Lecture 6 Lectio 6 Joseph’s dream Somnium Joseph ^1:24 And Joseph rising up from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife. [n. 152] ^1:24 Exsurgens autem Ioseph a somno, fecit sicut praecepit ei angelus Domini, et accepit coniugem suam. [n. 152] ^1:25 And he did not know her until she brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus. [n. 155] ^1:25 Et non cognoscebat eam, donec peperit filium suum primogenitum: et vocavit nomen eius Iesum. [n. 155] 151. Above, by two things, namely by the revelation of the angel, and by the prophet’s foretelling, the Evangelist confirmed that the mother of God conceived of the Holy Spirit; here he aims to show the same thing by Joseph’s obedience, who would not have assented to the angel’s command that he should take Mary as his wife unless he had known that she was impregnated of the Holy Spirit. 151. Supra probavit Evangelista, quod mater Dei de Spiritu Sancto concepit, ex duobus, scilicet ex revelatione angeli, et ex praenuntiatione prophetae, hoc idem intendit ostendere ex obedientia Ioseph, qui non acquievisset verbis angeli, ut Mariam susciperet in sponsam, nisi cognovisset eam impraegnatam de Spiritu Sancto. And concerning this he does two things: Et circa hoc duo facit: first, he sets down her spouse’s obedience to the angel; primo ponitur obedientia ipsius sponsi ad angelum; second, he describes the manner of the obedience, at and took. secundo describitur obedientiae modus, ibi et accepit. 152. And notice that since we fell into sin through the disobedience of the first man, for as by the disobedience of one man, many were made sinners (Rom 5:19), therefore obedience is put forward at the beginning of our renewal. 152. Et nota quod quia per inobedientiam primi hominis prolapsi sumus in peccatum, Rom. V, 19: per inobedientiam unius hominis peccatores constituti sunt multi, ideo in principio reparationis nostrae proponitur obedientia. And we can note four things which are necessary for obedience. The first is that it be set in order. And I say set in order, because first vices should be given up, and afterwards one should obey unto the working of the virtues; break up anew your fallow ground, and sow not upon thorns (Jer 4:3). And so it says here that Joseph rising up from sleep, namely the sleep of laziness and unbelief. It is said about this sleep: rise you who sleep, and arise from the dead (Eph 5:14). Et possumus quatuor notare, quae sunt necessaria ad obedientiam. Primum est ut sit ordinata. Et dico ordinata, quia primo deserenda sunt vitia, et postea obediendum est ad operationem virtutum; Hier. IV, 3: novate vobis novale, et nolite serere super spinas et cetera. Et ideo hic dicitur, quod Ioseph exurgens a somno, pigritiae scilicet et dubietatis. De hoc somno dicitur Eph. V, 14: surge qui dormis, et exurge a mortuis. The second is that it ought to be prompt; and this is what it is said: delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to day (Sir 5:8). And so it says here that he immediately did as the angel commanded him. The Gloss: whoever is taught by the Lord, let him scatter the obstacles, rise from sleep, and do what is commanded. Secundum vero est, quod debet esse festina: et hoc est quod dicitur Eccli. V, 8: non differas de die in diem, non tardes converti ad Dominum. Subito enim veniet ira illius. Et ideo hic dicitur quod statim fecit sicut praecepit ei. Glossa: quisquis a Deo monetur, solvat moras, surgat a somno, faciat quod iubetur. The third, that it should be perfect, so that not only does what is commanded come about, but it comes about in the way in which it was commanded by the one who ordered these things. Hence it says here, as the angel of the Lord had commanded. The Gloss: perfect obedience. Children, obey your parents in all things (Col 3:20). The fourth, that it should be discerning, so that he is obeyed who should be obeyed, and in what he should be obeyed, so that nothing will come about against God; hence he says, as the angel of the Lord had commanded, not a bad angel but an angel of God. Dearly beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits if they be of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world (1 John 4:1). Tertium vero, quod debet esse perfecta, ut non solum quod iubetur, sed eo modo quo iubetur fiat et quo eis imperatur. Unde hic dicitur sicut praeceperat. Glossa: perfecta obedientia. Col. c. III, 20: filii, obedite parentibus per omnia. Quartum, quod debet esse discreta, ut obediatur cui obediendum est, et in quo, ut non fiat aliquid contra Deum: unde dicit quod fecit sicut praecepit ei angelus, non malus sed Dei. I Io. IV, 1: nolite omni spiritui credere, sed probate spiritus, si ex Deo sint, quoniam multi pseudoprophetae exierunt in mundum et cetera. 