Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Word of God · Book IV: On the Unwritten Word (Tradition)
Chapter 8: The same proved by four other arguments
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. I, De Verbo Dei, Book IV: On the Unwritten Word of God (Tradition). 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).
Besides this common consent of the Fathers, the very same thing is urged by the consent of the heretics in despising Traditions. For as from the common consent of the holy Fathers of all ages, receiving Traditions, we gather that they are to be received, so from the common consent of the heretics of all ages, rejecting Traditions, we gather that they are not to be rejected. Of the Valentinians, Marcionites, and the like, Irenaeus book 3 chapter 2 and Tertullian On prescription testify that they rejected the unwritten Traditions of the Church. Cyprian too, when he wished to defend that error about Anabaptism, could not do it otherwise than by appealing from Tradition to Scripture, as appears from his epistle to Pompey, and from the other to Jubaianus — although before this Cyprian had acknowledged Traditions, as we showed above, and blessed Augustine, in epistle 48 to Vincentius, thinks that he corrected even this latter error before his death. The Donatists too always urged the Scriptures, and blessed Augustine objected to them Traditions and the custom of the Church, book On the unity of the Church chapter 19 and elsewhere.
That the Arians admitted nothing in any way besides the Scriptures, Hilary testifies, who in the book against Constantius introduces an Arian saying, “I will not have words which are not written read.” Maximinus the Arian, in Augustine book 1 against Maximinus (or the Conference with Maximinus), at the beginning thus says: “If thou bring forth anything from the divine Scriptures, which is common to all, we must needs hear it; but those words which are outside Scripture are in no case received by us. Besides, the Lord himself admonishes us and says: In vain do they worship me, teaching commandments and precepts of men.” The same Epiphanius testifies heresies 69 and 73. That the Arians too rejected Traditions, Epiphanius writes heresy 75. The same of the Eunomians is plain from Basil book On the Holy Ghost chapters 27 and 29. The same of Nestorius, Eutyches, and Dioscorus, Basil Bishop of Ancyra reports in his Catholic confession, which he recited in the Seventh Synod act 1. The same of the Apostolics of his time, Bernard homily 66 on the Canticle. The same of John Wycliffe, Thomas Waldensis book 2 of the doctrine of the ancient Faith chapter 19. From these, then, as it were by hand, the Lutherans received their doctrine of despising Traditions, as we learned from the holy Fathers ours of receiving the same with all honor.
To these add the custom of all nations. For that the Jews had some Traditions outside Scripture, Origen teaches homily 5 on Numbers and in his Commentary on chapter 3 to the Romans, and Hilary on Psalm 2, and also Anatolius, a most ancient Christian author, in Eusebius book 7 of the History chapter 28. And although there are not wanting some of the Catholics who deny that there was any unwritten Tradition among the Jews, yet I cannot assent to them, since, as we taught above, the old written law did not contain all things sufficiently, and for a long time that people, even after Moses was born, lived without a written law. Then all profane commonwealths are for the greatest part ruled by unwritten laws. Pericles in Thucydides divides the law of Athens into written and unwritten. Aristotle book 3 of the Politics chapter 11 lays down that a state is to be ruled partly by the best laws, partly by the judgment of the best man; and book 5 of the Ethics chapter 4 calls the judge or arbiter a living law, because forsooth there exists besides another written law, as it were dead. Moreover to the Lacedaemonians Lycurgus would give no written law, as Plutarch says, but bade them live by Traditions alone, that they might be more diligent in acting than in reading. That the same pleased Cicero appears well enough from book 1 On the laws. And the same Caesar writes of the wise men of the Gauls, book 6 On the Gallic war. The most noble of the Philosophers, Pythagoras and Socrates, though they taught very many things, yet wrote nothing, as blessed Augustine teaches book 1 On the agreement of the Evangelists chapter 7 — except that Socrates put into verse the fables written by Aesop. Finally in the civil Law (law Diuturna, Digest On laws) and in the canon Law (distinction 1 canon Consuetudo) the same authority is attributed to written law and to unwritten custom. And so nature herself seems in a manner to cry out that unwritten Traditions are either necessary or at least most useful.
