Dist. 39, Art. 2, Q. 2
Book IV: On the Sacraments · Distinction 39
Quaestio II. Utrum, altero tantum infidelium veniente ad fidem, matrimonium solvatur quoad infidelem.
Secundo quaeritur, utrum solvatur matrimonium quoad infidelem. Et quod sic, videtur:
1. Quia matrimonium est vinculum duorum et se habet ut relatio4; sed destructa ligatione respectu unius extremi, destruitur respectu alterius: ergo etc.
2. Item, mulier ista, postquam discessit5, aut est uxor, aut non. Si sic: ergo vir non potest contrahere; si non: ergo ipsa potest, cum non sit uxor.
3. Item, esto quod fidelis contrahat post discessum, et illa postmodum convertatur ad fidem; constat, quod non redditur ei vir6: ergo si non tenetur continere, potest nubere: ergo si non est ei ius acquisitum ad hoc, poterat et prius.
Contra: 1. Ambrosius1 dicit, quod «infidelis pro parte discedens peccat in Deum et in matrimonium»: ergo si in bono matrimonii est punienda, non potest nubere.
2. Item, «nullus debet reportare commodum de malitia sua2»; sed reportaret, si deserendo virum fidelem posset nubere: ergo etc.
3. Item, si mulier, quae erat prius alligata viro, absolvitur, quaero: a quo? Non ab Ecclesia, quia non intromittit se; non a Deo, quia contra Deum facit; non a viro, quia ipsum invitum deserit; nec a se potest: ergo vinculum manet: ergo etc.
Conclusio. Matrimonium, licet sit respectu fidelis solutum, reapse manet a parte infidelis, quousque fidelis potest ad infidelem redire; postea autem manet tantum in poenam, durante infidelitate.
Respondeo: Dicendum, quod quidam dicunt, quod hanc quaestionem non est nostrum determinare, quia non spectat ad nos de his qui foris sunt, iudicare3. — Sed verum est, quod non spectat iudicare publicando spiritualiter; tamen spiritualis homo iudicat omnia discernendo, quis recte, quis non recte vivat.
Et ideo dicendum, quod statim post discessum solvitur vinculum a parte viri, quia potest alteri coniungi statim, non sic a parte mulieris. Unde notandum, quod vinculum manet dupliciter: aut secundum veritatem Sacramenti, aut in poenam peccati. Quamdiu vir relictus — vel mulier fidelis — manet in statu, in quo potest redire ad eam4; mulier est alligata quantum ad veritatem Sacramenti. Sed quando vir est in statu, in quo non potest ei coniungi, ut si alteram ducat, vel intret religionem, vel accipiat sacrum ordinem; mulier soluta est secundum veritatem Sacramenti, quia amplius non est uxor; sed tamen alligata est in poenam peccati; unde non licet ei nubere, quousque relinquatur a culpa; et hoc non est, quamdiu est infidelis. Si autem convertatur et baptizetur; cum tunc solvatur ab omni culpa et poena peccati, ex tunc licite poterit nubere, nisi aliud obsistat.
Et sic patent obiecta utraque. Prima enim probant, quod solvitur secundum veritatem; secunda, quod manet in poenam peccati.
Ad illud quod quaeritur, a quo solvitur, dico quod a Deo et ab Ecclesia, sed per accidens: quia, ex quo ille desinit esse vir, per consequens ista desinit esse uxor. Et si tu obiicias, quod commodum reportat de malitia; dicendum, quod falsum est, quia, quamdiu manet culpa, divino iudicio est alligata. Et amplius, si ad fidem veniat, et vir eam repetat; si non contraxit cum alia, est ei reddenda. — Unde satis rationabiliter potest dici, quod vinculum illud non omnino solvitur statim, cum mulier discedit, sed cum vir alligatur alii fideli vinculo inseparabili: tunc enim fortius vinculum solvit minus; unde etsi prius aliquo modo esset solutum, ex tunc perfecte solutum est, illo ultimo5 persistente.
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Question II. Whether, when only one of the infidels comes to the faith, the marriage is dissolved with respect to the infidel.
Secondly it is asked whether the marriage is dissolved with respect to the infidel. And that it is [dissolved], seems [to be so]:
1. Because marriage is a bond of two and stands as a relation4; but when the tying is destroyed with respect to one extreme, it is destroyed with respect to the other: therefore etc.
2. Likewise, this woman, after she has departed5, is either a wife or not. If yes: then the husband cannot contract [marriage]; if no: then she herself can, since she is not a wife.
3. Likewise, suppose that the faithful [husband] contracts [marriage] after the departure, and that she afterward is converted to the faith; it is certain that the husband is not restored to her6: therefore, if she is not bound to continence, she can marry: therefore, if she has no right acquired for this, she could [marry] even before.
On the contrary: 1. Ambrose1 says that «the infidel departing on his part sins against God and against the marriage»: therefore, if she is to be punished in the good of the marriage, she cannot marry.
2. Likewise, «no one ought to reap advantage from his own malice2»; but she would reap [it], if by deserting her faithful husband she could marry: therefore etc.
3. Likewise, if the woman, who was previously bound to a husband, is absolved, I ask: by whom? Not by the Church, since it does not intromit itself; not by God, since she acts against God; not by the husband, since she deserts him against his will; nor can she [be absolved] by herself: therefore the bond remains: therefore etc.