153. And took. Here is shown in what things he obeyed. And three things are set down. First, the obedience which he showed to the angel; second, the reverence which he showed to the mother; third, the service which he gave to Christ after birth. 153. Et accepit. Hic ostenditur in quibus obedivit: et ponuntur tria. Primo obedientia quam exhibuit ad angelum; secundo reverentia quam exhibuit ad matrem; tertio obsequium quod exhibuit Christo nato. 154. The angel commanded Joseph, do not fear to take unto you Mary your wife (Matt 1:20). And Joseph did as the angel of the Lord had commanded. It is clear here that he found the woman good. 154. Angelus praecepit Ioseph noli timere accipere Mariam coniugem tuam. Et fecit Ioseph sicut praecepit et cetera. Ubi patet quod invenit mulierem bonam. But did he not have her in his house? So why does it say, rising . . . he took? Sed numquid non habebat eam in domo? Quare ergo dicit, exurgens . . . accepit? Chrysostom responds: because he had not thrown her from the house, but from his heart. Or because she was first betrothed, and afterwards the nuptials were to be celebrated, and at that point she is called, and is, a married person. Respondet Chrysostomus: quia eam non eiecerat a domo, sed a corde. Vel quia primo ducebatur, sed postea celebrandae sunt nuptiae, et tunc dicitur, et est coniux. 155. And lest someone should suspect that a bodily union came in the meanwhile, he adds, and he did not know her. 155. Et ne aliquis suspicaretur quod copula carnalis interveniret, subiungit et non cognoscebat eam. Here one should understand that this word ‘to know’ is taken in two ways in Sacred Scripture: sometimes for recognition, and from henceforth you will know him, and you have seen him (John 14:7); sometimes for bodily union: and Adam knew Eve his wife (Gen 4:1), that is, bodily. Ubi sciendum quod hoc verbum ‘cognoscere’ dupliciter accipitur in Sacra Scriptura: quandoque pro agnitione, Io. XIV, 7: et amodo cognoscetis eum et vidistis eum, aliquando pro carnali copula, sicut Gen. IV, 1: Adam vero cognovit uxorem suam Evam etc., scilicet carnaliter. 156. But it is objected that because it does not say simply he did not know her but until she brought forth her firstborn son, therefore he knew her afterward; hence Helvidius also said: although a virgin conceived Christ, yet afterwards she had other sons by Joseph. 156. Sed obiicitur, quia non dicitur simpliciter cognoscebat etc., sed, donec peperit filium suum. Ergo postea cognovit; unde etiam dixit Elvidius: quamvis virgo concepit Christum, tamen postea habuit alios filios ex Ioseph. And so Jerome says that ‘until’ sometimes indicates something limited and determinate, as I say, I will not come until I eat, because I signify that I will come afterwards; sometimes it indicates something unlimited and indeterminate, for example: he must reign, until he has put all his enemies under his feet (1 Cor 15:25). Will he not reign afterwards? Yes indeed, but Scripture uses such a way of speaking because it aims to remove that which could be a doubt. For there could be a doubt as to whether he was reigning when his enemies had not been put under his feet. Similarly, since the Blessed Virgin had given birth, there could be a doubt as to whether she had been known by Joseph before the birth, because the first should never come into doubt by anyone; namely because the angels have sung, glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will (Luke 2:14). And so the Evangelist aimed at this. Et ideo dicit Hieronymus, quod ‘donec’ aliquando significat aliquid finitum, et determinatum, sicut dicam non veniam donec comedo quia postea significo me venturum; quandoque significat infinite, et indeterminate, verbi gratia I Cor. XV, 25: oportet et illum regnare, donec ponat omnes inimicos sub pedibus eius. Numquid postea non regnabit? Immo: sed utitur Scriptura tali modo loquendi quia intendit removere illud quod potest esse dubium. Dubium enim esse poterat utrum regnaret, quando non posuerat inimicos sub pedibus. Item dubium esse poterat, cum Beata Virgo peperisset, an ante partum fuisset cognita a Ioseph, quia primum nulli debebat venire in dubium; scilicet quoniam angeli decantaverunt: gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis, Lc. II, 14. Et ideo hoc intendit Evangelista. And Jerome argued most well against Helvidius: you say, Helvidius, that Joseph did not know her before, because he had been warned in a dream by the angel. If therefore a warning in sleep was so strong that he did not join himself to Mary, how much more the knowledge of the angels, of the shepherds, and of the wise men? Et argumentatur optime Hieronymus contra Elvidium: tu dicis, Elvidi, quod ante non cognovit Ioseph, quia fuit admonitus in somnis ab angelo. Si ergo admonitio in somnis tantum valuit quod non coniungeret se Mariae, quanto magis angelorum cognitio, pastorum et magorum adoratio? 