Respondeo. Dicendum est, quod Deus non permittit nos tentari sine adiutorio gratiae divinae. Et ideo dicebat Apostolus I Cor. XV, v. 10: non autem ego, sed gratia Dei mecum.
I answer that God does not permit us to be tried without the help of divine grace; that is why the Apostle said: not I, but the grace of God which is with me (1 Cor 15:10).
Et quantum ad mortis terrorem; unde dicit in mortibus frequenter, id est in periculis et terroribus mortis. Unde dicebat ipse Rom. VIII, 36: mortificamur tota die. I Cor. c. XV, 31: quotidie morior propter gloriam vestram.
Then as to the terror of death; hence he says, in deaths often, i.e., in the dangers and terrors of death. Hence he said: for your sake we are being killed all the day long (Rom 8:26); I die daily for your glory (1 Cor 15:31).
424. Sed consequenter, cum dicit a Iudaeis quinquies, etc., manifestat duo ultima pericula, quae perpessus est. Et
424. Then, when he says from the Jews, five times I received forty stripes less one, he manifests the two extreme dangers he underwent.
primo periculum plagarum,
And first, the danger of lashes;
secundo periculum mortis.
second, the danger of death.
425. Plagarum autem periculum manifestat per ipsa perpessa a suis, scilicet Iudaeis. Et ideo dicit a Iudaeis quinquies, et cetera.
425. But he shows the danger of lashes by citing those he suffered from his own, that is, from the Jews. Hence he says, from the Jews, five times I received forty stripes less one.
Notandum est autem, sicut dicitur Deut. c. XXV, 2 s., pro mensura delicti erit plagarum modus. Ita dumtaxat, ut quadragenarium numerum non excedant, et cetera. Ex quo habetur quod homines pro minoribus peccatis debent flagellari, ita tamen, quod flagellatus non reciperet ultra quadraginta plagas. Iudaei autem, ut viderentur misericordes, semper faciebant citra mandatum legis, dantes pauciores quam quadraginta, secundum quod eis videbatur. Quia ergo odio habebant Paulum, quando flagellabant eum, dimittebant sibi de numero praedicto quantominus poterant, scilicet unam tantum minus, dantes sibi trigintanovem. Et hoc est, quod quinque vicibus accepit, id est recepit quadraginta plagas, minus una, plaga, id est trigintanovem.
It should be noted that, as it is said: a number of stripes in proportion to his offense. Forty stripes may be given him, but not more; lest, if one should go on to beat him with more stripes than these, your brother be degraded in your sight (Deut 25:2). This shows that men should be whipped for lesser sins, yet so that the victim never receive more than forty stripes. But the Jews, to appear merciful, always acted short of the law, giving less than forty, according as it appeared to them. Therefore, because they hated Paul, whenever they flogged him, they omitted the least possible number of strokes below the law’s limit, namely, giving only one less, i.e., thirty-nine. And this is what he received five times, namely, forty lashes less one.
Secundo manifestat pericula perpessa ab extraneis, scilicet a gentibus, dicens ter virgis caesus sum. Act. XVI, 22: magistratus, scissis eorum tunicis, iussit eos virgis caedi. Item XXII, 24: iussit eum tribunus duci in castra, et flagellis caedi, et torqueri eum, et cetera.
Second, he indicates the perils he endured from outsiders, namely, the gentiles, saying: three times I was beaten with rods. The magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods (Acts 16:22); the tribune commanded him to be brought into the barracks, and ordered him to be examined by scourging (Acts 22:14).
426. Pericula vero mortis illata, et primo pericula mortis illata ab hominibus ostendit, dicens semel lapidatus sum. Hoc fuit in civitate Licaoniae, ibi obrutus lapidibus fuit quasi mortuus. Act. XIV, 18: lapidantes Paulum eiecerunt eum extra civitatem, credentes eum mortuum.
426. Then he discloses the perils of death he faced; and first of all those inflicted by men, saying: once I was stoned. This happened in the city of Lycaonia, where he was struck down with stones and almost killed. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead (Acts 14:18).
Secundo pericula mortis illata a periculis naturae, et haec sunt specialiter maris, et aggravat ea, primo, ex numero, quia ter naufragium feci, id est pertuli; secundo ex continuitate, quia nocte et die in profundo maris fui, quod est gravius; quia ad litteram dicit, quod cum pluries passus sit naufragium, tamen semel stetit sub aqua per diem et noctem, divina eum virtute protegente. Unde poterat dicere illud Ionae II, 4: et proiicite me in profundum, et cetera.
