Pars 2, Cap. 5
Breviloquium · Pars II: De creatura mundi
Capitulum V. De modo describendi praedicta in sacra Scriptura.
Ex iam dictis colligitur, quod, sicut Deus res ordinate condidit quantum ad tempus et ordinate disposuit quantum ad situm; sic etiam ordinate gubernat quantum ad influentiam; et Scriptura ordinate narrat quantum ad doctrinae sufficientiam; licet non ita explicite describat distinctionem orbium nec caelestium nec elementarium, parum aut nihil dicat de motibus et virtutibus corporum superiorum et de mixtionibus elementorum et elementatorum, et quod plus est, nihil explicite narret de conditione supernorum spirituum, maxime cum describit istud universum in esse productum.
Ratio autem ad intelligentiam praedictorum haec est: quia, cum primum principium reddat se nobis cognoscibile et per Scripturam et per creaturam, per librum creaturae se manifestat ut principium effectivum, per librum Scripturae ut principium reparativum; et quia principium reparativum non potest cognosci, nisi cognoscatur et effectivum: ideo sacra Scriptura, licet principaliter agat de operibus reparationis, agere nihilominus debet de opere conditionis, in quantum tamen ducit in cognitionem primi principii efficientis et reficientis; et ideo ipsa est cognitio sublimis et salutaris: sublimis, quia de principio3 effectivo, quod est Deus creator; salutaris, quia de principio reparativo, quod est Christus salvator et mediator.
Rursus, quia sublimis est, utpote quia agit de primo principio et ente summo; ideo non descendit ad describendas speciales entium naturas, motus, virtutes et differentias; sed stat in generalitate quadam, in qua implicantur specialia, describendo scilicet conditionem mundi quantum ad dispositionem et influentiam quoad naturam luminosam, opacam et perviam in generalitate quadam.
Et quoniam primum principium, de quo agit, habet in se ordinem naturae in existendo, ordinem sapientiae in disponendo, ordinem bonitatis in influendo: ita quod ordo naturae habet simultatem et aequalitatem4; ordo sapientiae considerat prioritatem et posterioritatem; ordo influentiae superioritatem et inferioritatem: ideo ad insinuandum ordinem naturae determinat Scriptura, iuxta quod Deum operari decebat: quod in principio, ante temporis decursum, fuerit illa triplex natura de non-esse in esse producta, cum dicit5: In principio creavit Deus
caelum et terram; et Spiritus Dei ferebatur super aquas. Ubi nomine caeli insinuatur natura luminosa; nomine terrae, opaca; nomine aquae, pervia sive perspicua, sive contrarietati subiecta, sive supra contrarietatem elevata. — Ubi etiam insinuatur Trinitas aeterna, scilicet Pater in nomine Dei creantis, Filius in nomine principii, Spiritus sanctus in nomine Spiritus Dei. — Et sic intelligendum est illud quod dicitur1: Qui vivit in aeternum creavit omnia simul; non quia ea creaverit in chaos omnimodae confusionis, secundum quod finxerunt poëtae, cum produxerit hanc triplicem naturam, summam in summo, mediam in medio et infimam in infimo; nec etiam in esse omnimodae distinctionis, cum caelum esset perfectum, et terra incomposita2, natura media, quasi medium tenens, nondum esset ad perfectam distinctionem deducta.
Ad insinuandum autem ordinem sapientiae in disponendo determinat, quod haec triplex natura non simul fuit distincta et ornata, sed iuxta triplicis naturae creatae exigentiam per triduum distincta et per triduum aliud ornata; ut, sicut Deus in principio triplicem naturam simul creavit in primordio temporis, sic successione temporis in triplici mensura temporis, scilicet triplicis diei, triplicem faceret distinctionem naturae triplicis creatae; et rursus in alio triduo, triplicem ornatum triplicis naturae distinctae.
Ad insinuandum vero ordinem bonitatis in influendo determinat, quod haec triplex natura collocata est in mundo secundum sub3 et supra iuxta suam dignitatem et influentiam. — Et quia luminosum plurimum habet de specie, ideo sibi debetur circumferentia; quia opacum minimum habet de specie, ideo sibi debetur centrum; quia vero4 pervia tenet medium, ideo medium sortita est situm. Et quoniam natura pervii et perspicui communis est naturae caelesti et elementari, et rursus luminosa utrique convenit: ideo recte dicitur firmamentum factum in medio aquarum5, non quia aquae supra caelos sint aquae fluxibiles, frigidae, graves et corruptibiles; sed quia subtiles et incorruptibiles, perviae et super omnem contrarietatem sublimatae, ac per hoc caelestis naturae et in caelestibus collocandae ratione nobilitatis formae.
