Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Church Militant · The Church Spread Throughout the Whole World
Chapter 30: The Tenth Mark: Holiness of Life of the Founders
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).
The tenth Mark is the Holiness of life of the authors, or of the first Fathers of our religion. For the true Church has not only a holy and efficacious doctrine, but also holy Doctors, most illustrious for the glory of signs. Now we will speak of their probity; afterward of their miracles.
Now, therefore, if anyone consider the masters of the Catholic Church — first the Patriarchs and Prophets, then the Apostles, then the Doctors who fought against the several heresies, finally the founders of the religious orders — he will find that all were so holy, chaste, pious, sober, that the adversaries have nothing to reprove but too much sanctity; as blessed Augustine says of the Monks of his time, in his book on the customs of the Church, chapter 31. And the same Augustine, Book 2 against Julian, says of the Catholic Doctors: “These are the Bishops and Pastors — learned, grave, holy, most keen defenders of the truth — who sucked the Catholic faith in milk, took it in food, whose milk and food they ministered to small and great. By such planters, waterers, builders, pastors, nourishers, after the Apostles, the holy Church grew.” Add that Bernard, Dominic, and Francis they confess to have been holy — Luther in chapter 2 of the book on the Babylonian captivity, Philip in the Apology, articles 5 and 27, and others of the adversaries.
But the Doctors of the Gentiles were either light Poets or proud Philosophers, and both most impure. For that the chief wise men of the Greeks were beyond measure unchaste, so that even among their own they were infamous, especially for vices against nature, Athenaeus is witness, Book 13, chapter 27, and of our writers Theodoret in his book on the laws, and openly too blessed Paul, Romans 1. And than Mohammed nothing more incontinent can be feigned, for he himself in the Koran, chapter 43, says that he received from God the privilege of joining to himself all the women whom he had loved, although they were of his own blood.
Of the heresiarchs very many things could be said, but one vice is common to all — pride. Augustine, in his book on the shepherds, chapter 8: “In diverse places they are diverse, but one mother, pride, begot them all, as one mother of ours, the Catholic Church, begot all the faithful Christians diffused throughout the whole world.” And certainly no heresy is found devised by intention and of itself, but by accident from some evil occasion, as monsters are wont to be generated.
Of Theobutes, the first of all heretics, Hegesippus writes in these words, in Eusebius, Book 4 of his history, chapter 22: “Then the Church was called a virgin, because it had not yet been corrupted by the subreption of an adulterous word; but a certain Theobutes, because he was denied the Episcopate, began at the outset to disturb all things and to corrupt.”
After him arose Simon Magus, who, as is established from Acts 8, sought episcopal authority and wished to buy it with money given. But when he was excluded, he devised a new heresy, that he who could not in the Church might at least outside it bear a principality.
A little after Simon existed Valentinus, of whom thus Tertullian, in his book against the Valentinians, not far from the beginning: “Valentinus had hoped for the Episcopate, because he was able both in genius and in eloquence; but, indignant that another obtained the place by the prerogative of martyrdom, he broke away from the Church of the authentic rule (as minds roused for a primacy are wont to be inflamed by the presumption of revenge), etc.”
Then arises Marcion, of whom thus Epiphanius, heresy 42, near the beginning: “Marcion, lifted up by rivalry, when he did not receive the presidency and entrance of the Church, devises a plan for himself.” And below: “Moved therefore by rivalry, and lifted up to great indignation and pride, he makes a rent, raising a heresy for himself, and saying: I will rend your Church, and put a rent in it for ever; and indeed he sent in no small rent; but he rent not the Church, but himself and those who obey him.”
Of Montanus thus writes Theodoret, Book 3 on heretical fables: “He, moved by ambition and the desire of obtaining the first place, called himself the Paraclete, etc.” Of Novatian the same he writes, from Cornelius in his letter to Fabius, Book 6 of the history, chapter 35: “He relates that by the desire of the Episcopate, which he secretly bore within himself, he fell into all these things.” Sabellius, says Epiphanius, heresy 57, “carried to greater pride and madness, said that he himself was Moses, and his brother Aaron.” Arius, as Theodoret says, Book 4 on heretical fables at the beginning: “When he had been enrolled in the number of the Presbyters of the Alexandrian Church, and saw the great Alexander sitting in the pontifical chair, he was stung with envy; and seeking matter for engaging in a fight against him, he found the occasion — the impiety of his dogmas.”
