Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Church Triumphant, Book I: On the Beatitude and Canonization of the Saints
Chapter 4: The Same Truth Is Confirmed from the Greek Fathers
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. II, De Ecclesia quae Triumphat in Coelis, the fourth general controversy. 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).
It follows now that after the sacred Scriptures we bring forward the testimonies of the Fathers too, and first of the Greeks, lest the more recent Greeks should think that they can defend their error by the testimony of the ancients.
First. Ignatius, in the letter to the Romans, says that through martyrdom he is setting out from the world to God. And again he says: “Living water, remaining in me, says to me within: Come to the Father.” But according to the error of the Greeks and the Calvinists he was not going to God but to the lower world, or to another place outside heaven, where God is no more than he is here with us. Besides, in the same place he says: “Allow me to look on the pure light; arriving there I shall be a man of God.” And again: “I am wretched now, until I merit to attain God.” Does he not show most clearly that at once after death he will be with God and see the pure light of the Godhead? Lastly he often repeats that through martyrdom he will attain Christ. But how will he attain him, if Christ is in heaven and he will be with those below, in I know not what hidden receptacles?
Let the second be Dionysius the Areopagite, who, in the book On the Church Hierarchy, chapter 7, part 1, speaking of the saints at the point of death: “They know surely,” he says, “that they will receive wholly the most perfect rest after the likeness of Christ, when they have come to the end of the present life; and seeing already more clearly from close at hand the way to their own immortality, they praise the gifts of the Godhead and exult with divine joy, no longer fearing a turning to worse things, but knowing well that they will hold the goods prepared firmly and for ever,” and so on. Note that Dionysius says that the souls of the saints obtain immortality at once from the death of the man; and since this cannot be understood of natural immortality, nor of the immortality of the flesh, it must necessarily be understood of beatitude, which is the eternal life of the soul. In the same book and chapter, part 3, he says that the souls of the saints are set in the region of the living, in the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and adds: “These, I think, are clearly the most blessed rewards of the saints. For what can be compared with perfect immortality, empty of all sadness and full of perpetual light? Although those promises are much higher than our mind, which are marked by words fitting to us, yet the names they have are far lower than the thing and the truth. For truly that saying is to be thought true: that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him,” and so on. But surely these things do not fit any but the essential beatitude, which alone surpasses our desires.
Let the third be Justin, who in question 75 put by the Gentiles (although these questions do not seem to be Justin's, but of someone more recent) says: “But after the departure of the soul from the body there is at once a distinction of the good and the bad: for they are led by angels to the places worthy of them; the souls of the good into paradise, where there is the company and sight of angels and archangels, and the vision too of the Saviour Christ, according to that: Absent from the body, and present with the Lord; and the souls of the wicked to the places below,” and so on. See how plainly Justin thinks that the souls of the good see Christ, both from this, that he says they are led to paradise where the angels and Christ are, and from the place of Paul which Justin alleges: for (as we said above) to be present with the Lord signifies seeing God, as opposed to being absent from the Lord, and walking by faith.
And from these things it is easy to answer the places from Justin brought in against us: for in question 60, where he says that the narrative of Lazarus is not a history because the reward has not yet been given, he speaks of the reward by which the whole man, soul and body, will rejoice or be tormented. And because in that narrative mention is made of a bodily punishment, when it is said, “That he may cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame,” therefore Justin says that that narrative is not a history, because the damned do not yet have bodily members, and so on. In question 76 the Gentiles asked: if before the resurrection there are no rewards of works, to what end was the thief brought into paradise? But Justin does not admit the antecedent; nay, he shows that it is a great part of the reward that the soul of the thief is in the company of the blessed, and sees the things below, and the angels and demons. And he does not mention the vision of God, because the Greeks are not accustomed to call vision anything but the vision of that thing which is fully comprehended, and therefore they everywhere deny that God can be seen by a creature. But that the thief sees God in some way Justin shows when he says that he is in the company of the blessed.
Fourth. Irenaeus, book 1, chapter 2: “To the just,” he says, “and the holy, and those who keep his precepts and persevere in his love, to some indeed from the beginning, to some from penance, giving life, he bestows incorruption as a gift and surrounds them with eternal glory.” Note: to some, that is, to those who die straight after Baptism, or who lay down their life for Christ, or lastly to the perfect, life and eternal glory are given at once; to others not, except after penance, that is, satisfaction made in the world to come. For this opinion of Irenaeus is very like that of Cyprian, book 4, letter 2, to Antonianus: “It is one thing,” he says, “to stand waiting for pardon, another to come to glory; one thing to be sent into prison and not go out thence until one pays the last farthing, another at once to receive the reward of faith and virtue; one thing to be cleansed and long purged by fire, tormented for sins with long pain, another to have purged all sins by suffering.”
When, then, the same Irenaeus says at the end of book 5 that the souls of the saints are led into an invisible place, and after the resurrection will go with their bodies to the Lord, it does not signify that meanwhile they are not in heaven or do not see God, but only signifies that they are not now in that perfect beatitude in which Christ is, who is blessed in soul and body.
And this is confirmed by many conjectures. First, because in this very place he says that Christ went down to the place of the lower world to draw out the souls of the saints from there and save them. But if he drew them out, they are no longer there; and if he saved them, they see God; for this is the highest salvation of souls.
Second: when he had said that Christ went down to the lower world before he rose, and had added that disciples are not above the master, yet he did not dare to say that the souls of the disciples go down to the lower world; he did not say that they are led to an invisible place to await the resurrection there. By the invisible place, what prevents our understanding heaven, where there is light inaccessible?
