Lectio 2 Lecture 2 Induentes novum hominem Putting on the new man ^3:8 Nunc autem deponite et vos omnia: iram, indignationem, malitiam, blasphemiam, turpem sermonem de ore vestro. [n. 149] ^3:8 But now put you also all away: anger, indignation, malice, blasphemy, filthy speech out of your mouth. [n. 149] ^3:9 Nolite mentiri invicem, expoliantes vos veterem hominem cum actibus suis, ^3:9 Lie not one to another: stripping yourselves of the old man with his deeds, ^3:10 et induentes novum eum, qui renovatur in agnitionem secundum imaginem ejus qui creavit illum: [n. 155] ^3:10 And putting on the new, him who is renewed unto knowledge, according to the image of him who created him. [n. 155] ^3:11 ubi non est gentilis et Judaeus, circumcisio et praeputium, Barbarus et Scytha, servus et liber: sed omnia, et in omnibus Christus. ^3:11 Where there is neither gentile nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian nor Scythian, slave nor free. But Christ is all and in all. 149. Supra Apostolus monuit fideles contra vitia carnalia, hic monet eos contra vitia spiritualia. Et primo ponit universalem admonitionem; 149. Above, the Apostle warned the faithful about sins of the flesh; here he warns them about spiritual sins. First, he lays down a general admonition; secundo per partes distinguit. and second, he divides it into parts. 150. Dicit ergo: aliquando ambulastis in illis, sed nunc deponite et vos omnia, non solum carnalia, sed omnia. I Petr. II, 1: deponentes omnem malitiam, et omnem dolum, et simulationes, et invidias, et detractiones, et cetera. 150. So he says: at one time you walked in sins, but now put you also all away, not only sins of the flesh, but all sin: so put away all malice and all guile and insincerity and envy and all slander (1 Pet 2:1). 151. Distinguit autem vitia spiritualia in duo. Primo in peccatum cordis; secundo oris, ibi blasphemiam, et cetera. 151. He divides the spiritual sins into two groups: first, into sins of the heart, second, into sins of the mouth, spoken sins, at blasphemy. Et primo ponit iram. Ira enim viri iustitiam Dei non operatur Iac. I, 20, et haec est deponenda. Secundo indignationem, quae oritur ex ira, quae est quando quis reputat aliquem indignum eorum quae habet, vel ut comparetur alii. Is. XXVII, 4: indignatio non est mihi. Malitiam, quae consequitur ad haec duo, scilicet quando quis molitur malum proximo inferre. Iac. I, 21: abiicientes omnem immunditiam, et abundantiam malitiae, in mansuetudine, et cetera. First of all, he mentions anger: for the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God (Jas 1:20); and this must be avoided. Second, he mentions indignation, which springs from anger, and occurs when a person considers someone unworthy of what he has, or in comparison with another: I have no indignation (Isa 27:4). Malice then follows after these two, when a person tries to cause injury to his neighbor: put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness (Jas 1:21). 152. Deinde ponit peccata pertinentia ad peccatum oris: et sunt tria genera peccatorum oris. 152. Then he mentions those sins committed by word; and there are three kinds. Per hoc enim peccatum designatur inordinatio mentis, et primo in comparatione ad Deum, et haec est blasphemia. Lev. XXIV, 14: educ blasphemum extra castra, et ponant omnes qui audierunt, manus suas super caput eius, et lapidet eum populus universus. Such sins indicate a spiritual disorder. First, such a sin in relation to God is blasphemy: bring out of the camp him who blasphemed; and let all who hear him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him (Lev 24:14). Et sic quaecumque blasphemia est peccatum mortale. Sed quid si sit subito? And thus all blasphemy is a grievous sin. But what if it is sudden? Respondeo. Dicendum est quod si sit subito, ita quod non percipit se blasphemare, non peccat mortaliter. Sed credo quod, quantumcumque subito, si tamen percipit quod dicit verba blasphemiae, peccat mortaliter. I answer that if it is so sudden that a person does not realize that he is blaspheming, it is not a grievous sin. But I believe that however suddenly, if a person realizes that he is speaking blasphemous words, he sins in a grievous way. Secundo designat inordinationem circa concupiscentiam, dicens turpem sermonem de ore vestro. Eph. IV, 29: omnis sermo malus ex ore vestro non procedat, et cetera. Second, he mentions a disorder concerning concupiscence, when he says, filthy speech out of your mouth: let no evil talk come out of your mouths (Eph 4:29). Tertio inordinationem contra proximum, et hoc est mendacium. Prov. XIX, 5: qui loquitur mendacium, non effugiet. Third, he mentions a disorder in relation to our neighbor, and that is the lie: a false witness will not go unpunished (Prov 19:5). 