset: for thus he would permit vengeance to be devised and executed throughout the whole day; but, as I have said, it is a proverb signifying that anger must be restrained immediately, lest, as follows, we give place to the devil. The first degree therefore of taming anger is that we restrain it immediately, lest it remain in the mind or burst forth into some harsh word or deed. The second is, if it has remained or burst forth, that before the setting of the sun, that is, as soon as we are able, we return to peace and tranquility. Thus Anselm, Genebrard and Jansenius on Psalm IV. Secondly, the setting of the sun can be understood here properly, as if to say: If anger has clung to the mind during the day and recurs repeatedly even unwillingly, at least before nightfall cast it out, then lest it recur at night and disturb you and your rest, and be more inflamed (for diurnal thoughts, especially sad and troublesome ones, are wont to recur at night and to harass, disturb and inflame a person); then so that it may not impede nocturnal prayer; then finally, lest, if it should happen that you fall into sickness or sudden death at night and be summoned by God to judgment, you die in anger and bitterness of mind and aversion from your neighbor, and thus do not dare to appear before the tribunal of Christ. For which reason in certain Religious communities this pious law has been established, that if anyone has offended another during the day, it is not permitted for him to give himself to nocturnal rest unless he has first sought pardon from him whom he offended and has been reconciled with him. Thus St. Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus, said to St. Hilarion: "From the time I received this habit, I have not allowed anyone to sleep who had anything against me: nor have I myself slept while having anything against anyone." To whom Hilarion replied: "Forgive me, because your conduct is greater than mine." So also St. John the Almsgiver, Archbishop of Alexandria, as Leontius testifies in his Life, when on a certain day he had been moved with anger, though just, against Nicetas the Patrician, in order to reconcile himself with him before evening, he sent his presbyter to Nicetas, who said to him: "The sun is already setting, most venerable man;" struck by this goad, Nicetas ran to St. John, and both before the setting of the sun rushed into each other's embrace. And this is what Pythagoras taught: "When you have lifted the pot from the ashes, the footprint must be disturbed," that is, when the first impulse of anger has cooled and settled, the memory of past evil is to be obliterated, and every trace of wrath is to be completely removed. So also "Antony," says St. Athanasius, "advised that this saying of the Apostle be retained in constant meditation: Let not the sun go down upon your anger. He did not interpret this merely as meaning that the sun should not set upon anger, but also upon all the sins of men, so that the sun and moon should never be witnesses to our sins either in the night or in the day. He also admonished them with that precept: Judge yourselves, and prove yourselves; so that, taking account of day and night, if they found a fault in themselves, they should cease from sinning: but if no error had deceived them, persevering they should rather persist in what they had begun, than, puffed up with arrogance, despise others or claim justice for themselves." Whence from Psalm IV cited, when David had said: "Be angry, and sin not," he added: "The things you say in your hearts, be ye sorry for them in your beds," understand, as if to say, Concerning those things which you speak and think badly and angrily during the day against me David and others innocent, when in your beds in the evening and night you are alone, silent and quiet, be sorry, grieve and do penance. Whence the Hebrew texts have: Say in your heart upon your beds, and be silent, as if to say, For the angers and sins which you committed during the day, in the evening and night in silence and silent meditation, in prayer and examination of conscience, exact an account and penalties from your conscience, says Theodoret, Origen, Athanasius, Chrysostom in the Greek Catena, so that namely unto death and unto God's judgment, if perchance you were called to it that night, through this examination of conscience, compunction and penance you might present yourselves. Tropologically St. Jerome and Anselm: The sun, that is, Christ, and the light of Christ, truth, prudence, wisdom, justice, sets upon the angry: for nothing so clouds the mind as anger, as if to say, Beware therefore, and immediately suppress anger, lest the sun of justice, Christ, set upon your mind. Whence St. Augustine in Psalm XXVI, exposition 1, explains thus: "Let not the sun set, that is, let not Christ abandon your mind, because Christ does not wish to dwell with anger;" and a little before: "Cast anger from your heart, before this visible light sets, lest that invisible light abandon you." Symbolically, the sun, that is reason and mind, should not set upon anger, lest namely anger be so grave and savage as to dull reason or destroy it, and make the mind mad, and reduce you to insanity. Thus St. Anselm and St. Thomas here, so St. Gregory of Nazianzus in his poem On Anger, and St. Augustine in the place already cited. ANGER. — Anger does not signify a habit, but an act, which we commonly call a fit of rage. He does not say anger: because this is a natural passion, and often lawful and holy; but anger. For this signifies an excess and effervescence of anger, and this signifies, as I have said, the Greek παροργισμός, namely an effervescence of the soul, an agitation and impulse, by which beyond (for this is what the Greek παρά signifies) reason and attention one is suddenly stirred up and carried away by a movement of anger against someone. Anger is rightly compared to a bee, which, in order to avenge itself from anger, drives its stinger into another, and thus often deprives itself of life: for thus the angry man murmurs and rages like a bee, and in order to avenge himself and harm another, he wounds himself, and pierces his soul with mortal sin. Hence David says of his enemies, Psalm 117, verse 12: "They compassed me about like bees." Truly "the thoughts of an angry man, as St. Jerome says from Philo, are the offspring of a viper gnawing the bowels of its mother with admirable secrecy of nature." Wherefore Aristotle, according to Aelian, advised Alexander the Great, who was naturally prone to anger, that, esteeming himself superior to all, he should despise insults: thus a Christian should despise insults, not as if he were better than the reviler, but as if he were stronger than the insults. "For every injury," says Tertullian, in the book On Penance, "whether inflicted by tongue or by hand, when it strikes against patience, will be dissipated by the same outcome as some missile hurled against the most steadfast hardness of a rock." "It is the property of true greatness," says Seneca, book III On Anger, chapter 25, "not to feel oneself struck. Thus a savage beast slowly regards the barking of dogs, thus a wave dashed against a great rock assaults it; he who does not grow angry persists unmoved in injury: he who grows angry is moved; therefore it is not to suffer injury, but to do injury, or not to know how to suffer it, that is evil." Chrysostom beautifully demonstrates this same thing, homily 76, whose title is, That No One Is Harmed Except by Himself, where among other things he says: "If anyone should think the sun the author of darkness, has the sun harmed itself, or has it harmed itself? namely itself, since it follows the opinion of one raging and mad: in the same way truly those who think wicked things to be good, and conversely, harm themselves." For it is womanish to repel insult with insult; for, as St. Ambrose says in book I of the Duties, chapter 6: "He who is quickly moved by injury makes himself seem worthy of contempt, while he wishes to seem unworthy of it." Finally, Damascene in the Parallels: "The mind," he says, "mindful of injuries sins at every hour, and carries the vice about in the breast;" whereas a thief, a robber, etc., once their crime is committed, soon grieve and repent.
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27. GIVE NO PLACE TO THE DEVIL,—which happens when anger is fostered, and similar offspring of the devil, as if to say, according to Oecumenius: Through angry thoughts, especially nocturnal ones, do not foster and inflame your anger, so as to give place to the devil, but lay aside all of them before nightfall and the setting of the sun. For nothing inflames anger, lust and other passions so much as to turn over and over in the mind injuries inflicted upon oneself, the appearance of women, and other objects and enticements by which passions are sharpened and kindled. On the contrary, no remedy against them is more efficacious than to draw the mind and imagination away to other thoughts with a certain force, to summon other pleasant and agreeable thoughts, to occupy oneself with studies and other thoughts, especially of death, judgment, hell, and heavenly glory, which exclude the former, to apply oneself to them, and to devote oneself entirely; especially at night, if from mental disturbance anyone is unable to sleep. Note: Vatable and Erasmus translate, "give no place to the slanderer" (for this is what the Greek διάβολος means), as if to say, Restrain your anger, lest the Gentiles slander Christians, that they are so prone to anger and desirous of vengeance. But it is better that others throughout understand by διάβολος Satan, who is called the devil, that is, the slanderer, by antonomasia, because he is the prince of all slanderers, and strives to turn all good men and their good works into slander both before God and before men. Tertullian reads, "give no place to evil": for the devil is called evil by antonomasia. Note secondly: Anger especially gives access and place to the devil: for he himself insinuates himself most easily and most secretly into angry thoughts, and by aggravating the injury done, stirs them up more, and by his suggestion and counsel kindles vengeance as if with a bellows; moreover he disturbs the spirit and blood, so as to inflame the bile: and thus he so confuses the reason and judgment of the angry man, that the angry man thinks vengeance to be not vengeance, but justice, and thus rushes forth into retaliation as if it were fair and just, nor does he see the sins and dangers into which he casts himself; but as if raging and mad he is carried into insults, blows and slaughter, nor is anything so monstrous that he does not dare and attempt it, while fury furnishes him with weapons: for with reason and mind taken away, the angry and furious man does not so much act as is acted upon by fury and by a demon, and seems to be a demon incarnate. Hence St. Gregory of Nazianzus begins to sing against anger, or rather to rage: "I am angry at anger, at the demon hidden within." Finally, Anselm symbolically: Our heart, he says, has two doors, of desire and of fear: close these, and the enemy will not enter into it, and thus you will not give place to the devil.
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28. LET HIM LABOR WORKING WITH HIS HANDS, WHAT IS GOOD. — "What is good," that is what is honest, as if to say: Let him labor and work, but in such a way that he seeks his livelihood not from a base craft, but from an honest one. Secondly, the Roman Bible interrupts "what is good" with two commas, as if it were a parenthesis, as if to say: Let him labor working with his hands, which thing is good and honest, not base and unbecoming, especially if he succors not only himself but also his neighbor suffering necessity, as follows, by his labor, as many pious craftsmen do: for this is an act of Christian simplicity, charity, patience, liberality and hope: therefore it is good and honest.
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29. LET NO CORRUPT SPEECH PROCEED OUT OF YOUR MOUTH. — For "corrupt" in Greek is σαπρός, that is, rotten and corrupted, which namely is not seasoned with the salt of prudence; but is infected and corrupted either by wantonness and obscenity, or by buffoonery, or by bitterness, or by mockery, or by envy, or by some other vice, and which indicates a rotten and foul root and tree, namely a heart either obscene, or buffoonish, or bitter, or envious. For "a corrupt tree (in Greek σαπρά, that is, rotten) brings forth evil fruit," Matt. cap. VII, vers. 17. What therefore our heart is, such also is our mouth, and what we think and desire, such things also we speak. Do you wish to know what sort of mind and soul someone has? See what sort of things he speaks. Hence Socrates to a young man: "Speak," he said, "O young man, that I may see you;" for speech is the mirror of the mind. Just as therefore a vessel full of urine, dregs and other foul and corrupted things, if it be opened, spreads and exhales the foul and corrupted odor of those same things, which strikes and infects the nostrils of those standing by, and then breathes upon them pestilence and death: so also a vicious mind eructates the putrefaction, corruption and vice which it contains, through the mouth, and strikes, infects and corrupts those hearing; so that most truly the Poet said, and from him the Apostle: "Evil communications corrupt good manners." Whence Theophylactus: σαπρός, he says, that is, foul and rotten, or ill-smelling speech, is not idle, rash, importunate; but is foul language, abuse, detraction. BUT IF ANY GOOD SPEECH FOR THE EDIFICATION OF FAITH, THAT IT MAY GIVE GRACE TO THOSE HEARING, — supply, let this proceed out of your mouth. Note: For "for the edification of faith," in Greek it is πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν τῆς χρείας, which Theophylactus translates, for the edification of necessity, that namely in necessity, or when this speech is necessary to those hearing, then let it be uttered and edify them. Secondly, Erasmus translates it, for the edification of utility, that is, speech which edifies those hearing, by speaking those things which are useful. Thirdly, St. Jerome and Vatable translate it, for the edification of opportuneness, that is, speech which edifies whenever it is fitting, or opportune to teach, help or advance others. Fourthly, the Syriac translates it, speech which is suited to edification. Whence it seems that he himself takes οἰκοδομὴν χρείας by hypallage for χρείᾳ οἰκοδομῆς, as if to say, Speech which is for the use of edification, that is, which is useful and suited to edification. But the Latin interpreter, says Jerome, for χρείας, that is, use and opportuneness, for the sake of euphony translated, faith; but I do not see what euphony or cacophony is here. Others think that by use and opportuneness our Interpreter understood faith, because faith is especially needed. I would rather say that our Interpreter, with Ambrose, for χρείας read πίστεως, that is, faith. For the Greek text is more corrupted than the Latin, as we have often already seen. The Apostle therefore wishes us to speak "for the edification of faith," that namely through our speech faith and Christian piety may grow and be advanced in the souls of those hearing. Or faith, that is, of the faithful, according to Can. 21, that namely the faithful may be edified, and may make progress in faith and virtues through our conversations. Hence a certain wise man prudently admonishes: "What you are about to say to others, first say to yourself." THAT IT MAY GIVE GRACE TO THOSE HEARING. — "Grace," that is, utility, advantage. Secondly, "grace," that is, progress in grace, piety and virtues. For thus Hebrew names and words often signify not an action beginning, but growing and advancing, as I said in Can. 32. Thirdly, more simply, he wishes our speech not only to be such as to edify, but at the same time to be gracious, so that it may be uttered with grace, elegantly and pleasantly, and thus flow more sweetly and better into the mind of those hearing. Hence the duty of an orator is not only to teach and move, but also to delight; because by delighting he teaches better and moves more effectively: namely "He has won every point who has mingled the useful with the sweet." Fourthly, Theophylactus expounds it in two ways. First: "Your speech," he says, "be opportune and suitable, so that those hearing may give you thanks. For if we have said something advantageous to the soul, those hearing will give us thanks, as those who have been helped through us." By grace therefore he understands the giving of thanks, which the hearer renders to one who speaks well. Or secondly, he says, "that it may give grace to those hearing," that is, that our speech may make them gracious and lovable. For just as ointment gives grace to those using it, so also divine speech and that useful to the soul, gives grace to those hearing and receiving it. But the third sense is the genuine one, as I said; for this is what the Wise Man says: "The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge," Proverb. XV, 2.
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30. DO NOT GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, BY WHOM (that is, through whom) YOU ARE SEALED UNTO THE DAY OF REDEMPTION. — that is, do not offend the Holy Spirit by obscene, foul, cursing, evil words, as he said in the preceding verse (for it refers to that), and by any sin whatsoever, says St. Jerome. Paul alludes to Isaiah LXIII, 10, where it is thus said: "But they provoked him to anger, and afflicted his Holy Spirit," or, as the Greek has it, "his Holy Spirit." Note: In the Holy Spirit there falls no sadness, anger, or any passion; but it is said anthropopathically that he is grieved when he is offended, when he withdraws himself and his grace from the soul, while he punishes one who speaks or acts in foul and evil ways. For a man, when he receives injury or insult from a friend, and is offended by it, is accustomed to be grieved: thus also the Holy Spirit, when we speak or do foul and evil things, is offended, and would be grieved if sadness could fall upon him, and unless God were ἀπαθής. Therefore the obscene and sinful man, insofar as it depends on him, grieves the Holy Spirit, because he gives cause which is apt to grieve, and which of itself grieves angels and Saints. But that the Holy Spirit is not grieved is not from a defect of cause, but from the perfection of the Holy Spirit who is unperturbed. Thus Theophylactus and others, as if to say: The Holy Spirit by grace dwells in you as in his own house which he has sealed for himself; take care therefore that your soul by purity and holiness be a pleasing and delightful dwelling for the Holy Spirit, and beware lest anything be done in it which could grieve and offend so great a guest. St. Anselm adds that those properly grieve the Holy Spirit who by wicked words and conduct grieve the Saints in whom the Holy Spirit dwells. Note secondly: Just as by foul, cursing and scandalous words we grieve the Holy Spirit, so by pious and holy words we gladden the Holy Spirit. With this goad therefore the Apostle pricks us, that we may take the greatest care lest evil speech (obscene or cursing) proceed from our mouth, but only that which edifies others: because the former grieves, the latter gladdens and exhilarates the Holy Spirit. Whence beautifully and effectively against cursing words (which you would do far better to apply to obscene words as well) rising up here, Chrysostom in his moral homily 14 says: "You have," he says, "a spiritual mouth, sealed by the Holy Spirit: consider what the dignity of your mouth is. You call God Father, and soon after you revile your brother. Consider, at what table your mouth has been deemed worthy, what it touches, what it tastes, what food (in the Eucharist) it enjoys? Reflect with whom you stand at the time of the mysteries, namely with Cherubim, with Seraphim. The Seraphim revile no one, but one and the same use fills their mouths, namely that of blessing and glorifying God. How then can you say with them: Holy, holy, when you abuse your mouth to reviling? Tell me, I pray, if someone were to abuse a royal vessel, which always holds royal foods, and is ordained for them, to the dung of servants, would he dare to place it again, full of dung, among the rest appointed for the same delicacies? By no means. But such is what you do when you accuse your brother, when you revile him (when you speak obscene things), and thus you render yourself foul and polluted. You stand in the heavens, you converse with angels, you have been deemed worthy of the Lord's kiss. God has adorned your mouth with so many and such great things, namely with angelic hymns, with food not only angelic, but surpassing angelic dignity, with his kiss, with his embraces as well; and you revile?" and speak foul or cursing words with a mouth so holy, a mouth consecrated to God and to God's praises, and to the Eucharist? Thus Chrysostom. BY WHOM YOU ARE SEALED UNTO THE DAY OF REDEMPTION. — as if to say: You are sealed by the Holy Spirit, and as it were sealed with a seal (for this is what the Greek ἐσφραγίσθητε means) you are, not as beasts are marked in the body, as the Jews were marked with the sign of circumcision; but as sons of the promise and as the royal flock of Christ and the Holy Spirit, you are sealed in the soul; and in it you have received the sign, figure and image of the Creator, of which I spoke in verse 24, that is, grace and holiness, so that, just as from a seal one recognizes whose letters they are, for example, that they are the letters of a king: thus from this seal of grace it may be known that you are sons of God, and consecrated to God. Chrysostom notes that not only the soul, but also our mouth, and consequently other members likewise are sealed with this sign of the Holy Spirit, that is, are sanctified and consecrated to God, so that with good reason we ought to keep closed a mouth thus sealed, lest by speaking foul and cursing words, we unseal and break this sign of the Holy Spirit, says Theophylactus from Chrysostom. ON THE DAY OF REDEMPTION,—that is, on the day on which you were baptized: for by baptism you were made partakers of the redemption of Christ, and on that day you were redeemed from the servitude of sin and the devil. Thus Oecumenius and Anselmus. But note: The Greek, Syriac and Roman Latin texts read unto the day of redemption, that is, of resurrection, as if to say, We are sealed with the seal of grace unto this end, namely that on the day of resurrection unto redemption, that is unto full liberation from death, sin and all evil, and unto heavenly glory and blessed immortality we may be enrolled, as it were as citizens of the saints and members of the household of God, and sealed by His grace as it were with a seal and earnest of the heavenly inheritance. Thus Chrysostom, Jerome, Theodoret, Ambrose. This enrollment and sealing therefore takes place through grace, which is a pledge of the inheritance and future redemption: it takes place, I say, fully and perfectly. For this sealing takes place in an inchoate manner through the character which is imprinted indelibly upon the soul in Baptism and Confirmation, as Francis Suarez rightly teaches, III part., Quest. LXIII, art. 3, and others; by which character as it were by a sign we are sealed, so that we may always be and remain the flock of Christ and soldiers of Christ, even if through sin we lose grace and desert to the camp of the devil. For always from this sign it is evident that we are sworn soldiers of Christ and deserters of the devil.
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31. LET ALL BITTERNESS, AND ANGER, AND INDIGNATION, AND CLAMOUR, AND RAILING, BE PUT AWAY FROM YOU, WITH ALL MALICE. — "Bitterness," says St. Jerome, is contrary to sweetness, and this applies both to manners and to tastes. For sweet, benign, gentle, affable and mild manners are contrary to bitter, harsh and morose ones. And just as sweet dishes are pleasing to the palate, while bitter ones are displeasing: so courtesy is pleasing to all, while bitterness and harshness of manners are displeasing. Note the degrees of anger: Its first root is bitterness, by which the mind, offended by some word or deed of a neighbour, turns away from him, becomes embittered, and sees, hears, and thinks of him with difficulty and reluctance. From this follows anger, in Greek θυμός (which our Interpreter usually translates as anger; St. Jerome translates it as fury), that is, an effervescence and inflammation of the mind; from this, thirdly, there arises and springs up indignation, in Greek ὀργή, that is, anger fully kindled, by which the angry man is indignant that he is despised or injured, and by which he seeks vengeance and desires to harm him by whom he thinks himself injured; from this, fourthly, it bursts forth into clamours, blasphemies and all malice. Thus Theophylactus, Jerome and others. Christ has taken away all these things; through the grace of Christ, Christians are able and ought to overcome and put away all these things by the virtue of patience. For, as St. Cyprian says, citing these words of the Apostle, in the book On the Good of Patience: "If a Christian has escaped from fury and carnal contention, as from the turbulence of the sea, and has begun to be calm and gentle in the harbour of Christ: he ought not to admit anger or discord within his breast, to whom it is not permitted to return evil for evil, nor to hate." And further on: "For as patience is the good of Christ, so impatience is the evil of the devil; and just as in him in whom Christ dwells and remains, patience is found, so impatience always exists in him whose mind is possessed by the wickedness of the devil." As St. Cyprian commanded, so he also performed in deed: for writing to Demetrian, a pagan who was clamorous and troublesome to him: "I was silent," he says, "and overcame the impatient man by patience, since I could neither teach the unteachable, nor restrain the impious by religion, nor check the raging man by gentleness." Golden is the saying of St. Ephrem, in the tract on the Fear of God, at the beginning of vol. III: "He who hides the memory of injuries in his heart is like one who nourishes a serpent in his bosom, which will surely harm him more than others." Note again: The remedies for anger are: First, "that we should first persuade ourselves that it is in no way permitted to be angry, either for just or unjust causes. The sum therefore of our amendment and tranquility is not to be placed in another's judgment, but consists in our own condition. Therefore, in order that we may not be angry, it ought not to proceed from another's perfection, but from our own virtue, which is acquired not by another's patience, but by our own long-suffering," says Cassian. Second is to restrain the tongue and the hand. Hence the philosopher Athenodorus, bidding farewell to Caesar Augustus, left him this memorial: "When angry, say or do nothing until you have gone through the twenty-four letters of the Greek alphabet." Plato, when angry at a slave, said to Xenocrates: "Beat this boy: for I cannot, since I am angry with him." To another slave he said: "Give thanks," he said, "to the gods: for unless I were angry, I would beat you with whips." Therefore the common people err, in that they punish most severely when they are angry. Eusebius, or rather Rufinus (for he added book XI to Eusebius), in book XI of the History, chapter XVII, writes that the Emperor Theodosius ordained that the sentences of princes pronounced against the accused should be deferred to the thirtieth day, so that there might be room for mercy, or, if the matter so required, for repentance. Whence also Seneca, in book II On Anger, writes thus: "Time must always be given: for time reveals the truth. A punishment deferred can be exacted, but one exacted cannot be recalled." Third, if you often consider the deformity of anger. Cato the Elder said, "an angry man is distinguished from a madman only by delay: for anger is a brief madness." Plato, when asked by what a wise man is known, said: "A wise man, when blamed, is not angry; when praised, is not puffed up:" for a fool is the slave of anger and cannot control praise and other desires. And this is what the Hebrews say, that a man's character is known in three things: in his purse, in his cup, in his anger. Plutarch advises that when angry, one should look at himself and his own manners in a mirror: for seeing his face and gestures similar to those of a madman and a lunatic, he will detest and beware of anger. For, as Philemon says, "we are all mad when we are angry." Fourth, if you consider that anger pours darkness over reason, disturbs sound counsels, conviction, governance, and political order. Demonax, when asked by a commander in what manner he might best preside over an army, replied: If you are free from irascibility; if you consider that you must be angry not at a man, but at a vice; if, like a physician with a sick man, you are not indignant, but calmly cure his mental illness. Fifth, if you consider the worthlessness of the thing on account of which you are angry, and thus diminish the injury and say: My enemy has not harmed me, but wished to harm me; and when you see him in your power, you think that vengeance could have been taken: it is a great kind of vengeance to forgive, and by forgiving to conquer. Sixth, if you root out from your soul the desires on account of whose loss you are angry. That Anchorite did this, of whom Nicephorus speaks, book XI, chapter XLIII. Finally, if you consider the meekness of Christ on the cross.
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32. BE YE THEREFORE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER. — Gentle and mild; this is the root of all patience and charity, which he opposes to bitterness. For anger is not extinguished by anger, just as fire is not by fire; but as fire is by water, so anger is extinguished by patience and kindness, says Chrysostom. For kind in Greek is χρηστοί, which signifies not only kind, but also beneficial, suitable, useful. Whence Christ was the proper name of certain Gentiles, for which reason some Gentiles wrongly called our Lord Christ Chrestus. See what has been said concerning Chrestus and chrestology at Romans xvi, 18. MERCIFUL, — εὔσπλαγχνοι, as it were of good bowels, or visceral; for it corresponds to the Hebrew רחם racham, which signifies to have mercy from the innermost bowels, so that all the bowels appear to be moved by pain and compassion for the misery of one's neighbor. Such are holy men, who in their bowels, that is intimately, feel and grieve over the poverty, hardships and afflictions of their neighbors, especially spiritual ones, and who exhibit the bowels of mercy to all. FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER, AS GOD ALSO IN CHRIST HATH FORGIVEN YOU. — The Greek χαριζόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς signifies forgiving, that is giving freely, giving willingly, or, as Vatablus translates it, showing grace to one another, as if to say: If you give anything to another, bestow, do good, show favor, you show this favor not so much to him as to yourself: for you accumulate the merit of your beneficence to yourself, which is far more valuable than the gift which your neighbor receives from you. But secondly, better do the Syrian, Chrysostom, Theophylactus, and Oecumenius translate it: forgiving, that is pardoning, as if to say: Pardon one another's mutual injuries, as God also "in Christ," that is through Christ, "hath forgiven," for that is pardoned, "you" your offenses and sins against Him. The heathen and ungrateful, as blessed Thomas More rightly said, commit benefits to dust; if they suffer anything evil, they engrave it on marble: but it is the part of Christians to commit injuries to dust, benefits to marble.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
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Supra commemoravit apostolus divina beneficia, per quae unitas Ecclesiae constituitur et conservatur, hic monet eos apostolus ad permanendum in Ecclesiae unitate. Circa quod duo facit, quia primo monet eos ut in ipsa unitate perseverent; secundo instruit eos quomodo in ea permaneant, ibi hoc ergo dico et testificor in domino, et cetera. Item prima in duas, quia primo monet eos ad servandam ecclesiasticam unitatem; secundo proponit ipsius ecclesiasticae unitatis formam, ibi unus dominus, una fides, et cetera. Prima iterum in tres. Primo praemittit quaedam inductiva ad servandam ecclesiasticam unitatem; secundo ponit monitionem, ibi cum omni humilitate, etc.; tertio ostendit monitionis finem, ibi solliciti servare, et cetera. Inducit autem ex tribus ad servandam ecclesiasticam unitatem. Primo ex charitatis affectu; secundo ex commemoratione suorum vinculorum; tertio ex consideratione divinorum. Charitatis autem affectum insinuat per obsecrationem. Unde dicit itaque, ex quo tot beneficia a domino recepistis, obsecro vos, cum tamen imperare possem, sed propter humilitatem non impero, magis autem obsecro. Prov. XVIII, 23 dicitur: cum obsecrationibus loquitur pauper. Item propter charitatem, quae magis movet ad opus, quam timor. Phil. I, 8: fiduciam multam habens in Christo imperandi tibi quod ad rem pertinet, propter charitatem magis obsecro, et cetera. Ex commemoratione vero suorum vinculorum inducit eos, dicens ego vinctus in domino. Ex quibus inducit eos ad servandam sic unitatem, propter tria. Primo quia amicus magis compatitur amico afflicto, et nititur in pluribus facere voluntatem suam, ut vel sic eum consoletur. Eccli. XII, 8 s.: non agnoscetur in bonis amicus, et non abscondetur in malis inimicus. In bonis viri, inimici illius in tristitia, et in malitia illius, amicus agnitus est. Secundo quia apostolus ipse vincula patiebatur pro ipsorum utilitate, et ideo inducit eos ad memoriam, quasi volens eos obligare. II Cor. I, 6: sive autem tribulamur pro vestra exhortatione et salute, sive consolamur pro vestra consolatione, sive exhortamur pro vestra exhortatione et salute; quae operatur tolerantiam earumdem passionum, quas et nos patimur. Tertio quia, ut supra dictum est cap. III in illa parte: quae est gloria vestra, huiusmodi erant eis ad magnam gloriam, dum Deus pro eis amicos et electos suos exposuit tribulationibus pro ipsorum salute. Et ideo addit in domino, id est, propter dominum. Vel ideo dicit hoc, quia erat ad gloriam apostoli, quod non ut fur, aut homicida, sed ut Christianus et propter dominum nostrum Iesum Christum vinculatus erat, iuxta illud Ezech. III, 25: ecce data sunt super te vincula, et ligabunt te in eis, et cetera. Ex consideratione vero divinorum beneficiorum inducit eos, dicens ut digne ambuletis vocatione qua vocati estis, id est attendentes dignitatem ad quam vocati estis, ambuletis secundum quod ei convenit. Si enim quis vocatus esset ad nobile regnum, indignum esset quod faceret opera rusticana. Sic monet Ephesios apostolus, quasi dicat: vocati estis ut sitis cives sanctorum et domestici Dei, ut dictum est supra cap. II, 19, non est ergo dignum ut faciatis opera terrena, nec ut de mundanis curetis. Ideo dicit digne, et cetera. Col. I, 10: ambuletis digne, Deo per omnia placentes. Phil. I, 27: digne Evangelio Christi conversamini. Et quare? Quia vocavit vos de tenebris in admirabile lumen suum, I Petr. II, 9. Consequenter cum dicit cum omni humilitate, etc., ponit modum suae monitionis, docens quomodo digne poterunt ambulare. Ponit ergo quatuor virtutes, et excludit quatuor vitia eis opposita. Primum autem vitium quod excludit est superbia. Dum enim unus superbiens vult alii praeesse et alius similiter superbus non vult subesse, causatur dissensio in societate et tollitur pax. Unde Prov. XIII, 10: inter superbos semper iurgia sunt. Ad quod excludendum dicit cum omni humilitate, scilicet interiori et exteriori. Eccli. III, 20: quanto magnus es, humilia te in omnibus, et cetera. Phil. II, 3: in humilitate superiores invicem arbitrantes. Iac. IV, 6: Deus superbis resistit, humilibus autem dat gratiam. Secundum est ira. Iracundi enim sunt propinqui ad iniuriam inferendam verbis vel factis, ex quo turbationes oriuntur. Prov. XV, v. 18: vir iracundus provocat rixas; qui patiens est, mitigat suscitatas. Ad hoc excludendum dicit et in mansuetudine, quae mitigat rixas, et pacem conservat. Prov. III, 34: mansuetis dabit gratiam. Ps. XXXVI, 11: mansueti autem haereditabunt terram. Eccli. III, 19: fili, in mansuetudine opera tua perfice, et super gloriam hominum diligeris. Tertium est impatientia. Quandoque enim aliquis humilis est et mansuetus in se, abstinens a molestiis inferendis, non tamen patienter sustinet molestias sibi illatas, vel attentatas. Ideo subdit cum patientia, scilicet adversorum. Iac. I, 4: patientia autem opus perfectum habet. Eccli. II, 4: in humilitate tua patientiam habet. Hebr. X, 36: patientia vobis necessaria est, ut voluntatem Dei facientes, et cetera. Quartum inordinatus zelus. Cum enim inordinate zelantes, omnia quae vident iudicant, nec tempus, nec locum servantes, concitatur turbatio in societate. Gal. V, 15: si mordetis invicem et comeditis, videte ne ab invicem consumamini.
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Et ideo dicit supportantes invicem in charitate, scilicet mutuo sustinentes defectus aliorum, et hoc ex charitate. Quia quando deficit aliquis, non debet statim corrigi, nisi adsit locus et tempus, sed misericorditer expectari, quia charitas omnia sustinet, I Cor. XIII, 7. Non autem debent huiusmodi defectus supportari ex negligentia vel ex consensu et familiaritate, vel carnali amicitia, sed ex charitate. Gal. VI, 2: alter alterius onera portate, et cetera. Rom. XV, 1: debemus nos firmiores imbecillitates infirmorum sustinere. Consequenter cum dicit solliciti servare, etc., ostendit monitionis finem, qui quidem est ut servetur unitas inter fideles. Circa quod tria facit. Primo ponit ipsam unitatem, quae est finis; secundo describit modum unitatis, ibi in vinculo pacis; tertio ponit rationem servandae unitatis, ibi sicut vocati estis, et cetera. Dicit ergo primo: dico quod digne ambuletis, etc., et hoc faciatis solliciti servare unitatem spiritus. Est autem duplex unitas. Una ad malefaciendum, quae est mala, et potest dici unitas carnis. Eccli. XI, 34: a scintilla una augetur ignis, et ab uno doloso augetur sanguis. Alia est unitas spiritus, quae est bona ad faciendum bonum. Ps. CXXXII, 1: ecce quam bonum et quam iucundum, et cetera. Io. XVII, 11: ut sint unum, sicut et nos unum sumus. Modus autem servandae unitatis est in vinculo pacis. Charitas enim est coniunctio animorum. Nulla autem rerum materialium coniunctio stare potest, nisi ligetur aliquo vinculo. Eodem modo nec coniunctio animorum per charitatem stare potest, nisi ligetur; huiusmodi autem verum ligamen est pax, quae est, secundum Augustinum, tranquillitas modi, speciei et ordinis, quando scilicet unusquisque habet quod suum est.
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Propter quod dicit in vinculo pacis. Ps. CXLVII, v. 14: qui posuit fines tuos pacem, et cetera. Quae quidem pax servatur per iustitiam. Is. XXXII, v. 17: opus iustitiae pax. Eccli. VI, 26: ne acedieris vinculis eius. Et quare? Quia certe, ut dicitur ibidem, vincula illius alligatura salutis. Nunc autem, quia in homine est duplex unitas, una scilicet membrorum ad invicem simul ordinatorum, alia corporis et animae tertium constituentium, apostolus autem loquitur hic de unitate Ecclesiae ad modum unitatis quae est in homine, ideo subiungit unum corpus, quasi dicat: ligemini vinculo pacis, ut sitis unum corpus, quantum ad primam unitatem, ut scilicet omnes fideles sint ordinati ad invicem, sicut membra unum corpus constituentia. Rom. XII, 5: multi unum corpus sumus in Christo, et cetera. Et unus spiritus, quantum ad secundum, ut videlicet unum habeatis spiritualem consensum per unitatem fidei et charitatis. Vel: unum corpus quoad proximum, et unus spiritus quoad Deum; quia qui adhaeret Deo, unus spiritus est, I Cor. VI, 17.