Third: because in that place he contends that the disciples ought to imitate Christ in death, in rest and in resurrection. But Christ at once from death was not indeed blessed in body, but rested three days in the tomb; meanwhile yet he was blessed in soul, and in paradise, for he himself said, “This day thou shalt be with me in paradise”; therefore the saints too, although they rest in the tombs as to their bodies, are blessed in soul in paradise.
Fifth. Origen, who in those very places which are brought against us is for us; for in homily 7 on Leviticus he says that the saints now have joy, but not perfect, because their body, that is, that blessed city, is not yet full; but when we too come where they are, then they will have perfect joy; and he adds that Christ too does not have perfect joy, because he does not yet have all his members. And so he speaks openly of accidental joy. And in book 2 of the Peri Archon, the last chapter, he says that most of the saints are first led to some earthly place, that they may be cleansed there and taught many things which they did not know; then led to places of the air, and there learn certain higher things; at last led above the heavens to Christ, and there see perfectly the causes of all things. In the same place he asserts that Paul and those perfect like him are already there and see all things in God. And so he errs indeed in this, that he will have the saints advance little by little in the other life; but he admits openly that many of them are now in heaven and see God.
Sixth. Athanasius in the Life of Antony says that the soul of Ammon was seen by Antony being carried into heaven by a company of angels.
Seventh. Basil, in the homily on the forty martyrs: “The earth,” he says, “did not hide you, but heaven received you; the gates of paradise were opened to you.” And in the oration on the martyr Gordius: “For he was minded not as one who would come into the hands of executioners, but as one about to commit himself into the hands of angels, who would at once take him up, newly slain, and carry him over to the blessed life.”
Eighth. Gregory Nazianzen, in the oration on Basil: “Look on us,” he says, “from heaven in passing, and the weakness of the kidneys and the pain of the joints given me, either bid them depart, or help me and exhort me to bear them patiently, so that when at last I depart hence you may receive me into the eternal tabernacles, and that I may be able to contemplate with you equally the blessed Trinity as it is.” And in the oration on Gorgonia he says that she enjoys with the angels the most pure enlightening of the Trinity, which offers itself wholly to the whole mind to be contemplated.
Ninth. Gregory of Nyssa, in the oration on St. Ephrem: “In the heavenly tabernacles,” he says, “your soul has settled, where are the orders of angels, where the peoples of the patriarchs, where the choirs of the prophets, where the seats of the apostles, where the joy of the martyrs, where the gladness of the godly, where the splendour of the doctors, where the famous assemblies of the firstborn, where the pure voices of those who rejoice.” And below: “But you, standing at the divine altar, and sacrificing together with the angels to the prince of life and the most holy Trinity, remember us all, and obtain for us the pardon of sins.”
Tenth. John Chrysostom, homily 10 on the second letter to the Corinthians, speaking of beatitude: “If the thought of those things, though it is dim, supplies so great a pleasure, think how great a joy the plain grasping itself will bring us. Blessed and thrice blessed are they who enjoy those goods, as wretched and most wretched are they who suffer the contrary.” Homily 3 on the letter to the Philippians: “Sinners,” he says, “wherever they are, are far from the king, and therefore worthy to be wept for. But the just, whether here or in the world to come, are with the king; yet there more, and more nearly, not by entrance and faith, but face to face.” Nor is this notable place otherwise in the Greek text: hoi de dikaioi, kan entautha kan ekei, meta tou basileōs eisi; kakei mallon kai engyteron, ou dia pisteōs, alla prosōpon pros prosōpon. He repeats the same words in homily 69 to the people, and in the homily on that of Wisdom, “The souls of the just are in the hand of God.”
Again the same Chrysostom, homily 4 on the letter to the Philippians, expounding that, “Which I shall choose I know not”: “What, Paul,” he says, “will you say, when, going away from here, you are to pass into heaven itself and be with Christ, you do not know what you ought to choose?” And below: “What athlete will want to contend any longer, when he can already be crowned?” and so on. Likewise homily 32 on the letter to the Romans he says that Paul's soul now dwells in the highest heaven near the very throne of the King, where the cherubim and seraphim fly. In book 6 On the Priesthood he says that those who receive the Lord's body purely are at the last hour, surrounded by angels, carried straight into heaven. From these Chrysostom's opinion is plain.
Wherefore to what was objected from homily 39 on the first to the Corinthians I say that Chrysostom does not mean to say that the soul does not enjoy the eternal goods before the resurrection, but simply that it will enjoy no heavenly goods if the flesh does not rise; because namely, since both the soul and the flesh laboured, it is fair that each part have its reward. And if one will not have it, it is gathered from this that neither will the other. And on the contrary, if the flesh will rise in its time and be crowned, it is gathered that the soul now lives before God and is crowned. See Theophylact, who, writing on the same place of Paul, sets out Chrysostom's sense more clearly.
To the other place of Chrysostom I say that he speaks of the crown or glory of the body, of which Paul too speaks. And we give the same answer to the places of Theodoret, Theophylact and Oecumenius on this place objected to the contrary; for they, as Chrysostom's disciples, imitated his commentary.
Eleventh. Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, catechesis 13, speaking of the thief: “You,” he says, “are brought from the wood into paradise.” And lest we should think that he speaks of the place of refreshment in the bosom of Abraham: “Not yet,” he says, “has faithful Abraham entered, and the thief enters,” and so on. And lest we should think that he speaks of the earthly paradise: “Do not fear the serpent,” he says; “for he fell from heaven, he will not cast you out.” And so Cyril asserted most clearly that the thief entered paradise first of all.
Twelfth. Cyril of Alexandria, book 11 on John, chapter 36, says that the souls of the saints do not dwell on the earth after the death of the body, nor are led to the pains of hell, but fly away into the hands of God the Father; and lest we should think this is understood of the bosom of Abraham or some place outside heaven, he says that this way was first opened and prepared by Christ. The souls of the saints do not then go down to the place to which they went before the death of Christ; and he adds that the souls of the saints have perpetual life with Christ.