157. But Chrysostom takes knowledge as intellectual recognition. He did not know her, that is, how great her dignity was; but after she bore the child he knew. Others say that it is taken as sensible recognition; and in a certain way the opinion of these men is probable enough. For they say that Moses had such a brightness on his face from the Lord’s speech that the children of Israel could not look at his face (2 Cor 3:7). So if Moses had this from close association with God, much more did the Blessed Virgin, who bore him in the womb, have such a brightness on her face that Joseph did not know her. But the first explanation is more literal. 157. Chrysostomus autem accepit cognitionem pro agnitione intellectuali. Non cognoscebat scilicet quantae dignitatis esset; sed postquam peperit, cognovit. Alii dicunt quod accipitur pro agnitione sensibili; et sic est satis probabilis horum opinio. Dicunt enim quod Moyses ex locutione Domini habuit tantam claritatem in facie, ut filii Israel non posset intendere in faciem eius, II Cor. III, 7. Ergo si ex consortio Dei hoc habuit Moyses, multo magis haec Beata Virgo, quae portavit eum in utero, habuit tantam claritatem in facie quod Ioseph non cognoscebat eam. Sed prima expositio est magis litteralis. 158. Again, Helvidius says that the text says, until she brought forth her firstborn son. The firstborn is said with respect to what comes after. Therefore she had others. 158. Item dicit Elvidius quod littera dicit, donec peperit filium suum primogenitum. Primum dicitur respectu posterioris. Ergo habuit alios. Jerome responds that it is customary in Sacred Scripture that the one whom others do not precede is called the firstborn; Exodus says that the firstborn of the Jews were offered to the Lord (Exod 13:12). Jerome asks: was it necessary to think that they would not be offered until the second was born? Therefore those whom others do not precede are called the firstborn; and so it is understood here. Respondet Hieronymus, quod consuetum est in Sacra Scriptura quod primogeniti vocantur illi, quos alii non praecedunt: Ex. XIII, 12 dicitur quod primogeniti Iudaeorum offerrentur Domino. Quaerit Hieronymus: numquid oportebat expectare quod non offerrentur donec nasceretur secundus? Ergo primogeniti dicuntur quos alii non praecedunt; et sic intelligitur hic. 159. Then follows the service. Luke follows this up more completely (Luke 2:21), but Matthew touches upon it briefly. For so the Holy Spirit wished it to be, that those things which one has said, the other should touch upon. 159. Sequitur obsequium. Lc. II, 21, plenius exequitur hoc, sed Matthaeus breviter tangit. Ita enim vult Spiritus Sanctus, quod quae unus dixit, alius taceat. He called his name Jesus; this name indeed was more than slightly famous and longed for among the ancients; I will look for your salvation, O Lord (Gen 49:18). And, but I will rejoice in the Lord: and I will joy in God my Jesus (Hab 3:18). Vocavit nomen eius Iesum; istud quidem nomen non parum celebre fuit apud antiquos et desideratum; Gen. XLIX, 18: salutare tuum expectabo, domine. Et Hab. III, 18: ego autem in Domino gaudebo, et exultabo in Deo Iesu meo. Chapter 2 Caput 2 The Birth of Christ Natalis Christi Lecture 1 Lectio 1 The Magi in Jerusalem Magi in Ierusalem ^2:1 When Jesus therefore was born in Bethlehem of Judah, in the days of King Herod, behold, there came magi from the east to Jerusalem, [n. 161] ^2:1 Cum ergo natus esset Iesus in Bethlehem Iudae in diebus Herodis Regis, ecce magi ab oriente venerunt Ierosolymam, [n. 161] ^2:2 saying: where is he who is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to adore him. [n. 168] ^2:2 dicentes: ubi est qui natus est rex Iudaeorum? Vidimus enim stellam eius in oriente et venimus adorare eum. [n. 168] 160. Above, the Evangelist treated of the generation of Christ; here he intends to make clear his birth. 160. Supra egit Evangelista de Christi generatione, hic intendit manifestare eius nativitatem. And first, the witness of the magi; Et primo, testimonio magorum; second, the witness of the innocents, at and after they had departed (Matt 2:13). secundo, testimonio innocentum, ibi qui cum recessissent. Concerning the first, he does three things: Circa primum tria ponuntur: