Wyclif, Dialogus

Chapter 6

The law of grace: Mark 10

Pollard pp. 11.5–12.22

Truth11.5–12.22

11veritas. Ex multiplici testimonio legis gracie patet quomodo Christus prima veritas autorizavit istam sentenciam tam opere quam sermone. Et cum ex fide ipse sit autor primus, quia deus et homo, patet quomodo ista sententia sit fides elaborata vivacius. Et sic omnis catholicus debet credere, predicare et defendere istam fidem. Ex hoc enim Christus ipsam sic docuit ut foret exemplar suis sacerdotibus, ut patet de apostolis, ad vivendum; ymmo cunctis fidelibus ad mundanam superbiam deserendum. Et hec racio quare fides evangelica tam crebro in ecclesia est edocta; quia totum evangelium redundat in istam sentenciam tanquam finem. Pauca autem testimonia sufficit hic adducere, particulariter ad istam fidem vigilancius memorandum. Nam M. 10 postquam jacobus et johannes aspiraverant ad excellenciam super alios, dicit Christus. Scitis quia hii qui videntur principari gentibus dominantur eis et principes eorum potestatem habent ipsorum. Non est autem ita in vobis, sed quicunque voluerit fieri major erit minister vester, et quicunque primus voluerit esse vobis erit omnium servus. Nam et filius hominis non venit ut ministraretur 12ei, sed ut ministraret et daret animam suam redempcionem pro multis Ex ista fide patet luce clarius quomodo Christus tam opere quam sermone docuit apostolos et suos vicarios prioritatem atque majoritatem mundanam relinquere. Patet 2° quomodo Christus magister optimus distinxit inter has duas prioritates, scilicet mundanam et evangelicam, et ipsam primam a suis sacerdotibus separavit. Non est, inquit, ita in vobis. Et patet tercio penes quid prioritas sive majoritas evangelica debeat mensurari. Ille autem qui est humilior servitivior et paciencior est prior vel major coram domino jhu Christo. Talis enim fuit ipse coram deo et propterea fuit primus. Et istam fidem notarent prelati ecclesie et papa precipue; quia pervertentes illam ad sensum contrarium et affectantes majoritatem mundanam more gencium, forent prelati heretici in isto perverso dogmate principales. Cum ergo Christus docet tam expresse in verbis istam sentenciam, et tam laboriose atque diutine exemplat in opere, nullus prelatus est antichristus pocior quam ille qui huic fidei est contrarius opere et sermone. Nec solum isti prelati antichristiani sed mundani domini consencientes isti facinori sunt, ut sunt, capitales inimici domini jhu Christi quia faciunt partem perfidam contra Christum.

Truth. From the manifold testimony of the law of gracelex gracie: the law of grace it is clear how Christ, the first truth, authorisedautorizare: authorize this teachingsentencia: teaching as much in deed as in word. And since, as faith teachesex fide: as faith teaches; with a genitive, from the faith of [scripture], he is the first author, because God and man, it is clear how this teaching is faith worked out the more vigorously.1 And so every catholic ought to believe, preach and defend this faith. For on this account Christ so taught it, that it should be an exemplar to his priestssacerdos / presbiter: priest / presbyter, as is clear of the apostles, for living; indeed, to all the faithful, for forsaking worldly pride. And this is the reason why the gospel faith is so often taught in the churchecclesia: church: because the whole gospel flows back into this teaching as into its end. And it suffices to bring forward a few testimonies here, in particular so that this faith may be remembered the more watchfully. For in Mark 10, after James and John had aspired to pre-eminence over the others, Christ says: "You know that they who seem to rule over the Gentiles lord itdominus; dominari: lord; to exercise lordship / to lord it over them: and their princes have power over them. But it is not so among you: but whosoever will be greater shall be your minister, and whosoever will be first among you shall be the servant of all. For the Son of man also is not come to be ministered 12unto: but to minister and to give his life a redemption for many."2 From this faith it is clear, clearer than light, how Christ, as much in deed as in word, taught the apostles and his vicars to relinquish worldly priority and greatness. It is clear[, secondly,] how Christ, the best master, distinguished between these two priorities, namely the worldly and the evangelical, and separated the first from his priests: "It is not so," he says, "among you."3 And it is clear, thirdly, by what evangelical priority or greatness ought to be measured. And he who is humbler, more serviceable and more patient is prior or greater before the Lord Jesus Christ. For such was he himself before God, and therefore he was first. And the prelatesprelatus: prelate of the church, and the popepapa: pope especially, should mark this faith; because, if they perverted it to the contrary sense and coveted worldly greatness after the manner of the Gentiles, they would be heretical prelates, the principal ones in this perverse dogma.4 Since, therefore, Christ teaches this teaching so expressly in words, and so laboriously and for so long exemplifies it in deed, no prelate is a greater antichrist than he who is contrary to this faith in deed and word. And not only these antichristian prelates, but the worldly lordsdominus; dominari: lord; to exercise lordship / to lord it consenting to this crime are, as indeed they are, chief enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ, because they make a faithless party against Christ.5

Notes

  1. 1 Fides elaborata vivacius: literally "faith elaborated more vigorously", i.e. a teaching of faith that Christ worked out in his life as well as stated. C inverts the order (viv. elab.). Ex fide qualifies the whole clause: that Christ, as God and man, is the first author is itself of faith.
  2. 2 Mark 10:42–45 (DR). Pollard's margin gives "Matt. xx. 35" and B¹, C read 20 for 10, but the words are Mark's (Matt. 20:25 reads principes gentium dominantur eorum). Wyclif has non est autem ita for the Vulgate's non ita est autem, and primus voluerit esse vobis for voluerit in vobis primus esse; B, B¹, C read in vobis, which DR follows. At 11.20 the working transcription's eorum um is a transcription fault: the plate prints eorum with a broken r.
  3. 3 The plate prints Patet 2° ("Secondly, it is clear"), answering tercio below; the 2° is missing from our Latin and is supplied here in brackets.
  4. 4 Principales may go with heretici ("prelates who would be the chief heretics") or with prelati as translated; the sense is the same. The subjunctive forent makes it conditional: the perversion, if it occurred, would make them heretics.
  5. 5 Sunt, ut sunt: "are, as indeed they are", the clause asserting as fact what the sentence states as a consequence. Pocior (12.17): "greater", i.e. more fully antichrist. B, C add fidem after faciunt, and B adds etc.
How the Latin of this chapter was established
  • Plate readings; page · reading · note):
    • 11: eorum (italic)
    • 11: fieri major (pivot lost the line end)
    • 12: multis
    • 12: isto
    • 11.20: eorum (plate: broken r; the working transcription's eorum um is a doubled fragment; see n. 2)
    • 12.4: Patet 2° (the 2° is missing from the Latin block; see n. 3)
  • Omitted per §3.5 / kept in the English (margin matter): reference Matt. xx. 35 (11.17), so printed on the plate; the passage is Mark 10:42–45 (n. 2). The right-margin 100. at 12.1 is not a side-note.
  • Side-notes read on plates n42–n43. The draft's 12.6 and 12.15 were fragments of the 12.3 and 12.13 notes.
  • Apparatus consulted: 11.6 auctorisat, B; 11.9 viv. elab., C (n. 1); 11.11 in for de, B, B¹, C; 11.13 docet over deserendum, B; 11.17 20, B¹, C (n. 2); 11.19 in gentibus, B, B¹, C; 11.22 in vobis, B, B¹, C (n. 2); 12.4 ac for atque, B, B¹, C; 12.10 servitivior corr. from serviencior, B; servilior, C; 12.21 fidem add. B, C (n. 5).