Thirteenth. Epiphanius, heresy 78, at the end: “The saints,” he says, “are in honour; their rest is in glory, their departure hence into perfection, their lot in beatitude, in holy mansions; their dance with the angels, their dwelling in heaven, their glory in incomparable and perpetual honour, their prizes in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Fourteenth. Theodoret, book 8 to the Greeks, which is on the martyrs: “If heaven,” he says, “is the seat of those who have lived well, the martyrs surely have already reached this end of their course; for nothing can be more godly than they.” And below: “And so the martyrs rightly enjoy a better lot, who now have been given the fullest honours by all mortals far and wide, and are marked with eternal crowns.” If, then, they are already in heaven and marked with eternal crowns, how have they not obtained the promise (as the same Theodoret, objected to us by the adversaries, says), unless the talk is of the promise of the resurrection and bodily glory?
Fifteenth. Eusebius, book 4 of the History, chapter 15, says that Polycarp through death had already obtained the rewards of immortality. But what is this immortality, which is given as a reward to the soul immortal by its nature, but beatitude? The same, book 6, chapter 5, of Potamiaena: “In this way,” he says, “the blessed virgin passed from earth to heaven.” You will read like things everywhere.
Sixteenth. Damascene, in the story of Barlaam and Josaphat, at the end: “He is presented,” he says, “clearly and openly to the face of the Lord, and is adorned with the crown of that glory promised him beforehand.”
Seventeenth. Theophylact on chapter 23 of Luke: “It must be said,” he says, “that paradise and the kingdom of heaven are the same; for the thief is in paradise and in the kingdom; otherwise he would not enjoy a perfect share of the goods,” and so on; where he refutes at length the opinion of those who will have the thief led to paradise but not to the kingdom of heaven. When, then, Theophylact says on chapter 16 of Luke that the narrative of the rich man and Lazarus is a parable, because the division of rewards and punishments has not yet been made, he speaks of the rewards and punishments which belong to the body; and so he rightly calls the talk of the eyes and tongue of the rich man in hell parabolic. And when he says on chapter 11 to the Hebrews that the saints have not yet received any of the promises, he means to say, nothing of that glory and joy which the resurrection brings to the body.
Eighteenth. Oecumenius, on chapter 9 to the Hebrews, says that Christ not only entered heaven, but also prepared the way for the human race, that is, for many holy Fathers, who without doubt are in heaven with Christ, and so are blessed with him too; otherwise (as we said above) a dwelling in the bodily heavens would profit spirits little.
We have it, then, that all the Greek doctors are for us; for only Arethas and Euthymius remain of those who were objected. Of whom Arethas, when he says that the saints hope for future glory, can fittingly be understood of the glory of the body. Euthymius cannot be explained, but he is not such that we should be much concerned about him, since he is the most recent of all. For he wrote about the year 1180, at which time the Greeks had begun to be manifestly schismatics and heretics.
To that confirmation which we brought from the Greeks, who deny that God can be seen by a creature, blessed Augustine answers that those authors, when they say that God cannot be seen, speak of bodily vision. For so he himself expounds the words of blessed Jerome in letter 111; for he says that Jerome meant to say that the angels do not see God with bodily eyes, but yet see him with the mind.
But this solution does not satisfy, for three causes. First, because Jerome, and with him Chrysostom, Theodoret and the others cited, expressly assert that the angels are spirits and do not have bodies of air or fire joined to them by nature, as blessed Augustine thought; and yet they deny that God is seen by the angels.
Second, because Jerome, giving the cause why the angels cannot see God, says, “For a creature cannot look on its Creator”; and Chrysostom usually gives the same cause. But this reason avails as much for the eyes of the body as for the eyes of the mind; for both are created eyes.
Third, because these Fathers say that God is visible neither to angels nor to men, but to God himself alone. But God does not see himself with bodily eyes, but with the mind. It is of the mind, then, not of bodily eyes, that the Fathers speak.
The true solution, then, is that of blessed Thomas, part 1, question 12, article 1: that these Fathers by the name of vision understand perfect comprehension. For because what we see with the eyes of the body we grasp most perfectly, while what we understand in this world we do not understand so perfectly, since we do not have proper species of substances, and especially of separated ones, they are therefore not accustomed to use the word seeing for any knowledge whatever, but only for that most perfect one by which a thing is comprehended; and in that kind of vision none can see God but God. Besides, the error of the Anomoeans, who said that God can be comprehended by a creature, was alive at that time; and therefore the Fathers shrank from the word seeing when they spoke of the contemplation of God, lest they should seem to admit comprehension.
You will say: but Chrysostom says that God was invisible to the angels until the Incarnation of Christ only; he is not speaking, then, of comprehension; otherwise it would follow that after the Incarnation God can be comprehended. I answer: God before the Incarnation was nothing but God, and therefore simply incomprehensible; but after the Incarnation God was made man, and in so far as he is man he is comprehensible; and this is what Chrysostom means.
You will say, second: Theodoret, in the place cited, says that the angels do not see God otherwise than Abraham, Moses, Isaiah and the rest once saw him: and these not only did not comprehend God, but did not even truly see God in himself, but only in a body taken by angels who represented God, or in an imaginary revelation.
I answer: Theodoret does not say “not otherwise,” but only sets a likeness between the vision of the angels and of the patriarchs, which consists in this: that as the one is imperfect and not comprehensive, so is the other, though with a great difference.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT IV.
Eadem vcritas ex graccis Patribus
confirmalur.
Soquitur nunc, ut post Scripturas sacras, profe-
ramus etiam teslimonia Patrum, ac primura Grae-
corura, ne recentiores Graeci existiraent, veterum
lcstimonio errorem suum se possedefendere.
