Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Loss of Grace · Book IV: On Original Sin
Chapter 6: The same truth is proved from ecclesiastical definition
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. V, De Amissione Gratiae et Statu Peccati, Book IV. The Latin source text is public domain; this English rendering is released with the site. Scripture quotations follow Bellarmine's Vulgate citations, rendered in Douay-Rheims wording where he quotes exactly. Click “Show the Latin” for the original (raw OCR of the scan; scanning errors remain — the scan itself is the authority).
Now we shall bring forward the judgments not of single men, but of the Churches themselves, or Councils, by which that error of Pelagius, Caelestius, and Julian — which Lefèvre, Erasmus, and Zwingli have renewed in our age — was publicly condemned. And we have the judgments of the whole world.
For first, in the East, the Palestinian Council, of 14 bishops, so condemned this error that it compelled Pelagius himself to condemn the same error. St. Augustine mentions this Synod, book 1 against Julian, chapter 2 [al. 5], epistle 106, and elsewhere.
Then in the West we have from Africa the Council of Milevis, which in canon 2 decreed thus: “It has pleased that whoever denies that little ones fresh from their mothers' wombs are to be baptized, or says that they are indeed baptized for the remission of sins, but draw from Adam nothing of original sin which is expiated by the laver of regeneration, be anathema.” We have likewise from Africa the most numerous national Council of Carthage — of 217 bishops, namely — which, after the confirmation obtained from Zosimus the supreme Pontiff, was received by the whole world, as St. Prosper relates in the Chronicle at the year 420.
From Spain we have the Sixth Council of Toledo, canon 1, where we read thus: “Of these three persons of the divinity we confess that the Son alone came forth from the secret and hidden place of the Father for the redemption of the human race — for the loosing of the debts of faults which we contracted originally through the disobedience of Adam, and by our own free choice — and took up humanity without sin from the holy ever-Virgin.” See also the Twelfth Council of Toledo, canon 2 [al. 1].
From Gaul we have the Second Council of Orange, canon 2, where we read thus: “If anyone asserts that the transgression of Adam harmed himself alone, and not his offspring; or at least testifies that only the death of the body, which is the punishment of sin, and not also sin, which is the death of the soul, passed through one man into the whole human race — he will ascribe injustice to God, contradicting the Apostle, who says: By one man sin entered into this world, and by sin death; and so death passed upon all men,” etc.
From Germany we have the Council of Mainz, canon 5, where we read thus: “This sin of the first men passed by propagation into all men, and draws its punishment with it, so that all men are guilty of the wrath of God, of damnation, and of death, and prone to sin.”
From Italy we have the responses of the ancient supreme Pontiffs — Innocent, Zosimus, Celestine, Leo, Gregory. For blessed Innocent I openly condemned that error, which arose in the time of his pontificate, as Augustine testifies, book 1 against Julian, chapter 2 [al. 4], and epistle 157. And there is extant an epistle of the same Innocent to the Council of Milevis, in which he confirms the decrees of that Council, and among other things speaks thus: “If, then, they will have it that not to be born again hinders nothing, they must needs confess that neither do the sacred streams of regeneration profit,” etc. The epistle of blessed Zosimus to the bishops of the whole world is not extant, but St. Augustine recites these words of his in epistle 157 to Optatus: “The Lord is faithful in his words, and his Baptism holds the same fullness in deed and in words — that is, in work, in confession, and in the true remission of sins — in every sex, age, and condition of the human race. For no one is made free except him who is the slave of sin; nor can he be called redeemed, except him who has truly been before a captive through sin, as it is written: If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. For through him we are born again spiritually; through him we are crucified to the world; by his death is torn up that handwriting — introduced from Adam and transmitted to every soul — of the death brought upon us all, contracted by propagation; by which handwriting absolutely no one of those born is not held bound, before he be freed through baptism.” After these words recited, Augustine subjoins thus: “In these words of the Apostolic see the Catholic faith is so ancient and founded, certain and clear, that it would be a wickedness for a Christian to doubt of it.”
Blessed Celestine, in the first epistle to the Gauls, after the end of the epistle annexes certain chapters — pronouncing that whatever is contrary to them is by no means to be held Catholic. In chapter 4 he says thus: “In the transgression of Adam all men lost their natural possibility and innocence.” In chapter 12 he speaks again thus: “That which the holy Church does uniformly throughout the whole world with regard to those to be baptized, we contemplate with no idle gaze: that whether little ones or young men come to the Sacrament of regeneration, they do not approach the font of life before the unclean spirit is driven from them by the exorcisms and exsufflations of the clerics — that then it may truly appear how the prince of this world is cast out, and how the strong one is first bound, and thereafter his vessels are plundered, carried over into the possession of the victor, who leads captivity captive, and gives gifts to men.”