153. Deinde cum dicit expoliantes, etc., ostendit rationem quare sunt vitanda praedicta vitia, quia scilicet deposita vetustate, debet indui novitas. Matth. IX, 16: nemo mittit commissuram panni rudis in vestimentum vetus, et cetera. Et 153. Then when he says, stripping yourselves of the old man with his deeds, he shows why the vices he has just mentioned must be avoided, the reason being that when one puts off what is old, he should put on what is new: no one sews an old patch on a new garment (Matt 9:16). primo ponit depositionem vetustatis; First, he talks of putting off what is old; secundo assumptionem novitatis, ibi et induentes. second, of putting on what is new, at and putting on the new. 154. Dicit ergo: deponite, hoc expoliantes, et cetera. Nam hoc inveteratur per peccatum. Hebr. VIII, 13: quod autem antiquatur et senescit, prope interitum est. Haec vetustas propinquat corruptioni, quia peccatum est via ad corruptionem. Item per peccatum perditur virtus et decor spiritualis, quae quidem vetustas est introducta per peccatum primi parentis. Rom. V, 12: sicut enim per unum hominem peccatum in hunc mundum intravit, et per peccatum mors, ita et in omnes homines mors pertransiit, in quo omnes peccaverunt. Hunc ergo veterem hominem, id est vetustatem peccati. Rom. VI, 6: vetus homo noster simul crucifixus est, ut destruatur corpus peccati, ut ultra non serviamus peccato, et cetera. Exuite cum actibus suis. Eph. IV, 22: deponite vos secundum pristinam conversationem veterem hominem, qui corrumpitur secundum desideria erroris, et cetera. 154. So Paul tells us to put off these things, stripping yourselves of the old man, because it has grown old by sin: what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away (Heb 8:13). This old nature, this old self, is approaching decay, because sin is the road to decay. In addition, sin destroys virtue and spiritual beauty. The oldness of our nature, of course, was brought in by the sin of our first parent: therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned (Rom 5:12). This old nature, therefore, or old man, is the oldness of sin: we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed (Rom 6:6). We are to put off this old self with its practices: put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts (Eph 4:22). Novus homo est animus interius renovatus, quia homo, ante gratiam, habet mentem interiorem peccato subiectam, et quando reparatur per gratiam, habet novitatem. Ps. CII, 5: renovabitur ut aquilae iuventus tua. Gal. ult. 15: in Christo Iesu neque circumcisio, neque praeputium aliquid valet, sed nova creatura. The new nature or self is the mind, renewed from within, because before grace our mind is subject within to sin, and when it is renewed by grace it becomes new: your youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Ps 103:5); for neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation (Gal 6:15). Nova creatura est gratia innovans, sed adhuc vetustas remanet in carne. Sed si sequaris iudicium novi hominis, tunc induis novum hominem; si vero concupiscis secundum desideria carnis, induis vetustatem. Eph. IV, v. 24: induite novum hominem, qui secundum Deum creatus est in iustitia, et sanctitate veritatis. This new creation is renewing grace. Yet, there is an oldness that still remains in our flesh. Nevertheless, if you follow the judgment of the new nature, the new self, you are putting on the new nature or new self; while if you lust according to the desires of the flesh, you are putting on the old self or nature: put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph 4:24). 155. Deinde cum dicit et induentes, etc., describit novum hominem. Et primo ostendit renovationis modum, secundo ubi renovetur, tertio secundum quid renovatur. 