Lecture 6 Lectio 6 Fulfillment of the law Adimpletio legis ^5:17 Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. [n. 464] ^5:17 Nolite putare quoniam veni solvere legem aut prophetas: non veni solvere, sed adimplere. [n. 464] ^5:18 For amen I say unto you, until heaven and earth pass, one jot, or one tittle will not pass of the law, until all be fulfilled. [n. 471] ^5:18 Amen quippe dico vobis, donec transeat caelum et terra, iota unum aut unus apex non praeteribit a lege, donec omnia fiant. [n. 471] ^5:19 He therefore who will break one of these least commandments, and so teach men, will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But he who will do and teach, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. [n. 471] ^5:19 Qui ergo solverit unum de mandatis istis minimis, et docuerit sic homines, minimus vocabitur in regno caelorum; qui autem fecerit et docuerit, hic magnus vocabitur in regno caelorum. [n. 471] 464. Do not think. Having set down the beatitude that the teaching of Christ relates to, here he begins to promulgate his own teaching. And first he makes clear his intention; second, he proposes the rule and commands of his teaching, at for I say to you (Matt 5:20). 464. Nolite putare. Posita beatitudine ad quam pertinet doctrina Christi, hic incipit doctrinam suam promulgare. Et primo aperit intentionem suam; secundo proponit regulam et praecepta suae doctrinae, ibi dico autem vobis. Concerning the first, he does two things: Circa primum duo facit: first, he makes clear his intention; primo aperit suam intentionem; second, he shows the reason for its fulfillment, at amen. secundo ostendit suae adimpletionis rationem, ibi amen. 465. Concerning the first, he does two things: 465. Circa primum duo facit: first, he excludes what might be supposed as his intention; primo excludit opinatam intentionem; second, he supplies the true intention, at I am not come. secundo adstruit veram, ibi non veni. 466. The Lord had said to his apostles, blessed are you when they will revile you (Matt 5:11); hence the apostles might suspect that such a teaching was to be handed on that they had to hide themselves, as though Christ were saying something against the Law; and thus the Lord excludes this by saying, do not think. And again the same thing since it could be said that no other prophet, after Moses who gave it, did away with the Law, therefore the Lord says that he will do it fully, hence but to fulfill: for no one had fulfilled it. 466. Dixerat Dominus apostolis: beati eritis cum vobis maledixerint etc.; unde poterant suspicari apostoli quasi tradenda esset doctrina talis propter quam oportebat eos occultari, quasi diceret Christus aliquid contra legem; et ideo Dominus excludit hoc dicens nolite etc. Et item quia posset dici quod nullus alius propheta, post Moysen qui dedit, legem soluit, ideo Dominus dicit se amplius facturum, unde sed adimplere: nullus enim adimplevit. And note that this word is most effective against those who condemn the law as though it were from the devil: for the Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). But he himself acknowledges, I am not come to destroy the law: therefore it is not a work of the devil. By this argument a certain man was converted to the faith, and became a fellow preacher. Hence the Manichees abhor greatly this chapter; hence Faustus objects many times against Augustine. And all the objections are reduced to three. The first is from the authority of the law: for it says in Deuteronomy: let no word be added to the word that I speak to you, nor will you take anything away from it (Deut 4:2); but Christ did add to it: therefore he acted against the law. Again, Christ said that he was the institutor of the new law, later in this text: this is my blood (Matt 26:28); therefore he has destroyed the old. Third, for I have given you an example (John 13:15); therefore every action of Christ is true instruction; thus if he observed the law, we also must observe it. Therefore we must be circumcised and keep all the legal prescriptions. And this is the shared claim of Nazarenes and Manichees. Et nota quod istud verbum est multum efficax contra illos qui damnant legem tamquam sit a diabolo, Ioh. iii, in hoc apparet Filius Dei etc.; sed ipse confitetur non veni solvere legem: ideo non est opus diaboli. Per istud argumentum quidam conversus fuit ad fidem, et fuit frater praedicator. Unde Manichaei abhorrent multum istud capitulum; unde Faustus multipliciter obicit, secundum Augustinum. Et omnes obiectiones reducuntur ad tres. Primo ex auctoritate legis: dicitur enim Deut. iv, 12 non addetur verbum quod vobis loquor, nec auferetur ex eo; sed Christus addidit: ergo fecit contra legem. Item, Hebr. viii, 13 dicendo novum veteravit prius etc.; sed Christus dixit se institutorem novae legis, infra xxvi, 28 hic est sanguis meus: ergo destruxit vetus. Tertio, Ioh. xiii, 15 exemplum enim dedi vobis; omnis ergo Christi actio vera est instructio; si ergo implevit, et nos debemus adimplere: ergo debemus circumcidi et servare omnia legalia. Et ista est communis etiam Nazaraeis et Manichaeis. 