Bonaventure

Capitulum XV.

Tertio agitur de commendatione veri Dei.

Tu autem Deus noster etc. Postquam ostendit idololatrantium errorem et idolorum detestationem, hic subdit veri Dei commendationem. Verum autem Deum ostendit esse commendabilem, primo ex ipsius bonitate; secundo, ex credentium in eum remuneratione: Etenim si peccaverimus etc.; tertio, ex idolorum vilitate: Sed et figulus; quarto, ex idololatrantium vituperatione: Omnes enim.

Deus commendatur primo ex ipsius bonitate.

(Vers. 1.). Tu autem etc., quasi dicat: talia sunt idola; autem, pro sed; tu, Deus noster; Deus, inquam, creatione, secundum illud Genesis primo¹: « In principio creavit Deus »; item gubernatione et conservatione; secundum Damascenum Deus dicitur theos apo tou theein, id est disponere vel gubernare. Primus effectus est potentiae, secundus sapientiae, tertius bonitatis. Noster, scilicet cultus appropriatione, quia tantum « notus in Iudaea Deus », ut dicitur in Psalmo². Suavis, scilicet affectui, secundum illud Psalmi: « Gustate et videte, quoniam suavis est Dominus »; supra duodecimo: « O quam bonus et quam suavis est spiritus tuus in nobis »! suavis, inquam; Glossa³: « Inaestimabilis caritatis »; Gregorius: « O inaestimabilis dilectio caritatis, ut servum redimeres, Filium tradidisti »! Et verus es, scilicet intellectui contemplanti; Glossa⁴: « Quia nec fallit nec fallitur »; item ad Romanos tertio: « Est autem Deus verax, omnis homo autem mendax »; utrumque autem praedictorum refertur ad bonos; et patiens, scilicet mala culpae dissimulando, scilicet quoad malos; unde Glossa⁵: « Patiens, id est diu sustinens peccantes »; Ioel secundo: « Patiens et praestabilis super malitia »; in Psalmo: « Deus iudex iustus, fortis et patiens ». Et in misericordia disponens omnia, quoad omnes, omnia scilicet mala poenae remittendo; in Psalmo: « Miserationes eius super omnia opera eius »; Matthaei quinto: « Et solem suum facit oriri super bonos et malos ».

Secundo commendatur ex credentium in eum remuneratione.

Etenim etc. Hic ostenditur commendabilis ex credentium remuneratione; et primo ostendit, quod peccantes sunt Deo subiecti. Secundo, quod non peccantes sunt Deo accepti: Et si non peccaverimus etc. Tertio ostendit, quae sit ratio huius, quoniam notitia et cultus Dei: Nosse enim te. Quarto ostendit, qui sunt huiusmodi beneficio digni: Non enim in errorem. Quinto, qui sunt indigni: Malorum amatores.

(Vers. 2.). Etenim si etc., quasi dicat: et vere talis es; etenim si peccaverimus, scilicet peccato mortali, et maxime peccato infidelitatis, quod dicitur peccatum antonomastice; unde Ioannis decimo sexto⁶: « Arguet mundum de peccato »; et specialiter de hoc loquitur hic. Si peccaverimus, inquam, tui sumus, id est in tua potestate et gubernatione constituti; Glossa: « Evadere non possumus, quia tua creatura sumus »; unde in Psalmo: « Si ascendero in caelum, tu illic es; si descendero in infernum, ades »; item Deuteronomii trigesimo secundo: « Non est, qui de manu mea possit eruere ». Scientes magnitudinem tuam, magnitudinem, dico, non molis, sed virtutis, omnia continentem et omnia destruere valentem; unde in Psalmo⁷: « Magnus Deus et magna virtus eius ». Et si non peccaverimus, scilicet peccato mortali, quod est peccatum simpliciter et maxime peccatum infidelitatis, quod est peccatum antonomastice. Peccato enim veniali carere non possumus, aut si possumus, non tamen diu; unde primae Ioannis primo⁸: « Si dixerimus, quoniam peccatum non habemus, ipsi nos seducimus, et veritas in nobis non est ». Si non peccaverimus, inquam; scimus, scilicet per fidem, quoniam apud te sumus computati; Glossa⁹: « Apud quem bonorum operum numerus scitur vel servatur »; in Psalmo: « Dinumerabo eos, et super arenam multiplicabuntur ». Nec solum numerati, sed etiam nominatim ascripti; Lucae decimo: « Gaudete, quod nomina vestra scripta sunt in caelis ». Dicuntur autem boni computati esse sicut p. 205 dilecti et electi; et bene possunt computari, quia pauci, secundum illud Matthaei vigesimo¹: « Multi sunt vocati, pauci vero electi ». Mali autem non computantur a Deo, sicut nullus computat monetam reprobatam; ipsi autem sunt reprobata moneta, secundum illud Ieremiae sexto: « Argentum reprobum vocate eos »; item, quia infiniti, secundum illud Ecclesiastae primo: « Stultorum infinitus est numerus ». Hoc tamen non est ex impotentia Dei computantis, sed magis ex eorum indignitate. Peccator enim indignus est pane, quo vescitur, ut dicit Augustinus²; item infra eodem: « Luto vilior vita eius »; lutum autem nullus computaret.

(Vers. 3.). Nosse enim etc. Bene dixi: si non peccaverimus, et maxime peccato infidelitatis, quoniam sumus apud te computati; nosse enim te, scilicet per fidem formatam, consummata iustitia est, id est perfectio iustitiae in praesenti; et hoc intelligendum causaliter, ut sit sensus: nosse te per fidem est consummata iustitia, id est causa consummatae iustitiae; fides enim iustificat, unde ad Romanos quinto³: « Iustificati ergo ex fide » etc.; item ibidem quarto: « Credidit Abraham Deo, et reputatum est illi ad iustitiam »; et scire, scilicet per fidem formatam, iustitiam et virtutem tuam, iustitiam, scilicet bonitatis, et virtutem, potestatis; vel: virtutem, id est Christum, qui est « Dei virtus et sapientia », primae ad Corinthios primo⁴; radix est immortalitatis, id est principium et causa aeternae beatitudinis in futuro; unde Ioannis decimo septimo: « Haec est vita aeterna, ut cognoscant te solum verum Deum » etc.

