BONAVENTURE

TEXTS IN TRANSLATlON
SERlES

General Editor
Robert J. Karris, O.F.M.

Volume IX

BREVILOQUIUM

Franciscan Institute Publications

Saint Bonaventure University
2005
 WORKS of
sT BONAVENTURE

BREVlLOQUlUM

Introduction, Translation and Notes

by Dominic V. Monti, O.F.M.

Franciscan Institute Publications

The Franciscan Institute
Saint Bonaventure University
Saint Bonaventure, NY 14778
2005
 Copyright © 2005
The Franciscan Institute CONTENTS
St. Bonaventure University
St. Bonaventure, New York ix
PREFACE ......................................................................
INTRODUCTION ............................................................ xiii

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PROLOGUE ..................................................................... 1
The Breadth of Holy Scripture .................................. 5
The Length of Holy Scripture ................................... 8
The Height of Holy Scripture .................................. 11
The Depth of Holy Scripture ................................... 13
The Mode of Procedure of Holy Scripture .............. 17
The Mode of Expounding Holy Scripture ............... 19
The Chapters of the Breuiloquium .......................... 23
Part One: On the Trinity of God .............................. 27
A Summary of the Seven Topics of Theology .......... 27
What We Must Hold Concerning the Trinity
of Persons and the Unity of Essence ................. 29
The Right Understanding of This Belief ................ 33
The Catholic Expression of This Belief.. ................. 37
The Unity of the Divine Nature
In Relation to a Diversity of Manifestations .... 41
The Unity of the Divine Nature
In Relation to Multiple Appropriations ............ 44
God's Omnipotence .................................................. 47
God's Wisdom, Predestination,
and Foreknowledge ............................................ 49
God's Will and Providence ....................................... 53
VI ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM lNrRODUCTION VII

Part Two: On the Creation of the World ................. 59 The Incarnation in Regard
The Production of the Universe .............................. 59 to the Union of Natures ................................... 135
How Physical Nature Came Into Existence ........... 62 How the Incarnation Came About ........................ 139
The Existence of Physical Nature ........................... 66 The Incarnation in the Fullness of Time .............. 143
The Operation and Influence The Fullness of Grace in Christ
of Physical Nature ............................................. 69 Considered in the Gifts in His Affections ....... 146
The Manner in Which These Things The Fullness of Wisdom
Are Described in Scripture ................................ 72 in the Intellect of Christ .................................. 150
The Production of the Higher Spirits ..................... 77 The Perfection of Merit in His Deeds .................... 154
The Apostasy of the Demons ................................... 79 The Passion of Christ:
The Confirmation of the Good Angels..................... 81 The Condition of the One Who Suffered ......... 157
The Production of the Human Soul ........................ 84 The Passion of Christ:
The Production of the Human Body ....................... 89 The Nature of His Sufferings .......................... 160
The Production ofthe·Whole Human Composite ... 93 The Passion of Christ:
The Completion and Ordering The Effects of His Sufferings........................... 164
of the Whole World Once It Was Made .............. 96
Part Five: On the Grace of the Holy Spirit ........... 169
Part Three: On the Corruption of Sin ..................... 99 Grace as a Gift of God ............................................ 169
The Origin of Evil in General.................................. 99 Grace as the Condition of Meritorious Acts ......... 173
The Temptation of Our First Parents ................... 101 Grace Considered as a Remedy for Sin ................. 178
The Transgression of Our First Parents............... 104 How Grace Branches Out
The Punishment of Our First Parents .................. 107 Into the Habits of the Virtues ......................... 183
The Contamination of Original Sin ...................... 109 How Grace Branches Out
On the Transmission of Original Sin.................... 112 Into the Habits of the Gifts ............................. 187
The Cure of Original Sin ....................................... 115 How Grace Branches Out into the Habits
The Origin of Actual Sin.... .................................... 11 7 of the Beatitudes and Consequently
The Origin and Division of the Capital Sins ........ 121 of the Fruits and of the Spiritual Senses ........ 191
The Origin and Nature of Penal Sin ..................... 124 The Exercise of Grace as Regards
The Origin of Final Sins, What is to be Believed ..................................... 196
Which are the Sins Against the Holy Spirit ... 127 The Exercise of Grace as Regards
What is to be Loved ......................................... 200
Part Four: On the Incarnation of the Word .......... 131 The Exercise of Grace as Regards
Observing the Precepts and Counsels ............ 203
The Reason Why the Incarnation of the Word
The Exercise of Grace as Regards
of God Was Necessary or Fitting ..................... 131
Petition and Prayer .......................................... 206
VIII ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIWd
Part Six: On the Sacramental Remedy ................. 211
The Source of the Sacraments .............................. 211
How the Sacraments Have Varied ........................ 214
The Number and Division of the Sacraments ...... 218
The Institution of the Sacraments ........................ 221
The Administration of the Sacraments ................ 225
The Repetition of the Sacraments ........................ 229
The Nature and Integrity of Baptism ................... 232
On the Integrity of Confirmation .......................... 235
The Integrity of the Eucharist .............................. 238
The Integrity of Penance ........... ,........................... 245
The Integrity of Extreme Unction ........................ 250
The Integrity of Orders .......................................... 254
The Integrity of Matrimony .................................. 258
Part Seven: On the Repose
of the Final Judgment ..................................... 265
The Judgment in GeneraL .................................... 265
The Antecedents of the Judgment:
The Punishment of Purgatory ......................... 269
The Antecedents of the Judgment:
The Suffrages of the Church ........................... 273
The Concomitants of the Judgment:
The Conflagration of Fire ................................ 277
The Concomitants of the Judgment:
The Resurrection of Bodies .............................. 281
The Consequents to the Judgment:
The Infernal Punishment ................................ 286
The Glory of Paradise ............................................ 290
Indices
Of Scripture Passages ............................................ 303
Of Church Fathers, Ecclesiastical
Authors, and Glossae
Of Philosophers, Jurists, and Historians
PREFACE
The origins of this book go back almost a decade. I
had recently completed an earlier volume in this series,'
when Brother Edward Coughlin, then Director of the
Franciscan Institute, asked me if I would consider trans-
lating the Breviloquium. I accepted his invitation, work-
ing at it over the past years, amidst countless interrup-
tions due to more immediate tasks and other responsi-
bilities. When I first mentioned this project to my former
professor, Bernard McGinn, he remarked: "Great! We
really need a good annotated translation of the
Breviloquium." I soon discovered what he meant. Mter
completing a few of the chapters in Part 1, I found my-
self saying, "I'm translating Bonaventure's Latin into
English, and it's still all Greek!" I had encountered for
myself the remarkable "concentration of word and
phrase" that Jacques G. Bougerol felt characterized this
work.' In it Bonaventure's style is "simultaneously com-
pact and highly complex; his sentences are long and
stately, with rhythmically balanced phrases,'" making
it very difficult to render into contemporary English.
lWritings Concerning the Franciscan Order, The Works of Saint
Bonaventure V (St. Bonaventure, NY: The Franciscan Institute, 1994).
2Jacques Guy Bougerol, Introduction to the Works of Bonaventure,
trans. Jose de Vinck (Paterson, N.J.: St. Anthony Guild Press, 1963).
3Paula Jean Miller, "Marriage: The Sacrament of Divine-Human
Communion: Vol. l:A Commentary on St. Bonaventure's Breviloquium,"
(Quincy, IL: Franciscan Press, 1995), 6.

x ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQUIUM
Furthermore, the work is packed with technical medi-
eval theological terms that seem like meaningless jar-
gon to many contemporary readers unfamiliar with
Scholastic categories. This led me to adopt an approach
with which Father Zachary Hayes, who was named gen-
eral editor of this series while my work was already in
progress, fully agreed. And so I have not simply pro-
vided a translation, with a few basic notes indicating
Bonaventure's major sources, as did the previous 1962
English translation of Jose de Vinck4 and the 1996 Ital-
ian translation in the Opera di San Bonaventura se-
ries.' Rather, I attempted to compose content notes as
well, so that the reader might refer immediately to an
explanation of an otherwise problematic passage. In
light of the extensive notes in the body of the transla-
tion, the introduction to the volume is relatively mod-
est, providing a general orientation to the work, its place
in Bonaventure's overall theological effort, and some
interpretative keys for the reader approaching it.
This project has taken a long time to reach fruition
and I have many people to thank for their assistance over
the years. First of all, I acknowledge the Washington Theo-
logical Union for generously providing two semester-long
sabbaticals, in 1997 and again in 2001, in which I did the
bulk of the translation and notes. I am grateful, too , for
the encouragement of my colleagues on the Bonaventure
Texts in Translation Board, especially for the leadership
of Zachary Hayes, who carefully edited the translation.
No one knows Bonaventure's thought better than he, and
4The Breuiloquium, trans. Jose de Vinck, Works of St. Bonaventure
II (Paterson, NJ: St. Anthony Guild Press, 1962).
fiBreviloquio, trans. Mariano Aprea, Opera San Bonaventura: Opus coli
Teologici, 2 (Rome: CittA Nuova Editrice, 1996).
!NTRODUCTION XI
that fact helped greatly in capturing the most appropri-
ate translation. Over the past several years, a number of
scholars have used drafts of this translation in their
classes: Ilia Delio of the Washington Theological Union,
Michael Blastic and Oleg Bychkov of St. Bonaventure
University, and Wayne Hellmann at Saint Louis Univer-
sity. They have detected a number of errors and made some
helpful suggestions for which I am most grateful. In par-
ticular, I would like to acknowledge Professor James
Ginther of Saint Louis for alerting me to Bonaventure's
dependence on a work of Robert Grosseteste in the Pro-
logue. And I must thank the editors of Franciscan Insti-
tute Publications for their patience as I brought this ef-
fort to completion.
This year marks my fortieth anniversary as a professed
Franciscan friar. Ail I look back over these years, my broth-
ers in Holy Name Province deserve my special thanks for
their constant affection and support. To them I dedicate
this book. In a particular way, I will be ever grateful to
those who encouraged my gifts during my formation years:
Reginald Redlon, Boniface Hanley, Hugh Eller, Damian
McElrath, Alexander DiLella, Regis DuffY, and Vincent
Cushing.
Iuveni quaerenti lucem
Exempla erant et magistri
Dominic V. Monti, O.F.M.
St. Bonaventure University
Feast of the Holy Trinity, 2005

ABBREVIATIONS
AC Anselm of Canterbury: The Major Works. Edited
by Brian Davies and G. R. Evans. Oxford and
New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
PG Patrologiae curs us completus. Series graeca. Edited
by J. P. Migne. Paris, 1857-66. 161 volumes.
PL Patrologiae cursus completus. Series latina. Edited
by J. P. Migne. Paris, 1844-64. 221 volumes.
vg Vulgate version of the Christian Bible. See Biblia
Sacra iuxta Vulgatem Versionem. Edited by Robert
Weber et al. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft,
1983.
WSA Works ofSaint Augustine. Edited by John E. Rotelle,
O.S.A. Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 1991- .
INTRODUCTION
The Breuiloquium and the Itinerarium mentis in Deum
are undoubtedly the two works of the Seraphic Doctor that
have received the most sustained admiration over the cen-
turies. To judge by the number of extant copies, the
Breviloquium was the more popular of the two works in
the Middle Ages, surviving in some 227 manuscripts.! Jean
Gerson, Chancellor of the University of Paris, was one of
those who testified to their impact:
Two works of Bonaventure are composed with such
a divine art of synthesis that nothing at all sur-
passes them, namely the Breviloquium and the
Itinerarium . ... More than thirty years ago, I chose
to familiarize myself with these two small treatises;
since then I have read them often, frequently medi-
tating on certain passages and even specific words.
Now, at my age, I have the leisure to achieve my
fondest desire: to begin to experience them afresh,
for to me they always seem ever-new and enchant-
ing."
IThe Itinerarium survives in some 138 manuscripts. Doctoris
Seraphici Sancti Bonaventurae ... Opera Omnia V (Quaracchi:
Collegium S. Bonaventurae, 1882-1902), xvii-xxxiii. Hereafter this
edition will be referred to simply by the volume and page numbers
within parentheses.
2J. Gerson, De libris legendis a monacho, 5-6, Opera J. Gerson
CStrasbaurg, 1515), Fa!. XIX, G.

XN ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUlUM
In recent years, the fortunes of these two works have
been somewhat reversed. Although there has been a con-
siderable amount of research on the ltinerarium that has
unfolded its riches for a contemporary audience, the
Breviloquium has remained comparatively neglected. This
is most unfortunate, for it is not only a brilliant compen-
dium of Bonaventure's theology, but as Alexander Gerken
has observed, "its literary genre is matched by nothing
comparable in the whole of the Middle Ages."3 It is the
purpose of this introduction, then, to provide a brief gen-
eral understanding of this work so that contemporary read-
ers might begin to open "this precious jewel box" of medi-
eval thought for themselves.·
SElTlNG AND PURPOSE
Scholars have generally maintained that Bonaventure
completed the Breviloquium in 1257.5 Indeed, one of the
earliest manuscripts containing the work explicitly dates
it to that year.' Internal evidence definitely indicates that
Bonaventure composed it after the Quaestiones disputatae
de scientia Christi and de mysterio Trinitatis, most com-
monly assigned to 1254 and 1255 respectively.' We may
3Alexander Gerken, "Identity and Freedom: Bonaventure's Position
and Method," trans. Myles Parsons, Greyfriars Review 4: 3 (1990): 95.
'M. J. Scheeben, Handbuch der Katholischen Dogmatik (Freiburg,
1933),1:432.
5Balduinus Distelbrink, Bonaventurae scripta: authentica dubia vel
spuria eritice recensita (Rome: Istituto Storico Cappuccini, 1975), 3-4.
6Jacques G. Bougerol, Manuscrits franciscains de la Bibliotheque de
7royes (Grottaferrata: Collegii S. Bonaventurae ad Claras Aquas, 1982):
262: "Explicit breviloquium fratris Boneventure de ordine fratrum
minorum ad intelligentiam sacre scripture et fidei christiane. Anno
domini, M.CC.L.Vn."
7J. G. Bougerol,Introduction to the Works of Bonaventure, trans. Jose
de Vinck (Paterson, NJ: St. Anthony Guild Press, 1964), 108; Distelbrink,
4,10,13. One piece of evidence is Bonaventure's treatment of the fullness
INTRODUCTION xv
s
accept the common dating of1257, then, as fairly certain.
This is significant, for during that year Bonaventure was
coming to grips with a dramatic transition in his own life,
as he moved from a university career to one of major pas-
toral responsibility. Within his literary corpus therefore,
the Breviloquium occupies a pivotal position; in the words
of one recent study, it is a "turning-point text or a border-
line text" standing between two worlds."
From one perspective, it is rightly viewed as the
capstone of Bonaventure's twenty-year career as student
and teacher at the University ofParis. lO He had arrived in
the city in 1235 as a young student of arts. After complet-
ing his master's degree in 1243, he had joined the Friars
Minor at Paris. His superiors quickly recognized his tal-
ents; after completing his novitiate year, he immediately
commenced his theological education at the Franciscan
School. One of the few friar students there actually ma-
triculating for the University degree, Bonaventure began
lecturing on the Bible in 1248, gradually progressing to
the point where he assumed the duties of regent master
of the Franciscan School of theology early in 1254. During
of wisdom of Christ's human intellect (pt. 4, chap. 6). This clearly reflects
his Disputed Questions on the Knowledge of Christ, q. 7 (y, 37-43). This
is a significant advance from his earlier position in the Sentences
Commentary (3.14.2.3 [Y,312-317).
8Camille Berube is an exception to this consensus; he does not believe
the Troyes manuscript is decisive, and would prefer a date several years
later _ perhaps after the Itinerarium (1259) (De la philosophie a la
sagesse chez Saint Bonaventure et Roger Bacon [Rome: Istituto Storico
dei Cappuccini, 1976]), 117-118. . .
9Emmanuel Falque, Saint Bonaventure et l'entree de Dieu in theolog~e.
Etudes de philosophie medievale (Paris: Librairie philosophique J. Vnn,
2000),25: "un texte charniere ou un texte frontiere." .
lOFor a good brief summary of Bonaventure's career, see J. F. Qumn ,
"Bonaventure, St.," in Dictionary of the Middle Ages, ed. Joseph R.
Strayer (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1983), 2:313-319.
 XVI ST. BONAVENTlIRE'SBREVILOQWUM
his teaching career, Bonaventure utilized the increasingly
sophisticated techniques that had been developed over the
preceding century in the urban theology schools of West-
ern Europe we know as Scholasticism. lI The most funda-
mental of these techniques was that of methodical com-
mentary on authoritative texts (lectio); the second, the sys-
tematic analysis and resolution of doctrinal and moral is-
sues arising from those texts (quaestio and disputatio).
Bonaventure proved himself a master ofthese techniques
in his commentaries on the Biblical books of Ecclesiastes
Luke, and John; his massive commentary on the Fou;
Books of Sentences of Peter Lombard; and three series of
disputed questions. But Scholastic theologians had also
pioneered a third technique: the attempt to synthesize the
diffuse results of lectio, quaestio and disputatio into a co-
herent and comprehensive presentation of Christian doc-
trine for instructional purposes. This was the task
Bonaventure set for himself in the Breviloquium, and in
this regard it stands unique among his works, presenting
a concise synthesis of his mature teaching. But the rea-
sons for its publication were not purely academic.
In 1257 Bonaventure's professional teaching career
effectively came to an end, for in February of that year the
Franciscan general chapter had elected him General Min-
ister of the Order. The pressing responsibilities of that of-
fice soon demanded his full attention. The Friars Minor
were just beginning to emerge from a serious crisis in
which their opponents, the secular masters ofthe Univer-
sity theology faculty, articulating the complaints of many
of the clergy of Western Europe, had mounted a sustained
attack on the new mendicant orders' pastoral ministry in
llMy description of the scholastic method draws on Bernard McGinn
The Growth of Mysticism, vol. 2 of The Presence of God: A History of
Western Christian Mysticism (New York: Crossroad, 1994), 367.374.
INTRODUCTION XVII
the church, indeed on their entire way oflife. 12 Given this
volatile situation, Bonaventure wisely decided to main-
tain his principal residence at Paris for the next several
years. Although he had traveled to Italy to confer with
Pope Alexander IV after having received word of his elec-
tion, he quickly returned to Paris. There, in August,
Bonaventure and his Dominican colleague, Thomas
Aquinas, were grudgingly accepted by the consortium of
masters of theology into their number, marking an end to
the long and bitter controversy. Bonaventure could then
oversee the transfer of his seat in theology to his succes-
sor Gilbert of Tournai." It is Bonaventure's new responsi-
bilities as General Minister of the Franciscan Order that
provide another vantage point from whic~ to. view the
Breviloquium, one that allows uS to apprecIate It as more
than simply an academic contribution to theology. Over
his years ofteaching, Bonaventure had become convmced
that there was a critical need in the education of young
friars and in this work he attempted to supply it.'4
Wt,y was a book like this necessary? By the 1250's, the
number of Franciscans engaged in formal studies had in-
creased exponentially. In virtually every large friary a lec-
tor was assigned to teach theology to the clerical members
12For a good recent summary of the conflict at Pa~s, see B~rt Roest,
A History of Franciscan Education, c.1210-1517 (L~lden: Bnil, 2000),
51-57. The standard detailed history of thIS earher phrase of thIS
protracted conflict is M.-M. Dufeil, Guillaume de ~aint.A:mour et ia
polemique universitaire parisienne, 1250-1259 (Pans: Edltions A. et J.
Picard,1972). . . . W"
13For details, see roy introduction to Volume 5 m thIS senes, n~z.ngs
Concerning the Franciscan Order (St. Bonaventure, NY: The FranCIscan
Institute, 1994), 21·32.
14In this sense the Breviloquium may be compared to another work
Bonaventure su~plied for the fonnational needs of friars, the Regula
novitiorum. Cf Roest, 243~250>
 xvm ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUJUM
of the community so they would be well-equipped for their
primary ministry of preaching and hearing confessions.
Theology classes were an integral part oftheir weekly sched-
ule. This created a constant demand for qualified friars to
serve as lectors. To meet it, promising young friars were
assigned to pursue theological studies at schools the Order
had established, not only at the universities of Paris, Ox-
ford, and Cambridge, but also in more than a dozen other
studia generalia (general study centers) that had sprung
up by this time." The curriculum in these other study cen-
ters largely replicated that of the university faculties of
theology. To be qualified as a lector, a friar had to study
theology for four years. For the first two he attended lec-
tures on the Bible, then two more on the Four Books ofSen-
tences of Peter Lombard.'· This was a top-notch education
for the time, a fact recognized by a Papal privilege
Bonaventure obtained shortly after his election that granted
students who had completed the curriculum at the Order's
studia generalia a license to teach theology, thus granting
them an equivalent of a university degree.l7
However, by today's standards, young friars in the
1250's were singularly unequipped to embark on theologi-
15Roest, 6-42. In addition to the three Franciscan schools that were
incorporated into University theology faculties, by the 1250's study
houses had been established in Bologna, Padua Florence Perugia
Naples, Toulouse, Montpellier, Dijon, Magdebll!'...g, Cologne, Re~ensburg:
Strasbourg, and Erfurt. These schools were 'general' in the sense that
they attracted friar students from beyond their own provinces, even
though some were effectively only regional. We are not certain precisely
when each of these studia was officially designated 'general.' It is
important to note that these study centers also were open to secular
clergy. For the legislation governing the studia, see the Constitutions
of Narbonne, 6.12-24 in Works of St. Bonaventure 5: 101-103 (note 127
on p. 102 must be corrected in light of Roest's study).
"Roest, 87-97, 133-137.
17Exultante spiritu (23 March 1257),BullariumFranciscanum,2:208b,
n. 317. Cf. Roest, 31.
INTRODUCTION XlX
cal studies. We have to remember that parishes provided
no formal religious instruction in the Middle Ages; cat-
echisms designed for the reJigious education of youth would
only be a product of the reforming spirit of the sixteenth
century. In terms of exposure to the elements of Christian
doctrine, candidates joining the Order might know only
the Apostles' Creed. Certaiuly, during their novitiate year,
young friars would be immediately immersed in a Bibli-
cally based religious culture. The daily rounds of the Lit-
urgy of the Hours demanded that novices commit the
Psalms to memory; they also quickly gained familiarity
with other Biblical texts that occurred in the liturgy and
the communal readings during meals. In addition, they
would often hear thematic sermons that would elucidate
doctrinal topics." Still, they would never have been ex-
posed to any formal theological instruction. This situation
was complicated by the fact that many young candidates
were entering the Order after at least several years of
university training." Their exposure to secular learning,
both in terms of content and method, thus far exceeded
their knowledge of their faith. Furthermore, the standard
textbooks in theology - the Bible and Peter I,ombard's
Sentences - did not present the same scientific clarity as
textbooks in the arts, with their clear outlines and defi-
nite objectives. The Bible appeared to be a confusing and
contradictory collection of stories, the Sentences a disor-
ganized assemblage of arcane and sterile questions. Was
there some unity and coherence in this subject matter -
"Roest, 250-258. .
19Already, the Order had passed legislation about 1242 mandatmg
that no one should be admitted as a friar without having received
competent instruction in grammar, logic, law, or medicine. Cf. C. Cenci,
"De Fratrum Minorum Constitutionibus Praenarbonensis," Archivum
Franciscanum Historicum 83 (1990): 75. Cf. Roest, 239.
xx ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQWUM
the Christian faith? It was such a logical and comprehen-
sive presentation of Christian doctrine that Bonaventure
set as his agenda in this treatise:
This teaching [theologyl has been transmitted, both
in the writings of the saints and in those of the
doctors, in such a diffuse manner that those who
come to learn about Sacred Scripture are not able
to read or hear about it for a long time. In fact,
beginning theologians often dread Sacred Scripture
itself, feeling it to be as confusing, disordered, and
uncharted as some impenetrable forest. That is why
my colleagues have asked me, from my own mod-
est knowledge, to draw up some concise summary
ofthe truth oftheology. Yielding to their requests,
I have agreed to compose what might be called a
brief discourse [breviloquiuml. In it I will summa-
rize not all the truths of our faith, but some things
that are more opportune [for such studentsl to
hold?O
Bonaventure was not the only teacher who recognized
the need for a logical synthesis of theology that both
teachers and students could use. Such was also the goal
ofthose who composed summae (summaries) oftheology.
Bonaventure's own predecessors as masters of the
Franciscan school had already provided such a magiste-
rial synthesis, generally known as the Summa fratris
Alexandri or Summa Halensis, to serve as a comprehen-
sive theological encyclopedia for reference purposes. 21
2°Prologue, 6.5.
21This work was a team effort, compiled over the span of almost two
decades (1238·1257) by Alexander of Hales, Jean of La Rochelle, Eudes
Rigaud, William of Middleton, and perhaps other Franciscan lectors.
22S umma Theologica, Prol. (Parma, 1852), 1:1.
INTRODUCTION XXI
Other contemporaries also stepped in to fill this gap; one
of these was Thomas Aquinas, whose reasons for com-
posing his celebrated Summa theologiae are remarkably
similar to Bonaventure's own:
It is the task of the teacher of Catholic truth to
instruct not only advanced students, but also be-
ginners ... .It is thus our intention in this work to
present those things that pertain to the Christian
religion in a manner befitting the education of be-
ginners.... Students in this science have not sel-
dom been hampered by what they have found writ-
ten in other authors, partly on account of the mul-
tiplicity of useless questions, articles, and argu-
ments; partly also because the things they need to
know are not taught according to the order oflearn-
ing, but according as the plan of the book might
require or the occasion of disputing might offer....
Anxious, therefore, to overcome these and other
obstacles, we will try ... to present those things
pertaining to sacred doctrine briefly and clearly
insofar as the matter will permit?'
As the recent study of Emmanuel Falque points out,
the stated goals of Bonaventure and Thomas are remark-
ably similar - a concern with beginners, the desire to
achieve a brief and coherent synthesis. But the results
are strikingly different. Most obvious is the sheer matter
of size - the 512 questions of the Summa theologiae (with-
out the Supplement) versus the 72 chapters of the
Breviloquium. Thomas simply treats a great many more
topics, and in a much more detailed way, than Bonaventure.
But more importantly, there is a fundamental difference
"Falque, 34-35.
 ST, BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQUIUM
XXlJ
in method between the two works. It is here that the origi-
nality and importance of Bonaventure's effort lies?' AB
Alexander Gerken has observed: "It is not so much by rea-
son of its contents but undoubtedly by reason of its method
that the Breviloquium breaks the bonds of Scholastic the-
ology."24
METHOO
When Thomas Aquinas set out to compose a synthesis
of Christian doctrine for instructional purposes, he uti-
1ized the quaestio technique that had come to dominate
the classrooms - as did Bonaventure's predecessors in the
Franciscan school who composed the Summa fratris
Alexandri. This technique employed what has been called
the "dialectical" or "Scholastic" method,25 which began by
posing a question about a certain issue. It then juxtaposed
alternative solutions, first suggesting a tentative anSwer
(the thesis) and enumerating various arguments that fa-
vored it (sic, "yes"), but then raising other reasons that
seemed to oppose it (non, "no"). The master then "deter-
mined" the question, offering his own resolution of the is-
sue at hand, showing why the arguments in favor of one
side were persuasive while the others were not. This
method became standard for teaching theology at the
medieval universities. This quaestio technique was simul-
taneously being developed by masters in schools oflaw in
order to decide which statutes should apply in a certain
case.26 When applied to theology, the technique had the
effect of ''bracketing'' Christian belief, creating a kind of
24Gerken, 95.
25For a good description of this method, see Edward Grant. God and
Reason in the Middle Ages (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
2001),105-107.
26The masterpiece of this effort was Gratian's Decretum (c. 1140),
which he entitled the Concordance of Discordant Canons.
INTRoDUCTION XXIlJ
medieval ''hermeneutic of suspicion." It seemingly called
accepted beliefs into question, and then attempted to reach
a conclusion about them by logical analysis of evidence.
Peter Abelard (d. 1142), who stands at the forefront of this
method, justified it in the following words:
We should like, as we proceed, to gather together
diverse statements of the holy fathers that come to
mind as involving some question by reason of the
discrepancy they seem to contain: these may incite
youthful readers to a strong effort in seeking for
truth and make them keener by reason of their
inquiry. For this is the first key of wisdom: con-
stant and frequent questioning... .It is by raising
a doubt we arrive at inquiry, and by inquiring we
grasp truth."
However, we must realize that this dialectical tech-
nique, although it has become "almost synonymous with
what has come to be known as the Scholastic method,""
was not the only one that medieval theologians employed
to probe the meaning of Christian faith. In an insightful
article, Charles Burnett reminds us that Abelard himself,
like all Scholastics, recognized that there were two modes
of human reasoning: inductive and deductive, which he
attributed to Aristotle and Plato respectively." The induc-
tive method begins by examining particular instances and
on that basis reaches universal conclusions; in contrast,
the deductive method proceeds from evident first principles
"Peter Abelard, Sic et Non, pro!. (PL 178, 1349).
"Grant, 105.
29Charles Burnett, "Scientific Speculations," in A History of Twelfth-
Century Western Philosophy, Peter Dranke, ed. (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1988), 151-176. The reference to Aristotle and Plato
is on p. 152.
XXIV ST, BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQWUM
to understand the particular. Medieval logicians believed
that these two modes of human reasoning were comple-
mentary, leading to the same ultimate truth, but they also
emphasized that their opposite starting points led to quite
different types of conclusions. As Burnett explains, in an
inductive reasoning process, the premises ofthe argument
are based on one's experience of particulars, and in that
sense, express opinion. The resultant conclusions are thus
''probabilis - a word that has the sense of 'able to be ap-
proved of by reliable opinions' or 'plausible' rather than
'probable' [in the modern sensel or 'provable.' Their valid-
ity must be judged on the basis of their rationality."" In a
deductive reasoning process, on the other hand, the pre-
mises are not elicited from experience, "but intuited as
self-evident axioms, and the arguments from these pre-
mises are 'necessary' and lead to 'demonstration."'31 Hugh
of St. Victor neatly described the difference between these
two modes of argumentation:
Demonstration consists of necessary arguments
and belongs to philosophers.
Probable argument belongs to dialecticians and
rhetoricians .... Probable argument is divided into
dialectic and rhetoric, both of which contain inven-
tion and judgment as integral parts.... Invention
and judgment integrally constitute argumentative
logic. Invention teaches the discovery of arguments
and the drawing up oflines of argUmentation. The
science of judgment teaches the evaluation of such
arguments and lines of argumentation."
30Burnett, 154.
3lBurnett, 154.
32Didascalicon, 2.30, trans. Jerome Taylor, The Didascalicon ofHugh
of St. Victor: A Medieval Guide to the Arts (New York: Columbia
University Press, 1961).81, alt.
INTRODUCTION xxv
The quaestio technique we commonly associate with
Scholasticism epitomizes what Hugh calls the dialectical
method of "drawing up lines of argumentation" and "the
evaluation of such arguments." This form of argumenta-
tion is based on an inductive process of marshalling par-
ticular pieces of evidence (Biblical texts, traditional au-
thorities, philosophical opinions), which are then logically
analyzed to arrive at general, but probable conclusions.
Bonaventure shows himself a master of this mode of theo-
logical reasoning in his Commentary on the Sentences and
especially in his three series of disputed questions; these
were products of his classroom teaching, which demanded
the quaestio technique.
The Breviloquium, however, differs radically from
Bonaventure's other works of systematic theology. In it he
departs from the customary inductive mode of analysis,
employing instead what his contemporaries regarded as
a superior mode of reasoning, namely, the deductive
method. To illustrate how this method works, let us exam-
ine a typical chapter in the Breviloquium, in which
Bonaventure treats "the contamination of original sin."33
He begins his discussion of the topic, not by posing a ques-
tion, but by simply declaring a tenet of Christian faith:
"The human race is corrupted by original sin." He then
goes on to specifY the exact nature ofthis corruption. U s-
ing a phrase from Paul's Letter to the Ephesians,
Bonaventure asserts that human beings come into the
world as "children of wrath," waging a life-long struggle
against bodily afflictions, ignorance and concupiscence,
bearing the ultimate penalty of physical death and eter-
nal separation from God. After enunciating the Christian
doctrine of original sin, he goes on to suggest a ratio ad
intelligentiam (a rational demonstration of its truth):
sapart 3, chapter 5.
XXVI ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
Since the First Principle acts by its own power, ac-
cording to its own law, and with itself as an end, it
must therefore be utterly good and righteous, and
hence most loving and most just. That is why all
the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth, or judg-
ment. 3' Now if God had created humankind in such
wretchedness from the very beginning, he would
have violated his own love and righteousness by
oppressing his own handiwork with such miseries
through no fault of its own. Nor would divine provi-
dence have governed us with kindness and justice
had it afflicted us or permitted us to be afflicted
with these miseries in the absence of sin. If it is
certain, then, that the First Principle is most up-
right and merciful both in creating and in govern-
ing, it follows by necessity that God made human-
kind in the beginning free from guilt and misery. It
also follows that in governing humankind, God can-
not permit any distress to exist in us without some
antecedent offense. 35
Bonaventure's reasoning here is totally deductive, ap-
pealing to no outside evidence whatsoever. He begins from
an implicit premise: that one First Principle is the cause
of all things. He has already demonstrated that premise
in earlier chapters, as well as the fact that such a Prin-
ciple cannot be conditioned from without; rather, all its
actions must flow from its very being ("utterly good and
righteous"). This premise then leads ''by necessity" through
a chain of corollaries to his conclusion: that humanity is
afflicted with such miseries, not through an arbitrary de-
cision of a vindictive God, but as a fitting consequence of
"Ps 25:10 (Vg 24:10).
35Part 3, chapter 5.
INTRODUCTION XXVII
its own freely chosen actions. The doctrine of original sin
is thus logically demonstrated by showing that it flows
necessarily from the nature of the First Principle itself.
This is precisely Bonaventure's stated aim throughout the
Breviloquium:
Because theology is, indeed, discourse about God
and about the First Principle, as the highest sci-
ence and doctrine it should resolve everything in
God as its first and supreme principle. That is why,
in giving the reasons for everything contained in
this little work or tract, I have attempted to derive
each reason from the First Principle, in order to
demonstrate that the truth of Sacred Scripture is
from God, that it treats of God, is according to God,
and has God as its end. 36
Bonaventure knew that in order to "demonstrate the
truth of Scripture," he had to provide what we saw Hugh
of St. Victor call "necessary arguments."" That is why his
treatment of original sin emphasizes that the reasons for
the doctrine flow ''by necessity" from the nature of the First
Principle. What precisely did Bonaventure understand by
"necessary" arguments? Where did he turn for models of a
theology constructed on such a basis? To answer the first
question, let us look more closely at the notion of 'demon-
stration.'
Ironically, it was Aristotle, the thinker Abelard con-
sidered the exemplar of the inductive method, who stressed
in his Posterior Analytics that deductive reasoning pro-
vides the only firm basis for truly scientific knowledge.
36Brevil., prol., 6.6.
37Didascalicon, 2.30, in the passage cited previously: "Demonstration
consists of necessary arguments."
 XXVIII ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVlLOQUlUM
This means that one comes to know things in more than a
superficial or accidental way; it means understanding why
things are the way they are. If one knows the causes on
which a thing depends, then one can see that it has to be
the way it is. As Aristotle explains, a demonstration be-
gins from "premises which must be true, primary, imme-
diate, and better known than, and prior to the conclusion,
which is further related to them as effect to cause."'. In a
demonstration, conclusions follow necessarily from the
premises, although the premises themselves are indemon-
strable. Boethius (d. 524), for centuries the main Latin
conduit of Aristotle's ideas, described the kind of premise
on which a demonstration is based as a "common concep-
tion of the mind," a self-evident truth that "people accept
as soon as they hear it."" A "necessary argument," then,
is simply one that draws out the inescapable corollaries of
a self-evident premise.
Let us now turn to the second question - where did
Bonaventure look for examples of a theology constructed
by means of 'demonstration'? For medieval theologians,
the phrase "necessary arguments" immediately called to
mind the individual often called "the father of Scholasti-
cism," Anselm of Canterbury (d. 1109). Anselm re-invigo-
rated a deductive style of reasoning in Western theology.
Unlike Abelard, he does not begin his inquiry from a neu-
tral starting point by "bracketing" beliefs but by plunging
more deeply into the realities experienced in faith to un-
cover their rationale. As he explained to Pope Urban II,
No Christian ought to argue how things that the
Catholic Church believes with its heart and Con-
fesses with its mouth are not so. Rather, by always
aaposterior Analytics 1.2 (Bekker ed. 71h 20~21), as cited in Burnett,
155.
"De hebdomadibus (PL 64, 1311B), as cited in Burnett, 157.
INTRODUCTION XXIX
adhering to the same faith without hesitation, by
loving it, and living according to it, a Christian
humbly ought to seek, so far as one can, the reason
how they are so.... For it is a fact that the more
powerfully Holy Scripture nourishes us with things
that feed us by obedience, the more accurately we
are carried along to things that satisfY us intellec-
tually.... Certainly, this is what I am saying: those
who have not (first) believed, will not understand.
For those who have not believed will not experi-
ence, and those who have not experienced, will not
know.'o
Anselm, then, out of his faith experience, sought to
work out the inner logic of Christian beliefs in a way that
would be convincing to those who doubt them. He explained
that he wrote his Monologion and Proslogion "especially
to show that necessary reasons apart from the authority
of Scripture can establish things that we by faith hold
about the divine nature and its persons."" He pressed this
method of even further in his famous Cur Deus homo, in
which he tried to show that even if we knew nothing of
Christian revelation, it would still be necessary to postu-
late that God would have to become human in order to
redeem sinful humanity.'z
Although Anselm did not leave any immediate dis-
ciples, in the later twelfth and thirteenth centuries theo-
logians resumed his quest for a priori demonstrations of
Christian beliefs, despite the contemporary fascination
with the new quaestio technique. One of these was Rich-
"De Incarnatione Verbi, 1 (PL 158, 253-254 [AC, 235-236 alt.]).
41De Incarnatione Verbi, 6 [Ae, 246].
42Rene Roques, " La methode du 'Cur Deus Homo' de Saint Anselme
de Cantorbery," Structures theologiques: De la Onose a Richard de Saint-
Victor (Paris: Ecole des Hautes Etudes, 1962),243-293.
xxx ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUlUM
ard of St. Victor (d. 1173), who, like Anselm, would influ-
ence Bonaventure deeply. As he affIrmed in his treatise
On the Trinity: "I believe, without a shadow of a doubt,
that arguments which are not only probable (Le., those
attained through the dialectical method), but actually
necessary, are not lacking to explain anything whatsoever
which has to be explained, even though these may elude
our diligent inquiry.""
These theologians had resources to assist them in this
search that were unavailable to Anselm, namely a vast
array of philosophical and scientific texts finally available
in Latin translation. Most notable ofthese were that part
ofAristotelian corpus that contemporaries called the "new
logic," including the Posterior Analytics, a work which, as
we have already mentioned, argued for the superiority of
deductive reasoning as the base for truly scientific knowl-
edge. But perhaps just as significant in this regard were a
number of texts that actually embodied such a method:
Euclid's Elements of geometry and a wide variety ofworks
by syncretistic neo-Platonic authors, whose religious ori-
entation made them especially appealing to medieval
Christian theologians.14 Chief among these were the writ-
ings of the Pseudo-Dionysius, whose notion of hierarchy
would exert a profound influence on Bonaventure's
thought. But there was another important source ofmedi-
eval neo-Platonism: works by Muslim authors.
One particular Islamic text would have a major im-
pact on both the concepts and the literary form of
Bonaventure's Breviloquium. This was a small treatise,
generally known as the Liber de causis (The Book of
"De Trinitate, 1.4 (PL 196, 892).
44See the classic essay by M. D. Cheun, "The Platonisms of the Twelfth
Century," in Nature, Man, and Society in the Twelfth Century, trans.
Jerome Taylor and Lester Little (Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
1968), 49-98.
INTRODUCTION
Causes), a Latin translation of an anonymous Arabic work,
probably dating from the ninth century.45 This came into
circulation in the Latin West sometime between 1170 and
1185 under the title of Liber Aristotelis de expositione
bonitatis purae (The Book ofAristotle Concerning the Pure
Good), which immediately won it a wide audience. Despite
this attribution, however, the Liber is actually a concise
and creative re-working of the Elements ofTheology of the
Neo-Platonic philosopher Proclus (d. 485). Working out of
his belief in one Almighty God, the Muslim author has
transformed Proclus' doctrine of impersonal cosmic ema-
nation into a true doctrine of divine creation and provi-
dence. Within the brief space of thirty-one chapters, called
propositions, the author unfolds the structure of the en-
tire universe. Like other neo-Platonists, he works out of a
profound sense that reality is a cosmos: an ordered, hier-
archical totality structured according to basic metaphysi-
cal principles, of which the most important is the prin-
ciple of causality. The first proposition lays the foundation
for the whole treatise: that there is a first and highest
cause which is prior to, immanent in, and subsequent to
all other causes and their effects. AB the work progresses
through a series of necessary arguments, the author makes
clear that this First Principle, which is Goodness and Rich-
ness itself, extends its causal influence to all things, giv-
ing them being, overflowing its perfections on them, and
governing them with an overarching providence. This work
filled a real gap in the Aristotelian corpus, advancing the
concept of the First Cause beyond that of a static "unmoved
mover" to a dynamic creating principle. Despite the eccle-
siastical ban on Aristotle's libri naturales (books of natu-
45Ibid" 89 91. This work has been translated by Dennis Brand, The
w
Book of Causes, 2 nd ed. (Milwaukee: Marquette University Press, 1984),
who provides a helpful introduction, 4-18.
XXXII ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
ral philosophy), it was soon being studied avidly by theo-
logians. 4'
The striking aphoristic literary style of the Liber, as
well as its message, made an impact as welL As one mod-
ern scholar describes it,
The style of the Liber is characterized by a brevity
which leaves no room for digression, rhetorical or-
nament, or appeal to authority. The method of the
book is in accord with its systematic purpose. The
propositions [chapters] seek to exhibit succinctly
the structure of reality. Each proposition is accom-
panied by a brief comment which proves or at least
explains the statement.... We have here a concat-
enation of interrelated statements, which re-
sembles Euclid's work as a structured presenta-
tion of doctrine descending from higher to lower
causes. 47
These words could aptly describe the Breviloquium
itself; it is obvious that Bonaventure had the Liber de
causis in mind when he developed his own treatise. 48 He
was not alone in this attraction. Alan ofLille (d. 1202), the
first great Paris theologian to use the work, had been in-
46Among the more significant of these was Alexander of Hales; Roger
Bacon was lecturing on the Liber around 1245, when it was still officially
banned from the classroom. The work became a required text in the
Arts curriculum at the University of Paris in 1255. See Brant, 1-8.
"Charles H. Lohr, "The Pseudo-Aristotelian Liber de Causis and Latin
Theories of Science in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries," Pseudo·
Aristotle in the Middle Ages, ed. Jill Kraye, W F. Ryan, and C. B. Schmitt
(London: The Warburg Institute, 1986), 56. . 50S ee the selection from Hugh of St. Victor's Didascalicon cited
As Etienne Gilson observed years ago, "Every time a philosophIcal
48
or theological opuscule consists of concise aphoristic statements, often
alliterative, and attended or not by a short commentary, the influence
of the Book of Causes can at least be suspected." History of Christian
Philosophy in the Middle Ages (New York: Random House, 1955), 236.
INTRODUCTION xxxm
spired by the Liber to compose his Regulae de sacra
theologia, which similarly is made up of a number of propo-
sitions with accompanying explanations and proofs. 4 '
What Bonaventure, like Alan before him, found seduc-
tive about the Liber de causis was its deductive method,
which could provide precisely a "demonstration" of the
premises of Christian faith rather than the "probable" ar-
guments that resulted from using the quaestio technique.
The dialectical method of the latter employed the arts of
rational philosophy (grammar, logic, and rhetoric), which
examine concepts and their organization into statements
and judgments, thus determining "the truth of speech," or
logical truth. The demonstrative method, on the other
hand, was proper to natural philosophy, whose different
branches (physics, mathematics, and metaphysics) exam-
ine "the truth of things," or ontological truth. 50 As
Bonaventure explains, the several branches of natural
philosophy all enlighten the mind "to know the causes of
being." Specifically, he sees metaphysics as that science
"concerned with the knowledge of all beings according to
their ideal causes, tracing them back to the one first Prin-
490n this work, see G. R. Evans,Alan ofLille (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1983), 64-80. A similar work is the De arte fidei
catholica of Nicholas ofAmiens. Nicholas' work differs somewhat from
Alan's Regulae in that it is directly modeled on Euclid's Elements and
thus attempts a demonstration ofthe truths of theology moregeometrico,
with purely deductive reasoning from axioms. Alan's Regulae is modeled
instead on the Liber de causis; although both of these works order their
materials systematically. providing a demonstration or at least
explanation for each proposition, they do not presuppose any axioms
(Lohr, 61-62). The Breviloquium follows the pattern of the latter.
previously, whose approach Bonaventure develops in his treatise De
reductione artium ad theologiam [On the Reduction of the Arts to
Theology], trans. Zachary Hayes, The Works of Saint Bonaventure,
Volume 1 (St. Bonaventure, NY: The Franciscan Institute, 1996). On
this distinction, see Hayes's commentary, 19.
XXXIV ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
ciple from which they proceed, that is, to God, in as far as
God is the Beginning, the End, and the Exemplar.""
The summit of that metaphysics available to natural
reason, explicated in the Liber de causis, is when the mind
achieves knowledge of a first and highest Principle
(principium primum et summum), a self-diffusive good-
ness which is the source of all that exists. But for
Bonaventure, such knowledge is the starting point for
another, more profound kind of metaphysics, a specifically
theological metaphysics.52 The First Principle that is dimly
perceived by natural philosophy the Christian has come
to experience dramatically in the person of Jesus Christ. 53
Christian faith reveals a deeper, theological metaphysics
centered on the Word of God, which reveals the true char-
acter of the first and highest Principle through the foun-
dational mysteries of the Trinity and the Incarnation. 54
Through faith, we come to recognize that the First Prin-
ciple has created all things through the Word precisely to
"De red. art., 4 (Hayes, 41-43).
52Cf. Brevil .. pt. 1, chap. 2: "Theology is also the only perfect wisdom,
for it begins with the supreme cause as the principle of all things that
are caused - the very point at which philosophical knowledge ends."
The distinction between a philosophical and a theological metaphysics
in Bonaventure's thought was first developed in the seminal article of
Zachary Hayes, "Christology and Metaphysics in the Thought of
Bonaventure," in Celebrating the Medieval Heritage: A Colloquy on the
Thought ofAquinas and Bonaventure, ed. David Tracy, The Journal of
Religion, Supplement 58 (1978): 882-896, along with the response by
Ewert Cousins (897-8104).
53As Bonaventure states, in Scripture the ultimate principle of all
knowledge [the self-diffusive Good] is "clearly revealed," while in the
books of other sciences it "lies hidden" and is seen only partially. De
red. art., 26 (Hayes, 61).
54Bonaventure emphasizes that the "truth to which we are bound to
assent by faith ... is divine truth as it exists in its own proper nature
or in its assumed human nature .... Thus the articles of faith that are
the foundations of belief are concerned either with the Godhead or with
the humanity [of Christl." Brevil., pt. 5, chap. 7.6.
INTRODUCTION xxxv
communicate itself personally to its creatures in order to
draw them into the mystery of its own overflowing Love:
The Word expresses the Father and the things made
through him, and he is foremost in leading us to
the unity of the Father who brings all things to-
gether. For this reason he is the Tree of Life, be-
cause through this center (medium), we return and
are given life in the fountain of life ... This is the
metaphysical center that leads back and this is the
sum total of our metaphysics: it is about emana-
tion, exemplarity, and consummation, that is, to be
illumined by spiritual rays and to be led back to
the Highest Source (principium).And thus you will
be a true metaphysician.55
Bonaventure provided two ways through which to ap-
proach this theological metaphysics: one more inductive,
from a knowledge of creatures; the other deductive, from
the experience offaith itself. Gerson, that perceptive reader
of Bonaventure, reCOgnized that the difference between
the Itinerarium and the Breviloquium lies in the fact that
these two works present different but complementary ways
of coming to know God." The Itinerarium "proceeds from
creatures to God by means of six successive stages until
attaining anagogical ecstasies."" In contrast, the
"Hexaem. 1. 17 (V: 332).
56J. Gerson, De Ubris legendis a monacho, 5-6, Opera J. Gerson
(Strasbourg, 1515), Fo!. XIX, G: "... Breviloquium et Itinerarium in
quibus processum est duabus viis cognosendi Deum. Primus namque
horum duorum tractatum procedit a primo principio, quod Deus est,
usque ad alias veritates sub Deo creditas et habitas. Alius econtra
progreditur a creaturis ad Creatorem per sex gradus scalares usque
ad anagogicos excessus."
57"It is in harmony with our created condition that the universe itself
might serve as a ladder by which we can ascend into God .... [Finally],
after our consideration of the attributes of God [as First Being], the
 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQUIUM
Breviloquium "proceeds from the First Principle, which is
God, to arrive at [an understanding of] the other truths
believed and possessed in light of God." Its starting point
is the experience of Christian faith itself, which is based
on the self-revelation of the Trinity within human beings
and their acceptance of that revelation. '8
Both works employ Bonaventure's characteristic
method of reductio (the "reduction" or "retracing" of things
to their origin)." As Bougerol explains it,
The reduction is not merely a technique - it is the
soul of the return to God; and since all knowledge
depends on principles, and principles are born
within us under the regulating and motivating ac-
tion of divine ideas, the certitudes which seem most
capable of being self-sufficient are necessarily
linked, by means of the first principles, with the
eternal reasons and their divine foundation. To re-
duce, then, the truth of any judgment amounts to
bringing back this judgment, from condition to con-
dition, to the eternal reasons upon which it is es-
tablished .•0
The technique of reductio, however, operates differently
in the Itinerarium and the Breviloquium. In the
eye of intelligence must be raised to the contuition of the most Blessed
Trinity." Itin. 1.2,6.l.
58Brevil., prol., 2. The distinction between these two ways of arriving
at a knowledge of God is concisely described by Francisco Chavero
Blanco, Imago Dei: Aproximacion a la Antropologia Teologica de San
Buenaventura (Murcia: Publicaciones del Instituto Teologico
Franciscano. 1993). 196·20l.
590n the notion of reductio, basic to Bonaventure's theology, see
Bougerol, Introduction, 75-77. For more detail see Guy Allard "La
technique de la Reductio chez Bonaventure" in S. Bonaventura i274-
1974, vol. 2, ed. Jacques G. Bougerol (Rome: Collegio S. Bonaventura
Grottaferrata. 1974). 395·416.
6°Bougerol, Introduction, 76.
INTRODUCTION XXXVII
Itinerarium, "as the mind speculates the various 'gradus'
of the created order, it increasingly perceives the relation-
ship of all reality to God. In this way the reductio leads
from the inferior through the intermediate to the supe-
rior"" As one comes to know the layers of reality in ever-
deeper ways, one arrives at a philosophical, and finally a
theological, metaphysics. The Breviloquium, in contrast,
is grounded in theological metaphysics. It begins with the
mystery of the Trinity, and from there proceeds to "reduce"
or ''retrace" the various beliefs proposed in the Catholic
tradition to the foundational mystery of the self-diffusive
First Principle in order to demonstrate how they alliogi-
cally flow from it. "Although theology is broad and varied
in content," Bonaventure intends to show that "it is never-
theless a single science."·2 For since theology is "discourse
about God and about the First Principle, as the highest
science and doctrine it should resolve everything in God
as its first and supreme principle."·'
As Gerken aptly states, Bonaventure's method of re-
ductio "proves nothing, but shows something. It shows,
namely, what is [already1 present in cognition."64 Follow-
ing the path blazed by Anselm's Proslogion, written "from
the point of view of one seeking to understand what he
believes,"·' in the Breviloquium Bonaventure intends to
provide his readers with a means of meditating on their
61Jay M. Hammond, "Order in the Itinerarium Mentis in Deum,"
Appendix to J. A. Wayne Hellmann, Divine and Created Order in
Bonaventure's Theology (St. Bonaventure, NY: The Franciscan Institute,
2001).212.
62Brevil. 1.1.
63Brevil., prol. 6.6.
64Gerken, 64.
65Proslogion, proem. (AC, 83). It is no accident that Bonaventure closes
the Breviloquium with a long quotation from the Proslogion. On
Anselm's influence on Bonaventure, see J. G. Bougerol, "Saint
Bonaventure et Saint Anselme," Antonianum 41 (1972): 333-361.

xxxvm ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
experience of God as self-diffusive Good so they might come
to understand how all "the things the Catholic Church
believes with its heart and confesses with its mouth" logi-
cally flow from the one foundational mystery of the Triune
God revealed in Jesus Christ. 66 We must now proceed to a
brief description of how Bonaventure goes about this task.
CONTENT
A number ofthe earliest manuscripts ofthis work give
it a fuller title: Breviloquium ad intelligentiam sacrae
scripturae et fidei christianae ("a brief discourse on un-
derstanding Holy Scripture and the Christian faith").6'
This indicates that Bonaventure's readers quickly recog-
nized that the treatise comprises two distinct parts. These
differ radically from a literary point of view and seem, at
first glance, to have two distinct objectives. The first, the
Prologue, is an articulate introduction on how to interpret
the Bible, inspired by Augustine's De doctrina christiana.
M.D. Chenu has called it "the most beautiful program of
sacred hermeneutics proposed in the 13th century."6B In
contrast, the second part of the work, as already mentioned,
is a dense, finely-tuned systematic exposition of the major
themes of Catholic doctrine. What, if any, is the connec-
tion between these two seemingly autonomous parts? For
years, authors have seen very little.
In a seminal 1940 article, Pedro Bordoy-Torrents un-
covered marked stylistic differences between the Prologue
and chapters 1 and 2 of Part I, on the one hand, and chap-
66The quoted phrase is from the passage cited from Anselm previously.
Among these is the Troyes manuscript cited above.
67
SSM_D. Chenu, La theologie comme science au XlIIe siecZe (Paris: J.
Vrin, 1957), 54: "Ie plus beau programme d'hermeneutique sacree qu'ait
propose Ie XIIIe siecle."
XXXIX
!NTRODuCTION
6
ter 5 of Part I to the end of the work, on the other. ' He
observed that in several ways the Prologue does not re-
ally seem to fit the Breviloquium: first of all, it is much too
lengthy when compared with the bo~y of the t~xt; on the
other, it reads like a lyrical narrative m comparIson to the
tightly organized arguments that follow. He conclud~d that
the Prologue was probably a revision of a universIty ser-
mon Bonaventure gave earlier in his career, probably the
"praise of Sacred Scripture" required when he was installed
as a Biblical bachelor. Most scholars have followed this
line of thought, concluding that Bonaventure combined
the two parts when he published the Breviloquium,. but
that they remained but loosely connected and contamed
quite different approaches to theology. For example, in his
Introduction to the Works ofBonaventure, Jacques Bougerol
goes so far as to split his treatment of the Breviloquium
between two different chapters. He examines the Prologue
as enunciating the principles of Biblical interpretation
necessary for understanding Bonaventure's exegetical
works; in this regard he accepts Chenu's verdict that t~e
Prologue is "clearly the program and the method of a BIb-
lical expositor, an exegete."'· On the other hand, Bougerol
describes the body of the Breviloquium as Bonaventure's
"manual of theology," summarizing his teaching in th;
Commentary on the Sentences and disputed questions ..
Bougerol recognizes that in both sections Bonaventure IS
trying to explain "the truth of theology," but in th~ Pro-
logue he is considering theology as the revealed Wlsdom
69PMM. Barday-Torrents, "Technicas diverge~tes en la redaccion del
Breviloquio de S. Bonaventura," Cientia .~om"sta (1940): 442-451. He
sees chapters 3 and 4 as forming a transltion between the two pa~s.
70Chenu, La theologiel 54: "mais sont programme et methode dun
expositor, d'un exegete."
7lBougerol, Introduction, 88-94; 108-112.
 XL ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
of God (Scripture), while in the body of the text, he consid-
ers it as the human attempt to penetrate divine revela-
tion.
More recently, several scholars have re-examined this
question, suggesting that Bonaventure did intend the
Prologue - whether a revision of an earlier sermon or
not - precisely to serve as the introduction to the sys-
tematic body of the treatise. They do not believe that
Scripture and systematic theology can be as neatly dis-
tinguished as Bougerol would have them.72 Despite the
vast differences in style, both sections of the Breviloquium
share the same basic understanding of the nature ofthe-
ology.73 Bonaventure makes it clear that for a Christian
any attempt to do 'theology' - that is, to speak meaning:
fully of God, must flow from one's personal acceptance of
God's self-communication. This is evident in the intro-
ductory paragraphs of the Prologue. 74 Citing Paul's Let-
ter to the Ephesians, Bonaventure begins by "bowing my
knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," for he
wishes to remind theologians of their natural incapacity
to comprehend the divine mystery.75 The basic doctrines
of Christianity - above all, its conviction that God is Love
- are not the result of any "human inquiry," but are re-
vealed by "the Father of lights." Furthermore, this rev-
elation is not primarily something that can be objecti-
fied - words written down in sacred texts - but experien-
tial, the "inflowing of the Most Blessed Trinity," the self-
"Berube, 91-162, esp.117-130; Chavero Blanco 210-221' Falque 31-
52. ' .
73For a good brief description of Bonaventure's understanding of
theology, see Charles Carpenter, Theology as the Road to Holiness in
St. Bonaventure (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1999), 18-27.
74Brevil .• Prol, 1-5.
o 75 C,f. Brevil., pt. 5, chap, 7.4: "The truth of the First Principle is
mfimtely greater than all created truth and infinitely more radiant
than any light of our [human] understanding."
INTRODUCTION XLI
communication of God to the depths ofthe human spirit.
In short, Bonaventure views theology, "a knowledge of
the First Principle," as ultimately "a science founded upon
faith and revealed by the Holy Spirit."7.
Theology thus speaks of God, the First Principle, as
known by faith. But what does faith know? It is important
to grasp the way Bonaventure understands the 'object of
faith' (credibile), as it is key for understanding the under-
lying connection between the two sections of the
Breviloquium. Already, in his Commentary on the Sen-
tences, Bonaventure explained that the virtue of faith,
Sacred Scripture, and systematic theology all are focused
on the same 'object' - God as known by faith - but in a
progressively deepening manner.77 The virtue of faith is
foundational for the other two. A person comes to faith
through the gift of the Holy Spirit; in doing so, grace trans-
forms the human mind, conforming it to the divine knowl-
edge in a deeper way. Through an illumination of the First
Truth, the Uncreated Word of God, the mind comes to ex-.
perience or 'taste' the divine mystery in a manner unavail-
able to natural reason. In the words of Hans Urs von
Balthasar,. Bonaventure views faith as "an inspired, im-
printed Word of God, a ray of the Spirit's light in US"78
Here von Balthasar is alluding to one of the richest
motifs in Bonaventure's theology, the three different di-
mensions of the Word of God. In his Collations on the
Hexaemeron, Bonaventure states: "The key of contempla-
tion is a three-fold understanding-that of the Uncreated
,
76Breuil., pt.!, chap.!; ProI,3.2.
71Jn 1 Sent., proem., q. 1, ad 5-6 ev,8).
78The Glory of the Lord, val.lI, Studies in Theological Styles: Clerical
Styles (New York: Crossroad, 1984). 280. Bonaventure calls faith "a
presence of God in the soul that transmits a kind of knowledge that is
like a resemblance, not abstracted, but imprinted" In 1 Sent., 3.1.1. ad
5 (I, 69-70).
 XLII
ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVIWQUlUM
Word through which all things were made, that of the In-
carnate Word through which all things are restored, and
that of the Inspired Word, through which all things are
revealed."'· The Uncreated Word, the full and total ex-
pression of the self-diffusion of the Father, is also the ex-
emplar of the countless ways that the Father chooses to
express himself in creation. Therefore, in the words of
Zachary Hayes, "if all things are constituted in being
through the [Uncreated] Word, and if i(is impossible to
understand a creature except through that by which it is
made, then in some way the Word is involved in all genu-
ine knowledge at whatever level."" Here Bonaventure is
giving expression to a common Scholastic maxim: "the
principle of being and knowing are the same."81 Without
the illumination ofthe Word, humanity would know noth-
ing of the underlying structures of the universe, and yet
sinful human beings have failed to recognize the source of
their knowledge and trace it back to its First Principle. As
a result, they can no longer read the ''book of creation"
effectively.82 It is only with the coming of the Incarnate
Word that the relationship of human beings to God has
again become clear. Through Christ's gift of the Spirit, the
human mind is gradually set aright to again perceive re-
ality in light of its source and thus arrive at their end.
When Bonaventure uses the term, "the Inspired Word,"
he is referring to the fact that the eternal Word of God ,
the source of all understanding, has again become actively
present in the human spirit through the working of God's
Holy Spirit.
79Hexaem., 3.2 (V, 343). Cf. Hexaem., 9.1-8, ltin., 4.3, Brevil., 4.1, De
donis, 1.5-7 (Y, 372-74, 306, 242, 458).
8°Hayes, ('Christology and Metaphysics," 892.
"Hayes, 891. Cf. Hexaem., 1.13 (V, 331).
82Breuil., pt. 2, chap. 12; Hexaem., 13.12 (V, 390).
INTRODUCTION XLIII
This is why at the beginning of the Breviloquium
Bonaventure chooses to emphasize the Pauline passage,
"may Christ dwell in your hearts through faith." For
through faith, we truly know Christ, "the Inspired Word,"
present and living within us, and thus, in at least an im-
plicit way, the mysteries of the Trinity and the Incarna-
tion, the core truths of the Christian faith. 83 Faith thus
gives the believer an intuitive insight into these funda-
mental truths of reality. For in Christ, we know the mys-
tery of God's own being, that God is Love. The transcen-
dent mystery we call God consists of an infinitely rich pri-
mal source ('the Father') that overflows to produce a Word
embodying its Goodness; in turn, these two - the Father
and Son - freely give themselves in the Spirit of love to
each other. But the mystery of God also involves the fact
that this Trinity wishes to communicate itself outside it-
self, creating other beings to which it can pour out its love.
Faith thus comes to grasp that the First Principle under-
lying the universe is self-communicating Goodness: the
source of all things, reflected in all things, drawing all
things back into the overflowing love that is its very be-
ing. This self-giving Goodness the Christian has experi-
enced concretely in the Word Incarnate, Jesus Christ, who
has poured out his life for us. All these mysteries are con-
tained in the "knowledge of Christ" and they are the 'ob-
ject of faith' that came to expression through the apostles
in the Creed. 84
83Brevil., prol., 2. Cf. pt. 7. chap. 7.4.: "that truth, to which we are
bound to assent by faith, is divine truth as it exists in its own proper
nature or in its assumed human nature." Cf. Hexaem., 8:4-5: "Now the
scope of faith consists in two things: the extreme of height and the
extreme of depth.. , The height of faith consists in understanding the
eternal God; its depth, in knowing God made human."
84Brevil., pt. 5, chap. 7.7-8.

XLIV ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUlUM
This inner, personal knowledge of God achieved
through faith in Christ has an integral and reciprocal re-
lation with Sacred Scripture. Bonaventure emphasizes
that "faith comes through hearing" the preaching of the
Gospel, and that the authoritative expression of Christ's
Word is contained in the Holy Scripture. 85 The fact that
one comes to know Christ in faith is dependent on one's
obedience to the inspired words of Scripture as proclaimed
by the Church." For Bonaventure, the Scriptures present
the object of faith (credibile) precisely as demanding the
response of faith: "the whole content with which the ca-
nonical books are concerned is the body of faith as such
{credibile ut credibile)."87 But on the other hand, it is only
if one believes in Christ that one can interpret the Bible
correctly, for its words, spoken by the Inspired Word ac-
tive in its human authors, ultimately witness to the mys-
tery of the Uncreated Word that has become Incarnate in
the person ofChrist.88 The light offaith in Christ and God's
revelation in Scripture are necessary for each other: with-
out Scripture, faith would be vague and uncertain; with-
out faith in Christ, the words of Scripture communicate
nothing.
85Hexaem., 8.2: "No one is taught in matters offaith except through
God, and this comes about through God's voice ... as the Apostle wrote
to the Romans, 'faith depends on hearing.'" Ibid., 9.6-8.
86Brevil., pt. 5, chap. 7.5: "For our faith in [the First Principle] to be
firm, our soul must be lifted up bytbe light of truth and fortified by the
testimony of authority. The first is realized through infused faith, the
second by the weight of Scripture ... Authority, then, gives support to
faith, and faith gives assent to authority. Now, authority resides
primarily in Holy Scripture, all of which was written down by the Holy
Spirit for the sake of directing the Catholic faith."
B7Brevil., pt. 1, chap. 1.4. In his Sentence Commentary, Bonaventure
states that Scripture may be properly called "divine truth as clothed
with the authority of the revealing God." In 1 Sent., proem., 1 (I, 8).
BBBrevil., prol., 2.
XLV
INTRODUCTION
For Bonaventure, "Sacred Scripture or theology is a
science that imparts to us wayfarers as much :no~ledge
of the First Principle as we need to be saved. Scnpture
does not tell us everything about the mys~ery ofGod and
God's world _ but it does reveal that the First PrmcIple IS
an infinite mystery of self-communicative love. God:s Word
_ as Uncreated and Incarnate - to whom the Scnptures
testify _ is a Word who has formed creatures in .order to
share the divine life and who became human to bnng them
that life in its fullness. "The Word express~s the Fath~r
and the things made through him, and he IS foremo~t m
leading uS to the unity of the Father who bri~gs al~ thmgs
t ogethe <.
~"8' The words of Scripture tell of th,S saVIng pur-
"s dS'
pose of the self_communicating <:,od. ~~ so ac~e cnp-
ture proceeds, by supernatural mspIratIon, to gIVe us .hu-
man wayfarers as much knowledge as we nee~ to achieve
· Its teaching exists so that we mIght become
sa1vat IOn. . . . . .' fi' t
be saved."'. Bonaventure's pnncIples or m er-
goo d a dn. . . ' .
preting the Bible in the Prologue reflect thIS. conVIctIOn,
and as such, are faithful to the teaching of h,S predeces-
sors in the Franciscan school at Pa;is. They emphasIz~d
that Scripture has been providentIally des:gned for ItS
purpose ofleading people to the fullness of hfe. T~e mar-
'd th' of Scripture: the multiplicity of its hterary
l
veous ep . . 'dd t'l't
styles the concreteness of its imagery, ItS VIVI e aI ,IS
seemi~gly unsophisticated style - is so that the message
of salvation may reach the largest number of people pos-
sible and to move their hearts to action, not simply present
an abstract doctrine.91 This is also why theology cannot be
"Hexaem. 1. 17 (V: 332).
90Brevil prol, 3; 5.2. 11th
91Cf B ., il 4 3 On these points Bonaventure follows c ose y e
h:n r~~ the' Summa fratris Aiexandri. Cf. Alexandri de Hales:
~:~~agTheologica (Quaracchi: Collegium S. Bonaventurae, 1924), Trac.
intro.,1.4.4.3·4 (1: 10-12).
XLVI ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUIUM
scientific in the same way as other sciences, for it deals
with particular facts of history, not general conclusions.
But this is precisely why Scripture employs the mode of
authority: its certainty is not the result of rational analy-
sis in the manner of other sciences; rather, it uses the
modes of narration and examples to invite people to re-
spond in faith to God's Word.92
If Scripture presents the credibile - God's self-com-
munication - as something to which we must respond to
in faith (credibile ut credibile), the work ofthe theologian
is to present it in a way that is intelligible (credibile ut
intelligibile). Citing Augustine in this regard, Bonaventure
states: "what we believe we owe to authority, what we
understand, to reason."" He believed it was his task as a
theologian to attempt to help people understand their faith
experience. As we have already seen, Bonaventure com-
posed the Breviloquium precisely to "give reasons" so that
those beginning the study of theology "might understand
the truths offaith."'4
However, we must remember that when Bonaventure
speaks of theologians "giving reasons" in order to under-
stand faith, he does not mean that they attempt to bal-
ance the claims offaith and reason or simply use the fruits
of rational inquiry ('natural philosophy') to understand
the truths of faith. For just as Scripture cannot be under-
stood properly without faith in Christ, so too theology can
only be done from within the new intellectual perspective
"Summa fratris Alexandri., 1.4.4.1-2 (1: 7·10). See Brevil. 5.1-3.
93Brevil.,. pt. I, chap, 1.4.
94Brevil .• prol., 6.5. Of. Hexaem., 10.4: ''Note that some objects of faith
are not understandable through reason, they are particular facts, such
as Abraham begot Isaac; other objects of faith should be understood
(quodam autem credibilia Bunt intelligenda), and when they are
understood, they are supported by solid reasons."
INTRODUCTION XLVII
achieved through faith in Christ. The theologian works
out of'the light offaith' - an emanation ofthe divine light
within the human mind which changes one's view of real-
ity. For Bonaventure, as Anselm before him, theology is
above all the intellectus fidei - an attempt to understand
more deeply the experience of faith, an attempt in which
God's indwelling Spirit gradually enlightens the human
mind beyond its natural capacities to grasp the ultimate
nature of reality:
The object of faith is above reason ... as acquired
knowledge, but not above reason elevated by faith
and by the gifts of knowledge and understanding.
For faith elevates the mind to assent (to God's self-
communication); knowledge and understanding
elevate to understanding what is believed.""
The theologian may well use the insights of scientific
and philosophical inquiry, but as integrated into the per-
spective of the light offaith. ,.
Let us look once again at Bonaventure's procedure in
the body of the Breviloquium from this perspective. In each
chapter, Bonaventure first states some aspect of the 'ob-
ject of faith' (credibile ut credibile) as proclaimed in the
Scriptures or the Church's tradition: "the true faith pre-
scribes," "sacred'doctrine teaches," "Holy Scripture teaches
95ln 1 Sent., proem., 2, ad 5 (I, 11). Of. Carpenter, "Reason alone is
incapable of making the object of faith understandable. But, again,
reason elevated by faith and the gifts of the Holy Spirit is rendered apt
to undertake such a task" (25).
96As Hayes explains, "There is a level of metaphysics which is carried
out by the theologian applying philosophical tools to faith ... This is
the point where faith draws to itself the entire philosophical
instrumentum so as to obtain a properly theological understanding of
the world of faith. At this level, the light of reason is subjected to the
light of faith ("Christology and Metaphysics," S84).
XLVIII ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQUIUM
us," "the following must be held [by faith]," etc. He then
goes on to suggest some "reason" or "explanation" so his
readers might understand why this is the case (credibile
ut intelligibile), drawing these reasons from what the
Christian faith knows of God. If we return to what was
said above about the medieval scientific method of deduc-
tive reasoning, we can say that for Bonaventure the fun-
damental insight into the nature of the self-communica-
tive God of Love that comes from "knowing Christ through
faith" functions as the indemonstrable self-evident premise
(the First Principle) for the "demonstration" of the other
truths of faith. The logic makes sense only if one has seen
the truth of the premise, a vision only possible through
"the light of faith."
The way Bonaventure constructs these arguments into
a comprehensive synthesis reflects his fundamental theo-
logical metaphysics: "The Word expresses the Father and
the things made through him, and he is foremost in lead-
ing us to the unity of the Father who brings all things
together....This is the sum of Our metaphysics: emana-
tion, exemplarity, and consummation."·' Thus, the
Breviloquium's_structure reflects the Neo-Platonic frame-
work of exitus (a 'going out') and reditus (a return) accord-
ing to which all things emanate from the ultimate good
over the course of time and return to their source in the
fullness of time.
The first three parts of the Breviloquium describe the
process of exitus ('going out'). Part I locates the origin of
this process in the fact that God is Triune: the Highest
and First Principle is itself a mystery of self-diffusive love.
The Father, the unbegotten fountain-fullness of goodness
totally communicates that goodness to the Son; these two
freely love each other in the Spirit. Part II goes on to con-
"Hexaem., 1. 17 (V: 332).
INTRODUCTION XLIX
sider the "going out" ofthe universe from God through the
Word. As the full expression of the Father's goodness the
Word is 'singular' but at the same time it expresses the
infinitely multiple possible things that God creates. Be-
cause it exists "in the Word," Bonaventure stresses the
harmonious nature of creation and its essential orienta-
tion toward its divine source and goal. He also empha-
sizes the unique status ofthe rational creature, which can
grasp adequately, albeit not completely, the truth and good-
ness of beings in such a way that it is drawn to their di-
vine source as their ultimate fulfillment. Part III describes
the negative dimension of the exitus, the "falling away" of
creation through sin, which has had a devastating impact
on human beings, in that it has rendered them incapable
of grasping the deeper significance of reality and taking
the steps necessary to achieve their fulfillment in God.
It is precisely at the mid-point in the process, at the
bottom of the descent away from God, that the Incarna-
tion occurs; Part IV describes how God's Word became
human to initiate the reditus (return) of creation to its
source, by revealing again to fallen humanity the true
meaning of their existence and through his death and res-
urrection empowering them to rise again to God. The re-
mainder of the Breviloquium details the process ofthe're-
turn.' This is accomplished through the grace of the Holy
Spirit (Part V), which transforms human beings interi-
orly so they might love God. Concretely, this grace is me-
diated through the created means ofthe sacraments (Part
VI); these are providentially designed to assist human
beings in all the various situations oflife; finally, Part VII
describes the 'end' - the final and ultimate return of all
things into the fullness of divine life.
Thus, in its own way, Bonaventure's effort to reflect on
the unity of Christian faith in this "brief discourse"
achieves what he said about Scripture itself:
L ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVlLOQUIUM
And so the whole course of this world is shown to
run in a most orderly fashion from beginning to an
end, like an artfully composed melody. In it, one
can contemplate ... the diversity, multiplicity, and
symmetry, the order, rectitude, and exceilence, of
the many judgments that proceed from the divine
wisdom governing the universe. Just as no one can
appreciate the loveliness of a song unless one's per-
spective embraces it as whole, so none of us can
see the beauty of the order and governance of the
world without an integral view of its course.'s
In our own day, the great theologian Henri de Lubac
observed: "The Breviloquium of Saint Bonaventure, in its
harmonious density, manifests a power of total synthesis,
perhaps never equaled."" As Gerson said long ago, it does
not make for easy reading, yet its riches "remain ever-new
and enchanting."
98Brevil .• prol, 2.4.
99Exegese medievale, Part 2, 1 (Paris: Aubier, 1961),425.
BREVILOQUIUM
PROLOGUE
1. For ·this reason I bow my knees before the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every fatherhood in
heaven and on earth takes its name, that he would grant
you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened
through his Spirit with power in your inner being, and
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that
being rooted and grounded in love, you may be able to com·
prehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length,
height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that sur-
passes all knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the
fullness of God. 1
In these words, the great "doctor of the Gentiles and
preacher of truth," filled with the Holy Spirit as a chosen
and sanctified instrument,' discloses the source, procedure,
and purpose of Holy Scripture, which is called theology. 3
For he intimates that Scripture takes its origin from an
inflowing of the Most Blessed Trinity; that its manner of
'Eph 3:14-19.
2 Antiphon for the Magnificat on the feast of the Conversion of St.
Paul (Jan. 25); cf. Acts 9:15.
3 Bonaventure uses here an earlier Scholastic terminology that
identified Christian theology with Scripture. Further on (pt. 1, chap.
1), he distinguishes another sense of theology, i.e., systematic reflection
on God's revelation.
2 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
proceeding corresponds to the demands of our human ca-
pacities; and that its purpose or fruit is a superabundance
of overflowing happiness.
2. Scripture does not take its starting-point in human
inquiry; rather it flows from divine revelation, coming
down from the Father of lights, 4 from whom every father-
hood in heaven and on earth receives its name. It is from
him, through his Son, Jesus Christ, that the Holy Spirit
flows also into us. It is through that same Spirit, who ap-
portions gifts and allots to each one according to his will,s
that faith is given, and it is through faith that Christ dwells
in our hearts. This is the knowledge of Jesus Christ, from
which source the authority and the understanding of all
Sacred Scripture flow. Hence, no one can begin to compre-
hend it, unless that person has first been infused with
faith in Christ - the lamp, the door, and the very founda-
tion of all Scripture. 6 For as long as we are away from the
<I Jas 1:17. Bonaventure clearly distinguishes the Bible from all of
the other textbooks used by his students on the basis of its origin. In
contrast to the natural sciences that follow an Aristotelian inductive
model, the "divine science" of theology is based on God's self-
communication, thus surpassing all human knowledge: "There is a
science which consists in a purely speculative understanding founded
on the principles of human reason, acquired from a knowledge of
creatures. But there is another, which consists in an understanding
inclined by the affections ... not acquired in any way from creatures;
this is the science of Sacred Scripture which no one can have unless
faith is infused within" In 3 Sent., 38.un.2 (III, 776). Cf. De donis, 4.2-
13 (V,474-76).
'1 Cor 12:11.
6For Bonaventure all of God's self~communication takes place through
the mystery of the divine Word, the self~expression of the Father's fontal
goodness, through whom all things were created; in Jesus Christ this
eternal Word has been outwardly expressed in space and time. Christ
is thus the "abbreviated Word" whose life and death sum up everything
God wished to reveal. It is therefore only through a living faith in the
Incarnate Word that one learns to read the words ofthe book of Scripture
correctly.
PROLOGUE 3
Lord,' it is faith that, of all the supernatural illumina-
tions, is the foundation that supports us, the lamp that
directs us, and the door that lets uS enter. It is according
to the measure of faith, furthermore, that any wisdom
given US by God must be gauged, lest anyone be wiser than
it behooves to be wise, but to be wise with sober judgment,
each according to the measure of faith that God has as-
signed .• And so, as the Apostle clearly intimates in the
first part of the text with which we began, it is by meanS
of faith that the knowledge of Sacred Scripture is given to
us according to the measure of the Blessed Trinity's
inflowing.'
3. The procedure of Sacred Scripture - unlike the other
sciences - is not confined by the laws of reasoning, defin-
ing, or making distinctions, nor is it limited to only one
aspect of the universe.1O Rather, it proceeds, by supernatu-
ral inspiration, to give us human wayfarers as much knowl-
edge as we need to achieve salvation. And so, in language
that is sometimes literal, sometimes symbolic, as in a kind
of summa, it describes the contents of the entire universe,
and so covers the breadth; it narrates the course of his-
tory, thus comprehending the length; it portrays the exce:-
lence of those who will ultimately be saved, thus manI-
festing the height; and it depicts the misery of those who
will be damned, thus plumbing the depth, not only of the
universe, but of the very judgments of God. In this way it
describes the breadth and length and height and depth of
the entire universe, insofar as it is expedient to have knowl-
72 Cor 5:6.
'Rom 12:3.
'Cf. Hexaem., 8·12 (V, 368-87); In 3 Sent., 23-25 (III, 469·553).
"Cf. Aristotle, PosteriorAnaiytics, 1.1-3 (Bekker ed. 71a 1-75b 25);
Metaphysics, 6.1 (1025b 1 ·1026a 31). Scripture thus differs from the
Aristotelian model of science in its method as well as its source.
 4 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlWQUlUM
edge of it for salvation. Furthermore, in the way it un-
folds, Scripture reflects this same four-fold pattern, as will
be described below. This manner of proceeding was de-
manded by the very nature of our human capacities, for
our mind was made to grasp many and great things in a
truly magnificent way. Like a certain noble mirror, it was
designed to reflect the whole complex of created reality,
not only naturally but also supernaturally. Thus, the pro-
cedure of Sacred Scripture may be considered as fully re-
sponding to the demands of our human faculties.
4. Finally, the purpose or fruit of Sacred Scripture is
not simply any kind, but the fullness of everlasting happi-
ness. For these are writings whose words are of eternal
life; they were recorded, not only that we might believe,
but also that we might possess that life everlasting,l1 in
which we shall see and love and our desires will be com-
pletely satisfied. Then we shall really know that love which
surpasses all knowledge, and thus be filled with all the
fullness of God. This is the fullness to which the divine
Scriptures would lead us, as is truly said in the words of
the Apostle I have cited above. This, then, must also be
the goal and the intention with which the Holy Scripture
is studied, taught, and even heard.
5. That we may attain this fruit and goal rightly, by
the straight path of Scripture itself, we must begin at the
source. That is, we must reach out in true faith to the Fa-
ther of lights, bending the knee of our hearts, so that
through his Son and in the Holy Spirit, he might give us a
true knowledge of Jesus Christ, and together with this
knowledge, love for him. Thus, by knowing and loving
Christ, by being confirmed in faith and rooted in love, we
11 John 6:68; cf John 20:31. In Aristotelian terms, theology is a
practical, not purely speculative, science. cr. In 1 Sent., proem.3.ad 1-3
(1,13). On the end of Scripture, see Hexaem. 14.7-11 (V,394-95).
PROLOGUE 5
may be able to know the breadth, length, height and depth
of that same Holy Scripture, and through such knowledge
attain the all-surpassing knowledge and measureless love
of the Blessed Trinity. This is the aim of the longings of all
the saints; this is the resting place and the fulfillment of
all that is true and good.
6. Once our desires and intentions are fixed upon this
end of Holy Scripture,'2 once we have both believed in their
Source and invoked him, it remains for us to explore their
unfolding, which regards their breadth, length, height, and
depth, following the path and order of the Apostle's text.
The breadth of Scripture refers to the variety of its parts;
the length, to its description oftimes and ages; the height,
to its account of the ordered levels of hierarchies; the depth,
to the multiplicity of its mystical senses and interpreta-
tions.
SECTION 1
THE BREADTH OF HOLY SCRIPTURE
1. If we wish to behold the breadth of Sacred Scrip-
ture, the first thing we discover is that Scripture is di-
vided into two Testaments, namely the Old and the New.
The Old is replete with many books: legal, historical,
sapiential, and prophetic. There are five books in the first
group, ten in the second, five in the third, and six in the
fourth, for a total of twenty-six books." Similarly, the New
Testament has books corresponding to these, arranged in
On the end of Scripture, see Hexaem., 14.7-12 (V, 394-95).
12
There was no standard division of the Biblical canon among
13
medieval theologians; this one, into four types of writings, seems to
have been first suggested by Bonaventure. With regard to the Old
Testatment, his first group (legal books) was the Jewish Torah, the five
books of the Pentateuch; his ten historical books included Joshua,
Judges, Kings I-IV, Chronicles I-II, Ezra-Nehemiah, Job, Tobit, Judith,

6 ST. BONAVENTlJRE'SBREVILOQUIUM
the same fourfold division. The Gospels correspond to the
legal books; the Acts of the Apostles, to the historical; the
letters of the Apostles, especially Paul, to the sapiential;
and the Apocalypse, to the prophetic. Thus there is a won-
drous concordance between the Old and New Testaments,
not only in the consistency of meanings, but also in their
fourfold division. This concordance is what was prefigured
and signified by Ezekiel, who saw the wheels of four faces
and a wheel within each wheeL For the Old Testament is
contained in the New, and the New in the Old. The legal
and evangelical books have the face of a lion, because of
their powerful authority; the historical, the face of an ox,
because of their convincing strength; the sapiential, the
face of a man, because of their keen wisdom; the prophetic,
the face of an eagle, because of their penetrating vision.'4
2. Now it is fitting that Sacred Scripture is divided
into an Old and a New Testament, and not into practical
and theoretical branches in the manner of philosophy. 15
This is because Scripture is properly founded in that
knowledge which stems from faith,'6 which virtue grounds
morality, justice, and all right living; therefore, one can-
not segregate in [Scripture] the knowledge of things we
should believe from the knowledge of morals. It is thus
Esther, and Maccabees I-II; the five sapiential books included Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth1, the Song of Songs, Wisdom, and Sirach; the
six prophetic books comprised Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, the
Psalms [because they point to Christ], and the Twelve Minor Prophets
[as in the Jewish tradition, considered as a unit]. This same fourfold
division was used later by Matthew ofAquasparta,lntroitus ad sacram
Scripturam, nn. 22-27, in Quaestiones disputatae De {iJie etDe cognitione
(Bib!. Fran. Scho!., 1 [Quaracchi, 19571, 18·21).
"Ez 1:4·21. Cf. Gregory the Great,InEzechielem, 1.6.12 (PL 76: 834A).
"Cf. Aristotle, Metaphysics, 2.3 (993b 19-21); Nicomachean Ethics,
6.7 (1l41b 1-16).
"Cf. In 3 Sent., 23.1.1 (III, 471).
7
PROLOGUE
distinguished from philosophy, which does not .onl y treat
the truth of morals, but also considers the truth lll. a purely
speculative fashion. Thus, because Holy Scripture IS kn~wl­
edge that moves one to good and recalls one from ev~l, .a
goal accomplished by fear and by love, it follows ~hat It .IS
divided into two Testaments which, "to put it bnefly, dlf-
"17
fer as fear does f rom 1ove.
3. Now, there are four ways a person may be prompted
toward good and drawn away from evil: namely, by the
precepts of a most powerful authority, by the teachmgs of
a most wise truth, by the examples and benefi~s of a most
innocent goodness, and finally, by a combin~tlOn of these
three ways. That is why the four kinds of ScrIptural books
were handed down in both the Old and New Testaments,
as they correspond to these four ways. The legal bo~ks
move people by the precepts. of a most po~ent authOrIty;
the historical, by the examples of a most mnocent good-
ness. the sapiential, by the teachings of a most prudent
truth; and the prophetic, by a combination of the forego-
ing, as their content clearly illustrates. Hence the.se latt.er
are, as it were, a recalling of all legal and doctrInal WIS-
dom. . h
4. Holy Scripture, then, is like a vast nver ~ at c~n-
tinually grows in size by the addition of many t~lbutanes
as its course lengthens. Scripture first began Wlth the le-
gal books. Later, the streams of wisdom f?und m the hIS-
torical books were added to it. The teachmgs of the most
wise Solomon followed; then, those of the holy prophets.
Finally, the teaching ofthe Gospel waS ~evealed, uttered
by the lips of Christ incarnate, set down m WrItIng by t.he
evangelists, and related by the holy apo~t~es, togethN Wlth
the other testimonies that the Holy Splnt, descendmg on
"Augustine, Contra Adimantum, 17.2 (PL 42: 159). Cf. below, pt. 5,
chap. 9.3.