467. Therefore Faustus said that either Jesus did not say these words, but Matthew, who was not present for this sermon, said this, while John who was present did not say this; or that if Matthew wrote what Christ said, the Gospel is explained some other way. 467. Dicebat ergo Faustus quod vel ista verba non dixit Iesus, sed dixit Matthaeus qui non interfuit sermoni, sed Iohannes qui interfuit non dixit; vel quod si Christus dixit et Matthaeus scripsit, evangelium aliter exponitur. For in Sacred Scripture the law is set forth three ways: because in the law of God there is the Mosaic law: we are freed from the law of death (Rom 7:6); there is the law of nature: for when the gentiles who have not the law do by nature what is of the law (Rom 2:14); and there is the law of truth, for the law of the Spirit of life delivered me from the law of sin and death (Rom 8:2). In Sacra enim Scriptura tripliciter exponitur lex: quia est mosaica, Ro. vii, 6 soluti sumus a lege mortsi, in lege Dei; lex naturae, Ro. ii, 14 cum enim gentes quae legem etc.; lex veritatis, Ro. viii, 2 lex Spiritus venit etc. This is proved in three ways, then, namely: the old law; the law of nature which is among the gentiles, one of them a prophet of their own, said: the Cretans are always liars (Tit 1:12); and the law of truth, Therefore behold I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes (Matt 23:34). Ita probatur tripliciter ergo, scilicet: veteris legis, legis naturae quae apud gentiles, Tit. i, 12 dixit autem quod ex illis priusquam propheta, Cretenses etc., veritatis, infra xxiii, 34 ecce ego mitto. Therefore what he says here, I am not come to destroy, is to be understood concerning the law of nature or of truth, for it also existed among certain of the ancient fathers; and the sign of this is that the Lord, when he was speaking of the commandments, seemed to approve some of them, and not others, namely, those that are properly of the law of Moses, namely that eye for an eye and the ones like it. Quod ergo dicit hic non veni etc. intelligendum est de lege naturae vel veritatis, quae etiam fit in quibusdam antiquis patribus; et huius signum est quod Dominus, quando loquebatur de praeceptis, quaedam videbatur approbare, quaedam non, scilicet quae sunt propria legis mosaice, scilicet illud oculum pro oculo et huiusmodi. 468. But Augustine objects against these things in the following way. First, because whoever denies something of the Gospel, by the same reasoning could deny anything else and thus render Scripture void; but the man of faith must believe whatever things are in the Scriptures. Again, because he says he speaks about another law and prophets, it is false, for in the whole New Testament, everywhere law is mentioned, it is understood to be about the law of Moses, to them belong . . . the giving of the law (Rom 9:4); therefore also the Lord is speaking of these things. 468. Sed contra ista Augustinus sic obicit. Primo quia quicumque negat aliquid de Evangelio, pari ratione poterit negare quodcumque aliud et sic annullare Scripturam; sed homo fidelis quaecumque sunt in Scriptura debet credere. Item quod dicit: loquitur de alia lege et prophetis, falsum est, quia in toto Novo Testamento ubicumque fit mentio de lege intelligitur de lege mosaica, Ro. ix, 4 quorum est legislatio etc.; ergo et Dominus de istis loquitur. 469. Hence it should be seen first how Christ came to fulfill the law, and afterward we will resolve the arguments. Thus it should be known that Christ fulfilled the law and the prophets in five ways. 469. Unde videndum primo quomodo Christus venit adimplere legem et postea solvemus rationes. Sciendum ergo quod Christus quinque modis adimplevit legem et prophetas. First, because those things that were prefigured in the law and the prophets concerning Christ, he fulfilled in his actions: what is written must be fulfilled in me (Luke 22:37). Primo quia ea que erant praefigurata in lege et prophetis de Christo opere implevit, Luce ult. oportet implere omnia. Second, by observing the legal requirements to the letter, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his