Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Sacraments in General · Book II: On the Effect, Number, and Ceremonies of the Sacraments
Chapter 25: That there are seven Sacraments, proved from the later Councils and Doctors
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. III, De Sacramentis in Genere, Book II: On the Effect, Number, and Ceremonies of the Sacraments. 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 second proof is taken from testimonies which precisely set down the sevenfold number; which testimonies are three. The first is that of all the Theologians, and accordingly of the whole Church for at least 400 years. For the Master of the Sentences, book 4 distinction 2, and all the Theologians thence, have handed down that there are seven Sacraments. Nor indeed did the Master write anything new, but what he found in the use of the Church; which argument ought to be of the greatest weight. For if what we say were false, the whole Church would have erred for 400 years most perniciously. For if the Sacraments were fewer, it would have been a great impiety and superstition, and a great deceiving of souls, to have held so long for Sacraments those which were not Sacraments. But if there were more, it would have been a great impiety to have so long despised the true Sacraments of God, and a great detriment of souls. Second, error concerning the Sacraments is more pernicious than concerning other dogmas; for the rest are for the most part speculative, and ignorance of them excuses many simple persons. But the knowledge of the Sacraments pertains to practice, and to the practice of individual men. Third, the sincere use of the Sacraments pertains to the marks of the Church, by the opinion of all the heretics of this time. Wherefore if in 400 years there was error in the Sacraments so gravely, they must consequently say that the Church perished from the earth; for they will not easily find those who thought otherwise in this time about the Sacraments. For even the Hussites and Waldenses, who were almost the only heretics when Luther appeared, received the seven Sacraments. Of the Hussites it is plain in the Council of Constance session 15 article 8; of the Waldenses, Luther testifies it in the book written to them.
The second testimony is that of the Council of Florence in the instruction of the Armenians, where the seven Sacraments are asserted and explained. Where two falsehoods of Kemnitz are to be noted. For he in the second part of the Examen page 35 says that the sevenfold number of the Sacraments was attempted among the Greeks, but forced upon the Armenians; and he adds that the Armenians, converted to the faith by St. Bartholomew the Apostle, after a thousand years and more at last received the sevenfold number of the Sacraments from the Roman Pontiff. Where he lies. First, when he says that this number was attempted by the Council among the Greeks — as if he wished to say that the Fathers tried to persuade the Greeks of it, but could not. But that in the whole Council nothing at all was treated with the Greeks about the number of the Sacraments is clear from the Council itself, which exists in Greek and Latin. Nay, this instruction was given to the Armenians, the whole Council approving, a little before its dissolution, as we there read in the decree of Eugenius IV, where this very instruction is had. From which we understand that the Greeks always thought altogether the same as the Latins about the number of the Sacraments; otherwise the Greeks would not so easily, without any question, have approved the instruction. Which can also be confirmed by the testimony of Jeremias, Patriarch of Constantinople, who in that censure which he published against the errors of the Lutherans testifies that the seven Sacraments are numbered and received by the Greeks themselves. For thus he speaks, chapter 7: “In that same Catholic Church there are seven divine Sacraments: Baptism, the anointing of the sacred ointment, sacred Communion, Order, Matrimony, Penance, Extreme Unction.” Secondly Kemnitz lies when he says that this number of the Sacraments was forced upon the Armenians, since they had been ignorant of it for a thousand years and more. For (as we read in the decree of Eugenius) before the union of the Armenians with the Latins, conferences were held among them concerning the faith of the Trinity and the Incarnation and the Sacraments, and the books of each nation were inspected, and then at last the formula of instruction was prescribed. Wherefore it was not forced, but received by them after mature discussion; and indeed they would not so easily have received it, unless they had seen it conformable to the ancient books and rites of their Church. Add that in the same instruction the doctrine of the three divine persons, and of the two natures of Christ, is handed to the Armenians. Since, then, Kemnitz says that the number of seven Sacraments was forced upon them, why does he not also say that the number of the divine persons and the nature of Christ was forced upon them?
