Prologus, §1
Breviloquium · Prologus
§ 1. De latitudine sacrae Scripturae.
Si igitur velimus latitudinem sacrae Scripturae speculari, prima fronte occurrit nobis Scriptura secanda in duo testamenta, scilicet in vetus et novum. — Vetus autem occurrit9 cum multitudine librorum. Habet enim libros legales, historiales, sapientiales et prophetales, ita quod primi sunt quinque, secundi decem, tertii quinque et quarti sunt sex, ac per hoc in universo viginti sex10. — Novum testamentum similiter habet libros his correspondentes secundum quadruplicem formam. Nam legalibus correspondent libri evangelici, historialibus, Actus
apostolici, sapientialibus, Epistolae Apostolorum et maxime Pauli, prophetalibus correspondet liber Apocalypsis; ut sic mira sit conformitas inter vetus et novum testamentum, non solum in continentia sensuum, verum etiam in quadriformitate partium. — In cuius figuram et consignationem vidit Ezechiel1 rotas quatuor facierum et rotam in medio rotae, quia vetus est in novo, et e converso; et in libris legalibus et evangelicis est facies leonis propter excellentiam auctoritatis; in historialibus est facies bovis propter exempla virtutis; in sapientialibus est facies hominis propter prudentiam sagacem; in libris prophetalibus est facies aquilae propter intelligentiam perspicacem.
Recte autem sacra Scriptura dividitur in vetus et novum testamentum, et non in theoricam et practicam, sicut philosophia2: quia, cum Scriptura fundetur proprie super cognitionem fidei, quae virtus est et fundamentum morum et iustitiae et totius rectae vitae, non potest in ea sequestrari notitia rerum sive credendorum a notitia morum. Secus autem est de philosophia, quae non tantum de veritate morum, verum etiam agit de vero nuda speculatione considerato. Quoniam igitur Scriptura sacra est notitia movens ad bonum et revocans a malo; et hoc est per timorem et amorem: ideo dividitur in duo testamenta, quorum « brevis differentia est timor et amor3 ».
Et quia quadrupliciter potest quis moveri ad bonum et revocari a malo, scilicet per praecepta potentissimae maiestatis, vel per documenta sapientissimae veritatis, vel per exempla et beneficia innocentissimae bonitatis, vel ex his omnibus in unum collectis; ideo tam in novo quam in veteri testamento sunt quadriformiter traditi libri continentes sacram Scripturam secundum correspondentiam ad quatuor praemissa. Nam libri legales4 movent per praecepta maiestatis omnipotentissimae; historiales, per exempla bonitatis innocentissimae; sapientiales, per documenta veritatis providentissimae; prophetales movent ex omnium praedictorum aggregatione, sicut manifeste in eis apparet. Unde ipsi sunt quasi rememorativi totius legalis sapientiae et doctrinae.
Est igitur Scriptura sacra similis latissimo fluvio, qui ex concursu multarum aquarum aggregatur magis ac magis, secundum quod longius decurrit. Nam cum primo in Scriptura essent libri legales, postea supervenit aqua sapientiae historialium librorum, tertio vero superadvenit doctrina sapientissimi Salomonis, post haec5 etiam doctrina sanctorum Prophetarum et tandem doctrina evangelica revelata est, per os carnis Christi prolata, per Evangelistas conscripta, per sanctos Apostolos divulgata; additis etiam documentis, quae Spiritus sanctus, super eos veniens, docuit nos per eos: ut sic omnem veritatem, per Spiritum sanctum iuxta divinum promissum edocti6, omnis veritatis salutaris doctrinam Ecclesiae Christi darent et sacram Scripturam consummando veritatis notitiam dilatarent.
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§ 1. On the breadth of sacred Scripture.
If, then, we wish to contemplate the breadth of sacred Scripture, at first sight Scripture presents itself to us as to be divided into two testaments, namely the old and the new. — Now the old presents itself9 with a multitude of books. For it has books legal, historical, sapiential, and prophetic, such that the first are five, the second ten, the third five, and the fourth are six, and through this in all twenty-six10. — The new testament likewise has books corresponding to these according to a fourfold form. For to the legal books correspond the books of the Gospels; to the historical, the Acts
of the Apostles; to the sapiential, the Epistles of the Apostles and especially of Paul; to the prophetic corresponds the book of the Apocalypse — so that there is a wondrous conformity between the old and the new testament, not only in the content of their meanings, but also in the fourfold form of their parts. — As a figure and seal of this, Ezekiel saw1 wheels of four faces and a wheel in the midst of a wheel, because the old is in the new and conversely; and in the legal and evangelical books there is the face of the lion on account of the excellence of authority; in the historical, the face of the ox on account of the examples of virtue; in the sapiential, the face of the man on account of sagacious prudence; in the prophetic books, the face of the eagle on account of penetrating understanding.