Collocantur etiam ratione virtutis et influentiae. Quia enim omnis actio corporalis in rebus inferioribus regulam, originem et vigorem sumit a natura caelesti; cum duae sint qualitates activae, scilicet calidum et frigidum6, et aliquod sit caelum principaliter influens et calidum, utpote caelum sidereum ratione luminositatis: congruum fuit, quod aliquod influeret super frigidum, et sic crystallinum. — Et sicut caelum sidereum, licet influat ad calorem, non tamen est formaliter calidum; sic etiam caelum, quod dicitur aqueum sive crystallinum, non est essentialiter frigidum. — Unde quod Sancti dicunt, quod aquae sunt ibi constitutae ad reprimendum calorem superiorum corporum et cetera similia, non secundum formalem praedicationem, sed secundum efficientiam et influentiam sunt intelligenda. — Competit ergo conditio creaturae secundum ordinem praedictum ordini creatricis sapientiae et divinae Scripturae, quia est scientia sublimis.
Rursus, quia ipsa est scientia salutaris; ideo non determinat de opere conditionis nisi propter opus reparationis. Et quoniam Angeli sic conditi sunt, ut labentes nullatenus reparentur, sicut apparebit in sequentibus7; ideo tacetur secundum litteram exteriorem Angelorum lapsus et conditio, quia non debebat subsequi reparatio.
Quia vero sublimitatem Scripturae non decebat prorsus reticere de conditione sublimissimae creaturae; ideo sic sacra Scriptura describit rerum conditionem, iuxta quod exigit scientia sublimis et salutaris; ut tamen secundum spiritualem intelligentiam tota conditio litteraliter descripta spiritualiter referatur ad describendam hierarchiam angelicam et ecclesiasticam: ideo secundum spiritualem intellectum describitur in illis tribus naturis primo productis hierarchia angelica nomine caeli8, et ecclesiastica nomine terrae, et gratia, per quam irrigatur utraque, nomine aquae.
Rursus, per septenarium dierum intelligitur septiformis Ecclesiae status secundum decursum septem aetatum9. Per eundem etiam septenarium intel-
ligitur septiformis Angelorum conversio a creatura ad Deum. — Et sic ex praedictis apparet sufficientia et veritas Scripturae in diversis opinionibus Sanctorum, scilicet Augustini et aliorum, quae sibi non contradicunt, cum verae sint, si recte intelligantur.
Chapter V. On the manner of describing the foresaid in sacred Scripture.
From what has already been said it is gathered that, just as God founded things in order as regards time, and disposed them in order as regards place, so also he governs them in order as regards influence; and Scripture narrates them in order as regards the sufficiency of doctrine — although it does not so explicitly describe the distinction of the orbs, neither the celestial nor the elemental, says little or nothing of the motions and powers of the higher bodies and of the mixtures of the elements and of things composed of elements, and, what is more, narrates nothing explicitly of the founding of the higher spirits, especially when it describes this universe as produced into being.
Now the reason for the understanding of the foresaid is this: that since the first principle renders itself knowable to us both through Scripture and through the creature, through the book of the creature it manifests itself as the effective principle, and through the book of Scripture as the reparative principle; and because the reparative principle cannot be known unless the effective also be known, therefore sacred Scripture, although it treats principally of the works of reparation, must nonetheless treat of the work of founding, insofar however as this leads into the knowledge of the first principle that effects and restores; and therefore it is itself a knowledge sublime and salutary: sublime, because it is of the effective principle3, which is God the creator; salutary, because it is of the reparative principle, which is Christ the saviour and mediator.
Again, because it is sublime, inasmuch as it treats of the first principle and the highest being, therefore it does not descend to describing the particular natures, motions, powers and differences of beings; but it stands within a certain generality, in which the particulars are implied — describing, namely, the founding of the world as regards its disposition and influence, with respect to the luminous, the opaque and the pervious nature, within a certain generality.