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Deinde cum dicit sicut vocati estis, etc., subdit rationem huius unitatis. Quia, sicut videmus, quod quando aliqui sunt vocati simul ad aliquid pariter habendum et mutuo percipiendum, solent simul etiam manere et simul ire, ita spiritualiter dicit: quia vos estis vocati ad unum, scilicet finale praemium, ideo debetis simul cum unitate spiritus ambulare in una spe vocationis vestrae, id est in unam spem speratam, quae est effectus vocationis. Hebr. III, 1: fratres, facti vocationis caelestis participes. I Cor. I, 26: videte vocationem vestram, et cetera. Sed posset aliquis dicere: quis vocabit nos, et ad quid? Respondetur I Petr. V, 10: Deus autem omnis gratiae, qui vocavit nos in aeternam gloriam suam, etc., ubi est beatitudo vestra. Apoc. XIX, 9: beati qui ad coenam nuptiarum agni vocati sunt.
Posita eorum exhortatione pro servanda ecclesiastica unitate, in hac parte apostolus formam dictae unitatis ipsis Ephesiis insinuat. Ubi sciendum est, quod cum Ecclesia Dei sit sicut civitas, est aliquod unum et distinctum, cum non sit unum sicut simplex, sed sicut compositum ex diversis partibus. Et ideo apostolus duo facit. Primo ostendit id quod est commune Ecclesiae; secundo ostendit id quod est distinctum in ipsa, ibi unicuique autem nostrum data est gratia, et cetera. In qualibet autem civitate, ad hoc ut sit una, quatuor debent esse communia, scilicet unus gubernator, una lex, eadem insignia, et idem finis: haec autem quatuor dicit apostolus esse in Ecclesia. Dicit ergo: dico quod debetis habere unum corpus et unum spiritum, quia estis in unitate Ecclesiae, quae est una.
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Primo, quia habet ducem unum, scilicet Christum, et quantum ad hoc dicit unus dominus, non plures, pro quorum diversis voluntatibus oporteat vos discordare. Dicitur enim Hebr. III, 6: Christus est tamquam filius in domo sua. Act. II, 36: certissime ergo sciat omnis domus Israel, quia et dominum eum et Christum Deus fecit hunc Iesum, quem vos crucifixistis. I Cor. VIII, 6: unus dominus noster Iesus Christus. Zach. c. XIV, 9: in illa die erit dominus unus, et nomen eius unum. Secundo quia lex eius est una. Lex enim Ecclesiae est lex fidei. Rom. III, v. 27: ubi est ergo nunc gloriatio tua? Exclusa est. Per quam legem? Factorum? Non, sed per legem fidei. Sed fides quandoque sumitur pro ipsa re credita, secundum illud: haec est fides Catholica, etc., id est, ista debent credi. Quandoque vero sumitur pro habitu fidei, quo creditur in corde. Et de utroque hoc potest dici. De primo, ut sit sensus una est fides, id est, idem iubemini credere et eodem modo operari, quia unum et idem est quod creditur a cunctis fidelibus, unde universalis seu Catholica dicitur. Unde I Cor. I, 10: idipsum dicatis, id est sentiatis, omnes, et cetera. Alio modo una est fides, id est unus habitus fidei quo creditur; una, inquam, non numero, sed specie, quia idem debet esse in corde omnium; et hoc modo idem volentium dicitur una voluntas. Tertio eadem sunt insignia Ecclesiae, scilicet sacramenta Christi, inter quae primum Baptisma, quod est ianua omnium aliorum. Et ideo dicit unum Baptisma. Dicitur autem unum triplici ratione. Primo quia Baptismata non differunt secundum baptizantes; quia a quocumque conferantur, uniformem virtutem habent, quia qui baptizat interius, unus est, scilicet Christus. Io. I, v. 33: super quem videris spiritum descendentem, et manentem super eum, hic est qui baptizat in spiritu sancto. Secundo dicitur unum, quia datur in nomine unius, scilicet Trinitatis. Baptizantes eos in nomine patris, et filii, et spiritus sancti. Tertio quia iterari non potest. Poenitentia autem, matrimonium, Eucharistia, et extrema unctio, iterari possunt, non autem Baptismus. Hebr. VI, 4: impossibile est eos qui semel sunt illuminati, scilicet per Baptismum, gustaverunt autem donum caeleste, et participes facti sunt spiritus sancti, gustaverunt nihilominus bonum Dei verbum virtutesque saeculi venturi, et prolapsi sunt, scilicet per peccatum, renovari rursus ad poenitentiam. Non iteratur autem vel propter characterem, vel quia causa eius non iteratur. Rom. VI, 4: consepulti enim sumus cum illo per Baptismum in mortem, et cetera. Nunc autem Christus semel pro peccatis mortuus est, ut dicitur I Petr. III, 18. Quarto in Ecclesia est idem finis, qui est Deus. Filius enim ducit nos ad patrem. I Cor. XV, 24: cum tradiderit regnum Deo et patri, cum evacuaverit omnem principatum, et potestatem, et virtutem, oportet autem illum regnare, et cetera. Et quantum ad hoc subiungit, dicens unus Deus, etc., ubi primo, ponit apostolus eius unitatem; secundo eius dignitatem, ibi qui est super omnes, et cetera. Circa primum duo dicit: primum pertinet ad naturam divinam; unde dicit unus Deus. Deut. VI, 4: audi, Israel, dominus Deus tuus unus est.
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Aliud pertinet ad eius benevolentiam ad nos et ad pietatem; unde dicit et pater omnium. Is. LXIII, 16: tu, domine, pater noster, et redemptor noster. Mal. II, 10: numquid non pater unus omnium nostrum? Numquid non Deus creavit nos? Dignitatem autem eius commendat ex tribus. Ex altitudine divinitatis, cum dicit qui est super omnes. Ps. CXII, 4: super omnes gentes dominus, et cetera. Ex amplitudine eius potestatis, cum dicit per omnia. Ier. c. XXXIII, 24: caelum et terram ego impleo, et cetera. Ps. VIII, 8: omnia subiecisti sub pedibus, et cetera. Lc. X, 22: omnia mihi quippe tradita sunt, quippe quia omnia per ipsum facta sunt, Io. I, 3. Sed modo quo dicitur Sap. XI, 21: omnia in numero, et pondere, et mensura disposuisti. Ex largitate gratiae, cum dicit et in omnibus nobis, scilicet per gratiam. Ier. XIV, 9: tu autem in nobis es, domine, et cetera. Sed primum appropriatur patri, qui est fontale principium divinitatis et omnes creaturas excellit. Secundum filio, qui est sapientia attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter, Sap. VIII, 1. Tertium vero spiritui sancto, qui replet orbem terrarum, Sap. I, 7.
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Supra ostendit apostolus ecclesiasticam unitatem quantum ad id quod in Ecclesia est commune, hic idem ostendit quantum ad hoc quod singulis fidelibus membris Ecclesiae est proprium et speciale. Circa quod tria facit: primo proponit distinctionem; secundo inducit ad hoc auctoritatem, ibi propter quod dicit, etc.; tertio ponit auctoritatis expositionem, ibi quod autem ascendit, et cetera. Dicit ergo: habemus in Ecclesia unum Deum, unam fidem, etc., sed tamen diversas gratias diversis particulariter collatas habemus, quia unicuique nostrum data est gratia, quasi dicat: nullus nostrum est qui non sit particeps divinae gratiae et communionis. Io. I, 16: de plenitudine eius omnes accepimus gratiam pro gratia. Sed certe ista gratia non est data omnibus uniformiter seu aequaliter, sed secundum mensuram donationis Christi, id est secundum quod Christus est dator, et eam singulis mensuravit. Rom. XII, 6: habentes donationes secundum gratiam quae data est nobis differentes. Haec differentia non est ex fato, nec a casu, nec ex merito, sed ex donatione Christi, id est secundum quod Christus nobis commensuravit. Ipse enim solus recepit spiritum non ad mensuram, Io. III, 34, caeteri autem sancti ad mensuram recipiunt. Rom. XII, 3: unicuique sicut Deus divisit mensuram fidei. I Cor. III, 8: unusquisque propriam mercedem accipiet, et cetera. Matth. XXV, 15: unicuique secundum propriam virtutem, et cetera. Quia sicut in potestate Christi est dare vel non dare, ita dare tantum vel minus. Sequitur propter quod dicit, et cetera. Hic ponit quamdam auctoritatem assumptam de Ps. LXVII, 19, et refertur ad hoc quod dixit secundum mensuram donationis Christi; ubi tria facit. Primo commemorat Christi ascensionem; secundo humani generis liberationem; tertio ponit donorum spiritualium collationem. Partes consequuntur se. Ostendit ergo primum, dicens sic: propter quod, scilicet significandum, dicit, scilicet propheta David in Ps. LXVII, 19: ascendens Christus in altum, et cetera. Mich. II, 13: ascendit ante eos pandens iter, et cetera. Iob XXXIX, 18: in altum alas erigit, et cetera. Ascendens, inquam, sed non solus, quia captivam duxit captivitatem, eos scilicet quos Diabolus captivaverat. Humanum enim genus captivatum erat, et sancti in charitate decedentes, qui meruerant gloriam, in captivitate Diaboli detinebantur quasi captivi in Limbo. Is. V, 13: ductus est captivus populus meus, et cetera. Hanc ergo captivitatem Christus liberavit, et secum duxit in caelum. Is. XLIX, 24 s.: numquid tolletur a forti praeda, aut quod captum fuerit a robusto salvabitur, ac salvum poterit esse? Quia haec dicit dominus: equidem et captivitas a forti tolletur, et quod ablatum fuerit a robusto, salvabitur. Sed certe hoc non verificatur solum quantum ad iam mortuos, sed etiam quantum ad viventes, qui captivi tenebantur sub peccato, quos, a peccato liberans, servos fecit iustitiae, ut dicitur Rom. VI, 18, et sic quodammodo eos in captivitatem duxit, non ad perniciem sed ad salutem. Lc. V, 10: ex hoc iam homines eris capiens. Non solum autem homines a Diaboli captivitate eripuit, et suae servituti subiecit, sed etiam eos spiritualibus bonis dotavit.
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Unde subditur dedit dona hominibus, scilicet gratiae et gloriae. Ps. LXXXIII, 12: gratiam et gloriam dabit dominus. II Petr. I, 4: per quem et pretiosa nobis promissa donavit, et cetera. Nec est contrarium quod in littera praecedenti dicitur accepit dona in hominibus, quia certe ipse dedit ut Deus et accepit ut homo in fidelibus, sicut in membris suis. Dedit in caelo sicut Deus, et accepit in terra secundum modum loquendi quo dicitur Matth. c. XXV, 40: quod uni ex minimis meis fecistis, mihi fecistis. Deinde cum dicit quod autem ascendit, etc., exponit propositam auctoritatem, et primo quantum ad ascensionem; secundo quantum ad materiam donationis, ibi et ipse dedit, et cetera. Circa primum duo facit. Primo ostendit quomodo descendit, ibi qui descendit; secundo quomodo ascendit, ibi qui ascendit, et cetera. Circa primum considerandum, quod cum Christus vere sit Deus, inconveniens videbatur quod sibi conveniret descendere, quia nihil est Deo sublimius.
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Et ideo ad hanc dubitationem excludendam subdit apostolus quod autem ascendit quid est, nisi quia et descendit primum, et cetera. Ac si diceret: ideo postea dixi quod ascendit, quia ipse primo descenderat, ut ascenderet: aliter enim ascendere non potuisset. Quomodo autem descendit, subdit, dicens quia in inferiores partes terrae. Quod potest intelligi dupliciter. Uno modo ut per inferiores partes terrae intelligantur istae partes terrae, in quibus nos habitamus, quae dicuntur inferiores, eo quod sunt infra caelum et aerem. In has autem partes terrae dicitur descendisse filius Dei, non motu locali, sed assumptione inferioris et terrenae naturae, secundum illud Phil. II, 7: exinanivit semetipsum, et cetera. Alio modo potest intelligi de Inferno, qui etiam infra nos est. Illuc enim descendit dominus secundum animam, ut inde sanctos liberaret. Et sic videtur hoc eis convenire quod dixerat: captivam duxit captivitatem. Zach. IX, 11: tu quoque in sanguine testamenti tui eduxisti vinctos tuos de lacu, in quo non erat aqua. Apoc. X, 1: vidi alium Angelum fortem descendentem de caelo, et cetera. Ex. III, 7: vidi afflictionem populi mei qui est in Aegypto, etc.; et sequitur: et descendi liberare eum. Deinde cum dicit qui descendit, etc., manifestat eius ascensionem quantum ad tria.
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Primo quantum ad personam ascendentis, cum dicit qui descendit, ipse est qui ascendit, et cetera. In quo designatur unitas personae Dei et hominis. Descendit enim, sicut dictum est, filius Dei assumendo humanam naturam, ascendit autem filius hominis secundum humanam naturam ad vitae immortalis sublimitatem. Et sic est idem filius Dei qui descendit et filius hominis qui ascendit. Io. c. III, 13: nemo ascendit in caelum, nisi qui descendit de caelo filius hominis, qui est in caelo. Ubi notatur quod humiles, qui voluntarie descendunt, spiritualiter Deo sublimante ascendunt, quia qui se humiliat, exaltabitur, Lc. XIV, 11. Secundo ostendit terminum ascensionis, cum dicit super omnes caelos. Ps. LXVII, 34: qui ascendit super omnes caelos ad orientem. Nec solum intelligendum est quod ascenderit super omnes caelos corporales, sed etiam super omnem spiritualem creaturam. Supra c. I, 20: constituens illum ad dexteram suam in caelestibus super omnem principatum, et potestatem, et virtutem, et dominationem, et omne nomen quod nominatur, et cetera. Tertio ponit ascensionis fructum, cum dicit ut adimpleret omnia, id est omne genus hominum spiritualibus donis repleret. Ps. LXIV, 5: replebimur in bonis domus tuae. Eccli. XXIV, 26: a generationibus meis adimplemini. Vel adimpleret, id est ut ad effectum perduceret, omnia quae de ipso erant scripta. Lc. ult.: oportet impleri omnia quae scripta sunt in lege et prophetis et Psalmis de me.
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Hic exponit apostolus quod supra dixerat de donatione donorum. Circa quod duo facit. Primo ostendit quod dominus singulis fidelibus dedit donorum diversitatem; secundo ostendit illorum donorum fructum et utilitatem, ibi ad consummationem sanctorum, et cetera. Et quia per dona Christi diversi status et munera in Ecclesia designantur, considerandum est quod, inter dona Christi, primo ponit apostolos. Unde dicit et ipse dedit quosdam quidem apostolos. Lc. VI, 13: elegit ex ipsis quos et apostolos nominavit. I Cor. XII, 28: quosdam quidem posuit in Ecclesia: primum apostolos, secundo prophetas, tertio doctores, quarto virtutes. Apostoli primo loco ponuntur, quia ipsi privilegiati fuerunt in omnibus donis Christi. Habuerunt enim plenitudinem gratiae et sapientiae, quidam quantum ad revelationem divinorum mysteriorum. Lc. ult.: aperuit eis sensum ut intelligerent, et cetera. Mc. c. IV, 11: vobis datum est nosse mysterium regni Dei, et cetera. Io. XV, 15: omnia quae audivi a patre meo, nota feci vobis. Habuerunt etiam copiam eloquentiae ad annuntiandum Evangelium. Lc. XXI, 15: dabo vobis os et sapientiam, cui non poterunt resistere, et contradicere omnes adversarii vestri. Mc. ult.: euntes in mundum universum, praedicate, et cetera. Habuerunt etiam praerogativam auctoritatis et potentiae quantum ad curam dominici gregis. Io. ult.: pasce oves meas. I Cor. X: de potestate nostra quam dedit nobis Deus in aedificationem, non in destructionem vestram, et cetera. Ideo apostolus subiungit hic tres gradus ecclesiasticos secundum participationem singulorum praemissorum. Nam quantum ad revelationem divinorum mysteriorum, subdit quosdam autem prophetas, qui praenuntiatores fuerunt incarnationis Christi, de quibus dicitur I Petr. I, 10: prophetae qui de futura in vobis gloria prophetaverunt. Matth. XI, 13: omnes enim prophetae, et lex usque ad Ioannem prophetaverunt. Sed apostoli prophetantes fuerunt post adventum Christi gaudia vitae futurae. Apoc. I, 3: beatus qui legit et qui audit verba prophetiae huius, et cetera. Item fuerunt exponentes antiquorum prophetarum prophetias. I Cor. XIV, 1: aemulamini spiritualia; magis autem ut prophetetis. Matth. XXV: ecce ego mitto ad vos prophetas et sapientes, et cetera. Quantum vero ad annuntiandum Evangelium, subdit alios vero Evangelistas, qui scilicet habent officium praedicandi Evangelium, vel etiam conscribendi, quamvis non essent de principalibus apostolis. Rom. X, 15: quam speciosi pedes evangelizantium pacem, et cetera. Is. XLI, 27: dabo Ierusalem Evangelistam. Quantum vero ad curam Ecclesiae subdit alios autem pastores, curam scilicet dominici gregis habentes. Et sub eodem addit et doctores, ad ostendendum quod proprium officium pastorum Ecclesiae est docere ea quae pertinent ad fidem et bonos mores. Dispensare autem temporalia non pertinet ad episcopos, qui sunt apostolorum successores, sed magis ad diaconos. Act. VI, 2: non est aequum nos derelinquere verbum Dei, et ministrare mensis. Tit. I, 9: amplectentem eum qui secundum doctrinam est, fidelem sermonem. Dicitur de episcopis Ier. III, 15: dabo vobis pastores iuxta cor meum, et pascent vos scientia et doctrina. Deinde cum dicit ad consummationem sanctorum, etc., ostendit fructum praedictorum donorum seu officiorum. Et circa hoc duo facit, quia primo assignat fructum; secundo ostendit qualiter fideles ad hunc fructum possent advenire, ibi ut iam non simus parvuli, et cetera. Prima iterum in duas. Primo proponit effectum proximum; secundo ostendit fructum ultimum, ibi donec occurramus omnes, et cetera. Effectus autem proximus praedictorum donorum seu officiorum, potest attendi quantum ad tria. Uno modo quantum ad ipsos qui sunt in officiis constituti, quibus ad hoc sunt collata dona spiritualia, ut ministrarent Deo et proximis. Et quantum ad hoc dicit in opus ministerii, per quod scilicet procuratur honor Dei, et salus proximorum. I Cor. IV, 1: sic nos existimet homo ut ministros Christi, et cetera. Is. LXI, 6: ministri Dei, dicetur vobis. Alio modo quantum ad perfectionem iam credentium, cum dicit ad consummationem, id est perfectionem, sanctorum, id est eorum qui iam sunt sanctificati per fidem Christi. Etenim specialiter debent intendere praelati ad subditos suos, ut eos ad statum perfectionis perducant; unde et ipsi perfectiores sunt, ut dicit Dionysius in ecclesiastica hierarchia. Hebr. VI, 1: ad perfectionem feramur, et cetera. Is. X, 22-23: consummatio abbreviata inundabit iustitiam. Consummationem enim, et abbreviationem dominus Deus exercituum faciet, et cetera.
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Tertio quantum ad conversionem infidelium; et quantum ad hoc dicit in aedificationem corporis Christi, id est ut convertantur infideles, ex quibus aedificatur Ecclesia Christi, quae est corpus eius. I Cor. XIV, 3: ad aedificationem, et exhortationem, et consolationem. Et sequitur ibidem: nam maior est qui prophetat quam qui linguis loquitur, nisi forte interpretetur, ut Ecclesia aedificationem accipiat, et ibidem, omnia ad aedificationem fiant. Deinde cum dicit donec occurramus, etc., assignat fructum ultimum, et potest intelligi dupliciter. Uno modo de fructu simpliciter ultimo, qui erit in resurrectione sanctorum. Et, secundum hoc, duo declarantur. Primo quidem congregatio resurgentium et corporalis et spiritualis. Corporalis quidem erit congregatio in hoc, quod omnes sancti congregabuntur ad Christum. Matth. XXIV, 28: ubicumque fuerit corpus, illuc congregabuntur et aquilae. Et quantum ad hoc dicit donec occurramus omnes, etc., quasi dicat: usque ad hoc extenditur praedictum ministerium et consummatio sanctorum et aedificatio Ecclesiae, donec in resurrectione occurramus Christo. Matth. XXV, 6: ecce sponsus venit, exite obviam ei. Amos IV, 12: praeparare in occursum Dei tui, Israel, et cetera. Et etiam occurramus nobis invicem. I Thess. IV, 17: simul rapiemur cum illis in nubibus obviam Christo in aera. Phil. III, 11: si quo modo occurram ad resurrectionem, quae est ex mortuis. Spiritualis autem congregatio attenditur quantum ad meritum, quod est secundum eamdem fidem, et quantum ad hoc dicit in unitatem fidei. Supra eodem: unus dominus, una fides. Item supra in eodem: solliciti servare unitatem spiritus, et cetera. Et quantum ad praemium, quod est secundum Dei perfectam visionem et cognitionem, de qua I Cor. XIII, 12: tunc cognoscam sicut et cognitus sum. Et quantum ad hoc dicit et agnitionis filii Dei. Ier. XXXI, 34: omnes enim cognoscent me. Secundo declarat praedictum fructum quantum ad perfectionem resurgentium. Et primo ponit ipsam perfectionem, cum dicit in virum perfectum. Ubi non est intelligendum, sicut quidam intellexerunt, quod scilicet foeminae mutentur in sexum virilem in resurrectione, quia uterque sexus permanebit non quidem ad commixtionem sexuum, quae tunc de caetero non erit, secundum illud Matth. XXII, 30: in resurrectione enim non nubent, neque nubentur, sed sunt sicut Angeli, sed ad perfectionem naturae et gloriae Dei, qui talem naturam condidit. Dicit ergo virum perfectum, ad designandum omnimodam perfectionem illius status. I Cor. XIII, 10: cum venerit quod perfectum est, evacuabitur quod ex parte est. Et propter hoc vir magis sumitur secundum quod dividitur contra puerum, quam secundum quod dividitur contra foeminam.
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Secundo ostendit exemplar huius perfectionis, cum dicit in mensuram aetatis plenitudinis Christi. Ubi considerandum est, quod corpus Christi verum est exemplar corporis mystici: utrumque enim constat ex pluribus membris in unum collectis. Corpus autem Christi fuit perductum ad plenam aetatem virilem, scilicet triginta trium annorum, in qua mortuus fuit. Huiusmodi ergo aetatis plenitudini conformabitur aetas sanctorum resurgentium, in quibus nulla erit imperfectio, nec defectus senectutis. Phil. III, 21: reformabit corpus humilitatis nostrae, configuratum corpori claritatis suae. Alio modo potest intelligi de fructu ultimo praesentis vitae, in qua quidem sibi occurrent omnes fideles ad unam fidem et agnitionem veritatis. Io. X, 16: alias oves habeo, quae non sunt de hoc ovili, et cetera. In qua perficitur etiam corpus Christi mysticum spirituali perfectione, ad similitudinem corporis Christi veri. Et secundum hoc totum corpus Ecclesiae dicitur corpus virile, secundum illam similitudinem qua utitur apostolus Gal. IV, 1: quanto tempore haeres parvulus est, nihil differt a servo, et cetera.
Posita donorum spiritualium diversitate et fructu eorum, hic ostendit apostolus quomodo ad fructum illum perveniamus. Circa quod duo facit. Primo duo impedimenta removet; secundo modum veniendi docet, ibi veritatem facientes, et cetera. Dicit ergo: bene dictum est, quod hic est fructus ultimus istorum donorum, quod scilicet occurramus domino in virum perfectum, etc., ergo oportet nos videre ut iam non simus parvuli, sed certe viri perfecti; quia quamdiu aliquis est puer, non est perfectus vir. Oportet ergo quod deserat pueritiam, qui domino debet occurrere. Sic faciebat apostolus. I Cor. XIII, 11: quando autem factus sum vir, evacuavi quae erant parvuli. Conditio autem pueri est, quod non est fixus vel determinatus in aliquo, sed credit omni verbo. Si ergo volumus exhibere nos ut viros perfectos, oportet quod deseramus cogitationem fluctuantem, id est instabilem. Et hoc est quod dicit fluctuantes. I Cor. XIV, v. 20: nolite pueri effici sensibus, sed malitia parvuli estote. Dicuntur autem fluctuantes a fluctu, quia tales ad modum fluctus non sunt firmi in fide. Iac. I, 6: qui enim haesitat, similis est fluctui maris, qui a vento movetur et circumfertur. Nunc autem necesse est nos stabiles esse et non fluctuare. Et quia ventus est prava doctrina, de qua merito dicitur Prov. XXV, 23: ventus Aquilo dissipat pluvias. Matth.
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VII, 25: descendit pluvia, venerunt flumina, flaverunt venti, et irruerunt in domum illam, et cecidit, et fuit ruina eius magna ideo dicit et non circumferamur omni vento doctrinae, etc.; quasi dicat: nulla doctrina perversa perflante ad commotionem cordis et ruinam spiritualis aedificii debemus moveri, quia non est bona doctrina; quod patet ex tribus. Primo ex eius principio, quod est in nequitia hominum; ideo non est bona doctrina, sed falsa et nequam, quam dogmatizat aliquis ad perditionem animarum, ut obtineat principatum, sicut doctrina Arrii nequissimi, qui crepuit medius, ut de ipso possit exponi illud Eccli. XXXI, 29: testimonium nequitiae eius verum est. Item, talis doctrina perversa est quod patet. Secundo, ex eius processu, qui est astutia, quia cum dolo, id est unum intendit et aliud simulat; propter quod apostolus dicit II Cor. XI, 3: timeo ne sicut serpens Evam seduxit astutia sua: ita ut corrumpantur sensus vestri et excidant a simplicitate, quae est in Christo Iesu. Tertio patet hoc idem ex effectu, quia effectus talis doctrinae est ad circumventionem erroris, non ad denarios vel alia temporalia acquirenda, sed ad seminandos errores seducunt et circumveniunt tales doctores; de quibus dicitur II Tim. III, 13: mali homines et seductores proficient in peius errantes, et in errorem alios mittentes.
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Deinde cum dicit veritatem autem facientes, etc., ostensis impedimentis per quae a fructu donorum spiritualium impeditur quis, hic ostendit qualiter ad fructum debitum pervenitur. Et arguit sic: statim dictum est quod si volumus ad spiritualium donorum fructum pervenire, oportet ut iam non simus parvuli, et cetera. Sed tamdiu sumus parvuli, quamdiu virilem statum non attingimus, nec crescimus: ergo nobis necessarium est, ut crescamus. Et hoc est quod dicit veritatem autem facientes, et cetera. Duo ergo facit. Primo ostendit in quo debemus crescere; secundo per quem, ibi in illo per omnia, et cetera. Dicit ergo quantum ad primum veritatem facientes crescamus, et hoc in duobus, scilicet in bono opere et forma boni operis, quae duo sunt veritas et charitas. Veritas autem quandoque dicitur omne opus bonum, ut Tob. I, 2: in captivitate tamen positus viam veritatis non deseruit. Faciamus ergo veritatem, scilicet omne opus bonum, vel veritatem doctrinae: quia non sufficere nobis debet audire vel docere veritatem, sed oportet facere; propter hoc dicebat apostolus I Tim. IV, 16: hoc enim faciens, et teipsum salvum facies, et eos qui te audiunt. Estote ergo factores, etc., ut dicitur Iac. I, 22; quia factores iustificabuntur, ut habetur Rom. c. II, 13. Et hoc si fiat in charitate, quae est forma boni operis. I Cor. XVI, 13 s.: viriliter agite, et confortetur cor vestrum, et omnia opera vestra in charitate fiant: quia certe aliter nihil valerent. I Cor. XIII, 3: si tradidero corpus meum, ita ut ardeam, charitatem autem non habuero, nihil mihi prodest. Sed quia in via Dei non progredi, est regredi, ideo subdit apostolus ut crescamus in illo, etc., ubi tria facit. Primo ostendit auctorem nostri augmenti; secundo eius veritatem; tertio modum augmenti. Secunda, ibi ex quo totum corpus. Tertia, ibi secundum operationem in mensuram uniuscuiusque membri. Dicit ergo crescamus in illo, scilicet in Christo, de quo I Petr. II, 2: in eo crescatis in salutem. In illo, inquam, qui est caput nostrum Christus et in Ecclesia, quae est corpus ipsius, ut dicitur Col. I, 24. Crescamus, inquam, non in possessionibus, sicut dicitur Iob I, 10: possessio eius crevit in terra, sed in spiritualibus. Nec in uno tantum, sed per omnia, id est in omni bono, fructificantes et crescentes. I Cor. X, 31: omnia in gloriam Dei facite, et cetera. Et ibi sequitur: sicut et ego per omnia omnibus placeo. De hoc commendat Corinthios apostolus, dicens I Cor. XI, 2: laudo vos, fratres, quod per omnia mei memores estis, et sicut tradidi vobis, omnia praecepta mea tenetis. Consequenter cum dicit ex quo totum corpus, etc., ostendit veritatem Christi per quem crescere debeamus. Ubi sciendum est, quod corpus naturale tria habet, scilicet compactionem membrorum ad invicem, ligationem per nervos et mutuam subministrationem. I Cor. XII, 16 s.: si dixerit pes: quoniam non sum manus, non sum de corpore; num ideo non est de corpore? Et si dixerit auris: quoniam non sum oculus, non sum de corpore, et cetera. Si totum corpus est odoratus, ubi auditus? Spiritualiter ergo, sicut unum corpus efficitur ex multis his tribus modis, scilicet per compactionem seu adunationem, per ligationem et per mutuam operationem et subventionem: ita et omnia, quae sunt a capite corporali, scilicet compactio, nervorum ligatio, ad opus motio, fluunt a capite nostro Christo in corpore Ecclesiae. Et, primo, compactio per fidem; unde dicit ex quo, scilicet Christo, qui est caput nostrum, ut modo dictum est, totum corpus compactum est, id est, coadunatum. Ps. CXLVI, 2: dispersiones Israel congregabit. Abac. II, 5: congregabit ad se omnes gentes, et coacervabit ad se omnes populos. De hoc dicitur Col. II, 19: caput ex quo totum corpus per nexus et coniunctiones subministratum et constructum crescit in augmentum Dei. Secundo, fluit a Christo capite in corpus Ecclesiae suae mysticum connexio et colligatio, quia oportet adunata aliquo nexu vel vinculo necti, vel colligari.
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Et propter hoc dicit et connexum per omnem iuncturam subministrationis, id est per fidem et charitatem, quae connectunt et coniungunt membra corporis mystici ad mutuam subministrationem. Eccli. XXXIX, 39: omnia opera domini bona, et omne opus hora sua subministrabit. Unde ipse apostolus, confidens de ista mutua subministratione quae est inter membra Ecclesiae per divinam coniunctionem, dicebat Phil. I, 19: scio enim, quia hoc proveniet in salutem per vestram orationem et subministrationem spiritus Iesu Christi. Tertio, a capite Christo in membris, ut augmententur spiritualiter, influitur virtus actualiter operandi. Unde dicit secundum mensuram uniuscuiusque membri, augmentum corporis facit; quasi dicat: non solum a capite nostro Christo est membrorum Ecclesiae compactio per fidem, nec sola connexio, vel colligatio per mutuam subministrationem charitatis, sed certe ab ipso est actualis membrorum operatio sive ad opus motio, secundum mensuram et competentiam cuiuslibet membri. Unde dicit, quod facit augmentum corporis secundum operationem et mensuram uniuscuiusque membri, debite mensurati; quia non solum per fidem corpus mysticum compaginatur, nec solum per charitatis subministrationem connectentem augetur corpus; sed per actualem compositionem ab unoquoque membro egredientem, secundum mensuram gratiae sibi datae, et actualem motionem ad operationem, quam Deus facit in nobis. Unde Is. XXVI, 12: omnia opera nostra operatus es in nobis. Idem vero Deus, qui operatur omnia in omnibus, ut dicitur I Cor. XII, 6. Et haec expositio concordat glossatori. Sed ad quid augmentat Deus unumquodque membrum? Ut corpus aedificet. Supra II, 21: in quo omnis aedificatio constructa crescit in templum sanctum in domino, in quo et vos coaedificamini, et cetera. Unde I Cor. III, 9: Dei aedificatio estis. Et haec omnia fiunt in charitate, quia, ut dicitur I Cor. c. VIII, 1: charitas aedificat. Vel in charitate facit Deus haec omnia, id est ex mera dilectione. Ier. XXXIII, 3: in charitate perpetua dilexi te, ideo attraxi te miserans. Rursusque: aedificabo, et aedificaberis. Hoc est ergo quod dicit in aedificationem sui in charitate.
