Bonaventure

DISTINCTIO XXVIII.

Cap. I. Si iubemur totum proximum diligere et nos totos.

Hic potest quaeri, utrum illo mandato dilectionis proximi totum proximum, id est animam et corpus, nosque ipsos totos diligere praecipiamur. — Ad quod dicimus, omne genus diligendarum rerum illis duobus mandatis contineri. «Quatuor enim diligenda sunt, ut ait Augustinus^p619-1: unum, quod supra nos est, scilicet Deus; alterum, quod nos sumus; tertium, quod iuxta nos est, scilicet proximus; quartum, quod infra nos est, scilicet corpus. De secundo et quarto nulla praecepta danda erant», scilicet ut diligeremus nos, vel corpus nostrum; praecipitur autem Deus diligi et proximus. «Ut autem quisque se diligat, praecepto non est opus». «Quantumlibet enim homo excidat a veritate, remanet illi dilectio sui et dilectio corporis sui, quia nemo unquam carnem suam odio habuit^p619-2. Nam viri iusti, qui corpus suum cruciant, non corpus, sed corruptiones eius et pondus oderunt». — Hic videtur Augustinus tradere, quod ex praecepto non teneamur diligere nosmetipsos, vel corpus nostrum. Quod si est, non omne genus diligendarum rerum illis duobus praeceptis continetur: quia^p619-3, cum et nos ipsos et corpus nostrum diligere debeamus, ad quid necessarium est praeceptum, cum scriptum sit: Qui diligit iniquitatem odit animam suam? Sed speciale de hoc praeceptum non erat dandum, nec speciali praecepto opus erat id tradi, ut quisque se vel corpus suum diligeret, quia hoc in illo praecepto continetur: Diliges proximum tuum sicut te ipsum. Ibi enim et proximum totum et te totum intelligere debes. Unde Augustinus in eodem^p619-4: «Si te totum intelligas, id est animam et corpus, et proximum totum, id est animam et corpus — homo enim ex anima constat et corpore — nullum rerum diligendarum genus in his duobus praeceptis praetermissum est. Cum enim praecurrat dilectio Dei, eiusque dilectionis modus praescriptus appareat, et sequatur dilectio proximi; de tua dilectione nihil dictum videtur. Sed cum dictum est: Diliges proximum tuum sicut te ipsum, simul et tui abs te dilectio praetermissa non est». — Ecce hic aperte dicit, in illo praecepto non tantummodo proximi, sed et mei^p619-5 dilectionem contineri et totius proximi totiusque mei. — Ex quo apparet, quod dictum est de secundo et

quarto — id est de dilectione nostri et corporis nostri — nulla praecepta esse danda, ita esse intelligendum, scilicet specialia et divisa, quia in illo uno totum continetur, «et quia id quod sumus, et quod infra nos est, ad nos tamen pertinens, naturae lege diligimus, quae in bestiis etiam est. Ideoque^p620-1 et de illo quod supra nos est, et de illo quod iuxta nos est, divisa praecepta sumsimus»; in quorum altero eius quod sumus, et illius quod infra nos est, dilectio continetur.

Cap. II. Quod in dilectione proximi includitur dilectio Angelorum.

«Oritur autem hic de Angelis quaestio, utrum ad illud praeceptum dilectionis proximi etiam dilectio pertineat Angelorum. Nam quod nullum hominem exceperit qui praecepit proximum diligere, Dominus in parabola semivivi relicti ostendit, eum dicens proximum, qui erga illum exstitit misericors. Deinde subdit: Vade, et tu fac similiter^p620-2»: sit, Domino dicente: Diligite inimicos vestros, benefacite his qui oderunt vos^p620-3». «Manifestum est igitur, omnem hominem proximum esse deputandum». «Proximi vero nomen ad aliquid est, nec quisquam esse proximus nisi proximo potest». «Unde consequens est, et cui praebendum et a quo praebendum est officium misericordiae recte proximum dici. Manifestum est igitur, praecepto dilectionis proximi etiam sanctos Angelos contineri, a quibus tanta nobis misericordiae impenduntur officia. Ex quo et Dominus proximum nostrum se dici voluit, ut in parabola saucii significat et in Propheta^p620-4: Quasi proximum et quasi fratrem nostrum sic complacebam. Sed quia excellentior ac supra nostram naturam est divina substantia, praeceptum dilectionis Dei a proximi dilectione distinctum est». Ideoque licet Deus omnia nobis impendat beneficia, non tamen nomine proximi includitur in illo praecepto; quem non sicut nos diligere debemus, sed plus quam nos toto corde et tota anima; Christum vero, in quantum homo est, sicut nos diligere debemus, eiusque secundum hominem dilectio illo continetur mandato; quem etiam secundum hominem magis quam nos, sed non quantum Deum, debemus diligere, quia in quantum est homo, minor est Deo.

