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Pars 4, Cap. 1

Breviloquium · Pars IV: De incarnatione Verbi

Textus Latinus
p. 241

PARS QUARTA. De incarnatione Verbi.

Capitulum I. De ratione, qua Verbum Dei debuit incarnari vel decuit.

Postquam aliqua praedicta sunt de Trinitate Dei, de creatura mundi et de corruptela peccati; restat nunc aliqua breviter dicere de incarnatione Verbi, per quod quidem Verbum incarnatum facta est salus et reparatio generis humani, non quia aliter Deus non potuerit humanum genus salvare vel liberare, sed quia nullus alius modus erat ita congruus et conveniens ipsi reparatori et reparabili et reparationi3.

Ratio autem ad intelligentiam praedictorum haec est: quia, cum principium effectivum rerum non potuerit nec decuerit esse nisi Deum; et non minus sit res conditas reparare quam in esse producere4, sicut non minus est bene esse quam simpliciter esse: decentissimum fuit, rerum principium reparativum esse Deum summum, ut, sicut omnia creaverat Deus per Verbum increatum, sic omnia curaret per Verbum incarnatum5. Quoniam ergo Deus omnia fecit potenter, sapienter et optime seu benevolenter; decuit, ut sic repararet, quod suam potentiam, sapientiam et benevolentiam ostenderet. Quid autem potentius quam coniungere extrema summe distantia in unam personam6? Quid sapientius et congruentius, quam quod ad perfectionem totius universi fieret coniunctio primi et ultimi, Verbi scilicet Dei, quod est omnium principium, et humanae naturae, quae fuit ultima omnium creaturarum? Quid benevolentius, quam quod Dominus propter servi salutem accipiat formam servi7? Immo hoc tantae benignitatis est, ut nihil clementius, nihil benignius, nihil amicabilius cogitari possit. — Convenientissimus ergo erat hic modus Deo reparatori propter commendandam divinam potentiam, sapientiam et benevolentiam.

Rursus, quia homo, cadens in culpam, averterat se et recesserat a principio8 potentissimo, sapientissimo et benevolentissimo; ideo corruerat in infirmitatem, ignorantiam et malignitatem, ac per hoc de spirituali effectus est carnalis, animalis et sensualis; et ideo ineptus erat ad divinam virtutem imitandam, ad lucem cognoscendam, ad bonitatem diligendam. Ad hoc igitur, quod homo ab isto statu repararetur, congruentissimum fuit, ut ei condescenderet primum principium, reddendo se illi noscibile, amabile et imitabile. Et quia homo carnalis, animalis et sensualis non noverat nec amabat nec sequebatur nisi sibi proportionalia et consimilia; ideo ad eripiendum hominem de hoc statu Verbum caro factum est9, ut ab homine, qui caro erat, et cognosci posset et amari et imitari ac per hoc et homo Deum cognoscens et amans et imitans remediaretur a morbo peccati.

Postremo, quia homo perfecte reparari non poterat, nisi recuperaret mentis innocentiam, Dei amicitiam et suam excellentiam, qua soli Deo suberat; et hoc non poterat fieri nisi per Deum in forma servi: ideo congruum fuit, Verbum incarnari. — Excellentiam namque recuperare non poterat, nisi reparator esset Deus; quia, si mera creatura, tunc homo esset illi merae creaturae subiectus, et sic non recuperaret statum excellentiae10. — Amicitiam quoque Dei recuperare non poterat nisi per mediatorem convenientem, qui manum posset ponere in utrumque et utrique parti conformis esset et utrique amicus, et ideo, sicut similis Deo per Divinitatem, sic similis homini per humanitatem. — Innocentiam vero mentis recuperare non poterat, nisi dimissa culpa; quam dimittere non decebat divinam iustitiam nisi per satisfactionem condignam; et quia satisfacere non poterat nisi Deus pro toto humano genere, nec debebat nisi homo, qui peccaverat: ideo congruentissimum fuit, humanum genus reparari per Deum-hominem natum1 de genere Adae. — Quoniam ergo excellentia recuperari non poterat nisi per reparatorem excellentissimum, nec amicitia reformari poterat nisi per mediatorem amicabilissimum, nec innocentia reacquiri poterat nisi per satisfactorem sufficientissimum; excellentissimus autem reparator non est, nisi sit Deus; amicabilissimus mediator non est, nisi sit homo; sufficientissimus satisfactor non est, nisi sit Deus pariter et homo: congruentissima fuit nostrae reparationi incarnatio Verbi, ut; sicut genus humanum in esse exierat per Verbum increatum et in culpam ceciderat deserendo2 Verbum inspiratum; sic a culpa resurgeret per Verbum incarnatum.