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Supra monuit apostolus Ephesios ut manerent in ecclesiastica unitate, describendo modum eius et formam, in hac parte docet eos viam per quam possint manere in ecclesiastica unitate. Et circa hoc duo facit. Primo proponit praecepta, per quae possunt manere in ecclesiastica unitate; secundo ostendit potestatem hanc ad implenda praecepta in fine epistolae, ibi de caetero, fratres, confortamini, et cetera. Prima in duas. Primo proponit praecepta ad omnes; secundo pertinentia ad singulos gradus Ecclesiae, ibi mulieres viris suis subditae sint, et cetera. Prima in duas. Primo ponit quaedam praecepta generalia ad quae reducuntur omnia alia; secundo ponit specialia, ibi propter quod deponentes mendacium, et cetera. Prima iterum in duas, quia cum intentio apostoli sit eos revocare a vetere consuetudine ad novam Christi doctrinam, primo ostendit doctrinam Christi esse contrariam antiquae perversitati gentilitatis; secundo inducit eos, ut eam deponant et eam, quae Christi est assumant, ibi deponite vos secundum pristinam, et cetera. Prima in duas, quia primo describit conversationem gentilium; secundo ostendit, quod ei contrariatur doctrina Christi, ibi vos autem non ita, et cetera. Prima in tres. Primo hortatur eos, ut declinent conversationem gentilium; secundo describit eam quantum ad interiorem animum, ibi tenebris obscuratum, etc.; tertio quantum ad exteriorem modum, ibi qui desperantes, et cetera. Dicit ergo: ad hoc quod possitis implere ea, quae dicta sunt, dico, id est non obsecro, ut prius, sed dico, et testificor, hoc quod dixi. Gal. V, 3: testificor autem omni homini rursum circumcidenti se, quoniam debitor est universae legis faciendae. II Tim. IV, 1: testificor coram Deo et Christo Iesu, et cetera. Et quid? Ut iam, scilicet tempore fidei et conversionis ad Christum, quia iam vos mundi estis, Io. XIII, 10, non ambuletis, id est vivatis. Gal. V, 25: si spiritu vivimus, spiritu et ambulemus, et cetera. Et hoc sicut et gentes ambulant. I Cor. XII, 2: scitis, quoniam cum gentes essetis, ad simulacra muta prout ducebamini euntes, et cetera. Non sic igitur ambuletis. Prov. I, 15: fili mi, ne ambules cum eis, prohibe pedem tuum a semitis eorum, et cetera. Consequenter cum dicit in vanitate sensus sui, reddit causam huius prohibitionis. Ubi notandum est, quod cum ambulare spiritualiter sit proficere, secundum illud Is. c. XXVI, 7: rectus callis iusti ad ambulandum, et cetera. Gen. XVII, 1: ambula coram me, et esto perfectus, dicitur Abrahae, ad hoc ergo ut homo iuste ambulet, id est spiritualiter proficiat, oportet tria, quae in ipso sunt, regulari et ordinari. In homine enim est ratio iudicans de particularibus agendis; item, intellectus universalium principiorum, qui est synderesis; tertio, lex divina seu Deus. Quandocumque ergo aliquis secundum ista tria sibi invicem ordinata dirigitur, ita quod actio ordinetur secundum iudicium rationis, et haec, scilicet ratio, iudicet secundum intellectum rectum, vel synderesim, et haec, scilicet synderesis, ordinetur secundum legem divinam, tunc actio est bona et meritoria. Sed vita gentilium non est talis, imo deficit in praedictis tribus; quia, primo, deficit a ratione iudicante, quia ambulant in vanitate sensus sui. Sensus autem est vis apprehensiva, per quam iudicamus singularia. Unde aliquis homo rectus dicitur quando bene iudicat de agendis. Sed sensus iste quandoque est rectus, quandoque est vanus. Rectus dicitur, quando debita regula regitur, qua venit ad debitum finem; vanus autem quando, indebita regula ductus, non venit ad debitum finem. Sap. c. XIII, 1: vani sunt omnes homines in quibus non subest scientia Dei, et cetera. Rom. I, 21: evanuerunt in cogitationibus suis, et cetera. Ier. II, v. 5: ambulaverunt post vanitates suas, et vani facti sunt. Quare? Quia certe ratio istorum in agendis non dirigebatur ab intellectu illuminato, sed erroneo.
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Et hoc est quod ait tenebris obscuratum habentes intellectum. Rom. I, 21: obscuratum est insipiens cor eorum. Ps. LXXXI, 5: nescierunt, neque intellexerunt, in tenebris ambulant. Et ratio est, quia tales non sunt participes divini luminis, seu legis divinae illuminantis et regulantis; propter quod subdit alienati a vita Dei, id est a Deo, qui est vita animae. Io. XIV, 6: ego sum via, veritas, et vita. Vel, a vita Dei, id est a charitate et gratia spirituali, qua anima vivit formaliter. Rom. VI, 23: gratia autem Dei vita aeterna. Isti autem erant sine spe vitae aeternae, quia ponebant mortalitatem animae contra fidem et spem. Sap. II, 22: nescierunt sacramenta Dei, neque speraverunt mercedem iustitiae, neque iudicaverunt honorem animarum sanctarum, et cetera. Vel a vita Dei, id est a vita sancte vivendi, quae est per fidem. Gal. II, 20: vivo ego, iam non ego, et cetera. Iustus autem ex fide vivit, ut dicitur Rom. I, 17. Vel quae est per charitatem. I Io. III, 14: nos scimus, quia translati sumus de morte ad vitam, quoniam diligimus fratres, et cetera. Non sic autem isti, sed magis alienati. Modum autem huius alienationis tangit, scilicet per ignorantiam non stellarum vel cursus siderum, sed naturae divinae, I Cor. c. XV, 33: ignorantiam quidem Dei quidam habent, quia certe tunc solum in Iudaea notus erat Deus, sed modo, ut dicitur Act. XVII, v. 30: tempora huius ignorantiae despiciens Deus, nunc annuntiat hominibus, ut omnes ubique poenitentiam agant, et cetera. Huius autem ignorantiae Deus non erat causa quantum de se erat, ut dicitur Rom. I, v. 19: Deus enim illis revelavit, sed certe causa erat illis propter caecitatem cordis ipsorum. Et vere dicit caecitatem eo quod ex creaturis non poterant venire in notitiam creatoris, quia, ut dicitur Sap. II, 21, excaecavit eos malitia eorum; et sequitur: et nescierunt sacramenta Dei, neque mercedem speraverunt iustitiae. Et hoc est quod sequitur qui desperantes, etc., ubi ostendit apostolus quales erant in exteriori conversatione, quoniam sine spe, et hoc quia alienati a vita. Iob VII, v. 16: desperavi, nequaquam ultra iam vivam, et cetera. Ier. XVIII, 12: desperavimus, post cogitationes enim nostras ibimus, et unusquisque post pravitatem cordis sui malefaciemus. Et hoc est quod sequitur tradiderunt semetipsos impudicitiae, et cetera. Et hoc legi potest dupliciter, vel separatim, ut dicatur in avaritia, quia avari erant. Rom. I, 29: repletos omni iniquitate et malitia, fornicatione, avaritia. Hebr. XIII, 5: sint mores sine avaritia, etc., quia, ut dicitur Eccli. X, 9: avaro nihil est scelestius. Propter quod Hab. c. II, 9: vae qui congregat avaritiam malam domui suae, et cetera. Potest etiam legi coniunctim cum praecedentibus, ut dicatur in avaritia, id est avare, ita ut sit modificans praecedentia.
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Et secundum hoc aggravat eorum vitam tripliciter; quia, primo, peccaverunt non ex passione, sed potius ex electione, unde dicit tradiderunt semetipsos impudicitiae; quasi dicat: non passionibus, vel infirmitate peccaverunt, sed semetipsos tradiderunt, et cetera. Iudith VII, 15: sponte tradamus nos omnes populo Holofernis, et cetera. II Cor. XII, 21: non egerunt poenitentiam super immunditia quam gesserunt, et cetera. Secundo, ex actuali effrenatione. II Petr. II, v. 10: post carnem in concupiscentiam immunditiae ambulant, et cetera. Et ideo dicit in operationem omnis immunditiae. Ez. XIV, 3: isti posuerunt immunditias suas in cordibus suis, et cetera. Tertio, aggravatur eorum peccatum ex continuatione, quia incessanter peccabant. Os. IV, v. 10: fornicati sunt, et non cessaverunt, quoniam dominum reliquerunt. Unde dicit in avaritiam, id est ardenter, et appetitu continuo, et insatiabili. II Petr. II, 14: oculos habentes plenos adulterii et incessabilis delicti, pellicientes animas instabiles, cor exercitatum in avaritia habentes, maledictionis filii, et cetera.
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Ostensa perversitate gentilis conversationis, hic ostendit apostolus quod doctrina Christi totaliter contraria est isti conversationi et statui. Et quia pervertentes quidam doctrinam Christi dixerunt non esse aliam vitam post istam, sed animam mori cum corpore, ut animalia, ideo apostolus ostendit, primo doctrinam Christi contrariam esse vitae et statui praecedenti; secundo ostendit conditiones debitas doctrinae Christi, ibi deponite vos, et cetera. Dicit ergo: ita dictum est, quod illi desperantes, etc., vos autem non ita didicistis Christum, scilicet esse imitandum. Quomodo ergo? Ipsi enim vos a Deo didicistis ut diligatis invicem. II Thess. II, 15: itaque, fratres, state et tenete traditiones quas credidistis. Et quomodo tenebimus? I Thess. c. II, 13: quoniam cum accepissetis a nobis verbum auditus Dei, accepistis illud non ut verbum hominum, sed sicut est vere, verbum Dei, et cetera. Col. II, 7: radicati et superaedificati in ipso, et confirmati in fide, sicut didicistis abundantes in illo in gratiarum actione. Et hoc certe, si tamen illum audistis, quia auditus deservit disciplinae. Si, pro quia. Quia haec est Annuntiatio quam audistis, ut dicitur I Io. I, 5. Et hoc quantum ad praedicationem fidei. Eccli. XXIV, 30: qui audit me, non confundetur. Prov. XV, 31: auris quae audit increpationes vitae, in medio sapientium commorabitur, et cetera. Et in illo edocti estis, scilicet quomodo pertinentia ad fidem sunt custodienda et adimplenda. Matth. ult.: fecerunt sicut erant edocti, et cetera.
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Et hoc sicut est veritas in Iesu, quasi dicat: si audivistis fidem Christi praedicari et quomodo praedicata debeant adimpleri, estis edocti, sicut Iesus, de quo praedicatur vobis, qui est veritas. Vos autem non ita, scilicet oportet ambulare, sicut aliqui desperantes. Sed quomodo? Subdit deponite vos, et cetera. Quae quidem littera potest legi dupliciter. Uno modo, ut dicatur deponere, et tunc construitur cum praecedentibus sic: ita est veritas in qua edocti estis in Iesu, deponere vos, et cetera. Si autem dicatur deponite, quae littera communius habetur, dicemus quod quia contraria est et vita et doctrina gentilium, vitae et doctrinae Iesu, in qua edocti estis, restat ut deponatis, et cetera. Duo ergo facit. Quia cum primo extirpanda sint vitia quam inserantur virtutes, primo docet eos statum pristinae ac veteris conversationis deponere; secundo novum statum Iesu assumere, ibi renovamini autem spiritu, et cetera. Dicit ergo: deponite, et cetera. Ubi tria sunt consideranda. Primo quid intelligatur per veterem hominem. Dicunt aliqui, quod hic homo vetus exterior, novus vero dicitur interior. Sed dicendum est quod homo vetus dicitur tam interior quam exterior, qui subiicitur vetustati quantum ad animam per peccatum et quantum ad corpus, quia membra corporis sunt arma peccati. Et sic, subiectus homo peccato secundum animam et corpus, dicitur vetus homo, secundum quod illa vetusta sunt, quae sunt in via corruptionis, vel in ipso corrumpi; quia quod antiquatur et senescit, prope interitum est, ut dicitur ad Hebr. VIII, 13.
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Et sic homo subiectus peccato dicitur vetus, quia est in via corruptionis; propter quod subdit qui corrumpitur secundum desideria erroris. Nam unumquodque corrumpitur, cum recedit ab ordine naturae suae. Natura autem hominis est, ut desiderium eius tendat ad id quod est secundum rationem. Perfectio autem et bonum rationis est veritas. Quando ergo ratio tendit ad errorem, et desiderium ex hoc errore corrumpitur, tunc vetus homo dicitur. Dicit autem secundum desideria, scilicet mala. Rom. XIII, 14: carnis curam ne feceritis in desideriis. I Tim. VI, 9: desideria multa, et nociva, et inutilia, quae mergunt hominem in interitum et perditionem, et cetera. Quia autem haec desideria in quibusdam trahuntur ex infirmitate, in quibusdam vero ex malitia, sicut in illis qui dicunt Deum providentiam non habere, ideo dicit erroris; quia in talibus sic errantibus corrumpitur intellectus et affectus. Vel secundum desideria erroris, id est quae homines faciunt errare, secundum illud Sap. II, 21: haec cogitaverunt et erraverunt, et cetera. Prov. XIV, 8: imprudentia stultorum errans. Sed quomodo deponendus sit, docet apostolus, dicens Col. III, 9: expoliantes vos veterem hominem cum actibus suis, et cetera. Non ergo substantialiter debet deponi vel expoliari, sed solum quoad opera mala, vel conversationem. I Petr. II, 12: conversationem vestram inter gentes habentes bonam. I Tim. IV, 12: exemplum esto fidelium in verbo et conversatione. Deinde cum dicit renovamini, etc., ostendit, quod debemus novum statum induere. Circa quod tria facit. Primo ostendit per quid consequi possumus hanc novitatem; secundo in quo haec novitas consistat; tertio quae sit. Quantum ad primum dicit renovamini spiritu, et cetera. Ubi notandum est quod licet spiritus multipliciter dicatur in homine, tamen triplex spiritus invenitur, scilicet spiritus sanctus, I Cor. c. III, 16: nescitis quod templum Dei estis, et spiritus Dei habitat in vobis? Item, spiritus rationalis, Gal. V, 17: caro concupiscit adversus spiritum. Item, spiritus phantasticus. Os. IX, 7: scitote Israel stultum prophetam, insanum virum, spiritualem, id est phantasticum.
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Hoc ergo quod dicit spiritu mentis, sumitur pro spiritu sancto. Dicit autem causam renovationis esse spiritum sanctum, qui habitat in mente nostra. Gal. IV, 6: misit Deus spiritum filii sui in corda, et cetera. Ps. CIII, v. 30: emitte spiritum tuum, et creabuntur, et cetera. Vel potest accipi spiritus pro spiritu rationali, et tunc spiritus idem est quod mens nostra, et est simile huic quod dicitur Col. II, v. 11: in expoliatione corporis carnis, id est corporis, quae est caro; ita hic spiritu mentis, id est spiritu, qui est mens; hoc autem dicit, quia in nobis est alius spiritus, qui non est mens, qui scilicet est communis nobis et brutis. Dicit autem renovamini spiritu mentis, quia illud quod non est corruptum est novum, nec renovatione indiget. Nam si Adam corruptus non fuisset, renovatione non indiguisset, nec nos etiam. Sed quia corruptus fuit, renovatione indiguit et eius posteriores. Et ideo oportet renovari nos in praesenti secundum animam, et in futuro secundum corpus, quando corruptibile hoc induet incorruptionem, et mortale immortalitatem, ut dicitur I Cor. XV, 53. Dicit ergo renovamini spiritu, hic scilicet, quia nisi in praesenti spiritus renovetur, numquam corpus eius innovabitur. Vel potest exponi spiritu mentis, id est mente vestra spirituali facta; et in idem redit. In quo autem haec renovatio consistat, quantum ad secundum, subdit cum dicit et induite novum hominem, et cetera. Hic advertendum est quod sicut uniuscuiusque rei primum vetustatis principium fuit Adam, per quem peccatum in omnes intravit, ita principium primum novitatis et renovationis Christus est; quia sicut in Adam omnes moriuntur, ita et in Christo omnes vivificabuntur. Unde Gal. ult.: in Christo Iesu neque circumcisio, neque praeputium aliquid valet, sed nova creatura. Induimini ergo dominum nostrum Iesum Christum, Rom. c. XIII, 14.
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Quae autem sit renovatio ostendit, cum dicit qui secundum Deum creatus est, et cetera. Hoc autem potest intelligi tripliciter. Uno modo sic, ut ly qui, referatur ad spiritum, id est: spiritus, qui est mens nostra, creatus est a Deo, scilicet in originali iustitia, scilicet in sui novitate; vel recreatus nova creatione, ut esset iustus. Supra II, 10: creati in Christo Iesu in operibus bonis. Vel ly qui, potest referri ad novum hominem, scilicet Christum. Et tunc construetur sic: qui creatus est, id est formatus in utero virginis secundum Deum, id est non semine humano, sed spiritu sancto. Vel creatus est secundum esse gratiae et plenitudinis, et hoc in iustitia, quoad homines, et sanctitate, quoad Deum, et hoc veritatis, non falsitatis. Lc. I, 75: in sanctitate et iustitia. Vel ut sanctitas sit in corde, veritas in ore, iustitia in opere.
Supra posita generali monitione, ut novitatem induerent, hic apostolus ponit praecepta specialia. Circa quod duo facit. Primo inhibet eis peccata interiora corrumpentia spiritum; secundo peccata exteriora, quae corrumpunt carnem, ibi fornicatio autem, et cetera. Prima in duas. Primo prohibet peccata, quae in deordinatione propria consistunt; secundo peccata, quae consistunt in deordinatione alterius, ibi omnis sermo malus, et cetera. Prima iterum in tres, quia primo prohibet peccatum corrumpens rationalem; secundo peccatum deordinans irascibilem, ibi irascimini, et nolite peccare, etc.; tertio peccatum pertinens ad concupiscibilem, ibi qui furabatur, et cetera. Circa primum tria facit. Primo quia unum istorum prohibet; secundo inducit ad aliud; tertio rationem assignat. Prohibet ergo illud primo quod ad veterem hominem pertinet, ita ut ista littera sit expositiva huius, quod praedixerat: induite novum hominem, ad quem induendum primo prohibet mendacium, quia per hoc peccatum oris corrumpitur veritas rationis. Unde dicit propter quod, scilicet novum hominem induendum, sitis supple, deponentes mendacium, quia, ut dicitur in Ps. V, 7: perdes omnes qui loquuntur mendacium, scilicet perniciosum. Et postea inducit ad novitatem, dicens Zac. c.
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VIII, 16: loquimini veritatem unusquisque cum proximo suo. Et quare? Quoniam sumus invicem membra. Membra enim se invicem diligunt et se iuvant mutuo in veritate. Rom. XII, 5: unum corpus sumus in Christo, singuli autem alter alterius membra. Sequitur irascimini, et cetera. Ubi prohibet peccatum, corrumpens irascibilem. Circa quod tria facit. Primo ponit monitionem; secundo eam exponit, ibi sol non occidat, etc.; tertio rationem reddit, ibi nolite locum, et cetera. Monitionem autem ponit, cum dicit irascimini, et cetera. Quod potest exponi dupliciter, quia duplex est species irae, quaedam bona, quaedam mala. Mala quidem quando inordinate tendit in vindictam, scilicet contra iustitiam; bona vero quando in vindictam debitam, quando scilicet quis irascitur quando oportet, cum quibus, et quantum oportet. Et de utraque potest exponi. Si de mala, sic est sensus: non praecipit, sed permittit; quasi dicat: si sic est, quod motus irae insurgat, quod humanum est, nolite peccare, id est nolite perducere ad effectum per consensum. I Cor. X, 13: tentatio vos non apprehendat nisi humana. Quia certe, qui aliter irascitur fratri suo, reus erit iudicio, ut dicitur Matth. V, 22. De hac ira monebat Ioseph fratres suos Gen. XLV, 24: ne irascimini in via. Si autem exponatur de bona, sic tenetur non solum permissive, ut primo, sed imperative, irascimini, scilicet contra peccata vestra, quoniam duplex est vindicta, quam homo appetit. Una de seipso peccante, et sic poenitentia est quaedam vindicta, quam homo facit et capit de seipso. Et haec est bona ira, et de hac dicitur imperative irascimini, scilicet contra peccata vestra, et nolite peccare, scilicet de caetero, nec talia committere, contra quae iterum oporteat irasci. Modo credunt aliqui quod homo secure possit sibi ipsi irasci propter peccata sua, sed non proximo suo propter sua; sed non est ita: sicut enim contra seipsum quis irascitur propter peccata propria, ita proximo suo propter sua; ergo irascimini contra vitia aliena, et hoc cum zelo. Num. XXV, 11: Phinees avertit iram meam a filiis Israel, quia zelo meo commotus est contra eos. Sic Helias III Reg. XIX, 10: zelo zelatus sum pro domino Deo exercituum, quia dereliquerunt pactum domini filii Israel, et cetera. Et nolite peccare praeveniendo rationem, sed potius sequendo. Iac. I, 19: sit autem omnis homo velox ad audiendum, tardus autem ad loquendum, et tardus ad iram, et cetera.
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Sequitur sol non occidat, et cetera. Ubi exponit quod dixerat, et, secundum tres praedictas expositiones, potest tripliciter exponi, quia si de mala ira, tunc sic: sol, etc., id est: non persistatis in ira concepta sed ante solis occasum deponatis, quia licet permittatur motus, propter fragilitatem, non permittitur mora. Si de bona, et hoc contra peccata propria, tunc sic: sol, id est Christus, Mal. IV, 2: orietur vobis timentibus nomen meum sol iustitiae, etc., non occidat super iracundiam vestram, id est super peccata vestra, pro quibus iterum oporteat vos irasci, et vosmetipsos punire. Si contra peccata aliena, sic accipitur sol, scilicet rationis. Eccle. XII, 1: memento creatoris tui in diebus iuventutis tuae, antequam veniat tempus afflictionis, et appropinquent anni, de quibus dicas: non mihi placent, antequam tenebrescat sol, et cetera. Sol non occidat super iracundiam vestram, id est non obtenebretur dictamen rationis. Iob V, 2: virum stultum interficit iracundia.
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Sequitur nolite locum dare Diabolo, ubi assignat rationem monitionis. Diabolus enim habet locum in nobis per peccatum, vel per consensum. Io. XIII, 2: cum Diabolus iam misisset in cor, ut traderet eum Iudas, et cetera. Et sequitur ibid., quod post buccellam introivit in eum Satanas. Nunc autem huiusmodi passiones multum inclinant ad consensum et maxime quando pervertunt iudicium rationis, et hoc specialiter facit ira, quae consistit in accensione sanguinis, quae quidem ratione velocitatis sui motus praecedit iudicium rationis. Et quia, sic nobis perturbatis, Diabolus incipit locum habere in nobis, ideo dicit nolite locum dare Diabolo, quasi dicat: non perseveretis in ira, quia per hoc datis locum Diabolo, quia totus Diabolus iracundus est. Ps. XVII, 48: liberator meus de inimicis meis iracundis. Intrat autem hominem cum furore et ira. Apoc. XII, 12: descendit Diabolus ad vos, habens iram magnam. Hoc autem non potest facere saltem in anima, quamdiu homo iustus est. Haec autem iustitia per iram amittitur, quia ira viri iustitiam Dei non operatur, ut dicitur Iac. I, 20. Si ergo non vultis locum dare Diabolo, saltem in anima, sol non occidat super iracundiam vestram. Eccle. XI, 10: aufer iram a corde tuo.
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Exclusa supra vetustate hominis quantum ad vim rationalem et irascibilem, hic prohibet eam quantum ad concupiscibilem provenientem ex rerum inordinata concupiscentia. Circa quod duo facit. Primo prohibet concupiscibilis vetustatem; secundo hortatur ad eius novitatem, ibi magis autem laboret, et cetera. Ad vetustatem autem concupiscibilis pertinet furtum, quod provenit ex corrupto et inordinato appetitu rei temporalis. Ideo dicit qui furabatur, iam non furetur, etc., quasi dicat: qui habebat concupiscibilem corruptam et vetustam ex corrupto appetitu rerum temporalium, iam non furetur, scilicet si vult concupiscibilem renovare, quia, ut dicitur Eccli. V, 17: super furem confusio; propter hoc dicitur Ex. XX, 15: non furtum facies. Et quia aliquis posset se excusare prae paupertate, ideo dicit magis autem laboret, et cetera. Sicut ipse fecit apostolus, ut dicitur Act. XX, 33: argentum et aurum nullius concupivi, aut vestem, vos ipsi scitis, quoniam ad ea quae mihi opus erant, et his qui mecum sunt, ministraverunt manus istae. Item II Thess. III, 78: ipsi enim scitis quemadmodum oporteat vos imitari nos, quoniam non inquieti fuimus inter vos, neque gratis panem manducavimus ab aliquo, sed in labore et fatigatione, nocte ac die laborantes, ne quem vestrum gravaremus, et cetera. Unde notandum est, quod opus manuale ad tria inducitur. Primo ad necessitatem victus acquirendam. Gen. III, 19: in sudore vultus tui vesceris pane tuo. Et ideo qui non habet unde licite vivat, tenetur manibus laborare. II Thess. III, 10: si quis non vult operari, non manducet; quasi dicat: sicut qui non comedit in necessitate peccat, ita et si non laborat. Et sic ponitur hic ad excludendum furtum. Quandoque vero inducitur contra otium, quia multa mala docuit otiositas, Eccli. XXXIII, v. 29. Et ideo qui habent vitam otiosam, tenentur manibus laborare. II Thess. III, 11 s.: audivimus quosdam inter vos ambulare in quiete nihil operantes, sed curiose agentes. His autem, qui huiusmodi sunt, denuntiamus et obsecramus in domino Iesu Christo, ut cum silentio operantes suum panem manducent. Quandoque enim inducitur ad carnis macerationem et domationem. Unde ponitur inter alia opera continentiae II Cor. VI, 5: in laboribus, in vigiliis, in ieiuniis, et cetera. Triplex ergo est ratio iniungendi laborem corporalem; sed prima omnibus necessaria est, et hoc de necessitate praecepti, quia aliis modis potest excludi otium, similiter et lascivia carnis potest alio modo domari et refrenari, et sufficit quomodocumque fiat. Sequitur quod bonum est, quod dupliciter potest intelligi. Vel in vi accusativi, et sic construetur: magis autem laboret operando manibus, et quidem non illicita, sed quod bonum est. Gal. ult.: bonum autem facientes, non deficiamus. Is. I, 16 s.: quiescite agere perverse, discite bene facere. Vel potest intelligi in vi nominativi: laboret, etc., quod bonum est, quasi haec sit ratio quare laborandum est; quasi dicat: non solum est necessarium laborare, immo etiam bonum est laborare, ut laborans possit vivere, et ut habeat unde tribuat necessitatem patienti. Eccli. XXIX, 2: foenerare proximo tuo in tempore necessitatis illius, et cetera. Deinde cum dicit omnis sermo malus, etc., ponit pertinentia ad veterem hominem in deordinatione ad alium; et facit duo: quia primo prohibet vetustatem, et inducit novitatem; secundo inducit exemplum, in principio V cap., ibi estote ergo, et cetera. Ad proximum autem potest quis male se habere dupliciter. Uno modo laedendo eum verbis malis; alio modo malis exemplis. Primo prohibet primum; secundo secundum, ibi et nolite contristare, et cetera. Prima iterum in duas. Primo prohibet vetustatem; secundo inducit ad novitatem, ibi sed si quis, et cetera. Dicit ergo omnis sermo malus, et cetera. Sermo oris praetendit et annuntiat quae sunt in anima, quia voces sunt earum, quae sunt in anima, passionum notae. Ille est bonus sermo, qui indicat bonam dispositionem interiorem, malus vero qui malam. Tripliciter autem homo ordinatur interius, scilicet ad se, ut scilicet omnia sint rationi subiecta; ad Deum, ut ratio sit ei subdita; ad proximum, quando diligit eum ut seipsum. Est ergo quandoque sermo malus, quando indicat hominem inordinatum in se, et hic est sermo falsus eius, qui aliud loquitur et aliud intendit: et similiter sermo inutilis et vanus. Item, est sermo malus qui indicat hominem inordinatum contra Deum: sicut periuria, blasphemiae, et huiusmodi. Item, etiam est sermo malus, quando est contra proximum suum: sicut iniuriae, doli, et fallaciae.
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Et ideo dicit omnis sermo malus ex ore vestro non procedat. Omnis non vero aequipollet huic signo, nullus. Sap. I, 11: custodite ergo vos a murmuratione, quae nihil prodest, et a detractione parcite linguae, quia sermo obscurus in vacuum non ibit; quia certe Deum non praeterit omnis cogitatus et non abscondit se ab eo ullus sermo, ut dicitur Eccli. XLII, 20. Nunc autem deponite et vos omnia, iram, indignationem, malitiam, blasphemiam, turpem sermonem de ore vestro, Col. III. Sequitur sed si quis bonus est, et cetera. Inducit ad novitatem, quia sermo bonus benedicendus est pro loco et tempore. Prov. c. XV, 23: sermo opportunus est optimus. Si quis ergo loquitur, quasi sermones Dei, I Petr. c. IV, 11. Et ad quid? Subdit ad aedificationem fidei, id est ut corroboretur fides in cordibus infirmorum. I Cor. XIV, 26: omnia ad aedificationem fiant. Et hoc ut det gratiam audientibus, scilicet si talis bonus sermo sit probatus, vel talis sermo est conferens: quia frequenter homo ex bono sermone et per virtutem boni sermonis auditi, compunctus disponitur ad gratiam. Act. X, 44: adhuc loquente Petro verba haec, cecidit spiritus sanctus super omnes qui audiebant verbum. Sic loquebatur dominus, de quo dicitur Lc. IV, 22: mirabantur ex verbis gratiae, quae procedebant de ore ipsius. Eccle. X, 12: verba oris sapientis gratia.
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Supra monuit apostolus abstinere a verbis malis et nocivis, hic monet abstinere a verbis et factis turbativis seu contristativis proximorum. Circa quod duo facit. Primo prohibet quod pertinet ad vetustatem; secundo persuadet quod pertinet ad novitatem, ibi estote autem invicem benigni, et cetera. Prima iterum in duas, quia primo prohibet quod ad vetustatem pertinet in generali; secundo in speciali, ibi omnis amaritudo, et cetera. Dicit ergo nolite contristare spiritum, et cetera. Contra: spiritus sanctus est Deus, in quo non cadit passio aliqua, nec tristitia. Respondeo. Spiritus sanctus dicitur contristari, quando contristatur ille, in quo est spiritus sanctus. Lc. X, 16: qui vos spernit, me spernit. Is. LXIII, 10: ipsi autem ad iracundiam provocaverunt eum, et afflixerunt spiritum sanctum eius, et conversus est eis in inimicum. Vel dicendum est quod est metaphorica locutio. Sicut enim Deus dicitur irasci propter similitudinem effectus, ita etiam dicitur contristari; quia sicut quando aliquis contristatur recedit a contristante, ita spiritus sanctus a peccante. Et sic est sensus nolite contristare spiritum sanctum Dei, id est nolite eum fugare, vel expellere per peccatum. Sap. I, 5: spiritus sanctus enim disciplinae effugiet fictum, et auferet se a cogitationibus, quae sunt sine intellectu, et corripietur a superveniente iniquitate. Igitur non est contristandus spiritus sanctus, et hoc propter beneficium signi salutaris. Ideo subiungit in quo signati estis, id est reformati estis, et ab aliis distincti. Qui autem habebit hoc signum secum, habebit vitam aeternam. Ideo ergo est custodiendus et nullo modo contristandus, quia sine eo non est vita aeterna. II Cor. I, 22: qui signavit nos Deus, et dedit nobis pignus spiritus. Et quando? In die redemptionis, id est Baptismi. Io. III, 5: nisi quis renatus fuerit ex aqua et spiritu sancto, et cetera. Act. I, 5: vos autem baptizabimini spiritu sancto, non post multos hos dies. Dicit autem redemptionis, quia in Baptismo fit homo particeps redemptionis factae per Christum. Sequitur omnis amaritudo, et cetera. Ubi ostendit in speciali quae pertinent ad vetustatem. Quandoque enim homo contristat amicum suum ex ira, aliquando ex industria. Sed in ira est triplex gradus, quia aliquando retinetur et manet solum in corde, sicut qui tantum interius irascitur. Aliquando vero exprimitur in voce, sine tamen contumeliae prolatione, sicut qui dicit racha. Aliquando fit etiam addita contumeliae prolatione, sicut qui dicit fatue. Primo ergo ponit quod pertinet ad iram cordis; secundo quod pertinet ad inordinatam prolationem; tertio quod pertinet ad contumeliam. In ira autem cordis ista se consequuntur. Primo, quod ira est effectus tristitiae, et haec in sacra Scriptura dicitur amaritudo. I Reg. c. I, 10: cum esset Anna amaro animo, et oraret Deum flens, et cetera. Et ideo dicit omnis amaritudo, etc., quae est per memoriam iniuriae praeteritae. Eccli. XXI, 15: non est sensus ubi abundat amaritudo. Secundo, quod statim appetit vindictam; ideo dicit et ira, quae est appetitus vindictae. Iac. I, 20: ira enim viri Dei iustitiam non operatur. Tertio, quod iratus indignum reputat, quod ei parcat, et indignum esse, quod sine punitione transeat; ideo sequitur et indignatio. Sed quantum ad inordinatam prolationem sic est clamor. Is. V, 7: expectavi ut faceret iudicium, et ecce iniquitas, et iustitiam, et ecce clamor. Ideo dicit et clamor. Similiter et blasphemia est vel contra Deum, vel contra sanctos. Lev. XXIV, 16: quicumque blasphemaverit nomen domini, morte moriatur. Ideo dicit et blasphemia.
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Et addit tollatur a vobis cum omni malitia, scilicet operis. I Petr. c. II, 2: deponentes omnem malitiam, et omnem dolum et simulationem. Deinde cum dicit estote autem, etc., ponit pertinentia ad novitatem contrariam passionibus praemissis: contra amaritudinem, benignitatem.
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Unde dicit estote autem invicem benigni. Quia benignus est spiritus sapientiae, et cetera. Contra iram, misericordiam; unde dicit misericordes. Lc. VI, 36: estote ergo misericordes, sicut et pater vester misericors est. Contra indignationem, condonationem; unde dicit donantes invicem, et cetera. Col. III, 13: donantes vobismetipsis si quis adversus aliquem habet querelam, sicut et dominus donavit nobis, ita et vos. Rom. c. VIII, 32: qui etiam proprio filio suo non pepercit; et paulo post sequitur: quomodo non etiam cum illo nobis omnia donavit?
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1. Obsecro itaque vos ego vinctus in Domino. Ab hoc loco usque ad finem Epistolae doctrina moralis est, ita tamen, ut hoc capite paulo post initium, ex occasione, quaedam valde utilia interponantur de unitate fidelium, deque donis a Christo in Ecclesiae membra ad ejus utilitatem distributis. Graecum verbum, quod interpres vertit, obsecro, significat etiam hortari. Utraque significatio convenithuic loco. Quod ait, in Domino, referri potest ad verbum, obsecro, sive exhortor, hoc sensu: Obsecro vos per Dominuui Christum, sicut dicit ad Rom. 15. Sic enim alibi accipitur obsecrare in Do~ mino, ut 1 Thess. 4. et 2. Thess. 3. Verum magis apparet, referendum esse ad proximum nomen, vinctus; ul eo sensu vocet se Paulus vinctum in Domino, quo superiori capite et iu aliis Epistolis vocat se vinctum Jesu Christi, id est, captivum et vinculis constrictum propter Evangelium Ohristi Domini, quod praedicabat. Meminit autem vinculorum suorum ad excitandum affectum, quo sit efiicacior exhortatio.
