Palladium theologicum, Tomus quintus: De virtutibus
Gaudenzio da Brescia (1612–1672)
Reuerendi patris Gaudentij Bontempi, ... Palladium theologicum, seu Tota theologia scholastica in septem tomos distributa. Ad intimam mentem d. Bonauenturae seraphici doctoris ... Tomus quintus, De virtutibus
First published 1676
Bontempi's Palladium theologicum (Lyon 1676) is a complete scholastic theology composed ad mentem D. Bonaventurae, arranged in seven tractatus on the order of the Secunda secundae. This fifth volume, De virtutibus, treats the theological virtues (faith, hope, charity, with their gifts, beatitudes and fruits), the cardinal virtues and their opposite vices, and the states and offices of men (religious and prelates, bishops, princes), including the extensive disputations on contracts, religion, vows, fortitude, temperance and the judicial process. It is a significant example of the Bonaventurian scholastic school and a counterpart to the Thomist manuals of the period.
Tractatus I: PRIMUS DE VIRTUTIBUS THEOLOGICIS
Proemium I: Prooemium
Disputatio I: ON FAITH
Quaestio I: What FAITH signifies, and what it is
Quaestio II: What the object of FAITH is
Quaestio III: Whether the object of FAITH is something complex
Quaestio IV: Whether the object of FAITH can be false
Quaestio V: Whether the object of FAITH can be evident scientifically
Quaestio VI: Whether FAITH is concerned with those things which are seen by vision on the way
Quaestio VII: Whether the articles of FAITH are evidently credible
Quaestio VIII: Whether the things to be believed are rightly arranged according to the articles
Quaestio IX: Whether the articles of FAITH have grown over the course of time
Quaestio X: Whether FAITH has grown as regards light
Quaestio XI: Whether Faith has grown in certitude
Quaestio XII: Whether the articles of Faith are to be expounded by some authority which is an infallible teacher, and what it is
Quaestio XIII: What are the marks of the true Church, in which the authority of expounding FAITH resides
Quaestio XIV: What must be believed by the necessity of means
Quaestio XV: What things are to be believed by the necessity of precept
Quaestio XVI: Whether we are bound to confess FAITH, and when
Quaestio XVII: Whether it is lawful to dispute about FAITH, and when
Quaestio XVIII: Whether Faith resides in the Intellect
Quaestio XIX: Whether Faith is perfected by Charity, as by its form
Quaestio XX: Whether it is certain that FAITH remains without CHARITY
Quaestio XXI: Whether, and how, FAITH is a VIRTUE
Quaestio XXII: Whether FAITH is ONE VIRTUE
Quaestio XXIII: Whether FAITH is the first of the Virtues
Quaestio XXIV: Whether FAITH is more certain than any science, or than any intellectual habit
Quaestio XXV: Whether one can know with certainty that he has FAITH
Quaestio XXVI: In whom FAITH is found
Quaestio XXVII: Whether FAITH is a substantial Gift of GOD
Quaestio XXVIII: Whether the difference between FAITH and other acts, natural as opposed to supernatural moral acts, always arises from the object
Quaestio XXIX: On the effects of FAITH
Quaestio XXX: On the GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING
Dubitatio I: Whether UNDERSTANDING is a gift of the Holy Ghost
Dubitatio II: Whether the GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING can coexist with FAITH
Dubitatio III: Whether the GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING consists in the contemplation of the Creator and of Creation
Dubitatio IV: Whether the GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING is found in all who have grace, and whether in these alone
Dubitatio V: What is the necessity and utility of the GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING
Dubitatio VI: Whether* **the GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING** *corresponds to the sixth beatitude, namely, Blessed are the clean of heart, etc.
Dubitatio VII: Whether* **to the GIFT OF UNDERSTANDING** *there corresponds, among the fruits of the Holy Ghost, Faith
Quaestio XXXI: On the Gift of Knowledge
Dubitatio I: Whether* **KNOWLEDGE** *is a gift of the Holy Ghost
Dubitatio II: Whether knowledge is concerned with Divine things
Dubitatio III: Whether the gift of knowledge is speculative
Dubitatio IV: Whether the third Beatitude corresponds to the Gift of Knowledge: Blessed are they that mourn, etc.