8 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
them, taught us through them. Thus, the apostles, in-
structed in all the truth by the Spirit according to the di-
vine promise,18 could give the Church of Christ the entire
doctrine of saving truth, and by completing Holy Scrip-
ture, extend the knowledge of that truth.
SECTION 2 whose sake the larger world was created. 21
THE LENGTH OF HOLY SCRIPTURE
1. Sacred Scripture also possesses length, which con-
sists of its description of times and ages from the begin-
ning of the world until the Day of Judgment. It considers
the world's course through three times: the time of the
law of nature, that of the written law, and that of grace."
Within these~ three times, it also distinguishes six ages:
the first from Adam to Noah, the second from Noah to
Abraham, the third from Abraham to David, the fourth
from David to the Babylonian exile, the fifth from the ex-
ile to Christ, the sixth from Christ until the end of the
world; the seventh, which runs concurrently with the sixth,
commences with the repose of Jesus in the tomb, and lasts
until the general resurrection, which marks the beginning
ofthe eighth?O Thus Scripture traverses the greatest pos-
sible length, since it begins with the origin of the world
and time in the first chapter of Genesis and continues until
the end of the world and time in the closing chapters of
the Apocalypse.
18Cf. John 16:13.
18 Augustine, De Trin. 4.4.7 (PL 42: 892-93); Hugh of St. Victor, De
sacram. 1.8.3 (PL 176: 307).
20 Cf. Hugh of St. Victor, De sacram. 1.8.3; 2.2.1 (PL 176: 307, 415);
these six ages of the world are based on Augustine, De Gen. contra
Manich. 1.23 (PL 34: 190-193); De Gen. ad litt., 4.11.21: "It was on the
Sabbath Day that he rested in the tomb" (PL 34: 304), trans. John
Hammond Taylor, The Literal Meaning ofGenesis,ACW 42 (New York:
Newman Press, 1982), 116-17.
PROLOGUE 9
2. The full compass of time, running according to a
triple law - innately given, externally imposed, and in-
fused from above - rightly passes through seven ages,
reaching its consummation at the end of the sixth. For in
this way the course of the macrocosm corresponds with
that of the microcosm - namely, of the human being, for
The world's first age, when the material world was
formed, the demons fell, and the angels were confirmed in
good, fittingly parallels the first day of creation, when light
was made and separated from the darkness. The second
age, when the wicked perished in the flood and the good
were placed in the ark, parallels the second day, when the
firmament was established, separating the waters. The
third age, when Abraham was called and the synagogue
begun, that it might be fruitful and bring forth offspring
for the worship of God, corresponds to the third day, when
land appeared and brought forth vegetation. The fourth
age, in which the kingdom and the priesthood flourished
because David augmented the worship of God, corresponds
to the fourth day, when the heavenly lights and the stars
were formed. The fifth age, in which the exiles were scat-
tered and spread through many nations, corresponds to
the fifth day, in which the production of the fishes from
the waters was accomplished. The sixth age, in which
Christ, the true image of God, was born in human like-
ness, corresponds to the sixth day, in which the first hu-
man being was formed. The seventh age, which is the ev-
erlasting rest of souls, corresponds to the seventh day, on
which God rested from all the work that he had done. 22
21 Aristotle, Physics 2.2 (194a 34-35). Cf. In 2 Sent., 15.2.1 (Il, 382-
84). Bonaventure will develop the theme of the human person as
microcosm in pt. 2 of the Breuiloquium.
"Gen 2:2. Cf. Hexaem. 16 (Y,403-08).
 11
PROLOGUE

10 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM . h . 25 Just as no

the divine wisdom governmg t e UnIverse. ,
3. These seven ages are thus distinguished by the signs e can appreciate the loveliness of a song unless one s
found in their beginnings, whereby they correspond to the on . h 1 one of uS can see
perspective embraces It as woe, so n Id 'th-
days of the world's creation. The first age is also called the beauty of the order and governance of the wor w:
infancy, for just as our infancy passes into oblivion, so all t an integral view of its course. But since no mortal hves
memory of this first age was drowned in the flood. 23 The ~:n enough to see all this with bodily eyes, nor can .any
second is called childhood, because as we begin to talk at . di~ .dual foretell the future, the Holy Spirit has proVlded
m Vl . h length corre-
that age, correspondingly, it witnessed the separation of us with the book of Sacred Scnpture, ':' ose
tongues. The third is called adolescence, because as the sponds to God's governance of the UnIverse.
procreative power becomes active then, so in this age
Abraham was summoned, receiving both circumcision and SECTION 3
the promise of offspring. The fourth is called young adult- THE HEIGHT OF HOLY SCRIPTURE
hood, for just as then we are in our prime, so too in this
age the synagogue flourished under the kings. The fifth is 1 Sacred Scripture, as it unfolds, also po.ssesse~ a
called decline, for as in our declining years one's powers height, which consists of the descriptio~ ofthe hlerar~le.~
diminish and beauty fades, so the exile witnessed the di- in their ordered ranks. These hierarchIes are the edcc et~
minishment of the Jewish priesthood. The sixth is called · d th d' 'ne - or in other wor s, e
astical, the ange1lC, an e IVl 1 t" 126 The
old age, for just as human old age is linked with death but sub-celestial, the celestial, and the superce es la.. i
also possesses insight and wisdom, so too this sixth age of first is described clearly, the second somewhat .mo~e m~ -
the world ends with the Day of Judgment, but in it wis- tly and the third more obscurely still. From ItS escr~p­
rec , . h see that ScrIp-
dom advances through the teaching of Christ." tion of the ecclesiastical hlerar~ ~,we can r that it
4. And so the whole course of this world is shown by . lofty and from its descnptlOn of the ange lC .
t ure IS , . fth d" that It
Scripture to run in a most orderly fashion from beginning . loftier still and from its descriptlOn 0 e IVlne S h
to end, like an artfully composed melody. In it, one can ~: most exalted. Thus we can say with the prophet: uc
contemplate, by means of the succession of events, the di-
versity, mUltiplicity, and symmetry, the order, rectitude,
and excellence, ofthe many judgments that proceed from

25Cf. Augustine, Epist. 138.1.5. (PL 33; 52~;~n dependence on the

Gen 7:21ff. Cf. Augustine, De Gen. contra Manich., 1.23.35: ''This
23
age should be regarded as the infancy of the whole world ... the flood
came like the evening of this day, because our infancy too is wiped out
by the flood of forgetfulness" (PL 34: 190), trans. Roland Teske, On
Genesis, FC 84 (Washington, 1991), 83·84. SeeJ. de Ghellinck, "Iuventus,
gravitas, senectus," Studia Mediaeualia. in Honorem R. J. Martin
(Bruges: n.p., 1948), 39·59.
24 This Augustinian imagery (De Gen. contra Manich. 1.23 [PL 34:
190]), is further developed by Bonaventure in Hexaem" 15.12-18 (V,
400).
26This passage reveal~ Bo~av~~~ur~~s Bon!venture conceived of
writings of the Pseudo-Dl~n!SlUS, 11 eborate system of diverse yet
all reality as structure In an e a ast living organism . .. a chain
interrelated levels. "The cos~o~was a vb' of the hierarchy pass on
of mediation in which the ~lg er r.ne~ ~:neath them." See Zachary
[divine] influences to those(Nmunedy; lakt~py ulist Press 1981),16-17. See
Th H'd,den Center ew or . a , ., .
Hayes, e' (II 237-41)' Hugh of St. Victor, Expos<tw In
In 2 Sent., 9 ' praen · l' 3 and 5 (PL 175: 929·30, 931-32).
H~erarch~am Cae l es t em, .
12 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUlUM
knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I can-
not attain it.27
2. This is certainly true enough. While things have ex-
istence in matter, they have existence also in the soul
through acquired knowledge, through grace, and through
glory; and they have existence in the Eternal Art.28 Now
philosophy is concerned with things as they exist in na-
ture, or in the soul by innate or acquired knowledge, but
theology, insofar as it is a science founded upon faith and
revealed by the Holy Spirit, deals with things which con-
cern grace and glory, and even eternal Wisdom. Theology,
therefore, subjects philosophical knowledge to itself, bor-
rowing from the nature of things what it needs in order to
construct a mirror for the representation of divine reali-
ties. Thus, it erects a ladder, as it were, set up on earth but
whose top touches heaven. 29 All this is done through that
one Hierarch, Jesus Christ, who, by reason of the human
nature he assumed, is Hierarch in the ecclesiastical hier-
archy, but also in the angelic hierarchy, and is the middle
person of that supercelestial hierarchy of the Blessed Trin-
ity. Through him, from the very height of God, the grace of
unction descends not only upon the beard, but even to the
skirt of his garment: 30 not only upon the heavenly Jerusa-
lem, but even to the Church Militant.
3. For there is great beauty in the world machine;31
and far greater beauty in the Church, which is adorned
"Ps 139:6; Cf. In 1 Sent., 36.2.2 (1, 625); Augustine, De Gen. ad litt.,
2.8.16-19; 4.29.46 and 31.48 (PL 34: 269-70, 315, 316).
28 In Bonaventure's writings, the Eternal Art means the Wisdom of
God as it exists in the Word, containing in perfection all things that the
Father wishes to bring forth in the work of creation.
29Gen 28:12.
sops 133:2. Cf. In 3 Sent., 13.2.1-3 (III, 283-90);
31This metaphor of"world machine" will be developed by Bonaventure
in pt. 2, chaps. 1-5.
PROLOGUE 13
with the splendor of the gifts of holiness; but an even
greater beauty lies in that heavenly Jerusalem; and the
greatest beauty of all is to be found in that supreme and
most blessed Trinity. Not only, then, do the Scriptures pos-
sess a most lofty subject matter, which engages our mind
and raises aloft its vision, but they themselves are most
elegant, delighting the intellect in a certain wondrous man-
ner;32 thus, as they deepen this pleasure more and more,
they ready us for contuitions33 and anagogical visions of
divine marvels.
SECTION 4
THE DEPTH OF HOLY SCRIPTURE
1. Finally, Scripture has depth, which consists in the
multiplicity of its mystical understandings. For, besides
its literal meaning, in many places it can be interpreted
in three ways: allegorically, morally, and anagogically. Al-
legory occurs when by one thing is indicated another which
is a matter of belief. The tropological or moral understand-
ing occurs when, from something done, we learn some-
thing else that we should do. The anagogical meaning, a
kind of "lifting upwards," occurs when we are shown what
it is we should desire, that is, the eternal happiness of the
blessed. 34
"Augustine, Enarrat. in Ps. 32, 2.25 (PL 36: 298).
33 Contuition might be translated as "concomitant gaze, insight, or
grasp.» Bonaventure uses it to describe the act of knowing peculiar to
human beings, in which the soul has an implicit, if not necessarily
clear, grasp of Truth itself, the Uncreated Word or Eternal Art, as it
comes to mow any sensible reality. See Bernard McGinn, The Flowering
of Mysticism: Men and Women in the New Mysticism, 1200-1350 (New
York: Crossroad, 1998), 109. Cf. alsoBc. Chr., q. 4; Red. art. 18 (V, 22-24,
324).
34 In this section Bonaventure summarizes the heritage of patristic
and earlier medieval Biblical interpretation; the basic textbook on

14 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVlLOQUIUM
2. It is right that Scripture should have this three-fold
sense over and above the literal sense, for this is appro-
priate to the subject matter of Scripture, its hearer or stu-
dent, its origin, and its end.
It is appropriate to its subject matter, for this is a teach-
ing, which deals with God, with Christ, with the works of
redemption, and with the content of belief. In terms of its
substance, its subject is God; in terms ofits virtue, Christ;
in terms of the action described, the works of redemption;
and in terms of all these things together, the content of
belief. 35 Now, God is three and one: one in essence and
three in person. Therefore, Scripture, which is concerned
with God, contains within the unity of the letter a three-
fold understanding. The same is true of Christ: though
the Word is one, all things are said to have been made
through him,'· and shine forth in him, so that his wisdom
is both manifold and one. 37 Similarly, though the works of
redemption are many, they all look toward the one princi-
pal offering of Christ. Finally, the content of belief as such
sheds its light in different ways according to the differing
states of believers. Scripture, then, responding to all these
circumstances, gives us many-faceted meanings in the one
text.
3. The manifold meaning of Scripture is also appropri-
ate to its hearer. For no one is a suitable hearer of Scrip-
exegesis for medieval Christians was Augustine's De doctrina
christiana; this had been updated by Hugh of St. Victor's Didascalicon
(here 5.2 [PL 176: 789C· 790C]). These three classic spiritual senses
were distinguished by John Cassian in his Conferences (14.8 [PL 49:
962-65]). For a good treatment of the development of this style of
exegesis, see G. W. H. Lampe and Jean Leclercq, "The Exposition and
Exegesis of the Scripture ... to St. Bernard," in The Cambridge History
of the Bible (Cambridge: University Press, 1969), Volume 2, 155-197.
"Cf. In 1 Sent., proem.1 (1, 7); In 3 Sent., 1.2-3, 2.1-3 (III, 539-551).
36John 1:3.
"Cf. Sc. Chr., 7 (V,37-43).
PROLOGUE
15
38
ture without being humble, pure, faithful, and attentive.
So, as a deterrent to pride, under the husk of the obvious
literal meaning are hidden profound mystical understand-
ings. This depth of meaning lying within the humble let-
ter of the text abashes the arrogant, keeps out the un-
clean, drives away the deceitful, and arouses the idle to
an understanding of the mysteries. '9 Also, the hearers of
this doctrine are not all of one kind, but are of all types -
for every person who would be saved should know some-
thing ofit ..• Therefore, Scripture has a manifold meaning
so that it may win over every mind, meeting each at its
own level while remaining superior to all, illuminating
and setting afire with shafts of love every mind that
searches it with care.
4. The manifold meaning of Scripture is also appropri-
ate to its source. For it came from God, through Christ
and the Holy Spirit, who spoke through the prophets and
the other holy people who committed this teaching to writ-
ing.41 Now God speaks not with words alone, but also
through deeds, because with God to say is to do, and to do
is to say. All created things, being the result of God's ac-
tion, point towards their cause. So, in Scripture, which has
been handed on to us by God, deeds no less than words
have meaning. Again, Christ the teacher, lowly though he
waS in the flesh, remained exalted in his divinity. It was
fitting, therefore, that he and his teachings should be
humble in word yet profound in meaning, so that just as
Christ was wrapped in swaddling clothes, so the wisdom
of God in Scriptures should be enveloped in humble im-
ages.42 Finally, the Spirit gave enlightenment and revela-
"Augustine,De doct. christ. 2.41.62 (PL 34: 64-65).
39 Ibid. 2.6.7 ff. (PL 34: 38-39).
<OCf. In 3 Sent., 25.1.3 (III, 334-35).
"Cf. 1 Peter 1:21. For the following, see In 1 Sent., 27.2.2 (I, 541-43).
"Cf. Luke 2:7; Origen, In Levit. 1.1 (PG 12: 405).
16 ST. BONAVENTURE's BREVILOQUIUM
tions to the hearts of the prophets in various ways. No
mind can remain hidden from the Spirit of God, who has
been sent to teach the truth in its entirety. Hence, it is
fitting that the Spirit's teaching should harbor several
meanings within a single passage.
5. This multiplicity of meanings is equally appropri-
ate to the end of Scripture. For Scripture was given so
that we human beings might be guided in what we must
know and what we must do, so that we might come at last
to the things for which we should hope. Because all crea-
tures have been made to serve us in our ascent to our heav-
enly homeland,43 Scripture takes on the various aspects
of creatures, so that through them it might teach us the
wisdom, which guides us to eternal life. But we will not be
guided to eternal life unless our intellect knows the truth
we should believe, unless our will chooses the good that
we should do, and unless our affections yearn to see God
and to love and enjoy him. Thus, Sacred Scripture, given
to us by the Holy Spirit, takes up the book of creation,
making it relate to its own end through a three-fold man-
ner of understanding. The tropological meaning lets us
know what we should resolutely do; the allegorical mean-
ing, what we should truly believe; the anagogical mean-
ing, what we should desire for our eternal delight. In this
way, cleansed by virtuous deeds, illumined by radiant faith,
and made perfect by burning love, we may come at last to
the prize of eternal happiness.
43 Cf. In 3 Sent., 15.2.1 (II, 327-29).
PROLOGUE 17
SECTION 5
THE MODE OF PROCEDURE OF HOLY SCRIPTURE
1. Among all the many kinds of wisdom that are con-
tained in the breadth, length, height, and depth of Sacred
Scripture, there is one common way of proceeding: that of
authority. Grouped within this are the modes of narra-
tion, precept, prohibition, exhortation, instruction, threat,
promise, supplication, and praise. All of these modes may
be placed under the one general mode of proceeding by
authority, and quite rightly so.
2. For this teaching exists so that we might become
good44 and be saved, and this is not achieved through bare
speculation, but by an inclination of the will. Sacred Scrip-
ture, therefore, had to be handed down in the way that
would most incline us [to this end]. Now, the affection is
moved more strongly by examples than by arguments,
more by promises than by reasoning, more by devotions
than by definitions. That is why Scripture had to avoid
the mode of proceeding by definition, division, and syn-
thesis, in order to prove the properties of some subject, as
do the other sciences. 45 Rather, "it had to adapt its own
modes to the various dispositions of peoples' minds that
incline those minds differently. Thus, if some are not moved
to heed precepts and prohibitions, they may be moved by
the examples narrated; if they are not moved by these,
they may be moved by the benefits held out to them; and
if they are not swayed by these, they may be moved by
wise admonitions, trustworthy promises, or terrifying
threats, and thus be stirred to devotion and the praise of
44The end afmaral science, according to Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics
2.2 [ll03b 28]). Cf. Bonaventure, In 1 Sent., proem., q. 3 (I, 12·13).
"Aristotle, Posterior Anolytics, 1.2 and 7 (71b 8·71b 4; 75a 39·b 6).
Cf.Augustine,De doct. chris. 2.31 and 36, 48 and 54 (PL 34: 58 and 60).
18 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQWUM
God, thereby receiving grace which will guide them in vir-
tuous deeds.
3. Now, these narrative modes cannot proceed by way
of certitude based on reasoning, because particular facts
do not admit of formal proof." Therefore, lest Scripture
seem doubtful and consequently lose some of its power to
move us, God has given it, in place of a certitude based on
reasoning, a certitude based on authority, which is so great
that it surpasses the keenest of human minds. The au-
thority of someone who can deceive and be deceived is not
absolutely certain; but there is no one who cannot be de-
ceived and is incapable of deceiving but God and the Holy
Spirit. That is why Sacred Scripture, so that it might be
perfectly authoritative, as it should be, was handed down
not though human inquiry but by divine revelation.
4. No passage of Scripture, then, should be dismissed
as useless, scorned as false, or rejected as evil, for its all-
perfect author, the Holy Spirit, could not say anything false,
superfluous, or trivial. This is why heaven and earth will
pass away, but the words of Sacred Scripture will not pass
away without being fulfilled. 4 ' For until heaven and earth
pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass
from the law, until it all is fulfilled, as our Savior affirms.
Therefore, whoever breaks what Scripture teaches, and so
teaches others, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven;
but whoever does and teaches it will be called great in the
kingdom of heaven. 48
46 Aristotle,Posterior Analytics 1.18:"It is sense perception alone which
is adequate for grasping the particulars: they cannot be the object of
scientific knowledge" (81b 6-7), trans. Richard McKeon, The Basic Works
ofAristotle (New York: Random House, 1941), 136. Cf. Bonaventure,In
3 Sent., 24.dub. 3 (III, 530).
"Matt 24:25.
"Matt 5:18-19.
PROLOGUE 19
SECTION 6
THE MODE OF EXPOUNDING HOLY SCRIPTURE
1. Because Scripture has this special mode of proceed-
ing, it should be understood and expounded i? a way that
corresponds to it. Since it hides several meanmgs under a
single text, the expositor must bring hidden things to
light;49 that is, once a meaning has been brought forth, to
clarify it through another, more evident Scriptural pas-
sage. For instance, if I were expounding the words of the
Psalm [35:2]: Take hold of arms and shield, and rise up to
help me, and wanted to explain what is meant by the di-
vine 'arms,' I would say that these are God's truth and
good will. I would then use a more explicit Biblical pas-
sage to prove that this is so. For it is written elsewhere:
You have crowned us, as with a shield of your good w,ll,
and again, His truth shall compass you with a shield. 50 No
one will find this kind of thing an easy task except by long
practice in reading the text, committing its literal sense
to memory. Otherwise that person will never have any real
capacity to expound the Scriptures. One who is too proud
to learn the letters that make up a word can never under-
stand the meaning of those words or of grammatical con-
structions; so too, the one who scorns the letter of Sacred
Scripture will never rise to interpreting its spiritual mean-
ings.
2. The interpreter should realize, however, that one
should not look for an allegorical sense everywhere, and
that not everything should be given a mystical interpre-
tation. In this regard, it must be noted that Holy Scrip-
"Job 28:11.
50PS 5:13; 91: 5. Cf. Hexaiim., 19 (V, 419-24).
20 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
ture has four parts. 51 The first deals in a literal way with
forms of beings in this world, but through them also signi-
fies our redemption, as appears in the accounts of the
world's creation. A second treats the actions and wander-
ings of the people ofIsrael, through which it points to the
redemption of the whole human race. The third, using plain
words, signifies and expresses all that concerns our re-
demption in terms of faith and morals. The fourth an-
nounces the mystery of this salvation, partly in plain words
and partly in those that are enigmatic and obscure. Con-
sequently, a uniform method of exposition should not be
used in explaining these various parts of Scripture.
3. Therefore, in explaining Holy Scripture the inter-
preter should be guided by three rules, which may be
drawn from St. Augustine's book, On Teaching Christian-
ity.52 The first is this: where the primary signification of
the words denote created realities or individual acts of
human behavior, in the first instance they refer to the facts
signified by these words, but then secondly to the myster-
ies of our redemption. But where the primary significa-
tion of the words expresses some aspect of faith or love,
then one has no need to look for any allegorical meaning.
The second rule is this: when the words of Scripture
signifY created realities or an aspect of the life of the people
of Israel, there the interpreter must use some other part
of Scripture to find what each thing signifies, and then
elicit the meaning of that passage using words which
51 The rest of this paragraph is taken from Robert Grosseteste, De
cessatione legalium, 1.9.4, ed. Richard Dales and Edward King, Auctores
Britannici Medii Aevi, 7 (London: Oxford University Press, 1986),49.
" Although ultimately culled from Augostine (De doct. chris. 3.10.14
If.; 2.9.14 [PL 34: 71 If. and 421. the "rules" Bonaventure cites in this
section (including the example from the Song of Songs) simply condense
those proposed by Grosseteste in De cessatione legalium, 1.9.5-8 [49-
511.
PROLOGUE 21
plainly signifY some truth of our faith or of some correct
principle of morality. For instance, if the text says: The
sheep all bear twins,53 the interpreter must show that here
'sheep' mean human beings, and 'twins,' the two kinds of
love.
The third rule is this: When a certain Scriptural pas-
sage has a possible literal and spiritual meaning, the in-
terpreter ought to judge whether that passage relates bet-
ter to the literal or to a spiritual meaning - if, that is, it
cannot be accepted in both senses. For ifit can be accepted
in both senses, then it ought to be given both a literal arid
a spiritual interpretation. But if it is capable of only one
interpretation, then it must be taken in the spiritual sense
alone. Examples of this are the statements that the law of
the Sabbath has perpetual force, that the cultic priest-
hood is eternal, that Israel's possession of the land is un-
ending, and that the covenant of circumcision is everlast-
ing. 54 All of these statements have to be referred to their
spiritual meaning. '
4. And, bearing on this: If one is to advance through
the forest of Sacred Scripture, hacking with an ax and
thus laying it open, it is first necessary to have acquired a
knowledge of the explicitly expressed truth of the actual
text of that Holy Scripture. In other words, one needs to
know how Scripture describes the beginnings, progress,
and final end of the two groups of people who confront
each other from opposing sides: the good, who humble
themselves in this world, so that they might be exalted
forever in the world to come, and the wicked, who exalt
themselves in this world, but who will be crushed eter-
nally in the next. 55
53 Cant 4:2. The ''two kinds oflove" are love of God and love of neighbor.
54References are, respectively. Ex 12:14, Ex 40:13, Gen 17:8, and Gen
17:13.
"C£ Matt 25: 31-46; 23: 12.
22 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVIWQUlUM
Scripture, then, deals with the whole universe: the
highest and the lowest, the first and the last, and every-
thing that comes between. In a sense, it takes the form of
an intelligible cross on which the entire world machine
can be described's and in some way seen in the light ofthe
mind. To understand this cross, one must know about God,
the First Principle of all things, about the creation of those
things, about their fall, about their redemption through
the blood of Jesus Christ, about their reformation through
grace, about their healing through the sacraments, and
finally, about their remuneration through punishment or
everlasting glory.
5. However, this teaching [God's plan of salvation] has
been transmitted, both in the writings of the saints and in
those of the doctors, in such a diffuse manner that those
who come to learn about Sacred Scripture are not able to
read or hear about it for a long time. In fact, beginning
theologians often dread Sacred Scripture itself, feeling it
to be as confusing, disordered, and uncharted as some im-
penetrable forest. That is why my colleagues have asked
me, from my own modest knowledge, to draw up some con-
cise summary of the truth of theology. Yielding to their
requests, I have agreed to compose what might be called a
brief discourse [breviloquium]. In it I will summarize not
all the truths of our faith, but some things that are more
opportune [for such students] to hold. At the same time, I
have added, under each topic treated, some explanation
so that they might understand it.
6. Because theology is, indeed, discourse about God and
about the First Principle, as the highest science and doc-
trine it should resolve everything in God as its first and
supreme principle. That is why, in giving the reasons for
everything contained in this little work or tract, I have
56 Again, on this metaphor, see Part II, chapters 1-5,
PROLOGUE 23
attempted to derive each reason from the First Principle,
in order to demonstrate that the truth of Sacred Scrip-
ture is from God, that it treats of God, is according to God,
and has God as its end" It will be seen, therefore, that
this science has true unity and order, and that it is not
improperly called theology. If, therefore, anything here is
found to be imperfect, obscure, superfluous, or inaccurate,
let indulgence be granted because of my pressing busi-
ness, brevity of time, and poverty of knowledge; if any-
thing is found to be good, let honor and glory be referred
to God alone."
In order to make sure that the development is lucid, I
have taken the trouble to set down in advance the par-
ticular chapter headings, to aid the memory and give a
clearer prospect of what will be treated. There will be in
this work seven parts, containing in all seventy-two chap-
ters.
Here ends the Prologue
THE CHAPTERS OF THE BREVILOQUIUM
The first part, on the Trinity of God, has nine chap-
ters. These are:
First, a summary of the seven topics of theology.
Second, what we must hold concerning the Trinity of
persons and the unity of essence.
Third, the right understanding of this belief.
Fourth, the Catholic expression of this belief.
Fifth, the unity of the divine nature in relation to a
diversity of manifestations.
Sixth, the unity of the divine nature in relation to mul-
tiple appropriations.
57 Or, in Aristotelian terms, that God is the efficient, material, formal,
and final cause of theology.
"I Tim 1:17.
24 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVJWQUlUM
Seventh, God's omnipotence.
Eighth, God's wisdom, predestination, and foreknowl-
edge.
Ninth, God's will and providence.
The second part, on the creation of the world, has
twelve chapters. These are:
First, the production of the universe.
Second: how physical nature came into existence.
Third, the existence of physical nature.
Fourth, the operation and influence of physical nature.
Fifth, the manner in which these things are described
in Scripture.
Sixth, the production of the higher spirits.
Seventh, the apostasy of the demons,
Eighth, the confirmation of the good angels.
Ninth, the production of the human soul.
Tenth, the production of the human body.
Eleventh, the production of the whole human compos-
ite.
Twelfth, the completion and ordering of the whole
world once it was made.
The third part, on corruption of sin, has eleven chap-
ters. These are:
First, the origin of evil in general.
Second, the temptation of our first parents.
Third, the transgression of our first parents.
Fourth, the punishment of our first parents.
Fifth, the contamination of original sin.
Sixth, the transmission of original sin.
Seventh, the cure of original sin.
Eighth, the origin of actual sin.
Ninth, the origin and division of the capital sins.
Tenth, the origin and nature of penal sin.
Eleventh, the origin offinal sins, which are sins against
the Holy Spirit.
PROLOGUE 25
The fourth part, on the Incarnation of the Word, has
ten chapters:
First, the reason why the Incarnation ofthe Word of
God was necessary or fitting.
Second, the Incarnation with regard to the union of
natures.
Third, how the Incarnation came about.
Fourth, the Incarnation in the fullness of time.
Fifth, the fullness of grace in Christ considered in the
gifts in his affections.
Sixth, the fullness of wisdom in the intellect of Christ.
Seventh, the perfection of merits in his deeds.
Eighth, the passion of Christ with respect to the con-
dition of the one who suffered.
Ninth, the passion of Christ with respect to the nature
of his sufferings.
. Tenth, the passion of Christ with respect to the effects
of his sufferings.
The fifth part, on the grace of the Holy Spirit, has ten
chapters:
First, grace as a gift of God.
Second, grace as the condition of meritorious deeds.
Third, grace considered as a remedy for sin.
Fourth, how grace branches out into the habits of the
virtues.
Fifth, how grace branches out into the habits of the
gifts.
Sixth, how grace branches out into the habits of the
beatitudes, and consequently, of the fruits and of the
spiritual senses.
Seventh, the exercise of grace as regards what is to be
believed.
Eighth, the exercise of grace as regards what is to be
loved.
26 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
Ninth, the exercise of grace as regards observing the
precepts and counsels.
Tenth, the exercise of grace as regards petition and
prayer.
The sixth part, on the sacramental remedy, has thir-
teen chapters:
First, the source of the sacraments.
Second, how the sacraments have varied.
Third, the number and division of the sacraments.
Fourth, the institution of the sacraments.
Fifth, the administration of the sacraments.
Sixth, the repetition of the sacraments.
Seventh, the nature and integrity of Baptism.
Eighth, the integrity of Confirmation.
Ninth, the integrity of the Eucharist.
Tenth, the integrity of Penance.
Eleventh, the integrity of Extreme Unction.
Twelfth, the integrity of Order.
Thirteenth, the integrity of Matrimony.
The seventh part, on the repose of the final judgment,
has seven parts:
First: the judgment in general.
Second: the antecedents of the judgment: the punish-
ment of purgatory.
Third: the antecedents of the judgment: the suffrages
of the Church.
Fourth: the concomitants ofthe judgment: the confla-
gration of fire.
Fifth: the concomitants of the judgment: the resurrec-
tion of bodies.
Sixth: the consequents to the judgment: the infernal
punishment.
Seventh and last: the glory of paradise.
PART I
ON THE TRINITY OF GOD
CHAPTER 1
A SUMMARY OF THE SEVEN TOPICS OF THEOLOGY
1. In the beginning,' we should understand that sa-
cred doctrine, namely theology, which deals principally
with the First Principle - God, three and one - comprises
seven topics in all: first, the Trinity of God; second, the
creation of the world; third, the corruption of sin; fourth,
the Incarnation of the Word; fifth, the grace of the Holy
Spirit; sixth, the healing of the sacraments; and seventh,
the repose of the final judgment.
2. The reason for this is as follows. Sacred Scripture or
theology is a science that imparts to us wayfarers as much
knowledge ofthe First Principle as we need to be saved.'
1 The Latin word-play in this opening paragraph is virtually
impossible to capture in English. Bonaventure begins his summary of
theology with the opening words of the book of Genesis and the Gospel
of Johri: 'in the beginning,' in principia. However, the Latin word
principium does not simply mean 'beginning,' but also 'principle.' The
origin of all things - God - is also their principle, thus the only basis
from which to come to understand reality.
2Bonaventure has already specified the characteristics of this science.
It is founded not on "human inquiry, but on divine revelation" (Prol., 2),
and has as its purpose "that we might become good and be saved" (Prol.,
5.2). Its method is "neither restricted according to the laws ofreasoning,
defining, or making distinctions, nor is it limited to only one aspect of
the universe" (Prol. 3).
 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUIUM
28
Now God is not only the principle and effective exemplar
of all things in creation, but also their restorative prin-
ciple in redemption and their perfecting principle in re-
muneration. Therefore, theology does not deal simply with
God the Creator, but also with the process of creation and
creatures themselves. Furthermore, the rational creature,
which is in a certain sense the end of all the others, did
not stand firm, but fell and hence needed to be restored. It
therefore follows that theology must also deal with the
corruption of sin, with the physician, with [spiritual] health
and its medicine, and finally with that perfect recovery
which will be in [the repose of] glory, when the wicked
have been cast into their punishment. Thus theology is
the only perfect science, for it begins at the very begin-
ning, which is the First Principle, and continues to the
very end, which is the everlasting reward; it proceeds from
the summit, which is God Most High, the Creator of all
things, and reaches even to the abyss, which is the tor-
ment of hell.
3. Theology is also the only perfect wisdom, for it be-
gins with the supreme cause as the principle of all things
that are caused - the very point at which philosophical
knowledge ends. But theology goes beyond this, consider-
ing that cause as the remedy for sins; and it leads back to
it, considering that cause as the reward of meritorious
deeds and the goal of [human] desires. In this knowledge
one finds perfect taste," life, and the salvation of souls;
that is why all Christians should be aflame with longing
to acquire it.
3 For Bonaventure, theology cannot be a mere intellectual or
speculative knowledge, but an experiential knowledge or wisdom, by
which one tastes or savors the truth. He develops the idea of saving
study in Hexaem. 19, observing further (Ibid., 22.21): I'Blessed Francis
said he wanted his brothers to study, but first to practice what they
preached. For what is the use of knowing much but savoring nothing?"
(V, 419-24, 440). Cf. In 3 Sent., 35.un.1 (III, 77).
PART I 29
4. From this, it is evident that theology, though admit-
tedly broad and varied in content, is nevertheless a single
science. Its subject, as that from which all things come, is
God; as that through which all things exist, Christ; as that
for which all things are done, the work of restoration; as
that by which all things are united, the one bond of love
joining heaven and earth; as that with which the whole
content of the canonical books are concerned, the body of
faith as such; as that with which all the books of commen-
tators are concerned, the body of faith as intelligible. For
as Augustine puts it in his treatise, On the Profit of Be·
lieving, "what we believe we owe to authority, what we
understand, to reason.'"
CHAPTER 2
WHAT WE MUST HOLD CONCERNING
THE TRINITY OF PERSONS AND THE UNITY OF ESSENCE
1. First of all, we must consider three questions re-
garding the Divine Trinity: namely, how the unity of the
divine substance and nature can coexist with a plurality
of persons; second, how it can coexist with a plurality of
manifestations; and third, how it can coexist with a plu-
rality of appropriations.
2. With regard to a plurality of persons in a unity of
nature, the true faith prescribes that we maintain that
within the one [divine] nature there are three persons:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Of these, the first proceeds
from no other; the second, from the first alone through
generation;·the third, from the first and second through
spiration or procession. 5 Such a Trinity of persons does
4 Augustine, De uti!. credo 11. 25 (PL 42: 83).
5 For Bonaventure, "the true faith" in this regard was enunciated by
the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), canon 1: ''We firmly believe and
simply confess that there is only one true God, eternal and
immeasurable, almighty, unchangeable, incomprehensible and ineffable,
30 ST. BONAVENTURE'S'BREVlLOQUIUM
not deprive the divine essence of its supreme unity, sim-
plicity, infinity, eternity, immutability, necessity, and sov-
ereign primacy; and yet it includes the highest fecundity,
love, generosity, equality, relationship, likeness, and insepa-
rability. All ofthese things true faith understands to exist
in the most blessed Trinity. 6
3. The reason for this truth is as follows. Since faith is
the source of our worship of God and the foundation of
that doctrine which is according to piety, 7 it dictates that
we should conceive of God in the most elevated and most
loving manner. Now our thought would not be the most
elevated if we did not believe that God could communi-
cate himself in the most complete way, and it would not be
the most loving if, believing him so able, we thought him
unwilling to do so. Hence, if we are to think of God most
loftily and most lovingly, faith tells us that God to-
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; three persons indeed but OTIe absolutely
simple essence, substance, or nature. The Father is from none, the Son.
from the Father alone, and the Holy Spirit from both equally, eternally
without beginning or end; the Father generating, the Son begotten,
and the Holy Spirit proceeding." DEC, 1: 230.
'Cf. In 1 Sent., 2 (I, 49-62), fully developed in the Disputed Questions
on the Trinity.
71 Tim 6:3, according to the Vulgate (doctrinam secundum pietatem).
The word pietas ('piety') had a number of connotations, as Bonaventure
explains elsewhere, quoting Augustine (De civ. Dei .. 10.1.3): "The word
pietas is usually understood in the strict sense to mean the worship of
God; yet this word is also used to denote the duties which we owe to
parents. Also, in common speech, the word frequently refers to works
of mercy . . . because God especially commands the performance of
such works . .. .From this manner of speaking, it has also come about
that God himself is called pius" (trans. R. W. Dyson, The City of God
against the Pagans [Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 19981,
392) [In 3 Sent., 35.un.6 (III, 785)). Thus, for a Christian,pietas (worship)
of God springs from the awareness that God first has had pietas
(compassion) toward us; that God is love itself (1 John 4:7-21). And so
at the end of this sentence, when Bonaventure says we must conceive
of God piissime, I have translated it "in a most loving manner." This
nuance is evident from his argument in paragraph 4 that follows.
PART I 31
tally communicates himself by eternally having a beloved
. and another who is loved by both. In this way God is both
one and three.'
4. In fact, the whole of Sacred Scripture, which is called
a doctrine according to piety, testifies to this belief, dictat-
ing that we conceive of God in the most loving way. For it
declares that God [the Father] has an offspring whom he
supremely loves: a Word coequal with himself, whom "he
has begotten from all eternity and in whom he has dis-
posed all things;'" by whom he produces and governs all
things. Furthermore, it declares that through the precious
blood of this Word made flesh, God in his all-surpassing
goodness redeemed humankind and nourishes it once re-
deemed. It also declares that at the end of the world,
through that same Word, God will liberally pour out his
supreme mercy, delivering humankind from every misery,
so that through Christ, all the elect might become chil-
dren of the eternal Father. In him all love will be consum-
mated: God's for us, and ours for God.
5. And that our faith requires that we think of God in
the most elevated manner is attested to not only by Scrip-
S Bonaventure's argument here concisely summarizes Book III of
Richard of St. Victor's De trinitate (PL 196:915-930), in which he deduces
the trinity of persons from the fact that God is supreme goodness. "So
that fullness of charity might have a place in that true Divinity, it is
necessary that a divine person not lack a relationship with an equally
worthy person, who is, for this reason, divine" (De trinitate, 3.2), trans.
Grover Zinn, The Twelve Patriarchs, The Mystical Ark, Book Three of
the Trinity (New York: Paulist Press, 1979),375. The term condilectus
'one who is loved by both' is introduced by Richard in 3.19: "Shared
love is properly said to exist when a third person is loved by two persons
harmoniously and in community, and the affection of the two persons
is fused into one affection by the flame oflove for the third" [po 3921. Cf.
the more expansive argument by Bonaventure in Itin. 6.2 (V, 310-311).
'Peter Lombard, Gloss on Psalm 61.12 (PL 191: 568B), in turn
alluding to Augustine, Enarr. in Ps. 61, 12: '''Once has God spoken': He
has but one Word, the only-begotten God. In that Word are all things,
because by the Word all things were made" (PL 36: 743).
 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQUIUM
32
ture, but by all creation as well. As Augustine writes in
the fourth chapter of his fifteenth book On the Trinity: "It
is not, after all, only the authority of the divine books that
asserts that God is. The universal nature of things which
surround us, to which we too belong, proclaims that it has
a most excellent founder, who has given us a mind and
natural reason by which to see that living beings are to be
preferred to non-living, ones endowed with sense to non-
sentient ones, intelligent ones to non-intelligent, immor-
tal ones to mortal, powerful to powerless ones, just to un-
just, beautiful to ugly, good to bad, things that cannot de-
cay to things than can, changeless to changeable things,
invisible to visible, non-bodily to bodily, happy to unhappy.
And so, since we rank the Creator without a shadow of
doubt above created things, we have to admit that this
being supremely lives, and senses and understands all
things, and cannot die, decay, or change; and that it is not
a body but the most powerful, just and beautiful, the best
and happiest spirit of all."l0
Now the twelve predications in this passage contain
the highest qualities of the divine being. But as August-
ine shows further on,l1 these twelve can be reduced to
three: eternity, wisdom, and happiness; and these three to
one, namely, wisdom. In this wisdom are included the gen-
erating Mind, the begotten Word, and Love, their mutual
bond. And these, our faith tells us, comprise the Blessed
Trinity. Since the highest wisdom posits the Trinity, it pos-
its also all of the noble attributes listed earlier: oneness,
simplicity, and so forth. It follows of necessity, then, that
" De Trin. 15.4.6 (PL 42: 1061), translated by Edmund Hill, in The
Trinity, WSA, I/5 (Brooklyn: New City Press, 1990),399, alt. C£Hexaem.,
11, 2ff (V, 380ff.)
11 Ibid., 15. 5-6 (PL 42, 1061-63). The twelve are: eternity, immortality,
incorruptibilty, unchangeablity, life, wisdom, power, beauty,
righteousness, goodness, happiness, and spirit.
PART! 33
all the noble attributes of the divine essence mentioned
above are simultaneously attributed ofthe Blessed Trin-
ity.
CHAPTER 3
THE RIGHT UNDERSANDING OF THIS BELIEF
1. So that we might come to a right understanding of
this belief, sacred doctrine teaches that in the Godhead
there are:
a) two emanations,12
b) three hypostases,13
c) four relations,'·
d) five characteristics,"
e) and yet in all only three personal properties."
12 The two emanations are the generation ["begetting"] of the Son by
the Father and the spiration ["breathing forth"] of the Holy Spirit by
the Father and the Son.
13 Hypostasis means a subsistent reality. The three hypostases are
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. On the two emanations and
three hypostases, see In 1 Sent., 2.4, 9.1, 10.1.1 (1, 56-58, 180-81, 194-
96).
14 The four relations are, respectively, fatherhood [the Father to the
Son], sonship [the Son to the Father], spiration [the Father and Son
jointly to the Holy Spirit], and procession [the Holy Spirit to the Father
and the Son].
15 The five characteristics (notiones) are unbegottenness, fatherhood,
sonship, spiration, and procession. Some studies of medieval theology
translate this term literally as 'notion', which is misleading in
contemporary English as 'notion' implies an inclusive general concept.
By contrast, notio in Trinitarian theology meanS a proper concept
peculiar to only one thing. The more suitable 'characteristic~ was
suggested by the Dominican translators of the Summa theolog~ae of
Thomas Aquinas (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1965), 6:
151-153.
16 The three personal properties are fatherhood, sonship, and
procession. On the relations, characteristics, and properties, see In 1
Sent., 26.4 (I, 460-61).
34 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUlUM
2. The explanation for this is as follows. The first and
supreme Principle, by the very fact of being its first, is
utterly simple; by the very fact that it is supreme, utterly
perfect. Being utterly perfect, it communicates itself with
total perfection; being utterly simple, it remains completely
undivided. Consequently, any modes of emanation within
the divine nature are of such perfection that they do not
violate its unity. Now there are only two such modes of
perfect emanation, namely through nature and through
will." The first of these is generation,18 the second spiration
or procession. Hencll these are the two modes [of emana-
tion] found in the Trinity.
3. Now, while two hypostases [subsistent realities] nec-
essarily result from two substance-producing modes of
emanation, we must also posit that the original producing
hypostasis does not itself emanate from anything else, for
we would then have an infinite series. Hence, there are
three hypostases in the Trinity.
4. Again, because each emanation implies a double
relationship, there are in the Trinity four relations: fa-
therhood, sonship, spiration, and procession."
5. It is through these relations that the divine hy-
postases are made known to us. But in addition, we dis-
17 Aristotle distinguished three types of emanation: fortuitous, natural,
and voluntary (Metaph. 6.22 [1032 a 12-13]). Since nothing fortuitous
is worthy of God, only the two latter types of emanation can exist within
the Godhead. Cf. In 1 Sent., 2.un.4 (l, 56); M. Trin., 4.2, 8 conc!. (V, 85-
86,114).
"Cf.Hexaiim. 11.13 (V, 382).
19 Bonaventure is saying that each of the two emanations in God (the
generation of the Son by the Father and the spiration of the Holy Spirit
by the Father and the Son) has, as it were, two termini, so that there
are four relationships present in God. The Father begets the Son
[fatherhood); the Son is begotten by the Father [sonship); the Father
and the Son jointly spirate [''breathe forth") the Holy Spirit; and the
Spirit proceeds from the Fatber and the Son.
PART! 35
cover that the original producing hypostasis has no origi-
nator, which is the very reason for its excellence. Hence,
in the Trinity there are five distinguishing characteris-
tics: the four relations indicated above, and unbe-
gottenness.
6. But each person has one property that is the princi-
pal means by which we identifY it. There are consequently
only three personal properties that are characteristically
and principally denoted by the names Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. 20
7. For it is proper to the Father to be the one without
an originator, the Unbegotten One; the Principle who pro-
ceeds from no other; the Father as such. 'Unbegottenness'
designates him by means of a negation, but this term also
implies an affirmation, since unbegottenness posits in the
Father a fountain-fullness. 21 The 'Principle that proceeds
from no other' designates him by an affirmation followed
20 cr. Fourth Lateran Council, canon 2: "the Father begets, the Son is
begotten, and the Holy Spirit proceeds" [DEC 1:231).
21 cr. In 1 Sent., 2.un.l: "The more prior a being is, the more it is
fecund and the principle of others. Therefore,just as the divine essence,
because it is first, is the principle of other essences, so the person of the
Father, since he is the first, because from no one, is the principle and
has fecundity in regard to [the other] persons" (I, 53-54). For a more
extended discussion, see In 1 Sent., 27.1.un.2 (I, 468-474); there
Bonaventure cites the Book of Causes as source of the axiom, "the more
prior a being is, the more it is fecund." This treatise, translated into
Latin c. 1180, was commonly attributed to Aristotle, but was actually a
ninth century Arab reworking of the Elements of the neo-Platonic
philosopher, Proclus (d. 485).
Although this view of the Father as the fontal source of the other
persons of the Trinity may be found in Augustine: "The Father is the
principle of the whole Godhead" (De Trin., 4.20.29 [PL 42: 908]), it is
much more characteristic of Greek authors Cf. Pseudo-Dionysius, De
diu. nom., 2.7: "The Father is the originating source of the Godhead
and the Son and the Holy Spirit are, so to speak., divine offshoots, the
flowering and transcendent lights of the divinity" (PG: 3: 645), trans.
Colm Luibheid (New York: Paulist Press, 1987),64.
36 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUIUM
by a negation. 'Father' designates him in a proper, com-
plete, and determinate way, by affirmation and the posit-
ing of a relation. 22
8. Similarly, the Son is properly the Image, the Word,
and the Son as such. 'Image' designates him as expressed
likeness, 'Word' as expressive likeness,23 and 'Son' as per-
sonallikeness. Again, 'Image' designates him as likeness
in the order ofform, 'Word' as likeness in the order of rea-
son, and 'Son' as likeness in the order of nature."
9. In the same way, the Holy Spirit is properly the Gift,
the mutual bond or Love, and the Holy Spirit as such. 'Gift'
designates him as the one given gratuitously, 'Bond' or
'Love' as one given freely as the gift excelling all others,
and 'Holy Spirit' as one given freely as an excelling gift,
who is also personaJ.26
Hence the three names, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
convey the personal properties of the three persons. This
is what we must grasp if we are to understand correctly
the belief in the Holy Trinity.
"Gf.In 1 Sent., 27.1.2 and 28.1 f.f. (I, 468-72, 496ff.).
23 "A word is nothing other than an expressed and expressive likeness
conceived by the power of an intelligent spirit by which it knows itself
or another" (In 1 Sent., 27.p.un.3 (I: 488).
"Gf.In 1 Sent., 27.2.1f.f., 31.2.1.1, 37.2.dub. 2 (1, 481ff, 539ff, 664). In
his Commentary on John (1.1.1), Bonaventure indicates his preference
for the term 'Word/ as it expresses not only the Son's relation to the
Father [as speaker], but also to the mysteries of creation [that which is
spoken through the Word], incarnation [the utterance of the Word itself],
and revelation [the insight it causes in others] (VI, 247).
26Cf. In 1 Sent., 10.1-2, 18.un.5, especially ad 4, where Bonaventure
explains the three names of the Holy Spirit (I, 194-204,329,331).
PART! 37
CHAPTER 4
THE CATHOLIC EXPRESSION OF THIS BELIEF
1. According to the writings of the holy doctors, in or-
der to give Catholic expression to this belief, we must hold
that in regard to the three divine persons there are:
a) two modes of predication, namely those of sub-
stance and relation;"
b) three modes of supposition, namely, those of es-
sence, person, and characteristic;27
c)four ways of indicating substance, namely, by essence,
substance, person, and hypostasis;"
d) five ways of speaking, namely, who [the person],
which one [the supposite], which [the characteristic], what
[the substance], and whereby [the essence];29 and
e) three modes of differentiation, that is, in the order
of origination, in the order of predication, and in the order
of comprehension. 3D
2. This is the reason for what we have just said. Since
the First Principle is both totally perfect and at the same
time utterly simple, anything that implies perfection may
be properly and truly predicated of it. On the other
hand, anything that implies imperfection may not be said
26 This chapter is difficult due to the extremely technical language
used by Scholastic theologians to discuss the Trinity. 'Predication'
consists in either affirming or denying something about a subject. For
example, if we say "God is the supreme good," 'supreme good' is the
predicate affirmed of the subject 'God: Gf.In 1 Sent., 22.4 (I, 397-99).
27 'Supposition' is the logical operation that consists in identifying
the subject of which we are speaking. In speaking of God, we may be
making a statement either about the divine essence, one of the persons,
or one of the characteristics. On these three 'supposits' of Trinitarian
discourse, see In 1 Sent., 5.1.1,d. 25.1.2, ad 3, 33.2.ad 5 (I, 111-14, 440-
41,576).
"Ibid., 23.1.3 (I, 408-10).
29Idem.
30In 1 Sent., 26.1 (I, 451-52).
 38 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQrffUM
of it; or if it is, it may be predicated only of the human
nature it has assumed [in the incarnation] or in a figura-
tive sense. Now there are ten modes of predicating [some-
thing of a subject): as substance, quantity, relation, quali-
fication, action [doing], passion [being-affected], place, time,
being-in-a-position, and possession [having]."' The last five,
proper to bodily and mutable natures, do not apply to God
except in an analogical or figurative way. The first five
categories may be attributed to God in a way that signi-
fies the divine fullness without contradicting its simplic-
ity. That is why these categories are identical with the
very thing of which they are predicated, so that, in respect
to the subject in which they inhere, they are all said to be
reducible to substance. The only exception is 'relation,'
which has a two-fold referent: the subject in which it ex-
ists, and the object to which it points. In the case of the
first, relation goes over [into substance) because there can-
not be composition; in the second, it does not, because there
must be distinction. That is why "the substance contains
the Unity, and relation expands into the Three.""
Thus [when we speak of God), there are only these two
modes [of substance and of relation] of predicating differ-
ences. And this is the rule that governs them: whatever is
predicated of the substance is affirmed by that very fact
of all three persons, singly, together, and individually; but
whatever is predicated of a relation cannot be predicated
of all three persons. If they do apply to more than one
person, they are predicated in the plural, designating them
as related, distinct, similar, or equal, by reason of their
31 Boethius, De Trin. 4 (PL 64: 1252ft), an extended discussion of God
language in light of Arisotle's Categories.
32 Ibid., 6 (PL 64: 1255). Cf In 1 Sent., 26.2, 27.1.3, 33.1 (I 455-56
476,571-73). ' ,
PART I 39
intrinsic relationship. The term 'Trinity,' however, includes
both [Le., it may be predicated both as a substance and as
a relation]."
3. Since several relations are capable of existing in one
person," just as many persons exist in one nature, the
distinction between characteristics does not imply a di-
versity of persons any more than a distinction between
persons implies different natures. Hence, not everything
that applies to the essence applies also to the characteris-
tic or the person, and conversely. That is why there are
three modes of suppositing, for which the following rules
are generally given: in suppositing the essence, we do not
supposit either the characteristic or the person; in
suppositing the characteristic, we do not supposit the es-
sence or the person; and in suppositing the person, we do
not supposit the essence or the characteristic. This is ob-
vious from examples. 35
4. Since there. is a real distinction in the supposits of a
substance even though one essence remains, the substance
must be expressed in more than one way: it must be shown
to be both communicable and incommunicable. As com-
municable, it is expressed abstractly by the term 'essence'
and concretely by the term 'substance'. As incommunicable,.
it is expressed by the term 'hypostasis' insofar as it de-
notes the possibility of distinction, and by the term 'per-
son' insofar as it denotes the actuality of distinction. In
other words, 'hypostasis' points to the substance as indi-
"On this rule, see In 1 Sent., 22.dub.2, 31.1.2 (I, 400; 534·36). On the
term "Trinity," cf ibid., 24,.3.1-2 (I, 428-31).
34 Such as fatherhood and spiration in the Father.
35 cr. Alexander of Hales, Glossa in N Libros Sent., Bibliotheca
Franciscancana Scholastica Medii Aevi, vols. 12-15 (Quaracchi, 1951-
57), 1.26.1.3 (12: 251·54); also see Summa Halesiana, 1.390. ad 3 (I,
575); ibid., 34.6.4 (I, 344-46), and his Questiones Disp. antequam esset
frater, 3.2 ([Quaracchi, 1960], 26-27).
 40 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQWUM
viduated and 'person' to the fact that it is distinct in a
definite and precise manner." These four terms may be
illustrated by an example from the created order: 'human-
ity,' 'human being,' 'a man,' and 'Peter.' The first denotes
the essence; the second, the substance; the third, the hy-
postasis; and the fourth, the person.
5. And because in the person who is distinguished we
should consider not only the one who is distinct but also
that by which it is distinguished, and this is the property
or characteristic, it follows necessarily that in the divine
persons there are five modes of speaking or inquiring:
namely, 'who,' when it is a question of the person; 'this
one,' when it is a question of the hypostasis, which de-
notes an indeterminate supposit of the substance; 'which,'
when of the characteristic; 'what,' when of the substance;
'why' or 'whereby,' when of the essence.
6. Because all of these modes are rooted in the one-
ness of the divine essence, for whatever exists in God is
the Godhead itself, one and unique,37 it follows that these
modes do not posit any real differentiation within God
either in the order of essence or of existence. Therefore, i~
God there are only three modes of distinction, namely in
the modality of existing or emanating, as in the distinc-
tion of one person from another; in the modality of refer-
ence, as in the distinction between person and essence _
for the person exists as related to other persons and is
thus distinct, while the essence is not related to any other
essence and is thus common; and finally, in the modality
of being understood, as one substantive property is distin-
guished from another, for instance goodness from wisdom.
"Cf.In 1 Sent., 23.1.1-3, 25.2.1-2 (I, 404·10, 443-45).
37 See Peter Lombard, Lib. 1 Sent., 8.8 (3rd rev. ed., ed. Ignatius C.
Brady, [Grottaferrata: Collegii S. Bonaventurae, 1971-81], 1: 101-03);
cf. Abelard, Theologia scholarium, 2.10 (PL 178: 1057 C, 1058 BC).
PART I 41
The first distinction is the greatest that can be found
in God, for it exists within the supposits, since none of
them may be predicated of the other. The second distinc-
tion is a smaller one, Jor it exists among the predicates;
for though one may be said of the other, such as the terms
person and essence, some things may not be said of both,
for example, the person is distinct and related to another
person, while the essence is not. The third distinction is
the least, since it exists only in the connotations. Although
one may be said of the other reciprocally, and the same
thing may be said of both, nevertheless the same thing is
not connoted by both and by the same thing it is not in-
tended that both be understood.
From the first mode of distinction come forth the plu-
rality of persons; from the second, the plurality of
affirmations concerning the substance and the relations;
from the third, the plurality of essential properties and of
the characteristics, whether temporal or eternal, whether
proper or metaphorical, whether common or appropri-
ated." Examples of what has been said are quite obvious.
Having understood these things, it will be clear enough
for us both how to think and what to say about the sover-
eign Trinity of divine persons.
CHAPTER 5
THE UNITY OF THE DIVINE NATURE
IN RELATION TO A DIVERSITY OF MANIFESTATIONS
1. With regard to the second aspect, that is a plurality
of manifestations, divine doctrine teaches us to maintain
the following points. Although God is limitless, unseen,
and changeless, nevertheless God 'dwells in' holy people
38 On the properties in relation to time, cr. In 1 Sent., 30. Iff; on what
is proper and metaphorical, 22.3; on the properties as appropriated,
34.3 (I, 521ff, 394-96, 592-93).
 42 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
in a special way;" God 'appeared to' the patriarchs and
prophets, and God 'descended from' heaven, sending the
Son and the Holy Spirit for the salvation of the human
race. And even though within the Godhead the nature,
power, and working of the Trinity are undivided, the mis-
sion Or manifestation of one person is not the mission or
manifestation of the other. Although there is supreme
equality among the divine persons, it pertains to the Fa-
ther alone to send and not to be sent; it pertains to the
Holy Spirit only to be sent, if we consider the persons in
their divinity, although it is sometimes said that the Spirit
'sent' the assumed humanity; and it belongs to the Son
both 'to send' and 'be sent,' as one may gather from Scrip-
ture.'·
2. The reason for this is as follows. Even though the
First Principle is immense and without limits, incorpo-
real and invisible, eternal and changeless, it is neverthe-
less the principle of things spiritual and corporeal, natu-
ral and gratuitous, and thus also of all things mutable,
sentient, and limited. Through these things it reveals it-
self and makes itself known, even though in itself it is
immutable, immaterial, and infinite. In a general way it
manifests itself and makes itself known through all ofthe
effects that emanate from it, so that we say that it exists
through essence, power, and presence, extending itself to
all created things. 41 But in a special way the First Prin-
ciple makes itself known through other effects which par-
ticularly point to it, and because of these effects God is
said 'to dwell in,' 'to appear,' 'to descend,' 'to be sent,' and
'to send.'
"See In 1 Sent., 21.dub. 2,37.1.3.1-2 (1, 387, 646-49).
40 E.g., John 5:37-38; 6:38-44; 7:16; 14:26: 15:26; 16:7. For
Bonaventure's extremely detailed discussion of the missions of the
persons of the Trinity, see In 1 Sent., 14-16 (I, 224-286).
4! Cf. Lombard, Liber 1 Sent., 37.1ff. (1: 263ff.); Bonaventure, In 1
Sent., 37.1 (I, 637-41).
PART! 43
'To indwell' indicates a spiritual effect and the accep-
tance of it; such is the effect of grace making us pleasing
to God, which is God-conformed, leads to God, and makes
God possess us and be possessed by us, and thus, 'to dwell'
within us." And because the effect of grace is common to
all the persons [ofthe Trinity], it follows that one person
does not indwell without the others; rather, the whole Trin-
ity indwells simultaneously.43
3. 'To appear' designates a sensible effect with a spe-
cific significance; an example here is the Holy Spirit ap-
pearing in the form of a dove." And because the divine
persons are distinct, they can be signified separately by
symbols and by names. Thus it follows that anyone of the
persons is able to manifest himself as such, and that such
an apparition is suitable to all, whether taken together or
individually. Hence, when the Holy Spirit is described as
having appeared in the form of tongues of fire and of a
dove, this is not because of some new connection or spe-
cial effect, but because ofthe oneness that exists between
the one symbolized and the symbol that is specifically des-
ignated, both in manner and in origin, to express it."
4. 'To descend' indicates either ofthe two above effects
but in terms of their beginning. God, indeed, is always
present in heaven to the blessed angels, for in them God
permanently dwells and is manifest. However, on earth
God is in some way absent to sinners with respect to grace
and knowledge. It follows that when God first begins to
appear to or dwell in someone, the one who is present in
heaven but absent to us becomes present on earth. Hence,
42 cr. Augustine: "God who is everywhere present ... does not dwell
in all, but only in those he has made his most blessed temple" (Epist.
187,35 [PL 33, 8451. Cf. Pt. 5, chap. 1 below.
43 John 14:23.
.. Cf. John 1:32.
"See In 1 Sent., 16.3 (1, 283-84); reference to Acts 2.3 and John 1:32.
44 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUlUM
although not changed in himself, we say that God 'de-
scends' to us.
5. 'To be sent' refers to the same effects mentioned
above, but from the aspect of their eternal production. For
the Father 'sends' the Son when, by making him present
to us through knowledge or grace, the Father makes it
known that the Son proceeds from him. Now because the
Father himself proceeds from no one, he is therefore never
said 'to be sent'.4S But because the Son both produces and
is produced, he both sends and is sent. And since the Holy
Spirit is eternally produced but does not produce, except
in time, it is proper for him to be sent, but 'to send' applies
to the Spirit only in respect to a creature.
Thus it is clear that the following propositions are
improperly expressed and must be qualified: the Holy
Spirit sends himself; the Holy Spirit sends the Son; the
Son sends himself - unless [in the two latter cases they
arel referring here to the human nature born of the Vir-
gin. It is also clear that that 'to send' and 'to be sent' do not
pertain to all of the persons; for although both imply an
effect on creatures, they are also the signs of an intrinsic
relationship. For 'to send' implies authority, and 'to be sent'
implies subordination to authority in the order of eternal
production within the Godhead.
CHAPTER 6 as communicable, and this by reason of being inseparable
THE UNITY OF THE DIVINE NATURE
IN RELATION TO MULTIPLE ApPROPRIATIONS
1. In the third place, regarding the plurality of appro-
priations, Holy Scripture teaches us to hold the following:
that even though all the essential attributes apply equally
46Augustine, De Trin.) 2.5.8: "The Father alone is nowhere said to
have been sent" (PL 42: 849 [WSA, II5: 102]; cf. also Peter Lombard,
Liber 1 Sent., 15.2.9 (1: 132, 137).
PART I 45
and without distinction to all the persons, yet oneness is
appropriated to the Father, truth to the Son, and good-
ness to the Holy Spirit. Besides this, there is another se-
ries of appropriations given by Hilary, namely "eternity in
the Father, splendor in the Likeness, utility in the Gift.""
From this, in turn, derives a third series of appropriations:
in the Father is the efficient principle, in the Son the ex-
emplary principle, and in the Holy Spirit the final prin-
ciple. And from this there is still a fourth, namely omnipo-
tence to the Father, omniscience to the Son, and will or
benevolence to the Holy Spirit. Now, these are said to be
appropriated, not because they are proper [to these per-
sonsl, since they are always common [to them alll, but
because they lead to a better understanding and knowl-
edge of what is proper, that is the three persons them-
selves.
2. The explanation of this is as follows. Since the First
Principle is most exalted and utterly perfect, it follows that
in it are found the highest and most universal properties
of being to the highest degree. These are the one, the true,
and the good, which are not associated with being in its
supposits but with its very principle. For 'one' describes
being as numerable, and this is because it is not suscep-
tible of division in itself; 'true,' as intelligible, and this by
virtue of being inseparable from its proper form; and 'good,'
from its proper operation. This triple indivisibility has a
logical ordering in that the true presupposes the one, and
the good presupposes the one as well as the true. Thus it
follows that these three qualities, as being perfect and tran-
scendental, are attributed to the First Principle to the high-
"Hilary, De Trin. 2.1 (PL 10: 51A). Cf. Peter Lombard, Liber 1 Sent.,
31.2 (1: 225-29). Cf. Bonaventure, In 1 Sent., 31.2.1.3 (I, 543-45). On
the other appropriations, see ibid., 31.2.3, 34.4, 3.1.dub. 3-4 (I, 548-49,
593-94,78-80) and Hexaem. 21.1-15 (V, 437-40).
46 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQUIUM
est degree, and, as having an orderly reference, are attrib-
uted to the three persons. It follows then, that supreme
oneness is attributed to the Father; supreme truth, to the
Son who proceeds from the Father as his Word; and su-
preme goodness, to the Holy Spirit who proceeds from both
as their Love and Gift.
3. The supremely one is supremely first because it is
absolutely without beginning; the supremely true is su-
premely conforming and beautiful; the supremely good is
supremely useful and profitable. From this follows the
second series proposed by Hilary, according to which eter-
nity is appropriated to the Father, since he is without be-
ginning, but utterly first; splendor to the Likeness, that
is, to the Word, which is supremely beautiful; utility to the
Gift, that is, to the Holy Spirit, for it is supremely benefi-
cent and communicative. Augustine says the same thing
in different words: "In the Father unity, in the Son equal-
ity, and in the Holy Spirit the harmony of unity and equal-
ity."48
4. Again, supreme oneness and priority imply the con-
cepts of principle and origin; supreme beauty and resplen-
dence imply the concepts of expression and exemplarity;
supreme usefulness and goodness imply the concept offi-
nality, for "the good and the end are the same."49 Hence,
the third mode of appropriation: efficiency to the Father,
exemplarity to the Son, and finality to the Holy Spirit. 50
48 Augustine, De doct. christ. 1.5.5 (PL 34: 21), translated by Edmund
Hill, Teaching Christianity, WSA, 1111 (Hyde Park, NY: New City Press,
1996), 108. Cf. Peter Lombard, Liber 1 Sent., 31.2 and 6 (1: 228, 232).
"A paraphrase of Aristotle, Phys., 2. 3 (l95a 23-25); cf. Ethic. Nicom.
1.1 (1094a 2): "Every action and pursuit is thought to aim at some
good; and for this reason the good has been rightly declared to be that
at which all things aim" (p. 935).
"On the primacy, see In 1 Sent., 27.1.2.ad 3 (1, 470-72); on the
exemplar, 6.3,27.2.2 (I, 129-30,484-86), and Hexai!m. 1.12 (V, 331).
PART! 47
5. Finally, we see that all power derives from the first
and supreme cause, all wisdom flows from the first and
supreme exemplar, and all willing tends towards the high-
est end. 51 It is therefore necessary for the one who is first
to be almighty, all knowing, and all benevolent. Now, the
first and supreme oneness, returning upon itself in a com-
plete and perfect circle,"2 is in fact omnipotence; first and
supreme truth, likewise returning upon itself, is omni-
science; and first and supreme goodness returning upon
itself is supreme benevolence. These attributions are based
on a logical order: will presupposes knowledge, and both
will and knowledge presuppose power and strength, be-
cause "the capacity to know is a certain power."53
This makes clear what the appropriations are, to whom
they apply, and why. But since in the Scriptures, the Trin-
ity is most often praised in terms ofthe last three: power,
wisdom, and will, something more should be said of them,
if only briefly and summarily.
CHAPTER 7
Goo's OMNIPOTENCE
1. According to sacred doctrine, the following points
should be held with regard to God's omnipotence. [We must
believe] that God is almighty, but in such a way that no
acts deserving of blame, such as lying and malevolent de-
"Aristotle, Ethic. Nicom. 1.2 (l094a 18-20).
52 The circular movement of the divine love is based on the Pseudo-
Dionysius, De diu. nom., 4.14: "They call God Yearning and Love because
he is the power moving and lifting all things up to himself, .. its
unbeginning and unending nature traveling in an endless circle through
the Good, from the Good, in the Good, and to the Good, unerringly
turning, ever on the same center ... always being returned to itself"
(PG 3: 712 [Luibhied, p. 83]). This theme was taken up by Alexander of
Hales, Glossa in IV Libros Sent., 1.17.11 (12:173).
"Richard of St. Victor,De Trin. 6.15 (PL 196: 979D); also cf.Hexai!m.
21 (V, 431-37).
48 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
sires, may be attributed to him. Neither may acts due to
punishment [for original sin], such as fear and suffering;
nor bodily and material acts, such as sleeping and walk-
ing, except as figures of speech. Neither may contradic-
tory acts, such as making a thing greater than himself, or
producing another God equal to himself, or creating an
infinite being, and so forth. For as Anselm tells us: "No
inappropriateness, however small, is possible where God
is concerned."·' Although God is not able to perform such
acts, he is still truly, properly, and perfectly omnipotent.
2. The reason for this is the following. The First Prin-
ciple is powerful by reason of a power that is unqualified;
thus the distributive 'omni' added to the word 'potent' cov-
ers all the things that power can do in an unqualified way:55
that is, everything that can proceed from a power that is
both complete and ordered. Now I say that a power is 'com-
plete' ifit cannot fail, or submit, or be in need. But a power
that sins, fails; a power that undergoes anything, submits;
and the power of bodily operations lacks something. But
divine power, because it is supreme and utterly perfect
power, does not derive from anything, nor is it dependent
on anything, nor is it wanting in any way. Therefore, it
cannot be the subject of acts which are blameworthy, or
which are exacted due to punishment, or which are mate-
rial; and this, precisely because omnipotence is total power.
54Anselm, Cur Deus Homo 1.20 (PL 158: 392A, trans. B. Davies and
G. R. Evans, Anselm of Canterbury: The Complete Works [New York:
Oxford University Press, 19981, hereafter AC, p. 303). Cf. Anselm, Epist.
de Incarnatione Verbi, 10 (PL 158: 276 C). Bonaventure more fully
explores this topic, In 1 Sent., 42 (especially q. 2) and 43 (I, 745-778).
Cf. Lawrence Maonan, Divine Power: The Medieval Power Distinction
up to its Adoption by Albert, Bonaventure, and Aquinas (Oxford:
Clarendon Press, 1994), 193-228.
65 Cf. Peter Hispanus, Summulae logicales, 12, ed. I. M. Bochenski
(Rome, 1947), 113.
PART I 49
3. Now there are three ways in which a power may be
called 'ordered': either with respect to an act, or with re-
spect to a potency on the part of a creature, or in respect
to a potency on the part of the uncreated strength alone.
What is possible to a power that is 'ordered' in the first
sense is not merely possible but also actuaL What is pos-
sible to a power that is 'ordered' in the second sense but
not in the first is simply possible, though not actuaL And
what is possible to a power that is 'ordered' in the third
sense, but not in the first or second, is possible to God, but
impossible to a creature. But what is not possible in any
of the ways mentioned above - such as something which
would be directly repugnant to order as understood with
reference to the primordial and eternal principles and
causes5• - is purely and simply impossible. Such is the
[hypothetical] case of God's making something actually
infinite, or that God should simultaneously cause some-
thing to be and not be, or make a past event not to have
happened, and other things of that sort, for the possibility
of such things is contrary to the order and completeness
ofthe divine power.
It is clear from this what the divine power includes,
and further, what should be said regarding things that
are simply possible and things that are absolutely impos-
sible. Thus we see that the impossibility of some things is
compatible with true omnipotence.
CHAPTER 8
GOD'S WIDSOM, PREDESTINATION, AND FOREKNOWLEDGE
1. Concerning God's wisdom, the following should be
held: namely, that divine Wisdom clearly knows all things,
good and evil, past, present, and future, actual and pos-
sible. Thus it also knows things that are incomprehen-
"See In 2 Sent., 18.1.2 (II, 436).
50 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
sible to us and infinite. Yet this comprehension is such
that Wisdom is in no way diversified in itself, although it
assumes different names. 57 Insofar as it is aware of every-
thing possible, divine Wisdom is called knowledge or cog-
nition; insofar as it is capable of knowing everything that
happens in the world, it is called vision; insofar as it knows
everything that is done well, it is called approbation; inso-
far as it knows all that has yet to occur, it is called pre-
science or foresight; insofar as it knows the things God
himself should do, it is called providence; insofar as it
knows the things that should be rewarded, it is called pre-
destination; insofar as it knows the things that should be
condemned, it is called reprobation. 58
2. Not only is Wisdom capable of knowing [all things]:
it is the very principle of knowing. Therefore, it is called
'light,' as being the principle of knowing all that is known;
'mirror,' as being the principle of knowing all that is seen
and approved; 'exemplar,' as being the principle of know-
ing all that is foreseen and disposed; 'book oflife,' as being
the principle of knowing all that is predestined and repro-
bated. For divine Wisdom is the 'book of life', considering
things insofar as they return to God; the 'exemplar,' con-
sidering things as they proceed from God; 'the mirror,' con-
sidering things as they follow their course; and the 'light,'
from all these perspectives simultaneously. 59 Now under
the concept of 'exemplar,' we also use other terms, such as
(idea,' 'word,' 'art,' ~nd 'reason.' 'Idea' refers to the act of
foreseeing; 'word,' to the act of proposing; 'art,' to the act of
accomplishing; and 'reason,' to the act of perfecting, for it
Here Bonaventure bases himself on Peter Lombard, Lib. 1 Sent.,
57
25.2 (1: 254-255).
"See In 1 Sent., 35.dub 3, 36.dub. 3, and 38-42 (I, 614-15, 631, 668-
761).
"See In 4 Sent., 43.2.1-3 (IV, 896-99).
PART! 51
adds the idea of a goal. 60 Since all of these acts are in God,
one is often taken for another.
3. Even though divine Wisdom, by reason of the diver-
sity of the objects of its knowledge and their various con-
notations, is thus given a variety of names, this is not be-
cause of any intrinsic reason. For the divine reason knows
contingent things infallibly, changeable things immuta-
bly, future things in the present, temporal things eternally,
dependent things independently, created things in an
uncreated way, and things other than itselfin and through
itself.51 And it knows contingent things infallibly in such
way that the freedom and changeableness of the [created]
will are compatible with predestination and foreknowl-
edge.
4. The reason for all of this should be understood as
follows. The First Principle, by the very fact it is first and
supreme, has a knowledge that is utterly simple and per-
fect. Because it is utterly perfect, this Principle knows all
things most distinctly in all their actual and possible states.
Thus God knows future things as future, and the present
as present; God knows the good as deserving of approba-
tion and the evil as deserving reprobation. That is why
divine Wisdom is given several names, as we have ex-
plained above.
5. But because the perfection of wisdom coexists with
utter simplicity, this is why the First Principle knows all
things other than itself in itself and through itself. From
this it follows, second, that it knows created things in an
uncreated way; third, dependent things independently;
fourth, temporal things eternally; fifth, future things in
., See In 1 Sent., 27.2, 2-4, all of35, 36.2.1 (I, 485-90; 600-16, 623-24)
and the Se. ehr., 2-3 (y, 6-16), The Breviloquium presents an extremely
dense synthesis of the different questions that Bonaventure poses with
regard to the divine wisdom.
6l See In 1 Sent., 39.2.1-3 (1, 692-96) andSc.Chr. 1 (V, 3-6). On the rest
of this paragraph, see In 1 Sent., 38.2.1, 40.2.1 (I, 674-76, 706-09).
 52 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
the present; sixth, changeable things immutably; and sev-
enth, contingent things infallibly.
6. And so contingent things, while remaining contin-
gent, are already known infallibly by divine Wisdom,
whether these be contingencies subject to the workings of
nature Or those that are dependent on human free wilL
Thus, those who truly wish to understand how the free-
dom ofthe created will is compatible with the infallibility
of divine predestination should begin their reasoning with
the last statement. Then they should work backwards
through the seven above-mentioned steps back to the first
which is that the First Principle knows all things perfectl;
in itself because it is the most certain truth. From this
premise the other conclusions made above are necessarily
deduced.
7. So, just as the certitude of divine knowledge coex-
ists with contingency in the objects known, because di-
vine Wisdom is both utterly simple and most perfect, so,
for the same reason, the unity of divine knowledge is com-
patible with a multiplicity of conceptions and ideas. Since
divine Wisdom is utterly perfect, it knows each and every
thing in the most distinct fashion, conceiving them all most
clearly and perfectly. Thus we say that God possesses the
principles and ideas of all individual beings, as the per-
fectly expressive likenesses of these same beings. But since
God's wisdom is utterly simple, all the likenesses of these
beings are one in this same knowledge. Hence, just as God
produces in time through one single power all things in
their complete fullness, even so God expresses them all in
eternity through a single truth. 62 Although in the most
high and omnipotent God there is but a single operative
act, we speak of God's creative productions in the plural
because of the plurality of things produced. And so there
is but one truth in God contained in a single act of intel-
62 See In 1 Sent., 35.2 (I, 605-07).
PART! 53
lection, even though we speak of many similitudes, ideas,
and concepts because of the plurality of present, future, or
possible things to which they apply. Now, these principles
and ideas, even though they are one truth, one light, and
one essence, are not called a single principle or idea. The
reason is that, in the order ofintellection, the principle or
idea is considered in relation to the object, since it desig-
nates the likeness of that which is known. This likeness
really is in God, even though from the viewpoint of intel-
lection, it appears to be expressing something in the cre-
ated object.
S. Were we to seek a parallel to this in nature, we would
be unsuccessful, because, as has been seen, that exemplar
which is simple, infinite, and utterly perfect is totally
unique. Since the exemplar is utterly simple and perfect,
it is pure act; and since it is infinite and immense, it is
outside of all genera. 63 Hence it is that the exemplar, even
though it is really one, can still be a likeness representing
many.
CHAPTER 9
Goo's WILL AND PROVIDENCE
1. Concerning God's will, we must hold the following:
that this will is so righteous that it can no way be deviant;
that it is so effective, that it can never be obstructed; that
it is one, even though it has the possibility of being desig-
nated in various ways.
2. The divine will is the will of God's good-pleasure.
But given God's decision to be made known through signs,
that one divine will is designated according to a fivefold
typology of signs - that is, as precept, prohibition, coun-
sel, fulfillment, and permission. In this way everything
"Ibid., 8.2.4 (I, 173-74).
54 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVlLOQUIUM
that occurs in the universe comes about through the will
of God's good-pleasure." "Thus God's will is the first and
highest cause of all physical species and motions. For noth-
ing happens visibly and in a manner perceptible to the
senses which does not issue either as a command or as a
permission from the inmost invisible and intelligible court
of the supreme emperor, according to his unfathomable
justice of rewards and punishments, favors and retribu-
tions, in what we may call this vast and all-embracing
republic of the whole creation.""
3. Now the divine will, governed by reason, is called
providence. It follows, then, that all events in the universe
are brought about and regulated by this same divine provi-
dence, which is totally beyond reproach, because it orders,
prohibits, and counsels with utter justice, acts with utter
goodness, and permits nothing contrary to justice.
4. The explanation of this is as follows. Since the First
Principle is supremely eminent, it both possesses a will
and possesses it in the highest degree. Now, by defmition
'will' indicates that faculty which, in self-determined be-
ings, concerns the norm of rectitude and the efficacy of
action. And so God's will must be utterly righteous and
effective: utterly righteous because in God will and truth
are identical; utterly effective, because in God will and
power are identical. Now, the divine will cannot deviate in
any way from the truth - for not only is it correct, it is the
very norm of rectitude. Furthermore, it cannot lack power
in any way - for not only is it effective, it is the very foun-
tainhead and origin of all efficacy. Therefore, nothing can
64 Peter Lombard used this five-fold distinction in his treatment of
the divine will, Liber 1 Sent., 45.6 (1: 310). Here the Augustinian
distinction between signs and things is transferred from a verbal to a
theological level. For Bonaventure's treatment ofthe divine will, see In
1 Sent., 45·48 (1, 797-861), where he also deals with the question of
providence.
65 Augustine, De Trin. 3. 4. 9 (PL 42: 873 [WSA, II5: 132]).
PART! 55
be done without the divine will, nothing can prevail against
it, and there is nothing by which it can be impeded.
5. Now, since God's will is most righteous, no one can
be upright without conforming to it,SS and yet no one can
conform to that will unless it has been revealed. Hence,
God's will needs to be revealed to us as the norm of righ-
teousness. Now there is a certain rectitude that is neces-
sary; this consists in doing the required good and in avoid-
ing evil. s, There is also a righteousness of perfection; this
consists in doing more than what is required. Accordingly,
God's will is made known to us through a threefold sign:
of precept, of prohibition, and of counsel. These designate
the acceptance of God's good pleasure as just by doing what
the divine will commands, abstaining from what it pro-
hibits, and fulfilling what it counsels. These manifesta-
tions are the infallible signs of God's will considered as
the norm of rectitude.
6. Furthermore, since God's will is utterly effective, no
one can accomplish anything except by the operation and
cooperation of that will; and no one can fail or sin unless it
justly abandons that person. ss And so there are two mani-
festations of God's will which correspond to this, namely,
fulfillment, which is the sign of the divine will as effica-
cious, and permission, which is the sign ofthat will justly
abandoning [creatures]." Now God's will abandons them
in all justice, for it is right that it govern the things it has
created so as not to infringe on the laws it has established.
In this way God cooperates with "the things which God
"Cf. the whole of In 1 Sent., 48 (I, 850·61).
67 Cf. Ps 37:27: "Depart from evil and do good; so you shall abide
forever."
68 "Abandon" here is used not in its stronger sense of totally
repudiating someone, but in the sense of withdrawing support from
individuals, leaving them to fend for themselves.
"See In 2 Sent., 37.1.1, 37.2.1 (Il, 861-63, 869-70).
56 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM PART! 57

