Concerning the Sacraments · Part 11

1 i. e. by using the words " Our Father," which implies the Church, we commend ourselves as members of it.

a In the former part of this passage the author has in mind Ps. cxiii. (cxii. Vulg. ) 4, which is here freely rendered. The words "the Lord is above the heaven of heavens" appear to correspond to no single passage, but represent the sense of such passages as Ps. lvii. (lvi. Vulg.) 6; Ps. lxviii. 33 (lxvii. 34, Vulg.); 2 Chron. vi. 18 (cf. 2 Chron. ii. 6; I Kings viii. 27).

3 The passage is obscure, and the sense would be improved by reading "quasi non in caelis ubi et angeli, quasi non in caelis ubi et dominationes," implying that He is not in the heavens where the angels are, but in the higher heaven. The emphasis is on the fact that the Lord is "above the heavens."

4 Ps. xix. (xviii. Vulg.) I. 6 Lev. xi. 44; xix. 2; xx. 7. 6 Jn. xviii. 37. 7 Lk. xvii. 21.

^.23. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done, as in heaven, so On earth. Give us this day our daily bread. By the blood of Christ all things are set at peace, whether in heaven or on earth.1 Heaven is hallowed, the devil is cast down. The place of his resort is that place,2 where is also the man whom he has deceived. Thy will be done, etc., i. e. let there be peace on earth as in heaven.

- 24. Give us this day our daily bread. I remember my sermon when I was dealing with the Sacraments.3 I said to you that before the words of Christ that which is offered is called bread: when the words of Christ have been uttered, it is no longer called bread, but is named body. Why then in the Lord's Prayer, which follows afterwards, does he say: Our bread? He called it bread indeed, but he called it eVtovVioy,4 that is supersub- stantial. It is not the bread which passes into the body, but that bread of eternal life,5 which supports the sub- stance of our soul. Therefore in Greek it is called l-rnova-Lov. The Latin, however, calls this bread "daily" which the Greeks call "coming." For the Greeks call the coming day rrjv Ittlovo-olv rj/jiipav. Therefore what the

1 Cf. Col. i. 20.

2 Another reading is: ubi versaitir? ubi et homo. " Where does he resort? There, where man is."

3 Cf. iv. 4. 14, 19; iv. 5. 25.

* The reference of eirioxxrios to ovcrla (" essence," "being," "exist- ence ") is due to Origen (or one of his Alexandrian teachers), and descended from him to later commentators. The Old Latin Version (as all the older versions) adopts the other sense and renders quoti- dianum ("daily"). Jerome changed this to supersubstantialem in Mt., but retained quotidiamtm in Lk. The liturgical form is universally quotidianum. Cf. Lightfoot, On afresh revision of the N. T. pp. 195 f. If the word snpersubstantialis was due to Jerome, the fact furnishes a presumption that our author wrote after him. Here an Old Latin text of the prayer is used by the author; accordingly, quotidianum alone is recognized as the actual current reading (T. ). Ambrose discusses the interpretation of the word, and gives Origen's view in de Fide, iii. ^5. 127. For Origen see de Orat. 27. The closest parallel, however, to this section is in Cyril of Jerusalem, Cat. xxiii. 15.

5 Cf. Jn. vi. 48-50.

Latin and what the Greek text said seem both useful. The Greek indicated both in one expression,1 the Latin said "daily."

25. If it is daily bread, why dost thou take it once a year,2 as the Greeks in the East are accustomed to do? Take daily what is to profit thee daily. So live that thou mayest deserve to receive it daily. He who does not deserve to receive it daily, does not deserve to receive it once a year; as holy Job offered sacrifice daily for his sons, lest perchance they should have done any sin in heart or word.3 Therefore dost thou hear that as often as sacrifice is offered, the Lord's death, the Lord's resurrection, the Lord's ascension and the remission of sins is signified,4 and dost thou not take this bread of life daily? He who has a wound needs a medicine. The wound is that we are under sin; the medicine is the heavenly and venerable sacrament.

26. Give us this day our daily bread. If thou receivest daily, "this day" is "daily" to thee. If Christ is for

1 The writer means that itnovciov is capable of a twofold inter- pretation, (i) "Bread which contributes to existence*' (Origen), which the writer, like Origen, explains as that "which supports the substance of the soul." (2) "Bread for the coming day" (t7jk iTnovaav rjfiepav), which in the Latin Version is represented by quotidianum ("daily"). This latter rendering leads him to speak of "daily communion."

