Wyclif’s Latin works

De ecclesia, chapter 18, part 1

The foreknown, the predestinate in error, and the two churches

Loserth pp. 415.9–418.1

¶1415.9–418.1

415Ulterius restat approbando veritatem et reprobando falsitatem transcurrere per responsiones ad alias quinque raciunculas que supersunt. Prima autem responsio dicit, primo quod omnes presciti renati baptismate sunt membra sancte ecclesie catholice; secundo dicit quod nulli predestinati errantes a recta fide sunt membra sancte matris ecclesie, et tercio dicit quod nec Petrus nec Paulus nec David nec aliquis alius pro tempore pro quo deviat a recta fide est pars ecclesie catholice. Ista est venenosa triplicitas: prima tamen suadetur est sentencia sancti Thome super III° Sentenciarum dist. XIIIª, q. IIª, dicentis quod, sicut in corpore naturali membra uniuntur et sunt unum per colligacionem quandam nervorum et iuncturarum, ut fiant unum continuacione, sic (inquit) in corpore Christi mistico omnes qui colligati sunt ad invicem per fidem rectam sunt unum in corpore ecclesie; et sic infidelis non pertinet ad unionem corporis ecclesie quod est unum simpliciter, nec paganorum, hereticorum et separatorum ab ecclesia est Christus proprie 416caput nisi in potencia. Ista autem verba non faciunt pro supradicta sentencia, cum solum predestinati colligati sunt per fidem rectam, eo quod omnes alii continue peccato indelebili peccant mortaliter, et sic sunt perpetuo heretici qui soli simpliciter separantur a corpore Christi mistico. Sed quod dicitur sanctum Thomam in solucione ad tercium argumentum plane dicere quod presciti existentes in gracia sunt vera membra ecclesie, sicut manus abscindenda est membrum, quousque fuerit actualiter abscisa, dicitur quod hoc debet intelligi de ecclesia secundo modo dicta, ut includit granum et paleam; que ecclesia secundum Augustinum III° De Doctrina Christiana XXXII° non est corpus domini nec eciam corpus domini bipertitum, et sic presciti baptizati habent secundum presentem iusticiam incorporacionem in illa mixta ecclesia et quandam adnascenciam cum vera ecclesia, sicut habet stercus in venis miseraicis, sed nunquam sunt pars corporis Christi; et ista est sentencia Augustini epistola XXXIIª ad Bonifacium. Quantum ad secundum errorem, patet quod capit instanciam de omnibus predestinatis a fide errantibus qui quamvis a fide ad tempus devient, Deus tamen ex eleccione predestinacionis eos semper eque diligit. Et hinc dicit Christus Johannis X, 16: Alias oves habeo que non sunt ex hoc ovili et vocem meam audient. Super quo textu notat Augustinus super Johan. Omelia XLVª quomodo Christus dicit se habere oves de gentibus adhuc convertendis; hec, inquit, secundum 417predestinationem dicta sunt. Ideo (ut dixi superius) ponit Ricardus de Sancto Victore tres gradus membrorum ecclesie. Quamvis autem predestinati deficiunt a fide et gracia secundum presentem iusticiam, habent tamen fidem infusam secundum graciam predestinacionis. Si ergo secundum doctorem prescitus existens in mortali secundum fidem infusam sit membrum sancte matris ecclesie, licet omne peccatum mortale concommunicetur infidelitas, multo magis omnis predestinatus foret membrum sancte matris ecclesie. Ad aliam raciunculam primo dicitur quod non est eadem racio ecclesie militantis et ecclesie triumphantis; secundo dicitur quod ecclesia triumphans infinitum distat in perfeccione essenciali ab ecclesia militante; tercio dicitur quod nullo modo est una ecclesia ex hiis, cum tantum differunt sicut substancia et accidens que non sunt unum aliquo modo. Et ista dicitur esse sentencia Augustini, Epistola XXXIIª, ad Bonifacium, ubi distinguens inter ecclesiam militantem et triumphantem ponit ecclesiam triumphantem esse sine macula vel ruga, triumphans autem est immunis ab omni culpa. Isti tres errores sunt manifestiores prioribus, quia equus cecus continue profundius sese precipitat. Nam quoad primum utraque est univoce ecclesia, ideo oportet quod sit eadem generalis racio utriusque. Quoad secundum patet, cum ecclesia militans erit ecclesia triumphans, contradiccionem claudit quod infinitum distent in perfeccione essenciali; eedem enim persone que iam sunt ecclesia militans erunt ecclesia triumphans (ut patet ex fide). 418Quoad tercium errorem patet ex testimonio sanctorum et