has created in such a way that they may perform and ex- out with the apostle: Oh the depth of the riches of the
ercise their own proper movements."'· And so, if God's will wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How inscrutable are
permits [created] free will to fall into evil, it is totally just his judgments and how unsearchable his ways! For who
in doing so, since by the very law of its nature free will is has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his
able to turn either to good or to evil. counselor? Or who has first given to him, and so earned a
7. Likewise, when, through grace, God's will helps and reward? For from him and through him and to him are all
sustains someone, it does no one else an injury. It does not things. 1b him be glory forever. Amen. 72
act unjustly, nor does it act in strict justice when one con-
siders what is due us by merit, for our merit always falls
short ofthe grace. Rather, the divine will acts gratuitously
and mercifully, and in a certain sense justly, insofar as it
acts as fully befits God's goodness. When therefore, God's
will condemns and reproves, it acts according to justice;
when it predestines, it acts according to grace and mercy,
which do not exclude justice. Because all people, belong-
ing to the 'mass of perdition,' deserve to be damned, more
are condemned than elected so that it might be shown
that salvation is by special grace, while condemnation is
due to common justice. 7l No one, therefore, has the right
to complain about God's will, for it does all things most
righteously; we should, instead, give thanks in all circum-
stances and exalt the ways of divine providence.
And if anyone should ask why the gift of grace is more
generously allotted to one sinner than to another, this
would be the time to silence human reasoning, and cry

Augustine, De civ. Dei, 7.30 (PL, 41: 220; [Dyson, 306]).

70
In 4 Sent., 46.2.1-4 (IV, 962-66), Bonaventure's argument here is
71
dependent onAnseim,Pros/ogion, 9-11 (PL 158: 231-34), and ultimately
on Augustine, e.g., Enchiridion. 25.99: "For grace alone distinguishes
the redeemed from the lost, who have been formed into one mass of
perdition by a cause common to all which they draw from their origin"
(PL 40: 278), trans. Bruce Harbert, The Augustine Catechism (Hyde 72 Rom 11:33-36. Bonaventure treats the thorny issue of why God
Park, NY: New City Press, 1999), 115. Cf. De civ. Dei, 21.12 (PL 41: would predestine one person but not another,In 1 Sent., 41.1.2 (I, 731-
727). 34).
 PART II
ON THE CREATION OF THE WORLD

CHAPTER 1
THE PRODUCTION OF THE UNIVERSE

1. Now that we have presented a summary review of

the Trinity of God, we need to say a few things about the
creation of the world. Concisely put, we should maintain
the following belief concerning this: namely, that the en-
tire world machine was brought into existence in time and
from nothing by one First Principle, unique and supreme,
whose power, though immeasurable, has arranged all
things in measure, number, and weight.'

