De ecclesia, chapter 22, part 4

Three distinctions of prayer, and the case of Gregory and Trajan raised

Loserth pp. 528.18–532.20

¶1528.18–530.1

528Sed secundo arguitur quod oportet orare pro dampnatis perpetuo, quia de dampnatis temporaliter ad penam purgatorii non dubium quin debemus pro eis specialiter exorare, nam debemus orare pro omnibus christianis conviventibus nobiscum, et multi eorum sunt dampnati perpetuo quoad Deum; ergo conclusio. Aliter enim nullus oraret pro aliquo fratre suo, cum ignorat utrum sit predestinatus vel prescitus. Et eadem est consideracio de defunctis. Nam recepcio sacramentorum, manifestacio signorum et testificacio astancium in fine vite iam morientis, non faciunt nisi levem evidenciam topicam quod decessit in gracia. Quomodo ergo orarent sacerdotes annales pro suis mortuis vel religiosi possessionati pro suis patronis, si non liceret orare pro dampnatis? Unde Augustinus, XXI° De Civitate Dei, capit. XXIII° 529(ubi supra) sic loquitur: Quia ecclesia de nullo certa est, orat pro omnibus; sic enim orat in die Parasceues pro perfidis Iudeis, paganis et aliis cunctis barbaris. Hic dico supponendo sensum proximo limitatum quod trimembris est distinccio oracionis ad propositum. Alia enim est oracio confusa et alia distincta, quod oportet mensurare penes suum primum subiectum, vel secundarium pro quo oratur; ut orando distincte pro cunctis animabus in purgatorio oratur confuse pro Petro vel alio inibi ignorato; et sic dicunt logici quod eadem oracio est respectu diversorum simul confusa et distincta. Secunda distinccio oracionis est quod alia est absoluta et alia condicionata. Absoluta qua beati petunt illud quod intuentur in verbo esse ab eis petendum et a domino concedendum, nam sic Christus et angeli necessitati sunt petere pro membris Christi viantibus et sunt regulariter exauditi. Oracio autem condicionata est oracio qua nos ignari petimus quod reputamus esse nobis utile subintelligendo condicionem, si Deo placeat. Tercia distinccio oracionis capitur penes illud pro quo oratur, ut alia est oracio pro beatitudine et alia oracio pro bono aliquo citra ipsam, sive fuerit perpetuum, sicut est remissio pene eterne, sive bonum aliquod temporale; sed oracio pro homine quoad Deum sumitur communiter pro primo membro famosiori. Istis premissis dico quod orare debemus isto ultimo modo pro prescitis nobiscum conviventibus, intendendo illis bonum in communi, quod secundum illum modum ultimum contingit nos eis mereri, cum contingit nos inorare eorum demeritum et, sic quoad eos nec nostra racio nec nostra correpcio foret cassa; verum tamen scito a nobis distincte ante oracionem quod forent 530tunc mortui eternis ignibus deputati cessaret pro eis tunc

But secondly it is argued that one must pray for the perpetually damned, because of those damned temporally to the punishment of purgatory there is no doubt that we ought to pray specially for them; for we ought to pray for all Christians living with us, and many of them are damned forever as regards God; therefore the conclusion.¹ For otherwise no one would pray for any brother of his, since he is ignorant whether he is predestinate or foreknown. And the consideration is the same about the departed. For the reception of the sacraments, the showing of signs and the testimony of those standing by at the end of the life of one now dying make only a light topical evidence that he died in grace.² How then would annual priests pray for their dead, or the possessioned religious for their patrons, if it were not lawful to pray for the damned?³ Hence Augustine, City of God 21, chapter 23 529(where above), speaks thus: "Because the church is certain of no one, it prays for all; for so it prays on the day of the Preparation for the faithless Jews, the pagans and all other barbarians."⁴ Here I say, supposing the sense limited just now, that the distinction of prayer to the purpose is threefold. For one prayer is indistinct and another distinct, which must be measured by its first subject, or the secondary one for which prayer is made; as, in praying distinctly for all the souls in purgatory, one prays indistinctly for Peter or another there unknown; and so the logicians say that the same prayer is at once indistinct and distinct with respect to different things.⁵ The second distinction of prayer is that one is absolute and another conditional. Absolute prayer is that by which the blessed ask that which they behold in the Word to be asked by them and granted by the Lord; for so Christ and the angels are necessitated to ask for the members of Christ on the road, and are regularly heard. And conditional prayer is prayer by which we, the ignorant, ask what we reckon useful to us, understanding as implied the condition "if it please God".⁶ The third distinction of prayer is taken by that for which prayer is made: as one prayer is for blessedness and another for some good short of it, whether it be perpetual, as is the remission of eternal punishment, or some temporal good; but prayer for a man as regards God is commonly taken for the first, best-known member.⁷ With these premised, I say that we ought to pray in this last way for the foreknown living with us, intending good for them in general, because in that last way it is possible for us to merit for them, since it is possible for us to lessen their demerit; and so, as regards them, neither our reasoning nor our correction would be void;⁸ but yet, were it known to us distinctly before the prayer that they were 530then dead and assigned to eternal fires, there would cease for them then