Let there come the dignity of the Catholic Church. For as of old the Jews excelled all nations, because to them were committed the oracles of God, as is said Romans 3, so now the Church of Christ excels all Sects, in that she alone, being the spouse of Christ, knows all the mysteries of true religion and is conscious of the secrets of the Bridegroom, and is therefore called the pillar and ground of truth, 1 Timothy 3. But if all things were written, and most openly, as the heretics say, there would be no privilege of the Church; for the heretics, pagans, and Jews would know no less of the mysteries of our Faith than we ourselves and our Prelates know; nor would that be true which Irenaeus says book 3 chapter 4, that the knowledge of divine things was laid up by the Apostles in the Church alone, as into a rich storehouse.
Let there come lastly the dignity of many mysteries, which require silence, nor is it fitting that in the Scriptures, which are read to the whole world, they be explained. For if, to see the tremendous mysteries of the Mass, it is not lawful to admit any unbaptized, how shall it be lawful to deliver the same things to them written? Hence the Lord apart interpreted to his disciples the parables which he had spoken to the people, Luke 8; and the Apostle says 1 Corinthians 2, We speak wisdom among the perfect. And everywhere the ancients, when they speak of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, are wont to say: “The Faithful know, the initiated know.” This reason is touched by Dionysius chapter 1 of the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, Origen homily 5 on Numbers, Basil chapter 27 of the book On the Holy Ghost, and Innocent I in epistle 1.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
Idem probatur quatuor aliis Argumentis. Praeter communem hunc Patrum consen¬ sum, idipsum suadet consensus haereticorum in Traditionibus contemnendis. Ut enim ex communi consensu sanctorum Patrum om¬ nium aetatum, recipientium Traditiones, col¬ ligimus, eas esse recipiendas : ita ex com¬ muni consensu haereticorum omnium aeta¬ tum rejicientium Traditiones, colligimus, eas non esse rejiciendas. De Valentinianis, Mar- cionistis, et similibus testantur Irenaeus lib. III, cap. 2. et Tertullianus de praescript. quod Traditiones Ecclesiae non scriptas re¬ jicerent. Cyprianus quoque cum errorem illum de Anabaptismo defendfere vellet, non aliter id facere potuit, quanra Traditione ad Scriptu¬ ram provocando, ut apparet ex epist. ejus¬ dem Cypriani ad Pompejum, et ex altera ad Jubajanum. Quamquam antea Cyprianus Traditiones agnoverat, ut supra ostendimus, et errorem etiam posteriorem eum correxisse ante mortem, existimat B. Augustinus in ep. 48. ad Yincent. Donatistae quoque semper Scripturas urge¬ bant, et B. Augustinus eis Traditiones, et Ecclesiae consuetudinem objiciebat lib. De unit. Eccles. cap. 19. et alibi. Arianos nullo modo quidquam praeter Scripturas admisisse, testatur Hilarius, qui in lib. Cont. Constant, introducit Arianum dicentem : « Nolo verba, quae non scripta sunt, legi. » Maximinus Arianus apud Au¬ gustinum lib. I. cont. Maximin., sive Collat. cum Maxim, in principio sic ait : « Si quid de divinis Scripturis protuleris, quod com¬ mune est cum omnibus, necesse est ut au¬ diamus ; eae vero voces quae extra Scriptu¬ ram sunt, nullo casu a nobis suscipiuntur. Praeterea cum ipse Dominus moneat nos, et dicat : Sine causa colunt me docentes man¬ data, et praecepta hominum. » Idem testatur Epiphanius haeres. 69 et 73. Arianos quoque Traditiones rejecisse, scri¬ bit Epiphanius haeres. 