Dist. 9, Dubia
Book IV: On the Sacraments · Distinction 9
DUBIA CIRCA LITTERAM MAGISTRI.
Dub. I
In parte ista sunt dubitationes circa litteram, et primo de hoc quod dicit Augustinus: Crede, et manducasti. Cum enim summa unio et incorporatio sit in caritate1, videtur potius, quod deberet dicere: dilige, et manducasti, quam crede.
Respondeo: Dicendum, quod ipse intelligit de fide operante per dilectionem2. Ratio autem, quare magis dicit de fide, duplex est: quia fides respicit intellectum et affectum3, et ita utroque modo unit. — Item alia ratio est: quia, licet caritas perfectius dicat unionem, tamen proprietas manducationis magis in actu fidei invenitur, quia credens masticat recogitando, sed diligens non incorporat, sed incorporatur4.
Dub. II
Item quaeritur de hoc quod dicit: Credere in eum, hoc est comedere panem et vinum. Videtur enim falsum dicere, quia illud est spirituale, scilicet credere, hoc est corporale: ergo unum non est alterum.
Respondeo: Dicendum, quod hoc non est dictum per omnimodam identitatem, sed per aequi-
pollentiam in effectu, quia idem facit; vel per expressionem significationis, quia hoc significat illud; et sic patet obiectio.
Dub. III
Item quaeritur de hoc quod dicit: Qui non manet in me, nec ego in illo, etsi accipit Sacramentum, acquirit magnum tormentum. Videtur enim male dicere, quia, cum nemo sciat, utrum maneat in eo; ergo nemo scit, utrum peccet, quando accipit Sacramentum: ergo quilibet, quando accipit, committit se discrimini.
Respondeo: Verbum illud intelligendum est de eo qui scit, se esse extra Christum, ita quod plura signa et fortiora habeat ad oppositum quam ad propositum. Nam si probabilia signa habeat de gratia, sufficit sibi ad hoc, quod peccatum non incurrat, quia non incurrit contemptum, quamvis non tantum se disponat, quod Deus acceptet omnino5.
Dub. IV
Item quaeritur de hoc quod dicit: In illo Sacramento corpus et sanguinem suum commendavit, quod et fecit nos ipsos. Videtur enim male dicere: quia, si nos sumus res Sacramenti: ergo cum recipimus rem Sacramenti, manducamus nosmetipsos; quod est omnino inconveniens, ut videtur.
Respondeo: Dicendum, quod nos sumus res huius Sacramenti non simpliciter, sed in quantum sumus membra6, sive in quantum sumus uniti ipsi capiti; unde Sacramentum illud significat unionem corporis Christi per comparationem membrorum ad invicem et ad caput. Quando ergo nos sibi univit, fecit nos, id est ipsam unionem, rem huius Sacramenti, quia7 nobis rem Sacramenti tribuit; quae unio quotidie in nobis crescit et melioratur, secundum quod devotius Sacramentum suscipitur.
Dub. V
Item quaeritur de hoc quod dicitur: Qui manducat et bibit indigne; quid sit manducare indigne.
Respondeo: Dicendum, quod triplex est indignitas, secundum quod distinguit Glossa, primae ad Corinthios undecimo8, quae facit hominem accedere indigne: «Indignus est, inquit, qui aliter celebrat mysterium, quam a Domino institutum est, et qui non devota mente accedit ad eucharistiam, vel in voluntate peccandi manet». Et ex hoc elicere possumus triplicem indignitatem: una quarum est in memoria; secunda in voluntate; tertia in opere. Prima respicit peccatum praeteritum, de quo non poenitet; et haec vocatur indevotio. Secunda respicit peccatum futurum, quod proponit facere, et hanc vocat voluntatem peccandi. Tertia respicit peccatum praesens; et haec est, quando aliter celebrat mysterium, ita quod actu peccat, dum conficit. Et haec indignitas secundum triplicem differentiam inducit contemptum, ac per hoc facit accedere indigne, et ita actu peccare9.
