Pars 4, Cap. 3
Breviloquium · Pars IV: De incarnatione Verbi
Capitulum III. De incarnatione quantum ad modum.
De modo incarnationis hoc tenendum est, quod Angelo nuntiante beatissimae Virgini Mariae mysterium incarnationis perficiendum in ipsa, Virgo credidit, appetiit et consensit; Spiritus sanctus in eam supervenit4 ad sanctificandum et fecundandum, cuius virtute « Virgo concepit Dei Filium, quem Virgo peperit et post partum Virgo permansit ». — Concepit autem non solum carnem, verum etiam carnem animatam et Verbo unitam, nulli peccato obnoxiam, sed omnino sanctam et immaculatam, ratione cuius mater Dei dicitur et est dulcissima Virgo Maria.
Ratio autem ad intelligentiam praedictorum haec est: quia incarnatio est opus manans a primo principio, in quantum est reparativum modo congruentissimo, communissimo et completissimo. Decet enim eius sapientiam operari congrue, decet eius largitatem operari5 communiter, et virtutem, operari perfecte.
Quoniam ergo incarnatio est a primo principio reparante modo congruentissimo; et congruus modus est, quod medicina ex opposito respondeat morbo, et reparatio lapsui, et remedium nocumento; cum genus humanum lapsum fuerit per diabolicam suggestionem, et per consensum mulieris deceptae et per generationem concupiscentialem, transfundentem originale in prolem6: oportuit, quod e contrario hic esset Angelus bonus suadens bonum, et Virgo credens et consentiens in bonum suasum, et caritas Spiritus sancti sanctificans et fecundans ad conceptum immaculatum; ut sic « contraria contrariis curarentur7 ». Ac per hoc, sicut mulier, per diabolum decepta et per virum concupiscibiliter cognita et corrupta, transfudit in omnes culpam, morbum et mortem; sic mulier, per Angelum erudita et per Spiritum sanctum sanctificata et fecundata, absque omni corruptione tam mentis quam corporis prolem generaret, quae omnibus ad ipsam venientibus daret gratiam, sanitatem et vitam.
Rursus, quia incarnatio est a primo principio reparante modo communissimo — nam per Verbum incarnatum reparatur lapsus hominum et angelorum, utpote caelestium et terrestrium8 et hominum lapsus reparatur secundum utrumque sexum — ut medicamentum sit commune omnibus, decentissimum fuit, quod ad incarnationis mysterium fieret concursus Angeli, mulieris et viri: Angeli ut denuntiantis, mulieris Virginis ut concipientis, viri vero ut conceptae prolis; ut sic Angelus Gabriel esset nuntius Patris aeterni, Virgo immaculata esset templum Spiritus sancti, proles concepta esset ipsa persona Verbi; ac per hoc in communi reparatione omnium communis fieret concursus trium de triplici hierarchia, scilicet divina, angelica et humana, ad insinuandam non solum Trinitatem Dei, verum etiam generalitatem beneficii et liberalitatem reparatoris summi. Et quoniam liberalitas Spiritui sancto appropriatur et sanctificatio Virginis, in qua peracta fuit Verbi conceptio; hinc est, quod licet opus illud sit a tota Trinitate, per appropriationem tamen dicitur Virgo concepisse de Spiritu sancto9.