And rightly is sacred Scripture divided into the old and the new testament, and not into theoretical and practical as philosophy is2: because, since Scripture is founded properly upon the cognition of faith, which is a virtue and the foundation of morals and of justice and of all right living, the knowledge of things or of what is to be believed cannot be separated in it from the knowledge of morals. But it is otherwise with philosophy, which treats not only of the truth of morals, but also of the true considered in bare speculation. Since, therefore, sacred Scripture is a knowledge that moves toward the good and calls back from evil — and this is through fear and love — therefore it is divided into two testaments, of which « the brief difference is fear and love3 ».
And because one can be moved to good and called back from evil in four ways — namely through the precepts of a most powerful majesty, or through the teachings of a most wise truth, or through the examples and benefits of a most innocent goodness, or from all these gathered into one — therefore in the new testament as well as in the old the books containing sacred Scripture are handed down in a fourfold manner according to a correspondence with the four things premised. For the legal books4 move through the precepts of a most omnipotent majesty; the historical, through the examples of a most innocent goodness; the sapiential, through the teachings of a most provident truth; the prophetic move from the gathering together of all the aforesaid, as manifestly appears in them. Hence they are, as it were, recollective of all legal wisdom and teaching.
Sacred Scripture is therefore like a very wide river, which from the confluence of many waters is gathered more and more according as it runs further. For whereas at first there were in Scripture the legal books, afterwards there came upon them the water of the wisdom of the historical books; third there came in addition the teaching of the most wise Solomon; after these5 also the teaching of the holy Prophets; and at last the evangelical teaching was revealed, uttered by the mouth of Christ's flesh, written down by the Evangelists, spread abroad by the holy Apostles — with the addition also of the teachings which the Holy Spirit, coming upon them, taught us through them: so that thus, taught all truth by the Holy Spirit according to the divine promise6, they might give to the Church of Christ the doctrine of all saving truth, and, by bringing sacred Scripture to completion, might spread abroad the knowledge of truth.
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- 9A supplet nobis.A supplies nobis.
- 10Quinque libri legales sunt: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numeri, Deuteronomium; decem historiales sunt: Iosue, Iudicum, libri quatuor Regum, libri Paralipomenon duo, libri Esdrae tres, libri Tobiae, Iudith, Esther, Iob et libri Machabaeorum duo; quinque sapientiales: Parabolae, Ecclesiastes, Cantica, liber Sapientiae et Ecclesiasticus; sex prophetales: Isaias, Ieremias, Ezechiel, Daniel, liber Psalmorum et libri duodecim Prophetarum minorum (ita exhibentur libri veteris testamenti in Centiloq. p. III. sect. 32, quod opusculum hucusque communiter S. Bonaventurae adiudicabatur). Cfr. tamen Conc. Trident. sess. 4, ubi recensetur tantum liber Esdrae primus et secundus (non tres), additur liber Ruth et dicitur Ieremias cum Baruch. — Ex prologo Hieron. in I. Reg. colligitur, librum Ruth consideratum fuisse ut partem libri Iudicum, « quia in diebus Iudicum facta eius narratur historia »; mirum igitur non erit, quod ipse in praenotata enumeratione librorum veteris testamenti specialiter non nominetur. Quod attinet ad Baruch, constat ex scriptis Seraphici Doctoris, verba Prophetae saepe saepius esse ab ipso allegata. Demum respectu tertii libri Esdrae subiungimus quod ipse [et quartus] communiter in fine ed. Vulgatae exhibetur. — Notum est, post Trident. Concilium nunc in scholis vulgo numerari 46 (vel 45, si Threni uniuntur cum Ieremia) libri veteris T. et 27 novi T.The five legal books are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; the ten historical are: Joshua, Judges, the four books of Kings, the two books of Paralipomenon, the three books of Esdras, the books of Tobias, Judith, Esther, Job, and the two books of Machabees; the five sapiential: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Canticle, the book of Wisdom, and Ecclesiasticus; the six prophetic: Isaias, Jeremias, Ezekiel, Daniel, the book of Psalms, and the books of the twelve minor Prophets (so the books of the old testament are set out in the Centiloquium p. III, sect. 32, an opuscule hitherto commonly ascribed to St. Bonaventure). Compare, however, the Council of Trent, session 4, where only the first and second books of Esdras are listed (not three), the book of Ruth is added, and Jeremias is named with Baruch. — From Jerome's prologue to 1 Kings it is gathered that the book of Ruth was regarded as a part of the book of Judges, « since its story is told as having happened in the days of the Judges »; it will therefore be no wonder that he does not name it specially in the enumeration of the books of the old testament given above. As regards Baruch, it is established from the writings of the Seraphic Doctor that the Prophet's words are very often cited by him. Finally, with respect to the third book of Esdras, we add that it [and the fourth] is commonly set out at the end of the Vulgate edition. — It is well known that since the Council of Trent 46 books of the old Testament (or 45, if Lamentations is joined with Jeremias) and 27 of the new are now commonly reckoned in the schools.
- 1Cap. 1, 15. seq. De quatuor faciebus, scil. leonis etc., ibid. v. 10. Cfr. Hieron. in hunc loc. et Gregor., I. Homil. in Ezech. homil. 6. n. 12. — Pro consignationem A I O Q S consignificationem, E P U signationem. Immediate post fide codd. substituimus rotas pro rotam (Ezech. loc. cit.: Apparuit rota una... habens quatuor facies. Et aspectus rotarum etc.). Subinde plurimos codd. secuti posuimus et in libris pro Nam in libris.Chapter 1:15 f. On the four faces, namely of the lion etc., ibid., v. 10. Cf. Jerome on this passage and Gregory, Homilies on Ezekiel I, homily 6, n. 12. — For consignationem A I O Q S have consignificationem, E P U signationem. Immediately after, on the authority of the codices we have substituted rotas for rotam (Ezekiel, loc. cit.: There appeared one wheel… having four faces. And the appearance of the wheels, etc.). Thereupon, following very many codices, we have put et in libris for Nam in libris.
- 2Cfr. Aristot., II. Metaph. text. 3. (I. brevior, c. 1.) et II. Ethic. c. 1. seq. — De fide vide III. Sent. d. 23. a. 1. q. 1. in corp. — Mox voci Scriptura edd. praefigunt sacra.Cf. Aristotle, Metaphysics II, text 3 (the shorter book I, c. 1), and Ethics II, c. 1 f. — On faith see Book III of the Sentences, d. 23, a. 1, q. 1, in the body. — Shortly after, the editions prefix sacra to the word Scriptura.
- 3Ut dicit August., contra Adimant. c. 17. n. 2. Cfr. tom. III. pag. 884, nota 2. — Inferius ante omnibus multi codd. omittunt his.As Augustine says, Against Adimantus c. 17, n. 2. Cf. vol. III, p. 884, note 2. — Below, before omnibus many codices omit his.
- 4D F hic addunt et evangelici, subinde et Actus apostolici post historiales, demum et Epistolae Apostolorum post sapientiales, ubi etiam substituimus ex fere omnibus codd. et ex 1, 2, 3 providentissimae [A prudentissimae] pro sapientissimae, et ex multis codd. cum ed. 3 manifeste pro manifestissime. Post pauca G H legis pro legalis.D F here add et evangelici; thereupon et Actus apostolici after historiales; finally et Epistolae Apostolorum after sapientiales — where also, from nearly all the codices and from 1, 2, 3, we have substituted providentissimae [A prudentissimae] for sapientissimae, and from many codices together with edition 3 manifeste for manifestissime. Shortly after, G H have legis for legalis.
- 5Ita I M N T V pro hoc. Subinde ex S V post revelata supplevimus est, pro quo alii habent vel et, vel omissionem; A O omittunt carnis.So I M N T V for hoc. Thereupon, from S V, we have supplied est after revelata, for which others have either et or an omission; A O omit carnis.
- 6Ioan. 16, 13.John 16:13. ---