lWis 11: 21 (Vg). Bonaventure's statement of the doctrine of creation

reflects the profession of faith of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215):
"We firmly believe and confess that there is only OTIe true God, eternal
and immeasurable ... one principle of all things ... who by his almighty
power at the beginning of time created from nothing, both spiritual and
corporeal creatures" (DEC 1: 230).
The metaphor machina mundi Iworld machine' occurs in a number
of twelfth century authors, such as Hugh or St. Victor, who revived the
neo-Platonic awareness of the universe as a single whole: "As there are
two divine works, the work of creation and the work of restoration, so
there are two worlds, visible and invisible. The visible world is this
machine, this universe, that we see with out bodily eyes" (De area Noe
morali, 4.6 [PL 176: 672)).
For Bonaventure, the image expresses the conviction that the universe
is based on an intelligible model, God's eternal Word. The cosmos is
thus permeated by God's Word, which is actively present in all things
so that they function harmoniously for the well-being of all. Here he
 60 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQillUM
2. Generally speaking, these are the points regarding
the production of things that we ought to comprehend, for
through them the truth is ascertained and error refuted.
By saying 'in time,' we exclude the error of those who posit
an eternal world." By asserting 'from nothing,' we exclude
the error ofthose who hold the eternity of a material prin-
ciple. 3 When we say 'by one First Principle,' we exclude
the error of the Manicheans, who posit a plurality ofprin-
ciples" When we say 'unique and supreme,' we exclude
the erroneous idea that God produced the lower creatures
through the ministry of [created] intelligences.- And fi-
nally, when we say in measure, number, and weight, we
indicate that the creature is an effect of the creating Trin
follows the insight of Robert Grosseteste: "The world machine most
evidently speaks of the eternal Art by which it has been made ... it is
sort of a visible world of that Art and of the invisible Word" (Dictum 48
translated by Servus Giehen, "Traces of God in Nature according t~
Robert Grosseteste," FS 24 (1964): 144).
z~stotle, especially as interpreted by his great twelfth century
ArabIc commentator, Ibn Rushd (Averroes). With the integration of
Aristotle's works of natural philosophy into the Arts curriculum at the
University of Paris in the 1250's, some teachers (traditionally known
as "Latin Averroists") once again began teaching the doctrine of the
eternity of the world. Bonaventure would strongly oppose them in his
last work, the Collations on the Hexaemeron.
3 ~l~to's Timaeus, the foundational work of the Western cosmolOgical
traditIOn, had portrayed the universe as the work of a divine Craftsman
molding pre-existing chaotic elementary material in accordance with
the patterns of the eternal Fonus.
4 For Bonaventure, "Manicheans" did not refer simply to an ancient
sect but also to the contemporary Cathars, a heretical movement
maintaining a dualistic view of the world. They viewed God as the
creator of spiritual beings only, material things being the work of an
evil principle. The Profession of Faith of Lateran IV ecf. note 1 above)
was directed primarily against them.
(; As maintained by Middle-and Neo-Platonic thinkers such as
~loti~us. Cf. Augustine, De civ. Dei, 12.25-27. The role of mediating
IntellIgences had been revived in the twelfth century by Bernard
Silvestris' influential Cosmographia.
PART II 61
ity by virtue of a three-fold causality: efficient, through
which there is in the creature unity, mode, and measure;
exemplary, from which the creature derives truth, form,
and number; and final, from which it is endowed with good-
ness, order, and weight. These, as vestiges of the Creator,
are found in all creatures, whether corporeal, spiritual, or
composites ofboth.6
3. This is the reason for what we have said. In order
that there be perfect order and repose in things, all of them
must be led back to one principle, which has to be first so
that it might grant rest to other things, and which must
be most perfect so that it might perfect all the others.'
Now there can be only one First Principle possessing such
rest. Therefore, if this Principle produces a world, since it
cannot produce that world from itself, it must produce it
out of nothing. Moreover, creation from nothing implies,
on the part of the creature, a state of being subsequent to
non-being,' and, on the part of the principle, a limitless
productive power, which is found in God alone.' Thus it
6 Every creature possesses a certain external dimension (measure), a
certain internal order (number), and an inclination to its end (weight).
These reflect respectively efficient, exemplary, and final causality. I.n
this way all creatures reflect God, their Trini~arian source. How this
resemblance differs in various creatures is developed in chap. 12.1-2
below.
For a discussion ofthese basic implications ofthe doctrine of creation,
see In 2 Sent., 1.1.1-2 (II, 14-30), Hexaem., 3.3-9 (V, 343-45). On the
three-fold relation of creatures to God. see In 1 Sent., 3.1.dub. 3 (I, 78-
79); In 2 Sent., 35.2,l(II, 828-30). . '
7 Cf. Aristotle, Metaphysics, 2.2 (994a 1-995b 14). Anstotle ascnbes
the motion of the universe to a first cause, an uunmoved Mover" drawing
all other things. .. .
8 Bonaventure believes that an eternal creation IS a logIcal
impossibility. To say that the universe originated "from nothing" can
only signify that the divine creative action had a starting point, before
which only God existed. Cf. In 1 Sent., 1. 1. 1.concl. (II, 22). . .
9 Following the Pseudo-Dionysius, Bonaventure emphasIzes that It
is precisely because the First Principle is one and therefore perfectly
62 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
follows necessarily that the creation of the world must.
have been accomplished in time by this same limitless
power, acting by itself and without any intermediary.
4. Now this utterly perfect Principle, from which flows
the perfection of all things, must act from itself, in accor-
dance with itself, and because of itself, since in none of its
actions does it need anything beside itself Hence, this
Principle must have, in respect to any creature, the role of
a threefold cause: efficient, exemplary, and final. As a re-
sult, every creature must bear within itself this threefold
relationship to its first Cause. For every creature is con-
stituted in being by the efficient cause, is patterned after
the exemplary cause, and is ordained to the final cause.
For this reason, every creature is one, true, and good; lim-
ited, beautiful, and well ordered; and has measure, dis-
tinct existence [numberJ, and weight - for weight is de-
fined as an ordered inclination. '0 All this applies to every
creature in general, whether corporeal, spiritual, or a com-
posite of both, as is the case with human nature.
CHAPTER 2 very production might reflect these same three attributes
How PHYSICAL NATURE CAME INTO EXISTENCE
1. We must now consider corporeal nature with rela-
tion to its produ.ction, its being, and its operation.
With regard to its production, we must hold specifi-
cally that physical nature was brought into existence over
simple that it is capable of a limitless fecundity (De diu. nom., 5.6 [PG
3: 819-822]). Thus, there is no basis for a doctrine that the material
creation emanated from God through intermediate beings.
10 See Augustine, Enarr. in Ps. 29, 2.10: "Weight is that force by which
an object tends to reach the place proper to its nature: that is its
definition" (PL 36: 222). By emphasizing that things are created in
measure, number, and weight, Bonaventure is saying that creation is
not a haphazard multiplicity, but "a diversity with order and connection
and an inclination [weight] towards unity" (De myst. Trin., 2.1.ad 10
[Y, 63]). Cf. In 1 Sent., 43.3 (I, 722).
PAP-TIl 63
the course of six days in the following manner. In the be-
ginning, before any day, God created heaven and earth.l1
Then, on the first day, the light was formed; on the second,
the firmament was established in the midst of the waters;
on the third, the waters were separated from the land and
gathered together into one place; on the fourth, the heav-
ens were adorned with lights; on the fifth, the air and the
waters were filled with birds and fishes; on the sixth, the
land was furnished with animals and human beings. On
the seventh day God rested, not from activity and work,
since he continues to work to this very hour,12 but from
the production of any new species. For God made all things
then [during the six days of the Genesis accountJ- either
in their prototypes, as is the case with those that propa-
gate themselves, or in a seminal reason, as with other
things that come into existence in a different way.l3
2. The reason for this is as follows. Because all things
flow from the first and most perfect Principle, who is om-
nipotent, all wise, and all-beneficent, it was most fitting
that they should come into being in such a way that their
or perfectionsY Therefore, the divine operation that
HGen 1:1 (Vg). 'Inprincipio' can mean 'in the principle' as well as 'in
the beginning.' Bonaventure sees this passage as containing both
meanings: all things were created first in the Principle [the Word or
Eternal Art]; then, they were fashioned temporally in the actual stages
of creation. The following verses are Gen 1:6, 1:9, and 2:2.
12Cf. John 5:17: "My Father is still working, and I also am working."
13 On seminal reasons, see In 2 Sent., 7.2.2.1, 15.2.3.dub. 4, 18.1-3 (II,
196-99,386-90,434-43). This teaching, uitimatelytraceable to the Stoics,
was taken up by Augustine in order to explain how new things can
emerge in the universe after God's initial creation. Seminal reasons
are active potentialities implanted by God in matter from the very
beginning in inchoate form; these are activated over time through the
instrumentality of secondary causes.
14 This triad - God's power, wisdom, and goodness manifest in the
works of creation -is based on Hugh of St. Victor,De tribus diebus and
De sacram., 1.3.26-29 (PL 176: 811, 227-31).
64 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
fashioned the world machine was three-fold: creation,
particularly reflecting omnipotence; distinction, reflecting
wisdom; and embellishment reflecting unbounded good-
ness.
Because [the work of] creation is from nothing, it there-
fore was in the beginning, before any day,'5 as the founda-
tion of all times and beings.
3. Now there is a three-fold qualitative distinction
among corporeal substances; therefore, [God's work of]
distinguishing them extended over three days. For there
is a distinction between the luminous nature and the trans-
lucent and opaque natures; this was brought about on the
first day by the separation of the light from the darkrless.
There is a distinction between one translucent nature
[water] and the other [air], and this was accomplished on
the second day through the separation of the waters. And
there is a distinction between translucent and opaque
natures, and this was brought about on the third day
through the separation ofland from water. We shall later
see how the distinction of the celestial bodies from the
worldly elements is implicitly included in these three.'·
Therefore the work of distinction was fittingly accom-
plished in the space of three days.
4. And because [God's work of] embellishment paral-
lels distinction, it also was accomplished in three days.
The embellishment of the luminous nature was brought
about on the fourth day through the forming of the stars,
the sun, and the moon. The embellishment ofthe translu-
cent nature occurred on the fifth day, when fishes and birds
were made from the waters to ornament the water and
the air. And there was an embellishment of the opaque
nature, that is, of the earth, when on the sixth day the
"See In 2 Sent., 12.2.2, 1.1.dub 2 and 4 (II, 304-05, 36-38).
16 Chapters 3 and 5.
PART II 65
beasts and reptiles were made, and finally, as the consum-
mation of all things, human beings.
5. Now God could have done all of these things simul-
taneously, but preferred to accomplish them over a suc-
cession of times.17 First of all, this would serve as a clear
and distinct manifestation of God's power, wisdom, and
goodness. Secondly, there was a fitting correspondence
between these operations and having various 'days' or
times. Finally, the primal production of the world ought to
contain the seeds of all things that would later be accom-
plished, as a prefiguration offuture ages; thus, these seven
days would contain seminally, as it were, the division of
all times to come, as we have already explained above
through the succession oftheseven ages ofhistory.18 That
is why, to the six days of work was added a seventh day of
rest: a day to which no dusk is ascribed [in Scripture] -
not that this day was not followed by night, but because it
was to prefigure the repose of souls that shall have no
17 In this section, Bonaventure attempts to respond to the
interpretation advanced by Augustine, who had maintained that the
six days of the Genesis creation account [the Hexaemeronl were simply
figurative and that in fact God had created all things instantaneously
(De Genesi ad litt., 4.22-23 [PL 34: 311-18]). Augustine's argument was
rejected by most subsequent interpreters, including Peter Lombard,
Liber 2 Sent., d.12.2, 15.6 [1: 384-85; 402-403]. Bonaventure follows
Lombard, upholding a literal interpretation of the traditional
hexaemeral account. See In 2 Sent., 12.1.2,13.1.1 (II, 295-98, 311-13).
lSSee Prologue, chapter 3. The archetypal number seven is reflected
in the seven planetary spheres and seven constituents of the human
microcosm [the soul possesses three faculties and the body is composed
of four elements]. It may be seen throughout Bonaventure's theology:
seven ages of history, seven deadly sins, seven sacraments, seven virtues
[three theological and four cardinal], seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, and
seven beatitudes. It is no coincidence, then, that the Breviloquium has
seven parts. Cf. Hexaem., 16.7 (V, 404).
The interpretation in the next sentence is based on Augustine, De
Genesi ad litteram, 4.9.16-17; 4.18.31 (PL, 34: 302, 308).
66 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUlUM
end.19 Now, iffrom another point of view, it is said that all
things were made at once, this is simply considering the
work of the seven days from the perspective of the an-
gels. 20 At any rate, the first manner of speaking is more in
keeping with the Scripture and with the authority of the
saints, both those before and after Saint Augustine.
CHAPTER 3 plants, and animals. Therefore, some simple bodies had to
THE EXISTENCE OF PHYSICAL NATURE
1. Concerning the existence of corporeal nature, the
following points must be held. The entire world machine
consists of a celestial and an elemental nature. The celes-
tial nature is divided into the three principal heavens: the
empyrean, the crystalline heaven, and the firmament.
Beneath the firmament, which is the starry heaven, are
the seven spheres of planets: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the
Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon. The elemental na-
ture is divided into four spheres: fire, air, water, and earth.
Thus, ranging from the highest rim of heaven down to the
very center of the earth, there are altogether ten celestial
19 Bonaventure's argument is based on Hugh of St. Victor,De sacram.,
1.1.3 (PL 176: 188-189): that God's purpose in creating the world was
not simply to bring into existence an order of being (which could well
have been done instantaneously), but also to communicate a spiritual
message to the human creature, for whose sake all other things were
made. A gradual creation over time, with its inherent symbolism, better
demonstrates to human beings the power, wisdom, and goodness of
God (cf. section 2 above), It is only when the meaning of Genesis is
considered in all its senses does the reason for the letter become
manifest. Cf. chap. 5 below.
20 Bonaventure is alluding here to the Vulgate text of Sirach 18.1:
"He who lives forever created all things at once [simul]," a passage
that Augustine had used as the Biblical warrant for his figurative
interpretation of the creation account. Bonaventure here is willing to
accept Augustine's interpretation as valid on a spiritual level. Cf. chap.
5.9-10 below.
PART II 67
and four elemental spheres. From these the whole mate-
rial world machine is integrated and constituted in a dis-
tinct, perfect, and ordered fashion. 21
2. The reason for this should be understood as follows.
If physical nature was to be complete in itself, reflecting
the manifold wisdom of the First Principle, there had to
be a multiplicity of forms, such as appears in minerals,
be established first, which could be combined in various
ways to bring about this multiplicity. Such would be a
nature subject to contraries, and this is the elemental na-
ture. 22 There also had to be a nature through which these
contraries could be adjusted in a compound. Such a na-
ture, free from opposition, is that of light and the heav-
enly bodies.23
3. Since a compound cannot be made without active
and passive contraries, the opposition in the elements had
to be two-fold: the first, between the active qualities, that
is, hot and cold; second, between the passive qualities, that
is, wet and dry. Now, since any given element both acts
and is acted upon, it has two qualities, one active and the
other passive, of which, however, one is always principal
and characteristic. That is why there necessarily are only
four elements, corresponding to the four said qualities in
the four combinations.24
21 Bonaventure assumes the validity of the prevalent Platonic-
Aristotelian cosmology (chaps. 3-4), believing it was reflected in the
Scriptures (chap. 5). Isidore of Seville, in his De rerum natura, was the
first Christian writer to relate the Genesis creation account to the
planetary system of antiquity in explicit terms. See In 2 Sent., 2.2.1.1,
14.1.1.1,14.2.1.3 (II, 39-40, 335-38, 362-64).
22 According to ancient science, elemental matter possesses four
contrary properties: hot, cold, moist, and dry.
"See In 2 Sent., 14.1.1.2, 17.2.3 (II, 338-41, 420-23).
24 None of the contrary properties of matter (hot, cold, moist, and
dry) exist in isolation, but only in combination, :ormin?" the four
elements: fire (hot and dry, active), air (hot and mOIst, active), water
(cold and moist, passive), and earth (cold and dry, passive).
68 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVlLOQUlUM
4. Now, celestial nature may be uniform and motion-
less, and this is the empyrean, for it is pure light. Or it
may be mobile and multiform, and such is the firmament.
Finally, it may be mobile and uniform, and such is the
crystalline heaven, between the empyrean and the starry
heaven.25 But the fourth combination - the motionless and
multiform - cannot exist, because multiplicity ofform leads
to varied movements, not to uniform repose.
5. Thus, there are three heavens. The first, the empy-
rean, is luminous throughout; the second, the crystalline,
is translucent throughout; the third, the firmament, is a
combination of both. And so, since there are three incor-
ruptible heavens and four variable elements, God designed
seven planetary spheres so that a proper connection, har-
mony, and correspondence might exist. The planets,
through their varied movements and incorruptible form,
act as a kind of link or bonding between the inferior el-
emental spheres and the superior heavenly spheres, and
thus complete and embellish the universe. Thus the uni-
verse is said to have been ordered in numerical propor-
tion: through the integration of its ten celestial and four
elemental spheres, each returns to its Maker proportion-
ately as much beauty as it has perfection and order, each
in its own way representing its Principle.
25 The first to use the term 'empyrean' to describe the dwelling place
of the angels and saints was the author of the Glossa ordinaria (PL
113: 68); it became standard thanks to Peter Lombard (Lib. 1 Sent., 2.4
[1: 339~340]). The empyrean abides in perfect rest due to its closeness
to God. The crystalline heaven, composed of the waters above the
firmament (Gen 1:7), connect the empyrean with the finnament, the
heaven of the fixed stars.
PART II 69
CHAPTER 4
THE OPERATION AND INFLUENCE OF PHYSICAL NATURE
l.As regards the operation of physical nature, the fol-
lowing must be held: namely, that the heavens influence
the earth and the elements by dividing time into days,
months, and years. As Scripture says: let them be for signs
and for seasons and for days and years.'s Furthermore,
they influence the effective production of things that can
be generated and corrupted, that is, of mineral, vegeta-
tive, and sentient beings, and of human bodies. Neverthe-
less, they enter into the determination of times and have
a governing effect on operations in such a way that they
can never be taken as certain indicators of future contin-
gencies, nor do they exert influence on human free will
through the power of constellations, which some philoso-
phers call fate.27
2. This may be explained as follows. Because the heav-
enly bodies are so close to the First Principle, they possess
light, motion, heat, and power: light, by reason of their
form and appearance; motion, by reason of the influence
upon them of a superior agent; heat, by reason of their
influence upon an inferior passive nature; power, in all
the aforementioned ways. Thus they [i.e., scientists] tell
us that it is the light and motion of the heavenly bodies
that are responsible for the divisions of time:
a) of the day, according to the light of the sun and
motion of the firmament;
"Gen 1:14. On the following, seeln2 Sent., 2.2.2.2,14.2.2.2-3 (II, 73-
75, 359-65).
27 In other words, the heavenly bodies are the secondary causes that
God employs to influence the generation and decay of material
phenomena, including the human body, However, they cannot determine
spiritual realities, such as the soul. On fate, see Augustine, De civ. Dei,
5.1-2 (PL 41: 141ft).
70 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQUIUM
b) of the month, according to the motion of the moon
in an elliptical fashion;28
c) of the year, according to the motion of the sun in
its orbit;
d) of the seasons, according to the motion of the vari
ous planets, their distance and course, their ascent
and descent, their regression and fIxity. From all
these seasonal variations arise.
3. Furthermore, through their power and heat - stimu-
lating, moving, and harmonizing - the heavenly bodies
influence the production of those things that are gener-
ated from the elements. Through their harmonizing influ-
ence on the contrary qualities [ofmatterl, but far removed
from an equal balance, they produce minerals; though a
harmonization that is less removed from equality, they
influence vegetative life; through a conciliation that ap-
proaches equality, they produce sentient beings; and fI-
nally, through a conciliation that truly achieves equal bal-
ance, they produce the human body.29 In its turn, the body
is disposed to receive the noblest form, the rational soul,3.
toward which is ordained and in which is brought
to fulflllment the yearning of every sensible and corporeal
nature. Thus, through the soul - which is a form having
existence, life, feeling, and intelligence - every nature may
"See In 2 Sent., 14.2.dub. 4 (Il, 369-70).
29 The human body, as a microcosm, is thus built of the same four
elements that compose all other material creatures. In the body, these
form the four humors (Isidore of Seville, Etymol., 4.5 [PL 82: 184-85]),
identified as reddish bile or choler (hot and dry), blood (hot and moist),
phlegm (cold and moist) and black bile or melancholy (cold and dry).
lllness resulted from an imbalance of these contrary humors; medicine
sought a means to restore the balance.
3OSee In2 Sent., 15.1.3, 17.2.2-3 (II, 379-81, 420-26).
PART II 71
be led back," as ifin an intelligible circle, to its beginning,
in which it is perfected and beatifIed.32
4. And because the human soul strives to its end
through free will, by virtue ofthis freedom it excels every
power of corporeal beings. That is why all things are born
to serve the soul, for nothing can rule it except God alone
- neither fate nor any power of the stars' position.33
5. It is therefore undoubtedly true that we are the goal
of everything that exists,34 and that all corporeal beings
were made to serve humankind, so that through these
things humanity might ascend to loving and praising the
Creator of the universe whose providence disposes of all.
Therefore this physical machine of corporeal beings is like
a dwelling fashioned by the supreme architect to serve
human beings until such time as they arrive at that
31This description evokes the classic microcosmic formula of the Latin
tradition, Gregory the Great,Hom. in Evang. 2.29.2: "The disciples were
told to preach to every creature. But 'every creature' means human bemgs .
. . . [who] have something in common with every creature. They share
existence with stones, like trees they are alive, like animals they feel,
and like the angels they have intelligence .... And so the Gospel is
preached to every creature when it is preached to human beings, ... for
whose sake all things on earth were created, and to whom all things
are related by some kind oflikeness" (PL 76: 1214), trans., David Hurst,
Forty Gospel Homilies (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1990),
227.
32The closed circle as an expression offinal perfection and completion
is often used by Bonaventure, e.g., in pt. 1, chap. 6. 5 above, and Myst,
Trin., 8, ad 7: "It follows that eternal life consists in this alone, that the
rational spirit, which emanates from the most blessed Trinity and is a
likeness ofthe Trinity, should return after the manner of an intelligible
circle - through memory, understanding, and will- to the most blessed
Trinity by God-conforming glory" (V, 115 [WB 3: 266]). See also In 3
Sent., 1.2.2 (II, 20); In 2 Sent., 1.2.1.2.ad 3, 1.2.3.2 (II, 42, 50); In 4
Sent., 48.2.1 (IV, 990).
"See In 2 Sent., 14.2.2.3 (II, 361-365).
34 Aristotle, Physic., 2.24.2: "We use everything as ifit were there for
our sake. We also are in a sense an end" (194a 34-35). See In 2 Sent.,
15.2.1,16.1.1 (II, 382-84, 394-95).
72 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
dwelling not made with hands ... in heaven. 35 And so, just
as the soul, by reason ofthe body and its deserved state, is
now on earth, so one day the body, by reason of the soul
and its deserved reward, will be in heaven.
CHAPTER 5 with the First Principle and Supreme Being, it does not
THE MANNER IN WHICH THESE THINGS ARE DESCRIBED
IN SCRIPTURE
1. From what has been said so far, it should be clear
that order exists not only in the way God created things
in time and arranged them in space, but also in the way
God governs their influence on one another. But there is
also order in the way Scripture gives us sufficient teach-
ing about all these things. This is the case, even if it does
not explicitly describe the different spheres of the heav-
ens and of the elements; even if it says little or nothing
about the motions and powers of the superior bodies, or of
the combinations of the elements and their compounds;
and even if it says nothing explicitly about the creation of
the higher spirits, especially when it describes how the
universe came into being.
2. This can be explained in the following way. The First
Principle reveals itself to our minds through the Scrip-
tures and through creatures. In the book of creation it
manifests itself as the effective Principle, and in the book
of Scripture as the restorative Principle. Now, the restor-
ative Principle cannot be known unless the effective Prin-
ciple is also known. Thus it follows that Holy Scripture,
even though it is concerned mainly with the works of res-
toration, must necessarily also deal with the works of cre-
ation, insofar as they lead to the knowledge of the first
effective and recreating Principle.'· Hence, this knowledge
35 2 Cor 5:1.
"See Hugh of St. Victor, De sacram., 1.prol.3 (PL 176: 184); Cf.
Hexaem. 1.37 (V, 54).
PART II 73
is both sublime and saving: sublime, because it is knowl-
edge of the effective Principle, which is God the Creator;
saving, because it is knowledge of the restorative Prin-
ciple, which is Christ our Savior and Mediator.
3. Now, since this knowledge is sublime, in that it deals
lower itself to describe the special natures, motions, pow-
ers, and distinctions of the various beings. Rather, it re-
mains on a more general level, in which specific beings
are only implied, describing the world in relation to the
overall disposition and effect of the luminous, translucent,
and opaque natures.
4. Now, the First Principle, with which Scripture deals,
possesses in itself an order of nature by virtue of its exist-
ence, an order of wisdom by virtue of its disposing [all
things), and an order of goodness by virtue ofits influenc-
ing [all things). The order of nature possesses existence
and equality;37 the order of wisdom considers priority and
posteriority; the order of influence, superiority and subor-
dination. And so it follows that to indicate the order of
nature, Scripture sets down the manner in which it was
fitting that God should operate. Thus, in the beginning,
before any passing of time, the threefold nature was
brought from non-being into being. This is implied in the
words: In the beginning God created heaven and earth
and the Spirit of God moved over the waters. '8 Here, the
word 'heaven' implies the luminous nature; the word
'earth,' opaque nature; and the word 'waters,' the trans-
parent or translucent nature, either subject to opposition
or elevated above it. Here the eternal Trinity is also al-
luded to: the Father, under the term 'God creating'; the
Son, under the term 'beginning' [Principle); and the
"SeeIn 1 Sent., 20.2.1-2,19.1.4 (I, 372-75, 347-50).
38 Gen 1:1-2.
74 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
Holy Spirit, under the term 'the Spirit of God.'39 It is in
this sense that we must understand the passage, He who
lives forever cre~ted all things together:·' not as meaning
that God created everything together in utter chaos, as
the poets have fantasized. Rather, God created this three-
fold nature so that the highest in dignity would be on high,
the middle, in the middle position; and the lowest, at the
bottom. Nor does this passage mean that God created ev-
erything in a state of complete distinction, for while the
heavens were perfect, the earth was still unformed, and
the middle nature, holding the middle position, had not
yet been brought into a state of final separation.
5. To indicate the order of wisdom in disposing, Scrip-
ture shows that this threefold nature was not distinguished
and embellished' in a single step. Rather, to correspond to
the triple nature created, the work of division took three
'days and the work of embellishment another three. Thus,
as God in the beginning, before the dawn of time, created
a triple nature all at once, even so, when time began its
course, God used a triple measure of duration, that is, a
triplet of days, to make a threefold distinction in the triple
created nature; and he used another triplet of days to pro-
vide this triply distinct nature with a threefold embellish-
ment.
6. And to indicate the order of goodness in influencing,
Scripture shows that the three natures were arranged in
the world according to the norm of superior and inferior,
as the dignity and influence of each required. Because lu-
minous nature is the brightest, its place is the highest
sphere. Because the opaque has the least, it ought to be at
the core. Translucent nature, being intermediate, belongs
in the middle place.· ' Now, both heavenly and elemental
Glossa ordinaria in Gen 1:2 (PL 113: 70C).
39
"Sirach 18:1. Cf. chap. 2.5 above.
41 Aristotle, De anima, 2.68.7; De sensu et sensato, 3 (419a 8-34 and
439a 18b 10).
PAETH 75
natures have something of translucency and transparency,
and both share luminosity. Therefore, it is rightly said that
the firmament was established in the midst of the waters.
This does not mean that the waters above the firmament
are fluid, cold, heavy, and corruptible; on the contrary, they
are clear, incorruptible, and transparent, so sublime as to
be beyond all opposition. Thus, because of the nobility of
their form, they are heavenly in nature and deserve to be
placed among heavenly things.·2
7. They are gathered there also because of their power
and influence. For every physical activity of lower beings
receives its law, origin, and energy from the celestial na-
ture. Now, there are two active qualities, hot and cold.· 3
The heaven of the stars [the firmament], by reason of its
luminosity, is the chief agent of warmth, while another,
the crystalline heaven, influences the cold. Just as the
starry heaven, though it causes heat, is not formally hot,
so the heaven that is called watery or crystalline is not
really cold. Hence, when the saints say that these waters
were put there to check the heat of the higher bodies and
other statements like this,.· they are to be taken, not as
formal predications of essence, but rather as pertaining to
efficacy and influence. And so the establishment of cre-
ation in the aforesaid order is in accord with the order
both of creating Wisdom and of divine Scripture, which is
a sublime knowledge.
8. Furthermore, since it is salutary knowledge, Scrip-
ture does not speak of the work of creation except with
reference to the work of redemption. Now the angels are
created in such a way that once fallen, no reparation can
be made, as will made clear in the following chapter;
42 Gen 1:6. On the waters of the crystalline heavens, see In 2 Sent.,
14.1.1.1 (Il, 335-38).
"Cf. chap. 3.2-3 above .
.. Among others, Basil, In Hexai!m., 3.7 (PG 29: 69B).
76 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
therefore, Scripture says nothing in its literal sense about
the creation and fall of the angels, since no reparation can
subsequently occur.45
9. Yet, because complete silence about the creation of
the loftiest creatures would be inconsistent with the sub-
limity of Scripture, the sacred writings described their
creation insofar as a sublime and saving knowledge re-
quires, but in such a way that, taking a spiritual interpre-
tation, the literal account ofthe whole creation refers sym-
bolically to the celestial and ecclesiastical hierarchies.
Thus, understood in a spiritual sense, in the three natures
which were first produced, we see the angelic hierarchy
under the term 'heaven,' the ecclesiastical hierarchy un-
der the term 'earth,' and grace, by which the other two are
refreshed, under the term 'waters.'
10. Again [in a spiritual sensel, the 'seven days' stand
for the seven states of the Church through the succession
of the seven ages. 45 The same series of seven days also
signify the seven illuminations through which the angels
rise from the creature to God. 4'
Thus, the foregoing reveals the sufficiency and truth
of the Scriptures in the diverse opinions of the saints, that
is, of Augustine and others. If we understand them cor-
rectly, they do not contradict one another, but are true.
Cf. chap. 7 below.
45
4sAs developed in the Prologue, 2.7·8.
47This refers to Augustine's interpretation of the hexaemeral account,
De Genesi ad litt., 4.22-23 (PL 34: 311-18), which he had taken to be its
literal meaning. Bonaventure, who upholds the literal meaning of
Genesis (chap. 2.5 above), here accepts Augustine's view as valid on an
spiritual level. Seeln2 Sent., 12.1.2,13.1.1 (II, 295-98, 311-313), where
Bonaventure also attempts to reconcile this reading with a more literal
interpretation.
PART II 77
CHAPTER 6
THE PRODUCTION OF THE HIGHER SPIRITS
1: Consequently'" our next topic must be the spiritual
and mcorporeal nature, that is, the angelic nature. Here
we ought to consider the creation of the heavenly spirits,
the fall of the demons, and the confirmation of the good
angels.
2. We should know that the angels, from the first mo-
ment of their creation, possess four attributes: simplicity
of essence; individuality of person; rationality, implying
memory, understanding, and will; and free choice for se-
le?ting good and rejecting evil,<' These four primary at-
t~butes are accompanied by four others: virtuosity in ac-
~lOn, dedi?~tion in service, keenness in understanding, and
ImmutabIlIty once a decision for good and evil has been
made.
3. The explanation of this is as follows. The First Prin-
ciple, by t~e very fact of being first, produced all things
from nothmg, not only those things that are "close to noth-
ing," but also those that are close to it. 50 It was therefore
proper that it produce not only a substance that is far re-
moved from it - which is the corporeal nature - but also
one that is kindred to it. This is the intellectual and incor-
poreal substance which, by the very fact that it is so simi-
lar to God, enjoys simplicity of nature and individuality of
48 Bonaventure has just concluded his discussion of the physical
universe with a reference to the angels' knowledge of the universe
49 According to Peter Lombard, Liber 2 Sent., 3.1 (1: 341-342), wh~ in
tu;;:' follows H."gh of St. Victor, De sa~ram., 1.5.7-8 (PL 176: 250).
cr. A:ugustme, .c0nfesswns 12.7.7: 'You were, the rest was nothing,
from whIch you mIght make heaven and earth, two realities: one near
to yourself, the other close to nothing" (PL 32: 929); trans. Maria
Bouldmg, WSA, III (Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 1997),315-16.
78 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUlUM
in whatever concerns its substance, whether common or
individual. 51
In its mind, this intellectual substance also possesses
the image of the Trinity by virtue of memory, under-stand-
ing and will.52 Furthermore, its will is free. In this way it
might resemble God through a power that is both natural
and elective, for its natural power is clearly stamped with
God's own image, and its elective power is marked by free-
dom of choice. For it never could meritor-iously achieve
the glorious reward that makes each one blessed unless it
possessed this freedom of choice in the will. But this can-
not exist except in a rational substance endowed with
memory, understanding, and will. And where there is rea-
son, there must also exist "an individual substance of a
rational nature."" It is also necessary that it be a spiri-
tual, incorporeal substance and hence simple, lacking all
quantitative dimension.
4. Such a substance, however, because it is simple, has
virtuosity in action; having virtuosity and personal dis-
tinctness, it has a distinct service to perform; having sim-
plicity and virtuosity, it has a keen power of discernment;
having simplicity and keen discernment, and hence a God-
conformed intellect,'· it also has immutability in its choice
61 See In 2 Sent., 3.1.1.1, 3.1.2.1-3, (II, 89-91, 102-10).
This is the first appearance in the Breviloquium of a fundamental
52
Augustinian theme: that a creature possessing reason is the image of
God in a special way through its ability to remember, understand, and
love. By virtue of these capacities, it is called into a direct personal
relationship with the triune God, who alone can fulfill them. Cf. chap.
12 below. Augustine developed this theme most extensively in Books 9-
15 ofbis De Trinitate (PL 42: 959-1098).
53 Boethius' classic definition of a person (Contra Eutychen, 3 [PL 64:
1343C]). See In 1 Sent., 25.1.2 (1, 439-41).
64 This is based on Pseudo-Dionysius, The Divine Names, 7.2: "[The
angelic minds] become shaped as closely as possible to the
transcendently wise mind and reason of God" (PG 3: 868B [trans.
Luibheid, p. 106]). See In 2 Sent., 1.2.3.2, 7.1.1.ad 2 (II, 50, 177).
PART II 79
of either good or evil. All of these conditions are to be added
to the general condition of the higher spirits.
CHAPTER 7
THE ApOSTASY OF THE DEMONS
1. We should hold the following with regard to the apos-
tasy of the demons. God made all the angels good, but in
an intermediate position between himself, supreme Good,
and the changeable good, which is creation. If they turned
their love to the Good above, they would rise to the state
of grace and glory, but if they turned downward to the
changeable good, they would fall through his very act into
the evil of sin and its penalty, because "the ugliness of sin
is never without the beauty ofpunishment."'5
The first among the angels, Lucifer, laying presump-
tuous claim to a private good, craved his own excellence
and desired to be elevated further than the rest. There-
fore, he fell, along with the others who were of the same
mind as he. Falling, he became impenitent, obstinate, and
blind. Excluded from the contemplation of God and disor-
dered in the operation of his faculties, he is now bent with
all his might upon perverting humankind with countless
temptations. 55
55 Augustine defined sin as "a turning away from the immutable good
and a turning towards changeable goods" (On Free Choice of the Will,
2.19.53, [PL 32: 1269], trans. Anna S. Benjamin and L. H. Hackstaff
(Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1964),83. The quoted phrase is from
the same work (3.15.44), where Augustine emphasizes that God's
punishment must immediately follow sin, ''lest the universal beauty
be marred ... by any interval of time" (PL 32: 1293 [po 123]). Cf.ln 2
Sent., 3.2.1 (II, 112-17).
56 Cf. the Profession of Faith of Lateran IV: "The devil and other
demons were created by God naturally good, but they became evil by
their own doing" (DEC 1:230). On the sin of the Lucifer and the other
bad angels, see In 2 Sent., 5.1-2 (II, 145-154). On their power to tempt
human beings, see ibid., 8.2 (II, 224-34).
80 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQWUM
2. We might understand this is as follows. Since the
First Principle is the highest good, it makes nothing that
is not good, for from the Good nothing but good proceeds. 57
Whatever the First Principle makes, however, is by that
very fact less than its maker, and thus cannot be the su-
preme good. Thus the angelic nature was created good,
but not the supreme good; yet it was capable of being per-
fected through its choice of the highest good.
3. Having free will, Lucifer was able to turn toward
the supreme good or to turn to a private good. But aroused
by the sight of his own beauty and eminence, he fell in
love with himself and his private good, and so laid pre-
sumptuous claim to the eminence he had and sought to
gain a further excellence that he did not possess. Thus, in
his presumption, he set himself up as his own principle by
glorying in himself; in his ambition, he established him-
self as his own supreme good by seeking his end in him-
self. Since, however, he was neither the supreme Principle
nor the supreme Good, he was bound to fall from his inor-
dinate desire, and for the same reason all those of like
mind.
4. And because "the ugliness of sin is never without
the beauty of punishment," it follows that as soon as he
fell into sin, he and his followers lost their supreme posi- .
tion, in the empyrean heaven, and sank to the pit, the misty
darkness of helL'S Through his free choice, Lucifer had
fallen into sin; by the judgment of God, he fell into pun-
ishment. And because his choice was immutable, he im-
mediately became hardened in evil and was thus blinded
from the truth, disordered in his actions, and weakened
57 Cf. Pseudo-Dionysius, The Divine Names, 4.19: "Fire cannot cool
us, and likewise the Good cannot produce what is not good" (PG 3:
716B [Luibheid, p. 84]).
58Cf. 2 Peter 2.4: "God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but
cast them into hell and committed them to chains of deepest darkness."
PART II 81
in his powers. His wicked will and action, turned away
from God, were turned instead to hatred and envy ofhu-
mankind; his keen mind, blinded from true light, turned
to deceiving humankind by divinations and deceptions;
his readiness to serve, averted from true service, turned
to seducing humans through temptations; his power, less-
ened and constrained, turned, as much as God permitted,
to performing stupendous feats by bringing about rapid
changes in the material creation.
Since all this was the disorderly result of a pride-in-
fected will, the fallen angel has perverted everything to
feed his pride, expecting human beings to revere and adore
him as ifhe were God. That is why "all his deeds are evil."'·
And nevertheless God is just in allowing these things to
happen for the time being, with the purpose of punishing
the wicked and glorifYing the good, as will be evident at
the last judgment.
CHAPTER 8
THE CONFIRMATION OF THE GOOD ANGELS
1. With regard to the confirmation of the good angels,
the following should be held: that just as the angels who
turned away from God were instantly made obstinate in
their impenitence, so those who turned to God were in-
stantly confirmed in their choice through grace and glory;
fully enlightened in their intellect through the knowledge
of dawn and dusk;·' perfectly fortified in their powers of
command and execution; and fully ordered in their activi-
ties, whether of contemplation or service. All of this was
according to a triple hierarchy, namely, supreme, interme-
diate, and lowest. The highest level comprises the
"Peter Lombard, Gloss in II Cor. 6.15 (PL 192: 49D).
GO These terms will be explained in the following paragraph.
82 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
Thrones, Cherubim, and Seraphim; the intermediate, the
Dominions, Virtues, and Powers; the lowest, the Princi-
palities, Archangels, and Angels. Of this last group, most
are sent to serve and assigned to watch over human be-
ings, to whom they minister by purifying, illuminating,
and perfecting them as God's will commands.61
2. The following argument helps us understand this.
The angels, because of their express likeness and proxim-
ity to the first and supreme Principle, have a God-like in-
tellect and immutability, once their free will has given its
assent. And so, when by divine grace they turned to the
supreme good because they chose God and thus were con-
firmed and perfected in glory, they became stable and
happy in will and clear-sighted in intellect. Thus they now
understand everything not only in themselves, but also in
the creating Art; they not only have a knowledge of dusk,
but also of morning, and even a knowledge of full sun-
light, through the fullness and absolute purity ofthat light
in comparison to which every created thing may properly
be called darkness.62 In their faculties of command and
execution they are fully strengthened, whether they use
an assumed body or not.·' In their activities they are so
61 Hebr 1:14. This whole explanation derives from Pseudo-Dionysius'
Celestial Hierarchy. On the triple hierarchical action of purifying,
illuminating, and perfecting, see 3.2-3 (PG 3: 166eD). For more detail
see Bonaventure, In 2 Sent., 5.3.1-2 (II, 154-58); on the confirmation of
the angels, cf. ibid., 7.1.2.3 (II, 187-88); on their knowledge, 3.2.2.1-2,
4.3.1-2 (II, 117-24, 138-42); on their orders and ministry, 9-11 (II, 237-
90).
62 Augnstine, De civ. Dei, 11.29 (PL 41: 343); De Gen. ad litt., 4.24-
25.29-30 (PL 34: 313ff.) Like Augnstine, Bonaventure distinguishes
three kinds of knowledge according to the way that it is produced: 'the
knowledge of dusk' is a knowledge of things in themselves; 'the
knowledge of morning' is that by which one sees things as they exist in
the Word; the 'knowledge offuU day' is an immediate intuition through
which God reveals himself directly to the created intellect. Cf. In 2
Sent., 3.2.2.2 (II, 122ff.), Itin., 1.3 (Y, ).
"See In 2 Sent., 8.1 throughout (II, 209-24).
PART II 83
perfectly ordered that they are no longer capable of being
disordered either in ascending to see God or in descend-
ing to serve humankind. Indeed, since they see God face
to face, they move in God wherever they are sent. 64
3. The angels are sent and operate according to the
hierarchical order instilled in them by nature and which
was brought to perfection by glory: stabilizing their free
will in the right choice, illumined their keenness of intel-
lect, ordered their ministry, and strengthened their power
in the four attributes mentioned above. 65 Sharpness of
reason in contemplation serves primarily to worship the
divine majesty, to understand its truth, and to desire its
goodness. Accordingly, there are three orders in the first
hierarchy, for worship pertains to the Thrones, wisdom to
the Cherubim, and love to the Seraphim. Perfect capacity
for action implies the power to command, execute, and
implement: the first pertains to the Dominions, the sec-
ond to the Virtues, and the third to the Powers, whose
function it is to repel hostile forces. Perfect ministry im-
plies ruling, revealing, and assisting: the first pertains to
the Principalities, the second to the Archangels, and the
third to the Angels, for they keep guard lest those who are
standing fall and they go the assistance of the fallen to
help them rise again. Now, it is plain that all these at-
tributes exist in the angels in greater or lesser degree as
we gradually descend from the highest to the lowest,
64
1 Cor 13.12. Gregory, Hom in Evang., 34.13: "They are sent, and
they stand in God's presence, both. Angelic spirits are limited, but the
supreme Spirit, God himself, is not. Even the angels he sends out are
still in his presence, because wherever they may come after being sent,
they are still in his presence" (PL 76: 1255 [Hurst, 293]). SeeIn2 Sent.,
2.2.2.1 (II, 75ft).
65 See chapter 6. On the duties of the angels, see In 2 Sent., 9,
praenotata (II, 237-41). Bonaventure bases himselflargely on Gregoris
sermon cited in the preceding note.
84 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUIUM
but each rank is fittingly named for that quality which
"each received more fully as its service."66
CHAPTER 9 Principle is most blessed and most benevolent, that sover-
THE PRODUCTION OF THE HUMAN SOUL
1. Having discussed both corporeal and incorporeal
natures, we must now say something about that nature
that is a composite of both. First we shall treat of the mind,
then of the body, and fmally ofthe whole person.
We can briefly summarize as follows what, according
to sacred doctrine we must hold, regarding the soul: that
it is a form endowed with existence, life, intelligence, and
freedom of choice. It is a form possessing existence, nei-
ther of itself nor [as an emanation] from the divine na-
ture, but brought into being by God from nothing through
creation. 6' It is a form possessing life, not through some
extrinsic nature but in itself; not for a mortal span, but for
eternity.68 It is a form endowed with intelligence, grasping
not only created essences, but even the "creating essence,"
in whose image it was made according to memory, under-
standing, and will. 6' Finally, it is a form endowed with free-
dom of choice, for it is always free from necessity. In the
state of innocence, it was free from misery and guilt as
well, although this is not the case in its present fallen
nature.'· This freedom from constraint is nothing other
66 Gregory, Forty Gospel Homilies, 34.14 (Hurst, 293-94). Cf. Peter
Lombard, Liber 2 Sent. 9.3 (1: 372-373); Bonaventure, In 2 Sent., 9.4
(II, 247-49).
67 In 2 Sent., 17.1.1, 18.1.3 (II, 410-13, 439-43).
"Ibid., 19.1.1 (II, 457-61).
69 The quoted phrase is from Anselm, Monologion, 13 (PL 158: 161A
[AC, p. 26]). SeeIn2 Sent., 16 (II, 393-408), In 1 Sent., 3.2.1.1 (J, 80-82).
70 This terminology is based on Bernard of Clairvaux, On Grace and
Free Will, ee. 3-5, who distinguished 'freedom from necessity' (the natural
capacity of the will to be the cause of its own actions, without any
external constraint) from 'freedom from sin' (the effective capacity to
PART II 85
than a joint capacity of will and reason, the principal fac-
ulties ofthe soul.
2. The explanation ofthis is as follows. Since the First
eign benevolence imparts its own blessedness to creatures,
not only to those that are spiritual and close to it, but to
bodily creatures which are far removed. However, to the
material, distant creation it communicates that blessed-
ness indirectly, because the divine law is that lower be-
ings be led to the highest through intermediaries.71 Thus,
God granted the possibility of blessedness not only to the
angelic spirit, removed from matter, but also to a spirit
joined to it, that is, the human. Therefore, the rational
soul is capable of blessedness. But the prize of everlasting
happiness is not glorious unless it is merited, and some-
thing cannot truly be merited unless it is done freely and
voluntarily. It thus follows that freedom of choice was fit-
tingly given to the rational soul by removing every con-
straint from it. For by its very nature, the will cannot be
forced in any way, even though as a result of[original] sin
it has become a wretched slave to sin.7Z
3. Again, a form that can be blessed is capable of union
with God through memory, understanding, and will and is
choose the good according to the counsel of right judgment [cf. chap.
11.6 below]) and 'freedom from misery' (the capacity to have such correct
choices always come to fruition). Original sin has removed the two latter
freedoms, making the soul 'a slave to sin.' Grace gradually restores
'freedom from sin,' but the Christian will be 'free from misery' only in
heaven. (PL 182: 1004-1010). This distinction was accepted by Peter
Lombard,Liber 2 Sent., 25.8-9 [1: 466-69], becoming common teaching.
Cf. Bonaventure, In 2 Sent., 25 (II, 591-626).
71 Pseudo-Dionysius,De cael. hier., 4.3: "Secondary beings are uplifted
through the primary beings. Now the Law which was laid down ...
establishes that in every hierarchy ... those closer to God should be
the initiators of those less close by guiding them to the divine access,
enlightenment, and communion" (PG 3: 182A; PL 122: 1047D [po 158]).
72John 8:34. Cf. Peter Lombard, Liber 2 Sent., 25.8 (1: 466-469).
86 ST. BONAVENTIJRE'SBREVILOQUIUM
thus an image of the Trinity as one in essence and triune
in power. Thus it follows that the soul, so stamped with
the divine image, had to be capable of knowing God and
all things.73 And because something truly blessed can never
lose that happiness, nothing can be capable of blessed-
ness unless it is incorruptible and immortal. The rational
soul, therefore, must live with a life that is immortal by
its very nature.
4. Finally, anything that is immortal but derives its
happiness from another is both mutable and immutable:
immutable with respect to its being, mutable with respect
to its well-being. Therefore, since the soul is mutable [in
its choicesl, it follows that it proceeds neither from itself
nor from the divine essence; since it is immortal and in-
corruptible, it follows that it cannot be made from some-
thing else or generated by nature. For such a form could
not be brought into existence through generation because
anything naturally generated is naturally corruptible."
From all this it is apparent that the final end, that is, bless-
edness, to which the soul is ordained, necessarily imposes
the aforementioned characteristics upon it.
5. Now, since a soul that is capable of blessedness has
to be immortal, it follows that the soul is united to a mor-
tal body in such a manner that it can be separated from it.
Hence it is not only a [perfectingl form, but also an
?3Like angels, the human soul is also an image of the triune God, a
fact that establishes it in a direct personal relationship with God by its
very nature. However, the human soul is joined with a body, and so its
memory, knowledge, and love of God is mediated through its sense
experience; thus its relationship with God develops over time. As pure
spirits, angels possess full knowledge and thus the possibility of a once-
for-all choice. Cf. chap. 6.3-4 above.
74 Aristotle, De caelo, 1.126.12: 4'The terms 'generated' and 'destructible'
are coincident ... since between what always is and what always is not
there is an intermediate which is neither, and that intermediate is the
generated and destructible" (282b 8-9).
PARTIr 87
individual substance [hoc aliquidl. 75 Thus the soul is
united to the body not only as a perfection, but also as a
mover; its essence perfects what it likewise directs. 76 Now
the soul confers not simply existence, but also life, sensa-
tion, and intelligence. 77 It therefore possesses a vegeta-
tive power, a power of sensation, and an intellectual power.
By virtue of its vegetative power, the soul is the principle
of generation, nourishment, and growth: it is the principle
of quiddity by generating, of quality by nourishing, and of
quantity by growing. 78 By virtue ofits sensitive power, the
soul apprehends sensible objects, retains what it has ap-
prehended, and combines and sorts what it has retained.
It apprehends through the five external senses that cor-
respond to the five principal corporeal elements of the
world;79 it retains through memory; it combines and dis-
tinguishes through imagi-nation, which is the primary
power of association. Finally, by means of its intellectual
power, the soul discerns truth, avoids evil, and seeks the
good; it discerns truth through its rational faculty, rejects
evil through the negative appetite [of the willl, and de-
sires good through its positive appetite. so
750n prime or individual substance, see Aristotle, Categories, 5 (3b
10-12). Cf. Bonaventure, In 2 Sent., 15.1.1, 17.1.2 (II, 372-76, 413-16).
76 Aristotle,De anima, 2.24.2: ''it is the soul by or with which primarily
we live, perceive, and think" (414a 12-13).
77 Cf. chap. 4, 3 above.
"Aristotle, De gen. et corrupt., 1.39.5 (320a 8f!).
"Bonaventure, following Augustine (De Gen. ad litt., 3.4.6 (PL 34:281),
considers each sense as corresponding to the specific characteristics of
one of the elements: touch to the earth; taste to water; hearing to air;
smell to fire (smoke); and sight to 'quintessence' (light). Thus, through
the senses, everything in the universe can enter human consciousness.
See also Itin., 2.2-3;De red. art. 3 (V, 300, 320). Bonaventure may have
drawn this material from John of La Rochelle's Summa de anima, 2.19
(Domenichelli ed., pp. 252-55).
80 This tripartite division goes back to Plato (Republic, Book 4;
Timaeus, 69-70), and is found in many patristic authors. It was revived
88 ST, BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQUlUM
6. Now, since discerning the truth is a cognitive act,
while rejecting evil and desiring good are affective acts,
the entire soul has a two-fold capacity: cognitive and af-
fective.
7. Let us amplify this further. Truth may be known in
two ways: either as truth in itself, or the truth as good; the
latter is either eternal and above the soul, or temporal
and inferior to it. Hence, the cognitive power, comprising
the intellect and reason, is so distinguished that there is
both a speculative and a practical intellect, and also a su-
perior and an inferior reason. But these terms indicate a
diversity of functions rather than distinct powers.81
8. Finally, because desire can be directed to an object
in two ways, according to natural instinct or according to
deliberation and decision, the affective power is divided
into the natural will and the elective will, which is 'will' in
the proper sense. S2 Since such a deliberate decision is
in the twelfth century; a prime example is the treatise De spiritu et
anima: "The wise men of the world have handed on to us that there are
in the human soul reason. positive appetite, and negative appetite
4«McGinn, Three Treatises, 286). I have followed McGinn in translating
the terms irasciblis as "negative appetite" and concupiscibilis as
"positive appetite."The more literal tenns "irascible" and "concupiscible"
are misleading in current English. This also avoids confusion between
the natural human "concupiscible" appetite and this desire for the good
as distorted by original sin ("concupiscence").
81 The distinction between the superior and inferior reason was
introduced by Augustine (De Trin., 12.3.3-4.4 (PL 42: 999-1000). These
are not two separate faculties, but two facets of the one rational soul
that Bonaventure also refers to as "the two faces of the soul" (pt. 5,
chap. 4.4-5). The one turns its attention to the soul itself, and beyond it
to God; the other turns toward the body, and beyond it to material
things. See In 2 Sent., 24.1.2.3 (II, 564).
The speculative intellect considers things as true; the practical
intellect,joined with the will, considers them as good, and thus as to be
done. Ibid., 7.2.1 (2: 190).
82 The human will is said to be natural because of its innate desire
for happiness, but is deliberative because it chooses this or that thing
as good for itself. Ibid., 24.1.2.3 (II, 565-67).
PART II 89
indifferent to either alternative, it is based on freedom of
choice. And because this indifference springs from both
full deliberation and the will acting in accordance with it,
freedom of choice is a faculty of both reason and will, so
that, as Augustine says, it embraces all the rational pow-
ers mentioned above. s, Indeed, he says: "Wben we speak
of freedom of choice, we are referring not to a part of the
soul, but most assuredly, to the whole."s4 The cooperation
of these two powers - reason reaching beyond itself and
the will accompanying it - give rise to the integrity offree-
dom, which is the principle of merit or demerit according
to whether good or evil is chosen.
CHAPTER 10
THE PRODUCTION OF THE HUMAN BODY
1. Following the orthodox doctrine offaith, we should
maintain the following points with regard to the human
body in its original state. The body ofthe first man [Adam],
formed from the slime ofthe earth,S' was created subject
to the soul and yet proportioned to it in its own way. By
'proportioned', I imply a well-balanced physical consti-
tution, a beautiful and complex structure, and an upright
posture.S6 By 'subject', I mean that the body was created
obedient to the soul without rebellion, able to propagate
without lust and to function without defect, wholly exempt
from decay, and immune from death. Appropriately, such
83 Free choice employs all three elements ofthe intellective power Ccf.
section 5 above): discerning the truth through the reason (comprising
memory and understanding) and seeking it as good through the positive
and negative appetites of the affective faculty, the will.
S< Pseudo-Augustine, Hypognosticon 3.5.7 (PL 45: 1624); In 2 Sent.,
25.1.3 (II, 597-600).
85Gen 2:7.
s6For a full discussion of the human body, see In 2 Sent., 17.2.1-3 (II,
419-26).
90 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
a being was given an earthly paradise for its peaceful
abode. Furthennore, a woman was formed from the side
of the man to be his companion and helpmate for sinless
propagation. And they were given the tree oflife for con-
tinual sustenance and even for their perfect immut-abil-
ity through perpetual immortality.s7
2. The following is the rational justification ofthis be-
lief. Since in producing things the First Principle is su-
premely powerful, wise, and good, and since it manifests
these attributes in some way in everything it has made, it
was fitting that it manifest them most impressively in its
final and most noble effect. This is humankind, whom God
produced last of all creatures so that in this effect there
might appear and shine forth in the most excellent way
the consummation of the divine works.
3. So that divine power might be manifest in human
nature, God fashioned it from the two natures that were
the maximum distance from one another, united in a single
person or nature. These are the body and the soul, the
fonner being a corporeal substance, the later a spiritual
and immaterial one. Within the genus 'substance,' these
two stand furthest apart. ss
87 Of. Gen 2:18-21, 8-9. For the production of woman from the side of
man, see In 2 Sent., 18.1.1 (II, 431-34); on the immortality of the body,
19.2.1 (II, 464-68), and sinless propagation, 20 throughout (II, 477-89).
88 God's omnipotence is evident from the fact that the cosmos
comprises beings with very different and seemingly opposed natures.
The greater the distance between these extremes, the greater is the
power of the principle that made them (cf. 6.3 and 9.2 above; In 2 Sent.,
2.2. 1.2 [11,41]). So the clearest demonstration of divine omnipotence is
God's ability to unite these extremes in one composite nature. This
gives rise to the motif of the human person as a microcosm drawing
the whole of creation into unity. which was especially prominent in the
Greek patristic tradition. A popular conduit of this motif for medieval
thinkers was the Premnon physicon of Nemesius of Emesa (c. 400),
translated into Latin in the late eleventh century: l'After both an
intelligible and a visible world were created, there also had to come
into being some bond between the two, in order that the entire universe
PART II 91
4. So that divine wisdom might be manifested, God
made the body proportionate in its own way to the soul.
Now the body is united with the soul as its perfecting prin-
ciple, so that it might move toward and attain the bless-
edness mentioned above. It therefore follows that for the
body to conform to its life-giving soul, it should have a
proportioned physical constitution - not as regards weight
or size, but in the equilibrium of natural fitness disposing
it for the noblest way oflife. S9 If the body was to conform
to the soul that moves it through its manifold powers, it
had to be endowed with a great diversity of organs, de-
signed with supreme elegance, dexterity, and adapt-abil-
ity, as may be seen in the face and the hand, which is "the
organ of organs."90 And that the body might confonn to
the soul as the principle of its seeking heaven, it had an
erect posture with uplifted head, so that the uprightness
of the body's carriage might bespeak the rectitude of its
mind.91
5. Lastly, so that divine goodness and benevolence
might be manifest in human beings, God made them free
from any stain or fault and free from all punishment and
misery. For since the First Principle is both utterly good
and supremely just, in its utter goodness it could not make
human beings other than good, that is innocent and
upright;" in its supreme justice, it could not inflict
be one, and its parts be in sympathy with each other and not unrelated
to one another. For this reason, man, the living being that binds both
natures together, was created. Such, to put it briefly, is the wisdom of
the Creator" (PG 40: 512 [Shaefer, p. 270]. Cf. John of Damascus, De
fide orth. 2.12 (PG 94: 920).
89 See In 2 Sent., 17.2.3 (II, 424-26).
90 Aristotle, De anima, 3.38.8. (432a 1-2).
91 Peter Lombard,Liber 2 Sent., 16.4 (1:409), based on Bede,Hexaem.
(PL 91: 29D).
"Qoh 7:30: "See, this alone I found, that God made human beings
upright."Cf. Bonaventure, Comm. Eccl. 7.30 (VI, 63);In2 Sent., proem.
(II, 3-6). This symbolism, derived from the Timaeu8, found its classic
92 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVlLOQUIUM
punishment on those who had no sin." For this reason,
God fashioned for the rational soul a body so obedient that
it was free from all stirring to rebellion, any propensity to
lust, every bodily weakness, and all corruption of death.
The body was so conformed to the soul that, just as the
soul was innocent but capable of falling into sin, so the
body was without pain and yet able to fall under punish-
ment. Hence, it was "able not to die, and able to die."" It
was able to be full and able to have needs; to obey the soul,
and also to rebel and rise up against it.
6. And moreover, in that [primordial] state, the [male]
body was such that it would produce seed for t!te procre-
ation of offspring, with the help of the female sex as an
equal co-producer. 95 The body was also such that even
though its nourishing humor would be consumed by the
action of heat, it would be renewed through the foods ob-
tained through the trees of paradise, while the vital
expression in Ovid, Metamorph., 1.84-86. This awareness afthe innate
dignity of human nature was revived by twelfth century authors, e.g.,
Bernard Silvestris:
"The animals express their brute creation
By head hung low and downward looking eyes;
But man holds high his head in contemplation
To show his natural kinship with the skies.
He sees the stars obey God's legislation:
They teach the laws by which mankind can rise."
In Cosmographia, 2.10.27-32, ed. Peter Dronke, 141, trans, R. W.
Southern, 30-31.
93ef. Augustine, De lib. arb., 3.18.51: "Every penalty that is just is a
penalty for sin,"
94 Peter Lombard, Liber 2 Sent., 19.2 (1: 422-23).
Bonaventure differs from Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas on this
95
point. The latter held that the male alone is the active principle in
procreation, the female having purely a passive function. Bonaventure
follows another scientific analysis, deriving from Galen and Hippocrates
through Avicenna, which saw the mother playing an active part in the
generation of her child. In 3 Sent., 4.3.1 (III, 110). Cf. Emma Therese
Healy, WomanAccording to St. Bonaventure (New York: Georgian Press,
1956),9-13.
PART II 93
moisture itself was nourished or preserved by the tree of
life, a tree that had the ability to do precisely that. Hence,
as Augustine writes, it served "not only as food, but as
sacrament."'· Thus, the actual incorruptibility and immor-
tality of Adam's body derived first from the soul, as its
determining and influencing principle; from the excellent
coordination of his body, as its disposing and receptive
principle; from the tree of life, as its nourishing and sus-
taining principle; and finally, from the governing power of
divine providence, the principle that conserved it from
within and protected it from without.
CHAPTER 11
THE PRODUCTION OF THE WHOLE HUMAN COMPOSITE
1. With reference to the complete human being as
placed in paradise, we should maintain the following
truths: that our first parents were given a double range of
senses, an inner and an outer: one in the mind and the
other in the flesh. They were given a double movement,
the commanding power ofthe will and the executive power
of the body. They were given a double good, one visible
and the other invisible. They were given a double com-
mand, namely, one of nature and the other of discipline:
The command of nature was, "Increase and multiply"; the
command of discipline, "Of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil you shall not eat.""
Along with these, they were given a fourfold assistance
comprising knowledge, conscience, synderesis, and grace.
"Augustine,De gen. ad litt., 8.4.8 (PL 34: 375). On the radical humor,
See Aristotle, De part. animal., 2.2 (646a 11~16)j De longit. et brevit.
vitae,5 (466a 17-467a 5).
"Gen 1:28, 2:17. On the double good, cf. Peter Lombard, Liber 2 Sent.,
20.6 (1: 432~433)j on the two-fold command, see Bonaventure, In 2 Sent.,
20.dub. 7 (II, 489).
94 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
All of these they possessed sufficiently to be able to re-
main and advance in good and to avoid and reject evi].98
2. These things may be explained as follows. The First
Principle made this sensible world in order to make itself
known, so that the world might serve as a footprint and a
mirror to lead humankind to love and praise God, its
Maker. Accordingly, God composed two books: one written
within, which is the Eternal Art and Wisdom of God; the
other written without, which is the perceptible world. Now
there was one type of creature, the angel, which had an
internal sense for understanding the interior book, and
another, the brute animal, which had all of its senses ex-
ternal. Thus, in order to complete the universe, there ought
to have been another creature, endowed with a double
range of senses mentioned above, so that it might have
knowledge of both the inner and outer books, that is, of
Wisdom and its works. And because in Christ eternal Wis-
dom and its work coincide in the same person, he is called
the book written within and without for the restoration of
the world. 99
3. Since to every sense there is a corresponding mo-
tion, human beings are moved in two ways: one, according
to the rational propensity in the mind; the other, accord-
ing to the sensual instinct in the flesh. If these are to be
well ordered, the first must command and the latter obey.
Whenever the reverse happens, the rectitude and proper
government of the soul are cast from their place. lOo
4. Now, to every motion and sense there is a corre-
sponding appetite toward some good. Hence, human be-
ings were provided with a two-fold good: "one visible, the
"On the knowledge of the first human beings, see In 2 Sent., 23.2.1-
3 (II, 537-47); on conscience and synderisis, ibid., 39 (II, 888-917); on
grace, 26-29 (II, 629-709).
99 Ez 2:9; Rev 5:1. This imagery is drawn from Hugh of St. Victor, De
sacram., 1.6.5 (PL 176: 266).
100 See In 2 Sent., 24,.2.dub. 3, 25.1.6 (II, 587-88; 604-06).
PART II 95
other invisible; one transitory, the other eternal; one cor-
poreal, the other spiritual. [Of these goods] God has
granted one and promised the other; one that it might be
possessed gratis, the other that it might be sought through
merit."101
5. However, a good is granted in vain unless it is pre-
served, and promised in vain unle~s it can be attained.
And so humanity was given a double command: one of
nature, for the preservation of the good that was granted;
and the other of discipline, for the meriting of the good
that was promised.'02 Now there is no better way of merit-
ing than through pure obedience. Obedience is pure when
a command obliges simply because it was commanded, and
for no other reason. Such was the case with the command
of discipline, for thanks to it human beings were to learn
how great the virtue of obedience is; through its own merit
it leads to heaven, but through its contrary [disobedience]
it casts into hell. The command of discipline was not given
to human beings because of any need God had for their
compliance, but to offer a way for them to merit a reward
through pure and voluntary obedience. 103
6. Since human beings were liable to fall because of
their precarious nature, formed from nothing and not yet
confirmed by glory, the supremely benevolent God gave
them four aids: two of nature and two of grace. Into hu-
man nature he instilled a two-fold rectitude: one for judg-
ing correctly, which is rectitude of conscience, the other
for willing rightly, which is synderesis, warning against
evil and prompting toward good. Above and beyond this,
101 Hugh of St. Victor, De sacram., 1.6.6 (PL 176: 276BC), trans. by
Roy Deferrari, On the Sacraments of the Christian Faith (Cambridge,
MA: The Mediaeval Academy ofAmerica, 1951),98. Cf. Peter Lombard,
Liber 2 Sent., 20.6 (1:.432- 33).
'''Hugh, De sacram., 1.6.7 (PL 176: 268BC).
103 See In 2 Sent., 17.dub. 5 (II, 428-29), based ultimately on Augustine,
De Gen. ad litt., 8.6.12 (PL 34: 377).
96 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVlLOQUIUM
God bestowed on human beings a two-fold perfection of
grace. One was a grace freely given [gratis datal; this was
a knowledge enlightening the intellect so that they might
know themselves, their God, and the world that was made
for them. The other was a grace making them pleasing in
God's sight [gratum faciensl; this was charity, which en-
abled their affection so that they might love God above all
things and their neighbor as themselves. lO'
Thus, before the fall, human nature was endowed with
perfect natural faculties and was further adorned with
divine grace. It is clear, therefore, that if human beings
did fall, it was owing to their own fault, for having refused
to obey.
CHAPTER 12
THE COMPLETION AND ORDERING OF THE WHOLE WORLD
ONCE IT WAS MADE
1. From all we have said, we may gather that the cre-
ated world is a kind of book reflecting, representing, and
describing its Maker, the Trinity, at three different levels
of expression: as a vestige, as an image, and as a likeness.
The aspect of vestige ('footprint') is found in every crea-
ture; the aspect of image, only in intelligent creatures or
rational spirits; the aspect of likeness, only in those spir-
"its that are God-conformed. Through these successive lev-
els, comparable to steps, the human intellect is designed
to ascend gradually to the supreme Principle, which is
God. lO'
2. This should be understood in the following way. Be-
cause all creatures are related to and dependent on their
lO. Cf. Matt 22:37-39. These two kinds of grace will be further
developed in Part 5.
"'See also In 1 Sent., 3.1.2, 2.1.1.ad 5 (I, 71-73, 81-82); In 2 Sent.,
16.2.3 (II, 404-06); Hexaem., 2. 20-27; 3.3-9 (V, 339-40, 343-45); Itin.,
1.2!Y, ).
PART II 97
Creator, they may be referred to their Creator in three
ways: namely, as the principle who creates them, the end
who motivates them, or the gift who dwells within them.
All creatures are related to the Creator in the first way,
all intelligences in the second, and all spirits that are just
and acceptable to God in the third. For every effect, how-
ever little it may partake in being, has God as its prin-
ciple; every intelligence, however little it may partake in
light, has been made to attain God through knowledge
and love; and every just and holy spirit possesses the Holy
Spirit as an infused gift.
3". Now, a creature cannot have God as its origin with-
out being configured to that principle in accordance with
unity, truth, and goodness. Nor can it have God as its ob-
ject ifit does not grasp God through memory, understand-
ing, and will. Finally, it cannot possess God within itself
as an infused gift without being conformed to God through
the three-fold dowry of faith, hope, and 10ve. lO ' Since the
first conformity is remote, the second proximate, and the
third most intimate, that is why the first is said to be a
'vestige' of the Trinity, the second an 'image', and the third
a 'likeness'.
4. Thus the rational spirit stands midway between the
first and the last of these, so that the first is below it, the
second within it, and the third above it. And so, in the
state of innocence, when the image was not yet spoiled
but rendered God-like through grace, the book of creation
sufficed to enable human beings to perceive the light of
divine Wisdom. They were then so wise that when they
sawall things in themselves, they also perceived them in
their proper genus and with reference to God's creating
Art. For this corresponds to the triple way in which crea-
tures exist: in matter - that is, in their own nature, in
lOG See In 4 Sent., 49.1.5 (IV, 509).
98 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVIWQUlUM
the created intellect, and in the Eternal Art. Scripture re-
fers to these three modes of existence when it says: "God
said: Let there be," "God made," and "so it was done."'·'
5. For this triple vision, human beings were endowed
with a triple eye, as explained by Hugh of St. Victor: the
eye of flesh, the eye of reason, and the eye of contem-
plation;'·' the eye of flesh, to see the world and what it
contains; the eye of reason, to see the soul and what it
contains; and the eye of contemplation, to see God and
those things that are within God. Thus with the eye of
flesh, human beings see those things that are outside them;
by the eye of reason, those things that are within them; by
the eye of contemplation, the things that are above them.
But the eye of contemplation does not function perfectly
except through glory, which human beings have lost
through sin, although they may recover this through grace
and faith and the understanding of the Scriptures. lOS By
these means, the human soul is cleansed, enlightened, and
perfected for the contemplation of heavenly things. For
fallen human beings cannot attain these things unless they
first recognize their own insufficiency and blindness, and
this they cannot do unless they consider and attend to the
ruin of human nature.
1117 Gen 1:6-7. This interpretation of the three-fold pattern in the
creation account is based on Augustine, De Gen. ad litt., 2.8.16-20 (PL
34: 269-70), 4.29.46 and 31. 48 (PL 34: 315-16). The first phrase refers
to God's expression of the idea of things within the eternal Art [the
Word]; the second, as these ideas became intelligible to the created
[angelic] intellect; the third, to the end result, the creation of the things
themselves. Cf. Itin., 1,3 (y, ).
108 De sacram., 1.10.2 (PL 176: 329C [po 167]). See Bonaventure's other
references to this in Hexaem., 3.23-24 (V, 347-48) and Itin., 3.1 (Y,303).
109 Hugh, De sacram., 1.10.2: "After the shades of sin had entered
upon it, the eye of contemplation was extinguished so that it saw
nothing.... Faith, then, is necessary by which those things may be
believed which are not seen ..." (PL 176: 329D [po 167]).
PART III
ON THE CORRUPTION OF SIN
CHAPTER 1
THE ORIGIN OF EVIL IN GENERAL
1. Having briefly established certain points about the
Trinity of God and the creation of the world, we now must
touch upon about the corruption [of that creation] by sin.
What we must maintain concerning this may be summa-
rized as follows: that sin is not any kind of essence, but a
defect and corruptive influence, which contaminates mBa-
sure, form, and order in the created will.' Hence the cor-
ruption of sin is opposed to the good as such; yet it has no
existence except in something good and no source except
from a good - which is the will's capacity for free choice.
For the will is not thoroughly evil, since it can choose the
good; nor is it perfectly good, since it can fall into evil.
2. This should be understood as follows. Since the First
Principle exists ofitself, and not from another, it must exist
for its own sake; as such, it is the supreme good, lacking
1 Adhering closely to Augustine's language, Bonaventure attacks here
the Manichean belief in an intrinsically evil principle, hostile to God.
See Augustine, De civ. Dei, 11.9: "For evil has no nature of its own.
Rather, it is the absence of good which has received the name 'evil'" (PL
41: 325 [Dyson, 461]; De natura boni: " Evil is nothing else than the
corruption, either of the measure, or the form, or of the order, that
belong to nature" (PL 42: 553). Cf. In 2 Sent., 25.2.3, 34-35 (II, 613-15,
802-39).
100 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
nothing. Therefore, there can be no such thing as a first
and absolute evil principle, because the First Principle
implies complete fullness and the greatest evil implies
utter deficiency. Since the First Principle, as the supreme
and perfect being, cannot be deficient either in what it is
or what it does, it cannot be supreme evil, nor possess evil
in any respect, nor cause evil in any way.
Since the First Principle is all-powerful, it is able to
bring something good into being from non~being, even with-
out any pre-existent matter. This is precisely what it did
when it fashioned the creature to which it granted exist-
ence, life, intelligence, and choice. Thus it was fitting that
this creature, proceeding from the supreme good and in-
wardly conformed to that triune cause, 2 should have in its
substance and in its will measure, form, and order. It was
meant to accomplish its works with God as their source,
in accordance with God's norms, and with God as their
end.
3. But because this creature was made from nothing
and thus imperfect by nature, it could fail to act out of this
intrinsic relationship with God. It could instead act for
itself rather than for God, by failing to act with God as its
source, according to God's norms, or with God as its end.
This is precisely what sin is: a corruption of measure, of
form, and of order. As a defect, sin has a cause that is not
'efficient,' but 'deficient,' for it is nothing other than a de-
fect of the created wilL 3
4. Now corruption can only be the corruption of some-
thing good, and only a corruptible being is subject to cor-
ruption; therefore, sin can exist only in some corruptible
2That is efficient, formal or exemplary, and final. Of. pt. 2, chap. 1
above. See In 1 Sent., 3.1.dub. 3 (1, 78·79).
3 Augustine, De ciu. Dei, 12.7: "No one, therefore, need seek for an
efficient cause of an evil will. Since the 'effect' is, in fact, a deficiency,
the cause should be called 'deficient'" (PL 41: 355 [Dyson, 257]).
PART III 101
good. And so free will, by falling away from the true Good,
corrupts its own measure, form, and order; hence, all sin
as such proceeds from the will as its source, and resides in
the will as its proper subject. This occurs whenever the
will, because ofits imperfection, mutability, and fickleness,
rejects the Good that is unfailing and immutable, and
clings to one which is changeable!
5. From what has been said, we may conclude that "sin
is not a desire for evil things, but a forsaking of what is
better.'" Thus, it is the desire of the will that corrupts
measure, form, and order; for this reason "sin is so depen-
dent on the will, that without will, there is no sin."· If we
understand all of this, the impious teaching of the
Manicheans, who posit a supreme evil as the first prin-
ciple of everything evil, manifestly collapses. 7 For it is ob-
vious what the origin of evil is, and in what subject it re-
sides.
CHAPTER 2
THE TEMPTATION OF OUR FIRST PARENTS
1. If we are to understand how the corruption of sin
has made its entry into the world, we have to examine the
fall of our first parents, the transmission of that original
fault, and the origin or root of actual sin. Concerning the
fall of our first parents, there are three aspects to con-
sider: their temptation by the devil, the sin they commit-
ted, and its consequent punishment.
4 As Augustine suggests, De lib. arb., 2.19.53 (PL 32: 1269).
, Augustine, De natura boni, 34 and 36 (PL 42: 562); cf. In 2 Sent.,
35.dub. 6 (II, 838-39).
'Augustine, De vera relig., 14.27 (PL 34: 133); cf. Peter Lombard,
Liber 2 Sent., 41.3 (1: 564·65).
'SeeIn2 Sent., 1.1.2.1, 34.2.1 (II, 25·27,809·12). Bonaventure already
mentioned the dualistic ideas of the Manicheans in pt. 2, ch.l.2 above,
also in a polemical fashion. This is no doubt due to the challenge of the
contemporary Cathar heresy.
102 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUlUM
2. With regard to their temptation, these are the points
we should maintain. When God had placed humankind in
two sexes, male and female, in the bliss of paradise, the
devil, envious of their lot, took the guise of a serpent and
attacked the woman. 8 He first posed a question: "Did God
say, 'You shall not eat' ... ?"; then he asserted: ''You will
not die"; finally, he promised: ''You will be like gods, know-
ing good and evil."9 Through this temptation, he desired
to overcome the weaker woman, that through her he might
subsequently encompass the ruin of the virile sex. And
the Lord permitting it, this is precisely what he accom-
plished. 1O
3. This should be explained as follows. Just as the First
Principle is utterly powerful in producing, so it is perfectly
just in governing. That is why "God directs the things he
has created in such a way that they may perform and ex-
ercise their own proper movements."" Now, humanity was
so fashioned that it should achieve the prize of eternal
rest through victory in combat. Although God knew that
human beings would succumb to temptation, he could not
but let them be tested by whoever had the intelligence,
the might, and the will to do SO.12 Now the devil, who pre-
viously was wise and just, but rendered cunning andjeal-
ous after falling through his sin of pride, had the will to
8 Cf. Wis 2:24: 'through the devil's envy, death entered the world." In
his analysis, Bonaventure largely follows Peter Lombard,Liber 2 Sent.,
21.1-3 (1:433-435), who in turn depends on Hugh of St. Victor,Desacram.
1.7.1-3 (PL 176: 287-288).
'Gen 3.1-5. See In 2 Sent., 21.1.1-3 (II, 493-97).
10 Bonaventure inherits the ancient tradition that sees women - in
comparison with men - as possessing an inherently weaker and
unstable human nature, evident in his following description of sin. See
In 2 Sent., 16.2.2 (II, 404). Cf. Healy, 16-26.
11 Augustine,De civ. Dei, 7.30 (PL 41: 220 [Dyson, 306]).
12 Lombard, Liber 2 Sent., 23.1 (1: 447-48); Bonaventure, In 2 Sent.,
23.1.1-2 (II, 531-35).
PART III 103
tempt, because he envied humankind; in his craftiness,
he knew how to do so, and with all the might God permit-
ted him to have. And it was through divine dispensation
that in this temptation he assumed the form of a serpent,
not only that he might entice Eve by his cunning, but so
that through that symbol all Adam's children might learn
just how sly the devil is whenever he tries to ensnare US.13
4. This temptation concerned the command of disci-
pline, and again, by divine dispensation. For whether our
first parents were ultimately to overcome or be overcome,
the merit of their obedience or the demerit oftheir disobe-
dience would thus be made known to all." And that the
devil approached the woman first was a mark of his crafti-
ness, for it easier to overthrow one who is not as strong. 15
A clever enemy always penetrates a city at its weakest
point.
5. The devil was likewise very cunning in the manner
in which he proceeded with his temptation, for he went
about it by probing, instigating, and enticing: testing the
woman by his question, urging her on by his assurance,
and alluring her with his promise. First, he questioned
her about the reason for God's command, so that he might
13 Again, similar to pt. 2, chap. 5 above, Bonaventure sees that the
teaching ";'alue of a symbol for subsequent generations affected God's
concrete decisions on the historical level. This reasoning is also evident
in the following paragraph.
14 On the "command of discipline," that is, God's order to Adam and
Eve not to eat of the tree of the knowledge orgaod and evil (Gen: 2: 17,
3:2), see pt. 2, chap. 11 above.
H'Cf Bonaventure, In 2 Sent., 21.1.3: 4'The devil was cunning ... for
he had noticed that the woman was less wise,less constant, and more
tenacious of purpose than the man .... Sin first takes possession of the
human sensitive faculty, making its way to the higher reason through
the lower reason. Now 1man' represents the superior reason and 'woman'
the inferior. It is thus fitting that the devil's temptation reached the
man through the woman" (II, 496). For an explanation of this imagery,
see chap. 8 below.
104 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVlLOQUIUM
awaken doubt in the rational power. Then, when she hesi-
tated, he reassured her, "you will not die," so that he might
lead the negative appetite to despise [God's commandl.
Finally, he held out a promise, that he might entice the
positive appetite to desire [the forbidden fruitl. By this
threefold device, he succeeded in getting her free choice to
consent. For free choice is a faculty of the reason and the
will, comprising the three aforementioned powers: ratio-
nality, the negative appetite, and the positive appetite. 16
Accordingly, the devil ensnared the woman by three de-
sirable objects: knowledge, appealing to the rational power;
godlike eminence, appealing to the negative appetite; and
the sweetness of the tree, which appealed to the positive
appetite. Thus he tried every faculty that could be tempted
in the woman, and by every device that could win her con-
sent, that is, by the three desirable things the world of-
fers: namely, the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes,
and the pride of life. 17 For every temptation springs from
one of these three sources: the world, the flesh, or the devil.
CHAPTER 3 ond a feeling, and the third a deed.
THE TRANSGRESSION OF OUR FIRST PARENTS
1. Concerning the sin of our first parents, the follow-
ing beliefs must be held. The woman, yielding to the temp-
tation ofthe devil, sought to possess knowledge and God-
like eminence and to taste the sweetness of the forbidden
tree, and in the end broke the divine command. Not con-
"Cf. pt. 2, chap. 9.5-8. Seeln 2 Sent., 25.1.6.ad 2 (II, 605). Bonaventure
sees this primordial sin as initiating the pattern for all subsequent sin.
We see here how sin corrupts each component of human free choice. cr.
also In 2 Sent., 24.1.1.1 (II, 560).
171 John 2:16. On the various types of temptation, see chap. 9 below.
Cf.In 2 Sent., 21.2, 21.dub. 3 (II, 497-503; 510-11).
PART III 105
tent with this, she offered the fruit of the forbidden tree to
the man, involving him as well. And he, not willing to re-
strain his pleasures, did not reprove her, but consented to
her bad advice. Tasting the fruit that was offered him, he
also became a transgressor of the divine command.'·
2. This should be understood as follows. As stated ear-
lier, the First Principle gave the human creature a double
range of senses and a double desire corresponding to the
double book and the two kinds of good.'· But possessing
freedom of choice, the human person could turn either way.
And so the woman, by listening to the serpent with her
exterior perception, failed to read the inner book, which
was legible to the right judgment of reason. She kept her
mind on the outer book instead, and so began to focus on
the external good. Because her perception did not press
forward to the infallible truth, her desire began to turn
away to a changeable good. And so she turned her heart to
what the devil promised and agreed to do what he pro-
posed. In her craving for superior knowledge, she rose to
pride; this drew her into gluttony, which in turn cast her
down into disobedience. The first was a thought, the sec-
And so temptation, beginning at the lowest level,
reached the summit: it began with hearing, passed into
desire, and achieved consent. Conversely, the disorder [of
humanity1 started at the top and reached the bottom: only
one sin was committed, but for human nature it was the
origin of all sin and the source of [all itsl evils.
3. After the woman was led astray, she enticed the man,
who similarly turned to the outer book and to transitory
goods. By placing too great a value on his association with
18 Gen 3: 6. Bonaventure again follows Peter Lombard's interpretation
of this passage, Liber 2 Sent., 22.1-4 (1: 439-45). Cf.In 2 Sent., 22.1 (II,
515-21).
"Pt. 2, chap. 11.
106 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQUlUM
the woman and the comfort oftheir relationship, he shrank
from reproving the woman or restraining his own plea-
sures. Since he did not rebuke her when he should have ,
the woman's sin was imputed to him.'· Because he was
unwilling to curb his own pleasures by driving the woman
away, he began to love himself too much, and thus fell away
from the divine friendship into his own greed and disobe-
dience.
4. And so both the man and the woman disobeyed the
command, but for different reasons, for it was not the man,
but the woman who was seduced." Yet in both the man
and the woman there occurred a disordering of their fac-
ulties from highest to lowest, because it began with the
mind or reason, then entered their senses, and finally into
their actions. Both of them fell into disobedience and were
enticed by greed because both had risen up in pride, the
woman by seeking and desiring what she did not possess,
the man by too greatly loving and clinging to what he had.
The woman believed that by eating she would be exalted;
Adam, relying on his Own importance and God's love,
thought he would be punished lightly, for he had never
yet experienced the rigor of the divine severity." So both,
inordinately raising themselves above themselves, fell
miserably beneath themselves - from the state of inno-
cence and grace to that of guilt and wretchedness.
"'Cf. Hugh of St. Victor,De sacram., 1.7.10 (PL 176: 291); Augustine
De Gen. ad litt., 11.42.59 (PL 34: 453).
211 Tim 2:14. For Bonaventure's discussion of the comparative guilt
of Adam and Eve, see In 2 Sent., 22.1.2-3 (II, 519-21).
22 Augustine, De civ. Dei, 14.11.2: "Eve accepted the serpent's
statement as true, while Adam did not wish to be separated from his
only companion, even at the cost of sharing in her sin .... He was,
however, unacquainted with the divine severity; and so he could have
been mistaken in SU?posing he had committed only a venial sin ....They
v:e~e not both deceIved by their credulity; but both were captured by
sm (PL 41: 419 [Dyson, p. 606-07]). Cf. Hugh of St. Victor,De sacram.,
1. 7. 6-8 (PL 176, 289); Peter Lombard, Liber 2 Sent., 22.4 (1: 442-45).
PART III 107
CHAPTER 4
THE PUNISHMENT OF OUR FIRST PARENTS
1. As for the punishment inflicted on our first parents,
this is what we must believe. Immediately after their of-
fense, the man and the woman felt their punishment in
the rebellion and shame of their own flesh. That is why
they made loincloths for themselves, to cover the parts that
should be feared.23 As a result of the divine judgment, the
man incurred the punishment of labor and hardship, of
hunger and need, of death and dissolution to ashes, as
Scripture says, Cursed is the earth because ofyou, etc. But
upon the woman fell a punishment twice as harsh, for [in
addition], she was afflicted with the penalty of much tra-
vail in childbearing and cruel pain at childbirth, and of
subjection to her husband in their life together. 24 Thus,
their sin of eating of the forbidden tree, which they had
committed so lightly, carried a heavy punishment.
2. One should understand the reason for this as fol-
lows. Since the First Principle is most provident in its gov-
ernment and most upright in all its management, it leaves
nothing disordered in the universe. Every sin, therefore,
is properly set aright by punishment. And so the shame of
sin felt by our first parents was immediately followed by
the corrective ofjudgment. Thus, what became disordered
by their falling from the order of nature immediately fell
'
23 Gen 3:7. FollowingAugustine, Bonaventure sees the genital organs
as "something to be feared" because of the unruly nature of sexual desire
Prior to the fall, human beings would have rationally chosen to engag~
in sexual relations in order to procreate children (cf. pt. 2, chap. 10.5-
6). But as a result of sin, they experience the urge of spontaneous
physical desire that escapes their conscious control. Although not the
only manifestation of concupiscence, sexual pleasure is that aspect of
human life in which passion is least able to be controlled by right reason.
Cf. Augustine, De du. Dei, 13.13-15;14.15-28 (PL 41: 424-36).
"Gen 3:16-17.
108 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
subject to the order of justice. For this double ordinance
encompasses all things so strictly, that whatever falls from
the one becomes subject to the other.'s
3. Now both of our first parents, through mental pride
and physical gluttony, disobeyed their superior. Therefore,
through the just judgment of God their own lower natures
became disobedient to them, especially those parts de-
signed for the union of the sexes, which are the organs
that serve the generative power. And so, because this re-
bellion of their flesh did not arise from nature, but from
their own offense, they blushed for shame and clothed
themselves.
4. Again, it was because the man had spurned what is
most delectable and sought comfort instead in sensual
delights, that God's just judgment afflicted him with toil
and the pangs of hunger and thirst.
5. Finally, because the man had chosen to be separated
from the good of his mind on account of the good of his
flesh, by the just judgment of God the soul is unwillingly
separated from its body by the body's death and dissolu-
tion into dust. In the order of nature, God had given to the
man a body that would obey his soul, procreate without
lust, grow without defect, and remain free from the cor-
ruption of death. Now, because he had sinned, the order of
divine justice ordained that all these qualities would be
taken away and imposed their contraries instead; thus sin
would not remain unpunished and disordered - for divine
providence could never allow that to happen.
26 Boethius, De consol., 4.6: "For a definite order embraces all things,
so that even when some subject leaves the true place assigned to it in
the order, it returns to an order, though another, lest anything in the
realm of providence be left to random cbance" (PL 63: 820A); Augustine,
Epist. 140, 2.4: "Whoever unjustly gives himself over to sin is justly
given over to punisbment" (PL 33: 539). Cf.ln 2 Sent., 21.2, 21.dub. 3
(II, 497·503); In 1 Sent., 46.5 (I, 830·34).
PART III 109
6. And because it was from the woman that sin began,
her punishment was doubled. [In addition to all of Adam's
penalties], because pride arose in her mind, she incurred
subjection [to her husband]; because she saw and craved
the sweet fruit of the tree, she incurred suffering [in child-
birth]; finally, because she rejected the yoke of obedience,
she incurred the chain and burden of multiplied distress.
Hence, it is clear how in the order of divine providence
many punishments were inflicted upon the man and twice
as many on the woman so that "the ugliness of sin might
never be without the beauty of punishment.""
CHAPTER 5
THE CONTAMINATION OF ORIGINAL SIN
1. Having discussed the fall of our first parents, we
must now say something about the transmission of origi-
nal sin. We must consider first the nature of this contami-
nation; second, how it is transmitted; and third, how it is
cured.
2. The human race is corrupted by original sin in the
following way. All those generated through sexual copula-
tion are born by nature children of wrath, because they
are deprived of the righteousness of original justice. 27 Be-
cause of its absence, our souls incur a four-fold penalty:
weakness, ignorance, malice, and concupiscence;28 these
are inflicted as a result of original sin. These spiritual
punishments are matched in the body by all kinds of pain,
26Augustine, De lib. arb., 3.15.44 (PL 32: 1293 [po 123]).
27Anselm, De concept. Virg., 27: "The only way I can understand this
sin, which I call original sin... .is as that destitution of due justice
created by the disobedience of Adam, through which all have become
children o{wrath" (PL [AC, p. 386]). The Biblical citation is Eph 2: 3.
Cf. Bonaventure,In 2 Sent., 30.2.1 (II, 721-23).
"According to Bede; see In 2 Sent., 22.dub. 2 (II, 528).
110 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
imperfection, labor, sickness, and affliction?' To these are
finally added the penalty of death and the return to dust,
and the penalty of the deprivation of the vision of God and
the loss of heavenly glory. These affect not only adults, but
also even unbaptized children. Although these little ones
are punished along with the others, they suffer only the
"gentlest punishment,"'· since they are deprived of the
beatific vision but without enduring suffering in their
senses.
3. Let uS try to understand the reason for this as fol-
lows. Since the First Principle acts by its own power, ac-
cording to its own law, and with itself as an end, it must
therefore be utterly good and righteous, and hence most
loving and most just. That is why all the ways of the Lord
are mercy and truth, or judgment." Now if God had cre-
ated humankind in such wretchedness from the very be-
ginning, he would have violated his own love and righ-
teousness by oppressing his own handiwork with such
miseries through no fault of its own. Nor would divine
providence have governed us with kindness and justice
had it afflicted us or permitted us to be afflicted with these
same miseries in the absence of sin. If it is certain, then,
that the First Principle is most upright and merciful both
in creating and in governing, it follows by necessity that
God made humankind in the beginning free from guilt
and misery. It also follows that in governing humankind,
God cannot permit any distress to exist in us without some
antecedent offense. But since it is absolutely certain that
from the first moment of our existence we are burdened
Z9Bonaventure keeps these nouns in the singular to emphasize that
they flow from one root - the initial punitive judgment of God for sin
that has been transmitted to all humanity.
30 Augustine, Enchirid. , 93.23 (PL 40: 275). Cf.ln2 Sent., 33.3.1·2 (II,
769-74).
31 Ps 25:10 (Vg 24:10).
PART III 111
with many miseries of punishment, it is just as certain
that we are all born by nature children of wrath, deprived
of the righteousness of original justice. And that privation
we call original sin.32 .
4. Also, every sin implies a movement away from .the
immutable good and toward a changeable good. Now move-
ment away from the immutable good means forsaking the
highest power, truth, and goodness; and movement toward
a perishable good means loving that good excessively.
Therefore, by losing original justice, human beings in-
curred weakness, ignorance, malice, and concupiscence.
5. Again, by forsaking the immutable good in favor of
a changeable good, humankind became unworthy of both.
And so, by losing original justice, the soul loses the tempo-
raltranquility of its body, and instead is made to suffer in
many ways from decay and death; and at the end oflife, is
deprived of the vision of eternal light, losing the blessed-
ness of glory in both soul and body.
6. Finally, because the absence of that justice in the
newly born is not caused by an act of their own will or by
any actual pleasure, it is not fitting that they should be
punished in their senses in hell after this life on account
of original sin. This is because divine justice is always tem-
pered by superabundant mercy and punishes us not more
but less than we deserve. We ought to believe that blessed
Augustine was aware of this, even though on the surface
his words seem to state otherwise, '3 because he was react-
ing so strongly against the errors of the Pelagians, who
"Seeln2 Sent., 30.1.1-2 (II, 714-20).
33 Bonaventure is probably alluding to passages in a popular work,
De fide ad Petrum (3.36 and 27.70), then attributed to Augustine, but
actually by Fulgentius of Ruspe, which holds the stark position that
unbaptized infants "suffer the interminable torments of hell" and
"deserve to be punished in the endless torments of eternal fire" (PL 40:
764, 774). See In 2 Sent., 33.3.1 (II, 794). Cf. also Augustine, Contra
duas epis. pelagian., 1.22.40 (PL 44: 570).
112 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVlLOQUIUM
had granted such infants blessedness in some form. But
in his effort to lead them back to a moderate position, he
veered too far in the other extreme.
CHAPTER 6 gated from the first man as from one radical principle. 37
ON THE TRANSMISSION OF ORIGINAL SIN
1. Next, this is the way original sin is transmitted. Even
though the soul is not passed on [through physical gen-
eration], original sin has nevertheless been transmitted
from the soul of Adam to the souls of his descendants
through the medium of the flesh generated through
concupiscence. As Adam's flesh was infected by his sinful
soul, becoming prone to lust, so that flesh, seeded in lust
and carrying within itself a virulent disease, infects and
taints the soul.'4 This infection in the soul is not only a
punishment but also a true fault. In this way one person
so corrupted nature, that now a corrupt nature corrupts
the person. 35 And yet the justice of God remains unim-
paired; for although God infuses a soul as he creates it
and, through this infusion, attaches it to infected flesh, he
can never be blamed for the soul's infection.'·
"Again, following Augustine (De civ. Dei, 14.20 [PL 41: 428]),
Bonaventure considers sexual relations after the Fall - even between
the lawfully married - as contaminated by an uncontrollable physical
drive. It is therefore fitting that the virus of original sin is passed on to
offspring conceived in the heat of passion.
35 Anselm, De concept. Virg., 23: "The sin that is committed by the
individual is 'personal: while that which comes from the nature is called
'natural' or 'original' sin. And as the personal sin crosses to nature, so
natural sin crosses to the person .... For the person [Adam] deprived
the nature of the good of justice; and the nature, having become
impoverished, causes all the persons whom it procreates from itself to
be sinful and unjust because of the lack of justice" (PL 158: 457A [AG,
p. 382]). On how original sin is transmitted, see In 2 Sent., 31 (II, 739-
56); that it is not only a punishment, but also a habitus of sin. see ibid.,
30.1.2 (II, 717-20).
"Gf. In 2 Sent., 32.3 (II, 769-74).
PART III 113
2. The reason for this is as follows. Because the First
Principle made the human person in its own image as its
own self-expression, God created its physical dimension
in such a way that all human beings were to be propa-
But since the human person in its spiritual dimension is
an express likeness to God in essence and duration, in
intelligence and love, God created that dimension in such
a way that all rational spirits would emanate from God as
their first and immediate principle. And because the soul,
being superior, is thus closer to that First Principle, God
so made humankind that the spirit would be pre-eminent
over the body, and that the body would be subject to the
created spirit as long as it were subject to the uncreated
Spirit. But should the soul, on the other hand, disobey God,
by God's just judgment the body would begin to rebel
against it. This is precisely what happened when Adam
sinned.
3. Now if Adam had stood firm, his body would have
remained obedient to his spirit, and he would have trans-
mitted it as such to his posterity. Then God would have
infused a soul into a body that was both immortal and
obedient to it, so that the soul would have been thus es-
tablished in righteousness and exempt from every pen-
alty. But in fact Adam did sin, and thus his flesh rebelled
against the authority of his spirit. Hence it was fitting
that the body he transmitted to his posterity, into which
God, by his own primordial decree, would infuse a soul,
was such that the soul, united to this rebellious flesh, in-
37 Ancient biology believed that a child's body developed primarily
out of the seed ofits father. Thus, "human nature, which was entire in
Adam so that nothing ofit existed beyond him, dishonored God [in his
sin}. Cf. Anselm, De concept. Virg., 10 (PL 158: (AG, p. 370). The Latin
text of Rom 5:12 seemed to support such an interpretation: "Death
spread to all humanity through one man [Adam}, in whom all sinned."
114 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlWQUlUM
curred the loss of the order of natural justice by which it
would have commanded the lower faculties. Furthermore,
since the soul is united to the flesh, the soul must either
direct the body or be directed by it. Thus, because the soul
cannot control its own rebellious flesh, it must be controlled
by it, incurring the disease of concupiscence. Thus the soul
simultaneously incurred the loss of its proper justice and
the disease of concupiscence. According to Augustine and
Anselm, it is these two movements that constitute origi-
nal sin - that is, a habitual turning away [from God] and
a turning toward [created goods]."
4. As has been explained above,39 the manner in which
human nature was created, its intended manner of propa-
gation, and the punishment provided in the event of sin,
are all perfectly ordered. Indeed, creation corresponds to
the order of wisdom, propagation to the order of nature,
and punishment to the order of justice. Hence, it is clear
that it is not inconsistent with the order of divine justice
if original sin is transmitted to Adam's posterity.
5. Now, original sin could not be transmitted to the
soul unless the punishment for rebellion was not already
present in the flesh [i.e., concupiscent sexual desire] and
there would be no punishment had there not first been
sin. And sin could not have proceeded from a well-ordered
will, but a disordered one; hence, it is not from the divine
38 This is a brief digest of Bonaventure's explanation of original sin
In 2 Sent., 30.2.1 (II, 722-23). Following Alexander of Hales and John
of La Rochelle (SummafratrisAlexandri [Quaracchi, 1930], p. 237), he
attempts to harmonize the opinions of Augustine and Anselm. Anselm
viewed original sin as consisting in the deprivation of original justice,
Augustine in concupiscence. Bonaventure accepts both opinions, viewing
the lack of original justice - the will's habitual turning away from God,
the norm of rectitude - as the "formal cause" or defining factor of original
sin precisely as sin, and concupiscence - the immoderate appetite for
created good - as its chief"material cause" or constituent element.
"Chap. 5 above, and pt. 2, chap. 11.
PART III 115
will, but the human one. Therefore, the fact that original
sin is transmitted is due not to God, but to the sin of the
first human beings; not to nature as created, but to an
offense which was perpetrated. Rightly then, does Augus-
tine say: "It is not propagation, but disordered desire, that
transmits original sin to posterity."'o
CHAPTER 7
THE CURE OF ORIGINAL SIN
1. Finally, original sin is cured in such a way that al-
though the guilt is healed, the temporal punishment re-
mains, as we see in baptized children. And although it is
healed as regards the sentence of eternal punishment, the
act and motion of concupiscence remains. And it is cured
in such a way, that even though the parents may have
been restored by Baptism, the original sin is nevertheless
transmitted to their offspring. The stain of original sin is
removed, but its aftermath remains, with which we must
contend for the rest of our earthly lives, because this
concupiscence is not eliminated in anyone by the ordinary
means of grace. 41 I say this because of the Blessed Virgin,
in whom that concupiscence was extinguished by virtue
of a singular grace when she conceived the Son of God. 42
2. We should try to understand the reason for this as
follows. As the infection spreads to all people from the cre-
ated principle from which physical propagation springs,
that is, from our lower part, the flesh, so healing is brought
about by the uncreated principle which is responsible for
the infusion of the soul, that is, the higher part or spirit.
40 De fide ad Petrum, 2.16, actually by Fulgentius of Ruspe (PL 40:
758).
., See In 2 Sent., 32.1 (II, 759-65).
42 On Mary's healing from the effects of original sin, see pt. 4, chap. 3
below.
116 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUIUM
Now human beings are so individuated with regard to their
souls that in this respect one person is not propagated
from another; rather, each soul is directly created by God.'"
Thus healing grace, infused directly into our minds by God,
applies to each one considered as a single, individual per-
son, but not as a principle of physical propagation. Thus,
because original sin is a disease affecting both the person
and the nature - the person through the will, the nature
through the flesh - original sin is cured in the soul, but
the infection and its consequences remain in the flesh.
3. Now, a man begets offspring, not by virtue of what
has been healed in his soul, but by virtue of what is cor-
rupted in his flesh, not by virtue of what is spiritual, but
by virtue of what is carnal. Thus, even though he may be
baptized and thus cleansed from original sin, he still trans-
mits it to his offspring.
4. Again, because the guilt that deserves eternal dam-
nation is a deformity of the person or spiritual principle,
whereas the movement [of concupiscent sexual arousal]
is an infection of the flesh and nature, the guilt of original
sin is removed through Baptism, but it remains in regard
to the act itself.44
5. Finally, because temporal affliction denotes a condi-
tion pertaining to the flesh, since the flesh always remains'
subject to some type ofinfection, so it must remain always
liable to penalty. Hence, as grace does not remove penalty
and corruption from the flesh, so also the consequences of
original sin - concupiscence and bodily infirmity - may
Cf. the preceding chapter.
43
Augustine,De nuptiis et concupisc., 1.26.29: "Those who are reborn
44
in Christ receive the forgiveness of all their sins, though this
concupiscence still remains in them .... Concupiscence remains in its
actuality, but its guilt passes away" (PL 44: 430), trans. Roland Teske,
(Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 1998), WSA I124: 46-47. Cf. Peter
Lombard, Liber 2 Sent., 32:1 (1: 511-13).
PART III 117
coexist with healing grace. And so, although concupiscence
may be reduced little by little, its root remains; thus, no
earthly wayfarer is completely rid of it, except the most
Blessed Virgin through a singular grace. Because the Vir-
gin conceived him who is the expiation of all sin, she re-
ceived a singular grace that eradicated concupiscence from
her, so that her conception ofthe Son of God would be free
from any guilt or taint of sin. "Indeed, it was fitting that
the Virgin should shine with such purity that n() greater
can be conceived, except for God's. For to her God the Fa-
ther was disposed to give his only Son - whom he loved in
his heart as himself, one begotten equal to himself - in
such a way that one and the same Son would be by nature
both Son of God the Father and ofthe Virgin. And she was
the one the same Son chose to make substantially his
mother. And from her the Holy Spirit willed and was go-
ing to bring it about, that the very one from whom he him-
self proceeded would be conceived and born.""
CHAPTER 8
THE ORIGIN OF ACTUAL SIN
1. Having considered the transmission of original sin,
we must now say something about the origin of actual sin.
What we must hold in this regard may be summarized as
follows: actual sin finds its origin in each individual's free
will, by a process of suggestion, pleasure, consent, and
action. As James says in the first chapter of his epistle:
Everyone is tempted by one's own desire, being lured and
enticed by it. Then, when that desire has conceived, it gives
birth to sin, and that sin, when fully grown, gives birth to
death.·' If suggestion and pleasure remain short of actual
"Anselm, De concept. Virg., 18 (PL 158: 451A lAC, p. 376, alt.]).
"James 1:14-15.
118 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQUIUM
consent, the sin is venial; but if they are followed by con-
sent and a deed that is forbidden by the divine law, a mor-
tal sin is committed.
Now, there are intermediate cases. If full consent oc-
curs, but the act is not carried out, or if one decides to
commit an act but is unable to carry it out, the will is
judged as if the deed had been accomplished: it is no less
guilty than ifit had been caught in the very act. Or again,
the will may decide not to act, but does consent to relish-
ing the inner pleasure; in this case, the woman eats, but
not the man: although the sin may not be fully consum-
mated, it is still considered mortal, because even though
only the woman eats, the entire person deserves condem-
nation. The clearest examples of this latter case are the
sins of the flesh. 47
2. This may be explained as follows. Sin is defined as a
withdrawal of the will from the First Principle, inasmuch
as the will was created to act from that First Principle,
according to it, and with it as an end. Therefore every sin
is a disorder in the mind, or more precisely in the will,
which is the source of both virtue and vice." And so actual
sin is an actual disorder of the will. This disorder may be
so great that it destroys the order ofjustice; then it is called
mortal sin, for by its nature it destroys life, separating
"Based on Peter Lombard, Liber 2 Sent., 24.4 -13 (1: 453-60). It is
clear from this imagery that each person's personal sin imitates and
ratifies the primordial sin. Here Lombard and Bonaventure employ
the popular allegorical interpretation of Gen 3:1-6 which equated 'the
serpent' with the motion of the sensual part of the soul, 'the woman'
with the inferior reason and 'the man' with the superior reason. On
this distinction of superior and inferior reason, see pt. 2, chap. 9.7 above.
This allegorical reading oftbe faIl derives from Augustine (e.g., De Trin.,
12.13.20 [PL 42: 1008-1009]; De Gen. contra Man., 2.11.15, 14.21 [PL
34: 204, 207]), and ultimately from the Hellenistic Jew, Philo. Cf.
Bonaventure, In 2 Sent., 24 (II, 573-86).
"See In 2 Sent., 41.2.2 (II, 950-53).
PART III 119
itself from God by whom the just spirit is animated. Or
the disorder may be lesser, so that it does not destroy the
order of justice but does disturb it in some way; this is
called venial, for we may readily find pardon for it, be-
cause grace is not taken away by it nor is divine enmity
incurred_
Now, the order of justice is that the immutable good is
to be preferred to a changeable good, the good iIi. itself to
an advantageous good, the will of God to one's own, and
the judgment of right reason over sensual desire_ Because
the law of God requires such an order and rejects its oppo-
site, when a changeable good is preferred to the immu-
table, an advantageous good to the Good itself, one's own
will to the will of God, and sensual desire to right reason,
then a mortal sin is committed. As Ambrose writes, mor-
tal sin is "the violation of divine law and the disobedience
to heavenly precepts_"" It is committed either by failing
to do what the divine law prescribes, or by doing what it
prohibits. This is why there are two kinds of sin: those of
omission and those of commission. 50
3. Now when a changeable good is loved more than it
should, yet without being actually preferred to the immu-
table; when the advantageous is not actually preferred to
what is right; when self-will is loved too much, but not
actually preferred to the will of God; when the flesh is
filled with desire, but not actually preferred to the judg-
ment of right reason, then the sin is not mortal but venial,
for though all of these cases are outside the law, they are
not directly in violation of it.51 In fact, the sensual appe-
tite is not really preferred to right reason unless the rea-
"Ambrose, De paradiso, 8.39, trans. John Savage (PL 14: 292 [Fe
42: 317]).
"For these two categories of sin, see In 2 Sent., 42.dub. 2 (II, 976);
the distinction is founded on Augustine, De perfect. just., 5.11 (PL 44:
296).
51S ee In2 Sent., 42.2.1 (II, 964-66).
120 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
son consents to it; and hence mortal sin is not committed
when consent is lacking.
4. If, however, the senses are unduly aroused, since
that disorder disposes one to evil, even though the reason
does not consent, this is sinful to some extent because it
does offend the order of justice somewhat. In the state of
innocence, the senses were moved by reason alone, and so
ifhuman beings had stood firm, there would have been no
venial sin. But now [because of concupiscence] the senses
are opposed to reason whether we wish it or not, and so
we inevitably commit some venial sins through our spon-
taneous actions. Although it may be possible to keep such
actions under control in this or that individual instance,
it is impossible to avoid them completely. Even though they
are sins, they are also in some way the penalties of [origi-
naIl sin; hence they are called 'venial,' because they are
deserving of pardon [venia]. 52
5. But reason is not compelled to consent to these im-
pulses, and so, if it does acquiesce once it experiences the
pleasure, then there is full consent and thus a consum-
mated sin. For then the sin was presented to the man,
that is, the superior aspect of the mind, upon which full
consent depends.
6. Now one gives consent not only through performing
a deed but also through inward pleasure, in which the in-
ferior aspect of the mind follows the lure of the senses.
Therefore, if in sensual enjoyment the reason succumbs
to sensuality, then once again the woman is obeying the
serpent; right order and justice are subverted. Thus a mor-
62 In typical Augustinian fashion, Bonaventure emphasizes that our
earthly life is characterized by the inevitability of sin. Elsewhere he
describes this reality as an incurable illness (In 4 Sent., 33.1.1 [IV,
589]), But this very fact allows human beings to have trust in the mercy
of God, who knows their weakness. Cf,lbid., 17.2.2.1.ad 4 (IV; 443); In
2 Sent., 21.dub. 4, 41.2.1 (II, 511-12; 947-50).
PART III 121
tal sin is committed, even though it is of lesser gravity.
And it is imputed not only to the woman, but also to the
man, by whom the woman should have been restrained
and held in check, lest she obey the serpent. It is clear,
then, how every actual sin is in some wayan imitation of
the first and original sin, as that distinguished doctor,
Augustine, explains in the twelfth book On the Trinity. 53
CHAPTER 9
THE ORIGIN AND DIVISION OF THE CAPITAL SINS
1. We come now to an examination of the origin of par-
ticular types of sin. There are some sins that are capital,
others that are penal, and others which are final or unfor-
givable; as such, they are first, intermediate, and last.
Concerning the origin ofthe capital sins, this is a brief
statement of what we must hold: that actual sins have
one source, two roots, three incentives, and a seven-fold
head [caputl or 'capital' sin. The one source is pride, of
whiclI it is written: pride is the beginning of all sin. 54 The
two roots are a fear that badly restrains and a love that
badly desires. 55 The three incentives are the three things
this world contains: the desire of the flesh, the desire of the
eyes, and the pride of life. 55 Finally, the seven-fold head is:
pride, envy, anger, sloth, avarice, gluttony, and lust. Among
these, the first five are sins of the spirit, the last two, sins
of the flesh. 57
53 De Trin., 12.17-18. (PL 42: 1007). See Lombard, Liber 2 Sent., 24.6-
12 (1: 455-460).
54 Sir 10.13, according to the Vulgate rendition (v. 15).
"Augustine, Enarrat. in Ps. 79, 13 (PL 36: 1026).
56 1 John 2:16. Cf. chap. 2.5 above.
57 Other than a very brief mention in 2 Sent., 42.dub. 3-4 (II, 977-78),
this passage in the Breviloquium is Bonaventure's only treatment of
the classic theme of the seven capital sins.
122 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQUIUM
2. This is the rationale for what we have said. We have
seen that mortal sin is an actual withdrawal from the First
Principle. And one cannot withdraw from the First Prin-
ciple without contempt for it, either for it directly, or for
its command. Now contempt of the First Principle is pride.
And so it is that every mortal sin or offense necessarily
takes its origin in pride.
3. Now no one despises the supreme Principle or its
command in itself, but only because such a person either
wants to acquire or fears to lose something other than God.
This is why all actual sin may be traced back to these two
roots, namely fear and love. They are the roots of evil deeds,
even though they are not equally primary.
4. For all fear has its origin in love, since no one is
afraid of losing something unless that person loves it. 58
Fear, then, thrives on the same food as love. Now disor-
dered love occurs in relation to a transitory good. And since
transitory good is three-fold - the interior good of personal
superiority, the exterior good of riches, and the inferior
good of bodily pleasure - there are necessarily three fun-
damental incentives as mentioned above. 59 All actual sins
arise" when the soul turns towards them in an inordinate
way.
5. Because this can happen in seven ways, there are
seven capital sins from which every kind of vice springs.
Now our will becomes disordered either because it desires
what should not be desired, or because it flees what should
not be fled. If the will desires what it should not desire, it
is on account of some present good, although only transi-
tory or apparent. If that good is interior, it is the personal
58 Augustine, De civ. Dei, 14.7.2: "Love fleeing what is adverse to it is
fear" (PL 41: 410 [Dyson, 592]); De beata vita, 2.11: "If then someone is
likely to lose what he loves, can he be without fear? No!" (PL 32: 965).
59 In section 1.
PART III 123
superiority which pride loves; if exterior, it is the suffi-
ciency which avarice seeks; if inferior, it is pleasure. Now
if that pleasure is eating, which is intended to nourish our
bodies, in order to delight the sense of taste, we have the
desire of gluttony; if the pleasure is engaging in sexual
intercourse, which is intended for the preservation ofthe
species, in order to delight the sense oftouch, we have the
yearning of lust. But if the will is disordered by fleeing
what it should not flee, this may occur in three ways, cor-
responding to the manner of rejection. There may be a
perverse impulse in the rational faculty through envy, a
perverse impulse in the negative appetite through anger,
and a perverse impulse in the positive appetite through
sloth. Thus four of these sins are traceable to desire, and
three are sins whose impulse is flight [from what is com-
manded]. And so there are in all seven capital sins.
6. Now the perception of a desirable object is associ-
ated with pleasure, and that of a loathsome object, with
pain. Thus, the first four of these sins have enjoymentas-
sociated with them, and the last three, unhappiness and
pain. Yet all seven are called capital because they are the
principal disorders [of the soul], and each in its own way
is the cause of many others. Now even though some of
these imply rejection, they nonetheless have a pleasure of
their own. Envy seeks to have a good for oneself without
any companion, or exclusively; anger seeks to have a good
without any opposition, or imperturbably; sloth to seeks
to have a good without any work, or effortlessly. And since
people do not obtain these disordered goals readily, these
sins bring with them a great host of vices, as people pur-
sue their objects oflove or flee from their objects ofloath-
ing. Hence they are called capital sins, for they are as heads
[capita] from which countless others flow.
124 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
CHAPTER 10
THE ORIGIN AND NATURE OF PENAL SIN
1. Concerning penal sins, the following must be held:
although the evil of sin and the evil of punishment are
different kinds of evil, there are some evils that are both
sins and punishment for sins. Narrowly speaking, such
sins are those that imply pain and sorrow, such as envy,
sloth, and the like. More broadly considered, these are the
sins that imply either a true deprivation of nature or some-
thing shameful, such as those to which it is said that sin-
ners were given up ... to a debased mind. 50 Generally
speaking, however, "all the sins that occur between the
first apostasy and the ultimate punishment of hell can be
called both sins and penalties of sin,"61 for as Gregory says,
"crimes are thus punished by crimes.""
Now while one and the same thing may be called a sin
and a penalty for sin, we must maintain that every pen-
alty insofar as it is a penalty is just and comes from God,
but that no sin, insofar as it is sin, is ever right, nor does it
come from God; it comes only from the free decision of the
will. A penalty which is purely a penalty is inflicted by
God, but a penalty which is a sin, or a propensity to sin, is
contracted or committed by human beings."
SORoID 1:28: "God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that
should not be done." Cf. verses 24 and 26: "God gave them up in the
lusts of their heart to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among
themselves" and "to degrading passions."
61 Peter Lombard, Liber 2 Sent., 36.1 (1: 537), who in turn is
paraphrasing Augustine, Enarrat. in Ps. 57, 18-19: "The first sin is pride;
the last punishment is fire everlasting . .. between that first sin and
this last punishment, the things which are intermediate are both sins
and punishment" (PL 36: 687). This theme was taken up by Gregory
the Great, Super Ezech., 1.11.23-25 (PL 76: 915-16).
62 Rather, Augustine, Contra adverso Legis et Prophet., 1.24.51 (PL
42: 635). Cf. Peter Lombard, Liber 2 Sent., 36.4 (1: 539).
63 See a fuller treatment of this material in Bonaventure, In 2 Sent.,
36 (II, 842-59).
PART III 125
2. This should be explained as follows. Evil is defined
as a withdrawal from the First Principle; therefore it is
damaging to created good. But it cannot injure the good
without taking something away from it. Since good con-
sists in measure, form, and order, there is no evil that does
not involve a corruption of measure, form, and order.64 Now
there are two kinds of order: that of nature and that of
justice; the order of nature pertains to the natural good,
the order of justice to the moral good. We lind the natural
good in all created nature, but the order of justice exists
in the will. The order of nature, therefore, exists in any
created nature, but the order of justice, in the free will
alone. Because the will is "an instrument that moves it-
self,"55 while nature is not, it follows that the order of jus-
tice is an order which is not simply made, but makes it-
self, while the order of nature is merely given. And so, since
evil is a privation either in the order of justice or in the
order of nature, there are two kinds of evil: the evil of guilt
and the evil of punishment.
3. Because the order of justice is a voluntary order,
this is why "the evil of guilt is a voluntary affection, while
the evil of penalty is an involuntary affection.""
4. Finally, because the order of justice that exists in
the will is a self-establishing order, it follows that "the
evil of guilt which is the privation of order is an evil we
cause, and the evil of punishment is an evil we suffer.""
Now, there is no received effect without an action natu-
rally having preceded it, nor can there be an action with-
out it having some effect, there can exist no penalty with-
out the antecedent guilt which deserved it, nor can there
exist any guilt without a consequent penalty.
"See chapter 1 above, and In 2 Sent., 35 (II, 821-39).
65 Anselm, De concordia praescientiae Dei cum libero arbitrio, 3.11
(PL 158: 537A).
"' According to Augustine, De lib. arb., 3.9.26 (PL 32: 1284).
" Ibid., 1.1.1 (PL 32: 1221).
126 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUlUM
5. Now whatever we do springs from ourselves, but
what we suffer can come from ourselves or from others
either superior or inferior to us. Thus, although sin is al-
ways our own doing, not all our penalties are: some are
caused by us, some are inflicted, and some are contracted.
6. Also, if someone does something they should not, it
is just that they suffer what they should. Therefore all
punishment, insofar as it is punishment, is just and comes
through divine providence, because punishment is fitted
to the sin and restores the order disturbed by sin.
7. The suffering of a punishment entails the loss of a
natural good only, or of both a natural and a moral good.
That is why some penalties are penalties only, while oth-
ers are both penalties and sins: for the moral good ofrigh-
teousness is not lost except through unrighteousness, that
is, sin. Thus, the first type of penalty comes from God, in-
sofar as it is penalty and that it is what it is - although
from God, not as creator but avenger. But penalties of the
second type, since they are sin, so not come from God inso-
far as they exist, but only insofar as they restore order.
When they are incurred because of actual sin, they are
our own doing; when they are contracted, they are as a
result of original sin.
8. If evil is considered in technical sense, as a priva-
tion of natural good, an involuntary condition, and some-
thing we merely suffer, then it is not the same as the evil
of guilt, although it may be connected to it. If, however, we
understand evil more broadly as something we suffer,
whether caused by another, or ourselves either in nature
or in will, then it coincides with the evil of guilt, but not in
reference to the same object nor from the same viewpoint.
For the very thing that is guilt in itself is also a punish-
ment when considered in relation to an earlier sin; and
what is a sin when viewed as something committed, is
also a penalty when viewed as something suffered. Thus
PART III 127
it is clear in what way, to what extent, and why a thing
can be said to be both a sin and a penalty of sin.
CHAPTER 11
THE ORIGIN OF FINAL SINS,
WHICH ARE THE SINS AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT
1. Concerning the final, or unforgivable sins, which are
the sins against the Holy Spirit, the following must be
held. Although all sin, speaking in general terms, is against
God three and one, yet we can appropriately speak of a
certain sin as being against the Father, another as against
the Son, and another as against the Holy Spirit. This sin
against the Holy Spirit is said to be unforgivable, either in
this age or in the age to come,·8 not because it could not be
pardoned in the present age, but because its guilt is sel-
dom, if ever, forgiven here, and its penalty is hardly, if at
all, remitted hereafter. Six types of this sin are distin-
guished: envy of grace given to another, resisting the known
truth, despair, presumption, obstinacy of mind, and £lnal
impenitence.·9
2. This should be understood as follows. Since sin is a
withdrawal from the First Principle, which is three and
one, every sin distorts the image of the Trinity and defiles
the soul in its three powers: the negative appetite, ratio-
nality, and the positive appetite. For every sin proceeds
from free choice, which bears within itself the mark ofthe
Trinity: because of its power, the will reflects the Father,
because it is rational, the Son; because it is free, the Spirit
3. Even though these three dimensions are involved
in every sinful act, there is always one that brings about
68 Matt 12: 32. On the material of this chapter see In 2 Sent., 43 (II,
981-98).
69The exact number of these sins against the Holy Spirit fluctuated
from author to author; it was Alexander of Hales who finally fixed the
number at six (Glossa in IV Libros Sent., 2.43.9 [13:415]).
128 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQUlUM
the perversion ofthe others. The defect of power is impo-
tence; of reason, ignorance; and of will, malice. Some sins,
then, are due to impotence, others to ignorance, and still
others to malice.'· Since power is attributed to the Fa-
ther, wisdom to the Son, and will to the Holy Spirit,71 some
sins are thus said to be against the Father, others against
the Son, and others against the Holy Spirit. And because
there is nothing greater in the will than the will itself,72
and sin originates from it, no sin is as wholly voluntary
and truly sin as that which arises from the corruption of
the will.
For we can speak of a sinful act being involuntary in
two ways, that is, owing to force or owing to ignorance; the
first by a defect of power, the second by a defect of knowl-
edge.73 So when the will has the power to resist and knows
something to be wrong, but solely out of its own corrup-
tion chooses to do it nonetheless, it is committing what is
known as a sin of sheer malice. Such a sin arises purely
from the defection of the free choice of the will, and is di-
rectly opposed to the grace of the Holy Spirit. Because it
derives exclusively from free will, it does not have the
slightest grounds for excuse, and hence one guilty of it
should expect little or no relief of the ensuing penalty. On
the contrary, because it directly flouts the grace ofthe Holy
Spirit through which the penalties of sin are remitted, it
is called unforgivable. This does not mean it can in no way
70 On these three types of sin and their respective seriousness, see
Gregory, Moral. in lob., 25.11.28 (PL 76: 339BC), and Isidore, Sent., or
De summo bono, 2.17.3-4 (PL 83: 620AB). See Peter Lombard, Liber 2
Sent., 22.5 (1: 446-47).
71 See pt. 1, chap. 6.
72 Augustine, De lib. arb., 1.12.26: "For what lies more truly in the
power of the will than the will itself?" (PL 32: 1235 [po 24]). C£ Lombard,
Liber 2 Sent., 41.4 (1:565).
7l See Aristotle, Ethica Nicom., 3.1 (1109b 35-1110a 1); and John of
Damascus, De fide orth., 2.24 (PL 94: 954). On force, see In 2 Sent.,
25.2.4 (II, 615-16); on ignorance, ibid., 22.2.3 (525-27).
PART III 129
be forgiven, but because by its very nature it is directly
opposed to the medicine and the remedy by which the re-
mission of sins is accomplished.
4. Now, the remission of sins is accomplished by God
through the grace of repentance within the communion of
the Church. Therefore, the unforgivable sins are distin-
guished accordingly as they directly oppose one of these
three aspects. Either they oppose the grace of repentance
in itself, or the God by whom it is given, or the Church in
whose communion it is obtained. In reference to the com-
munion of the Church, we should note that the unity of
the Church consists offaith and love, or ofgrace and truth.'4
Thus there are two possible sins against it: envy of the
grace given to another and resistance ofthe known truth.
In reference to God, the giver of grace, all of whose ways
in justifying us are mercy and truth,75 there are two sins:
despair, which denies mercy; and presumption, which im-
pugns justice. In reference to the grace of repentance in
itself, there are two ways of sinning, since this grace makes
us recoil against sins committed and guard against those
that might be committed. The first is opposed by obsti-
nacy of mind; the second, by final impenitence, or the in-
tention of never repenting. It is in this sense that 'final
impenitence' is a type of sin against the Holy Spirit. But
in another sense 'final impenitence' means continuing in
sin until the end of one's life; 76 this is the consequence of
all the mortal sins that were not remitted in this life, and
specifically of all those sins committed against the Holy
Spirit.
76There is a pun here in Latin and the Romance languages. 'End' is
finis.
"John 1:17; cf. Eph 4:13-16.
75 Ps 25: 10 (Vg 24:10). Cf. In 4 Sent., 46.2.3 (IV, 964-65).
130 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM

5. And so, every sin takes its origin in pride and has its
consummation or end in final impenitence. Whoever
reaches this point falls headlong into hell, from which pen-
alty no one guilty of mortal sin can be freed, unle.ss the
grace of Christ the mediator should intervene. That IS why
the multitude of those who had to be saved yearned for PART IV
the incarnation of that mediator and Lord.1b him be honor
and glory forever and ever. Amen.77 ON THE INCARNATION OF THE WORD

CHAPTER 1
THE REASON WHY THE INCARNATION OF THE WORD OF GOD
WAS NECESSARY OR FITTING

1. Having said something about the Trinity of God, the

creation of the world, and the corruption of sin, we now
turn to a brief discussion of the Incarnation of the Word,
for it was by the Word's becoming flesh that the salvation
and redemption of humankind was achieved. This was not
because God could not have saved and liberated the hu-
man race by some other means, but because no other way
would have been so fitting or so appropriate to the Re-
deemer, those redeemed, and the nature of redemption!
2. The reason for this should be explained as follows.
[We have seen that] the first creative principle of all things
could not have been and should not have been anything
less than God. Now it is surely no less important to re-
store created things as to give them existence, for the well-
being of things is no less significant than for them simply
to be. And so it was most fitting that the restorative prin-
ciple of all things should be God Most High? Thus, just as

'See In 3 Sent., 1. 2.1-3, 20.1.2, 20.1.6 (III, 19-31,416-22,430-32).