2 Similarly Augustine (de Semi. Dom. in 7nonte, ii. 7. 26) com- plains that many in the East do not communicate daily, though our Lord speaks of "daily bread." Chrysostom in several of his homilies complains of the neglect of communion at Constantinople, and in one passage (in Heb. xvii. 4) he asserts that many com- municate once a year, others twice, others often. These strictures on Eastern practice may just possibly show an acquaintance on the part of the author with Chrysostom's writings, in which case they are a further indication of the date of de Sacramentis. Ambrose (de Paenitentia, ii. 9. 89) similarly refers to those who abstain from communion.

3 Job i. 5.

4 The writer is probably referring to the Anamnesis, the words of which he has quoted above (iv. 6. 27). For elevatio of the "ascen- sion" cf. Acts i. 9 (Vulg. ); elevatus est.

thee "this day," he rises again for thee "daily." How? Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.1 There- fore "this day" is when Christ rises again. Yesterday and to-day he himself is,2 says the Apostle Paul. But in another place he says, The night is far spent, the day is at hand? Yesternight is far spent, the present day is at hand.

27. There follows: Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. What is the debt but sin? There- fore if thou hadst not borrowed money at interest, thou wouldst not now be in want; therefore sin is imputed to thee. Thou hast had money, wherewith thou wast born rich. Thou wast rich, being made in the image and likeness of God.4 Thou hast lost what thou hadst, that is humility; whilst thou desirest to indicate thy pride, thou hast lost money, thou hast become naked as Adam,5 thou hast accepted from the devil a debt which was not necessary. And therefore thou who wast free in Christ hast become a debtor to the devil. The enemy held thy bond, but the Lord crucified it, and blotted it out6 with his blood. He took away thy debt, he restored thy liberty.

28. Well, therefore, does he say: And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. Mark what thou sayest. As I forgive so do thou also forgive me. If thou hast forgiven, thou doest well in suing 7 that it be forgiven thee. If thou dost not forgive, how canst thou sue him, that it may be forgiven thee?

29. And let us not be led into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Mark what he says: And let us not be led into temptation which we cannot endure.8 He doth not

1 Ps. ii. 7. a Heb. xiii. 8. 3 Rom. xiii. 12.

4 Gen. i. 26. 5 Gen. iii. 7. - 6 Cf. Col. ii. 14.

7 bene convents. Another reading is bene convenit, " it is right and proper that it be forgiven thee."

8 Cf. I Cor. x. 13. The words quamferre non possumus (" which

say: " Lead us not into temptation," but as an athlete he wishes such a trial as human nature can bear: that each may be delivered from evil, that is from the foe, from sin.

30. But the Lord who has taken away your sin, and pardoned your faults, is mighty to defend and guard you against the wiles of the devil your adversary, that the foe who is wont to beget guilt may not creep upon you. But he who commits himself to God fears not the devil. For if God is for us, who is against us?1 To him, there- fore, be praise and glory from the ages and now, always, and for ever and ever. — Amen.

we cannot endure ") here are explanatory, and not a part of the Lord's Prayer, as the author quotes the full text of that prayer wiihout them in v. 4. 18. But the words are found in some texts of the Lord's Prayer, and are quoted by Jerome, Hilary, and Ps. Aug., Serm. lxxxiv. For the reading "let us not be led" {ne patiaris induct nos) see note on v. 4. 18. 1 Rom. viii. 31.

BOOK VI CHAPTER I

The reality of the gift of Christ's flesh and blood in the sacrament is shown and illustrated from John vi.

i. As our Lord Jesus Christ is the true Son of God, not after the manner of men, through grace, but as a son of the essence of his father, so it is true flesh, as he himself said,1 which we receive, and his true blood is our drink.

2. But perchance thou mayest say, what the disciples of Christ also said then when they heard him saying: Unless a man eat my -flesh and drink my blood, he shall not dwell in me, nor shall he have eternal life2 — perchance thou mayest say: " How are these things real? I who see the likeness, do not see the reality of blood."

3. First of all, I told thee of the word of Christ, which acts so that it can change and alter the appointed forms3 of nature. Then when the disciples of Christ endured not his saying, but hearing that he gave his flesh to eat and gave his blood to drink, they turned back; but Peter alone said: Thou hast the words of eternal life, and how shall I withdraw from thee? 4 Accordingly, lest others should say this, feeling a shrinking from actual blood, and that yet the grace of redemption might

1 Jn. vi. 55.

2 The quotation is a conflation of Jn. vi. 53, 54, 56.

3 genera instituta. Some MSS. read 4' genera et instituta " (so Lanfranc). Erasmus has instituta generalia, ' ' the general ordinances."

4 Jn. vi. 68 (quoted freely).

I I2Q

1 3o THE TREATISE