Bonaventure

Commentarius in Distinctionem XL.

De impedimento consanguinitatis.

Nunc superest de cognatione aliquid dicere etc.

Divisio textus

Supra egit Magister de impedimento, quod venit ex disparitate. In hac parte agit de impedimento, quod venit ex proximitate. Et quoniam proximitas est duplex, scilicet carnalis et spiritualis; ideo primo agit de proximitate sive cognatione carnali. Secundo vero de spirituali, infra distinctione quadragesima secunda: De parentalium graduum etc.

Prima pars habet duas. In prima agit de consanguinitate. In secunda de affinitate, infra distinctione quadragesima prima: Nunc de affinitate videndum est. — Prima pars habet tres. In prima parte determinat veritatem, ostendens, quod consanguinitas est observanda usque ad septimum gradum. In secunda determinat, quomodo gradus sunt computandi, ibi: Quomodo autem gradus consanguinitatis etc. In tertia removet dubitationem, ibi: His autem occurrit illud etc.

Tractatio quaestionum

Praenotata

Notae numeratae infra respondent signis in textu Latino superiore et in versione Anglica positis.

Ad intelligentiam huius partis procedendum est primo secundum viam narrationis; secundo vero, secundum viam inquisitionis.

Quantum ad primum, ut intelligibilia fiant, quae dicuntur in parte ista, praeponenda est triplex definitio et triplex notula sive regula¹.

Primo igitur videndum est, quid sit consanguinitas. Consanguinitas autem definitur sic: « Consanguinitas est vinculum personarum ab eodem stipite descendentium, carnali propagatione contractum² ». Stipes autem vocatur persona, a qua aliqui duxerunt originem, a qua descendentes sunt consanguinei ad invicem et illi etiam, a quo sunt.

Secundo videndum est, quid sit linea consanguinitatis, quae definitur sic: « Linea est ordinata collectio personarum consanguinitate coniunctarum, ab eodem stipite descendentium, diversos gradus continens³ ». Unde dicitur ordinata collectio, quoniam, sicut ordo est in linea praedicamentali secundum superius et inferius; sic in linea consanguinitatis secundum prius et posterius. Quoniam ordo tripliciter potest accipi, vel ad id quod supra, vel ad id quod infra, vel ad id quod iuxta; ideo tres lineae consueverunt assignari. Quaedam enim est ascendentium, quaedam descendentium, quaedam transversalium. — Secundum lineam ascendentem computantur gradus ita, scilicet pater et mater, avus et avia, proavus et proavia, atavus et atavia. — Secundum lineam descendentem, filius et filia, nepos et neptis, pronepos et proneptis, abnepos et abneptis. — Secundum lineam transversalem, duo fratres, filii duorum fratrum, nepotes duorum fratrum, pronepotes duorum fratrum, et ibi est status.

Tertio videndum est, quid sit gradus, qui sic definitur⁴: « Gradus est habitudo distantium personarum, qua cognoscitur, quota generationis distantia duae personae differunt inter se ». — Et nota, quod ista definitio est secundum iura canonica. Nam secundum iura civilia gradus accipiuntur secundum numerum personarum collectarum in linea. Unde dicunt legistae, quod frater et soror duos gradus faciunt; sed decretista dicit, quod unum et primum gradum⁵. Nec est contradictio, quia unius habitudinis duo sunt extrema; et quia secundum iura canonica gradus est habitudo; cum duplicis extremi una sit habitudo, ponitur unus gradus; sed quia duae sunt personae, et quaelibet suum respectum habet ad principium; ideo computantur secundum leges duo gradus.

His visis, notandae sunt hic tres notulae. — Prima est, quod nulli licet contrahere cum aliqua usque ad quartum gradum inclusive; et talis est huiusmodi prohibitio, « quod si quis contra eam praesumserit copulari, nulla longinquitate defendatur annorum, cum diuturnitas temporum non minuat peccatum, sed augeat; et tanto graviora sint crimina, quanto diutius infelicem animam detinent alligatam »; et hoc probatur Extra, de Consanguinitate, Non oportet⁶ etc.

Secunda notula est, quod « toto gradu personae descendentes a stipite distant a se invicem, quoto distant a stipite⁷ »; et ideo, si aliquis vult scire, quoto gradu aliqui sibi attineant; cum talis attinentia originem ducat a stipite, oportet, quod ad illam personam recurrat, cui immediatius coniungitur. Exempla manifesta sunt, ut si ab A procedant B et G, et B generet C, et C D, et D E, et E F; similiter G generet H, et H generet I, et I generet K, et K L; si vis scire, quoto gradu distant F et I, oportet utriusque generationem reducere ad A, quia toto gradu differunt ab invicem, quoto a stipite.

Tertia regula est, quod quando personae inaequaliter distant a stipite, utpote quando una in secundo gradu, et altera in quinto, quod linea consanguinitatis et gradus debet computari secundum distantiam magis remoti. Et ista regula confirmatur per illud quod dicitur Extra, de Consanguinitate, in ultima decretali⁸, quae est Gregoriana. — Ratio autem huius est, quod tota ratio proximitatis ortum habet a stipite: ergo nullus proximior est alicui collaterali quam stipiti. Si ergo distat a stipite per quinque gradus, pari ratione distat a collaterali — sive distet per unum gradum, sive per duos distet gradus — in quinto. Quodsi amplius distat, secundum magis distantem oportet computari; et ideo ille qui distat in quinto gradu, potest contrahere cum eo qui distat in secundo.