Radix, id est arboris spiritualis, id est vitae iusti, qui est sicut « lignum plantatum secus decursus aquarum⁵ » etc.; radix est fides, ut hic dicitur. Pes, humilitas, sicut e contrario pes impiorum est superbia, secundum illud Psalmi: « Non veniat mihi pes superbiae ». Stipes, in altum se erigens, est spes; ad Colossenses tertio: « Quae sursum sunt quaerite ». Humor interior et viriditas huius arboris est gratia internae devotionis; Iob octavo⁶: « Nunquid potest virere scirpus absque humore »? Calor dirigens est virtus caritatis; Lucae duodecimo: « Ignem veni mittere in terram » etc. Exterior irrigatio, doctrina spiritualis; unde Sapientia dicit Ecclesiastici vigesimo quarto: « Rigabo hortum plantationum mearum ». Rami, multiplicatio bonae operationis; Ezechielis trigesimo sexto⁷: « Montes Israel, ramos vestros expandite ». Flores, mores honestae conversationis; unde Canticorum secundo: « Flores apparuerunt in terra nostra ». Folia, verba discretae locutionis, secundum illud Psalmi: « Et folium eius non defluet ». Fructus, merces aeternae retributionis; supra tertio: « Bonorum laborum gloriosus est fructus ».

(Vers. 4.). Non enim etc. Bene dixi: quoniam sumus apud te computati nos, et non alii, scilicet idololatrae; non enim in errorem, scilicet idololatriae, qui est error praecipuus, induxit nos, scilicet sicut alios, de quibus supra decimo quarto⁸: « Provexit autem ad horum culturam et hos qui ignorabant artificis eximia diligentia »; hominum, scilicet idola fabricantium etc., malae artis excogitatio, id est ad malum inducentis per deos, qui per eam figurantur. Ipsa tamen ars bona est in se, sed abusus malus; omnis enim scientia de genere bonorum est, scilicet quantum ad ipsum habitum, cum sit a Deo; Ecclesiastici primo⁹: « Omnis sapientia a Domino Deo est ». Et sciendum, quod duo tangit, inductiva scilicet sive provocativa ad idololatriam, scilicet artis diligentiam, cum dicit: malae artis excogitatio, et idoli pulcritudinem, cum subdit: nec umbra picturae, id est nec pictura speciem ligni obumbrans; Ecclesiastici trigesimo octavo¹⁰: « Assiduitas eius variat picturam »; labor, scilicet artificis, sine fructu, scilicet utilitatis; supra tertio: « Vacua spes illorum, et labores sine fructu »; effigies, id est imago, sculpta per varios colores, distinguentes partes sculpturae; supra decimo tertio: « Rubicundum faciens fuco colorem eius ».

(Vers. 5.). Cuius aspectus insensato, id est infideli, dat concupiscentiam, scilicet occasionaliter incitando ad malum; Ecclesiastici trigesimo quarto¹¹: « Vana spes et mendacium viro insensato ». Et diligit mortuae imaginis effigiem sine anima; diligit, inquam, effigiem, id est figuram ut Deum colendo, imaginis mortuae, id est carentis actu vitae, et haec carentia negationis, non privationis¹²; sine anima, id est carentis potentia vivificandi. « Anima enim est actus corporis physici, organici, potentia vitam habentis », ut habetur secundo de Anima¹³.

(Vers. 6.). Malorum etc., et merito, non induxit, quia malorum amatores, scilicet idolorum et p. 206 peccatorum ex idolis provenientium, digni sunt morte¹, scilicet aeterna et temporali; ad Romanos primo: « Qui talia agunt digni sunt morte ». Qui spem habent in talibus, scilicet idolis, scilicet auxilium eorum invocando; Isaiae quadragesimo secundo: « Confundantur confusione qui confidunt in sculptili »; et qui faciunt illos, scilicet deos huiusmodi fabricando; in Psalmo: « Similes illis fiant qui faciunt ea »; et qui diligunt, scilicet affectu, devotionem ad idola habendo; supra eodem²: « Diligit mortuae imaginis effigiem » etc.; et qui colunt, effectu, exterius adorando; in Psalmo: « Confundantur omnes, qui adorant sculptilia »; Deuteronomii quinto: « Non adorabis deos alienos neque coles ».

Tertio commendatur Deus ex idolorum vilitate dupliciter.

Sed et figulus. Hic ostenditur verus Deus esse commendabilis ex idolorum vilitate; hanc autem vilitatem ostendit primo ex vilitate materiae; secundo, ex vilitate artificis: Et cum labore. — Et eam, scilicet vilitatem artificis, ibi ostendit, primo ex fragilitate conditionis; secundo, ex vanitate intentionis moventis: Sed est illi cura; tertio, ex ignorantia Creatoris: Cinis est enim; quarto, ex errore conversationis: Sed et aestimaverunt; quinto, ex comparatione iniquitatis: Hic enim scit etc.

(Vers. 7.). Sed et figulus; ita dixi, quod malorum amatores digni sunt morte, scilicet qui idola colunt vel qui faciunt; sed et figulus, id est factor vasorum fictilium, supple: de numero illorum est; figulus, inquam, mollem terram premens laboriose; Ecclesiastici trigesimo octavo³: « Figulus sedens ad opus suum et convertens pedibus suis rotam », qui semper in sollicitudine positus est propter opus suum. Fingit ad usus nostros unumquodque vas; « in magna enim domo non solum sunt vasa aurea et argentea, sed et lignea et fictilia », secundae ad Timotheum secundo⁴. Et de eodem luto fingit quae munda sunt ad usus, honestos et mundos; et similiter quae his sunt contraria, ut sunt illa quae deputata sunt ad usus immundos; unde ibidem: « Quaedam in honorem, quaedam in contumeliam »; ad Romanos nono: « An non habet potestatem figulus luti ex eadem massa facere aliud vas in honorem, aliud in contumeliam »? Horum autem vasorum quis usus sit, scilicet mundus, aut immundus, iudex est figulus, tanquam superior et eorum factor, non ipsa vasa; ibidem: « Nunquid dicit lutum figulo: Quid me fecisti sic »?

