Lectio 1
Lecture 1
Mortificate corporem
Mortify the body
3:1 Igitur, si consurrexistis cum Christo: quae sursum sunt quaerite, ubi Christus est in dextera Dei sedens: [n. 135]
3:1 Therefore if you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. [n. 135]
3:2 quae sursum sunt sapite, non quae super terram. [n. 137]
3:2 Mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth. [n. 137]
3:3 Mortui enim estis, et vita vestra est abscondita cum Christo in Deo. [n. 140]
3:3 For you are dead: and your life is hid with Christ in God. [n. 140]
3:4 Cum Christus apparuerit, vita vestra: tunc et vos apparebitis cum ipso in gloria. [n. 143]
3:4 When Christ shall appear, who is your life, then you also shall appear with him in glory. [n. 143]
3:5 Mortificate ergo membra vestra, quae sunt super terram: fornicationem, immunditiam, libidinem, concupiscentiam malam, et avaritiam, quae est simulacrorum servitus: [n. 144]
3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, lust, evil concupiscence and covetousness, which is the service of idols. [n. 144]
3:6 propter quae venit ira Dei super filios incredulitatis: [n. 148]
3:6 For which things the wrath of God comes upon the children of unbelief. [n. 148]
3:7 in quibus et vos ambulastis aliquando, cum viveretis in illis.
3:7 In which you also walked some time, when you lived in them.
135. Supra Apostolus monuit fideles contra seducentes, hic instruit eos contra perversitatem morum. Et
135. Above, the Apostle warned the faithful about those who wished to deceive them; here he teaches them to avoid evil habits.
primo proponit generalem doctrinam;
First, he gives his teaching in a general way;
secundo specialem, ibi mulieres subditae.
second, he presents it in more detail, at wives, be subject (Col 3:18).
Circa primum duo facit, quia
In regard to the first he does two things.
primo instruit eos de habenda recta intentione finis;
First, he teaches them to have a right intention in regard to their end;
secundo de rectitudine humanae actionis, ibi mortificate.
and in the second place, he instructs them about the rectitude of their human actions, at mortify therefore.
Iterum prima dividitur in duas partes, quia
The first is divided into two parts.
primo ponit modum instructionis;
First, he gives the main idea of his teaching, seek the things that are above;
secundo assignat rationem, ibi mortui enim.
and second, he gives the reason why they should do so, at for you are dead.
Circa primum, primo ponit susceptum beneficium;
In regard to the first he does two things. First, he mentions the benefit they have received;
secundo ex hoc concludit instructionis documentum, ibi quae sursum.
second, he draws his conclusion, at seek the things that are above.
136. Beneficium est, quod surreximus cum Christo resurgentes, sed hoc dupliciter: uno modo per spem corporalis resurrectionis. I Cor. XV, 12: si autem Christus praedicatur quod resurrexit a mortuis, quomodo quidam dicunt in vobis quoniam resurrectio mortuorum non est? Item cum eo resurgente reparamur ad vitam iustitiae. Rom. IV, 25: traditus est propter delicta nostra, et resurrexit propter iustificationem nostram. Quasi dicat: si Christo resurgente et vos resurrexistis. II Cor. IV, 14: qui suscitavit Dominum Iesum, et nos cum Iesu suscitabit.
136. The benefit that we have received is that, with the resurrection of Christ, we also have risen. And we have risen in two ways. First, by a hope for our bodily resurrection: now if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? (1 Cor 15:12). In the second way, with the resurrection of Christ we are restored to the life of justice: he was put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification (Rom 4:25). Paul is saying in effect: when Christ arose, you also arose: he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus (2 Cor 4:14).
137. Deinde cum dicit quae sursum, etc., concludit documentum debitum fini. Et
137. Then when he says, seek the things that are above, he draws his conclusion about the end:
primo per comparationem ad finem, et ut finem principaliter aliquis intendat;
first, that a person should aim at some principal end;
secundo ut secundum finem de aliis iudicet.
and second, that he should judge other things in the light of that end.
138. Dicit ergo si consurrexistis cum Christo, quae sursum sunt quaerite. Matth. c. VI, 33: primum quaerite regnum Dei et iustitiam eius, et cetera. Hic enim est finis. Ps. XXVI, 4: unam petii a domino, et cetera. Et ideo hoc quaerite, ubi Christus sedet in dextera. Mc. ult.: Dominus quidem Iesus postquam locutus est eis, assumptus est in caelum, et sedet a dextris Dei. Ps. CIX, 1: sede a dextris meis.
138. Paul says, therefore, if you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above: seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well (Matt 6:33). For this is our end: one thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life (Ps 27:4). Therefore, seek this, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God: so then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19); sit at my right hand (Ps 110:1).
Et intelligenda est dextra, non pars aliqua corporalis, sed similitudinaria. Dextra enim est potior pars hominis. Christus ergo sedet ad dextram, quia secundum quod homo, in potioribus bonis Patris est, sed secundum quod Deus, in aequalitate eius est. Et sic sit ordo in vobis, ut quia Christus est mortuus, et surrexit, et sic est assumptus a dextris Dei, ita et vos moriamini peccato, ut postea vivatis vita iustitiae, et sic assumamini ad gloriam.
By the right hand of God he does not mean a member of a body, but he is speaking figuratively, for the right hand of a person is the stronger. Christ sits at the right hand of the Father because, as man, he shares in the stronger and better goods of the Father, while as God, Christ is equal to the Father. Consequently, you should have this intention: that just as Christ died and arose, and was taken up to sit at the right hand of God, so you should die to sin in order to live a life of justice and so be taken up into glory.