Primus. Ignalius in epist. ad Rora. dicil, se per
marlyriura proficisci dc mundo ad Deum. Et rur-
sura ait: Aqua viva manens in me, intrinsccus
milii dicit,veni ad Patrcm. At sccundum errorcra
Graccorum el Calvinislarum, non ad Deum ibat,
scd ad inleros, aut ad aliura locura exlra coelum,
ubi non raagis Dcus esl,quara hic nobiscum. Prae-
terea ibidcra ait: Sinile me puram lucem aspice-
re, illuc perveniensjiomo Dei cro. Et rursunr.iVt-
serabilis sum nunc, doncc Dcum mercar adipi-
sci. An non clarissime indicat, se statim a morte
futurum cura Deo, et visurura purara lucem divini-
talis? Deniquc saepius rcpelit, se per marlyrium
adeplurura Chrislum. At quomodo adipiscclur, si
Chrislus est in coelo, et ipse erit apud inferos, in
abdilis reccptaculis, nescio quibus?
Secundus sit Dionysius areopagila, qui lib. de
Ecclcsiast. hierar. cap. 7. part.i. loquens de san-
ctis in morle conslilutis: Norunt, inquit profecto
se totos pcrcepluros exaclissimam ad Christi
spcciem, requiem.cum ad praescnlis vilaefmcm
pervcnerinl, viamquc ad immortalitatem suam
e vicino jam clarius intucntes, divinitalis lau-
dant munera, divinaque laelitia gestiunt, non
jam ad deteriora conversionem mctuenlcs, sed
parata bona se firmitcr perpetuoque habituros
probe nosccntcs etc. INola dicere Dionysium, ani-
mas sanctorum stalim a morte horainis consequi
imraorlalitatem:curaque boc non possit intelligi de
iraraortalitate nalurali, nec de immorlalitate car-
nis, necessario esse intelligendum de beatitudine,
quae est vita aelerna animae. Eodem lib. el cap.
part. 3. dicit aniraas sanctorura statui in regione
vivorum, in sinu Abrahae, Isaac et Jacob, etsub-
dil: Ista, utrcor, sunt perspicuo bcatissima san-
clorum praemia. Quid ewm immortalitati per-
fectae, omnique trislitia vacuae ac plcnae pcr-
pctui luminis confcrri possit? Licet muUum sa-
ne promissiones illac sublimorcs nostra mente
sint,quae vocabulis nobis congruis dcsignantur,
longc tamen inferiorcs earum re et veritate ap-
pellationes habent. Yerum enim profecto illud
existimandum cloquium est: quod oculus non
vidit, auris non audivit , in cor hominis non
ascenderunt, quae praeparavit, Deus diligenti-
bus se elc. At certe ista non conveniunt, nisi es-
seniialibeatitudini, quae sola superat noslra desi-
deria.
Tertius sit Justinus, qui quacst. 7,'). a gentibus
posita (quamquam istae quaeslioncs non videnlur
Justini, sed alicujus reccntioris): At, inquil, post
animi a corporc cxccssum statim sil bonorum,
malorumquc distinctio: ducuntur cnim ad loca,
quae cis digna sunt, ab angclis, bonorum qui-
dcm animi in 'paradisum^ ubi consuetudo est, et
iiiti.h msw s
4xil
rj.s/frw/f/ initicloviiin i'l itivltdinirhirmn. riniu Vf-
ro rliuiil nnisnriilonx ('.liiinli r.r. i </7mh htH. pv-
vniviniwi u ruriiiirr, rl priirt^viiloH vhhi' ml Uiniii-
•niiiii, inipri>lii»i'iiiii iiiiirni ml iiifrri)rniii lurii rtr.
(ilH liol.l |ilt>lMII M'lltr||||,illi llii^llillll llllll CX <'<),
(|ii(iil ilicil, l)(iii<ii'iiiii iiiiiiiKis iliici 11(1 |iiirii<liMiiii,
iilii .suiil aii^'(>li, cl ('.liiisliis, liiiii v\ locn riiiili,
(|iiiMii .liisliiiiis iillc^r.il; iiniii ( iil siiprii <li\iiiiiis)
IUiicMMilrui i's^<' iiil l)(iiiiiiiiiiii.si}^iiilii'iil viiliK' \U'-
iiiii. iiiiii iip|iiiii;iliii' piMc^iiiiiilioiii a iMiiiiiiio, <'l
llllllllllilllOlli piM' liilclll.
.Vlipic c\ liis iiil liicii c\ .liisliiiii inliliiclii iii ciiii-
Iriiriiiiii racilc. csl i'ospoii(l(!i'c;iiaiii ipiacsl. (W). iilii
(lic.il, iiiiiriilioncin <l(^ l.ic/.aro iioii cssi; iii^lori.iiii.
<|iiia iioiiiliiiii laclii c^t rclriluilio, loipiiliir i\r. rclri
hiilioiic |)Ci rcclii.ipiiiiiili) lotiis lioiiio aiiiiiio cl cor-
ixiro ^iiiiilcliil, v<>l cru<'ial)iliir. Kl ipiia iii illa iiiir-
r;ilionc lll iiuMilio corixiriilis siipplicii, iliciliir: /•-'/
rrfriiirrrt Uiiiiiiiiin. inrnin, <iiiiii rrurii)r in hnr
/7((ih;/i((. Idco Jiislinus (licil.ilUiui iiiirratioiKMii iioii
(>ssc liisloriiiin, (pii;i iiondiiin liiihciil il;iii)n;ili coi-
poriiiiii UKMiihrii clc. Iii ipiiicst. 7('». (icnlilcs ipii-
(loiii <iuiicrcl);inl.si anlc rcsiirrcctioiUMii niilla sunl
opcruin |)riicmiii, (pioisum liilro in p;ir;i<lisum in-
Iroilucliis riiir? Scd .histiniis luni adiniltil iintcco-
(lciis, iiiiino ostcndil m;ij^ii;iiii rcnnin(M';itioiiis |);ir-
lcin cssc. (piod aninuis lalroiiissil in roclu hoalo-
nuu. cl \i(lc;il iiircriora, ct ;in};clos ac il;iiMiio:ms.
