Wyclif’s Latin works

De ecclesia, chapter 16, part 3

Civil lordship unfit for priests; who is vicar of Christ; the fourth argument

Loserth pp. 365.7–368.28

¶1365.7–368.28

365Unde minus remotum est a sacerdocio Christi recipere a dominis temporalibus alternatum usum uxorum suarum secundum copulam carnalem (quod credidit Nicolaus dyaconus fuisse licitum), quam quod recipiant a seculari domino dominacionem civilem; utrumque enim istorum foret horribile, sed secundum horribilius, cum carnalis procreacio stat cum sacerdocio, non autem civilis dominacio. Ideo inniti ad dotacionem civilem cleri Christi non foret sui vel sacerdotum eius honoracio, sed detestanda turpacio, quia de clero qui prius fuit nude de sorte domini, faceret apostatam de sorte seculi. Ideo domini temporales dant clero titulo elemosine quidquid et quantumcunque voluerint et non deturpant eos dominacione civili. Tercio notandum quod Deus dedit beato Petro et toti generi suo secundum spiritualem imitacionem dominacionem evangelicam et usufructum super omnia bona mundi, non autem dominacionem vel usum civilem, quia illa proprie consummatur ab homine, prima autem donacio non consummatur ab aliquo preter dominum, cum solius Dei sit illa generacio; quamvis enim apostolus et alii sancti predicatores genuerunt filios Dei ex semine verbi sui, tamen primogenito iam mortuo tribuenda est generacio cuius semen suscitat frater iunior, de quanto participative dicitur ipse Christus. Sed circa talem genituram filialem vel sucessionem 366vicariam non sit contencio, cum quotquot receperunt cum caritate consummata dedit eis potestatem filios Dei fieri; illos autem non constituit humana eleccio, cum ubicunque terrarum clericus vel laycus post ascensionem edificat ecclesiam sanctam cuius est membrum, ipse est tam Christi quam Petri vicarius. Et stat quod aliquis solempnitate, ritu et reputacione humana sit reputatus Christi vicarius, cum hoc quod sit horrendus dyabolus, ut non est incredibile de Gregorio XI. et multis ei similibus. Nam si maritavit Raymundum nepotem suum cum herede Bolonie mediantibus decimis et bonis pauperum ecclesie Anglicane, si sustentavit iuxta fastum seculi multas parentum suorum familias, si redemit dignam captivitatem fratris sui et fecerit occidi multa millia hominum pocius propter secularem questum quam propter salutem eorum per patrimonium crucifixi, si insuper catholicaverit quod secundum potestates clavium errare non poterit, nec finaliter fructuose penituerit, quis dubitat quin fuit perpetuus hereticus, nunquam caput vel membrum sancte matris ecclesie, quia secundum Augustinum in libello De Decem Cordis vir finaliter infidelis non est caput mulieris membri ecclesie? Hec autem non impono sibi, sicut faciunt superiores persone ecclesie, sed dico quod nec ipse nec alius est Christi vel Petri vicarius nisi relinquens mundanum ritum imitetur eos in moribus, et sic stat quod pretensus Romanus pontifex sit caput membrorum dyaboli, et in hoc iacet periculum humane dotacionis perpetue, cum sepe occasione illius cadit distribucio fertilior bonorum pauperum super membra diaboli. 