De ecclesia, chapter 19, part 6

The doctors’ thesis on temporal possession refuted; sixth conclusion: no contending for greatness

Loserth pp. 460.26–464.30

¶1460.26–462.21

460Primo ergo videtur quod cesar dedisset principaliter naturalia bona clero tam utilia sicut Christus, et iterum tam perfecta fuisset temporalis possessio, sicut carismata supernaturalia concessa a Christo, quia si potestas quam Christus concessit suis apostolis fuit cesareo dono perfeccior, fuit ecclesie Christi necessarior, quod fuit patulum ex fructu et cremento 461ecclesie. Et iterum proporcionaliter ut membrum ecclesie habet plus de talibus possessionibus foret perfeccior et ecclesie necessarior, et sic fratres et viri contemplativi forent sub non gradu necessitatis ecclesie et persone mundo divites maxime necessarie, quia nullius possessio est necessarior ecclesie quam est ipse. Sed quid plus repugnaret scripture sacre vel sacris legibus de status minoritate? Ideo consulerem fratribus quod omnino resisterent isti sentencie, quia nedum derogaret perfeccioni sue retrahendo seculares, ne accipiant ordinem evangelice paupertatis, sed animaret divites seculi ne faciliter imperciantur eis elemosinas corporales. Possent enim seculares dicere (ut audivi quosdam instructos ex ista sentencia): Tu dicis quod tam necessaria est modo possessio temporalium quam necessaria fuit in primitiva ecclesia potestas faciendi miracula, sed possessio temporalium est ecclesie utilior et congruencior in secularibus quam in clero. Ideo quam necessaria fuit in clero potestas faciendi miracula in primitiva ecclesia, tam necessaria est hodie in secularibus possessio terrena. Sed nemo in primitiva ecclesia diminueret de potestate sua faciendi miracula propter communionem cum fratribus, ergo nec secularis debet communicare cum fratribus de possessione temporalium, ne diminuatur perfeccio sibi necessaria; et sic frater qui ad hoc hortatur vel consulit, deficit a caritate, nitens dampnificare gracia questus temporalium fratrem suum. Sed quis temptaret taliter membrum Christi? Si dicitur quod propter dispersionem temporalium accresceret elemosinanti donum spirituale perfeccius, hoc repugnat sentencie propter duo: Primo quia tunc foret expediens cuicunque clerico possessionato plus 462de possessione sua egenis tribuere et sic usque ad non gradum, et sic renunciando cunctis que possidet sequi Christum in evangelica paupertate. Secundo, quia tam necessaria est clero modo temporalium possessio, sicut fuit alia potestas concessa a Christo ad faciendum miracula, sed notum est quod propter nullas corporales elemosinas dat Deus meliora carismata quam fuit potestas faciendi miracula; ergo propter tales elemosinas non recipiet distribuens carismata pociora. Ymmo cum necessarior sit modo temporalium possessio quam potestas faciendi miracula, et quelibet partis possessionis particio perderet illam possessionem, cum sit res inanimata, videtur sequi ex principio quod fatuum foret clero possessionato possessionem suam perdere. Nec valet egenti allegare possessionato quod de superfluo vel principaliter necessario debet tribuere, quia (ut sequitur ex principio sapiencie dyabolice) nichil est clerico possessionato superfluum, sed de quanto plus possidet, de tanto quod possidet est sibi magis necessarium, quia complet unam possessionem magnam necessariorem ecclesie.