INon mciiiiiul aiilcin Dci visionis , (iui;i (Inicci noii
solenl vocarc visioiiciu, iiisi cjus roi , quac plciio
coin|irclicndilur.cl idco p;issiiii iic};;inl.l)ciiin pos-
sc vidcri a croalura: Scd (piod iili(pio niodo lalro
Dcuin vidcat. indiciil Juslinus, cuin dicil cuni cssc
in coclu healorum.
Quartns. Ircnaous lib. I. cap. 2. Juf<lis. inquil.
cl (ic(/i//'s. ct praccrpta cjus scrvanlibua.cl in di-
lectione cjus persevcrantibus.quibusdam quidem
ab initio.quibusdain aulcm cx pocnilcnlia vilam
donans. incorvuptclam loco muncris confcvt. el
clavilatemaclcrnam civcumdal.^^SoVA.quibusdam,
idcst. iis, qui niox a baplisnio inoriunlur, vcl qiii
pro Ghrislo viUim ponunl , vel deniquc perfcclis
statim douari vilaiu el clarilalem aelernnni ; aliis
non. nisi post poenilentiani. idcsl, salisfactioncm
in fuluro sacculo aclam. Est enim liaec sentenlia
Jrenaei simillima illi Cypriaui lib. 4. episl. 2. ad
Anlouianum: Aliud esl, inquil.aci veniamslave ,
aliud ad gloriam pcvvenivc : a.liud missumin
cavcevcm, non cxivc indt doncc solval novissi-
muni qiiadvantcm: aliud statim fidci cl virlulis
merccdcm accipcre : aliMd pro peccalis longo
dolore crucialum emendari.ct puvgari diu igne:
aliud peccata onmia passione puvgassc.
Quod orgo idom Irenaeus lib. 5. exlremo dicit ,
animas sancloruin deduci iii invisibilem locum. et
posl rcsurreclionem cum corporibus iturus ad Do-
niiiuim, non signitical eas interim non esse in coc-
lo, vel non vidcro Deum , sed solum sisinificat
eas non csse nunc in illa iierfiicla beatiludinc ,
iu qua esl Cbrislus, qui animo el corpore csl bea-
tus.
Et confirmnlnr boc ex tnultis^onjecluris.Primo:
Quia lioc ipso loco dicii. Clirislum dcscendissc ad
•inferoruiu locii. ul sanctorum animus inde extra-
BF.LI.IRHIM. Vol. II.
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iiiii|illiiN ibi; cl hi hiilvavii, c.nin ttdcnl Dciiiii; ii.uii
liaito «lil Kaliirt iiiiiiiiiiriiiii.
Sciiiinln: Ciliii divisscl, (.lii i.stiiin i|c»ccii<lihs(t
.id iiihros, iiiilc(|ii.iiii icsurni'M'1 ; cl .siibjiiiincrcl ,
ilc.lii:ru (iiHcipulo-i liiiil.iii iii.i^islruiii .tuiiiii.iioii ia*
iiicii iiiisiii c^t dicc.ro, <lis(:ipiili)rurii ainiiiiiii iln*
scijiidcii) iid iiiroros; tiol ail, ciis diici nd iiivtsihi*
lciii lociiiii, iit ibi i'X|K;('lari'iil rosiirro<;tiiitii;iti, pcr
iiivisihih'111 l<K'.iiiii <pii(J proliihcl iiili:lli((<;ru coc*
lillll, iihl <'sl lii\ iliiiriossihilis ?
ri'rlio: nm.i li cn.icil'> <:<iul<:iidil,(liscipiilos dcbc*
rc iii iiiorlu, ol reijiiio, >:l rosurroctiutK; Olirtsluta
imiliri: ,U (!lirislus Ht.iliiu ;i iiKirli: , iion fint qiii
doiii bciilus corporo, s<'<l <pii<:vil Iridiio in scpul-
c.liro, iiiloriin laiiion aiiimo oral bcaliis, c( iii pii-
railiso, ipso oniiii di\il: Uodir mcriim cTin in pn-
radiso: cr^jo cliiuu s;iiii'li,i|iim ipiicsciiiit iii sopiil-
iliiis qiiiinliiiii iid (orjiora, iiiiiiiio siiiil iii |i;ir;idi>ii
bi';ili.
(Jiiintiis. Ori^'i;iics, ipii in illis ipsis locis, (pii
coiilr:i iios iilVcruiilur, {iro iiohis csl; ii;im lioiii. 7.
iii loviliciini dicil, saiictos liuboro niiiic iaoliliaiii ,
scd noii porfoclam, (|iiia adbuc corpus coriim, id-
csl. civiliis illii bc;il;i iioii csl plcii;i, scd qmindo o-
limus nos cti;iin iibi ipsi siiiil.tiinc li;ihclujiil per-
rocl;im liiotiliain, et addil, Cliristum oliam iion ha-
I)ore pcrb^ctiim liieliliam. (pii:i iioiidiim babot o-
innia siiii mombrii. lta(|uo a|)(M'te loquiiiir dc l;ieti-
lia accidentali. Libro auloni 2. Peri:irclinn cisp.ull.
dicit plcrosijuo Siiiiclorum primiiiii liiici ad iucum
;iliqucm lcrrcstrem. ul ibi oxpoliiinliir, cl docean-
Uir mult;i. (luac nescieb;iiil; doindo duci ad loca
aerca, et ibi discere qu;iedam suhlimiora ; tandeui
duci supra coelos ad Cbristum , ol ihi jam videro
pcrfecte caussiis omnium rerum. Ibidcm asseril
Paulum, el similes perfcctos jam ibi esse, et vide-
rc in Doo omuia. ll.ique errat quidcm iii eo. quod
vult, sanctos |)aulalini proficere in ;ilia vita. scd
apcrte falctur nunc mullos corum essc in coelo,et
videre Deuin.