367Quarto arguitur ponderancius propter gravedinem argumenti sic: Nullus obligatus sub pena peccati mortalis ad recipiendum temporalia pro se et suis successoribus in perpetuum in hoc peccat, sed Silvester fuit obligatus sub pena peccati mortalis sic recipere elemosinas a Constantino, ergo in hoc nullo modo peccavit. Hic dicitur quod utraque pars antecedentis capit calumpniam, nam multi sunt actus ad quorum obligacionem homines inducuntur, eciam sub pena peccati mortalis occasione precedencium peccatorum, quos actus faciendo peccant vel mortaliter vel venialiter. Sic enim peccatum illaqueat multos insolubiliter ad peccandum, et hinc (ut notat Augustinus) Psalmista rogat de necessitatibus liberari, sed quamvis homo sit in multis casibus necessitatus ad peccandum, tamen et poterit faciliter non peccare, et non a Deo sed a peccato capit necessitatem ut peccet, non tamen debet vel tenetur peccare. Ut autem ista sentencia palpabilius videatur, pono primum exemplum in quo quis sub pena mortalis teneatur reddere debitum uxori pro excusanda utriusque libidine, et in reddicione peccet mortaliter aut venialiter; nulli dubium quin casus sit possibilis et sepe accidens. Pono secundum exemplum in quo abbas teneatur sub pena mortalis recipere onus sue ecclesie ad regulandum religiose suum capitulum, ad dispensandum fideliter egenis elemosinas quas recipit ad hunc usum, et ad vivendum in se et suo capitulo inseculariter secundum regulam traditam a patrono. Et pono de 368possibili quod electus ad illud officium peccet, inordinate aspirando ad honorem et cultum seculi et imprudenter dispensando bona pauperum; et patet contradictorium maioris assumpte. Pono tercium exemplum in quo quis tenetur accipere eukaristiam et eam indigne accipiat, et patet quod in faciendo illud quod debet facere peccat mortaliter propter defectum modi faciendi, sicut in maiori parte accidit in accipiendo ecclesiasticum beneficium. Sed longe aliud est dicere, Petrus obligatus sub pena mortalis recipere datum onus in hoc peccat, et in quantum recipit illud onus in tantum peccat; nam prior proposicio dicit in reduplicacionem concomitanciam et secunda dicit reduplicacionem causalem. Minor eciam argumenti est falsa, quia non est deducibile quod Deus vel scriptura sacra obligavit beatum Silvestrum sub pena mortalis recipere elemosinas secundum illam formam a cesare sed religiosius fecisset, informando cesarem quod caput ecclesie Christus in cuius virtute sanatus est aufugit honores mundanos et proprietatem civilem. Ideo superioribus sacerdotibus suis non incumbit tam grave officium ministrandi pauperibus, sed inferioribus dyaconis et laycis quibus incumbit abiectum sed in gradu suo meritorium ministerium, nec alium primatum docuit Christus apostolos suos appetere nisi ex veritate prima sequentem maioritatem quoad Deum racione humilioris ministerii (ut docetur Luce XXII°).