155. Then when Paul says, and putting on the new, he describes the new self. First, he shows how this renewal takes place; second, where it takes place. Ostendit ergo quod interior homo vetus per ignorantiam Dei, renovatur per fidem et agnitionem Dei. II Cor. III, 18: in eamdem imaginem transformamur a claritate in claritatem, tamquam a domini spiritu. He shows that the inner self, having become old by its ignorance of God, is made new by faith and the knowledge of God: we are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor 3:18). Sed ubi est haec renovatio? Ibi, scilicet ubi est imago Dei, quae non est in potentiis sensitivae partis, sed in mente. Unde dicit secundum imaginem, id est, ipsa Dei imago, quae est in nobis renovata, et hoc secundum imaginem eius, scilicet Dei, qui creavit eum. Dicitur autem novus creatus, quia anima rationalis non est ex traduce, sed a Deo creata. And where is this renewal taking place? It is taking place where the image of God is, and this is not in the sense faculties, but in the mind. And so Paul says, according to the image, i.e., the image itself of God, which is renewed in us, and this according to his image, i.e., of God, who created him. It is called a new offspring, because the rational soul is not from a vine-layer, but is created by God. 156. Deinde cum dicit ubi non est, etc., ostendit hanc innovationem esse omnibus communem, alias non pertineret ad hominem inquantum homo. Et hoc quia facta est secundum aliquid quod convenit omnibus. 156. Then when he says, where there is neither, he shows that this renewal is for every one, otherwise it would not pertain to human nature as such. And this renewal pertains to all because it was accomplished with respect to what is common to all. Quintuplex autem hic cadit distinctio inter homines: una secundum sexum corporeum, et hanc excludit, dicens ubi non est masculus et foemina, quia non differunt mente, sed secundum sexum corporeum. Here then we have five ways in which people are different. The first way is by sex, which Paul excludes when he says, where there is neither male nor female, because men and women do not differ in mind, but in their physical sex. Secunda per nationes, et hanc excludit, ibi gentilis et Iudaeus. Isti enim ex fidelibus, illi ex infidelibus, et tamen utrique mente rationales. Rom. III, 29: an Iudaeorum Deus tantum? Nonne et gentium? Second, people are made different by their native lands, and Paul excludes this when he says, gentile nor Jew. For although the Jews were believers and the gentiles unbelievers, yet both have rational minds: or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of gentiles also? (Rom 3:29). Tertia secundum ritum certum et proprium, quia quidam legis professionem, et quidam ritum eumdem non habebant. Rom. X, 12: idem Dominus omnium, et cetera. The third distinction is based on rite, for some had the law, while others did not; yet the same Lord is Lord of all and bestows his riches upon all who call upon him (Rom 10:12). Alia secundum linguam, ibi barbarus et Scytha. Scytha est versus Septentrionem, barbarietas autem extraneitatem dicit; unde barbari quasi extranei. Et simpliciter est barbarus qui extraneus est ab homine inquantum homo, et hoc est inquantum rationalis. Et ideo illi barbari sunt, qui non reguntur ratione et legibus, et ideo barbari naturaliter sunt servi, et in Christo non differunt, quia et si ius civile non habent, tamen legem habent Christi. A fourth difference is in language: barbarian nor Scythian. Scythia is toward the North. What is barbarous is what is foreign or alien. Thus barbarians are foreigners, and one is absolutely a barbarian who is alien to human nature as such, that is, insofar as it is rational. And so barbarians are those people who are not ruled by reason and laws; they are slaves by nature. But there is no difference in Christ, because although they do not have the civil law, they still have the law of Christ. Alia secundum conditiones, quia quidam servi, quidam liberi: in Christo autem sunt omnes similes. Iob III, 19: parvus et magnus ibi sunt, et cetera. The final difference is based on state: for some are slave, and others free; but in Christ they are all alike: the small and the great are there, and the slave is free from his master (Job 3:19). Ergo non sunt hae differentiae in Christo, sed est omnia et in omnibus Christus. Non enim est circumcisio nisi per Christum, et libertas per Christum; si non es liber, libertas tua est Christus. Si non es circumcisus, circumcisio tua est Christus, et sic de aliis. Et in omnibus, quia omnibus beneficia sua dat. Therefore, none of these differences exist in Christ, but Christ is all and in all. For circumcision is obtained through Christ alone, and freedom comes from Christ alone. If you are not free, Christ is your freedom; if you are not circumcised, Christ is your circumcision, and so on. And in all, because he gives his gifts to all. Lectio 3 Lecture 3 Omnia in nomine Christi All in the name of Christ ^3:12 Induite vos ergo, sicut electi Dei, sancti, et dilecti, viscera misericordiae, benignitatem, humilitatem, modestiam, patientiam: [n. 157] ^3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, the heart of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience: [n. 157]