Dist. 7, Art. 3, Q. 3
Book IV: On the Sacraments · Distinction 7
Quaestio III. Utrum Sacramentum confirmationis possit dari ante baptismum.
Tertio quaeritur de modo sumendi istud Sacramentum et de ordine. Et ostenditur, quod istud Sacramentum non possit dari ante baptismum.
1. Et primum ostenditur per hoc, quod baptismus est fundamentum et ianua Sacramentorum: ergo si quis recipit aliud de facto, cum non intret per ianuam nec habeat fundamentum, nihil habet. — Si tu dicas, quod baptismus sit fundamentum de congruo; contra: Innocentius dicit in quadam decretali1, quod non baptizatus, qui fuit ordinatus et promotus in sacerdotem, iterum erat rebaptizandus et ordinandus; sed ordo non potest iterari, sive recipiatur ab eo qui potest dare de facto, sive ab eo qui potest dare de iure: ergo si non potuit recipere ordinem, pari ratione nec confirmationem.
2. Item, confirmatio respicit aliquid praeexistens, quia quod non est non potest confirmari; sed nullum Sacramentum necessario praeit confirmationem aliud a baptismate: si ergo aliquid praesupponit, videtur, quod baptismum.
Contra: 1. Posterius est Sacramentum eucharistiae quam confirmationis; sed Sacramentum eucharistiae potest sumi ante baptismum de facto: ergo et confirmationis, ut videtur.
2. Item, video, quod aliquis non baptizatus potest mori pro Christo et confiteri Christum: ergo non baptizatus potest habere rem huius Sacramenti ante baptismum: ergo pari ratione et Sacramentum.
3. Item, quamvis ordines in Sacramento ordinis ordinati sint, tamen qui recipit superiores ordines, negligendo inferiores, non est reordinandus, immo est ordinatus2: ergo si ibi est ordo etiam quantum ad characteres, et comparatio secundum maiorem convenientiam; multo fortius videtur in proposito, quod non baptizatus possit confirmari.
Conclusio.
Non baptizatus non potest confirmari, nisi prius baptizetur.
Respondeo: Dicendum, quod non baptizatus non potest confirmari, nisi prius baptizetur. — Ratio autem huius venit ex duplici re huius Sacramenti: primo ex parte gratiae: quia ibi datur gratia iustificans, hic roborans, et ista praesupponit illam. Alia ratio venit ex parte characteris: quia character ille fundamentum est aliorum3, ideo, illo non impresso, alii non possunt imprimi; et quoniam, cum in Sacramentis non imprimitur character, in quibus aptus natus est imprimi, dicitur nihil fieri: et ideo non baptizatus non potest in tali statu confirmari; et concedo rationes ad hoc. — Quomodo autem character baptismalis fundamentum sit, patet: quia ille respicit fidem sive inchoationem fidei, et alii respiciunt statum fidei; et sicut se habet fides ad statum, vel alii status ad initium; sic character ad characterem.
1. Ad illud quod obiicitur de eucharistia, iam patet responsio: quia ibi character nullus imprimitur, et ita non habet adeo essentialem ordinem4, sicut confirmatio et ordo.
2. Ad illud quod obiicitur, quod potest confiteri et mori; dicendum, quod verum est sine Sacramento, sed non sine re illius Sacramenti; et sicut res huius non potest haberi sine re illius Sacramenti, sic nec character sine charactere5.
3. Ad illud quod obiicitur de ordinibus, dicendum, quod non est simile: quia, sicut patebit, non est ita essentialis comparatio ordinum superiorum ad inferiores propter diversitatem ministeriorum. Sed hoc melius patebit suo loco6.
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Question III. Whether the Sacrament of confirmation can be given before baptism.
Thirdly, inquiry is made concerning the manner of receiving this Sacrament and concerning order. And it is shown that this Sacrament cannot be given before baptism.
1. And the first is shown by this, that baptism is the foundation and the gateway of the Sacraments: therefore if anyone receives another [Sacrament] in fact, since he does not enter through the gateway nor possess the foundation, he has nothing. — If you say that baptism is the foundation [only] fittingly; on the contrary: Innocent says in a certain decretal1 that one not baptized, who had been ordained and promoted to the priesthood, had to be rebaptized again and reordained; but order cannot be repeated, whether it be received from one who can give it in fact, or from one who can give it by right: therefore if he could not receive order, by parity of reasoning neither [could he receive] confirmation.