Conclusion. The marriage, although it is dissolved with respect to the faithful [party], in fact remains on the side of the infidel, as long as the faithful [party] can return to the infidel; but afterward it remains only as a punishment, while the infidelity lasts.
I respond: It must be said that some say that it is not for us to determine this question, since it does not pertain to us to judge those who are outside3. — But it is true that it does not pertain [to us] to judge by publishing [it] spiritually; nevertheless the spiritual man judges all things, discerning who lives rightly and who does not live rightly.
And therefore it must be said that immediately after the departure the bond is dissolved on the husband's side, since he can be joined to another at once, but not so on the woman's side. Hence it must be noted that the bond remains in two ways: either according to the truth of the Sacrament, or as a punishment of sin. As long as the deserted husband — or the faithful woman — remains in a state in which he can return to her4, the woman is bound with respect to the truth of the Sacrament. But when the husband is in a state in which he cannot be joined to her — as if he marries another, or enters religion, or receives holy orders — the woman is loosed according to the truth of the Sacrament, since she is no longer a wife; yet nevertheless she is bound as a punishment of sin; whence she is not permitted to marry until she is released from the fault; and this is not [the case] as long as she is unfaithful. But if she is converted and baptized, since then she is loosed from all fault and punishment of sin, from that point she will licitly be able to marry, unless something else stands in the way.
And thus both [sets of] objections are answered. For the first ones prove that it is dissolved according to truth; the second, that it remains as a punishment of sin.
To that which is asked, by whom it is dissolved, I say that [it is dissolved] by God and by the Church, but per accidens: because, from the fact that he ceases to be a husband, consequently she ceases to be a wife. And if you object that she reaps advantage from malice, it must be said that this is false, because, as long as the fault remains, she is bound by the divine judgment. And further, if she comes to the faith, and the husband seeks her back, provided he has not contracted [marriage] with another, she is to be restored to him. — Hence it can reasonably enough be said that that bond is not entirely dissolved at once, when the woman departs, but [only] when the husband is bound to another faithful [party] by an inseparable bond: for then the stronger bond dissolves the weaker; whence, even if it was previously in some way loosed, from that point it is perfectly loosed, that last [bond] persisting5.
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- 4Cfr. supra d. 27. a. 1. q. I. ad 3. — Mox pro ligatione cod. K (bb a secunda manu) relatione (cfr. d. 27. a. 3. q. I. in corp.).Cf. above, d. 27, a. 1, q. 1, ad 3. — Presently, for ligatione codex K (bb by a second hand) [reads] relatione (cf. d. 27, a. 3, q. 1, in the body).
- 5Codd. R S supplent a viro.Codices R and S supply a viro ("[departed] from her husband").
- 6Cfr. quaest. praeced. et infra dub. 5.Cf. the preceding question, and below, dubium 5.
- 1In Comment. super I. Cor. 7, 15. (inter opera Ambros.). Cfr. hic lit. Magistri, c. 5.In the Commentary on 1 Corinthians 7:15 (among the works of Ambrose). Cf. here the Master's [Lombard's] text, c. 5.
- 2Vide supra pag. 103, nota 11.See above, p. 103, note 11.
- 3Epist. I. Cor. 5, 12. — Seq. locus est ibid. 2, 15: Spiritualis autem iudicat omnia. — Immediate post cod. L legit Sed licet verum, quod. Subinde post non spectat edd. supplent ad nos, quae etiam puniendos spiritualiter substituunt pro publicando spiritualiter [aliqui codd. specialiter]. Secundum Du Cange, Glossarium etc. publicare sumitur pro allegare, in iure sistere, apud iudicem inducere. Sensus igitur nostrae lectionis est: quamvis non ad nos spectet, infideles iudicare vocando eos ad tribunal ecclesiasticum, tamen etc. Post tamen edd. prosequuntur: spectat ad nos, cum spiritualis homo omnia iudicet, discernendo.Epistle, 1 Corinthians 5:12. — The following passage is ibid. 2:15: But the spiritual man judges all things. — Immediately afterward codex L reads Sed licet verum, quod. Then, after non spectat, the editions supply ad nos, and they also substitute puniendos spiritualiter ("to be punished spiritually") for publicando spiritualiter [some codices: specialiter]. According to Du Cange, Glossarium etc., publicare is taken for allegare, to bring into court, to lead before a judge. The sense of our reading, therefore, is: although it does not pertain to us to judge unbelievers by summoning them to the ecclesiastical tribunal, nevertheless etc. After tamen the editions continue: it does pertain to us, since the spiritual man judges all things, discerning.
- 4Edd. Quamdiu vir fidelis relictus manet in statu, in quo potest mulier infidelis redire ad eum. Aliquanto inferius pro relinquatur edd. solvatur.The editions [read]: As long as the deserted faithful husband remains in a state in which the unfaithful woman can return to him. A little further down, for relinquatur the editions [read] solvatur.
- 5Codd. L M O P R S T bb illo vinculo, scil. quo vir fidelis alii alligatur; ed. 1 nullo vinculo. — Vide scholion ad praecedentem quaest.Codices L M O P R S T bb [read] illo vinculo ("that bond"), namely the bond by which the faithful husband is bound to another; the first edition [reads] nullo vinculo ("no bond"). — See the scholion on the preceding question. ---