Dist. 41, Divisio Textus
Book IV: On the Sacraments · Distinction 41
COMMENTARIUS IN DISTINCTIONEM XLI.
De impedimento affinitatis.
Nunc de affinitate videndum est.
DIVISIO TEXTUS.
Supra egit Magister de consanguinitate; hic agit de affinitate, et dividitur haec pars in duas. In prima determinat gradus affinitatis. In secunda agit de separatione coniunctorum infra praedictos gradus, ibi: Et sciendum est, quod Ecclesia infra praedictos gradus etc.
Prima pars habet tres partes. In prima determinat gradus affinitatis secundum ius commune. In secunda determinat secundum dispensationem specialem, ibi: Sed alii videntur concedere etc. In tertia vero de secundo genere affinitatis, ostendens, quod secundum genus affinitatis impedit matrimonium, ibi: Illud etiam non est praetermittendum.
Similiter secunda pars habet tres. In prima ostendit, quod1 debeant separari. In secunda vero, quia non debent separari sine testimonio, per quod probetur proximitas; et determinat, qui possunt hoc testificari, ibi: Si duo viri vel tres consanguinitatem etc. In tertia, quia coniuncti infra gradus prohibitos committunt incestum, determinat ibi genera peccatorum circa actum carnis, ibi: Hic dicendum est, quod aliud sit fornicatio, aliud etc.
TRACTATIO QUAESTIONUM.
PRAENOTATA.
Ad intelligentiam praesentis distinctionis, in qua agitur de affinitate, primo procedendum est per modum narrationis, secundo per modum inquisitionis. Quantum ergo ad primum, primo annotanda est differentia2, secundo vero annotanda est triplex notula.
Primo igitur attendendum est, quod differt esse affinem et esse consanguineum. Nam consanguinitas venit ex carnis propagine, sed affinitas ex carnali commixtione, praesupposita tamen consanguinitate. Unde affinitas definitur sic3: «Affinitas est proximitas personarum ex carnali copula proveniens, omni carens parentela», intellige: quantum est de se; tamen praesupponit consanguinitatem. Unde si quis cognoscit mulierem, efficitur affinis omnibus consanguineis mulieris per illam commixtionem, et e converso in muliere.
Secundo intelligendum est, quod in affinitate differt genus et gradus. Nam genus attenditur secundum plurificationem commixtionis sive a parte commixtionis, sed gradus a parte sanguinis et propagationis; propter quod dicitur:
Mutat nupta genus, sed generata gradum.
Unde antiquitus4 tria genera affinitatis esse consueverunt. Primum surgit ex consanguinitate et prima
carnis commixtione; secundum surgit ex affinitate et secunda carnis commixtione; tertium surgit ex secunda affinitate et tertia carnis commixtione. Exemplum est: si frater tuus contrahat cum Maria, ipsa est affinis tibi in primo genere; si contrahat, mortuo fratre tuo, cum alio, ipse erit affinis tibi in secundo genere; si, ipsa mortua, ipse vir contrahat cum alia, illa mulier esset tibi affinis in tertio genere. — Sed generatio sive propagatio gradum mutat affinitatis sicut consanguinitatis. — Sed ista tria genera consueverunt esse antiquitus, nunc autem, sicut patebit post5, non stat nisi primum genus affinitatis, aliis cessantibus.
Tertio intelligendum est, quod differt, utrum mulier affinis generet prolem de consanguineo meo, an de extraneo. Si de consanguineo, proles generata non est mihi alligata vinculo affinitatis, sed consanguinitatis; si vero de alio, secundum iura moderna nihil omnino reputatur mihi attinere. Antiquitus tamen, sicut patet ex decreto Gregorii, et habetur in littera6, iudicabatur affinis, non primo genere, sed secundo, sicut expresse tangitur in littera; et pro illo tempore maxime intelligitur iste versus:
Mutat nupta genus, sed generata gradum,
quia mulier affinis mihi, quia fuit uxor fratris mei, si nubat alii, generat mihi affinem in alio genere affinitatis. Si vero generet prolem, tunc generat mihi affinem, non alio genere, sed gradu; hoc tamen est retractatum quantum ad utrumque per ius novum Extra, de Consanguinitate et affinitate7, Non debet, et in decretali edita in Concilio generali expresse retractatur utrumque.
