Alia ratio est, quia secundum Augustinum in de Trinitate cap. IX, tactus facit quasi finem cognitionis. Quando enim videmus rem, utcumque eam cognoscimus; sed per tactum consummatam cognitionem de ea habemus. Mulier autem haec aliquam fidem habebat de Christo sicut de sancto viro, unde et Magistrum eum vocabat: necdum ad hoc pervenerat ut cognosceret eum aequalem Patri et unum cum Deo. Et ideo dicit noli me tangere idest, non constituas finem tuae notionis in eo quod credis de me, nondum enim ascendi ad Patrem meum, scilicet in corde tuo, quia non credis me esse unum cum eo; quod tamen postea credidit. Nam in eius intimis sensibus quodammodo Christus ascendit ad Patrem, qui sic in ea profecerat ut Patri cognoscat aequalem.
The other reason is given by Augustine in his work The Trinity. It is that touch is the last stage of knowledge, when we see something, we know it to a certain extent, but when we touch it our knowledge is complete. Now this particular woman had some faith in Christ, which was that he was a holy man; and this was why she called him Master. But she had not yet reached the point of believing that he was equal to the Father and one with God. Thus Christ says, do not touch me, that is, do not allow what you now believe of me to be the limit of your faith, for I have not yet ascended to my Father, that is, in your heart, because you do not believe that I am one with him; yet she did believe this later. In a way, Christ did ascend to the Father within her when she had advanced in the faith to the point of believing that he was equal to the Father.
2518. Vel dicendum, secundum Chrysostomum, quod haec mulier videns Christum surrexisse, credidit quod esset in eadem qualitate in qua fuerat prius, habens mortalem vitam: unde et volebat cum eo esse sicut ante passionem, et prae gaudio nihil magnum excogitabat; quamvis caro Christi multo melior facta fuerit resurgendo. Et ideo ab hac intelligentia eam revocare volens, dicit noli me tangere; quasi dicat: non putes me de cetero habere vitam mortalem et vobiscum eo modo conversari quo primo. II Cor. V, v. 16: et si novimus secundum carnem Christum, sed iam nunc non novimus. Et hoc est quod subdit nondum enim ascendi ad Patrem meum. Et tunc non est monitionis ratio, sed tacitae quaestionis responsio, quasi dicat: etsi videas me hic manentem, non est propter hoc quod non habeam gloriosam carnem; sed quia nondum ascendi ad Patrem meum. Voluit enim priusquam ascenderet, fidem resurrectionis et suae divinitatis firmare in cordibus apostolorum.
2518. Or, we could say, with Chrysostom, that after this woman saw that Christ had arisen, she thought he was in the same state as he was before, having a life subject to death. She wanted to be with him as she was before his passion, and in her joy thought there was nothing extraordinary about him, although Christ’s flesh had become much better by arising. To correct this impression Christ said, do not touch me. It was like saying: do not think that I have a mortal life, and can associate with you as before: even though we once regarded Christ from a human point of view, we regard him thus no longer (2 Cor 5:16). This is what he adds when he says, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. Accordingly, this statement does not give the reason for his prohibition, but an answer to an implicit question. It was like saying: although you see me remaining here, it is not because my flesh is not glorified but because I have not yet ascended to my Father. For before he ascended he wanted to strengthen in the hearts of the apostles their faith in his resurrection and in his divinity.
2519. Deinde ponit instructionem affirmativam, dicens vade autem ad fratres meos scilicet apostolos, qui sunt fratres per conformitatem naturae, Hebr. XXI, 17: debui per omnia fratribus assimilari, et per adoptionem gratiae, quia eius Patris sunt Filii adoptivi, cuius ipse est Filius naturalis.
2519. After this he gives his positive directions, go to my brethren, that is the apostles, because they are his brethren by his having the same nature: he had to be made like his brethren in every respect (Heb 2:17); and they are his brethren by being adopted through grace, because they are the adopted children of his Father, of whom he is the natural Son.
Ubi notandum est triplex privilegium, quod Magdalenae est collatum. Primo quidem propheticum, per hoc quod meruit angelos videre: propheta enim est medius inter angelos et populum. Secundo angelorum fastigium, per hoc quod vidit Christum, in quem desiderant angeli prospicere. Tertio officium apostolicum, immo facta est apostolorum apostola, per hoc quod ei committitur ut resurrectionem Dominicam discipulis annuntiet: ut sicut mulier viro primo nuntiavit verba mortis, ita et mulier primo nuntiaret verba vitae.
