Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On Justification · Book I: On Justifying Faith
Chapter 1: On the name of justification, and of justice
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. VI, De Justificatione, Book I. 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).
Before we set about explaining the question itself, of justifying faith, a few things are to be premised, as it were prolegomena: on the name of justification and of justice; on the causes of justification; and on the opinion of the heretics, and the state of the whole question.
As to the first, then: the name of justification is taken in the sacred writings in many ways. First, for the law itself, which teaches justice; in which sense David uses it everywhere in Psalm 118: I will keep thy justifications; Teach me thy justifications; O that my ways may be directed to keep thy justifications, etc. Then, for the acquisition of justice, as 1 Corinthians 6: And such some of you were; but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified. Romans 8: Whom he called, them he also justified. And chapter 4: To him that believeth in him that justifieth the impious. Third, for the increase of justice; for as he is customarily said to be heated, not only who becomes hot from cold, but also who from hot becomes hotter, so also he is said to be justified, not only who from impious becomes just, but he also who from just becomes more just. So speaks Ecclesiasticus, chapter 18: Be not afraid to be justified even to death; for the reward of the Lord abideth for ever. And James in his epistle, chapter 2: Do you see that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only? And John in the Apocalypse, chapter 22: He that is just, let him be justified still. Fourth, for the declaration of justice, in a certain forensic manner — so that he is said to be justified who, having been made by an accuser the defendant of some iniquity, is by the judge, through sentence, declared just and absolved. So Solomon uses this word, Proverbs 17: He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, both are abominable before God. And Isaias, chapter 5: Woe to you that justify the wicked for gifts, and take away the justice of the just from him. And Luke, chapter 7: Wisdom is justified by all her children. And chapter 10: But he, willing to justify himself. Of these acceptations the adversaries teach that the fourth is the most proper in the controversy on justification; but the second, and the third, which is born from the second, they say is improper, and found in no approved authors. But of this matter we shall discourse in book 2, chapter 3.
Further, justice, whence justification has its name, is nothing else than the rectitude of order. For that is just which is right, and adequated, and agreeing best with its rule. Now there are found in the sacred writings several acceptations of justice. For sometimes justice sounds the same as right; in which way Jacob speaks in Genesis, chapter 30: And my justice shall answer for me to-morrow, when the time of the bargain shall come before thee. And Isaias, chapter 5: You take away the justice of the just from him. Sometimes it is taken for the rectitude written in books, which can properly be called the justice of the law. Psalm 18: The justices of the Lord are right, rejoicing hearts. Romans 2: If the uncircumcised keep the justices of the law, etc. Third, justice is taken for the rectitude of external works, which can be called the justice of works; of which the Lord, Matthew 5: Unless your justice abound more than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. For the justice of the Scribes and Pharisees was wholly in the external observance of the law; of which also the Apostle, Romans 4: If Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. For men praise him whom they see do external works according to the rules of justice, judging not at all of the internal affection; and such, in general, is political justice, which alone the Philosophers knew and taught; for it orders men among themselves as to external actions. And this political and human justice is twofold: the one universal, which is also called legal; the other particular. Legal justice is not some one virtue, but an aggregation of all the virtues which are necessary for observing the laws; of which the Philosopher, in book 5 on morals, chapter 1: “Justice contains in itself all the virtues.” Particular justice is a special virtue, which again is divided into commutative and distributive. It is taken, finally, for the internal rectitude by which man is rightly ordered toward God and neighbor — which alone is simply and absolutely justice; and it is called the justice of faith, because it begins from faith, and the justice of God, since it is given by him. Of this the Apostle writes to the Philippians, chapter 3: And may be found in him, not having my justice, which is of the law, but that which is of the faith of Christ, which is of God, justice in faith. Where it is to be noted that the justice from the law, which is opposed to the justice from faith, is not the justice of the law — that is, the justice written in the law — but is a justice done without the help of grace, from the mere knowledge of the law: “In a wonderful manner” (says Augustine in book 3 to Boniface, chapter 7), “but yet a true one, the justice of the law is not fulfilled by the justice which is in the law, but by that which is in the spirit of grace.” For “justice from the law” and “justice in the law” signify the same.
