Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Word of God · Book III: On the Interpretation of Scripture
Chapter 8: The same proved from the testimonies of the Fathers
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. I, De Verbo Dei, Book III: On the Interpretation of Scripture. 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 is proved fifthly by the testimonies of the Greek and Latin Fathers. Irenaeus teaches that controversies cannot be ended from the Scriptures alone, because they are variously expounded by the heretics; and then he teaches that controversies ought to be ended from the doctrine of the Roman Church: “With this Church,” he says, “on account of its more powerful principality, it is necessary that every Church agree, that is, those who are on every side faithful; in which Church the tradition which is from the Apostles has always been preserved by those who are on every side.”
Athanasius, in the epistle to those leading the solitary life, speaking of the Emperor Constantius the Arian, who usurped to himself some judgment in Councils: “When,” he says, “from the foundation of the world was it heard? when did the judgment of the Church receive its authority from an Emperor? or when was this ever acknowledged for a judgment? There were very many Synods before; many judgments of the Church were held. But neither did the Fathers try to persuade the Prince of such things, nor did the Prince show himself curious in Ecclesiastical matters.” And below: “Who,” he says, “seeing him in decreeing make himself Prince of the Bishops, and preside over Ecclesiastical judgments, would not rightly say that this is that very abomination of desolation which was foretold by Daniel?” Basil in epistle 62 to Athanasius says it seems good to him that, since a Synod could not then be held, they should write to the Roman Pontiff, that he by his authority might send some into the East to dissolve the acts of the Council of Ariminum.
Gregory Nazianzen, in the Oration in which he excuses himself for having long abstained from the Ecclesiastical function: “You sheep,” he says, “feed not the shepherds, neither raise yourselves above their bounds; for it is enough for you if you are rightly fed. Judge not the judges, nor make laws for the lawgivers, etc.” But how does he not judge the judges and feed the shepherds, who presumes to judge of the opinion of a Council or of the supreme Pontiff? And lest you think the Presidents excepted by Gregory, the same, in his Oration to his fellow-citizens struck with fear, and to the Governor being angry: “Do you receive,” he says, addressing the Governor, “a free voice? and that the law of Christ has subjected you to my power and my tribunal? For we too command, I add, and with a greater and more perfect command; receive therefore a freer voice, I know thee to be a sheep of my flock, etc.” Chrysostom, in the last homily on John, says that Peter was set by Christ as master over the whole world. Cyril in the Thesaurus, as blessed Thomas cites in the first Opusculum against the errors of the Greeks: “It is shown that to the said Roman Pontiff it belongs to determine the things which are of Faith; for Cyril says in the book of the Thesaurus, That we may remain members in our head, the apostolic Throne of the Roman Pontiffs, from whom it is ours to seek what we ought to believe and what to hold.” See also Damascene in the first and second oration for the images.
Of the Latins, Tertullian in the book On the prescription of heretics beautifully deduces what we wish. For first he teaches that we ought not to dispute with heretics from the Scriptures; because, since the possession and true understanding of the Scriptures belongs to the Catholic Church, it must first be established which is the true doctrine of the Church, and then the Scriptures are to be understood from it. But which is the true doctrine of the Church cannot be more safely sought than in the Apostolic Churches, of which the chief is the Roman. For God delivered the doctrine of truth to Christ, Christ to the Apostles, the Apostles to their successors. So he, in sum. Cyprian book 1 epistle 3: “For heresies have arisen, and schisms have been born, from no other source than this, that the Priest of God is not obeyed, nor is one Priest for the time in the Church, and for the time judge in the place of Christ, thought of, etc.” For before the definition of the Pontiffs it is lawful, in doubtful matters, to hold either part without the fault of heresy; but after the definition, those who do not obey become heretics.
Ambrose epistle 32 to the Emperor Valentinian the younger, who, depraved by the Arians, wished to judge of matters of Faith: “But certainly,” he says, “if we review either the series of the divine Scriptures, or the ancient times, who will deny that in a cause of Faith — in a cause, I say, of Faith — Bishops are wont to judge of Christian Emperors, not Emperors of Bishops? Thou wilt, God favoring, be advanced also to the maturity of old age, and then thou wilt judge of this, what manner of Bishop he is who subjects the priestly right to laymen. Thy father, a man of riper age, used to say: It is not mine to judge between Bishops; thy Clemency now says: I ought to judge.” And below: “If there is to be a conference concerning Faith, that conference ought to be of Priests, as was done under Constantine the Prince of august memory, who sent no laws beforehand, but gave free judgment to the Priests. It was done also under Constantius the Emperor of august memory, heir of his father's dignity. But what began well was otherwise consummated. For the Bishops had first written a sincere Faith; but while certain men wished to judge of Faith within the Palace, they brought it about that by circumventions those judgments of the Bishops were changed.” Note, Reader, these last words: for the laymen in the house of the Prince, while they wished to judge of the opinion of the Bishops, deserved to fall into error.
