Bellarmine · Judicium de Libro Concordiae · Judgement on the Book of Concord
Chapter 10: Lies LXI to LXVII: Poverty and Celibacy, the Age of Monasticism, the Litanies; the Censor’s Note
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. VII, Judicium de Libro Concordiae, a judgement of 1585 on the Lutheran Formula of Concord. 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 Sixty-first Lie
Page 253, in the Apology, on monastic vows: “Obedience, poverty and celibacy,” says Philip, “are exercises that are adiaphora [indifferent]. And so saints can use them without ungodliness, as Bernard, Francis and other holy men used them. And these are for bodily usefulness, so that they might be freer for teaching.” Great bodily usefulness, no doubt, it was for St. Francis to walk barefoot, to be covered with a single tunic, and that of haircloth and very rough, to sleep on the ground, to live mostly on bread alone and water, to keep watch whole nights. Next, what shall we say of St. Antony, St. Hilarion, St. Paul the first Hermit, indeed of so many thousands of holy Anchorites, who did not carry out the office of teaching, and yet led a very poor and very severe life, in perpetual celibacy and under the yoke of obedience? Further, St. Bernard not only used the meanest clothing and the driest food, but also, in sermon 30 on the Canticles, carefully warned that it belongs not to the Monk but to the physician to care for the usefulness and good health of the body; but it belongs to the Monk to seek the usefulness of the spirit and to crucify the flesh, and in this to imitate the Lord and Saviour.
The Sixty-second Lie
Page 255, in the Apology: “No one is ignorant,” says Philip, “that the monastic life was lately thought up.” I leave out that the Fathers trace it back to the Apostles, as Eusebius, book 2 of the history, chapter 16; Epiphanius, heresy 29, which is that of the Nazarenes; Jerome, book 1 [as printed] On the Ecclesiastical Writers, under Philo; John Cassian, book 2 On the institutes of the Monasteries, chapter 5, and Conference 18, chapter 5; Augustine, sermon 2 On the common life of Clerics; Possidius in the life of St. Augustine; Sozomen, book 1 of the history, chapter 12; and Nicephorus, book 2, chapter 15. Certainly the Magdeburg Centuriators, Century 4, chapter 6, column 464, put the beginning of the monastic life in the year 300 from the Saviour's coming. And if they contend that the Monks of this time are not like those who lived in the time of Antony, Hilarion and Augustine, yet they do not deny, nor can they deny, that at least the monastic state which exists now took its beginning from the time of St. Benedict. For all the Lutherans admit this, since they see that the rules he founded are still extant and kept, and that the monasteries he founded are lived in. But St. Benedict flourished 1000 years ago. Unless, then, with Philip a thousand years are as one day, as the Scriptures speak of the times compared with the eternity of God, let him see how true it is that the monastic life was lately thought up.
The Sixty-third Lie
Page 158 [as printed], in the Apology, on monastic vows: “The forsaking of possessions,” says Philip, “has no command or counsel in the Scriptures. For Gospel poverty is not the forsaking of things, but not being greedy,” and so on. Of this lie we spoke above, at the sixth lie. Surely the example of so many saints ought to be enough. For all those ancient Monks who are so much celebrated by the Fathers understood the Lord's words, Matthew 19, If you will be perfect, go, sell all, and so on, of the forsaking of things.
The Sixty-fourth Lie
Page 259, in the Apology, on monastic vows: “The Saints,” says Philip, “are put in the place of Christ, and are worshipped ungodlily.” The Litanies and other prayers of Catholics show something far different. For to Christ, as God and Lord, we say, Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison; but to the saints, Holy Mary, pray for us; Saint Peter, pray for us. But this is an old slander; for what the Lutherans now say, the heathen, Jews and heretics said long ago, as is clear from the history of Eusebius, book 4, chapter 15, and book 8, chapter 5; from Cyril, books 6 and 10 against Julian; from Jerome, the book against Vigilantius; and from Augustine, book 20 against Faustus, chapter 21.
The Sixty-fifth Lie
Page 263, in the Apology, on church power: “They demand,” says Philip, “that their traditions be kept far more carefully than the Gospel.” This, said generally of the Bishops of the Church, is a most open lie.