(Vers. 8.). Et cum labore vano, id est infructuoso; Ieremiae quinquagesimo primo⁵: « Vana sunt opera eorum et risu digna »; deum fingit de eodem luto; simile Isaiae quadragesimo quarto dicitur de idolis ligneis, quod pars comburitur in humanos usus, pars ut deus colitur. Ille, scilicet figulus, qui paulo ante de terra factus fuerat, per terrenam nativitatem; Genesis secundo⁶: « Formavit Deus hominem de limo terrae »; et post pusillum, scilicet tempus; Iob decimo quarto: « Breves dies hominis sunt »; item: « Brevi vivens tempore »; reducit se, merito peccatorum suorum, scilicet in mortem; supra primo: « Impii manibus et verbis accersierunt illam », post mortem et per mortem; unde acceptus est, id est in terram, de qua sumtus fuerat ex parte corporis, secundum illud Genesis tertio⁷: « Donec revertaris in terram, de qua sumtus es »; Ecclesiastae tertio: « Omnia, quae de terra facta sunt, in terram pariter revertentur ». Repetitus animae debitum, quam, scilicet animam, habebat, scilicet tanquam debitum, mutuatum, ut redderet cum usuris; non datum, sicut ille dives, cui dictum est Lucae duodecimo⁸: « Stulte, hac nocte animam tuam repetunt a te »; Matthaei decimo octavo: « Tenens suffocabat eum, dicens: Redde quod debes », scilicet animae debitum.

(Vers. 9.). Sed est illi cura, quamvis scilicet labor sit vanus, non quia laboraturus est, et vane, de quo magis esset curandum, laboraturus est etiam inique, secundum illud Ieremiae nono⁹: « Ut inique agerent, laboraverunt ». Nec quoniam illi brevis est vita, cum tamen eo magis esset ei curandum, ut eam utiliter expenderet; Iacobi quarto: « Quae est vita vestra? Vapor est ad modicum parens ». Sed concertatur aurificibus et argentariis, decorem sui operis et subtilitatem illis assimilare satagendo; sed et aerarios imitatur. Notandum, quod aurifices vocat artifices, qui deos faciunt ex auro; argentarios, qui ex argento; aerarios, qui ex aere; Isaiae quadragesimo sexto¹⁰: « Confertis argentum de sacculo et aurum statera ponderatis, conducentes artificem, ut faciat deum ». Et gloriam praefert, supple: vanam suo labori vel vitae brevitati. « Gloria est frequens fama cum laude¹¹ »; gloriam, id est de hoc p. 207 se glorificando; in quo non esset gloriandum. Quoniam supervacuas res, id est inutiles, scilicet idola, fingit, scilicet de lutea materia facit; Osee quarto: « Gloriam eorum in ignominiam commutabo »; item ad Philippenses tertio: « Gloria in confusione eorum qui terrena sapiunt ».

(Vers. 10.). Cinis est enim etc., quasi dicat: ita gloriatur; enim, pro sed; vel sic: ita gloriatur, quod tamen non deberet facere; enim, pro quia; cinis, id est res vilis, est, sicut, cinis cor eius, id est eius cogitatio, quia in cinere et pulvere, de quo deum suum fabricat, ponit cor suum; Ecclesiastici decimo¹: « Quid superbit terra et cinis »? Et terra supervacua, id est inutilis, spes illius, id est eius desiderium et affectio, quia scilicet ponit eam in idolo terreo; supra tertio: « Vacua spes illorum »; tale enim idolum est terra vacua et nihili, de qua Ieremiae quarto: « Aspexi terram, et ecce, vacua erat et nihili ». Et vita illius², id est conversatio, est luto vilior, quia scilicet occupat vitam suam in idolum luteum faciendo et colendo; in Psalmo: « Ut lutum platearum delebo eos ». Vilius autem est lutum culpae luto naturae; unde Glossa: « Vita illius coeno sordidior »; secundae Petri secundo: « Sus lota in volutabro luti ».

(Vers. 11.). Quoniam ignoravit, scilicet ignorantia, de qua primae ad Corinthios decimo quarto³: « Qui ignorat ignorabitur »; qui se finxit, id est Deum, qui eum fecit de limo terrae ex parte corporis; in Psalmo: « Ipse cognovit figmentum nostrum »; et qui inspiravit illi animam, secundum illud Genesis secundo: « Inspiravit in faciem eius spiraculum vitae »; et amat⁴, scilicet magis quam Deum, quae operatur, scilicet idola. Et qui insufflavit ei spiritum vitalem, repetendum: ignoravit, et loquitur modo de spiritu corporeo, cum dicit: spiritum vitalem; Isaiae quinquagesimo septimo: « Spiritus a facie mea egredietur, et flatus ego faciam »; in Psalmo: « Exibit spiritus eius et revertetur in terram suam ».

(Vers. 12.). Sed et aestimaverunt; ita dixi, quod Deum ignoraverunt, sed magis aestimaverunt, scilicet idolorum fabricatores, vitam nostram, scilicet naturalem, lusum esse, scilicet lasciviae, sicut illi, de quibus Exodi trigesimo secundo⁵: « Sedit populus manducare et bibere »; Iob vigesimo primo: « Tenet tympanum et citharam ». Lusum esse etc., hoc dicit, quia idola facere et colere ludo puerorum videtur simile esse, et sic qui faciunt imagines luteas et adorant. Et conversationem vitae, scilicet moralem, compositam, id est ordinatam, ad lucrum, scilicet avaritiae, nec solum lucrum, sed illicitum, unde subdit: et oportere undecumque etiam ex malo acquirere, id est ex artificio vel negotio illicito; contra quod Ecclesiastici quinto⁶: « Noli anxius esse in divitiis iniustis. Non enim proderunt tibi in die obductionis » vel ultionis « et vindictae ». Hae sunt « divitiae conservatae in malum domini sui ».

(Vers. 13.). Hic enim etc., quasi dicat: et vere ex malo acquirunt idola facientes; hic enim scit, se super omnes, alios scilicet artifices idolorum, delinquere; hic, inquam, qui ex terrae materia, quae vilior est, fragilia vasa, ex una parte, et sculptilia, id est idola, ex alia parte materiae suae, fingit. Unde ex horum comparatione vilitatem idolorum melius intelligit vel intelligere potest.