son (Gal 4:4). Secundo ad litteram legalia observando, Gal. iv, 4 cum venit plenitudo. Third, by working through grace, which the law of nature could not do: for every law is for the sake of making us just men, but Christ did this by the Holy Spirit: for what the law could not do, God has done by sending his own Son (Rom 8:3). Tertio operando per gratiam, quod lex naturae facere non poterat: omnis enim lex ad hoc est quod efficiamur homines iusti; sed hoc fecit Christus per Spiritum Sanctum, Ro. viii nam quod impossibile erat legi. Fourth, according to Augustine, by satisfying for the sins by which we were made transgressors of the law; hence having borne the transgression he is said to have fulfilled the law: whom God proposed to be a propitiation (Rom 3:29). Quarto, secundum Augustinum, satisfaciendo pro peccatis secundum quae eramus facti transgressores legis; unde sublata transgressione dicitur implevisse legem, Ro. iii quem proposuit Deus propitiationem etc. Fifth, by applying certain perfections to the law which were either for the understanding of the law or for the greater perfection of justice, for the law brought nothing to perfection (Heb 7:19); and these things seem to be the intention of Christ, since, when he made mention of all legal restrictions, he added be you therefore perfect (Matt 5:48). Thus we resolve the arguments of Faustus as Augustine resolves them. Quinto quaedam perfectiones legi apponendo quae vel erant de intellectu legis vel ad maiorem iustitiae perfectionem, Hebr. vii neminem ad perfectum; et ista videtur intentio Christi quia, quando iam fecit mentionem de omnibus legalibus, subiungit estote ergo perfecti etc. Solvamus ergo ad rationes Fausti sicut Augustinus solvit. 470. As for let no word be added (Deut 4:2), it should be said that Christ did not add, but expounded; for those men understood the act of homicide when he said, you shall not kill. Christ explained that it also forbade hatred and anger. Similarly, regarding in pronouncing a new he has made the first one old (Heb 8:13), it should be said that the new one is the same, for the former was a figure and the latter is the fulfillment of figures. As to what we should observe, it should be said that something can be signified by speech and figure, and not be different, however it is signified. Before Christ was born it could have been said: Christ will be born and will die, but now it is said: Christ was born, and that sort of thing, and yet by this is illustrated that future events and completed ones are expressed by different words. Hence what was signified by figures as being in the future, when it has happened is signified in the present by new figures, namely the sacraments of the new law. Hence although Christ observed the law, nevertheless because the truth has come whoever observed it now would do injury to the truth. Thus I am not come to destroy, is understood this way. 470. Ad illud non addetur verbum, dicendum quod Christus non addidit sed explicavit; illi enim intelligebant de homicidii actu cum dixit non occides; Christus exponit quod etiam prohibuit odium et iram. Item ad illud novum veteravit, dicendum quod istud novum est idem, quia illud erat figura et istud adimpletio figurarum. Ad illud quod nos debemus observare, dicendum quod aliquid potest significari locutione et figura, et non differt qualitercumque significetur. Christus antequam nasceretur potuit dici: Christus est nasciturus et moriturus, sed modo dicitur: Christus est natus, et huiusmodi, et tamen per hoc configuratur quia diversis verbis pronuntiatur res facta et futura. Unde illud quod figuris significabatur ut futurum, quando iam praeteriit significatur ut praesens per novas figuras, scilicet sacramenta novae legis. Unde Christus licet impleverit, tamen quia iam venit veritas qui cumque impleret faceret iniuriam veritati. Ita ergo intelligitur non veni soluere. 471. Amen I say to you. Here the reason for the fulfillment is set forth, and it seems a threefold reason is assigned: first from the unmoving character of the law, second from the penalty for those doing away with it, third from the reward for those fulfilling it; the second is at he therefore who will break one of these least commandments, the third at who will break . . . and so teach. 