Lectio 3 Lecture 3 Fides Abrahae Abraham’s faith 3:6 Sicut scriptum est: Abraham credidit Deo, et reputatum est illi ad justitiam: [n. 129] 3:6 As it is written: Abraham believed God: and it was reputed to him unto justice. [n. 129] 3:7 cognoscite ergo quia qui ex fide sunt, ii sunt filii Abrahae. [n. 131] 3:7 Know, therefore, that they who are of faith are the children of Abraham. [n. 131] 3:8 Providens autem Scriptura quia ex fide justificat gentes Deus, praenuntiavit Abrahae: quia benedicentur in te omnes gentes. [n. 132] 3:8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God justifies the gentiles by faith, told unto Abraham before: in you shall all nations be blessed. [n. 132] 3:9 Igitur qui ex fide sunt, benedicentur cum fideli Abraham. [n. 133] 3:9 Therefore, they who are of faith shall be blessed with faithful Abraham. [n. 133] 129. Supra probavit Apostolus experimento virtutem fidei et insufficientiam legis, hic vero probat idem per auctoritates et rationes. Et 129. Having proved by experience the power of the faith and the insufficiency of the law, the Apostle now proves the same things by authority and by reasons. primo probat virtutem fidei in iustificando; First, he proves the power of the faith to justify; secundo in hoc ostendit legis defectum, ibi quicumque enim ex operibus legis, et cetera. second, in this he proves the insufficiency of the law, at for as many as are of the works of the law (Gal 3:10). Primum autem probat utens quodam syllogismo. Unde circa hoc tria facit. The first he proves by using a syllogism. Hence with respect to this he does three things. Primo ostendit minorem; First, he proves the minor premise; secundo maiorem, ibi providens autem Scriptura, etc.; second, the major premise, at and the Scripture, foreseeing; tertio infert conclusionem, ibi igitur qui ex fide, et cetera. third, he draws the conclusion, at therefore, that they who are of faith. Circa primum duo facit. Concerning the first, he does two things. Primo proponit quamdam auctoritatem, ex qua elicit minorem; First, he proposes a certain authority from which he takes the minor; secundo concludit eam, ibi cognoscite ergo, et cetera. second, he concludes the minor, at know, therefore. 130. Dicit ergo: vere iustitia et Spiritus Sanctus est ex fide, sicut scriptum est, Gen. XV, 6, et introducitur Rom. IV, 3, quod credidit Abraham Deo, et cetera. 130. He says therefore: truly, justice and the Holy Spirit come from faith, as it is written in Genesis and mentioned again in Romans: Abraham believed God and it was reputed to him unto justice (Gen 15:6, Rom 4:3). Ubi notandum est quod iustitia consistit in redditione debiti, homo autem debet aliquid Deo, et aliquid sibi, et aliquid proximo. Sed quod aliquid debeat sibi et proximo, hoc est propter Deum. Ergo summa iustitia est reddere Deo quod suum est. Nam si reddas tibi vel proximo quod debes, et hoc non facis propter Deum, magis es perversus quam iustus, cum ponas finem in homine. Dei autem est quidquid est in homine, et intellectus et voluntas et ipsum corpus; sed tamen quodam ordine, quia inferiora ordinantur ad superiora, et exteriora ad interiora, scilicet ad bonum animae; supremum autem in homine est mens. Et ideo primum in iustitia hominis est, quod mens hominis Deo subdatur, et hoc fit per fidem. II Cor. X, 3: in captivitatem redigentes omnem intellectum in obsequium Christi. Here it should be noted that justice consists in paying a debt. Now man is indebted to God and to himself and to his neighbor. But it is on account of God that he owes something to himself and his neighbor. Therefore the highest form of justice is to render to God what is God’s. For if you render to yourself or your neighbor what you owe and do not do this for the sake of God, you are more perverse than just, since you are putting your end in man. Now, whatever is in man is from God, namely, intellect and will and the body itself, albeit according to a certain order; because the lower is ordained to the higher, and external things to internal, namely, to the good of the soul. Furthermore, the highest thing in man is his mind. Therefore the first element of justice in a man is that a man’s mind be subjected to God, and this is done by faith: bringing into captivity every understanding unto the obedience of Christ (2 Cor 10:5). Sic ergo dicendum est in omnibus, quod Deus est primum principium in iustitia, et qui Deo dat, scilicet summum quod in se est, mentem ei subdendo, perfecte est iustus. Rom. VIII, 14: qui Spiritu Dei aguntur, hi filii sunt Dei. Therefore in all things it must be said that God is the first principle in justice and that whoever gives to God, namely, the greatest thing that lies in him by submitting the mind to him, such a one is fully just: whoever are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Rom 8:14). Et ideo dicit credidit Abraham Deo, id est, mentem suam Deo per fidem subdidit. Eccli. II, 6: crede Deo, et recuperabit te, etc., et infra qui timetis Dominum, credite illi, et cetera. Et reputatum est ei ad iustitiam, id est, ipsum credere et ipsa fides fuit ei et est omnibus aliis sufficiens causa iustitiae, et quod ad iustitiam reputetur ei exterius ab hominibus, sed interius datur a Deo, qui eos qui habent fidem, per caritatem operantem iustificat, eis peccata remittendo. And hence he says, Abraham believed God, i.e., submitted his mind to God by faith: believe God, and he will recover you (Sir 2:6); and further on: you who fear the Lord, believe him (Sir 2:8), and it was reputed to him unto justice, i.e., the act of faith and faith itself were for him, as for everyone else, the sufficient cause of justice. It is reputed to him unto justice by men exteriorly, but interiorly it is wrought by God, who justifies them that have the faith. This he does by remitting their sins through charity working in them. 131. Ex hac autem auctoritate concludit minorem propositionem, dicens cognoscite ergo, etc., quasi dicat: ex hoc aliquis dicitur filius alicuius, quod imitatur opera eius; si ergo vos estis filii Abrahae, opera Abrahae facite, Io. VIII, 39. Abraham autem non quaesivit iustificari per circumcisionem, sed per fidem; ergo et illi qui quaerunt iustificari per fidem, sunt filii Abrahae. 