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English Translation

PART FOUR. On the Incarnation of the Word.

Chapter I. On the reason why the Word of God had to be incarnate, or why it was fitting.

After some things have been said above concerning the Trinity of God, concerning the creation of the world and concerning the corruption of sin; it now remains to say some few things briefly concerning the incarnation of the Word, through which Word incarnate the salvation and reparation of the human race was indeed brought about — not because God could not otherwise have saved or freed the human race, but because no other mode was so congruous and fitting to the repairer himself and to the repairable and to the reparation3.

Now the reason for the understanding of the foresaid is this: since the effective principle of things could not, and would not have been fitting to be, anything but God; and since it is no less a thing to repair things once founded than to produce them into being4, just as to be well is no less than simply to be: it was most becoming that the reparative principle of things should be the highest God, so that, as God had created all things through the Word uncreated, so he should heal all things through the Word incarnate5. Since therefore God made all things powerfully, wisely and in the best way, that is to say benevolently; it was fitting that he should so repair them as to show forth his power, wisdom and benevolence. But what is more powerful than to join extremes supremely distant into one person6? What is more wise and more congruous than that, for the perfection of the whole universe, there should be made a conjunction of the first and the last — namely, of the Word of God, which is the principle of all things, and of human nature, which was the last of all creatures? What is more benevolent than that the Lord, for the salvation of the servant, should take up the form of a servant7? Nay, this is of such great kindness that nothing more clement, nothing more kind, nothing more friendly can be thought. — This mode, therefore, was most fitting to God the repairer, for the commending of the divine power, wisdom and benevolence.

Again, because man, falling into fault, had turned himself away and withdrawn from the principle8 most powerful, most wise and most benevolent; therefore he had fallen headlong into infirmity, ignorance and malignity, and through this from spiritual he was made carnal, animal and sensual; and therefore he was unfit to imitate the divine power, to know the light, to love the goodness. To this end, therefore, that man might be repaired from that state, it was most congruous that the first principle should condescend to him, rendering itself to him knowable, lovable and imitable. And because man, carnal, animal and sensual, neither knew nor loved nor followed anything except what was proportioned and like to himself; therefore, to snatch man out of this state, the Word was made flesh9, so that by man, who was flesh, he might both be known and be loved and be imitated, and through this man also, knowing and loving and imitating God, might be healed of the disease of sin.

Lastly, because man could not be perfectly repaired unless he recovered the innocence of mind, the friendship of God and his own excellence, by which he was subject to God alone; and this could not be brought about except through God in the form of a servant: therefore it was congruous that the Word be incarnate. — For excellence he could not recover unless the repairer were God; because, if he were a mere creature, then man would be subject to that mere creature, and so would not recover the state of excellence10. — The friendship of God, too, he could not recover except through a suitable mediator, one who could lay his hand upon both and be conformed to each party and a friend to each, and therefore, as like to God through Divinity, so like to man through humanity. — And innocence of mind he could not recover unless the fault were remitted; and to remit it did not befit the divine justice except through a condign satisfaction; and because none could make satisfaction but God for the whole human race, and none was bound to but man, who had sinned: therefore it was most congruous that the human race be repaired through the God-man born1 of the stock of Adam. — Since therefore excellence could not be recovered except through a most excellent repairer, nor could friendship be reformed except through a most friendly mediator, nor could innocence be reacquired except through a most sufficient satisfier; and since the most excellent repairer is not such unless he be God, the most friendly mediator is not such unless he be man, the most sufficient satisfier is not such unless he be God and man alike: the incarnation of the Word was most congruous to our reparation, so that; as the human race had gone forth into being through the Word uncreated and had fallen into fault by forsaking2 the Word inspired; so it should rise again from fault through the Word incarnate.