Hence it is less remote from the priesthood of Christ to receive from the temporal lordstemporales domini: temporal lords the alternate use of their wives in carnal union (which Nicholas the deacon believed to be lawful) than that [priests] should receive civil exercise of lordshipdominacio: exercise of lordship from a secular lord; for each of these would be horrible, but the second more horrible, since carnal procreation is consistent with the priesthood, but civil exercise of lordship is not.1 Therefore to lean towards a civil endowmentdotacio: endowment of the clergyclerus; clericus: the clergy; cleric of Christ would be no honouring of him or of his priestssacerdos / presbiter: priest / presbyter, but a detestable defiling, because out of a clergy which before was barely of the Lord’s lot it would make an apostate of the world’s lot.2 Therefore the temporal lords give to the clergy, by title of almselemosina: alms, whatever and however much they will, and do not defile them with civil exercise of lordship. Third, it is to be noted that God gave to blessed Peter and to his whole kind, according to spiritual imitation, evangelical exercise of lordship and usufruct over all the goods of the world, but not civil exercise of lordship or use; because the latter is properly consummated by man, but the first gift is not consummated by anyone except the Lord, since that generation belongs to God alone.3 For although the apostle and other holy preachers begot sons of God from the seed of their word, yet the generation is to be attributed to the firstborn, now dead, whose seed the younger brother raises up, inasmuch as he himself is by participation called Christ.4 But about such filial begetting or 366vicarial succession let there be no contention, since "as many as received" [him] with consummated charitycaritas: charity, "he gave them power to be made the sons of God"; and those human election does not appoint, since wherever on earth a cleric or layman after the ascension builds up the holy churchecclesia: church of which he is a membermembrum: member, he is the vicar as much of Christ as of Peter.5 And it is consistent that someone should be reputed vicar of Christvicarius Christi: vicar of Christ by solemnity, rite and human repute, while he is a horrible devil, as is not incredible of Gregory XI and many like him. For if he married Raymond his nephew to the heiress of Boulogne by means of the tithesdecime; pars decima: tithes; the tenth part and goods of the poor of the English church; if he maintained, after the pomp of the world, many households of his kinsmen; if he redeemed the deserved captivity of his brother and caused many thousands of men to be killed, rather for secular gain than for their salvation, through the patrimony of the Crucified; if moreover he declared it catholiccatholicare / hereticare: to declare catholic / to pronounce heretical that, according to the powers of the keys, he could not err, and did not finally and fruitfully repent: who doubts that he was a perpetual heretic, never headcaput: head or member of holy mother church? because according to Augustine in the little book On the Ten Strings, a man who is finally an unbelieverinfidelis: unbeliever; with a dative, faithless (to) is not the head of a woman who is a member of the church.6 But I do not lay these things on him, as the higher persons of the church do; but I say that neither he nor anyone else is vicar of Christ or of Peter unless, leaving the worldly rite, he imitates them in conduct; and so it is consistent that a pretended Roman pontiff should be head of the members of the devil; and in this lies the danger of perpetual human endowment, since often, on occasion of it, the more fruitful distribution of the goods of the poor falls upon members of the devil.7 367Fourth, it is argued more weightily, because of the gravity of the argument, thus: no one obliged under pain of mortal sin to receive temporal goodstemporalia: temporal goods for himself and his successors in perpetuity sins in this; now Silvester was obliged under pain of mortal sin so to receive alms from Constantine; therefore in this he in no way sinned. To this the answer isdicitur multipliciter: is said in many ways that each part of the antecedentconsequens / antecedens: consequent / antecedent is open to challenge; for there are many acts to whose obligation men are brought, even under pain of mortal sin, on occasion of preceding sins, and in doing those acts they sin either mortally or venially. For so sin ensnares many insolubly to sinning; and hence (as Augustine notes) the Psalmist asks to be delivered from necessities; but although a man is in many cases necessitated to sin, yet he could also easily not sin, and he takes the necessity to sin not from God but from sin; yet he ought not, and is not bound, to sin.8 And that this teachingsentencia: CONTEXTUAL: teaching / sentence may be seen more palpably, I put a first example, in which someone is bound under pain of mortal [sin] to render the debt to his wife to excuse the lust of both, and in the rendering sins mortally or venially; no one doubts that the case is possible and often happens.9 I put a second example, in which an abbot is bound under pain of mortal [sin] to take up the charge of his church: to rule his chapter religiously, to dispense faithfully to the needy the alms which he receives for this use, and to live, in himself and in his chapter, unworldly, according to the rule handed down by the patronpatronus: patron. And I put 368as possible that the one elected to that office sins, by aspiring inordinately to the honour and worship of the world and by dispensing the goods of the poor imprudently; and the contradictory of the major assumed is clear.10 I put a third example, in which someone is bound to receive the eucharist and receives it unworthily; and it is clear that in doing what he ought to do he sins mortally through a defect in the manner of doing it, as happens for the most part in receiving an ecclesiastical beneficebeneficium ecclesiasticum: ecclesiastical benefice. But it is far different to say, "Peter, obliged under pain of mortal [sin] to receive the charge given, sins in this", and "in so far as he receives that charge, so far he sins"; for the former proposition states concomitance in the reduplication, and the second states a causal reduplication.11 The minor of the argument, too, is false, because it cannot be deduced that God or holy scripture obliged blessed Silvester under pain of mortal [sin] to receive alms from Caesar in that form; but he would have done more religiously by informing Caesar that the head of the church, Christ, in whose power he had been healed, fled worldly honours and civil property.12 Therefore so heavy an office of ministering to the poor does not fall on his higher priests, but on the lower deacons and on lay people, on whom falls a ministry abject but meritorious in its degree; nor did Christ teach his apostles to seek any other primacy than the greatnessprioritas; majoritas: priority; greatness with respect to God which follows, from the first truth, by reason of the humbler ministry (as is taught in Luke 22[:26]).13