Ut digne ambuletis vocatione, qua vocati estis. Verti etiam potest, ad quam vocati estis. Sensus: Ut vitam et actiones vestras instituatis, ita ut dignum est vestra vocatione. Quasidieat: Cr.mtanta sit excellentia vocationis vestrae, quanta declarata est in praecedentibus: ideo cum obsecratione vos exhortor, ut mores et studia vocationi vestrae conformetis, id est, at sancta sit et impolluta conversatio vestra. Id enim explicat post medium capitis. Hic interim subjungit, quid conjunctum esse velit sanctae conversationi, qua quis sic, ut vocatione sua dignum est, ambulat. Estque locus hic similis aliis, in quibus spirituales ac firmiores admonet, ut infirmos sustineant, ut Rom. 14. et 15. et Gal. 6.
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2. Cum omni humilitate et mansuetudine. Sensus plenior, si suppleas: Idque cum omni, id est, multa humilitate et mansuetudine, qua nimirum erga proximos humiliter et mansuete se gerat homo spiritualis: humiliter quidem, ut propriae vilitatis ac fragilitatis sibi conscius nemini se anteponat ac neminem judicjt; mansueto vero, ne facile aliorum infirmitatibus offendatur et ad indignationem provocetur. Est enim mansuetudo iracundiae contraria, sicut humilitas superbiae. Nam humilitatem hoc loco virtutis esse vocabulum, non conditionis, ex Graeco perspicuum est.
Cum patientia sujjportantes invicem in charitate. Graece, cum longanimitate sustinentes etc. Id est, cum lenitate animi, si quid in aliorum moribus asperum aut vitiosum est, tolerantes per charitatem. Nam aliorum infirma tolerare ac dissimulare, proprie ad virtutem uaxpo- Oouiac; pertinet: charitas autem, qua proximum diiigimns, imperat actus hujusmodi: juxta illud, quod in laudibus cha* ritaiis primum ponitur 1 Cor. 13. Charitas patiens est, Graece, longanimis est: ut hoc loco.
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3. Soliciti servare unitatem spiritus in vinculo pacis. Soliciti, Graece, studentes: et ita legit August. lib. 2. contra literas Petil. cap. 78., cum ejusdem lib. cap. 69. legisset solicite agentes. Ambrosianus vero, pro quo interpres noster vevtit soliciti servare, eodem servato sensu, legit solicite strvantes. Sensus enim est: Stuaiose ac solicite operam dantes, ut servetis unitatem spiritus, id est, animorum inter vos conjanctionem, in vinculo, seu Graece colligatione, pacis, id est, pace velut vincalo quodam animos vestros in unum colligante. Pax enim, justitiae filia, quae ab Augustino definitur, tranquillitas modi, speciei et ordinis, unitatem et concordiam animorum parit. Vide S. August. de civit. lib. 19. cap. 13. Spiritum intelligrmus humanum, id est, ar.imos hominum inter se consentientium, secuti commentarium S. Thomae et Ambrosiani; non autem, ut Graeci, Spiritum sanctum: quia quod mox sequitui: Unus spiritus, de spiritu humano convenientius accipi putamus. Hieronymus utrumque proponit intellectum: sed ita ut de humano spiritu probabiliorem faciat, ex aliarum Scripturarum collatione.
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4. Unum corpus et unus spirHus. Subauditur a communi sensu, existentes: vel ut sitis unum corpus et unus spiritus. Vel hoc modo: ut cum sitis unum corpus, sitis etiam unus spiritus. Erant Ephesii fideles unum corous propter externam, visibilem et ordinatam conjunctionem, quam in Ecclesia sua habebant, tanquam membra in corpore. Sic Rom. 12. Multi unum corpus sumus in Christo. Vult autem, ut perinde sint unus spiritus: id est, animo ac spiritu inter se consentientes, tanquam essent unus spiritus. Loquitur enim de unitate Ecclesiae, tanquam unius hominis, constantis corpore et spiritu: rogatque, ut sicut unum corpus Ecclesiae constituebant externa professione, sic et animis conjuncti sint et uniti. Sic ergo vult Ephesios esse unum spiritum, quomodo dixil 1 Cor. 6. Qui adhaeret Domino, unus spiritus est. Et quomodo de primis fidelibus scriptum est Act. 4., quod multitudinis credentium erat cor unum et anima una.
Sicut vocati estis in una spe vocationis vestrae. Quidam Manuscripti codices interposita conjuncticne legunt: Sicut et vocati estis. Quae quidem Graecorum lectio est, et ipsius Hieronymi. Subtilius autem observandum est, Apostolum ad unitatem spiritus servandam Ephesios hortari, a septemplici unitate, quae illis jam aderat. Primo, quia erant unam corpus, ut jam dictum est. Secundo, ab una spe vocationis, uthic dicitur. Tertio, quia unus erat omnium Dominus. Quarto, quia una fides. Quinto, quia unum baptisma. Sexto, quia unus omnium Deus. Septimo, quia unus omnium pater. Quod ergo hic dicit, tale est: Hortor vos, ut sitis unus spiritus: sicut et ad unam spem gloriae coelestis vocati estis. Quasi dicat: Merito exigitur a vobis unitas spiritus, qui ad eundem finem aeternae felicitatis sperando tenditis. Spes enim pro re promissa ac sperata consueto more Scripturae ponitur.
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5. Vnus Dominus. Christum hominem intelligit: qui unus ac solas jure redemptionis Dominus noster est. Ideoque hoc nomine passim eum Paulus vocitat. De quo etiam 1 Cor. 8. dixit: Unus Dominus Jesus Christus. Petrus quoque sic de eo loquitur Act. 2. Certissime sciat omnis domus Israel, quia Dominum eum et Christum fecit Deus, hunc Jesum, quem vos crucifixistis. Quod de Christo secundum assumptam naturam certum est intelligi. Jam si unus omnium fidelium Dominus, a quo redempti sunt: justum est, ut in unitate spiritus illi serviant.
Una fides. Scilicet objecti ratione, quatenus unum et idem omnes credunt. Atque hoc modo unam esse fidem non modo Christianorum inter se, verum etiam antiquorum, qui Christum venturum exspectabant, et nostram, qui eum venisse credimus; recte tradunt Theologi cum Magistro Sent. lib. 3. dist. 23. Quod si una est omnium fides; debet et unus esse spiritus. Turpe est enim, eadem credentes animis et studiis esse divisos.
Unum baptisma. Argumentum est ab unitate sacramentorum, velut signorum quorundam visibilium, quibus inter se fideles in unam religionem colligantur; inter quae primum est baptisma. Sic alibi ab unitate sacramenti eucharistiae, quod inter sacramenta sanctissimum est, argumentatur, cum ait: Quoniam unus panis, unum corpus multi sumus, omnes qui de uno pane participamus, 1 Cor. 10. Cyprianus et post eum Donatistae sic locum hunc acceperunt, quasi significetur in sola Ecclesia verum baptisma conferri; et proinde, quod ab haereticis extra Ecclesiam confertur, verum baptisma non esse. Contra catholici quidam hinc statui putant, baptismi sacramentum sic esse unum, ut a quocunque et ubicunque collatum fuerit, repeti non debeat. Verum sicut Donatistae perperam ex hac scriptura petiverunt eiroris sui patrocinium; non enim aliud baptisma confert haereticus, formam Ecclesiae servans, aliud catholicus, sed uterque unum et idem baptisma Christi: sic quod catholici tradunt de baptismo non repetendo, licet verissimum sit, non tamen in hoc Apostoli loco fundatum videtur. Sicut enim unum baptisma dicit, sic et unam fidem; quae tamen et amitti potest, et amissa recuperari. Sic quoque de eucharistia loquens, unum panem dixit; quem tamen iidem fideles frequenter accipiunt. Unum igitur baptisma est ex mente Apostoli, quia sicut eadem credunt omnes fideles, ita et iisdem utuntur sacramentis, velut externis fidei symbolis, et ut S. Thomas loquitur, Ecclesiae insignibus; ac nominatim baptismate, quod propria ac peculiari ratione fidei sacramentum a patribus appellatur. Hanc baptismatis unitatem significavit 1 Cor. 1. dicens: ^Nunquid in nomine Pauli baptizati estis? quasi dicat, minime: cum Ecclesia praeter unum baptisma Christi, quod omnibus Christianis commune est, nullum aliud agnoscat. Unde August. lib. 2.cont. lit. Petil. cap. 27. unum baptisma interpretatur, quia baptisma Christi est, non hominis. Nam si hominis esset baptisma, tot essent baptismata, quot sunt baptizantes.
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6. Unus Deus et pater omnium. Scilicet vestrum. Haec pars dupliciter suadet Ephesiis et omnibus fidelibus servandam unitatem spiritus: et quia unus est omnium Deus; et quia unus est omnium pater. Idem Deus exigit cultores unanimes: idem pater, filios fraterno amore conjunctos. Utitur hac duplici ratione etiam propheta Malachias apud Judaeos, cum ait cap. 2. Nunquid non pater unus omnium nostrum? nunquid non Deus unus creavit nos? Quare ergo despicit unusquisque nostrum fratrem suum?
Qui est super omnes, et per omnia, et in omnibus nobis. Graece in multis codicibus vobis. Hieronymus tantum in omnibus legit, non addito pronomine. Commentarius Ambrosiani nostrae lectioni subscribit, ut et Graeca Complut. cum quibusdam aliis. Omnes et omnia genitivi sunt in Graeco, rcavTwv, communes masculino et neutro generi. Hinc quatuor emergunt diversae Latinae versiones. Prima, quae nostri est interpretis, super omnes, et per omnia. Secunda, super omnia et per omnes: quomodo legit et exponit Ambrosianus. Tertia, super omnes et per omnes: quae lectio apud Hieronymum est, atque a Fabro et Cajetano probatur. Quarta, super omnia et per omnia; quomodo vertit Erasmus. Quam vero lectionem ex his oirnibus poscant Graecorum commentarii, non potest ex iis certo colligi; tametsi satis appareat, eos stare pro tertia; maxime quod illud extremum, et in omnibus vobis, masculinum genus secum adferat, a quo priora reembra genere discrepare, non est a quoquam illorum annotatum. Nec sane quadrabat, aliud genus in prioribus intelligi, quam in postremo; quum sit sermo continuus. Quin et circumstantia loci masculinum genus expetere videtur, idque relatum ad ipsos Ephesios; tanquam eis diceret: Unus Deus et pater est omnium vestrum, qui est super omnes vos et per omnes vos, et in omnibus vobis. Quod ita brevissime Theodoretus exponit, super omnes, dominio; per omnes, providentia; in omnibus, justificatione. Caeterae tres lectiones generaliorem exigunt commentarium; quo nimirum omnes personarum, et omnia rerum universitatem comprehendat. Ubi denique notandum cum Hieronymo et Aquinate, tres praepositiones, quibus hic utitur Apostolus, sigillatim ad tres in Deo personas, per appropriationem, referri posse: ut super omnes, vel super omnia, Patri congruat, qui est auctor omnium, et, ut S. Thomas loquitur, fontale principium divinitatis; per omnes vel per omnia, Filio, per quem omnia facta sunt, quique est sapientia attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter, Sap. 8.; in omnibus autem, Spiritui sancto, cujus habitaculum ac templum sunt fideles, quique replevit orbem terrarum, Sap. 1.
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7. Unicuique autem nostrum data est gratia secundum mensuram donationis Christi. Hoc quoque pertinet ad commendandam unitatem spiritus inter fideles. Unicuique nostrum, inquit, gratiam aliquam habenti, data est ea gratia a Deo, non pro ratione dignitatis aut meritorum cujus |ue, sed prout Christo placuit unicuique liberaliter elargiri. Ncn est igitur, ut quis insolescat adversus alterum, quod plus aliquid habeat: totum enim quod habet, donum est, non pro meritis datum, sed secundum mensuram, quam ei gratuito admensus est donator Christus. Sermo est de gratia, quam Theologi vocant gratis datam; nt patet ex conseqneutibus.
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8. Propter quod dicit. Id est, ad significandamgratuitam hanc donationem Christi, dicit Propheta David Psalm. 67. Ascendens in altum captivam duxit captivitatem. Graecum participium avajiag tempus praeteritum significat, ideoque videri posset Latine reddendum hoc aut simili modo: cum ascendisset in altum. Quodque sequitur, captivam duxit captivitatem, Graece est, captivavit captivitatem; quomodo legit August. serm. 43. de verbis Domiiii. Porro captivare captivitatem Hebraea phrasis est, pro eo, quod Latine dicitur, capere, seu ducere captivos. Sic enim Hieronymus vertit Deut. 21. et alibi. Quod autem in tertia persona citat Apostrlus, apud Psalmistam in secunda dicitur: Ascendisti in altum, cepisti captivitatem. Qua in re nulla discrepantia est, cum sit alterum ex altero consequens. Jam quod ad intelligentiam versiculi attinet, qui literalern sensum Psalmorum curiosius scrutantur, volunt, totum Psalmum esse epinicion quoddam pro victoria de Syris habita, qua multi ex illis captivi ducti fuerint a populo David; quae victoria describitur 2 Reg. 8. Alii ad alias refsrunt victorias veteris populi. Quamvis autem hujusmodi sensus non sit contemnendus: dubitare tamen non debemus, quin verus sensus versiculi ab Apostolo citati sit ille, quem Spiritus sanctus hoc loco per Apostolum ostendit; sive literalis sit, sive mysticus. Quidam sic exponunt: postquam ascendit Christus in altum, id est, postquam elevatus est in ciucem, captivos cepit, ac sibi proprios fecit omnes, quos redemit. Juxta illud, quod de se Dominus ait: Ego si exaltatus fuero a terra, omnia traham ad meipsum, Joan. 12. Hoc autem dicebat, inquit Evangelista, significans, qua morte esset moriturus. Se-i hunc sensum, etsi pium, non esse praesentis loci, manifestum est, cum ex eo, quod Apostolus dicit, Christr.m, priusquam ascenderet in altum, de?cendisse in inferiores partes terrae: tum quia diserte versiculum interpretatur de ea ascensione, qua Dominus ascendit supra omnes coelos. Alii proinde sensum hunc reddunt: Christus cum ascenderet in coelum, una secum adduxit et in coelum subvexit iu ferni spolia, id est, animas justorum, quae prius apud inferos velut captivae tenebantur. Rursus alii per captivitatem intelligunt Satanam, et maia per eum invecta, pec catum, mortem. maledictionem. Haec enim Theophylactus, captivitatem exponens, enumerat. Ne.que his commentariis obstat ordo temporis, quem inter ascensionem et captivitatem statuat Apostolus, qui Graece scripsit. Nam non necessario ita reddas Graeca: Postquam ascendit in altum, captivam duxit captivitatem, scilicet, ut prius sit ascendisse, quam captivos ducere: sed participium avaj3aq potest reddi per praeteritum imperfectum. Qui sensus probe consistit: quoniam justorum animae simul cum Christo ascendente subvectae sunt in coelum. Satanas autem captuc est et alligatus non proprie per ascensionem Christi, sed per crucem, quae praecesserat: ideoque horum commentariorum posterior non recte habet. Alii mentem Apostoli sic explicant: Christus postquam gloriosus in altitudinem coelorum ascendit, multos homines ex omni gente cepit captivos: idque per Apostolos suos, quos fecit hominum piscatores, et quorum principi dixerat: Ex hoc jam eris homines capiens, Luc. 5., captivos, inquam, cepit, felici captivitate: quando tyrannide diaboli liberatos sic illos sibi subjecit ac in potestatem redegit, ut non modo sancta libertate per charitatem ipsi servirent, sed et filios ac fratres suos eos faceret, atque in spem haereditatis assumeret. Hunc sensum sujr^erunt Thomas in comment. et Jansenius in mystica paraphrasi Psalm. 67.
Dedit dona hominibus. In Psalmo tam secundum veritatem Hebraicam, quam juxta versionem LXX. legitur, accepisti dona in hominibus. Quaeritur ergo, quomodo citatio Paulina congruat cum eo, quod in Psalmo scriptum est, cum accipere et dare non modo diversa sint, sed etiam oppositionem habeant inter se. Respondet August. Psalmi versiculum enarrans, Apostolum secundum hoc locutum esse, quod Deus filius cum patre fecit, mittens hoir.inibus Spiritum sanctum, qui spiritus est Patris et Filii: Psalmistam veio secundum illud, quod idem Christus in corpore suo, quod est Ecclesia, intelligitur: sic enim et ipsum in hominibus, tanquam membris suis, dona accepisse. Verum sensus hic in litera fundamentum non videtur habere. Aliis itaque magis placet Hieronymi responsio, dicentis, quod in Psalmo Christus dicitur accepisse, non dedisse, quia nundum factum hoc erat, sed futurum promittebatur. Hic autem dedisse dicitur, quiajam per omnes Ecclesias toto orbe fundatas dona sua dis*ribuerat. Videtur Hieronymus, ut breviter dicam, hunc sensum indicare: Accepit dona danda seu distribuenda Lominibus, quasi dicat: accepit dona in homines: sicut dicimus, ducem accepisse stipendia in milites, utiqae distribuenda. Certe Petrus utrumque explicat Act. 2., quum de Christo, ferme in eandem cum Paulo sententiam, ita loquitur: Dextera Dei exaltatus, et promissione Spiritus sancti accepta a Patre, effudit hunc, quem vos videtis et auditis. Ubi promissionem Spiritus sancti ipsum Spiritum sanctum promissum intelligit, hoc est, ejus dona, quae Christus a Patre accepta effudit in homines. Confirmanthanc expositionem alia Scripturae loca, in quibus accipere videtur idem valere, quod dare, dum videlicet accipitur quippiam, ut detur, velut Exod. 25. Loquere filiis Israel, ut tollant mihi primitias, Hebr. accipiant: id est, dent; et 3 Reg. 17. Da mihi paululum aquae, Hebr. cape. Christus igitur accepit dona in hominibus, non tam quod dona, de quibus hoc loco, susceperit in seipso, quamvis alioqui plenus omni gratia: quam quod potestatem elargiendi dona in homines acceperit. Accepit autem, non solum a Ueo, ut homo: verum etiam a Patre, ut filius. Est et alia responsio, quam late explicat Jansenius in annot. Psaiuii Davidici, ut ideo dicatur Apostolus mutasse verbum accepisse in dedisse, quod significare voluerit, Deum non accipere dona in hominibus, nisi sua prius illis det: imo non aliud accipere, quam hoc ipsum, quod dat: ut proinde Deum accipere, non sit diversum existimandum ab eo, quod est, Deum dare. Sensus hic pius et catholicus est: sed is, quem secimdo loco adduximus, magis mihi videtur germanus. Tropus sermonis mutuatus videtur a principibus, qui dum regno inaugurantur, pro laetis auspiciis pecuniam spargant in populum.
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9. Quod autem ascendit, quid est, nisi quia et descendit primum in inferiores partes terrae? Philosophatur Apostolus in verbo ascendit. Graece enim est; to <5s avejjr^ xi ianv. Illud autem ascendit, quid est etc. Porro quas dicat inferiores partes terrae, discrepant intftrpretes. Alii terram ipsam intelligunt, ad quam desceuuit Christus per incarnationem: ut sensus sit, Christum e coolo descendisse in infimam mundi partem, quae est terra. Sensum hunc S. Thcmas non rejicit, Cajetanus etiam amplectitur, et cum eo Catharinus et Arias. Pro his facere videtur consequentia, quam Apostolus indicat, hujusmodi: Christus ascendit in coelum, ergo prius descendit in inferiores partes terrae. Quae consequentia promptior est, si terram absolute intelligas, quam si quid aliud: nam ascensio Christi e terra in coelum intelligitur. Alii de sepulchro exponunt, juxta illud, quod Dominus de se dicit Matth. 12. Sicut fuit Jonas in ventre ceti tribus diebus et tribus noctibus: sic erit filius hominis in corde terrae tribus diebus et tribus noctibus, id est, in sepulchro, secundum probabilem expositionem. Porro Hieronymus, Ambrosiauus, et plerique alii tam Graeci quam Latini, infernum intelligunt, ad quem Christus secundum animam descendit, ut sanctorum animas, inquit Hieronymus, quae ibi tenebantur inclusae, secum ad coelos victor abduceret. Qui sensus, etsi non certus, probabilitatem tamen prae caeteris habet. Primum ex ipsa phrasi, qua utitur Apostolus: nam inferiores partes, id est, infima terrae, nihil aptius quam quod nos infernum dicimus, significant: ut inPsalm. 62. introibunt in inferiora terrae. Deinde, quia descensus Christi ad inferos paulo ante praecesserat ipsius in coelos ascensionem: tum ex loco Ecclesiastici 24., ubi sapientia divina sic loquitur: Penetrabo omnes inferiores partes terrae, et inspiciam omnes iormientes, et illuminabo omnes sperantes in Domino. Quae verba descensionis Christi ad inferos continent illustrem Prophetiam. Denique ex eo, quod hic sequitur, ut impleret omnia, de cujus intellectu paulo post agemus. Hoc igitur est, quod dicit Apostolus: Illud, quod de Christo dictum est, ascendit, quid aliud nobis insinuat,'ac tacite intelligendum relicquit, quam quod idem ipse prius descendit in terram usque ad infimas ejus partes? Sed notandum, sequelam argumenti ab Apostolo indicati pertinere tantum ad descensum Christi in terram; neque enim Christus in coelum ascendere potuisset elevatione humanae naturae, quam de terra acceperat; nisi prius, assumptione humanae naturae, in terram descenderet. Quae quidem consequentia supponit in Christo naturam divinam, qua cum Patre etiam ante incarnationem in coelis erat. Caeterum Apostolus dicere voluit inferiores partes terrae, ad majorem expressionem humilitatis Christi, qua non contentus e coelo in terram descendisse, etiam infima terrae loco, consolandi suos causa subire voluit; simul ut plenius ostenderet id, quod statim subjungit, Christum implesse omnia. Utrum autem usque ad inferos damnatorvm penetraverit, idque ex Scriptura probari possit; pendet ex vero sensu verborum Petri 1 epist. 3. et 4., ubi dicit Christum etiam mortuis, qui in carcere erant, Evangelium praedicasse. Quod quidem arbitramur de iis, qui poenis purgatoriis tenebantur, potius esse intelligendum; ut proinde ad purgatorii locum, non autem usque ad infernum gehennae, Christi descensum extendere nos oporteat.
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10. Qui descendit, ipse est et qui ascendit super omnes coelos. Utrumque verbum praeteriti temporis est, sicut et in parte praecedenti: quod ex Graeco liquet. Significat autem hic meritum humilitatis Christi; quasi dicat: Qui tam profunde descendit, ut non potuerit profundius (neque enim decebat, autad oeconomiam assumptae carnis pertinebat, ut ad infernum damnatorum descenderet), idem ipse, merito tantae humilitatis ac demissionis sui, quam utique in voluntate sua habuit, antequam daret effectui, tam alte ascendit, ut non potuerit altius: ascendit enim super omnes coelos. Locus notandus contra Calvinum, qui negat, Christam quicquam sibi meruisse. Nec minus contra veteres haereticos Ebionem etPhotinum, qui negabant, Christum ante Mariam fuisse. Itemque contra eos, qui duos filios (ut ait Hieronymus Nestorianos quasi digito praemonstrans) insano errore confingunt, filium videlicet Dei, et filium hominis: cum hic apertissime dicatur, quod idem ipse sit ascendens atque descendens. Haec eadem a Graecis commentatoribus contra utramque haeresim pari diligentia sunt aunotata. Restat explicandum, quo sensu dicatur Christus ascendisse super omnes coelos. Et quidem recte post Hieronymum docetThomas, non solum significari, quod ascenderit super omnes coelos corporales, sed etiam super omnem creaturam spiritualem: secundum id, quod supra cap. 1. legitur a Patre constitutus supra omnem principatum et potestatem etc. Sicut enim dignitate, sic et loco superior est omnibus Christus homo. Verum idem Thomas 3. q. 57. art. 4. sic intelligit Christum ascendisse super omnes coelos corporeos, ut nulla pars coeli sit eo superior, sed extra totam continentiam coelestium corporum corpus Christi locatum sit. Hanc Thomae sententiam defendunt ejus commentatores, Cajetanus et Medina. Rursumque Cajetanus in hunc locum scribens, quamvis (inquit) supra omnes coelos non sit vacuum neque plenum: est tamen ibi Christus homo, qui non eget vacuo aut pleno continente. Proferunt autem praeter locum praesentem etiam alias Scripturas, Hebr. 4. Qui penetravit coelos, et 7.: Excelsior coelis factus. Et in Psalmis: Elevata est magnificentia tua super coelos. Item: Psallite Domino, qui ascendit super coelum coeli ad Qrientem. Quas voces Ecclesia in divino officio refert ad Christum. Cui etiam canit in haec verba: Qui triumphator hodie super omnes coelos ascendisti. Sed profecto, tam recepta est apud omnes fideles, omniumque animis impressa sententia, Christum corporaliter esse in coelo, non autem extra aut supra coelum: ut periclitetur explodi, qui contrarium dixerit. Didicerunt enim ex symbolo fidei Christum ascendisse in coelum: nec aliud interrogati de Christo, ubi nunc sit secundum corpus, respondebunt, quam eum in coelo esse, et in altari. Unde et Christi ascensionem in coelum, non supra coelum, celebrat Ecclesia: et de eo canit ex Psalmis: Dominus in templo sancto suo 3 Dominus in coelo sedes ejus, Dominus in coelo paravit sedem suam. Et ut de novo testamento Scriptaras proferam, Marci ult. et Act. 1. legitur assumptus in coelum. Et Petrus de eo Act. 3. Quem oportet coelum suscipere usque in tempora restitutionis omnium. Et Paulus Phil. 3. Nostra conversatio in coelis est, unde etiam salvatorem exspectamus Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum. Et Hebr. 8. Qui consedit in dextera sedis magnitudinis in coelis. De eodem sic Augustinus sub finem Epist. 57. ad Dard., Christum, inquit, et ubique totum praesentem esse ne dubites, tanquam Deum; et in loco aliquo coeli, propter veri corporis modum. Et lib. de fide et symbolo cap. 6. Christum in coelo esse credendum est. Et serm. 43. de verbis Domini, Christum in altum, id est, in coelum, ascendisse dicit, quia nihil altius coelo. Gregorii quoque verba sunt hom. 9. super Evang. Caro nostra per redemptorem nostrum in coelo collocata est. His accedunt rationes. Nam extra coelum esse, nullius est dignitatis, et, si supra extimum coelum esset Christus, esset extra regnum suum. Non enim regnat extra coelos. Atqui plane condecet, ut rex in regno suo resideat. Item quamvis Christus descenderit in inferiores partes terrae: non tamen usque ad centrum mundi descendit. Sicut ergo descendit usque ad eum locum inferiorem, ad quem descendere eum conveniebat: ita ascendit usque ad supremum locum corpori ejus glorioso congruentem: qui non extra universum corporeum, sed in aliqua ejus parte ponendus est. Sic enim institutum est hoe universum a Deo, ut extra ipsum nihil esset. Ac sane desinet esse universum, si extra ipsum Christus homo vel quippiam aliud ponatur. Quod, puto, considerans Hieronymus in comment. sententiam, quae facit Christum omnes coelorum sphaeras transcendisse, atque in summo coeli fornice, quam nostri circumferentiam vocant, constitisse, proponit quidem, sed non probat. Eandem Liranus simpliciter improbat ac rejicit. Quin ipse Thomas scribens in 3. distinct. 22. quaest. 3. art. 3. quaesito primo scribit, non dici Christum ascendisse super omnes coelos, quasi sit extra coelum empyreum, sed quia in altissimam partem coeli empyrei ascendit, utpote exaltatus usque ad supremum locum corporalium. Igitur ex ipsius S. Thomae sententia priori, quam veriorem putamus, super omnes coelos ascendisse Christus dicitur, quia coelos omnes penetravit ascendendo usque ad snrnmum coelum, ejusque supremam partem: quomodo Pontifex Aaronicus penetrabat singulis annis usque ad intima sanctorum, sed non ultra progrediebatur. Huc enim alludit Apostolus Hebr. 4., cum dicit,nos habere Pontificem magnum, qui penelravit coelos, Jesum filium Dei. Quoniam autem locus dignitati respondet: ex consequenti intelligit, quod est in aliorum commentariis, Christum hominem ascer.disse super omnem altitudinem coelestium virtutum, velut accepta possessione regni ac dominii, quod secundum assumptam naturam habet super omnem creaturam. JJt impleret omnia. De se scripta, ut quidam exponunt. Alii omnia hominum genera spiritualibus donis implenda significari putant. Alii vero ad omnia loca referunt, idque probabilius. Nam de locis sermo praecessit. Itaque videtur hic esse sensus: Ita denique factum, ut idem ipse Christus homo potentia dominationis suae repleit omnia; terram, inferos, coelam; postquam omnia ea loca ipse adivit. Loquitur enim Apostolus de Christo, quasi de rege, qui totius regni sui possessionem capit, non singula quaeque loca regni per seipsum accedendo, sed principalia tantum. Quod quum fecerit, dominatum habet in omnia regni loca, et ubique rex agnoscitur.
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11. Et ipse dedit quosdam quidem Apostolos. Verba praecedentia ab eo piincipio: Quod autem ascendit, quidam notis parentheticis includunt, quo haec pars cum illa superiori: Dedit dona hominibus, continuetur; hic onira jara incipit Apostolus illa dona recensere. Quanquam et sine parenthesi sermo bene cohaeret: ut sensus sit: Et idem ipse, tanquam rex inauguratus regno suo, jamque potestate implens omnia, liberaliter in homines sparsit ac distribuit dona sua. Nam alios quidem dedit Ecclesiae, id est, posuit in Ecclesia, Apostolos Sic enim loquitur 1 Cor. 12., ubi similis est donorum seu chavismatum enumeratio. Cum autem illic dicatur Deus posuisse in Ecclesia, primum quidem Apostolos etc, hic autem Christus dicatur eosdem dedisse; non obscura significatio est, Christum esbe Deum Qui vero per Apostolos intelligantur, in ejusdem Epist. ad Cor. comment. satis explicatum est. Nec enim assentiendum Ambrosiano, qui praeter morem Scripturae Apostolos interpretatur Episcopos. Sed quaeres, cum Apostoli a Christo electi et ordinati fuerint, non modo ante ipsius in coelos ascensionem, verum etiam ante passionem et mortem: quomodo verum est, quod Paulus scribit, Christum posteaquam in altum ascendit, dedisse dona hominibus Apostolos? Nam quomodo post illud tempus dederit Prophetas, quaestionem non habet, si intelligamus, de quibus Prophetis hic loquatur Apostolus; id quod stalim explicabitur. Forte aliquis respondendum putabit, Paulum loqui de Apostolis post Christi ascensionem excitatis, qualis ipse imprimis, tum Barnabas, Silas, Jadas, quorum in Adis fit mentio, et alii nonnulli. Sed non est ad eos arctandus Apostoli sermo, nec ullo modo excludendi sunt, qui in Apostolis primi fuerunt, et Christum in carne viderunt. Dicendum ergo, Christum postquam ascendit in coelum dedisse Apostolos, non eos eligendo, quod fecerat ante pass:onem; nec praecipiendo, ut Evangelium praedicarent per omnes gentes, quod fecit antequam in coelum abiret: sed per Spiritum sanctum, quem post ascensionem suam misit, docendo cos, et aliis gratiae muneribus Apostolatui necessariis cumulando; insuper eos impellendo ad opus Apostolicum, cui jam ante destinati erant, exsequendum. Hoc enim est, quod hic vocat, dare Apostolos. Quod quidem Christus facere coepit a die Pentecostes.
Quosdam autem Prophetas. Novi testamenti Prophetas intelligit; de quibus in capite praecedenti dixit: Sicuti nunc revelatum esl sanctis Apostolis ejus et Prophetis. Sed plura de hoc Prophetaet 14.
Alios vero Evangelistas. Id est, eos, qui singulari dono praedicandi Evangelii praediti erant; quales in Actis Apost. Stephanus et Philippus diaconi, quorum posterior etiam Evangelista appellatur Act. 21. Nam quibus, et quo successu praedicaveritEvangeliuin, luculente docet ejusdem libri historia cap. 8., quales etiam Apollo Alexandrinus, et secundum Chrysostomum Priscilla et Aquila. Minus recte per Evangelistas Ambrosianus diaconos, Oecumenius eos, qui scripserunt Evangelium, intelligunt: tametsi contingat, ut in Stephano et Philippo, eundem esse Evangelistam et diaconum, nec dubitandum sit eos, qui Evangelia conscripserunt, fuisse etiam Evangelistas officio praedicancH, de quo Paulus ad Tim. 2. Epist. 4. Opus fac Evangelistae.
