Faith and opinion: the custom of the saints

Pollard pp. 19.14–21.11

Falsehood19.14–19.21

19mendacium. Videtur stulta presumpcio istam materiam in novissimis temporibus attemptare. Multi quidem fuerunt sancti canonizati in ecclesia, qui istam dotacionem cleri multipliciter approbarunt. Et si testimonium vel consciencia ponderatur haberi possunt mille fideles recte consciencie contra paucos hereticos. Cui ergo parti pocius est credendum. Consuetudo ergo tot sanctorum veterum approbata in ecclesia sancta concorditer daret fidem.

Falsehood. It seems a foolish presumption to attempt this matter in the last times. Many indeed were the saints canonized in the church who approved this endowment of the clergy in many ways. And if testimony or conscience is weighed, a thousand faithful men of right conscience can be had against a few heretics. To which side, then, is belief rather to be given? Therefore the custom of so many ancient saints, approved in holy church, would with one accord give faith.¹

Truth19.22–20.14

19veritas. Ista non sunt verba racionis sed contencionis et exprobracionis; ideo sunt humiliter, sapienter et pacienter a fidelibus transcurrenda. Cum autem ex fide omnes sancti citra Christum, ut johannes confitetur, multipliciter peccaverunt, patet quod omnes citra Christum habuerunt valde antiquam consuetudinem ad peccandum. Ideo si Christi 20autoritas sit infinitum prestancior quam consuetudo eorum, quis fidelis non crederet autoritati domini eorum consuetudine pretermissa. Cum ex fide capimus quod nullus sanctorum quantacunque sanctitate prepolleat est in dicto vel consuetudine credendus, nisi de quanto illud consonat cum Christo qui est prima veritas. Et per consequens, habita a Christo vivaciori evidencia ad credendum contrarium, istud est ex illa forciori evidencia dimittendum. Et sic posset esse non stulta presumpcio sed veritatis instigacio quod ista sentencia nunc taliter est temptata: quia ista dotacio sicut in principio sonuit in peccatum, sic continue plus et plus a religione domini declinavit. Et error imprimis insensibilis, ymmo qui videbatur esse elemosyna, ex cremento malicie jam patule est perceptus. Ideo ad reprimendum presumpcionem superbam

Truth. These are not words of reason but of contention and reproach; therefore they are to be passed over by the faithful humbly, wisely and patiently. And since, as faith teaches, all the saints short of Christ, as John confesses, have sinned in many ways,² it is clear that all short of Christ have had a very ancient custom of sinning. Therefore if Christ’s 20authority is infinitely more excellent than their custom, what faithful man would not believe the authority of their Lord, their custom being set aside? Since we take it, as faith teaches, that none of the saints, however greatly he excels in holiness, is to be believed in word or custom except in so far as it accords with Christ, who is the first truth.³ And consequently, when livelier evidence for believing the contrary is had from Christ, that [word or custom] is to be given up on the strength of that stronger evidence. And so it might be not a foolish presumption but the prompting of truth that this teaching is now attempted in this way: because this endowment, just as in the beginning it sounded toward sin, so has continually turned aside more and more from the religion of the Lord.⁴ And the error, at first imperceptible, indeed rather one that seemed to be alms, has now, from the growth of malice, been openly perceived. Therefore, to repress proud presumption,

Truth20.15–21.11

20homines pie rogant quod non credatur ipsis in isto quia ipsi vel mendaces hoc asserunt, sed quia est lex domini jhu Christi, et ut dicit Augustinus Si Christus hoc asserit ve illi qui non credit." Et ut advocacio ista pro lege Christi sit clarior homines promulgantes istam sentenciam non querunt lucrum mundanum nec humanam amiciciam set contrarium paciuntur. Et sic amor dei et legis sue, cum honore suo rependendo, preponderari debet a fidelibus in hoc actu; et principium in isto puncto et aliis debet esse fidelibus quod discrete distinguant inter fidem et opinionem, sic quod nichil accipiant tanquam fidem nisi ex lege veritatis doctum fuerit. Ideo canonizaciones et quecunque operaciones papales, consuetudines vel asserciones sanctorum dant opinionem illis in quibus est evidencia cum fide. Ut fides est quod petrus et paulus cum ceteris sanctis multociens graviter peccaverunt, et opinio est quod posteriores canonizati a romano pontifici erant sancti, licet ad sanctitatem eorum 21quos scriptura sacra canonizat non in proporcione que deo placet attigerant. Et sic non est major evidencia, si isti sancti canonizati a romana ecclesia istam consuetudinem habuerunt, ergo non in hoc contra Christum et suam ecclesiam peccaverunt, quam sequitur, si petrus et paulus contra dominum blasfemarunt, ergo non in hoc contra Christum aut suam ecclesiam peccaverunt. Videamus ergo quid dicit infallibilis racio vel lex dei et illud tanquam fidem vel infallibilem in animum imprimamus. Turpe quidem est sentenciam et veritatem tanquam fide in animo stabilire et fidem fundatam in scriptura dimittere.