Notes

  1. 1 A in the margin at 365.7: Contra dominacionem cleri. T. At 365.11 A and A₁ read utrumque inquam for utrumque enim. C. The subject of recipiant is not expressed; "[priests]" is supplied from sacerdocio. S. Nicholas the deacon (Acts 6:5), to whom the Nicolaites were traced; the story that he offered his wife to others is told by Augustine, De haeresibus 5 (permisisse fertur, ut ea qui vellet uteretur); Wyclif’s alternatum usum uxorum is looser.
  2. 2 At 365.14 A and A₁ read civilis ditacio, "civil enrichment"; the print is translated. C. The pun is on clerus and sors, "lot": the clergy are those whose lot is the Lord; the saying is Jerome’s, Ep. 52.5 to Nepotian (vel quia de sorte sunt Domini, vel quia ipse Dominus sors … Clericorum est).
  3. 3 The manuscripts read usumfructum (365.23); Loserth prints usufructum; the sense is the same. R. A in the margin at 365.21: Nota clerus habet dominacionem evangelicam a Christo super omnibus rebus mundi. C. Illa is civil exercise of lordship, prima donacio the evangelical gift.
  4. 4 The figure is the levirate law (Deuteronomy 25:5–6): Christ is the firstborn, now dead, and the preacher the younger brother who raises up seed in his name; the begetting by the word recalls 1 Corinthians 4:15. De quanto participative dicitur ipse Christus is taken of the younger brother; it could also mean "of which [generation] Christ himself is called [father] by participation".
  5. 5 John 1:12, Vulgate Quotquot autem receperunt eum, dedit eis potestatem filios Dei fieri (DR "But as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God"); Wyclif omits eum ("[him]" supplied) and adds cum caritate consummata.
  6. 6 A in the margin at 366.6: Nota de papa; at 366.22: Augustinus. The particulars against Gregory XI (his nephew Raymond’s marriage, his brother’s ransom, the killings) are in part confirmed: the print’s Bolonie (366.17) is Boulogne: Raymond de Turenne, Gregory’s nephew, married Marie de Boulogne in October 1375, so it is Boulogne, not Bologna; Gregory’s brother Roger de Beaufort was taken prisoner in September 1370 and the pope worked repeatedly for his release. The killings are not checked. C. Dignam captivitatem: "deserved captivity", taking dignam as "merited". T. At 366.21 A reads num caput, A₁ non caput; the print’s nunquam is translated. S. Augustine, Sermo 9 (De decem chordis) (Loserth: Opp. tom. V, p. 50); cf. 1 Corinthians 11:3, "the head of the woman is the man".
  7. 7 Sicut faciunt superiores persone ecclesie: Wyclif does not accuse in the manner of the prelates who accuse others; he states a condition. Romanus pontifex is kept as "Roman pontiff", apart from papa. R. A in the margin at 366.26: Quarta racio. Nota quis est vicarius Christi vel Petri.
  8. 8 Psalm 24:17, de necessitatibus meis erue me (DR "deliver me from my necessities"). Loserth refers to Augustine, De natura et gratia 66, and De perfectione iustitiae hominis. T. At 367.13 B reads hic ut notat. R. B in the margin at 367.7: Multi sunt actus quos obligamur perficere sub magna pena, quos implendo peccamus mortaliter.
  9. 9 Sentencia (CONTEXTUAL): "teaching", the position just stated, not a judicial sentence. Reddere debitum: the conjugal debt (1 Corinthians 7:3, DR "Let the husband render the debt to his wife"). T. At 367.22 A reads libine for libidine.
  10. 10 Patronus: here the founder who gave the rule, not the patron of a benefice; the glossary’s "patron" is kept. Contradictorium maioris: the major ("no one obliged … sins in this") is contradicted by the case.
  11. 11 At 368.13 A reads reduplicacione sive reduplicative; the print’s in reduplicacionem concomitanciam does not construe cleanly and is translated as if in reduplicacione. C. "Sins in this" asserts only that the sin goes along with the act; the reduplicative "in so far as … so far" makes the act the cause of the sin.
  12. 12 Constantine’s healing (from leprosy, at his baptism by Silvester) is the Silvester legend, told in the donation’s charter itself (ab omni me leprae squalore mundatum, PL 8:573C). S. Christ’s flight from worldly honour: John 6:15 (DR "fled again into the mountains"). T. At 368.21 B reads mundanos in proprietatem.
  13. 13 Luke 22:26 (DR "he that is the greater among you, let him become as the younger: and he that is the leader, as he that serveth"); the deacons: Acts 6:1–6. C. Ex veritate prima: from the first truth, God; it is taken with sequentem.
How the Latin of this chapter was established
  • Plate readings; page · reading · note):
    • 365: licitum (print: licitum),)
    • 365: utrumque enim (main token covers two printed words)
    • 365: cum
    • 365: imitacionem [NW]
    • 366: aliquis [NW]
    • 367: in
    • 367: mortaliter [NW]
    • 367: venialiter (print veni- / aliter; main token holds the whole word)
    • 367: ∅ (aliter is the tail of veni-aliter (pos 77); print: aliter. Sic)
    • 367: secundum (30 is the line number)
    • 368: dinate (second half of inor-/dinate (pos 7)) [NW]
    • 368: Christus
    • 368: XXII° (print: Luce XXII°).)