Wyclif’s Latin works

De ecclesia, chapter 4, part 3

The fourth objection; the foreknown are no part of the bride whom Christ always loves

Loserth pp. 76.25–80.31

¶176.25–77.8

76Sed utinam considerarent, primo quod nec locus nec eleccio humana facit membrum ecclesie sed predestinacio divina respectu cuiuscunque qui perseveranter Christum sequitur in caritate et relinquendo omnia temporalia moritur penaliter in defensione legis sue. Secundo considerarent cum formidine conversacionem suam, quomodo vite capitis conformantur, quia ex fide debent credere quod nec sunt vel membrum ecclesie, nec illi sunt quibus facta fuit promissio, nisi relinquendo omnia usque ad mortem penaliter secuti 77fuerint dominum Jesum Christum. Tercio vero confidant in suo humili ministerio ecclesie et non in fastu vel questu seculi, cum solum sic: humilibus promittitur celestis hereditas. Deus enim non potest promittere regnum alicui christiano nisi sub tali condicione tacita vel expressa, ut pertinenter innuitur I° Reg. cap. II° de Hely, et alibi sepius in scriptura. Et utinam nostri prelati ad sentenciam istam attenderent.

But would that they considered, first, that neither place nor human election makes a member of the churchecclesia: church, but divine predestination, with respect to anyone whatever who perseveringly follows Christ in charitycaritas: charity and, leaving all temporal goodstemporalia: temporal goods, dies in hardship in defence of his law.1 Second, they should consider with misgivingformido (sine / cum formidine): misgiving their manner of lifeconversacio: manner of life, how it is conformed to the life of the headcaput: head; for as faith teachesex fide: as faith teaches; with a genitive, from the faith of [scripture] they must believe that they neither are [the church] nor a member of the church, nor are they those to whom the promise was made, unless, leaving all things, they have followed 77the Lord Jesus Christ in hardship unto death.2 Third, let them trust in their humble ministry to the church, and not in the pride or the gain of the world, since only thus: to the humble is the heavenly inheritance promised. For God cannot promise the kingdomregnum: kingdom to any Christian except under such a condition, tacit or express, as is aptly intimated in 1 Kings, chapter 2, of Eli, and more often elsewhere in scripture.3 And would that our prelatesprelatus: prelate attended to this teachingsentencia: CONTEXTUAL: teaching / sentence.

¶277.9–78.11

77Quarto obicitur per hoc quod non docetur efficaciter, quando quicunque sit membrum ecclesie qui est in gracia secundum presentem iusticiam, specialiter cum sanctus Thomas dicit hoc expresse, et idem videtur sequi ex dictis Ricardi de Sancto Victore. Aliter enim nemo absolveret prescitum nec incorporaret penitentem per misterium sacramentorum ecclesie, et sic titubaret fides sacramentorum tam ex incertitudine ministri quam ex ignorancia predestinacionis ministrantis. Hic dicitur (ut supra) quod quicunque vocaverit prescitum in gracia membrum ecclesie, equivocat cum Augustino de scriptura sacra, attendens ad modum loquendi vulgarem et reputacionem ecclesie militantis. Ideo detecta equivocacione expressi superius sentenciam sancti Thome. Et idem videtur Ricardus sentire quod, sicut predestinatus in quantumcunque magno mortali manet continue membrum Christi, sic prescitus absque gracia predestinacionis quantumcunque magnam graciam momentaneam habuerit non remanet eius membrum. Sic enim si foret paterfamilias, cedens lignum de silva quod ordinat aliquantulum expoliri, sed composicionem domus sue nunquam ingredi, non vere diceretur, vel quod ipsum lignum preparaverit in partem domus, 78vel quod unquam fuerit pars domus huiusmodi, quia sic quelibet domus materialis foret nimis magna, habens in composicionem sui omnes materiales substancias que sunt in potencia fieri eius partes. Sic videtur quod domus mundi excidens de massa humani generis quosdam ad ignem perpetuum, quosdam ut sint postes vel alie partes perpetue in domo domini, nec ordinavit nec futurum erat, ut comburendi forent pars ecclesie, quantumcunque politi fuerint ad tempus, sed finaliter reprobandi. Aliter enim diabolus et omnia membra eius forent pars domus domini.