Sextus. Alhanasius in vitn Aiilonii dicit, animam
Annnonis angclis slipalam visam ab Anlonio defer-
ri in coelum.
Scptimus. Dasilius liomilia in quadraginla mar-
tyres: Vos, iuquil, non levva occuluil. sed coeluni
susccpit, apevtac sunl vobis pavadisi povlae: Et
oratione in Gordinin marlyrein: Evai cniin affe-
ctus.non ut qui in liclovis manus devenluvus cs-
sel, scd vclul angclovuin manibus seipsum com-
missurus, qui stalim ipsum recens maclalum ,
assumptum ad bcalam vilam Iranslaturi essent.
Octavus. Gregorius nazianzenus oralione in Ba-
siliuni: Tu, inquil, obiler ecoelonos respice, et
daiain mihi renuui debililalcm , et articulorum
dolorem, veljube discedere. vel adjuva , ethor-
tare, ita mc acquo animo ferre , ut hinc demum
discQndcnlem me in aelerna tabemacula reci-
pias. et bcalam Tvinilatem co. quo csl modo. tc-
cum pavitev coniemplavi vaicam. Et oralioue in
Gorgoniam. dicil cam frui cum angelis purissiraa
illuslratione Trinilalis, quae loti inenli totara se
conteraplandam praebeat.
Nonus. Gregorius nyssenus oralione in sanclum
35
no
DK iA.NCTOHUM DEATliUDlNE
Kplirpm: In coeleslibus lahernacuUii. inqiiil, ani-
viiis ilHus consedilAibi sunl ordines anijeloruni,
ubi patriarcharuni populi , nbi cliori prophcla-
rum. v.bi sedes oposloloruni. ubi gaudiuni mar-
tyrum. ubi pioruni lacUlia.ubi doclorum splen-
dor , ubi celebres primoqenilorum coetus , ubi
pnrae laelnnliuni voces.YA infra: Tu vero divino
Gssiiyien^ aUari , vitaeqne principi, et sacrosan-
ctae una oini angelis sacrificans Trinilali , o-
rnnium nosirum recordare,nobisquc peccatorum
veniain inrpelra.
Decuiiu?. Joannes chrysosloinus liom. 10. in po-
sleriorem epislolam a<l €orii)tli. lo(juons fie bea-
liUuiint': St cogilalio. \nqu\l. iU orum quamvis ob-
scura sit. Uintam suppedilal voluplateni , cogila
quantarti laeiiliam nobis aUalura sit manifesla
ipsa comprehensio. Beali el ler beali , qui illis
bonis fruunlur, sicut el nuserabilcs el miserri-
■nU , qui hiscc conlraria sustinejU. Hom. 3. in
episloi. ad Pliilip. Peccatores , inciuil, ubiubifue-
rint , procul a rege sunt , atque ideo digni qui
jleanUir. Jusli vero, sive hic, sive in futuro sae-
culo fuerinl , cum rege sunt , iUic tamen magis,
et proprUis non per ingressum ac fideni, sed fa-
cie ad faciem elc. Nec in texlu grae co hic insigiiis
locus aliler se habel: 0''.oz Sixaioi avTS Iv -auOa ,
chr.t iy.zi. ;xs-a tcj ^aatXsoj; zlol . xol/.zX [/.aXXcv. xal
b;'('j"0C''i . 6'jota z'.a6do'j, ojota -i^cto;, aXXa -^otoj-
-ov. -C.5; -poo-w-ov. Eaclem verba repelit hoai.G9.
atl popul. el hom. in ilhul Sapicnt. 5. Justorum
aniniae in manu Dei sunt.
Rursura iclem Chrysostomns hom. 4. in epislol.
ad Philipp. exponens illud , Ulrum eligam ignoro
elc. Quid , inquit, dices Paule. cuni hinc abiens
in ipsum coelum migralurus sit,alque cum Chri-
sto fulurus. ignoras quid eUgere debeas ? Et in-
fva:Quis aUilela cupiel amplius cerlare.cumjam
Uceat coronari elc. l(em homil. 32. in epist. ad
Roman. dicit. nunc Pauli animum versari in sum-
nio coelo prope ipsum regis solium, ubi cherubin
et seraphin volitant. Lib. o. de saccrdolio , dicit
eos , qui pure communicant corpori dominico , in
exlrema hora ab angelis slipatos recta in coelum
abduci. Ex liis patet Chrysostomi senlcnlia.
Quare ad id, quod objiciebatur ex lioinil. 39. in
priorcm ad Corinlhios. dico. Chrysoslomum non
velle dicere, animam non h'ui bonis aelernis antc
resurreclionem; sed sempliciter non fruituram ul-
]is bonis coelestibus.si caro non resurgal;quia ni-
mirum. cum lam animus, quam caro laboraverint,
par esl, ut utraque pars suam mercedem liabcat.
Quod si una non habebit, inde colligitur, ncc al-
leram habiluram. Et econtrario, si caro suo tein-
pore resurget et coronubitur. colligitur nunc ani-
mam coram Deo vivere et coronari. Vide Tlieo-
phylactum, qui in eundera locum Pauli scribens,
Chrysoslomi sensum clarius proponit.