Dub. VI
Item quaeritur de hoc quod dicit: Factum est malum, dum male accipitur bonum. Videtur enim male dicere, quia corpus Christi et ipse Christus est bonum secundum se: ergo non potest fieri malum aliquo modo.
Respondeo: Dicendum, quod Sacramentum dicitur fieri malum non in se, sed isti, et ita ut comparatum ad hoc; et comparatur per sumtionem et manducationem. Et ita vult dicere, quod sumere corpus Christi, quod erat bonum in genere sive in se, per circumstantiam factum est malum, non, inquam, ipsum quod sumitur, sed actus sumendi10.
DOUBTS CONCERNING THE TEXT OF THE MASTER.
Doubt I
In this section there are doubts concerning the text, and first about this, that Augustine says: Believe, and thou hast eaten. For since the highest union and incorporation is in charity1, it seems rather that he ought to say: love, and thou hast eaten, rather than believe.
I respond: It must be said that he understands it of faith working through love2. But the reason why he speaks rather of faith is twofold: because faith regards both the intellect and the affection3, and so unites in both ways. — Likewise there is another reason: because, although charity expresses union more perfectly, nevertheless the proper character of eating is found more in the act of faith, since the believer chews by thinking over, whereas the one who loves does not incorporate, but is incorporated4.
Doubt II
Likewise it is asked about this, that he says: To believe in him, this is to eat the bread and wine. For it seems to be said falsely, because that, namely to believe, is spiritual, this is corporeal: therefore the one is not the other.
I respond: It must be said that this is not said by an utter identity, but by an equi-
valence in effect, because it does the same thing; or by an expression of signification, because this signifies that; and thus the objection is clear.
Doubt III
Likewise it is asked about this, that he says: He who does not abide in me, nor I in him, even if he receives the Sacrament, acquires a great torment. For it seems to be said falsely, because, since no one knows whether he abides in him, therefore no one knows whether he sins when he receives the Sacrament: therefore everyone, when he receives, exposes himself to danger.
I respond: That word must be understood of one who knows that he is outside Christ, in such a way that he has more and stronger signs to the contrary than in favor. For if he has probable signs of grace, it suffices him for this, that he not incur sin, because he does not incur contempt, even though he does not so dispose himself that God altogether accepts him5.
Doubt IV
Likewise it is asked about this, that he says: In that Sacrament he commended his body and blood, which also made us ourselves. For it seems to be said falsely: because, if we are the thing of the Sacrament: therefore when we receive the thing of the Sacrament, we eat ourselves; which is altogether unfitting, as it seems.
I respond: It must be said that we are the thing of this Sacrament not simply, but insofar as we are members6, or insofar as we are united to the head itself; hence that Sacrament signifies the union of the body of Christ through the comparison of the members to one another and to the head. When therefore he united us to himself, he made us, that is, the union itself, the thing of this Sacrament, because7 he bestows on us the thing of the Sacrament; which union grows and is bettered in us daily, according as the Sacrament is received more devoutly.
Doubt V
Likewise it is asked about this, that is said: He who eats and drinks unworthily; what it is to eat unworthily.
I respond: It must be said that there is a threefold unworthiness, according as the Gloss distinguishes, on the first to the Corinthians, chapter eleven8, which makes a man approach unworthily: «He is unworthy, it says, who celebrates the mystery otherwise than it was instituted by the Lord, and who approaches the eucharist not with a devout mind, or remains in the will to sin». And from this we can draw out a threefold unworthiness: one of which is in the memory; the second in the will; the third in the deed. The first regards a past sin, of which he does not repent; and this is called indevotion. The second regards a future sin, which he proposes to do, and this he calls the will to sin. The third regards a present sin; and this is, when he celebrates the mystery otherwise, in such a way that he actually sins while he confects. And this unworthiness according to its threefold difference brings on contempt, and through this makes one approach unworthily, and so actually sin9.
Doubt VI
Likewise it is asked about this, that he says: Evil is done, when a good is taken badly. For it seems to be said falsely, because the body of Christ and Christ himself is a good in itself: therefore it cannot be made evil in any way.