Fourthly it is objected, by appeal toobicitur per: it is objected, by appeal to this: that [the teaching] is not effectively taught, since anyone whatever who is in grace according to present justice is a member of the church, especially as St Thomas says this expressly, and the same seems to follow from the sayings of Richard of St Victor.4 For otherwise no one would absolve a foreknownprescitus, -i: the foreknown [man] or incorporate a penitent through the mystery of the sacraments of the church; and so faith in the sacraments would totter, as much from uncertainty about the minister as from ignorance of the predestination of the one ministering.5 To this the answer isdicitur multipliciter: is said in many ways (as above) that whoever calls a foreknown [man] in grace a member of the church equivocates, with Augustine, about holy scripture, attending to the common manner of speaking and to the reputation of the church militantecclesia militans / triumphans / dormiens: the church militant / triumphant / sleeping.6 Therefore, the equivocation having been laid bare, I expressed above the teaching of St Thomas. And Richard seems to think the same: that, just as a predestinatepredestinatus, -i: the predestinate (sg. "a predestinate [person]") [man], in however great a mortal [sin], remains continually a member of Christ, so a foreknown [man], without the grace of predestination, however great a momentary grace he may have had, does not remain his member. For thus, if there were a householder cutting timber from the wood which he ordains to be somewhat smoothed, but never to enter into the structure of his house, it would not truly be said either that he had prepared that timber as a part of the house, 78or that it was ever a part of such a house; because so every material house would be too great, having in its structure all the material substances that are in potency to become its parts.7 So it seems that the lord of the world, cutting from the mass of the human race some for everlasting fire, and some to be posts or other everlasting parts in the house of the Lord, neither ordained, nor was it to be, that those who are to be burned should be part of the church, however polished they may have been for a time; but [they are] finally to be reprobated. For otherwise the devil and all his members would be part of the house of the Lord.8

¶378.12–79.3

78Et si dicatur quod Christus habet pro statu viacionis secundum presentem iusticiam tugurium estivale cuius omnes tales sunt partes, tamen cum pro tempore ipsos inhabitat, nihil proposito nostro de tugurio, quia limitatur nobis sermo de sancta matre ecclesia, sponsa Christi, quam ordinavit perpetuam reginam, eternaliter secum mansuram, sine macula vel ruga, ut loquitur apostolus Ephesiis V°, 25, 27: Christus, inquit, tradidit semetipsum pro ecclesia, ut ipse sibi exhiberet ecclesiam gloriosam, non habentem maculam neque rugam. Et de illa dicit sanctus Thomas, De Christo, conclusione VIIIª articulo III°, quod ille est ultimus finis ad quem producitur sancta mater ecclesia per passionem Christi pro statu patrie, non autem pro statu vie; in quo si dixerimus, quia peccata non habemus, nos ipsos seducimus; et veritas in nobis non est (ut dicitur Iª Johannis 1° cap., 8). Unde miror quo spiritu nos qui sumus pregravati macula mortalis peccati et ruga venialis presumimus sine revelacione speciali frontose asserere quod sumus membra illius ecclesie. Et si dicatur quod ista non sunt verba sine racione, arguitur ex principiis fidei 79scripture quod impossibile est quemcunque prescitum quantumcunque magna gracia ad tempus prepolleat esse membrum sancte matris ecclesie.

And if it be said that Christ has, for the state of wayfaringviacio: wayfaring according to present justice, a summer hut of which all such are parts, yet since he inhabits them [only] for a time, [this is] nothing to our purpose concerning the hut; because our discourse is limited to holy mother church, the bridesponsa / sponsus: bride / bridegroom of Christ, whom he ordained an everlasting queen, to abide with him eternally, without spot or wrinkle, as the apostle says, Ephesians 5:25, 27: "Christ," he says, "delivered himself up for the church, that he might present to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle."9 And of it St Thomas says, On Christ, conclusion 8, article 3, that this is the last end to which holy mother church is brought through the passion of Christ, for the state of the homelandvia / patria: the way / the homeland, but not for the state of the way; in which, "if we say that we have no sins, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (as is said in 1 John 1:8).10 Hence I wonder by what spirit we, who are weighed down by the spot of mortal sin and the wrinkle of venial [sin], presume, without special revelation, brazenly to assert that we are members of that church. And if it be said that these are not words without reason, it is argued from the principles of the faith 79of scripture that it is impossible that any foreknown [man] whatever, however great the grace in which he excels for a time, should be a member of holy mother church.11

