Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Church Militant · The Church Spread Throughout the Whole World
Chapter 20: The True Marks of the Church Are Proposed
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. II, De Ecclesia Militante, On the Church Militant (of the controversy On Councils and the Church). 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).
These marks, therefore, being briefly refuted, it remains that we propose the true marks. But it is first to be observed that the Catholic Church is as it were a certain sun which diffuses most clear rays of light on every side, so that by them it can most easily be known. For it has very many marks, or testimonies and signs, which distinguish it from every false religion of Pagans, Jews, and heretics: and these indeed do not make it evidently true that it is the true Church of God, but yet make this evidently credible; for it is not the same to be evidently true and evidently credible. For that is called evidently true which is seen either in itself or in its principles; that is called evidently credible which is seen neither in itself nor in its principles, yet has so many and so grave testimonies that any wise man ought deservedly to believe it. As if a judge see a man slain by a robber, or wounded mortally and afterward dying, he has the evidence of truth that that robber is a murderer; but if he do not see the slaying done, but have twenty most grave witnesses who say they saw it, he has the evidence of credibility.
We say, therefore, that the marks of the Church which we shall bring forward do not make the evidence of truth simply, because otherwise none would be found who would deny it, just as no one is found who denies the propositions which the mathematicians demonstrate; but yet they make the evidence of credibility, according to that of Psalm 92: Thy testimonies are become exceedingly credible. But among those who admit the divine Scriptures and histories and the writings of the ancient Fathers, they make also the evidence of truth. For although the truth of the articles of faith cannot be evident to us absolutely, yet it can be evident hypothetically, that is, the truth of the Scriptures being supposed. For that which is evidently deduced from Scripture is evidently true, the Scriptures being supposed.
Further, these marks are variously named and numbered by various writers. Blessed Augustine, book against the letter of the foundation, chapter 4, sets six marks. Blessed Jerome against the Luciferians at the end, two. Vincent in his Commonitory, three.
Of the more recent, Driedo, Book 4, chapter 2, part 2 on ecclesiastical dogmas, and Peter of Soto, first part of the Defense, chapter 44 and following, three others. Cardinal Hosius, in the explanation of the Creed, four. Nicholas Sanders, Book 8 on the visible monarchy, chapter 50, another six. Michael Medina, Book 2 on right faith, sets ten, and Book 7, chapter 26, adds an eleventh. Gunerus Petri, in his little book on the marks of the Church, sets (if I am not mistaken) twelve; for when we wrote these things, we had not his book in hand.
We shall propose fifteen Marks, which, if anyone wishes, can in some way be reduced to those four which are commonly assigned by the more recent from the Constantinopolitan Creed: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT III. Proponuntur verce Notce Ecclesice. Ilis igitur notis breviter refutatis, restat ut veras notas proponamus. Est autem initio observandum, Ecclesiam Catholicam esse quasi solem quemdam, qui radios lucis cla¬ rissimos ex omni parte diffundit, ut facillime per eos cognosci possit. Habet enim pluri¬ mas notas, sive testimonia, ac signa, quae eam discernunt ab omni falsa religione Pa¬ ganorum, Judaeorum, Haereticorum : et non quidem efficiunt evidenter verum, ipsam esse veram Dei Ecclesiam ; sed tamen effi¬ ciunt id evidenter credibile ; nec enim est idem evidenter credibile ; nec enim est idem evidenter verum, et evidenter credibile. Nam> evidenter verum dicitur, quod vel in se, vel in suis principiis videtur ; evidenter credibile illud dicitur, quod non videtur nec in se, nec in suis principiis, habet tamen tot, et tam gravia testimonia, ut quilibet vir sapiens merito id credere debeat ; ut si judex videat hominem a latrone occidi, vel vulnerari Ise— thaliter, et postea mori, habet evidentiam veritatis, quod ille latro sit homicida; si au¬ tem caedem fieri non videat, sed habeat vi- ginti testes viros gravissimos, qui dicunt se vidisse, habet evidentiam credibilitatis. Dicimus ergo, notas Ecclesiae, quas adfe- remus, non lacere evidentiam veritatis sim¬ pliciter, quia alioqui nulli invenirentur, qui id negarent, sicut nemo invenitur, qui neget sententias, quas Mathematici demonstrant; sed tamen efficiunt evidentiam credibilitatis, juxta illud Psalm. XGI1 : Testimonia tua cre¬ dibilia facta sunt nimis (1). Apud eos autem, qui admittunt Scripturas divinas, et histo¬ rias, ac Patrum veterum scripta, faciunt etiam evidentiam veritatis. Tametsi enim articulorum fidei veritas non potest nobis esse evidens absolute, tamen potest esse evi¬ dens ex hypothesi, id est, supposita veritate Scripturarum. Quod enim a scriptura evi¬ denter deducitur, est evidenter verum, sup¬ positis Scripturis. i 366 LIBER IV. Porro hse notae a variis varie nominantur, et numerantur. B. Augustinus lib. contra epist. fundamenti , cap. 4. sex notas ponit. B. Hieronymus contra Luciferianos in fi¬ ne, duas. Vincentius in suo commonitorio, tres. Ex recentioribus Driedo lib. IV, cap. 2, part. 2. de Eccles. dogmat. et Petrus a Soto prima parte defensionis, cap. 44. et sequen¬ tibus, alias tres. Cardinalis Hosius in expli¬ catione symboli, quatuor. Nicolaus Sanderus lib. VIII de visibili monarchia, cap. 50. alias sex. Michael Medina lib. II de recta fide po¬ nit decem : et lib. VII, cap. 26. addit unde¬ cimam. Gunerus Petri in libello de notis Ec¬ clesiae ponit (ni fallor) duodecim, nec enim, cum haec scriberemus, libellum ejus habeba¬ mus in manibus. Nos quindecim Notas proponemus, quae, si quis velit, poterunt aliquo modo revocari ad illas quatuor, quae communiter a recen¬ tioribus assignantur ex Symbolo Constanti- nopolitano, Unam, Sanctam, Catholicam, et 'Apostolicam.