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Pars 7, Cap. 1

Breviloquium · Pars VII: De statu finalis iudicii

Textus Latinus
p. 281

PARS SEPTIMA. De statu finalis iudicii.

Capitulum I. De iudicio in communi.

Postquam aliqua breviter dicta sunt de Trinitate Dei, de creatura mundi, de corruptela peccati, de incarnatione Verbi, de gratia Spiritus sancti et de medicina Sacramenti; restat nunc septimo et ultimo aliqua breviter tangere de statu finalis iudicii. De quo in summa tenendum est, quod sine dubio iudicium universorum futurum est, in quo Deus Pater per Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum iudicabit vivos et mortuos, bonos et malos, reddendo unicuique secundum exigentiam meritorum1. — In hoc autem iudicio fiet apertio librorum, scilicet conscientiarum, quibus merita et demerita universorum sibi ipsis et ceteris innotescent, faciente hoc virtute illius libri vitae, Verbi scilicet incarnati; qui in forma Divinitatis non videbitur nisi a bonis, in forma vero humanitatis, in qua et sententiam promulgabit, videbitur tam a bonis quam a malis, licet terribilis in eadem forma appareat reprobis et blandus iustis2.

Ratio autem ad intelligentiam praedictorum haec est: quia, cum primum principium, hoc ipso quod primum, sit a se ipso, secundum se ipsum et propter se ipsum, hoc ipso ipsum est efficiens, forma et finis, universa producens, regens et perficiens; ita quod, sicut producit secundum altitudinem suae virtutis, sic etiam regit secundum rectitudinem veritatis et consummat secundum plenitudinem bonitatis. Quoniam ergo altitudo summae virtutis requirebat, ut non tantum esset productio creaturae ad vestigium, verum etiam ad imaginem; non solum creaturae irrationalis, verum etiam rationalis; non solum creaturae, quae movetur secundum impetum naturalem, verum etiam secundum libertatem voluntatis; et creatura, quae est ad imaginem, quia Dei capax3, est beatificabilis, creatura rationalis est disciplinabilis, creatura habens libertatem voluntatis est secundum legem iustitiae ordinabilis et deordinabilis: hinc est, quod rectitudo veritatis legem homini imponere debuit, in qua ad beatitudinem invitaret et ad veritatem erudiret et ad iustitiam obligaret; ita tamen, quod libertatem voluntatis non cogeret, quin pro suae libitu voluntatis iustitiam relinquere posset et sequi, cum « sic res, quas condidit, administrat, ut eas agere proprios motus sinat4 ». Et quia plenitudo bonitatis in consummando operatur, secundum quod exigit altitudo virtutis et rectitudo veritatis; hinc est, quod consummatio beatitudinis non datur a bonitate summa nisi his qui servaverunt iustitiam a rectitudine veritatis impositam, qui susceperunt disciplinam et amaverunt illam summam et perpetuam felicitatem plus quam bona transitoria. — Et quoniam quidam hoc agunt, quidam autem oppositum, pro suarum varietate voluntatum, quae interius occultantur et in statu viae secundum suum arbitrium currunt; hinc est, quod ad manifestationem altitudinis virtutis, rectitudinis veritatis et plenitudinis bonitatis, necesse est, universale iudicium sequi; in quo fiant iustae retributiones praemiorum, apertae declarationes meritorum et irrevocabiles lationes sententiarum, ut in iustis retributionibus stipendiorum summae bonitatis appareat plenitudo, in apertis declarationibus meritorum veritatis appareat rectitudo, et in irrevocabilibus lationibus sententiarum summae virtutis et potestatis appareat altitudo. — Primum igitur, quoniam iusta retributio respicit culpam, cui debetur poena, vel iustitiam, cui debetur gloria; et universi filii Adae habent hanc, vel illam: hinc est, quod necesse est, iudicio retributionis omnes iudicari, ut iusti glorificentur, et impii condemnentur5.