131. From this authority he draws the minor proposition, saying know, therefore, that they who are of faith are the children of Abraham. As if to say: someone is called the son of another because he imitates his works; if, therefore, you be the children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham (John 8:39). But Abraham did not seek to be justified through circumcision but through faith. Therefore the sons of Abraham are they who seek to be justified by faith. Et hoc est quod dicit: quia Abraham iustus est ex fide, per hoc quod Deo credidit, et reputatum est ei ad iustitiam, ergo cognoscite, quod illi qui ex fide sunt, id est, qui ex fide credunt se iustificari et salvari, hi sunt filii Abrahae, scilicet imitatione et instructione. Rom. IX, 8: qui filii sunt promissionis aestimantur in semine, et cetera. Lc. c. XIX, 9 dicitur Zachaeo: hodie huic domui salus a Deo facta est, eo quod et ipse sit filius Abrahae, et cetera. Et Matth. III, 9: potens est Deus de lapidibus istis, id est, de gentibus, suscitare filios Abrahae, inquantum scilicet facit eos credentes. And this is what he says: because Abraham is just through faith, in that he believed God and it was reputed to him unto justice; therefore, know that they who are of faith, i.e., who believe that they are justified and saved by faith, are the children of Abraham, namely, by imitation and instruction: they that are the children of the promise are accounted for the seed (Rom 9:8); this day is salvation come to this house, because he also is the son of Abraham (Luke 19:9); God is able of these stones, i.e., of the gentiles, to raise up children to Abraham (Matt 3:9), inasmuch as he makes them believers. 132. Consequenter cum dicit providens autem Scriptura, etc., ponit maiorem, quae scilicet est, quod Abrahae praenuntiatum est quod in semine suo benedicerentur omnes gentes. 132. Then when he says, the Scripture, foreseeing that God justifies the gentiles by faith, he sets down the major premise, namely, that Abraham was told beforehand that in his seed all nations would be blessed. Et hoc est quod dicit providens autem Scriptura, inducens Deum loquentem Abrahae dicit Gen. XII, 3, quod Deus praenuntiavit Abrahae quod in te, id est, in his qui ad similitudinem tuam filii tui erunt imitatione fidei, benedicentur omnes gentes. Matth. VIII, 11: multi venient ab oriente et occidente, et cetera. Hence when he says, the Scripture, foreseeing, he introduces God speaking to Abraham (Gen 12:3). Therefore he says, God told unto Abraham before that in you, i.e., in those who in your likeness will be your sons by imitating your faith, shall all nations be blessed: many will come from the east and from the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven (Matt 8:11). 133. Consequenter cum dicit ergo qui ex fide, etc., infert conclusionem ex praemissis. 133. Then when he says, therefore, they who are of faith, he draws the conclusion from the premises. Unde sic potest formari argumentum: Deus Pater nuntiavit Abrahae, quod in semine suo benedicerentur omnes gentes; sed illi qui quaerunt iustificari per fidem, sunt filii Abrahae; ergo qui ex fide sunt, id est, qui quaerunt iustificari per fidem, benedicentur cum fideli, id est credente, Abraham. Accordingly, the argument can be formulated thus: God the Father announced to Abraham that in his seed all nations would be blessed. But those who seek to be justified by faith are the children of Abraham. Therefore, they who are of faith, i.e., who seek to be justified through faith, shall be blessed with faithful, i.e., with believing, Abraham. Lectio 4 Lecture 4 Maledictio opera legis Curse of the law’s works 3:10 Quicumque enim ex operibus legis sunt, sub maledicto sunt. Scriptum est enim: maledictus omnis qui non permanserit in omnibus quae scripta sunt in libro legis ut faciat ea. [n. 134] 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: cursed is everyone who does not abide in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. [n. 134] 3:11 Quoniam autem in lege nemo justificatur apud Deum, manifestum est: quia justus ex fide vivit. [n. 140] 3:11 But that in the law no man is justified with God, it is manifest: because the just man lives by faith. [n. 140] 3:12 Lex autem non est ex fide, sed: qui fecerit ea, vivet in illis. [n. 143] 3:12 But the law is not of faith: but he who does those things shall live in them. [n. 143] 134. Supra ostendit Apostolus virtutem fidei, hic consequenter ostendit defectum legis. Et 134. Above, the Apostle proved the power of faith; now he shows the shortcoming of the law. primo per auctoritatem legis; First, through the authority of the law; secundo per humanam consuetudinem, ibi fratres, secundum hominem dico, et cetera. second, through a human custom, at brethren, I speak after the manner of a man, etc. (Gal 3:15). Circa primum tria facit. Concerning the first, he does three things. Primo ostendit damnum occasionaliter ex lege consecutum; First, he shows the curse brought on by the law;