First, then, it seems [to follow] that Caesar would have given the clergy, principally, natural goods as useful as [those of] Christ, and again that temporal possession would have been as perfect as the supernatural charisms granted by Christ; for if the power which Christ granted to his apostles was more perfect than Caesar’s gift, it was more necessary to the church of Christ, which was manifest from the fruit and growth 461of the church.¹ And again, proportionally, as a member of the church has more of such possessions, he would be more perfect and more necessary to the church; and so friars and contemplative men would stand at no degree of necessity to the church, and persons rich in the world would be most necessary, since no one’s possession is more necessary to the church than he himself is.² But what would be more repugnant to holy scripture, or to the sacred laws, on the lesser standing of [their] state? Therefore I would counsel the friars to resist this teaching altogether; for it would not only derogate from their perfection by holding seculars back from taking the order of evangelical poverty, but would encourage the rich of the world not to give them bodily alms readily.³ For seculars could say (as I have heard some say who were instructed out of this teaching): "You say that possession of temporal goods is now as necessary as the power of working miracles was necessary in the primitive church; now possession of temporal goods is more useful and more fitting for the church in seculars than in the clergy. Therefore, as necessary as the power of working miracles was in the clergy in the primitive church, so necessary is earthly possession in seculars today. Now no one in the primitive church would diminish [anything] of his power of working miracles for the sake of communion with the brethren; therefore neither ought a secular to share his possession of temporal goods with the friars, lest the perfection necessary to him be diminished; and so the friar who exhorts or counsels him to this fails in charity, striving to damage his brother for the sake of gain in temporal goods."⁴ But who would so tempt a member of Christ? If it is said that through the dispersal of temporal goods a more perfect spiritual gift would accrue to the almsgiver, this is repugnant to the teaching for two reasons. First, because then it would be expedient for any possessioned cleric to give more 462of his possession to the needy, and so down to no degree [at all], and so, renouncing all that he possesses, to follow Christ in evangelical poverty.⁵ Secondly, because possession of temporal goods is now as necessary to the clergy as that other power granted by Christ for working miracles was; now it is known that for no bodily alms does God give better charisms than the power of working miracles was; therefore for such alms the one who distributes will not receive more powerful charisms. Indeed, since possession of temporal goods is now more necessary than the power of working miracles, and any parting of a portion of the possession would destroy that possession, since it is an inanimate thing, it seems to follow from the principle that it would be foolish for a possessioned clergy to lose its possession.⁶ Nor does it avail the needy man to allege to the possessioned [cleric] that he ought to give from what is superfluous, or from what is principally necessary; for (as follows from the principle of the devil’s wisdom) nothing is superfluous to a possessioned cleric, but the more he possesses, the more necessary to him is what he possesses, since it makes up one great possession, more necessary to the church.⁷

¶2462.22–463.31

462Ideo detestando hoc porisma de scola dyaboli dico quod necessarior fuit in clero dominacio temporalium in primitiva ecclesia militante quam est modo. Patet ex hoc quod tunc fuit utilior et meritorior et per consequens necessarior. Tunc enim fuit pure evangelica civili dominio impermixta. Ulterius dico secundo quod potestas faciendi miracula fuit necessarior ecclesie, quam unquam fuit temporalium possessio quodammodo infinite, quia potestas illa est natura superior, sicut virtus excedit civile dominium. Unde Symon magus non fuit tam fatuus quin libenter voluerit commutasse pecuniam pro potestate faciendi miracula, 463ymmo affeccione commodi hoc censuit fore lucrum; patet Act. VIII°. Multo magis fidelis sciens quod potestas faciendi miracula plus lucrefaciendo pacificaret ecclesiam quam quelibet divicie temporales. Et ex istis patet tercio quod seminans illud dogma in populo non foret ut sic utilis procurator vel minister pauperum sed egenis Christi ex doctrina sibi contraria subdolus inimicus. Nam gracia et caritas sunt precipua potestas faciendi miracula, quia illa sunt per se bona per que docetur homo mundum et peccata relinquere et Deum diligere; quod est opus excellentissimum viatoris. Ideo si illud porisma per impossibile foret verum, tunc sicut nemo tenetur alienare a se caritatem vel spiritum sanctum, sic nemo teneretur temporalia pauperibus impertiri. Suppono autem de logica quod sicut confundit, ut si temporalia sint tam necessaria sicut aliqua potestas faciendi miracula, tunc nulla talis potestas est necessarior; quod est falsum de potestate quam Joh. I°, 12 exprimit: Dedit eis potestatem filios Dei fieri. Illa enim est infinitum melior quam possessio temporalis, nam ex illa potestate legitur Evangelistam mutasse silvestres frondes in aurum et litoria saxa in gemmas. Ex quo patet quod illa potestas fuit infinitum validior quam illa possessio et plus fecit ad profectum ecclesie. Aliter enim Christus infinitum potencior cesare, habens discipulos prudenciores ad ministrandum bona fortune, foret notabiliter increpandus quod non dotasset ecclesiam plus quam cesar. Hoc enim propter minorem mundi avariciam fuisset tunc melius, et per consequens ex dictis tam bonum sicut potestas quam Christus habuit.

