Sentences, Books I–II

Sole chapter (267).

1. On sin against the Holy Spirit, which is also called sin unto death. There is also a kind of sin more serious and abominable than the others, which is called sin against the Holy Spirit. Concerning it the Truth says in the Gospel²: Whoever sins against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either here or in the future; and John says in the canonical Epistle³: There is a sin unto death; I do not say that one should pray for it. For whoever sins against the Father will be forgiven, and whoever sins against the Son will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either here or in the future.

2. What that sin is *. Opinion of some *. It is asked what that sin against the Holy Spirit or unto death is. — Some⁴ say that it is the sin of despair or obstinacy. Obstinacy is persistence of a mind hardened in evil, by which a person becomes impenitent. Despair is when someone utterly distrusts God’s goodness, judging that his own evil exceeds the greatness of divine goodness, like Cain, who said¹: My iniquity is greater than that I may deserve pardon. — Both are called sin against the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is the love of the Father and the Son, and the goodness by which they love one another and us; and this goodness is so great that its end does not exist. Those who think that their evil surpasses God’s goodness are therefore rightly said to offend against the Holy Spirit, and consequently do not undertake repentance; so too those who cling to iniquity with a mind so obstinate that they never intend to abandon it or return to the goodness of the Holy Spirit, abusing God’s patience and presuming excessively on God’s mercy. They delight in evil for its own sake, as the devout delight in goodness. — Augustine, On the Words of the Lord *. The former sin through excessive obstinacy and presumption, supposing that God is not just; the latter through despair, judging that God is not good and removing, in the most turbulent sea of iniquities, the harbor of divine indulgence in which those tossed about may take refuge. By that very despair they add sins to sins, saying: “There is no mercy, and necessary condemnation is owed to sinners.”

3. Whether every obstinacy or despair is sin against the Holy Spirit. It is asked whether every obstinacy of a mind hardened in evil and every despair is sin against the Holy Spirit.

4. Opinion of some *. Some say that every obstinacy and despair is sin against the Holy Spirit. If this is so, that sin is sometimes forgiven, because many, even the most obstinate and desperate, are converted, as Augustine says on the passage of the Psalm²:

¹ arose, OP; arises beneath, W. 4 therefore] and therefore, NOPX. 14 Truth is transposed before to which, LMRTVX. || says omitted in LMX, interlinear in T. 16 for omitted in MOPX. 19 Opinion of some omitted in MNRV. || what] that, BCTW.]

1 The Literal Meaning of Genesis, XI.15.19 (PL 34, 437; CSEL 28-I, 347). 2 Matt. 12:31–32: Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to people, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. See also Mark 3:28–29; Luke 12:10. 3 1 John 5:16. 4 Ordinary Gloss on Rom. 2:5 (apud Lyranum, VI, 7a).

Distinction XLIII. Cf. L. Ott, Studies on Theological Letter Literature, 631–641; A. M. Landgraf, Sin against the Holy Spirit, in History of Dogma, IV-1, 13–69; see also the Master’s still-unpublished sermon On Pentecost, in cod. Paris, Bibl. lat. 13374, fols. 48r–49v; and a fragment in cod. Prague, University Library XXIII. E. 63, fol. 117 c–d.

Nos. 1–2. The Master’s Gloss on Rom. 2:5 (PL 191, 1339 A–D); Augustine, On the Words of the Lord (in the Gloss, 1339 B–C; x 16c–d; z 9d).

² may wish to return, added in BCTV; willing, added interlinearly in M². 15 to be omitted in BCRVX. 18–19 There is no mercy] that there is no mercy, OPTW. 20–21 is sin is transposed in BCMRVX. 21 But] And, BCMRVX. 23 Opinion of some CMNX, omitted by the others.]

1 See Gen. 4:13. 2 Ordinary Gloss on Ps. 67:23 (apud Lyranum, III, 178c), from Augustine on this passage, no. 31 (PL 36, 832; CCL 39, 892).

No. 4. See Lombard’s question in the Gloss on Rom. 2:5 (PL 191, 1340 A), where Augustine on Ps. 67 is also read (1340 C); cf. also the Master’s Gloss on this passage (PL 191, 614 A).

Gloss on Ps. 147:18 (PL 191, 1282 A); Gloss on Ps. 67:7.

