Bonaventure

The numbered footnotes below correspond to markers in both the Latin body above and the English translation. Quaracchi restarts footnote numbering on each printed page (p. 586 nn. 1–3, p. 587 nn. 1–4); they are renumbered sequentially 1–7 here.

Cap. I. De Sacramento unctionis extremae.

« Praeter praemissa est etiam aliud Sacramentum, scilicet unctio infirmorum, quae fit in extremis oleo per episcopum consecrato¹ ». « Et sunt tria genera unctionis ».

Cap. II. De tribus generibus unctionis.

« Est enim unctio, quae fit chrismate, quae dicitur principalis unctio, quia in ea principaliter Paraclitus datur. Unde et propter abundantiam gratiae duos liquores mixtos habet, oleum scilicet et balsamum, oleum conscientiae, balsamum famae. Chrisma² vero Graece, unctio dicitur Latine. Nec tamen omne oleum ad unctionem sanctificatum chrisma vocatur, sed illud solum, quod miscetur cum balsamo, quo capita regum et pontificum unguntur, quo etiam baptizatos sacerdos ungit in vertice, et pontifex per impositionem manus confirmandos ungit in fronte. Est et alia unctio, qua catechumeni et neophyti unguntur in pectore et inter scapulas in perceptione baptismi. Tertia vero unctio est, quae dicitur oleum infirmorum, de qua nunc agitur ».

Cap. III. A quibus fuerit hoc Sacramentum institutum.

« Hoc Sacramentum unctionis infirmorum ab Apostolis institutum legitur. Ait enim Iacobus³: Infirmatur quis in vobis? inducat presbyteros Ecclesiae, et orent super eum, ungentes eum oleo in nomine Domini, et alleviabit eum Dominus; et si in peccatis sit, dimittentur ei. In quo ostenditur duplici ex causa Sacramentum hoc institutum, scilicet ad peccatorum remissionem et ad corporalis infirmitatis alleviationem. Unde constat, eum qui hanc unctionem fideliter devoteque percipit, et in corpore et in anima alleviari, si tamen expedit, ut in utroque allevietur. Quodsi forte corporis valetudinem illi habere non expedit, illam quae est animae sanitatem in hoc Sacramento acquirit ». « Et sicut in aliis Sacramentis, ita et in isto aliud est Sacramentum, aliud res Sacramenti. Sacramentum est ipsa unctio exterior, res Sacramenti unctio interior, quae peccatorum remissione et virtutum ampliatione perficitur. Et si ex contemptu, vel negligentia Sacramentum hoc praetermittitur, periculosum est et damnabile ».

Cap. IV. De iteratione huius Sacramenti.

Quaerunt aliqui, si hoc Sacramentum iterari possit, cum baptismus et alia quaedam Sacramenta semel suscepta non iterentur. Augustinus dicit⁴: « Sacramentum non iterandum, et Sacramento non esse faciendam iniuriam »; sed hoc dicit, ubi agit de Sacramento baptismi et ordinationis. Unde non videtur illud generaliter accipiendum, sed de Sacramento baptismi, confirmationis et ordinationis, quae nullatenus repetenda sunt, quia semel tantum et non saepius datur baptismus, confirmatio et ordinatio. Sacramentum vero altaris et poenitentiae et coniugii saepe iterari videtur; quia saepe Sacramentum corporis percipitur, frequenter poenitentia agitur, coniugium saepe contrahitur. Quare ergo unctio similiter non potest iterari? Si morbus non revertitur, medicina non iteretur; si vero morbus non potest cohiberi, quare medicina debet prohiberi? Sicut oratio iterari potest, ita et unctio iterari posse videtur; utraque enim illic commemorat Iacobus, et utrumque alteri cooperatur ad conferendam alleviationem corporis et animae. Cur ergo negetur, unctionem super infirmum posse iterari ad impetrandam saepius sanitatem mentis et corporis, cum propter idem⁵ saepe iteranda sit oratio? — Quidam autem de omni Sacramento intelligi volunt, quod non sit iterandum, scilicet secundum totum illud, quod pertinet ad Sacramentum, dicentes quaedam Sacramenta saepius posse suscipi, quaedam vero non; nec tamen quae saepius sumuntur totaliter iterantur, ut Sacramentum altaris et unctionis, quae licet saepius sumantur, tamen, quia non iterum benedicitur eadem hostia vel idem oleum, non iteratur Sacramentum cum iniuria. — Sed dicet quis: sic et baptismus non iteratur, etsi aliquis frequenter baptizetur, dum eadem aqua non iterum benedicatur. — Sed aliud est, inquiunt illi, de benedictione aquae, qua fit baptismus, aliud de benedictione panis et olei. Potest enim baptismus celebrari in aqua etiam non benedicta, quia illa benedictio pro reverentia tantum fit et decore, non virtute Sacramenti. Sed corpus Christi non potest confici nisi de pane consecrato⁶, nec unctio illa fieri potest nisi de oleo ab episcopo consecrato; ideoque illa sanctificatio ad virtutem Sacramenti pertinere videtur. In coniugio quoque semel tantum benedicitur quisque, non saepius. Benedicitur enim, ut ait Ambrosius⁷, cum prima et non cum secunda uxore. Si igitur, cum dicitur, Sacramentum non esse iterandum, nec iniuria ei facienda, rationem dicti referas ad sanctificationem rei, qua Sacramentum expletur; de omni Sacramento generaliter id verum est. Si vero ad susceptionem Sacramenti, de quibusdam verum est, quod non iterantur crebra susceptione, de aliis vero quibusdam non, quia frequenter sumuntur, ut hoc unctionis Sacramentum, quod in omni pene Ecclesia saepe repetitur.