Sed quomodo potest hoc scire, scilicet se super omnes delinquere vel peccare, cum Deum ignoret, ut dictum est⁷?

Dicendum, quod hoc scit vel scire potest habitu legis naturalis scriptae in corde suo. Sed actualiter hoc nescit, scilicet quia non vult hoc perscrutari, cum tamen possit; vel si non potest ad plenum vel de facili, hoc est, quia excaecatus est merito infidelitatis suae⁸.

Quarto commendatur Deus ex idololatrantium fatuitate.

Omnes enim. Hic ostenditur verus Deus esse commendabilis ex idololatrantium fatuitate, et primo, ex fatuitate idololatrantium colentium res inanimatas, scilicet statuas; secundo, colentium animatas: Sed et animalia.

In prima primo illos esse fatuos ostendit et reprehendit, quia idola cultoribus suis multorum malorum causa sunt; secundo, quia in se etiam inutilia sunt homini: Quoniam omnia idola; tertio, quia ab homine facta sunt: Homo enim; quarto, quia homine deteriora sunt: Melior enim est.

(Vers. 14.). Omnes enim etc. Bene dixi, quod hic, qui de materia lutea facit idolum, scit, se delinquere super omnes, alios artifices; omnes enim insipientes; Glossa⁹: « Qui idola deos putant »; hoc enim est magna insipientia; Ieremiae quarto: « Filii insipientes sunt et vecordes ». Insipientes, dico, per defectum sapientiae vel fidei quantum ad intellectum, et infelices, quoad affectum; et hoc propter defectum gratiae, quae felices facit; supra decimo p. 208 tertio: « Infelices sunt qui appellaverunt deos opera manuum suarum ». Supra modum animae suae, id est naturae suae, superbi sunt, scilicet contra Deum, et hoc fingendo sibi idola tanquam deos; Isaiae decimo sexto¹: « Audivimus superbiam Moab, superbus est valde; superbia eius et arrogantia eius plus quam fortitudo eius ». Vel: infelices supra modum, quia infinita infelicitate, quia « vermis eorum non morietur, et ignis non exstinguetur », Isaiae ultimo². Inimici populi tui, scilicet persequendo credentes in Deum; inimici, inquam, quoad affectum, et persequendo factis; Esther decimo quarto: « Non sufficit, quod durissima nos opprimunt servitute; sed robur manuum suarum idolorum potentiae deputantes, volunt tua mutare promissa »; et improperantes illi³, scilicet verbis; in Psalmo: « Improperia exprobrantium tibi ceciderunt super me »; sicut quidam de Ephraim et Manasse nuntios Ezechiae, ad cultum Dei volentes eos revocare, irridebant, ut patet secundi Paralipomenon trigesimo.

(Vers. 15.). Quoniam omnia idola etc., quasi dicat: hoc totum malum est, quoniam omnia etc. Vel sic: bene dixi, quod insipientes et infelices supra modum animae suae superbi etc.; quoniam omnia idola nationum, id est gentilium non per fidem renatorum, sed in vitio nativitatis manentium⁴, deos aestimaverunt; sic fecerunt Romani, scilicet omnia idola gentilium subiugatorum Romam ferendo et adorando et custodiendo; quibus, scilicet idolis, neque oculorum visus est ad videndum, secundum illud Psalmi⁵: « Oculos habent, et non videbunt »; neque aures ad audiendum, secundum illud ibidem: « Aures habent, et non audient ». Neque nares ad percipiendum spiritum; ibidem: « Nares habent, et non odorabunt ». Neque digiti manuum ad tractandum, id est palpandum aliquid; unde ibidem: « Manus habent, et non palpabunt ». Sed et pedes eorum pigri, id est immobiles, ad ambulandum, ibidem: « Pedes habent, et non ambulabunt ». Ideo dicitur Baruch sexto: « Bestiae meliores sunt illis quae possunt fugere sub tectum ac prodesse sibi ».

(Vers. 16.). Homo enim, cuius scilicet non est dare sensum et motum, fecit illos, non genuit de substantia sua, sed figuravit de materia extrinseca; et qui mutuatus est spiritum, scilicet a Deo, illi reddendum, quando placebit ei; Ecclesiastae ultimo⁶: « Et spiritus redeat ad Deum, qui dedit illum ». Is finxit illos, id est, de luto fecit. Nemo enim etc., quasi dicat: et vere sic sine sensu et motu sunt; nemo enim sibi similem homo poterit fingere Deum, similem, scilicet similitudine aequalitatis, qua homo similis est alii homini, licet similem similitudine alicuius exterioris repraesentationis.

(Vers. 17.). Cum enim sit mortalis, vitam mortalem habens, mortuum, id est vita carentem, fingit manibus iniquis; in Psalmo⁷: « In quorum manibus iniquitates sunt ». Melius autem est mortale quam mortuum, secundum illud Ecclesiastae nono: « Melior est canis vivus leone mortuo ». Et bene dixi, quod nemo potest sibi simile etc.; melior enim est ipse, scilicet homo, his quos colit. Deus vero debet esse optimum hominis, secundum Augustinum⁸, cum sit eius beatitudo. Quia ipse quidem vixit, aliquando, scilicet homo, cum esset mortalis, quod enim non vivit, non est mortale; illi autem nunquam, scilicet dii falsi. Iure autem praeponuntur viventia non viventibus, sentientia non sentientibus, secundum Augustinum⁹.

Sed obiicitur: Quia supra eodem¹⁰ dicitur: « Luto vilior vita illius ».

Dicendum, quod supra loquitur de vita morali, hic de naturali.

Sed et animalia etc. Hic ostenditur vituperatio colentium res animatas; et primo ostenduntur in se esse miserabiles; secundo, respectu praecedentium aliquantulum excusabiles: Insensata etc.; tertio, simpliciter inexcusabiles: Sed nec aspectu etc. — Et ibi ostenduntur inexcusabiles, primo per hoc, quod colunt irrationalia; secundo, quia effugerunt verum Deum: Effugerunt etc.

(Vers. 18.). Sed et animalia; Glossa¹¹: « Non solum hominum speciem », sed et animalium imaginem, ut Aegyptii Isidem in specie bovis, Babylonii draconem, ut patet Danielis decimo quarto; miserrimi¹² colunt; Proverbiorum decimo quarto: « Miseros facit populos peccatum ». Sunt quidem miseri p. 209 omnes impii et peccatores, sed miseriores omnes infideles, sed miserrimi idola colentes. Propter hoc bene dixi: Sed et animalia miserrima colunt; in Psalmo: « Mutaverunt gloriam suam in similitudinem vituli comedentis foenum ». Insensata enim; enim, pro sed; insensata, id est statuae, comparata his, scilicet animalibus, illis deteriora sunt, quia, secundum Augustinum¹, melius est vivens non vivente, et sentiens non sentiente; unde Glossa: « In veritate viventia meliora sunt mortuis, et sensibilia insensibilibus, et rationalia irrationalibus. Sed dignum fuit, ut qui Creatorem ignorabant in creaturis distinctionem non scirent ».

(Vers. 19.). Sed nec aspectu etc. Ita dictum est, quod idola nec audiunt nec vident aliquid vel cognoscunt; nec solum illa nihil vident, sed nec aspectu aliquod² ex his animalibus bona potest conspicere. Sed nec aspectu, quasi dicat: non solum in absentia per imaginationem, sed nec in praesentia per sensum; aliquod ex his animalibus, quae scilicet colunt, bona potest conspicere, id est bona aspiciendo cognoscere; et intelligendum est de bonis honestis, quae sunt bona simpliciter, ut sunt virtutes et huiusmodi; non de bonis utilibus, vel delectabilibus, quae sunt bona secundum quid³. Effugerunt autem etc., quasi dicat: ita miserrimi colunt animalia; autem, pro sed, effugerunt etc. Vel: autem, hoc est certe colendo animalia, effugerunt Dei laudem et benedictionem eius, quasi dicat: nec ipsum Deum laudaverunt nec benedixerunt; laudem pro eius bonitate in se, et benedictionem pro eius beneficentia ad nos. Contra quae duo dicitur in Psalmo⁴: « Confitemini Domino, quoniam bonus », scilicet in se, « quoniam in saeculum misericordia eius », id est, quoniam beneficentia misericordiae eius ad omnes se extendit; et dicit effugerunt, non solum intus corde non laudantes et non benedicentes, sed nec ore confitentes, contra quod ad Romanos decimo⁵: « Corde creditur ad iustitiam, ore autem fit confessio ad salutem ».

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Chapter XV.

Thirdly is treated the commendation of the true God.

But thou, our God etc. After he has shown the error of those practising idolatry and the detestation of idols, here he adds the commendation of the true God. And the true God he shows to be commendable, first from his own goodness; secondly, from the reward of those who believe in him: For if we sin etc.; thirdly, from the vileness of idols: The potter also; fourthly, from the reproach of those practising idolatry: For all.

God is commended first from his own goodness.

(Vers. 1.). But thou etc., as if to say: such are idols; but (autem), for sed; thou, our God; God, I say, by creation, according to that of Genesis, the first¹: « In the beginning God created »; likewise by governance and by conservation; according to Damascene, God is called theos apo tou theein, that is, to dispose or to govern. The first effect is of power, the second of wisdom, the third of goodness. Our, namely by appropriation of worship, because only « in Judea is God known », as is said in the Psalm². Sweet, namely to the affection, according to that of the Psalm: « O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet »; above, the twelfth: « O how good and sweet is thy spirit in us »! sweet, I say; the Gloss³: « Of inestimable charity »; Gregory: « O inestimable love of charity, that to redeem a servant thou didst deliver up the Son »! And true art thou, namely to the contemplating understanding; the Gloss⁴: « Because he neither deceives nor is deceived »; likewise to the Romans, the third: « But God is true, and every man a liar »; and both of the foregoing are referred to the good; and patient, namely by overlooking the evils of guilt, namely as regards the wicked; whence the Gloss⁵: « Patient, that is, long bearing with sinners »; Joel, the second: « Patient and ready to repent of the malice »; in the Psalm: « God is a just judge, strong and patient ». And disposing all things in mercy, as regards all, namely by remitting the evils of punishment; in the Psalm: « His tender mercies are over all his works »; Matthew, the fifth: « And he maketh his sun to rise upon the good and bad ».

Secondly he is commended from the reward of those who believe in him.

For etc. Here he is shown commendable from the reward of believers; and first he shows that those who sin are subject to God. Secondly, that those who do not sin are accepted by God: And if we sin not etc. Thirdly he shows what is the reason of this, namely the knowledge and worship of God: For to know thee. Fourthly he shows who are worthy of such a benefit: For not into error. Fifthly, who are unworthy: The lovers of evil things.

(Vers. 2.). For if etc., as if to say: and truly thou art such; for if we sin, namely by mortal sin, and most of all by the sin of unbelief, which is called sin by antonomasia; whence John, the sixteenth⁶: « He will convince the world of sin »; and of this he speaks here especially. If we sin, I say, we are thine, that is, set in thy power and governance; the Gloss: « We cannot escape, because we are thy creature »; whence in the Psalm: « If I ascend into heaven, thou art there: if I descend into hell, thou art present »; likewise Deuteronomy, the thirty-second: « There is none that can deliver out of my hand ». Knowing thy greatness, greatness, I say, not of bulk, but of power, containing all things and able to destroy all things; whence in the Psalm⁷: « Great is God, and great is his power ». And if we sin not, namely by mortal sin, which is sin simply and most of all the sin of unbelief, which is sin by antonomasia. For we cannot be without venial sin, or if we can, yet not for long; whence the first of John, the first⁸: « If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us ». If we sin not, I say; we know, namely by faith, that we are counted with thee; the Gloss⁹: « With whom the number of good works is known or kept »; in the Psalm: « I will number them, and they shall be multiplied above the sand ». And not only numbered, but also written down by name; Luke, the tenth: « Rejoice, that your names are written in heaven ». And the good are said to be counted as p. 205 beloved and chosen; and they can well be counted, because they are few, according to that of Matthew, the twentieth¹: « Many are called, but few chosen ». But the wicked are not counted by God, just as no one counts reprobate coin; and they are reprobate coin, according to that of Jeremias, the sixth: « Call them reprobate silver »; likewise, because they are infinite, according to that of Ecclesiastes, the first: « The number of fools is infinite ». Yet this is not from any impotence of God who counts, but rather from their unworthiness. For the sinner is unworthy of the bread on which he feeds, as Augustine says²; likewise below in the same: « His life more base than clay »; and clay no one would count.