Internal justice, then, has its seat in the heart. For the justice of the law is in books; the justice of works is in the hands; the justice of faith, or of God, is in the mind — that is, in the will, which in the Scriptures is wont to be called by the name of the heart; and therefore in the Scriptures the just are called the right of heart, as in Psalm 31: Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye just; and glory, all ye right of heart. And Psalm 96: Light is risen to the just, and joy to the right of heart. Of which St. Augustine speaks thus, book 19 On the City of God, chapter 27: “Here, in each one, justice is this: that God command the obedient man, the mind the body, and reason the vices, even when they fight against it, whether by subduing or by resisting.” Now this justice is twofold, habitual and actual — which St. Augustine openly teaches, discourse 26 on Psalm 118, treating that verse, I have done judgment and justice — where he admonishes that the Psalm speaks of actual justice, that is, of the work of justice which they do who are just, according to that of 1 John 3, He that doeth justice is just; not of the very virtue of justice, which God works in us when he justifies the impious.
Of this justice, then, we speak, when we discourse of justification. All the causes of which justice we shall briefly run through, from the Scriptures and the Council of Trent, that we may see what is certain with all, and what still remains in question.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT PRIMUM. De nomine justificationis , et justitiae. Antequam ad ipsam quaestionem, de fide ustificante, explicandam aggrediamur, pau¬ ca quaedam, quasi prolegomena praemitten¬ da sunt, de nomine justificationis et justitiae; de causis justificationis, et de sententia hae¬ reticorum, ac statu totius quaestionis. Quod igitur ad primum attinet, justifica¬ tionis nomen in sacris litteris multis modis accipitur. Primum, pro ipsa lege, quae jus¬ titiam docet, qua notione passim utitur Da- vid in Psalm. cxvnr. Justificationes tuas cus¬ todiam ; Doce me justificationes tuas ; U tinam dirigantur vix mex, ad custodiendas justifi¬ cationes tuas, etc. (1). Deinde, pro acquisitione justitiae, ut I. ad Corinth. vi. Hxc quidem fuistis, sed abluti estis, sed sanctificati estis, sed justificati estis. Ad Roman. vm. Quos vocavit, hos justificavit. Et cap. IV. Credenti in eum, qui justificat im¬ pium (2). Tertio, pro incremento justitiae, nam quem¬ admodum usitate dicitur calefieri, non so¬ lum qui fit calidus ex frigido, sed etiam qui ex calido fit calidior'; sic etiam justificari di¬ citur non solum is, qui ex impio fit justus, sed ille quoque qui ex justo fit justior. Sic loquitur Ecclesiasticus, cap. xviii. Ne verea¬ ris usque ad mortem justificari, quoniam mer¬ ces Domini manet in xternum. Et Jacobus in epist. sua, cap. ii. Videtis, quod ex operibus justificatur homo, et non ex fide tantum. Et Joannes in Apoc. cap. xxii. Qui justus est, justificetur adhuc (3). UJuarto, pro declaratione justitiae, modo quodam forensi, ut ille dicatur justificari, qui cum esset ab accusatore factus reus ali- cujus iniquitatis, a judice per sententiam de¬ claratur justus, atque absolvitur. Sic utitur hac voce Salomon Proverb. xvn. Qui justi¬ ficat impium, et qui condemnat justum , uter¬ que abominabilis est apud Deum. Et Isaiac cap. v. Vx qui justificatis impium pro mune¬ ribus; et justitiam justi aufertis ab eo. Et Luc. cap. vii. Justificata est sapientia ab omnibus filiis suis. Et cap. x. Ille autem volens justi¬ ficare se ipsum (4). Ex his acceptionibus adversarii istam quar¬ tam in controversia de justificatione, maxime propriam esse docent, illam autem secundam et tertiam, quae nascitur ex secunda, impro¬ priam esse dicunt, et apud nullos probatos auctores inveniri. Sed de hac re disseremus in ii. lib. cap. 3. Porro justitia, unde justificatio nomen ha¬ bet, nihil est aliud, nisi ordinis rectitudo. Id enim est justum, quod rectum et adaequa- tuni, et cum sua regula optime congruens. Inveniuntur autem in sacris litteris plures