Second, the perils endured from the works of nature, and particularly from the sea. He amplifies these, first from their number, because three times I suffered shipwreck; second, from their duration, because a night and a day I was in the depth of the sea, which is more grievous; for the text says that although he suffered shipwreck a number of times, he remained in the water for a day and a half under the protection of God’s power. Hence he could say with Jonah: for you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood was round about me (Jonah 2:4).
427. Enumeratis autem malis illatis, enumerat consequenter etiam mala assumpta, cum dicit in itineribus. Et
427. Having listed the evils inflicted from without, he then lists those he voluntarily assumed, when he says, often on journeys:
primo exteriora,
first, external evils;
secundo interiora, ibi praeter illa quae extrinsecus, et cetera.
second, internal evils, at besides those things which are without.
Mala exteriora exprimit, et primo quantum ad mala, quae contingunt in itineribus; secundo quantum ad ea quae eveniunt in domibus.
He describes the external evils: first as to the evils that occur on journeys; second, as to those in houses.
428. Quantum ad primum, primo, ponit multiplicitatem itinerum, dicens in itineribus saepe, scilicet ostensus sum minister Christi, sustinendo multa dura et gravia patienter. Rom. XV, 19: ab Ierusalem usque in Illyricum, et cetera. Et cum hoc multas alias vias fecit, et Romam, et Hispaniam vadens. Psalmo XVI, 4: propter verba labiorum tuorum, et cetera.
428. In regard to the first he mentions his frequent journeys, saying often on journeys, namely, I am proved a minister of Christ by enduring many hard and difficult things patiently. From Jerusalem and as far round as Illyricum I have fully preached the Gospel of Christ (Rom 15:19). Along with these he traveled along many roads, going to Rome and into Spain: for the sake of the words of your lips, I have kept hard ways (Ps 17:4).
Secundo enumerat periculum itinerum. Et primo praemittit minora, secundo subdit gravius periculum, quod in falsis fratribus.
Second, he mentions the dangers from journeys: first, the lesser ones; second, the more serious danger from false brethren.
Praemittit autem tria, secundum quae multa pericula passus est. Primo pericula secundum causas. Et hoc, vel ex causa naturali, et ideo dicit periculis fluminum. Naturaliter enim flumina hyeme excrescunt, et sunt rapida et valde periculosa, et cetera. Vel ex malitia violenta, et quantum ad hoc dicit periculis latronum, quos excitabat ei diabolus, ut vel vestes ei auferrent. Iob XIX, 2: simul venerunt latrones, et cetera. Secundo enumerat pericula metum inferentia, et hoc vel ex suis, unde dicit periculis ex genere, id est, a Iudaeis procuratis; vel ab extraneis, et ideo dicit periculis ex gentibus, propter unius Dei praedicationem, qui eum capere volebant; et sic in suis et in aliis non habebat requiem. Ier. XV, 10: ut quid me genuisti, mater mea, virum doloris? et cetera. Tertio enumerat pericula quantum ad loca, et hoc, vel quantum ad civitates, unde dicit periculis in civitate, id est, in commotionibus civitatum contra me sicut fuit Ephesi et apud Corinthum, ut patet Act. XVIII, 12 et XIX, 23; vel quantum ad solitudines, et quantum ad hoc dicit periculis in solitudine, quae erant vel a bestiis malis, sicut quando vipera momordit manum suam, Act. ult., quando congregavit sarmenta, vel ex penuria ciborum. Vel quantum ad maria, et ideo dicit periculis in mari, non ex mari, sicut supra, sed in mari, ut pericula quae proveniunt ex praedonibus et piratis. Eccli. XLIII, 26: qui navigant mare, et cetera.
Among the lesser dangers he mentions three things, in regard to which he suffered many dangers. First, in regard to their causes, and these either from natural causes; hence he says, in perils of waters, for streams naturally rise in the winter and are swift and very dangerous; or from malicious violence; as to this he says, in perils of robbers, whom the devil roused against him to rob him of his clothing: his troops come on together; they have cast up siegeworks against me, and encamp round about my tent (Job 19:12). Second, he lists the dangers that inspire fear either from his own; hence he says, in perils from my own nation, i.e., managed by the Jews: or from outsiders; hence he says, in perils from gentiles, who wanted to capture him for preaching the one true God. Consequently, he had no rest from his own or from others: my mother, you bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! (Jer 15:10). Third, he lists the dangers as to their places. First, as to cities he says, in perils in the city, i.e., in cities stirred up against me, as at Ephesus and Corinth (Acts 18:12; 19:23); or as to a desert place; hence he says, in perils in the wilderness, either from evil beasts, as when a viper bit his hand as he was collecting sticks (Acts 28:3), or from want of food. Second, as to danger at sea, he says in perils in the sea, such as perils from plunderers and pirates: let those who sail the sea tell of its dangers (Sir 43:26).