The Sixty-sixth Lie
Page 267, in the same place: “The books of the adversaries,” he says, “nowhere make mention of faith when they speak of the remission of sins. Nowhere do they teach of the dignity of civil affairs; nowhere do they teach how the Gospel delivers outward righteousness.” And these lies are repeated so often in this Apology that it is a wonder they did not make the author himself sick.
The Sixty-seventh Lie
Page 268, in the same place: “The cult of the saints,” he says, “is full among them of manifest idolatry.” But we hold in our heart and assert with our voice that the saints are not Gods but eminent creatures. Nor do we sacrifice to them as to gods, as St. Augustine too teaches, book 22 of the City of God, chapter 10; nor do we call on them to bestow grace or glory, but to obtain it for us from God by their prayers. Nor lastly do we think that they enter into minds and search hearts, as the adversaries falsely say we believe; but we teach that they can know what we ask as God reveals and shows it to them.
The Censor’s Note
This little book skilfully lays open the lies and tears up the errors of the Lutheran Concord, so that nothing could be either more clearly worked out or more vigorous in this kind. For the author's purpose was to touch the matter lightly, not to unfold it; but to touch it with such art that the Lutherans, otherwise leaden, may easily feel themselves touched, or rather overthrown.
I have examined it: ROBERT TURNER, Doctor and professor of Sacred Theology at Ingolstadt, and for the time Dean of the same faculty.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
LXI. MENDACIUM. Pag. 253. in Apolog. de votis monasticis : « Obedientia, paupertas, et coelibatus (in¬ quit Philippus) exercitia sunt dtoiotyop*. Ideo- que sancti uti eis sine impietate possunt, sic¬ ut usi sunt, Bernardus, Franciscus, et alii sancti viri. Et hi sunt propter utilitatem corporalem, ut expeditiores essent ad do¬ cendum » . Scilicet, magna utilitas corporalis erat S. Francisco, nudis pedibus ambulare, una sola tunica eaque cilicina, et asperrima cooperiri, humi cubare, pane solo, et aqua ut plurimum vivere, totas noctes vigilare. Deinde quid dicemus de S. Antonio, S. Hi- larione, S. Paulo I. Eremita, imo de tot mil¬ libus sanctorum Anachoretarum, qui non fungebantur docendi officio, et tamen vitam pauperrimam et severissimam, in perpetuo ccelibatu, ct sub obedientise jugo ducebant? Porro S. Bernardus non solum vilissimis pannis, et cibariis aridissimis utebatur, sed etiam serm. 30. in Cantica diligenter mo¬ nuit, non esse Monachi, sed medici, corporis utilitatem, et bonam valetudinem curare : Monachi vero esse, spiritus utilitatem quse- rere, et carnem crucifigere, atque in ea re Dominum et Salvatorem imitari. LXII. MENDACIUM. Pag. 255. in Apoiogia : « Nemo nescit (in¬ quit Philippus) vitam monasticam recens excogitatam esse». Omitto quod Patres ad Apostolos referunt, ut Euseb. Iib. n. hist. cap. 16. Epiphan. liceres. 29, quse est Na- zarasorum, Ilieron. i. lib. de Scriptoribus Ecclesiasticis, in Philone. Joan. Cassianus, lib. ii. de institutis Coenobiorum, cap. 5. ct Collat. 18. cap. 5. Au£ustin. serm. 2. de communi vita Clericorum. Possidonius in vita S. August. Sozomenus lib. i. hist. c. 12. EtNicephorus lib. n. cap. 15. Certe Magde- burgenses Centur. 