The second fabrication: Bonaventure on distinct characters in the several orders

Fourthly it is argued by appeal toarguitur per: it is argued by appeal to this: "that a charactercarecter, caracter (sensibilis): (perceptible) character is a perpetual sealsignaculum: seal, remaining in the separated soul; therefore it ought not to be imprinted except for a perpetual act; now the ministerial act of these lower orders is not perpetual." Therefore etc. "The answer isdicitur multipliciter: is said in many ways," he says, "that it need not remain always as to the use of the ministry, [but in this,] that this use or abuse is turned into reward or wage."¹ Hence he asks secondly, and holds, that "in diverse orders diverse distinct characters are imprinted, and this specifically, as the orders [are], as he must say"; and, having argued in four ways to the opposite, he answers.² "It must be said," he says, "that among those who hold that there is a character in all orders there have customarily been two opinions. For some wish to say that all the orders are united in one character, yet differ according to a greater and a lesser filling, as if a seal were impressed in wax lightly, then more strongly or more fully, proceeding little by little by more and more until the perfect state is reached. And if you ask what is the reason of such an impression, I answer briefly that this is on account of the 503imperfection of the character."³ And he rejects this opinion in three ways, quite vigorously. "First," he says, "if this were so, then it would be impossible to be promoted to the following order with the earlier passed over; which is against the laws. Again, then there would be no difference between the orders except according to greater and less; which is manifestly false, since the powers in diverse orders are ordered to diverse things. And thirdly, if the character thus admitted more, by the same token it could admit less, and consequently would be delible; and by the same token the characters of some sacraments would receive more and less, so that a man might be called more or less baptized or confirmed; which is an utter absurdityinconveniencia; inconveniens: CONTEXTUAL: an absurdity (in argument) · troubles, ill consequences (in affairs)." Therefore the position [is absurd] too.⁴ Other arguments can be made, that by the same token the character of baptism could grow into any character whatever. For in the case [put] one would have to grant that, of two acolytes, the priestly character was imprinted in the one and not in the other, supposing that the one should grow afterwards into a priest and the other remain only an acolyte; and there would be confusion in the priesthood according to more and less.⁵ Therefore the second opinion says better that "in diverse orders diverse characters are imprinted, because not only are those who are taken up to the worship of God distinguished from the others, but indeed among those who minister there is order and distinction; and further, those grades and powers of ministering, if they are given together, are never taken away, even if one who had ministered in a lesser [ministry] is raised to a higher ministry; and therefore in diverse orders diverse seals ought to be imprinted, by which the diversity of the powers of ministering, and their perpetuity, may become known to us; now such a seal is a character."⁶

504"Therefore in diverse orders diverse characters are imprinted, and the reasons showing this are to be granted. To the first in opposition, by which it is argued thus: In the sacrament of baptism only one character is imprinted; likewise in the sacrament of confirmation; therefore by parity of reason in the sacrament of order. It must be said," he says, "that the case is not alike, because it does not posit diversity in the way that the sacrament of order posits it, which by its own nature implies a diversity of grades.⁷ To the second, by which it is argued thus: The sacrament of order regards the character more essentially than any other sacrament in which a character is imprinted; if then order is one sacrament, however much it be multiplied, it seems that one character is imprinted in it. It must be said that this is true, but only as it is compared to a further seal. Just as, then, one letter is written, and two, and three, and four, and yet the aggregate of many letters for expressing one sentencesentencia: CONTEXTUAL: teaching / sentence is only one writing: so in the matter at hand it is understood that every such figuring is ordered to this, that there be inscribed in it the seal according to which a man is judged to be a perfect minister of God; and since a sacrament signifies something relative to another, and the characters too are united as something relative to another, therefore several characters make one sacrament."⁸ Thirdly it is argued thus: "If several characters are imprinted in the same soul, then either they differ in species or only in number. Not in the second way, since the recipient must be stripped of the nature of the thing received; nor in the first way, since from things that remain diverse in form and species nothing one is made except a material one.⁹ To that," he says, "it must be said that there are two ways of speaking of 505characters: either in themselves, or as they are united in the unity and integrity of the subject. If in themselves, then they differ as diverse species of number; if in the second way, then, just as two and four make up six, and have the nature of a constitutive part, and the completion is placed in the six, so it is to be understood in the matter at hand in its own way, though it is not altogether alike."¹⁰ Fourthly it is argued by appeal to this: "that nature does not do by many what it can do by one; therefore the author of nature does not imprint many characters in one who is ordained, since one alone suffices, as happens in baptism. What need is there, then, of positing such distinct characters in order? It must be said," he says, "that this is true when something can be done as completely by one as by many; but this is not so in the matter at hand, because the ordained must not only be distinguished from others, as is done by the character of baptism, but they must be distinguished among themselves by more than a material difference."¹¹ Let the audience wake up, I beg, and consider whether this passage and discourse of the doctors gives effectual testimony for fantasizing that a character is imprinted only in the priestly order, since it testifies the opposite so thickly and so manifestly.¹² And truly a man to whom the art of lying were not praiseworthy would be ashamed of so open a lie. And he who either should intend all his sayings to be taken ironically, or should ascribe a lie to himself as an honour, would give occasion that no more credit be given to his allegationallegare / allegacio: allege / allegation or testimony, whatever he may swear. From the first fabricationcommentum (mendacii): fabrication, therefore, it is gathered that this doctor either falsifies his witness in many ways, or that the testimony that follows is altogether lying and quite useless, since he and his witness contradict each other so often and so openly.¹³ How, I ask, could I reasonably invoke the aidsuffragium sensus: aid of sense of the testimony 506of a doctor, in the same opinion and the same book, whom in the same opinion I convict a hundred times of being a liar? On the same footing, indeed, the devil would have to be alleged as a witness to a teaching, since it is known that from wilecautela: wile and subtlety of wit he says very many true things. And this is the reason why I rest in the allegation of scripture, which cannot lie, and of the holy doctors, whose teaching I wish to sustain in its entirety. But other doctors I will not allege in this way except by arguing to the manargumentum ad hominem: argument to the man, for whom such a doctor’s testimony would be an argument; and so I might allege against the devil’s lying advocateorator: CONTEXTUAL: bedesman / advocate the father of lies himself, but not so that he should be a fit witness for me.¹⁴

And in this second fabrication, without evasion, there is clear, first, the lie of the one who alleges; it is clear, secondly, that the argument I made by supposing the definitiondescripcio: definition of the clericclerus; clericus: the clergy; cleric is not answered by the lying allegation that the character of order is imprinted only in the priesthood; and thirdly, that this sentence of conviction for lying would be a means for this doctor, for me and for others, of being more wary of lying allegations in future.¹⁵

The school of lying is indeed in itself to be detested by God and the whole churchecclesia: church, as the venerable Anselm says, [book] I of Cur Deus homo, chapter 12: "It does not follow," he says, "if God wills to lie, that it is just to lie" (supply: if not from a possible [antecedent]), "but rather it follows that that Lord does not exist. For in no way can a will will to lie, except one in which truth is corrupted, indeed one which by deserting truth has been corrupted." What then follows from this answer of the lie? Truly, lie heaped upon lie.¹⁶