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Chapter I. On the Sacrament of extreme unction.

« Besides the foregoing there is also another Sacrament, namely the anointing of the sick, which is done at the last extremity with oil consecrated by a bishop¹ ». « And there are three kinds of anointing ».

Chapter II. On the three kinds of anointing.

« For there is an anointing which is done with chrism, which is called the principal anointing, because in it the Paraclete is principally given. Hence also, on account of the abundance of grace, it has two liquids mixed together, namely oil and balsam: the oil of conscience, the balsam of good repute. Chrism² in Greek is called unction in Latin. Yet not every oil sanctified for anointing is called chrism, but only that which is mixed with balsam, with which the heads of kings and of bishops are anointed, with which also a priest anoints the baptized upon the crown of the head, and a bishop, by the laying on of the hand, anoints those to be confirmed upon the forehead. And there is another anointing, with which catechumens and the newly-born [in baptism] are anointed on the breast and between the shoulder-blades in the receiving of baptism. But the third anointing is that which is called the oil of the sick, of which we now treat ».

Chapter III. By whom this Sacrament was instituted.

« This Sacrament of the anointing of the sick is read to have been instituted by the Apostles. For James says³: Is any sick among you? let him bring in the presbyters of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the Lord will relieve him; and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him. In which it is shown that this Sacrament was instituted from a twofold cause, namely for the remission of sins and for the relief of bodily infirmity. Hence it is established that he who faithfully and devoutly receives this anointing is relieved both in body and in soul, if nevertheless it is expedient that he be relieved in both. But if perchance it is not expedient for him to have bodily health, he acquires in this Sacrament that health which is of the soul ». « And as in the other Sacraments, so also in this one the Sacrament is one thing, the reality of the Sacrament another. The Sacrament is the exterior anointing itself; the reality of the Sacrament is the interior anointing, which is accomplished by the remission of sins and the increase of virtues. And if out of contempt or negligence this Sacrament is omitted, it is dangerous and damnable ».

Chapter IV. On the repetition of this Sacrament.

Some ask whether this Sacrament can be repeated, since baptism and certain other Sacraments, once received, are not repeated. Augustine says⁴: « A Sacrament is not to be repeated, and no injury is to be done to a Sacrament »; but he says this where he treats of the Sacrament of baptism and of ordination. Hence it does not seem that this is to be taken generally, but of the Sacrament of baptism, of confirmation, and of ordination, which are in no way to be repeated, because baptism, confirmation, and ordination are given only once and not more often. But the Sacrament of the altar and of penance and of marriage seems to be repeated often; because the Sacrament of the body is received often, penance is done frequently, marriage is contracted often. Why therefore can unction not likewise be repeated? If the disease does not return, let the medicine not be repeated; but if the disease cannot be checked, why should the medicine be forbidden? As prayer can be repeated, so too unction seems able to be repeated; for James there commemorates both, and each cooperates with the other toward conferring the relief of body and soul. Why therefore should it be denied that unction over the sick person can be repeated to obtain more often the health of mind and body, since for the same end prayer is to be repeated often⁵? — But some wish it to be understood of every Sacrament that it is not to be repeated, namely according to the whole of that which pertains to the Sacrament, saying that certain Sacraments can be received more often, but certain ones not; nor yet are those which are received more often repeated in their entirety, as the Sacrament of the altar and of unction, which, although they be received more often, nevertheless, because the same host or the same oil is not blessed again, the Sacrament is not repeated with injury. — But someone will say: thus baptism too is not repeated, even if someone be baptized frequently, so long as the same water is not blessed again. — But it is one thing, they say, concerning the blessing of the water by which baptism is done, another concerning the blessing of the bread and of the oil. For baptism can be celebrated even in water that is not blessed, because that blessing is done only for reverence and seemliness, not by the power of the Sacrament. But the body of Christ cannot be confected except from consecrated bread⁶, nor can that unction be done except from oil consecrated by a bishop; and therefore that sanctification seems to pertain to the power of the Sacrament. In marriage too each is blessed only once, not more often. For one is blessed, as Ambrose says⁷, with a first and not with a second wife. If therefore, when it is said that a Sacrament is not to be repeated, nor injury done to it, you refer the ground of the saying to the sanctification of the reality by which the Sacrament is completed, then of every Sacrament this is generally true. But if to the receiving of the Sacrament, then of some it is true that they are not repeated by frequent reception, but of certain others not, because they are received frequently, as this Sacrament of unction, which in almost every Church is often repeated.

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