2Augustine, Sermon 176, 5.5: ''A saved human being is better than
just a mere human being.... Nobody can recreate except the one who
creates; nobody can make you new, but the one who made you in the
first place" (PL 38: 952 [WSA, nV5: 275]).
132 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
God [the Father] had created all things through the
Uncreated Word, so he would restore all things through
the Incarnate Word.'
Also, because God made everything with complete
power, wisdom, and goodness or benevolence, it was fit-
ting that God should so restore all things as to display
that same power, wisdom, and benevolence.· Now what is .
more powerful than to combine within a single person two
natures so widely disparate?' What is wiser and more
fitting than to bring the entire universe to full perfection
by uniting the first and last, that is, the Word of God, which
is the origin of all things, and human nature, which was
the last of all creatures?6 What is more benevolent than
for the master to redeem the slave by taking the form of a
3 John 1:3, 14: See also Hexaem., 3.2, ltin., 4,3 (V, 343, 306). Cf.
Augustine, Enarrat. in Ps 142, 17 (PL 37: 1855); in Ps 45,14 (PL 36:
524).
4- Bonaventure thus locates the primary reason for the Incarnation
in the divine nature itself. See John of Damascus, De fide orth. 3.1 (PG
94: 984). Cf. In 3 Sent., 4.1.1, resp. (III, 98-99).
5See pt. 2, chap. 10.2 above; Bemard,Serm. 3 in vigilia Nativ. Domini,
8; and Serm. 2 in Nativ. Domini, 4 (PL 183: 98, 121). Cf. Bonaventure,
In 3 Sent., 6.2.3, ad 1 (III, 163).
6 Creation flows out from the Word of God into a plurality of natures,
only to converge again to form the microcosm of human nature (cf. pt.
2, chaps. 4.3 and 10.2). Thus, by the Word's incarnation as a human
being, all creation is recapitulated, made one with its Exemplar. Cf.
Irenaeus (Adu. Haeres., 4.20.4): uGod is evermore known through the
one through whom he made all things. This is his Word, our Lord Jesus
Christ, who in the last times became a human being among human
beings, in order to join the end to the beginning, that is, humanity to
God" (PG 7: 1034).
Bonaventure eloquently states this argument from cosmic completion
in his Second Sermon on the Nativity (IX, 207): "It is in this Word that
we discover the perfection of that greatness of heart which brings all
reality to its consummation and completion . .. .The line of the universe
must be curved into a circle. Indeed, God is simply the First. And the
last among the works of God is man. Therefore, when God became a
human being, the works of God were brought to perfection . .. .The
ability of human nature to be united in a unity of person with the
PART IV 133
servant?' Certainly this is a deed of such unfathomable
goodness that no greater proof of mercy, kindness and
friendship can be conceived. Assuredly, then, this w~s the
most appropriate way for God the Redeemer to demon-
strate the divine power, wisdom, and benevolence.
3. Again, when human beings sinned, they turned away
and wandered far from the most powerful, wise, and be-
nevolent principle. As a result, they fell headlong into
weakness, ignorance, and malice. Having once been spiri-
tual, they became carnal, animal, and sensual. They could
no longer imitate divine virtue, know its light, or love its
goodness. And so the most fitting way for human beings to
be raised from this condition was for the First Principle to
come down to their level by making itself knowable lov-
able, and imitable. Carnal, animal, and sensual hum~nity
could not know, love, or imitate anything that was not pro-
portioned and adapted to that state. And so the Word be-
came flesh, that he might be known and loved and imi-
tated.by human beings who were flesh.' In this way, by
knowmg and loving and imitating God, humanity might
be cured of the disease of sin. 9
?ivine - which is the most noble of all the receptive potencies implanted
In human nature - is reduced to act so that it would not be a mere
empty potency. And since it is reduced to act, the perfection of the entire
created order is realized, for in that one being the unity of all reality is
bro~ght to cons~ation" (trans. Zachary Hayes, What Manner ofMan?
(Chicago: franCIscan Herald Press, 1974),73-74. Here Bonaventure
may be following Robert Grosseteste. See Dominic J. Unger, "Robert
Grosseteste ... on the Reason for the Incarnation" FS 16 (1956)' 1-36
'Phil 2:7. , . .
'John 1:14. See Augustine, De vera relig., 16.30 ff. and 55.110 (PL
34: 134 If and 170). '
9 .Bonaventur~'s argument here reflects that of Peter Abelard, who
be~eved the .pnmary reason for the Incarnation was to change the
~ttltude of ~mf~ humanity toward God: e.g. In Ep. ad Rom., 3.26:
'Through thIS unIque act of grace manifested to us - in that God's Son
has taken upon himself our nature and persevered therein, teaching
us by word and example even unto death - God has more fully bound
134 ST. BONAVENTURE~sBREVILOQUIUM
4. Finally, human beings could not be completely healed
unless they regained innocence of mind, friendship with
God, and their proper excellence, whereby they were sub-
ject only to God. Since such a thing could not be accom-
plished except by God in the form of a slave, it was fitting
that the Word should become incarnate. For humanity
could not recover its excellence through any other re-
deemer than God. For if this redeemer had been a mere
creature, then humanity would have become subject to
another creature, and thus would not have regained its
state of excellence. to Nor could humanity have recovered
its friendship with God except by means of a suitable me-
diator, who could touch God with one hand and humanity
with the other, who would be the likeness and friend of
both: God-like in his divinity, and like us in his humanity.
Nor, again, could humankind have recovered purity of soul
ifits guilt had not been removed, which divine justice could
not fittingly remit unless suitable satisfaction had been
made. But only God could make such satisfaction for the
whole human race, while humanity alone was bound to
make it because it had sinned. Therefore it was most ap-
propriate that humanity should be restored by a God-man,
born of Adam's stock. l l
For humanity could not have recovered its excellence
except through a most excellent redeemer, friendship [with
God] except through a most amicable mediator, nor inno-
cence except through a most adequate satisfier. But there
is no more excellent redeemer than God, no more ami-
us to himselfby love; with the result that our hearts should be enkindled
by such a gift of divine grace, and true charity should not now shrink
from enduring anything for him" (PL 178: 836).
10 Augustine,De 7rin., 13.18.23 (PL42: 1032);Aoselm, Cur Deus Homo,
1.5 (PL 158: 365); c£ Bonaventure,In 2 Sent., 22.1.1 (II, 516-17).
11 In this final argument Bonaventure closely follows Anselm, Cur
Deus Homo, 2.6 (PL 158:404).
PART IV 135
cable mediator than a fellow human being, and no more
adequate satisfier than one who was both God and hu-
man. Therefore, it was most fitting for our redemption that
the Word become incarnate. And so, just as the human
race came into being through the Uncreated Word and
sinned by failing to heed the Inspired Word, so it would
rise from sin through the Incarnate Word.
CHAPTER 2
THE INCARNATION IN REGARD TO THE UNION OF NATURES
1. Now there are three topics that we should consider
with regard to the Incarnate Word: the union of natures,
the fullness of gifts, and the suffering of the passion for
the redemption of the human race. 12 Concerning the union
of natures, we have to ponder these three points in order
to grasp the mystery of the Incarnation, namely, what oc-
curred, how it occurred, and when it occurred.
2. Now, concerning the work of the Incarnation, Chris-
tian faith requires that we hold the following:
a) that the Incarnation is a work of the Trinity,
through which took place the assumption of flesh by the
Godhead and the union of the Godhead with the flesh;"
b) that this assumption was not simply of material
flesh, but also of a rational spirit with its vegetative, sen-
sitive, and intellective powers;14
c)that this union is a oneness, not of nature, but of
person; not of a human person, but of a divine one; not of
an assumed person, but of the assuming one; and not of
12The first of these will be dealt with in chapters 2-4, the second in
chapters 5-7, and the third in chapters 8-10.
13 See In 3 Sent.,1.1.2 (III, 12-13).
14 Ibid., 2.2 (III, 44-47), For these three powers of the soul, see pt. 2,
chap. 9.5 above.
136 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUlUM
any [divine] person indiscriminately, but of the Word
alone;15
d) that this union is so total that whatever is said of
the Son of God may be said of the Son of Man, and con-
versely; excepting however, such matters as designate the
union itself or contain some negation.'s
3. These things should be understood as follows. The
Incarnation is the work of the First Principle, not only
insofar as it is an effective principle in producing, but also
insofar as it is a restorative principle in healing, atoning,
and reconciling. Therefore, insofar as it denotes a certain
effect, the Incarnation is a work of the First Principle,
which accomplishes all things by virtue of its supreme
power. Now its substance, power, and operation are abso-
lutely united and completely undivided among the three
persons. 17 That is why the work of the Incarnation must
necessarily proceed from the whole Trinity.
This describes the hypostatic union, which "consists in nothing other
15
than the fact that a divine person who, from eternity, has been a
hypostasis of the divine nature, becomes the hypostasis of a human
nature in time" (In 3 Sent., 1.1.1, resp. (III, 9-10). In other words, the
hypostasis of the Word, the second person of the Trinity (cf. pt. 1, chap.
3 above), has 'assumed' or taken on human nature in the person of
Jesus Christ. Bonaventure has an extensive discussion of this, In 3
Sent., 5-7 (III, 121-84). Cf, Hayes,Hidden Center, 71-86.
16 This linguistic usage, whereby the human qualities of Christ are
attributed to God and divine attributes to the human in him, is called
the communicatio idiomatum ('interchange of properties'). This ancient.
practice was sanctioned by the Council of Ephesus (431) when it
recognized the Virgin Mary's title, ''Mother of God." Cf.In 3 Sent., 11.2.3,
ad 3 (III, 257).
17 Cf. Pseudo-Dionysius, De cael. hierarch., 11.2: ''There is within all
divine minds the threefold distinction between being, power, and activity
" (PG 3: 283 D; PL 122: 1059D [po 175]). In 1 Sent., 8.2.2, Bonaventure
explains that these three elements are really distinct in all created
beings, whereas in God there is only a logical distinction between them
(1,167-69).
PART IV 137
4. But the Incarnation also derives from the First Prin-
ciple insofar as it is a restorative principle by virtue of its
[work of] healing. Since the whole human race had fallen
into sin and was corrupted, not only in spirit but also in
flesh, the whole nature had to be assumed so that all of it
might be cured.1S Now the flesh is the part of our being
most evident to us as well as the most distant from God.
And so, in order that this work might be designated in the
most expressive manner, so as to indicate better the hu-
miliation [of God] and more profoundly explain the exal-
tation [of our flesh], it is called, not 'inanimation,' but 'in-
carnation'.
5. Again, the Incarnation derives from the First Prin-
ciple insofar as it is a restorative principle by virtue of [its
work] of making satisfaction. Now there is no satisfaction
except when made by one who ought to make it and can
make it. But the only ones who should make satisfaction
are human beings, and the only one who can make it is
God. Therefore, it was fitting that both natures, the hu-
man and the divine, had to concur in making this satis-
faction. 19 However, it is impossible for the divine nature to
concur with another nature as to become part of a third
that would arise out of this conjunction. Nor is it possible
for the divine nature to change into something else or for
another nature to change into the divine - for the divine
nature is utterly perfect, simple, and immutable. Hence,
divinity and humanity could only be joined, not in a union
of natures or of accidents, but in a union of a person or
hypostasis. But the divine nature cannot subsist in any
subject other than its own hypostasis. The union, there-
"Based on John of Damascus, De fide orth., 3.6 (PG 94: 1006 B) in
the translation of Burgundio of Pis a, c. 50 (ed. Buytaert, 188). C£ P~ter
Lombard, Liber 3 Sent., 2.1 (2: 27-29).
19 As argued in chap. 1.4 above.
138 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
fore, could not occur in the hypostasis or person of a hu-
man being, but only in that of God. By this union, there-
fore, the First Principle, in one of its hypostases, became
the supposit of a human nature. Hence, in this case there
is but one person, and one personal unity, that is, of the
[divine] person who assumed humanity.'·
6. Finally, the Incarnation derives from the First Prin-
ciple insofar as it is a restorative principle by virtue of [its
work of] reconciling. Now in reconciling it acts as a media-
tor; and so, since mediation is proper to the Son of God,
incarnation is also. For it is a mediator's proper role to be
the medium between humanity and God in order to lead
humankind back to the knowledge of God, to the likeness
of God, and to be children of God. Now, there could be no
more fitting medium that the person who both produces
and is produced, the intermediate one of the three [divine]
persons. 21 No one is more suitable to lead humanity back
to a knowledge of God than the Word, by whom the Father
expresses himself, a Word that has the potential to be
united to the flesh, as a [human] word has to its utter-
ance." No one is more suitable to lead humankind back to
divine conformity than the one who is the image of the
Father. No one can more fittingly restore human beings to
their status as God's adopted children than the one who is
God's son by nature. Hence no one is more suitable to be-
come Son of Man than the Son of God himself'3
20 Peter Lombard, Liber 3 Sent., 5.1-3 (2: 41-48); Cf Bonaventure, In
3 Sent., 5.1.1-2 (III, 122-125).
21 Ibid" 19.2.2, ad 1: ''it is not the same thing to call Christ 'mediator'
and 'medium'; nevertheless, only one who is medium can be mediator"
(III, 411). Bonaventure develops seven different orders of reality in
which Christ serves as medium or center in Hexaem, 1.10-39 (Y,330-
35). Cf. Hayes, Hidden Center, pp. 87-90, 194-204.
"Cf.In 1 Sent., 27.2.4 (I, 488-90).
23 Bonaventure here gives a brief response to the classic question: for
which of the three persons was it the most appropriate to become
incarnate? See In 3 Sent., 1.2.3 (III, 28-31).
PART IV 139
7. Thus, by reason of the Incarnation the Son of Man
and the Son of God are in every way one and the same.
And because "whenever two things are identical to a third,
they are identical to each other,"24 it follows that any predi-
cate of one applies to both, unless it is a term that denotes
some incompatibility, such as those which express the
union of one nature to the other - for instance, 'to unite',
'to be made flesh: 'to assume,' 'to be assumed'; or those
which express a negation of something whose opposite
pertains to the other nature - for instance, 'to begin to be,'
'to be created,' and so forth. In these cases, for the reason
here explained, there is an exception to the foregoing rule.
CHAPTER 3
How THE INCARNATION CAME ABOUT
1. With regard to how the Incarnation came about, this
is what must be held: that the angel announced to the
most blessed Virgin Mary that the mystery of the Incar-
nation was to be accomplished in her; that the Virgin be-
lieved, was willing, and consented; and that the Holy Spirit
overshadowed her to sanctify her and make her fruitful.
Through his power, "the virgin conceived the Son of God
... whom the virgin bore ... and after giving birth she
remained a virgin."" She conceived not only the flesh, but
the flesh infused with a soul and united to the Word un-
tainted by sin but completely holy and immaculate. That
is why she is called the Mother of God and the sweetest
Virgin Mary.
2. This may be explained as follows. The Incarnation
is a work that derives from the First Principle, insofar as
Aristotle, De sophist. elenchis, 1.5 (168h 31-32).
24
Augustine, Serm. 196, 1.1 (PL 38: 1019: 1019 [WSA, lIV6: 61]); cf.
25
Serm. 51, 11.18 (PL 38: 343). On the material in this chapter, see In 3
Sent., 3-5 (III, 60-143).
140
it restores in a most appropriate, all-embracing, and com-
plete way_ For it is fitting for the divine wisdom to act ap-
propriately, it is fitting for the divine generosity to act in
an all-embracing way, and it is fitting for the divine power
to work perfectly.
3. Since the Incarnation is the work of the First Prin-
ciple who redeems in the most appropriate way, it is fit-
ting that the medicine corresponds to the disease, the res-
toration to the fall, and the remedy to the injury. Now, the
human race had fallen through the suggestion of the devil,
through the consent of the deceived woman, and through
a lustful means of generation that transmits original sin
to the offspring. 26 And so, these were appropriately coun-
teracted by a good angel persuading to what was good, a
virgin believing and consenting to that proposed good, and
the love of the Holy Spirit making her holy and fruitful
for an immaculate conception.27 In this way, "contraries
might be cured by their contraries."" Since it was a woman,
deceived by Satan and carnally known and corrupted by
26 See above, pt. 3, chap. 2-7.
27 That is, so that Christ might be conceived immaculately. The
theological consensus during Bonaventure's time was that Mary, like
all other humans, was born with original sin, although cleansed of that
sin and its consequences sometime before her conception of Christ. This
was necessary if Mary was to produce a body for Jesus that was
uncorrupted by sin. Cf. Peter Lombard, Liber 3 Sent., 3.1-3 (2: 32-35);
Bonaventure, In 3 Sent., 3.1 (II!, 60-78).
28 Ancient medicine was based on the conviction that the human body,
like all of nature, was composed of contrary elements; illness was due
to an excess of one of the four humors (cr. pt. 2.4.3 above). Thus, any
cure had to counteract this influence. Cf.Aristotle,Nicomachean Ethics,
2.3: "It is the nature oreures to be effected by contraries" (1104b 17-18
[p.954]). John Cassian employed the priuciple to prescribe appropriate
ascetic practices as antidotes for spiritual illness (Conferences, 19.14.15
[PL 49: 1143-1145J. Subsequently, the maxim "contraries are cured by
their contraries" was a commonplace in pastoral literature, e.g. Gregory,
Hom in Euang., 2.32.1 (PL 76: 1232). See John T. McNeil, "Medicine for
Sin as Prescribed in the Penitentials," Church History 1 (1931): 14-26.
PART IV 141
her husband's lust, who passed on sin, sickness, and death
to all, so it was a woman, instructed by an angel and made
holy and fruitful by the Holy Spirit, who gave birth to an
offspring free from corruption of mind and body, who grants
grace, health, and life to all those who come to him.
4. Again, the Incarnation derives from the First Prin-
ciple who redeems in an all-embracing way - for through
the Word made flesh the fall of both humankind and the
angels is repaired, of both those in heaven and those on
earth.29 Furthermore, the fall of human beings is repaired
in both sexes. Hence, if the cure was to be universal, it
was most fitting that an angel, a woman, and a man should
concur in the mystery of the Incarnation: an angel an-
nouncing, a virgin woman conceiving, and a man as the
conceived offspring. And so the angel Gabriel was the her-
ald of the eternal Father, the immaculate Virgin was the
temple of the Holy Spirit, and the conceived offspring was
the very person of the Word.
Thus the representatives of all three hierarchies - di-
vine, angelic, and human - concurred in this way in the
universal restoration, suggesting not only the Trinity of
God, but also the universality ofthe benefit bestowed and
the generosity of the supreme Redeemer. And because gen-
erosity is appropriated to the Holy Spirit, so too is the
sanctification of the Virgin in whose womb the Word was
conceived. Therefore, although the Incarnation is the work
of the whole Trinity, by appropriation we say that the Vir-
gin "conceived by the Holy Spirit."'·
5. Finally, the Incarnation is the work of the First Prin-
ciple who redeems in the most complete way. Hence, the
conception must be complete as regards the offspring, the
manner of conceiving, and the power that effected it. Now,
"Col 1:20; see In 3 Sent., 2.dub. 4 (III, 59-60).
"In the words of the Apostles' Creed; see In 3 Sent., 4.1.1 (III. 98-99).
142 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVlLOQUIUM
because there had to be completeness in the offspring, from
the very moment of conception, the seed was not simply
individuated but also organized, shaped, and vivified by
the soul, and deified through its union with the Godhead.31
Thus, the Virgin truly conceived the Son of God because
his flesh was united to the divinity through the mediation
of a rational soul; this, as a congruous medium, made the
flesh susceptible for such a union.32
Next, there had to be completeness in the manner of
conceiving. Now, of the four possible ways of producing a
human being, three had already been employed: first, out
of neither man nor woman, as with Adam; then, out of
man but not woman, as with Eve; third, out of both man
and woman, as with all those born of concupiscence. And
so, for the completeness of the universe, it was fitting that
a fourth way be introduced: out of woman without the seed
of a man, through the power of the Supreme Maker."
Again, there ought to be completeness in the power
itself. Hence, in the production of the Son of God, three
powers simultaneously concurred: an innate power, an
infused power, and the uncreated power. The innate power
furnished the matter, the infused power set it apart by
purifying it, and the uncreated power perfected it instantly,
something that could be done by a created power only
gradually.
Thus, the Blessed Virgin Mary became a mother in
the most complete sense, for without the assistance of a
man she conceived the Son of God by the working of the
31 In 3 Sent., 3.2.3.2, resp. (Ill, 93). As Hayes explains: "Christ's
conception differs from ordinary human conceptions in that in the
instant of conception, matter was individuated and animated, and the
whole human nature - body and soul - was organized and formed,
enlivened and deified through union with the Word" (Hidden Center,
97).
"See In 3 Sent., 2.3.1 (III, 49·51).
33 Closely paraphrasing Anselm, Cur Deus Homo, 2.8 (PL 158: 406).
PART IV 143
Holy Spirit. Because the love of the Holy Spirit burned in
her soul in such a singular way, the power of the Holy
Spirit did marvelous things in her flesh, by means of his
grace prompting her, assisting her, and elevating her na-
ture as demanded for that wondrous conception to take
place.
CHAPTER 4
THE INCARNATION IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME
1. As to when the Incarnation took place, the following
must be held. While God could have become incarnate from
the very beginning, God chose not to do so until the end of
the ages, after the law of nature and the law of figures
had come to an end - that is, the ages of the patriarchs
and prophets, to whom and through whom the Incarna-
tion had been promised. Only then did God deign to be-
come flesh, at the end and fullness of time, as the Apostle
says: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his
Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to re-
deem those who were under the law.'·
2. The reason for this is as follows. Because the Incar-
nation is the work of the First Principle insofar as it re-
stores, it is fitting and right that this occur in a manner
consonant with human free choice, with the sublimity of
the remedy, and with the final completion of the universe.
And in fact, the most wise Artisan took all these things
into account.
Human free choice requires that the will be drawn into
nothing involuntarily. God therefore had to restore human-
kind in such a way that those who wished to seek for the
Savior would find salvation, while those who were unwill-
34 Gal 4:4-5. On the material in this chapter, see In 3 Sent., 1.2.4 and
dub. (III, 31-33).
144 ST. BONAVENTURE'S-BREVILOQUIUM
ing to seek him would not. Now, people do not call a physi-
cian unless they are aware that they are sick; people do
not employ a teacher unless they recognize they are igno-
rant; people do not seek a helper unless they know they
need assistance. And so, because immediately after their
fall human beings still retained intellectual pride and
power, God established a time of natural law that would
convince them of their ignorance. But human beings, once
convinced of their ignorance, still gloried in their pride, as
the saying goes, "Power is not lacking to the one who would
act, but to the one who would command." And so God added
a law that taught moral precepts and imposed ritual ob-
servances, so that human beings, finally made aware of
both their duty and their weakness, might have recourse
to the divine mercy and implore grace, which was given to
us in the coming of Christ. That is why the laws of nature
and Scripture preceded the Incarnation of the Word."
3. Again, such a sublime remedy had to be accepted
with the strongest faith and cherished with the most ar-
dent love as a deep and life-giving mystery. It was most
fitting, then, that prophets with many testimonies, both
explicit in words and implicit in figures, should precede
the coming of Christ. By these numerous and powerful
witnesses, what had been hidden became clear and un-
questionable for belief. Repeated promises and intense
desires also were to precede the coming of Christ so that
the promised benefit would be expected, that what was
expected would be long-awaited, that what was long-
awaited would be more intensely desired, and that what
was intensely desired would be loved more fervently, re-
ceived more gratefully, and heeded with greater care.
35 According to Hugh of St. Victor, De sacmm. 1.8.3; 2.2.1 (PL 176:
307 and 415).
PART IV 145
4. Finally, the integrity and perfection of the universe
require that all things be ordered as to places and times.
Now the Incarnation is the most perfect of all God's works.
Since development ought to proceed from the imperfect to
the perfect, not the other way round,36 the Incarnation had
to take place at the end of the ages. For the first man, the
crown of the entire material world, was created at the end,
namely on the sixth day, to bring perfection to the whole
universe. Thus the second man,37 the fulfillment of the
whole in its redemption, in whom the First Principle was
joined with the last, "God with clay,"38 came at the end of
time, that is, in the sixth age - the age proper for the exer-
cise of wisdom, the curbing of concupiscence, and the pas-
sage from turmoil to peace. 39 All of these things pertain to
the sixth age of the world's course because of the Incarna-
tion of the Son of God.
5. The coming of Christ occurred in the time of the law
of grace, as a fulfillment of the promised mercy, and at the
beginning of the sixth age. Each of these circumstances
indicates a fullness: the law of grace fulfills the written
law; the giving of what was promised fulfills the promise;
and the sixth age - the number six symbolizing perfection
- is in itself a sign offullness.40 That is why the coming of
the Son of God is said to be in the fullness of time: not
36 Aristotle,Physic., 8.58.7: "what is posterior in the order of becoming
is prior in the order of nature" (261a 13-15).
37
1 Cor 15:47: "The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the
second man is from heaven."
38 Bernard, Sermo 3 in vigilia Nativit. Domini, 8 (PL 183: 98C). cr.
chap. 1.2 above.
39 On the sixth age, see Pro!' 2 above. Cf In 4 Sent., 40.dub. 3 (IV,
854);Hexaem., 15.12·21 (V, 400·402).
40 Cf. Augustine: "[The number six] is called perfect because it is
made up afits parts ... Sacred Scripture commends its perfection to us
above all in declaring that God completed his work in six days" (De
Trin., 4.4.7·8 (PL 42: 892-93) [WSA II5: 158]). Cf Bonaventure, In 1
Sent., 2.4, scholion (I, 58-59).
146 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUlUM
because it brought time to an end, but because in it the
mysteries of the ages were fulfilled. Had Christ come at
the beginning of time, he would have come too soon; and
had his coming been delayed until the very end, he would
have come too late. No, it was fitting for the Savior to pro-
vide a time of healing between the time of sickness and
the time of judgment. It was fitting for the mediator that
some of his members should precede him, and that others
should follow. It was fitting for the perfect leader to reveal
himself when there waS still an opportunity to press on
towards the prize. 41 The Incarnation was thus at the end
of the ages - before the termination oftime but when the
final judgment was close at hand: so that moved by fear of
judgment, urged on by hope of the reward, and inspired
by a perfect example, we might follow our leader vigor-
ously and perfectly from virtue to virtue, until we attain
the prize of everlasting happiness.'2
CHAPTER 5 own likeness. 47 Thus, because the restorative principle
THE FULLNESS OF GRACE IN CHRIST
CONSIDERED IN THE GIFTS IN HIS AFFECTIONS
1. Now that we have come to an understanding of the
union of natures in the Incarnate Word, we must go on to
consider the fullness of his spiritual gifts. On this topic,
we should first examine the fullness of grace in his affec-
tions, then the fullness of wisdom in his understanding,
and finally, the fullness of merit in his deeds or his effects.
2. With regard to the fullness of grace in Christ's affec-
tions, the following must be held: that from the moment of
his conception, he completely possessed every grace: the
grace of a particular person, the grace of headship, and
" Phil 3:14.
"Ps 83:8; Phil 3:14.
PARTN 147
the grace of union." By virtue of the grace given to his
own person, he was immune from all sin - both in act and
in possibility - because he neither sinned nor was capable
of sinning. 44 By virtue of the grace of union, he was wor-
thy not only of the bliss of glory, but the adoration of latria,
which is that worship of reverence due to God alone." By
virtue of the grace of headship, he influences the move-
ment and [interior1 feeling in all those who draw near to
him either in simple faith or through the sacraments of
faith, whether they lived before or after his coming. For
both those who went before him, and those who followed,
kept crying out, saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David. "46
3. This is the rationale for what we have said. Since
restoration is a work of the First Principle, flowing out
from it with generosity and leading back to it through con-
formity, it is therefore fitting that this be accomplished
through grace and conformity to God, for grace flows from
God generously and transforms human beings into God's
repairs humanity through grace, and because anything
exists more fully and perfectly in its source than elsewhere,
it necessarily follows that in our restorative principle,
Christ the Lord, there was the fullness of every grace. Now
"On these three themes, see In 3 Sent., 13 (III, 276-93).
«Ibid., 12.2.1 (III, 261-63).
45T he Greek word latreia was generally used in the Septuagint and
thus in the New Testament to designate worship due to God (e.g., Dt
3:6; Matt 4:10). The term was taken over by Latin authors, e.g.,
Augustine: "To signify the worship due to the Deity in a single word, I
shall insert a Greek term, for no entirely satisfactory Latin word occurs
to me... .Latreia is used by those who have written down the divine
eloquence for us." Civ. Dei, 10.1.2 (PL 41:277 [Dyson, 391-92)). Later
theologians distinguished latria, the adoration due to God alone, from
dulia, the veneration paid to holy created beings.
"Mark 11:9. Matt 21: 9.
<1 Cf. Pt. 6, chap. 1 below.
148 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQUJUM
this restorative principle in its act of repairing is not only
the origin, but also the means and the end - the end, in
providing satisfaction; the means, in effecting reconcilia-
tion; the source, in generating an over-flowing influence.
It was therefore necessary that Christ possess the full-
ness of grace by virtue of his being the atoning end, the
reconciling means, and the source of overflowing goodness.
For if the end is to be suitable for providing satisfaction, it
must be pleasing to God and hence perfectly free from sin.
Since this can come about only through a gift of divine
grace to some individual, we must therefore posit in Christ
the presence of a grace that sanctified and strengthened
him. This we call the grace of the particular person. 48
4. Again, nothing can serve as medium of reconcilia-
tion unless it possesses in itself both natures, the higher
and lower, that which is adored and that which adores.
Since this could never occur except by means of a union
supremely imparting dignity and grace, we must posit in
Christ a grace above all grace and worthy of all worship.
This is what we call the grace of union, whereby Christ
the human being is over all, God blessed forever, and is to
be venerated with the worship of adoration [latrial. 49
5. Finally, in order to have an effective influence a prin-
ciple must possess in itself a fontal and original fullness:
a fullness not merely sufficient but superabundant. Hence,
it was necessary for the Incarnate Word to be full ofgrace
and truth, so that all the just might receive of his full-
ness,50 as all the members ofthe body receive the impulse
of movement and sense from the head.51 This is why we
.. In 3 Sent., d. 13.1.1-2 (III, 277-79).
"Rom 9:5. Cf. Peter Lombard, Liber 3 Sent., 3.9 (2: 68-71);
Bonaventure, In 3 Sent., 9.1.1 (III, 199-202).
"John 1: 14,16.
"Based on the hnagery of Col 1:18-19 and Eph 1: 22-23, theologians
of the Latin West from the time ofAugnstine had used the metaphor of
'head' of the body to describe how the unique fullness of Christ's grace
PART IV 149
call this grace the grace of headship. For the head pos-
sesses in itself the fullness of the senses, and is coordi-
nated with the other members of the body, presiding over
them and giving all those that are connected to it the ben-
efit of its influence. In the same way Christ, possessing
superabundant grace and being like to us in nature, but
holy and just above all others, bestows on all who come to
him the spiritual benefits of grace, through which love and
knowledge are given to spiritual beings. 52
6. Now we come to Christ either through faith or the
sacrament of faith. Since faith in Christ is the same in
past, present, and future, it follows that Christ's influenc-
ing power must reach all people - those who went before
him, those who were his contemporaries, and those who
were yet to come; all who believe in him and who are re-
born in him; all who are bound to him in faith and who,
through an inpouring of grace, become members of Christ
and temples of the Holy Spirit, and thus children of God
the Father,53 joined to one another by the unbreakable .bond
of love. Just as distance does not divide us, so we are not
separated by the passing of time. Thus all the just, wher-
ever they might be, whenever they might live, constitute
one mystical body of Christ, receiving sense and motion
from the one head that influences them, through the fontal,
radical, and original fullness of all grace that dwells in
Christ the fountainhead. 54
permeates 'the members' of the Church. When this analogy was applied
on the spiritual level, 'sense' refers to knowledge, and 'movement' to
affection and love. Cf. Peter Lombard, Glossa on Gal. (PL 192: 264). Cf.
In 3 Sent., 13.2.3.4 (III, 288-90).
"In 3 Sent., 13.2.1, resp. (III, 284).
53
1 Cor 6:15 and 19; Gal 3:26.
"Col1:18-19:"He is the head of the body, the church ... for in him all
the fullness of God was pleased to dwell."
150 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUIUM
CHAPTER 6 thing that is perceived through our sense organs. It is in
THE FULLNESS OF WISDOM IN THE INTELLECT OF CHRIST
1. Concerning the fullness of wisdom in the intellect of
Christ, the following must be held: that in the Incarnate
Word, namely, Christ our Lord, there was the fullness of
all wisdom,55 not only with respect to the things he knew,
but also with respect to the manner and types of his knowl-
edge. For in Christ there was an eternal knowledge on the
part of his divinity, a sensate knowledge on the part of his
sensual nature and flesh, and an abstract knowledge on
the part of his reason and spirit. This latter knowledge
was three-fold: of nature, of grace, and of glory. Thus he
was endowed with wisdom both as God and as a human
being, as one in full possession [of God] and as a pilgrim
[here on earth], as one enlightened by grace and as one
rightly formed by nature.
Therefore, Christ knew in five distinct ways. The first
was according to his divine nature, by virtue of which he
knew all things, whether actual or possible, finite and in-
finite, with an actual and comprehensive knowledge. The
second was according to his glorified human nature, by
virtue of which he knew all things actual and finite with
an actual and comprehensive knowledge. However, the
infinite he did not comprehend, except perhaps through
an infused or ecstatic knowledge. The third was according
to grace, by virtue of which he knew all things all things
related to the salvation of the human race. The fourth was
according to an integral human nature, as Adam had [be-
fore the fall]; by virtue of this he knew all things related
to the structure of the universe. The fifth was according to
his sense experience, by virtue of which he knew every-
55 cr. Col 2:3: "In whom are-hidden all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge."
PART IV 151
this last mode that he is said to have learned obedience
through what he suffered. 56
2. This may be explained in the following way. Just as
the Principle of our restoration redeems us by a most gen-
erous grace, it also redeems by a most provident wisdom.
For what was created according to the order of [divine]
Wisdom cannot be restored except by the light and order
of that same wisdom. Hence, as Christ had to be immune
from all sin, so it was also fitting that he be free from any
type of ignorance, that he might be completely filled with
the clarity and all-embracing radiance of divine Wisdom
itself. Wherefore he enjoyed perfect knowledge according
to both natures in their proper cognitive powers, and ac-
cording to every mode of the things that are.
3. Thus, since things have existence in the EternalArt,
in the human mind, and in their own reality," Christ had
to possess knowledge of them on these three levels. Now,
in art, things are known in two different ways: by the art-
ist who made the work and by one who views it. Further-
more, things have existence in the human mind in two
ways - excluding acquired knowledge, which because of
its imperfection is improper for Christ - that is, by innate
or infused knowledge. And so, for the perfect fullness of
wisdom to reside in Christ, God and man, it was neces-
sary that he possess the five-fold knowledge indicated
above. Thus, he knew things in the Eternal Art [i.e., as
they exist in the divine Word] both by virtue of his divine
nature [as the Artist] and by virtue of the understanding
of his glorified humanity. He knew things in his created
56 Hebr 5:8. On these various types of knowledge in Christ, see In 3
Sent., 14.1-3 (III, 295-324), and the more sophisticated treatment of
Quaest. de Scientia Christi, questions 1 and 5-7 (V, 3-6, 27-43).
57 See pt. 2, chap. 12.4 above.
 I
'I
152 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
I neither in its knowing nor in any other way can the cre-
intellect by virtue of a natural and innate habit, as did
Adam and the angels, and by virtue of a gratuitous and
infused habit, as did the saints of God illumined by the
Holy Spirit. Finally, he knew things in their concrete real-
ity through sense perception, memory, and experience. In
the rest of us the latter makes something previously un-
known to be known, whereas in Christ it made a thing
already known in one way to be known in another.'8
4. Because the divine substance, power, and operation
are immeasurable, consequently in the first way of know-
ing, that is by virtue of his divine nature, Christ has an
actual knowledge of infinite possibilities, for in a certain
ineffable manner, the supremely infinite sees infinite pos-
sibilities as finite [i.e., actualizedl.
5. But even the loftiest creature is limited in its sub-
stance, power, and action. Furthermore, the human mind,
though it does not find rest except in the infinite Good,
cannot comprehend that Good - since, to use the term 'com-
prehension' in its full meaning, the infinite cannot be com-
prehended by the finite. And so it follows that in the sec-
ond way of knowing, that is by virtue of his glorified hu-
manity, the intellect of Christ grasps everything within
the reach of finite nature beatified by the infinite Good to
which it is supremely united. Hence, the intellect of Christ
knows the finite by actually comprehending it; but the
infinite it does not know, except perhaps through a knowl-
edge that is due to an infused habit or even ecstatic. For
"Aristotle, Metaph., 1.1 (980b 25-981a 10). Unlike other human
beings, experiential knowledge in Christ does not imply that he passed
from total ignorance to knowledge. Bonaventure has just stated that a
habit" of intellectual knowledge was present in Christ from the first
moment of conception. Thus, when Christ experienced a particular
object, he came to know actually and in a new way what he already
knew on an abstract level (Hayes, Hidden Center, 111-12), Cf.
Bonaventure, In 3 Sent., 14.3.2 (III, 322-23).
PART IV 153
ated mind be equated with the Word.'9
6. Now, grace is concerned mostly with the work of res-
toration. Wherefore, in the third way of knowing, by vir-
tue of perfect grace, Christ knew everything that had to
do with our redemption; and he knew it far better and.
more completely than did any prophet or even any of the
angels.
7. Furthermore, human nature was well endowed, de-
signed to be pre-eminent among all creatures, and to know
that all of them were intended for its service, as appears
clearly in the case of the first man. 60 Wherefore, in the
fourth mode of knowledge, Christ understood everything
that has to do with the organization ofthe material uni-
verse, much more fully than did Adam.
S. Finally, since our sense faculties do not perceive
things unless the object is actually present,.' with respect
to his sense knowledge Christ did not know everything
simultaneously, but one thing at a time, insofar as these
were opportune for him to achieve the redemption ofhu-
mankind. 6'
59 Bonaventure capsulizes this in his statement that the human
intellect of Christ knows God tatum sed non totaliter - that is, it knows
the whole Godhead immediately, but as created, cannot comprehend
its full reality. In 3 Sent., 14.1.2 (III, 298-302). Cf. Hayes, Hidden Center,
108-09.
60 Gen 1:26-30. See pt. 2, chap. 4 above.
61 Aristotle, De anima, 2.60.5 (417b 24-28); cf. In 2 Sent., 8.1.3.2 (II,
221).
62 In other words, Christ's experiential knowledge of things in their
\ concrete existence, as mediated by his senses, grew throughout his life.
As Bonaventure mentions above, Hebrews 5:8 attests that Christ
I "learned through what he suffered." In 3 Sent., 14.3.1-2 (III, 318-23).
!
154 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUIUM
CHAPTER 7 2. The reason for these things should be understood as
THE PERFECTION OF MERIT IN HIS DEEDS
1. With regard to the fullness of Christ's merit, the fol-
lowing must be held: namely, that in Christ our Lord dwelt
every perfection and fullness of merit. First of all, with
respect to the one who acquired it, Christ was not only a
human being, but also true God. Second, with respect to
the time he acquired this merit, it ran from the first mo-
ment of his conception until the very hour of his death.
Third, with respect to the means with which he acquired
it, this was through the habitual exercise of perfect char-
ity and the perfect practice of virtue in his praying, act-
ing, and suffering. Fourth, with respect to whom this merit
benefited, it went not only to Christ himself, but to us as
well, indeed to all righteous people. Fifth, as regards what
was merited for us, he merited not only [everlasting] glory,
but also grace and pardon; and not only glory for the soul,
but also a robe of glory for the flesh and the opening of
heaven's gates. Sixth, as regards what Christ merited for
himself, this was not the glorification of his soul, which he
already possessed, but the glorification of his body, the
hastening of resurrection, the glorification of his name,
and the exaltation of his judicial power. Seventh, with re-
spect to the manner in which Christ merited, we must
make a distinction. For there are three ways in which
people may be said to merit: by acquiring a claim they did
not previously possess; by increasing their right to what
is already their due; or acquiring another claim to what
was already their due. Now on our behalf Christ has mer-
ited in all three of these ways, but he merited for himself
only in the third way. All this Christ did through the full-
ness ofthe grace of the Holy Spirit, through which he was
established in blessedness, and at the same time in the
state of meriting, in such a way that all our merits are
founded on his.63
PART IV 155
follows. [We have already seen that] the principle of our
restoration, Christ our Lord, necessarily possessed the
fullness of grace and wisdom that are for us the source of
upright and holy living. Necessarily, then, he possessed
the fullness and perfection of all merit, in every manner
of fullness. 64 Because in Christ dwelt the fullness of the
grace of union,.' by which he was God from the first mo-
ment of his conception, he possessed from that very in- .
stant both the vision of glory and the power of free will.
Hence, his merit was perfect both because of the supreme
dignity of the one achieving it and because he began achiev-
ing it immediately.
3. Again, because Christ possessed the fullness of the
grace of the particular person, he possessed an unswerv-
ing love and the perfection of every virtue, both as habits
and as acts. Hence, his merit was necessarily complete
with respect to the means by which he achieved it: the
root principle of love and the deeds of such manifold no-
bility.
4. Furthermore, there was in Christ a fullness of the
grace of headship, through which he possessed complete
influence over his members. Hence he acquired full merit,
not simply for himself, but also for us. Just as all the spiri-
tual goods we possess flow from his divinity, so, by reason
of the humanity he assumed, he merited for us both the
good things of this present life and the joys of the life to
come.
5. Finally, the fullness of such great gifts necessarily
implied that Christ possessed supreme and perfect bless-
"On these points, see In 3 Sent., 18 (III, 379·96).
Mer. In 3 Sent., 18.1.2 (III, 383-84).
65For a description of this grace and those mentioned in the following
two paragraphs, see chap. 5 above.
156 ST. BONAVENTURE'S'BREVILOQUlUM
edness in the higher part of his soul, even though provi-
dentially, for our sake, he lived as a pilgrim on earth. Hence,
the merit Christ acquired for himself was perfect: although
he did not merit the glory and blessedness which had been
created together with his soul and existed in him natu-
rally before any meritorious act, he did merit those things
that do not coexist with the state of being a pilgrim here
on earth, such as the stole of glory for his body with its
exaltation to the highest dignity.
6. His merit was perfect also because of the way in
which he achieved it. Since from the first moment of his
conception, Christ was established in the fullest perfec-
tion, he merited instantly all that he could merit with re-
spect to himself. He thus acquired a fuller title to what
was already due him for a different reason. But it was not
possible for him to earn for himself some claim to which
he had no previous right, or to increase the claim he al-
ready had, since it was not possible for him to grow in
holiness, as he was utterly holy from the very beginuing.
Rather, he did these things for us who, through his merit,
are justified by grace," advance in righteousness, and are
crowned with eternal glory.
7. It is in Christ's merit, then, that all of our merits are
rooted, both those that satisfy punishment or those that
merit eternal life. For we are unworthy to be absolved from
any offense against the supreme Good, nor do we deserve
to be rewarded with the immensity of the eternal reward
that is God's own self, except through the merit of the God-
man. Of him we can and should say: Lord, all we have
done, you have done for us. And he indeed is the Lord of
whom the prophet spoke: I say to the Lord, "You are my
God, for you have no need of my goods.""
66 Cf. Rom 3:24: "They are now justified by his grace as a gift."
"Is 26:12; Ps 15:2 (Vg). Cf.ln 3 Sent., 20.3-4 (III, 422-26); In 4 Sent.,
15.1.1 (IV, 350-51).
PART IV 157
CHAPTER 8
THE PASSION OF CHRIST:
THE CONDITION OF THE ONE WHO SUFFERED
1. We so far have discussed the union of natures in the
Incarnate Word and the fullness of his gifts. Let us now
consider the passion he endured. In this regard, we should
examine the condition of the one who suffered, the nature
of his suffering, and the effects of his suffering.
2. We should hold the following truths about the con-
dition of the one who suffered: that Christ assumed not
only a human nature, but also the defects associated with
it. He thus assumed our bodily disabilities such as hun-
ger, thirst, and fatigue, and such handicaps of the soul as
sorrow, anguish, and fear. Christ did not, however, assume
all the bodily afflictions, such as the many types of physi-
cal illness, nor the spiritual penalties [due to original sin],
such as ignorance and the rebelliousness of the flesh
against the spirit. Nor did he assume these penalties in
an unqualified fashion, for he took on the necessity of suf-
fering in such a way that he was unable to suffer contrary
to his divine and rational will, although his passion con-
flicted with his sensory and carnal will, as appears in his
prayer: Not as I will, but as you will. 68
3. The explanation of this is as follows. The restoring
principle, in his work of reconciliation, had to act as me-
diator. He needed therefore to be in harmony with both
extremes, not only in regard to their natures, but also their
circumstances. Now God is righteous and blessed, impass-
able and immortal, while fallen humanity is sinful and
miserable, liable to suffering and death. And so, in order
for humanity to be led back to God, the mediator between
68Matt 26:39. Bonaventure treats this material extensively,In 3 Sent ..
15-18 (III, 329-96).
158 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUIUM
God and humankind had to share both in God's righteous-
ness and blessedness and in humankind's passions and
mortality.69 Thus, "having both transient mortality and
everlasting blessedness,"'· Christ could lead humanity
from its present misery back to a blessed life, just as, con-
versely, the evil angel, being immortal but living in the
state of wretchedness and malice, became the means by
.which humankind was cast down into sin and misery
through his suggestion. Since it was proper that Christ
the mediator possess innocence and the bliss of enjoying
[the vision of God] while still being mortal and capable of
suffering, he had to be at one and the same time a pilgrim
[on earth] and one possessing [the beatific vision]. Some-
thing of both states existed in him: thus, it is said that he
assumed the sinlessness of the state of innocence, the
mortality of the state offallen nature, and the perfect bless-
edness of the state of glory.71
4. Now, the corrupting penalties [of our present hu-
man state], which are the four penalties inflicted as a re-
sult of original sin - ignorance, bodily infirmity, malice,
and concupiscence'2 - are incompatible with perfect inno-
cence. Therefore, Christ should not have assumed them,
nor did he in fact do so. '3 However, other defects of a penal
nature give occasion for the practice of perfect virtue and
testify to a humanity that is genuine, not feigned. These
are the handicaps that pertain to human nature in gen-
69 1 Tim 2:5; see In 3 Sent., 19.2.2 (III, 408-09).
70 Augustine, De civ. Dei, 9.15 (PL 41: 268-69 [Dyson, 377));
Bonaventure's argument here is largely based on this passage.
71 Peter Lombard, Liber 3 Sent., 16.2 (2: 105). Cf. Bonaventure, In 3
Sent., 12.2.1.4; 16.1.3.2 (III, 267, 351-52).
"Cf. pt. 3, chap. 4 above; In 2 Sent., 22, dub. 2 (III, 528).
13 General consensus at the time, as expressed by Peter Lombard,
Liber 3 Sent., 15.1-2; 16.1-2 (2: 93-100, 103-04). Cf. Bonaventure, In 3
Sent., 15.1.2., resp. (III, 332-33). . 75 Luke 22:42.
PART IV 159
eral, such as hunger and thirst in the absence of nourish-
ment, and sorrow and fear in the presence of harm. Hence
it was fitting that Christ assume these, and he did in fact
do SO.74
5. Finally, no innocent person is morally obligated to
suffer punishment unwillingly, since this would be con-
trary to the order of divine justice; also, no mortals wish
to suffer or die by their own natural impulse, for it is the
natural order of things to flee death. Christ then, could
assume penalties of this kind only to the extent that he
would knowingly accept them. This is so not only because
he lived in the state of blessedness and union with the
omnipotent Godhead, through which he could repel any
evil, but also because he possessed perfect innocence which,
according to the order of natural justice, cannot be made
to suffer anything unwillingly. And yet he did suffer those
things that were contrary to the natural impulses and ten-
dencies that were part of his sensuality and flesh.
This is why when Christ prayed according to reason,
he expressed the desire of his flesh to escape suffering,
saying: "Let this cup pass from me";" but he conformed
his rational will to the will of the Father, thus placing rea-
son above bodily instinct, when he said: "Not my will, but
yours be done."76 Thus, one will was not opposed to the
other, for "in his divine will, he wished what was just; in
74John of Damascus, De fid. orth., 3.20: "We confess that he assumed
all the natural and blameless passions of humanity ... [which] are not
under our control and have come into our life as a result of the
condemnation occasioned by our fall. Such, for example, were hunger,
thirst, fatigue, pain" (PG, 94:1081), trans. Frederic H. Chase (FC 37:
323). Like John, Bonaventure believed these 'natural' and 'blameless'
afflictions were not incompatible with the fullness of knowledge and
innocence Jesus possessed. Cf. In 3 Sent., 15.2.2, resp. (III, 338-39).
75 Matt 26:39.
 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
160
his rational will, he consented to justice; and in his natu-
ral instinct, while he fled punishment, yet he did not con-
test justice. Each will acted in its own proper way and
sought what pertained to each: the divine will,justice; the
rational will, obedience; and the will of the flesh, nature."77
Hence there was in Christ no struggle or resistance, but
peaceful order and ordered tranquility.
CHAPTER 9 most efficacious example. 82 Now, an example is most effi-
THE PASSION OF CHRIST: THE NATURE OF HIS SUFFERINGS
1. Now, concerning the nature of Christ's sufferings,
the following must be held: that Christ suffered a passion
most thorough, most bitter, and most ignominious, a pas-
sion destructive yet life-giving. I repeat, even though he
could not suffer in his divine nature, he suffered in his
human nature an all-encompassing passion, for not only
every part of his body was affected, but every power of his
soul as well. He suffered a passion that was most bitter,
for besides enduring the agony of his wounds he bore the
added anguish of grieving for our sins.78 He suffered a
passion that was most punitive, because the gibbet of the
cross was reserved for the worst criminals and because he
was placed in the company of evildoers, namely ofthieves,
with whom he was numbered. 79 Finally, he suffered a pas-
sion that was destructive, for it separated his soul from
his body, although both remained united with his Godhead.
Accursed indeed is the one who says that the Son of God
at any time relinquished the nature he had assumed. so
77 Hugh of St. Victor, De quatuor voZunt. in Christo (PL 176: 842 C),
but altered sigoificantly. Cf.ln 1 Sent., 48.2.2 (I, 858): In 3 Sent., 17.1.3
(III, 368-69).
78 On the comprehensiveness and bitterness of Christ's passion, see
In 3 Sent., 16 (III, 345-61).
"Is 53:12, Mark 15:28, Luke 22:37.
80 On the destructiveness of the passion, see In 3 Sent., 21 (III, 436-
47), where Bonaventure states: "Augustine and Damascene say:
PART IV 161
2. This should be understood as follows. As the restor-
ing principle created the human race in an orderly fash-
ion, so it was fitting that he restore it in an orderly man-
ner. For God ought to restore humanity in a way that re-
spects not only Our free choice, but also God's own honor
and the orderly functioning of the universe.81
First, because the work of restoration should respect
human free choice, Christ restored humankind through a
cacious when it both attracts and guides to the height of
virtue. But nothing could show humankind the path to
virtue more clearly than the example of a death endured
for the sake of divine justice and obedience: a death, more-
over, not of an ordinary sort, but the most excruciating.
For nothing could move human beings to virtue more pow-
erfully than the goodness with which the most high Son of
God laid down his life for us, who were not only undeserv-
ing, but actually guilty of so many misdeeds. 83 This good-
ness showed itself all the more in that the sufferings he
endured for us, indeed, that he wanted to endure, were so
cruel and humiliating. For how could God, who did not
spare his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, ... fail to
give us everything else with him?84 By this fact we are in-
vited to love him, and in loving him, to follow his example.
3. Second, because the work of restoration should re-
spect the honor of God, Christ accomplished it by offering
to the Father a fully satisfactory obedience. "For sat-
"accursed be anyone who says that the Word relinquished what he had
once assumed" (III, 437). Cf. Augustine, In loan., 47.10 (PL 35: 1738):
John of Daroascus, De fide orth., 3.27, 4.1 (PG 94: 1098 and 1103).
"See In 3 Sent., 20.5 (III, 427-29).
82The argument in this section parallels that in chap. 1.3 above, and
is based on Peter Lombard, Liber 3 Sent., 18-19 (2: 116-21).
'" 1 John 3:16: Rom 5:6-8.
"Rom 8:32.
162 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
isfaction means the repayment ofthe honor due to God.""
Now, the honor which humankind was bound to pay God
was taken away through pride and disobedience. 86 There
could therefore be no better way to restore that honor than
through humiliation and obedience by one who was not
bound to render it. Now Christ Jesus, inasmuch as he was
God, was equal to the Father in the form of God; as a hu-
man being, he was innocent, and hence undeserving of
death. When, therefore, he emptied himself, ... and be-
came obedient unto death,87 he restored to God through a
fully satisfactory obedience that which he himself had not
stolen," and thus offered for God's appeasement a su-
premely pleasing sacrifice.
4. Finally, since the work of restoration should respect
the orderly functioning of the universe, it was achieved by
a means most suitable to that end. For it is most appropri-
ate that "contraries be healed through their contraries.""
Now Adam wished to be as wise as God. And so, choosing
to enjoy the fruit of the forbidden tree, he sinned, yielding
to his own lust and rising up in pride; through his sin, the
whole human race was infected, forfeiting immortality and
incurring inevitable death. And so, to heal humankind by
an appropriate remedy, God-made-human willed to be
humiliated and to suffer on a tree. As an antidote to uni-
versal infection, he willed to suffer a passion that was all-
embracing; as an antidote to lust, a passion most bitter;
as an antidote to pride, a passion most ignominious; as an
85 Anselm, Cur Deus Homo, 1. 11 and 20 (PL 158: 376 D, 392 A). See
In 4 Sent., 15.1.1; 2.1.1 (IV, 350·51, 361-62).
"Cf. pt. 3, chap. 3.
"Phil2:6-S. Cf. Peter Lombard, Liber 2 Sent., 22.4 (1: 514-15); Liber
3 Sent., 19.1-4 (2: l1S·22 ).
88 Allusion to Ps 69:4: "What I did not steal must I now restore?"
89 For this maxim, see chap. 3.3 above. For the following points, see
pt. 3, chaps. 3-4.
PART IV 163
antidote to a death deserved but unwilled, he chose to suf-
fer a death undeserved but freely willed.
5. So thorough was the corruption within us that it
not only infected our body and soul in general, but pen-
etrated every part of the body and all the powers of the
soul. 90 Therefore, Christ suffered in every part of his body
and every power of his soul, even in the highest part of his
reason. Although as a spiritual principle united to things
above, it fully enjoyed the presence of God, as a principle
of nature attached to things below, it suffered most in-
tensely, for Christ was a pilgrim as well as one possessing
[beatific union with Godl.
6. Again, because lust so strongly infects our soul and
body, giving rise to sins of both flesh and spirit," Christ
suffered not only the cruelest physical pain, but also the
most acute mental torment. And because his body pos-
sessed perfect physical balance and his senses were in
their full vigor,92 and as his soul possessed perfect love for
God and supreme concern for neighbor, his anguish in both
body and soul was immeasurable.
7. Now, the swelling of pride sometimes develops from
within through presumption, and sometimes from with-
out because of vanity and the praise of others. And so, in
order to counteract all pride, Christ suffered both forms of
ignominy: in terms of his own suffering and in terms of
the companions he had in that suffering.
8. Finally, all these sufferings did not affect Christ's
divine nature, as it was incapable of suffering, but only
"See pt. 3, chaps. 5-6. Cf.In 3 Sent., 22.1 (III, 450-53).
"See pt. 3, chap. S. Cf.In 3 Sent., 19.1 (III, 399-08).
£12 A reference to the ancient medical theory that bodily health was
maintained by a balanced proportion of the bodily humors (cf. pt. 2,
chap. 4.3). Ai; a perfect human being, Christ enjoyed perfect health (ef.
chap. 8.2 above).
164 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
his human nature. Therefore, when he died, even though
his soul was separated from his body, the oneness of his
person remained, and thus neither soul nor body was sepa-
rated from his Godhead. Now since it is precisely the union
of body and soul that makes a living human being, it fol-
lows that, during those three days, Christ was not a man,
although both his soul and body were united to the Word."
But because death in Christ's human nature could not
bring death to the person who never ceases to live, death
itself perished in life. Through the death of Christ, death
has been swallowed up in victory" and the Prince of Death
has been vanquished. Thus humankind has been freed
from death and from the cause of death by the most effica-
cious means: the merit of the death of Christ.
CHAPTER 10
THE PASSION OF CHRIST: THE EFFECTS OF HIS SUFFERINGS
1. Concerning the effects and fruits of the passion of
Christ, the following must be held with unquestioning
faith. 95 After the passion, the soul of Christ "descended
into hell" or limbo, to release, not all, but those who had
died as members of Christ through living faith or through
the sacraments of faith. After this, "on the third day, he
rose again from the dead," assuming the same body he
had previously animated, but not in the same state: for
the body that once was subject to pain and death rose
impassible and immortal, to live forever. Forty days later,
"he ascended into heaven," where above all creatures, "he
93 Peter Lombard, Liber 3 Sent., 21.1M2 (2: 131-35); cf. Bonaventure,
In 3 Sent., 22.1 (III, 450-53).
"1 Cor 15:54. See In 3 Sent., 19.1 (III, 399-408).
95 Bonaventure adds this stronger qualification, as the following
statements are fundamental tenets of faith; the quoted phrases are
from the Apostles' Creed.
PART IV 165
is seated at the right hand ofthe Father." These words are
not to be understood as having a reference to place, which
would not apply to God the Father: they refer rather to
the summit of good things, meaning that Christ is estab-
lished in the choicest goods of the Father.96 Finally, after
an interval of ten days, he sent down upon the apostles
the Holy Spirit, as he had promised;" through him the
Church was gathered out of the nations and ordered ac-
cording to the various offices and graces distributed to it.
2. The reason for these things should be understood as
follows. Just as Christ, insofar as he was the Uncreated
Word, had formed all things most perfectly, so it was most
fitting that Christ as the Word Incarnate should perfectly
restore all things. As the utterly perfect First Principle
could not allow an imperfect work to leave his hands, so
the principle ofthe redemption of humankind had to make
that remedy a perfect one. And if it was to be perfect, it
was thus also fitting that it be entirely sufficient and effi-
cacious.
3. This restoration was entirely sufficient, for it em-
braced those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.'8
Through Christ, those in the nether world were released,
those on earth restored, and those in heaven replenished.
The first deed was accomplished through pardon, the sec-
ond by grace, and the third by glory. After the passion, the
soul of Christ descended into hell in order to release the
souls detained there; he then arose from the dead to raise
to life those dead in their sins; then he ascended into
96This explanation is taken from the Glossa ordinaria on Psalm 109
(in N. of Lyra, 3: 251v). See also In 2 Sent., 2.2, dub. 2 (II, 84-85). For
further treatment of the topics discussed in this chapter, see In 3 Sent.,
22.4-6 (III, 458-64).
"Cf. John 14:15-25.
"'Phll2:10.
166 ST. BONAYENTURE'SBREVILOQUIUM
heaven and led captivity back in order to replenish the
heavenly Jerusalem;99 finally, he sent the Holy Spirit to
build the earthly Jerusalem. All of these acts follow nec-
essarily and are demanded logically for the full restora-
tion of humankind.
4. Also, this remedy was totally efficacious for those
who preceded Christ's coming as well as for those who
followed it: those, that is, who came to that same Christ
and who come to him now, who were and are his members.
These are the ones who adhere to him in faith, hope, and
love. The remedy first had to reach those who had faith in
the Messiah, hoped out of that faith, and loved out of hope.
Hence it was fitting that Christ should at once descend
into hell to set them free. And so, the gates of heaven were
opened through the passion of Christ: by making satisfac-
tion, he removed the sword;lOo by commuting the divine
sentence, he led all his members out of hell.
5. Furthermore, this remedy had to be efficacious es-
pecially for those who were to follow the coming of Christ,
in order to draw them to faith, hope, and love, and so to
lead them to heavenly glory. Christ's purpose, then, was
first to establish us in the faith whereby we believe that
he is truly human and truly God; whereby we also believe
that he has willed to redeem us through his death and is
able to lead us back to life through his resurrection. This
was the reason that he chose to rise to an immortal life
only after a fitting interval of time had elapsed - that is,
thirty-six hours lO! - thus proving that he was truly dead.
&9Eph 4: 8, alluding to Ps 68:18. On this reintegration ofthe heavenly
Jerusalem, see In 2 Sent., 9.7 (II, 253·54).
101) A reference to the angel with a flaming sword barring fallen
humanity from entering Paradise (Gen 3: 24). Cf. Lombard, Liber 3
Sent., 18.1 (2: 111-12). See Bonaventure,ln 3 Sent., 18.2,3 (III, 391-93).
101 The symbolism of this number is explained by Augustine,De Trin"
4.6.10 (PL 42: 894-95). Cf. Bonaventure, In 3 Sent., 22.3 (III, 457-58).
PART TV 167
For if this period had been shorter and he had risen sooner,
it might have been believed that he had not died at all,
but had merely feigned death; if he had prolonged it, he
would have seemed to be permanently dead, and thus be-
lieved to be powerless and unable to lead others to life.
That is why he rose again on the third day. 102
6. Next, that he might arouse us to hope, he rose to
that heavenly glory to which we aspire. Since hope, how-
ever, is born only offaith in future immortality, he did not
ascend at once, but allowed a period of forty days to pass
during which, through many signs and proofs, he demon-
strated that he had truly risen; for it is that conviction by
which the soul is strengthened in faith and lifted up to
the hope of heavenly glory.lO'
7. Finally, that he might inflame us with love, he sent
down the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. And since
no one is filled with this fire who does not ask, seek, and
knock with a persevering and persistent desire,104 he did
so, not immediately after his ascension, but ten days later.
During this interval the disciples, through fasting, prayer,
and sighs, prepared themselves to receive the Holy
Spirit. 105 Thus, just as Christ had selected the right time
to suffer, 106 so also he appointed the right time to rise from
the dead, to ascend into heaven, and to send the Holy Spirit.
These times were indeed appropriate, both for establish-
ing the three above-mentioned virtues and because of the
many mysteries implied in these times.
102
1 Cor 15:4.
>O'Cf.Acts 1:1-3.
>O'Cf. Luke 11:9-13.
105 Cf. Acts 1:14.
106 According to the Glossa ordinaria, in Mark 15:33 (apud Lyranum
5: 118v).
168 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
8. Now the Holy Spirit, who is Love and is possessed
by love,107 is the source of all spiritual gifts. And so, when
he descended [at Pentecost], the fullness ofthese gifts was
poured out in order to bring the mystical body of Christ to
perfection. Now in a perfect body there must be a diver-
sity of members, with the various members having differ-
ing functions and duties. And since those various duties
require different gifts, it follows that to one is given through
the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, to another the utter-
ance of knowledge, . .. to another faith, ... to another gifts
of healing, ... to another the working of miracles, to an-
other prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to
another various .kinds of tongues, to another the interpre-
tation of tongues. All of these are activated by one and the
same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as
that Spirit chooses, lOS according to his generous providence
and provident generosity.
107 Bonaventure explains in what sense the Holy Spirit may be called
love, In 1 Sent., 17.1.1 (1, 292-96) and 10.2.1 and dub. 2 (1, 200-01, 205-
06).
108 1 Cor 12: 8-11.
PART V
ON THE GRACE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
CHAPTER 1
GRACE AS A GIFT OF GOD
1. Now that we have examined the Incarnation of the
Word, which is the origin and wellspring of every gratu-
itous gift,' we must say something about the grace of the
Holy Spirit. This we will consider under four aspects: first,
as a divinely given gift; second, as it relates to human free
choice; third, as it relates to the habits of the virtues; and
fourth, as it relates to meritorious acts. 2
2. Considering grace as a divinely given gift, we must
maintain the following points. First, as a gift, grace is be-
stowed and infused directly by God. For truly, together
with grace and in it, we receive the Holy Spirit, the
uncreated gift, the good and perfect gift coming down from
the Father of lights through the Incarnate Word, as John
beheld in the Apocalypse: a river . .. bright as crystal, flow-
ing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.' At the same
1 By the early thirteenth century, Scholastic theologians began to
distinguish clearly the 'gratuitous gift' (donum) of grace from the natural
'given' (datum) of creation. See chap. 2.2 below. Cf. In 1 Sent., IS.Ull.a
(1,326-327).
'Cf. In 2 Sent., 27.2.1 (II, 669).
3James 1:17, Rev 22:1. This is 'uncreated' grace, the self-gift of God
to the human person.
 170 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
time, grace is a gift by which the soul is perfected and
becomes the bride of Christ, the daughter of the eternal
Father, and the temple of the Holy Spirit.· This could in
no way happen except by the ennobling condescension and
condescending nobility of the eternal Majesty through the
gift of his own grace. Finally, grace is a gift that purifies,
illumines, and perfects the soul; that vivifies, reforms, and
strengthens it; that elevates it, likens it, and joins it to
God,5 and thereby makes it acceptable to God. This is a
gift of such kind that it is rightly and properly called 'the
grace that makes pleasing' [gratia gratum faciens]."5
3. This should be explained as follows. [We have seen
thatl the First Principle, out of its own supreme benevo-
lence, made the rational soul capable of enjoying eternal
happiness; furthermore, as the restoring principle, that it
rectified for salvation that capacity which had been weak-
ened by sin.' Now, eternal happiness consists in possess-
• Cf. Alexander of Hales, Summa, 2.1.1.3.1 (13: 509). Since God is
triune, the self-gift of God to the human person implies an intimate
relationship with each of the divine persons.
5 Influenced by the Pseudo-Dionysius, Bonaventure describes grace
as ordering the soul in a hierarchical pattern. Cf. The Celestial Hierarchy,
3.1-2: "a hierarchy is, a sacred order, a state of understanding, and an
activity approximating as closely as possible to the divinej it is uplifted
up to the imitation of God ... .It is purifying, illuminating, and perfecting"
(PG 3,164-165 [pp. 153-55)). Grace 'hierarchizes' the soul through this
three-fold action, setting each of its faculties in proper order, thus "lifting
it up" to "imitate God." Cf. Itin. 4.3-4 (V, 306-07). See Alister McGrath,
justitia Dei:A History of the Christian Doctrine of Justification, rev. ed.
(Cambridge: University Press, 1998),47-48.
'See In 2 Sent. 26.1-2 (II, 630-36). Although today the conventional
translation of the Scholastic term gratia gratum faciens is 'sanctifying
grace/ the latter did not come into use until the post-Tridentine period.
The term gratia gratum faciens was coined early in the thirteenth
century to designate God's gift of grace considered as a infused
disposition or 'habit' that 'deifies' a person, thereby rendering that
person acceptable to God. Cf.In 2 Sent., 4.1.2, ad 3 (II, 134). Cf. McGrath,
100-109,189.
7 See above, pt. 2, chap. 9; pt. 4, chap. 1.
PART V 171
ing the supreme good, which is God - a good immeasur-
ably surpassing anything human service could merit. No
person is in any way worthy to attain this supreme good,
which totally exceeds the limits of human nature, unless
elevated above self through the condescending action of
God. Not that God comes down in the terms of the immu-
table divine essence, but rather through an influence that
emanates from God. Neither is the soul lifted up in a physi-
cal sense, but by virtue of a habit that renders it conformed
to God.'
If then, the rational spirit is to become worthy of eter-
nal happiness, it must partake ofthis God-conforming in-
fluence. This influence that renders the soul dei-form comes
from God, conforms us to God, and leads to God as our
end. It therefore restores the image of our mind to like-
ness with the blessed Trinity - not only in terms of its
order of origin, but also in terms of its rectitude of choice
and of its rest in enjoying [Godl.And since a soul possess-
ing these qualities is led back immediately to God and
directly conformed to God, this grace is therefore given
immediately by God acting as the source of this infiowing.
Hence, just as the image of God emanates immediately
from God, so too does the likeness of God, which is the
same image but in its God-conformed perfection. It is
called, therefore, the image of the new creation. 9
4. Again, the one who enjoys God possesses God. Hence,
it follows that together with that grace which, by its God-
8 The term 'habit' (habitus) designates a permanent state or
disposition within a thing, as distinct from a transitory act. Thirteenth-
century theologians introduced this Aristotelian notion to express their
conviction that God's self-gift of grace has a transformative effect on
human nature. For Bonaventure, God's loving 'descent' in grace 'lifts
up' the soul through its hierarchical acts of ,deification,' restoring its
original likeness to God.
'See In 2 Sent., 26.3-4 (II, 637-41); In 1 Sent.; 14.2.2 (l, 250-53).