Disputatio II: On Unbelief
Quaestio I: What UNBELIEF is, and what kind of sin it is
Quaestio II: Whether all the works of unbelievers are sins
Quaestio III: Whether unbelievers can be compelled to hear FAITH
Quaestio IV: Whether unbelievers can be compelled to embrace our FAITH, when it has been sufficiently set forth
Quaestio V: Whether unbaptized unbelievers can be compelled to abandon errors or rites contrary to natural reason
Quaestio VI: Whether the rites of unbelievers are to be permitted
Quaestio VII: Whether it is lawful to make agreements with unbelievers about the toleration of their rites
Quaestio VIII: Whether unbaptized unbelievers can retain power over the Faithful, and whether they can be deprived of it
Disputatio III: On Heresy
Quaestio I: What HERESY is
Quaestio II: Whether one who doubts about the articles of FAITH is a heretic
Quaestio III: Whether one who gives merely opinionative assent to an article of FAITH is a heretic
Quaestio IV: Whether, and what, Ignorance excuses from Heresy
Quaestio V: What pertinacity is required for HERESY
Quaestio VI: Whether, for one to be deemed a Heretic, it is necessary that he have been baptized and a believer
Quaestio VII: Whether the Church can compel heretics to receive the Catholic FAITH
Quaestio VIII: On the other means the Church uses against heretics, by forbidding their Books
Quaestio IX: Whether we are bound to avoid the conversation of heretics
Quaestio X: What excommunication is inflicted upon heretics
Quaestio XI: On the other spiritual punishments of heretics
Quaestio XII: On the temporal punishments of Heretics
Disputatio IV: On Hope
Quaestio I: What HOPE is
Quaestio II: What the material object of HOPE is
Question III
Quaestio IV: Whether a certain object is set forth for HOPE, and is hoped for
Quaestio V: Whether Hope is a Virtue
Quaestio VI: Whether HOPE is a Theological Virtue
Quaestio VII: Whether HOPE is at times formless
Quaestio VIII: Whether HOPE arises from merits
Quaestio IX: Whether Hope precedes Charity
Quaestio X: What the proximate subject of HOPE is
Quaestio XI: Whether HOPE remains in the Blessed
Quaestio XII: Whether there is a precept of hoping in GOD
Dubitatio I: UNICA. Would this precept bind one to whom certain damnation had been revealed
Disputatio V: On the Gift of Fear
Quaestio I: Whether FEAR is a Habit distinct from HOPE
Quaestio II: What the object of FEAR is
FEAR has for its object evil, professedly to be fled.
The Holy Doctor observes here, in dub. 1 and 2, that there are four Fears. The first is worldly, and it is that by which someone, fearing some inconvenience of this life, in order to escape it, offends God.
From this fear Christ taught us to beware, Matthew 10: Do not fear those who kill the body. The second Fear is servile, by which one is frightened away from sins on account of punishments. This however is twofold: one is merely servile, mechanical, which is so frightened by punishments that, if these did not loom, it would still commit sins freely; and this is still inordinate, and is therefore censured by all, especially by Cardinal Bonaventure; the other is indeed servile but does not exclude flight from fault, such as that of a man who is crushed by his committed sins out of fear of gehenna, and such is good and a gift of the Holy Spirit, as the Council of Trent teaches, session 14, chapter 4, and session 6, canon 8, as I shall say in question 3. Christ enjoins this fear at once in the place cited of Matthew: Fear him, who after he has killed the body has power to send into Gehenna, and 1 John 4: Fear is not in Charity: but perfect Charity casts out fear. In this text the third Fear is also hinted at, which is called Initial, by which one so fears God's offense that he fears punishment at the same time; and this is touched in the place cited where it is said: Fear is not in Charity: but perfect Charity casts out fear. He means that this is not with charity — truly perfect — which is clear from that clause, but perfect Charity, etc.
The FOURTH Fear is filial, which detests evil insofar as it is against God and redounds to his offense. Of this it is said, Romans 8: You have not received the spirit of servitude again in fear — that is, you have not received servile fear, like the ancients, who heard the observance of the law through terrors and threats — but you have received the Spirit of adoption of sons, in which we cry Abba (Father). Of this fear it is also said, Psalm 18: The fear of the Lord is holy, enduring unto ages of ages. Where Augustine and others read chaste; for the just are compared to God as a most chaste bride to her bridegroom, acting indeed out of fear lest they wound the bridegroom, but with love. So 1 Corinthians 10 [actually 2 Cor. 11]: I have espoused you, etc.
One must then note with Cardinal Bonaventure, opusculum 15, On the Seven Gifts: On the Gift of Fear, chapter 1, that the variety of Fears is born from the variety of loves; for Fear is love fleeing whatever opposes it, from Cardinal Augustine, book 14, de civitate Dei, chapter 7. And in the Gloss on John 10, which is St. Augustine's, we have: Fear is a flight, lest man lose what he loves. Therefore Fear arises from love, and thus from ordered love arises ordered fear, and from inordinate love, inordinate fear; and such as is the love of the good, such is the fear of the opposite evil.