His visis, quaedam regulae sunt notandae. — Prima est, quod in primo genere affinitatis non licet contrahere usque ad quartum gradum inclusive, sicut et de consanguinitate8. Quod si quartum gradum velis cognoscere, recurre ad personam, mediante qua contracta est affinitas, et quoto gradu distas ab illa, toto gradu distas a persona, cui es affinis; ut si contraxisti cum muliere, factus es affinis consanguineis, et quoto gradu aliquis est consanguineus uxoris tuae, toto gradu est tibi affinis; et si attinet ei in quarto gradu, attinet et tibi; et sicut non liceret uxori contrahere in tali gradu, ita nec tibi.
Secunda notula, quod ex quo contracta est affinitas, mortua persona, mediante qua contracta est, nihilominus manet affinitas, pro eo quod est vinculum perpetuum sicut et consanguinitas; et ideo minime potest contrahi cum persona affini, Causa trigesima quinta, quaestione decima9 Fraternitatis.
Tertia notula est, quod affinitas contrahitur non solum per matrimonium, sed etiam per coitum fornicarium, sicut dicitur Extra, de Consanguinitate10 Fraternitati tuae etc.; sed quia hoc dubium est, ideo ratio huius inquisitioni relinquatur.
His autem praelibatis, ut modo inquisitorio procedamus, possunt hic tria quaeri.
Primo quaeritur, utrum per omnem coitum contrahatur affinitas.
Secundo, utrum affinitas transeat ab uno in alterum.
Tertio, utrum affinitas impediat matrimonium.
ARTICULUS UNICUS.
De impedimento affinitatis.
---
COMMENTARY ON DISTINCTION XLI.
On the impediment of affinity.
Now affinity must be considered.
DIVISION OF THE TEXT.
Above the Master treated of consanguinity; here he treats of affinity, and this part is divided into two. In the first he determines the degrees of affinity. In the second he treats of the separation of persons joined within the aforesaid degrees, there: And it must be known that the Church, within the aforesaid degrees, etc.
The first part has three parts. In the first he determines the degrees of affinity according to common law. In the second he determines according to a special dispensation, there: But others seem to concede, etc. In the third, concerning the second kind of affinity, showing that the second kind of affinity impedes matrimony, there: This too is not to be passed over.
Likewise the second part has three [parts]. In the first he shows that1 they ought to be separated. In the second, that they ought not to be separated without testimony by which the nearness [of kin] may be proved; and he determines who can testify to this, there: If two or three men [attest] the consanguinity, etc. In the third, [showing] that those joined within the prohibited degrees commit incest, he there determines the kinds of sins concerning the act of the flesh, there: Here it must be said that fornication is one thing, another [something else], etc.
TREATMENT OF THE QUESTIONS.
PRELIMINARY NOTES.
For the understanding of the present distinction, in which affinity is treated, one must proceed first by way of narration, second by way of inquiry. As regards the first, then, first the difference2 is to be noted, and second a threefold observation.
First, therefore, it must be attended to that to be an in-law (affinis) and to be a blood-relative (consanguineus) differ. For consanguinity comes from the propagation of the flesh, but affinity from carnal intercourse, consanguinity nevertheless being presupposed. Hence affinity is defined thus3: «Affinity is a nearness of persons arising from carnal union, lacking all parentage», understand: as far as it is of itself; yet it presupposes consanguinity. Hence if someone knows a woman, he is made an in-law to all the blood-relatives of the woman through that intercourse, and conversely [it is] in the woman.
Second, it must be understood that in affinity kind (genus) and degree (gradus) differ. For kind is reckoned according to the multiplication of intercourse, or on the side of the intercourse, but degree on the side of the blood and of propagation; on account of which it is said:
The wedded woman changes the kind, but the [daughter] begotten the degree.
Hence in antiquity4 there were wont to be three kinds of affinity. The first arises from consanguinity and the first
carnal intercourse; the second arises from affinity and a second carnal intercourse; the third arises from a second affinity and a third carnal intercourse. An example is: if your brother contracts [marriage] with Mary, she is an in-law to you in the first kind; if, your brother having died, she contracts with another, he will be an in-law to you in the second kind; if, she having died, that man contracts with another woman, that woman would be an in-law to you in the third kind. — But generation or propagation changes the degree of affinity, just as [it does that] of consanguinity. — But these three kinds were wont to exist in antiquity; now, however, as will be clear afterward5, only the first kind of affinity stands, the others having ceased.
Third, it must be understood that there is a difference whether an in-law woman begets offspring by a blood-relative of mine, or by an outsider. If by a blood-relative, the offspring begotten is not bound to me by the bond of affinity, but of consanguinity; but if by another, according to modern laws it is reckoned to pertain to me in no way at all. In antiquity, however, as is clear from the decree of Gregory, and is contained in the text6, [such a one] was judged an in-law, not in the first kind, but in the second, as is expressly touched upon in the text; and for that time especially this verse is understood:
The wedded woman changes the kind, but the [daughter] begotten the degree,
because a woman [who is] an in-law to me, because she was the wife of my brother, if she marries another, begets for me an in-law in another kind of affinity. But if she begets offspring, then she begets for me an in-law, not in another kind, but in degree; this, however, has been revoked as to both by the new law, Extra, On Consanguinity and Affinity7, Non debet, and in the decretal issued in the general Council both are expressly retracted.
