Lecture 4
Lectio 4
The promise of the resurrection
11:17 Jesus therefore came and found that he had already been in the tomb four days. [n. 1506]
11:17 Venit itaque Iesus, et invenit eum quatuor dies iam in monumento habentem. [n. 1506]
11:18 (Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia off). [n. 1508]
11:18 Erat autem Bethania iuxta Ierosolymam quasi stadiis quindecim. [n. 1508]
11:19 And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. [n. 1508]
11:19 Multi autem ex Iudaeis venerant ad Martham et Mariam, ut consolarentur eas de fratre suo. [n. 1508]
11:20 Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus had come, went to meet him, but Mary remained at home. [n. 1510]
11:20 Martha autem, ut audivit quia Iesus venit, occurrit illi; Maria autem domi sedebat. [n. 1510]
11:21 Martha therefore said to Jesus: Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not be dead. [n. 1511]
11:21 Dixit ergo Martha ad Iesum: Domine, si fuisses hic, frater meus non fuisset mortuus. [n. 1511]
11:22 But I also know that whatever you will ask of God, God will give it to you. [n. 1511]
11:22 Sed et nunc scio quia quaecumque poposceris a Deo, dabit Deus. [n. 1511]
11:23 Jesus said to her: your brother will rise again. [n. 1513]
11:23 Dicit illi Iesus: resurget frater tuus. [n. 1513]
11:24 Martha said to him: I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. [n. 1514]
11:24 Dixit ei Martha: scio, quia resurget in resurrectione in novissimo die. [n. 1514]
11:25 Jesus said to her: I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, although he be dead, will live: [n. 1516]
11:25 Dixit ei Iesus: ego sum resurrectio, et vita. Qui credit in me, etiam si mortuus fuerit, vivet; [n. 1516]
11:26 And all who live and believe in me will never die. Do you believe this? [n. 1517]
11:26 et omnis qui vivit, et credit in me, non morietur in aeternum. Credis hoc? [n. 1517]
11:27 She said to him: yes, Lord, I have believed that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God, who has come into this world. [n. 1519]
11:27 Ait illi: utique, Domine, ego credidi, quia ut es Christus Filius Dei vivi, qui in hunc mundum venisti. [n. 1519]
1505. The Evangelist, after telling us that Lazarus was to be raised, now describes the events surrounding it.
1505. Postquam praenuntiavit defuncti suscitationem, hic describit Evangelista resuscitationis ordinem, et
First, he mentions some others;
primo praemittit quaedam praeambula pertinentia ad alios;
second, he reveals Christ’s feelings, at Jesus, therefore, when he saw her weeping (John 11:33);
secundo proponit quaedam quae pertinent ad affectum Christi, ibi Iesus autem ut vidit eam plorantem etc.;
third, he describes the actual raising of Lazarus, at Jesus again groaning in himself (John 11:38).
tertio subdit suscitationis effectum, ibi Iesus ergo rursum fremens etc.
As for the others, he
Praeambula autem ad alios pertinentia
first mentions the condition of Lazarus;
primo praemittit quantum ad defuncti conditionem;
second, the consolation the Jews were giving to his sisters, at now Bethany was near Jerusalem;
secundo quantum ad Iudaeorum erga sorores consolationem, ibi erat autem Bethania etc.;
and third, the devotion of these sisters, at Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus had come.
tertio quantum ad sororum devotionem, ibi Martha autem, ut audivit etc.
1506. The condition of Lazarus is described as to the time of his death and to his location: Jesus therefore came and found that he had already been in the tomb four days. This makes it clear, as we said above, that Lazarus had died the very day Christ was told about his illness.
1506. Defuncti autem conditio describitur quantum ad tempus mortis, quia quatriduanus, unde dicit venit itaque Iesus, et invenit eum quatuor dies habentem, et quantum ad locum, quia in monumento. Ex quo apparet, secundum litteram, ut dictum est supra, quod primus dies mortis fuit quando nuntiata fuit ei infirmitas.
1507. According to Augustine, these four days signify four deaths. The first day indicates the death of original sin, which we humans contract as offspring: sin came in to the world through one man and death through sin (Rom 5:12). The other three days refer to death by actual sin: for every mortal sin is called a death: evil will slay the wicked (Ps 34:21). These days are differentiated according to which law is transgressed.
1507. Per hos autem quatuor dies, secundum Augustinum, signantur quatuor dies quadruplicis mortis. Una dies est peccati originalis, quod homo trahit de mortis propagine; Rom. V, 12: per unum hominem peccatum intravit in mundum. Alii tres dies referuntur ad mortem peccati actualis; nam quodlibet peccatum mortale quaedam mors dicitur; Ps. XXXIII, 22: mors peccatorum pessima. Et dividuntur secundum transgressionem triplicis legis.
Thus the second day indicates the transgression of the law of nature: they have transgressed the laws . . . broken the everlasting covenant, that is, the law of nature (Isa 24:5). The third day signifies the transgression of the written law: did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keep the law? (John 7:19). The fourth day represents the transgression of the law of the Gospel and of grace; and this is more serious than the others: a man who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the man who has spurned the Son of God, and profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace? (Heb 10:28–29).