And since the first principle of which it treats has in itself the order of nature in existing, the order of wisdom in disposing, and the order of goodness in influencing — so that the order of nature has simultaneity and equality4; the order of wisdom regards priority and posteriority; the order of influence, superiority and inferiority — therefore, to intimate the order of nature, Scripture determines, according to what it befitted God to work, that in the beginning, before the course of time, that threefold nature was produced from non-being into being, when it says5: In the beginning God created
heaven and earth; and the Spirit of God was borne over the waters. Where by the name of heaven the luminous nature is intimated; by the name of earth, the opaque; by the name of water, the pervious or transparent, whether subject to contrariety or raised above contrariety. — Where also the eternal Trinity is intimated: namely the Father in the name of God creating, the Son in the name of beginning, the Holy Spirit in the name of the Spirit of God. — And thus is to be understood that which is said1: He who lives for ever created all things together; not because he created them in a chaos of every kind of confusion, according to what the poets have feigned, since he produced this threefold nature, the highest in the highest place, the middle in the middle, and the lowest in the lowest; nor yet in a being of every kind of distinction, since heaven was perfect, while earth was without form2, the middle nature, as it were holding the middle, had not yet been brought to perfect distinction.
But to intimate the order of wisdom in disposing, it determines that this threefold nature was not at once both distinguished and adorned, but, according to the requirement of the threefold created nature, was distinguished through three days and adorned through another three; so that, just as God in the beginning created the threefold nature at once at the first moment of time, so by a succession of time, in the threefold measure of time — namely of the threefold day — he might make the threefold distinction of the threefold created nature; and again, in another three days, the threefold adornment of the threefold distinguished nature.
But to intimate the order of goodness in influencing, it determines that this threefold nature was placed in the world according to below3 and above, in keeping with its own dignity and influence. — And because the luminous has most of species, therefore the circumference is due to it; because the opaque has least of species, therefore the centre is due to it; but because4 the pervious holds the middle, therefore it was allotted the middle place. And since the nature of the pervious and transparent is common to the celestial and the elemental nature, and again the luminous belongs to both, therefore the firmament is rightly said to have been made in the midst of the waters5 — not because the waters above the heavens are flowing, cold, heavy and corruptible waters, but because they are subtle and incorruptible, pervious and raised above all contrariety, and through this of a celestial nature and to be placed among celestial things by reason of the nobility of their form.
They are placed there also by reason of power and influence. For since every corporeal action in lower things takes its rule, origin and vigour from the celestial nature — since there are two active qualities, namely the hot and the cold6, and there is some heaven principally influencing and hot, namely the starry heaven by reason of its luminosity — it was fitting that some heaven should exert influence over the cold, and thus the crystalline. — And just as the starry heaven, although it exerts influence toward heat, is nevertheless not formally hot, so also the heaven which is called watery or crystalline is not essentially cold. — Hence what the Saints say, that the waters are there established to restrain the heat of the higher bodies, and other like things, are to be understood not according to formal predication but according to efficiency and influence. — The founding of the creature according to the foresaid order therefore corresponds to the order of the creating wisdom and of divine Scripture, because it is a sublime science.
Again, because it is itself a salutary science, therefore it determines nothing of the work of founding except for the sake of the work of reparation. And since the Angels were so founded that, once fallen, they are in no way restored — as will appear in what follows7 — therefore the fall and the founding of the Angels is passed over in silence according to the outward letter, because no reparation was to follow.
But because it did not befit the sublimity of Scripture to be wholly silent about the founding of the most sublime creature, therefore sacred Scripture so describes the founding of things as the sublime and salutary science requires; yet in such a way that, according to the spiritual understanding, the whole founding described literally may be referred spiritually to the describing of the angelic and the ecclesiastical hierarchy. Therefore according to the spiritual sense there is described, in those three natures first produced, the angelic hierarchy under the name of heaven8, and the ecclesiastical under the name of earth, and grace, by which both are watered, under the name of water.
Again, through the sevenfold number of days is understood the sevenfold state of the Church according to the course of the seven ages9. Through the same sevenfold number is also under-
stood the sevenfold conversion of the Angels from the creature to God. — And thus from the foresaid there appears the sufficiency and the truth of Scripture amid the diverse opinions of the Saints, namely of Augustine and of others, which do not contradict one another, since they are true if they be rightly understood.
- 3Edd. cum pluribus codd. hic et paulo inferius [2 excepta] de primo principio.The editions, with very many codices, here and a little below [edition 2 excepted, read] de primo principio.
- 4Cfr. I. Sent. d. 20. a. 2. q. 1. seq. et d. 19. p. I. q. 4. — Post habet edd., excepta 2, addunt in se.Compare I Sent. d. 20, a. 2, q. 1 f., and d. 19, p. I, q. 4. — After habet the editions, edition 2 excepted, add in se.