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Apparatus Criticus
  1. 3
    Cfr. III. Sent. d. 1. a. 2. q. 1. 3; d. 20. q. 1. 2. et 6.
    Cf. III Sent., d. 1, a. 2, qq. 1 and 3; d. 20, qq. 1, 2 and 6.
  2. 4
    August., de Verbis Apostoli, serm. 176. (alias 10.) c. 5. n. 5: Nemo recreat, nisi qui creat etc. Cfr. tom. III. pag. 28, nota 2. — Superius edd., excepta 2, voci principium praefigunt primum, et 1 Deus pro Deum.
    Augustine, On the Words of the Apostle, sermon 176 (elsewhere 10), c. 5, n. 5: No one re-creates save he who creates, etc. Cf. tom. III, p. 28, note 2. — Above, the editions, except edition 2, prefix primum to the word principium, and edition 1 has Deus for Deum.
  3. 5
    Cfr. Ioan. 1, 3. et 14. Vide tom. III. pag. 30, nota 5. — Pro curaret A W recrearet, Vat., 1 et 3 repararet, quae etiam inferius post repararet addunt reparanda.
    Cf. John 1:3 and 14. See tom. III, p. 30, note 5. — For curaret A W have recrearet, the Vatican edition and editions 1 and 3 repararet — which also, further below, after repararet add reparanda.
  4. 6
    Vide Bernard., Serm. 3. in Vigilia Nativit. Domini, n. 8. et Serm. 2. in Nativit. Domini, n. 4. — Seq. ratio est secundum Irenaeum; cfr. tom. III. pag. 19, nota 2.
    See Bernard, Sermon 3 on the Vigil of the Nativity of the Lord, n. 8, and Sermon 2 on the Nativity of the Lord, n. 4. — The following reason is according to Irenaeus; cf. tom. III, p. 19, note 2.
  5. 7
    Phil. 2, 7.
    Phil. 2:7.
  6. 8
    D I L M V a primo principio. Inferius vocibus divinam virtutem S interserit iustitiam vel, et pro statu C I P substituunt casu.
    D I L M V have a primo principio. Further below, between the words divinam virtutem S inserts iustitiam vel, and for statu C I P substitute casu.
  7. 9
    Ioan. 1, 14. Cfr. August., de Vera Relig. c. 16. n. 30. seqq. et c. 55. n. 110. — Post eripiendum B H addunt vel erigendum. Inferius permulti codd. et 2 omittunt et imitari.
    John 1:14. Cf. Augustine, On True Religion, c. 16, n. 30 ff., and c. 55, n. 110. — After eripiendum B H add vel erigendum. Further below, very many codices and edition 2 omit et imitari.
  8. 10
    Vide supra pag. 183, nota 3. — Edd., excepta 2, statum prioris excellentiae. Superius pro namque P S autem. Inferius post et ideo E brevius concludit Deus factus est similis homini etc.
    See above, p. 183, note 3. — The editions, except edition 2, read statum prioris excellentiae. Above, for namque P S have autem. Further below, after et ideo E concludes more briefly: God was made like to man, etc.
  9. 1
    A E addunt de Virgine.
    A E add de Virgine.
  10. 2
    Vat. et 3 cum uno alterove cod. tantum (ut K) pro deserendo substituunt per, referentes verbum inspiratum ad verba serpentis in paradiso. Quae lectio nec codd. nec modo loquendi S. Doctori familiari (cfr. infra Itinerar. c. 4.) convenit.
    The Vatican edition and edition 3, with only one or another codex (such as K), substitute per for deserendo, referring verbum inspiratum to the words of the serpent in paradise. That reading agrees neither with the codices nor with the manner of speaking familiar to the holy Doctor (cf. below, Itinerarium, c. 4). ---
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