Bonaventure

Nota de numeratione apparatus. Quaracchi restarts its footnote numbering on every printed page. This chunk spans two printed pages, so the apparatus below is page-qualified: notes 10 and 11 of page 980, and notes 1 through 7 of page 981. Notes 1 through 9 of page 980 anchor in the preceding chunk (art. II, q. 4) and are rendered there.

Dubia circa litteram Magistri.

Dub. I.

In parte ista sunt dubitationes circa litteram, et primo quaeritur de hoc quod dicit, quod illi saltem verba iudicis audient, qui saltem fidem verbo tenuere. Videtur enim falsum dicere: quia qui fidem habuit et non fecit quod fides dictavit, gravius peccavit, sicut dicitur secundae Petri secundo¹⁰; similiter Lucas: Facta sunt novissima hominis illius peiora prioribus: ergo ipsi sunt minus digni: ergo nec verba iudicis debent audire, sicut nec infideles.

Respondeo: Dicendum, quod sicut Ecclesia iudicat illos quos aliquando regeneravit unda baptismatis — alios vero minime¹¹ — propter hoc quod aliquo modo sunt facti de Ecclesia; ita sponsus Ecclesiae filios, ut ostendat, eos falso gestasse characterem. Unde quia de aliis satis apparet, quod a Dei regno sint excludendi propter defectum signaculi Christi; hos necesse est argui, ut pateat, eos falso signaculum Christi gestasse.

Quod obiicitur, quod minus merentur; dicendum, quod credentibus prodest ex parte credidisse pro tempore, quo fuerunt in fide, pro alio autem tempore nocet; et pro primo tempore, quia habuerunt assensum et crediderunt verbo Dei, merentur audire verbum Dei; sed quoniam in bono coepto non permanserunt, ideo verbum eruditionis convertitur eis in verbum redargutionis¹.

Dub. II.

Item quaeritur de hoc quod dicit, quod ministerio Angelorum non est dubitandum illa fieri. Videtur enim male dicere: quia Angeli sunt nobiles ministri et quasi filii in curia Dei; sed non decet, tortorum officium committi filio sive filiis aut nobilissimis principibus: ergo videtur, quod nec ministerium mittendi malos in ignem.

Respondeo: Dicendum, quod aliud est deducere ad tormenta, aliud est in ipsis² tormentis cruciare. Primum non est tortorum, sed nobilium ministrorum, qui assistunt regi ad eius iussa complenda; unde non dicitur, quod Angeli sancti torqueant in igne, sed producent et mittent in caminum³. Et sic patet illud.

Dub. III.

Item de hoc quod dicit, quod veniente ad iudicium Domino, emittetur vox illa; quaeritur de illa voce: quare Dominus istorum trium ministerium praemittit, scilicet ignis, Angeli et vocis, cum totum solo nutu possit facere?

Respondeo: Dicendum, quod Deus in prima conditione condidit substantiam spiritualem, corporalem et mediam, et omnibus communicavit et dedit potentiam. Ut ergo ordo servetur in rebus, et ostendatur virtus creaturae collata, et amplius, virtus illa ostendatur a Deo⁴; voluit Dominus, ministerium creaturarum sibi deservire, et iterum creaturam angelicam, corporalem et mediam. Unde fiet ad ministerium Angeli, ad actionem ignis, postremo ad nutum et vocem Christi hominis; et vox aliquid corporale habet, nihilominus aliquid spirituale⁵.

Dub. IV.

Item quaeritur de hoc quod dicit: Quibusdam videtur, quod sint tortores in poena, sicut fuerunt incentores in culpa. Videtur enim male dicere, quia boni Angeli suggesserunt et consuluerunt bona, et tamen non praeerunt in praemio: ergo⁶ similiter mali in contrarium. — Item, illi qui magis peccaverunt, debent magis puniri: ergo daemones debent fieri hominibus inferiores propter maioritatem supplicii. — Item, ad confusionem daemonum convertitur multitudo damnatorum quantum ad culpam et poenam: ergo non videtur, quod in poenis eorum tunc delectentur: ergo non torquebunt.