172 ST. BONAVENTtJRE'sBREVILOQUIUM
conforming nature, leads to the enjoyment of God, there is
also bestowed the uncreated gift, the Holy Spirit. Who-
ever possesses it possesses God's own sel£ 10
5. Now no one possesses God without being possessed
by God in a special way. And no one possesses and is pos-
sessed by God without loving God and being loved by God
in a particular and incomparable manner, as in the case
of a bride and groom where each loves and is loved by the
other. And no one is loved in this way without being adopted
as a child entitled to an eternal inheritance. Therefore,
the 'grace which makes pleasing' makes the soul the temple
of God, the bride of Christ, and the daughter of the eter-
nal Father. And since this cannot occur except through a
supremely gracious condescension of the part of God, it
could not be caused by some naturally implanted habit,
but only by a free gift divinely infused. This is most evi-
dent if we consider what it truly means to be God's temple
and God's child, and to be joined to God as in wedlock by
the bond oflove and grace. 11
6. Finally, our mind is not conformed to the blessed
Trinity except through the uprightness of our free choice,
and this occurs only through the strength of virtue, the
splendor of truth, and the fervor oflove. For the strength
of virtue cleanses, strengthens, and elevates the soul; the
splendor of truth enlightens and reforms it, conforming it
to God; and the fervor of love perfects and vivifies it and
unites it with God. When all this is accomplished, a per-
son is made pleasing and acceptable to God.
It so follows that this God:likening influence is said to
have all ten of the above-mentioned effects, although it is
10 Just as only the person of the Word became incarnate, so too
Bonaventure believes there is a special union effected between the
person of the Holy Spirit and the created human will (In 1 Sent., 14.2.1
[1,249-50)). Cf.In 1 Sent., 17.1.un.1(1, 294).
11 See In 2 Sent., 29.1.1 (II, 695-96).
PART V 173
named only from the last and most complete of them. Thus
it is a called 'the grace that makes pleasing' [gratis gratum
faciensl because it makes the one who possesses it accept-
able in God's sight. For not only is it given freely by God, it
also conforms to God and leads to God as an end, so that
the work that came from God might return to God. In this
way, it achieves, in the manner of an intelligible circle, the
fulfillment of all rational spirits.'2
CHAPTER 2
GRACE AS THE CONDITION
OF MERITORIOUS ACTS
1. In the second place, we ought to consider the grace
of the Holy Spirit in its relation to human free choice, and
this under two aspects: first, in what way this grace is an
aid to performing meritorious acts, and second, in what
way it is a remedy against sin.
2. With regard to God's grace assisting human beings
to perform meritorious acts, we should maintain that, in
this case, the word 'grace' may be used in several senses:
general, particular, and proper.1'
a) Speaking very generally, 'grace' refers to the assis-
tance generously and freely granted by God to a creature
for any of its activities whatsoever. Without this support,
we could do nothing; in fact, we could not even continue to
exist.
12See above, pt. 2, chap. 12.
, 13Bonaventure follows the pattern set by Philip, Chancellor of the
University of Paris (1218-30), by distinguishing (a) the divine concursuS
given with creation - 'grace' in the loosest sense - from God's gratuitous
supernatural gift. And within the latter category he draws a further
distinction between (c) the healing grace ofjustification (gratia gratum
faciens), which he has already introduced in chap. 1, and (b) a divine
assistance (gratia gratis data) that is not grace in the same strict sense.
Cf. In 2 Sent., 27.dub.1 (II, 669).
174 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUIUM
b) Speaking more particularly, 'grace' refers to the
assistance that God gives human beings so that they might
prepare themselves for receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit,
which is the condition by which we are able to perform
meritorious deeds. This is called 'gratuitously given grace'
[gratia gratis datal. Without it, we could not do sufficiently
what lies within us to prepare ourselves for salvation.'·
c) But in its most proper sense, 'grace' refers to that
assistance that God gives us for the actual acquisition of
merit. This gift is called 'the grace that makes pleasing,'
without which no one may acquire merit, advance in good,
or attain eternal salvation.
This grace, as the root of merit, precedes all our mer-
its. Hence, it is said to "go before the unwilling, that they
may will, and it follows the willing that they may not will
in vain."l5 Therefore no one can merit this grace in the full
sense ofthe word [de condigno J. And yet "grace itself mer-
its to be increased by God in this life and that increase
merits perfection" in our homeland and everlasting glory
14 Gratia gratis data ('gratuitously given grace') designates any
transitory divine assistance given to unjustified sinners disposing them
to do what they can to prepare themselves for receiving the gift of the
Holy Spirit. As Bonaventure points out, this concept was needed to
explain the difference between two kinds of apparently good activity.
Gratia gratis data enabled sinners to do the good that lay within their
power, but such acts were not meritorious since these persons did not
yet possess God's Spirit of love. However, Bonaventure believed that
God accepts the good deeds of such persons, letting them 'merit' in an
analogous sense (de congruo) the gift of the justifying gratia gratum
faciens (sec. 3). Once justified, a person is able to perform good deeds
that acquire merit for achieving salvation. In post-Tridentine theology,
gratia gratis data was generally called 'actual grace,' although by that
time the term had taken on a different nuance. Cf. McGrath, 100-109,
189.
16 Augustine, Enchirid., 9,32 (PL 40: 248 [Harbert, 63], cited by Peter
Lombard in Liber 2 Sent., 26.4 (1: 473-76).
PART V 175
by that same God;16 who alone has power to infuse, aug-
ment, and perfect that grace according to the cooperation
of our will and according to God's own purpose or the good
pleasure of eternal predestination.17
3. The reason for this should be understood as follows.
The First Principle, by means of its omnipotent power and
most loving munificence, brought all creation into being
out of nothing. And so, of itself, the creature is non-being,
for its entire being comes from another. It follows, then,
that the creature was made in such a way that, because of
its own deficiency, it would always stand in need of its
Principle, and that this Principle, because of its benevo-
lence, would never cease to sustain the creature.18
Thus, by the very fact the rational spirit was brought
into being from non-being, it is deficient in itself. By the
very fact that it is limited and needy by nature, it thus
turns back upon itself, loving its own good. But by the very
fact that its whole being is from God, it is totally indebted
to God. And so, being deficient, it tends of itself to noth-
ingness; being turned in upon itself, it cannot raise itself
to the righteousness of perfect justice. Because it is to-
tally indebted to God, and God does not need anything it
could bestow,'9 the rational spirit can do nothing, of itself
16 Paraphrase of Augustine, Epist. 186, 3.10 (PL 33: 819), cited by
Lombard in Liber 2 Sent., d. 26, c. 2 (1: 471-472). Bonaventure explains
these various meanings of'grace' in In 2 Sent., 27, dub. 1 (II, 670). The
relationship with merit is further developed, ibid., 27.2 (II, 661-68);
28.dub. 2 (II, 691).
17 On the will of God's good pleasure, see pt. 1, chap. 9 above.
18 This continuing influence of God sustaining creation is known as
the concursus generalis. See Inl Sent., 37.1.1.1 (I, 638-39); Bonaventure
excludes it as 'natural' when he considers the workings of gratia gratis
data. See In 2 Sent., 28.2.3 (II, 689).
19Cf. Ps 16:2: "You are my Lord: 1 have no good apart from you"; Gen
15:1: "1 am your shield and your very great reward."
176 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUIUM
and by virtue of its own power, to make God indebted to it
-least of all owe it the everlasting reward which is God's
own self - except by virtue of God's own condescension.
This is why, in its deficiency, it always stands in need of
God's presence, clemency, and influence to maintain it in
existence. And although this divine influence is granted
to all creatures, is still called a grace, for it derives, not
from any obligation, but only from the liberality of the
divine bounty.
Again, since the rational spirit is turned in upon itself,
if it is ever to prepare itself for the gift of heavenly grace,
particularly in our state of fallen nature, it requires the
gift of another, 'gratuitously given' grace, that makes it
able to perform good moral acts. These acts are good by
reason of circumstances;O which can be called good only if
they derive from a right intention, that is to say, if they
are done not for our own sake, but for the sake ofthe high-
est good. But our self-centered spirits can rise to this only
if we are first moved by God through a 'gratuitously given'
grace.
Even so, the rational spirit, being utterly dependent
on God to whom it owes everything, cannot perform any
act deserving of everlasting reward without the gift of the
'grace that makes pleasing'. By this grace God condescends
to it, accepting in it his own image and will, before accept-
ing any achievement that comes from it. For, since "the
cause is superior to the effect,"" no spirit can make itself
better or perform a work that pleases God, unless it is
itself beforehand pleasing to God; for God looks with favor
first on the person, and only then on that person's offer-
ing. 22 Merit, therefore, is rooted entirely in the 'grace that
"See In 2 Sent., 36, dub. 5 (II, 858·59); 41.1.1 (II, 937-38).
21Avicenna,Metaphysics, 6.3 (ed. Venice 1508, 92b). On the subject of
grace, see In 2 Sent., 26.5 (II, 641-44).
22 Gen 4:4: "And the Lord had regard for Abel aod for his offering."
PART V 177
makes pleasing' which alone makes us worthy in the sight
of God; this is why no one can merit this grace as a matter
of right [de condigno 1, but only in a congruous sense [de
congruo ].23
4. But once we possess this grace, it merits its own
increase if we make good use of it here below, and this
merit is ajust claim [de dignol. Certainly, God alone is the
fontal principle by which grace is poured into us. But if we
consider how grace is increased, God is the sole source in
terms of infusion, but grace itself is also a source in terms
of merit and worthiness. Furthermore, our free choice is a
source [of the increase ofgracel by virtue of its cooperat-
ing and meriting, to the extent that free will cooperates
with grace and makes what belongs to grace its own.
5. In this way, not only does free will merit through
grace a just title [de dignol to an increase of grace in the
present life, but also an absolute right [de condigno1 to its
perfecting in our homeland. This is due to a number of
factors:
a) the sublimity of the gift of the Holy Spirit who
works with us in gaining merit;
b) the truthfulness of God, who promises it;
c) the unstable nature of our free choice which must
consent and persevere to the end;
d) the hardships involved in gaining merit;
23 Bonaventure, with the rest of the early Franciscan school, placed
emphasis on the concept of'congruous merit' (meritum de congruo) for
pastoral reasons. Although sinful human beings certainly have no claim
on the mercy of God, this concept allowed the preacher to exhort his
audience to do penance and to be confident in God's generous response
to their attempts. 'Congruous merit' meaot that an aU-good God would
surely recognize their best efforts as providing an appropriate basis
for the divine self-gift of justifying grace. Bonaventure states in the
preceding paragraph that such human efforts are not 'purely natural,'
but always a response to gratia gratis data. Cf. McGrath, 110-12, 160-
63.
178 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
e) the dignity of Christ our head, who intercedes for
us and ought to be glorified with his members;
D the liberality of God who rewards, who could not
fittingly remunerate cheaply a homage so faithfully ren-
dered;
g) the nobility of a deed springing from love, whose
value in the eyes of the judge is measured by the love from
which it proceeds: a love that prefers God above and be-
yond every creature, and thus deserves to be rewarded
with nothing less than God himself, the Supreme Good.
6. For these seven reasons, the seven-fold grace makes
it possible for the human spirit to merit eternal glory,
through a merit that is not only de congruo, but even de
condigno.
CHAPTER 3 flouting God's command and turning us away from the
GRACE CONSIDERED AS A REMEDY FOR SIN
1. Considering grace as a remedy for sin, the following
things must be held. Although free choice is "the greatest
power under God,"" on its own it is liable to rush head-
long into sin. Furthermore, it cannot rise from sin in any
way without the assistance of the divine grace that is called
'the grace that makes pleasing.' However, this grace, even
though it is a sufficient remedy for sin, is not poured into
the soul of an adult without the consent of that person's
free choice. Thus, we may conclude that four things con-
cur for the justification of a sinner: the infusion of grace,
2oj.This maxim, attributed by the Scholastics to Bernard ofClairvaux,
may be deduced from what he teaches in his treatise On Grace and
Free Choice, esp. 3.7 and 4.9 (PL 182: 1005 and 1007). Augustine had
called the free will of rational creatures "most powerful" in De moribus
ecclesiae, 2.7.9 (PL 32: 1349). Bonaventure discusses the power of free
will without grace,In 2 Sent., 28 (II, 674-92).
PART V 179
the expulsion of guilt, contrition, and an act offree choice.25
Therefore, sin is expelled by God's grace, not by virtue of
free will, and yet not without the consent of free will. For
it is the role of'grace given gratuitously' to turn a person's
free will away from evil and prompt it toward good, and it
is the role of free will to consent to this grace or to reject
it. When it consents, it receives 'the grace that makes pleas-
ing'; having received it, it cooperates with that grace so
that it might arrive at salvation.
2. This is the rationale for what we have just said. The
First Principle, by the very fact that it is first and all-
powerful, is the cause of everything that comes about in
the universe except sins, which are "violations of divine
law and disobedience to heavenly precepts."'· The only
thing that is rebellious, hateful, and offensive is sin; by
unchanging good, it offends God, distorts free will, destroys
the gift of grace, and imposes eternal punishment. Now
the deformation of God's image and the eradication of grace
are, as it were, an annihilation of the existence of morals
and the gift oflife. Furthermore, the gravity of an offense
against God must be measured with reference to God's
own self; thus a guilt that deserves eternal punishment
must be viewed as infinite. It is therefore impossible for a
human being to rise from sin uuless created anew in the
life of grace, unless iniquity is forgiven, and unless the
eternal punishment is remitted. This can be accomplished
only by the principle of creation becoming the principle of
re-creation: the one who is the Word of the eternal Father,
25During the twelfth century Scholastic theologians began to isolate
distinct elements in the process of justification. This fourfold scheme
became standard in the early thirteenth century with theologians like
William of Auxerre and Alexander of Hales (Glossa in N Libras Sent.,
4.17.5 [15:275-279)]. cr. Bonaventure,In 4 Sent., 17.1 (IV, 418·34). See
McGrath, 40-44.
"Ambrose, De paradiso, 8.39 (PL 14: 292 [FC 42: 317]).
180 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
Jesus Christ, the mediator between God and humankind;'
who, because he creates all things from nothing, creates
by himself alone without any intermediary.
3. What was deformed through the vice of sin, he re-
creates by restoring it through the habits of grace and
righteousness; what was bound to punishment, he re-cre-
ates by absolving it fully through adequate satisfaction.
It thus follows that he restores us by enduring the pen-
alty on our behalf in his assumed nature, and by infusing
re-creating grace that binds us to its source;' making us
members of Christ. By these means, he makes the sinful
soul- which had been the enemy of God, the whore of the
devil, and the slave of sin - to be the bride of Christ, the
temple of the Holy Spirit, and the daughter of the eternal
Father. All this happens through the free and condescend-
ing infusion of God's gratuitous grace.
4. Furthermore, God restores us in a manner that does
not impair the established laws of nature. 29 Thus, God
grants this grace to free will in such a way that grace does
not force it, but leaves the will free to consent. 30 Hence, if
guilt is to be expelled, not only must grace be infused, but
an adult's free choice must also agree to that expulsion by
detesting all its sins, an act that we call contrition. I say
'adult' here, because in the case of children the faith of the
Church and the merits of Christ suffice, making up for
their incapacity to choose." In addition, it must agree to
the infusion of grace by approving and accepting the di-
vine gift, in what we call the movement of free will. These
are the four conditions that must concur in the justifica-
tion of the sinner.
"1 Tim 2:5. Cf. above, pt. 4.
28 See In 2 Sent., 26.4 (II, 640).
29 Augustine, De ciu. Dei, 7.30 (PL 41: 220).
30 See above, pt. 1, chapter 8; In 2 Sent., 25.2.5 (II, 618-20).
31 See In 4 Sent., 4.1, dub. 2 (IV, 104).
PART V 181
5. Lastly, a predisposition toward a perfecting form
must itself be in the likeness of that form. Thus, for free
will to dispose itselffor 'the grace that makes pleasing,' it
requires the help of 'gratuitously given grace'. Now, it is
not the nature of grace to compel free choice but antici-
pate it, so that both of them pass into act together. And so,
in the process ofjustification the acts offree will and grace
concur in a harmonious and orderly manner. First, 'gratu-
itously given grace' stirs up free will, and free will must
either give or refuse consent to such arousal. When it con-
sents, it prepares itself for 'the grace that makes pleas-
ing.' This is 'doing what lies within one's power.''' Then,
'the grace that makes pleasing' is infused into the will thus
prepared, which may choose to cooperate with this grace
and so obtain merit, or to obstruct it by sin and so incur
guilt. If the will cooperates with grace in this way until
the very end, it merits attaining eternal salvation.
6. What Augustine tells us is therefore true, that "the
one who created you without you, will not justify you with
32 This phrase is part of the Scholastic maxim, facienti quod in se est,
Deus non denegat gratiam ("To those who do the best they can, God
does not deny grace"), which dates from the late twelfth century. This
encapsulates a conviction that human beings and God have their
respective roles to play in justification; when we fulfill ours by doing
penance, God will respond by granting grace. However, this was often
presented in a way that suggested that by 'doing what lies within one's
power,' a person could put God under an obligation to reward him or
her. The theologians of the early Franciscan School at Paris refined the
meaning of this maxim, stressing that sinful human beings can in no
way force God to act. However, using the analogy of a person who opens
a shutter, thus permitting the sun's light to dispel the darkness of a
room, they teach that by 'doing what lies within one's power,' a person
allows the freely bestowed grace of God to dispel sin. Although a person's
decision to do penance is itself a response to God's generous gratia
gratis data, this concept still places emphasis on human beings' free
decision to do their part. "Bonaventure frequently stresses that God
does not justify human beings without their consent" (McGrath, 83-
85). Cf. In 4 Sent., 14.1.2.2; 17.1.1.2 (IV,).
182 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUlUM
out YOU."" Yet it is also true that it depends not on human
will or exertion, but on the God who shows mercy.'· And so
it is true that we cannot pride ourselves on our own mer-
its, for anything God crowns in us is nothing but his own
gift.35 For God reserves to himselfthe generous distribu-
tion of the favors of grace, teaching us human beings not
to be ungrateful or to boast in ourselves as if we had not
received, but instead to boast in the Lord. ,.
Nevertheless, it is also true that, although free will by
itself could neither fulfill the law nor gain grace, it is inex-
cusable ifit does not do what it can. For 'grace given gra-
tuitously' is always at hand to rouse it,37 and with its aid
the will can exert itself to the full. When this is done, it
may possess 'the grace that makes pleasing,' and when
this has been obtained, it may fulfill the law and do God's
will. When this in turn has been accomplished, it may at-
tain everlasting happiness by virtue of meritorious works,
which are entirely due to grace and yet entirely due to
free will- even though grace is the principal cause. For, as
Augustine explains, "grace is related to free will as a rider
to the mount."" Like a rider, grace directs free will and
leads it on, bringing it at last to the haven of eternal hap-
piness, by training us, through its own seven-fold gift, in
the deeds of perfect virtue.
"Augustine, Serm. 169, 11.13 (PL 38: 923), trans. Edmund Hill, WSA
3/5: 231.
34 Rom 9:16.
"Cf. Augustine, Epist. 194, 5.19: ''What else but his own gifts does
God crown when he crowns our merits?" (PL 33: 880), cited by Lombard
in Liber 2 Sent., 27.6 (1:484-485).
"Cf. 1 Cor 1:31 and 4:7.
37 Following his predecessors in the Franciscan School. Bonaventure
sees grace as always active in people's lives. His definition of gratia
gratis data is very broad, not limited to specifically religious channels.
See In 2 Sent., 28.2.1 (II, 682). Cf. McGrath, 103.
38 Actually, the Pseudo-Augustinian work, Hypognosticon, 3.11 (PL
45: 1632); cf. Augustine, Serm. 30, 8.10: (PL 38: 192), explained by
Bonaventure, In 2 Sent., 26.6 (II, 645-46).
PART V 183
CHAPTER 4
How GRACE BRANCHES OUT
INTO THE HABITS OF THE VIRTUES
1. In the third place, we must treat grace as it relates
to the habits of the virtues. In this regard, there are three
points to consider: first, how a single grace branches out
into the habits of the virtues; second, how it branches out
into the habits of the gifts [of the Holy Spirit); third, how
it branches out into the habits of the beatitudes.
2. Concerning the branching out of grace into the hab-
its of the virtues, the following must be held: that although
'the grace that makes the soul pleasing' is only one, there
are nonetheless seven freely bestowed virtues by which
human life is governed. Three ofthese are the theological
virtues of faith, hope, and charity, and four are the cardi-
nal virtues of prudence, temperance, fortitude, and jus-
tice. The latter is in one sense, a common and general vir-
tue, and in another, a special and particular one. These
seven virtues are distinct, each possessing its proper ex-
cellence; yet they are interrelated and of equal import in
the individual soul." All are freely given and are informed
by grace; yet, with the exception of charity, they can be
deformed by sin. Still, they can again be reformed through
penance with the help of grace, which is the origin, the
end, and the form of virtuous habits.
39 For Aristotle, a 'habit' is a permanent disposition within a thing
that is an immanent principle of its activity. Bonaventure, like other
Scholastics, calls the virtues 'habits' to emphasize that they are
perduring dispositions within the soul, orienting it toward certain
actions. But as an effect of grace, the virtues are habits 'infused' by
God, not innate or acquired, as is the case with natural habits. On the
unity of grace and the distinction of the virtues, see In 2 Sent., 27.1.1-
2 (II, 653-58); on the theological and cardinal virtues, see In 3 Sent.,
23·33 (III, 470-731) and Hexaem., 5.1 If; 6.7 If. (V, 353 ff. and 361 ff.).
184 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUlUM
3. This is the reason for what I have said. In the act of
granting natural life, the productive principle, because of
its own supreme perfection, conveys life not only in its
first grade of actuality, which is life as such, but also in
the second grade of actuality, which is operation. And so,
in the act of freely granting life to the spirit, the restoring
principle must necessarily convey this life as regards both
being and operation. Now, in an individual that lives by
virtue of a single life force there are many vital opera-
tions for the full expression of that life. Furthermore, these
operations differ by virtue of their different objects, and
so such a diversity of activities requires different habits. 40
It follows, therefore, that although vivifYing grace is one,
it necessarily has to branch out into various habits for the
sake of these various operations. Now, some moral activi-
ties are primary, such as believing; others are intermedi-
ate, such as understanding what is believed; and others
are final, such as attaining the vision of what is under-
stood. Through the first kind, the soul is rectified, through
the second it is advanced, and through the third it is per-
fected. Hence, 'the grace that makes pleasing' branches
out into the habits of the virtues, which rectifY the soul;
into those of the gifts, which advance it; and into those of
the beatitudes, which bring it to perfection.41
4. Furthermore, for perfect rectitude, the soul must be
set aright in both its faces, namely, the superior and infe-
40 According to Aristotle, De anima, 2.4 (415a 15-19). He draws the
distinction between the first and second grades of actuality, Ibid., 2.1:
"Now the word actuality has two senses corresponding respectively to
the possession of knowledge and the actual exercise of knowledge" (412a
22-29 [po 555]). 'Nature' is not simply a underling principle of being
that makes a reality what it is, but also a teological principle that
determines how a being acts.
41 A more specific description of the way in which grace 'hierarchizes'
the soul; see chap. 1.2 above. Cf. In 3 Sent., 34.1.1.1 (III, 735-39).
PART V 185
rior;42 one of these is concerned with its end as such, the
other with the means that lead to it. And so, in its upward
face, the soul, being the image of the Trinity, must be set
aright through the three theological virtues. In this way,
just as the image of creation consists in a trinity of powers
with a unity of essence, so the image of re-creation con-
sists in a trinity of habits with a unity of grace. Through
these the soul is carried straight up to the supreme Trin-
ity in a way corresponding to the appropriated attributes
of the three persons." Thus faith directs the soul in be-
lieving and assenting to what is supremely true, hope in
setting out for and expecting what is most difficult, char-
ity in desiring and loving what is supremely good. 44
5. The soul must be set aright in its lower face through
the four cardinal virtues. Prudence rectifies the rational
power, fortitude the negative appetite, temperance the
positive appetite, while justice directs all of these powers
in relationship to others." Since the 'other' may be one's
neighbor, or one's self considered as the object of one'sac-
tion, or still again, God, justice is said to embrace every
possible power.4. That is why it is called, not only a cardi-
nal virtue, but also a general virtue that comprises the
rectitude of the whole soul; wherefore it may be defined as
"rectitude of the will."" And so justice is not limited to
42 These two 'faces' are not separate powers but two aspects of the
same human soul. Cf. pt. 2, chap. 9; Itin., 1.4 (V, 297).
43 See above, pt. 1, chap. 6.
44 Cf. pt. 1, 6. The theological virtues thus relate the soul directly to
its end, God.
45 The cardinal virtues affect human free choice, which consists of
the rational faculty and the negative and positive appetites of the will.
In this way grace rectifies and strengthens the powers that are prone
to sin. See pt. 3, chap. 2 above. Cf. In 2 Sent., 26.un.5 (II, 643).
"Augustine,De Gen. contra Manich., 2.10.14 (PL 34: 209).
47 Anselm, De veritate, 12: "Justice is rectitude of will preserved for
its own sake" (PL 158: 482B [AC, p. 169)); cf. De conceptu virgin., 3: (PL
158: 436).

ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
186
those virtues relating to one's neighbor, such as equity and
generosity; it also comprises those concerning oneself, such
as repentance and innocence, and those relating to God,
such as adoration, piety, and obedience.
6. Finally, the virtues, insofar as they are gratuitously
infused, derive their rectitude originally and radically from
grace; but insofar as they are means of acquiring merit,
their rectitude derives from charity, which is their source,
their form, and their end. Consequently, the other virtues
that depend on grace are interrelated as habits and equal
as meritorious acts. That is why the other habits of vir-
tues can be formless, whereas charity cannot, for it is the
form of the virtues.·' For when we possess these other vir-
tues without grace and charity, which is their life, they
are formless; but when grace is poured upon them, they
gain form: they are adorned and become acceptable to God.
In the same way, colors are invisible without light; but
when the light falls upon them, they become luminous,
beautiful, and pleasing to the eye. Thus, in terms of their
cause, light and the various colors are but one, and one
light is sufficient to make many colors visible. Likewise,
in terms of grace and unformed habits, when the latter
- are formed, they are one with grace in terms of their be-
ing gratuitous and meritorious; and the one grace suffices
to convey form and acceptability to the various virtuous
habits"·
48 A thing's form is its principle of perfection and,in a living being its
animating principle. Building on 1 Cor. 13, Scholastic theologians tau'ght
that charity. is the 'form' of the other virtues as it animates them
directing them to humanity's final end: the love of God and neighbo;'
See Bonaventure, In 3 Sent., 36 (791-809).
"See In 3 Sent., 23.2.5 (III, 497-500).
,-
187
CHAPTER 5
How GRACE BRANCHES OUT
INTO THE HABITS OF THE GIFTS
1. Concerning the branching out of grace into the hab-
its of the gifts, the following points should be held. Although
there are many gifts of 'grace gratuitously given', and in a
general sense it would not be incorrect to call all divinely
infused habits gifts of God, yet in a particular and proper
sense, the term 'gift' refers to the seven gifts of the Holy
Spirit. Isaial! enumerates and names these when he writes
of the flower which sprang from the root of Jesse, that is,
Christ: The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit
of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and
of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and of piety. And he
shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord.·o Now,
in this listing of the gifts, he proceeds by going down from
the top, combining them in such a way that he shows at
one and same time their difference, interrelationship, and
order.
2. The reason for this should be understood as follows.
In its supreme bounty, the restoring principle gives grace,
not only through the habits of the virtues for correcting
the deviations of the vices, but also to deliver us from the
hindrances of their after-effects· ' through the habits of
the gifts. Hence it follows that the infused gifts must be of
sufficient number to provide assistance for this end. Now,
because our soul needs help in seven respects, there is
thus a seven-fold reason why seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
are required. Indeed, our soul depends on them for mak-
ing progress against the deviation ofthe vices, both in its
50ls 11:2-3, according to. the Vulgate. On the material treated in this
chapter, see In 3 Sent., 34-35 (III, 734·809).
"On the after-effects of the vices, see In 3 Sent., 34.1.1.1 (III, 736).
188 ST. BONAVENTtJRE'SBREVlLOQUIUM
natural powers and in its superadded virtues, in suffer-
ing, in acting, in contemplating, and in the last two ways
combined.
3. In the first place, there are seven gifts of the Holy
Spirit because the deviation of the vices must be repelled
in the most effective way. Thus fear assists against pride;
piety against envy; knowledge against anger, which is a
kind of insanity;52 fortitude against sloth, which destroys
the soul's power for good; counsel against avarice; under-
standing against gluttony; and wisdom against lust.
4. Secondly, there ought to be seven gifts of the Holy
Spirit in order to assist the natural powers. The negative
appetite needs help toward good in both prosperity and
adversity; in time of good fortune, it is helped by fear, in
misfortune, by fortitude. The positive appetite needs help
in loving the neighbor, and finds it in piety; in loving God,
and finds it in wisdom. The rational power needs help in
considering, choosing, and following the truth: through the
gift of understanding it is directed to the consideration of
the truth; through the gift of counsel, to choose the truth;
and knowledge to carry out what has been chosen. For it
is through this gift of knowledge we are able to live up-
rightly in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. 53
5. Third, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are properly seven
in number to assist the seven virtues in discharging their
appointed tasks. Fear leads to temperance and restrains
the flesh; piety leads to true justice, knowledge to pru-
dence, fortitude to steadfastness or patience, counsel to
hope, understanding to faith, and wisdom to charity. And
as "charity is the mother and consummation of all the vir-
52 Cicero, Disp. Tuse., 4.23. Bonaventure sees each gift of the Spirit as
providing an antidote to one of the seven capital sins, the root of all
vice (see above, pt. 3, chap, 9).
"Phil 2:15. Cf. Lombard, Liber 3 Sent., 35.1 (2:198-200).
PART V 189
tues,"". so is wisdom of every gift. Hence the wise man
[Solomon] says,All good things came to me along with her,
and in her hands countless riches."
6. In the fourth place, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are
seven in number for the sake of helping us suffer in the
same spirit as Christ. In accepting his passion, Christ was
moved to endure his sufferings by the will of the Father,
by the needs of humanity, and by the strength of his own
virtue. He was moved by the will of the Father, which he
knew through understanding, loved through wisdom, and
reverenced through fear. He was moved by our needs,
which he was led to understand through knowledge and
for which he was led to show compassion through piety.
Not least of all, he was moved by the strength of his own
virtue, which counsel made capable of farsighted choice
and fortitude, of vigorous achievement. And so the gifts
are properly seven.
7. Fifth, seven gifts are given by the Holy Spirit to help
us act effectively. For if our actions are to be fruitful, we
must be helped to distance ourselves from evil, and this is
done by fear. We must also be aided to progress in good,
both that demanded by God's command and that of super-
erogation. In what is demanded, we are helped by knowl-
edge, which directs our actions, and by piety, which helps
us carry them out; in matters that are of supererogation,
we are aided by counsel, which directs us, and by forti-
tude, which helps us carry them out. Lastly, we must find
our rest in the Most High, both by knowing the supreme
truth and loving the supreme good; the first comes about
through the gift of understanding, the second through the
gift of wisdom, in which there is true repose.
54 Peter Lombard. Liber 3 Sent., 23.3 (2: 142~43), citing the Glossa
ordinaria on Rom 14:5, which in turn was based on Ambrosiaster (PL
191,1513).
55Wis 7:11.
190 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQWUM
8. The sixth reason that the gifts ofthe Holy Spirit are
seven in number is to help us advance in contemplation.
For the soul must be purified, enlightened, and perfected
for the hierarchical and contemplative life. 56 We must be
purified of concupiscence, malice, ignorance, and weakness:
of the first by fear, of the second by piety, of the third by
knowledge, of the fourth by fortitude. We must be enlight-
ened concerning the works of reparation and of our origi-
nal state; counsel grants the first, understanding the sec-
ond. We attain perfection by arriving at the highest good,
which is the One; this is accomplished through the gift of
wisdom. Hence, the hidden knowledge [arcanum] of con-
templation ends at the top, as it were, in a single cubit. 57
9. Seventh and last, seven gifts of the Holy Spirit were
needed to facilitate both action and contemplation. Since
the contemplative soul looks toward the Trinity, it needs
three gifts to assist it: fear, to bow down before the divine
majesty; understanding, to perceive its truth; wisdom, to
savor or taste its goodness. 58 And since the active soul is
concerned with doing [good deeds] and persevering in
them, it needs the assistance of four gifts: piety, to per-
form them; fortitude, to persevere in doing them; and
"See above, pt. 2, chap. 8, pt. 5, chap. 1. Cf In 2 Sent., d. 22, dub. 2 (II,
528).
57 This sentence alludes to Gen 6:15-16, which describes the
construction of Noah's ark. Bonaventure's term arcanum contem-
plationis involves a play on words: secret knowledge (arcanum) and
'ark' (arcam). This imagery had been developed by Gregory the Great,
In Ezech., 2.4.16-17 (PL 76: 982 D) and in the mystical treatise of Hugh
of St. Victor, De area Noe mocali, 2.6 (PL 176: 640B).
68 Wisdom for Bonaventure is "an experiential knowledge of God." It
involves both an act of knowledge for apprehending divine truth and
an act of the affection for uniting the mind to it: <lit begins in knowledge
and is consummated in affection insofar as the taste or savoring is an
experiential knowledge of what is good and sweet" (In 3 Sent., 35.1.1
(III, 774). C£ McGinn, Flowering, 103. . and 2.1 (III, 746).
PART V 191
knowledge and counsel to direct both. Thus, because di-
rection is necessary for advancement, there must be a COm-
bination of gifts; and because the light of knowledge is a
powerful help to guide our feet on a straight path," there
are several gifts related to the understanding.
CHAPTER 6
How GRACE BRANCHES OUT
INTO THE HABITS OF THE BEATITUDES, AND CONSEQUENTLY
DF THE FRUITS AND OF THE SPIRITUAL SENSES
1. On the branching out of grace into the habits of the
beatitudes, the following points should be held: that there
are seven beatitudes, which the Savior enumerated in the
Sermon on the Mount, namely, poverty of spirit, meek-
ness, mourning, hunger for justice, mercy, cleanness of
heart, and peace. so To these beatitudes, because of their
perfection and fullness, grace adds the twelve fruits of the
Spirit and the five spiritual senses. The latter [fruits and
senses] do not represent new habits, but states of delight
and the enjoyment of spiritual perceptions that fill and
console the souls of just people.
2. The reason for this should be understood as follows.
The restoring principle is supremely perfect, perfectly
achieving restoration and reformation though the gift of
grace. Therefore, the gift of grace flowing out from that
principle must branch out lavishly and abundantly into
the habits of perfections that are so closely related to their
final end that they are rightly called beatitudes. Their
sufficiency, number, and order may be deduced from the
59 Allusion to Luke 1:79.
60 Matt 5:1-9. Medieval authors generally counted seven, not eight
beatitudes. See In 3 Sent., 36.1, scholion (III, 793-94). The contents of
this chapter are also treated by Bonaventure, ibid., 34.1.1.1 (III, 738)
192 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUlUM
integrity of perfection itself, from the modalities ofperfec-
tion, and from the preliminary dispositions for perfection
[the gifts ofthe Holy SpiritJ.
3. In the first place, the integrity of perfection neces-
sarily requires a complete withdrawal from evil, a perfect
progress in good, and a total repose in what is best. Now,
evil may stem from the swelling of pride, the rancor of
malice, or from the weakness due to concupiscence. 61 And
so, ifthe soul is to be removed completely from these three
types of evil, three beatitudes are necessary: poverty of
spirit, to deliver it from self-inflation; meekness, to deliver
it from rancor; and mourning, to deliver it from lust and
the weakness due to concupiscence. Now, perfect progress
in good consists in following the divine example; since all
the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth,62 there are two
beatitudes corresponding to these two ways: hunger or zeal
for justice and the desire for mercy. Finally, perfect repose
in what is best may be achieved either through a clear
knowledge or through a tranquil love. Hence, there are
two final beatitudes, namely, cleanness of heart, for the
vision of God, and peace of soul, for the perfect enjoyment
of God.
4. Secondly, if we consider the modalities of perfection,
there ought to be seven habits of beatitude, for there is a
perfection of religious life, a perfection ofleadership, and
a perfection of inner holiness. To reach perfection in reli-
gious life, we must renounce our own property, recognize
the good of our neighbor, and desire the eternal good. The
first is attained through poverty of spirit; the second,
through meekness of disposition; the third, through heart-
felt mourning. To reach perfection in leadership, two things
are necessary: a hunger for justice and a desire for mercy,
51 See pt. 3, chap. 8.
62PS 25:10.
PART V 193
for mercy and truth preserve the king.6' These two should
characterize those in authority in the Church Militant.
And to reach perfection in inner holiness we must have a
clean conscience and complete tranquility of soul through
the peace of God, which surpasses all human understand-
ing. 64
5. Thirdly, if we consider the preliminary dispositions
for perfection, we see the need of seven beatitudes. For
fear makes a person turn away from evil and from its oc-
casions. Since the love of money is the root of all evil,"' fear
disposes one for poverty of spirit, which combines humil-
ity with poverty so that a perfect person is drawn away
from the source of all sin: pride and covetousness. That is
why poverty of spirit is the foundation of all evangelical
perfection. Therefore, those who wish to attain the height
of perfection should first strive to establish this founda-
tion. As Matthew writes in his nineteenth chapter: If you
wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions - this is perfect
poverty, which holds back nothing for itself - and follow
me - this is humility, that makes them deny themselves,
take up their cross, and follow Christ, the true foundation
of all perfection.66 Fear, then, prepares the way for pov-
erty of spirit. Piety prepares us for meekness, for those
who are considerately disposed towards others do not pro-
voke them, nor are they provoked by them. Knowledge
prepares us for mourning, because through knowledge we
realize that we have been cast out of the state of happi-
ness into the present vale of misery and tears. Fortitude
leads to a hunger for justice, because those possessing it
bind themselves to justice so avidly that they would rather
be deprived of bodily life than of this justice. Counsel pre-
63 Prov 20:28.
"PhlI4:7.
"1 Tim 6:10.
"Matt 19:21·22 and 16:24. Cf. Perf eu., qq.1·2 Cv, 117·65).
\
 ST, BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUIUM
194
pares us for mercy, for God counsels nothing more strongly
in Scripture than to show mercy, which he values more
than any sacrificial offering. 67 Understanding prepares us
for cleanness of heart, because the consideration of truth
cleanses our heart from all fantasies. Finally, wisdom pre-
pares us for peace, because wisdom unites us to the high-
est truth and good, in which all the desires of our soul find
their end and their repose.
6. This peace, once attained, is necessarily followed by
the overflowing spiritual delight contained in the twelve
fruits [of the Holy Spirit], which signify the superabun-
dance of delights. For twelve, the number of abundance,
suggests the wealth of spiritual gifts tasted and enjoyed
by the holy soul. Such a person is suited for contempla-
tion and for the mutual beholding and embracing of Bride-
groom and Bride, as this takes place by means of the spiri-
tual senses. Then the sublime beauty of Christ the Bride-
groom is seen, insofar as he is Splendor; the highest har-
mony is heard, insofar as he is Word; the greatest sweet-
ness is tasted, insofar as he is the Wisdom which contains
both Word and Splendor; the most sublime fragrance is
smelled, insofar as he is the Word breathed into the heart;
the greatest delight is embraced, insofar as he is the In-
carnate Word, who dwells bodily among us and gives him-
self to us to be touched, to be kissed, to be embraced,
through a most fiery love that lets our mind pass over
from this world through ecstasy and rapture to the Fa-
ther.68
67 cr.
Hos 6:6; Matt 9:13, 12:7.
Alluding to 1 John 1:14; John 13:1. For similar expressions, see
68
ltin .. 4.3 (V, 306). For Bonaventure, the higher levels of mystic union
are better expressed through metaphors of tasting and touching than
of seeing: "Contemplatives truly feel more than they know" Comm. In. >
1.43 (VI, 256). Cf. McGinn, Flowering, 110-11.
PART V 195
7. From this discussion it is apparent that the main
task of the habits of the virtues is to prepare us for the
labors of the active life; that of the habits of the gifts, for
the repose of contemplation;6' and that ofthe habits ofthe
beatitudes, for the perfection of both. Now, the fruits of the
Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, long-suffering, kind·
ness, generosity, faithful-ness, gentleness, modesty, self-con-
trol, and chastity. 70 These bespeak the delights that follow
in the wake of perfect deeds. On the other hand, the spiri-
tual senses indicate mental perceptions of the truth being
contemplated. This contemplation was given to the proph-
ets by means of revelation according to three modes of
vision, namely, corporeal, imaginative, and intellectual. 71
In other righteous people it occurs in the manner of specu-
lation, which begins with the senses and from there reaches
the imagination, from the imagination proceeds to the rea-
son, from the reason to the understanding, from the un-
derstanding to the intelligence, and from the intelligence
to wisdom or even to an ecstatic knowledge, which begins
in this life to reach fulfillment in eternal glory.72
8. Of these successive stages Jacob's ladder is con-
structed, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the throne of
Solomon upon which is seated the King most wise, truly
peaceful, and full oflove - the Bridegroom most fair, who
is altogether desirable, upon whom angels long to look,
toward whom holy souls aspire as a deer longs for flowing
"Cr. Gregory,In Ezech., 2.7.11 (PL 76: 119-20).
70 Gal 5:22; the Vulgate adds three 'fruits'; -longsuffering, modesty,
and chastity - to the Greek text's list of nine.
71 According to Augustine, De Gen. ad /itt., 12.6.15-12.7.16 (PL 34:
458-60).
72 This distinction of the faculties of the soul, which Bonaventure
also uses in [tin., 1.6 Cv, 296-99), is taken from a popular work De
spiritu et anima, 11 (PL 40: 786). This treatise, erroneously attrib~ted
to Augustine, was probably composed in Cistercian circles sometime
after 1170. Cf. McGinn, Three Treatises on Man, ,,67.
196 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVlLOQUIUM
streams." This fervent desire, just like a fire, not only
makes our spirit ready for the ascent, but also, by a cer-
tain learned ignorance,74 it is carried beyond itself into
darkness and ecstasy. This is why the soul may not only
say with the bride, "We will run after the fragrance ofyour
ointments," but also sings with the prophet: Night shall be
my light in my pleasures.'· No one knows this nocturnal
and delightful illumination but the one who experiences
it, and no one experiences it except through grace divinely
given, and this is given to none except those who train
themselves for it. That is why we must next consider meri-
torious exercises.
CHAPTER 7 and in its works, supremely just and merciful. To supreme
THE EXERCISE OF GRACE
As REGARDS WHAT IS TO BE BELIEVED
1. Fourth, we have to consider grace in relation to meri-
torious acts. In this regard we should examine four areas:
h) first, how we exercise grace in the things we should
believe; these are the articles offaith;
i) second, how we exercise grace in the things we should
love; these are all the things pertaining to the ordering of
love;
j) third, how we exercise grace in the things we should
fulfill, that is, the precepts of the divine law;
k) fourth, how we exercise grace in the things we should
pray for, that is, the petitions of the Lord's Prayer.'·
78 A collage of Biblical texts: Gen 28:12; 1 Kgs 10:18; Cant 5:16; 1
Peter 1:12; Ps 42:1 (Vg 41).
,. See Augustine, Epist. 130, 15.28 (PL 33: 505); Bonaventure, In 2
Sent., 23.2.3 (II, 643·46); Se. Chr., q. 7 (V, 40); Hexaem. 2.28ff. (V, 340-
41); ltin., 7.5 (V, 313).
"Cant 3:1; Ps 139:11 (Vg 138).
76In other words, to arrive at the eternal bliss he has just described,
Bonaventure is saying that the Christian must merit it by "exercising"
PART V 197
2. Concerning the articles of faith, the following points
must be held. We are bound to believe through faith many
things that are above our reason, and generally speaking,
everything contained and expressed in the canon of Holy
Scripture. But in a particular and proper sense the term
'articles of faith' applies to those truths enumerated in
the Apostles' Creed. Now, from one point of view, if we
emphasize those who composed the Creed, these articles
are twelve in number;77 but if we consider the basic tenets
that stand as the foundation of all belief, there are four-
teen articles of faith.7B
3. The reason for this should be explained as follows.
The First Principle in itself is supremely true and good,
truth is due firm assent; to supreme good, fervent love; to
supreme justice, total submission; and to supreme mercy,
confident prayer. Now, it is the function of grace to order
our mind to due worship of the First Principle. Hence, it is
grace that directs and guides us towards those practices
both due and meritorious, in matters of faith, love,justice,
and petition, as demanded by the supreme truth, good-
ness,justice, and mercy of the Blessed Trinity.
. 4. Now, any truth demands belief, so a greater truth
demands stronger belief, and the greatest of all truths,
his or her grace~filled interior being through acts of faith and love,
keeping the commandments, and prayer.
77 The Apostles' Creed, used only in the Western Church, is an
elaborate variant of the ancient Roman baptismal creed. By the end of
the fourth century, there was already a tradition that it was composed
by the apostles themselves. Cf. Rufinus of Aquileia, Commentary on
the Apostles' Creed, 2 (c. 405): "Being filled with the Holy Spirit, [the
twelve Apostles] drafted this short summary of their future preaching,
each contributing the clause he judged fitting, and they decreed it should
be handed down as the standard teaching to converts" (PL 21: 337),
trans. J. N. D. Kelly, ACW 20 [Westminster, MD, 19551: 29·30).
"See In 3 Sent., 23-25 (III, 470-553).