Primo quidem legis naturae, quam homines transgrediuntur; et sic est secundus dies mortis, Is. XXIV, 5: transgressi sunt legem et pactum sempiternum, idest legem naturae. Secundo legis scriptae, quam etiam homines transgrediuntur; et sic est tertius dies, supra VII, 19: nonne Moyses dedit vobis legem, et nemo ex vobis facit legem? Tertio legis Evangelii et gratiae, quam homines transgrediuntur; et sic est quartus dies, et gravior ceteris. Hebr. X, 10: irritam quis faciens legem Moysi, sine ulla miseratione duobus vel tribus testibus moritur: quanto magis putatis deteriora mereri supplicia qui Filium Dei conculcaverit, et sanguinem testamenti pollutum duxerit, in quo sanctificatus est, et Spiritui gratiae contumeliam fecerit?
Another interpretation would be this: the first day is the sin of the heart: remove the evil of your thoughts from before my eyes (Isa 1:16). The second day is the sin of speech: let no evil talk come out of your mouths (Eph 4:29). The third day is the sin of deed: cease to do evil (Isa 1:16). The fourth day is customary sin arising from evil habit: you can do good who are accustomed to do evil (Jer 13:23). However it is explained, the Lord cleanses those having been dead four days, i.e., those transgressing of the law of the Evangelist, and those held prisoner by the habit of sin.
Vel aliter, primus dies est peccatum cordis; Is. I, 16: auferte malum cogitationum vestrarum etc. Secundus dies est peccatum oris; Eph. IV, 19: omnis sermo malus de ore vestro non procedat. Tertius dies est peccatum operis; de quo Is. I, 16: quiescite agere perverse. Quartus dies est peccatum perversae consuetudinis; de quo Ier. XIII, 23: sic et vos poteritis bene facere, cum didiceritis male. Qualitercumque tamen exponatur, Dominus quandoque sanat mortuos quatuor dies habentes, idest legem Evangelii transgredientes, et in consuetudine peccati detentos.
1508. Next the condition of the visitors is described. We are told what favored the presence of the visitors and how many there were.
1508. Visitantium autem conditio describitur, et quantum ad visitandi opportunitatem, et quantum ad eorum quantitatem.
Their presence was facilitated due to the fact that the deceased was near Jerusalem; the Evangelist says, now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia off. This was almost two miles, because a mile contains eight stadia. Thus it was easy for many of the Jews to go there from Jerusalem.
Quantum ad opportunitatem quidem, quia locus defuncti erat prope Ierosolymam; unde dicit erat autem Bethania iuxta Ierosolymam quasi stadiis quindecim, quod erat fere milliaria duo: nam milliare habet octo stadia: et sic facilis multis Iudaeorum a Ierosolymis patebat illuc accessus.
The mystical interpretation is this: Bethany means the ‘house of obedience’, and Jerusalem means the ‘vision of peace’. Thus we may understand that those who are in the state of obedience are near the peace of eternal life: my sheep hear my voice; and I give them eternal life (John 10:28). He says fifteen stadia, because anyone who wishes to go from Bethany, i.e., the state of obedience, to the heavenly Jerusalem, must pass through fifteen stadia. The first seven belong to the observance of the old law, for the number seven pertains to the old law, which keeps the seventh day holy. The other eight belong to the fulfilling of the New Testament, for the number eight refers to the New Testament because of the octave of the resurrection.
Mystice autem per Bethaniam quae interpretatur ‘domus obedientiae’, et Ierusalem ‘visio pacis’, datur intelligi, quod qui sunt in statu obedientiae, sunt propinqui ad pacem vitae aeternae; supra X, 27: oves meae vocem meam audiunt, et ego vitam aeternam do eis. Et dicit quindecim stadiis, quia qui vult de Bethania, idest de statu obedientiae, ire in Ierusalem caelestem, oportet quod transeat stadia quindecim. Primo quidem septem, quae pertinent ad observantiam veteris legis: nam septenarius numerus pertinet ad legem veterem, quae diem septimum sanctificat; deinde vero octo, idest impletionem Novi Testamenti, ad quem pertinet numerus octonarius propter octavam resurrectionis.
Their number is mentioned as being many; and many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them. This was an act of piety: rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep (Rom 12:15); do not fail those who weep, but mourn with those who mourn (Sir 7:34).
Quantum vero ad quantitatem describitur, quia multi; unde dicit multi autem ex Iudaeis venerant ad Mariam et Martham, ut consolarentur eas: quod quidem pietatis erat; Rom. XII, 15: gaudere cum gaudentibus oportet. Eccli. VII, 28: non desis plorantibus in consolationem.
1509. Now the Evangelist describes the sisters:
1509. Sorores autem describit Evangelista
first, Martha;
primo quantum quidem ad Martham;
then Mary, at and when she had said these things, she went, and called her sister Mary (John 11:28).
secundo vero quantum ad Mariam, ibi haec cum dixisset, abiit, et vocavit Mariam.
He describes Martha in three ways:
Martham autem describit quantum ad tria.
first, as going to meet Christ;
Primo quantum ad eius occursum quo Christo obviavit;
second, the devotion she showed to Christ;
secundo quantum ad devotionis affectum quem Christo exhibuit et
and third, the degree of enlightenment to which Christ raised her.
tertio quantum ad instructionis profectum ad quem Christus eam erexit.