4. cap. 6. coi. 464. anno 300. a Salvatoris adventu ponunt initium Monastices. Quod si contendunt, Monachos hujus temporis, non esse illis similes qui erant tempore Antonii, Hilari onis, Augusti¬ ni ; tamen non negant, nec possunt negare, LXVII. MENDACIUM. •137 quin saltem Monachatus qui nunc est, a tempore S. Benedicti initium sumpserit, id enim Lutherani omnes admittunt, cum vi¬ deant adhuc exstare, et servari reculas ab ipso conditas, et habitari monasteria, quee ille fundavit. Sanctus autem Benedictus an¬ te 1000. annos floruit. Nisi ergo apud Phi¬ lippum mille anni sint, sicut dies unus, ut Scripturae loquuntur de temporibus, cum Dei aeternitate collutis, viderit ipse, quam sit verum, vitam monasticam recens exco¬ gitatam. LXIII. MENDACIUM. Pag. 158. in Apologia, de votis Monasti¬ cis. » Desertio facultatum (inquit Philippus) non habet mandatum aut consilium in Scri¬ pturis. Nam Evangelica paupertas, non est desertio rerum, sed non esse avarum etc. » De hoc mendacio diximus supra, mendacio vi. Sane deberet sufficere tot sanctorum exem¬ plum. Omnes enim illi veteres Monachi, qui tantopere celebrantur a Patribus, verba Domini, Matth. xix. Si vis perfectus esse, vade, vende omnia etc. de rerum desertio¬ ne intellexerunt. LXIV. MENDACIUM. Pag. 259. in Apologia, de votis monasti¬ cis : Sancti, inquit Philippus, in locum Chri¬ sti subrogantur, et impie coluntur. Longe aliud ostendunt Litania, aliaque preces Ca¬ tholicorum. Christo enim, ut Deo ac Domino dicimus , Kupts ilirfiw , Christe eleison , sanctis vero, sancta Maria, ora pro nobis ; sancte Petre, ora pro nobis. Sed antiqua ista calumnia est ; quod enim Lutherani nunc dicunt, dixerunt olim ethnici, Judai, haretici, ut patet ex historia Eusebii, lib. iv. cap. 15. Et lib. vm. cap. 5. ExCyrillo lib. vi. et x. in Julianum. Ex Hieronymo lib. contra Vigilantium. Et ex Augustino lib. xx. con¬ tra Faustum cap. 21. LXV. MENDACIUM. Pag. 263, in Apologia, de potestate ec¬ clesiastica. Suas traditiones, inquit Philip¬ pus, longe accuratius servari postulant, quam Evangelium. IIoc de Episcopis Ec¬ clesia generatim dictum, apertissimum men¬ dacium est. LXVI. MENDACIUM. Pag. 267. Ibidem : « Libri adversario¬ rum, inquit, nusquam fidei mentionem fa¬ ciunt, ,cum de remissione peccatorum lo¬ quuntur. Nusquam docent de dignitate re¬ rum civilium, nusquam docent quomodo Evangelium tradat justitiam externam ». Et hac mendacia toties repetuntur in hac Apologia, ut mirum sit quomodo non ipsi auctori nauseam fecerint. LXVII. MENDACIUM. Pag. 268. Ibidem : « Cultus sanctorum inquit, plenus est apud eos manifesta idolola¬ tria ». At nos corde sentimus, et voce asse¬ rimus, sanctos non esse Deos, sed creatu¬ ras eximias. Nec illis ut diis sacrificamus, ut etiam D. Augustinus docet, lib. xxii. Civit. Dei cap. 10, nec invocamus, ut gratiam vel gloriam largiantur ; sed ut eam nobis a Deo precibus suis obtineant. Nec denique illabi eos animis, et corda scrutari existimamus, ut adversarii nos credere mentiuntur; sed Deo revelante atque ostendente, quid nos petamus, cognoscere eos posse docemus. Hic libellus jam fabre aperit mendacia , revellit errores Concordiae Lutheranae, ut nihil possit esse aut enucleatius , aut nervosius in hoc genere. Nam animus fuit auctori, stringere rem , non explicare , sed stringere ea arte , ut Lutherani alioqui plumbei facile tangant se tangi, aut potius everti. Censui ROBERTUS TURNEItUS Sacra) Theologia) Ductor atque INGOLSTADiI pro¬ fessor, et pro tempore ejusdem facultatis Decanus. .« ,t i or-rjVT it ; i I -r • • • t * - - . , ' i . i V . - • ■ - ' ■ . ' ■ .