198 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
supreme belief. Now, the truth ofthe First Principle is in-
finitely greater than all created truth and infinitely more
radiant than any light of our understanding. Hence, if our
intellect is to be well ordered in its belief, it must have a
deeper faith in the supreme truth than in itself; it must
make itself subject to the obedience of Christ. 79 It must
believe, therefore, not only what is in accord with reason,
but even what surpasses reason and is contrary to sense
experience. Otherwise, the intellect would refuse to honor
the highest truth as it should, because it would prefer its
own judgment to the command ofthe eternal light - which
necessarily implies the swelling of pride and arrogance.
5. Also, a truth that is above or beyond reason is not a
truth that is actually seen or apparent, but one that is
hidden and extremely difficult to believe. Therefore, for
our faith in such a truth to be firm, our soul must be lifted
up by the light of truth and fortified by the testimony of
authority. The first is realized through infused faith, the
second by the weight of Scripture; both of these derive
from the supreme truth: through Jesus Christ, who is
Splendor and Word, and through the Holy Spirit, who
manifests and teaches the truth, and also leads us to be-
lieve it.BO Authority, then, gives support to faith, and faith
gives assent to authority. Now, authority resides prima-
rily in Holy Scripture, all of which was written down by
the Holy Spirit for the sake of directing the Catholic faith.
Thus true faith does not disagree with the Scriptures but
accepts them with a faith that is truly sincere.
6. Finally, that truth to which we are bound to assent
by faith, and with which Holy Scripture is principally con-
79Cf. 2 Cor 10:5: ''We take every thought captive to obey Christ."
80Cf. Hebr 1:3, John 1:1 and 16:13: ''When the Spirit of truth comes,
he will guide you into all the truth."
PART V 199
cerned, is not just any kind of truth, but divine truth as it
exists in its own proper nature or in its assumed human
nature - the knowledge of which constitutes both the re-
ward of our heavenly homeland and the merit of life here
below." And so it follows that the articles offaith that are
the foundations of belief are concerned either with the
Godhead or with the humanity [of Christl. Now, the
Godhead must be considered in the three persons: the be-
getting Father, the begotten Son, and the Holy Spirit that
proceeds from them both; and also in its four operations:
creation in the order of nature, re-creation in the order of
grace, resurrection for the restoration of life, and glorifi-
cation through the gift of [everlastingl glory. That is why
the articles dealing with the Godhead are seven in num-
ber. Likewise, the humanity of Christ, must be considered
as conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin, suffer-
ing on the cross, descending into hell, rising from the dead,
ascending into heaven, and coming for the final judgment.
That is why the articles dealing with the humanity of
Christ are also seven in number. In all, then, there are
fourteen articles, comparable to the seven stars and the
seven golden lamp stands in the midst of which the Son of
Man was seen walking about."
7. Now, Christ is one in two natures, the divine and
the human; and there is also only one supreme truth, which
is the one, primary, highest, and unique basis for our be-
lief, and which does not change over time. Thus, in all the
aforementioned articles of faith there is but one faith, a
faith unchanging in the present, as it was in the past and
will be in the future, although it has greater clarity and
81Cf. John 17:3: "And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the
one true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
"Rev 1:12-16. See In 3 Sent., 25.1.1 (III, 534-38).
200 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
explicitness for those who have followed Christ than for
those who lived before his coming,just as the New Testa-
ment is clearer than the Old, although both contain these
same articles of faith. 83
8. Using the twelve apostles as most trustworthy wit-
nesses, the Holy Spirit has built into a single structure
the articles of faith that were contained in the depths of
Scriptures; thus, the aforesaid articles were gathered into
the one Apostles' Creed. And so we can say the articles are
twelve in number because there were that many apostles
who composed them, for each apostle laid down one ar-
ticle as a living stone in the edifice of faith. 84 The Holy
Spirit had accurately prefigured this in the twelve men
who took up twelve stones from the bed of the Jordan to
build an altar to the Lord. 85
CHAPTER 8 son for loving,90 Thus it follows that charity loves that good
THE EXERCISE OF GRACE
As REGARDS WHAT IS TO BE LOVED
1. Concerning the things we should love, the following
points ought to be held. While all the divine works are
very good,86 there are only four things we should love in a
proper sense out of [the virtue of] charity: the eternal God,
that which we are, our neighbor, and our body.87 In loving
these, a fitting order and measure must be observed, so
that God be loved first and above all else for his own sake;
"See In 3 Sent., 23.1.3 (III, 478-80); 24.1.2 (III, 512-14); 25.1.1 (III,
534-538).
84 Cf. 1 Peter 2:5: "Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a
spiritual house." Of. note 76 above.
85 Joshua 4:1-10.
saGen 1:31.
87 This is based on Augustine, De doct. chris., 1.23.22 (PL 34: 27), as
cited by Peter Lombard, Liber 3 Sent., 28.1 (2: 168-69).
PART V 201
second, that which we are, after God and for his sake; our
neighbor third, as much as ourselves; our body fourth, less
than ourselves and our neighbor, as a lesser good. To make
us capable of this love, there were given a single habit of
charity and a double commandment upon which depend
all the Law and theprophets,88 not only as regards the Old
Testament, but also the New.
2. This should be understood as follows. The First Prin-
ciple, being first, is supreme; being supreme, it is supremely
good; being supremely good, it is supremely happy and
supremely delighting; being supremely delightful, it is
supremely to be enjoyed. Therefore, because it is to be su-
premely enjoyed, we must totally cling to it with love and
rest in it as our final end. 89 Now a right and ordered love,
called charity, bears us principally to that good in whom it
finds its enjoyment and repose. This good is itself our rea-
above everything else as that which will make it happy,
and as a consequence it loves all other things which
through that good are also suited for happiness. Now, our
neighbor was created to reach that happiness along with
ourselves - which includes our body as well, for it was
made to share that happiness together with our spirit.
That is the reason why charity has but four objects: God,
our neighbor, our spirit, and our body.91
3. Again, God, the supreme good, is above us; our soul,
an intrinsic good, is within us; our neighbor, a kindred
good, next to us; and our body, a lesser good, below us.
"Matt 22:40. On this chapter, see In 3 Sent., 28-29 (III, 620-54); on
the way in which God is to be loved, ibid., 27. 2.5-6 (III, 611-15).
89 See Augustine, De doct. chris., 1.32.35 (PL 34: 32).
90 See In 3 Sent., 27.1.1-3 and dub. 1 (III, 589-98 and 615·17).
"See Peter Lombard, Liber 3 Sent., 29.1 (2: 171·72).
202 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUIUM
Therefore, the proper order of loving is to love God first,
more than all else and for his own sake; our soul second,
less than God but more than any temporal good; our neigh-
bor third, as much as ourselves, as a good on the same
level; our body fourth, less than our soul, as a good oflesser
degree. It is here also we should place our neighbor's body
that, like our own, is a lesser good than our soul.
4. Finally, love, which is the soul's weight'2 and the
origin of all spiritual attraction, tends towards oneself with
ease, but reaches out to the neighbor with difficulty, and
to God with still greater effort. Hence, while there are four
objects oflove, there were given to us only two command-
ments: one that directs our love toward God, and the other
that directs it to our neighbor. 93
5.And because all commandments concern either God
or the neighbor as the end or that which is intended for
that end - these two contain the sum of all the precepts
and the fullness of all Scripture.
Charity itself is the root, form, and end of the virtues,
relating them all to the final end and binding them all to
one another simultaneously and in orderly fashion. 94 Hence
charity is the weight of a properly ordered attraction and
the bond of perfect union. It maintains order as regards
the different objects of love, in our desire for them and
their effect on us. At the same time it possesses oneness
in the habit [of the infused virtue] by having only one end
92S ee Augustine, Canf., 13.9.10:"A body gravitates to its proper place
by its own weight.... Now my weight is my love, and wherever it is
carried, it is this weight that carries me" (PL 32: 848-49 [WSA, Ill:
348]). On the following, see Lombard, Liber 3 Sent., 27.4 (2: 163-164).
93 Augustine,De dact. christ., 1.26.27: "So there is no need, then, for a
commandment that we should love ourselves and our bodies, because
it is by an unalterable law of nature that we love what we are ... but
the need remained for us to receive commandments about what is above
us, and what is next to us' (PL 34: [WSA II11: 117-18]).
94 See chap, 4 above.
203
and one object which is most to be loved, which is the rea-
son for our loving all other things destined to be tied with
the bond of love within the one Christ as a body to the
head - a body containing all those to be saved. Such one-
ness begins on earth, but has its consummation in heaven,
in accordance with the prayer of the Lord "that they may
be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they
may become completely one."95 When this unity is achieved
through the bond oflove, God shall be all in all through-
out an assured eternity and in perfect peace. 96 Then all
things will be in one common love, ordered in communion,
united in order, and indissolubly bound together in union.
CHAPTER 9
THE EXERCISE OF GRACE AS REGARDS
OBSERVING THE PRECEPTS AND COUNSELS
1. Concerning the precepts of the divine law, we must
hold the following truths: that in the law of Moses there
were judicial, figurative, and moral precepts, the latter
being the ten commandments of the Decalogue written on
two tablets by the finger of God. 97 The law of the Gospels,
however, has tempered the judicial precepts by removing
them, voided the figurative precepts by fulfilling them,
and perfected the moral precepts by augmenting them,
providing instructive lessons, incentive promises, and per-
fecting counsels. Among the latter are the counsels of pov-
erty, obedience, and chastity to whose fulfillment Christ
our Lord invites those who seek perfection. '8
"'John 17:22-23.
"' 1 Cor 15:28.
97 Ex 31:18.
98 Cf. Matt 19:21.
204 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUlUM
2. The reason for this should be understood as follows.
Just as the First Principle is supremely good in itself, so it
is supremely just in its works and in the governing of the
universe. This supremely just one is zealous for justice,
not only in itself but also in others. Since justice consists
in compliance with the rules oflaw, it is therefore a func-
tion of divine justice to impress judicial norms on human
beings and to express them, not only by declarations as in
the manner of one teaching truth, but also through de-
crees and precepts as in the manner of a commanding
will. 99 And since it is grace that makes our will conform to
the divine will, it is also grace that disposes us to accept
and submit to the rules of justice imposed by God-given
law.
3. Furthermore, a person can submit to divine com-
mands for two reasons - out of fear of punishment or out
of a love for justice; the first motive characterizes the im-
perfect, the second the perfect. And so God imposed on
human beings a twofold law: one of fear and the other of
love, one bearing children for slavery, and the other, for
adoption as children of God. !0O Those who live in a state of
fear and imperfection must be frightened by judgments,
guided through signs, and directed by precepts. Hence, the
Law of Moses - the law of fear - contains judicial, figura-
tive, and moral precepts. But for the perfect, those moti-
vated by love, there are suited the plain teaching of ex-
amples, the generous promise of rewards, and the high
perfection of the counsels. Hence the law of the Gospels
contains all three.
The law of Moses, then, differs from that of the Gos-
pels in that one is a law of figures and the other of truth,
one of punishment and the other of grace, one of the letter
"See In 3 Sent., 37.1.1 (III, 812·14).
100 Gal 4:24, Rom 8:15.
PART V 205
and the other of the spirit, one of death and the other of
life,101 one of fear and the other of love, one of servitude
and the other of freedom, one of burden and the other of
ease.102
4, Finally, because the rules concerning the require-
ments of justice are contained within the divine precepts,
and justice consists in "rendering to each one his due,"103
there must be moral precepts which specify what is due to
God and what is due our neighbor, thus conforming with
Christ's twofold command of love. This the Holy Spirit
wished to prefigure through the mystery of the two tab-
lets that were said to have been written . .. by the finger of
God.'04
Now, God is triune - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-
whose sovereign majesty deserves to be adored, whose
truth ought to be acknowledged, and whose love deserves
to be accepted, through our negative appetite, rational
faculty, and positive appetite, in our deeds, words, and af-
fections. Therefore, there is a threefold commandment on
the first tablet corresponding to these three aforemen-
tioned duties: submissive adoration, truthful oath-taking,
and sacred observance of the Sabbath.
5.And because our neighbor is an image of the Trinity,
and, as an image of the Father, deserves our respect; as an
image of the Son, our truthfulness; and as an image of the
Holy Spirit, our love: therefore, the commandments of the
second tablet are seven in number. Two concern piety: the
first - to honor our parents - imposes piety; the second -
not to murder - forbids impiety. One concerns truthful-
ness, which is chiefly a matter of the spoken word - the
101 cr. 2 Cor 3:6.
'''Cf. Matt 11:30 and Acts 15:10. See In 3 Sent., 40.103 (III, 884·92).
103 According to Justinian, Digesta, 1.1.10.
10. Ex 31:18.
206 ·ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
commandment not to bear false witness. Four concern love,
the opposites of which, lust and greed, may exist in deed
or in the heart. These four commandI)lents are: you shall
not commit adultery, you shall not covet your neighbor's
wife, you shall not steal, and you shall not covet your
neighbor's goods. lO' The order of the commandments cor-
responds to the damage done to justice, going from the
greater to the lesser. This is how the rules concerning the
requirements of justice are contained within the Ten Com-
mandments.
6. Now, justice reaches perfection when a person has
completely forsaken evil, both as a sin and as a cause of
sin. Since all evil springs from a threefold root, namely,
the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride
of life, 106 it follows that there are three evangelical coun-
sels that sever us completely from this threefold root. They
are counsels because, in order to turn us away from evil
perfectly, they detach our soul, not only from forbidden
things, but also from things that are legitimate and per-
missible but which might become occasions of sin. Hence,
the counsels contain justice in a measure that is not only
sufficient but also overflowing,'07 as befits the perfection
of the law of the Gospels and the workings of perfecting
grace.
CHAPTER 10
THE EXERCISE OF GRACE
As REGARDS PETITION AND PRAYER
1. Concerning the petitions of the Lord's Prayer, the
following points must be held. Although God [the Father]
lO'Dt 5:6-21. See In 3 Sent., 37.2.1-3 (III, 821-29).
106 1 John 2:15. Bonaventure's theology of the evangelical counsels is
most fully developed in Perf. eu., qq. 2-4 (y, 124-98).
107 See Bernard, Berm. in octaua Epiph., 4 (PL 183: 154 AB).
PART V 207
is lavishly generous and far more ready to give than we
are to receive, yet he wishes to receive prayers from us so
that he might have occasion for increasing the Holy Spirit's
gifts of grace. He wishes not only mental prayer, which is
"an ascent of the mind to God," but also vocal prayer, which
is a "petition for suitable things from God."108 He wishes
that we pray, not only of ourselves, but also through the
saints as through divinely appointed helpers, in order that
we may gain through their intercession what we are un-
worthy to ask of ourselves. And lest we wander aimlessly,
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,'09 God gave
us a pattern for our prayer, which Christ himself composed.
The sum total of what we should ask for is included in the
seven petitions ofthis prayer.
2. The reason for this should be understood as follows.
As the First Principle is supremely true and good in itself,
so it is supremely just and merciful in its work. Because it
is supremely merciful, it reaches down most lovingly to
our human misery through theinfusion of its grace. How-
ever, being at the same time supremely just, God bestows
this perfect gift only on those who desire it,"° grace only to
the grateful, and mercy only to the ones who recognize
their own wretchedness. Thus, freedom of the will remains
intact, appreciation of the gift undiminished, and respect
for the divine honor unimpaired. And so, because those
who petition must seek divine help, acknowledge their
weakness, and give thanks for benefits freely given, prayer
disposes us for the reception of divine gifts. Besides, God
wishes to be prayed to so that his gifts might be increased.
3. Furthermore, if our desire is to rise on high effec-
tively in our quest for the divine gifts, our affection must
108 These two defInitions are from John of Damascus, De fide orth.,
3.24 (PG 94: 1090), in the Latin translation of Burgundio (ed. E.
Buytaert, c. 68, p. 267).
109 Rom 8:26.
110 James 1:17.
208 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
be fervent, our thoughts collected on one thing, and our
hope sure and strong. But our heart is often lukewarm,
distracted about many things, and fearful because of the
guilt of our sins, so that it does not dare of itself to appear
before the divine countenance. Therefore, God willed that
we pray not only mentally but also vocally, so that the
words may arouse our hearts and their meaning help us
gather our scattered thoughts.l11
God also willed that we pray through the saints, and
that the saints pray for us. This was to give confidence to
the fearful, so that those who dare not or cannot ask by
themselves may succeed through suitable intercessors. In
this way, humility would be preserved in those who pray,
dignity manifested in the saints who intercede, and love
and unity displayed in all the members of Christ, by which
the lower have faithful recourse to the higher while the
higher generously condescend to the lower. H2
4. Finally, the just and merciful God ought to heed only
those petitions that are directed to his own honor and our
salvation, those having reference to the reward of our heav-
enly homeland or the help we need on the way. Now there
are three of the former and four of the latter. Therefore,
the petitions of the Lord's Prayer, which teach us what we
ought profitably to ask for, are seven in number.ll3
Those petitions dealing with the honor of God and the
reward of heaven are three in number: for understanding
of the truth, reverence for sovereignty, and conformity with
the divine will. Put in other words, these consist in:
1. The vision of supreme truth, inaccessible except to
the clean and holy. This is what we seek when we say,
"Hallowed be your name," that is, may knowledge of your
name be given to the perfect, holy, and clean.
III See In 4 Sent., 15.2.2.3 (IV, 375).
112 Ibid., 45.3.1-3 (IV, 947-51).
113 What follows is a commentary on Matt 5:9·13.
PART V 209
2. Striving towards the greatest prize. Such an effort
produces kings, and through it we too obtain a kingdom -
and this is requested when we say: "Your kingdom come";
3. Enjoyment of the supreme good, which is given only
to those who have their will conformed to the will of God.
We request this when we say: "Your will be done on earth
as it is in heaven."
The petitions dealing with our journey in this life con-
cern either the bestowal of helpful good or the removal of
harmful evil. The bestowal of helpful good is sought in
terms of bread, both daily and super-substantial, covering
all we need for the sustenance of our present life, in both
soul and body. The removal of harmful evil is requested in
the three final petitions, because all evil is either past,
present, or future; put in another way, evil exists either by
reason of guilt, strife, or punishment. And so we pray to
be delivered from the first by begging pardon for our sins;
from the second, by asking victory over our temptations;
and from the third and last, by asking deliverance from
the oppression of evil.
Thus there are in all seven petitions through which
we request comprehensively everything we ought to ask.
This is indeed fitting, for the seven petitions correspond
to the seven divine charisms and gifts of a sevenfold grace.
5. Therefore, it should be noted that Holy Scripture
proposes for our consideration a sevenfold series of sev-
ens: the capital sins, the sacraments, the virtues, the gifts,
the beatitudes, the petitions, and, as will appear later, the
endowments of glory - three of the soul and four of the
body.H4 First, the seven capital sins, from which we must
withdraw; secondly, the seven sacraments, by means of
which we must grow; last, the seven endowments of glory,
to which we must aspire; next to the last, the seven peti-
tions, with which we must seek; and, as intermediary
stages, the groups of seven virtues, gifts, and beatitudes,
through which we must progress. Thus, praising the name
210 ST. BONAVEN'rlJru1's'BREVILOQUIUM
of the Lord and praying to him seven times a day, 115 we
may obtain the sevenfold grace of these virtues, gifts, and
beatitudes, thereby overcoming the sevenfold assault of
the capital sins and so attain the sevenfold crown of the
endowments of glory, with the aid of the sevenfold sacra-
mental medicine divinely instituted for the restoration of
humankind.
n4. See pt. 7, chap. 7; the seven capital sins were examined in pt. 3,
chap. 9; the virtues, gifts, and beatitudes, in chaps. 4, 5 and 6 of this
part; the seven sacraments. in pt. 6, chap. 3.
mps 119:164. (Vg, Ps 118), a reference to the seven canonical hours
of the Divine Office. The Rule of Benedict (16.1) comments on'the same
text: "We will fulfill this sacred number of seven if we satisfy our
obligations of service at Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, and
Compline." In Bonaventure's time, Matins (not mentioned here) was
combined with Lauds.
PART VI
ON THE SACRAMENTAL REMEDY
CHAPTER 1
THE SOURCE OF THE SACRAMENTS
1. Thus far we have examined the Trinity of God, the
creation of the world, the corruption of sin, the Incarna-
tion of the Word, and the grace of the Holy Spirit. So now,
in the sixth place, we must consider the sacramental rem-
edy.' There are seven points that should be treated in this
regard; that is, we must examine their source, variation,
distinction, institution, administration, repetition, and fi-
nally, the integrity of each sacrament in particular.
. 2. We must maintain the following about the source of
the sacraments: that they are sensible signs divinely in-
stituted as remedies in which, "under the cover of mate-
rial realities, divine power operates in a hidden manner.'"
Thus, "they represent by similitude, signify by their insti-
tution, and confer a certain spiritual grace by sanctifica-
1 Peter Lombard began his classic treatment of the sacraments by
stating that "God instituted the remedies of sacraments against the
wounds of original and actual sin" (Liber 4 Sent., 1.1.1 [2: 231]).
Bonaventure similarly develops the prologue to his Commentary on
the Fourth Book of Sentences around the metaphor of medicine (IV, 1-
3).
2Isidore,Etymolog., 6.19.40 (PL 82: 255C), as cited by Peter Lombard,
Liber 4 Sent., 13.1 (2: 311·12). Lombard incorrectly attributed this
definition to Gregory the Great.
212 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUIUM
tion" through which the soul is cured from the weakness
of its vices.' They are principally ordained to this as their
final end; but as subordinate ends, they also are a means
of humiliation, instruction, and exercise.'
3. The reason for these things is the following. The prin-
ciple of our restoration, which is Christ crucified, the In-
carnate Word, disposes all things most wisely, being God,
and heals them most mercifully, being divinity incarnate.
Therefore, he ought to restore and heal the diseased hu-
man race in a manner suitable to the patient, the disease,
the cause ofthe illness, and its cure. Now the physician is
the Incarnate Word himself, the invisible God in a visible
nature. The patient, humankind, is neither pure spirit nor
flesh alone, but spirit in mortal flesh. The disease, origi-
nal sin, infects the mind through ignorance and the flesh
through concupiscence. The origin of this sin, though due
principally to the consent of reason, took its occasion from
the bodily senses. 6
Now, if a medicine was going to fit all ofthese circum-
stances, not only did it have to be spiritual, but it also had
to possess something in the way of sensible signs. In this
way, as sensible objects had been the occasion of the fall of
the soul, they might also become the occasion ofits rising.
But material signs, considered in themselves, cannot pro-
duce any effect in the order of grace, although by nature
they do bear a remote representation of its nature. Thus it
was appropriate for the Author of grace to institute signs
'Hugh of St. Victor,De sacram., 1.9.2 (PL 176: 317D [p.155]) .
• Lombard,Liber4 Sent., 1.5 (2:234.235), following Hugh, who stated
that the sacraments were instituted "for the sake of humiliation, for
the sake of instruction, for the sake of exercise," De sacram., 1.9.3 (PL
176: 319A [po 156]). See Bonaventure, In 4 Sent., 1.1 (IV, 10·31). On
how the sacraments provide means for exercising the virtues, see chap,
3.3 below.
I> See pt. 8, chap. 3 above.
PART VI 213
for the purpose of signifYing [grace1 and bless them for
the purpose of sanctifYing." And so, by virtue of their natu-
rallikeness these signs would represent, by virtue of the
added institution they would signifY, and by virtue of the
superadded blessing they would sanctifY and prepare for
the grace that heals and cures our soul.
4. Again, healing grace is not given to the proud, the
unbelieving, or the disdainful. It was thus fitting that God
give signs that would not only sanctifY and confer grace
and thus healing, but that would also instruct through
their signification, humble when received, and prompt to
action by their diversity. In this way sloth would be re-
moved from the positive appetite by virtue oftheir prompt-
ing, ignorance from the rational power by their instruct-
ing, and pride from the negative appetite by their hum-
bling. Thus the whole soul would become open to healing
by the grace of the Holy Spirit, which reforms us .with re-
spect to these three powers into the image of the Trinity
and of Christ. 7
5. Finally, it is in and through these divinely instituted
sensible signs that the grace of the Holy Spirit is encoun-
tered and received by those who approach them. There-
fore, these sacraments are called "vessels of grace" and
the "cause" of grace. 8 This is not because grace is substan-
tially contained in them or causally effected by them, for
grace dwells only within the soul and is infused by none
but God. Rather, it is because God has decreed that we are
to draw the grace of our healing from Christ, the supreme
6 cr. Peter Lombard, Liber 4 Sent., 1.4: "For it was not just to signify
grace that sacraments were instituted, but also to sanctify" (2:233).
7 Cf. pt. 5, chapo4.4-5.
'Hugh, De sacram., 1.904 (PL 176: 323B [po 160]).
214 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
Physician in and through these sensible signs, "although
God has not restricted his power to the sacraments.'"
6. What has been said up to this point indicates not
only the source of the sacraments but also their function
and their fruit. Their source is Christ the Lord; their func-
tion is to prompt, to instruct, and to humble; their fruit is
the healing and salvation of humankind. It is also clear
that their efficient cause is their divine institution, that
their material cause is their representing by a sensible
sign, that their formal cause is gratuitous sanctification,
and that their final cause is the medicinal healing ofhu-
mankind. And because a thing's name comes from its form
and its end,1O these signs are called 'sacraments,' as being
remedies that sanctify. For by means of them the soul is
led away from the filth of vice and led towards perfect
sanctification. Therefore, although the sacraments are
material and sensible, they must be venerated as holy, for
they signify sacred mysteries, prepare for sacred gifts, are
given by God most holy, are divinely consecrated through
a sacred institution and blessing, and are established in
the holy Church for the most sacred worship of God. Thus
they deservedly are called 'sacraments.'
CHAPTER 2 cines well suited to the changing conditions of successive
How THE SACRAMENTS HAVE VARIED
1. With regard to the variation of the sacraments, we
must hold that from the very outset sacraments were in-
stituted for the healing of humankind and that they will
9 Peter Lombard, Liber 4 Sent., 1.5 (2: 235). cr. Hugh, De sacram.,
1.9.5: "It is within God's power to save human beings without these but
it is not within human power to attain salvation without these" (PL
176: 323C [po 161, alt.)).
10 Aristotle, De anima, 2.4 : "It is right to call things after the ends
they realize" (416b 23-24 [po 564)).
PART VI 215
always attend humanity's ailments; thus, they will endure
until the end of the ages. But there were some sacraments
that existed under the natural law, others under the writ-
ten law, and others under the law of grace." Of all these
sacraments, the last named are clearer in their meaning
and of greater value because of the grace they impart.
Under the law of nature, there existed oblations, sacri-
fices, and tithes. Then, under the written law, circumci-
sion was introduced, rites of expiation were added, and
many other kinds of offerings, tithes, and sacrifices were
superimposed. However, under the new law [of grace],
"other sacraments were instituted: fewer in number, more
beneficial in their use, greater in their efficacy,"12 and
higher in their dignity. In them, all the sacraments of ear-
lier ages were both fulfilled and rendered void.
2. The reason for this should be understood as follows.
The Incarnate Word, who is the principle of our restora-
tion and the font and origin of the sacraments, is supremely
merciful and wise. Being most merciful, he saw to it that
the disease of sin should not run rampant without a sac-
ramental remedy. Being most wise, in accord with the
immutable wisdom that governs the universe with su-
preme order, he made use of diverse and various medi-
ages. Therefore, since "from the beginning, as time pro-
gressed and as the coming of the Savior drew nearer and
nearer, and as the effect of salvation and the knowledge of
truth always increased more and more, it was fitting that
the signs of salvation themselves had to be changed one
11 Bonaventure's argument is based on Hugh of St. Victor, De sacram"
1.8.11-12, and 1.11.6 (PL 176: 313-14 and 345-47); on these three stages
of salvation history. cr. Prol. 2 above.
12 Augustine, Contra Faustum, 19.13, trans. R. Stothert (PL 42: 355
[NPNF 4: 244)). Cf. In 4 Sent., 1.2 (IV, 31-46), and 2.1.1-2 (IV, 48-52).
216 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVlLOQUIUM
after the other through the succession of times, so that as
the effect of divine grace increased unto salvation, at the
same time its meaning might appear more evident inthe
visible signs themselves."" Hence, "it was ordained that
the sacrament of expiation and justification was first es-
tablished as an offering, afterwards as circumcision, and
finally as baptismal cleansing, since the form and like-
ness of that cleansing is found obscurely indeed in the
oblation, is expressed more evidently in circumcision, but
is manifestly declared in Baptism." That is why "those
sacraments of the first days," as Hugh writes, "were a kind
of shadow of the truth; those of intermediate times, a kind
of image or figure of the truth; and those of this last age,
that of grace, the very body of truth,"14 for the latter con-
tain in themselves the truth and healing grace they rep-
resent, and actually impart what they promise. l5
3. Now the presence of truth and grace, which are
manifest under the law of grace,16 could not be fittingly
expressed in just one sign by reason of the loftiness and
variety of their effects and powers. It therefore follows that
in every age and under every law many sacraments were
given, in order to express this truth and grace. This was
especially the case with the many and varied signs that
came before [Christ] during the time of figures, whose func-
tion was symbolic.17 This variety was intended to express
in manifold ways the grace of Christ, and to commend it
more forcefully. Through this manifold commendation, they
13 A close paraphrase of Hugh of St. Victor,De sacram., 11.8 (PL 176:
345) [pp. 184·85]).
14 Ibid. [PL 176: 346 [po 185~86]); also, De sacram. legis naturalis et
scripta_ (PL 176: 38).
.oCr. Augustine,Enarrat. in Ps. 73,2 (PL 36: 931); Lombard, Lib_r 4
Sent., 1.6 (2: 236).
16 Of. John 1:17: "The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and
truth came through Jesus Christ."
ncr. Hebr 1:1, 9:9.
PART VI 217
were to feed the little ones, train the imperfect, and im-
pose on the stubborn a heavy burden, breaking down their
resistance, taming them, and in a certain way softening
them for the yoke of grace.18
4. But finally, when truth appears, the shadow fades
away and the heralding figure attains its intended end; at
this point both its use and its activity ought necessarily to
cease. And so, when grace appeared, the ancient sacra-
ments and signs were both fulfilled and abolished, for they
were signs announcing things to come and, so to speak,
heralding them from afar. 19 Then new sacraments were
instituted that clearly demonstrate the presence of grace.
Each in its own way commemorates the passion ofthe Lord,
the origin and font of healing grace, both for those who
lived before Christ as well as for us: for the former, a pay-
ment promised; for the latter, a price paid. 20 Now gTace is
not due to a promise of payment except in view of its dis-
charge; and it is due more abundantly to a price that has
been remitted than to the mere promise of payment. There-
fore, the passion of Christ sanctifies with greater imme-
diacy the sacraments of the time of the new law, and a
more abundant measure of grace flows from them. For that
reason the former sacraments prepared for the latter and
led the way to them, as the road to the destination, the
sign to the reality signified, the figure to the truth, as the
imperfect both prepares and leads to the perfect. 21
IS Of. Hugh, De sacram., 11.4: "First, therefore, before the law he
nourished the young by counsel. Then he tried by precept those exercised
under the law" (PL 176: 345 [po 184]).
"Cr. Hebr 7: 18, 10:1, 11:13. See Bonaventure,In 4 Sent., 1.1.2, ad 4
(IV,15).
wCf. pt. 4, chap. 10.
21 Of. 1 Cor 13:10:"When the perfect comes, the imperfect passes away."
218 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
CHAPTER 3 pulsion of the sickness, restoration of health, and the main-
THE NUMBER AND DIVISION
OF THE SACRAMENTS
1. Concerning the number and division of the sacra-
ments of the new law, the following points must be held:
that they are seven in number corresponding to the sev-
enfold grace which, through the seven ages of time, leads
us back to our origin, to repose, and to the circle of eter-
nity, as to an eighth age, that of universal resurrection?'
Now the entry to these sacraments is Baptism: then fol-
low Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unc-
tion, [Holy1 Orders, and Matrimony. Although Matrimony
is placed last because of the disease of concupiscence linked
to it, nonetheless it was established before all the others -
in paradise, and even before sin.23
2. These things may be explained in the following
way. Our restoring principle, Christ the Lord, the Incar-
nate Word, is the power of God and the wisdom of God,24
and also our mercy. He therefore ought to institute the
sacraments of the law of grace so powerfully, so wisely, so
mercifully, and so appropriately that absolutely nothing
should be wanting for our healing in our present state of
life. Now, for a perfect cure, three things must concur: ex-
22 See Prologue, 2.1 and pt. 5, chap. 10 above, and In 4 Sent., 2.1.3
(IV, 52-54), Catholic beliefin precisely seven sacraments was not firmly
established until the twelfth century, when Scholastic theologians
systematically developed the concept of sacrament in such a way that
their number had to be flxed at seven. The first enumeration of the
canonical seven sacraments comes from the anonymous Sententiae
divinitatis (c. 1147), a work of the school ofGilberl of Poitiers. This was
taken up by the Sentences of Peter Lombard (1152-56), through which
it gained universal acceptance.
23 Based on Augustine, De Gen. ad lit., 9.19.36 (PL 34: 408). See chap.
13 of this part.
"1 Cor 1:24.
PART VI 219
tenance of health once restored.25
First of all, a perfect cure requires the perfect and com-
plete expulsion of sickness. Now in this case there is a
sevenfold disease, comprising three forms of sin - origi-
nal, mortal, and venial- and four forms of penalty - igno-
rance, malice, weakness, and concupiscence. Furthermore,
as Jerome says, "what heals the foot does not heal the
eye."26 And so it is appropriate that a combination of seven
remedies are needed to drive out completely this seven-
fold disease: against original sin, Baptism; against mortal
sin, Penance; against venial sin, Extreme Unction; against
ignorance, Orders; against malice, the Eucharist; against
weakness, Confirmation; against concupiscence, Matri-
mony, which both tempers and excuses it.
3. Again, there cannot be a perfect cure without a com-
plete restoration of health. Now the sound health of the
soul consists in the exercise of the seven virtues, namely,
the three theological and the four cardinal."7 Hence, in
order to restore their healthy exercise, it was fitting that
seven sacraments be instituted. For the healing work of
Baptism leads to faith, Confirmation to hope, the Eucha-
rist to charity, Penance to justice, Extreme Unction to per-
severance - the complement and summit of fortitude, Or-
ders to prudence, and Matrimony to the preservation of
temperance, which is threatened mainly by the weakness
of the flesh but is saved through honest marriage.
25 Based on Augustine, Enarrat. in Ps. 7, 10 (PL 36: 104).
26Comment. in Marc" 9.28 (PL 30: 616 C). On the sevenfold disease,
see pt. 3, chap. 5. In viewing the sacraments as medicine combating
the seven-fold infection of sin, Bonaventure is following Alexander of
Hales' Gloss on the Sentences, 4.2.1 (15:40).
27 On the seven virtues, see pt. 5, chap. 4. In this paragraph,
Bonaventure again follows an argument advanced by Alexander of
Hales (Glossa, 4.3.2-3 [15: 47-49]), although he assigns the sacraments
to the various virtues in a slightly different manner.
220 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
4. Finally, a cure is not perfect unless it maintains
health once restored. In the strife of the battle [of this
life], spiritual health may be maintained nowhere but in
the ranks of the Church, terrible as an army set in array,
and this because of the armament of its sevenfold grace.
This is why there have to be seven sacraments.28 Since
this army consists of elements that are subject to weak-
ening, in order that the ranks be perfectly and permanently
strengthened, it needs sacraments to fortify, relieve, and
replenish its members: to fortifY the combatants, relieve
the wounded, and replenish the dying. Now, a fortifying
sacrament strengthens either those just entering the com-
bat, and this is Baptism; or those in the midst ofthe fray,
and this is Confirmation; or those who are leaving it, and
this is Extreme Unction. A relieving sacrament alleviates
either venial sin, and this is the Eucharist; or mortal sin,
and this is Penance. Finally, a sacrament that replenishes
does so either on the level of spiritual existence, and this
is [Holy] Orders, which has the function of administering
the sacraments; or on the level of natural existence, and
this is Matrimony, which replenishes the multitude of
humanity in their natural existence, the foundation of
everything else. Thus it was the first to be instituted, be-
fore all the others. But because it is linked with the dis-
ease of concupiscence and is the sacrament with the least
sanctifYing power - even though in its signification it is a
great sacrament29 - Matrimony is listed as the last and
lowest of the spiritual remedies.
28 The following justification of seven sacraments as necessary for
the life of the "Church Militant" was fIrst developed by Peter of Poitiers,
in his Five Books of Sentences, completed around 1170 (Sent., 5.3 [PL
211: 1229]). Thus a Christian's entire life, from cradle to the grave, is
brought under the sway of divine grace. The quotation is from Cant 6:3
(Vg).
"Eph 5:32 (Vg).
PART VI 221
And so Baptism is designed for those just entering the
fight, Confirmation for those engaged in combat, the Eu-
charist for those refreshing their strength, Penance for
those rising from their sickbeds, Extreme Unction for those
who are departing, Orders for those who break in the new
recruits, and Matrimony for those who provide these re-
cruits. And so it is evident that the sacramental remedies
and armaments are both sufficient and orderly.
CHAPTER 4
THE INSTITUTION OF THE SACRAMENTS
1. With the regard to the institution of the sacraments,
the following points must be held. Christ instituted the
seven sacraments of the law of grace in virtue of his role
as mediator of a new covenant and as principal author of a
law through which he called humankind to promised eter-
nal goods,3O gave directing precepts, and instituted sancti-
fYing sacraments. He instituted these sacraments in words
and material elements to convey insight into what they
signify and to make them effective means of sanctifica-
tion. This he did in such a way that they would always
signify truth, but not always effect healing - not because
of a defect on their part, but on the part of the recipient.
Now Christ instituted these sacraments in different
ways. Some, [already existing], he confirmed, approved,
and brought to perfection, namely, Matrimony and Pen-
ance; others he alluded to and merely introduced, namely,
Confirmation and Extreme Unction; but others he inau-
gurated, brought to perfection, and received, namely, Bap-
tism, the Eucharist, and Orders. These last three he insti-
tuted fully and was the first to receive.31
"Hebr 9:15.
310n the institution of the sacraments see: for Baptism, In 4 Sent.,
3.2.1.1 (lV, 76-78); for ConfIrmation, 7.1.1-2 (IV, 163-67); for the
222 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
2. This should be understood in the following way. Since
our restoring Principle is Christ crucified, namely, the In-
carnate Word, he is, by the very fact of being the Word,
coequal and consubstantial with the Father. He is there-
fore the Word of supreme power, truth, and goodness, and
as such, possesses supreme authority. Consequently, it was
proper for him to inaugurate a New Testament and to pro-
vide a complete and sufficient law in accordance with his
supreme power, truth, and goodness. In his supreme good-
ness, he held out beatifYing promises; in his supreme truth,
he gave guiding commands; and in his supreme power, he
established supporting sacraments. It was through these
sacraments that human beings might regain their strength
to follow the guiding commands, and by fulfilling them,
attain the eternal promises. All this was accomplished
through the law of the Gospel by the eternal Word, Christ
the Lord, in as much as he is the way, the truth, and the
life."
3. Furthermore, the restoring principle is not simply
the Word as such, but the Word as incarnate. It is by vir-
tue of his becoming incarnate that he offers himself to all
to impart knowledge of the truth and gives himself to all
those who come to him worthily to bestow the grace of
healing. Therefore, being full ofgrace and truth,"' the Word
Incarnate instituted the sacraments in both material ele-
ments and words, so that they might signify more clearly
and sanctifY more effectively. Thus, when the elements
present themselves to the eyes and the words to the ears
- for these are the two senses especially equipped for gain
Eucharist, 8.1.2.1-3 and dub.4 (IV, 184-86 and 188); for Penance,
17.2.1.1-3 (lV, 435-41); for the anointing of the sick, 23.1.2 (lV, 590-92);
for Orders, 24.1, 2.2-3 (IY, 615-18); for marriage, 26.1.1-2 (lV, 661-64).
"John 14:6.
"John 1:14.
223
ing knowledge" - they convey clearly the inner meaning
of the outward sign. In addition, the words sanctifY the
material elements and make them more effective for heal-
ing humanity. But this healing is not granted to those who
reject and oppose this fountain of grace in their hearts.
This is why the sacraments were instituted in such a way
that they would always bear their signification to all, but
would sanctify only those who approach them worthily
and sincerely.35
4. Finally, even though the Incarnate Word is the foun-
tain of every sacramental grace, nevertheless some sacra-
mental grace existed before the Incarnation, some did not
exist until after the sending of the Holy Spirit, and some
came into existence in between. That is why it was fitting
that the sacraments be instituted in different ways.
Now before the Incarnation there had to be both peni-
tential sorrow and matrimonial procreation. And so Christ
did not institute these two sacraments as something new.
Rather, [as the eternal Word], he had already established
them and imprinted them in a certain way through the
dictates of nature. But he completed and confirmed them
in the evangelical law by preaching repentance, attend-
ing the wedding feast, and reasserting the command con-
cerning marriage, as may be gathered from various pas-
sages of the Gospel. 36
Also, before the Holy Spirit was sent, neither was that
Spirit fully bestowed for confirming the disciples [in faith]
so they could publicly confess the name of Christ, nor was
there yet a full spiritual anointing to help them rise to
heaven. And so Christ merely ushered in and alluded to
34 Aristotle,De anima, 2.9; 3.3 (421a 6·8; 429a 2·3);De sensu et sensato,
1 (437a 3-18).
"See In 4 Sent., 1.1.2 and 4.1.2.2-3 (lV, 13-15, 102-04).
"E.g., Matt 4:17, Mark 1:14-15, John 2:1-11, Matt 19:4-6.
224 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUIUM
the two corresponding sacraments, namely Confirmation
and Extreme Unction: Confirmation, by imposing his
hands on the little ones, and by foretelling that his dis-
ciples would be baptized with the Holy Spirit;37 and Ex-
treme Unction, by sending the disciples to cure the sick
whom they anointed with oil, as Mark tells us. 38
But in the intermediate time, regeneration, the orga-
nization of the Church, and spiritual nourishment all took
place. Thus, Christ instituted three corresponding sacra-
ments - Baptism, the Eucharist, and [Holy] Orders - in a
clear and complete manner. He instituted Baptism first
by being baptized himself, then by determining the form
of Baptism and revealing it to others.39 He instituted Or-
ders by first giving authority to bind and loose the sins of
humankind, and then the power to confect the sacrament
of the altar." He instituted the Eucharist by comparing
himself to a grain of wheat, and, immediately before his
passion, by confecting the sacrament of his body and blood
and giving it to his disciples. 4' Therefore, it was fitting
that these three sacraments be instituted distinctly and
entirely by Christ himself and be prefigured frequently in
the old law, since they are the essential sacraments of the
New Testament, and proper to its lawgiver himself, the
Incarnate Word.
CHAPTER 5
THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE SACRAMENTS
1. Concerning the administration of the sacraments,
the following points must be held. The power of dis pens-
"Matt 10:13, Acts 1:5.
38 Mark 6:13.
"Matt 3:13, 28:19; John 3:5.
"Matt 16:19, 18:18; John 20:22-23; Luke 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24-25.
.. John 12:24-25; Matt 26:26-28.
PART VI 225
ing the sacraments belongs, as a rule, to the human race
alone. And in administering any sacrament, the one min-
istering them must have the intention of doing so. Some
sacraments require, besides the right intention, priestly
or episcopal orders: a bishop is necessary to administer
Confirmation and Orders, while priestly ordination is
needed for the Eucharist,42 Penance, and Extreme Unc-
tion. Although Baptism and Matrimony normally pertain
to priests, a person without priestly orders, particularly
in case of necessity, may in fact administer them.
If these conditions have been met, the sacraments may
be conferred by both good and evil persons, by the faithful
or by heretics, within the [Catholic] Church or outside it.
Within the Church they are conferred in fact and with
effect, while outside it they are without effect, although
conferred in fact'"
2. This should be understood as follows. Our restoring
principle, the Incarnate Word, instituted the sacraments
as one who was both divine and human for the salvation
of humankind. And so it was fitting that he ordained that
they were to be dispensed for human beings by the minis-
try of other human beings. In this way, the minister would
resemble both Christ the Savior and human beings in need
of salvation. Now Christ the Savior brought about the sal-
vation of the human race in a manner befitting the equity
42 The challenge presented by the lay-led Waldensian movement
impelled the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) to state clearly that only
priests can celebrate the Eucharist: "N obady can effect this sacrament
except a priest who has been validly ordained" (DEC, 1: 230).
430n proper intention, see In 4 Sent., 6.2.2 (IV, 152-55); on the minister
of Baptism, see 5.1-2 (IV, 120-25), on the minister of Confirmation, 7.1.3
(N, 167-68): on the minister of the Eucharist, 13.1.1-4 (N, 302-07); on
the minister of Penance, 17.3.1 and the whole of 19 (N, 450-57 and
499-529); on the minister of Extreme Unction, 23.2.1 (IV; 596-97); on
the minister of Orders, 25.1 (IV, 641-49); on the minister of Matrimony,
27.2.1 and 28.5 (N, 678-79, 694-95) .
226 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUlUM
oflaw, the dignity of order, and the assurance of salvation
itself-for he wrought salvation in ajust, orderly, and sure
way." Therefore, he entrusted the administration of these
sacraments to human beings in a way that conformed to
these three qualities.
First of all, the equity of law demands that any hu-
man works, if they are truly human, be not performed
unthinkingly; that the works of human beings as minis-
ters of Christ be referred in some way to Christ; and that
the works of human beings as ministers of salvation be
referred in some general or specific way to salvation. Now,
the administration of any sacrament is a work that a per-
son does as a rational being, as a minister of Christ, and
as a minister of salvation. It therefore must necessarily
proceed out of a proper intention, by which a person in-
tends to do that which Christ has instituted for our salva-
tion, or at least to do what the Church does, which would
include the same general intention, since the Church,
which has received the sacraments from Christ, dispenses
them for the salvation of the faithful.
3. The order of dignity demands that greater things be
entrusted to the greater, lesser things to the lesser, and
intermediate things to those who hold a middle. rank. Fur-
thermore, some sacraments are principally concerned with
the perfection of virtue or dignity, as Confirmation and
Orders; some are connected with a basic need, such as
Baptism and Matrimony, for the latter generates and the
former regenerates to a requisite level oflife. Other sacra-
ments hold a middle position, such as the Eucharist, Pen-
ance, and Extreme Unction. Hence, under general law, the
first group, dealing with an elevated status, may be con-
ferred only by bishops and pontiffs; the lesser ones may
be administered by anyone with Orders and even by lay
"Ps 74:12 (Vg 73:12).
PART VI 227
persons, especially in case of necessity; here I am speak-
ing especially of Baptism. The intermediate sacraments,
however, can be dispensed by priests alone, who are be-
tween bishops and inferior persons, occupying a middle
rank.
4. Lastly, the assurance of salvation requires that the
sacraments be administered in such a way that there is
no occasion for doubt. Now, no one can ever be certain of
the goodness or faith of the minister; in fact the minister
himself cannot be certain whether he is worthy of love or
hatred'" And so, if the administration of the sacraments
were reserved only to the virtuous, no one would be cer-
tain if they had received them. They would have to be re-
peated again and again, and so the evil of one person would
prejudice the salvation of others. Neither would there be
any stability in the hierarchical ranks of the Church Mili-
tant, whose principal role is the administration of the sac-
raments. Therefore, it was fitting that the administration
of the sacraments be entrusted to persons, not by reason
of their sanctity, which varies according to the condition
of their will, but by reason of their authority, which al-
ways remains what it is. It was therefore fitting that this
power was given to good and bad alike, to those within the
Church and those without."
"Qoh 9:l.
46In this section, Bonaventure is repeating the arguments of
Augustine against the Donatists, but now against contemporary reform
movements who had broken with what they viewed as a worldly church.
The Waldensians maintained that only those who lived according to
apostolic practice had the right to administer the sacraments. Thus, in
1208 Innocent III included the following statement in a profession of
faith for a group of reconciled Waldensians: "We do not reject the
sacraments which are conferred in the Church, ... even though these
sacraments be administered by a sinful priest .... For the evil life of a
bishop or priest has no harmful eftect on either the baptism of an infant
or the consecration of the Eucharist or other ecclesiastical duties
performed for the faithful." The Christian Faith, ed. Jacques Dupuis,
7'" ed. (New York: Alba House, 2001), 611; hereafter TCF.
228 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUIUM
But no one may be saved outside that unity of faith
and love that makes uS children and members of the
Church. Therefore, whenever the sacraments are received
outside it, they are received with no effect for salvation,
even though they are true sacraments. They can be of ben-
efit, however, when the recipient returns to holy Mother
Church, the only Bride of Christ, whose children are the
only ones whom Christ the Spouse deems worthy of an
eternal inheritance. Thus Augustine argues against the
Donatists,4' "The comparison of the Church with paradise
shows us that people may indeed receive her Baptism out-
side her boundaries, but that no one outside can either
receive or retain the salvation of [eternal] happiness. For,
as Scripture testifies, the rivers from the fountain of para-
dise flowed copiously even beyond its bounds. 48 Record
indeed is made of their names, and everyone knows
through what countries they flow and that these are situ-
ated beyond the pale of paradise; and yet neither in
Mesopotamia, nor in Egypt, to which countries those riv-
ers oflife extended, exists that blessedness oflife which is
recorded in paradise. Accordingly, though the waters of
paradise are found beyond its boundaries, there is no hap-
piness except in paradise alone. So, therefore, the Church's
Baptism may exist outside the Church, but the gift of a
blessed life is found only within the Church, which has
been founded on a rock and which has received the keys of
binding and loosing. She alone holds and possesses the
47 De baptismo contra Donat., 4.1-2, trans. J. R. King and C. D.
Hartranft (PL 43: 153-55 [NPNF 4: 447, alt.]). Again, Bonaventure
revives Augustine's anti-Donatist arguments in the context of
contemporary heretical groups. The Fourth Lateran Council (1215) had
re-affirmed the necessity of belonging to the Catholic Church in order
to be saved: 4'There is indeed one universal Church of the faithful, outside
of which nobody at all is saved" (DEC 1: 230).
"Gen 2:8 and 10-14.
PART VI 229
complete power of her Bridegroom and Lord; by virtue of
which she, as Bride, can bring forth children even of
handmaids. And these, if they be not high-minded, shall
be called into the lot ofthe inheritance; but if they be proud,
they shall remain outside. All the more, then, because we
are fighting for the honor and unity of the Church, let us
beware of giving heretics credit for whatever of her truth
that we acknowledge among them. Rather, let us teach
them by argument, that whatever they possess that is
derived from her unity is of no efficacy to their salvation,
unless they return to that same unity."
CHAPTER 6
THE REPETITION OF THE SACRAMENTS
1. As to the repetition of the sacraments, the following
points must be held. It is common to all the sacraments
that they should not conferred upon the same person, on
the same occasion, and for the same reason, lest the sac-
rament fall into contempt. 49 But three sacraments in par-
ticular - Baptism, Confirmation, and Orders - may never
be repeated. For these three sacraments impart a unique
inner character that is never erased. 50 Of these, the char-
acter of Baptism is fundamental, for the other two cannot
49 Cf. Augustine, De baptismo contra Donat., 1.1.2: "For no sacrament
may be wronged [by repeating it]" (PL 43: 109), a passage repeated by
Lombard,Liber 4 Sent., 7.5(2: 279). On the material in this chapter, see
Bonaventure, In 4 Sent., 6,1, but especially 6.4 and 6 9 (IV, 135-48);
7.3.3, (IV, 175); 24.2.1.1-4 (IV, 620-29).
50The idea that Baptism imparts a seal upon the recipient that cannot
be erased was developed by Augustine, e,g,. in Epist. 98, ad Bonif., 5
(PL 33: 362). The concept again came into prominence in Innocent Ill's
decrees dealing with the Waldensians. Alexander of Hales was the first
to develop the notion that a permanent character was imprinted by
the three sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Orders (Glossa,
4.23.7 [15: 394-99]).
230 ST. BONAVENTURE'S I3REVlLOQUIUM
be imprinted unless this has first been bestowed. Thus, if
an unbaptized person is ordained, absolutely nothing is
effected, and everything must be redone, because "when it
is clear that nothing was done in the first place, one can-
not consider an act a repetition."51
2. The reason for this is as follows. Our restoring prin-
ciple, the Incarnate Word, in his supreme power, wisdom,
and goodness does nothing inefficaciously, improperly, or
fruitlessly; certainly, then, he ought to observe this all the
more in his most noble works such as those that restore
the human race. Since the sacraments belong to this cat-
egory of divine works, it follows that a certain outrage is
perpetrated against them when they are repeated on the
same occasion, for the same person, and for the same rea-
son. For this would indicate that their prior administra-
tion was inefficacious, improper, and fruitless. This would
be contrary to what pertains to the supreme power, wis-
dom, and goodness of the restorative principle, for he al-
ways present working in and through the sacraments.
3. Now all of the restoring sacraments possess by di-
vine power a general efficacy to restore the human race.
But some of these were instituted solely as remedies
against disease, while others were instituted not only {or
this purpose but also for the sake of establishing, distin-
guishing, and setting in order the hierarchical levels in
the Church. For diseases can vary, be driven out and re-
cur, but the grades of the Church must remain firm, solid,
and unshaken. That is why the sacraments concerned with
recurring diseases have transitory effects; consequently
they may be repeated if a new reason appears. On the
other hand, those concerned with the hierarchical grades
and determinate ranks of the faith must necessarily have
some permanent effects that remain beyond their reme-
51 Decretals of Gregory IX, 3.43.3 (ed. Friedberg, 2: 648) and 5.29 (2:
833).
PART VI 231
dial action in order to establish a fixed and stable distinc-
tion of dignities and states within the Church. This can-
not be produced either by natural means or even by a tran-
sient gift of the grace that makes pleasing. It therefore
must come about through certain signs impressed upon
an incorruptible substance, that is, the incorruptible soul,
by the incorruptible Principle in an incorruptible fashion,
that is, indelibly and gratuitously. These signs are called
characters, because they are indelible; they may never be
assumed a second time, nor may the sacraments imprint-
ing them ever be repeated.
4. Finally, faith may exist in three different states. This
fact gives rise to a distinction among the Christian people,
that is to say, among the orderly ranks of the church: the
states of newborn faith, faith strengthened, and faith aug-
mented. The first distinguishes the faithful from unbe-
lievers, the second distinguishes the strong from the weak
or infirm, the third distinguishes clerics from lay people.
That is why the sacraments related to this threefold sta-
tus of faith impress a character always distinguishing
those indelibly marked by it, and hence can never be re-
peated. Now Baptism concerns the state of newborn faith
whereby the People of God are distinguished from unbe-
lievers, as were the Israelites from the Egyptians. Confir-
mation concerns the state of strengthened faith whereby
the strong are distinguished from the weak, as are sol-
diers from those who are not fit for combat. [Holy1 Orders
concerns the state of augmented faith whereby clerics are
distinguished from lay people, as were the Levites from
the other tribes. It is therefore only in these three sacra-
ments that a character is imprinted.
5. Moreover, since the distinction between God's people
and those who are not a people is first and fundamental,52
52Cf.lPeter 2:10: "Once you were not a people, but now you are God's
people."
232 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVlLOQUlUM
it follows that the character of Baptism is the foundation
of all the others. Therefore, if this foundation is lacking,
nothing may be built upon it. Everything must be done
anew. On the other hand, if this foundation has been laid,
the other two may be impressed, and they can never again
be repeated. The three aforesaid sacraments that imprint
a character may not be repeated for any reason whatso-
ever. A severe penalty must be imposed upon those who
do in fact repeat them for they insult a sacrament of God.'3
The other four sacraments, however, may be repeated with-
out offense when new occasions arise.
CHAPTER 7 a way that no~hing in them is superfluous, nothing irregu-
THE NATURE AND INTEGRITY OF BAPTISM
1. Now, in the seventh place, it remains for us to exam-
ine the integrity of each of the sacraments. 54 AB the sacra-
ments are seven in number, we should first consider the
integrity of Baptism, since it is the portal to the others.
2. Concerning integrity of the sacrament of Baptism,
the following must be held: that for anyone to be baptized
validly and completely, the form established by the Lord
must be said aloud: "I baptize you in the name of the Fa-
ther, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."" No
word may be omitted, none added, nor may the order given
here be changed or the above-mentioned names be altered.
There must be an immersion or an infusion of the entire
body, or at least of its most noble part [the headl, by means
of the element of water, in such a way that the washing
and the vocal expression are performed simultaneously
Gratian, Decretum, de cons., d. 4, c. 118 (I: 1398).
53
For the Scholastics, a discussion of the 'integrity' of each sacrament
54
meant treating its constituent elements, that is its matter and form.
"Cf. Matt 28:19.
PART VI 233
by one and the same minister. If these conditions are ful-
filled, and if there is no dissimulation in the one being
baptized, a grace is bestowed that regenerates, rectifies,
and cleanses from all sin. For the grace to have fuller ef-
fect, a preparatory instruction and an exorcism precede
the baptism of both children and adults. Although per-
sonal faith is required in the case of adults, in the case of
children the faith of another suffices."
3. This should be understood as follows. Our restoring
Principle, the Incarnate Word, is an utterly perfect and
sufficient principle. He should therefore restore the hu-
man race through the remedies of the sacraments in such
lar, and nothing incomplete. And so, it was fitting for him
to arrange that the sacrament of Baptism, as well as the
other sacraments, would be as complete as demanded by
his power, by our salvation, and by our disease.
Now, the power that restores us is the power of the
whole Trinity, whom Holy Mother Church believes in her
heart, confesses in word, and proclaims in signs, recogniz-
ing the distinction, properties, order, and natural origin of
the three persons. This power is also that ofthe passion of
Christ, who died, and was buried, and rose again on the
third day. 57 Therefore, to express all these things in the
sacrament which is the first of all the sacraments and in
which this power is first and primarily active, there ought
to be an expression of the Trinity through a distinct, proper,
and orderly mention of names. This at least is the com-
mon form, even though in the early church Baptism could
be done in the name of Christ, in which of course the Trin-
ity is understood as included." This formula of Baptism
"See In 4 Sent., 3-5 and 6.2.3 (IV, 63-132 and 155-59).
57Jn the words of the Apostles' Creed, which quotes 1 Cor 15:4.
58 Following Peter Lombard, Liber 4 Sent., d. 3, c. 3 (2:245), who cites
Acts 8:12. Lombard goes on to say that Baptism might possibly still be
234 ST. BONAVENTliRE'S' BREVILOQUIUM
must also be pronounced in a properly and orderly se-
quence, at the same time as the triple immersion, which
fittingly represents Christ's death, burial, and resurrec-
tion on the third day. And because these two powers act
simultaneously and in the one Christ the Savior, both of
these acts [pronouncing the formula and the triple im-
mersion) ought to be done by one and the same minister
simultaneously for the same recipient in order to preserve
the unity of the sacrament and to signifY the oneness of
the Mediator.59
4. Besides, our salvation first required a regeneration
or renovation into the state of grace, which confers spiri-
tual existence by cleansing the impurity, dispelling the
darkness, and cooling the concupiscence that befall every
person born ofAdam's seed. For these reasons, it was most
appropriate that the first sacrament, which brings about
that regeneration, should be constituted by that element
whose natural signification expresses the aforesaid three-
fold effect of the. grace initiating our salvation. For water
cleanses by its purity, transmits light by its limpidity, and
cools by its freshness. Furthermore, it is the most com-
mon of all liquids. This is why the sacrament of our regen-
eration may be fittingly performed with any kind of wa-
ter, for "all water is specifically the same as all other wa-
ter."60 In this way no one's salvation is put in danger by
the lack of the proper material element.
5. Finally, the disease within us that Baptism radi-
cally opposes is original sin. This disease deprives the soul
of the life of grace and the rectitude that enables all the
virtues; in a certain way it also inclines the soul towards
administered only in the name of Christ (c. 4 [Ibid.]). Bonaventure
discusses this opinion,In 4 Sent., 3.1.2.2, ad 3, and concludes that it is
necessary to baptize in the name of the Trinity (IV, 72-73).
"Cf. In 4 Sent., 5.1.1 (IV, 122).
60 Aristotle, Topics, 1.6 (103a 19-20 [po 193]).
PART VI 235
every kind of sin. Transmitted at conception, "it makes a
child potentially concupiscent and an adult actually SO,"61
reducing persons into slavery to the devil, submitting them
to the power of the prince of darkness. 62 Thus, if it is to be
an effective cure to counteract this disease, this sacrament
must provide a grace that regenerates, to offset the loss of
the life of grace; a grace that rectifies by means of its sev-
enfold power, to offset the loss of the enabling virtues;63
and a grace that cleanses of all sin, to offset the inclina-
tion to all types of disordered vices.
6. Since original sin, received from another, makes a
child potentially concupiscent and an adult actually so,
the adult must necessarily possess personal faith and per-
sonal contrition. But for a child the faith and contrition of
others suffices, that is, of the universal Church. And be-
cause the' purpose of Baptism is to deliver both children
and adults from slavery to the devil and from the power of
the prince of darkness, both ought to be exorcised, so that
the hostile spirits may be expelled. Likewise, both ought
to be instructed: adults, so that once darkness of error has
been expelled, they might be formed in the faith; children
through their godparents, for they ought to know the things
they should teach them. In this way the sacrament ofBap-
tism will not be blocked from attaining its end through
some human defect.
CHAPTER 8
ON THE INTEGRITY OF CONFIRMATION
1. Concerning the sacrament of Confirmation, we must
hold that for its integrity a vocal formula is required. Ac-
"Peter Lombard,Liber 2 Sent., 30.9 (1: 500-01), based on Hugh of St.
Victor, De sacram., 1.1.31 (PL 176: 301-02).
"Cf. Rom 6:16, Eph 6:12, Col 1:13.
63 Cf. pt. 5, chap. 4.4-5 above.
236 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
cording to the most common usage this is:"1 sign you with
the sign of the cross and I confirm you with the chrism of
salvation, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit. Amen." Chrism is also required, which is
composed of olive oil and balsam. When the bishop traces
the sign of the cross with chrism on the forehead with the
aforesaid words, the sacrament is received. By it, a person
is strengthened to be a fighter for Christ, to confess his
name courageously and publicly.64
2. This should be understood as follows. Our restor-
ative Principle, the Incarnate Word, was conceived from
eternity in the bosom of the Father and appeared corpore-
ally in time to humankind. And so, he restores only those
who conceive him in their heart by faith, and who confess
that belief outwardly when such testimony is demanded.
Now a veracious witness is one who proclaims the whole
truth, that is, not simply a truth that is theoretical but
also practical. The latter implies not only "conformity be-
tween thought, expression, and object,"" but also the con-
formity of the whole person to the truth, so the reason
understands it, the will consents to it, and the faculties
cooperate with it. In this way one's confession is with all
one's heart, all one's soul, and all one's mind: from a pure
heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. 66 Such a con-
fession of faith is whole, pleasing, and undaunted: whole
with respect to the One of whom it is made, pleasing with
respect to the ones before whom it is made, and undaunted
with respect to the one who makes it. But human beings
are too fainthearted for such a confession without the
strengthening hand of heavenly grace. Therefore, the sac-
"On Confirmation, see In 4 Sent., the whole of d. 7 (IV, 163-77).
65 cr. Averroes, Destructio destructionum, disp. met. 1, dub. 22;
Avicenna, Metaphysica, 1.9.
GB Mark 12:30; 1 Tim 1:5.
PART VI 237
rament of Confirmation was divinely instituted as an im-
mediate complement to Baptism.
3. Now, because the end determines the means to the
end,.' for this sacrament to be complete, it must meet the
three conditions of a proper confession of faith mentioned
above. First of all, it must be whole. But a confession of
faith is not complete unless a person acknowledges that
Christ is truly human, crucified for the sake ofhumauity,
and that he is also truly the incarnate Son of God, coequal
in all respects with the Father and the Holy Spirit in the
Trinity. Hence, the formula of this sacrament expresses,
not only the act of confirming, but also includes making
the sign of the cross and the name of the most blessed
Trinity.
4. Next, a fitting confession of faith must be pleasing
to the ones before whom it is made - that is, before God
and before human beings." It cannot be pleasing to God
unless the mind is enlightened and the conscience puri-
fied, nor can it be pleasing before our neighbor without
the fragrance of a good name and a virtuous life. Hence,
this sacrament's material element is a mixture of olive
oil, which is transparent, and balsam, which is fragrant.
This is to siguify that the confession to which this sacra-
ment disposes and leads must combine purity of conscience
and understanding with the fragrance of a good life and
reputation'" so there might be no contradiction between
one's words and conscience, or between one's words and
reputation. Such a contradiction would prevent a confes-
sion of faith from being accepted by others or approved by
Christ.
67 According to Aristotle, Physics, 2.9 (200a 7-10 [po 251]).
68 Cf Matt 10:32.
69 On the significance of the oil and balsam, see Hugh of St. Victor, De
sacram., 2.15.1 (PL 176: 577BC [pp. 430-31]).
238 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUIUM
5. Finally, a fitting confession of faith must be un-
daunted. No one should avoid confessing the truth out of
cowardice or diffidence; nor, in time of persecution, should
anyone be frightened or ashamed to confess publicly the
ignominious death of Christ on the cross for fear of suffer-
ing pain or disgrace similar to those of his passion. Now,
such shame and fear show themselves mainly in the face,
particularly on the forehead. And so a powerful hand is
imposed on us so that we might be strengthened, and a
cross is marked on our brow so that we might not blush to
acknowledge the cross openly, nor fear to sustain any pun-
ishment or ignominy whatsoever for confessing the name
of Christ, if the occasion should so demand. Rather, the
recipient of this sacrament is made like a true wrestler
who is rubbed with oil before the bout, or a hardy soldier
who bears on his brow the sign of his king, the triumphal
standard of the cross, with which he is prepared to pen-
etrate safely the hosts of the enemy.70 For one cannot be
free t~ proclaim the glory of the cross if one fears its suf-
fering or disgrace. Thus St. Andrew said: "As for me, if I
were ashamed of the ignominy of the cross, I would not be
preaching its glory.""
CHAPTER 9 present in the Eucharistic elements (e.g., Peter Lombard, Liber 4 Sent.,
THE INTEGRITY OF THE EUCHARIST
1. With regard to the sacrament of the Eucharist, the
following must be held: that in this sacrament the very
10 Anallusion to the third antiphon of the first nocturn at Matins on
the feast of St. Martin (Nov 11): "Not in the shelter ofa buckler, nor of
a helmet, but with the sign of the Cross will I penetrate the hosts of the
enemy." See Liber responsorialis (among the works of Gregory the Great,
PL 78: 811D).
"Presbyt. et diac. Achaiae epist. de martyrio S. Andreae (PG 2: 1223
B), which Bonaventure also cites in a sermon on the Feast orSt.Andrew
(IX,464).
PART VI 239
body and very blood of Christ are not only signified, but
actually contained under the twofold appearance of bread
and wine, yet not as two sacraments, but one. Now this
happens following consecration by a priest, that is, when
he pronounces the form of the words instituted by the Lord
over the bread: This is my body ... ; and over the wine,
This is the cup ormy blood. ... When a priest who has the
intention of consecrating pronounces these words, the sub-
stance of each element is transubstantiated into the body
and blood of Jesus Christ, even though the outward ap-
pearances remain.72 The entire Christ is wholly contained
in each of them, not in a circumscribed manner, but sacra-
mentally. Under these same forms, he is offered to us as
nourishment. Whoever receives them worthily, eating not
merely sacramentally, but also spiritually through faith
and love, is more fully incorporated into the mystical Body
of Christ, and in it is renewed and cleansed. But those
who approach them unworthily eat and drink judgment
7~ The theory of transubstantiation was developed by Scholastic
theolOgians to explain how Christ's body and blood could be really
10-11 [2: 290-303]. They were attempting to refute the view ofBerengar
of Tours (+1088), who had argued that the presence of Christ in the
Euch~rist could only be a spiritual one. 'TranSUbstantiation' provided
a vehlCle to explain how the believer can experience the 'substance' or
'reality' (res) of the risen Lord under the sign (sacramentum) of the
sensible 'accidents' of bread and wine. The term was incorporated in
the Profession of Faith of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215): "The body
and blood [of Jesus Christ] are truly contained in the sacrament of the
altar under the appearances of bread and wine, the bread having been
transubstantiated, by God's power, into the body, and the wine into the
bloo.d" (DEC, 1: 230, alt). This conciliar teaching, however, was also
motivated by the challenge of Cathar heretics, who denied that the
risen Chriat had a body and that his body could be involved in human
salvation. cr. Gary Macy, The Theologies of the Eucharist in the Early
Scholastic Period (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1984).
240 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
against themselves, not discerning the most holy Body of
Christ."
2. The following explanation helps to understand this.
Our restoring Principle, Christ our Lord, is superabun-
dant in his power and utterly wise in his awareness, and
so he conferred the sacraments on us in a way that corre-
sponded with both his wisdom and his abundance. Now
Christ is most abundant in providing disease-healing rem-
edies and his gifts of grace. And so he did not simply insti-
tute a sacrament to bring forth the life of grace in us, as
Baptism, and another to increase and strengthen us in
this life once we are born into it, as Confirmation. He also
instituted a sacrament to nourish this life in us once we
were born and strengthened, and this is the Eucharist.
That is why these three sacraments are conferred on all
who embrace the faith. Now, nourishment in the life of
grace for all the faithful consists in preserving our devo-
tion toward God, love for our neighbor, and our own inner
contentment. Devotion toward God is practiced through
the offering of sacrifice, love for neighbor through com-
muning in a single sacrament, and inner contentment by
being refreshed on our earthly pilgrimage. This explains
why our restoring Principle gave us this sacrament of the
Eucharist as a sacrificial offering, as a sacramental com-
munion, and as sustenance on the way.
3. Now our restoring Principle is not only most abun-
dant but also utterly wise, and as such, he does all things
in orderly fashion. And so he gave us a sacrifice, a sacra-
ment, and a food in a form that would be appropriate for
the age in which grace is revealed, with our pilgrim state,
and with our own capacity. First of all, the age in which
73 1 Cor 11:29. Bonaventure presents a very thorough treatment of
the Eucharist, In 4 Sent., 8·13 (IV, 179-314). See also his sermon, De
sanctissimo corpore Christi, preached before the Roman Curia in 1264
(V, 553-56).
PART VI 241
grace is revealed demanded that no oblation be offered
except a pure, acceptable, and all-sufficient one. 74 But no
such sacrifice exists but the one offered on the cross,
namely, the body and blood of Christ. It was therefore nec-
essary that this sacrament contain the body and blood of
Christ, not only in a figurative way, but actually, as an
offering fitting for this age of grace.
Similarly, in the age ofgrace it is fitting that the sac-
rament of communion and of love should not only signifY
these realities but also arouse its recipients to [attain]
them, so that it "accomplishes what it signifies."" Now
what most enkindles us toward mutual love and most fully
unites the members is the oneness of the Head. It is from
him that a stream of mutual love flows into us by means
of the all-pervading, unifying, and transforming power that
his love possesses. Therefore, this sacrament contains
Christ's true body and immaculate flesh in such a way
that it penetrates our very being, unites us to one another,
and transforms us into him. It does so by virtue of that
burning love through which Christ gave himself to us, of-
fered himself up for us, and now gives himself back to us,
so that he might remain with us until the end of the
world. 76
74 Cf. Hebr, chaps. 9-10.
75 Peter Lombard, Liber 4 Sent., 4.1 (2: 251-52), who inaccurately
attributes this phrase to Augustine.
"Cf. Matt 28:20, Tit 2:14. Bonaventure argues that Christ must be
'substantially' present in the Eucharist if we are to become transformed
into him. Just as the food we eat becomes part of ourselves, so a believer
becomes part of Christ's body when he or she receives the Eucharist.
Bonaventure clearly expresses this in a Lenten sermon: "This type is a
wondrous and unending union between the eaten and the food, and
there is a conversion of the one into the other. And because of this
union Christ said to the eater of the sweetness of sacrament and love:
place me as a sign of charity and mercy, upon your heart . .. for love is
strong as death (Sg 8:6)" (V, 265). Translation by Miri Ruben, Corpus
Christi: The Eucharist in Late Medieval Culture (Cambridge: University
Press, 1991), 27.
242 ST. BONAVENTI1RE'sBREVILOQUIUM
For this same reason, the nourishment suitable for the
age of grace must be spiritual, common, and beneficial.
Now, the spirit is sustained by the Word of life. 77 There-
fore, the embodied human spirit is properly sustained by
the Incarnate Word, or the flesh of the Word, which is a
common and beneficial food. Even though it is one, all are
saved by means of it. For one can provide no spiritual,
common, and beneficial food except the very body of Christ
himself." Therefore, it necessarily follows that his body
must truly be contained within this sacrament for the sac-
rifice to be truly atoning, the sacrament to be perfectly
uniting, and the food to be perfectly nourishing. All of these
things must happen in this age of the new testament, of
grace revealed, and of the truth of Christ."
4. Furthermore, it is not appropriate for our pilgrim
state that Christ be seen openly, since the mystery should
be veiled and the merit offaith earned. It is also unseemly
that the flesh of Christ be actually torn by our teeth be-
cause of the loathsomeness of such crudity and the im-
mortality of his body. It was therefore necessary that the
body and blood of Christ be imparted under the veil of the
most sacred symbols and by means of congruous and ex-
pressive likenesses. so Now, nothing is better suited for food
77 C£ John 6:64: "The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life."
"Cf. John 6:53.
79 In this section, Bonaventure accepts and develops the positions of
Hugh of St. Victor and Peter Lombard (De sacram .• 2.8.8 [PL 176: 467];
Liber4 Sent., 8.2.7 [2: 284-86], maintaining that the sacramental species
sigoif'y two realities (res). The first, the body and blood of Christ himself,
is actually contained in the sacrament; the second, the Mystical Body
of Christ, composed of many members, is not contained, but only
signified. Receiving the Eucharist, however, impels Christians to
actualize this mystery of the unity of all believers in Christ. cr. In 4
Sent., 8.2.2.1 (IV, 195-96).
8OCf. Peter Lombard, Liber 4 Sent., 11.3 (2:299-300). One sees here a
reaction by the Scholastics against the overly realistic description of
the Eucharist contained in the 1059 condemnation of Berengar: "The
PART VI 243
and drink than bread and wine. Furthermore, nothing is
a more appropriate symbol of the unity of the body of
Christ, physical and mystical, than bread, which is made
of many spotless grains, and wine, that is pressed together
from the choicest grapes. 81 This is why it was under these
appearances, rather than any others, that this sacrament
was represented. Now, Christ was to be present under these
likenesses, not by means of a change occurring in himself
but in them. Therefore, when the two aforesaid formulae
are pronounced, indicating the presence of Christ under
these appearances, there is a change of each substance
into his body and blood, the accidents alone remaining as
signs that denote and express them.
5. Now, the blessed and glorious body of Christ cannot
be divided into its physical parts, nor separated from his
soul or from the supreme Godhead. Therefore, under each
of the species the one Christ is present, whole and undi-
vided, namely, body and soul and divinity. Hence, under
the two species there is but one utterly simple sacrament
containing the whole Christ. And because any portion of
the species represents the body of Christ, it follows that
he is as fully present in any part as in the whole, whether
the species be divided or not. Thus he is not present there
in the sense of being spatially confined, as occupying a
place, or having a position, or as being perceptible to any
of the human and bodily senses. Rather, he is hidden to
every sense so that there might remain room for faith and
its acquiring of merit. For this reason also the accidents
retain their full operation, although they exist with-
bread and wine ... are after the consecration ... the true body and
blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and they are physically taken up and
broken in the hands of the priest and crushed by the teeth of the faithful"
(Macy, 36). Cf. Bonaventure, In 4 Sent., 8.2.1 (Iv, 208).
81 According to Augustine, In loan. evang., 26.17 (PL 35: 1614); cited
by Peter Lombard, Liber 4 Sent., 8.7 (2:285).
244 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQUlUM
out their subject as long as they contain within themselves
the body of Christ: and that is as long as they keep their
natural properties and are fit to provide nourishment.
6. Finally, our capacity to receive Christ fruitfully re-
sides not in the flesh but in the spirit, not in the stomach
but in the mind. But the mind does not attain Christ ex-
cept through understanding and love, through faith and
charity, so that faith gives light to recognize him and char-
ity gives ardor to love him.82 Therefore, if any are to ap-
proach this sacrament worthily, they must feed on Christ
spiritually by chewing it by means of the recognition of
faith and receiving it with the devotion of love. In this
way they will not be transforming Christ into themselves,
but instead will be taken up into the mystical body of
Christ. Clearly then, those who receive it with lukewarm,
irreverent, and unthinking hearts eat and drink judgment
against themselves,83 because they insult such a great sac-
rament. So it is advised that those who judge themselves
not sufficiently pure in body or spirit, or even lacking in
devotion, postpone reception until they are prepared to
eat the true Lamb in a pure, devout, and respectful man-
ner.84
7. This is why it has been prescribed that this sacra-
ment be celebrated with particular solemnity in regard to
82The early Franciscan School, following Alexander ofRales (Glossa,
4.13.8 [15: 204·205]), emphaSized that the Eucharist was fundamentally
a sign (sacramentum) of the presence of the risen Lord; only those
capable of understanding that sign receive Christ's body. Thus,
Bonaventure insists that animals or infidels who happen to consume
the Eucharistic elements do not receive the body of Christ. Ill-disposed
believers do receive Christ's body, but to their own condemnation. See
In 4 Sent., 9.1.2-3, 13.2.1 (IV, 201-04, 307-09). Cf. Rubin, pp. 66-67.
"1 Cor 11:29.
84 Bonaventure offers similar advice in his Instructions for Novices, 4
(VIII, 480-81).
PARTV1 245
the place, the time, the words and prayers, and even the
vestments used in the celebration of Masses. In this way
both the celebrating priests and the communicants might
realize the gift of grace through which they are cleansed,
enlightened, perfected, restored, vivified, and most ar-
dently born up into Christ himself through a most burn-
inglove.
CHAPTER 10
THE INTEGRITY OF PENANCE
1. Concerning the sacrament of Penance, the following
must be held: that it is "a second plank after shipwreck,"85
to which those who have been wrecked through mortal
sin can resort as long as they remain in this mortal life,
whenever and as often as they need to implore divine
mercy. The integral parts of this sacrament are "contri-
tion in soul, confession in word, and satisfaction in deed.""
Thus Penance is complete when a sinner has abandoned
all the mortal sins he or she has committed, confessed them
in word, and detested them in spirit, firmly resolving never
to commit them again. When these conditions are prop-
erly combined with absolution87 given by one who possesses
85Jerome,Epist. 130,9 (PL 22: 1115), cited by Peter Lombard, Liber
4 Sent., 14.1 (2: 315). The image actually goes back to Tertullian, De
paenitentia, 4.2-3 (PL 1: 1233).
"Peter Lombard, Liber 4 Sent, 16.1 (2: 336).
87 The first to distinguish this fourth component of Penance, priestly
absolution, was apparently Peter of Poitiers, c. 1170 (Sent., 3.2 [PL
211: 1044]). Bonaventure treats the sacrament of Penance at length,
In 4 Sent., 14-22 (IV, 317-586), Greater systematic theological reflection
on the sacrament of reconciliation was demanded by its increased
importance in the life of the Church. Canon 21 of the Fourth Lateran
Council (1215) had required that "all the faithful of either sex, once
they have reached the age of discernment, should individually confess
all their sins in a faithful manner to their own priest at least once a
year" (DEC, 1: 245).
246 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
Orders, the key, and jurisdiction, the penitent is absolved
of sin, reunited with the Church, and reconciled to Christ
through the mediation of the priestly key.ss Furthermore,
the one who exercises this judgment not only possesses
the power of absolution but also the power of excommuni-
cation and of the relaxation of penalties, which he prop-
erly receives from the bishop as spouse of the Church. s,
2. The reason for this is as follows. Our restoring Prin-
ciple, the Incarnate Word, by the very fact of being God's
Word, is the fountain oftruth and wisdom, and by the fact
of being incarnate, is the fountain of compassion and mild-
ness. This is why he ought to restore humanity through
the medicine of the sacraments, and above all, to heal it of
its principal disease, mortal sin, as befits a merciful high
priest," an able physician, and a just judge. It this way
our healing may demonstrate the supreme mercy, pru-
dence, and justice of the Incarnate Word.
3. First of all, our healing from mortal sin through
Penance demonstrates the sovereign mercy of Christ, our
most merciful high priest. This mercy infinitely surpasses
any human sin, whatever its nature, gravity, or frequency.
That is why Christ, in his supreme mercy, receives and
88 Bonaventure uses 'key' in the singular here, but he is alluding to
the 'power ofthe keys' given by Christ to Peter in Matt 16:19:"1 will
give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on
earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be
loosed in heaven." For Bonaventure, 'the key' possessed by priests refers
primarily to a spiritual power over the internal forum by which "the
obstacles that block persons from entering the kingdom of heaven are
removed." See In 4 Sent., 18.1.1.1~2 (IV, 469-72), It is also important to
note that Bonaventure sees the sacrament of Penance as effecting a
two-fold reconciliation: the first, between the sinner and God; the second,
between the sinner and the Church. Cf. Ralph Ohlmann, "St.
Bonaventure and the Power of the Keys," Franciscan Studies 6 (1946):
293-315,437-65.
890n the bishop's role as 'spouse' of the Church, see In 4 Sent., 25.1.1
(TV, 641-43).
"Hebr 2:17.
PART VI 247
pardons sinners, not only once or twice, but as often as
they prayerfully beg for God's mercy. Now, divine mercy is
implored sincerely and humbly when the spirit is sorrow-
ful and repentant. Furthermore, such penitence always
remains possible for human beings as long as we are in
this present life, for we are always free to turn either to
good and evil. We may conclude, then, that whatever the
gravity, circumstances, or frequency of their sins, sinners
may always seek refuge in the sacrament of Penance,
through which they receive remission of their sins.
4. In addition, our healing must demonstrate the su-
preme prudence of Christ himself, the most skilled physi-
cian. Now, the prudence of a physician is evidenced in ap-
plying the contrary remedies91 that not only can dispel a
sickness but also remove its cause. Now we sin against
God by delighting in the prospect of evil, consenting to it,
and carrying it out, that is, by sinning in the heart, in the
mouth, and in deed. Therefore, our supremely prudent
physician has prescribed a remedy against this disorder
in the sinner's powers of affection, expression, and opera-
tion, originating in the hidden acceptance offorbidden plea-
sure. This medicine heals these same three powers by
means of a penitential sorrow that is conceived in the heart
through contrition, expressed orally through confession,
and consummated in deed through satisfaction. Now all
mortal sins lead away from the one God, oppose the one
grace, and pervert the one principal righteousness of hu-
man beings. And so, to assure the complete sufficiency of
the penitential remedy in all its parts, the sinner must
repent of all misdeeds, regretting those committed in the
past, ceasing from those of the present, and proposing
firmly never to fall back into sin in the future, whether
"Cf. pt. 3, chap.3.3 above.
248 ST, BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUIUM
the same sin or some other kind. It is by completely with-
drawing from sin through repentance in this way that the
sinner receives that divine grace which brings about the
remission of sins. 92
5. Lastly, our healing ought to manifest the true jus-
tice of Christ the Judge. But he is not going to judge us in
person before the last and final judgment. For this reason
he had to commission judges who would pass particular
judgments before the end of time. Now these judges are
like intermediaries between offended God and offending
humanity, being close to Christ and appointed over the
people. Furthermore, these judges, namely priests, are
particularly close to the Lord and familiar with him by
reason of their office, having been especially consecrated
to his ministry. Therefore, all those who have been ap-
pointed to the order of priesthood, and they alone, have
received the power of a double key - namely, the key of
knowledge for discerning and the key of the power of bind-
ing and loosing for judging and imparting the benefit of
absolution. 93
92 See In 4 Sent., 14.1, dub. 4 (IV, 329-30), Bonaventure, as other
theologians of the early Franciscan school, follow Hugh of St. Victor
(De sacram., 2.7 (PL 176: ), in distinguishing two alienating effects of
sin: personal guilt (culpa), and the consequent punishment (poena).
The latter is two-fold: eternal and temporal. Since sin consists of the
will's rejection of God as supreme good (ef. pt. 3, chap. 8), genuine
personal contrition, as described here, reverses that rejection,
immediately remitting personal guilt and eternal punishment, thus
achieving reconciliation with God. The role of the priest is secondary.
The priest, discerning the penitent's sin and contrition, testifies to the
divine forgiveness, and imposes an appropriate satisfaction or 'penance'
on the penitent. His absolution remits some temporal punishment and
effects reconciliation with the community of the Church. Cf. In 4 Sent.,
17.1.1.3·4; 17.1.2.1·4; 18.1.1-2 (N,421-32,469-72);Comm. In.(Vl,514).
See Ohlmann, 451-65.
93 The fact that Christ's promised Peter "the keys to the kingdom" in
the plural (Matt 16:19) led Scholastic theologians to distinguish between
two 'keys' invested in the priesthood. The "key of discerning" is the
249
6. Now, to avoid confusion, not every prelate exercises
authority indiscriminately over anyone in the Church
Militant, for the ecclesiastical hierarchy itself must be
organized according to judicial power. Hence, the use of
binding and loosing was granted first to one single and
sovereign pontiff, upon whom universal jurisdiction was
conferred as supreme head. Then this power was appor-
tioned among the particular churches, first to the bishops
and then to priests. 94 Thus, although every priest possesses
ordination and the [power of] the keys, their use extends
only to those subjects who are under his ordinary juris-
diction, unless he receives delegated powers over others
from the one who has jurisdiction over them. Such juris-
diction exists primarily in the supreme head, then in a
bishop, and finally in a priest entrusted with the care of
souls. Thus, it may be delegated by anyone of them to
others, sufficiently by the lowest rank, to a wider extent
by the intermediate rank, and most extensively by the
highest.
7. Now, this jurisdiction, as it is found in the supreme
pontiff and also in bishops, extends not only to judging
power of the priest to examine the penitent so as to direct rightly the
"key ofjudging" to remit punishment. Cf. Peter Lombard,Liber 4 Sent.,
18.2 (2: 356); Bonaventure, In 4 Sent., 18.1.3.1-2 (N, 478-81).
94 Bonaventure's reasoning here is dependent on the Biblical witness
that the "power of the keys"was entrusted first to Peter (Matt 16:19)
and only then to the other apostles (Matt 18:18), but he also wishes to
defend an important Franciscan ministry. The Fourth Lateran Council
had decreed that Catholics must annually confess "to their own priest,"
i.e., their pastor (see note 85 above). In the intervening years, the new
mendicant orders had become heavily involved in the ministry of
hearing confessions. During the secular-mendicant controversy of the
1250's, disgruntled clergy attacked the friars for usurping their proper
role. Bonaventure argues that pastors had the "power of the keys"
only by delegation, and that the Papacy - which had fostered the
mendicants' pastoral ministry - enjoyed the fullness of that power.
250 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUlUM
between God and persons in the internal forum, but also
to judging between one person and another in the exter-
nal forum. Such jurisdiction is given them as those who
are responsible for the administration and care of the
Church, which is entrusted them as a wife to her hus-
band. Therefore, prelates have the power of the sword,
which they may wield, through excommunication, in the
defense ofjustice,'5 and also the power of generously dis-
tributing, through indulgences, the treasures of the
Church's merits that were deposited and entrusted to their
care by both the Head and the members. Thus, as true
judges appointed by God, they possess full power of bind-
ing and loosing, of striking the impenitent and restrain-
ing the rebellious, and of absolving the truly repentant
and reconciling them with God and holy Mother Church.
CHAPTER 11
THE INTEGRITY OF EXTREME UNCTION
1. Concerning the sacrament of Extreme Unction,96 the
following must be held: that it is the sacrament of those
departing this life, which prepares and disposes them for
the perfect health [of heaven]. It also has the power of
taking away venial sins and of restoring bodily health if
this is for the sick person's good. The integrity of this sac-
rament requires that pure consecrated oil be used, cer-
tain prayers be said, and that the one who is sick be
anointed on seven specific parts of the body, that is, on the
eyes, ears, nostrils, lips, hands, feet, and loins. This sacra-
95 For Bonaventure, "the power of the sword" signifies particularly
the power of prelates over the external forum, to coerce through the
imposition of censures. In 4 Sent., 18.1.1.1; 18.2.2 (IV, 470, 486-87).
96The word 'extreme' here refers to the fact that the rite today called
the "anointing of the sick" was administered in Bonaventure's time
only in extremis, that is, to a person "in imminent danger of death."
PART VI 251
ment should be given only to adults who desire it, and
who are in imminent danger of death. It ought to be ad-
ministered only by the hands of a priest. From this de-
scription it is evident that there is a sevenfold difference
between this sacramental anointing and that of Confir-
mation: in effect, matter, form, recipient, minister, place,
and time.'7
2. This is the rationale for what we have said. Our re-
storing Principle, the Incarnate Word, restores us as the
mediator between God and humankind, Jesus Christ, him-
self human. '8 Inasmuch as he is Jesus, he saves;" inas-
much as he is Christ, the Anointed one, he pours out upon
humankind the grace of anointing. And so it is most fit-
ting that he impart to his members a saving unction. But
in order for the soul to be perfectly healed, it needs to be
made well in regard to three things - the strife of action,
the sweetness of contemplation, and the delight of posses-
sion. The first pertains to those entering the ranks of the
Church Militant; the second to its leaders who are to teach
others, and the third to those who are leaving the Church
Militant through death. Thus the Lord did not simply in-
stitute the first sacramental anointing of Confirmation,
but an intermediate one in ordination, and an Extreme
Unction for those in imminent danger of death.
3. Now, because the end necessarily determines the
means to the end, 100 it follows that this sacrament must
act, and be constituted, received, and conferred in a man-
ner that conforms to its end. First of all, the action of this
sacrament should be determined by its end, which is to
make the attainment of salvation, that is, eternal happi-
97Ibid., the whole of d. 23 (IV, 587-602).
98
1 Tim 2:5.
99 Cf. Matt 1:21: «You are to name him Jesus, for he will save his
people from their sins."
100 Aristotle, Physics, 2.9 (200a 7-10).
252 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
ness, swifter and easier for those who receive it. Now this
is accomplished by devotion, which raises us up, and by
the remission of venial sins and their consequences, which
drag us down. Thus it follows that this sacrament must
prompt devotion, remit venial sin, and more readily re-
move the stain of sin. Moreover, it is expedient that many
of those who are sick should live longer in order to in-
crease their merit. And so this sacrament, while strength-
ening the soul in good and exonerating it of evil, often also
gives relief from physical disease. And that is what blessed
James means when he writes that: "the prayer offaith will
save the sick . .. and anyone who has committed sins will
be forgiven. "101
4. Second, the constitution of this sacrament must be
determined by its end, which is to restore spiritual health
through deliverance from sin. Now, such health depends
in turn on the soundness and purity ofthe inner conscience
upon which the heavenly Judge will pass judgment. Hence,
the matter of this sacrament ought fittingly to be oil, pure
and consecrated, which signifies the holiness and bright-
ness of the sanctuary of the conscience}02 But because
mortal human beings do not have the power to restore
spiritual health, the prayers and words of this sacrament
are deprecative in form, making an appeal for grace. And
since the soul contracts spiritual diseases in the body, origi-
nating in the four principal powers ofthat body - the sen-
sitive, the expressive, the generative, and the locomotive
- the organs serving these powers ought to be anointed.
Now, there are five organs that are the vehicles of our
senses: the eyes for seeing, the ears for hearing, the nose
for smelling, the hands for feeling, and the mouth for tast-
ing. The latter also is the organ for another power, that of
101 James 5:15.
102 See above, chap. 8, 4.
253
expression, while the feet serve for locomotion and the loins
generation - for it would be improper and shameful [for
the minister] to touch or even mention by name the geni-
tals themselves. For these reasons, the anointing ought to
be made on the seven parts here named, so that by this
sacrament a person may be disposed toward the fullness
of spiritual health through the removal of all venial sin.
5. Finally, the reception of this sacrament should also
be determined by its end, which is to make our passage to
heaven more rapid through the unburdening of venial sin
and the turning our mind to God. Therefore, it should be
given only to adults, who sin venially, and only to those
who request it with a devout heart. It should also be given
only to those who are in danger of death, indeed already
entering the passage to another state. Now this is a sacra-
ment for those in danger of death, and yet it has a sacred
matter, that is, consecrated oil. And so, in order to avoid
any danger [that dying persons might not be able receive
it], its administration is entrusted to priests generally, but
only to priests, because consecrated oil should be touched
only by consecrated hands.
6. And so [the two anointings of] Confirmation and
Extreme Unction, differing as they do in their end, differ
also in their effect, matter, form, place, occasion, recipient,
and minister. They differ in their effect, for the former dis-
poses a person to fight better, the latter helps a person to
leave the world more swiftly. They differ in their matter,
for the former uses oil mixed with balsam, the latter, pure
oil. They differ in form, for he first is indicative, the other
deprecative. They differ in regard to place, the former is
applied to the forehead only, the latter, to several parts.
They differ in occasion, for the former is received by those
in good health, the latter, by those who are ill. They differ
in terms of their recipient, for the former may be given
not only to adults but also to infants, the latter, to adults
only. And they differ in regard to their minister, for the
254 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
former is conferred by a bishop, the latter, by any priest.
All these differences are determined by the difference in
their ends, for it is clear that a difference in proximate
ends causes a difference in the means to them.
CHAPTER 12
THE INTEGRITY OF ORDERS
1. Concerning the sacrament of [Holy] Orders, the fol-
lowing sums up what we must hold: that "ordination is a
certain sign whereby spiritual power is conferred on the
person ordained."'03 Although' Orders is but one of seven
sacraments, it contains within itself seven grades. The first
is that of porter, the second lector, the third exorcist, the
fourth acolyte, the fifth subdeacon, the sixth deacon, and
the seventh priest. Below these degrees, as a type of prepa-
ration, are clerical tonsure and psalmist; above them are
positioned, as a perfection, the ranks of bishop, patriarch,
and Pope. It is from these latter ranks that these orders
derive, and to them it pertains to confer them with fitting
signs that are both seen and heard, and in accordance with
all due solemnity as regards time, place, and recipient.
2. This should be understood as follows. Our restoring
Principle, the Incarnate Word, being both God and human,
instituted the medicine of the sacraments for the salva-
tion of humankind in an orderly, distinct, and powerful
way, in accord with the demands of his goodness, wisdom,
and might. And so, when he entrusted this sacramental
remedy to human beings, he willed that it be dispensed,
103 Peter Lombard, Liber 4 Sent., 24.13 (2: 405). For Bonaventure's
discussion of Orders, see In 4 Sent., d. 24-25 (N, 607-69). Like other
Scholastics, Bonaventure refers to the sacrament of 'order' in the
singular; however, following common English usage fQr the sacrament
and to avoid confusion with Bonaventure's frequent use of the word
'order' in other contexts, I use the plural 'orders.'
PART VI 255
not in a haphazard fashion, but in a way that would re-
flect that order, distinction, and power. Therefore it was
appropriate that certain persons be distinguished and set
apart to carry out this office, and that the requisite power
be committed to them as a matter of ordinary law. Now a
distinction of this kind could not be accomplished prop-
erly except by means of sacred signs such as the sacra-
ments. Therefore, it was fitting that there be sacrament to
be such a sign that would impart order, distinction, and
power for the purpose of dispensing the other sacraments
in a distinctive, effective, and orderly manner. That is why
Orders is defined as "a certain sign whereby spiritual
power is conferred upon the person ordained," for this defi-
nition contains the three elements that we have just men-
tioned. It is these that comprise the integrity of Orders.
3. First of all, Orders is a sign that distinguishes and
sets apart an individual as one totally dedicated to the
worship of God. Thus these orders are preceded by a cer-
tain distinctive mark. This consists in the tonsure or co-
rona, which signifies a withdrawal from temporal desires
and an elevation of the mind to eternal realities, thus in-
dicating that the cleric is totally set apart for the worship
of God. Therefore, on receiving the corona, he says: "The
Lord is my chosen portion" ... and so forth. 104 And because
he should be well versed in the divine praises, which con-
sist principally in the recitation of the Psalms, the office
of psalmist is also conferred as a preamble to [Holy] Or-
ders. Isidore, however, speaking in a broader sense, in-
cludes it as one of the orders.'o,
4. Secondly, Orders is a sign that both confers order
and is ordered within itself. But Orders consists in a dis-
l04PS 16:5.
l05Isidore,Etymolog., 7.12.3 (PL 82: 290-91): De offie. eeelesiast., 2.12
(PL 83: 792): Pseudo-Isidore,Epist. ad Leudefredum, 5 (PL 83: 895B).
256 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQillUM
tinction and separation and differentiation of grades, con-
forming to the demands of the sevenfold grace for the dis-
pensation of which the sacrament of Orders is principally
intended. Therefore, there are seven orders, proceeding in
degrees to the priesthood, which is the culmination of all
orders. For it is the role of the priest to consecrate the
sacrament of the body of Christ, in which resides the full-
ness of all graces. Thus the other six orders are attendants
to it, resembling the steps leading up to the throne of
Solomon. The lower orders are six because of the perfec-
tion of that number,l06 six being the first perfect number,
and so that number is needed to show both the perfection
and effectiveness of the office of ministry. For it is fitting
that some should minister from a distance, others more
closely, and others again very closely so that nothing be
lacking in an ordered ministry. Now each of these func-
tions may be paired with another according as they con-
cern either cleansing or enlightenment. Thus it follows
that there are six ministering orders, and a seventh, the
most perfect of all, in which the sacrament of the altar is
performed, and in which the others are consummated in
one, as a full and final end.107
5. Finally, Orders is a sign that bestows power, not only
with respect to the administration of the other sacraments,
but also in respect to itself. Now a power that is exercised
over another power is truly an excellent power. For this
106Cr. 1 Kings 10:18-20; on the perfection afthe number six, see pt. 4,
chap. 4.5 above.
107 Bonaventure's argument here follows that of Alexander of Hales
(cf., Glossa, 4.24.3 [15: 401·407)), who was profoundly influenced by
the writings afthe Pseudo-Dionysius. Like him, Bonaventure believes
that the ecclesiastical hierarchy mirrors the celestial, requiring grades
in order to be complete. Cf. Prol., 3; pt. 2, chap. 8. He therefore develops
an aesthetic argument for the septenary of orders in the Mystical Body
of Christ, flowing out from the unity afthe priesthood. See In 4 Sent.,
24.2.2.4 (IV, 634-636).
257
reason, it implies not only simple power, as found in simple
[priestly1 orders, but also the preeminence of power, as
found in those who have the function of conferring orders
by ordinary law. Now this excelling authority gradually
diminishes the more widely it is distributed, and is more
concentrated as it ascends on high. This is why there are
many bishops, a lesser number of archbishops, very few
patriarchs, and but one father of fathers, rightly called
Pope [Papa, Fatherl, as the unique, first, and supreme fa-
ther of all spiritual fathers and of all the faithful as well.
He is the first hierarch, the sole spouse, the undivided
head, the supreme pontiff, the Vicar of Christ, the foun-
tainhead, origin and rule of all ecclesiastical authorities.
From him, as from the summit, all ordered power descends
down to the most humble members of the Church, accord-
ing to what the loftiest dignity of the ecclesiastical hierar-
chy demands. lOB
6. And because this dignity resides chiefly in [Holy1
Orders, this sacrament should be dispensed only with great
prudence and solemnity, and hence not indiscriminately
on anyone through the ministry of any person randomly,
nor at any time or in any place indifferently. Rather, these
orders ought to be conferred only on persons who are edu-
cated, virtuous, and free from all impediments. These
should have prepared themselves for its reception by fast-
ing. Orders also should be conferred in a sacred place dur-
ing the celebration of Mass, and at those times designated
by ecclesiastical law. Finally, they may be conferred only
by bishops, who alone have the right to confer Orders, con-
firm through the imposition of hands, consecrate nuns and
~ 108 Bonaventure here synthesizes the argument on the primary of
the Roman pontiff that he advanced in 1255~1256 during the secular-
mendicant controversy in his Disputed Questions on Evangelical
Perfection, 4.3 (y, 189-96). This view of the Pope as the pinnacle of a
pyramidal hierarchy was already apparent in Alexander of Hales
(Glossa, 4.24.3 [15: 406)).
258 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVILOQUIUM
abbots, and dedicate churches. Because oftheir solemnity,
all of these rites should be administered only by those who
possess preeminent power.
CHAPTER 13
THE INTEGRITY OF MATRIMONY
1. Concerning the integrity of Matrimony, what we
must hold may be summarized as follows: that "marriage
is a legitimate union of male and female, maintaining a
single [i.e., undivided] sharing of life."1O' This union ex-
isted not only after sin but even before it. Although this
sacrament of union was originally instituted solely as a
duty, now it serves not merely as a duty, but also as a rem-
edy against the disease of concupiscence. 110 In the begin-
ning, it was a symbol of the union of God and the soul;
now, however, it signifies the union of Christ with the
Church and of the two natures in a unity of person.l11 This
union comes into being through the free consent of both
persons, a consent outwardly expressed in some sensible
sign and consummated by sexual intercourse. That is why
it is said that marriage is initiated by words concerning
the future [a betrothal], ratified by words concerning the
". A slight modification of Peter Lombard, Liber 4 Sent., 27.2 (2: 422),
who in turn emended a definition from Justinian's Institutes, 1.9.1,
attributed to the third century jurist, Ulpian. It emphasizes the
existence of the unique bond and common life existing between two
individuals, having a distinct existence within the larger society. See
Paula Jean Miller, Marriage: The Sacrament of Divine-Human
Communication (Quincy, IL: Franciscan Press, 1996),77-78. Fuller
historical background in Theodore Mackin, What is Marriage? Marriage
in the Catholic Church (New York: Paulist Press, 1982),73-76,145-91.
For Bonaventure's fuller treatment of Matrimony, see In 4 Sent., 26-42
(IV, 661-80) .
•" Augustine, De Gen. ad litt., 9.7.12 (PL 34: 397); Lombard, Liber 4
Sent., 26.2 (2: 417).
m Cf. Eph 5:22; Peter Lombard, Liber 4 Sent., 26.6.2 (2: 420-21).
PART VI 259
present [the marriage vows], and is consummated by physi-
cal union}12 There are· three benefits attached to this sac-
rament, namely, "fidelity, offspring, and the sacrament it-
self."113 There are twelve impediments that would prevent
those who wish to receive it [from doing so] and void a
marriage already contracted, as shown in these verses:
"Error, condition, vow, consanguinity, crime,
Disparity of cult, force, Orders, prior bond, public pro-
priety,
If you are engaged, or if perhaps impotent,
All these prevent marriage and nullify an existing
union.114
2. The reason for understanding what has been said is
this. Our restoring Principle, the Incarnate Word, by the
very fact of being Word of God, is the fountain of wisdom
on high;"' by the fact of being incarnate, he is the source
of mercy on earth. Therefore, as the Uncreated Word, he is
the formative cause of humankind by virtue of his supreme
wisdom, and, as the Incarnate Word, he is its reformative
cause by virtue of his supreme mercy. Therefore he re-
stores humankind through his mercy, precisely because,
iri his wisdom, he had originally made it restorable, which
"'Ibid., 26.6-28.1 (2: 419-32).
U3 Augustine, De Gen. ad litt., 9.7.12 (PL 34: 397), as cited by Peter
Lombard, Liber 4 Sent., 31.1 (2: 442). In his Sentences Commentary,
Bonaventure re-arranges the importance of these ends: 1) the natural
end of the procreation of children, 2) the faithful mutual union of the
spouses, and 3) the signification of the union of Christ and the Church
(In 4 Sent., 31.1.2, ad 4 (IV, 719-20)]. He gives yet another ordering in
section 4 below.
'''Peter of Blois (+ c. 1203), Letter 115 (PL 207: 345), with several
adaptations. For a full discussion of the social setting of marriage in
the thirteenth century, see James A. Brundage,Law, Sex, and Christian
Society in Medieval Europe (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987),
325-486.
115Sirach 1:5, Vg.
260 8T. BONAVENTVRE'sBREVlLOQUIUM
quality his supreme order required. For God made the
human race able to stand upright, able to fall, and able to
be restored, as we have shown in preceding chapters.'16
And so the Word of God in his wisdom gave humankind
the capacity to stand upright, to fall, and to be restored,
as it was fitting for him to do. He therefore ordained that
the human race should propagate itself in such a way that
the very means of procreation would help them stand up-
right in God's sight. It was also to help them as a remedy,
since in the very act of procreation [after the fall] there is
something of sin, namely concupiscence, which passes on
the disease [of original sin].'17
Now, the original upright state of human beings de-
rived from the joining oftheir souls and God, in an utterly
chaste, singular, and individual union oflove. Furthermore,
the remedy [for fallen humanity] came from the union of
the divine and human natures within the oneness of a
hypostasis or person, a oneness effected by grace in a sin-
gular and individual way."S That is why God decreed from
the very beginning that propagation would be effected by
means of a singular and individual union of male and fe-
male."9 Such a union, before the fall, was to signifY the
union of God with the soul, that is, of God with the sub-
celestial hierarchy;120 but after the fall, the union of God
with human nature, or of Christ with the Church. '2' Thus
Matrimony was a sacrament both before and after the fall,
but it differed as to its meaning and purpose. Now Matri-
116Cf. pt. 1, chap. 1; pt. 2, chaps. 9-10; pt. 3, chap. 1.
U7 Cf. pt. 3, chap. 6.
m Cf. pt. 4, chap. 2.5.
116 Cf. Genesis 1:27-28,2:23-24. Cf.In 4 Sent .• 26.1.1-2 (N, 661-64).
120That is to say, of humanity, as distinct from the divine and the
angelic hierarchies; cf. Prologue, 3; In 2 Sent., 18, dub (Il, 454-55). On
the spousal union of God and the soul, see pt. 5, chap. 1 above.
121 On the marriage of God with humanity. see Sermones de tempore,
26 (IX, 125).
PARTVI 261
mony was a sacrament before the disease occurred; there-
fore, concupiscence, which followed in the wake of sin, is
something that is excused by Matrimony rather than some-
thing that can defile it. For disease does not corrupt the
medicine; rather, medicine cures the disease.'22 From this
it may be seen what Matrimony is and how it was divinely
instituted.
3. Again, each of the above-mentioned spiritual unions
signified in the sacrament of Matrimony is a union oftwo
parties, one of which is active and influencing, the other
passive and receiving, and which is brought about by vir-
tue of a bond of love that proceeds purely from free will.
This is why Matrimony has to be the joining together of
two persons who differ as active and passive, that is, as
male and female, their union proceeding purely from the
consent of their wills.'23 Now this willed consent is not
visible externally except through some sign that mani-
fests it, therefore their mutual consent must be expressed
in an external manner.'24 Now, consent regarding the fu-
ture is not, properly speaking, consent at all, but at most
a promise to consent; and even the actual consent without
sexual intercourse does not produce complete union, since
122 See In 4 Sent., 26.2.2 (IV, 667-69) and 31.2.1 (IV, 722-23).
Bonaventure tempers the pessimistic view of Augustine toward sexual
intercourse. He may have done so to rebut Cathar heretics, who
maintained that sexual expression is always evil. The Fourth Lateran
Council had condemned their view, asserting that "not only virgins and
the continent, but also married persons, by pleasing God through right
faith and good works, merit to attain eternal happiness" (DEC, 1: 230).
Bonaventure remained thoroughly Augustinian in teaching that "the
sexual act is diseased, for it cannot be performed without disorder," but
he also maintained that the grace of the sacrament of marriage excused
the spouses even from venial sin, if they engaged in sexual relations
for the sake of procreation. See In 4 Sent., 31.2.1 (N, 721-23).
123 In 4 Sent., 27.1.1 (IV, 675·76). The act of consent establishing
marital union is clearly what Bonaventure calls elective will. See pt. 2,
chap. 9.8.
12< In 4 Sent., 27.2.1-2 (N, 678-81).
262 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM
the parties are not yet one flesh. Therefore, words con-
cerning the future [the betrothal] are the inception of
marriage, words concerning the present [the marriage
vows] are its ratification, but carnal union alone is its con-
summation. Only then do the parties become one flesh and
one body,125 and it is in this that the union between Christ
and ourselves is fully signified. For then the body of the
one partner is fully surrendered to the other by virtue of
the power of each partner to procreate offspring. 126
4. Thus there are three goods in Matrimony: the sac-
rament, consisting in the indissoluble bond; fidelity, in the
fulfillment of the conjugal duty, and offspring, in the ef-
fect proceeding from them both.
5. Finally, because this matrimonial union ought to
proceed from free consent to the joining together of two
distinct persons in this unique law of marriage, there are
twelve circumstances that can prevent it from occurring.
Thus, there are twelve impediments to marriage, as will
be evident. In order for there to be matrimonial consent
there must be freedom in the act of consent itself; freedo~
in the consenting subject, and fitness for union. Now, free-
dom of consent may be voided in two ways, corresponding
to the two causes of involuntary acts, namely, ignorance
and violence. 127 Thus, in this regard, there are two impedi-
ments: error and force.
Freedom in the consenting subject may be destroyed
by that person's being bound to another, either to God or
to another human being. If the person is bound to God,
this may be either by an expressed vow or through a con-
dition of life in which a vow is [implicitly] attached; the
"'Cr. Matt 19:6, 1 Cor 6:15-16. See In 4 Sent., 26.2.3 (IY, 669-70).
12'Cr. 1 Cor 7: 3-4. See In 4 Sent., 28.un.6 (IV, 695-97).
127 See above, pt. 2, chap. 9.8; pt. 3, chap. 11.3.
PART VI 263
first is the impediment of religious vow, the second, that
of Orders. If a person is bound to another human being,
this may be in two ways, either through an existing bond
or a prior one. The first case is when there is a bond by
which one is already bound to a spouse; the second occurs
in a crime whereby an adulterer or adulteress has con-
trived the death of the original spouse, or even has prom-
ised to marry another after that spouse's death. Thus, in
this regard there are four impediments; vow, Orders, bond,
and crime.
Fitness for union requires a suitable distance between
the persons; this is destroyed through too close a relation-
ship or too great a disparity. Now too close a relationship
comes about through blood relationship or through some-
thing similar to it, such as legal or spiritual parenthood.
Or again, they may be too closely related through union of
the sexes [marriage or cohabitation] or by nuptial pre-con-
tact. Thus, there are three more impediments: consanguin-
ity, affinity, and public propriety. There may also be exces-
sive disparity between the parties. These may be matters
related to their physical nature, such as the inability of
one of the partners to consummate the carnal union; or
else matters related to a situation beyond the control of
either of the parties, such as one of them being a slave
and the other free; or again, in matters related to the Chris-
tian religion, such as one being baptized and the other
not. Hence, there are three other impediments: impotence,
disparity of condition, and disparity of cult.
And so there are altogether twelve impediments, which,
under the teaching of the Holy Spirit, have been recog-
nized by the Church. Even though all of the sacraments
have been entrusted to it, the Church has received a spe-
cial commission to regulate the sacrament of Matrimony.
This is due to the diverse situations that may arise, as
well as the disease [of concupiscence] that accompanies it,
which is highly infectious and extremely difficult to tem-
264 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM

per. Thus it pertains to the Church to determine the ac-

ceptable degree of blood relationship as it sees fit at any
given time, to adjudicate which persons mayor may not
validly marry, and to decree separation. But the Church
ought never, and in fact cannot, annul a marriage which
has been legitimately entered into: for what God has joined PART VII
together, no one, however great his power, may separate,128
since everyone having the power to judge remains subject ON THE REPOSE OF THE FINAL
to the jurisdiction of God. JUDGMENT

CHAPTER 1
THE JUDGMENT IN GENERAL

1. We have now briefly spoken of the Trinity of God,

the creation of the world, the corruption of sin, the incar-
nation of the Word, the grace of the Holy Spirit, and the
sacramental remedy. It remains for us, in seventh and last
place, to treat the repose of the final judgment.' In this
regard, the following sums up what we must hold: that
there will undoubtedly be a universal judgment, in which
God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, will judge
the living and the dead, the good and the wicked, render-
ing to each person according to what his or her merits

1 I have used "repose" to translate the Latin status, which for

Bonaventure connotes more than a neutral "state." As he says

elsewhere, 4'quiet is more noble than motion ....Therefore, if the world
after the resurrection will be in the most perfect disposition, all bodies
then will rest [in Godl." In 4 Sent., 44.2.3.2; 48.2.2 (IV, 501, 561-562),
trans. Caroline Walker Bynum, The Resurrection ofthe Body (New York:
Columbia University Press, 1995), 250. Bynum observes, "the goal of
desire is its own cessation. As the celestial spheres will cease to rotate
at the end of time, so too the soul will cease to yearn; stasis is the
12'Matt 19:6. condition of heaven." Ibid.
266 ST, BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
deserve? In this judgment there will be an opening of
books, that is, of consciences, revealing the merits and
demerits of all persons, both to themselves and to others.
This will happen by virtue of the power of the Book ofLife, 3
the Incarnate Word. In the form of his divinity, the Word
will be beheld by the good alone, while both good and
wicked shall see the Word in human form. It is in this
form [i.e., the risen Christ] that he will pronounce sen-
tence; in this same form, "he will appear terrible to the
reprobate, but mild to the righteous.'"
2. The reason for this may be explained as follows. The
First Principle, by the fact of being first, exists of itself, by
itself, and for itself. It is thus the efficient, formal, and
final cause: creating, governing, and perfecting all things.
It creates in accord with the loftiness of its power, governs
in accord with the rectitude of its truth, and perfects in
accord with the plenitude of its goodness. Now, the lofti-
ness of the highest power requires that some creatures be
produced that are not only vestiges, but also images; crea-
tures that are not only irrational, but also rational; crea-
tures that are moved not only by natural instinct, but also
by free will. But a creature made to the image of God has
'Cf. Matt 16:27; 25:31, Rev 22:12. On the material in this chapter,
see In 4 Sent., 43.2-3 (IV, 896-902); 48.1 (IV, 984-88). In part seven of
the Breviloquium Bonaventure has assembled materials that were still
somewhat scattered in Lombard's Sentences into one coherent treatment
of eschatology.
-·Dan 7: 9-10; Rev 20: 12: "And I saw the dead ... standing before the
throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, the
book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as
recorded in the books." Cf. Lombard, Liber 4 Sent., 43.4 (2: 512).
4 Bonaventure here follows Peter Lombard, tiber 4 Sent., 48.1-2 (2:
542-44), quoting Isidore, Sent., 1.27.9 (PL 83:596), who in turn is based
on Gregory, Hom. in Evang., 21.3: "God will appear soothing to the
righteous and dreadful to the unrighteous. When he comes at the
judgment, he will reassure the former by his gentleness and mildness,
and cause dread in the latter by the strictness of his justice" (PL 76:
1171B [Hurst, 159)).
PART VII 267
by that fact a capacity for God, that is, it is capable of
blessedness.' Furthermore, a creature that is rational is
capable of being instructed; and a creature possessing free
will is capable of ordered or disordered actions in terms of
the law of justice. Therefore, the rectitude of truth neces-
sarily imposes on human beings a law inviting them to
blessedness, instructing them in truth, and obliging them
to righteousness. But this occurs in such a way as not to
compel their free wills, lest they be deprived of the capac-
ity freely to abandon or to follow justice. This is because
God "so directs things which have been created that they
may perform and exercise their own proper movements".6
Now the plenitude of goodness, in its perfecting action,
works in accordance with the loftiness of power and the
rectitude of truth. Therefore, the consummation of bless-
edness is granted by the supreme Goodness only to those
who have observed the justice which was imposed by the
rectitude of truth and who have accepted instruction and
have loved that highest and eternal blessedness more than
transitory goods.
Now, some people have acted in this manner and oth-
ers in a way contrary to it, according to their different
wills, which are hidden within them, proceeding in this
life as they choose. Therefore, in order to manifest the lofti-
ness of power, the rectitude oftruth, and the plenitude of
goodness, there must necessarily follow a universal judg-
ment. This will bring about a just distribution of rewards,
an open declaration of merits, and an irrevocable passing
of sentences. In this way, the plenitude of supreme good-
ness may appear in the distribution of rewards to the just,
the rectitude of truth in the open declaration of merits,
and the loftiness of might and power in the irrevocable
'Cf. Augustine, De Trin., 14.8.11 (PL 42: 1044). See above, pt. 2,chaps.
9 and 12.
'Augustine,De civ. Dei, 7.30 (PL 41: 220 [Dyson, p. 306, alt.)).
 269