¶2530.2–532.20

530efficacia deprecandi, et ita, sicut ignoramus qualiter oremus pro vivis ex ignorancia qualitatis sui exitus, sic ignoramus qualiter oremus pro iam mortuis propter ignoranciam conformem. Ideo optimum est nobis sacerdotibus vivendo sancte porrigere Deo oraciones generales et condicionales pro nostris benefactoribus, quia tales ex maiori caritate plus eis proderunt si capaces fuerint (ut patet in De Consecratione d. Vª Non mediocriter); et supposita eorum incapacitate plus proderunt ecclesie et oranti. Nec est licitum orare pro vivis vel mortuis, specialiter condicione orandi exposita pretermissa. Ille ergo qui orat specialiter absolute pro beatificacione patroni sui iam mortui cum hoc quod iam revelatum sit sibi ipsum iam eternis ignibus mancipari, et hoc propter cupidinem temporalium, debet eis privari tamquam orator inutilis, cum debet congaudere cum Deo et beatis in celo de iusto Dei iudicio et materiali gaudio beatorum, eciamsi fuerit alter parentum carnalium vel specialissimus amicorum, quia, sicut non rogamus Deum ut revocet tempus preteritum, sic nec rogamus eum ut revocet tale iudicium. Et quantum ad dictum Augustini, patet quod intelligitur ecclesiam rite orare pro omnibus capacibus, de quanto sunt tales. Unde iste textus suus orat pro omnibus dumtaxat hominibus, inimicis suis in hoc corpore constitutis, nec tamen pro omnibus exauditur; pro hiis enim solis exauditur qui etsi adversantur ecclesie, ita sunt tamen predestinati ut filii efficiantur ecclesie. Si qui autem usque ad mortem habebunt cor impenitens nec ex inimicis convertentur in filios, non pro talium defunctorum spiritibus orat ecclesia, quia in parte iam diaboli 531computatur, qui cum esset in corpore non est translatus ad Christum. Eadem itaque causa est cur non oretur tunc pro hominibus eternaliter puniendis, que causa est ut non oretur neque nunc neque tunc pro malis spiritibus. Sed tercio principaliter arguitur per hoc quod homo potest meritorie orare generaliter pro defunctis, immiscendo intencionem orandi specialiter pro patrono vel alio amico cum hoc quod ipse sit dampnatus, in quo casu orat licite pro dampnato, ergo hoc licet. Confirmatur tripliciter: Primo per hoc quod oracio condicionata est oracio qualem oportet concedere esse licitam pro dampnato, cum sit ex gracia, et per consequens necessitat ad orandum pro talibus. Secundo confirmatur per hoc quod beatus Gregorius oravit specialiter pro Traiano quem scivit esse dampnatum, quia Johannis III°, 18: Qui non credit iam iudicatus est. Imperator autem Traianus fuit infidelis decedens in mortali, ergo cum beatus Gregorius fuit pro illo exauditus a domino, videtur quod pro talibus licitum est orare; ergo sanctus potest mereri ut tales resuscitentur, potest mereri ut salventur. Tercio confirmatur per hoc quod licet orare pro quolibet cui oracio foret utilis vel malum tolleret, sed sic est de omni merito militantis ecclesie quoad dampnatos, ergo licet orare pro illis saltem tollendo magis malum quod eis aliter eveniret. Nam sepe dictum est quod totus mundus adquirit perfeccionem secundam ex merito Christi, cum aliter forent dyaboli penalius cruciati, eo quod aliter haberent maius consorcium conpunitum, plus demerentur amplius seducendo, et careret perfeccione secunda, qua modo consolacione sanctorum misericorditer 532sunt puniti. Bonum ergo quod dyabolus facit predestinatis per accidens fit in virtute meriti Christi; quod videtur de tanto illis proficere. Et per idem videtur quod viator de quanto victoriose resistit dyabolo, confortando fratres ecclesie, mitigat de eius malo, et per consequens facit ut tolleracior sit eius dampnacio et de tanto effectualiter orat pro illo; membra enim sua maxime nocent sibi, quia sicut timentibus Deum omnia cooperantur in bonum, sic prescitis omnia cedunt in malum, et potissime que videntur eis magis utilia. Hic dico quod minor est falsa, nam in casu posito homo intendit orare pro dato mortuo, sed non orat pro eo ex eius incapacitate, sed intencio sicut oracio generalis est in casu meritoria. Unde ad hoc quod quis oret Deum pro aliquo requiritur eius capacitas, ut puta, quod sit creatura racionalis, capax boni pro quo racionabiliter oratur. Et ad primam confirmacionem dico quod contingit intelligere oracionem condicionatam dupliciter; vel quoad