Sed gravius periculum subdit, dicens periculis in falsis fratribus, id est in falsis Christianis et haereticis, et in pseudo. Ier. c. IX, 4: unusquisque a fratre suo se custodiat.
But he mentions a more serious danger, saying, in perils from false brethren, i.e., from false Christians and heretics and false apostles: let every man beware of his neighbor (Jer 9:4).
Lectio 6
Lecture 6
Gloria in infirmitate
Glory in infirmity
11:27 In labore et aerumna, in vigiliis multis, in fame et siti, in jejuniis multis, in frigore et nuditate, [n. 429]
11:27 In labor and painfulness, in many watchings, in hunger and thirst, in many fastings, in cold and nakedness: [n. 429]
11:28 praeter illa quae extrinsecus sunt, instantia mea quotidiana, sollicitudo omnium ecclesiarum. [n. 432]
11:28 Besides those things which are without: my daily pressures, the anxiety for all the churches. [n. 432]
11:29 Quis infirmatur, et ego non infirmor? quis scandalizatur, et ego non uror?
11:29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is scandalized, and I am not on fire?
11:30 Si gloriari oportet, quae infirmitatis meae sunt, gloriabor. [n. 435]
11:30 If I must glory, I will glory of the things that concern my infirmity. [n. 435]
11:31 Deus et Pater Domini nostri Jesu Christi, qui est benedictus in saecula, scit quod non mentior. [n. 437]
11:31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I do not lie. [n. 437]
11:32 Damasci praepositus gentis Aretae regis custodiebat civitatem Damascenorum ut me comprehenderet: [n. 438]
11:32 At Damascus, the governor of the nation under Aretas the king, guarded the city of the Damascenes, to apprehend me. [n. 438]
11:33 et per fenestram in sporta dimissus sum per murum, et sic effugi manus ejus.
11:33 And I was let down by the wall, through a window, in a basket: and so escaped his hands.
429. Hic consequenter enumerat mala sponte assumpta, quae sustinentur in domibus. Et enumerat tria mala opposita tribus bonis, quae sunt necessaria ad vitam domesticam. Primum bonum est requies somni, secundum est sustentatio cibi, tertium est fomentum vestis.
429. Here he lists the evils voluntarily assumed, namely, those endured in homes, and he lists three evils opposed to the three goods which are necessary for domestic life. The first good is restful sleep; the second is sustenance from food; the third is the warmth of clothing.
Requiei ergo somni, opponit laborem et vigilias. Quantum ad laborem dicit in labore, scilicet manuum. Act. XX, 34: ad ea quae mihi opus erant, et cetera. Et ideo dicit supra VI, v. 5: in laboribus, quia, ad litteram, ut dictum est supra, manu sua victum quaerebat. Et II Thess. III, 8: nocte et die laborantes, et cetera. Quantum ad laboris defectum dicit aerumna, quae est defectus et languor consequens ex labore, vel ex morbo naturali. Ps. c. XXXI, 4: conversus sum in aerumna, et cetera. Quantum vero ad vigilias dicit in vigiliis multis, vel in vacando praedicationibus de nocte, vel operi manuali. Act. XX, 7 dicitur quod protraxit sermonem usque ad mediam noctem.
To restful sleep he opposes labor and watchings, in regard to which he says, in labor, i.e., manual labor. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities, and to those who were with me (Acts 20:34), because he literally made his living with his own hands: with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you (2 Thess 3:8). As to the weakness resulting from labor he says, and painfulness, which is a weakness and tiredness that follows upon labor or from a natural sickness: my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer (Ps 32:4). But in regard to watchings he says, in many watchings, because he devoted himself either to preaching at night or to manual labor. In Acts it says that he prolonged his sermon until midnight (Acts 20:7).