The third testimony is that of the Council of Trent session 7 canon 1, where anathema is added to those denying that there are seven true and proper Sacraments; which testimony, even if we had no other, ought to suffice. For if we take away the authority of the present Church and the present Council, the decrees of all the other Councils, and the whole Christian faith, can be called into doubt. For this was always the custom among Christians, that the controversies which arose should be defined by the Bishops who were then living. And besides, the firmness of all the old Councils, and of all dogmas, depends on the authority of the present Church. For we have no infallible testimony that those Councils were, and were legitimate, and defined this or that, except because the Church which now is, and cannot err, so thinks and teaches. For that certain historians mentioned those Councils cannot beget faith but human, under which falsehood can lie.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT XXV. Septem esse Sacramenta , probatur ex poste¬ rioribus Conciliis, et Doctoribus. Secunda probatio sumitur ex testimoniis, quae praecise ponunt numerum septenarium, quae testimonia tria sunt. Primum est om¬ nium Theologorum, et proinde totius Eccle¬ siae ab annis ut minimum 400. Nam Magis¬ ter Sentent. lib. IV, dist. 2. et omnes inde Theologi septem Sacramenta esse tradide¬ runt. Neque vero Magister aliquid novum scripsit, sed quod invenit in usu Ecclesiae; quod argumentum maximi ponderis esse de¬ bet. Nam si falsum esset, quod dicimus er- rasset tota Ecclesia per annos 400 pernicio¬ sissime. Nam si Sacramenta essent pauciora, magna impietas fuisset, et superstitio, et magna deceptio animarum , habuisse tam- diu pro Sacramentis ea, quae Sacramenta non erant. Sivero essent plura, fuisset magna im- (1) Joan. XIII. 10. 486 LIBER II. pietas, tamdiu contempsisse vera Dei Sacra¬ menta, et magnum detrimentum animarum. Secundo, magis perniciosus est error circa Sacramenta, quam circa alia dogmata : nam reliqua fere speculativa sunt, et earum igno¬ ratio multos simplices excusat. At Sacramen¬ torum cognitio ad praxim pertinet , et ad praxim singulorum hominum. Tertio, since¬ rus Sacramentorum usus ad notas Ecclesiae pertinet ex sententia omnium haereticorum hujus temporis. Quare si in 400 annis erra¬ tum est in Sacramentis tam graviter, conse¬ quenter dicere debent, Ecclesiam periisse de orbe terrarum : non enim invenient faci¬ le qui aliter senserint hoc tempore de Sacra¬ mentis. Nam ipsi etiam Hussitae, et Walden- ses, qui fere soli erant haeretici, cum Luthe- rus apparuit , septem Sacramenta recipie¬ bant. De Hussitis patet in Cone. Constant, sess. XV, art. 8. de Waldensibus , id testa¬ tur Lutherus in lib. ad eos scripto. Secundum testimonium est Concilii Flo¬ rentini in institutione Armenorum, ubi sep¬ tem Sacramenta asseruntur, et explicantur. Ubi Notanda sunt duo mendacia Kemnitii. Is enim in 2. par. Exam. pag. 35. dicit, sep¬ tenarium numerum Sacramentorum apud Graecos tentatum, Armenis vero obtimsum fuisse : et addit, Armenos a sancto Bartho- lomseo Apostolo ad fidem converses, post mille, et eo amplius annos septenarium nu¬ merum Sacramentorum a Romano Pontifice tandem accepisse. Ubi mentitur. In primis cum dicit, hunc numerum tentatum a Conci¬ lio apud Graecos, quasi dicere velit, conatos fuisse Patres id persuadere Graecis, sed non potuisse. At in toto Concilio, nihil omnino de numero Sacramentorum cum Graecis actum esse, ex ipso Concilio, quod exstat Graece, et Latine, perspicuum est. Imo instructio haec Armenis data est toto approbante Con¬ cilio, paulo ante ejus dissolutionem, ut ibi¬ dem legimus in decreto Eugenii IV, ubi hmc ipsa institutio habetur. Ex quo intelligimus, Graecos idem omnino cum Latinis semper sensisse de numero Sacramentorum : alio- qui Graeci non tam facile sine ulla quaestio¬ ne instructionem approbassent. Quod etiam confirmari potest testimonio Hieremiae Pa¬ triarchae Constantinopolitani, qui in ea cen¬ sura quam edidit ad errores Lutheranorum, septem Sacramenta ab ipsis etiam Graecis numerari recipique testatur. Sic enim loqui¬ tur cap. 7. in ea item Catholica Ecclesia septem divina Sacramenta esse, Baptismum, Sacri unguenti unctionem, sacram Commu¬ nionem, Ordinem, Matrimonium, Poeniten¬ tiam, Extremam unctionem. Secundo mentitur Kemnitius, cum dicit, obtrusum fuisse Armenis hunc numerum Sacramentorum, cum eum ignorassent per annos mille, et amplius. Nam (ut in decreto Eugenii legimus) ante unionem Armenorum cum Latinis, collationes factae sunt inter eos de fide Trinitatis, et Incarnationis, et Sacra¬ mentorum, et inspecti libri utriusque natio¬ nis, et tum demum praescripta formula in¬ structionis : Quare non obtrusa fuit, sed post maturam discussionem, ab eis accepta : et sane non tam facile accepissent, nisi vi¬ dissent conformem esse antiquis libris, et ritibus "Ecclesiae suae. Adde quod in eadem instructione traditur Armenis doctrina de tribus personis divinis, et de duabus Christi naturis. Ut igitur Kemnitius dicit, obslru- sum illis numerum septem Sacramentorum, cur non dicit etiam obtrusum numerum personarum divinarum, et naturam Christi. Tertium testimonium est Concilii Triden- tini sess. 7. canon. 1. ubi additur anathema negantibus septem esse vera et propria Sa¬ cramenta ; quod testimonium etiamsi nul¬ lum haberemus aliud, deberet sufficere. Nam si tollamus auctoritatem praesentis Ec¬ clesiae, et praesentis Concilii, in dubium re¬ vocari poterunt omnium aliorum Concilio¬ rum decreta, et tota fides Christiana. Sem¬ per enim haec fuit consuetudo apud Chris¬ tianos, ut exortas controversias definirent Episcopi, qui tunc vivebant. Et praeterea omnium Conciliorum veterum, et omnium dogmatum firmitas pendet ab auctoritate praesentis Ecclesiae. Non enim habemus tes¬ timonium infallibile, quod Concilia illa fue¬ rint, et legitima fuerint, et hoc aut illud de¬ finierint, nisi quia Ecclesia, quae nunc est, et errare non potest, ita sentit, et docet. Quod enim historici quidam meminerint eo¬ rum Conciliorum, non potest parere fidem, nisi humanam, cui potest subesse falsum.