471. Amen quippe. Hic ponitur ratio adimpletionis, et videtur triplicem rationem assignare: prima ex immobilitate legis, secunda ex poena solventium, tertia ex praemio adimplentium; secundum ibi soluerit, tertium ibi fecerit et docuerit. Thus he says amen. And it should be known that all the mysteries of Christ were prefigured in the old law; but as is said in Amos: the Lord will do nothing without revealing his word to his servants (Amos 3:7), therefore the mysteries of Christ will last until the end times, as is said here, behold, I am with you, (Matt 28:20). Dicit ergo amen. Et sciendum quod in veteri lege praefigurata fuerunt omnia mysteria Christi; sed sicut dicitur Amos iii, 7 non faciet Dominus verbum nisi; mysteria ergo Christi durabunt usque in finem ultimum, infra ult. ecce ego vobiscum. Hence not all mysteries of the prophets were fulfilled in the first coming of Christ, nor will they be fulfilled before the end of the world. And what he said cannot be changed: has the Lord said then and will he not do? (Num 23:19); therefore if the law predicted these things that are in the future it is also fitting that they happen of necessity. Hence he says amen I say, that is, all things will be fulfilled in succession until the end of the world. Unde non omnia prophetarum mysteria in primo Christi adventu impleta sunt, immo implebuntur usque ad finem mundi. Et id quod dixit non potest mutari, Num. xxiii, 19, dixit Dominus et non faciet? ergo si lex praedixit ea quae futura sunt, et oportet quod de necessitate fiant. Inde dicit amen dico, id est omnia implebuntur successive usque ad finem mundi. It should be known that amen is Hebrew, and no translator has dared to change this word out of reverence, for the Lord used it frequently. And it is taken sometimes in force of a noun, hence amen: truth; sometimes it is an adverb, i.e., truly, and so it is taken here; sometimes it stands for fiat: ‘so be it’; hence in the Psalm where we have ‘fiat’ for the Hebrew ‘amen’. Hence the verse says, for ‘vero’, ‘truly’; for ‘fiat’, ‘amen’ is said. Hence the Lord here excites the attention of his listeners. Sciendum quod amen hebraeum est, et nullus interpres pro reverentia huius vocabuli, quia Dominus frequenter utebatur eo, ausus fuit mutare. Et sumitur aliquando in vi nominis, unde amen: verum; aliquando adverbium est, id est vere, et ita hic sumitur; aliquando pro fiat, unde in Psalmo ubi nos ‘fiat’ hebraice ‘amen’: unde dicitur versus: pro ‘vero’, ‘vere’; pro ‘fiat’ dicitur ‘amen’. Unde Dominus hic excitat attentionem in audiendo. 472. Until heaven and earth pass, not according to their substance but according to their disposition, for the fashion of this world is passing away (1 Cor 7:31), the day of God when the heavens will burn (2 Pet 3:12). Until: until the end of the world. 472. Donec transeat, non secundum substantiam, sed secundum dispositionem, Cor. vii praeterit figura, Petri iii caeli ardentes. Donec: usque ad finem mundi. Jot. Iota among the Greeks is the letter that we call small ‘i’; but among the Hebrews it is called ioth; and iota among the Greeks means ‘y’ and is the ninth letter; for all letters signify a certain number, hence it belongs to the perfection of the decalogue, and perhaps for this reason he says jot rather than ioth, according to what the saints say. Tittle is the mark at the top of a letter in Hebrew as well as in Greek, but they mean different things, since among the Hebrews aleph sometimes sounds like ‘a’ and sometimes like ‘e’, and this is known by certain points which here are called tittles; while among the Greeks certain marks are written above the letters to distinguish aspirations and accents, and those are what are called tittles among the Greeks. Therefore the Lord means that nothing is so unimportant that it need not be fulfilled. Iotha. Iotha apud Graecos est littera quam nos vocamus ‘i’ parvum; apud Hebraeos autem vocatur ioth; et iotha apud Graecos significat ‘y’ et est nona littera; omnes enim littera significant aliquem numerum, unde pertinet ad perfectionem decalogi, et forte propter hoc magis posuit iotha quam ioth, secundum quod dicunt sancti. Apex litteris superponitur tam in hebraeo quam in graeco, sed alia et alia ratione, quia apud Hebraeos alep aliquando sonat ‘a’ aliquando ‘e’, et scitur hoc per quaedam puncta et illa vocantur apices; item apud Graecos superponuntur quaedam signa ad distinguendum aspirationes et accentus, et ista etiam vocantur apices apud Graecos. Vult ergo dicere Dominus quod nihil minimum quin etiam oporteat adimpleri. 