(Vers. 3.). For to know etc. I said well: if we sin not, and most of all by the sin of unbelief, we are counted with thee; for to know thee, namely by formed faith, is perfect justice, that is, the perfection of justice in the present; and this is to be understood causally, so that the sense is: to know thee by faith is perfect justice, that is, the cause of perfect justice; for faith justifies, whence to the Romans, the fifth³: « Being justified therefore by faith » etc.; likewise in the same place, the fourth: « Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice »; and to know, namely by formed faith, thy justice and thy power, justice, namely of goodness, and power, of might; or: power, that is, Christ, who is « the power of God and the wisdom », the first to the Corinthians, the first⁴; is the root of immortality, that is, the principle and cause of eternal beatitude in the future; whence John, the seventeenth: « This is eternal life, that they may know thee, the only true God » etc.

The root, that is, of the spiritual tree, that is, of the life of the just man, who is like « a tree which is planted near the running waters⁵ » etc.; the root is faith, as is said here. The foot, humility, just as on the contrary the foot of the impious is pride, according to that of the Psalm: « Let not the foot of pride come to me ». The trunk, raising itself on high, is hope; to the Colossians, the third: « Seek the things that are above ». The interior moisture and greenness of this tree is the grace of inward devotion; Job, the eighth⁶: « Can the rush be green without moisture »? The directing heat is the virtue of charity; Luke, the twelfth: « I am come to cast fire on the earth » etc. The exterior watering, spiritual teaching^tr.; whence Wisdom says in Ecclesiasticus, the twenty-fourth: « I will water the garden of my plantations ». The branches, the multiplying of good working; Ezechiel, the thirty-sixth⁷: « Ye mountains of Israel, spread forth your branches ». The flowers, the manners of honest conversation; whence the Canticles, the second: « The flowers have appeared in our land ». The leaves, the words of discreet speech, according to that of the Psalm: « And his leaf shall not fall off ». The fruit, the wage of eternal retribution; above, the third: « The fruit of good labours is glorious ».

(Vers. 4.). For not etc. I said well: that we are counted with thee, we, and not others, namely the idolaters; for not into error, namely of idolatry, which is the chief error, hath it led us, namely as it did others, of whom above, the fourteenth⁸: « And the singular diligence of the artificer helped to set forward the ignorant to the worship of them »; of men, namely of those fabricating idols etc., the device of the evil art, that is, of one leading to evil by gods, who are figured by it. Yet the art itself is good in itself, but its abuse evil; for every science is of the genus of goods, namely as to the habit itself, since it is from God; Ecclesiasticus, the first⁹: « All wisdom is from the Lord God ». And it is to be known that he touches two things inductive, namely or provocative, to idolatry, namely the diligence of the art, when he says: the device of the evil art, and the beauty of the idol, when he adds: nor the shadow of a picture, that is, nor the painting overshadowing the comeliness of the wood; Ecclesiasticus, the thirty-eighth¹⁰: « His continual diligence is to vary the figure »; a labour, namely of the artificer, without fruit, namely of usefulness; above, the third: « Their hope is empty, and their labours without fruit »; an effigy, that is, an image, graven with divers colours, which distinguish the parts of the sculpture; above, the thirteenth: « Making the colour of it red with paint ».

(Vers. 5.). The sight whereof to the senseless one, that is, to the unbeliever, giveth lust, namely by occasionally inciting to evil; Ecclesiasticus, the thirty-fourth¹¹: « Vain hope and lying is to a man void of understanding ». And he loveth the effigy of a dead image without a soul; he loveth, I say, the effigy, that is, the figure, by worshipping it as God, of a dead image, that is, of one lacking the act of life, and this lack is of negation, not of privation¹²; without a soul, that is, lacking the power of giving life. « For the soul is the act of a physical, organic body, having life in potency », as is had in the second On the Soul¹³.

(Vers. 6.). The lovers of evil things etc., and deservedly, hath it not led, because the lovers of evil things, namely of idols and p. 206 of the sins that proceed from idols, are worthy of death¹, namely eternal and temporal; to the Romans, the first: « They who do such things are worthy of death ». Who have hope in such things, namely in idols, namely by calling upon their help; Isaias, the forty-second: « Let them be confounded with confusion that trust in a graven thing »; and they that make them, namely by fabricating such gods; in the Psalm: « Let them that make them become like unto them »; and they that love, namely by affection, by having devotion to idols; above in the same²: « He loveth the effigy of a dead image » etc.; and they that worship, by effect, by adoring outwardly; in the Psalm: « Let them be all confounded that adore graven things »; Deuteronomy, the fifth: « Thou shalt not adore strange gods, nor worship them ».

Thirdly God is commended from the vileness of idols, in two ways.

The potter also. Here the true God is shown to be commendable from the vileness of idols; and this vileness he shows first from the vileness of the matter; secondly, from the vileness of the artificer: And with vain labour. — And this, namely the vileness of the artificer, he shows there, first from the frailty of his condition; secondly, from the vanity of the intention moving him: But his care is; thirdly, from ignorance of the Creator: For his heart is ashes; fourthly, from the error of his conversation: Yea and they have counted; fifthly, from the comparison of iniquity: For that man knoweth etc.

(Vers. 7.). The potter also; so I said that the lovers of evil things are worthy of death, namely they that worship idols or they that make them; the potter also, that is, the maker of earthen vessels, supply: is of their number; the potter, I say, pressing soft earth laboriously; Ecclesiasticus, the thirty-eighth³: « The potter sitting at his work, turning the wheel about with his feet », who is always set in carefulness for his work. Fashioneth for our uses every vessel; « for in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth », the second to Timothy, the second⁴. And of the same clay he fashioneth those that are clean for uses, honest and clean; and likewise those that are contrary to these, as are those which are deputed to unclean uses; whence in the same place: « Some indeed unto honour, but some unto dishonour »; to the Romans, the ninth: « Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump, to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour »? But what is the use of these vessels, namely clean, or unclean, the potter is the judge, as superior and their maker, not the vessels themselves; in the same place: « Shall the clay say to the potter: Why hast thou made me thus »?

