Bonaventure

QUAESTIO II.

Utrum daemones ceciderint in infernale supplicium.

Secundo quaeritur circa hoc, utrum ceciderint in infernale supplicium, utrum scilicet crucientur ubicumque sunt. Et quod sic, videtur.

1. Super illud Iacobi tertio¹: Lingua inflammata a gehenna, Glossa: «Gehenna est diabolus, propter quem facta est. Sicut enim gehenna semper ardet, sic diabolus ubicumque sit, vel in aere, vel sub terra, semper fert secum tormenta flammarum».

2. Item, hoc videtur ratione per simile. Angeli conversi, quamvis non sint a ministerio absoluti, tamen in ipso ministerio habent praemium suae conversionis, scilicet beatam visionem: ergo pari ratione daemones poenam infernalem.

3. Item, videtur a minori, quia gravius est in conspectu Dei iuste omnia ponderantis peccatum angelicum quam humanum; sed homo decedens in peccato² sine aliquo intervallo statim punitur poena gehennali et incendio: ergo multo fortius videtur de angelis malis.

4. Item, in peccato duo sunt: aversio et conversio, et utrique respondet sua poena, scilicet carentia visionis aversioni, et afflictio ignis conversioni; sed statim ut peccavit, amisit irremediabiliter visionem et punitus est carentia visionis: ergo pari ratione poena afflictionis. Sed haec est poena illius ignis: ergo etc.

CONTRA: 1. Matthaei octavo³ dicitur: Iesu, fili Dei, ut quid venisti ante tempus torquere nos? ergo angeli nondum torquebantur.

2. Item, si punirentur poena ignis materialis, cum ille agat in creaturam passibilem et condignam pati: ergo cum diabolus corporaliter obsidet aliquem, si secum fert ignem, videtur, quod eum totum comburat, nisi virtutem ignis per miraculum Deus restringat. Sed non est ibi ponendum miraculum: ergo etc.

3. Item, si ita torquerentur igne materiali, cum ille sit summe afflictivus, non delectarentur in peccato hominis sive in faciendo alios peccare: ergo cum hoc multum desiderent, non videtur esse probabile⁴.

4. Item, si torquerentur igne materiali, cum non sint nisi tres species: carbo, flamma et lux⁵; quaero, qua specie? Non luce; constat, quia non affligit, nec decet eos secum ferre lucem: ergo vel flamma vel carbone. Sed neutra istarum latet sensum: ergo etc.

CONCLUSIO.

Videtur esse probabilius, quod poena ignis differtur usque post iudicium.

RESPONDEO: Dicendum, quod circa hoc sunt diversae positiones doctorum.

Quidam enim, innitentes praedictae Glossae et considerantes ultionem divinae iustitiae sive rigorem, dicunt, daemones, ubicumque sunt, puniri supplicio ignis materialis, licet minus intense quam post ultimam damnationem. Et cum hoc non sit intelligibile, quod ignem cremantem ubique secum circumferant, nisi habeant corpora alligata, coguntur ponere, quod daemones a sui lapsu primario habuerunt sibi aptata corpora, in quibus punirentur, et in quibus circumferrent quasi intrinsecus materiale incendium, quocumque discurrant, sicut febricitans ubique circumfert ardorem, in qualicumque loco ponatur⁶.

Sed quoniam illud est difficile sustinere, quod daemones habeant corpora inseparabiliter unita, sicut infra melius patebit⁷; et praeterea, non videntur acriter puniri, tum ex verbis Evangelii, tum etiam quod intenti sunt mala facere et mala multa multiplicare: ideo aliorum positio est, quod daemonibus differtur poena ignis usque post iudicium, tum ut eorum exercitium ostendatur, tum etiam ut divina misericordia ostendatur, quae sustinet vasa irae apta in interitum in multa patientia⁸ usque in diem, quo retribuet omnibus secundum fructum adinventionum suarum.

Quae harum positionum sit verior, nescio; haec tamen, quae ultimo dicta est, videtur probabilior.

1. Ad illud ergo quod obiicitur de Glossa, patet responsio, si aspiciantur sequentia⁹: quod non intelligit de flamma ignis materialis, sed de flammis vitiorum, scilicet irae et invidiae, quibus etiam torquentur.

2. Ad illud quod obiicitur de Angelis bonis, dicendum, quod non est simile, quia Deus pronior est ad miserendum quam ad condemnandum. Praeterea, ministerium Angelorum non impeditur ex gloria, sed expeditur; sed poena omnino retraheret malos ab exercitando.

3. Ad illud quod obiicitur de damnatis hominibus, dicendum, quod non est simile, quia damnati statim sunt extra statum demeriti, et ideo non oportet, quod differatur supplicium; non sic daemones, quia demerentur, sicut infra melius patebit¹⁰.

