Wyclif’s Latin works

De ecclesia, chapter 19, part 5

The layman’s eucharist and the danger of signs; fifth conclusion: no cleric may fight for temporal goods

Loserth pp. 457.30–460.25

¶1457.30–460.25

457absolvendo, sine ipso rite ministerialiter concurrente; 458nec sequitur ex isto quod debemus credere Christum sic concurrere in pretensione ministerii laycalis, nam nullum tale de communi cursu absolute credere debemus explicite sed vivere in fide filii Dei que est universalis sive catholica. Unde Encheridion LX°, quando dyabolus corporis sensus fallit, mentem vero non movet a vera rectaque sciencia qua quisque vitam fidelem gerit, nullum est in religione periculum; vel cum se bonum fingens ea facit sive dicit que bonis angelis congruunt, eciamsi credatur bonus, non est error christiane fidei periculosus aut morbidus. Cum vero per hec aliena ad sua incipit ducere, tunc eum dinoscere nec ire post eum magna et necessaria vigilancia est. Vult iste sanctus dicere quod multa sunt que fidelis neque tenetur plene et particulariter credere neque discredere, sed stat sine mortali cum formidine falsum credere, ut patet de opinantibus vel reputantibus multa bona et religiosa de membris dyaboli licet falsa; sed oportet cavere ne affectus per consensum ad vetitum seducatur. Omnis autem error in veritate videtur mihi sapere peccatum ad minimum veniale. Sed redeundo notandum est quod non sequitur ex isto quod haberetur quoad sacramentum eukaristie devocio laicorum, quia potest contingere quod efficacius et meritorius accipiat laicus corpus Christi, credendo in ipsum in celo et credendo generaliter sacramentum universalis ecclesie, quam datus laicus vel sacerdos qui sub actibus sacramentalibus corporalibus accipit corpus Christi. Nam ritus talis non proficit nisi de quanto disponit ad accepcionem et manducacionem corporis Christi secundum animam in fide et caritate (de qua manducacione Joh. VI° loquitur Jesus noster). Non enim nego quin 459necesse sit nos in vita intendere signis sensibilibus in quibus stat modo suo christiana religio, cum debemus credere quod omnia sacramenta sensibilia rite ministrata habent efficaciam salutarem. Sed in isto stat periculum militantis ecclesie quod iudaizando secundum sensum carnalem signa illa cum tradicionibus humanis plus suis signatis preponderet vel eciam legem Dei plus attendat iudicio sensus corporei quam oculo mentis vel eciam lumini fidei. Et correspondenter ad istos motus anime opera consecuntur, unde ad elidendum istum errorem Christus ordinavit nos in fide vivere et membra matris nostre particulariter ignorare, ne quis presumat se extollere vel exigendo temporalia gentiliter a lege scripture recedere, sciendo quod nulla solempnitas vel tradicio humana facit hominem caput vel membrum sancte matris ecclesie aut Christi vicarium nisi specialis Christi gracia et imitacio Christi in moribus. Ulterius videtur quod non licet pure clerico in causa et persona propria fratres suos corporaliter pro temporalibus ecclesie expugnare. Patet sic: Clero minus elongatum a vita apostolica est omnino illicitum, et magis elongatum est magis illicitum, sed iuxta conclusionem primam clerum contendere in foro ecclesiastico pro patrimonio Christi est omnino illicitum, ergo multo magis ipsum bellando pro temporalibus invadere fratrem suum, nam cum sit a vita et doctrina Christi magis extraneum, foret sacerdoti Christi magis illicitum. Ille ergo qui pateretur iniurias, antequam cum fratre suo contenderet, pateretur iniurias, antequam spoliando bona nature fratrem suum invaderet. Unde magnus videtur defectus in nostris doctoribus qui dimissa scola Christi in sequendo ipsum et paciendo iniurias 460consulunt nedum laicis sed pontificibus ad pugnandum, palliantes per sompnia et scripta apocrifa quomodo pugne tales eciam in Romano pontifice per signa que vocant miracula sunt laudate (ut tetigi XVII° cap. libri quarti). Rogamus itaque in verbis ut habeamus Christi et sue paciencie documenta, sed tamquam ypocrite adversamur in factis, nitendo totis viribus quomodo habeamus de factis hostibus temporales victorias et fastuosa ac huic vite voluptuosa delectamenta, et ad hoc applicamus triplicem sapienciam huius mundi, de qua Jacobi III°, 15 dicitur quod est terrena, animalis et dyabolica. Necessarius ergo foret cogitare cogitaciones pacis, rogare et predicare que ad pacem sunt, quam adducere fucos sophisticos ad palliandum quod nedum mundi principibus sed eciam summis pontificibus licitum est bellare. Ad tantum enim cecati sunt eciam professores scripture quod dicunt tam necessariam esse clero hodie possessionem temporalium, quam necessaria fuit in primitiva ecclesia potestas faciendi miracula, et intelligunt necessarium pro utili (ut oportet), quia aliter concederent quod tam necessaria ecclesie foret sua predicacio, ymmo sua decepcio sicut fuit Christi passio, cum sit sub eodem gradu contingens necessitas utrobique.