Jerome in the epistle to Damasus On the word hypostasis: “Decree, if it please you, I beseech you; I will not fear to say three hypostases, if you command.” And below: “I entreat your Beatitude, by the Crucified, the salvation of the world, by the consubstantial Trinity, that by your letters authority be given me either to be silent about the hypostases or to speak of them.” The same he asks in the following epistle. And note that Jerome was far more learned than Damasus, as is plain from so many questions of the Scriptures which Jerome explained to Damasus; and yet, when the matter is of the judgment of Faith, that something be defined, Jerome attributes the whole judgment to Damasus the Pontiff. Sulpicius book 2 of the Sacred History relates that St. Martin once said to the Emperor Maximus that it was a new and unheard-of crime that a judge of the world should judge a cause of the Church.
Augustine against Cresconius: “Whosoever fears to be deceived by the obscurity of this question, let him consult the Church concerning it, which the holy Scripture without any ambiguity demonstrates.” And epistle 106 to Paulinus, speaking of the epistles of Innocent, in which it was expressly laid down that the judgment of matters of Faith pertains to the Apostolic See, he thus says: “To all things he wrote back to us in the manner in which it was right, and behooved the Prelate of the Apostolic See.” And in the book against the epistle called Fundamental chapter 5: “But I would not believe the Gospel, unless the authority of the Catholic Church moved me.” Calvin answers that Augustine speaks of a certain private persuasion of the Faithful, whereby some are converted to the Faith; so that the sense is: “I would not believe the Gospel, that is, I should not now be a Christian, unless the Christians had moved me by their persuasions.” But that solution is frigid; for, in the first place, Augustine speaks of the present when he says, “Unless the authority of the Church moved me.” Then a little below: “Whom obeying I believed the Gospel, these commanding, I will by no means believe thee.” Where he attributes to the Church not persuasion, but command. And below, speaking of the book of the Acts of the Apostles: “Which book it is necessary that I believe, if I believe the Gospel, since the Catholic authority commends both Scriptures to me alike.” The same in the preface of the book On Christian Doctrine, as if foreseeing that private spirit which disdains to have a teacher: “Let us beware,” he says, “of such most proud and most dangerous temptations, and rather think of the centurion Cornelius: although the Angel announced to him that his prayers were heard and his alms regarded, yet he was delivered to Peter to be instructed. And certainly that eunuch, who reading the Prophet Isaiah understood not, the Apostle neither sent to an Angel, nor was that which he understood not expounded to him by an Angel, or divinely revealed in his mind without the ministry of man, etc.”
Prosper, in the book against the Conference at the end, proves that the Pelagians are truly heretics no otherwise than because they had been condemned by the Roman Bishops, Innocent, Zosimus, Boniface, Celestine. Vincent of Lerins in his Commonitory chapter 2: “Here perhaps someone may ask, since the canon of the Scriptures is perfect, what need is there that the authority of Ecclesiastical understanding be joined to it? Because, forsooth, on account of its very depth, all do not receive the holy Scripture in one and the same sense, but one interprets its words one way, another another, so that almost as many opinions seem able to be drawn from it as there are men. And therefore it is very necessary, on account of so many windings of so various error, that the line of the Prophetic and Apostolic interpretation be directed according to the norm of the Ecclesiastical and Catholic sense, etc.” And the norm of the Catholic sense he there openly shows to be the decrees of Councils, the consent of the Fathers, and the like.