men piously ask that they be not believed in this because they themselves, who may even be liars, assert it, but because it is the law of the Lord Jesus Christ;⁵ and, as Augustine says, "If Christ asserts this, woe to him who does not believe."⁶ And that this advocacy for the law of Christ may be the clearer, the men who promulgate this teaching seek neither worldly gain nor human friendship, but suffer the contrary. And so the love of God and of his law, with his honour to be repaid, ought to be given the greater weight by the faithful in this act;⁷ and the principle for the faithful, on this point and on others, ought to be that they discreetly distinguish between faith and opinion, so that they accept nothing as faith unless it has been taught from the law of truth. Therefore canonizations and any papal operations whatever, [and] the customs or assertions of the saints, give opinion to those in whom there is evidence together with faith.⁸ As it is of faith that Peter and Paul with the other saints often sinned gravely, and it is opinion that those canonized later by the Roman pontiff were saints, although they had not attained, in the proportion that pleases God, to the holiness of those 21whom holy scripture canonizes. And so there is no greater evidence [for the inference] "if these saints canonized by the Roman church had this custom, therefore they did not sin in this against Christ and his church" than [that] it follows, "if Peter and Paul blasphemed against the Lord, therefore they did not sin in this against Christ or his church."⁹ Let us see, then, what infallible reason or God’s law says, and let us imprint that on the mind as faith, or as infallible. It is shameful indeed to establish an empty teaching in the mind as faith, and to set aside the faith founded in scripture.¹⁰

Notes

1 Daret fidem: "would give faith", i.e. would warrant belief. Truth’s answer turns on the word: such custom gives only opinion, not faith (20.26–31).
2 Ut johannes confitetur: 1 John 1:8, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves", paraphrased, not quoted. Citra Christum (19.25, 19.26): B read fidem vel Christum, corrected by another hand to deum; B¹, C read deum at 19.25, and B deum at 19.26: "all short of God".
3 This cum clause has no main clause; we take it as a causal sentence carrying the preceding one on ("[this is so] since …"). B, C read cum autem. De quanto = "in so far as".
4 Sonuit in peccatum: literally "sounded into sin", i.e. tended toward it from the first. B reads incremento for cremento (20.13); the sense is the same.
5 Ipsi vel mendaces: vel taken as "even, perhaps": "they, who may be liars". Pollard’s side-note reads it as "their own erring wisdom". B, B¹, C read hec for hoc here and at 20.17.
6 Augustine, En. in Ps. 66.1: Si ego dico, nemo credat: si Christus dicit, vae qui non credit ("If I say it, let no one believe it; if Christ says it, woe to him who does not believe"), quoted freely.
7 Cum honore suo rependendo: "with his honour to be repaid", suo referring to God; we take the gerundive loosely as an ablative of attendant circumstance. B reads sibi for suo; B¹ impendendo ("with his honour being paid out"). Preponderari: "to be made to outweigh" [other considerations].
8 B, B¹, C read citra fidem for cum fide (20.28): "give opinion in those matters in which the evidence falls short of faith". The print, translated here, takes illis as persons: to the discerning faithful such things yield opinion only.
9 Two inferences are compared: the first is no more evident than the second, which is plainly false. Quam sequitur is elliptical ("than [it is evident that] it follows"); we supply "[for the inference]" to make the comparison visible.
10 Translated from the variant. The print reads sentenciam et veritatem tanquam fide ("a teaching and truth as by faith"), which gives no sense against turpe. In B another hand corrects et veritatem to inanem; B¹, C read inanem; B, B¹, C read fidem for fide (21.10). Pollard’s side-note ("vain opinion") follows the same reading.

How the Latin of this chapter was established

Plate readings; page · reading · note):
- 19: CAPITULUM 10m.
- 20: a (print: * a religione) — confirmed on the plate (n51): a stands after the folio asterisk.
- 20: superbam — confirmed on the plate (n51), 20.15.
- 20: in
Adopted variant: 21.10 inanem … fidem for et veritatem … fide (B corr., B¹, C); note 10.
Omitted per §3.5 / kept in the English (margin matter): reference ^rigon 1 Kings (21.21).