St. Leo I, epistle 86 [al. 35], to Nicetas of Aquileia, speaks thus: “But they say that this is forestalled by natural industry, so that the nature which is bright toward grace by its own effort may seem wounded by no wound of original sin. Therefore they also say that little ones, if they depart hence from the world without Baptism, cannot be damned, nor be held guilty in the sin of Adam, but come to the kingdom, or to eternal life, without any delay — whereas the Apostle says: By one man sin entered into this world, and by sin death, and so it passed upon all men; on which account the little ones themselves also are baptized.”
St. Gregory, in epistle 53, book 7 [al. 9], to Secundinus: “This,” says he, “is not uncertain: that unless a man be reborn by the grace of sacred Baptism, every soul is bound fast by the chains of original sin.” To these come last two universal Councils, the Florentine and the Tridentine; of which the former, in the letters of union, teaches thus: “But the souls of those who depart in actual mortal sin, or in original alone, descend straightway into hell, yet to be punished with unequal punishments.” And the latter, in session 5, in the decree on the sin of origin, repeats word for word the decrees of the ancient Councils of Milevis and Orange. Which things being so, there remains absolutely no doubt concerning the faith of the Catholic Church — so that Erasmus, Lefèvre, Zwingli, and the Anabaptists could not, without incredible temerity, again renew an error so often condemned.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT VI. Probatur eadem veritas ex definitione Ecclesiastica. Nunc afferemus judicia non singulorum hominum, sed ipsarum Ecclesiarum, sive Conciliorum, quibus error ille Pelagii, Coe- lestii et Juliani, quem Faber, Erasinus et Zwinglius nostro sacculo renovarunt, pu¬ blice damnatus fuit. Habemus autem judi¬ cia totius orbis terrarum. Primum enim in Oriente Concilium Palc- stinum, Episcoporum 44. errorem hunc ita damnavit, ut Pelagium ipsum ad eumdem errorem damnandum compulerit. Meminit hujus Synodi S. Augustinus lib. i. in Julia¬ num cap. 2. epist. 100. et alibi. Deinde in Occidente habemus ex Africa Concilium Milevitanum, quod in 2. can. ita statuit : « Placuit, ut quicumque parvulos recentes ab uteris matrum baptizandos ne¬ gat, aut dicit, in remissionem peccatorum cos quidem baptizari, sed nihil cx Adamo tra¬ here originalis peccati, quod lavacro rege¬ nerationis expietur, anathema sit. » Habemus item ex Africa Concilium Car¬ thaginiense nationale frequentissimum, Epi¬ scoporum videlicet 21 7, quod postconfirmatio- nem a Zozimo summo Pontifice obtentam, a toto orbe receptum fuit, ut refert S. Prosper in Chronico ad annum 420. Ex Hispania habemus Concilium Toleta¬ num VI. can. i. ubi sic legimus : « Ex his tribus divinitatis personis solum Filium fa¬ temur ad redemptionem humani generis propter culparum debita, quie per inobe- dientiam Adse originaliter, et nostro libero arbitrio contraximus, resolvenda, a secreto Patris, arcanoque prodiisse, et humanitatem sine peccato de sancta semper Virgine as¬ sumpsisse. » Vide etiam Concilium Toleta¬ num XII. can. 2. Ex Gallia habemus Concilium Arausica- num II. canon. 2. ubi sic legimus : « Si quis soli Ada; prsevaricationem suam, et non ejus propagini asserit nocuisse ; aut certe mor¬ tem tantum corporis, quee poena est peccati, non autem et peccatum, quod est mors ani¬ ma), per unum hominem in omne genus hu¬ manum transisse testatur, injustitiam Deo dabit, contradicens Apostolo dicenti. Per u- nnm hominem peccatum in hunc mumdum intravit, et per peccatum mors, et ita in om¬ nes homines mors pertransiit etc.» Ex Germania habemus Concilium Mogun- tinum, can. S. ubi sic legimus : «Hoc pri¬ morum hominum peccatum propagatione in omnes homines transiit, ctsecum poenam suam trahit, ut sint omnes homines ira) Dei, damnationis, et rftortis rei, et ad peccatum proni. » Ex Italia habemus responsa veterum sum¬ morum Pontificum, Innocentii, Zozimi, Cce- lestini, Leonis, Gregorii. Nam B. Innocen¬ tius I. exortum errorem istum, tempore sui Pontificatus, aperte damnavit, ut Augustinus testatur lib. i. in Julianum cap. 2. et epist. 