the efficacy of entreating; and so, as we do not know how we should pray for the living, from ignorance of the quality of their end, so we do not know how we should pray for those already dead, because of a like ignorance.⁹ Therefore it is best for us priests, living holily, to offer to God general and conditional prayers for our benefactors, because such, out of greater charity, will profit them more if they are capable (as is clear in De consecratione d. 5 Non mediocriter); and, their incapacity supposed, they will profit the church and the one praying more.¹⁰ Nor is it lawful to pray for the living or the dead specially with the condition of praying set out above passed over. He, therefore, who prays specially and absolutely for the beatification of his patron, now dead, granted that it has already been revealed to him that the patron has already been consigned to eternal fires, and this for greed of temporal goods, ought to be deprived of them as a useless bedesman, since he ought to rejoice with God and the blessed in heaven over the just judgment of God and the material joy of the blessed, even if it were one of his fleshly parents or the most special of his friends; because, as we do not ask God to recall time past, so neither do we ask him to recall such a judgment.¹¹ And as to the saying of Augustine, it is clear that it is understood that the church rightly prays for all who are capable, insofar as they are such. Hence this text of his: "It prays for all men only, its enemies set in this body; and yet it is not heard for all. For it is heard only for those who, although they oppose the church, are yet so predestined that they are made sons of the church. But if any will have an impenitent heart until death and will not be converted from enemies into sons, the church does not pray for the spirits of such dead, because he is now 531reckoned in the devil’s part who, while he was in the body, was not translated to Christ. There is therefore the same reason why prayer is not made then for men to be punished eternally as there is why prayer is made neither now nor then for the evil spirits."¹² But thirdly it is principally argued, by appeal to this: that a man can meritoriously pray generally for the departed, mingling in the intention of praying specially for a patron or another friend, granted that he is damned; in which case he prays lawfully for one damned; therefore this is lawful.¹³ It is confirmed in three ways. First, by this, that conditional prayer is prayer of a kind which must be granted to be lawful for one damned, since it is from grace; and consequently it necessitates praying for such. Secondly, it is confirmed by this, that blessed Gregory prayed specially for Trajan, whom he knew to be damned, because, John 3:18: "He that doth not believe is already judged." Now the emperor Trajan was an unbeliever, dying in mortal sin; therefore, since blessed Gregory was heard by the Lord for him, it seems that it is lawful to pray for such; therefore a saint can merit that such be raised again, can merit that they be saved.¹⁴ Thirdly, it is confirmed by this, that it is lawful to pray for anyone to whom prayer would be useful or would take away evil; now so it is with every merit of the church militant as regards the damned; therefore it is lawful to pray for them, at least by taking away the greater evil that would otherwise befall them. For it has often been said that the whole world acquires its second perfection from the merit of Christ, since otherwise the devils would be tormented more painfully, because otherwise they would have a greater fellowship punished with them, would demerit more by seducing further, and it would lack the second perfection, by which they are now, with the consolation of the saints, mercifully 532punished.¹⁵ Therefore the good which the devil does to the predestinate by accident is done in virtue of the merit of Christ; which seems to profit them to that extent. And by the same token it seems that a wayfarer, insofar as he victoriously resists the devil, strengthening the brothers of the church, mitigates something of his evil, and consequently brings it about that his damnation is more tolerable, and to that extent effectually prays for him; for his members harm him most, because as to them that fear God all things work together unto good, so to the foreknown all things turn out for evil, and most of all those which seem to them more useful.¹⁶ Here I say that the minor is false; for in the case put a man intends to pray for the given dead man, but he does not pray for him, because of his incapacity; but the intention, like the general prayer, is meritorious in the case. Hence, for someone to pray God for another, that other’s capacity is required, for instance, that he be a rational creature, capable of the good for which prayer is reasonably made.¹⁷ And to the first confirmation I say that conditional prayer can be understood in two ways: either as regards

