Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Sacraments in General · Book II: On the Effect, Number, and Ceremonies of the Sacraments
Chapter 29: On the name, definition, and division of ceremonies
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).
As to the first, certain things are to be noted for understanding the state of the case. The first is what a ceremony is. Now a ceremony is an external act of religion which has praise from no other source than because it is done to the honor of God. For religion, which is the noblest of the moral virtues, has three acts, like any other virtue. First, the internal elicited act, which is to will to give God the due honor and worship. Second, the external act answering to the internal, which is any external action that is good and praiseworthy from no other source than because it is done to worship God, as sacrifice, genuflection, and the like. Third, the commanded act, that is, the act of any virtue which is ordered by religion to the honor of God. In this manner fasts, alms, and other things of that kind can be called acts of religion when they are done to worship God, although they are otherwise also acts of other virtues. Of this third act St. James said, chapter 1, that religion is to visit the fatherless, and to keep oneself unspotted from this world; and St. Augustine in the Enchiridion chapter 3 said that God is worshipped by faith, and hope, and charity. Of these three acts, the first is in no way a ceremony; the third is not a ceremony either, except inasmuch as it is commanded by religion; the second is properly and simply a ceremony, and of it we treat in this place.
As to the name: ceremonies among the Hebrews are called [chuqqim], which name properly signifies not so much the external action itself as the law or statute by which that action is commanded. Whence also in the New Testament the Jewish ceremonies are wont to be called by the name of law, as Matthew 11: The Law and the Prophets until John. Galatians 5: I testify to every man circumcising himself, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. This word the Greeks render everywhere by [dikaiomata], that is, justifications, because they were rites instituted to justify and purge a man. The Latin interpreter almost always renders the Hebrew word by “ceremony” in the Old Testament. And this Latin name is either derived from the town of Caere, as Livy book 5 and Valerius Maximus book 1 chapter 1 will have it, because in that town the Roman sacred things were kept at the time when the Gauls plundered Rome; or perhaps more rightly it is derived from carere (to lack), so that caeremonia is, as it were, caremonia, as St. Augustine will have it, book 2 of the Retractions chapter 37, and Gellius book 4 chapter 9, and Macrobius book 2 of the Saturnalia chapter 3, because certain ceremonies are placed in abstaining and lacking, such as among the Jews was to lack the use of swine's flesh, and almost all the vows of the Nazarites, and of others, who lacked the use and by vow abstained from wine and many other things.
But let us come to the division. There are five divisions of ceremonies. The first division is taken from the end or effect. For some are instituted to justify, as the Sacraments, and of these we do not now treat; some to certain other spiritual effects, as to coerce demons, as the exorcisms, blessed water, etc.; some to adornment and signification only, as the white garment of neophytes, the lights of candles, etc.; and of these we treat. The second division is taken from the efficient cause, that is, from the institutor. For some are in a manner instituted by nature itself, which can be called natural; such as to look up to heaven, to raise the hands, to bend the knees, to strike the breast when we pray to God; for these nature itself teaches, whence also they are common even to Gentiles and to whatever sects. Some are instituted by God, as many in the Old Testament, and certain Sacraments in the new; and these are called divine ceremonies. Some, finally, are instituted by the Apostles, or their successors, which are called Ecclesiastical. And like is the division of words; for ceremonies are certain visible words. For we see that some voices are natural, as are those by which we express various affections; for all in the same manner weep, sigh, laugh, etc. Others are instituted by God, as Genesis 1 the name of heaven, earth, sea, and elsewhere the names of some great men; and finally others are instituted by men, as Genesis 2 Adam imposed names on the animals. The third division is taken from the formal cause. For some ceremonies are immediately the worship of God, as sacrifice, prayer, adoration, etc.; some dispose to worship God, as fasts, celibacy, austerity of life, etc.; some are instruments of divine worship, as temples, altars, chalices, etc. The fourth division from the material cause, or from the material object. For some ceremonies are engaged about persons, as exorcisms, insufflations, the sprinkling of ashes, etc.; some about place, as the consecration of a temple; some about time, as feast days, vigils, Lent; and so also there are times determined for the celebration of the Sacraments; some about the manner, as that the Sacraments be ministered in Latin; finally some about the things themselves, as the blessings of water, oil, garments, palms, etc. The fifth division is taken from accidents: as that some are universal, others particular — as the fast of Saturday in the times of St. Augustine was kept at Rome, not at Milan; and on the contrary the washing of feet after Baptism was kept at Milan, not at Rome. See Augustine epistle 118 and Ambrose book 3 On the Sacraments chapter 1. Likewise some are temporary, as the abstinence from blood and from what is strangled, Acts 15; others perpetual, as the rites of the Sacraments. Finally some are under precept, others free; of which see Augustine epistle 118.