“I will cast them into the depth of the sea”—that is, “those who were utterly desperate”; and there¹: He sends crystal like pieces of bread—that is, he makes obstinate people teachers of others. Their conversion is also clearly shown there where he says²: He leads out the bound in strength: likewise those who exasperate, who dwell in tombs. — According to these people, that sin is called unforgivable not because it is never forgiven, but because it is scarcely, rarely, and with difficulty forgiven. For crystal is not dissolved except by a violent blast of the spirit.

5. Another opinion. Others teach that not every obstinacy or despair is called sin against the Holy Spirit, but only that which is accompanied by impenitence. They also call impenitence sin against the Holy Spirit, because Augustine³ says: “Impenitence is sin against the Holy Spirit.” — But when someone is so obstinate that he does not repent, it must be examined whether his obstinacy is one sin and his impenitence another, or whether it is the same sin committed in different ways. — According to these people, that sin is called unforgivable because it is never forgiven. Hence Augustine⁴ also says that this is the only sin that cannot merit pardon; and Jerome⁵ says that one who sins in this way “cannot repent worthily.” John therefore rightly says⁶ that no one should pray for it, because one who sins in this way, having a heart hardened like a stone as is read of the devil⁷, cannot be helped by the Church’s prayers either here or in the future. After this life, those who are very evil cannot be helped by the merits of the Church⁸.

³ loaf, LR.]

⁴ be dismissed, BCOPRT, interlinear, Q. 8 Another opinion in CMNX, omitted by the others. 15 is called in DN, omitted by the others.]

1 Ordinary and Interlinear Gloss on Ps. 147:17 (apud Lyranum, III, 304r), from Augustine on this passage, no. 25 (PL 37, 1933ff.; CCL 40, 2161). 2 Ps. 67:7. 3 Sermon 71 (On Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit), chap. 12, no. 20 (PL 38, 455). 4 Sermon 71, chap. 6, no. 10 (PL 38, 449). 5 Interlinear Gloss on Mark 3:29 (apud Lyranum, V, 96v); somewhat differently, Pseudo-Jerome on this passage (PL 30 [1846], 602 A). 6 I John 5:6; above, in no. 1. 7 See Job 41:15: “His heart will be hardened like a stone”; Gregory, Moral Works, XXXIV, chap. 6, no. 11: “For no repentance of conversion will ever soften it” (PL 76, 723 D), as in the Ordinary Gloss on this passage (apud Lyranum, III, 80c). 8 Augustine, Enchiridion, chap. 110 (PL 40, 283); cf. below, Book IV, Dist. 45, chap. 2.

On the crystal: Gloss on Ps. 147:18 (PL 191, 1282 D–1283 A). — No. 5: Gloss on Rom. 2:5 (PL 191, 1340 A and B–C); the name Jerome is omitted in the manuscripts.

6. Sin against the Holy Spirit is understood in another way. There is also another account of this sin. Defining this sin, Augustine says in the book On the Sermon on the Mount¹: “Sin unto death is when, after knowing God through the grace of Christ, someone attacks the brotherhood and is stirred by the fires of envy against the very grace by which he has been reconciled to God. This may be sin against the Holy Spirit; that sin is said not to be forgiven—not because the one who sins should not be forgiven if he repents, but because the stain of that sin is so great that he cannot undergo the humility of begging, even if his evil conscience forces him to acknowledge and confess his sin; as Judas², when he said ‘I have sinned,’ ran in despair more easily to the noose than he sought pardon with humility. Because of the magnitude of the sin, such people are to be believed already to have this condition from the condemnation of sin.”

Here an account of sin against the Holy Spirit or unto death is given: the sin is said to be an attack on the brotherhood after knowledge, and envy of grace after reconciliation. This can be understood as a kind of obstinacy.

7. Yet, recalling Augustine’s definition in the book Retractations³, he makes clear that something must be added there, and that he did not state it as an assertion, saying: “I did not confirm this, since I said that I thought it so. But it should nevertheless have been added: if someone ends this life in this wicked perversity of mind; for one must not despair of any extremely wicked person while he is in this life, nor is it foolish to pray for one of whom there is no despair.” These words intimate that the sin described by the foregoing definition should be called unto death or against the Holy Spirit only when it does not have repentance as its companion; no one in this life should be despaired of, and therefore one should pray for everyone.

8. Hence John’s statement⁴, I do not say that anyone should pray for him, seems to be understood as meaning that we should not pray for someone who sins unto death or against the Holy Spirit after he has ended this life; but while he is in this life, we must neither judge his sin nor despair of him, but pray for him. — Hence Augustine, On the Words of the Lord⁵, says this about impenitence, which is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit: “This impenitence, or impenitent heart, cannot be judged as long as anyone lives in this flesh.