Postremo, quoniam est a primo principio reparante modo completissimo; hinc est, quod in conceptione completio debita fuit in prole, fuit in conceptu, fuit et in virtute concipiente. Quia completio debita debuit esse in prole, hinc est, quod in instanti conceptionis non tantum fuit seminis decisio, verum etiam consolidatio, configuratio, vivificatio per animam et deificatio per Deitatem unitam; ut sic Virgo Dei Filium vere conciperet propter1 unionem carnis ad Deitatem, mediante spiritu rationali, per quem tanquam per medium congruentiae caro erat idonea ad unionem. — Quia vero completio debita debuit esse in conceptu; cum ex quatuor modis tres modi producendi hominem praecessissent: primus nec de viro nec muliere, sicut in Adam; secundus de viro sine muliere, sicut in Eva; tertius de muliere et viro, sicut in omnibus concupiscibiliter natis: decuit, ad complementum universi quartum modum introduci, qui scilicet esset de muliere sine semine virili per virtutem summi operatoris2. — Quia vero completio debita debuit esse in virtute; hinc est, quod in conceptione Filii Dei simul concurrit virtus innata, virtus infusa et virtus increata: virtus innata materiam praeparavit, virtus infusa purificando segregavit, virtus increata subito perfecit quod non poterat a virtute creata nisi successive fieri. Et sic beatissima Virgo Maria mater fuit completissimo modo, ipsum Dei Filium concipiendo absque viro, fecundante Spiritu sancto. Quia enim in mente Virginis amor Spiritus sancti singulariter ardebat; ideo in carne eius virtus Spiritus sancti mirabilia faciebat, gratia scilicet partim excitante, partim adiuvante, partim elevante naturam, iuxta quod conceptus ille mirabilis exigebat.
---
Chapter III. On the incarnation as regards the mode.
Concerning the mode of the incarnation this is to be held: that, when the Angel announced to the most blessed Virgin Mary the mystery of the incarnation to be accomplished in her, the Virgin believed, desired and consented; the Holy Spirit came upon her4 to sanctify and to make fruitful, by whose power « the Virgin conceived the Son of God, whom the Virgin bore and after the birth remained a Virgin ». — Now she conceived not only flesh, but also flesh ensouled and united to the Word, liable to no sin, but wholly holy and immaculate, by reason of which the sweetest Virgin Mary is called and is the mother of God.
Now the reason for the understanding of the foresaid is this: since the incarnation is a work flowing from the first principle, inasmuch as it is reparative in a mode most fitting, most common and most complete. For it befits his wisdom to work fittingly, it befits his bounty to work5 commonly, and his power, to work perfectly.
Since therefore the incarnation is from the first principle repairing in the most fitting mode; and the fitting mode is that the medicine answer from the opposite side to the disease, and the repair to the fall, and the remedy to the harm; since the human race had fallen through the devil's suggestion, and through the consent of the woman deceived, and through generation in concupiscence, transmitting the original [taint] into the offspring6: it behoved that on the contrary there should here be a good Angel persuading to good, and a believing Virgin also consenting to the good persuaded, and the charity of the Holy Spirit sanctifying and making fruitful unto an immaculate conception; so that thus « contraries might be cured by contraries7 ». And through this, as the woman, deceived by the devil and known in concupiscence by the man and corrupted, transmitted into all guilt, disease and death; so a woman, instructed by an Angel and sanctified and made fruitful by the Holy Spirit, without any corruption either of mind or of body, should generate an offspring which would give grace, health and life to all who came to her.
Again, because the incarnation is from the first principle repairing in the most common mode — for through the incarnate Word the fall of men and of angels is repaired, as of things heavenly and earthly8, and the fall of men is repaired according to either sex — so that the medicament might be common to all, it was most fitting that for the mystery of the incarnation there should come about a concurrence of an Angel, of a woman and of a man: of the Angel as announcing, of the woman, a Virgin, as conceiving, and of the man indeed as [the father] of the offspring conceived; so that thus the Angel Gabriel should be the messenger of the eternal Father, the immaculate Virgin should be the temple of the Holy Spirit, the offspring conceived should be the very person of the Word; and through this, in the common reparation of all there should come about a common concurrence of three from the threefold hierarchy, namely the divine, the angelic and the human, to intimate not only the Trinity of God, but also the generality of the benefit and the liberality of the highest repairer. And since liberality is appropriated to the Holy Spirit, and the sanctification of the Virgin, in which the conception of the Word was accomplished; hence it is that, although that work is from the whole Trinity, nevertheless by appropriation the Virgin is said to have conceived of the Holy Spirit9.