Note the three privileges given to Mary Magdalene. First, she had the privilege of being a prophet because she was worthy enough to see the angels, for a prophet is an intermediary between angels and the people. Second, she had the dignity or rank of an angel insofar as she looked upon Christ, on whom the angels desire to look. Third, she had the office of an apostle; indeed, she was an apostle to the apostles insofar as it was her task to announce our Lord’s resurrection to the disciples. Thus, just as it was a woman who was the first to announce the words of death, so it was a woman who would be the first to announce the words of life.
2520. Et dic eis: ascendo ad Patrem meum et Patrem vestrum. Supra XIV, v. 5: vado ad eum qui me misit; Eph. IV, v. 10: qui descendit ipse et qui ascendit super omnes caelos.
2520. And say to them, I ascend to my Father and to your Father. As above: I am going to him who sent me (John 16:5, C. 16, L. 1); he who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens (Eph 4:10).
Sed ex hoc Arius sumit sui erroris fulcimentum: quia per hoc quod dicit Patrem meum et Patrem vestrum, concludere voluit quod eodem modo Deus sit Pater Filii, sicut est noster Pater; et Deus Filii sicut Deus noster.
Arius based his error on these words, my Father and to your Father. He took it to mean that God is the Father of the Son in the same way that he is our Father, and that he is the God of the Son in the same way that he is our God.
Sed contra hoc dicendum quod haec verba qua intentione dicantur apparet ex circumstantiis loquendi. Dicit enim supra vade ad fratres meos etc.: hos autem fratres habet Christus secundum quod homo, et secundum hoc Christus est subiectus Patri, sicut creatura creatori: nam ipsum corpus Christi creatura quaedam est.
The answer to this is that the meaning of these words must be gathered from the circumstances in which they were spoken. Christ said before, go to my brethren. But Christ had these brethren insofar as he had a human nature, and in his human nature he is subject to the Father as a creature to the creator, for the body of Christ is something created.
2521. Vel aliter, secundum Augustinum, Christus hic loquitur de se secundum utramque naturam: quia quod dicit ascendo ad Patrem meum et Patrem vestrum, pertinet ad divinam naturam, secundum quam habet Patrem Deum connaturalem cui est aequalis. Et sic intelligendum est aliter meum, et aliter vestrum: natura meum, gratia vestrum, quasi, hoc quod estis filii adoptivi per gratiam, per me habetis. Gal. IV, v. 4: misit Deus Filium suum . . . ut adoptionem filiorum Dei reciperemus; Rom. VIII, 29: quos praescivit conformes fieri imaginis Filii sui, ut sit ipse primogenitus in multis fratribus. Quod addit Deum meum et Deum vestrum, refertur ad humanam naturam, secundum quam habet Deum gubernatorem. Et sic dicit Deum meum, sub quo ego homo sum, et Deum vestrum, inter quos et ipsum mediator sum: quia per ipsum habemus Deum nobis placatum, et sic Deum nostrum. Rom. V, v. 1: iustificati igitur ex fide, pacem habeamus per Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum per quem habemus accessum in gratiam in qua stamus, et gloriamur in spe gloriae filiorum Dei; II Cor. V, 19: Deus erat in Christo mundum reconcilians sibi.
2521. Or, according to Augustine, Christ is speaking of himself and referring to each of his natures. I ascend to my Father and to your Father refers to his divine nature, and from this point of view he has as Father God, to whom he is equal and like in nature. Thus, the meaning is my Father by nature, and your Father by grace. It is saying in effect: the fact that you are adopted children by grace is due to me: God sent forth his Son . . . so that we might receive adoption as sons (Gal 4:4); for those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren (Rom 8:29). When he adds, to my God and your God, he is referring to his human nature. From this point of view God rules him; thus he says, my God, under whom I am a man. And your God, and between him and you, I am the mediator: for God is our God because through Christ we are pleasing to him: having then been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained access by faith to this grace in which we stand; and we exult in the hope of the glory of the children of God (Rom 5:1); God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself (2 Cor 5:19).
