Pars 3, Cap. 4
Breviloquium · Pars III: De corruptela peccati
Capitulum IV. De primorum parentum punitione.
De poena autem primis parentibus inflicta hoc tenendum est, quod vir et mulier statim post culpam senserunt poenam rebellionis et erubescentiae in carne; et ideo ad cooperiendum verenda fecerunt sibi perizomata4. — Post autem divino iudicio vir incurrit poenam laboris et angustiae, poenam famis et indigentiae, poenam mortis et resolutionis in cinerem; sicut dicit Scriptura: Maledicta terra in opere tuo etc. — Mulieri autem duplicata est poena, quia inflicta est ei poenalitas multiplicium aerumnarum in conceptu, poena dolorum in partu, poena quoque subiectionis ad virum in convictu; ac per hoc, secundum quod apparet, satis graviter punitum fuit illud peccatum, scilicet ligni vetiti esus, licet fuerit faciliter perpetratum.
Ratio autem ad intelligentiam praedictorum haec est: quia, cum primum principium sit providentissimum in gubernando et rectissimum in praesidendo, nihil prorsus in universo dimittit inordinatum; et quia culpa recte ordinatur in poena, ideo statim in primis parentibus dedecus peccati subsecutum est decus iudicii, ut quod inordinatum fuit cadendo ab ordine naturae caderet statim in ordinem iustitiae. Hic enim duplex ordo sic cuncta complectitur, ut quod ab uno ceciderit in alterum relabatur5.
Quoniam ergo uterque parens, superbiendo in mente et gustando in carne, inobediens fuit suo superiori, iusto Dei iudicio factum est, ut sibi fieret inobediens suum inferius, et maxime quantum ad partes illas, secundum quas est coniunctio utriusque sexus, quae sunt membra deservientia virtuti generativae. Et quia hoc inerat eis non ex natura, sed ex propria culpa; ideo erubescebant et cooperiebant se.
Rursus, quia vir, spreto summo delectabili, quaesivit in carne delectari; ideo iusto Dei iudicio inflictus est ei labor et defectus famis et sitis.
Postremo, quia propter bonum carnis separari elegit a bono mentis, ideo iusto Dei iudicio anima invita separatur a carne per mortem et incinerationem; ac per hoc, sicut Deus dederat homini secundum ordinem naturae corpus subiectum animae, propagabile sine libidine, vegetabile sine defectione, immutabile sine morte interveniente; sic, homine peccante, secundum ordinem iustitiae factum est1, ut subtraheret cuncta praedicta et infligeret opposita; ut sic culpa non remaneret impunita et inordinata, quod nequaquam pati debet divina providentia.
Et quoniam a muliere peccatum sumsit exordium; ideo poena ipsius geminatur. Quia enim superbiens fuit in mente, incurrit subiectionem; quia vidit et appetiit lignum ad vescendum suave, incurrit dolorem; postremo, quia fregit iugum obedientiae, incurrit vinculum et pondus multiplicis aerumnae.
Et sic patet, quanto ordine divinae providentiae inflictae sunt multiplices poenae viro et duplicatae in muliere, ut sic « dedecus peccati non esset sine decore iustitiae2 ».
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Chapter IV. On the punishment of the first parents.
Concerning the punishment inflicted on the first parents, this is to be held: that the man and the woman, immediately after the guilt, felt the punishment of rebellion and of shame in the flesh; and therefore, to cover their shameful parts, they made themselves girdles4. — But afterwards, by the divine judgment, the man incurred the punishment of labor and of straitness, the punishment of hunger and of want, the punishment of death and of dissolution into ash; as Scripture says: Cursed is the earth in thy work, etc. — But for the woman the punishment was doubled, because there was inflicted on her the penalty of manifold hardships in conception, the punishment of pains in childbirth, and also the punishment of subjection to the man in their life together; and thereby, according as it appears, that sin — namely the eating of the forbidden tree — was punished gravely enough, although it was easily perpetrated.
Now the reason for the understanding of the foresaid is this: since the first principle is most provident in governing and most upright in presiding, it lets nothing at all in the universe go undisposed; and since guilt is rightly ordered into punishment, therefore straightway in the first parents the disgrace of sin was followed by the comeliness of judgment, so that what was disordered by falling from the order of nature should fall straightway into the order of justice. For this twofold order so embraces all things that whatever falls away from the one falls back into the other5.
Since, therefore, each parent, by growing proud in mind and by tasting in the flesh, was disobedient to his superior, it was brought about by the just judgment of God that his own inferior should become disobedient to him, and most of all as regards those parts according to which there is the joining of either sex, which are the members serving the generative power. And because this was in them not from nature but from their own guilt, therefore they blushed and covered themselves.
Again, because the man, having spurned the highest delightful thing, sought to be delighted in the flesh; therefore by the just judgment of God there was inflicted on him labor and the failing of hunger and thirst.