¶479.4–79.29

79Nam impossibile est Christum unquam non diligere sponsam suam vel aliquam eius partem, cum necessario ipsam totam diligit ut se ipsum. Sed impossibile est ut aliquem prescitum sic diligat, ergo impossibile est ut aliquis prescitus sit membrum illius ecclesie. Pro probacione antecedentis suppono hoc famosum principium aput theologos quod Deus non potest quidquam de novo cognoscere sive diligere. Patet per beatum Augustinum VI° De Trinitate XXVII° et eciam philosophica racio contestatur idem concorditer. Unde doctor profundus, libro primo, correlario XXIIIⁱ capituli pulcre declarat quod Deus nullum noviter diligit neque odit, nec magis aut minus una vice quam alia, nec preces aut quecunque merita bona vel mala flectunt aut mutant voluntatem divinam in minimo huc aut illuc, et quod omnem salvandum aut dampnandum, premiandum vel puniendum sub quocunque gradu voluit ab eterno salvari vel dampnari, premiari vel puniri, sub eodem gradu semper vult precise, et hoc nedum voluntate condicionali vel indeterminata, sed ita absoluta et determinata, sicut vult in presenti vel in finali iudicio aut post volet. Patet ex hoc quod Deus non potest incipere vel desinere quidquam intelligere nec actum voluntatis elicere, tum quia est immutabilis, tum eciam quia tunc noticia aut volucio divina dependeret ab extrinseco plus quam nostra.

For it is impossible that Christ should ever not love his bride or any part of her, since of necessity he loves her whole as himself. Now it is impossible that he should so love any foreknown [man]; therefore it is impossible that any foreknown [man] should be a member of that church.12 For the proof of the antecedentconsequens / antecedens: consequent / antecedent I suppose this well-known principle among theologians: that God cannot know or love anything anew. It is clear through blessed Augustine, On the Trinity 6, [chapter] 27, and philosophical reason also bears witness to the same in agreement.13 Hence the Profound Doctor, in the first book, in the corollary of chapter 23, beautifully declares that God loves or hates no one newly, nor more or less at one time than at another; nor do prayers or any merits whatever, good or bad, bend or change the divine will in the least, this way or that; and that every one to be saved or damned, rewarded or punished, under whatever degree he willed from eternity [that he] be saved or damned, rewarded or punished, under the same degree he always precisely wills; and this not only by a conditional or indeterminate will, but by one as absolute and determinate as [that by which] he wills in the present, or will will at the final judgement or after.14 This is clear from the fact that God cannot begin or cease to understand anything, nor to elicit an act of will: both because he is immutable, and also because then the divine knowledge or volition would depend on something extrinsic more than ours [does].

¶580.1–80.31

80Ex istis videtur quod Christus semper diligit totam ecclesiam ut se ipsum, quia aliquando sic diliget, scilicet post diem iudicii, quando regnabit cum eo (ut patet ex processu Cantici Canticorum). Aliter enim non foret verum matrimonium ex caritate perpetua Christi consencientis ad divinas nupcias, nisi sponsus qui est una persona cum sponsa ipsam diligat ut se ipsum. Exemplar enim oportet habere summum gradum denominacionis, quam exemplatis communicat, et hinc Ephes. V°, 25, 28, dicitur: Viri diligite uxores vestras, sicut Christus dilexit ecclesiam et semetipsum tradidit pro ea, ut eam sanctificaret, mundans illam lavacro aque in verbo vite, ut ipse exhiberet gloriosam ecclesiam, non habentem maculam aut rugam aut aliquid huiusmodi, ut sit sancta et immaculata. Ita et viri debent diligere uxores suas ut corpora sua. Ex ista fide scripture de sancta matre ecclesia patet cum dicto correlario quod debet semper diligere totam sanctam ecclesiam sicut diliget post diem iudicii; et per idem semper odit quemcunque prescitum, sicut unquam post diem iudicii. Cum enim Deus plene scit qualem finem quicunque prescitus cum ipso faciet et quantam penitenciam agent quicunque predestinati casuri, postmodum perpetuo Dei grati, patet quod necessario omnem predestinatum quantumcunque criminosus fuerit plus diligit, quam aliquem prescitum in quantacunque gracia fuerit temporali, quia primum eternaliter vult habere beatitudinem et alium ignem perpetuum. Testatur autem scriptura quod Deus odit peccatores, ut patet Psalmo V°, 7: Odisti omnes qui operantur iniquitatem.