justitiae acceptiones. Interdum enim idem sonat justitia, quod jus. Quo modo loquitur Jacob in Genes, cap. xxx. Respondebitque mihi cras justitia mea , cum placiti tempus ve¬ nerit apud te. Et Isaias cap. v. Justitiam justi aufertis ab eo (o). Interdum accipitur pro rectitudine scripta in libris, quae proprie justitia legis dici po¬ test Psal. xviii. Justitix Domini rectx Ixtifi- cantes corda. Ad Rom. ii Si prxputiurn justi¬ tias legis custodiat , etc (6). Accipitur tertio justitia pro rectitudine (I) Psal. CXVIII, 8. - (2) 1 Coiin. VI, fl ; Rom. VIII, 30; Ibid. IV, 5. - (3) Eccl. XVIII, 22 ; Ja. cob. II. 24; Apoc. XXII, H.— (4) Prov. XVII, 15; Isai. V, 23 ; Luc. VII, 35; Ibid. X, ?9.-(5) Gen. XXX, 33 ; Isai. V, 23. — (6) Psal. XVIII, 9; Rom. II, 16. 130 LIBER 1. operum externorum, quae dici potest justitia operum. De qua Dominus Matth. v. Nisi abundaverit justitia vestra plus quam Scriba¬ rum et Pharisaearum, non intrabitis in regnum coelorum (1). Justitia enim Scribarum et Pha- risaeorum, tota in externa legis observatione erat, de qua etiam Apostolus ad Roman. iv. Si Abrahffsn ex operibus justificatus est , habet gloriam, sed non ad Deum (2). Homines enim laudant eum, quem vident opera externa fa¬ cere, secundum regulas justitiae, de interno affectu minime judicantes, et talis fere est justitia politica, quam solam Philosophi cog¬ noverunt et docuerunt, ea enim ordinat homines inter se, quantum ad actiones ex¬ ternas. Est autem duplex ista justitia politi¬ ca et humana ; altera universalis, quae et le¬ galis dicitur ; altera particularis. Justitia le¬ galis non est una aliqua virtus, sed aggre¬ gatio omnium virtutum, quae necessariae sunt ad leges observandas, de qua Philosophus in lib. v. de moribus, cap. 1 : «Justitia, inquit, virtutes in se continet omnes ». Justitia par¬ ticularis specialis est virtus, quae rursus di¬ liditur in commutativam, et distributivam. Accipitur denique pro rectitudine interna, qua homo recte ordinatur erga Deum, et proximum, quae sola est simpliciter, et ab¬ solute justitia, et dicitur justitia fidei, quia a fide incipit, et justitia Dei, quoniam ab il¬ lo, donatur. De hac scribit Apostolus ad Philip, in. Et inveniar in illo, non habens me¬ am justitiam , quae ex lege est , sed illam , quae ex fide est Christi , quiae ex Deo est justitia in fide (3). Ubi notandum est, justitiam ex lege, quae opponitur justitiae ex fide, non esse justi¬ tiam legis, id est, justitiam scriptam in lege, sed esse justitiam factam sine auxilio gratiae, ex sola cognitione legis : « Miro modo (inquit Augustinus in lib. m. ad Bonifacium, cap. 7.) sed tamen vero, justitiam legis non im¬ plet justitia, quae in lege est, sed quae in spiritu gratiae ». Idem enim significant, justi¬ tia ex lege et justitia in lege. Interna igitur justitia sedem habet in cor¬ de, nam justitia legis est in libris, justitia operum est in manibus, justitia fidei, sive Dei, est in animo, id est, in voluntate, quae cordis nomine in Scripturis appellari solet5 et ideo in Scripturis justi dicuntur recti cor¬ de, ut in Psalm. xxxi. Laetamini justi in Do¬ mino , et gloriamini omnes recti corde. Et Psalm. xevi. Lux orta est justo, at rectis corde laetitia (4). De qua sic loquitur saoctus Augustinus lib. xix. de Civit. Dei, cap. 27. « Hic in unoquoque justitia est, ut obedienti Deus homini, animus corpori ratio autem vi¬ tiis, etiam repugnantibus, imperet, vel subi¬ gendo, vel resistendo ». Est autem haec justitia duplex, habitualis et actualis, quod aperte docet S. Augustinus concion. 26. in Psalm. cxvm. tractans illud : Feci judicium et justitiam , ubi monet, Psal¬ mum loqui de justitia actuali, id est, de opere justitiae, quod faciunt qui justi sunt, juxta il¬ lud i. Joan. iii. Qui facit justitiam , justus est (3) ; non de ipsa virtute justitiae, quam Deus in nobis facit, cum justificat im¬ pium . De hac igitur justitia locjuimur, cum de justificatione disserimus. Cujus justitiae cau¬ sas omnes ex Scripturis, et Tridentino Con¬ cilio breviter percurremus, ut videamus, quid sit apud omnes certum, et quid adhuc in quaestione remaneat.