These things having been seen, certain rules are to be noted. — The first is that in the first kind of affinity it is not licit to contract [marriage] up to the fourth degree inclusive, as also in consanguinity8. But if you wish to know the fourth degree, have recourse to the person through whom the affinity was contracted, and by however many degrees you are distant from her, by that many degrees you are distant from the person to whom you are an in-law; so that if you have contracted with a woman, you are made an in-law to her blood-relatives, and by whatever degree someone is a blood-relative of your wife, by that degree he is an in-law to you; and if he is related to her in the fourth degree, he is related also to you; and just as it would not be licit for your wife to contract in such a degree, so neither for you.
The second observation [is] that from the time affinity has been contracted, even the person through whom it was contracted having died, the affinity nonetheless remains, for the reason that it is a perpetual bond, as consanguinity also is; and therefore [marriage] can by no means be contracted with an in-law person, Cause thirty-five, question ten9, Fraternitatis.
The third observation is that affinity is contracted not only through matrimony, but also through fornicatory intercourse, as is said [in] Extra, On Consanguinity10, Fraternitati tuae, etc.; but since this is doubtful, therefore the reasoning of this [matter] is left to the inquiry.
These things having been set forth beforehand, so that we may proceed in the manner of inquiry, three things can here be asked.
First it is asked, whether affinity is contracted through every [act of] intercourse.
Second, whether affinity passes from one to another.
Third, whether affinity impedes matrimony.
SOLE ARTICLE.
On the impediment of affinity.
---
- 1Edd. hic pro quod et paulo inferius pro quia substituunt qui. Subinde pro probetur edd. prohibetur.The editions, here for quod, and a little below for quia, substitute qui. Thereupon, for probetur the editions [read] prohibetur.
- 2Vat. triplex differentia.The Vatican [edition reads] triplex differentia (a threefold difference).
- 3In Declaratione arboris affinitatis C. 35. q. 5. in fine. — Superius pro propagine multi codd. propagatione.In the Declaration of the tree of affinity, C. 35, q. 5, at the end. — Above, for propagine, many codices [read] propagatione.
- 4Cfr. Glossa in C. Non debet (8.), X. de Consanguinitate et affinitate (lib. IV. tit. 14.), ad verba In secundo et tertio. — Mox pro affinitatis non pauci codd. consanguinitatis, perperam, sicut etiam inferius pro ex affinitate Vat. ex consanguinitate.Cf. the Gloss on C. Non debet (8), X, On Consanguinity and Affinity (bk. IV, tit. 14), at the words In secundo et tertio. — Presently, for affinitatis, not a few codices [read] consanguinitatis, wrongly; as also below, for ex affinitate the Vatican [reads] ex consanguinitate.
- 5Quaest. 2.Question 2.
- 6Hic c. 2. Cfr. infra q. 2. — Mox pro genere codd. et ed. 1 gradu, Vat. recte refragante.Here, chapter 2. Cf. below, q. 2. — Presently, for genere the codices and edition 1 [read] gradu, the Vatican rightly resisting.
- 7Libr. IV. tit. 14. c. 8.Book IV, tit. 14, c. 8.
- 8Cfr. d. 40. q. 3. — De seqq. regulis vide praenotatam Declarationem arboris affinitatis.Cf. d. 40, q. 3. — For the following rules see the aforementioned Declaration of the tree of affinity.
- 9Can. 1. Cfr. hic lit. Magistri, c. 2.Canon 1. Cf. here the text of the Master, c. 2.
- 10Distinctius, de Eo qui cognovit consanguineam etc. (lib. IV. tit. 13.) c. 7. et duobus seqq., quae incipiunt: Ex litteris fraternitatis tuae (8.) et: Tuae fraternitatis devotio (10.); fortasse codd. et edd. allegantes Fraternitatis tuae ultimum hunc can. intendunt (cfr. infra q. 1.).More precisely, [X,] On Him who has known a blood-relative of his wife, etc. (bk. IV, tit. 13) c. 7 and the two following, which begin: Ex litteris fraternitatis tuae (8) and: Tuae fraternitatis devotio (10); perhaps the codices and editions citing Fraternitatis tuae intend this last canon (cf. below, q. 1).