Cap. III. Quis sit proximus.

«Ut eum proximum intelligamus, cui vel exhibendum est officium misericordiae, si indiget, vel exhibendum esset, si indigeret. Nullum vero exceptum esse, cui misericordiae negandum sit officium, quis non videat, cum usque ad inimicos etiam porrectum

Cap. IV. Quibus modis dicitur proximus.

Hic notandum est, «proximum dici diversis modis, scilicet conditione primae nativitatis, spe conversionis, propinquitate cognationis, ratione beneficii exhibitionis^p620-5».

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Cap. I. Whether we are commanded to love the whole neighbor and our whole selves.

Here it can be asked whether by that commandment of the love of neighbor we are commanded to love the whole neighbor, that is, soul and body, and our whole selves. — To which we say that every kind of things to be loved is contained in those two commandments. «For four things are to be loved, as Augustine says^p619-1: one, which is above us, namely God; another, which we ourselves are; a third, which is beside us, namely neighbor; a fourth, which is beneath us, namely the body. Concerning the second and the fourth no commandments were to be given», namely that we should love ourselves, or our body; but God is commanded to be loved, and neighbor. «But that each one should love himself, there is no need of a commandment». «For however much a man may fall away from the truth, there remains to him the love of himself and the love of his own body, because no one ever hated his own flesh^p619-2. For just men, who torment their own body, hate not the body, but its corruptions and burden». — Here Augustine seems to teach that by the commandment we are not bound to love ourselves, or our body. But if this is so, not every kind of things to be loved is contained in those two precepts: for^p619-3, since we ought to love both ourselves and our body, to what end is the precept necessary, since it is written: He who loveth iniquity hateth his own soul? But a special precept concerning this was not to be given, nor was there need of a special precept that this be handed down, that each one should love himself or his own body, because this is contained in that precept: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. For there thou oughtest to understand both the whole neighbor and thy whole self. Hence Augustine in the same place^p619-4: «If thou understand thy whole self, that is soul and body, and the whole neighbor, that is soul and body — for man consists of soul and body — no kind of things to be loved is passed over in these two precepts. For since the love of God runs before, and the manner of that love appears prescribed, and the love of neighbor follows; concerning thy own love nothing seems to have been said. But when it was said: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, at the same time the love of thyself by thee was not passed over». — Behold, here he plainly says that in that precept not only the love of neighbor, but also of myself^p619-5 is contained, and of the whole neighbor and of my whole self. — From which it appears that what was said concerning the second and

the fourth — that is, concerning the love of ourselves and of our body — that no precepts were to be given, is so to be understood, namely special and divided precepts, because in that one all is contained, «and because that which we are, and that which is beneath us, yet pertaining to us, we love by the law of nature, which is even in beasts. And therefore^p620-1 concerning that which is above us, and concerning that which is beside us, we have taken divided precepts»; in the other of which the love of that which we are, and of that which is beneath us, is contained.

Cap. II. That in the love of neighbor is included the love of Angels.

«But a question arises here concerning Angels, whether to that precept of the love of neighbor the love of Angels also pertains. For that he who commanded neighbor to be loved excepted no man, the Lord shows in the parable of the half-dead man left behind, calling him neighbor who was merciful toward him. Then he adds: Go, and do thou likewise^p620-2»: as it is, the Lord saying: Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you^p620-3». «It is manifest therefore that every man is to be reckoned neighbor». «But the name of neighbor is relative to something, nor can anyone be neighbor save to a neighbor». «Whence it follows that both he to whom the office of mercy is to be shown and he by whom it is to be shown are rightly called neighbor. It is manifest therefore that by the precept of the love of neighbor the holy Angels also are contained, by whom so great offices of mercy are bestowed upon us. From which the Lord also willed to be called our neighbor, as he signifies in the parable of the wounded man and in the Prophet^p620-4: As a neighbor and as our brother so was I well-pleased. But because the divine substance is more excellent and above our nature, the precept of the love of God is distinguished from the love of neighbor». And therefore, although God bestows all benefits upon us, yet he is not included under the name of neighbor in that precept; whom we ought to love not as ourselves, but more than ourselves with the whole heart and the whole soul; but Christ, in so far as he is man, we ought to love as ourselves, and his love according to his manhood is contained in that commandment; whom also according to his manhood we ought to love more than ourselves, but not as much as God, because in so far as he is man, he is less than God.

Cap. III. Who is the neighbor.

«That we may understand him to be neighbor to whom the office of mercy is to be shown, if he is in need, or would be shown, if he were in need. But that no one is excepted to whom the office of mercy is to be denied, who does not see, since it is extended even to enemies

Cap. IV. In what ways one is called neighbor.

Here it is to be noted that «one is called neighbor in diverse ways, namely by the condition of first nativity, by the hope of conversion, by the nearness of kinship, by reason of the showing-forth of benefit^p620-5».

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