Lastly, since it is from the first principle repairing in the most complete mode; hence it is that in the conception the due completeness was in the offspring, was in the conceiving, and was also in the conceiving power. Because the due completeness had to be in the offspring, hence it is that in the instant of the conception there was not only a severing of the seed, but also its consolidation, its configuration, its vivification through the soul and its deification through the Deity united to it; so that thus the Virgin truly conceived the Son of God on account of1 the union of the flesh to the Deity, by the mediation of the rational spirit, through which, as through a middle of congruity, the flesh was fit for the union. — But because the due completeness had to be in the conceiving; since of the four modes three modes of producing man had gone before — the first neither from man nor from woman, as in Adam; the second from man without woman, as in Eve; the third from woman and man, as in all born in concupiscence — it befitted, for the completion of the universe, that a fourth mode be introduced, which namely should be from a woman without male seed, through the power of the highest worker2. — But because the due completeness had to be in the power; hence it is that in the conception of the Son of God there concurred at once innate power, infused power and uncreated power: the innate power prepared the matter, the infused power segregated it by purifying, the uncreated power suddenly perfected what could not come to be by created power except successively. And so the most blessed Virgin Mary was a mother in the most complete mode, conceiving the Son of God himself without a man, the Holy Spirit making her fruitful. For because in the mind of the Virgin the love of the Holy Spirit burned in a singular way; therefore in her flesh the power of the Holy Spirit worked marvels, by grace namely partly arousing, partly aiding, partly elevating nature, according to what that marvellous conception required.
---
- 4Vide Luc. 1, 26. seqq. — Seq. sententia est ex August., Serm. 196. (alias 59. de Diversis) c. 1. n. 1. Cfr. Serm. 51. (alias 63. de Diversis), c. 11. n. 18. — De hoc cap. vide III. Sent. d. 3-5. — Superius pro perficiendum I M V complendum.See Luke 1, 26 ff. — The sentence following is from Augustine, Serm. 196 (alias 59 de Diversis), c. 1, n. 1. Cf. Serm. 51 (alias 63 de Diversis), c. 11, n. 18. — On this chapter see III Sent., d. 3–5. — Above, for perficiendum I M V have complendum.
- 5Multi codd. non repetunt decet eius nec operari, quod etiam paulo post omittitur a pluribus codd. Superius ante communissimo et completissimo edd. et plures codd. repetunt modo.Many codices do not repeat decet eius nor operari, which is likewise omitted a little further on by several codices. Above, before communissimo and completissimo, the editions and several codices repeat modo.
- 6Vide supra p. III. c. 2-7. — Post originale 2 cum pluribus codd. addit peccatum, II legit originalem culpam.See above, Pars III, capp. 2–7. — After originale, edition 2, with several codices, adds peccatum; II reads originalem culpam.
- 7Secundum Gregor. Vide tom. IV. pag. 37, nota 4. — Inferius pro concupiscibiliter E I O P Q T U concupiscentialiter, et pro sanitatem K salutem.According to Gregory. See tom. IV, p. 37, note 4. — Further below, for concupiscibiliter E I O P Q T U have concupiscentialiter, and for sanitatem K has salutem.
- 8Cfr. Col. 1, 20. — Vide III. Sent. d. 2. dub. 4.Cf. Colossians 1, 20. — See III Sent., d. 2, dub. 4.
- 9Diffusius explicatur hoc III. Sent. d. 4. a. 1. q. 1. — Pro peracta P operata.This is explained more at length in III Sent., d. 4, a. 1, q. 1. — For peracta P has operata.
- 1Ita D E S, in aliis et edd. per. — De medio congruentiae vide III. Sent. d. 2. a. 3. q. 1.So D E S; in the other codices and in the editions, per. — On the middle of congruity see III Sent., d. 2, a. 3, q. 1.
- 2Secundum Anselm., II. Cur Deus homo, c. 8; idem, verbis mutatis, invenitur in opusculo, cui titulus: Sermones ad fratres in eremo (inter opera August.), serm. 28. — Pro concupiscibiliter plures codd. concupiscentialiter. Paulo inferius post in virtute O P W addunt concipiente. Subinde multi codd. omittunt beatissima.According to Anselm, II Cur Deus homo, c. 8; the same is found, with the words altered, in the little work entitled Sermones ad fratres in eremo (among the works of Augustine), serm. 28. — For concupiscibiliter several codices have concupiscentialiter. A little further below, after in virtute O P W add concipiente. Thereafter many codices omit beatissima. ---