Notes

1 The argument: we pray specially for those in purgatory and for all Christians living with us; but many of these are damned forever "as regards God" (quoad Deum), in God’s knowledge though not in ours. Dampnati temporaliter: condemned to temporal punishment (row dampnacio). T. B ergo orare (528.30). R. Side-note 528.18.
2 Consideracio: the reasoning. Manifestacio signorum: the signs of a good death. Evidencia topica: probable, not demonstrative, evidence (row). T. Morientis is Loserth’s conjecture (528.28); A iam mori, the place damaged by erasure; B utor iam mori; A₁ vita sine moritis.
3 Sacerdotes annales: priests paid to sing masses for a soul through a year or on its anniversary (English "annuellers"). Religiosi possessionati: endowed religious, bound to pray for their founders and patrons (row patronus).
4 Augustine, De civitate Dei 21.24, the passage of 524.18; the print’s "XXIII" here (with ubi supra) stands against Loserth’s correction there. Quia ecclesia de nullo certa est, orat pro omnibus compresses Augustine’s quia de nullo certa est, orat pro omnibus; the Good Friday clause is not in Augustine, though the print sets the whole run in italics. The Good Friday solemn prayers, Oremus et pro perfidis Judaeis … Oremus et pro paganis (Gelasian Sacramentary I.41, PL 74:1105B). C. The quotation is closed at barbaris, where the print’s italics end. Parasceue: the Preparation, Good Friday.
5 Supponendo sensum proximo limitatum: supposing the sense limited just above (528.12–16), of one known, at the time of the prayer, to be damned; limitare here restricts (row). Ad propositum: for the present purpose. Confusa / distincta: indistinct and distinct (row confuse): a prayer for all the souls in purgatory names its first subject distinctly and covers an unknown Peter only indistinctly, as in the logicians’ confused supposition. Primum subiectum, vel secundarium: what the prayer is for first, or what it is for through that. R. Side-notes 529.4, 529.7; A in the margin at 529.5: Responsio. Nota trimembrem distinccionem oracionis.
6 In verbo: in the Word, the Son, in whom the blessed see what is to be asked. Necessitati sunt petere: Christ and the angels are bound to ask, since they see God’s will. Regulariter exauditi: heard as a rule. Viantes: those on the road (row), kept apart from viator. Nos ignari: we who do not know God’s ordinance. R. Side-note 529.12.
7 Citra ipsam: short of blessedness (cf. row citra fidem). Remissio pene eterne as a perpetual good short of blessedness: so printed; the lessening of eternal punishment may be meant (cf. ut micius puniatur, 532.29). Oracio pro homine quoad Deum: prayer for a man before God is commonly taken for the first member, prayer for his blessedness. R. Side-note 529.20.
8 In-orare (529.30–31, so on the plate) is not a word; we translate minorare, "lessen" (our emendation), which fits the mitigation argued below (532.4–7); ignorare, "be ignorant of", is possible. B cum continue for cum contingit (529.30); B an oracionem (529.33). C. Quod secundum illum modum: quod causal. Racio: so in the print, "reasoning"; oracio, "prayer", would sit more easily beside correpcio and may have lost its initial o. Correpcio: fraternal correction. R. Side-note 529.27; A in the margin at 529.27: Quomodo est orandum pro mortuis continue infra.
9 Qualitas sui exitus: the quality of their end, whether they die in grace. Sicut ignoramus qualiter oremus: cf. Romans 8:26, "we know not what we should pray for as we ought". R. Side-note 530.1.
10 Decretum, De consecratione D.5 c.24 Non mediocriter (Loserth, 530.10: "Decreti tercia pars, dist. V, cap. XXIV"; the modern form is ours). C. Si capaces fuerint: if they are capable of being helped. Plus proderunt ecclesie et oranti: if the benefactor is incapable, the prayer profits the church and the priest. R. Side-note 530.7.