Further, it remains, approving the truth and reproving the falsehood, to run through the replies to the other five little argumentsraciuncula: little argument that are left.1 And the first reply says, first, that all the foreknownprescitus, -i: the foreknown reborn by baptism are membersmembrum: member of the holy catholic churchecclesia: church; second, it says that no predestinatepredestinatus, -i: the predestinate (sg. "a predestinate [person]") erring from right faith are members of holy mother church; and third, it says that neither Peter nor Paul nor David nor any other, for the time for which he deviates from right faith, is part of the catholic church.2 This is a venomous threefold: the first, however, is urged [because it] is the teachingsentencia: CONTEXTUAL: teaching / sentence of St Thomas on the third [book] of the Sentences, distinction 13, question 2, who says that "as in a natural body the members are united and are one by a certain binding together of sinews and joints, so that they become one by continuity, so," he says, "in the mystical body of Christ all who are bound together with one another by right faith are one in the body of the church; and so an unbelieverinfidelis: unbeliever; with a dative, faithless (to) does not belong to the union of the body of the church, which is one without qualificationsimpliciter / secundum quid: without qualification / in a certain respect; nor is Christ properly the 416headcaput: head of pagans, heretics and those separated from the church, except in potency."3 But these words do not tell for the aforesaid teaching, since only the predestinate are bound together by right faith, because all the others continually sin mortally by an indelible sin, and so are perpetually heretics, who alone are separated without qualification from the mystical body of Christcorpus Christi misticum: the mystical body of Christ.4 But as to its being said that St Thomas, in the solution to the third argument, plainly says that the foreknown existing in grace are true members of the church, as a hand that is to be cut off is a member until it has actually been cut off: the answer isdicitur multipliciter: is said in many ways that this must be understood of the church said in the second way, as it includes grain and chaff;5 which church, according to Augustine, On Christian Doctrine 3.32, is not the body of the Lord, nor even the bipartite body of the Lord; and so the baptized foreknown have, according to present justice, incorporation in that mixed church and a certain growing-on with the true church, as dung has in the mesaraic veins; but they are never part of the body of Christ. And this is the teaching of Augustine, Letter 32 to Boniface.6 As to the second error, it is clear that it admits an objectioninstancia; objectum: objection from all the predestinate erring from the faith, whom, although they deviate from the faith for a time, God nevertheless, out of the election of predestination, always loves equally. And hence Christ says, John 10:16: "Other sheep I have that are not of this fold, and they shall hear my voice." On which text Augustine, on John, Homily 45, notes how Christ says that he has sheep among the gentiles yet to be converted: "these things," he says, "are said 417according to predestination."7 Therefore (as I said above) Richard of St Victor posits three degrees of members of the church.8 And although the predestinate fall short of faith and grace according to present justice, they nevertheless have infused faith according to the grace of predestination. If therefore, according to the doctor, a foreknown man existing in mortal [sin] is, according to infused faith, a member of holy mother church, although unbelief is shared with every mortal sin, much more would every predestinate man be a member of holy mother church.9

To another little argument the answer is, first, that the account of the church militantecclesia militans / triumphans / dormiens: the church militant / triumphant / sleeping and of the church triumphant is not the same; second, the answer is that the church triumphant is infinitely distant in essential perfection from the church militant; third, the answer is that in no way is one church [made] of these, since they differ as much as substance and accident, which are not one in any way.10 And this is said to be the teaching of Augustine, Letter 32 to Boniface, where, distinguishing between the church militant and triumphant, he posits the church triumphant to be without spot or wrinkle, but the triumphant is immune from all fault.11 These three errors are more manifest than the earlier ones, because a blind horse continually throws itself deeper.12 For as to the first: each is univocally church; therefore there must be the same general account of both. As to the second, it is clear: since the church militant will be the church triumphant, it implies a contradictionclaudit contradictionem / contradictorium: it implies a contradiction that they are infinitely distant in essential perfection; for the same persons who are now the church militant will be the church triumphant (as is clear, as faith teachesex fide: as faith teaches; with a genitive, from the faith of [scripture]). 418As to the third error, it is clear from the testimony of the saints13