Rursus, quia aperta declaratio meritorum requirit, quod simul appareat, quid agendum est, et quid actum est vel omissum a libertate voluntatis humanae secundum varietatem circumstantiarum; hinc est, quod et libri conscientiarum aperientur, ut appareant merita, et liber vitae, ut appareat ipsa iustitia, secundum quam approbanda, vel reprobanda sunt merita illa. Et quoniam ille liber vitae est liber, in quo scripta sunt omnia, simul et lucidissime, p. 282 et in conscientiis scribuntur veraciter; ideo ex concursu apertionis horum librorum fiet aperta declaratio omnium meritorum, ita quod occulta cordis cuiuslibet et sibi et ceteris innotescant. Unde, ut vult Augustinus1, liber ille est « vis, qua fiet, ut ad memoriam cuiuslibet cuncta mirabiliter revocentur », ut lucide appareat aequitas divinorum iudiciorum in apertissimo lumine veritatis.

Postremo, quia irrevocabilis latio sententiarum debet fieri ab eo qui possit audiri et videri, et a quo non possit appellari; et videri ab universis non potest summa lux, quam tenebrosi oculi videre non possunt, pro eo quod facie ad faciem2 videri non potest sine deiformitate mentis et iucunditate cordis: necesse est, quod iudex appareat in effigie creaturae. Quia vero pura creatura auctoritatem non habet summam, a qua appellari non possit; hinc est, quod necesse est, quod iudex noster et Deus sit, ut iudicet per auctoritatem summam; et homo sit, ut videatur et disceptet cum peccatoribus in effigie humana. Et quia una vox disceptationis terret culpabiles et assecurat innocentes; hinc est, quod una eius effigies iustos laetificabit et e contrario impios deterrebit.

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English Translation

PART SEVEN. On the state of the final judgment.

Chapter I. On the judgment in general.

After some things have been said briefly concerning the Trinity of God, concerning the creation of the world, concerning the corruption of sin, concerning the incarnation of the Word, concerning the grace of the Holy Spirit and concerning the medicine of the Sacrament; it remains now, seventhly and lastly, to touch briefly upon some things concerning the state of the final judgment. Concerning which this must be held in summary: that without doubt there is to be a judgment of all, in which God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ will judge the living and the dead, the good and the wicked, rendering to each one according to the requirement of his merits1. — But in this judgment there will come about the opening of the books, namely of the consciences, by which the merits and demerits of all will become known to themselves and to the rest, this being effected by the power of that book of life, namely of the incarnate Word; who in the form of Divinity will not be seen save by the good, but in the form of humanity, in which he will also promulgate the sentence, will be seen as much by the good as by the wicked, although in that same form he appear terrible to the reprobate and gentle to the just2.

Now the reason for the understanding of the aforesaid is this: since the first principle, by this very fact that it is first, is from itself, according to itself and for the sake of itself, by this very fact it is efficient [cause], form and end, producing, governing and perfecting all things; so that, just as it produces according to the height of its own power, so also it governs according to the rectitude of truth and consummates according to the fulness of goodness. Since therefore the height of the highest power required that there should be a production of the creature not only unto a vestige, but also unto an image; not only of the irrational creature, but also of the rational; not only of the creature which is moved according to a natural impulse, but also according to freedom of will; and [since] the creature which is unto the image, because it is capable of God3, is beatifiable, the rational creature is teachable, the creature having freedom of will is according to the law of justice orderable and disorderable: hence it is that the rectitude of truth had to impose a law upon man, in which it might invite him to beatitude and instruct him unto truth and oblige him unto justice; yet in such a way that it should not coerce the freedom of the will, but that according to the pleasure of his own will he might be able both to forsake justice and to follow it, since « he so administers the things which he founded, that he lets them exercise their own motions4 ». And because the fulness of goodness operates in consummating, according as the height of power and the rectitude of truth require; hence it is that the consummation of beatitude is not given by the highest goodness save to those who have kept the justice imposed by the rectitude of truth, who have received discipline and have loved that highest and perpetual felicity more than transitory goods. — And since some do this, but some the opposite, according to the variety of their wills, which are inwardly hidden and in the state of the way run according to their own choice; hence it is that for the manifestation of the height of power, of the rectitude of truth and of the fulness of goodness, it is necessary that a universal judgment follow; in which there come about just retributions of rewards, open declarations of merits and irrevocable deliverances of sentences, so that in the just retributions of wages the fulness of the highest goodness may appear, in the open declarations of merits the rectitude of truth may appear, and in the irrevocable deliverances of sentences the height of the highest power and authority may appear. — First therefore, since a just retribution regards fault, to which punishment is owed, or justice, to which glory is owed; and all the sons of Adam have the one or the other: hence it is that it is necessary that all be judged by the judgment of retribution, so that the just may be glorified and the wicked condemned5.