11 Specialiter condicione … pretermissa: specialiter taken with orare; it may qualify the omission. Cum hoc quod: granted that (as at 531.9). Eis privari: be deprived of them, the temporal goods for which he prays. Orator: bedesman (row), the priest paid to pray for his patron. Materiali gaudio beatorum: the print’s gaudio is Loserth’s correction; the codices read gaudii (530.19), "the material of the joy of the blessed", that is, God’s judgment as the matter of their joy, which may be the sense. Alter parentum carnalium: one of his parents in the flesh. T. B lacks cum hoc … mancipari (530.15).
12 Augustine, De civitate Dei 21.24, continuing the passage of 524.18–525.10, quoted closely (Sed quia de nullo certa est, orat pro omnibus dumtaxat hominibus inimicis suis in hoc corpore constitutis), though the print sets it in roman. C. Iste textus suus: "this text of his" introduces the quotation, whose subject is the church. Dumtaxat hominibus: men only, not devils. Computatur … qui: Augustine passes to the singular. T. A in hoc in hoc (530.27); B isti sunt tamen (530.29); A and A₁ eternaliter promerendis for eternaliter puniendis (531.3). R. Side-note 530.23.
13 Immiscendo intencionem: mixing into the general prayer an intention for one person. Cum hoc quod ipse sit dampnatus: granted that he is damned, the case where the friend is in fact damned. Ergo hoc licet: so praying for the damned is lawful. R. Side-note 531.6.
14 The legend of Gregory’s prayer for Trajan: John the Deacon, Vita Gregorii 2.44, and later the Legenda aurea; John says that Gregory only wept, and that Trajan was freed from the torments of hell. John 3:18, Douay–Rheims; Wyclif omits autem. C. Quia: the ground on which Gregory knew Trajan damned. Potest mereri ut tales resuscitentur, potest mereri ut salventur: two clauses without a connective; it may be read as a condition, "if a saint can merit that such be raised again, he can merit that they be saved". T. B lacks infidelis (531.19); the codices resuscitnr (531.22). R. Side-note 531.15.
15 Perfeccio secunda: the world’s second perfection, which it has from Christ’s merit; the reference to what "has often been said" is to be traced. Penalius: more painfully. Maius consorcium conpunitum: a larger company punished with them. Plus demerentur: so printed, an indicative among subjunctives; demererentur would be expected. Careret: subject the world (B: scil. mundus). Qua … sunt puniti: subject the devils (B: scil. diaboli); qua may instead agree with consolacione, "by which consolation of the saints they are now mercifully punished". T. Loserth judges the passage "without doubt corrupt" (531.32). R. Side-note 531.23; A in the margin at 531.27: Nota causam. Christi passio perficit omnia.
16 Romans 8:28 (Loserth, 532.9): Wyclif has timentibus, "to them that fear", for the Vulgate diligentibus, "to them that love"; his Latin is translated, the Douay–Rheims wording kept otherwise. C. Per accidens: incidentally, against the devil’s intention. Illis proficere: taken as profiting the devils; it may be the predestinate. Mitigat de eius malo: lessens something of the devil’s evil. Membra sua … sibi: the devil’s members, the foreknown, harm him most; sibi may be "themselves". T. A and A₁ lack quod (532.1); B de quarto viatori (532.4); A and A₁ qui videntur (532.10–11).
17 Minor est falsa: the minor of the third argument, in quo casu orat licite pro dampnato (531.9). Pro dato mortuo: for the dead man in question. Ex eius incapacitate: because of his incapacity. Capax boni: capable of the good asked. The answer to the first confirmation runs on at 532.21. R. Side-notes 532.12, 532.19; A in the margin at 532.11: Responsio.

How the Latin of this chapter was established

Plate readings; page · reading · note):
- 528: pro (b and margin letter H glued)
- 529: (ubi (200d is the glued folio mark)
- 529: trimembris (5 is the line number)
- 529: petimus (201a is the glued folio mark)
- 529: illum
- 530: Deo (English side-note "to" glued)
- 530: Vª
- 531: specialiter [NW]
- 531: sit (English side-note "may be damned" glued in other scans)
- 531: III°
- 531: 18:
- 531: Qui
- 532: incapaci- (hyphen half; tate, follows at pos 106)