473. He therefore who will break. Here the second argument is set down, and it is taken from the penalty of those who break the law, as it were: whoever breaks the law will be liable to the penalty as a transgressor of divine observance. However there are lesser commandments, according to Chrysostom, commandments of Christ; hence who will break one of these least commandments which I am about to tell you. And he continues thus: for the law cannot be broken, therefore, by the fact that I do not do away with it, whoever does will be liable to the penalty. And those things are called least first because of humility, as someone might call himself small, as in: unless you . . . become like children (Matt 18:3); or they are called least as regards the transgression because he sins less who breaks it, but there are greater things than the law that Christ commands as regards observance, for the law commands: you shall not kill, but Christ commands not to grow angry. 473. Qui ergo solverit. Hic ponitur secunda ratio, et sumitur a poena solventium, quasi: quicumque solverit erit reus poena quasi transgressor divinae observantiae. Sunt autem minima mandata, secundum Chrysostomum, mandata Christi; unde: quicumque solverit de mandatis istis minimis quae dicturus sum. Et continuatur sic: quia lex non potest solvi, ergo ex quo ego non solvo, qui cumque solverit erit reus poena. Et dicuntur ea minima primo propter humilitatem, sicut et se vocat parvulum, infra xviii, 3 nisi efficiamini; vel dicuntur minima quantum ad transgressionem quia minus peccat qui solvit, sed maiora sunt legi quae praecepit Christus quantum ad observationem, quia lex praecepit non occides, Christus non irasci. 474. Augustine says otherwise, as well as Jerome: he speaks literally about the least precepts that are in the law because he says jot and tittle; and they are called the least things because the chief things are love the Lord your God, and your neighbor (Mark 12:30–31); hence certain observances are called least precepts, like many in Leviticus 19. And he says this to confront the Pharisees, for Pharisees transgressed many things for the sake of their observances, as he says later in this Gospel: then you have made void the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition (Matt 15:6). But the law is made void in three ways: first by completely denying it, second by interpreting it badly, and third by not observing its morals. 474. Aliter Augustinus dicit et Ieronimus: ad litteram loquitur de minimis praeceptis quae sunt in lege quia dixit iotha et apex; et dicuntur minima, quia principalia sunt: diliges Dominum Deum tuum et proximum tuum; unde aliquas observationes dicuntur praecepta minima, sicut multa sunt Levi. xix. Et dicit hoc in suggillationem Pharisaeorum, quia Pharisaei propter suas observantias transgrediebantur multa, infra xv, 6 irritum fecistis. Solvitur autem lex tripliciter: primo totaliter eam negando, secundo male interpretando, tertio moralia non implendo. 475. And so teach. He does badly who acts badly, but he does worse who teaches others to act badly: you have there some who hold to the teaching of Balaam (Rev 2:14); and thus he says, who will break one of these least commandments and so teach men, i.e., to break the commandments. And according to this it seems that whoever breaks the commandments will be in the kingdom of heaven. 475. Et docuerit. Male facit qui male operatur, sed peius qui docet alios male operari, Apoc. ii, 14 habes tenentes doctrinam Balaam; et ideo dicit qui solverit et docuerit, scilicet solvere mandata. Et secundum hoc videtur quod qui solvit erit in regno caelorum. But it should be known that according to Augustine, the kingdom of heaven here is taken for eternal life, and the Lord wanted to convey that no one will be there who will break one of these least commandments and so teach men, for none will be there but the great: whom he justified (Rom 8:30). Hence whoever is too small will never enter. Second, according to Rabbanus, men seek fame among men because this is a certain glory, that a man be considered great in the kingdom of men; but who will break . . . will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven, not existing here: for there a man is considered small for transgressing the commandments, and even smaller for teaching the transgression. And this is good enough. Sed sciendum quod, secundum Augustinum, regnum caelorum hic accipitur pro vita aeterna, et voluit Dominus dare intelligere quod nullus erit ibi qui solverit et docuerit etc., quia ibi non erit nisi magnus, Ro. ix quos iustificavit etc.; unde qui nimis parvus numquam intrabit. Secundo, secundum Rabbanam sic: homines quaerunt famam apud homines quia hoc gloria quaedam est quod homo in regno hominum reputetur magnus; sed qui solverit minimus reputabitur in regno caelorum, non existens ibi: parvus enim reputatur ibi qui transgreditur mandata, minimus qui docet transgredi. Et haec satis bona est.