Gregory book 6 epistle 25: “It is known to us that the most pious lords love discipline, keep the orders, venerate the canons, and mingle not themselves in priestly causes.” Anselm in the book On the Incarnation of the Word chapter 1 thus addresses Urban the Roman Pontiff: “Since the divine providence chose your holiness, to whom it might commit the Christian life and Faith to be guarded, and its Church to be ruled, to no other is it more rightly referred, if anything against the Catholic Faith arise in the Church, that by his authority it be corrected, etc.” Bernard epistle 190 to Pope Innocent II: “It behooves that to your Apostolate be referred all dangers and scandals emerging in the kingdom of God, and especially those which touch the Faith. For I judge it worthy that the damages of Faith be there chiefly repaired, where Faith cannot suffer defect.” And below: “It is time, most loving Father, that you acknowledge your principality, prove your zeal, honor your ministry. In that you plainly fulfill the office of Peter, whose seat also you hold, if by your admonition you confirm hearts wavering in Faith, if by your authority you crush the corrupters of Faith.” And epistle 189: “I said that his writings suffice to accuse him, and that it is not for me, but for the Bishops, whose ministry it was to judge of doctrines.”
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CAPUT VIII. Idem probatur testimoniis Patrum. Probatur quinto testimoniis Patrum Grae¬ corum et Latinorum. Irenaeus docet, con¬ troversias non posse finiri ex solis Scripturis, quia varie ab haereticis exponuntur, et dein¬ de docet, finiri debere controversias ex doc¬ trina Romanae Ecclesiae : « Ad hanc, » in¬ quit, « Ecclesiam propter potentiorem prin¬ cipalitatem necesse est omnem convenire Ecclesiam, hoc est eos, qui sunt undique fideles, in qua semper ab his qui sunt un¬ dique conservata est ea, quae est ab Apos¬ tolis traditio. v> (1) Athanasius in epist. ad solitar. vit. agent., loquens de Imperatore Constantio Ariano, qui aliquod judicium sibi in Conciliis usur¬ pabat : « Quando » , inquit, « a condito aevo auditum est? quando judicium Ecclesiae auctoritatem suam ab Imperatore accepit ? V (1) Adv. hseres. Lib. III, Cap. 3. CAPUT VIII. 185 aut quando unquam hoc pro judicio agni¬ tum est? Plurimae antea Synodi fuere: multa judicia Ecclesiae habita sunt. Sed neque Pa¬ tres istiusmodi res Principi persuadere co¬ nati sunt, nec Princeps se in rebus Eccle¬ siasticis curiosum praebuit ». Et infra: « Quis », inquit, « videns eum in decernen¬ do Principem se facere Episcoporum, et praesidere judiciis Ecclesiasticis, non merito dicat, istud illam ipsam abominationem de¬ solationis esse, quae a Daniele praedicta est » ? Basilius in epist. 62. ad Athanas. dicit : vi¬ deri sibi bonum, ut quando Synodus tunc fieri non poterat, scriberent ad Romanum Pontificem, ut ipse auctoritate sua mitteret aliquos in Orientem, qui acta Concilii Ari¬ minensis dissolverent. Gregorius Nazianzenus in Oratione, qua se excusat, quod diu ab Ecclesiastica functione abstinuerit : « Vos », inquit, « oves nolite pascere pastores, neque super terminos eorum elevamini : satis enim est vobis, si recte pascimini. Nolite judicare judices, nec legem feratis legislatoribus, etc. » Quomodo autem non judicat judices, et pascit pasto¬ res, qui de sententia Concilii, vel summi Pontificis judicare praesumit ? Et ne putes a Gregorio excipi Praesides, idem in Oratione ad suos cives timore perculsos, et Praesidem irascentem: «Num vocem, » inquit, Praesidem alloquens, « suscipitis liberam? et quod lex Christi vos meae potestati meoque subjecit tribunali? Imperamus enim et ipsi, addo, et imperio majori et perfectiori; suscipe igitur vocem liberiorem, scio te ovem esse gregis mei, etc. » Chrysostomus hom. ult. in Jo. dicit : Petrum toti orbi magistrum a Christo