absolving, without his duly concurring as minister; 458nor does it follow from this that we ought to believe that Christ so concurs in the pretence of a lay ministry; for nothing of the kind ought we, in the common course, to believe absolutely and explicitly, but [we ought] to live in the faith of the Son of God, which is universal or catholic.1 Hence Enchiridion 60: "When the devil deceives the senses of the body, but does not move the mind from the true and right knowledge by which each man leads the life of faith, there is no danger in religion; or when, feigning himself good, he does or says those things that befit good angels, even if he is believed good, it is not an error of the christian faith that is dangerous or diseased. But when through these things that are not his he begins to lead [men] to his own, then to discern him and not to go after him is a great and necessary vigilance."2 This saint means that there are many things which the believer is bound neither fully and in particular to believe nor to disbelieve; but it stands without mortal [sin] to believe a falsehood with misgivingformido (sine / cum formidine): misgiving, as is clear of those who think or reckon many good and religious things of members of the devil, though falsely; but one must take care that the affection is not seduced, through consent, to what is forbidden.3 And every error in [matters of] truth seems to me to savour of sin, venial at the least. But, to return, it is to be noted that it does not follow from this that the devotion of lay people as to the sacrament of the eucharist would [not] be had; for it can happen that a layman receives the body of Christ more efficaciously and more meritoriously, by believing in him in heaven and believing in general the sacrament of the universal churchecclesia: church, than a given layman or priestsacerdos / presbiter: priest / presbyter who receives the body of Christ under the bodily sacramental acts. For such a riteritus: rite profits only in so far as it disposes to the receiving and eating of the body of Christ according to the soul, in faith and charitycaritas: charity (of which eating our Jesus speaks in John 6).4 For I do not deny that 459it is necessary for us in this life to attend to the perceptiblesensibilis: perceptible signs in which, in its own way, the christian religion stands, since we ought to believe that all perceptible sacraments duly ministered have saving efficacy. But in this stands the danger of the church militantecclesia militans / triumphans / dormiens: the church militant / triumphant / sleeping: that, judaizing according to the carnal sense, it gives those signs, together with human traditions, more weight than the things they signify, or even attends to God’s law more by the judgement of bodily sense than by the eye of the mind, or even than by the light of faith.5 And correspondingly to these motions of the soul works follow; hence, to strike down this error, Christ ordained that we should live in faith and be ignorantignorare: to be ignorant of in particular of the membersmembrum: member of our mothermater nostra: our mother, lest anyone presume to exalt himself, or, by exacting temporal goodstemporalia: temporal goods in the manner of the gentiles, depart from the law of scripture; knowing that no solemnity or human tradition makes a man headcaput: head or member of holy mother church, or vicar of Christvicarius Christi: vicar of Christ, but the special grace of Christ and the imitation of Christ in conduct.6 Further, it seems that it is not lawful for a pure cleric, in his own cause and person, to make war bodily on his brothers for the temporal goods of the church. It is clear thus: what is less removed from the apostolic life is altogether unlawful to the clergyclerus; clericus: the clergy; cleric, and what is more removed is more unlawful; now, according to the first conclusionconclusio: conclusion, for the clergy to contend in the ecclesiastical court for the patrimony of Christ is altogether unlawful; therefore much more [is it unlawful for a cleric] to attack his brother by fighting for temporal goods; for since this is more foreign to the life and doctrine of Christ, it would be more unlawful for a priest of Christ.7 He, therefore, who would suffer injuries before he would contend with his brother would suffer injuries before he would attack his brother by despoiling [him of] the goods of nature. Hence there seems to be a great failing in our doctors who, having left the school of Christ in following him and suffering injuries, 460counsel not only lay people but pontiffs to fight, cloaking with dreams and apocryphalapocrifa; apocrifus: apocrypha; apocryphal writings how such fights, even in the Roman pontiffRomanus pontifex: Roman pontiff, have been praised by signs which they call miracles (as I touched on in chapter 17 of the fourth book).8 So we ask in words that we may have the lessons of Christ and of his patience, but like hypocrites we oppose them in deeds, striving with all our strength to have temporal victories over enemies we have made, and delights pompous and voluptuous to this life; and to this we apply the threefold wisdom of this world, of which James 3:15 says that it is "earthly, sensual and devilish".9 It would therefore be more necessary to think thoughts of peace, to ask for and preach the things that are for peace, than to bring forward sophistical disguisesfucus: disguise to cloak [the claim] that it is lawful not only for the princes of the world but even for the highest pontiffssummi pontifices: highest pontiffs (of popes); high priests (of the Jewish priesthood) to wage war.10 For even professors of scripture are blinded to such a degree that they say that possession of temporal goods is as necessary to the clergy today as the power of working miracles was necessary in the primitive church; and they understand "necessary" for "useful" (as they must), since otherwise they would grant that their preaching, nay, their deception, would be as necessary to the church as was the passion of Christ, since the contingent necessity is of the same degree on both sides.11