Ad alterum Chrysostomi Jocum dico, eum loqui
de corona. seu gloria corporis de qua etiam Pau-
lus loquitur. Et idem respondemus ad loca obje-
cla in (ioutrarium Theodoreti. Theophilacti, Oecu-
menii in hunc locum; nam illi, ut Chrysostomi di-
scipuli, ipsius commentarium imilati sunt.
Undecimus. Cyvlllus Iliorosolymae cpiscopus
catccli. 13. de lalronc loqucns: Tu. iiiqiiil, de U-
gno introduceris in paradisum. FA nc [»uioiiius
eiim loqni de loco refrigerii in sinu Abrahae. !S'on-
dum, inquit, Abraham fidelis ingressus esl el la-
tro ingredilur elc. Et ne putenius eum loqui de
paradiso terrestri: A'e limeas. inquit, serpentem,
cccidU enim de coelo, non lc ejicict. Daque cla-
rissime Cyrillus asscruil, latronem primum orani-
um in paradisum ingressiiin.
Diu>decimus. Cyrillus alexandrinus lib. 11. in
Joaniier.i cap.3C).dicii,aiiimas sanclorum non versa-
riin terrispost mortenicorporis,nec deduciad poe-
nas gehennae, sed evolare in manus Dei Patris: Et
ne pulemushoc iutelligi de sinu Abraliae, vel loco
aliquocxtra coelum, dicil. hoc inler a Chrislo pri-
muin apertum ct paralum. Non ergo desccndunt
animae sanctornm ad locura, quo ihantante Chri-
sli mortem: et addit. animas sanctorum vilam por-
petuam cum Chrislo habere.
Decimusterlius. Kpiphanius haeres. 78. in fine:
Sancli, inquit, sunl in honore, quies ipsorum in
gloria. profeclio hinc in perfectione, sors ipso-
rum in bealiludine. in mnnsionibus sanclis, Iri-
pudium cuni angeUs. diaeta in coeto, gloria in
honore incomparabiU el perpetuo, bravia in
Chrislo Jesu Domino 7iostro.
Decimusquartus. Theodorelus lib. 8. ad Grae-
cos, qu! est do mariyribus: Si coeUini. intjuit, ,se-
des illorum est, quijne vixerunl: hunc profecto
finem suicursus'et mnrlyresjam consequuli sunl,
his enim magis pium esse nihil potest. Et inlra:
Ideoque, inquil.7?if//o?*i sorte merilo perfruunlur
martyres, quinunceta cunclis lale mortalibus
lionores ampUssimos fucrunl, et aeternis sunt
insigniti coronis. Si ergo jam sunt in coelo.et ae-
lernis coronis insignili sunt.quoraodo nonsuntas-
sequuli repromissionem (tit idem Thoodoretus.no-
bis objeclus ab adversariis, dicil ) nisi dc repro-
missione resurrectionis et gloriae curporalis ser-
rao sit?
Decimusquintus. Eusebius lib. 4. hist. cap. 1.).
Polycarpum dicit per morlem immorlalilaiis prae-
raia jam adepluiii. Al (|uae est isla iriimorlalihis,
quac praeimi loco dalur aniraae natura sua im-
mnrlali.nisi bealiludo? Idem lib. G. cap. o. de Po-
tamioena: Hoc motio. inquit. beata Virgo emigra-
vit e terris ad coeUim. Sirailia passim leges.
Decimiisscxtus. Damasocnus in hisloria dc Bar-
laain ct Josaphat in fine: YuUui Dornini.\nqu\[,ni-
tide el nude praesentalur. ilUusque gloriae jam
anle promissa sibi cnrona exornalur.
Decimusseplimus. Tlieophilactus in cap, 23.
Liicae, Dicenduni est. inqiiit, idemesse paradi-
suni el regnum coeloruni: nam lalro est in pa-
radiso ac regno. oiioqui non fruerelur perfecla
bonorum participaiione, elc. ubi proli.xe confutat
eorum sontcnliam, qui volunl lalronom fuissc du-
clum ad paradisum, non aulem ad regnum coelo-
ruin. Quando ergo Tlieopliilaclus dicil in capiit
H». Lucae narralionem de divite et Lazaro esse
parabolara, qiiia nondtim facla est divisio praeini-
orum et poenarum; lotpiilur de praerais et poenis
quae ad corpus pertinenl; et ideo recle vocal pa-
rabolioum sermoncm de oculis el rmgua diviiis in '
i.ir.i i; 1'iiiMi >.
131
iiilVnio. Ot>'*ii<'*> ''liiiiii <li<'i( iii <'iip. tl. iiil llo
l)i'ii<-(i.s,siitii'liiN iiiliil <'())'li*.siniiii |ii'<iiiilssioiiiiiii iic-
n>|iissn, viill dii rrc, niliil illiiis ^lnrinn <>l i*iiniiii
(liiliiiiii, (|iiii(^ (-orpoii iilVcrl ri^siirrcclid.
Dcriliiiisiicliiviis. Dcciiiiiciiiiis lii ciip. '.). inl jic-
lirncos ilicil, (llirisliiiu iiini .suliiin ni (■ccliini iii-
yrcSSUlU OSSC, SCil ClliUII sithiii iIiimsso jjcimis llll-
iii.iiiiiiii, iilcst, iiiiillos .siiiirliis Piilrcs, (|iii sIik; iIii-
liio .si III cocio cuiii (ilirislo siiiil ilii ipioipic c.iiiii
ipso hciill siiiit,iilio(pii ( til stipra ilixiitiiis ) piiriiiii
prodossul spirililiiis cdcloruiii corporiiliuiii liiihita-
lio.