430. Sustentationi vero cibi opponit duplicem subtractionem cibi, unam quae est ex necessitate; unde dicit in fame et siti, quia scilicet, ad litteram, deficiebat sibi aliquando cibus et potus. I Cor. IV, 11: usque in hanc horam, et cetera. Aliam quae est ex voluntate, unde dicit in ieiuniis multis, scilicet voluntarie assumptis, et propter exemplum bonum et propter macerationem carnis. I Cor. IX, 27: castigo corpus meum, et cetera.
430. To sustenance from food he opposes two forms of being denied food. One is due to necessity; hence he says, in hunger and thirst, namely, because he was unable frequently to obtain food and drink: to the present hour we hunger and thirst (1 Cor 4:11); the other is voluntary; hence he says, in many fastings, i.e., voluntarily undertaken both for the good example and to tame the flesh: I pommel my body and subdue it (1 Cor 9:27).
Sed contra, Matth. VI, 33: haec omnia adiicientur vobis, scilicet temporalia. Quare ergo in fame et siti?
But this seems to be out of harmony with Matthew: but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well (Matt 6:33). Why then in hunger and thirst?
Respondeo. Dicendum est quod quando expedit, adiiciuntur nobis, scilicet temporalia, et propter utilitatem nostram, sed aliquando expedit carere eis.
I answer that when it is expedient and for our benefit, they are added, i.e., temporal things; but sometimes it is expedient to lack them.
431. Fomento vero vestis opponit duo, unum ex parte naturae, unde dicit in frigore, aliud ex parte inopiae, unde dicit et nuditate, scilicet ostensus sum, scilicet minister Christi. I Cor. IV, 11: nudi et instabiles, etc. supra VI, 4: in necessitatibus, etc.
431. To the warmth of clothing he opposes two things: one on the part of nature; hence he says, in cold; the other on the part of poverty, hence he says, and nakedness. I am proved a minister of Christ: we are ill-clad and buffeted and homeless (1 Cor 4:11); in tribulation, in necessities, in distresses (2 Cor 6:4).
432. Consequenter cum dicit praeter illa, etc., enumerat mala assumpta interiora, quae causantur ex sollicitudine cordis pro pseudo.
432. Then when he says, besides those things which are without, he lists the internal evils he assumed, namely, those caused by anxiety of heart because of the activities of the false apostles.
Bonus autem praelatus dupliciter affligitur pro subditis. Et primo sollicitudine conservationis subditorum, secundo pro defectu ipsorum. Et istam duplicem afflictionem passus est Apostolus. Primam cum dicit praeter illa, quae extrinsecus, etc., quasi dicat: praeter omnia quae exterius patior et passus sum, angit me gravius interior afflictio, scilicet sollicitudo subditorum. Et ideo dicit instantia omnium ecclesiarum magna est et multum gravat, quia multum sollicitat. Lc. X, 41: Martha, Martha, sollicita es, et turbaris erga plurima, et cetera. Rom. XII, 8: qui praeest in sollicitudine.
Now a good prelate is concerned about two things affecting his subjects, namely, their safety and the defection. And the Apostle suffered affliction in regard to both; the first, when he says, and, besides those things which are without: my daily pressures, the anxiety for all the churches. As if to say: in addition to what I suffer and have suffered from outside, the internal affliction is more oppressive, that is, solicitude for his subjects. Hence, he says, the daily pressures for all the churches are great and lie heavily upon him, because he was very solicitous. Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things (Luke 10:41); he that rules, with solicitude (Rom 12:8).
433. Secundam afflictionem passus est pro defectu subditorum, et hoc dupliciter, scilicet pro defectu spiritualium; unde dicit quis infirmatur, scilicet in fide et bono, et ego non infirmor? In corde dolens de eo, sicut de me. I Cor. IX, 22: factus sum infirmis infirmus, et cetera. Ier. IX, 1: quis dabit capiti meo aquam, et cetera. Item pro defectu corporalium; unde dicit quis scandalizatur, malo poenae, id est quis patitur tribulationes, et ego non uror? Igne compassionis. Iste est ignis, quem Dominus venit mittere in terram, Lc. XII, 49.
433. The second affliction he suffered concerned the failings of his subjects, and this he does in two ways, namely for spiritual failings; hence he says, who is weak, namely, in faith and in goodness, and I am not weak? In heart, grieving over them as though over myself? To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak (1 Cor 9:22); O that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! (Jer 9:1). And for bodily failings; hence he says, who is scandalized with the evil of punishment, i.e., who suffers afflictions, and I am not on fire with the fire of compassion? This is the fire which the Lord came to cast upon the earth (Luke 12:49).