I respond: It must be said that the Sacrament is said to be made evil not in itself, but for that one, and so as compared to this; and it is compared through reception and eating. And so he means to say that to receive the body of Christ, which was a good in its kind or in itself, has through circumstance been made evil — not, I say, the very thing which is received, but the act of receiving10.
- 1Vide scholion ad 1. huius articuli quaest.See the scholion on q. 1 of this article.
- 2Cfr. III. Sent. d. 27. a. 2. q. 1. in corp. et dub. 1, nec non August., in Ioan. Evang. tr. 26. n. 13.Cf. III Sent., d. 27, a. 2, q. 1, in the body and dub. 1, as also Augustine, On the Gospel of John, tract 26, n. 13.
- 3Vide III. Sent. d. 23. n. I. q. 2. — Superius respicitur Gal. 5, 6: Fides, quae per caritatem operatur. — Mox Vat. omittit unit.See III Sent., d. 23, n. 1, q. 2. — Above, reference is made to Gal. 5:6: Faith, which works through charity. — Just after, the Vatican edition omits unit ("unites").
- 4Cfr. supra a. 1. q. 2. — Idem dub. solvit S. Thom., hic circa lit.; Petr. a Tar., hic q. 1. a. 2. quaestiunc. 2. ad 3.Cf. above, a. 1, q. 2. — St. Thomas resolves the same doubt here, on the text; Peter of Tarentaise, here q. 1, a. 2, subquestion 2, ad 3.
- 5Vide supra a. 2. q. 3. — Superius pro probabilia cod. G probabiliora.See above, a. 2, q. 3. — Above, for probabilia ("probable") codex G reads probabiliora ("more probable").
- 6Cod. bb supplet Christi.Codex bb adds Christi ("of Christ").
- 7Multi codd. quasi, cod. A quod. Paulo ante pro univit, fecit nos cod. F unit, facit nos. Inferius pro devotius cod. E melius, edd. devote. — Hoc dub. solvit S. Thom., Petr. a Tar. et Richard. a Med., hic circa lit. Cfr. etiam supra d. 8. p. II. a. 2. q. 1.Many codices read quasi ("as it were"), codex A quod. A little before, for univit, fecit nos ("he united, he made us") codex F reads unit, facit nos ("he unites, he makes us"). Below, for devotius ("more devoutly") codex E reads melius ("better"), the editions devote ("devoutly"). — This doubt is resolved by St. Thomas, Peter of Tarentaise, and Richard of Mediavilla, here on the text. Cf. also above, d. 8, p. II, a. 2, q. 1.
- 8Vers. 27. — Glossa, quae est apud Petr. Lombard. et Lyranum ordinaria, sumta est ex Comment. olim Ambrosio attributo. In ipsa substituitur quam a Christo traditum est pro quam a Domino institutum est, et manens pro manet. Cfr. supra pag. 103, nota 2. — Inferius pro una quarum edd. Prima, quae.Verse 27. — The Gloss, which in Peter Lombard and Lyra is the ordinaria (Ordinary Gloss), is taken from the Commentary once attributed to Ambrose. In it is substituted quam a Christo traditum est ("than what was handed down by Christ") for quam a Domino institutum est ("than what was instituted by the Lord"), and manens ("remaining") for manet ("remains"). Cf. above, p. 103, note 2. — Below, for una quarum ("one of which") the editions read Prima, quae ("The first, which").
- 9Cfr. supra a. 2. q. 3. ad 4, et scholion, in quo allegantur alii auctores, qui de hac re scripserunt.Cf. above, a. 2, q. 3, ad 4, and the scholion, in which other authors are cited who have written on this matter.
- 10Vide supra a. 1. q. 1. ad 2. — Cod. Z addit Sic patent quae sunt in littera. Pro inquam edd. in quantum. — Idem dub. solvit B. Albert., hic a. 12; S. Thom., hic circa lit.See above, a. 1, q. 1, ad 2. — Codex Z adds Sic patent quae sunt in littera ("Thus the things in the text are clear"). For inquam ("I say") the editions read in quantum ("insofar as"). — This same doubt is resolved by Blessed Albert, here a. 12; St. Thomas, here on the text.