Notes

  1. 1 Approbando ... reprobando: Wyclif will approve what is true in the doctor’s replies and reprove what is false. Alias quinque raciunculas: the sixth to the tenth (Loserth’s side-note: "6.").
  2. 2 A in the margin at 415.11: Prima responsio. An presciti qui habent fidem sint de ecclesia et predestinati in mortali sint tunc extra ecclesiam. S. Loserth compares p. 114.23.
  3. 3 Prima tamen suadetur est sentencia does not construe; the plate prints the words so (415.18–19), with nothing lost at the line end; "[because it]" is supplied for the sense. S. Thomas Aquinas, In III Sent. d. 13 q. 2 a. 2 qc. 2, solutio (Loserth: Opp. IX, p. 156), closely paraphrased; paganorum, hereticorum et separatorum expands Thomas’s infideles. R. A in the margin at 415.19: Sanctus Thomas.
  4. 4 Non faciunt pro: "do not tell for". Peccato indelebili: the final impenitence of the foreknown, which nothing deletes; so the foreknown are never bound by right faith. T. At 416.5 A reads seperantur.
  5. 5 Aquinas, the same place, ad 3 (qui est in gratia, membrum est, quamvis postea abscindatur; presciti is Wyclif’s application). C. Ecclesia secundo modo dicta: the second of the three senses of 17-f (p. 409), the predestinate and foreknown mixed while they are in grace.
  6. 6 Augustine, De doctrina christiana 3.32.45, Tyconius’ second rule, "the bipartite body of the Lord", a name Augustine says was ill chosen, since what will not be with the Lord for ever is not his body (PL 34); Loserth refers back to p. 4. "Letter 32 to Boniface": Loserth, "not 32 but 98 (alias 23)", Opp. II, p. 263: Ep. 98.5, the chaff that carries the grain to the threshing-floor (PL 33). Loserth compares Wyclif, De civili dominio 1.2, p. 15. C. Adnascencia: a growing-on, adhesion without being part, as waste matter in the mesaraic (mesenteric) veins. Secundum presentem iusticiam: by present justice, as against predestination. T. At 416.18 A₁ reads meseraicis. R. A in the margin at 416.16: Nota quomodo presciti sunt in ecclesia et tamen nunquam sunt pars ecclesie.
  7. 7 John 10:16; Wyclif omits et illas oportet me adducere (DR "them also I must bring") and the end of the verse. Augustine, Tractatus in Iohannem: the manuscripts give homily 49, Loserth prints 45 (Opp. III.2, p. 600); the manuscripts are right: Tract. 49.27, Haec autem secundum praedestinationem dicta sunt (PL 35). C. Capit instanciam: "admits an objection", a counter-instance. Qui ... eos: the relative is taken up again by eos. R. A in the margin at 416.23: Predestinatus carens fide est de ecclesia.
  8. 8 Richard of St Victor, De potestate ligandi et solvendi (Loserth: part 2, ch. 20; Migne col. 1172): triplici modo membrum Christi dici solemus: praedestinatione, praeparatione, concorporatione. "As I said above": the place is not identified.
  9. 9 Licet omne peccatum mortale concommunicetur infidelitas: both nouns stand in the nominative; taken as "although unbelief goes with every mortal sin". The argument is a fortiori from the doctor’s own concession. T. At 417.8 B omits licet ... ecclesie.
  10. 10 A in the margin at 417.12: Secunda responsio. Tres errores. S. Loserth compares p. 114.31. C. Racio: "account", what it is to be a church; not the glossary’s technical "aspect".
  11. 11 Augustine to Boniface (Loserth: Opp. II, p. 658): Ep. 185 (De correctione Donatistarum) §§38–40, paraphrased (PL 33); "without spot or wrinkle" is Ephesians 5:27 (DR "not having spot or wrinkle"). C. Ponit ecclesiam triumphantem esse sine macula vel ruga, triumphans autem ...: the contrast wants the militant church in the first clause (cf. 418, maculata et rugosa dum militat); the plate prints triumphantem, and the print is translated.
  12. 12 Equus cecus ... sese precipitat: a proverb, the blind horse plunging deeper. T. At 417.24 B reads profundus. R. A in the margin at 417.25: Contra illos.
  13. 13 Univoce: church in one and the same sense, so with one general account. The sentence runs on into the next part (18-b), where the plate prints et ecclesia at 418.2.
How the Latin of this chapter was established
  • Plate readings; page · reading · note):
    • 415: CAP. XVIII.
    • 415: sunt (2 is a margin argument numeral)
    • 415: III°
    • 416: III°
    • 416: XXXIIª
    • 416: XLVª
    • 417: secundo (2 is a margin argument numeral)
    • 417: racio (print has whole racio; side-note overlaps line end) [NW]
    • 417: utriusque (2 is a margin argument numeral)
    • 415: IIª, [-MARK]