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT XXIX. De nomine , definitione, et partitione caeremoniarum. Quod ad primum attinet, notanda sunt quaedam pro statu causae intelligendo. Pri¬ mum est, quid sit caeremonia. Est autem caeremonia actus externus religionis, qui non aliunde habet laudem, nisi quia fit ad Dei honorem. Religio enim, qua} est nobi¬ lissima moralium virtutum, tres habet actus, ut quaevis alia virtus. Primo, actum inter¬ num elicitum, qui est velle Deo debitum honorem, et cultum dare. Secundo actum ex¬ ternum interno respondentem, qui est quae¬ libet externa actio, qua} non aliunde est bo¬ na, et laudabilis, nisi quia fit ad Deum co¬ lendum, ut sacrificium, genufiexio, et similia. Tertio, actum imperatum, id est, actum cu- jusvis virtutis, qui a religijne ordinetur ad Dei honorem. Hoc modo jejunia, eleemosy¬ nae, et alia id genus dici possunt actus reli¬ gionis, quando fiunt ad colendum Deum, licet alioqui sint etiam actus aliarum virtu- tum. De hoc tertio actu dixit S. Jacobus cap. 1. religionem esse visitare pupillos, et immaculatum se custodire ab hoc saeculo ; et S. Augustinus in Enchirid. cap. 3. dixit, Deum coli fide, et spe, et cbaritate. Ex his tribus actibus, primus nullo modo est caere¬ monia ; tertius non est etiam caeremonia, nisi quatenus imperatur a religione, secun¬ dus est proprie, et simpliciter caeremonia, et de eo tractamus hoc loco. Quod autem ad nomen attinet : Caeremo¬ niae apud Hebraeos dicuntur cpn quod no¬ men proprie significat non tam ipsam ex¬ ternam actionem, quam legem, seu statu¬ tum, quo actio illa praecipitur. Unde etiam in novo Testamento cceremoniae Judaicae nomine legis appellari solent, ut Mattii. XI : Lex et Prophetae usque ad Joannem. Galat.V : Testificor omni homini circumcidenti se, quo¬ niam debitor est universae legis faciendae (i). Eam vocem Gi’aeci reddunt ubique per 8tx«t<u- g*r«, id est, justificationes, quia erant ritus ad hominem justificandum, et purgandum institutae. Latinus interpres fere semper ver¬ tit caeremoniam in Testamento veteri vocem Hebraeam D*pn. Nomen autem hoc Latinum vel dictum est ab oppido Caere, ut volunt Livius lib. Y. et Valerius Maximus lib. I. cap. 1. quod in eo oppido Sacra Romana servata sint, quo tempore Galli Romam di¬ ripuerunt; vel forte rectius dictum est a carendo, ut sit caeremonia, quasi ca?remo- nia, ut vult S. Augustinus lib. II. retractat, cap. 37. et Gellius lib. IV. cap. 9. et Macro¬ bius lib. II. Saturnal. cap. 3. eo quod quae¬ dam caeremoniae in abstinendo, et carendo positae sunt, qualis erat apud Judaeos carere usu carnis suillae, et omnia fere vota Naza- raeorum, et aliorum, qui vini, et aliarum multarum rerum usu, et voto carebant. Sed ad partitionem veniamus. Quinque sunt partitiones caeremoniarum. Prima par¬ titio sumitur a fine seu effectu. Quaedam enim instituuntur ad justificandum, ut Sa¬ cramenta, et de his modo non agimus : quaedam ad alios quosdam effectus spiritua¬ les, ut ad daemones coercendos, ut exorcis¬ mi, aqua benedicta etc. quaedam ad solum ornatum, et significationem, ut vestis alba neophytorum, lumina cereorum etc. et de his agimus. Secunda partitio sumitur a causa effi¬ ciente, id est, ab institutore. Quaedam enim sunt ab ipsa natura quodammodo institutae, qua*, naturales dici possunt : quale est respi¬ cere in coelum, tollere manus, flectere ge¬ nua, tundere pectus cum Deum oramus : ista enim natura ipsa docet, unde etiam com¬ munes sunt etiam Gentilibus, et quibuscum¬ que sectis. Quaedam sunt a Deo instituta}, ut multa} in Testamento veteri, et Sacramenta quaedam in novo; atque hae divinae csere- . * monia; appellantur. Quaedam denique sunt ab Apostolis, vel eorum successoribus insti¬ tuta*, quae dicuntur Ecclesiasticae. Et similis est partitio verborum ; sunt enim cteremo- | nite quajdam verba visibilia. Videmus enim : quasdam voces esse naturales, ut sunt eae, ' quibus varios effectus exprimimus; nam omnes eodem modo plorant, suspirant, ri¬ dent elc. alias a Deo institutas, ut Genes. I. nomen coeli, terra?, maris, et alibi nomina aliquorum magnorum virorum; denique alias ab hominibus institutas, ut Genes. II. i Adam imposuit nomina animantibus. Tertia partitio sumitur a causa formali. 1 Quaedam enim ca}rcmonise sunt immediate \ (1) Mattii. XI, 13; Galat. V, 3. cultus Dei, ut sacrificium, oratio, adoratio etc. quaedam disponunt ad colendum Deum, ut jejunia, coelibatus, vitae asperitas etc. quaedam sunt instrumenta divini cultus, ut templa, arae, calices etc. Quarta partitio a causa materiali, seu ab objecto materiali. Quaedam enim caeremoniae versanturcirca personas; ut exorcismi, insuf¬ flationes, aspersio cineris etc. quaedam circa locurrf, ut consecratio templi ; quaedam circa tempus, ut dies festi, vigiliae, Quadragesima, et sic etiam sunt tempora determinata Sa¬ cramentorum celebrationi : quaedam circa modum, ut quod Latine Sacramenta minis¬ trentur ; denique quaedam circa res ipsas, ut benedictiones aquae, olei, vestium, pal¬ marum etc. Quinta partitio sumitur ab accidentibus, ut quod aliae sint universales, aliae particu¬ lares, ut jejunium Sabbati temporibus S. Augustini servabatur Romae, non Mediolani; et contra lotio pedum post Baptisma, serva¬ batur Mediolani, non Romae. Vide Augusti¬ num epist. H8. et Ambrosium lib. de Sa¬ cramentis III. c. I. Item alioe temporales, ut abstinentia a sanguine, et suffocato, Ac¬ tor. XV. aliae perpetuae, ut ritus Sacramen¬ torum. Denique aliae in praecepto, aliae li¬ berae; de quibus vide Augustinum epist. 418.