- 5Gen. 1, 1. — Seq. locus est ibid. v. 2. — Aliquanto inferius post elevata H P Q S addunt significatur.Gen. 1:1. — The following passage is ibid. v. 2. — Somewhat below, after elevata, H P Q S add significatur.
- 1Eccli. 18, 1.Sir. 18:1.
- 2Secundum translationem septuaginta interpretum, Gen. 1, 2. Vulgata: Terra… vacua. — Edd., excepta 2, prosequuntur: natura vero media, quae etiam superius post nec etiam repetunt creavit. Inferius pro deducta plures codd. producta (cfr. II. Sent. d. 12. a. 1. q. 3.).According to the translation of the Seventy interpreters, Gen. 1:2. The Vulgate: Terra… vacua. — The editions, edition 2 excepted, continue natura vero media; and above, after nec etiam, they likewise repeat creavit. Below, for deducta very many codices [read] producta (compare II Sent. d. 12, a. 1, q. 3).
- 3Fide codd. et 2 omisimus medium, quod aliae edd. hic addunt.On the authority of the codices and of edition 2 we have omitted medium, which the other editions add here.
- 4Supple cum Vat., 1, 3 natura. De seq. propositione, in qua eaedem edd. voci pervii praefigunt corporis, cfr. Aristot., II. de Anima text. 68. (c. 7.) et de Sensu et sens. c. 3. — Haec et quaedam alia dicta sunt iuxta opiniones tunc communes.Supply, with the Vatican [edition] and editions 1 and 3, natura. On the following proposition, in which those same editions prefix corporis to the word pervii, compare Aristotle, II On the Soul, text 68 (c. 7), and On Sense and Sensibles c. 3. — These and certain other things are said in keeping with the opinions then commonly held.
- 5Gen. 1, 6. — De natura et influentia aquarum supra firmamentum positarum sive caeli crystallini cfr. II. Sent. d. 14. p. I. a. 1. q. 1; ubi etiam dictum Basilii occurrit (pag. 338, nota 3.), secundum quod aquae supra firmamentum « constitutae sunt ad reprimendum calorem » etc., ut aliquanto inferius dicitur. — Inferius pro collocandae S collocatae.Gen. 1:6. — On the nature and influence of the waters placed above the firmament, or of the crystalline heaven, compare II Sent. d. 14, p. I, a. 1, q. 1; where also occurs the saying of Basil (p. 338, note 3), according to which the waters above the firmament « are established to restrain the heat », etc., as is said somewhat below. — Below, for collocandae S [reads] collocatae.
- 6Cfr. supra c. 3. — Inferius post luminositatis E I O addunt suae.Compare above, c. 3. — Below, after luminositatis, E I O add suae.
- 7Cap. 7. — Pro nullatenus A E F S nullo modo.Chapter 7. — For nullatenus A E F S [read] nullo modo.
- 8Cfr. II. Sent. lit. Magistri, d. II. c. 1. in fine et c. 4. seq.; Comment. ibid. p. I. a. 2. q. 3. — Pro intellectum A I L M intelligentiam.Compare II Sent., the text of the Master, d. II, c. 1 at the end, and c. 4 f.; the Commentary ibid. p. I, a. 2, q. 3. — For intellectum A I L M [read] intelligentiam.
- 9De quo supra in Prologo § 2. — In seq. propositione tangitur opinio Augustini docentis, per septem dies intelligi septemplicem considerationem sive illuminationem intellectus angelici respectu eorum quae in Scriptura diversis diebus narrantur creata. Cfr. II. Sent. d. 12. a. 1. q. 2. et d. 13. a. 1. q. 1, ubi etiam haec opinio eodem modo, sicut hic fit, cum sententia aliorum Sanctorum reconciliatur. — Inferius substituimus fide plurium codd., ut G I K L M, quae sibi pro qui sibi.On which see above in the Prologue, § 2. — In the following proposition there is touched the opinion of Augustine, who teaches that by the seven days is understood a sevenfold consideration or illumination of the angelic intellect in respect of those things which in Scripture are narrated as created on the several days. Compare II Sent. d. 12, a. 1, q. 2, and d. 13, a. 1, q. 1, where also this opinion is reconciled, in the same manner as is done here, with the view of the other Saints. — Below we have substituted, on the authority of very many codices such as G I K L M, quae sibi for qui sibi.