praepositum. Cyrillus in thesauro, ut B. Thomas citat in Opusc. I. cont. error. Graec. : « Ostenditur quod ad dictum Pontificem Romanum pertineat quae Fidei sunt determi¬ nare ; dicit enim Cyrillus in lib. Thesaur. Ut membra maneamus in capite nostro apos- tolico Throno Romanorum Pontificum, a quo nostrum est quaerere, quid credere, et quid tenere debemus. » Vide etiam Damas¬ cenum in I, et 2. orat, pro imaginibus. Ex Latinis Tertullianus lib. de praescript. haeret, pulchre deducit id quod volumus. Primo enim docet, non debere cum haereti¬ cis disputari ex Scripturis : quia cum pos¬ sessio, et intelligentia vera Scripturarum sit Ecclesiae Catholicae , prius debet constare, quae sit vera doctrina Ecclesiae, et tunc ex illa intelligendae sunt Scripturae. Quae sit autem vera doctrina Ecclesiae, non potest tutius quaeri, quam in Ecclesiis Apostolicis, quarum praecipua est Romana. Nam Deus doctrinam veritatis Christo tradidit, Christus Apostolis, Apostoli successoribus suis. Haec ille in summa. Cyprianus lib. I, epist. 3. a Neque enim aliunde haereses obortae sunt, aut nata sunt schismata, quam inde, quod Sacerdoti Dei non obtemperatur, nec unus in Ecclesia ad tempus Sacerdos, et ad tem¬ pus judex vice Christi cogitatur etc. » Nam ante definitionem Pontificum licet de dubiis rebus sine vitio haeresis utramvis partem te¬ nere : at post definitionem qui non obtem¬ perant, fiunt haeretici. Ambrosius epist. 32. ad Imperatorem Va¬ lentinianum juniorem, qui ab Arianis depra¬ vatus volebat de rebus Fidei judicare : <c At certe, inquit, si vel Scripturarum seriem di¬ vinarum, vel vetera tempora retractemus, quis abnuat, in causa Fidei ; in causa, in¬ quam, Fidei Episcopos solere de Imperato¬ ribus Christianis, non Imperatores de Epi¬ scopis judicare? Eris, Deo favente, etiam se¬ nectutis maturitate provectior, et tunc de hoc censebis, qualis ille Episcopus sit, qui laicis jus Sacerdotale substernit. Pater tuus vir maturioris sevi dicebat : Non est meum judicare inter Episcopos : tua nunc dicit Clementia : Ego debeo judicare. » Et infra : « Si conferendum de Fide, Sacerdotum de¬ bet esse ista collatio, sicut factum est sub Constantino augustae memoriae Principe, qui nullas leges ante praemisit, sed liberum de¬ dit judicium Sacerdotibus. Factum est etiam sub Constantio augustae memoriae Imperato¬ re, paternae dignitatis haerede. Sed quod bene coepit, aliter consummatum est. Nam Epi¬ scopi sinceram primo scripserant Fidem : sed dum volunt quidam de Fide intra Pala¬ tium judicare, id egerunt, ut circumscriptio¬ nibus illa Episcoporum judicia mutarentur.» Nota Lector haec ultima verba : laici enim in domo Principis, dum volunt de sententia Episcoporum judicare, in errorem incidere meruerunt. Hieronymus in epist. ad Damas, de nom. hypost. « Decernite, inquit, si placet, obse¬ cro, non timebo tres hypostases dicere, si jubetis. » Et infra : « Obtestor beatitudinem tuam per crucifixum, Mundi salutem, per opwouo-iov Trinitatem, ut mihi epistolis tuis sive tacendarum, sive dicendarum hyposta- seon detur auctoritas. » Idem petit epistola sequenti. Et nota, Hieronymum fuisse longe 186 LIBER III. doctiorem Damaso, ut patet ex tot quaestio¬ nibus Scripturarum, quas Hieronymus Da¬ maso explicavit : et tamen cum agitur de judicio Fidei, ut aliquid definiatur, Hiero¬ nymus totum judicium tribuit Damaso Pon¬ tifici. Sulpitius lib. II sac. hist. refert, S.Mar- tinum Maximo Imperatori aliquando dixisse: Novum esse et inauditum nefas, quod cau¬ sam Ecclesiae judex saeculi judicaret. Augustinus cont. Crescon. « Quisquis falli metuit hujus obscuritate quaestionis, Eccle¬ siam de illa consulat, quam sine ulla ambi¬ guitate sancta Scriptura demonstrat (1). » Et epistol.106 adPaulin., loquens de episto¬ lis Irtnocentii, in quibus diserte positum erat, ad sedem Apostolicam pertinere judi¬ cium de rebus Fidei, sic ait : « Ad