Of the heresy of the Semiarians thus speaks Epiphanius, heresy 73: “And so they came again to contention, the same men with their fellows, because of certain hatreds and human rivalry, quarrelling among themselves and litigating about the primacy.” Of Aerius the same Epiphanius, heresy 75: “But when Eustathius had come to the Episcopate, Aerius the more coveted it, but did not attain to it. Hence arises rivalry.” Nestorius, Theodoret writes, Book 4 of heretical fables, spent a great part of his life in occupying the favor of the people by a dark garment, a feigned pallor, composed words, until at last he came to the Episcopate. Of Sabbatius, likewise a heresiarch, Socrates writes, Book 5 of the history, chapter 20: “Nay, he burned with desire of obtaining the Episcopate.” John Wyclif, because he could not be a Bishop, was made a heresiarch, Thomas Waldensis writes, Book 2 of the doctrine of the faith, chapter 60.
That in the same way the sects of this time arose from ambition, pride, envy, hatred, the adversaries certainly cannot deny. For it is established that the very first beginning of all the heresies of this time was the envy and ambition of Luther, taking it ill that the office of promulgating indulgences had been transferred from the Monks of his order to the Monks of the Order of Preachers, as John Cochlaeus writes, in the acts of Luther of the year 1517. Whence (as the same relates a little after in the acts of the year 1519) in the first disputation, which was held at Leipzig between Luther and Eck, Luther exclaimed: “This cause was neither begun for God, nor will it be ended for God.” The same, in his letter to the Strasbourgers, says that he would gladly have denied that in the Eucharist there is the body of Christ, if the Scriptures were not so clear — since by that reasoning he saw that he could much incommode the Papacy.
The same, in his book against the King of England, boasts of himself and his things with such pride that he says Kings, Princes, Pontiffs, etc., are not worthy to loose the latchet of his shoes; and that he wishes to be held for a holy man, whether men will or no; and that he makes no great account of a thousand Cyprians and a thousand Augustines. And in his book on the private (cornered) Mass, that he might show his father to be him who is King over all the sons of pride, he says that he was taught by the Devil that the Mass was an evil thing, and, convinced by the Devil's reasons, abolished the Mass. Finally, so great was Luther's arrogance that even by his own it could not be borne. For thus of him writes Conrad Gesner, in his universal Library: “This is not to be dissembled, that Luther is a man of vehement genius, impatient, and one who knows not how to bear any but those who agree with him in all things.” And below: “May the Lord grant that he harm not by contention and shamelessness of mouth that Church of his, whose cradle he once so happily advanced.”
The Zurich Ministers, in their answer to the book which Luther had written against Zwingli, say thus: “The Prophets and Apostles were zealous for the glory of God, not for private honor, not for their own obstinacy and pride. But Luther seeks his own, is obstinate, is carried away by too great insolence, and in all his corrections very much of the malignant spirit, but very little of a friendly and fatherly mind, is detected.” Like Luther are all his disciples, from whose books, if boastings, lies, jeers, curses, revilings were taken away, out of the largest volumes scarcely the tiniest little books could be made.
But as concerns the people, there are indeed in the Catholic Church very many bad; but of the heretics none is good. And although the thing itself is most well known to those who know the manners of both, yet the testimony of Luther, wrung from truth itself, is not to be despised. He, in his postil on the Gospel of the first Sunday of Advent, says thus: “The world daily becomes worse; men are now more desirous of revenge, more avaricious, more removed from all mercy, more immodest and undisciplined, and much worse than they were in the Papacy.” Thus he. This testimony is true, to which not unlike is the testimony of Jacob Andreae Smidelin in his fourth sermon on chapter 21 of Luke, part of whose sermons you have in Peter Canisius, Book 1, chapter 4, on the corruptions of the word of God. Among other things Smidelin speaks thus of his Lutherans: “That the whole world may acknowledge them not to be Papists, nor to trust anything in good works, they practice utterly none even of those works. In place of fasting they give themselves to feastings and drinkings night and day. Where they ought to deal kindly with the poor, they flay and skin them. They turn prayers into oaths, blasphemies, and execrations of the divine name, and that so abandonedly that Christ is not today so greatly blasphemed even by the Turks themselves. Finally, instead of humility, pride, arrogance, elation reign everywhere; and this whole manner of life is by them called the Evangelical institute.” Thus he.