For no one should be despaired of as long as God’s patience leads him to repentance¹. Today he is a pagan; today he is an unbelieving Jew; today he is a heretic; today he is a schismatic. What if tomorrow he embraces Catholic peace and follows Catholic truth? What if those whom you mark as belonging to some kind of error and condemn as utterly desperate repent before they end this life and find true life in the future? Therefore do not judge anything before the time².” From this it is shown that one should pray for individual sinners in this life and despair of no one, because a person can be converted while he is in this life; because it cannot be known of anyone whether he has sinned unto death or against the Holy Spirit until he has departed this life—unless perhaps this has been wondrously revealed to someone through the Holy Spirit.

1 Book I, chap. 22, nos. 73, 75, 74 (PL 34, 1266ff.; CCL 35, 82ff.). 2 Matt. 27:45. 3 Book I, chap. 19, no. 7 (PL 32, 616; CSEL 36, 93ff.). 4 I John 5:16. 5 Sermon 71, chap. 13, no. 21 (PL 38, 456).

No. 6. Augustine, Retractations; On the Sermon on the Mount. No. 8. Augustine, Gloss on Rom. 2:5 (PL 191, 1340 A–B).

9. From the foregoing it can to some extent be understood how sin against the Holy Spirit is taken: envy of grace that impenitently attacks the brotherhood. This certainly seems to be obstinacy, and every obstinacy and despair of one who is impenitent. It must be noted, however, that not everyone who does not repent can be called impenitent, because impenitence properly belongs to the obstinate and, as some wish, also to the desperate.

10. Another account of sin against the Holy Spirit. Ambrose also discusses this sin against the Holy Spirit in the book On the Holy Spirit³ and gives a definite account, saying: “Carefully attend to why the Lord said⁴: Whoever blasphemes against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either here or in the future. Is the offense against the Son one thing and the offense against the Holy Spirit another? Just as there is one dignity, so there is one injury. But if someone, deceived by the appearance of a human body, thinks less of Christ’s flesh than is fitting, he is guilty, but is not excluded from pardon. If someone denies the eternal dignity, majesty, and power of the Holy Spirit, and thinks that demons are expelled not by the Spirit of God but by Beelzebub⁵, there can be no promise of pardon where there is the fullness of sacrilege.” Here it is explained clearly enough what sin against the Holy Spirit is. — This seems to agree with Augustine’s description, in which that sin is said to be envy attacking the brotherhood of grace. For one who, after knowing the truth, denies the truth of the Holy Spirit and says that his works are Beelzebub’s cannot be doubted to envy God’s power, goodness, and grace.

11. That distinction of the words¹ must not therefore be understood as though the offenses of the three Persons were divided; rather, kinds of sins are distinguished there. Sin against the Father is understood as that committed through weakness, because Scripture frequently attributes power to the Father; sin against the Son as that committed through ignorance, because wisdom is attributed to the Son; the third has been explained². Whoever therefore sins through weakness or ignorance easily obtains pardon, but not the one who sins against the Holy Spirit. Although the power, wisdom, and goodness of the three are one, why power is more often assigned to the Father, wisdom to the Son, and goodness to the Holy Spirit was said above³.

⁵ anyone, LN; omitted in M. 21 marginal rubric added in BCX. 28 of the Holy Spirit is transposed in LRTV. 31 what] that, OPRTW.]

1 See Rom. 2:4. 2 I Cor. 4:5. 3 Book I, chap. 3, no. 54 (PL 16 [1845], 717 A–B; CSEL 79, 37ff.). 4 Matt. 12:32. 5 See Matt. 12:24–28.

No. 11. Older form of the Gloss on Rom. 1:20 (x 13b–c; z 7d–8a): “Hence it is that the Lord says in the Gospel: Whoever sins against the Father will be forgiven; and whoever sins against the Son will be forgiven; but whoever sins against the Holy Spirit has no remission, neither here nor in the future. When we sin from weakness, we are said to sin against the Father, as if against power; when from ignorance, against the Son, as if against wisdom; when from evil will and obstinacy, against the Holy Spirit, as if against love, because the Holy Spirit is the love of the Father and the Son; and the first two are easily forgiven, but the third is not. They understood, or could understand, God’s power, wisdom, and goodness through the things that were made.” Hugh, On the Love of the Bridegroom for the Bride (PL 176, 989 A–B); Distinction XLIV, ch. 4; A. M. Landgraf, The Dependence of Sin on God, in History of Dogma, I–2, 238–248.