Vel nos resurreximus per Christum; ipse autem ibi sedet, ergo desiderium nostrum debet esse ad ipsum. Matth. XXIV, 28: ubi fuerit corpus, illuc congregabuntur et aquilae, et cetera. Matth. VI, 21: ubi est thesaurus tuus, ibi est et cor tuum.
Or, we could say, that we arose through Christ; but he is seated at the right hand of God, and so our desire should be to be with him: wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together (Matt 24:28); where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matt 6:21).
139. Item debemus iudicare de aliis secundum ipsum. Et ideo dicit quae sursum sunt sapite, et cetera. Astruit unum, et aliud negat. Sapit autem quae sursum sunt, qui secundum supernas rationes ordinat vitam suam, et de omnibus iudicat secundum eam. Iac. III, 15: haec est sapientia de sursum descendens. Sapit autem quae sunt super terram, qui secundum terrena bona omnia ordinat et iudicat, iudicans ea summa bona. Phil. III, 19: et gloria in confusione eorum, qui terrena sapiunt.
139. Furthermore, we should judge of other things in the light of Christ; and so Paul says, mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth. Here he is affirming one way of life, and rejecting another. A person sets his mind on things that are above, when he governs his life according to heavenly ideas, and judges all things by such ideas: the wisdom from above (Jas 3:15). And a person sets his mind on things that are on earth when he orders and judges all things according to earthly goods, considering them the highest goods: they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things (Phil 3:19).
140. Deinde cum dicit mortui enim, etc., ponit rationem monitionis. Et
140. When Paul continues, for you are dead, he gives the reason for his advice.
primo commemorat quandam mortem;
First, he mentions their death;
secundo innuit occultationem cuiusdam vitae, ibi et vita;
second, their hidden life, at and your life;
tertio docet huius vitae manifestationem, ibi cum autem Christus.
and third, he teaches when this life will be revealed, at when Christ shall appear.
141. Prius enim unum prohibuit, et aliud astruxit, et nunc ad haec duo redit. Primo sic: non sapite quae sunt terrena, quia mortui estis terrenae conversationi. Mortuus enim huic vitae non sapit ea quae sunt huius mundi, ita et vos, si mortui estis cum Christo, ab elementis huius mundi. Rom. VI, v. 11: existimate vos mortuos quidem esse peccato, viventes autem Deo. Is. XXVI, 14: morientes non vivant, gigantes non resurgant, et cetera.
141. Just before, Paul had rejected one way of life and affirmed another. Now he returns to these two ways. As to the first he says: do not set your minds on earthly things, because you are dead to an earthly way of life. And a person who has died to this kind of life does not set his mind on the things of this world. This is the way you should act if you have died, with Christ, to the elements of this world: so you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Rom 6:11); they are dead, they will not live (Isa 26:14).
Cum autem dixit existimate, etc., subdit: viventes.
When he said, consider yourselves dead, he followed this with, and alive (Rom 6:11).
142. Et ideo alia vita est occulta, unde etiam hic dicit et vita vestra, et cetera. Et hanc vitam acquirimus nobis per Christum. I Petr. c. III, 18: Christus pro peccatis nostris mortuus est, iustus pro iniustis, et cetera. Quia vero haec vita est per Christum, Christus autem est occultus a nobis, quia est in gloria Dei Patris. Et similiter vita, quae per eum nobis datur, est in occulto, ubi scilicet Christus est in gloria Dei Patris. Prov. III, 16: longitudo dierum in dextra eius, et in sinistra eius divitiae et gloria. Ps. XXX, 20: quam magna multitudo dulcedinis tuae, quam abscondisti timentibus te, et cetera. Apoc. II, 17: vincenti dabo manna absconditum, et cetera.
142. And so there is another life which is hidden. And thus Paul also says here, and your life is hid with Christ in God. We acquire this life through Christ. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God (1 Pet 3:18). But because this life is obtained through Christ, and Christ is hidden from us because he is in the glory of the Father, this life which is given to us through him is also hidden, namely, where Christ is, in the glory of the Father: long life is in his right hand; in his left hand are riches and honor (Prov 3:16); O how abundant is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you (Ps 31:19); to him who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna (Rev 2:17).
143. Ideo cum dicit cum autem Christus, etc., ostendit quomodo manifestatur, scilicet sicut et Christus, quia dicitur in Ps. XLIX, 3: Deus manifeste veniet. Et ideo dicit cum autem apparuerit Christus, vita vestra, quia ipse est auctor vitae vestrae, et quia in amore eius et cognitione consistit vita vestra. Gal. II, 20: vivo ego iam non ego, vivit vero in me Christus. Tunc et vos apparebitis. I Io. III, 2: cum apparuerit, similes ei erimus, scilicet in gloria. Abac. III, 3: ab Austro veniet et sanctus de monte Pharan, et cetera.
143. When he says, when Christ shall appear, he shows how this life will be manifested, that is, just as Christ’s; for we read, our God comes (Ps 50:3). And so Paul says, when Christ shall appear, who is your life, because he is the author of our life, and because our life consists in knowing and loving him: it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (Gal 2:20). When Christ appears then you also shall appear: when he appears we shall be like him (1 John 3:2), that is, in glory: God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran (Hab 3:3).