I will add a third testimony, of Erasmus, who both knew their affairs very well, and seemed not altogether to abhor their doctrine. He, therefore, in his letter to Vulturius Neocomus, which he wrote in the year 1529: “Look round on that Evangelical people, and observe whether there be less indulgence there to luxury, lust, and money than among those whom you detest. Show me one whom that Gospel has made from a glutton sober, from a fierce man gentle, from a rapacious man liberal, from a reviler a blesser, from a shameless man modest. I will show you many who have become worse than themselves.” See, if you please, John Cochlaeus in the preface of his book on the acts and writings of Martin Luther.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT XIII. Nota decima. • Decima Nota est Sanctitas vitae auctorum, sive primorum Patrum nostrae religionis. Ecclesia enim vera non solum habet doctri¬ nam sanctam, et' efficacem, sed etiam Doc- tores sanctos, et signorum gloria clarissimos. Nunc de probitate, postea de miraculis dice¬ mus. Jam ergo si quis consideret magistros Ec¬ clesiae Catholicae, primum Patriarchas, et Prophetas, deinde Apostolos, tum Doctores, qui contra singulas heereses dimicarunt, de¬ nique institutores ordinum religiosorum, in¬ veniet omnes tam sanctos, castos, pios, sobrios fuisse, ut adversarii nihil habeant, quod reprehendant, nisi nimiam sanctita¬ tem : ut B. Augustinus ait de Monachis sui temporis, libro de moribus Ecclesiae, cap. 31. et idem Augustinus lib. II in Julianum de Catholicis Doctayibus ait : « Isti sunt Epis¬ copi, et Pastores docti, graves, sancti, veri¬ tatis acerrimi defensores, qui Catholicam fidem in lacte suxerunt, in cibo sumpserunt, cujus lac, et cibum parvis, magnisque minis¬ traverunt. Talibus post Apostolos sancta Ec¬ clesia plantatoribus, rigatoribus, aedificato- ribus, pastoribus, nutritoribus crevit. » Adde, quod Bernardum, Dominicum, et Franciscum, sanctos fatentur fuisse, Luthe- rus cap. 2. libri de captivitate Babylonica, Philippus in Apolog. art. 5. et 27. et alii ex adversariis. , At Ethnicorum Doctores fuerunt vel Poe- tse leves, vel Philosophi superbi, utrique autem impurissimi. Nam praecipuos sapien¬ tes Graecorum supra modum impudicos fuisse, adeo, ut etiam apud suos essent in¬ fames, praecipue propter vitia contra natu¬ ram, testis est Athenaeus lib. XIII, cap. 27. et ex nostris Theodoretus libro de legibus, et aperte etiam B. Paulus Rom. I. Mahu- meto autem nihil incontinentius fingi potest, nam ipse in Alcorano cap. 43. dicit se a Deo privilegium accepisse conjungendi sibi omnes foeminas, quas dilexisset, quamvis consan¬ guineae essent. De haeresiarchis plurima dici possent, sed unum est vitium omnibus commune, super¬ bia. Augustinus libro de pastoribus cap. 8 : « Diversis locis, inquit, sunt diversae, sed una mater superbia omnes genuit, sicut una mater nostra Catholica omnes Christianos fideles toto orbe diffusos. » Et certe nulla haeresis invenitur ex intentione, et per se in¬ venta, sed per accidens ex aliqua mala occa¬ sione, ut solent monstra generari. De Theobute primo omnium haereticorum scribit his verbis Hegesippus apud Eusebium lib. IV hist. c. 22 : « Tunc, inquit, Ecclesia virgo vocabatur, quia nondum fuerat adul¬ terini verbi subreptione corrupta : sed Theo- butes quidam, quia repulsam meruit Epis¬ copatus, coepit initio perturbare omnia, et corrumpere. » Post hunc surrexit Simon Magus, quem constat ex Act. VIII, Episcopalem auctorita¬ tem ambivisse, et data pecunia emere vo¬ luisse. Ubi vero exclusus fuit, haeresim no¬ vam excogitasse, ut qui in Ecclesia non poterat, saltem extra eam principatum gere¬ ret. Paulo post Simonem exstitit Valentinus, de quo sic Tertullianus libro contra Valen- tinianos, non procul ab initio : « Speraverat, inquit, Episcopatum Valentinus, quia et in¬ genio poterat, et eloquio, sed alium ex mar¬ tyrii praerogativa loci potitum indignatus, de Ecclesia authenticae regulae abrupit , (ut so¬ lent animi pro prioratu exciti praesumptione ultionis accendi) etc. » Exoritur deinde Marcion, de quo sic Epi- phanius haeres. 