omnia nobis ille rescripsit, eo modo quo fas erat, atque oportebat Apostolicae sedis Antisti¬ tem. » Et lib. cont. epist. fundam, cap. 5. « Ego vero, inquit, Evangelio non crederem, nisi me Ecclesia3 Catholicae commoveret auctoritas. » Respondet Calvinus : loqui Augustinum de quadam persuasione privata Fidelium, qua nonnulli convertuntur ad Fidem; ut sensus sit : « Ego Evangelio non crederem, id est, ego nunc non essem Christianus, nisi me commovissent suis persuasionibus Chri¬ stiani . » At frigida est ista solutio : nam in primis de praesenti loquitur Augustinus cum dicit : « Nisi me commoveret auctoritas Ec¬ clesiae. » Deinde paulo infra : « Quibus, in¬ quit, praecipientibus Evangelio credidi, his jubentibus tibi omnino non credam. » Ubi non suasionem, sed imperium tribuit Eccle¬ siae. Et infra, loquens de libro Actorum Apo- stolicorum : « Cui libro, inquit, necesse est, me credere, si credo Evangelio, quoniam utramque Scripturam similiter mihi Catho¬ lica commendat auctoritas. » Idem in procem, lib.de cloct. Christ. quasi praevidens spiritum istum privatum, qui dedignatur ha¬ bere praeceptorem. « Caveamus, inquit, ta¬ les tentationes superbissimas et periculosis¬ simas, magisque cogitemus centurionem Cornelium : quamvis exauditas orationes ejus, eleemosynasque respectas ei Angelus nuntiaverit, Petro tamen traditum imbuen¬ dum. Et certe Spadonem illum, qui Isaiam Prophetam legens non intelligebat, neque ad Angelum Apostolus misit, nec ei per An¬ gelum id quod non intelligebat expositum, aut divinitus in mente sine hominis ministe¬ rio revelatum est etc. » Prosper in lib. cont. Collat. in fine, non aliter probat, Pelagianos vere esse haBreti- cos, quam quia damnati fuerant a Romanis Episcopis, Innocentio, Zosimo, Bonifacio, Coelestino. Yincentius Lirinensis in suoGom- monit. cap. 2. : a Hinc, inquit, forsitan re¬ quirat aliquis, cum sit perfectus Scriptura¬ rum canon, quid opus est, ut ei Ecclesiasti¬ cae intelligentiae jungatur auctoritas? Quia videlicet Scripturam sacram pro ipsa sui al¬ titudine non uno eodemque sensu omnes ac¬ cipiunt, sed ejusdem eloquia aliter alius at¬ que alius interpretatur, ut pene quot homi¬ nes sunt, tot illinc sententiae erui posse vi¬ deantur. Atque idcirco multum necesse est, propter tantos tam varii erroris anfractus, ut Propheticae et Apostolicae interpretationis linea secundum Ecclesiastici et Catholici sensus normam dirigatur etc. » Normam autem sensus Catholici, ibidem aperte osten¬ dit esse Conciliorum decreta, consensionem Patrum, et similia. Gregorius lib. YI, epist. 25 : « Nobis, in¬ quit, notum est, piissimos dominos discipli¬ nam diligere, ordines servare, canones ve¬ nerari, et se in causis sacerdotalibus non miscere. » Anselmus in lib. de incarn. Verbi cap. 1. sic Urbanum Romanum Pontificem alloquitur : r< Quoniam, inquit, divina pro¬ videntia vestram elegit sanctitatem, cui vi¬ tam et Fidem Christianam custodiendam, et Ecclesiam suam regendam committeret; ad nullum alium rectius refertur, si quid contra Catholicam Fidem oritur in Ecclesia, ut ejus auctoritate corrigatur etc. » Bernardus epist. 190. ad Innocent. Papam II : « Oportet ad vestrum referri Apostola- tum pericula quaeque, et scandala emergen¬ tia in regno Dei, ac praesertim, quae de Fide contingunt. Dignum namque arbitror, ibi potissimum resarciri damna Fidei, ubi non possit Fides sentire defectum. » Et infra : « Tempus est, ut vestrum agnoscatis, Pater amantissime, principatum, probetis zelum, ministerium honoretis. In eo plane Petri im¬ pletis vicem, cujus tenetis et sedem, si ves¬ tra admonitione corda in Fide fluctuantia confirmatis, si vestra auctoritate conteritis Fidei corruptores. » Et epist. 189. « Dice¬ bam, sufficere scripta ejus ad accusandum eum, nec mea referre, sed Episcoporum, (1) Lib. I, Cap. 33. CAPUT IX. 187 quorum esset ministerii de dogmatibus ju¬ dicare. »