Hence Adam, who at first loved God filially, feared to offend him; but after he offended out of inordinate love, he feared servilely and said: Lord, I heard your voice, and I feared, Genesis 3.
HUGH, book 2 de sacramentis, part 13, chapter 5, distinguishes five Fears. The first is Human, or natural, which is a passion, arising from natural love, by which each one fears harm to his nature; but by passions we neither merit nor demerit, because they are not subject to free will, except when one conducts himself rationally with regard to them. With this fear Christ feared to die, but only as much as he willed, for our example and instruction.
The SECOND is Worldly, which is truly born of inordinate love of the present life or of things pertaining to it, and is always evil; because, as John says, 1 John 2: Whoever loves the world is constituted an enemy of God. This, however, according to the variety of the goods of the world, of the flesh, etc., of its loved objects, is subdivided materially, as Cardinal Bonaventure notes, dub. 1 literal.
The THIRD is Servile, which from God is (as the Holy Doctor says) not as "merely servile" sounds, but as implicitly excluding offense; of this Psalm 118: Pierce my flesh with your fear, and Cardinal Augustine, enarratio 25: The servile fear, the pedagogue of the law, came first, which leads to Christ; it arises from love of eternal things, lest one lose them by eternal damnation; it is twofold, as I shall say in question 3, near the end of the arguments.
The FOURTH is the filial fear of beginners, of which it is said: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and it is from charity begun. Therefore of this it is said that it is not with charity, that is, perfect, because: perfect charity casts out fear, 1 John 4; and Cardinal Bernard, sermon 22 on the Song of Songs, says: Not undeservedly this Fear is called the beginning of wisdom, which often first sets itself against folly. For this fear is a kind of entrance to wisdom.
The FIFTH is the Fear filial, which arises from charity perfected, as I said.
OBSERVE third, with Cardinal Bonaventure, here dist. 34, dub. 3, that this last fear is divided with respect to specific objects, so that one is the chaste Fear, which is the bride's; another the friendly, that is, of the Friend; another the son's: for the son fears to offend the Father, the Friend his friend, the bride her bridegroom. But with respect to God there is one, both because of the motive, in which generically those mentioned also agree, and because there is one grace with respect to God, constituting the soul daughter, spouse, and friend of God.
He also notes, in dub. 4, that Initial and servile Fear agree in some way, for each is the beginning of wisdom, but servile begins from outside, the other through some charity. Fear is truly called the beginning of wisdom because it begins to ascend gradually to the gifts, up to the highest, which is wisdom.
From what has been said, then, elicit with Cardinal Bonaventure, dub. 1, that Fear regards evil by fleeing it; and because from the varying of objects arises the variety of Fears, by a broad division the definitions of each fear can also be given. Fear, therefore, is thus defined by Cardinal Augustine, Tractate 46 on John: Fear is the flight of the soul, lest it lose what it loves. For it flees the evil, which is the loss of the beloved good. It is also defined by Damascene, book 2 de fide, chapter 18: Fear is the expectation of a future evil; and expectation is taken broadly for the estimation, shuddering at the looming danger; for thus unlucky tidings are awaited, as the Holy Doctor notes, dub. 1. Therefore Fear in general is the flight from an arduous evil to be avoided, and from a good to be reverenced, as St. Bonaventure teaches, part 3 of the Centiloquium, section 45.
HENCE, given this division of Fears, each can be defined from its various motives. Thus natural Fear is the flight from an evil noxious to nature. Worldly Fear is defined: it is the inordinate flight from the evils of this life. Servile Fear: it is the flight from penal evils, without excluding the flight from offense against God, and so with the rest.
Fear, therefore, of whatever kind, is a recoil from the arduous — which is evil in the fears adduced, and also good in the perfect filial fear; for it recoils, not indeed from the good, but from the arduousness, which is the excellence of the good, yet it recoils with reverence; and for this reason they admit filial Fear even in the fatherland, as is said, Psalm 18: Enduring unto ages of ages — truly in this life it recoils from evil as it is offense, as I shall say in question 7.
From this variety of objects the Holy Doctor deduces that there is not one univocal specific object of all, but an analogical one; for the good which is the object of perfect filial fear — which fears to lose the highest good on the way, and in the fatherland is borne reverently toward that sublime good — are analogical objects.
IT IS PROVED, therefore, by the Holy Doctor that the Object of Fear is arduous with respect to flight; for just as hope is borne toward the arduous in pursuit, so, in the opposite way, Fear ought to recoil from that arduous thing by flight, since it is disposed in the opposite manner. And just as Hope tends toward the arduous good, which is the object of pursuit, so fear [tends] toward the evil, which is the object of flight; but under the aspect of evil is included also the arduousness of the good, which will be explained in its place.