Respondeo: Dicendum, quod probabilior est alia opinio, quod daemones non erunt tortores in poena post iudicium, quoniam ipsi erunt totaliter absorpti a poenis. Et illud quod dicitur, quod erunt tortores, solum secundum statum ante iudicium intelligitur esse verum⁷.

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Doubts concerning the text of the Master.

Doubt I.

In this part there are doubts concerning the text, and first it is asked about this which he says, that those at least will hear the words of the Judge, who at least held the faith in word. For it seems that he says something false: because he who had faith and did not do what faith dictated sinned more gravely, as is said in the second [chapter] of the second [Epistle] of Peter¹⁰; likewise Luke: The last things of that man are made worse than the first: therefore they are less worthy: therefore neither ought they to hear the words of the Judge, just as neither do the unbelievers.

I respond: It must be said that, just as the Church judges those whom the water of baptism at some time regenerated — but others by no means¹¹ — on account of this, that they have in some manner been made [members] of the Church; so the Bridegroom [judges] the sons of the Church, in order that He may show that they falsely bore the character. Hence, since concerning the others it is sufficiently evident that they are to be excluded from the kingdom of God on account of the lack of the seal of Christ, these must needs be arraigned, so that it may be manifest that they falsely bore the seal of Christ.

To what is objected, that they merit less, it must be said that it profits believers to have believed in part, for the time in which they were in the faith, but for the other time it harms them; and for the first time, because they had assent and believed the word of God, they merit to hear the word of God; but since they did not remain in the good begun, therefore the word of instruction is turned for them into a word of reproof¹.

Doubt II.

Likewise it is asked about this which he says, that it is not to be doubted that those things come about by the ministry of the Angels. For it seems that he says it ill: because the Angels are noble ministers and, as it were, sons in the court of God; but it is not fitting that the office of torturers be committed to a son or to sons or to most noble princes: therefore it seems that neither [is it fitting to commit to them] the ministry of sending the wicked into the fire.

I respond: It must be said that it is one thing to lead down to the torments, and another to torment in the torments themselves². The first is not the work of torturers, but of noble ministers, who stand by the king to carry out his commands; hence it is not said that the holy Angels torment in the fire, but that they shall bring forth and cast into the furnace³. And thus that is clear.

Doubt III.

Likewise concerning this which he says, that when the Lord comes to the judgement, that voice shall be sent forth; it is asked concerning that voice: why does the Lord send before Him the ministry of these three, namely of fire, of the Angel and of the voice, when He could do the whole by His nod alone?

I respond: It must be said that God in the first founding [of things] founded a spiritual substance, a corporeal, and an intermediate one, and communicated and gave power to all of them. Therefore, in order that order may be preserved in things, and that the power conferred upon the creature may be shown, and further, that that power may be shown [to be] from God⁴; the Lord willed that the ministry of creatures should serve Him, and again the angelic creature, the corporeal, and the intermediate. Hence it will come about by the ministry of the Angel, by the action of the fire, and finally by the nod and voice of Christ the man; and the voice has something corporeal, yet none the less something spiritual⁵.

Doubt IV.

Likewise it is asked about this which he says: To some it seems that they are torturers in the punishment, just as they were instigators in the fault. For it seems that he says it ill, because the good Angels suggested and counselled good things, and yet they will not preside in the reward: therefore⁶ likewise the evil ones in the contrary [case]. — Likewise, those who sinned more ought to be punished more: therefore the demons ought to be made inferior to men on account of the greater magnitude of their punishment. — Likewise, the multitude of the damned is turned to the confusion of the demons as regards both fault and punishment: therefore it does not seem that they then take delight in their punishments: therefore they will not torment.

I respond: It must be said that the other opinion is more probable, namely that the demons will not be torturers in the punishment after the judgement, since they themselves will be wholly absorbed in punishments. And that which is said, that they will be torturers, is understood to be true only according to the state before the judgement⁷.

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