4. Ad illud quod obiicitur de aversione, dicendum, quod non est simile, quia visio Dei non potest stare cum culpa; unde inseparabilis poena a culpa est visionis carentia; non sic est de poena afflictiva¹¹.

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QUESTION II.

Whether the demons fell into the infernal punishment.

Secondly it is asked concerning this, whether they fell into the infernal punishment, namely whether they are tortured wherever they are. And that [it is] so, it seems [thus].

1. Upon that [text] of James, third [chapter]¹: The tongue, inflamed by gehenna, the Gloss: «Gehenna is the devil, for whom it was made. For just as gehenna always burns, so the devil, wherever he is, whether in the air or under the earth, always carries with him the torments of flames».

2. Likewise, this seems [so] by reason, through a similitude. The converted Angels, although they are not freed from ministry, yet in the ministry itself have the reward of their conversion, namely the blessed vision: therefore by parity of reasoning the demons [have] the infernal punishment.

3. Likewise, it seems [so] from the lesser, because in the sight of God, who justly weighs all things, the angelic sin is graver than the human; but a man departing in sin², without any interval, is at once punished with hellish punishment and burning: therefore much more strongly [it seems so] concerning the evil angels.

4. Likewise, in sin there are two [things]: aversion and conversion, and to each its own punishment corresponds, namely the lack of vision to the aversion, and the affliction of fire to the conversion; but as soon as he sinned, he irremediably lost the vision and was punished with the lack of vision: therefore by parity of reasoning [also] the punishment of affliction. But this is the punishment of that fire: therefore etc.

ON THE CONTRARY: 1. In Matthew, eighth [chapter]³, it is said: Jesus, son of God, why hast thou come to torment us before the time? therefore the angels were not yet being tormented.

2. Likewise, if they were punished with the punishment of material fire, since that acts upon a creature passible and worthy to suffer: therefore when the devil bodily besets someone, if he carries fire with him, it seems that he would burn him wholly, unless God restrained the power of the fire by a miracle. But a miracle is not to be posited there: therefore etc.

3. Likewise, if they were thus tortured by material fire, since it is supremely afflictive, they would not delight in the sin of man or in making others sin: therefore since they desire this much, it does not seem probable⁴.

4. Likewise, if they were tortured by material fire, since there are only three species: coal, flame, and light⁵; I ask, by which species? Not by light; it is clear, because it does not afflict, nor is it fitting for them to carry light with them: therefore either by flame or by coal. But neither of these escapes the senses: therefore etc.

CONCLUSION.

It seems more probable that the punishment of fire is deferred until after the judgment.

I RESPOND: It must be said that concerning this there are diverse positions of the doctors.

For some, relying on the aforesaid Gloss and considering the vengeance of divine justice or [its] rigor, say that the demons, wherever they are, are punished with the punishment of material fire, though less intensely than after the last damnation. And since this is not intelligible, that they carry burning fire everywhere with them, unless they have bodies bound [to them], they are forced to hold that the demons from their first fall had bodies fitted to them, in which they might be punished, and in which they would carry about, as it were inwardly, a material burning, wherever they run, just as one with a fever carries heat everywhere, in whatever place he is put⁶.

But since that is difficult to sustain, that the demons have bodies inseparably united [to them], as will be better clear below⁷; and moreover, they do not seem to be sharply punished, both from the words of the Gospel and also because they are intent on doing evil and on multiplying many evils: therefore the position of others is that the punishment of fire is deferred for the demons until after the judgment, both that their exercising may be shown, and also that the divine mercy may be shown, which endures the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction with much patience⁸ until the day on which he will repay all according to the fruit of their devices.

Which of these positions is the truer, I do not know; this one, however, which was said last, seems more probable.

1. To that, then, which is objected concerning the Gloss, the response is clear, if the following [words] are looked at⁹: that it does not understand [it] of the flame of material fire, but of the flames of the vices, namely of anger and envy, by which also they are tortured.

2. To that which is objected concerning the good Angels, it must be said that it is not alike, because God is more inclined to have mercy than to condemn. Moreover, the ministry of the Angels is not impeded by glory, but expedited; but punishment would altogether withdraw the evil ones from exercising.

3. To that which is objected concerning the damned men, it must be said that it is not alike, because the damned are at once outside the state of demerit, and therefore it is not necessary that the punishment be deferred; not so the demons, because they continue to demerit, as will be better clear below¹⁰.

4. To that which is objected concerning the aversion, it must be said that it is not alike, because the vision of God cannot stand together with fault; whence the punishment inseparable from fault is the lack of vision; it is not so concerning the afflictive punishment¹¹.