42. circa initium : « yErnula- tione, inquit, elatus Marcion, ubi non acce¬ pit preesidentiam, et ingressum Ecclesiae, CAPUT XIII. 395 excogitat sibi ipsi consilium. » Et infra : « vEmulatione , inquit, igitur commotus, et ad magnam indignationem, et superbiam elatus fissuram efficit, sibi ipsi hseresim eri¬ gens, ac dicens : Ego findam Ecclesiam ves¬ tram, et mittam fissuram in ipsam in eeter- num, et revera fissuram immisit non par¬ vam ; sed non Ecclesiam fidit, verum seip- sum, et eos, qui ipsi obediunt. » De Montano sic scribit Theodoretus 1. III de haereticis fabul. : « Is, inquit, ambitione, et primum locum obtinendi cupiditate mo¬ tus, seipsum Paracletum vocavit etc. » De Novatiano idem scribit ex Cornelio in epist. ad Fabium lib. YI hist. cap. 35. : « Refert, inquit, quod Episcopatus cupiditate , quam intra se latenter gerebat , in haec omnia de¬ ciderit, » Sabellius , inquit Epiphanius, hae¬ res. 57. <t ad majorem fastum ac dementiam delatus, seipsum dixit esse Mosem , et fra¬ trem suum Aaronem. » Arius, ut ait Theo- doretus lib. IV de haereticis fabul. in princi¬ pio : « Cum esset relatus in numerum Pres¬ byterorum Alexandrinae Ecclesiae, et mag¬ num Alexandrum in pontificali cathedra se¬ dentem videret, invidiae stimulo percitus est; cumque adversus eum pugnae committendae materiam quaereret, occasionem invenit dog¬ matum impietatem. » De haeresi Semiarianorum sic loquitur Epiphanius haeres. 73. : « Itaque ad conten¬ tionem devenerunt, inquit, iidem rursus cum sodalibus suis, propter odia quaedam et ae¬ mulationem humanam, rixantes inter se, et de principatu litigantes. » De Aerio idem Epiphanius haeres. 75. : « Cum autem, in¬ quit, venisset Eustachius ad Episcopatum, Aerius magis concupiscebat, sed non perve¬ nit ad ipsum. Hinc oritur aemulatio. » Nestorium scribit Theodoretus lib. IV haeret, fabularum , magnam partem aetatis egisse occupando favorem populi fusca veste, simulato pallore, compositis verbis, donec tandem ad Episcopatum pervenit. De Sab- batio item Eaeresiarcha scribit Socrates 1. V hist. cap. 20. : « Quin etiam, inquit, adipis¬ cendi Episcopatus desiderio flagrabat. » Jo- annem Wiclefum, quia Episcopus esse non potuit, haeresiarcham factum scribit Thomas Waldens. lib. II doct. fid. cap. 60. Eodem modo sectas hujus temporis exor¬ tas esse ex ambitione , superbia, invidentia, odio, adversari! certe negare non possunt. Nam initium primum omnium liaeresum hu¬ jus temporis constat fuisse invidentiam, et ambitionem Lutheri, aegre ferentis munus promulgandarum indulgentiarum a sui ordi¬ nis Monachis, ad Monachos ordinis Praedi¬ catorum translatum fuisse, ut scribit Joan- nes Gochlaeus in actis Lutheri anno 1517. Unde (ut idem refert paulo post in actis anni 1519) in prima disputatione, quae Lipsiae ha¬ bita est inter Lutherum, et Eckium, excla¬ mavit Lutherus : « Haec causa nec propter Deum coepta est, nec propter Deum finie¬ tur. » Idem in epistola ad Argentinenses di¬ cit, se libenter negaturum fuisse in Eucha¬ ristia esse corpus Christi, si Scripturae non essent tam clarae , qui ea ratione videret se multum Papatui posse incommodare. Idem in libro contra Regem Angliae tanta superbia jactat