Alios autem Pastores et Doctores. Idem Ambrosianus Pastores interpretatur lectores; Doctores autem seu magistros intelligi vult exorcistas, aut certe eos, qui literis et lectionibus pueros solebant imbuere. Sed utrumque absurde, licet ille conetur rationem aliouam suae interpretationis reddere. Vera et indubitata expositio est, quam alii fere omnes tradunt, Pastores esse, quorum officium est pascere, id est, regere populum Dei; quales praecipue sunt Episccpi, quos Act. 20. Paulus admonet hujusmodi verbis: Attendite vobis et universo gregi, in quo vos Spiritus sanctus posuit Episcopos regere Ecclesiam Dei, quam acquisivit sanguine suo. Ductores autem, qui gratiam habent docendi populum Dei ea, quae sunt Christianae religionis. Observa, non dicere Paulum alios pastores, alios doctores, sed alios pastores et doctores; cujus rafio est,,]nia quicunque pastores sunt, iidem esse debent etdoctores, cr.m primum ac potissimum munus pastoris sit, populum pascereverbo Dei. Quocirca nemo, quamvis sanctus sit, inquit Uieronymus, pastoris sibi nomen assumere debet, nisi possit docere, quos pascit. In eandem sententiam locum hunc Apostoli tractant Augustinus epist. 59. et Gregorius homil. 19. super Ezech. Sic idem Apostolus 1 Tim. 3. vult Episcopum esse doctorem: quod plenius explicans ad Tit. 1. sto ait: ut potens sit exhortari in doctrina sana, et eos, qui contradicunt, arguere. Nec enim sufficit, Episcopum ita doctum esse, ut rudes instruere possit in fide Christiana, sed exacta quaedam in eo doctrina requiritur, ut et solidum cibum provectioribus praebeat, et adversarios sanae fidei potenter redarguere valeat. Hinc est, quod Timotheum, quamvis jam Episcopum, et in sacris literis ab infantia institutum, adhuc hortatur Apostolus, ut attendat lectioni 1 Tim. 4. et 2 Tim. 3. Dixi, praecipue significari Episcopos nomine pastorum, nam generaliter huc etiam Parochi pertinent, qui sub Episcopis, tanquam eorum opitulatores, animarum curam gerunt; quod Theophylactus innuit, dum scribit, per pastores intelligi posse presbyteros et episcopos. Nam et presbyteros curam animarum habentes pro ratioae ac modo sui officii doctores esse oportet; magis, minusve, juxta conditionem plebis sibi commissae. Certo enim Parochi debent ea tradere, quae a multitudine capi possunt, et quae omnibus necessaria. Non ost autem necesse ounies eos esse Prophetas, id est, qui sublimiora ac secretiora queant tradere. Vide, quae diximus ad illud 1 Cor* 14. aut in prophetia, aut in doctrina. v. 6. Sei quaeres, sintue aliqui iu Ecclesia doctores, non pastores? Certe tales agnoscit ipsa Ecclesia, quando in Litaniis distinguit: Gmnes sancti Pontifices, orate pro nobis. Omnes sancti Doctores, orate pro nobis. Tales fuere Clemens Alexandrinus, Pantaenus, Origenes. Beda, Bernardus, Aquinas et alii multi Doctores non Episcopi neque Parochi. Nam et de hujusmodi canit Ecclesia: 0 Doctor optime. Adde, quod etiam ex illis, qui fuerunt Episcopi seu Pastores, multi fuere Doctores eorum, quorum non erant Pastores; ut Augustinus, Ambrosius, Chrysostomus et alii permulti, qui multos fideles scriptis suis doctissimis docuerunt, et adhuc docent, ad quos pastorale eorum munus non extendebatur. Obiter animadverte cum Cajetano, di- \ ersitatem membrorum, quae hic enumerantur ab Apostolo, formaliter intelligendam esse. Non enim ita Christus quosdam dedit Apostolos, ut non iidem ipsi fuerint et Prophetae, et Evangelistae, et Pastores, atque Doctores; sed officia ac dona distincta sunt, licet in easdem personas vel omnia, ut in Apostolos, vel aliqua concurrant. Argumentatur ex hoc Apostoli loco sectarius contra Primatum Romani Pontificis, inquiens: Hic non audimus Papam, qui sane praetermitti non debuit, si prima est ejus dignitas inter gradus Ecclesiae. Respondeo, nec audimus episcopos, presbyteros, diaconos. Neque enim Paulus instituit hic recensere gradus bierarcbicos Ecclesiae; sed adferre in medium aliquot charismata Spiritus sancti, data a Christo ad doctrinam et gubernationem Ecclesiae. De illis enim praemiserat: Dedit dona hominibus. Nam ejusmodi quoque enumerantur 1 Cor. 12. Quanquam Papa sub nomine pastorum ac doctorum comprehenditur: est enim summus Ecclesiae pastor et doctor. Pertinet etiam ad Apostolos, primo loco nominatos, quatenus usque hodie munus Apostolicum exercet Romanus Pontifex, dum ad infideles mittit Evangelii praecones, et novas apud eos fundat Ecclesias.
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12. Ad consummationem sanctorum, in opus ministerii, in aedificationem corporis Christi. Docet cujus rei gratia dona fidelibus data sint; scilicet non ad privatum commodum, sed ad publicam utilitatem; ut haec consideratio reprimat fastum eorum, qui donis quibusdam praediti, alios prae se contemnebant. Pro consummatione, Hieronymus legit instructionem: in commentario autem utrumque conjunxit, dicens, ad perfectionem, instructionemque sanctorum. Erasmus vertit, ad instaurationem. Verti etiam potest, ad compositionem. Haec enim omnia significat Graeca dictio xaxapttajjloq, deducta a verbo, quod habetur Gal. 6., ubi nos legimus, hujusmodi instruite in spiritu lenitatis. Sed pro nostra versione, quae eadem est apud Ambrosianum, faciunt Graecorum scholia, et contextus Apostoli. Quam proinde et Erasmus in annotationibus maxime probat, et in paraphrasi secutus est. Dicit ergo Paulus, Christum dedisse Apostolos et caeteros, quos enumeravit, ut quisque eorum diligenter incumbat in opus sui ministerii, ad aedificationem, id est, spiritualem profectum corporis Christi; quod est Ecclesia; idque totum ad hunc finem, ut universa sanctorum, hoc est fidelium, societas perfecta, consummata, omnibusque partibus absoluta reddatur. Hoc ordine construenda esse Apostoli verba, probat ordo rerum. Nam primum est opus ministerii, cujus effectus aedificatio, quam denique sequitur aedificii consummatio. Quo facit etiam praepositio Tcpoc, primo tantum membro apposita, quae servit causae finali significandae.
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13. Donec occurramus omnes in unitatem fidei, et agnitionis filii Dei, in virum perfectum, in mensuram aetatis plenitudinis Christi. Explicat perfectio nem, ad quam ordinantur praedicta ministeria. Quod dicit, occurramus, alii non male vertunt, perveniamus; nam verbum Graecum etiam alibi pro eo, quod est, pervenire ponitur; ut Act. 16. et 18., quemadmodum et ab Oecumenio annotatum est. Quaeritur autem, quando fiat occursus iste, sive perventio, cujus hic meminit Paulus; utrum in hoc saeculo, an in futuro. Latini fere de futuro saeculo interpretantur; in eo tamen diversi, quod nonnulli verba illa, in virum perfectum, in mensuram aetatis etc, referunt ad resurrectionem corporum, alii vero ad perfectionem spiritualem, quam tunc habituri sumus. Secundum priores sensus est, donec omnes electi per unitatem fidei et cognitionis Christi filii Dei, tandem in resurrectione consequamur virilem perfectionem, quoad aetatem et robur corporale, dotesque gloriosas illi corporis perfectioni respondentes; videlicet provehendi ad mensuram plenae ac perfectae aetatis Christi, tanquam exemplaris nostri, cujus quidem corpus provectum fuit usque ad aetatem plenam virilem, nempe triginta trium annorum, in qua et resurrexit. Ex hoc loco sic intellecto, probant, omnes electos in aetate et statura virili resurrecturos; non tamen, ut quidam voluerunt, omnes in sexu virili, quia quod hic dicitur, in virum perfectum, non ad sexum referendum dicunt, sed solum ad aetatem et robur, quae sunt utrique sexui communia. Pluribus hunc sensum prosequitur Anselmus ex Augustino lib. 22. de civit. cap. 15. et sequentibus. Eundem adfert et Thomas priori loco. Hieronymus quoque in epitaphio Paulae cap. 12. hac scriptura utitur, ut doceat, omnes in aetate perfecta resurrecturos. Porro secundum posteriores, sensus est: Omnes electos per unitatem fidei et agnitionis filii Dei tandem evasuros in virum perfectum et mensuram aetatis plenitudinis Christi; quia in futuro saeculo totum corpus Ecclesiae, quod est corpus Christi mysticum, ad exemplum veri corporis Christi omni ex parte perfectum erit, ut jam nec membrum ullum desit, nec ulla perfectio amplius in eo desideretur. At vero Graeci interpretes locum hunc, perinde ut ea quae praecedunt et sequuntur, intelligunt de eo, quod agitur in praesenti saeculo, ut hic sit sensus: Christus tam varios, ut dictum est, ministros instituit in Ecclesia, ad consummationem sanctorum, in aedificationem corporis sui, eosque tantisper laboraturos, donec omnes ad vitam destinati, alii post alios, durante hoc saeculo, perducamur et perveniamus in unam eandemque fidem, et veram cognitionem Christi filii Dei, cum eo profectu, ut evadamus in virum perfectum: id est, ut virile robur et constantiam in fide et cognitione Christi assequamur, tanquam mensuram plenae et perfectae aetatis Christi in corpore suo mystico, ut in vocabulo viri etiam sexus intelligatur, sed spiritualiter. Sensum hunc, praeter Graecos Chry- 80stomum, Theophylactum et Oecumenium, tradit etiam Hieronymus in comment., item Ambrosianus, Haimo et Sasboldus, denique S. Thomas posteriori loco, dicens, posse verba haec intelligi de fructu ultimo praesentis vitae, in qua suo modo perficitur corpus Christi mysticum, spirituali perfectione, ad similitudinem corporis Christi veri. Sed et Augustinus lib. 22. de civit. Dei post explicatam priorem sensum tandem cap. 18. hunc quoque adducit, magisque probat. Certe ipsa Apostoli verba, sicut ostendimus in 4. Sent. dist. 44., prorsus exigunt hujusmodi intellectum. Nam occurrere, seu pervenire in unitatem fidei, non est futuri saeculi, in quo, fide cessante, videbimus facie ad faciem 1 Cor. 13., sed praesentis; in quo per fidem ambulamus, et non per speciem. 2 Cor. 5. Quod autem alii exponunt, in unitatem fidei } id est, per unitatem, coactum est, et praeter usum Graecae praepositionis. Optime vero quadrat huic intellectui, quod sequitur.
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14. Ut jam non simus parvuli, fluctuantes, et circumferamur omni vento doctrinae. Id est, ut non amplius puerorum more, quibus imperfectum et instabile judicium est, fluctuemur, id est, inconstantes simus, in diversas opinionum partes jactati et circumacti quovis vento doctrinae; utpote nescientes dijudicare, quae doctrina vera sit, quae falsa, sed tantum probabilitate quadam et apparentia, velut flatu qaodam, modo inhanc sententiam, modo in illam leviter impulsi. Hoc, inquam, ne nobis contingat, praestatur illorum ministerio, quos Christus Ecolesiae dedit Apostolos, Prophetas etc. Metaphora sumpta a navigantibus; qui si rectore careant, temere feruntur quocunque ventus impulerit.
In nequitia hominum, in astutia ad circumventionem erroris. Pro nequitia Hieronymus fallaciam legit, Augustinus illusionem. Graece est xujSsia, qua voce, ut annotant Graeci commentatores, proprie significatur ludus aleae, vel tesserarum; in quo qui potest, collusorem circumvenit et fallit calculorum transpositione; inde transfertur ad fallaciam in genere significandam. Cohaeret autem sententia praecedentibus, hoc modo: Ut non amplius jactemur et circumagamur quovis vento doctrinae per fallaciam bonum, sive philosophorum, sive Judaizan tium, sive haereticorum, perque versutiam eorum, qua nos adoriuntur, atque in errorem inducunt. Huic sensui convenit, quod Augustinus pro circumventione legit machinationem; hoc enim propius exprimit vim Graecae dictionis,
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15. Veritatem autem facientes in charitate ciescamus in illo per omnia, qui est caput Christus. Particula, in charitate, quibusdam videtur jungenda cum sequenti verbo crescamus, sicut eandem in extremo periodi hujus repetitam, construendam putant cum illo: augmentum corporis facit. Autem, adversative positum est, quasi dicat: Sed ut veritatem facientes etc. Item pro duobus vocabulis, veritatem facientes, iu Graeco unum et simplex est participium, quod Erasmus vertit, veritatem sectantes; Hentenius, veritatem servantes; TheophyJacti interpres, modo veritatem loquentes, modo veritati studentes. Sensus Apostoli est: Quin potius ut veram Christi doctiinam, quam Apostoli, pastores et doctores Ecclesiae praedicant, amplexi, per omnia membra in charitate crescamus, et augeamur in ipsum, sic enim Graece est, scilicet Christum, qui est caput totius corporis. Hoc est, ut hujusmodi incrementis proficientes, tandem respondeamus capiti nostro, cujusmembra sumus, id est, Christo, qui omnino pertectus est. Illud per onmia Graeci interpretantur, per omnia nostra, vitam nimirum et doctrinam; sed ut membra subintelligantur, sicut nos exposuimus, invitat, quod sequitur:
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16. Ex quo totum corpus compactum et connexum. Augustinus converso ordine legit, connexum et compactum; idque Graeco textui convenientius. Est autem priori loco idem verbum, quod sub finem capitis tertii vertit interpres constructa, de cujus significatione ibi diximus.
Per omnem juncturam subministrationis. Haec pars ordinanda cum praecedentibus, ut patet ex loco simili Col. 2., qui sic habet: Ex quo totum corpus per nexus et conjunctiones subministraium et constructum, crescit in augmentum Dei. Quod autem ibi nexum, et hic juncturam reddit interpres, alii commissuram vertere malunt.
Secundum operationem, Graece ivspysiav. In mensuram uniuscujusque membri. Graece, in mensura uniuscujusque partis. Augustinus quoque et Ambrosianus legunt partis. At in Graeco minima dififerentia est inter uiAouc et jjispoug, membri et partis; nec admodum refert utrum legatur, nisi quod metaphorae Apostolicae magis congruit nostra lectio, quae eadem est Hieronymi et Theophylacti.
Augmentum corporis facit in aedificationem sui in charitate. Hebraismus est in eo, quod dicit corpus facere augmentum corporis, id est, sui ipsius; quod nisi observetur, absurdus videbitur sermo. Porro tota sententia, quae non parvam habet obscuritatem, cum loco jain citato Col. 2. conferenda est. Videtur autem sic commode explicari: Ex quo, scilicet Christo capite, dependens totum corpus, quod nos sumus, per connexionem omnium inter se membrorum, ex quibus constituitur, apte compositum et coagmentatum, per efucacem ejusdem capitis operationem, pro mensura ac ratione cujusque membri augescit, aedificatur et proficit in charitate, id est, per charitatem. Quod postremum addidit, sicut et paulo ante, simili sensu; quia corpus hoc mysticum ac spirituale proprie non aedificatur nec proficit, nisi per charitatem; cum sine ea nihil sint caetera 1 Cor. 13. Sentit ergo Apostolus, sicut in corpore naturali atque organico caput influens in membra non easdem omnibus operationes communicat, sed alias aliis; et his quidem plures, illi6 autem pauciores, pro natura uniuscujusque: sic et in Ecclesia Christum, qui caput ejus est, non eadem nec aequalia charismata membris omnibus infundere; sed singulis distribuere prout locus cujusque, quem in corpore habet, postulat; et hac ratione totum Ecclesiae corpus crescere, dum membra variis donis instructa in communem utilitatem ea conferunt: quod non fit nisi per charitatem. Loquitur autem non de omnibus omnino membris; ne quis hinc colligat, omnia Ecclesiae membra charitatem habere, et per hoc nullos esse malos in Ecclesia, quod haeretici volunt, sed tantum de iis, quae digna sunt nomine membrorum, hoc est, de membris vivis et spiritu Christi capitis animatis; quemadmodum et loquebatur cap. 2., ubi similis habetur sententia.
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17. Hoc igitur dico et testificor in Domino. Pro testificor, Hieronymus et Ambrosianus legunt contestor. Redit Apostolus ad inchoatam et huc usque intermissam exhortationem, qua dixerat initio capitis: Obsecro vos ut digne ambuletis vocatione, qua vocati estis. Id enim, quasi repetens, nunc explicat ac latius prosequitur. Sensus: Hoc igitur est, quod dicere coeperam, quod et obtestor vos per Christum Dominum, quem volo hujus exhortationis meae esse testem. JJt jam non ambuletis, sicut ct gentes ambulant in vanitate sensus sui. Graece mentis suae. Sic et Ambrosianus legit, eodemque modo paulo post ipse noster interpres Graecam vocem transtulit. Non recte igitur quidam sensum interpretantur sensualitatem. Rectius sane Thomas sensum exponit vim apprehensivam, per quam judicamus singularia. Qui sensus, inquit, vanus est, quando devians a recta regula, finem debitum non assequitur. Dicit ergo Apostolus: obtestor vos, ne posthac vivatis et conversemini quomodo gentes, vel ut in Graeco est reliquae gentes, id est, gentiles adhuc alieni a Christo, vivunt et conversantur; nimirum sequentes judicium mentis suae pravum et erroneum: de quibus Sap. 13. Vani sunt omnes homines, in quibus non subest scientia Dei.
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18. Tenebris obscuratum habentes intellectum. Graece tantum est, obtenebrati intellectu, quod interpres velut paraphrasi explicuit. Significantur autem ttnebrae erroris et ignorantiae; quamvis enim multa cognovissent gentiles philosophi, non solum de natura et moribus, verum etiam de Deo: tamen propter superbiam et ingratitudinem suam a Deo derelicti, evanuerunt in cogitationibus suis, et obscuratum est insipiens cor eorum; denique stulti facti sunt, et in reprob)im sensum traditi, sicut dicitur Rom. 1.
Alienati a vita Dei. Hujus particulae tres expositiones adfert Thomas; quarum tertia caeteris picbabilior a vita Dei, id est, a vita, quae secundum Deum est, et quam Dei leges praescribunt. Ea autem est vita sancta et immaculata. Potest etiam auctore Cajetano, intelligi tota vita spiritualis, quae in hoc saeculo per fidem et justitiam inchoatur, ct in futura 1 eatitudine perficitur, quae tota peculiariter vita Dei est, quatenus a Deo per gratiam datur. Hanc vitam gentiles prorsus ignorabant.
Per ignorantiam, quae est in illis propter caecitattm cordis ipsorum. Ex Graeco utrobique vertendum erat, propter; quomodo etiam legunt Hieronymus et Ambrosianus. Itaque sensus est*. gen tiles a vita Dei abalienatos fuisse propter ignorantiam veritatis, qua laborarunt, et propter caecitatem, vel ut in Graeco est, propter excaecationem, cordis ipsorum; id est, propter ignorantiae tenebras, iu quas merito suorum peccatorum incidere permissi sunt. Est enim posterior pars declaratio prioris; nisi quod in posteriori parte non solum ignorantia veri, sed et errorum tenebrae, quas Apostolus Rom. 1. exponit, possint intelligi. Confer, quae diximus in comm. ad Rom. 11. ibi: caeteri vero excaeccti sunt, et: Caecitas ex parte contigit in Israel.
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19. Qui desperantes semetipsos tradiderunt impudicitiae, in operationem immunditiae omnis in avaritiam. Vox Graeca, pro qua nos habemus, desperantes, teste Hieronymo longe aliud significat; nimirum eos, qui postquam peccaverint non dolent; ut verti possit, indolentes. Eandem significationem explicant Graecorum commentarii, secundum quos sensus est: Qui posteaquam eo pervenerunt, ut dolere desinerent, velut sensu mali carentes, sese pronos ac praecipites dederuntin omne genus impudicitiae etimmunditiae quolibet modo exercendae. Dolor autem intelligitur, quem animus patitur ex turpitudine admissi peccati; et quo stimulante solet a peccando postea rotrahi. Convenit hic sensus cum iis, quae de philosophis scribit Apostolus Rom. 1. Verum quia Latini veteres constanter legunt, desperantes; suspicari licet cum Erasmo, quod et innuit Hieronymus, interpretem Latinum in Graeco pro a70]A- Ytjxotsc legisse airqXTHXOTSQ, duarum literarum mutatione. Quod verbum etiam apud Lucam est cap. 6. Mutuum date nihil inde sperantes. Hoc modo sensus perspicuus est. Qui spe futurorum bonorum, quae nos Christiani credimus et exspectamus, destituti, utpote animarum immortalitatem et corporum resurrectionem non credentes: totos sese tradiderunt praesentis vitae voluptatibus, etiam turpissimis. Quomodo differant impudicitia et immunditia, quae ab Apostolo saepe conjunguntur, dictum est ad 2 Cor. 12. Porro quod additur, in avaritiam, Graece est, in avaritia: quam lectionem in aliis codicibus haberi glossa interlinealis admonet: eandem reperiri in duobus pervetustis codicibus manuscriptis; sicque etiam legunt Hieronymus et Thomas. Neque avaritia, Graece, 7cXeovs£ta, significat pecuniarum cupiditatem; sed in genere vitium, quo quis eo quod habet non contentus, semper amplius expetit, nec modum nec terminum ponens cupiditati, in quacunque tandem re id accidat, sive in pecuniis, sive in honoribus, sive in voluptatibus corporis; hic autem sermo est de avaritia turpium voluptatum; ut sensus sit, ipso etiam S. Thoma expo nente, in avaritia, id est, ardenter et insatiabiliter, juxta illud 2 Pet. 2. Oculos habentes plenos adulterii et incessabilis delicti: pellicientes animas instabiles, cor exercitatum avaritia habentes t vel ut Graece, avaritiis, plurali numero. Sensum hunc habet Theodoretus et late explicat Hieronymus collatione alterius loci, qui est Thess. 4. De eadem plura cap. proximo. Vide etiam quae dicta sunt ad 1 Cor. 5.
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20. Vos autem non ita didicistis Christum. Ac si dicat: Talia non docet Evangelium Christi, sed schola Simonis et Gnosticorum, qui hac parte cum gentilibus conveniunt. Ad hos enim videtur Apostolus ex obliquo respicere: Simonianos, dico, et eorum varios discipulos ac successores, inter quos et Gnostici fuerunt, quos extremis verbis prioris ad Timotheum satis designavit Apostolus.
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21. Si tamen illum audistis et in ipso edocti estis. Si tamen, Graece, siquidem. Non enim dubitans hoc dicit Apostolus, sed magis rem confirmans, uti post Chrysostomum annotat TLecphylactus. Nam et alias interdum vim confirmandi habet conjunctio si, ut 2 Thess. 1. Si tamen justum est apud Deum retribuere etc. Quanquam recte monet Oecu menius, posse etiam modo dubitantis accipi, quo terreat Ephesios. Non ita, inquit, Christum didicistis: si tamen illum vobis annuntiatum audistis, ejusque doctrinam percepistis: scilicet ad eum modum, qui sequitur.
Sicut est veritas in Jesu. Id est, ita ut, sicut in Christo Jesu nulla est ignorantia, nullus error, nihil injustum, sed pura veritas et justitia, sic et vos, Christi doctrina imbuti, rejectis tenebris ignorantiae, veritatem et justitiam Christi sectemini.
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22. Deponere vos secundum pristinam conversationem veterem hominem. In mr.itis codicibus legebatur, deponite, modo imperativo, sed ex melioribus infinitivum deponere nobis restituit editio Sixtina. Sic enim et Graeca habent et Syriaca: sic etiam legunt Hieronymus et Primasius: nec dissonat Ambrosianus, qui infinitivum resolvit: ut deponatis. Igitur haec pars pendet a superioribus, et infinitivus regitur a verbo: Edocti estis, ut sensus sit: Si tamen per Christum docti fuistis deponere atque exuere veterem hominem, qui intelligitur in pristina, seu priori, ut in Graeco est, conversatione, nempe ea, qua vivebatis, priusquam crederetis in Christum. Est enim vetus homo, aut vetustas et corruptio peccati in homine ex veteri Adam contracta, aut potius ipse homo, quatenus hujusmodi vetustate affectus est: quemadmodum hanc Apostoli phrasim exposuimus ad illud Rom. 6. Hoc scientes, quia vetus homo noster simul crucifixus est; et consentit locus ad Col. 3. Atque hunc intellectum explicat, quod sequitur:
Qui corrumpitur secundum desideria erroris. Id est, qui in vetustato et corruptela proficit, obsequendo pravis ac turpibus desideriis: qrod fit ex mentis errore ac coecitate, quemaimodum supra dictum est. His enim verbis explicat Apostolus, in quo consistat illa vetustas, qua veterem hominem dixerat.
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23. Renovamini autem spiritu mentis vestrae. Rursum infinitivus m Graeco, renovari: depenuens adhuc a verbo, edocti estis, et ex adverso respondens verbo deponere, hoc modo: Siquidem edocti estis deponere reterem hominem, et renovari spiritu mentis vestrae. Ubi Spiritum sanctum nonnulli intelligunt, minus recte: nam Spiritui sancto non convenit renovari; sed spiritui ac menti nostrae. Multo rectius Augustinus lib. 14. de Trinit. cap. 16. ita scribens: Quod ait spiritu mentis vestrae, non ibi duas res intelligi voluit, quasi aliud sit mens, aliud spiritus mentis: sed quia omnis mens spiritus est, non autem omnis spiritus mens est; spiritum mentis dicere voluit eum spiritum, quae mens vocatur. Haec ille; quem alii plerique sequuntur; ut proinde sensus sit: Spiritu mentis vestrae, id est, secundum mentem, secundum interiorem hominem; de quo 2 Cor. 4. sic ait: Licet is qui foris est, noster homo corrumpatur, tamen is, qui intus est, renovatur de die in diem.
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24. Et induite novum hominem. Hic quoque Graecis infinitivus est, induere, referendus ad idem verbum, edocti estis. Quem vero dicat novum hominem, exponit:
Qui secundum Deum creatus est in justitia et sanctitate veritatis. Quidam novum hominem Christum intelligunt, sicut veterem hominem ipsum Adam. Christo enim homini maxime competit, secundum Deum creatum esse in justitia et sanctitate veritatis, id est, vera justitia et sanctitate; unde Rom. 13. et Gal. 3. Christum induere dicimur. Alii novum hominem significati putant, primum hominem Adam, qualis a Deo creatus est, nimirum rectus et integer. Verum consideranti phrasim Apostolicam et alia loca, quae sunt Rom. 6. et Col. 3., cum isto conferenti, magis apparet, novum hominem ab Apostolo dici unumquemque hominem, quatenus renovatus est per gratiam Dei. Quae renovatio hic et alibi nomine creationis intelligitur. Exponit igitur Apostolus novum hominem, qui per regenerationem creatus est secundum Deum, id est, divinae legi conformatus; creatus inquam in vera jujustitia, quor.d proximos; et in vera sanctitate, seu munditia, quoad seipsum. Quae duo conjunguntur etiam in cantico Zachariae Luc. 1. Ut serviamus illi in sanctitate et justitia coram ipso. Unde apparet, veram justitiam et sanctitatem vocari, quae coram Deo sit talis. Sic autem dixit, novum hominem creatum in justitia et sanctitate; sicut supra cap. 2. dixerat, nos creatos in operibus bonis; quia nimirum in his gratuitis Dei donis ipsa nova creatio consistit. Observandus totus hic locus et alii similes contra sectarios, qui non aliam in nobis justitiam agnoscunt, quam externam et imputativam. Hic enim audimus renovationem mentis, novum hominem, justitiam et sanctitatem veritatis; quae intelligi nullo modo possunt in eo, cui justitia tantum imputatur.
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25. Propter quod, deponentes mendacium, loquimini veritatem unusquisque cum proximo suo. Duo dixerat, justitiam et sanctitatem. Et quia sanctitatis, id est, munditiae praecepta jam superius dederat; transit nunc ad alterum membrum, ac justitiae praecepta, quibus erga proximum quisque ordinetur, deinceps tradit, ad priora tamen paulo post rediturus. Sensus est: Quoniam ergo sic edocti estis: deposito et abjecto mendacio loquimini quisque, quod verum est cum proximo suo. Utitur verbo ueponendi, quia dixerat veterem hominem deponendum esse; ad quem utique pertinet omne mendacium. Hortatur autem ad loquendum cum proximo veritatem, verbis Propheticis, quae habentur Zach. 8. Proximi nomine omnem hominem intelligi, constat ex Christi doctrina Luc. 10. Quod et docte explicat Ilieronymus tam in Zachariae, quam hujus loci commentario.
Quoniam sumus invicem membra. Ut haec ratio quadret, supplendum aliquid videturhocmodo: Loquimini quisque veritatem cum proximo suo, praesertim Christiano; quia nos Christiani sumus invicem membra sub capite Christo. Nimis autem absurdum est, si membra ejusdem corporis mentiendo ac fallendo se invicem laedant; cum nihil tale contingat in coipore naturali, nisi per insaniam. Quanquam et infideles membra sunt, spe ac desiderio nostro.
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26. Irascimini et nolite peccare. Non praecipit ut irascamur: sed hypotheticus sermo est, quo per imperativum uti solent Hebraei, quale illud Ecclesiastici 30. Lacta filium, et paventem te faciet: lude cum illo, et contristabit te. Id est, si lactaveris eum, si luseris cum eo. Proinde sensus Apostolici praecepti est: Si contingat irasci, cavete ne in opus ira erumpat, id est, ne facite quod ira suggerit, ne sinite eam progredi usque ad injuriam. Loquitur enim de ira, qua quis praeter ordinem justitiae movetur ad vindictam: cum alioqui ira sit affectus medius, etiam in sacris literis; nam alioqui non toties in illis per metaphoram Deo tribueretur. Sumsit hoc praeceptum Apostolus ex Psalm. 4., in quo juxta versionem LXX. totidem verbis habetur, opyiCso&s xal jat} auapxavsrs, irascimini et ne peccate. Caeteram in Hebraeo textu pro irascimini, legitur rigsu, quod alii vertunt pavete, alii contremiscite, alii commovemini. Verum Hieronymus non solum ex Graeco, sed etiam ex Hebraeo, vertit Irascimini. Verbum enim Hebraeum non tantum significat contremiscere, verum etiam irasci, maxime apud Syros et Chaldaeos, quorum verba et significationes, Genebrardo teste, saepe usurpant David, Salomon, Job et reliqui Hebraeorum poetae. Sunt autem haec affinia, tremere, fremere, commoveri, irasci. Quae omnia, sicut in lexicis suis Hebraeae linguae docfci ostendunt, Hebraea voce significantur. Quanquam, ut idem Genebrardus annotat, in Psalmo bene etiam congruit hic sensus: contremiscite, supple, Dominum, ut ne peccetis, quasi dicat, timor Domini vos a peccato retrahat.
Sol non occidat super iracundiam. vestram. Figuratus est sermo, quo prohibetur diuturnitas irae, quasi dicat: Iram commotam abrumpite quamprimum et opprimite. ne si diutius duret, in actum vindictae exeat, aUt iu odium vertatur. Ratio schematis est, quia solis occasus apud Judaeos initium erat diei: quare si quem irascentem nox occuparet, is iram retinebat usque in alterum diem. Porro qui solem Christum interpretantur, deflectunt a proprio ac literali sensu hujus loci. Pro cujus explicatione licebit videre B. Augustinum 2. in Psalm. 30.
4:27
27. Nolite locum dare diabolo. Haec pars in Graeco copulative conjungitur praecedenti; quod exprimit textus, quo Hieronymus et Ambrosianus usi sunt, sic enim legunt: Neque locum detis diabolo. Significat Apostolus, eum, qui sinit iram diutius apud se morari, dare locum diabolo: parit enim ira reservata odium au« vindictae consensum, per quem diabolus jam incipit in homine dominari. Potest hoc accommodari ad omnem delectationem morosam, id est, eam, cui animus immoratur: talis enim delectatio periculum habet consensus: consensus autem mortem generat in materia mortali. Caeterum Erasmus pro diabolo, calumniatorem vertit: existimans hoc Apostolum dicere: Fraenate iram, ne praebeatis ansam calumniandi infidelibus, dum videmini vindictae cupidi. Verum idem auctor in paraphrasi communem omnium interpretationem, quam dedimus, sequitur, quae sine dubio melior est. Potest tamen iste locus sic intelligi: Nolite locum dare diabolo, tanquam accusatori. Semper enim quaerit, de quo noo apud Deum possit accusare: et locum faciunt accusationi ejus quicunque peccatum mortale committunt: verae accusationi nimirum, quum ipse et calumniose pios accuset. Unde Apoc. 12. nominatur accusator fratrum.
4:28
28. Qui furabatur, jam non furetur. Graece: non amplius furetur. Furari generaliter positum videtur, pro fraudare, subtrahere, et quocunque titulo injuste auferre vel detinere alienum. Quomodo etiam accipitur in decalogo: Non furtum facies. Et hoc modo etiam apud Pindarum xastctsiv usurpatum legitur. Neque vero restitutionem hic tacet Apostolus; continetur enim ineo, quod dicit, jam non furetur. Nam qt:i non restituit, cum possit, is adhuc iu furto, id est, alienae rei voluntaria detentione perseverat.
Magis autem laboret operando manibus suis, quod bonum est. Graece, operans bonum manibus. Opus manuum posuit pro omni opere utili ad victum parandum; ut ex specie genus intelligatur. Addit autem, quod bonum est, ut artes victum quaerendi inhonestas excludat.
Vt habeat, unde tribuat necessitatem patienti. Quasi dicat: Operetur manibus non solum, ut pellat otium, quia multam malitiam docuit otiositas, Ecclesiastici 33., nec solum ut ablata restituat, aut ut sibi necessaria comparet, ne cogatur ad- huc furari, sed etiam ob hoc, ut habeat, GuiL Eatli Comm. Tom. II. quod largiatur indigentibus. Valde enim Deo grata est ex proprio labore eleemosyna. Simul observa cum Theophylacto, hic innui quandam actionem poenitentiae pro furto commisso, tum in eo, quod dicitur, laboret, nam labore corpus affligitur, tum quia ei, qui aliena abstulit, injungitur, ut sua tribuat.
4:29
29. Omnis sermo malus ex ore vestro non procedat. Graece oonzpos, id est, putris, corruptus, spurcus, aut quomodocunque vitiosus. Idem vocabulum apud Matthaeum et Lucam, ubi de arbore mala loquuntur. Generatim ergo hic linguae peccata prohibentur.
Sed si quis bonus ad aedificationem fidei. Graece: Ad aedificationem utilitatis sive necessitatis, sive opportunitatis. Quo postremo modo Hieronymus se vertisse significat, his verbis: Pro eo, quod nos posuimus ad aedificationem opportunitatis, in Latinis codicibus propter euphoniam mutavit interpres et posuit, ad aedificationem fidei. Castigationem Hieronymi nonnulla adhuc vetusta exemplaria Manuscripta referunt; quidam utrumque conjungunt, ad aedificationem fidei opportunitatis. Syriaca versio sic habet: Sed is, qui decorus et utilis ad aedificationem • tanquam sit hypallage in verbis Apostoli, ad aedificationem utilitatis, id est, ad usum aedificationis. Quod et Fabro placuit usque adeo, ut verterit ad aedificationis utilitatem. Nobis hic sensus esse videtur: Sed si quis bonus est sermo, procedat ex ore vestro, non temere tamen, sed ad promovendam utilitatem et salutem proximorum, vel (juxta vulgatam versionem) ad promovendam fidem et doctrinam Christi. Mocet igitur Apostolus, seimonem etiam per se bonum opportune proferendum tsse, ne nostro vitio vertatur in malum. Concordat illud Sapientis: Sermo opportunus, optimus. Prov. 15.
Ut det gratiam audientibus. Sermo dat gratiam audientibus, quando Deus homine atque ipsius sermone utitur ad largiendam audientibus suam gratiam. Quod fit, quoties auditor ex sermone aedificatur, vel in fide, vel in moribus Christianis. Jam si recte dicit Apostolus, quod sermo loquentis dat gratiam audientibus; absurdum profecto videri non debet, si dicantur sacramenta a Christo instituta conferre gratiam suscipientibus, uti docet Ecclesia catholica.