(Vers. 8.). And with vain labour, that is, fruitless; Jeremias, the fifty-first⁵: « Their works are vain, and worthy to be laughed at »; he fashioneth a god of the same clay; the like is said in Isaias, the forty-fourth, of wooden idols, that part is burned for human uses, part is worshipped as a god. He, namely the potter, who a little before had been made of earth, by earthly birth; Genesis, the second⁶: « God formed man of the slime of the earth »; and after a little while, namely of time; Job, the fourteenth: « The days of man are short »; likewise: « Living for a short time »; bringeth himself back, by the merit of his sins, namely into death; above, the first: « The impious with hands and words have called it to them », after death and through death; whence he was taken, that is, into the earth, from which he had been taken as to the body, according to that of Genesis, the third⁷: « Till thou return to the earth, out of which thou wast taken »; Ecclesiastes, the third: « All things that were made of the earth shall return together to the earth ». Being asked back the debt of the soul, which, namely the soul, he had, namely as a debt, lent, that he might render it with usury; not given, as to that rich man to whom it was said in Luke, the twelfth⁸: « Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee »; Matthew, the eighteenth: « Laying hold of him, he throttled him, saying: Pay what thou owest », namely the debt of the soul.

(Vers. 9.). But his care is, although, namely, the labour is vain, not that he is to labour, and vainly, which ought rather to be his care, he is to labour also wickedly, according to that of Jeremias, the ninth⁹: « They have laboured to commit iniquity ». Nor that his life is short, though so much the more ought it to be his care to spend it usefully; James, the fourth: « What is your life? It is a vapour which appeareth for a little while ». But he striveth with the goldsmiths and silversmiths, busying himself to make the comeliness and subtlety of his work like theirs; and he imitateth also the workers in brass. It is to be noted that he calls goldsmiths the artificers who make gods of gold; silversmiths, those who make them of silver; workers in brass, those who make them of brass; Isaias, the forty-sixth¹⁰: « You that lay out silver from the bag, and weigh gold in the scales, and hire an artificer to make a god ». And he counteth it a glory, supply: a vain one, to his labour or to the shortness of his life. « Glory is frequent fame with praise¹¹ »; a glory, that is, in this p. 207 glorifying himself; in which there should be no glorying. For superfluous things, that is, useless ones, namely idols, he fashioneth, namely he makes of clayey matter; Osee, the fourth: « I will change their glory into shame »; likewise to the Philippians, the third: « Whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things ».

(Vers. 10.). For his heart is ashes etc., as if to say: so he glories; for (enim), for sed; or thus: so he glories, which yet he ought not to do; for (enim), for quia; ashes, that is, a vile thing, is, like, his heart ashes, that is, his thought, because in the ashes and dust of which he fabricates his god he sets his heart; Ecclesiasticus, the tenth¹: « Why is earth and ashes proud »? And superfluous earth, that is, useless, is his hope, that is, his desire and affection, because, namely, he sets it in an earthen idol; above, the third: « Their hope is empty »; for such an idol is earth empty and nothing, of which Jeremias, the fourth: « I beheld the earth, and lo it was empty and nothing ». And his life², that is, his conversation, is more base than clay, because, namely, he occupies his life in making and worshipping a clay idol; in the Psalm: « I will bring them to nought, like the dirt of the streets ». And the clay of guilt is baser than the clay of nature; whence the Gloss: « His life fouler than mire »; the second of Peter, the second: « The sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire ».

(Vers. 11.). Forasmuch as he knew not, namely with an ignorance of which the first to the Corinthians, the fourteenth³: « If any man know not, he shall not be known »; him that fashioned him, that is, God, who made him of the slime of the earth as to the body; in the Psalm: « He knoweth our frame »; and him that inspired into him a soul, according to that of Genesis, the second: « He breathed into his face the breath of life »; and he loveth⁴, namely more than God, the things he worketh, namely the idols. And that breathed into him a vital spirit, to be repeated: he knew not, and he speaks now of the bodily spirit, when he says: a vital spirit; Isaias, the fifty-seventh: « The spirit shall go forth from my face, and breathings I will make »; in the Psalm: « His spirit shall go forth, and he shall return into his earth ».

(Vers. 12.). Yea and they have counted; so I said, that they knew not God, but rather they have counted, namely the fabricators of idols, our life, namely the natural, to be a pastime, namely of wantonness, as those of whom Exodus, the thirty-second⁵: « The people sat down to eat and drink »; Job, the twenty-first: « They take the timbrel and the harp ». To be a pastime etc., this he says because making and worshipping idols seems to be like the play of children, and so are they who make images of clay and adore them. And the conversation of life, namely the moral, composed, that is, ordered, for gain, namely of avarice, and not only gain, but unlawful, whence he adds: and that we must be getting every way, even out of evil, that is, out of an unlawful craft or business; against which Ecclesiasticus, the fifth⁶: « Be not anxious for goods unjustly gotten: for they shall not profit thee in the day of calamity » or of retribution « and revenge ». These are « riches kept to the hurt of the owner ».

(Vers. 13.). For that man etc., as if to say: and truly those making idols get out of evil; for that man knoweth that he offendeth above all, the other artificers of idols, namely; that man, I say, who of earthly matter, which is viler, brittle vessels, on the one part, and graven things, that is, idols, on the other part of his matter, fashioneth. Whence from the comparison of these he better understands or can understand the vileness of idols.

But how can he know this, namely that he offends or sins above all, since he is ignorant of God, as has been said⁷?

It must be said that he knows this or can know it by the habit of the natural law written in his heart. But actually he does not know it, namely because he will not search it out, though he could; or if he cannot fully or easily, this is because he is blinded by the merit of his unbelief⁸.

Fourthly God is commended from the folly of those practising idolatry.

For all. Here the true God is shown to be commendable from the folly of those practising idolatry, and first, from the folly of those practising idolatry who worship inanimate things, namely statues; secondly, of those who worship animate things: But the animals also.

In the first, first he shows and reproves them as fools, because idols are the cause of many evils to their worshippers; secondly, because in themselves also they are useless to man: For all the idols; thirdly, because they are made by man: For man; fourthly, because they are worse than man: For he is better.