2. Likewise, confirmation regards something pre-existing, because what is not cannot be confirmed; but no Sacrament other than baptism necessarily precedes confirmation: therefore if it presupposes something, it seems [it presupposes] baptism.
On the contrary: 1. The Sacrament of the eucharist is later than [that] of confirmation; but the Sacrament of the eucharist can be received before baptism in fact: therefore [the Sacrament] of confirmation [can] also, as it seems.
2. Likewise, I observe that someone not baptized can die for Christ and confess Christ: therefore one not baptized can have the reality of this Sacrament before baptism: therefore by parity of reasoning [he can have] also the Sacrament.
3. Likewise, although the orders in the Sacrament of order are ranked, nevertheless one who receives the higher orders, neglecting the lower ones, is not to be reordained, but rather is [truly] ordained2: therefore if there is an order there even as regards the characters, and a comparison according to greater fittingness; much more does it seem in the case at hand that one not baptized can be confirmed.
Conclusion.
One not baptized cannot be confirmed, unless he be first baptized.
I respond: It must be said that one not baptized cannot be confirmed, unless he be first baptized. — The reason for this comes from the twofold reality of this Sacrament: first, on the part of grace: because there [in baptism] justifying grace is given, here [in confirmation] strengthening [grace], and this latter presupposes the former. The other reason comes from the part of the character: because that [baptismal] character is the foundation of the others3; therefore, it not being imprinted, the others cannot be imprinted; and since, when the character is not imprinted in the Sacraments in which it is naturally apt to be imprinted, nothing is said to be done: and therefore one not baptized cannot in such a state be confirmed; and I grant the arguments to this effect. — But how the baptismal character is the foundation is plain: because that one regards faith or the beginning of faith, and the others regard the state of faith; and as faith stands to the state, or the other states to the beginning, so [stands] character to character.
1. To that which is objected concerning the eucharist, the response is already plain: because there no character is imprinted, and so it does not have so essential an order4 as confirmation and order [do].
2. To that which is objected, that one can confess and die [for Christ]; it must be said that this is true without the Sacrament, but not without the reality of that Sacrament; and just as the reality of this [Sacrament] cannot be had without the reality of that Sacrament, so neither can [its] character without [the other] character5.
3. To that which is objected concerning the orders, it must be said that it is not alike: because, as will be shown, the comparison of the higher orders to the lower is not so essential, on account of the diversity of the ministries. But this will appear better in its own place6.
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- 1Cap. Si quis presbyter, (1.), X. (lib. III. tit. 43.) de presbytero non baptizato: Si quis presbyter ordinatus deprehenderit, se non esse baptizatum; baptizetur et iterum ordinetur. — De minori vide infra d. 24. p. II. a. I. q. I. et d. 25. a. I. q. 2.Chapter Si quis presbyter, (1.), X. (bk. III, tit. 43), on the unbaptized presbyter: If any ordained presbyter should discover that he is not baptized, let him be baptized and ordained again. — On the lesser [case] see below, d. 24, p. II, a. I, q. I, and d. 25, a. I, q. 2.
- 2Cfr. C. Sollicitudo (1.), d. 52, ubi Alexander II. docet, quod qui, praetermisso subdiaconatus ordine, ad maiorem ordinem ascenderit, tamdiu a maioribus abstineat, quousque congruo tempore praetermissum accipiat.Cf. canon Sollicitudo (1.), d. 52, where Alexander II teaches that one who, having omitted the order of subdiaconate, has ascended to a higher order, should abstain from the higher [orders] until he receives the omitted one at a fitting time.
- 3Vide supra d. 6. p. I. q. 4. in fine. — Aliquanto inferius ante concedo cod. G omittit et.See above, d. 6, p. I, q. 4, at the end. — Somewhat lower, before concedo, codex G omits et.
- 4Cod. G ordinationem.Codex G [reads] ordinationem.
- 5Cfr. supra d. 4. p. II. a. I. q. 2. et dub. 3.Cf. above, d. 4, p. II, a. I, q. 2, and dub. 3.
- 6Dist. 24. p. II. a. I. q. 3. — Vide scholion ad I. huius articuli quaest.Dist. 24, p. II, a. I, q. 3. — See the scholion to the 1st question of this article. ---