4:30
30. Et nolite contristare Spiritum sanctum Dei. Impropria locutio est; constat enim Spiritum sanctum Dei, qui et ipse Deus est, proprie contristari non posse. Potest autem trifariam exponi; uno modo, ne quid facite, propter quod Spiritus sanctus a vobis recedat, velut offensus et contristatus. Ac breviter: Nolite offendere Spiritum sanctum. Qui enim peccat, offendit, et quantum in ipso est, contristat Spiritum sanctum. Alio modo, congruentius ad ea, quae praecesserunt: Nolite per obscoena, vel qualitercunque scandalosa verba Spiritum sanctum e cordibus audientium expellere. Noli tu, quisquis es, verbo tuo proximum perdere, pro quo Christus mortuus est, sicut de cibo dicit Rom. 14. Tertia expositio est apud S. Thomam, qua Spiritus sanctus intelligitur contri» stari, quando contristantur homines pii, in quibus est Spiritus sanctus, quomodo Deus interdum dicitur aliquid velle, quod ipso inspirante pii homines volunt. Hoc modo sensus est: Nolite dicere aut facere quippiam,' per quod merito pii et sancti homines contristentur. Juxta illud: Quis scandalizatur, et ego non uror? 2 Cor. 11.
In quo signati estis in die redemptionis. Graece et Syriace in diem. Quam lectionem in multis etiam Latinis Manuscriptis repertam, editio Clementina restituit. Qui legunt in die, referurt ad tempus baptismi, per quem redemptio Christi nobis applicatur. Et quia solebat olim adultis baptizatis statim eodem die, si praesens esset Episcopus, conferri sacramentum consignationis, sicut et factum legimus a Paulo Act. 19., putant hunc esse sensum: Quo Spiritu sancto per sacramentum obsignati estis (hoc enim in Graeco verbum est) eo tempore, quo per baptismum estis e peccati servitute redempti. Caeterum, juxta veriorem lectionem sensus est: Quo Spiritu sancto obsignati estis, id est, quem velut impressum vobis sigillum accepistis, servandum usque in diem redemptionis, id est, resurrectionis et retributionis, ut tunc per illud agnoscamini, et redemptionis fiatis participes. De hac redemptione loquitur Dominus Luc. 21. Levate capita vestra, quoniam appropinquat redemptio vestra; et Apostolus Rom. 8. Ipsi intra nos gemimus adoptionem filiorum Dei exspectantes redemptionem corporis nostri. Utroque sensu respicit hic locus ad sacramentum confirmationis, quod et signaculum, sive sigillum, Graece ocppaylc, a patribus appellatur. Deterret igitur Apostolus a contristando Spiritu sancto magnitudine peccati, velut sacrilegii cujusdam, quod est violare sacratissimum sigillum, cum etiam profana sigilla temerare non liceat. Confer cap. 1. vers. 13. 14. et 2 Oor. 1, 22.
4:31
31. Omnis amaritudo, et ira, et indignatio, et clamor, et blasphemia tollatur a vobis, cum omni malitia. Amaritudo, sive amarulentia definiri potest animi dolor in invidiam aut malevolentiam exacerbati. Pro ira et indignatione Graece est ftouog xat opy/j, Latine furor et ira, quomodo habet textus Hieronymi, quemadmodum et ex Graeco legimus in Psalm. Domine ne infurore tuo arguas me, neque in ira tua corripias me. Quae duo tamen idem Hieronymus ita distinguit, ut furor sit ira incipiens et fervescens in animo indignatio. Ira vero, quae furore restincto desiderat ultionem, eteum, quem nocuisse putat, vult laedere. Quare, etiam secundum Graecam lectionem, gravius aliquid est ira quam furor, seu tumor, ut moderatiori vocabulo vertunt Erasmus et Hentenius. Clamor est, in quem erumpunt homines irati, ut est racha in Evangelio. Blasphemia Latine maledicentia est, ut cum fratri dicitur: fatue. Neque enim blasphemiae nomen eam solum comprehendit injuriam, qua Deo maledicitur; quamvis ut ait Augustinus lib. de moribus Man. cap. 11. vulgo blasphemia sic accipi soleat. Cujus dat rationem, quia blasphemia dicitur, cum aliqua mala dicuntur de bonis; nam de hominibus dubitari potest, Deus autem sine controversia bonus est. Addit Apostolus generaliter, cum omni malitia, nempe ea, qua proximus laeditur; quia longum erat enumerare singula peccata, quae solent in proximos committi. Repetuntur haec fere eadem in Epist. ad Col. 3. Qui locus proinde cum isto conferendus est.
4:32
32. Estote autem invicem benigni. ld est, comes, suaves. Sic enim potius verti posse Graecam vocem, censet Hieronymus, ut opponatur amarulentiae, quam inter vitia a nobis tollenda primam Apostolus nominaverat. Alioqui benignitas proprie ad dandum pertinet.
Misericordes. Graeca vox sonat, quasi dicas, bonorum viscerum, id est, boni affectus; nam viscera, pro affectibus, in sacris literis frequens est. Itaque potest hac voce omnis affectus benignitatis erga proximum intelligi: qualis praecipue est affectus misericordiae, qua juxta ejusdem Scripturae phrasim viscera hominis super alienis malis ita ccmmoventur, ut ea velit ac studeat removere.
Donantes invicem, sicut et Deus in Christo donavit vobis. Donantes et donavit etiam in Graeco vocabula sunt generalia, quamvis donationem sive largitionem significantia. Unde et Hieronymi textus habet donantes vobismetipsis, sic enim verti etiam potest. tanquam significetur, ut ille exponit, eum, qui benefacit alteri, ipso bono opere in seipsum esse beneficum. Quocirca et Erasmus retinere volens generalem hanc verbi Graeci significationem, vertit, largientes et largitus est. Verum specialiter pertinere praeceptum Apostoli ad condonationem injuriarum, satis aliunde potest intelligi. Nam in 2. ad Cor. 2. repetit aliquoties donandi verbum, pro eo, quod est condonare et ignoscere. Et cap. 12. Donate mihi, inquit, kane injuriam, id est, condonate. Lucas quoque cap. 7. sui Evangelii sic loquitur: Non habentibus illis unde redderent, donavit utrisque. Et iterum: Aestimo, quia is, cui plus donavit. Denique ipsum Apostolum habemus sua ipsius verba exponentem. Quod enim hic ambigue dictum videri poterat, clarioribus verbis expressit ad Col. 3. dicens: Donantes vobismetipsis, si quis adversus aliquem habet querelam; sicut et Dominus donavit vobis, ita et vos. Liquet ergo, sensum hunc esse, quem communiter omnes tradunt tam Graeci quam Latini, et cum his tandem ipse etiam Hieronymus: Condonantes invicem injurias et offensas, sicut et Deus per Christi filii sui meritum vobis condonavit omnia vestra delicta. Sic enim idem Apostolus loquitur Col. 2. Donans vobis omnia delicta. Ad hanc plenam offensarum condonationem, exemplo Patris coelestis faciendam, etiam hortatur et impellit nos evangelica parabola de servo ingrato et immisericorde; quem Dominus iratus tradidit tortoribus, quoad usque redderet universum debitum, quod ei jam ante remiserat. Ibi enim subjungitur haec terribilis comminatio: Sic et Pater meus coelestis faciet vobis, si non remiseritis unusquisque fratri suo de cordibus vestris. Matth. 18.
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v. 4 unum corpus. estis (1,22.23; 2,16) ; cf. Rom. 12,5 multi unum corpus sumus in Christo etL1 Cor. 12,43; unus spiritus, « ut videlicet unum habeatis spiritualem ' consensum per unitatem fidei et caritatis » ( Thom. similiter Lap. Est.); alii màlunt explicare de spiritu, quo hoc ecclesiae corpus vivit et vegetat, de gratia Spiritus sancti, vel de ipso Spiritu sancto (cf. Tust. Bels. Henle), de quo etiam CArys. accipit: « unum accepistis spiritum, et ex uno fonte potati estis, non debetis dissentire »; sed statim subiungit : aut spiritum hic dieit thy zpoüupíxv, alacritatem. Huic congruit sicut vocati estis, critici praeferunt lectionem xa06c xo ixx60:s, sicut et vocali estis (Hil. Hier. Vict.) in una spe vocationis vestrae ; vócatio seu invitalio ad Dei regnum vobis est oblata in una spe proposita; cf. 4,14 iv à xai bxXnpófnuev, culus spei seu hereditatis arrham iam habent (4,14). Et quomodo una spes ratio sit unitatis, explanat Thom. « quia sicut videmus, quod quando aliqui sunt vocati simul ad aliquid pariter habendum et mutuo percipiendum, solent simul etiam manere ct simul ire, ita spiritualiter dicit : quia vos estis vocati ad unum, seik finale praemium, ideo debetis simul cum mnitate spiritus ambulare. : Unitas spiritus seu animorum coniunctio etiam habetur v. 5 quia. omnibus est agnoscendus, colendus, amandus unus Dominus, scil. Iesus Christus, ad quem eos adduxit et apud eum retinet una fides, qua simi fovetur una mens et una sentiendi ratio; cum hoc uno Domino eos coniunxit unum baptisma (cf. Rom. 6,3.4; 4 Cor. 12,13 in uno spiritu in unum corpus baptizati sumus). Sumitur ergo argumentum ab une Domino, qui habet supremum in omnes dominium, cui omnes servire čt obedire debent; ab una fide, qua animi in unum sensum de rebus divinis colligantur; turpe est enim eadem credentes animis et studiis esse divisos (Est.); ab uno baptismo, a sacramento regenerationis quo novus homo exaqua et Spiritu sancto gignitur; unde baptizati una natura novas sacra praediti etiam unum agendi senliendique principium habent; quicumque enim in Christo baptizati estis Chrislum induistis (Gal. 3,27; cf. 1 Ioan. 3,9). Iam qui Christum induerunt, quomodo non unitate sensus concordes sunt? Dominus est fons, auctor et causa unilatis seu unionis; eius unionis veluti causae efficienles, seu media et subsidia. sunt fides et baptisma. Quaerunt, cur eucharistiae apostolus non mertionem fecerit (cf. 1 Cor. 10,17). Potuit et alia unitatis adiumenta afferre, sed minime debuit ; aliqua attulit; unum subiectivum, obiectivum alierum. Unitatem spiritus servandam esse, ulterius suadetur
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v. 6 unus Deus et Pater omnium, unus Deus exigit cultores unanimes, Pater unus omnium: filios fraterno amore coniunctos habere vult (Es/. cf. Mal. 2,10) qui est super omnes, supremo suo dominio omnes regit ac continet, et cum Deus sit Deus pacis (Rom. 15,33 ; 16,20; 2 Cor. 13,11) omnes pace unitos esse et paci ac concordiae servandae operam navare vult. Insuper tamquam supremus gubernator regnum suum efficaci ratione ad finem propositum dirigere debet, ut scil. omnes communi conspiratione pro sus quisque parte ad finem attingendum operam suam conferant, scu unsnimi studio finem illum prosequantur; e£ per omnia, xo dià mdávuwy, graeci explicant de providentia, «povoóv, čioixõv (Chrys.), 9i mávwow JpOv «7, ngovofa xat dioixýcs: (Thph. Oec. Euth,), dà mávcov hpõyv Thy otxefoy &xiBevxvUpevoc moóvotxv ( Thd M.). In commentairo legit Hier. per omnes, et haec lectio erit assumenda. Nam in hoc contextu non agitur de mundo generatim seu de universitate rerum (uti Rom. 11,36. 1 Cor. 8,6), sed agitur de solis fidelibus et de causis et modis quibus hi in unitate spirilus servandi sint. Quare sicut super omnes, ita consequenter per omnes legitur (Cai.), idque'confirmatur lectione £v nõo! huiv, wiv, vulg. in omnibus nobis. Deus itaque unus per omnes operatur, omnibus utitur , ad sua consilia exsequenda, omnium ope res administrat pro sua providentia ; et in omnibus (nobis) inhabitat, non solum per omnipraesentiam, sed peculiari ratione quasi in suo habitaculo (2,22), in templo suo (4 Cor. 6,19); vos estis templum Dei vivi (2 Cor. 6,16), Spiritus Dei inhabitat in vobis (Rom. 8,41. 4 Cor. 3,16. 2 Tim. 1,14). Hisce traduntur documenta, secundum quae unusquisque de se et de aliis iudicia ferre et aestimare debebit. Deus autem gubernator supremus omnium, per omnes operans et in omnibus inhabitans firmissimum nobis exhibet argumentum, quantopere velit omnes in unitate spiritus continere et Mysterium Trinitatis hic exprimi aliqui opinati sunt; v. g. Dam. proprietates, tà wyparta, Trinitatis in uno Deo. praedicavit. Ita in v. 4 zvsüpa, v. 9 xóptoc, v. 6 Beds zato. At non est certum in v. 4 agi de Spiritu sancto. Tria illa in v. 6 ad personas Trinitatis referre pluribus placuit. Eius rei meminit Hier. : « quidam hoc quod est scriptum : super omnes et per omnes et in omnibus ad Patrem et Filium et Spiritum sanctum sic aestimant esse referendum, ut super omnia Paler sit quia est auctor omnium; per omnes Filius, quia per Filium creata sunt omnia; in omnibus Spiritus sanctus, ipse enim credentibus datur et templum sumus Spiritus sancti ». Et Thom. « primum appropriatur Patri qui est fontale principium divinitatis et omnes creaturas excellit; secundum Filio qui est sapientia attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter (Sap. 8,1); tertium vero Spiritui sancto, qui replet orbem terrarum » (Sap. 1,7); cf. Tust. Est. Nat. Lap. et aliqui recentiores (apud Hpt.). In textu autem tria haec ad Deum Patrem omnium unice referuntur ó èri navtrov xal à:xk, etc. unde pro tali appropriatione in ipso modo loquendi nullum habetur vestigium. Huic unitati spiritus non obstat varietas et diversitas donorum ; imo ex hac ipsa varietate exsurgit denique illud corpus omni ex parte perfectum, cuius caput est Christus ; ipsa enim notione corporis postulatur varietas et diversitas, quae simul cum unitate corporis necessario consistit. Hoc argumentum declaratur in sequenti parte v. 7-16. Exposuit apostolus, quae sint fidelibus communia ad unitatem spiritus creandam et fovendam (v. 2-6). Verum ex communibus istis non omnes - eandem partem accipiunt:
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v. 7 unicuique autem nostrum data est gratia secundum mensuram donationis Christi à ytpıs gratia scil. determinata, unicuique proprie data; haec determinatur, prout Christus mensuram doni «zc $ope&c singulis attribuit. Christus itaque est auctor diversitatis donorum, mensurae donorum maioris vel minoris. Unde ex duplici capite haec diversitas non potest esse obstaculum unitatis spiritus apud fideles (dummodo vocationem suam recte iutellexerint) : nam Christus Dominus eam statuit diversitatem ; ille ipse scil. qui illam unitatem maxime vult et promovet (v. 5); quis noscens Christum non toto corde approbabit ? donum est, beneficium est summa libertate et liberalitate collatum ! num illi iure suo tale donum exigere possunt? Responsio sat EPH. 4,7-8. 115 ampla habetur in eorum conditione pristina 2,1-3,11-13. Quia in v. 41 solum mentio fit de aliquibus muneribus a Christo datis, dubitatum est, num unicuique de singulis fidelibusaccipi possit. At attendi oportet munera illa commemorari in universum ad omnium consummationem, ad aedificationem corporis Christi (v. 42) et insuper v. 16 explicite iterum sermonem fieri de unoquoque ; proin revera spectari profectum et gratiam uniuscuiusque. Huic distributioni et donationi congruit sacrum quoddam effatum in psalmis
4:8
v. 8 propter quod dicit 9:5 Xéyer, ita. verba scripturae afferre solet (cf Rom. 15,10. 2 Cor. 6,2. Gal. 3,16 Hebr. 1,7): suppleri potest 7, 19294 (Rom. 4,9 ti ġ vpaqT, Aévet ; 9,17; 10,11 ; 11,2. Gal. 3,8. 23, 4 Tim. 5,18, uti hisce in locis ponitur) , ascendens in altum. captivam duxit captivitaten, cf. Ps. 67,19; fitallocutioad Deum, qui tamquam triumphator cap- "tis hostibus redit ad sanctuarium suum in monte Sion ; quinam sint captivi, indicatur in eodem loco: « etenim non credentes inhabitare Dominum. Deum » ; (videtur fieri allusio ad narrationem expugnationis arcis Sion, ante quam lebusaei dixerant: non ingredietur David huc 2 Sam. 5,6), hos victos accepit Iahve tamquam praemium victoriae : accepisti dona quae dona consistebant in hominibus. lebusaei igitur victi fiebant subditi Iahve tamquam donaria. Hac vero subiectione qua simul aliquo modo ad populum Dei aggregat sunt, ipsis victis beneficia seu dona collata sunt. Unde ex sententia : accepisti dona in homines (dona i. e. homines, sequitur veluti pars correspondens : ipsa hac acceptioneiis collata sunt dona. Apostolus praesertim duo mutat in textu : ponit tertiam personam, id quod nullius momenti est, et ponit pro accepisti dona : dedit dona hominibus, quae verba ad sententiam in v. 7 expressam plene congruunt. Sed simul apparet haec verba satis recedere a verbis psalmi. Quomodo id erit explicandum ? Varia sunt proposita. Textus quem refert apostolus videtur esse explicatio traditionalis eius loci apud Iudaeos. Nam in paraphrasi aramaica eius loci revera legitur nan dedisti eis dona filiis hominum, et eodem modo vertit syrus: dedisti dona hominibus. Quomodo fortasse perveniri potuerit ad talem versionem, supra dictum est. Alii ex ipso usu vocis np? textum apostoli explicari posse censent; existimant np» ita saepe adhiberi, ut ipsa notio accipiendi seu sumendi transeat in significationem dandi quem sensum praegnantem appellare solent. Huic explanationi calculum adiiciunt Lap. Est. Nat. Bels. Henle; et revera in compluribus locis ita adhibetur vox hebraea, ut si sensum spectaveris vertere possis dare ; ita 3 Reg. 17,10 revera vertit Hier. : da mihi paululum aquae in vase, ut bibam, et y. 41 affer mihi buccellam panis, ubi in utroque loco verbum legitur np? ; simile habes Gen. 15,3 sume mihi vaccam, 18,5 ponam buccellam panis, 27,9 affer mihi duos hoedos optimos ; 27,13 affer quae dixi ; 48,9 adduc eos ad me ; Ex. 25,2 loquere filiis Israel, ut tollant mihi primitias; 27, 20 praecipe filiis Israel, ut afferant tibi oleum etc. In omnibus istis locis sumere, ponere, afferre, adducere, tollere ponitur pro uno illo hebraeo verbo et ubique poteris salvo sensu dare substituere. Similiter dicit Chrys : propheta quidem in psalmo dixit : £Aofsc. dóuata èv &vOpomote, XüTóg OÉ qoty £8oxe Opa TOÙTO TAUTÓV EcttV Exelvo, hoc idem est cum illo. — Alia quae proposita sunt , sine ullo damno omitti possunt. Solum quod habet S. Augustinus, non videtur praetereundum ; scribit enim: « hoc autem in Psalmo ita legitur : accepisti dona in hominibus. Sic enim plures codices habent et maxime graeci et ex hebraeo sic interpretatum habemus. Dona itaque dixit apostolus, quemadmodum propheta, non donum. Sed cum propheta dixisset accepisti dona in hominibus, apostolus maluit dicere dedit dona hominibus, ut ex utroque scil. verbo, uno prophetico, apostolico altero, quia in utroque est divini sermonis auctoritas, sensus plenissimus redderetur. Utrumque enim verum est et quia dedit hominibus et quia accepit in hominibus. Dedit hominibus tamquam caput membris suis, accepit in hominibus idem ipse utique membris suis, propter quae membra sua clamavit de coelo: Saule, Saule, quid me persequeris (Act. 9,4)? Ipse ergo Christus et dedit de coelo et accepit in terra » (de Trinitate, 15,19,34; M. 42,1084). Videtur igitur argumentatio esse talis : ut Deus seu Christus accipiat dona in hominibus (dona quae consistant in hominibus, quae sint scil. homines) opus est ut antea dederit dona; ergo qui dieit accepisti dona, necessario supponendum asserit: dedisti dona; id quod de Deo vel Christo certe locum habet et valet. Christus autem ascensum assecutus est post descensum‘, i. e. exaltatus est postquam se humiliavit (cf. Phil. 2,8-11)
4:9
v. 9 quod autem ascendit tò òè av illud autem ascendit, quid est, nisi quia et descendit (primum in multis non legitur) in inferiores partes terrae, graeci Ephr. Hier. Tust. Lap. vident hisce expressum illud : descendit ad inferos; verum iure ne. gatur ab aliis eiusmodi requiri explanationem. In oppositione ad ascensum in coelum opponitur descensus in regionem quandam inferiorem, in terram, quae est revera coelo multo inferior. Unde intelligitur descensus in terram per incarnationem (quam acceptionem Thom. admittit); pro hac explanalione, ait Est. « facere videtur consequentia quam apostolus indicat, huiusmodi : Christus ascendit in coelum, ergo prius descendit in inferiores partes terrae ; quae consequentia promptior est, si terram absolute intelligas, quam si aliud; nam ascensio Christi a terra in coelum intelligitur ». Eo modo recentiores quoque intelligunt (Bels. Henle, Hpt. Ew.). Et certe haec acceptio ipsis verbis commendatur. Nam ex iis solum apparet, in notione ascensus seu 4véf» (ascendit) contineri notionem anterioris descensus ôr: xoi x«xéf, nequaquam autem continetur notio descensus in profundissimam abyssum. Quare iuremerito genilivus terrae «ic vi; explicatur genitivus appositionis (Caz.) : in inferiores partes quae sunt, ralione habita ascensus in coelum, terra. Bene dicil. TAd M.: inferiores partes ipsam terram nominat in comparalione coeli (Swete I p. 167); infima pars mundi est terra (Cai). Uti verba iacent, possunt inferiores partes terrae utique intelligi de regionibus quae sunt infra terram (ut sit genitivus partilivus), vel ut ts yñs sit genitivus comparativus, de regionibus quae sunt inferiores quam terra. Verum est etiam in Scriptura saepius inferum, scheol et coelum opponi : pete tibi signum in profundum inferni, sive in excelsum supra (Is. 7,11); non elevabuntur in altitudine, traditi sunt in lacum, in terram ultimam (Ez. 31, 14) si ascendero in coelum, tu illic es; si descendero in infernum, ades (Ps, 138,8. Am. 9,2) ; qui dicebas in corde tuo : in coelum conscendam, verumtamen ad infernum detraheris (Is. 144,13-15; cf. Matth. 11,23). Praeterea frequenter locutiones occurrunt similes, quibus inferus, scheol designatur : introibunt in inferiora terrae (Ps. 62,10), collocavero te in terra novissima (Ez. 26,20; 32,18.24) in terram infimam, ultimam (Ez. 31,16.18). At hisce lamen non conficitur in nostro loco sermonem fieri de infero, de scheol. Nam qui hoc contendit, debebit ostendere, quomodo apostolus ex ascensu in allum necessario deduxerit Christum in inferum debuisse descendere. Si autem talis pro Christo necessitas ipsa illa oppositione non sequitur, jam nulla causa reperitur, cur verba illa ad infernum referantur. Porro ex descensu meruit Christus exaltationem ; iam in ipsa incarnatione, in vita Iesu terrena, in opere redemptionis habetur descensus, humiliatio — neutiquam autem in descensu animae Christi beatae in limbum, ut sanctis illis ibi eousque detentis donaret visionem Dei beatificam. Unde ea acceplio ipso contextu excluditur. Verba psalmi captivam duwit captivitatem apostolus recitat quidem, at nullo modo ea respicit. Tota eius argumentatio nititur in ascendit et dedit dona hominibus ; hisce probatum est quod in v. 7 dicitur. Interpretes tamen etiam horum verborum applicationem ad Christum quaerunt. Duae explicationes proponuntur. Una est illa ab Hier. adoptata : Christus nos liberavit a captivitate daemonis veteri, el nova captivitate nos duxit in coelum; eaque varie proponitur vel solum de animabus in limbo detentis quas Christus secum duxerit in coelum, vel generatim de fidelibus, quos Christus in suam redigit potestatem, a captivitate erroris et daemonis liberavit, suos reddidit captivos (ita iam Justinus, dial. c. Tryph. 39, Theod. ThdM. Dam. Ambrst. Oec. Thom. Euth. Cai. Est Tust). Altera est eorum, qui dicunt ductum esse captivum diabolum, mortem, peccatum, maledictum (Chrys. Henle, Bels.), quam explicationem Zst. iam ex eo non admittit, quià satanas captus et alligatus est non proprie per ascensionem Christi sed per crucem quae praecesserat. Quomodo autem Bels. hos captivos salanam, malos angelos, peccatum, mortem dicat a Christo esse adductos in coelum (in den Himmel mitgebracht), ego quidem non intelligo. Alii contenti sunt proponentes utramque explicationem (Lap. Nat.). Sed cum apostolus haec verba in applicatione ad Christum nullatenus tangat, etiam interpres epistolae impune eaomitlere poterit. Attende tamen eandem hypostasin, eandem personam divinam dici descendisse et ascendisse (Caz.). Cum emphasi effert apostolus
4:10
v. 10 qui descendit ipse est et qui ascendit super omnes coelos ; ex illa humilitate in vita terrena consecutus est exaltationem summam super omnem creaturam, ita ut eius gloria et sublimitas nulla re creata possit satis exprimi. Hoe indicatur dictione super omnes coelos, quae locutio explicatur ex locis Scripturae de coelis coelorum (Deut. 10,14. 3 Reg. 8,27 coeli coelorum te capere non pos- qui penetravit coelos, 9:):nAu8óxa tovs oùpavoúç, et recole 2 Cor. 12,2 scio hominem raptum usque ad tertium coelum. Haec autem exaltatio ei collata est in eum etiam finem, ut impleret omnia, ut dominatione sua et donis suis terram et coelum impleret, ut impleret omnia, secundum quod capere poterant; cf. 4,23. Omnia, orbis terrarum, lotum genus humanum vacua erant donis ac gratiis Dei; omnia indigebant plenitudine Christi, de cuius plenitudine nos omnes accepimus (loan. 1,16). Loquitur enim apostolus, ut Est. ait, de Christo quasi de rege qui totius regni sui possessionem capit et potentia dominationis replet omnia; « descendit et ascendit, ut impleret omnia sua tum potentia, tum maiestate, victoria, gloria, triumpho, possessione, regno, imperio et quasi optimas potest habere rationes pro tali distributione et qui rationabiliter agere vult, non pro mero arbitrio donabit. Neque in v. 7. 8 cernitur talis sententiae conformatio, qua obiectio seu contradictio significetur. Christum descendisse in inferiores partes i. e. in orcum, infernum, aliqui probare volunt ex eo, quia clades potestatibus abyssi illata fuerit quasi conditio praevia pro eius exaltatione. Sed haec sententia non congruit iis quae in textu epistolae deprehendimus. Potestates illae in hac epistola versantur in aere (2,2; 6,12) et si apostolus talem victoriam voluisset declarare, argumentum proposuisset ex verbis psalmi, quae recitat quidem, at nullatenus in sua expositione tangit : captivam duxit captivitatem. Iam exponitur accuratius, quid ex hac plenitudine ecclesiae suae ad profectum ecclesiae totius atque singulorum contulerit et continuo largiatur (v. 11-16); et primo quidem providit qui docerent et regerent
4:11
v. 44 et ipse dedit quosdam quidem apostolos, quos in vita sua terrestri elegerat, his misit Spiritum sanctum « docendo eos et aliis gratiae muneribus cumulando, impellendo eos ad munus apostolicum exsequendum » (Est.). Merito ponuntur ubique apostoli primo loco, qui electi erant rectores ecclesiae et praecipua potestate praediti prae aliis, quosdam autem prophetas, quorum munus indicatur 1 Cor. 12,10.28; 14,3 propheta loquitur ad aedificationem et exhortationem et consolationem; 14,24.25.29; Rom. 12,6; erant prophetae in Ierusalem Act. 11,27, Antiochiae 13,1; 15,32; Caesareae Act. 21,9,10; prophetia peculiare donum assignatur Spiritus sancti ; prophelae itaque docebant singulari impulsu Spiritus sancti scientia polius infusa quam aequisita. Ipse Christus promiserat prophetas a se missum iri : ecce, ego mitto ad vos prophetas et sapientes et scribas (Matth. 23,34) ; alios vero evangelistas, praedicatores nuntii messiani, doctrinae Christi, qualis erat Philippus, qui edocuit eunuchum Act. 8,99-28 et pertransiens evangelizabat civitatibus Act. 8,40; 21,8; etiam Timotheus iubetur opus facere evangelistae (2 Tim. 4,8); alios autem pastores et doctores, toù; 8i mowkévac xol 8:0moxd)ovc;, In uno membro ponuntur duo nomina ; « qui pastor est, esse debet et magister; nec in ecclesia quamvis sanctus sit, pastoris sibi nomen assumere, nisi possit docere quos pascit » (Hier.); pascere idem est ac regere, dirigere, gubernare, ad quod utique necesse est et nosse doctrinam Christi et docere subditos; de notione pascendi vide 2 Reg. 5,2 tu pasces populum meum Israel; 4 Par. 11,9 ; 17,6. Ez. 34,2 et Act. 20,28 (now.aívetv Thy ixxknsíav, vulg. regere ecclesiam); et 1 Tim. 3,2 oportet episcopum esse doctorem, 2iàxxzixóv, i. e. uti explicatur Tit. 1,9 : ut potens sit exhortari àn doctrina sana el eos qui contradicunt arguere. Haec autem munera et officia apostolorum, prophetarum et ceterorum totidem sunt dona quae unicuique ex donatione Christi (v. 7) conferuntur. Sunt enim illa instituta
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v. 12 ad consummationem sanctorum zghe by xatapticuóv, ad instructionem (Hier. in versione ; in commentario: ad perfectionem), polius ad aptitudinem, praeparationem fidelium, cf. Rom. 9,22, scil. ut fideles reddantur apti seu praeparati et composili eig- £gyov 8ixxovíac in opus ministerii, ad quamcumque ministratonem quae singulis obtingat. Nam secundum apostolum variae sunt xninistraliones õıxrpésers 8uxxoviov, in Dei servitio suas quisque partes habel, quas in socielate religiosa explere debet. Ut ad haec officia hominis christiani rite obeunda instruatur et aptus reddatur, Christus illa instituit munera. Ex hac institutione et directione singulorum exsistii et efficitur ulterior terminus, ad quem munera illa ordinata sunt : $a. aedificationem. corporis Christi i. e. ecclesiae (1,23), ut ecclesia ceu aedificium spirituale Christi paulatim assurgat numeroque et virtutibus proficiat (Lap.). Nam, ut Thd M. dicit: haec donationum est differentia, 3la ut alii quidem ista, alii vero illa percipiant ad commune incremenfum dominici corporis (Swete l. c. p. 168). Alii in v. 12 tria membra distincte exhibent; et quidem ita, ut eic £pyov Buxxav(xe, cis oixoðouhy referatur ad dedit quosdam et mpbe xataptiowóv ulteriorem finem et terminum, perfectionem fidelium, exprimat. Eo modo iam Est. rem proponit, Christum dedisse apostolos, ut diligenter incumbant in opus ministerii, in aedificationem corporis Christi, in spiritualem profectum ecclesiae; idque totum ad hunc finem, ut universa fidelium societas perfecta reddatur; primum ergo esse opus ministerii, euius effectus sit aedificatio, quam denique consequatur consummatio. Similiter Bels. Henle explicant. Sed tunc miraberis collocationem. Nam primo loco erat ponendum «ic čpyov 3taxovíac et tum quae ordine consequuntur; insuper attendatur oportet xætaprıcuóv non statim designare perfectionem, sed potius aptitudinem, apparationem et notionem hanc quae non est absolula bene suppleri addito siç tò čoyov, dein Sixxovía sensu latiore apte sumitur de ministratione seu obsequio, quod fidelibus omnibus praestandum incumbit. Praeterea apparet ex v. 15.16 aedificationem corporis Christi fieri debere per singulos pro sua quisque parte; quare etiam in v. 12 non debet referri immediate ad dedit v. 11, sed est quasi ultimus terminus qui tandem altingendus est, postquam singuli EPH. 4,13. 124 ad sua officia implenda adaptali sunt per eos quos Christus dedit v. 14. Ad notionem xatapricuós cf. Matth. 4,21. Marc. 1,19 (componentes retia) ; Luc. 6,40; 1 Cor. 1,410; 2.Cor. 13,11; Hebr. 13,11 (aptet vos, vulg.); 1 Petr. 5,10 (perficiet, vulg.). Bene ait Dam. qui dona acceperunt eic «o xov» ministrant ad praeparandum perfectionem. In locutione aedificationis corporis Christi duae imagines diversae coniunguntur; habes scil. notiones inter se iunctas quae 1,23, el 2,22 exprimuntur. Huic autem aedificationi et toti negotio in v. 42 assignato sedulo insistendum est