se, et sua, ut dicat Reges, Principes, Pontifices etc. non esse dignos, qui solvant suarum corrigiam calceamento¬ rum ; et se pro sancto viro velle haberi, ve¬ lint, nolint homines; et se non magni facere mille Cyprianos , et mille Augustinos. Et in libro de Missa angulari, ut Patrem suum es¬ se ostenderet eum, qui est Rex super omnes filios superbiae, dicit se a Diabolo doctum, quod Missa esset res mala, et rationibus Dia¬ boli convictum abolevisse Missam. Denique tantus fuit Lutheri fastus, ut etiam a suis to¬ lerari non potuerit : Sic enim de eo scribit Conradus Gesnerus in universali sua Biblio¬ theca : « Illud, inquit, non est dissimulan¬ dum, virum esse Lutherum vehementis in¬ genii, impatientem, et qui nisi per omnia sibi consentientes ferre nesciat. » Et infra : « Dominus faxit, ne contentione , et impu¬ dentia oris obsit Ecclesiae suse, cujus olim crepundia tam feliciter promovit. Tigurini vero Ministri in responsione ad librum, quem inscripserat Lutherus contra Zwinglium, sic aiunt: « Prophetae, inquiunt, et Apostoli Dei gloriae, non privato honori, non suse pertinaciae, et superbiae studebant. Lutherus autem sua quaerit, pertinax est, in¬ solentia nimia effertur, et in omnibus cor¬ reptionibus suis plurimum maligni spiritus, quam minimum vero amici , et paterni ani¬ mi deprehenditur. » Similes sunt Lutheri discipuli omnes, e quorum libris si jactatio¬ nes, mendacia, scommata, maledicta , con¬ vicia tollerentur, ex maximis voluminibus vix libelli perexigui effici possent. Quod vero attinet ad populum, sunt qui¬ dem in Ecclesia Catholica plurimi mali , sed ex haereticis nullus est bonus. Et quamquam res ipsa notissima est iis , qui norunt mores 396 LIBER IY. utrorumque, tamen non est contemnendum Lutheri testimonium ab ipsa veritate extor¬ tum. Is in postilla super Evangel. Dominicae primae Adventus sic ait : « Mundus in dies fit deterior, sunt nunc homines magis vindictae cupidi, magis avari , magis ab omni miseri¬ cordia remoti, magis immodesti , et indisci¬ plinati, multoque deteriores, quam fuerint in Papatu. » Haec ille. Testimonium hoc ve¬ rum est, cui non absimile est testimonium Jacobi Andreae Smidelini in concione 4. su¬ per cap.XXI Lucae, cujus concionum partem habes apud Petrum Canisium lib. I, cap. 4. de corruptelis verbi Dei. Inter alia sic loqui¬ tur de Lutheranis suis Smidelinus : « Ut to¬ tus mundus agnoscat eos non esse Papistas, nec bonis operibus quidquam fidere, illorum etiam operum nullum exercent penitus. Je¬ junii loco comessationibus , et perpotationi¬ bus nocte dieque vacant. Ubi pauperibus be¬ nigne facere oportebat, eos deglubunt et ex¬ coriant. Precationes vertunt in juramenta, blasphemias, et divini nominis execrationes, idque tam perdite, ut Christus ne ab ipsis quidem Tureis hodie tantopere blaspheme¬ tur. Demum pro humilitate regnat passim superbia, fastus, elatio, N atque hoc univer¬ sum vitae genus ab illis Evangelicum dicitur institutum. » Haec ille. Addam et tertium testimonium Erasmi, qui et res eorum optime noverat, et ab eo¬ rum doctrina non omnino abhorrere visus est. Is igitur in epistola ad Yulturium Neo- comum, quam scripsit anno 1529. « Circum¬ spice, inquit, populum istum Evangelicum, et observa, num minus illic indulgeatur lu¬ xui, libidini, et pecuniae, quam faciant ii, quos detestamini. Profer mihi, quem istud Evangelium ex comessatore sobrium, ex fe¬ roci mansuetum, ex rapaci liberalem, ex ma¬ ledico benedicum, ex impudico reddiderit verecundum. Ego tibi multos ostendam, qui facti sunt seipsis deteriores. » Vide, si pla¬ cet, Joannem Cochlaeum praefatione libri de actis el scriptis Martini Lutheri (1).