75. Idem de Euno- mianis patet ex Basilio lib. de Spirit. sanet, cap. 27 et 29. Idem de Nestorio, Eutychete, Dioscoro refert Basibus Ancyranus Episco¬ pus in confess. Gathol., quam recitavit in VII Synodo Act. 1. Idem de Apostolicis sui temporis Bernardus hom. 66. in Cant. Idem de Joanne Wiclefo, Thomas Waldensis, lib. II doctr. Fid. ant. cap. 19. Ab his ergo quasi per manus acceperunt Lutherani dogma suum, de Traditionibus contemnendis : ut nos a sanctis Patribus nostrum didicimus, de iisdem cum omni honore recipiendis. His adde morem omnium gentium. Nam Judaeos habuisse aliquas Traditiones extra Scripturam, docent Origenes hom. 5. in Nu- mer. et in Comment. cap. III ad Bom. et Hi¬ larius in Psal. II, necnon Anatolius antiquis- 216 LIBER IY. simus auctor Christianus apud Euseb. lib . YII histor. cap. 28. Et quamquam non de¬ sunt aliqui Catholicorum, qui negant ullam fuisse Traditionem non scriptam apud Ju¬ daeos; tamen non possum illis assentiri,cum, ut supra docuimus, non omnia sufficienter continuerit lex vetus scripta, et multo tem¬ pore populus ille, etiam post Mosen natum, sine lege scripta vixerit. Deinde omnes profanae Respublicae magna ex parte legibus non scriptis reguntur. Peri¬ cles apud Thucydidem partitur jus Athena¬ rum in scriptum et non scriptum. Aristote¬ les 1. III. Polit, c. 11. partim optimis logibus, partim arbitrio optimi viri civitatemregendam esse statuit. etl.Y. De moribus c. 4. judicem sive arbitrum jus animatum vocat, quod vi¬ delicet aliud quoddam praeterea exstet jus scriptum veluti mortuum. Porro Lacedaemo¬ niis Lycurgus nullam legem scriptam dare voluit, ut ait Plutarchus, sed solis Traditio¬ nibus vivere, quo essent in agendo, quam in legendo diligentiores. Idem placuisse Cice¬ roni satis apparet ex lib. I. De legibus. Et idem de sapientibus Gallorum scribit Caesar, lib. YI. De bello Gallico. Nobilissimi Philosophorum Pythagoras, et Socrates, cum plurima docuerint, nihil ta¬ men scripserunt, ut B. Augustinus docet 1. 1. De Cons. Evang. cap. 7. nisi quod Socrates fabulas ab fiEsopo scriptas versibus prose¬ cutus est. Denique in Jure civili, 1. Diutur¬ na, ff. de legibus, etin Jure canonico dist. 1. can. Consuetudo, eadem tribuitur auctoritais legi scriptae, et consuetudini non scriptae. Itaque natura ipsa quodammodo cltimare vi¬ detur, Traditiones non scriptas, vel necessa¬ rias, vel certe utilissimas esse. Accedat Ecclesiae Catholicae dignitas. Nam ut olim Judaei excellebant omnibus nationi¬ bus, quia credita erant illis eloquia Dei , ut dicitur Rom. III. ita nunc praestat Eccle¬ sia Christi omnibus Sectis, quod ipsa sola, quippe qua; sponsa Christi est , noverit om¬ nia mysteria verae religionis et conscia sit secretorum sponsi, et propterea appelletur columna et firmamentum veritatis. I. Timo. III. At si omnia essent scripta, et apertissi¬ me, ut haeretici dicunt, nullum esset privi¬ legium Ecclesiae : nam nihil minus scirent haeretici, et pagani, et Judaei de mysteriis Fidei nostrae, quam nos ipsi , atque Antisti¬ tes nostri sciunt : neque esset verum quod ait Irenaeus libr. III. cap. 4. in solam Ec¬ clesiam tamquam in depositorium dives re¬ positam ab Apostolis scientiam rerum divi¬ narum. Accedat postremo dignitas mysteriorum multorum, quae silentium requirunt, nec de¬ cet, ut in Scripturis, quae toti Mundo legun¬ tur, explicentur. Si enim ad videnda tre¬ menda mysteria Missae non licet admittere ullos non baptizatos, quomodo licebit eis ea¬ dem scripta tradere ? Hinc Dominus seorsim discipulis interpretabatur parabolas, quas populo locutus erat Luc. VIII. et Apostolus ait I. Corinth. II. Sapientiam loquimur inter perfectos (1) Et passim Veteres , cum de Sacramento Eucharistiae loquuntur, dicere solent : « Norunt Fideles, norunt initiati. » Hanc rationem attingunt Dionysius cap. I. Ecclesiast. hierarch. Origenes homil. 5. in Numer. Basilius c. 27. lib. De Spir. sanet., et Innocentius I. in ep. 1.