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v. 13 donec occurramus omnes xatavthswpsey, donec perveniamus omnes, et meta ad quam devenire oportet, declaratur : in unitatem fidei et agnitionis &xvrvócsoc cognitionis perfectae Filii Dei scil. ut omnes unum sint possidentes eandem fidem et cognitionem bene excultam de Filio Dei, eius persona, habitudine ad Patrem, de eius opere, eius doctrina; cf. v. 5; ostenditur itaque quomodo dona illa varia quae Christus contulit (v. 8-11), ad id convergant atque id efficiant, quod in v. 3 petierat, scil. ut omnes in unitate spiritus consistant et conserventur,uL continuo crescentes in fide et cognitione unum sint eadem mente eademque doctrina et intelligentia imbuti ac praediti. Perperam aliqui explicant unitatem inter fidem et cognitionem, scil. ut efficiatur consensus internus inter fidem et cognitionem (O/shausen, Ew.). Verum in hac epistola et hoc loco ubique agitur de unitate fidelium, quatenus eadem bona possident (cf. Henle). Ad quam metam perveniendum sit, porro declaratur ita, ul oi x&vrec in unum coetum collecti considerentur tamquam una persona moralis, quae fide et cognitione crescere debeat ac perfici in virum perfectum, qui virili robore et constantia, intelligentia matura perfectus est in fide et cognitione, et qui-démum pervenire debeat, vel polius utpote vir perfectus iam devenit in mensuram aetatis plenitudinis Christi, in eam aetatem cui competit plenitudo illa, cuius auctor et largitor est Christus, de cuius plenitudine omnes accepimus. Commendatur itaque studium continuum tendendi in aetatem viri perfecli, crescendi in cognitione Chrisli et cooperando gratiae se reddendi aptum ad accipiendam illam plenitudinem quam Christus singulis dare exoptat. Apostolus ita loquitur, ut et singulorum profectum ob oculos habeat (oceurramus omnes), et totius ecclesiae incrementum et progressum spectet (si; čvðpæ «Aewv). Simili modo locutum est Concilium . vaticanum : erescat et multum vehementerque proficiat tam singulorum quam omnium, tam unius hominis quam totius ecclesiae, aetatum et saeculorum gradibus, intelligentia, scientia, sapientia (cap. 4 de fide et ralione). Ea igitur aetas attingalur oportet vel saltem ad eam aetatem connitendum est, in qua plenitudo Christi quam maxime tum in singulis tum in ecclesia habeatur; eius autem plenitudo conlinetur in perfecta similitudine eius, in plena exhibitione et impletione omnium praeceptorum ac consiliorum eius, ut eius imago reluceat tam in singulis quam in eeclesia quam perfectissime secundum indolem ac conditionem cuiusque status. Breviter rem declarat Ephr.: imitatores simus Christi, ut perficiatur per eum mensura aetatis interni hominis nostri. Alii quandoque explicant toù z)pópacos arcte iungentes ad $At:xíac per modum adiectivi : in mensuram plenae ac perfectae aetatis Christi (Est. Lap.), perfecta aetas, seu plena maturitas (Ew.); Christi autem aetas plena intelligitur vel ea aetas quamin corporesuo mysticohabet (Est.), veltalisaetas perfecta quae valeat apud Christum i. e. perfectio homine christiano digna (Ew.). Si 09 nànpóuatos refertur ad 5J«xízc, haec ultima acceptio posset admitti. Verum haec coniunctio adiectiva ipsa non videtur posse probari ; nam zàńpwya saepius arcte cum Christo componitur, uti. 1,23; Rom. 45,29; Col. 1,19; 2,9 ; Ioan. 1,16; quare non est consultum hoc loco notiones has separare quae alias iunctae apparent. Neque Christi, seu plenitudinis Christi licet intelligere hoc nostro loco de corpore Christi mystico. Nam oriretur sensus plane ineptus : coetum christianum seu ecclesiam debere. pervenire ad aetatem coetus christiani seu ecclesiae; saltem requireretur aceuratior quaedam determinatio : ad aetatem seu perfectionem quam exigat Christus, vel similiter. At multo meliorem sensum praebent verba, uti iacent : ad eam aetatis mensuram perveniendum est, qua Chriti cognitio ac gratia in nobis perfecte adoleverit, vel ad eam aetatem, quae Christi plena est eiusque divinis.muneribus omni ex parte cumulata (Iust.). Aetas itaque postulatur ita perfecta, ut sit Christi plena. : Verum quando hoc erit? Certum est nos ab apostolo non amandari ad saeculum futurum et alteram vitam, sed ab eo describi quid hisce in terris nobis praestandum sit, uli toto contextu 4,1-16 apparet. Aeque certum est, plenam ac perfectam cognitionem Christi et plenam participationem omnium bonorum Christi non esse huius vitae terrestris, sed reservari vitae coelesti. At id proprie nostro tex(u non tangitur. Neque docetur nostro textu, quod aliquibus placuit, omnes electos in aetate ac statura virili resurrecturos, scil. in mensura plenae aetatis Christi, exemplaris nostri, qui pervenerit ad aetatem plenam virilem triginta trium annorum. Cuius sententiae mentionem faciunt Hieronymus in epitaphio Paulae n. 24, Augustinus in Civ. Dei 22, 15 (M. 22,902; 41,777). Thom. . Est. Lap. etc. ; Ad quid autem tendat illa mensura donationis Christi, unicuique attributa v. 7 eta v. 11-13 explicalius proposita, declaratur in v. 44 ex parte eorum quae auferenda sunt, et v. 15-16 constructione ulique mutala (iam non cum tvz coniuncta) ex iis quae praestanda sunt et revera efficienda. Negalivus finis assignatur
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v. 44 ut iam non simus parvuli, conditionem subindicat pristinam, ex qua Christi donatione erepti sunt: eran t parvuli, non habentes veram cognitionem, rudes, indocti in rebus divinis; imo puerulorum modo facillime obnoxii omnis generis deceptioni sine ulla stabilitate, fluctuantes, fluctibus agitati et in omnem partem lactali, neve circumferamur omni vento doctrinae, ne simus circumacti in diversas opinionum partes, ne quovis impulsu, quavis assertione seu EPH. 4,14. 123 suasione nos abripi sinamus instabiles. Ad unitatem spiritus quam pro fidelibus efflagitat, quam maxime pertinet una et vera doctrina, cuius doctrinae partes quasdam praecipuas posuit apostolus v. 5.6; iam ut haec doctrina rite servetur et ab omni falsitate et errore immunis maneat, dedit Christus v. 44 doctores veritatis, et puritas doctrinae ab iis conservanda est et tuenda, quod est primum ad aedificationem corporis Christi. Comparationibus illis fluctuum, ventorum apostolus perstringit instabilitatem, mutabilitatem, inconstantiam, varietatem opinationum et philosophorum et pseudodoctorum. Etiam hic descriptio apostoli est omnino generalis; certos quosdam errores non videtur ob oculos habere quos v. g. alibi notat (Col. 2,8-23. Phil. 3,2). Quomodo fiat, ut tanquam vým: omni vento doctrinae sint expositi, declaratur in nequitia hominum £v «7, xoci in ludo talario; qui talis seu tesseris ludunt, modo hos modo alios numeros iactando habebunt, in quo ludo facile fraus ac deceptio quoque adhibetur in astutia èv navovpyia : hisce designatur varietas et multiplicitaserrorum, simul inconstantia doctrinarum, sicut in luso talario; et cum hae diversitate doctrinarum coniungitur, uti fere in illo ludo, fallacia hominum et fraus et pessima calliditas, qua utuntur ad cireumventionem erroris, ut illos incautos, vrxíouc, errore concludant et cireumveniant, «bc thy ue0o8s(av TE TALVNG, agunt in astutia ad eum scil. finem, ut artificio quodam et consilio errorem introducant, vel efficiant, breviter : ad effectionem (artificium) aberrationis. Una est veritas, simplex et sincera; error aulem multiplex, instabilis, mutabilis, fraudulentus; at speciem arlis, scientiae appetens. Hisce bene delineat apostolus eos qui falsas doctrinas in vulgus spargere solent. Unusquisque pseudodoctor quidem pro se et sua doctrina vrzíoo; attrahere ‘vult ; illud autem xegteegópevor varietale et multiplicitate doctrinarum enascitur. Tali vero aberrationi remedium attulit Christus largitione donorum; nobis ergo incumbit, ut illo remedio utamur v. 15 veritatem facientes, ó)«0sbovcec 8& veritatem loquentes, veritatem sectantes, quam tradunt nobis doclores a Christo constituti; veram itaque doctrinam professi et amplexi, et ita tuti contra circumvenlionem erroris. Primum itaque ad aedificationem corporis Christi est consistere in veritate, in vera doctrina (cf. 14,13; 5,9). Luce veritatis huius illuminati et ducti in caritate crescamus in illo per omnia, v yny ita erit iungendum, sicuti eodem modo iungitur in v. 16; ceteroquin posset cum &X0sóovce; oppositionem edicere ad iv ««vovpyíz; al ex v. 16 alterum potius suadetur et insuper ex 3,19 maxime nobis commendata est caritas Chrisli in nos, unde consequens est, ut noslra in eum caritate feramur, etin hac caritate crescamus eic xoc», adolescamus versus ipsum, augmentum faciamus in nostra habitudine ad eum, et id quidem «à návra per omnia, omni modo et omnibus in rebus et conditionibus. Quod itaque ex Christi donatione a nobis praestandum est, in eo consistit, ut vera doctrina illustrati in dies magis enitamur caritate-et omni modo augeri in noslra cum Christo unione, ut affectu, menle atque animo magis cum eo uniamur ; haec enim coniunctio spiritualis continuo crescente caritate augetur. Crescimus igitur ope caritatis versus Christum, caritale magis in dies ei iungimur ; et tale incrementum iuremerilo a nobis exigit 1s que est caput Christus, et in ipsa ratione et dignitate capitis continetur et causa et incilamentum, ut ad maiorem cum eo coniunctionem aspiremus; cf. 1,22; id quod pluribus declaratur descriptione, quomodo omne incremenlum -et totius ecclesiae profectus ac progressus ab uno illo capite, a Christo, necessario dependeat v. 16; sententia praecipua est haec : ew quo totum corpus augmentum corporis (augmentum suum, sibi competens) facit in aedificationem sui in caritate i. e. totum corpus crescit ex coniunclione cum capite, ex influxu capitis; et hoc augmentum seu incrementum tendit cic oixoñowhy in aedificationem, ut corpus istud ope caritatis, in caritate, vel per caritatem aedificetur, plene constituatur etad suam perveniat perfectionem; cf. v. 45. Ponitur maximum momentum in caritate; ea fit aedificatio corporis et ut ope eius haec aedificatio ad perfectionem evehatur et permanenter consistat, intercedat necesse est, ut ex capite continuus habeatur influxus ad corporis incrementum efficiendum, ad vitam corporis augmento producendam. Summo in fastigio ponitur caritas, virtus theologica, qua Deus propter se el proximus propter Deum diligitur; nunc manent fides, spes, caritas; maior autem horum est caritas (4 Cor. 13,13). Quod de toto corpore valet, pro rata parte valet de membris singulis, ex quibus illud corpus constituitur. Unde si totum corpus ex coniunctione cum capite aedificatur ope caritatis, etiam singuli coniunclionem hanc cum capite foventes sese ope caritatis in hac sui aedificatione ulteriore exerceant oportebit. Et quaenam sint singulorum partes, eliam salis indicatur in v. 16, postquam ipsius corporis constitutio a capite effecta et dependens est descripta : compactum et connexum gvvxpuohoyońuevov influxu capitis apte et concinne, modo plane conveniente corpus coniungitur et cvußBatóuevov et connectitur seu colligatur; per omnem iuncturam subministrationis, $& xác; &víc, de nolione &í disputatur : 2: «7; zis045s0c praebet CArys.; vulg. iunctura, quae explicatio salis videtur congruere cum Col. 2,19, ubi &/, coniungitur cum cóvàeauoc ; huic notioni eliam recentiores calculum adiiciunt (Bels. Henle, Hpt. Ew.) et longiore inquisitione (ex Galeno, Aristotele) eam probavit Lightfoot (Ep. to the Colossians, 1904, p. 196)!. Est itaque &o*, commissura, articulus; per eiusmodi commissuras seu articulos unumquodque membrum coniungitur cum capite, habet contactum (&ce£?) cum capite; unde influxus capilis in singula membra efficitur per istas iuncturas seu arliculos. Ista efficientia capitis in membra dicitur ézxwopnyíx. subministratio, auxilium, id scil. quod singulis membris praebetur a capite. Huic subministrationi inserviunt «i &ooi, articuli ; per hos articulos singulis membris praebetur vis quaedam conveniens; quare corpus augmentum suum facit per omnem iuncturam subministrationis, per omnem articulum, per quem fit illa subministratio capitis, sicut Oec. bene explicat 9ix «c &v tÀ oT Extr optytiac yıvouévns, quare dicuntur «i dpat ts &mtyognyiac, quasi canales subministrationis. Ex hac explicatione etiam patet hanc partem non pertinere ad antecedentia, in quibus corpus in se constitutum et perfectum exhibetur, sed ad subsequentia, quibus describitur corporis huius incrementum, ad quod exigitur illa ¿nıyopnyi« capitis. Haec nunc subministratio fit secundum operationem xat’ èvépyeiay, secundum efficaciam in mensuram uniuscuiusque membri èv uéxpgo, in modo, in mensura et exigentia, prout unumquodque membrum pro sua parte et pro suo munere opus habet eiusmodi efficaciae subministratione ; graece ex plurimis testibus legitur vòs ¿xdstou pépou; uniuscuiusque partis, qua lectione sensus non mutatur. Uti fit in corpore viventi, unaquaeque pars pro sua functione accipit nutrimentum et crescit et ex omnium partium (pro rata) conspiratione totum corpus augmentum suum facit. Eodemque modo corpus illud, cuius caput est Christus, ex capile Christo accipit ixtyogryíxv competentem unicuique parti seu membro ; unde unaquaeque pars debet secundum .hanc vim sibi tributam agere, operari, crescere (cf. v. 7. 12 in opus ministerii); inde totum corpus augmentum suum facit in aedificationem sui in caritate, crescit eLtandem evadit quasi praeclarum aedificium; haec aedificatio autem fit et consurgit ope caritatis (v. 15). Prout in corpore variae sunt partes, membra diversa, sed unumquodque suam habet et peragere debet functionem, ita in corpore Christi, in ecclesia, varia sunt ministeria ; sed unusquisque pro sua parte vim accipit et influxum a Christo et ei cooperari debet crescendo in caritate. Apta comparatione illustrat Chrys. hunc locum quem coóðpa ácag0c propositum esse dicit : « sicut spiritus, qui descendit a cerebro, sentiendi facultatem quae est per nervos (tò 9ià «v veópov ais'Hycxóv) non absolute dat omnibus, sed pro convenientia et proportione (xoà &vzAoyíav) uniuscuiusque membri, ... sic etiam Christus; cum enim veluti membra ei coniunctae sint animae, providentia eius et distributio (4 zopnyi«) donorum congruenter proportioni et convenientiae in mensura incrementum facit uniuscuiusque membri. » Quod ut fieri possit, idem apposite monet: si manus sit avulsa a corpore, spiritus pro- -cedens e cerebro continuatione interrupta eam non tangit; unde, ne idem nobis contingat, colligati simus caritate oportet. quare haec pars non ad antecedentia (ad corpus compactum et connexum, i. e. ad organismum in se constitutum), sed ad sequentia, ad huius corporis incrementum et augmentum, referri debet. Conferre iuvat quod legitur Col. 2,49 : totum corpus per nexus (òa cy &gGy) et coniunctiones subministratum et constructum crescit in augmentum Dei. En, dicunt, hic aperte òà &gó» et subministratum ènıyopnyovuevov refertur ad corpus, ergo etiam in nostro loco. At id quidem ipsa collocatione evidens est pro Col. 2,19; at locus nequaquam est parallelus simpliciter nostrae sententiae, id quod iam patet tum ex collocatione, tum ex dictione 9ix zás« Apis tic extyognyioc, tum ex habitudine huius dictionis ad subsequentia. Fertur alia quoque explicatio, qua per omnem iuncturam intelliguntur fideles singuli ; sicut perarticulos (musculos, nervos) membra corporis coniungantur, ita per singulos fideles corpus mysticum ecclesiae constitui et connecti, atque uniuscuiusque fidelis operationem salutarem cedere in utilitatem totius corporis eiusque incrementum efficere (cf. Bels. Henle). Simili modo intelligunt lust. Lap. de mutua opera quam fideles inter se praestant, «quia dum membra inter se nectuntur, mutuam sibi quodam modo operam praestant et alterum alteri non exiguam vim suppeditat» (Tust.) et-Lap.litteralem prius ponit acceptionem: per omnem iuncturam subministrantem scil. spiritus animales et vitales; dein id censet esse accipiendum: i. e. per mutuam unionem, qua nobis subministratur spiritus et gratia Christi capitis nostri. Verum est tandem per fideles ecclesiam constitui corpus Christi. Hoc sine ulla difficultate intelligitur. At quomodo haec veritas obvia, ecclesiam constare non lapidibus sed fidelibus, hoc loco exprimatur per omnem iuncturam subministrationis, non videtur esse adeo manifestum, ut aliqui putant. Si fideles sunt «i &gat, quid tandem. sunt fideles subministrationis? quid subministrant vel quid eis subministratur? si fideles sunt at &gz(, qui tamen erunt ii qui nominantur unumquodque membrum? Neque resadmitti potest, si per omnem iuncturam referatur ad subsequentia. Nam non per fideles tribuitur illud xacv'évépyewav et insuper exsisteret sententia mira, per fideles unicuique pro rata parte id contingere per quod fiat incrementum et aedificatio corporis in caritate.
4:17
4,147. Hoc igitur dico et teslificor in 4,47. Toüco oov Àéyw xol paptópouat év
4:18
v. 18 tenebris obscuratum habentes intellectum EOXOTWPEVOL TH dravoig övres, quod Hier. vertit obscurati mente ; in intelligentia seu cogitandi facultate erant obtenebrati, tenebris ignorantiae rerum divinarum et religiosarum et erroribus nocivis involuti; luce illa veritatis carentes simul erant alienati a vita Dei, a vita quae secundum Deum est ( Thom. Nat.), a vita quam Deus praecipit (Lap.), a vera illa vita quam solus Deus largitur per gratiam et tandem per gloriam (Est.). Quod additur per ignorantiam, òà thy ğyvorxv Thy oŭcav £v aocotz, potest bene referri ad prius participium et spectat intellectum ; haec ignorantia quae est in eis hac parte addita designatur provenire ex eorum culpa (cf. Sap. 13,1 seq. Rom. 1,19 seq.); melius vertes (Ca?.) propter ignorantiam (sicut habet Hier.) et uti habetur in altero membro, quod ad vivendi modum a Deo alienum spectare videtur, propter caecitatem cordis ipsorum, iù thy xó90sty propter obdurationem, obtusionem, contumaciam cordis, facultatis sentiendi; volendi. Quo membro iterum enuntiatur 3: thv dyvotav non addi excusandi causa (uti v. g. additur Act. 3,17; 17,30, 1 Petr. 1,14), sed ignorantiam ipsam polius magna ex parte ortam esse ex pessima voluntate. Secundum Chrys. xógosciz orilür ån» &vats0n5/z; et Thph. vocem simpliciter 4vais0nsíxv, Theod. autem thy &cy dcr» &vahynolavy explicat. Interpretatio caecitatis polius pertinere videtur ad «/oo6:c, mngós caecus. Illam autem ignorantiam et obtusionem ex eorum culpa originem duxisse, declaratur eo quod apud'"eos idem contigit quod Sapiens de pessimis aequalibus enuntiavit : excaécavit enim illos malitia (5 xaxía) eorum (Sap. 2,21) unde
4:19
v. 19 qui desperantes semetipsos tradiderunt impudicitae oix; quippe qui, qua voce ratio indicatur, quare in illam ignorantiam et obdurationem pervenerint ; ad desperantes bene notat Hier. ; « multo aliud in graeco significat quam in lalino, čmrnàynxórtes aulientes ruinam suam feruntur. in pronum; exprimamus, si possimus, peccatis exstinxerunt et abiecerunt, et ita sine ullo freno pudoris, vel ex latino abiecta omni spe emendationis, imo plane desperaates de ullo remedio aut auxilio emergendi ex scelere, semetipsos lradiderunt «7, &ce) eio, lasciviae, luxuriae, in operationem immunditiae omnis totos se dederunt &vaíc0tco: yevówevo: (uti Hesychius explicat) turpitudinibus omnis generis ; cf. Rom. 1,24 seq. Non. sine multa emphasi ponitur «t ipyacíav, omne genus impuritatis opere perficere et exsequi solliciti erant; sine ullo freno, sine ullo sensu doloris, sine ullo stimulo conscientiae sése proiiciunt.in perpetrationem omnis rei turpis; ila Chrys. « vides quomodo venia eos privet, dicens Sed (av &xaÜxocíac. non casu, 130 EPH. 4,19-90. EE: inquit, lapsi peccarunt, sed gravia haec ipsa operabantur et cum sollicitudine (wehérn) negotio insliterant. » Simul patet ad'xópoctv (callum obductum) melius congruere wee dnnhàynnórtec, segnes facti, nolentes laborare, omni dolore vacui (cf. Thph). : Quod additur 2» zAsovs£ia, in avaritia (Mier. Thom.) in avaritiam vulg. veteribus jam difficile visum .est; invenitur enim lectionis huius vel correctio vel emendatio xoi zXeovetíuc, ila BEFG 39. def g aeth Clem. Vict. Ambrst. al. Apostolum praeter impudicitiam eliam alterius vitii gentilium mentionem facere, valde probabile est, nam saepius duo haec vilia iungit, ita mox 5,3 immundus aut avarus, ila Rom. 1,29 ; 4 Cor. 5,10. 11 ; Col. 3,5, Alii tamen veterum hoc loco vocem notione magis generali acceperunt; Theod. thy &pyezo!a» immoderantiam explicat, item TAph. Oec. optionem dat : aut quod duabus se tradiderint affectionibus (x40sc:y), aut quod lasciviam x«6* bnecfoA ny xoi dvevBócoc éxercuerint, similiter EutA:, item Thom. ardenter, appetitu continuo et insaliabili et eodem modo Cai. Tust. Est. Lap. Tust. et etiam Chrys. quamvis avaritiae mentionem faciat, lamen eos 4pé«pos rebus omnibus usos esse explicat. At in ea acceptione et nimium relinquitur vera vocis notio: et infertur tautologia, cum excessus et vehementia concupiscentiarum iam salis exprimalur tum in voce &àcÓxex tum in immunditia omni. Neque valet quod Abbott asserit, avaritiam non fuisse peculiare vitium genlilium; nam pharisaeos eius vili accusari et fuisse avaros, et Christum ipsum suis dicere : cavete ab omni avaritia. Agitur enim hic de modo quo apostolus iungere solet vitia gentilium. Quare recentiores gentes accusari allerius sceleris, avaritiae, merito censent. Neque tamen eodem modo concipiunt. Nexum inter impudicitiam et avaritiam talem statuit cum aliquibus Hpt. ut ex impuritate quaestum facerent; at id adeo in universum dict certe nequit, neque. convenire videtur ad immunditiam : omnem. Nexum magis internum agnoscit Henle provocans ad verba Cypriani: si avaritia prostrata est, exsurgit libido (de mortalitate, ed. Hartel p. 299), esse scil. vitia inter se cognata fere sororum in modum, una matre communi quae est fruendi cupiditas ; in utroque vitio habetur inordinatus appetitus rerum temporalium. Simplicius, uti videtur, aliexplicant ¿v de conditione concomitante, ita ut eodem fere tempore, simul cum alio vitio indulgere dicantur avaritiae (Bels. Ew.). De tali usu - ty vide Eph. 6,24, Col. 3,22; 4,6. 4 Thess. 2.3 etc. Similem nexum exi primit Dam. : avaritia dilectionem carnis (qgQvocagexíac) necessario consequitur, quia tantumdem homines habere volunt, quantum in voluptates expendunt. At fidelesin schola Christi aliter edocti sunt (Nat.)
4:20
v. 20 vos autem non ita, didicistis Christum: discere Christum.idipsum est, quod nosse : virtutem ( Hier.) ; non ita: vitam et conversationem fidelium esse debere plane aliam et diversam indicatur a vita et moribus gentium ; sensu valde praegnanti dicitur Christum discere, plane perspectum habere, quid Christus pro nobis sit, quid a nobis exigat, quae sit eius doctrina, quae vis elsignificatio eius.exempli. Et quantopere oporteat fideles longissime recedere a moribus gentilium ex ipsa inslitutione quam receperint declaratur tamquam res planeobvia, quae nequeat ignorari v. 91 affirmantis (CArys.); audire Christum est, ut ait Mier. audire sapientiam, iustitiam, fortitudinem, temperantiam et cetera quibus Christus vocatur. At -potest quis audire, et lamen non discere, audire doctrinam edocti estis, institutio quae tradita est tota versabatur in una re, in
4:21
Christo, sieut est veritas in Iesu, prout in Zesu, in homine illo in Palaestina vivente, docente, opus rédemptionis peragente, est veritas, i. e. ita edocti estis, sicut revera veritas nobis apparet et proposita estin Iesu, in eius vita, exemplo, doctrina. In Iesu itaque fideles habent institutionem vitae, plane contrariam a consuetudine gentium ; nam in Iesu manifes4 tatae sunt omnes virtutes summo in gradu. Sententia itaque sicut est veritas, non est per modum parenthesis legenda, sed enuntiat modum quo sunt edocti et supplet illud edocti estis assertione veram et rectam illis traditam esse institutionem. | Iam quid eo modo edocti sint in ipso, declaratur graece tribus infinitivis : &xo0£c0a« bac, &vxveoUaÜat, ivBósacÓx.. Primum itaque didicerunt pristinam conversationem, ratione habita vitae prioris omnino exigebatur "ul abiiceretis, deponerelis veterem hominem, qui qualis sit exponitur : corrumpitur secundum desideria erroris, q0etoóusvov, interitul et perditioni obnoxius est et subiectus, sicuti perditionem secum fert natura et indoles concupiscentiarum xaz tàs &xiüup/as ths 4x $cns, quae decipiunthominem, promittunt voluptates, sed tandem gignunt ruinam. Bene effertur graece homo seducitur. Edocti sunt se debere renuntiare conversalioni peccaminosae et consuetudinibus pravis, mores improbos abiicere, as ves- Pies sordidam vitae eousque actae deponere. . : ` Quid vero in locum veteris conditionis succedere oporteat, et baptismo suscepto iam revera in ipsis effectum sit, edocentur (v. 23-24) et prius quidem edocti sunt &vzveoss0z: 1. e. novum fieri in oppositione ad vetus- tum, tav «cb cb yeynpaxdç AvavéðTar XALO && d). yevópevov (Chrys.), si id ipsum quod consenuit novum fit, ita ut aliud ex alio fiat. Novum igitur quasi vitae initium capere oportet, quare &vzveous0zt notionem regenerationis includit. Veterem enim statum et conditionem deposuerunt, qua depositione facta edocti sunt de innovalione et mutatione, de novo statu - in quem ingressi sunt et in quo semper permanere debent; inde habetur infinitivus praesentis temporis dvaveo2s0z: sensu passivo; illud autem denuo novum fieri, vel iterum novum fieri (in oppositione ad prius vitae initium, novum initium capere oportet) perficitur seu exsistit spiritu mentis vestrae i. e. spiritu qui menti inditur, mentem regit, determinat; mens, voc, ex doctrina apostoli per se legi consentit, at ob debilitatem carnis homo legi mentis non obedit (Rom. 7,22.23); ut itaque nova in homine oriatur conditio, opus est ut huic menli iungatur zve)pa, altior quaedam vis, et isto spiritu qui accedit ad mentem et fit revera spiritus mentis et ut talis vestra quasi possessio («9 xvsop.xst toù vobs b1.0v), acquiritur et constanter habetur illud novum fieri. Secundum locos longe plerosque apud apostolum zvevpo non dicitur , de mente naturali, sed de altiore principio 1. e. vel de Spiritu sancto, vel de animo hominis cui inditum sit spirituale principium, robur spirituale, ergo de animo gratia Dei instructo. Unde iam ex usu vocis adeo frequenti consultum est, ut etiam hie talis explicatio retineatur, quae rei veritati plane consonat; nam istud renovari in mente non aliter fit nisi. spiritu, seu gratia ; fit, ut Chrys. ait, tò xveópact à èv «o vo. De Spiritu sancto vel de gratia explicant Thom. Cai. Lap. neque abnuit Tust., alii loquuntur de renovatione interioris hominis, quae locutio tandem in eundem sensum recidit, alii de principio vitae novae, quod eundem sensum fundit, quia principium eiusmodi nihil aliud est, nisi Spiritus sanc- . tus seu gratia. A qua acceptione non multum abesse videtur Theod. thy bpuhyv coU vobc xveUp.x efenxev, nam impetus et 'agitalio menlis, si ad renovationem confert, de qua apostolus loquitur, non est ex viribus hominis. Quod aliqui recentes dicunt, renovationem fieri debere ratione habita spiritus, seu in spiritu, fonte et principio vitae interioris (in Beziehung auf oder an dem Geiste), est obscurum ; vel certe ipse spiritus non est renovandus. Explicationem de Spiritu sancto censet Est. minus recte fieri, « nam Spiritui sancto non convenit renovari, sed spiritui ac menti - nostrae ». Sed quis unquam dixerit Spiritum sanctum debere renovari? Provocat Est. ad Augustinum (lib. 44 de Trinit. cap. 16), ubi spiritu menlis non duas res intelligendas esse docet, sed eum spiritum quae mens vocatur; unde concludit Est. spiritu mentis vestrae idem esse quod secundum mentem, secundum interiorem hominem. Alii proposuerunt.spiritum esse quasi intimum mentis nostrae, seu intimum vitae fontem et causam. Sed certe in ipso vigore vitali non est exspectandus reditus ad novum quoddam initium; renovatio posset solum intelligi in indole mentis, in eius n tioribus (Ephr.) ac desideriis ; uti intelligere, videtur Hier. : in spiritu sensus nostri. naturali, 1 Cor. 2,44 quis enim hominum scit quae sunt hominis, nisi spiritus hominis qui in ipso est? Nam quae praeterea quandoque pro ea notione afferuntur 2 Cor: 7,13; Col.2,5; 4 Thess. 5,23 facile diluuntur "et de altiore principio recte accipiunt Nostro autem loco eo magis explicatio supra proposita de influxu Spiritus sancti est retinenda, quia ġvaveoðgða: conditionem manentem exhibet quae adest et debet, durare non solum post nolco iar verum etiam post év$ócas0ot, i. e. postquam in statum illum novum, supernaturalem, translati sunt; cf. v.24. — veritas; in Iesu deposuisse vos elc.; sententia per se est vera, nam ex doctrina apostoli de baptismo, in ipso baptismo vetus homo concrucifixus est, ut destruatur corpus peccali, et sepulti sumus cum Christo in mortem (Rom. 6,4.6); at nulla est ratio a coniunctione eousque ab omnibus retenta discedendi. Nam non sunt edocti solum vere, neque de veritate religiosa seu ethica in communi, sed apostolus, postquam dixit : non ita didicistis Christum, consequenter efferre debet illos edoc- Aos esse de veritate prout apparuit eisque proposita est in Iesu ; ergo uti dicit discere Christum, ita etiam dicendum est docere Christum, i. e. esum. Unde hic nexus solus contextui respondet. - Tertium, de quo edocti sunt, est
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spiritu mentis vestrae, 24.et induite novum | cà nveópatt voU vods buv, 24. xal évðóoashominem, qui secundum Deum creatus est | Bar tòv xawoy &vlpwroy xÓv xata Qeóv Admonilione proposita, ut digne vocatione ambularent, exposuit apostolus, quae dona Christus dedisset (v. 7-13) et in quem finem ea contulisset (v. 14-16), qui finis comprehenditur verbisillis:: crescamus in illum per omnia qui est caput, Christus (v. 15). Unde profecto facillime adnectitur conclusio ov, igitur, uti iam advertit Hier. :« hoc ergo, ait, dico vobis, vosque contestor, ut quia occursuri estis in mensuram aetatis plenitudinis Christi, non ambuletis sicut ambulant gentes»; eodem modo Thom. nexum cum immediate antecedentibus statuitet Cai. Tust. Ew.; at alii malunt regredi ad nexum habendum usque ad 4,1; ita, uti videtur, iam Theod. nahy &véAo[e ts mapatvéceoc tò mpooíutiov, et Est. « redit apostolus ad inchoatam et huc usque intermissam exhortationem, qua dixerat initio capitis » et similiter. Bels. Henle, Hpt; in modo loquendi certe reassumit 4,1; sed nexum quaerere ex 4,41 minime opus est, cum ex antecedentibus satis rationum habeatur ad admonitiones subiungendas. Cum emphasi loquitur v. 17 Aoc igitur, hoc refertur ad subsequenlia, uti 4 Cor. 7,29; 1 Thess. 4,3.14, et explicatur sequenti infinitivo vxézt mepixaeiv, quo infinitivo eliam patet verba dico Xéyo et testificor paptúpouar, obstestor, notione iubendi efferri (cf. Blass, Grammatik des neutest. Gr. 72,5) in Domino, cf. 1,1; eiusmodi admonitioneset mandata iis fert et ferre debet ob suam cum Christo unionem et cum ea ralionem et fundamentum quoque habeant in Domino, ab eo postulentur et ad eius obsequium pertineant, ipsa apostoli exhortatio maiorem vim assequitur; ceterum cf. 1 Thess. 4,1; 2 Thess. 3,12. 4 Cor. 1,10. | Ratio vivendi fidelium qualem dedeceat esse, prius declaratur (v. 47- 19), dein qualis esse debeat (v. 20-24) exponitur in universum ex notione hominis in Christo novi. Quod vulg. habet ut iam non ambuletis, ex graeco continet. mandatum; ambulare, uti 4,1 de tota vitae conversatione, prout saepe in sacris litteris (Gen. 5,22; 6,9; 17,1. Is. 59,9; Eccl. 11,9. Rom. 6,4; 8,4 etc.). Cum dicatur y»«xéc iam non, innuitur eorum conversalionem antea fuisse, sicut et gentes etiam nunc ambulant in vanitate sensus sui, tota eorum sentiendi et cogitandi ralio vojc versatur ev patarótnt: in rebus inanibus, vanis, plane inutilibus; cf. Ps. 4,3, Sap. 13,1; Rom. 1,24 épatarwbnoav év xoig diahoyiopots «òtðv, evanuerunt in cogitationibus suis, vacui veritate et recta aestimatione rerum, et uti apostolus pergit Rom. 1,21 et obscuratum est insipiens cor eorum, ita - hic quoque
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v. 24 et induite xoà E da i eos homo peccator qui caret gralia, est quoad ordinem supernaturalem quasi nihil; nam si caritatem non habuero, nihil sum (1 Cor. 43,2); infu- suo exemplari (Lap.); id quod accuratius declaratur descriptione in qua conditione sit creatus : în iustitia el sanctitate tali scil. quae congruat veritati, vide v. 91 sicut est veritas in Iesu. Hunc aulem hominem novum ińduerunt fideles suscepto baptismo, uti apostolus docet Rom. 6,3-9 et Gal. 3,27 quicumque in Christo baptizati estis, Christum induislis ; mortui peccato vitam gratiae acceperunt, iusti sunt el sancti secundum rei veritatem (cf. Rom. 5,9.21). Ceterum vide supra 2,10 : ipsius factura - notus sumus, creali in Christo Iesu. Notat Hier : considerandum, quia creatio nunquam nisi in magnis operibus nominetur; v. g. mundus creatus est, etc. De hoc novo homine pluribus agit apostolus Col. 3,10-14. D 135 tristitiam designat « in a godly manner » seu secundum voluntatem Dei, quia scil. etiam tristitia inveniri poterit, quae non sit secundum Deum. Verum quod ad 2 Cor, 7,9.10.14 omnino aptum est, ad nostrum hunc locum valde incongrue adderetur, novum hominem secundum voluntatem Dei creatum essein iustitia ; nam si Deus creat, per se patet eum creare secundum suam voluntatem, seu et ira et indignatio et clamor et blasphe- | uia &oüíce àp uv súv máocn xaxta. mia tollatur a vobis cum omni malitia. | 39. y(vea0c 9: elc GO d|Xoue y pnacot, conrhay- 32. Estote autem invicem benigni, miseri- | yvot, yapÑouevor &xotoic, xaÜoe xal ó Oeds cordes, donantes invicem, sicut et Deus in | èy Xowtà tyaplosato byiv. Monuit apostolus v. 17 ne ambularent sicut gentes; dein exposuit oppositionem quae adest inter vitam gentium et vitae modum fidelium (v. 18-24). lam singula quaedam proponit, quibus haec nova vita fidelium . debeat esse opposita moribus gentium. Nexum generatim adstruit. Thom. « supra posita generali monitione, ut novitatem induerent, hic apostolus ponit praecepta specialia; primo prohibet quod ad veterem hominem pertinet, ita ut ista littera sit expositiva huius quod praedixerat « induite novum hominum »; ad quem induendum primo prohibet mendacium ; unde dicit : propter quod, scil.'novum hominem induendum ». Atque apostolum revera. oppositionem illam antea expositam adhuc ob oculos habere, seu, ut Lap. ait, eum descendere ad partes hominis veteris, eisque opponere novi hominis partes (Cai.), ostenditur ipsa illa voce denuo usurpata 4xofü£usvo: (cf. v. 22): participium explicari potest per imperativum : deponite, loquimini verum, solum id quod verum esse cognoscant; cf. v. 15, omnem fraudem ac deceptionem exclusam esse vult a mutua consuetudine, a commercio inter se. Atque libidinem mendacii seu pronitatem ad mendacium homini prope adiacere, s. litterae saepe testantur : omnis homo mendax (Ps. 115,11), mendaces filii hominum (Ps. 61,10), Cretenses semper mendaces, quod poetae testimonium verum - esse apostolus affirmat (Tit. 1,12. 13) et ut Christus dicit, diabolus estpaler mendacii (Ioan. 8,44), unde mirum non est, si princeps huius mundi etiam subditos suos ad mendacium instigat. Verum fideles veraces esse oportet, quoniam sumus invicem membra, membra unius corporis Christi (v. 16; 1,23), unum corpus sumus in Chrislo, singuli autem, alter alterius, membra (Rom. 19,5)5 membra enim inter se iuvant et in quantum unum membrum sua virtute et actu alteri prodest, dicitur membrum alterius; sic oculus/potest dici membrum pedis, in quantum pedem dirigit (Thom. ad. Rom. 12,5; cf, 4 Cor. 12,21). Si ergo fideles inler se deciperent, esset ac si unum membrum corporis alteri membro damnum ac dolorem inferret. Apostolus verbis Zachariae prophetae (8,16) adhortatur : loquimini. veritatem etc. Rationem quam affert. per se valet pro fidelibus. Nam primo ei curae est conversationem fidelium inter se oplime ordinare et ostendere, quantum abhorreat a notione novitatis acceptae et a dignitate nominis -christiani omne genus mendacii. Priore monitione recedendi a moribus gentilium (v. 17) iam continetur mandatum evitandi mendacium in commercio cum infidelibus. Primo itaque prohibet peccatum oris, mendacium, per quod corrumpitur veritas rationis, seu pars hominis rationalis; secundo prohibet peccatum corrumpens parlem irascibilem (Thom.);