(Vers. 14.). For all etc. I said well that that man who makes an idol of clayey matter knoweth that he offendeth above all, the other artificers; for all are foolish; the Gloss⁹: « Who think idols gods »; for this is great foolishness; Jeremias, the fourth: « They are foolish and senseless children ». Foolish, I say, by defect of wisdom or of faith as to the understanding, and unhappy, as to the affection; and this on account of the defect of grace, which makes happy; above, the p. 208 thirteenth: « Unhappy are they who have called gods the works of their own hands ». Beyond the measure of their soul, that is, of their nature, they are proud, namely against God, and this by fashioning idols for themselves as gods; Isaias, the sixteenth¹: « We have heard of the pride of Moab, he is exceeding proud: his pride and his arrogancy is more than his strength ». Or: unhappy beyond measure, because with an infinite unhappiness, because « their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched », Isaias, the last². Enemies of thy people, namely by persecuting those who believe in God; enemies, I say, as to affection, and by persecuting in deeds; Esther, the fourteenth: « It doth not suffice them, that they oppress us with most hard bondage: but attributing the strength of their hands to the power of their idols, they will alter thy promises »; and reproaching it³, namely with words; in the Psalm: « The reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me »; as certain men of Ephraim and Manasses mocked the messengers of Ezechias, who wished to call them back to the worship of God, as is clear from the second of Paralipomenon, the thirtieth.

(Vers. 15.). For all the idols etc., as if to say: all this is evil, for all etc. Or thus: I said well that foolish and unhappy, beyond the measure of their soul proud etc.; for all the idols of the nations, that is, of the gentiles not reborn through faith, but abiding in the fault of their birth⁴, they have esteemed gods; so did the Romans, namely by carrying all the idols of the subjugated gentiles to Rome and adoring and guarding them; which, namely the idols, have neither the sight of eyes to see, according to that of the Psalm⁵: « They have eyes and see not »; nor ears to hear, according to that in the same place: « They have ears and hear not ». Nor noses to perceive breath; in the same place: « They have noses and smell not ». Nor fingers of hands to handle, that is, to feel anything; whence in the same place: « They have hands and feel not ». And as for their feet, they are slow, that is, immovable, to walk, in the same place: « They have feet and walk not ». Therefore it is said in Baruch, the sixth: « The beasts are better than they, which can fly under a covert, and help themselves ».

(Vers. 16.). For man, to whom, namely, it belongs not to give sense and motion, made them, did not beget them of his own substance, but figured them of extrinsic matter; and he that borrowed his spirit, namely from God, to be rendered to him when it shall please him; Ecclesiastes, the last⁶: « And the spirit return to God, who gave it ». He fashioned them, that is, made them of clay. For no man etc., as if to say: and truly they are thus without sense and motion; for no man can fashion a god like to himself, like, namely by the likeness of equality, by which a man is like another man, though like by the likeness of some exterior representation.

(Vers. 17.). For being mortal, having a mortal life, a dead thing, that is, lacking life, he fashioneth with wicked hands; in the Psalm⁷: « In whose hands are iniquities ». And the mortal is better than the dead, according to that of Ecclesiastes, the ninth: « A living dog is better than a dead lion ». And I said well that no man can make one like himself etc.; for he is better, namely man, than they whom he worshippeth. But God ought to be the best of man, according to Augustine⁸, since he is his beatitude. Because he indeed hath lived, at some time, namely man, though he were mortal, for what does not live is not mortal; but they never, namely the false gods. And by right living things are put before things not living, sensing things before things not sensing, according to Augustine⁹.

But it is objected: Because above in the same¹⁰ it is said: « His life more base than clay ».

It must be said that above he speaks of the moral life, here of the natural.

But the animals also etc. Here is shown the reproach of those worshipping animate things; and first they are shown to be miserable in themselves; secondly, in respect of the foregoing somewhat excusable: Things without sense etc.; thirdly, simply inexcusable: Yea, neither by sight etc. — And there they are shown inexcusable, first by this, that they worship irrational things; secondly, because they have fled from the true God: But they have fled etc.

(Vers. 18.). But the animals also; the Gloss¹¹: « Not only the form of men », but also the image of animals, as the Egyptians Isis in the form of an ox, the Babylonians the dragon, as is clear from Daniel, the fourteenth; most miserable¹² they worship; Proverbs, the fourteenth: « Sin maketh nations miserable ». Miserable indeed are p. 209 all the impious and sinners, but more miserable all unbelievers, but most miserable those worshipping idols. On account of this I said well: But the most miserable animals also they worship; in the Psalm: « They changed their glory into the likeness of a calf that eateth grass ». For things without sense; for (enim), for sed; things without sense, that is, statues, compared to these, namely to the animals, are worse than they, because, according to Augustine¹, the living is better than the not living, and the sensing than the not sensing; whence the Gloss: « In truth living things are better than dead, and sensible than insensible, and rational than irrational. But it was fitting that those who were ignorant of the Creator should not know the distinction in creatures ».

(Vers. 19.). Yea, neither by sight etc. So it was said that idols neither hear nor see nor know anything; and not only do they see nothing, but neither by sight can any² of these animals behold good things. Yea, neither by sight, as if to say: not only in absence by imagination, but neither in presence by sense; any of these animals, which, namely, they worship, can behold good things, that is, know good things by beholding them; and it is to be understood of honest goods, which are goods simply, as are the virtues and such things; not of useful or delightful goods, which are goods in a certain respect³. But they have fled etc., as if to say: so most miserable they worship animals; but (autem), for sed, they have fled etc. Or: but (autem), that is, certainly, by worshipping animals, they have fled from the praise of God and from his blessing, as if to say: neither did they praise God himself nor bless him; praise for his goodness in himself, and blessing for his beneficence towards us. Against which two it is said in the Psalm⁴: « Give glory to the Lord, for he is good », namely in himself, « for his mercy endureth for ever », that is, for the beneficence of his mercy extends itself to all; and he says they have fled, not only not praising and not blessing inwardly in heart, but not confessing with the mouth either, against which, to the Romans, the tenth⁵: « With the heart we believe unto justice, but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation ».

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