Notes

  1. 1 The sentence continues from the previous part ("in ordaining, in confecting, or"). Sine ipso … concurrente: without the presbyter duly concurring as minister; Christ may supply what he lacks. Pretensio ministerii laycalis: a layman’s pretended ministry. De communi cursu: in the ordinary course of things. R. Side-note 458.1.
  2. 2 Augustine, Enchiridion 60 (Loserth: the codices read Encheridion LXVIII, "recte LX"; Aug. Opp. VI p. 218); the print’s LX° is Loserth’s correction. The quotation runs to vigilancia est. T. At 458.9 AA₁ read vel si for vel cum; at 458.13 B reads magna et multa. R. A in the margin at 458.5: Augustinus.
  3. 3 Stat sine mortali: it is compatible with being free of mortal sin. Cum formidine: with the "fear of the opposite" that qualifies assent (the glossary). Affectus: the affection of the will. T. AA₁ lack autem (458.20) and in veritate (458.21): "every error".
  4. 4 Haberetur: so the print (B habetur, 458.23). As printed the clause says that the laity’s devotion "would be had", which does not fit the reply, whose point is that the devotion is not lost; "[not]" is supplied (our emendation; the print has no non and nothing is lost at the line end). Datus laicus: a given layman. Meritorius: comparative adverb. S. John 6, the spiritual eating (e.g. 6:57). R. A in the margin at 458.22: Conclusio notanda. Side-note 458.23.
  5. 5 Intendere signis: attend to signs; not the scholastic "maintain". Preponderet: the subject is the church militant, which makes the signs outweigh what they signify. T. B lacks lumini (459.9). R. A in the margin at 459.5: Periculum. Side-notes 459.1, 459.5.
  6. 6 Membra matris nostre particulariter ignorare: not to know in particular who are members of the church, that is, who are predestinate. Gentiliter: in the manner of the gentiles. R. A in the margin at 459.14: Conclusio.
  7. 7 Pure clerico: a cleric acting purely as cleric. Clero minus elongatum: what departs less from the apostolic life; the argument runs from the lesser to the greater departure. The codices read Clero cui (459.21); Loserth prints Clero, which is translated. Conclusionem primam: the first conclusion of this chapter, against contending at law. T. The codices spell expungnare (459.21). At 459.26 the codices read talibus, which Loserth corrected (his Correxi); the corrected word is evidently temporalibus. R. A in the margin at 459.18: Quinta conclusio. Non licet pure clerico invadere fratrem suum propter temporalia nec licet sibi ut pro illis pugnet. Side-note 459.19.
  8. 8 Bona nature: life and limb, as against the goods of fortune. Ut tetigi XVII° cap. libri quarti: Wyclif’s cross-reference to an earlier book of his own; book 4 of the Summa is De civili dominio II; c. 17 ends with the chronicle of Gregory VI, the warring pope whose bier was borne into the church, which Wyclif calls illusiones tamquam miracula (Society ed., 257–58). T. A spells pungne (460.3). R. Side-note 460.1.
  9. 9 De factis hostibus: taken as "over enemies we have made"; the words could also echo in factis, "in deeds". S. James 3:15.
  10. 10 Necessarius: comparative adverb, answered by quam. S. Cogitare cogitaciones pacis recalls Jeremiah 29:11 ("thoughts of peace"); que ad pacem sunt, Psalm 121:6 ("Pray ye for the things that are for the peace of Jerusalem"). R. A in the margin at 460.16: Conclusio falsa, marking the doctors’ thesis.
  11. 11 The doctors must mean "useful" by "necessary": taken strictly, the necessity they claim would be the contingent necessity of Christ’s passion. Ymmo sua decepcio: Wyclif’s sarcastic correction of predicacio. T. B reads quod aliter (460.21). R. Side-note 460.17.
How the Latin of this chapter was established
  • Plate readings; page · reading · note):
    • 457: ministerialiter
    • 458: pretensione (print spelling) [NW]
    • 458: laycalis
    • 459: modo
    • 459: iudaizando (margin numeral 1 glued)
    • 459: vel (margin numeral 2 glued)
    • 459: consecuntur (print con-/secuntur; main token holds whole word; print spelling) [NW]
    • 459: Christi
    • 459: Christi
    • 459: nam
    • 459: Christi
    • 459: Christi
    • 460: XVII°
    • 460: ∅ (other scans split XVII° (xui + 1); print has no word before cap.)
    • 460: III°
    • 460: 15 (main token i covers printed 15)
    • 460: necessaria
    • 459: quod (English side-note "The" glued on (agent 10))