Last, because for the good of the flesh he chose to be separated from the good of the mind, therefore by the just judgment of God the soul is unwillingly separated from the flesh through death and reduction to ashes; and thereby, just as God had given to man, according to the order of nature, a body subject to the soul, propagable without lust, capable of growth without failing, unchangeable without the intervention of death; so, man having sinned, it was brought about according to the order of justice1 that He should withdraw all the foresaid things and inflict their opposites; so that thus guilt should not remain unpunished and disordered, which the divine providence ought in no way to suffer.
And since from the woman the sin took its beginning; therefore her punishment is doubled. For because she was proud in mind, she incurred subjection; because she saw and desired the tree as sweet for eating, she incurred pain; last, because she broke the yoke of obedience, she incurred the bond and the weight of manifold hardship.
And thus it is clear with how great an order of divine providence the manifold punishments were inflicted on the man and doubled in the woman, so that thus « the disgrace of sin should not be without the comeliness of justice2 ».
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- 4Gen. 3, 7. — Seq. locus est ibid. v. 17. Poena mulieris insinuatur ibid. v. 16. — Cfr. Alex. Hal., S. p. II. q. 105. per totam. — In principio cap. secuti sumus S, dum alii codd. omittunt vel primis parentibus inflicta, vel primis parentibus, alii cum edd. substituunt primorum parentum (omisso inflicta). Inferius pro resolutionis in cinerem R incinerationis (Q ib addit vel incinerationis), qui etiam inferius pro scilicet ligni vetiti esus substituit inobedientiae primorum parentum (D addit ibi vel inobedientiae primorum parentum). Pro licet fuerit multi codd. licet esset.Genesis 3:7. — The following passage is in the same place, v. 17. The punishment of the woman is intimated in the same place, v. 16. — Cf. Alexander of Hales, Summa, p. II, q. 105, throughout. — At the beginning of the chapter we have followed S, while other codices omit either primis parentibus inflicta or primis parentibus, and others together with the editions substitute primorum parentum (omitting inflicta). Below, for resolutionis in cinerem R has incinerationis (Q there adds vel incinerationis), which likewise below substitutes for scilicet ligni vetiti esus the words inobedientiae primorum parentum (D there adds vel inobedientiae primorum parentum). For licet fuerit many codices have licet esset.
- 5Boeth., IV. de Consol. prosa 6: Ordo enim quidam cuncta complectitur, ut quod ab assignata ordinis ratione discesserit, hoc idem, licet in alium, tamen in ordinem relabatur, ne quid in regno providentiae liceat temeritati. August., Epist. 140. (alias 120.) c. 2. n. 4: Qui enim iniuste se ordinat in peccatis, iuste ordinatur in poenis. Cfr. supra pag. 224, nota 8. et I. Sent. d. 46. q. 5. seq. — Secuti sumus A D E S, alii codd. et edd. in [Vat., 1 et 3 statim in] alteram differentiam [T partem] relabatur. H quaedam nullius momenti addit. Superius post in poena edd. cum uno alteroque cod. addunt: convenientius enim iniustus dolet [2 addit tantum] in supplicio, quam [A qui] laetatus [2: quantum delectatus] est in delicto, quoniam melius est dolere damnum salutis, quam laetari in damno aequitatis.Boethius, On the Consolation of Philosophy IV, prose 6: "For a certain order embraces all things, so that whatever has departed from the assigned plan of order, this same thing — albeit into another — nevertheless falls back into an order, lest anything in the kingdom of providence be left to rashness." Augustine, Letter 140 (otherwise 120), c. 2, n. 4: "For he who orders himself unjustly in sins is justly ordered in punishments." Cf. above, p. 224, note 8, and I Sent., d. 46, q. 5 f. — We have followed A D E S; other codices and the editions read in [the Vatican edition, 1 and 3: statim in] alteram differentiam [T: partem] relabatur. H adds some things of no moment. Above, after in poena, the editions together with one or two codices add: "for the unjust man more fittingly grieves [2 adds only] in his punishment than he rejoiced [A: who rejoiced; 2: than he was delighted] in his misdeed, since it is better to grieve at the loss of salvation than to rejoice at the loss of equity."
- 1Plurimi codd. et 2 omittunt factum est, ut, quae lectio eligi posset, si etiam in codd. mox substitueretur subtraxit et inflixit. [Pro homine peccante F homini peccanti, B M ab homine peccante]. Inferius vocibus divina providentia Q U interserunt sapientia et [U vel], et pro ipsius geminatur edd. cum uno alteroque cod. eius debuit duplicari [Q addit et geminari, 2 substituit multiplicari].Very many codices and 2 omit factum est, ut, which reading could have been chosen if in the codices as well subtraxit and inflixit were then substituted. [For homine peccante F has homini peccanti, B M ab homine peccante.] Below, between the words divina providentia Q U insert sapientia et [U vel], and for ipsius geminatur the editions together with one or two codices have eius debuit duplicari [Q adds et geminari, 2 substitutes multiplicari].
- 2Secundum August.; vide supra pag. 224, nota 8. — Edd. solae addunt: Tanta est enim beatitudo iustitiae, ut nemo ab ea nisi ad miseriam possit abscedere.According to Augustine; see above, p. 224, note 8. — The editions alone add: For so great is the blessedness of justice that no one can depart from it except unto misery. ---