Ilaliciiius crjio, omiik^s doclorcs priiocos pro iio-
bis «sso, soli (Miiiii rcmaiionl Arclliiis cl Kiilliyini-
iis ox iis. (pii indiis dlijccti siiiil. V.\ (piilnis .Vrc-
llias, ciiiii ilicil saiiclos spcriirc iiiliiriiiii ^;l<iriiiiii,
polcsl coniiiiodo inlolli^;i {li^ {jloria rorporis. Kti-
lliyiiiius iiiilciii iioii |uilcst cvpuiii.scd iioii osl liiic,
III ro iis(pio.i(lconiii;^'iii raciciidnsuiiiiii csl oiniiiiim
rooontissiinus. Scripsil oiiim circa iiiiiiiim llSO.
ipio loniporo (Iraooi scliisitialici ol liacrclici ina-
iiiloslc csso coc[>criml.
Ad illiim coiilirmalidiiom, (piam iinVrohanius ov
(Iraocis.(pii Uoiiin vidori posso nctianl a crcalura,
I». Aii^;iislimis rcspoiidcl.aiiclorcs illos.ciim diciinl
l)ouin noii posso vidcri, loipii do visiono corporii-
li. Sic oiiim ipso oxponil vorlia I). llicronymi in
opisl(d. III. dicit onim llicninymtiiii voltiisso di-
coro, iui^Mdos luui vidcro Dciim oculis corporcis,
.sod liimcii uioiilo vidcn».
Al liaoc solulio nonsalislacil propler Ircs caus-
sas. rrlmo.iiuia llioroMymiis,ol cum co Clirysoslo-
niiis, Tlioodorclus, cl alii cilali diserlc asscrunl,
iint,'elos cssc spirilus.cl non liahoro oorpora acrca,
vol i<iiica n;diirii]ilcr tmita.ut b. Auiiuslinus opiiia-
lus ost, ct tamon iiogiinl al) anjj;o]is Doum vidiM-i.
Socundo,(iuia llieronyimis roddons caussam.cur
nwj^cW iioii p<issiiil vidon; Dciim, ail iion cnim po-
lcsl croiiliini aspiccro (^rcaloroin suum.cl oandom
caussam rcddcro solcl C.lirysostomus.Al liacc ralio
tam valel in ooulis corporis.tjnam in oculis menlis,
ulricpic enim snnl octili croali.
Torlio, (luia isli Palrcs dicunl, ncc angolis, ncc
liominihns Deum cssc visibilcm.scd soIi'ipsi Dco.
Al Deus noii vidct sc oorporcis oculis, sod menle.
De mcnte igitur,non de corporeis oculisPalres lo-
(luunlur.
^Vera ergo solulio csl b. Tliomac 1. part. quaesf.
12. art. I. hos Palres nomino visionis inlelli^cre
comprchensioncm pcrrcclam:quia enim quod oou-
lis corporis vidcmus, pcrfcrlissime compndiondi-
iiuis. quod autom in hoc mundo intclliaimns. non
ila pcrfcctc intelligimus, non cnim habemus spe-
cios proprias substantiarnm, et maxime separala-
rum; Idco vocabulum vidcndi non solent usurpare
)no qualibet cognilione. sed solum pro perrcctis-
sinia ilia, qua res comprchcndilur. pro genore vi-
sionis non polesl Deum vidcre, nisi Dcn.s. Praele-
rca eliam error Anomoorum dicentium Deum pos-
sc comprehcndi a crcatura, illo temporc visebnl.
cl ideo Palres abhorrebanl a vocabulo vidcndi.cam
de Dei conlcmplalione loqucbantur, ne viderentur
admillore comprohcnsioneni.
Dicos. al Chrysostomiis ail: An"olis Deuni fuis-
'.c tnviMliihmi iistpic ad inciun.ilioiiiin (ilin^li l.ui
liiiii, 111)11 i^iliir l<)<|uiliir di; cotnpicliciiMonc, ulio-
ipii sci|iirrcliir posl iiiciiriMlioiiiMii Dciiin pOHHt*
<'<iiiiprclicndi. Hcspoinlco: Drtiin iiiili* iriciiniulio-
iiciii iiiliil liiissi', iiisi Dciiin.cl idcu <iiniplii'ili!r iii-
<'oiiipri'hciisil)ilciii: iil p<)->l iiicurniilioiiciii IiicIiik
<'>( lioiiio, cl III (piiiiitiiin lioiiio coiiiprclicnhibiliii
csl; <'l Ikk- Milt (;iii'V-osloiiiiis.
Di<'.<;s Si'<;iiii<l(), I li<'i)di(r<;liis hxii ciLilo ail: Aii-
polos non iililcr vi<Icri; Di;iiiii, (pi.ini vtdcrinl oIiim
Ahrahiiiii, .M<)ys<;s, cl Isaias, cl ciiclcri: ul isli noii
sohiiii iion coiiiprcliciKlci iiiit, si;<l nci; vcrc vidc-
riiiit Diiiiii iii st;. s<><l .s<iliiiii iii (-<>r|i<iri' ii>siini|do
iih iin^'clis. (pii Dcuin n^rcrcbant, vcl in iina^inii-
ria rc\i-l;ilioi!C.
Hcspuiidco: ilicodorcliini iion iliccn;, noii idi-
terscd lanliiiii slulucrc siiiiililtidincni inlcr visio-
noin iin^'cliiniiii (;l palrian-liiiriiiii:(|u;ic in lio<: <;oii-
sislil. <piiiil sKiil iiiiii csl iiiip(;rr<-<:tii, ct iioii i.om-
|in;Iii;iisivii, ila ct allcra, (|uainvib cuni inagiiu di-
scriminc.