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v. 96 irascimini et nolite peccare; cf. Ps. 4,8 LXX; priorem imperativum ex syntaxi linguae hebraeae et aliarum quoque linguarum posse poni et saepe poni pro sentenlia conditionata, manifestum est, uti v. g. divide et impera; hoc fac et vives. Unde : si irascimini, si quid aegerrime fertis, si excitati -eslis (ita ex textu hebraeo), cavete ne res ad peccatum usque augeatur. Si eo. modo duo ponuntur imperativi, prior communiter mandatum exprimit, vel saltem concessionem vel permissionem indicat. Et hoc sensu verba posse intelligi, declarat Hier. : « arbitror nobis quasi hominibus esse concessum, ut ad indignae alicuius rei faciem moveamur, tranquillitatemque mentis velut lenis quaedam aura ira conturbet, nequaquam tamen in tumentes gurgites furoris impetu sublevemur »; item Thom. « sisic est quod motusirae insurgat, quod humanum est, nolite perducere ad effectum per consensum ». habet : si irascimini, non peccabilis; vel irascimini, tum non peccabitis, uti divide, tum imperabis. Neque altero modo permissionis instar noster ftéxtus plane poterit expediri; nam tum non exspectaratur xat, verum 242A: irascimini sed nolite peccare i. e. irascimini si vultis, attamen nolite peccare. Apostolus recitat textum ex LXX, sensus quem exprimere vult, cerle is est, ut in irae affectu non committatur peccatum ; ergo bene graece id | exprimeretur opydóp.evot un &uaprávere. Commotio affectus irae ex ipsa indole naturali oritur; verum monet moderate, cum increpalionis ratio exigit (Cai.). Verum apostolus non iustam quandam aut debitam indignationem ob oculos habet, sed iram ex offensione ortam ; unde monet ad reconciliationem mox faciendam et ad veniam concedendam ira exstincta; sol non occidat super indignationem vestram, in cat. Cr. p. 182 explicatur, ne nobis verus sol, Christus, occidat neve tenebrae fiant in animo; sed bene notat. Est. : ratio schemalis est, quia solis occasu apud ludaeos initium erat diei. Unde dies irae esse debet etiam dies reconciliationis et veniae datae. Ita sol non occidat dicitur per modum proverbii, ne affectus ille irae sinatur resia dere in animo. Putant aliqui occasionem proverbii esse desumptam ex Deut. 24,15 pretium laboris pauperi esse reddendum eodem die ante solis occasum; eodem die quo ortus est motus irae, est reprimendus et exstinguendus, i. e. non est. fovendus, sed sedulo amovendus. Censet Chrys. explicite moneri, ne affectum illum sinamus perdurare usque ad noctém, quia in quiete noctis altius ille affectus animo infigatur, dum reliqua negotia quibus per diem occupabamur cessaverint. Bene notant Thom. Cai. assignari ralionem monitionis v. 27 et graece diabolo, neve locum detis diabolo, cf. Rom. 12,19; nam qui affectum seu motum iraeapud se servat, dat diabolo occasionem et oppor (unitatem, ut ipsum impellat ad vindictam, ad odium, ad peccàtum; parit enim ira reservata, ut Est.ait, odium aut vindictae consensum, per quem diabolus iam incipit in homine dominari. Et secundum Hier. adversarius noster diabolus semper in nos est paratus irrumpere et cum locum dederimus, ingreditur. Iam veterum aliqui, uti Vatablus, Erasmus verterunt : nolite dare locum calumniatori (cf. Just. Lap. Est.) ; ita recentiores quoque aliqui (cf. Ew.) ; quae notio vocibus 2uxf«))«tv, 81dfoXoc, 9:286. omnino subest. Et veleres explicant, ne ansa calumniandi praebeatur infidelibus, dum vos vident vindictae cupidos et ira inflammatos. Recentiores aulem cernunt ibi : ne locum et opportunitatem praebeamus calumniatori, ne sermonibus contra fratres et accusationibus, detraclionibus aurem incli- nemus. At apostolus utitur ea, voce de satana 6,11; 1 Tim. 3,6; 2 Tim. 2,26 (quamvis alterius notionis omnino conscius sit 1 Tim. 3,11; Tit. 2,3 non detrahentes; non criminatrices) ; quare cum plerisque notio satanae etiam hoc loco erit retinenda, quae insuper multo meliusad contextum congruit, quam abrupta illa mentio! de calumniatore, qui profecto non adest semper et ubique, ubi motus irae exsurgit. Nexum diligenter inquirit Thom. : « exclusa supra vetustate hominis quantum ad vim rationalem et irascibilem, hic prohibet eam quantum ad concupiscibilem, provenienlem ex rerum inordinata concupiscentia » ; v. 98 qui furabatur b xAézzovi. e. is qui pronus ad furandum occasione data solet sibi alienum arripere; nominatur furtum omne quod alterius damno quaeritur (Zier.), furari generaliter ponitur, i. e. fraudare, subtrahere et quocumque titulo iniuste auferre vel, detinere alienum (Zst.). Maior pars fidelium erat ex plebe paupere ; facile fieri poterat, ut egeni, opifices pauperes varia sibi emolumenta cum aliorum divitum damno procurarent; apostolus non loquitur de furibus, quorum quasi munus. et occupatio est furari, „sed de iis qui facile solent iniustum quaestum faceré el quaerere; ceterum in primis coetibus fidelium varia adhuc peccata esse commissa, aliae quoque epistolae satis testantur (1 Cor. 6.2 Cor. 12,20. “Rom. 16,18. Phil. 3,19. 2 Thes. 3,10, t Tim. 6,10. etc.); am non furetur sed non sufficit, solum abstinere a malo, magis autem laboret ua)Xov 9€ xom&vo, quin polius se fatiget, vires intendat, multum laboris assumat, operando manibus. suis xc praebent testes longe plerique, propriis manibus, guod bonum est tò &a0óv, qui furatur, sine labore acquirit; , quasi in poenitentiam agendam praescribit apostolus, non solum laborem, sed defatigationem laborando; furari est peccaminosum ; operari suis: manibus est honestum, et tali labore perficitur opus bonum Deoque gratum. Notat Est. excludi omnesartes victum quaerendi inhonestas; neque taceri ab apostolo restitutionem; eam enim contineriineo quod dicat: iam non furetur; nam qui ^/non restituit, cum possit, is adhuc in furto i. e. in alienae rei voluntaria detentione perseverat. Porro qui aliena iniuste sibi comparavit, non solum multo labore operetur, ut sibi comparet necessaria, ne cogatur furari; verum plus laboret, ut qui olim aliena surripuit, iam de suis aliis tribuat, ut habea unde tribuat necessitatem. patienti; en qualem poenitentiam et emenda- TEE apostolus requirat. Sedulo laborando.non vult quasi ut incumbatur divitiis augendis, sed potius contra avaritiam mandat, ut indigentibus suecurratur. Unde monet Aier., >« qui igitur ad hoc tantum laborat, ut ipse non egeat et a ceteris contrahit manum, quamvis applaudat sibi, lamen apostoli praeceptum non fecit ». Bene Thph. quoque expendit : antea operabatur malum, iam nunc operetur bonum; neque id simpli; citer, verum cum labore, partim quidem ut conterat corpus, quod antea ex olio mala didicerat; qui antea aliena ábstulerat, iam aliis exhibeat beneficentiam ; Boat, cc &y£Xooe Toret tò cùayyéňov tovg oyeðùv: daluovag ! Saepius apostolus inter varia genlilium peccata etiam peccata linguae recenset (cf. Rom. 1,29.30;343. 4 Cor. 6,10. 2 Cor. 19,20. Gal. 5,415.20 1 Tim. 1,10; 3,11. Tit. 2,3). Quare hic quoque fideles ab eiusmodi vetus- - tate revocat ad novitatem in Christo
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v. 29 omnis sermo malus ex ore vestro non procedat, nullus sermo malus, vel sermo quilibet malus, vel quo- ~ modocumque malus, zàc, quaevis species mali sermonis, campos pulridus, ^ putris, marcidus (es ) pravus; TAph. explicat de sermone temerario, importuno, de facetis, stultiloquio; pariter Chrys. Thph. ea voce dicunt designari turpiloquium, convicium, obtrectationem (Aoibopíz, xatahahtá). Sed talis sit sermo fidelium qui aliis.aferat utilitatem ; sed si quis. est bonus ad aedificationem. fidei, sed graece longe plerique testes habent Tbe olxobouny cc ypelas, eb Hier. vertit « ad aedificationem opportunitatis: hoc est quod dicitur graece «7: 7osíac in latinis codicibus propter euphoniam mutavit interpres et posuit ad aedificationem fidei »; míeteoc | praebent FG Gregor. nyss. Basilius; si qua necessitas adest eso, si alter / , opus habet consilio, admonilione, tunc sermo opportunus est et sermo aptus, bonus, utilis erit simul ad aedificationem 'eius qui eo indiget. In ^ voce zobs olxooouf» iam indicatur utilitas non in re temporali, sed in re 'siibituali) quatenus tali sermone caritas mutua inler fideles fovetur, augetur, alter iuvatur, erigitur, confortatur; a periculo custoditur, edocetur. Et praeterea in eiusmodi sermone altius etiam quidpiam spectatur, ut det gratiam audientibus; cf. Col. 4,6, scil. ut ope et occasione sermonis audientibus detur gratia, bonum spirituale, seu salutaris cogitatio, vel impulsus ad pietatem ; sit itaque sermo quasi vehiculum gratiae divinae (cf. Est. Nat. Hpt.). Alii sermonem. beneficum, opem praestantem, seu gratum, iucundum intelligere malunt (cf. Theod. TAM. Thph. Tust. Lap}) ; sed gratia notione illa apud apostolum in usu posita, de favore quodam, auxilio, dono supernaturali, eo magis erit retinenda, quia iam' mentione aedificationis ad eiusmodi utilitatem altiorem, spiri- / " tualem adducimur. De dono gratuito instructionis, suasionis, cautelae et huiusmodi Cai, explicat hoc loco gratiam. -— Quo studiosius omnem de RIPE "malum evitent (ita nexum plerumque statuunt Hier. Thph. Est. Nat. Lap. Bels. Hpt. Ew.), aliam addit rationem:
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v. 30 et nolite contristare (Spiritum sanctum Dei, i. e. nolite offendere Spiritum sanctum, eo sensu quo peccatum est iniuria Deo / — irrogala et idep offensio dicitur; < non quo contristetur Spiritus aut ullam perturbationem divinitas sentiat, sed quo ex verbis nostris Dei eamas: affectus » (Hier.). Quale beneficium fidelibus Due sit per Spiritum, ergo quantopere cavendum sit, ne ei iniuria à fiat, declaratur in quo signati estis in diem redemptionis; cf. 1,13.14. Cavendum est ab eiusmodi sermone non solum, ne tu ipse peccando iniuria afficias Spiritum, verum etiam ne aliis evadas offendiculum et occasio peccati, quo ex animo eorum expellatur Spiritus sanctus Dei. Huius Spiritus sublimitas sollemniore modo hoc uno loco designatur, cum Spiritus sanctus Dei, duplici modo appelletur ; nam alias vel Spiritus sanctus vel Spiritus Dei ; nominari solet. « Ac si apertius dixisset, quod si nulla subesset alia ratio horrendi veterem hominem, haec sola sufficere debet, ut non contristetis Spiritum sanctum Dei in vobis » (Cai.). ; T Memofes huius signaculi Spiritus et eius inhabitalionis (3,16.17 ; 2,22; 4,23) sedulo curent, ut omnes affectus et omnis agendi ratio ad normam ; Spiritus pacis ordinentur (v. 31.32); unde prius recensentur quae cavenda sunt et tollenda
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v. 31 omnis amaritudo, quilibet affectus animi acerbi, exacerbati in' proximum, quaelibet commotio bilis seu acrimonia propter offensionem acceptam; omnis cerle eliam pertinet ad cetera quae sequuntur, et tra Ovuòs, quatenus animo commoto cuiquam succenses, occultam in eum foves indignationem, et indignatio, òpyh furor , qui iam externe, vultu, facie inflammata proditur, et in desiderium ultionis et iniuriae infligendae transit et offensionem acceptam non solum repellere verummulto magis 'punire per excessum appelit; cuius comites et effectus esse solent clamor xgpaviá, vociferatio incondita, _ blasphemia, convicia et contumeliae et verba probrosa in alium coniecta; horum quodlibet tollatur a vobis simul cum omni malitia, cum qualibet improbitate, seu malignitate, scil. quidquid malum est, auferatur a vobis, 49 i.v, vos recedite quam longissime ab omni genere et specie mali. Enumerationi incómpletae totum BEN. et totam quasi qune dinem mali;/subiungit. 7 | Huie vetustati quae auferri debet subditur novitas
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v. 32 estóte autem. invicem benigni y'vscõs, monet, ut fiant inter se, mutuo, yo15coí, suaves, amaritudini opponi suavitatem ypnotórņta magis quam benignitatem. Hier. opinatur, « clementes simus el blandi» et misericordes, eUez)ox,vo:, quasi homines fiamus bonorum viscerum, affectuum ; nam secundum phrasin s. Seripturae viscera hominis super alienis malis ita commoventur, ut ea velit ac studeat removere (Est.); vox legitur in orationeapocr. Manasse v. 6; celerum vide Gen., 43,30 commota sunt viscera eius; 3 Reg. 3,26; Is. 63,15 ubi est multitudo viscerum tuorum et miserationum tuarum? 4 Petr. 3,8 ejczorzvo:. Et ad eiusmodi animum quam maxime perlinet, donantes invicem sicut et Deus in Christo donavit vobis, condonantes inter vos offensiones; ita de condonatione iniuriarum merito intelligunt et veteres et recentiores et sequitur i iam ralione addita et ex loco parallelo Col. 3,13 yapitóuevor tavtoiç, idv tic XpÓóc Tiva EXN Zaa si quis adversus aliquem habet querelam; ea notione legitur 4&gí6ec0o. 2. Cor, 2,7.10 ; donate aegre, sed quasi favorem demonstrando. Et ratio qua omnis superetur et amoveatur difficultas, est pro nobis, quia Deus quoque nobis delicta concessa ; istum summum favorem nobis praestitit in Christo; pretium redemptionis nostrae repositum est in Christo, et vide 1,3 benedixit nos omni benedictione spirituali in Christo, et pariter 4,6.7 et cf. Rom. 8,1 nihil ergo nunc damnationis «oic èv Xeioro. "Inso?, iis qui sunt in Christo Iesu. Ad haec autem adiunguntur sequentia; unde divisio, seu. novi capitis initium, non valde apte ponitur. Ceterum ad rationem additam sicut et Deus donavit vobis vide parabolam: Matth. 18,23-35. Ad modum loquendi cf. Col. 3,13 sicut et Dominus; ($ xóevo; Christus), donavit vobis. Fertur quoque lectio : donavit nobis. quid aequius quam ut nos quoque prompti simus ad condonandum? v. 4 estote ergo viussüs, fiatis imitatores Dei, Deus summa perfectio nobis proponitur, ut nunquam putemus nos salis superque probitati operam dedisse, sed ut in dies ad perfectiora attingere studeamus, uti Christus monuit, estote ergo vos perfecti, sicut Pater vester coelestis perfectus est (Matth. 5,48). :Potissima ratio id appetendi ponitur in'ipso Deo et eius modi agendi; allera quoque additur magnae efficaciae, sicut fili carissimi óc téxva quorum est patrem revereri, eius voluntati obsequi, ai maiore studio iis incumbunt, ut patri obsequantur. Iam a casu particulari gressus factus est ad monilionem magis generalem; fundamentum autem effertur in
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EPISTLES OF THE CAPTIVITY. - The Pauline letters to the Colossians (v.), Ephesians (v.), Philippians (v.) and to Philemon (v.), which presuppose Paul as a prisoner (Col. 4, 3. 10. 18; Eph. 3, 1; 4, 1; 6, 20; Phil. 1, 7. 13 f. 17; Philem. 1. 9 f. 13). The first two, above all, present notable affinities of form and content (v. EFESINI, epistola agli, III).
4:2
… attracts the benevolent gaze of the Lord (Lk. 18:9-14) and makes one avoid ostentation in the fulfillment of the duties of prayer, penance and almsgiving (Mt. 6:3-18). St. Paul recommends humility to his faithful with particular insistence (Phil. 2:3-11; Eph. 4:2; Rom. 12:16; Gal. 6:3, 5). St. Peter says to the faithful, "Clothe yourselves with humility, because God resists the proud and gives his Grace to the humble; humble yourselves under the mighty
a) The nascent Church and the Apostolic Fathers. - In it there undeniably prevailed a high concept of the holiness required of its members (I Cor. 6, 11; St. Ignatius, Eph. 4, 2; 8, 2; Ps. Barnabas, 4, 1; 11, 11; II Clem. 6, 9; 7, 6) and the obligation to keep the seal of Baptism unblemished was considered most grave. …
4:3
… One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all" (Eph. 4:3-6; cf. 1:22-23). In the cited text other exegetes understand "spirit" as said of the Holy Spirit. …
4:4
… therefore, in its whole extent, a continuer of the work of salvation (Jn. 20:21 and 17:18). If in the Head the divinity dwells bodily, the same must happen in the whole body; the Church is one body (human, social, visible, accessible to all) and one spirit (Eph. 4:4-6). Through conformity to the Incarnate Word it attains the fullest participation in the divine life (2 Pt. 1:4). The Church is therefore holy because, always faithful to its human-divine …
To the concept of the Mystical Body is connected that of the intimate solidarity among the faithful, as members of one and the same organism, and therefore that of the Communion of saints (cf. I Cor. 10, 17; Eph. 4, 4-6).
… the spirit the works of the body (Vulg.: 'flesh'), you will live" (Rom. 8:12-13). The vitality of the spirit will be communicated in the final resurrection also to the body of the faithful (I Cor. 15:44), who are with Christ one body and one spirit (Eph. 4:4).
… The one Church...; the Church pervaded by the light of the Lord extends its rays throughout the whole world: yet the light is one which is diffused everywhere, and the unity of the body is not separated.” In the text St. Cyprian cites Cant. 6, 8 and Eph. 4, 4 and compares the Church to a fruitful mother, the Church as bride of Christ, and sees her prefigured in Noah's ark (ibid. 6; cf. however PRIMATO DI S. PIETRO E DEL ROMANO PONTEFICE).
4:5
… This doctrine St. Paul further develops in its most recondite and mystical meanings: there is only one B., as there is only one Christ (Eph. 4:5); B. brings the imprint of the Holy Spirit (II Cor. 1:21-22); it clothes us with Christ (Gal. 3:27); it makes us mystically relive the death and resurrection of Jesus (Rom. 6:3-4); …
Chair of Saint Peter, Feast of the
The sentence of St. Cyprian is typical, inspired by St. Paul (Eph. 4:5): «Deus unus est et Christus unus et una ecclesia et cathedra una super Petrum Domini voce fundata» (Ep., 43, 5); a concept found again in the anonymous poem Adversus Marcionem …
… There is not only one Body and one Spirit, one Lord and one Baptism, but also one faith (Eph. 4:5). Heretics, therefore, cannot be called members of the Church.
Religions, Comparative Study of
Now the disciples of Christ, faithful to his charge: "Teach them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Mt. 28:20) and to that of St. Paul "One only God, one only Faith, one only Baptism" (Eph. 4:5) could certainly not accept such syncretism and such tolerance. …
… The fact that the Church prescribes such frequent use of them in her liturgy already says in itself how much they serve to strengthen the bonds that unite the followers of Christ in the unus Dominus, una fides, unum baptismum (Eph. 4:5). Here the principal ones are listed.
4:10
In the New Testament itself, the apostles Paul, Peter and John presuppose or attest the reality of the Ascension or of the presence of the glorified humanity of Christ in heaven (I Thess. 1:10; Eph. 1:20-22; 4:10; 6:9; especially Hebr. 9:24 [and 7:27; 8:1; 10:12; etc.]; I Pt. 3:22; I Io. 2:1). The testimonies are more than sufficient to compensate for the silence of Matthew, who preferred …
4:11
… In this ministry the Apostles were assisted by a special class of catechists called in the New Testament "evangelists" or proclaimers of the "good news," to whom were added the "doctors" or "teachers," that is, persons endowed by the Spirit with the "gift" of teaching (cf. Acts 21:8; 8:5 ff., 40; Eph. 4:11; II Tim. 4:5; Rom. 12:7; I Cor. 12:8: to the "evangelists" was perhaps entrusted the first evangelization, and to the "doctors" or "teachers" the task of perfecting instruction, always …
… In Rom. 12:6-8 seven are listed, and in Eph. 4:11 only five. …
… St. Paul also alludes to this when he says that Jesus "appointed some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and doctors" (Eph. 4, 11; cf. II Cor. 12, 28; Act. 13, 1).
In the list of charisms, in the early Church, the prophets hold the place of honor, after the Apostles: I Cor. 12:28 ff.; 14:1-5, 24, 29, 31 f.; Eph. 2:20; 3:5; 4:11; several times, in the New Testament, these interpreters of God appear, giving predictions, reading the secrets of hearts; bearers of the divine word (Acts 11:27; 19:6; 21:9 f.), …
… formal) is the "superabundant" charity (Eph. 2:4), compensatory, victorious, which from the opened heart of the Divine Redeemer pours itself into the whole structure of ecclesial life, in order to form it upon the consummate exemplar of reparative action (Eph. 4:11-16; Gal. 6:14). The reparative will finds its verbal expression in the "acts" or formulas of reparation (Act. 4:24-31), and its affective expression in compassion for the sufferings of …
4:12
… The Christian is a new being but is also a being who is continually renewed (II Cor. 4:16). The life received invades ever more completely the activity of man, develops and grows every day, until it reaches adulthood, until it is a "mature" man in the Christian life, as Jesus Christ was (Eph. 4:12-16; C. Spicq, loc. cit.).
… namely that of a supernatural gift granted to a person not so much for himself as for the benefit of others, so that the Gospel may spread and the mystical body of Christ may be built up: it is given "for the advantage" of the Church (1 Cor. 12:7; Eph. 4:12). To this Pauline con-
… holy is his truth, «Sanctify them in the truth, thy word is truth» (Jn. 17:17); «Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ» (ibid. 5:17). From Jesus Christ there springs, through the hierarchy and the priestly ministry, the «perfecting of the saints» (Eph. 4:12). Christ the Head sanctifies the Church his Body (ibid. 5:26; Heb. 2:11). The Church is a «holy nation» (1 Pt. 2:9). This constant flow of graces takes place through the Holy Spirit, …
4:13
… bestowed upon him. B. deposits the divine life in the soul; but this is only like a seed; it is up to the Christian to make it grow until it reaches, in the expression of St. Paul, "the stature of the perfect man, the fullness of the age of Christ" (Eph. 4:13). To live one's own B. therefore means to develop the richness contained in the seed, to make Jesus Christ grow within oneself. …
… had he believed that his rivals in the apostolate were altering the type of catechesis (τύπων διδαχῆς; Rom. 6:17), accepted by all? How would he have imposed on everyone, in so energetic a manner, never to do so? (Rom. 16:17; Col. 2:6-9; II Thess. 3:6; Eph. 4:13-14).
4:15
V. THE INCREASE OF CHARITY AND PROGRESSIVE PURIFICATION. — St. Paul recommends: "Grow in c." (Eph. 4:15); "I am praying that your c. may increase more and more" (Phil. 1:9); "may the Lord make you grow and abound in c. among yourselves and toward all, as we also do toward you" (I Thess. …
… We die with him to rise with him to a new life (Rom. 6:4): his expiation is ours and his merits are ours, if we adhere to him and insert ourselves into his Mystical Body with faith and with active charity (Eph. 4:15). Furthermore the concept of Redemption returns in St. John, who reaffirms the Pauline motif of death and blood as expiatory and propitiatory sacrifice: "Behold the Lamb of God, behold …
4:16
… secundum spem vitae aeternae ». The life of grace is at work in the Mystical Body (v.), in which Christ the Head transfuses the regenerating sap into his members, the faithful incorporated in him, who are thereby enabled to realize the truth in love (Eph. 4, 16).
4:17
… usage of the time, νόος; whether he joins the two terms νόος and πνεῦμα (Eph. 4, 23), or sets them against each other (I Cor. 14, 14-19), or finally whether only νόος appears to designate, for example, the falsified intelligence of the pagan (Rom. 1, 28; Eph. 4, 17; etc.) or that of the sinful man in struggle against the flesh, but not yet renewed by the divine Spirit (Rom. 7, 23-25). Not even in this case could one speak of trichotomy.
… It is clear, then, that faith cannot be unanimous, and that, consequently, the fact of incredulity occurs, due to the resistances of pride (John 6:44), of disordered attachment to earthly goods (Eph. 4:17; I Tim. 6:10), of luxury, of avarice (Luke 16:27-31) and of the other passions. …
4:19
… In any case, this capital vice is the most reprehensible form of intemperance, because, by its vehemence, which almost absorbs the whole soul, more than any other vice it darkens the reason and enervates the will (Rom. 1, 24-26; Eph. 4, 19).
4:20
The Christocentric idea of his theology also dominates the ethics of P., who loves to speak of moral "death" and "resurrection" (Rom. 6:4, 6, 11; Col. 2:20-3:8), of the necessity of "putting off" the old personality (= Adam) in order to "put on" the new (= Christ; cf. Rom. 13:14; Eph. 4:20-24; Col. 3:9-11). Just as in Christology P. dwells at length on liberation from the tyranny of the flesh, so in the moral field he insistently demands the renunciation of the flesh in …
4:22
… spirit (ibid. 5:17). The spirit, which is fundamentally the divine Holy Spirit, in the interior of the regenerated man is the new spirit introduced by God (foretold by Ez. 11:19-20; 36:26-27; cf. Ps. 50:12), which constitutes the new man or new creature (Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:9-10; II Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15); it removes "the body of the flesh" or carnal body (Col. 2:11).
Supernatural Gifts and Original Justice
This doctrine is founded upon the great truth that Jesus is the new Adam who repairs what the first had lost (Rom. 5, 9-21; II Cor. 5, 15-21; Eph. 1, 4-12; 4, 22-24; Col. 1, 12-22; 3, 9-10). Since this state of interior justice and holiness consists essentially in sanctifying grace, it follows that it was given to the first man antecedently to …
4:23
… and the Holy Spirit; "rebirth from God" (ibid., 1:13; 2:29); "regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit" whereby we become a "new creature" (II Cor. 5:12; Gal. 6:15); "a new man renewed in the inner self of the spirit in justice and true holiness" (Eph. 4:23 ff.); through it we are admitted to the "partaking of the divine nature" (II Pt. 1:4),
4. In fact, when St. Paul (the usage is almost exclusively his) wishes to underline the properly natural character of the human intelligence, he has recourse by preference to another term, taken from the current usage of the time, νόος; whether he joins the two terms νόος and πνεῦμα (Eph. 4, 23), or sets them against each other (I Cor. 14, 14-19), or finally whether only νόος appears to designate, for example, the falsified intelligence of the pagan (Rom. 1, 28; Eph. 4, 17; …
4:24
Supernatural Gifts and Original Justice
… This doctrine has become common, because it is more conformable to Scripture as interpreted by tradition; Gen. 1, 26: "Let us make man in our image"; Eccl. 7, 28-30: "God made man upright"; Eph. 4, 24: "We must put on the new man, created according to God in true justice and holiness."
4:25
… his religious experience of a revival of what, according to him, constitutes primitive Christianity (First Century Christianism): to gather in groups under the immediate guidance of the Holy Spirit, to confess one's sins to one another (Io. 5, 16; Eph. 4, 25), to consecrate oneself entirely to Christ and to induce others to be converted to the same life. …
… Christian will manifest all the virtues that are a consequence of the life of Jesus within him: sincerity, which shrinks from falsehood: "Wherefore putting away lying, speak ye the truth every man with his neighbor, for we are members one of another" (Eph. 4, 25); purity: "Know you not that your bodies are the members of Christ? …
4:26
… The latter, missing in the testament of Abraham, are developed in the testament of I. In the three apocrypha there are certain features of a Christian coloring, such as a prophecy of the birth of Jesus Christ, and references to Mt. 5:28, Rom. 1:18, Eph. 4:26, which nevertheless do not compromise their Jewish origin. …
4:27
The Hebrew bēlijā' al is composed of bēli ("not," "without") and a noun of uncertain origin and meaning, probably jā' al (from jā' al, used only in hiph' il), thus b. = "without usefulness" would be a litotes (cf. Lat. nequam, Fr. vaurien); but St. Jerome (in Eph. 4, 27; PL 26, 544) with the ancient rabbis (Sanhedhrin, III b) sees in it 'ōl "yoke," whence his gloss id est absque iugo (= bēli 'ōl) in Iudc. 19, 22 (Vulg.); T. K. Cheyne, H. …
4:28
Epistles I-II to the Thessalonians
… Finally, it is an arbitrary assumption to connect the most natural recommendation against the idle (which returns, for example, in Eph. 4:28; 1 Tim. 5:13) "We beseech you, brethren, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, etc." (1 Thess. 5:14; cf. 4:11 ff.) to the alleged expectation of the imminent end. St. Paul …
… (II Thess. 3, 7-13; cf. also Acts 20, 33-35; Eph. 4, 28). The right to a just wage is also the object of the Apostles' preaching. …
4:29
Already St. Paul warned Christians against the pagan carrus who entertained the public with their witticisms and equivocal sayings (Eph. 4:29).
4:30
… Some Fathers see an indication of this distinguishing mark in three texts of St. Paul (Eph. 1:13; 4:30; 1 Cor. 1:21-22) that speak of a σφραγίς (= seal) impressed by the Holy Spirit on Christians and on the Apostles (for example, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechesis 17, 35; PG 33, 1010; …
… Fr. Gardeil O. P., who links himself to the thesis of John of St. Thomas, and of Fr. Galtier S. J., who, developing an explanation already hinted at by Petavius (De Trinit., l. VIII, cap. 5, nn. 1-3) and based on certain texts of St. Paul (Eph. 1, 13; 4, 30; II Cor. 1, 22) and of some Fathers, explains the indwelling by a kind of impression of the divine Persons in the soul, as a seal produces its imprint through a real and immediate contact.
… victory of Christ over death (ibid. 15, 53-57), from the desire placed by God in the human heart for a perfect reintegration of the human composite (Rom. 8, 22-23), from the character and the gift of the Holy Spirit as a divine pledge (Eph. 1, 13-14; 4, 30; II Cor. 5, 4-5), from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8, 11); he illustrated its possibility from the analogy of the seed (I Cor. 15, 36). In the letter to the Hebrews (6, …
… In some of the texts of the New Testament where this last word occurs, some theologians see allusions to the sacramental character (II Cor. 1:21, 22; Eph. 1:13; 4:30). Catholic exegesis is not unanimous on this point. …
4:32
The name C., which characterized the faith of Jesus' disciples, was misunderstood by the pagans who, with itacism contributing to this, took it to mean χρηστός "good," "kindly," an adjective not rare in the New Testament (Mt. 11:5; Lk. 5:39; Rom. 2:4; Eph. 4:32; etc.). …
… His immeasurable m. shines through, barely covered by a veil, in the parables of the prodigal son, of the lost sheep, of the good Samaritan (cf. also: Mt. 6:12; 25:35 ff.; Mk. 4:24). Behind the teaching of Christ is that of the Apostles (Col. 3:12; Eph. 4:32).
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.