His autem praesuppositis per modum narrationis, per modum inquisitionis circa tria potest hic esse dubitatio.

Primum est, utrum consanguinitas sit aliquod vinculum.

Secundo, dato quod sic, quaeritur, utrum matrimonio praestet impedimentum.

Tertio, dato quod praestet, quaeritur, usque ad quem gradum.

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Commentary on Distinction XL.

On the impediment of consanguinity.

It now remains to say something concerning kinship, etc.

Division of the text

Above the Master treated of the impediment which comes from disparity [of cult]. In this part he treats of the impediment which comes from nearness. And since nearness is twofold, namely carnal and spiritual, therefore he first treats of nearness or carnal kinship; but secondly of the spiritual, below, in the forty-second distinction: On the degrees of parentage, etc.

The first part has two [parts]. In the first he treats of consanguinity. In the second, of affinity, below, in the forty-first distinction: Now affinity must be considered. — The first part has three. In the first part he determines the truth, showing that consanguinity is to be observed up to the seventh degree. In the second he determines how the degrees are to be reckoned, there: But how the degrees of consanguinity, etc. In the third he removes a doubt, there: But to these there occurs that, etc.

Treatment of the questions

Preliminary notes

Toward the understanding of this part one must proceed first by the way of narration; but secondly, by the way of inquiry.

As to the first, in order that the things which are said in this part may be made intelligible, a threefold definition and a threefold note or rule must be set out beforehand¹.

First, therefore, it must be seen what consanguinity is. Now consanguinity is defined thus: "Consanguinity is the bond of persons descending from the same stock, contracted by carnal propagation²." And stock is the name given to the person from whom certain persons have drawn their origin, from whom those descending are blood-relations to one another, and also to him from whom they are.

Secondly, it must be seen what the line of consanguinity is, which is defined thus: "A line is an ordered collection of persons joined by consanguinity, descending from the same stock, containing diverse degrees³." Hence it is called an ordered collection, because, just as there is order in the predicamental line according to higher and lower, so in the line of consanguinity according to prior and posterior. Since order can be taken in three ways — either with respect to what is above, or to what is below, or to what is beside — therefore three lines have customarily been assigned. For one is of ascendants, another of descendants, another of collaterals. — According to the ascending line the degrees are reckoned thus, namely father and mother, grandfather and grandmother, great-grandfather and great-grandmother, great-great-grandfather and great-great-grandmother. — According to the descending line, son and daughter, grandson and granddaughter, great-grandson and great-granddaughter, great-great-grandson and great-great-granddaughter. — According to the collateral line, two brothers, the sons of two brothers, the grandsons of two brothers, the great-grandsons of two brothers, and there is the limit.

Thirdly, it must be seen what a degree is, which is defined thus⁴: "A degree is the relation of distant persons, by which it is known by how great a distance of generation two persons differ from each other." — And note that this definition is according to the canon laws. For according to the civil laws degrees are taken according to the number of persons gathered in the line. Hence the legists say that brother and sister make two degrees; but the decretist says that they make one and the first degree⁵. Nor is there a contradiction, because of one relation there are two extremes; and because according to the canon laws a degree is a relation, since of a twofold extreme there is one relation, one degree is posited; but because there are two persons, and each has its own respect to the principle, therefore according to the [civil] laws two degrees are reckoned.

These things having been seen, three notes are here to be noted. — The first is that it is lawful for no one to contract [marriage] with any woman up to the fourth degree inclusive; and the prohibition of this kind is such that "if anyone shall have presumed to be joined against it, let him not be defended by any length of years, since length of time does not lessen sin, but increases it; and crimes are the graver the longer they hold the unhappy soul bound"; and this is proved in the Extra, On Consanguinity, [the decretal] Non oportet⁶, etc.

The second note is that "persons descending from a stock stand apart from one another by as great a degree as that by which they stand apart from the stock⁷"; and therefore, if anyone wishes to know in what degree certain persons are related to one another, since such relatedness draws its origin from the stock, it is necessary that he go back to that person to whom he is more immediately joined. Manifest examples: as if from A there proceed B and G, and B beget C, and C [beget] D, and D E, and E F; similarly, let G beget H, and H beget I, and I beget K, and K L; if you wish to know by how great a degree F and I stand apart, you must trace back the generation of each to A, because they differ from one another by as great a degree as that by which they stand apart from the stock.

The third rule is that when persons stand unequally distant from the stock — as, for instance, when one is in the second degree and the other in the fifth — then the line of consanguinity and the degree ought to be reckoned according to the distance of the more remote. And this rule is confirmed by that which is said in the Extra, On Consanguinity, in the last decretal⁸, which is Gregory's. — Now the reason for this is that the whole account of nearness has its rise from the stock: therefore no one is nearer to any collateral than to the stock. If, then, he stands apart from the stock by five degrees, by parity of reasoning he stands apart from the collateral — whether that one stand apart by one degree, or stand apart by two degrees — in the fifth. But if he stands apart by more, the reckoning must be made according to the more distant; and therefore he who stands apart in the fifth degree can contract [marriage] with him who stands apart in the second.

These things, however, having been presupposed by way of narration, by way of inquiry a doubt can arise here concerning three matters.

The first is whether consanguinity is any bond.

Secondly, granted that it is, it is asked whether it constitutes an impediment to marriage.

Thirdly, granted that it does constitute one, it is asked up to what degree.

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