Again, because the open declaration of merits requires that there appear at once what is to be done, and what has been done or omitted by the freedom of the human will according to the variety of circumstances; hence it is that both the books of the consciences will be opened, so that merits may appear, and the book of life, so that that very justice may appear according to which those merits are to be approved or reproved. And since that book of life is a book in which all things are written, at once and most lucidly, p. 282 and in the consciences they are written truthfully; therefore from the concurrence of the opening of these books there will come about an open declaration of all merits, so that the hidden things of each one's heart may become known both to himself and to the rest. Hence, as Augustine will have it1, that book is « a power by which it will come about that all things be marvellously recalled to the memory of each one », so that the equity of the divine judgments may lucidly appear in the most open light of truth.

Lastly, because the irrevocable deliverance of sentences ought to be made by one who can be heard and seen, and from whom there can be no appeal; and the highest light cannot be seen by all, which darkened eyes cannot see, for the reason that it cannot be seen face to face2 without deiformity of mind and gladness of heart: it is necessary that the judge appear in the semblance of a creature. But because a pure creature does not have the highest authority, from which there can be no appeal; hence it is that it is necessary that our judge be also God, that he may judge by the highest authority; and be man, that he may be seen and may dispute with sinners in a human semblance. And because one voice of disputation terrifies the culpable and reassures the innocent; hence it is that one and the same semblance of his will gladden the just and, on the contrary, deter the wicked.

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Apparatus Criticus
  1. 1
    Cfr. Matth. 16, 27; 25, 31; Apoc. 22, 12; ibid. 20, 15. de libro vitae.
    Cf. Matt. 16:27; 25:31; Apoc. 22:12; the same, 20:15, on the book of life.
  2. 2
    Gregor., II. Homil. in Evang. homil. 21. n. 3: Omnipotens Deus et terribilis peccatoribus et blandus est iustis. Cfr. tom. IV. pag. 987, nota 6. — De hoc cap. cfr. IV. Sent. d. 43. a. 2. et 3, ubi de libro vitae et conscientiae; d. 48, ubi de forma iudicis.
    Gregory, Homilies on the Gospels, book II, homily 21, n. 3: Almighty God is both terrible to sinners and gentle to the just. Cf. tom. IV, p. 987, note 6. — On this chapter cf. IV Sent. d. 43, a. 2 and 3, where the book of life and of conscience is treated; d. 48, where the form of the judge is treated.
  3. 3
    Ut insinuat August., XIV. de Trin. c. 8. n. 11. Cfr. supra p. II. c. 9. et 12. — Superius pro suae virtutis edd. summae virtutis. Inferius post disciplinabilis D F addunt creatura irrationalis indisciplinabilis, et post in qua P supplet hominem, plures alii codd. et.
    As Augustine intimates, On the Trinity XIV, c. 8, n. 11. Cf. above, Part II, c. 9 and 12. — Earlier, for of its own power the editions have of the highest power. Further below, after teachable D and F add the irrational creature is unteachable, and after in which P supplies man, several other codices and.
  4. 4
    Secundum August. supra pag. 218, nota 5. allegatum. — Superius pro suae libitu voluntatis, quod habent B C I L O, edd. suo libito voluntatis, P suo velle.
    According to Augustine, cited above at p. 218, note 5. — Earlier, for according to the pleasure of his own will, which B, C, I, L, O have, the editions read at his own good pleasure of will, P at his own willing.
  5. 5
    Cfr. II. Cor. 5, 10. — Pro iusti Vat., 1 et 3 boni.
    Cf. II Cor. 5:10. — For the just the Vatican edition and editions 1 and 3 read the good.
  6. 1
    Libr. XX. de Civ. Dei, c. 14. Pro cuncta C opera (textus originalis opera sua, vel bona vel mala cuncta).
    On the City of God, book XX, c. 14. For all things C reads works (the original text has their own works, whether good or evil, all of them).
  7. 2
    Epist. I. Cor. 13, 12. — De seqq. cfr. Ioan. 5, 22. seqq. — Inferius pro non habet summam K non habet ferendi sententiam.
    The Epistle I Cor. 13:12. — On what follows cf. John 5:22 and following. — Below, for does not have the highest [authority] K reads does not have [the authority] of pronouncing sentence. ---
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