137. Extat autem epist. ejusdem Innocentii ad Concilium Milevitanum, in qua confirmat ejus Concilii decreta, et inter alia sic loqui¬ tur : « Si ergo nihil volunt officere non re¬ nasci, fateantur necesse est, nec regenera¬ tionis sacra fluenta prodesse etc. » B. Zozimi epist. ad Episcopos totius orbis non extat, sed ejus ha)C verba recitat S. Augustinus in epistol. 137. adOptatum : « Fidelis Dominus in verbis suis, ejusque Baptismus re, ac ver¬ bis, id est, opere, confessione, ct remissione CAPUT VII. 343 vora peccatorum, in omni sexu, aetate, con¬ ditione generis humani, eamdem plenitudi¬ nem tenet. Nullus enim nisi qui peccati ser¬ vus est, liber efficitur, nec redemptus dici potest, nisi qui vere per peccatumfuerit ante captivus, sicut scripturo est : Si vos filius li¬ beraverit, vere liberi eritis. Per ipsum enim renascimur spiritualiter, per ipsum crucifi¬ gimur mundo : ipsius morte mortis ab Adam omnibus nobis introductae, atque transmissae universae animae illud propagatione contra¬ ctum chyrographum rumpitur, in quo nullus omnino natorum, antequam per baptismum liberetur, non tenetur obnoxius ». Post haec verba recitata ita subjungit Augustinus : «In his verbis Apostolicae sedis tam antiqua, at¬ que fundata, certa et clara est Catholica fi¬ des, ut nefas sit de illa dubitare Christia¬ no. i) B. Coeleslinus in epistol. ad Gallos prima, post finem epistolae annectit aliquot capi¬ tula, quibus quidquid contrarium est^ mini¬ me Catholicum habendum esse pronuntiat, in 4. cap. sic ait : « In praevaricatione Adafc omnes homines naturalem possibilitatem, et innocentiam perdidisse. » In cap. 12. sicrur- sus loquitur : « Illud quod circa baptizandos in universo mundo sancta Ecclesia unifor¬ miter agit, non otiosio contemplamur in¬ tuitu, cum sive parvuli, sive juvenes ad rege¬ nerationis veniunt Sacramentum, non prius fontem vitae adeunt, quam exorcismis, et exsufflationibus clericorum, spiritus ab eis immundus abigatur : ut tunc vere appareat, quo modo princeps mundi hujus mittatur foras, et quo modo prius alligetur fortis, et deinceps vasa ejus diripianturin possessionem translata victoris, qui captivam ducit capti¬ vitatem, et dat dona hominibus. » S. Leo I. epist. 8G. ad Nicetam Aquile- iensem ita loquitur : « Sed ab istis ideo per naturalem industriam dicitur praeveniri, ut qua; ad gratiam proprio clara sit studio, nul¬ lo videatur peccati originalis vulnere saucia¬ ta. Ideo etiam parvulos dicunt, si sine Ba¬ ptismo hinc de saeculo exierint, non posse damnari, neque reos in peccato Adae teneri, sed ad regnum, vel ad vitam aeternam sine ulla cunctatione venire, cum Apostolus di¬ cat. Per unum hominem peccatum in hunc mundum intravit, et per peccatum mors, et ita in omnes homines pertransiit, propter quod et ipsi parvuli baptizantur. » S. Gregorius in epist. 53. lib. vil. ad Se- cundinum : «Illud, inquit, incertum non est, quia nisi sacri Baptismatis gratia fuerit rena¬ tus homo, omnis anima originalis peccati vinculis est obstricta. » His accedunt postre¬ mo Concilia universalia duo, Florentinum et Tridentinum, quorum illud in litteris unionis sic docet : « Illorum autem animas, qui in actuali mortali peccato, vel solo originali de¬ cedunt, mox in infernum descendere, poenis tamen disparibus puniendos ». Istud autem sess. 5. in decreto de peccato originis, ad verbum repetit decreta Conciliorum veterum Milevitani et Arausicani. Quae cum ita sint, nulla omnino remanet de fide Catholicae Ec¬ clesiae dubitatio : ut non potuerint Erasmus, Faber, Zwinglius atque Anabaptistae sine in¬ credibili temeritate errorem toties damna¬ tum, iterum innovare.