From these it seems that Christ always loves the whole church as himself, since at some time he will so love [it], namely after the day of judgement, when it will reign with him (as is clear from the courseprocessus (of a book): the course, the argument of the Song of Songs). For otherwise there would not be a true marriage, from the everlasting charity of Christ consenting to the divine nuptials, unless the bridegroom, who is one person with the bride, love her as himself. For the exemplar must have the highest degree of the denomination which it communicates to the things exemplified; and hence it is said, Ephesians 5:25, 28: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and delivered himself up for it: that he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life: that he might present a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; that it should be holy and without blemish. So also ought men to love their wives as their own bodies."15 From this faith of scripture concerning holy mother church it is clear, together with the said corollary, that he must always love the whole holy church as he will love [it] after the day of judgement; and by the same token he always hates any foreknown [man] whatever, as [much as] ever [he will] after the day of judgement.16 For since God fully knows what kind of end any foreknown [man] whatever will make with him, and how great a penance any predestinate who are going to fall will do, [being] afterwards everlastingly pleasing to God, it is clear that of necessity he loves every predestinate [man], however criminous he may have been, more than any foreknown [man], in however great a temporal grace he may have been; because he eternally wills the first to have blessedness and the other everlasting fire. And scripture bears witness that God hates sinners, as is clear from Psalm 5:7: "Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity."17