Therefore, detesting this porism out of the devil’s school, I say that the exercise of lordship over temporal goods was more necessary in the clergy in the primitive church militant than it is now. This is clear from the fact that then it was more useful and more meritorious, and consequently more necessary. For then it was purely evangelical, unmixed with civil lordship.⁸ Further, I say secondly that the power of working miracles was more necessary to the church than possession of temporal goods ever was, in a manner infinitely [more], since that power is superior in nature, as virtue exceeds civil lordship. Hence Simon Magus was not so foolish that he would not gladly have exchanged money for the power of working miracles; 463indeed, out of desire for advantage he reckoned that this would be gain, as is clear from Acts 8. Much more a believer, knowing that the power of working miracles would, by gaining [souls], bring more peace to the church than any temporal riches whatever, [would reckon so].⁹ And from these things it is clear, thirdly, that one who sows this dogma among the people would not be, as such, a useful proctor or minister of the poor, but a crafty enemy to Christ’s needy, by a doctrine contrary to them. For grace and charity are the chief power of working miracles, since they are the goods in themselves through which a man is taught to leave the world and sins and to love God; which is the most excellent work of the wayfarer. Therefore, if that porism were, per impossibile, true, then, just as no one is bound to alienate from himself charity or the Holy Spirit, so no one would be bound to impart temporal goods to the poor.¹⁰ Now I suppose from logic that "as" confounds [the term after it]: so that if temporal goods are as necessary as any power of working miracles, then no such power is more necessary; which is false of the power that John 1:12 expresses: "He gave them power to be made the sons of God."¹¹ For that is infinitely better than temporal possession; for by that power the Evangelist is read to have changed branches of the woods into gold and stones of the shore into gems. From which it is clear that that power was infinitely stronger than that possession and did more for the profit of the church.¹² For otherwise Christ, infinitely more powerful than Caesar, having disciples more prudent for ministering the goods of fortune, would be notably to be rebuked for not having endowed the church more than Caesar. For this would then have been better, because of the lesser avarice of the world, and consequently, from what has been said, as good as the power that Christ had.

¶3463.32–464.30

463Sexto videtur quod nullus clericus contenderet circa maioritatem sui ad subditos in ecclesiastica ierarchia, 464nam homine habente revelacionem ad hoc non contenderet circa illud, sed sentiret humiliter de se ipso, si non habeat revelacionem de hoc; cum tunc ignorat si sit de sancta matre ecclesia, in vanum contenderet si sit maior de illa ecclesia, cum deest sibi probacio si sit de illa ecclesia (ut tactum est in conclusione prima). Maioritas autem in ecclesia et non de illa foret contendenti inutilis et ecclesie tamquam impertinens sive contrarium contemptibilis. Et ex istis videtur quod nimis magna demencia foret urgere ecclesiam ut credat quemlibet Romanum pontificem esse caput sue ecclesie, nam iuxta dicta quilibet talis posset esse episcopus in ecclesia sine hoc quod sit de illa. Sicut ergo non est de fide quod omnis Romanus pontifex sit predestinatus sic non est de substancia fidei quod sit caput vel membrum sancte matris ecclesie. Et patet quod non sequitur perire in laicis fides de recto sacramentali ministerio sacerdotis, quia sufficit fideli credere fidem catholicam et quod Deus propter nullum errorem spiritualis prepositi dampnificat subditum nisi suum demeritum sit in causa. Non ergo debet subditus desperare de peccato prepositi, quia, quantumcunque malus sacerdos fuerit, dummodo subditus in Christum crediderit, salvus erit, et dampnabile ministerium sacramenti sui curati sibi proderit, ut ostendit decretum sub auctoritate Augustini, in De Consecracione, dist. IV: Quomodo ipsum, inquit, caracterem multi lupi eciam lupis infigunt qui videntur esse intus, verumptamen ad illam ovem que ex multis una est non pertinent.

Sixthly, it seems that no cleric should contend about his greatness over his subjects in the ecclesiastical hierarchy; 464for a man having a revelation of it would not contend about it, but would think humbly of himself; if he has no revelation of this, since he is then ignorant whether he is of holy mother church, he would contend in vain whether he is greater in that church, since he lacks proof whether he is of that church (as was touched on in the first conclusion).¹³ And greatness in the church and not of it would be useless to the one contending, and contemptible to the church, as something irrelevant or contrary. And from these things it seems that it would be too great a madness to urge the church to believe that every Roman pontiff is head of his church; for according to what has been said, any such [pontiff] could be a bishop in the church without being of it.¹⁴ As, then, it is not of faith that every Roman pontiff is predestinate, so it is not of the substance of faith that he is head or member of holy mother church. And it is clear that it does not follow that faith in the right sacramental ministry of the priest perishes in lay people; for it suffices for the believer to believe the catholic faith, and that God, for no error of a spiritual superior, damages the subject unless his own demerit is the cause.¹⁵ The subject, then, ought not to despair over the sin of the superior; for, however bad the priest may be, provided the subject believes in Christ, he will be saved, and the damnable ministry of the sacrament by his curate will profit him, as the decree shows under the authority of Augustine, in De consecratione, distinction 4: "In the way," he says, "that many wolves also imprint that very character on wolves who seem to be within; yet they do not belong to that sheep which is one out of many."¹⁶