2522. Promptitudo obedientiae Mariae ponitur cum dicit venit Maria Magdalene annuntians, quia vidi Dominus, et haec dixit mihi. Venit, de loco ubi erat horti spatium ante lapidem monumenti, annuntians discipulis. I Cor. XI, 23: ego enim accepi a Domino quod et tradidi vobis; Is. XXI, 10: quae audivi a Domino Deo exercituum, domus Israel, annuntiavi vobis.
2522. Mary was quick to obey, as we see from Mary Magdalen went, and said to the diciples: I have seen the Lord, and he said these things to me. She came from the place in the garden in front of the stone of the sepulchre, announcing to the disciples. For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you (1 Cor 11:23); what I have heard from the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, I announce to you (Isa 21:10).
Lectio 4
Lecture 4
Christus ad apostolos apparet
Christ appears to the apostles
20:19 Cum ergo sero esset die illo, una Sabbatorum, et fores essent clausae, ubi erant discipuli congregati propter metum Iudaeorum. Venit Iesus, et stetit in medio, et dixit eis: pax vobis. [n. 2524]
20:19 Now when it was late that same day, the first day of the week, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered together, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them: peace be with you. [n. 2524]
20:20 Et cum haec dixisset, ostendit eis manus et latus. Gavisi sunt ergo discipuli viso Domino. [n. 2533]
20:20 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord. [n. 2533]
20:21 Dixit ergo eis iterum: pax vobis. Sicut misit me Pater, et ego mitto vos. [n. 2536]
20:21 He said therefore to them again: peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you. [n. 2536]
20:22 Haec cum dixisset, insufflavit, et dixit eis: accipite Spiritum Sanctum: [n. 2538]
20:22 When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: receive the Holy Spirit. [n. 2538]
20:23 quorum remiseritis peccata, remittuntur eis, et quorum retinueritis, retenta sunt. [n. 2541]
20:23 Whose sins you will forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you will retain, they are retained. [n. 2541]
2523. Positis apparitionibus Christi factis mulieribus, in parte ista agit Evangelista de apparitionibus factis apostolis, et
2523. Having described how Christ appeared to the holy women, the Evangelist now tells of his appearance to the apostles:
primo de apparitione qua simul omnibus in Ierusalem apparuit, excepto Thoma;
first, his appearance at Jerusalem before all except Thomas;
secundo de ea quae facta est, Thoma praesente, ibi et post dies octo etc.;
second, his appearance when Thomas was present: and after eight days (John 20:26);
tertio de ea quae facta est quibusdam specialiter iuxta mare, XXI capitulo postea manifestavit se etc.
third, the events near the Sea of Tiberias, after this, Jesus showed himself again (John 21:1).
Circa primum duo ponuntur.
About the first, he mentions two things.
Primo Domini apparitio;
First, the apparition of the Lord;
secundo discipulorum dubitatio, ibi Thomas autem etc.
second, the doubts of the disciples, at now Thomas, one of the twelve (John 20:24).
Circa primum tria ponuntur.
Three things are done regarding the first:
Primo Domini apparitio;
first, we see our Lord appear:
secundo officii iniunctio, ibi dixit eis, pax vobis etc.;
second, we see a duty imposed on the apostles, he said therefore to them again: peace be with you.
tertio spiritualis muneris collatio, ibi haec cum dixisset, insufflavit etc.
third, our Lord gives them a spiritual gift, when he had said this, he breathed on them.
Circa primum tria facit.
He does three things about the first:
Primo ponit apparitionis circumstantias;
first, he mentions the circumstances of Christ’s appearance;
secundo apparitionis continentiam, ibi venit Iesus etc.;
second, the details of the appearance: Jesus came and stood in their midst;
tertio apparitionis consequentia, ibi gavisi sunt discipuli viso Domino.
third, the result of this, the disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord.
Describit ergo apparitionem Dominicam discipulis a quatuor circumstantiis.
The Evangelist mentions four circumstances in our Lord’s appearance to the disciples.
Primo quidem ex horae descriptione, quia cum sero esset;
First, he mentions the time of day, when it was late;
secundo ex diei designatione, quia die illa;
second, what day it was, that same day;
tertio ex loci conditione, quia cum fores essent clausae;
third, the condition of the place, the doors were shut;
quarto ex discipulorum dispositione, quia erant congregati propter metum Iudaeorum.
and fourth, the state of the disciples, where the disciples were gathered together, for fear of the Jews.