Notes

  1. 1 The answer to the third objection (the prelates who trust in place and office, 76.1–24) continues. AA₁ nullus locus vel eleccio, as also Hus (Loserth); the print nec locus nec eleccio is B’s. AB margin: Triplex consideracio (76.25); B’s later hand: Nec locus nec eleccio facit predestinatum. Penaliter: under suffering, the adverb of penalitas (the glossary, "hardship").
  2. 2 Nec sunt vel membrum ecclesie: the first member has no complement; we supply "[the church]" (the church, or a member of it). Facta fuit promissio (76.33): the print (plate); the OCR had ruit.
  3. 3 1 Sam. 2:30 (DR 1 Kings): the promise to Eli’s house, "should minister in my sight, for ever. But now saith the Lord: Far be this from me"; the conditional promise is the point. Not quoted. Cum solum sic: the colon is the print’s; the clause states what the "thus" is.
  4. 4 Quando taken as causal ("since"), which gives the objection Loserth’s side-note states; read as temporal ("it is not effectively taught when anyone … is a member") it says the same less directly. Gracia secundum presentem iusticiam: as in 04-b ¶2. St Thomas and Richard, "loc. cit." (Loserth, = Thomae Opp. V, 51): Thomas ST III q. 8 a. 3 co. and ad 2, and most expressly In III Sent. d. 13 q. 2 a. 2 qc. 2 ad 3 (cf. 18-a); Richard, De potestate ligandi et solvendi (04-b n. 2). A margin: Quarta obieccio (77.9). B ideo videtur, and B lacks Ricardi (77.12–13).
  5. 5 AA₁ predestinacionis ministri; B ministrati, "of the one ministered to", which would set the minister’s uncertainty against ignorance of the recipient’s predestination. We translate the print. B tutubaret (77.16).
  6. 6 Equivocat cum Augustino de scriptura sacra: taken as "uses the word as Augustine does when he speaks of scripture’s usage", i.e. the common sense of ecclesia that includes the foreknown (cf. ut supra); cum Augustino could also mean "against Augustine['s usage]". A margin: Responsio. Presciti et predestinati quomodo sunt in ecclesia (77.19); Conclusio (77.25). A iterum videtur, and B lacks Ricardus (77.23).
  7. 7 Richard’s figure of the timber (04-b ¶1, 73.20–26) turned against the foreknown: timber smoothed for a time but never built in was never part of the house. Cedens = caedens. A margin: Exemplum (77.28).
  8. 8 Domus mundi (78.4), as printed (plate), does not construe as the subject of ordinavit; we translate dominus mundi, "the lord of the world" (our emendation); reported as a doubt. Postes: the posts or door-posts of the house. Reprobandi: "to be reprobated", the verb of reprobi.
  9. 9 Eph. 5:25, 27, DR, abridged by Wyclif (Christus … tradidit … pro ecclesia; neque for aut). Tugurium estivale: a summer hut, a temporary dwelling, set against the house that stands for ever; the opponent’s figure for the church of present justice. A margin: Ficcio (78.12). B non aut (78.26).
  10. 10 Aquinas, ST III q. 8 a. 3 ad 2 (Loserth: Thomae Opp. V, 51–52, quoting Unde hoc erit in statu patriae, non autem in statu viae). De Christo is the Tertia pars; conclusione VIII the question. Thomas has perducimur, Wyclif producitur … ecclesia. 1 John 1:8, DR; Wyclif peccata (plural) for peccatum, quia for quoniam. A margin: S. Thomas (78.23).
  11. 11 Venialis is Loserth’s; the MSS venali (78.30). B asserunt (78.31). Si dicatur quod ista non sunt verba sine racione: as printed, "if it be said that these are not words without reason", where the sense wants "if it be said that these are words without reason" or "that it may be said that they are not"; we translate the print; reported. A margin: Nota bonam racionem (79.2); Arguitur quod impossibile est prescitum esse membrum ecclesie sponse Christi (79.3).
  12. 12 Impossibile° (79.5): the degree sign is an OCR scar (Loserth’s line has no reference mark); reported. Sed brings the minor premiss ("Now"). The antecedens proved next is the minor: that Christ cannot so love a foreknown man.
  13. 13 Augustine, De Trinitate, as Wyclif cites it, "VI, 27"; Loserth: "rightly XIV, cap. XVIII", Opp. VIII, 95, and cf. a second place (the OCR of his note is uncertain: "lib. VIII [?], cap. XII"); XIV.18 (PL 42:1055) does not contain the claim, and the place is untraced. B ideo contestatur (79.12). A margin: Supposicio (79.10), Augustinus (79.12).
  14. 14 Thomas Bradwardine, the doctor profundus, De causa Dei I, corollary of chapter 23 (Loserth’s note: Bradwardine, confessor of Edward III, archbishop of Canterbury, d. 1349). Wyclif gives the corollary almost word for word (Savile, 1618, I.23 capitula). B nec partes aut for nec preces aut (79.16). B margin: Bradwardyn (79.13); Probat prescitum non esse partem ecclesie (79.22).
  15. 15 Eph. 5:25–28, DR; Wyclif lacks et before Christus, sibi (5:27) and sed (5:27), and has illam after mundans. Exemplar … denominacionis: the exemplar has in the highest degree the quality by which it names its copies; so Christ’s love of the church is the measure of a husband’s. B exemplaris (80.9). A margin: Christus diligit totam ecclesiam sicud se ipsum (80.2). Processus: the course of the Song (the glossary, ); regnabit cum eo: "it" is the church.
  16. 16 Debet: "he must", of necessity, not of obligation. Ex ista fide scripture: "from this faith of scripture", the genitive use of the formula (the glossary, ). A margin: Conclusio (80.24).
  17. 17 Qualem finem … cum ipso faciet: "what end … will make with him", i.e. how the foreknown man will end in relation to God; the Latin is compressed. Dei grati: "in favour with God". Ps. 5:7 (Vulgate numbering), DR. B Testatur aut[em] (80.27). A margin: Quinta obieccio (80.32), at the next chunk.
How the Latin of this chapter was established
  • Plate readings; page · reading · note):
    • 76: facit
    • 76: conversa- (first half of conversa-/cionem (cionem is pos 209); b is the margin letter) [NW]
    • 76: illi (print 'nec illi sunt')
    • 76: facta
    • 77: vel (139a is the folio mark)
    • 77: I°
    • 77: II° (print 'cap. II° de Hely' (de is the INS? row at pos 48))
    • 77: de (print 'II° de Hely')
    • 77: est ('to' is side-note text)
    • 78: Christus
    • 78: tugurium (print has tugurium) [NW]
    • 78: III°
    • 78: Iª
    • 79: XXIIIⁱ (superscript i after XXIII (not a degree sign))
    • 80: ipsum
    • 80: iudicii
    • 80: videtur
    • 80: Christus
    • 80: diliget
    • 78: patrie, (25 is the line number) [-MARK]
  • Corrected in the Latin; plates): 76.33 ruit → fuit; 79.5 impossibile°; 79.12 DeTrinitate; 76.30 conversa- cionem. Read on the plate and left as printed: 78.4 domus mundi (translated as dominus, our emendation, n. 8); about 78.33 non sunt verba (Latin doubt, translated as printed).