Notes

1 The first of the absurdities drawn from the doctors’ thesis that temporal possession is now as necessary as the power of miracles once was (460.17–20). Tam utilia sicut Christus: as useful as [what] Christ [gave]. T. At 460.26–27 B reads dedisset preter naturalia. R. A in the margin at 460.26: Nota contra possessionem et dominium ecclesie, quod sic necessarium nunc reputatur, sicut in primitiva ecclesia potestas faciendi miracula (Loserth: above 192ª, without mark of reference).
2 Sub non gradu: at no degree, the schoolmen’s zero degree. Quia nullius possessio …: on the thesis, a man’s worth to the church is measured by what he possesses. T. A₁ would correct to sub uno genere (461.4); the print is translated.
3 De status minoritate is taken with legibus, the laws on the lesser standing of the clerical state; it may also hang on repugnaret. Imperciantur eis: give to them, the friars. T. B reads si animaret (461.11–12). R. A in the margin at 461.8: Consilium. Side-notes 461.9, 461.14.
4 The seculars turn the thesis against the friars. The quotation is closed at fratrem suum; Sed quis temptaret may still be theirs. Fratres: "the brethren" of the primitive church, then "the friars"; the argument plays on the word. Diminueret: so the print; Loserth asks whether it should be diminueretur (461.22). The print has a stray stop after quosdam. T. B reads ideo nec (461.24) and lacks ne (461.25).
5 Si dicitur: a reply the doctors might make. Usque ad non gradum: down to nothing. S. Luke 14:33 ("renounce all that he possesseth"). R. A and B in the margin at 461.30: Responsio quedam.
6 Ex principio: from the doctors’ principle. Quelibet partis possessionis particio: any giving away of a part would destroy the possession as one whole, since it is a thing without life. T. B reads tam multa est (462.3–4). R. A in the margin at 462.12: Responsio quedam.
7 De superfluo vel principaliter necessario: so the print (B vel principio, 462.16); the common teaching is that alms are owed from what is superfluous and, in need, even from what is necessary. Allegare: to plead, with no implication about truth (the glossary).
8 Porisma: a consequence drawn from a principle; rendered "porism", kept apart from corollarium. C. Dominacio temporalium: the exercise of lordship over temporal goods. T. AA₁ read impermixti (462.27). R. A and B in the margin at 462.22: Responsio propria. Potestas faciendi miracula semper fuit utilior ecclesie quam bona temporalia; A at 462.27: Conclusio. Side-note 462.22.
9 Acts 8:18–19. C. Quodammodo infinite goes with necessarior. Multo magis fidelis … has no main verb; "would reckon so" is supplied from censuit. Lucrefaciendo: gaining [souls]. T. AA₁ read voluit (462.32). R. A in the margin at 463.4: Conclusio. Side-note 462.31.
10 Roret is read as foret (463.5). Sibi contraria: contrary to them, the needy. Per se bona: goods in themselves. Per impossibile: on an impossible supposition. T. B reads utilis procreator (463.6); A sicut nemo (463.14). R. Side-note 463.5.
11 Sicut confundit: in the logic of supposition, "as" in a comparison of equality makes the term after it (aliqua potestas) stand confusedly, for every such power; so "as necessary as any power" entails "no such power is more necessary". S. John 1:12.
12 The legend of John the Evangelist turning branches into gold and pebbles of the shore into gems: Isidore, De ortu et obitu Patrum (PL 83), on John, silvestres frondium virgas in aurum mutavit, littoreaque saxa in gemmas formavit. T. B reads valior (463.24).
13 Nam homine habente revelacionem ad hoc: at the page head (464.1) the ablative is taken as "a man having a revelation of it"; si non habeat revelacionem de hoc opens the next clause. Conclusione prima: the first conclusion of this chapter. R. A in the margin at 463.32: Sexta conclusio. Nullus clericus debet contendere pro maioritate ad subditos in ecclesiastica ierarchia. Side-note 464.1.
14 Maioritas: Loserth’s reading; the codices have Minoritas (464.7). B reads impertis (464.9). C. Contrarium: "a contrary [thing]". R. A in the margin at 464.9: Non tenemur credere Romanum pontificem esse caput nostre ecclesie. Side-note 464.14.
15 De fide: of faith, not the ex fide formula. Perire in laicis fides: answers the worry of the previous part about the layman’s certainty of his priest. T. B lacks vel (464.16).
16 Decretum, De consecratione D.4 (Loserth: Decreti III pars, De Consecr. dist. IV, cap. XLI), i.e. De cons. D.4 c.41; its source is Augustine, De baptismo contra Donatistas V.20–21. C. Quomodo: "in the way that", a comparison whose first member the canon leaves out. Dampnabile ministerium: the ministry of an unworthy curate. R. A in the margin at 464.24: Augustinus.

How the Latin of this chapter was established

Plate readings; page · reading · note):
- 461: iterum
- 461: ∅ (s is line number 5; print has no extra word)
- 462: de
- 462: possessione
- 462: fuit
- 462: fuit
- 463: ymmo (folio mark 192ᶜ glued)
- 463: populo (print has populo whole on the line (not hyphenated))
- 463: Christi
- 464: si
- 464: probacio (line number 5 glued)
- 464: ergo