268 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVILOQUIUM

mere creature has supreme authority, an authority beyond
passing of sentences. Above all· .. appeal. Therefore, it follows necessarily that our judge, in
cerned either with . k dn ' a Just retnbutlOn is con-
.. WIC e ess that deserves . h order to promulgate with supreme authority, must be God;
or wIth rIghteousness that d purus ment
Adam's children are in th eserves glory. Now all of and, in order to be seen and to convict sinners in human
"" e one state or th th
lore, every person must be .ud
h
. e 0 er: t ere- likeness, must be human.' °And since it is one voice ofjudg-
bution, so the just may b J I ~~d by a Judgment ofretri- ment that shall terrify the guilty and reassure the inno-
ished.' e g on led and the sinners pun- cent, that one visible form ofthe judge will be sufficient to
gladden the hearts of the just and fill sinners with dread.
3. Again, an open declarati f .
manifestation at one d th on 0 ~ents requires the
. an e same tim b th h
WIll was obligated to do and . e 0 w at free CHAPTER 2
do, taking into account the w~at m f~ct it did or did not THE ANTECEDENTS OF THE JUDGMENT:
y
so both books must be
:
v;net of CIrcumstances. And
reveal peoples' merits. ~en; the b~ok of consciences, to
tice by which th ,.e ook of LLfe, to reveal the jus-
THE PUNISHMENT OF PURGATORY

1. We shall noW consider specific points concerning the

ese ments are to b ·th state of final judgment: some of them precede it, others
approved. Now, in this Book of Lit< e el er .rewarded or
accompany it, and others follow it. The two that precede it
written down at once and. th e everything has been
books of consciences eve~h. e clearest way, and in the
are the punishment of purgatory and the suffrages of the
corded. And so wh th mg has been truthfully re- Church."
, en ese books a 2. First, with regard to the punishment of purgatory,
manifestation of all m ·t h re opened together a
en s s all take pI h the following points must be held: that the fire of purga-
secrets of every heart sh II b ace, so t at the
others. And thus as A a . e made known to itself and to tory is a physical fire which torments the spirits of the
' ugustme says this B k· " just who in this life did not fulfill the penance and due
by which it will be mad . ' 00 IS a power
to mind all their actione ~~ssl:~e for e~ery person to recall satisfaction [for their sins).12 These are punished to a
judgments may be cle sl' so at the JustlCe ofthe divine greater or lesser degree according as they took with them
. ar y seen. from this life more or less of what must be burned away.
4. Fmally, an irrevoc bl They are afflicted less severely than in hell, but more so
promulgated by one : .e s:ntence requires that it be
against whom there is:o 0 IS .b~th heard and seen, and than in this present world. This penalty is not so severe
Light cannot be see b POSSI e appeal. But the supreme as to deprive them of hope and of the knowledge that they
cannot behold it. £0 n ytheveryone, ~ince darkened eyes are not in hell, although because of the greatness of their
' r WI out a godlik . d
h eart we cannot behold it fa t 9 e mm and joy of
will have to appear in th ~~ 0 face. Therefore our judge
e 1 eness of a creature. But no
Cf. John 5:22-29.
10
A good summary of Bonaventure's teaching on these two topics
11

may be found in Jacques Le Goff, The Birth of Purgatory, trans. Arthur

7 See 2 Cor 5:10. Goldhammer (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984), 250-56.
'De 43.4
Sent., civ. Dei, 20.14 (PL 41·. 680 [Dyson, 999]). See Lombard, Liber 4
(2: 513). "Cf. pt. 6, chap. 10.4-5.
'I Cor 13:12.
270 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQVIUM
punishments they might not always avert to this. By me~s
of this suffering, inflicted by a physical fire, theIr SPIr:tS
are purified of the guilt and dregs of sin, as well as Its
after-effects. When they are wholly cleansed, they take
flight immediately and are brought into the glory of para-
dise." .
3. The reason for this is as follows. The First PrincIple,
by the very fact that it is first, is supremely good and per-
fect. Being supremely good, it supremely loves good and
abhors evil: for, just as supreme goodness suffers nO good
to remain unrewarded, so it cannot suffer any evil to go
unpunished." Now some just persons die before having
wholly satisfied their penance in this life. But the be~uty
of eternal order cannot be disturbed, and so the merit of
eternal life cannot go to them undeservedly and the stain
of sin cannot remain unpunished. Therefore, even though
they will be rewarded ultimately, it is .still nece~sary that
they be temporarily punished accordmg to theIr deserts
and the guilt of their sin.
Now sin offends God's majesty, injures the Church, and
defaces the divine image impressed on the soul - espe-
cially if the sin is mortal, although venial sin will tend to
do the same things. Suclr offense demands punishment,
injury requires satisfaction, and defa~ing has t.o. be
cleansed, therefore this penalty must be Justly pumtIve,
duly atoning, and sufficiently cleansing.
4. First, then, the penalty ought to be justly punitive.
Thus a spirit that has spurned the eternal and highest
Good and stooped to a lesser good must rightfully be sub-
13 For Bonaventure's fuller treatment of purgatory, see In 4 f!ent.,
20.1 (IV, 516-28). Although a number of ingredients of the doctnne of
purgatory _ such as the efficacy of prayers for the dead:- are found m
patristic authors, the concept of a distinct place ofpurgatI~n after d~ath
was not developed until the late twelfth century by Pans theolOgIans
Peter the Chanter and Simon of Tournai (Le Goff, 152-56).
"Cf. above, pt. 2, chap 7.
PART VII 271
jected to things of a lower order. In this way it will receive
punishment from that which had been the occasion of its
sin and the reason why it had spurned God and defiled
itself. Therefore the order of divine justice demands that
a material fire punish the spiritual soul.15 For, as the soul
is united to the body in the order of nature for the sake of
vivifying it, so it should be united to material fire in the
order of justice for the sake of receiving punishment - for
one who is to be punished must be united to a punishing
agent. The just, being in the state of grace, deserve only
temporal punishment, yet the more they have sinned and
the less they have done penance, the more they are liable
to this penalty. Therefore, they are punished temporally
by material fire - some at great length and others for a
short while, some severely and others lightly, as the mea-
sure of their guilt demands. To quote the great doctor Au-
gustine, "it is necessary that the sinner suffer pain in pro-
portion to his or her [inordinatellove."'6 The more deeply
a person has loved the things of this world in the inner
depths of his or her heart, the harder it will be for that
person to be cleansed.
5. Again, the punishment of purgatory must be aton-
ing. Now, the making of satisfaction should respect hu-
man free will and is proper to our earthly pilgrim state;
but, on the contrary, in purgatory there is no way that a
person can merit, and its penalties have virtually nothing
to do with free will.'7 Therefore, the element of satisfac-
tion that is lacking - namely, freely choosing to undergo it
- must be compensated by the bitterness of the punish-
ment itself. But those who are being cleansed possess a
"Cr.,In 4 Sent., 44.2.3.2 (IV, 931-35).
16 De ciu. Dei, 21.26.4 (PL 41: 745 [Dyson, 1096]).
17 Following Alexander ofRales, Bonaventure teaches "that free will
was immobilized after death and merit impossible to acquire" (Le Goff,
251).
272 ST. BONAVENTURE'o/BREVILOQUIUM
grace that they can no longer lose, so that they neither
can nor will be completely absorbed in their pain, or fall
into despair, or be moved to blaspheme. Hence, severe as
their punishment is, is far different and far milder than
damnation; and these souls know without the possibility
of doubt that their state is not the same as the state of
those who are tortured in hell with no remedy."
6. Finally, the punishment of purgatory must have a
cleansing effect, and this cleansing is spiritual. Therefore,
either the fire of purgatory possesses a God-given spiri-
tual power, or else, as I am inclined to believe,19 the very
power of indwelling grace, assisted by the external pun-
ishment, effectively cleanses the soul, which is thereby
punished for its offenses and relieved of the burden of its
guilt. Thus there remains [in it] nothing unfit for glory.
Now such spirits are fully prepared to receive God-con-
forming glory, since the gate [to heaven] is open [to them]
once the cleansing is achieved. And so they necessarily
take flight [there], for there exists within them a fire of
love lifting them up, and there remains no impurity of
soul or guilt holding them down. Nor would it befit the
divine mercy or justice further to delay glory once God
finds the vessel to be suitable, for it would be a great pun-
ishment to delay a reward, and a purified soul ought not
to be penalized further.
18 In this sense, Bonaventure believes that the souls in purgatory are
more fortunate than people still on their earthly pilgrimage. See In 4
Sent., (IV, 522-524). Cf. Le Goff, 250, 252.
19 See In 4 Sent., 21.1.1.2, and 21.1.2.1 (IV, 548-50 and 551-53).
Contrary to some theologians, Bonaventure takes a firm position in
favor of the liberation of souls from purgatory prior to the last judgment.
PART VII 273
CHAPTER 3
THE ANTECEDENTS OF THE JUDGMENT:
THE SUFFRAGES OF THE CHURCH
1. Concerning the suffrages of the Church, it must be
held that such suffrages benefit the dead. By the word
'suffrages' I mean all those things the Church does on be-
half of the dead, such as sacrifices, fasts, alms, and other
prayers and voluntary penances performed for the pur-
pose of facilitating and hastening the expiation of their
sins. Now such suffrages do not benefit all the dead indis-
criminately, but only "the moderately good," that is, the
souls in purgatory. They are of no use for "the entirely
evil," the souls in hell, nor for "the entirely good," those
that are in heaven." On the contrary, the merits and
prayers of these blessed ones are sought instead for the
Church Militant, for whose members they obtain many
. benefits. The value of such suffrages is greater or lesser,
depending both on the degree of merit of the dead and
upon the charity of the living, who may be more solicitous
of some souls than others. This benefit either alleviates
their suffering or hastens their release, as divine provi-
dence sees fit for each soul's good.
2. The reason for this is as follows. The First Principle,
being supremely good, and for this reason supremely se-
2°This three-fold distinction between the various types of dead goes
back to Augustine, Enchirid., 29.110: 'When sacrifices, whether that of
the altar or sacrifices of alms, are offered for all the baptized who are
dead, for the truly good these are acts of thanksgiving, for those who
are not really good they are propitiatory, and for the truly evil, although
they are of no help to the dead, they offer some kind of consolation to
the living. And when they benefit somebody, they either bring full
remISSIOn ofpulllshment, or at least make the condemnation itself more
tolerable" (PL 40: 283 [Harbert, 124]). This teaching was taken up and
refined by Scholastics like Peter Lombard, Liber 4 Sent., 45.2 (2: 523-
25). (Le Goff, 220-25). Bonaventure deals with the topic of the prayers
of the Church for the dead in In 4 Sent., 45.2 and the intercession of
the saints for the living in 45.3 (IV; 843-51).
274 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVIWQUIUM
vere against evil, must correspondingly display a supreme
sweetness toward what is good. Therefore, while the se-
verity of divine justice demands that the just in whom
there remains some guilt of sin must be cleansed after
this life by the pains of purgatory, the sweetness of divine
mercy dictates that they should also be lifted up and given
assistance and comfort - all the more so since they are in a
state of misery and can no longer help themselves through
good works and merits. 21 Hence, it was indeed fitting for
divine providence to dispose that suffrages be offered for
these souls by those who could still do so; without, how-
ever, impairing the rectitude of justice, which even the
sweetness of divine mercy may not and cannot derogate
or depart from in any way. Now, the rectitude of justice
always has to maintain the divine honor, the government
of the universe, and the quality of individual merit. This
is why the providence of the first and supreme Principle
disposed that the dead would profit by these suffrages in
accordance with both the sweetness of mercy and the reC-
titude of justice, which demands that the dignity of God's
honor, the government of the universe, and the quality of
human merit would each be safeguarded.
3. First of all, these suffrages must always respect that
justice which is concerned above all with maintaining the
honor of God. Now, the divine honor certainly requires the
performance of works of satisfaction and expiation to atone
for sin. Therefore, those acts that are best able to render
satisfaction and repay honor to God may be offered as suf-
frages [for the dead]. There are three such forms of satis-
faction: fasting, prayer, and almsgiving; but the honor due
to God is best rendered in the sacrifice of the altar, be-
caUSe of the pleasing quality of the one who is offered in
that sacrifice. Thus, the suffrages of the Church consist of
21 Cf. chap. 2.5 above.
PART VII 275
such works of satisfaction, especially in the celebration of
Masses. On this point, Gregory tells us in the fourth book
of his Dialogues, that certain souls were speedily deliv-
ered from great sufferings through the benefit of Masses. 22
But the pomp offunerals, elaborate burials, and things of
that kind are not to be counted among the suffrages of the
Church. This is why Augustine; in his book The Care to Be
Taken for the Dead, declares that" the care of the funeral
arrangements, the establishment of the place of burial,
and the pomp of the ceremonies are more of a solace for
the living than an aid for the dead.""
4. Furthermore, one must also respect the justice that
conserves the order and government of the universe. This
requires that, in the communication of influences, both
order and agreement must be respected in the emanation
of such effects on other beings, so that there is a proper
order between the originators and the beneficiaries of such
influences." Thus those beings lower in rank can produce
no effect upon higher ones, nor can any being upon one
that is utterly remote from it. Hence the Church's suf-
frages cannot have any benefit for the souls in hell, for
these are completely separated from the Mystical Body of
Christ. No spiritual effect can reach them, any more than
the head can have an influence upon members severed
from the body. That is also why suffrages cannot help the
blessed, for they inhabit an absolutely superior state, at
the very summit, and therefore cannot possibly rise any
"Gregory the Great, Dialogues, 4.55 (PL 77: 416-17). Bonaventure
treats systematically the concept of satisfaction and the "honor due to
God," In 4 Sent., 15.2 (IV, 361-80).
23 De cura pro mortuis, 2.4, trans. John A. Lacey (PL 40: 594 [FC 27:
355]); this passage was cited by Peter Lombard, Liber 4 Sent., 45.3 (2:
525).
24 Aristotle makes a similar point in De genera. et corrupt., 2.25.4
(331a 23-240).
276 ST. BONAVENTURE'sBREVIWQUIUM
higher. On the contrary, it is they and their prayers that
are beneficial for us - for this also they merited during
their life on earth. Therefore, divine order has disposed
that prayers be offered to the saints of God, that they in
turn may intercede for us and obtain God's blessings.
Hence, the Church's suffrages are of no help to them, but
theirs are of great value to us.
Hence, the suffrages of the Church are profitable only
to just souls suffering the pains of purgatory. Inasmuch as
they suffer without being able to help themselves, they
are inferior to the living; but in terms of justice, they are
linked to the other members of the Church. And so the
merits of the Church may rightly be applied to them be-
cause in their case the order and agreement [mentioned
above] do exist.
5. Finally, in these suffrages there must also be mani-
fested that justice which considers what the merits [of the
dead] deserve. Therefore, those suffrages that are offered
for the dead in common, although effective for all good
souls, each one in proper measure, more fully benefit those
who during this life more richly deserved to be _affected
and aided by them. AB for the suffrages offered for some
souls in particular, if the intention of the petitioner is righ-
teous and God-conformed, and since something the Church
has instituted assuredly cannot be without effect, such
particular suffrages are therefore more beneficial for those
for whom they were designated, even though in a certain
way they are also communicated to others. Nevertheless,
even though they are spiritual goods, such suffrages can-
not procure as many advantages for others as for the in-
tended beneficiaries. Divine justice requires greater sat-
isfaction for a greater sin, and for numerous sins it re-
quires numerous reparations. Hence, the example oflight,
which shines equally on all those seated at one table, does
not apply in this case.25 Rather, suffrages ought to be com-
pared to redeeming payments rather than to the diffusion
PART VII 277
of light. AB for their specific effect on anyone particular
soul, this may be determined with certainty only by the
One who attends to weight, number, and measure in mat-
ters of guilt, punishment, and suffrages?"
CHAPTER 4
THE CONCOMITANTS OF THE JUDGMENT:
THE CONFLAGRATION OF FIRE
1. We now ought to add something about the events
that accompany the judgment. These are two in number:
the consuming by fire of worldly things and the resurrec-
tion of bodies.
2. Regarding the conflagration, the following points
must be held: that fire will consume the face of the earth,
preceding the face of the Judge; in this way the present
form of this world shall perish in a conflagration offire,
just as it was destroyed by water in the flood.27 But when
it is said that the present form of the world shall perish,
this does not imply the total destruction of this material
universe. Rather, through the action of fire setting all
material things aflame, all animals and plants will be con-
sumed; the elements will be cleansed and renewed, par-
ticularly the air and the earth; and just [persons] will be
25 See Perf. evan.,q. 4, a. 3, ad 9 (Y, 197), where Bonaventure maintains,
as a general principle, that spiritual goods cannot be divided. This
principle had been invoked by the Parisian master Praepositinu8 of
Cremona (+c. 1210) to argue, using the example of light that is cited
here, that the suffrages of the Church could not be divided but were
applied to all the souls in purgatory equally. Bonaventure opposed this
opinion In 4 Sent., 45.2.3 (IV, 946-47).
26 Cf. Wis 11:21.
"I Cor 7:31; 2 Peter 3:5-13. Cf. Augustine, De civ. Dei, 20.16: "The
figure of this world will pass away in a conflagration of all the fires in
the universe, just as it was of old drowned by the inundation of all the
waters of the universe" (PL 41: 682 [Dyson, 1002]).
278 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQUlUM
purified and the wicked consigned to the flames. When all
this has been accomplished, the motion of the heavens shall
cease, and thus, when the number of elect is completed,
the bodies of the universe also shall, in some sense, be
made new and rewarded.'·
3. This should be understood in the following manner.
The universal Principle of things, being supremely wise,
observes the order of wisdom in all its works, but should
do so especially in those matters related to their consum-
mation. In this way, the beginning will be in harmony with
the intermediate stage, and the intermediate stage with
the end; thus, in the perfectly fitting order of all things,
the ordering wisdom, the goodness, and the loftiness of
that first supreme Principle will clearly be seen.
Now, in accordance with that most orderly wisdom, God
fashioned the material world or macrocosm for the sake
of the microcosm, that is, humankind,29 which is placed in
the middle between God and these inferior things. There-
fore, in order to make all things fit together and to have
harmony between the dwelling place and its inhabitants,
since humanity was created in goodness, this world also
was fittingly established in a state of goodness and peace.
But when humanity fell, it was also fitting that this world
was also damaged; as humanity became disordered, it too
was disordered. But likewise, when humanity is purified,
it too should be purified; when humanity is recreated, it
too should be recreated; and when humanity achieves rest,
it too should find repose.3D
4. First, then, this world should be disordered because
human beings were disordered; thus, as it had stood up-
28 Cf. Rev 21:5. For a fuller treatment of this, see In 4 Sent., 47.2 and
48.2 (IV, 975-80; 989-95).
29 Cf. above, Prologue, sec. 2, and pt. 2, chap. 4.
30 See the Glossa ordinaria on Is 30:26 (Lyranum 4, 57).
PART VII 279
right when they stood, it fell, in a sense, when they fell.
Furthermore, the judgment to come should manifest the
severity of the Judge; thus, every human heart shall be
struck with fear, particularly the hearts of the sinners who
have rejected the Lord of all. And so it is also fitting that
all creation should submit to divine zeal," conforming both
to the Maker of the world and to the human beings who
dwell in it; thus the very pivots of the earth must be shaken
most terribly." Now nothing is more intense, swifter, and
more horrible in disturbing the other elements than a fire
springing up on every side. Therefore, fire must precede
the face of the Judge, not only from one direction, but also
in every quarter of the world. There will be a veritable
concourse of fires: fires of the elements and of earth, of
purgatory, and even of hell. Thus infernal fire will torment
the damned, the fire of purgatory will cleans the just,
earthly fires will consume all living things, and elemental
fire will refine the other elements. At the same time , all
other things will be shaken, making not only humans and
demons but even the angels tremble at the sight.
5. Again, this world ought to be clean.sed as humanity
is to be cleansed. At the end of their life human beings
need to be washed of the dross of avarice and malice, just
as in their youth they need to be purged ofthe filth oflust;
moreover, they have to be cleansed rapidly, to the very
depths, and perfectly. Now in the beginning the world was
laid waste and purified in a way by the element of water,
which is cold and thus opposed to the heat and filth of
lust. So at the end it will have to be swept clean and puri-
fied by fire; this is because of the cooling of charity" and
"Cf. In IV Sent., 48.dub 3 (IV, 996), alluding here to Wi. 5:17: "The
Lord will take his zeal as his annar, and will arm all creation to repel
his enemies."
32Cf. Matt 24:29: "... the powers of heaven will be shaken."
33 Cf. Matt 24:12: "And because of the increase of lawlessness the
love of many will grow cold." '
280 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUIUM
the frigidity of malice and avarice that will reign in what
is like the old age of the world. And because such vices
adhere to human beings so closely, the cleansing agent
must be interior, violent, and swift - a type of action found
in no other element except fire. Therefore, just as there
was a flood of waters in the deluge, so also the face of this
material world must be burnt by fire.
6. Furthermore, this world ought to be renewed once
humankind is renewed. Now, a thing cannot be recast into
a new form unless it has lost the old, and is, in a certain
way, prepared through receiving a new disposition. Now
fire has the greatest power to remove the external form,
and also a refining power akin to heavenly nature. Thus
both the cleansing and renovation of the world must come
about through fire; of this double effect, one aspect will
precede and the other will follow the coming of the Judge.
Moreover, true renovation leads to a newness that is no
longer liable to aging, and such an incorruptible newness
no creature can bestow. Therefore, although in this cleans-
ing and renovation, fire acts partly through its natural
powers, setting aflame, purging, vaporizing, and refining,
there must be present with these, another power higher
than nature: a power by whose command the conflagra-
tion is initiated, and by which power its termination nev-
ertheless will be achieved.
7. Finally, this world ought to be consummated once
humanity is consummated. Now humanity will be consum-
mated when the number of the elect reaches completion
in glory: the state toward which all things tend as to their
final end and fulfillment. Therefore, as soon as this num-
ber is completed, the motion ofthe heavenly bodies must
cease and come to rest; likewise, the transmutations of
elements will come to an end, and consequently the pro-
cess of generation in animals and plants. For since all these
creatures were ordained toward the more noble form, the
rational soul, once souls have achieved their final state of
PART VII 281
rest, all other things must also come to completion and
repose.
That is why when the heavenly bodies do finally at-
tain repose and the fullness ofiuminosity, they are said to
have received their reward. Now, the elements as such,
which have lost the power of multiplication through in-
terchange, are said to perish: 34 not in their substance, but
in their mutual relationship, and most of all in their ac-
tive powers. Vegetative and sensitive beings do not pos-
sess the power of perpetual life and eternal duration that
is reserved to the higher state, and so their whole sub-
stance will be consumed [in the fire]. However, they will
be preserved as ideas; and in a certain manner they will
survive also in their likeness, humankind, who is kin to
creatures of every species." And so one can say that all
things will be made new and, in a certain sense, rewarded
in the renovation and glorification of humanity.
CHAPTER 5
THE CONCOMITANTS OF THE JUDGMENT:
THE RESURRECTION OF BODIES
1. Concerning the resurrection of our bodies, we must
hold the following beliefs: that the bodies of all human
beings will arise in a general resurrection, with no inter-
val of time existing between them, but with a great differ-
ence in the order of their dignity. For evil persons will arise
with the deformities and punishments, the miseries and
defects, they incurred during this present life. But in the
good, ''blemishes will be taken away from their bodies, but
34
2 Peter 3:10: "The elements will be dissolved with fire,"
"Cf. pt. 2, chap. 4. 3 above. See Gregory the Great, Moral., 6.16.20
(PL 75: 740 B-C), and In evang.,2.29.2 (1'L 76:1214 B); Augustine, Sermo
43,3.4 (PL 38: 256).
282 ST. BONAVEN'fURE'SBREVlLOQUIUM
their nature will be preserved."'· Thus the latter will all
rise with an unimpaired body, in the prime of life, and
well-proportioned, so that all the saints will come together
into a perfect man, into the measure of the age of the full-
ness of Christ. 37 And so both the good and the wicked will
arise with the same individual bodies they had previously,
composed of the same parts, and these true to nature, not
only in the principal members and the vital humors, but
even down to the last hair and the other members that
contribute to the comeliness ofthe body. Thus, "into what-
ever vapors or recesses of nature the dust of the human
body may be turned into, it shall return to that soul that
first animated it, so that it was able to become human, to
grow, and to live.""
2. The reason for this is as follows. The first Principle,
by the very fact that it is first and supreme, is utterly
universal and sufficient, and thus it is the Principle of
natures, of graces, and of rewards, a Principle alI-power-
ful, all-merciful, and all-just. Although, in a certain at-
tributed sense,'9 supreme power refers to the creation of
"Augustine,De civ. Dei, 22.17 (PL 41: 778 [Dyson, 1144-45]). On the
points discussed in this chapter, see In 4 Sent., 43.1 and 44.1 (IV, 883-
96 and 906-19).
a7 I have literally translated the Vulgate version ofEph 4:13, as it is
integral to Bonaventure's imagery of the perfected Body of Christ. Here
Bonaventure follows Augustine, who believed that 'into a perfect man'
(in virum perfectum) primarily refers to "Head and body together, made
up of all the members, which will be perfected in its own time" (De du.
Dei, 22.18 [Dyson, 1146)]. Both Augustine and Bonaventure also state
that even if'perfect man' should also refer to the form in which each of
the elect will rise, vir (man) in the Bible often means 'person' and
therefore includes women. Therefore, people will arise in both sexes,
not one. (Ibid., 22.1817-18 [pp. 1144-1147]; Bonaventure, In 4 Sent.,
44.1, dub. 2 [rv; 473]). See Bynum, pp. 98, 254-55.
"Augustine, Enchirid., 23.88, abbreviated (PL 40: 273 [Harbert, 107]),
and De civ. Dei, 22.20 (PL 41:782). Cf. Peter Lombard, Liber 4 Sent.,
44.2 (2: 517).
"Cf.pt.1,chap.6.
PART VII 283
natures, supreme mercy to the conferring of graces, and
supreme justice to the distribution of rewards, in fact each
attribute shares in every work, for supreme power, mercy,
and justice are inseparable. Hence, the work of retribu-
tion must be brought about in a way that respects the
rectitude ofjustice, the restoration of grace, and the comple-
tion of nature. Now, justice necessarily demands that a
person be punished or rewarded in both soul and body, for
that person has merited or demerited, not in the soul alone,
nor in the body alone, but in soul and body together. Again,
the restoration of grace demands that the entire body be
likened to Christ, whose dead body had to rise again be-
cause it was inseparably united to his Godhead. Finally,
the completion of nature demands that human beings be
constituted of body and soul, as matter and form mutu-
ally need and seek each other.40 For all these reasons, there
must be a future resurrection to satisfy the requirement
of the creation of nature, the infusion of grace, and the
retribution of justice - the three works that regulate the
government of the universe. For these three reasons, all
creation proclaims that human beings are to rise from the
dead; in this way they render inexcusable those who close
their ears to this truth of faith. Rightfully, then, the whole
universe shall fight against such as these. 4 '
3. First, therefore, resurrection must comply with the
order of divine justice. Now, divine justice renders to ev-
eryone his or her due according to the circumstances of
place and time. Moreover, a soul joined to a body for a
single instant acquires in this union either guilt or merit:
therefore all must necessarily rise. Now, the state of retri-
bution must be distinguished from the state of this present
"Aristotle, Phys. 1,81. 9 (192a 17-24), and Augustine, De Gen. ad
litt., 12.35.68 (PL 34:483).
41Wis 5:20.

284 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREV1LOQUlUM
life; and it is to the state of retribution that resurrection
pertains. Therefore, to avoid any confusion in the order of
the universe, to assure that faith shall acquire merit
through belief in what has not yet been seen, to make the
equity of divine justice appear with greater clarity and
certainty, and to fulfill and reward angels and human be-
ings together, divine justice requires, at least as a general
law, that all shall rise at the same time. The exceptions
are Christ and his blessed Mother, the glorious Virgin Mary.
But as the lot of the wicked is pain and woe,and that of
the just is glory, although all rise together in time, yet
they shall be far apart in dignity. This is because the wicked
shall be raised, not to life, but to torture;" thus they must
rise with all their weakness, deformities, and defects.
4. Again, resurrection must also comply with the per-
fection of grace. Now, perfect grace conforms us to Christ
our Head, in whom there was no physical imperfection,
but perfect maturity, fitting stature, and comely appear-
ance. Therefore, it is fitting that the good be raised in a
state as perfect as possible. This means that they should
lack defects and that their nature should be preserved. It
is also fitting that if any member be lacking it should be
supplied, that ifthere be any excess growth it should be
eliminated, that if there is any malfunctioning it should
be corrected. Those who died in childhood are to be raised
by divine power at an age corresponding to Christ at the
resurrection, although not with the same physical stat-
ure. 43 Those who are decrepit will be restored to the same
age. Those who are giants or dwarfs shall be given proper
stature. Thus all shall come forth, whole and perfect, into
42 John 5:29: "Those who have done good, shall come forth to the
resurrection oflife, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of
condemnation."
43 Summarizing Augustine, De civ. Dei, 22.14-15 (PL 41:777 [Dyson,
1142-43]). Cf. Peter Lombard,Liber 4 Sent., 44.1 (2:516-17).
,
PARTVlI 285
a perfect man, into the measure of the age of the fullness of
Christ."
5. Finally, the resurrection should be in accordance with
the exigencies of the perfection of nature. Now, the nature
of the rational spirit demands that it give life to a body of
its own, because "a proper act must be accomplished in its
proper matter."" Therefore the same individual body must
be raised from the dead, or else there would be no true
resurrection. Moreover, the nature of the rational and
immortal soul demands that, as it has perpetual exist-
ence, it also have a body to which it may forever give life.
Hence, the body united to the soul possesses, by this very
union, a disposition toward perpetual incorruption. How-
ever, this happens in such a way that whatever makes up
its whole substance - for instance, the principal limbs, the
vital fluid, and the flesh according to species - have a nec-
essary disposition to incorruption. The other parts - the
flesh in its materiality," and whatever pertains in gen-
eral to physical well being - have that disposition in terms
of fittingness only. The former are thus disposed towards
resurrection in the order of necessity, and the latter in the
order of congruity.
Now, God has imprinted this order upon nature, but
nature itself cannot fulfill it, since it cannot raise the dead.
But since divine providence does nothing in vain," it is
necessary that each individual body should be restored by
God's own power: immortal and complete in all its parts,
"Eph4:13.
45 A maxim summarizing Aristotle, De anima, 2.2: "The actuality of
any given thing can only be realized in what is already potentially that
thing, i.e., in a matter ofits own appropriate to it" (414a 25-28 [po 559]).
46 On this Aristotelian distinction, see In 2 Sent., 30.3.2 (II, 734-37).
47 Cf. Aristotle, De caelo, 1.3: "But God and nature create nothing
that has not its use" (271a 33 [po 404]), and De anima, 3.9: "Nature
never makes anything without a purpose and never leaves out what is
necessary" (432b 21-22 [po 597]).
286 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVlLOQUlUM
thus preserving the whole truth of the nature. Thus, na-
ture does not have these things in its power, but only in
its appetite. It cannot restore to life the same body once
destroyed, since it does not have full control over the sub-
stance of a thing; nor can it make a body immortal, since
everything born of nature is corruptible,4s nor again can it
gather what has been scattered abroad. Therefore, resur-
rection cannot be brought about by seminal or natural
causes:' but only by the First Cause; so that it occurs in a
wondrous and supernatural way at the command of the
divine will.
CHAPTER 6 self, deny himself, 53 or contradict his own justice. This is
THE CONSEQUENTS TO THE JUDGMENT:
THE INFERNAL PUNISHMENT
1. Finally, we must speak of the things that follow judg-
ment, which are two: infernal punishment and heavenly
glory.
2. Concerning infernal punishment we must hold that
this punishment takes place in a material place beneath
us, where all the damned, both humans and the bad an-
gels, endure eternal torments.'o They are afflicted with
the same material fire that will burn and torture both their
souls and bodies. Yet this fire will never consume them
but instead torture them forever - some more, others less,
in proportion to each one's guilt. To this pain by fire shall
be added suffering in every one of the senses, and the pun-
ishment of a worm,51 and the deprivation of the vision of
"Aristotle,De eaelo et mundo, 1.12 (282b 8-9).
49 On seminal causes, see In 2 Sent., 18.1.2 (11,436-37).
50 On the topics treated in this chapter, see In 4 Sent., 44.2 (N, 919-
36.
51 Cf. Mark 9: :48: ", .. where their worm never dies and the fire is
never quenched," which alludes to Is 66:24. Bonaventure uses the
imagery of a 'worm' to depict the spiritual punishment of remorse and
PART VII 287
God. Thus, there will be multiple pains; and along with
this variety, intensity; and along with the intensity, end-
1essness; so that in regard to the punishment of the
damned, the smoke of their torments shall go up forever
andever. 52
2. We should understand the reason for what we have
said in the following way. The first Principle, being first, is
also supreme; this means that every quality that Prin-
ciple possesses, it must possess to the highest degree.
Therefore, God must be supremely just. And so, in the work
of retribution, God acts according to this supreme righ-
teousness in such a way that he cannot act against him-
why it is necessary, precisely by virtue of God's justice,
that sin be punished in proportion to the degree of guilt,
and most of all in those who, spurning the law of mercy,
have dashed themselves through impenitence against the
severity of justice. Furthermore, the rigor of justice con-
siders not only the root of the fault, but also its aggravat-
ing circumstances. Thus it is most fitting that the just judge
require of the wicked the payment of that penalty down to
the last penny,'4 so that there might remain "no ugliness
of sin without the beauty of justice."" And so, just as su-
preme power has been manifested in creation, supreme
wisdom in governance, and supreme mercy in restoration,
so will supreme justice be manifest in retribution.
Now divine justice ought to punish sinners in propor-
tion to their guilt. But mortal sin that is followed by final
self-loathing that continually gnaws at the souls of the damned. Cf. In
4 Sent., 50.2.2 (N, 1050-53).
"Rev 14:11.
53 2 Tim 2:13.
54 Matt 5:26.
55 According to Augustine, De lib. arb., 3.15.44. Bonaventure here
replaces the "punishment" of Augnstine with 'justice" (PL 32: 1293 [po
123]).
288 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUlUM
impenitence implies a perpetual disorder, a lustful disor-
der, and a manifold disorder: therefore, it must be pun-
ished by means of a penalty that is perpetual, bitter, and
manifold.
4. In the first place, for a perpetual disorder there ought
to be a perpetual punishment. Now, when a person com-
mits a sin and never repents of it, that sin remains for-
ever in the soul, and separates that person from eternal
life, that is, from God. For such a sin proceeds from a will
that chooses to find its pleasure always in sinning. And
although such transitory pleasure lasts but a moment, the
disorder [in the willl has the character of permanence;
therefore, the punishment corresponding to this disorder
must be without end. Just as the human being, in his or
her continual choice, appointed no end to sinning,56 so God,
in his perpetual will, never suspends the punishment. As
human beings have sinned against the infinite good, so
they must suffer an infinite penalty; and since they can-
not suffer a pain of infinite intensity, they must suffer one
of infinite duration. And so, just as after death the will of
a sinner forever cleaves to evil and never repents, so also
God afflicts it endlessly without ever reversing this sen-
tence, precisely because of this perpetuity of disordered
will in the damned.
5. Secondly, the punishment for a lustful disorder must
be bitter. Now, any unlawful pleasure is punished most
appropriately with the pain opposed to it. By sinning, the
rational spirit wantonly turns to a good of its own, loving
what is merely here and now, thus selfishly spurning the
divine command and sovereignty. And so, in fitting pun-
ishment for such vicious gratification, a pleasure mingled
with contempt, the sinner - whether human or angelic -
must be chastised by being cast down to the lowest place,
"Cf. In 4 Sent., 50.1.1.1 (IV, 1036).
PART VII 289
a place most remote from the state of glory, that is, the
depths of hell. Likewise, the sinner must be afflicted there
by what is ofthe basest nature, and hence must suffer, not
from a spiritual substance, but from one that is material
and lowly, that is, the dregs of material bodies; they must
be fettered to this filth, and tormented with fire and sul-
fur. 57
Now, the spirit, by nature, is superior to the body and
has the power of acting upon it and moving it. But in choos-
ing sin, the soul has perverted the nobility of its nature
and subjected itself, in a particular way, to the vileness
and nothingness of sin. Therefore, the order of justice de-
mands that all sinners, angelic or human, be fettered to a
material fire from which they will receive, not the infu-
sion of life, but, by divine decree, the pain of suffering.
And so sinners are inseparably shackled to this fire - a
fire they abhor through a divinely instilled fear and pain-
fully feel through their natural senses. In this way they
are most cruelly tortured.
Now the action ofthis fire is proportioned to the sin,
the guilt, and the stain resulting from the depravity of the
self-seeking will. And so, since all sinners are not depraved
to the same degree, the same fire shall burn one more se-
verely and the other less so, just as the same fire burns
straw and wood with different intensity." Now, although
the fire acts in proportion to the degree of guilt of each
sinner, that guilt itself remains constant in each sinner,
never waxing or waning, or undergoing any change. That
is why, by divine ordination, this fire will act in such a
way that it will forever burn without ever consuming, for-
"Rev 14:10: cf. Zeph 1: 12.
58Cf. Augustine, De civ. Dei, 21.16: "It is certainly not to be denied
that the intensity of the eternal fire itself will differ according to the
deserts of the wicked. For some it will be milder, and for others more
grievous" (PL 41:731 [Dyson, 1076]).
290 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUlUM
ever afflict without ever destroying. For the purpose of
this fire is not to increase itself, but to destroy the peace of
the soul within its body, and the peace of the incorporeal
spirit within itself. Hence, there will be no new loss ofpeace,
but a continuation of the same loss; it will be the same
punishment, whose bitterness will not annul its endless-
ness and whose eternity will not diminish its bitterness.
6. Finally, the punishment for a manifold disorder must
be manifold. Now, any actual mortal sin consists of a dis-
orderly turning away from the supreme light and good, a
disorderly turning toward a mutable good, and the disor-
der of a will that opposes the dictates of right reason. 59
Thus, on account of this threefold disorder, all those who
have committed actual sin deserving of damnation will
suffer a threefold punishment: because of their turning
away from God, the loss of the vision of God; because of
their turning to mutable goods, the pain of material fire:
and because of the revolt of their will against reason the
pain of a worm. And so, afflicted by these multiple punish-
ments, they will be tortured in these various ways, and
bitterly, and eternally; thus the smoke of their torments
shall go up forever and ever.·o Amen.
CHAPTER 7 63
THE GLORY Of PARADISE
1. As for the glory of heaven, we must hold, in brief,
that it consists of a reward that is substantial, consub-
stantial, and accidental. The substantial reward consists
69Cf Augustine, De lib. arb., 2.19.53: "Evil is a turning away from
immutable goods and a turning toward changeable goods. This turning
away and turning toward result in the just punishment of unhappiness,
because they are committed, not under compulsion, hut voluntarily"
(PL 32:1269 [po 83]).
"Rev 14:11.
PART VII 291
in the vision, enjoyment, and possession of the one high-
est good, namely, God, whom the blessed shall behold face
to face,·! that is, plainly and without a veil. They will en-
joy God with eagerness and delight, and they will possess
God forever. Then will be verified the statement of Ber-
nard: "for God will be for the reason, fullness of light; for
the will, the fullness of peace; for the memory, eternity's
uninterrupted flow."52 The consubstantial reward consists
of the glorification of the body, which is said to be a second
robe;·' once assumed, this permits the beatified soul to
tend more perfectly "to the highest heaven."" This robe
consists of a fourfold dowry of the body: luminosity, subtlety,
agility, and impassability.·5 This will be granted in the
measure of the love that existed in the soul. The acciden-
tal reward is a special, additional embellishment called
the aureole. In the opinion of the masters, the aureole is
due to three meritorious conditions: martyrdom, preach-
" 1 Cor 13:12.
"Serm. Cantic., 11.5 (PL 183: 826 B), trans. Kilian Walsh, Sermons
on the Song of Songs I (Spencer, MA: Cistercian Publications, 1971),
7"3. For a fuller treatment of the materials of this chapter, see In 4
Sent., 33.2.3 (IV; 755-58) and 49.1-2 (IV; 999-1032).
Christian tradition interpreted the several references in the book
of Revelation to the 'white robes' of the elect as referring to their being
clothed with perfection. Scholastic theologians interpreted these 'robes'
as the 'dowries' with which Christ had adorned his Bride, the Church
Triumphant. The primary 'robe' refers to the dowries of the soul that
Bonaventure has already mentioned - vision, love, and enjoyment -
that perfect its faculties, and thus "unite the soul to God as a bride to
her spouse" (In 4 Sent., 49.1.un.5 (IV, 1008-1009). But a further 'robe' is
attached to these, the glorification of the risen body.
"Augustine, De Gen. ad litt., 12.35.68 (PL 34: 483 [ACW 42:228-29]).
65 Anselm had postulated that God would grant seven benefits to the
risen bodies of the elect (Prosiogion, 25). By the early thirteenth century,
theologians like William of Auxerre and Alexander of Hales (Glossa,
4.23.3 [15:524-34]) had reduced them to these four qualities that
comprised the 'dowry' of the risen body.
292 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQUlUM
ing, and virginal continence. 66 It should be noted that in
all three of these rewards there exists a gradation and
distinction due to merits.
2. The explanation for what we have just said is this:
the firsJ Principle, by the very fact that it is first, pos-
sesses the greatest unity, truth, and goodness. This im-
plies, in turn, that in it are supreme power, wisdom, mercy,
and justice. Now these invisible attributes of God should
be manifest in visible works." As the first Principle ofthe
visible universe, God produces it, governs it, restores it,
rewards it, and brings it to perfection. Thus its production
should reveal God's supreme power; its government, God's
supreme wisdom; its restoration God's supreme mercy; and
its rewarding, God's supreme justice.
And so, to reveal divine power, God brought forth all
things from nothing for his praise, glory, and honor. A cer-
tain part of God's creation - material nature - is close to
nothingness. Another part - spiritual nature - is close to
himself.68 These two natures God has joined together in
the human being into one nature and person, namely, a
rational soul and a material body.69
In order to reveal divine wisdom, God governs all things
most providentially and in the most orderly fashion. The
higher part of human nature - the soul - God rules di-
66The concept of the aureole as an additional mark of heroic virtue is
based on Bede's anagogical exegesis of Ex 25:24-25. In this passage
God had prescribed that "another little golden crown" (alteram coronam
aureolam) be added to the larger golden crown of the tabernacle, the
latter interpreted by Bede as referring to the crown granted all the
elect. De tabemaculo, 6 (PL 91: 409-10).
67 Cf. Rom 1.20: "Ever since the creation of the world, God's eternal
power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been
understood and seen through the things he has made."
"Cf. Augnstine, Confessions, 12.7.7 (PL 32: 828).
"See pt. 2, 10.
PART VII 293
rectly, by illuminating it; 70 the lower part - the body - God
rules indirectly through human free will. Thus the body
and all its functions are subject to the spirit, while the
spirit is subject to God. 71
In order to reveal divine mercy, God restored fallen
humanity by assuming human nature with all its penal-
ties, and by suffering the ultimate punishment itself Thus,
for the sake of delivering humankind from its wretched-
ness, supreme Mercy mercifully conformed itself to the
wretched: not only to what was originally noble in man's
nature as it was created, but also to the defects attached
to that nature after the fall. 72
Finally, in order to reveal divine justice, God will re-
pay each one according to his or her merit: eternal pain to
the wicked and eternal glory to the just. This is demanded
by equitable retribution, restoration by grace, well-ordered
government, and a dynamic creation: for all these divine
acts should find their consummation in the final end.
3. First of all, rewarding the just is a requirement of
equitable retribution and also of a dynamic creation. For
in virtue of its creation by God, the rational soul has been
placed in proximity to God and has been made capable of
union with God. This powerful capacity is the image of
the Blessed Trinity that is stamped within it. Righteous
men and women serve the Trinity with their whole spirit,
thus keeping this image intact. It follows, then, that the
rational spirit cannot be rewarded or fulfilled, nor can its
70 Bonaventure discusses this in a number of places, especially Quaes.
disp. de scientia Christi, q. 4, (V, 17-27), and In 2 Sent., 10.2.2 (II, 264-
67).
71 Augustine,De quantitate animae, 36.80; "God ... subjects the body
to the soul, the soul to himself, and so everything to himself" (PL 32:
1079), trans. John J. McMahon, FC 2 (New York, 1947), 147. Cf. De
musica, 6.5.13 (PL 32: 1170) and Enarrat. in Ps. 145,5 (PL 37: 1887).
72 Cf. above, pt. 4, chap. 8.
 294 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUlUM
capacity be satisfied, with anything less than God. Hence,
it receives as its reward a God-conforming glory. Becom-
ing like God, it sees God clearly through the intellect; it
loves God through the will; and it retains God forever
through the memory. Thus the soul is fully alive, totally
endowed in its three faculties, wholly conformed to God,
fully united to God, completely at rest in God. For it finds
in God, as the sum of all its goods, peace, light, and ever-
lasting abundance. Thus established "in that state which
is perfect because all goods are gathered together in it,""
and living by virtue of eternal life, the soul is said to be
blessed and even glorious.
4. Again, rewarding is a requirement, not only of equi-
table retribution and potent creation, but also of ordered
government. When God created the body, God joined it to
the soul, uniting them to each other by a natural and
mutual yearning. God placed the body under the govern-
ment of the soul, creating it in a state of merit. To gain
this merit, God willed that in this pilgrim state the soul
should stoop down to the level of the body, directing its
attention towards governing it. Hence, the soul cannot be
fully happy unless a body is restored to it, because it has
an inclination built into it by nature to be reunited with a
body.74 Nor is government orderly unless the body intended
for union with the blessed soul bends and submits to it in
all things, as much as a body may conform to a spirit. But
73Boethius, De consolat., 3. 2 (PL 63: 724A).
74Cf. above, chap. 5.5; on the mutual yearning of soul and body for
each other, see In 4 Sent., 43.5; 44.2.1, reply 3; 454, dub. 1 (IV, 462, 481;
507). Thus In a sermon on the Assumption, Bonaventure makes the
point that Mary's happiness would not be complete unless she were
assun:e~ bodilY,into heaven. ''The person is not a soul; it is composite.
ThUS,It IS establIshed that she must be there [in heaven] as a composite,
that IS of soul and body; otherwise she would not be in perfect joy" (IX,
690), trans. Bynum, 249.
PART VII 295
since the soul will be enlightened through the vision of
the eternal Light, the body also must shine with great
splendor. Since the soul will become supremely spiritual
through the love of the highest Spirit, the body also must
display a corresponding subtlety and spirituality. Since
the possession of eternal life will make the soul totally
incapable of suffering, the body also must become com-
pletely impassable, internally as well as externally. And
since all these endowments will give the soul a supreme
readiness to ascend to God, the glorified body must also
possess supreme agility.
Because these four properties make the body conform
to and subject itself to the spirit, they are said to be the
special dowry of the body. They enable it to follow the spirit
even to the heavenly region where the blessed abide. They
likewise assimilate the human body to the heavenly bod-
ies, for through these four properties the heavenly body is
gradually drawn away from the four earthly elements.
Hence, this fourfold dowry of the human body not only
perfects it in itself but also conforms it to its heavenly
dwelling place and to the blessed Spirit. Through that
Spirit, the fullness of delights and the inebriation of bliss
{low from God the Head, down upon the skirt of the gar-
ment,7S the human body.
5. Finally, such rewarding is a requirement not only of
equitable retribution, potent creation, and ordered gov-
ernment, but also restoration to glory. The different mem-
bers of Christ receive the gifts of grace in varying amounts
- not only in regard to the inner graces but also to their
outward activities;76 not only in regard to interior disposi-
tions, but also in eternal powers; not only in the perfec-
75 cr. Ps 132: 2. Augustine says that when the soul resumes its glorified
body, it is inebriated.
"C£ 1 Cor 12:4-11.
296 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUlUM
tion of love in the soul, but also in the beauty and splen-
dor of its perfect bodily expression. Hence, some members
are entitled, in addition to the robe of the soul with its
three gifts and the robe of the body with its four perfec-
tions, to exceptional glory and joy because of the outstand-
ing perfection and splendor of their virtuous deeds.
Now, there are three kinds of outstandingly perfect,
beautiful, and splendid deeds, corresponding to the three
basic powers of the soul. Corresponding to the rational
power is the preaching oftruth which leads others to sal-
vation; corresponding to the positive appetite is the per-
fect rejecting of bodily lust through the perpetual integ-
rity of virginal continence; corresponding to the negative
appetite is the suffering of death for the honor ofChrist.77
Therefore, there are three categories of the righteous:
preachers, virgins, and martyrs, who deserve the special
honor of the accidental reward called the aureole. This
adorns, not only the soul, but also the body, since it is given,
not to the will alone, but also the external act. And so, the
merit and reward of charity consists in a sevenfold en-
dowment - triple to the soul and fourfold to the body _
containing the consummation, the integrity, and the full-
ness of all goods related to the completion of glory.
6. But how great these goods are, and how manifold, I
shall state, not in my own words, but in those of blessed
Anselm, who writes" towards the end of his Proslogion:
"Now, my soul, rouse yourself and lift up your whole un-
derstanding; think as much as you can on what kind and
how great this good is. For if particular goods are enjoy-
able, consider carefully how enjoyable is that Good which
77 On these three powers, see pt. 2, chap. 5.9 above.
"Chaps. 24·26 (PL 158: 239C·242C [AC 101-104, altered]). A favorite
text with Bonaventure, he also uses it to conclude the Soliloquium and
the De perfectione vitae ad sorores.
PART VII 297
contains the joyfulness of all goods. This is not a joy such
as we have experienced in created things, but as different
from this as the Creator is from the creature. For if life
that is created is good, how good is the Life that creates?
If the salvation that has been wrought is joyful, how joy-
ful is the Salvation that brings about all salvation? Ifwis-
dom in the knowledge of things that have been brought
into being is loveable, how loveable is the Wisdom that
has brought all things into being from nothing? Finally, if
there are many delights in delightful things, of what kind
and how great is the delight in the One who made these
same delightful things?"
7."0 what shall those have who will enjoy this Good,
and what they shall not have! Surely, whatever they wish
will certainly be theirs and whatever they do not wish
will not be theirs. In fact, all the goods of body and soul
will be there - such as no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor
the human heart conceived. 79 Why then, do you wander
about so much, 0 insignificant mortal, seeking good things
for your soul and your body? Love the one Good in which
all good things exist, and that is sufficient. Desire the
simple Good which itself is every good, and that is enough.
For what do you love, 0 my flesh? What do you desire, 0
my soul? It is there: whatever you love, whatever you de-
sire. Does beauty delight you? The righteous will shine like
the sun. so Does swiftness or strength or the free and irre-
sistible movement of the body delight you? The just shall
be like the angels of God,·' for a physical body is sown,
and it is raised as a spiritual body·2 - spiritual, of course,
in power not in nature. Does a long and healthy life de-
light you? A healthy eternity and an eternal health are
79
1 Cor 2:9.
"Matt 13:43.
"'Cf. Matt 22:30 (Vg).
82
1 Cor 15:44.
 298 ST. BONAVENTuRE'S BREVlLOQUlUM
there, because the just live forever and the salvation of the
righteous is from the Lord. 83 Do you hunger for fullness?
They shall be satisfied when the glory of God appears.84
Do you want to be intoxicated? They shall be inebriated
with the plenty of God's house. ss Does melody delight you?
There, choirs of angels sing to God without end. Does any
pleasure whatsoever that is not impure delight you? God
shall make them drink of the torrent ofhispleasure.s6
"Or does wisdom delight you? The very Wisdom of God
will show itself to them. Or friendship? They will love God
more than themselves and one other as themselves;" and
God will love them more than they love themselves. For
they will love God and themselves and one another through
him, while God loves himself and them through himself.
Or do you seek harmony? They shall all have one will
because they shall have no will except the will of God. 0;
power? They shall be all-powerful to accomplish what they
will, even as God is to fulfill his will. For just as God is
able to do through himself that which he wills, so they
shall be able to do what they will through God. This is
because they shall will only what God wills, and so God
shall will whatever they will - and what God wills must
come to pass. Or do honor and riches delight you? God
shall set his good and faithful servants over many things;"
more than that, they shall be, as well as be called, chil-
dren of God, and evengods. 89 And where the Son is, there
they shall be also, for they are heirs of God andjoint heirs
"Wi. 5:15; Ps 37:39.
"Cr. Ps 16:15 (Vg) [17:15).
sops 35:9 (Vg) [36:8).
861bid.
87 Cr. Matt 22:37-39.
88 Cr. Matt 25:21, 23.
"Matt 5:9, cf. 1 John 3:1, John 10:32.
PART VII 299
with Christ. 90 Or do you seek real security? They will in-
deed be assured that they will never in any way lack these
many goods - or rather this one Good - just as they will
be assured that they will not lose it of their own accord;
nor that the loving God will take it away from those who
love him against their will; nor that anything more pow-
erful than God will separate them from God against their
win."91
8. "But what joy there must be, what great joy, where
there is such a good, and so great a good! 0 human heart,
o needy heart, 0 heart acquainted with hardships - in-
deed overwhelmed with hardships - how much you would
rejoice were you to abound in all these goods! Ask your
inmost self; could it contain its joy in being so immensely
happy? Now surely, if someone else whom you loved in
every respect as you do yourself were also to have such
happiness, then your own joy would be doubled, for you
would rejoice for that person no less than for yourself. If,
then, two or three or many more possessed it, you would
rejoice for each of them as much as for yourself, if you
loved each one as yourself. Therefore, in that perfect love
of the countless blessed angels and human beings where
no- one will love another less than himself, each will re-
joice for every other as for himself. If, then, the human
heart will scarcely be able to contain its own joy that will
belong to it from so great a good, how will it comprehend
so many and such great joys?"
"Indeed, to the degree that each one loves some other,
so that person will rejoice in the other's good fortune. There-
fore, in that perfect happiness, just as all of the just will
love God incomparably more than themselves and all those
goCr. John 14:3, Rom 8:17.
" Rom 8:38-39.
300 PART VII 301

who are with them, so they will rejoice inestimably more so that my joy may be complete. 0 God oftruth, 1 ask that
over God's happiness than over their own or that of all the 1 might receive, so that my joy may be complete. Until then,
others who are with them. But if they love God with all let my mind meditate on it, let my tongue speak of it, let
their heart, all their mind, and all their soul,92 and yet my heart love it, let my mouth express it. Let my soul
their whole heart and mind and soul will not exhaust God's hunger for it; let my flesh thirst for it;96 my whole being
worthiness to be loved, surely with all their heart and mind desire it, until 1 enter into the joy of my Lord, who is God
and soul they shall all rejoice that their whole heart and three and one, blessed forever! Amen. "97
mind and soul will not be equal to the fullness of that joy Here ends the Breviloquium of Brother Bonaventure.
"
9. "And yet, 0 Lord, 1 still have not said, or even
thought, how much your blessed ones will rejoice. They
will, no doubt, rejoice as much as they love, and they will
love as much as they know. And how much will they know
you in that day, Lord? How much will they love you? Surely,
in this life no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human
heart conceived how much they will know and love you in
the next."93
"I pray, 0 God, that 1 may know you and love you, so
that 1 may rejoice in you. And if 1 cannot do so fully in this
life, at least let me go forward day by day until that point
of fullness comes. Let the knowledge of you grow in me
here, and there [in heaven] be made complete. Let your
love grow in me here; and there be made complete, so that
here my joy may be great with expectancy, and there be
complete in reality. Lord, through your Son you command,
or rather, counsel us to ask; and through him you promise
that we shall receive, so that our joy may be complete. 94 1
ask, Lord, as you counsel through our Wonderful Counse-
lor.95 May 1 receive what you promise through your Truth,

"Matt 22:37.
"I Cor 2:9.
94 Cf. John 16:24: "Ask and yOll will receive, so your joy may be
complete."
95Isa 9:6. "Ps 62:2.
"Matt 25:31, Rom 1:25.
 INDEX OF

SCRIPTURAL PASSAGES
304 ST. BONAVENTURE'SBREVlLOQUlUM INDEX 305

OLD TESTAMENT Deuteronomy 139:6 12n27 Daniel

3:6 147n45 139:11 (Vg 138) 196n75 7:9-10 266n3
Genesis 5:6-21 206n105 Hosea
1:1 (Vg) 63n11 Proverbs 6:6 194n67
1:1-2 73n38 Joshua 20:28 193n63
1:2 74n39 4:1-10 200n85 Zephaniah
1:6 63n11, 75n42 Ecclesiastes 1:12 289n57
1:6-7 98n107 1 Kings 7:30 91n92
1:7 68n25 10:18 196n73 9:1 227n45
1:9 63n11 10:18-20 256n106 NEW TESTAMENT
1:14 69n26 Song of Songs
1:26-30 153n60 Job 3:1 196n75 Matthew
1:27-28 260n119 28:11 19n49 4:2 21n53
1:28 93n97 1:21 251n99
5:16 196n73 3:13 224n39
1:31 200n86 6:3 (Vg)
Psalms 220n28 4:10 147n45
2:2 9n22,63n11
2:7 89n85 5:13 19n50 4:17 223n36
2:8 228n48 15:2 (Vg) 156n67 Wisdom 5:1-9 191n60
2:8-9 90n87 16:2 175n19 2:24 102n8 5:9 298n88
2:10-14 228n48 16:5 255n104 5:15 298n83 5:9-13 208n113
2:17 93n97, 103n14 16:15 (Vg) [17:15] 298n84 5:17 279n31 5:18-19 18n48
2:18-21 90n87 25:10 (Vg 24:10) 5:20 283n41 5:26 287n54
2:23-24 260n119 110n31, 129n75 7:11 189n55 9:13 194n67
3:1-5 102n9 25:10 192n62 11:21 (Vg) 59n1 10:13 224n37
3:2 103n14 35:2 19 11:21 277n26 10:32 237n68
3:6 105n18 35:9 (Vg) [36:8] 298n85, 11:30 205n102
3:7 107n23 298n86 Sirach 12:7 194n67
3:16-17 107n24 37:27 55n67 1:5 (Vg) 259n115 12:32 127n68
3:24 166n100 37:39 298n83 18:1 66n20, 13:43 297n80
4:4 176n22 42:1 (Vg 41) 196n73 74n40 16:19 224n40,
6:15-16 190n57 57 124n61 246n88,
7:21ff. lOn23 61:12 31n9 Isaiah 248n93,
15:1 175n19 62:2 301n96 9:6 300n95 249n94
17:8 21n54 68:18 166n99 26:12 156n67 16:24 193n66
17:13 21n54 69:4 162n88 30:26 278n30 ,16:27 266n2
28:12 12n29, 196n73 74:12 (Vg 73:12) 226n44 53:12 160n79 18:18 224n40,
83:8 146n42 249n94
91:5 19n50 19 193
Exodus Ezekiel
109 165n96 19:4-6 223n36
12:14 21n54 1:4-21 6n14
119:164 (Vg 118) 210n115 19:6 264n128
25:24-25 292n66 2:9 94n99
132:2 295n75 19:21 203n98
31:18 203n97,205n104 133:2 12n30 19:21-22 193n66
40:13 21n54
306 ST. BONAVEN'l'UliE'S BltEvILOQUIUM
INDEX 307
21:9 147n46 1:3 14n36,
22:30 (Vg) 297n81 1:5 224n37 13 186n48
132n3 167n105
22:37 300n92 1:14 13:10 217n21
1:14 132n3,133n8,
22:37-39 298n87, 2:3 43n45 13:12 83n64,
148n50, 233n58
96n104 8:12 268n9,
222n33
22:40 9:15 102 291n61
201n88 1:16 148n50
23:12 15:10 205n102 15:4 167n102,
21n55 1:17 129n74,
24:12 279n33 233n57
216n16
24:25 18n47 Romans 15:28 203n96
1:32 43n44,
24:29 279n32 1:20 292n67 15:44 297n82
43n45
25:21 298n87 1:25 301n97 15:47 145n37
2:1-11 223n36
25:23 1:28 124n60 15:54 164n94
298n87 3:5 224n39
25:31 266n2, 5:17 63n12 3:24 156n66
301n97 5:22-29 269n10 5:6-6 161n83 2 Corinthians
25:31-46 21n55 5:29 284n42 5:12 113n37 3:6 205n101
26:26-28 224n41 5:37-38 42n40 6:16 235n62 5:1 72n35
26:39 157n68, 6:38-44 42n40 8:15 204n100 5:6 3n7
159n75 6:53 242n78 8:17 299n90 5:10 268n7
28:19 224n39, 6:64 242n77 8:26 207n109 10:5 198n79
232n55 6:68 4n11 8:32 161n84· Galatians
28:20 241n76 7:16 42n40 8:38-39 299n91 3:26 149n53
8:34 85n72 9:5 148n49 4:4-5 143n34
Mark 10:32 298n89 9:16 182n34 4:24 204n100
1:14-15 223n36 12:24-25 224n41 11:33-36 57n72 5:22 195n70
6:13 224n38 13:1 194n68 12:3 3n8
9:48 286n51 14:3 299n90 14:5 189n54 Ephesians
11:9 147n46 14:6 222n32 1:22-23 148n51
12:30 236n66 14:15-25 165n97 1 Corinthians 2:3 109n27
15:28 160n79 14:23 43n43 1:24 218n24 3:14-19 1n1
15:33 167n106 14:26 42n40 1:31 182n36 4:8 166n99
15:26 42n40 2:9 297n79, 4:13 282n37,
Luke 16:7 42n40 300n93 285n44
1:79 191n59 16:13 8n18, 4:7 182n36 4:13-16 129n74
2:7 15n42 198n80 6:15 149n53 5:22 258n111
11:9-13 167n104 16:24 300n94 6:19 149n53 5:32 (Vg) 220n29
22:19 224n40 17:3 199n81 7:3-4 262n126 6:12 235n62
22:37 160n79 17:22-23 203n95 7:31 277n27
22:42 159n76 20:22-23 224n40 11:24-25 224n40 Philippians
20:31 4n11 11:29 240n73, 2:6-8 162n87
John 244n83 2:7 133n7
Acts 12:4-11 295n76 2:10 165n98
1:1 198n80
1:1-3 167n103 12:8-11 168n108 2:15 188n53
12:11 2n5
308 ST. BONAVENTURE~S BREVlLOQUIUM

3:4 146n41 11:13

3:14 146n42 217n19
4:7 193n64
James
1 117
Colossians 1:14-15 117n46
1:13 235n62 1:17 2n4,169n3,
1:18-19 148n51, 207n110
149n54 5:15 252n101
1:20 141n29
2:3 150n55 1 Peter
1:12 196n73 INDEX OF CHURCH FATHERS,
1 Timothy 1:21 15n41
1:5 236n66 2:5 200n84 ECCLESIASTICAL AUTHORS, AND
1:17 22n58, 2:10 231n52 GLOSSAE
30n77
2:5 130n77, 2 Peter
158n69, 2:4 80n58
180n27, 3:5-13 277n27
251n98 3:10 281n34
2:14 106n21
6:3 30n7 1 John
6:10 193n65 1:14 194n68
2:15 206n106
2 Timothy 2:16 104n17, 121n56
2:13 287n53 3:1 298n89
3:16 161n83
Titus 4:7-21 30n7
2:14 41n76
Revelation
Hebrews 1:12-16 199n82
1:1 216n17 5:1 94n99
1:3 198n80 14:10 289n57
2:17 246n90 14:11 287n52,290n60
5:8 151n56, 20:12 266n3
153n62 21:5 278n28
7:18 217n19 22:1 169n3
9:9 216n17 22:12 266n2
9:15 221n30
10:1 217n19
310 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQUIUM
INDEX 311
Abelard See Peter Abelard 1.20 48
Contra Adimantum 21.12 56n71
48n54,
17.2 7n17 21.162 89n58
Alexander of Hales 162n85
2.6 21.26.4 271n16
114n38 134n11
2.8 Contra adversarium legis et 22.14-15 284n43
[see also Summa fratris 142n33
prophetarum 22.17 282n36
Alexandri) 1.24.51 124n62 22.18 282n37
De conceptu Virginali
22.20 282n38
3 185n47
Gloss on the Sentences Contra duas epistulas
10 113n37
1.17.11 (12:173) 47n52 Pelagianorum ad Bonifatium De cura pro mortuis
18 117n45
1.26.1.3 39n35 1.22.40 111n33 (The Care to Be Taken
23 112n35
2.43.9 (13:415) 127n69 for the Dead) 275
27 109n27
4.2.1 (15:40) 219n26 Contra Faustum 2.4 275n23
4.3.2-3 (15:47-49) 219n27 19.13 215n12
De concordia praescientiae
4.13.8 (15:204-5) 244n82 Dei cum Libera arbitrio De doctrina christiana
4.17.51 79n25 3.11 125n65 De baptismo contra 14n34
4.23.3 (15:524-34) 91n65 Donatistas 1.5.5 46,46n48
4.23.7 299n50 De veritate 1.1.2 229n49 1.23.22 200n87
4.24.3 (15:401-7) 256n107 12 4.1-2 228n47 1.26.27 202n93
185n47
4.24.3 (15:406) 257n108 1.32.35 201n89
Epistola de Incarnatione De beata vita 2.6.7ff. 15n39
Quaestiones disp. antequam Verbi 2.11 122n58 2.9.14 20n52
esset frater 10 48n54 2.31 17n45
3.2 39n35 De civitate Dei 2.36 17n45
Monologion 5.1-2 69n27 2.41.62 15n38
Summa Theologica 13 7.30 56n70, 2.48 17n45
84n69
1.390.ad 3 (I, 578) 39n35 102n11, 2.54 17n45
2.1.1.3.1 (13:509) 170n4 Proslogion 180n29, 3. 10. 14ff. 20n52
34.6.4 (I, 344-46) 39n35 9-11 56n71 267n6
25 10.1.2 147n459.15 De Genesi ad litteram
291n65,
Ambrose 296 158n70 2.8.16-19 12n27
De paradiso 10.1.3 30n7 2.8.16-20 98n107
8.39 119n49, Augustine 11.9 99n1 3.4.6 87n79
179n26 11.29 82n62 4.9.16-17 65n18
[see also Pseudo-Augustine) 12.7 100n3 4.11.21 8n20
66n20, 12.25-27 60n5
Ambrosiaster 189n54 4.22-23 65n17,
241n75 13.13-15 107n23 76n47
Anselm 14.7.2 122n58 4.24-25.29-30 82n62
114n38 Confessions
14.11.2 106n22 4.29.46 12n27
Cur Deus Homo 12.7.7 77n50, 14.15-28 107n23 4.31.48 12n27
1.5 134n10 292n68 14.20 112n34 4.29.46 98n107
1.11 162n85 13.9.10 202n92 20.14 268n8 8.4.8 93,93n96
20.16 277n27 8.6.12 95n103
312 ST. BONAVENnlRE'S BIiEvILOQUIUM INDEX 313

9.7.12 258n110, De perfectione justitiae· Ps.145,5 293n71 Berengar of Tours 239n72,

259n113 hominis 242n80
9.19.36 218n23 5.11 119n50 Enchiridion
11.42.59 106n20 9.32 174n15 Bernard of Clairvaux
12.6.15-12.7.16 195n71 De quantitate animae 23.88 282n37
On Grace and Free Will
12.35.68 283n40, 36.80 293n71 25.99 56n71 84n70
3-5
291n64 29.110 273n20 178n24
3.7
31.48 98n107 De Trinitate 93.23 110n30 178n24
4.9
2.5.8 44n46
De Genesi contra Manichaeos 3.4.9 54n65 Epistulae Sermo 2 in vigilia nativitatis
1.23 8n20 4.4.7 8n19 98.5 (ad. Bonif.) 229n50
Domini
1.23.35 10n23, 4.4.7-8 145n40 130.15.28 196n74
4 132n5
10n24 4.6.10 166n101 138.1.5 11n25
2.10.14 185n46 4.20.29 35n21 186.3.10 175n16
Sermo 3 in vigilia nativitatis
2.11.15 118n47 9-15 78n52 187.35 43n42
Domini
14.21 118n47 15.4.6 32,32n10 194.5.19 182n35
8 132n5,
15.5-6 32,32n11 145n38
De libero arbitrio 12 121 In Ioannem evangelium
1.1.1 125n67 12.3.3-4.4 88n81 26.17 243n81
1.12.26 Serm. Cantic.
128n72 12.13.20 118n47 47.10 161n80
2.19.53 11.5 291n62
79n55, 12.17-18 121n53
101n4, 13.18.23 134n10 Sermones
Serm. in octaua Epiph.
290n59 14.8.11 267n5 30.8.10 182n38
3.9.26 4 206n107
125n66 43.3.4 281n35
3.15.44 109n26, De utilitate credendi 169.11.13 182n33
Sermones de tempore
287n55 11.25 29n4 176.5.5 131n2
3.18.51 92n93 26 (IX, 125) 260n121
196.1.1 139n25
De vera religione
De moribus ecclesiae 14.27 101n6 Bernard Silvestris
Basil
2.7.9 178n24 16.30ff. 133n8 Cosmographia
Hexaemeron
55.110 133n8 2.10.27-32 92n92
3.7 75n44
De musica
6.5.13 293n71 Enarrationes in Psalmos Boethius
Bede 109n28
Ps.7,10 219n25 Contra Eutychen
De tabemaculo
De natura bani 99n1 Ps. 29, 2.10 62nlO 3 78n53
6 292n66
34 101n5 Ps. 32, 2.25 13n32_
36 101n5 Ps.45,14 132n3 De consolatione
Hexaemeron 91n91
Ps. 57, 18-19 124n61 philosophiae
De nuptiis et concupiscentia Ps.61,12 31n9 3.2 294n73
ad Valerium comitem Benedict 4.6 108n25
Ps. 73,2 216n15
1.26.29 116n44 Ps.79,13 121n55 Rule
Ps.142,17 16.1 210n115
132n3
314 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BRKVILOQUJUM INDEX 315

De Trinitate pt. 2, chap. 4 153n60, pt. 5, chap. 4.4-5 213n7, Commentary on John
4 38n31 278n29 235n63, 1.1.1 (y, 247) 36n24
6 38n32 pt. 2, chap. 4.3 132n6, 88n81 1.43 (VI, 256) 194n68
140n28, pt. 5, chap. 10 218n22 (VI,514) 248n92
pt. 2, chap. 4.3 163n92, pt. 6, chap. 3.3 212n4
Bonaventure 281n35 pt. 6, chap. 8.4 252n102 DEC
Breviloquium pt. 2, chap. 5 114n39 pt. 6, chap. 10.4-5 269n12 1:230 29-30n5,
[cross-references] pt. 2, chap. 5.9 296n78 pt. 7 266n3 59n1,
pro!. 2 27n2, pt. 2, chap. 7 270n14 pt. 7, chap. 2.5 274n21 79n56,
215nll, pt. 2, chap. 8 190n56, pt. 7, chap. 5.5 294n74 261n122
278n29 256n107 1:231 35n20
pro!. 2.1 218n22 pt. 2, chap. 9 170n7, Collations on the
pro!. 3 27n2, 185n42, Hexaemeron 60n2 De donis
65n18, 267n5 1.10-39 (V, 330-35)138n21 4.2-13 (Y,474-76) 2n4
256n107, pt. 2, chap. 9.5 135n14 1.12 (y, 331) 46n50
260n120 pt. 2, chap. 9.5-8 104n16 1.37 (V, 54) 72n36 De fide ad Petrum
pro!. 5.2 27n2 pt. 2, chap. 9.8 261n123, 2.20-27 (V, 339-40) 96n105 2.16 115n40
pt. 1, chap. 1 1n3, 262n127 2.28ff. (y, 340-41)196n74 3.36 ll1n33
260n116 pt. 2, chaps. 9-10 260n116 3.2 132n3 27.70 111n33
pt. 1, chap. 3 136n15 pt. 2, chap. 12 78n52 3.23-24 (Y,347-48) 98n108
pt. 1, chap. 5 103n13 pt. 3, chap. 1 260n116 3.3-9 (y, 343-45) 61n6, De myst. Trin.
pt. 1, chap. 6 185n44, pt. 3, chap. 2 185n45 96n105 2.1.ad.10 (y, 63) 62n10
282n39 pt. 3, chap. 3 162n86, 5.1ff. (V, 353ff.) 183n39 4.2,8 conc!. (V, 85-86, 114)
pt. 1, chap. 8 180n30 212n5 6.7ff. (V, 361ff.) 183n39 34n17
pt. 1, chap. 9 175n17 pt. 3, chap. 3.3 247n91 8-12 (V, 368-87) 3n9 8.ad.7 (V, 115) 71n32
pt. 2 9n21 pt. 3, chaps. 3-4 162n89 11.13 (V, 382) 34n18
pt. 2, chap. 1 100n2 pt. 3, chap. 4 158n72 14.7-11 (Y,394-95) 4nll De perfectione vitae
pt. 2, chap. 1.2 101n7 pt. 3, chaps. 5-6 163n90 14.7-12 (Y,394-95) 5n12 ad sorores 296n78
pt. 2, chaps. 1-5 2n30, pt. 3, chap. 6 260n117 15 (y, 403-8) 9n22
22n56 pt. 3, chap. 8 163n91, 15.12-18 (V, 400) 10n24 De reductione artium
pt. 2, chap. 6.3-4 86n73 192n62 15.12-21 (V, 400-402) ad theologiam
pt. 2, chap. 9 104n17 pt. 3, chap. 9 188n52 145n39 3 87n79
pt. 2, chap. 10 292n69 pt. 4,"chap. 8 293n72 16.7 (y, 404) 65n18 18 (V, 22-24, 324) 13n33
pt. 2, chap. 10.2 132n5, pt. 4, chap. 8.2 163n92 19 (V, 419-24) 19n50,
132n6 pt. 5, chap. 1 190n56, 28n3 De sanctissimo corpore
pt. 2, chap. 10.5-6 107n23 260n120, 21 (V, 431-37) 47n53 Christi
pt. 2, chap. 11.6 85n70 43n42 21.1-15 (Y,437-40) 45n47 (V, 553-56) 240n73
pt. 2, chap. 11 103n14, pt. 5, chap. 1.2 184n41 22.21 (V, 440) 28n3
105n19, pt. 5, chap. 2.2 169n1 Disputed Questions on
114n39 pt. 5, chap. 4 202n94, Comm.Eccl. Evangelical Perfection
pt. 2, chap. 12 173n12, 219n27 7.30 (VI, 63) 91n92 4.3 (V, 189-96) 257n108
267n5
 r

316 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVILOQUJUM INDEX 317

Perf ev. proem. 3.ad 1-3 (I, 13) 4n11 25.1.2 (I, 439-41) 78n53 43.3 (I, 722) 62n10
qq. 1-2 (V, 117-65) 193n66 1.1.1.concl. (II, 22) 61n8 25.1.2, ad 3 (I, 440-41) 37n27 45-48 (1, 797-861) 54n64
qq. 2-4 (V, 124-98) 206n106 2 (I, 49-62) 30n6 25.2.1-2 (1, 443-45) 40n36 46.5 (I, 830-34) 108n25
q. 4, a. 3, ad 9 (V, 197) 2.1.1.ad 5 (1, 81-82) 96n105 26.1 (I, 451-52) 37n30 48 (1, 850-61) 55n66
277n25 2.4 (I, 56-58) 33n13 26.2 (I, 455-56) 38n32 48.2.2 (1, 858) 160n77
Instructions for Novices 2.4 scholion (1, 58-59) 26.4 (I, 460-61) 33n16
4 (VIII, 480-81) 244n84 145n40 27.1.2 (I, 468-72) 36n22 Sentence Commentary 2
2.un.1 (I, 53-54) 35n21 27.1.2 ad 3 (I, 470-72) 46n50 proem. (II, 3-6) 91n92
Itinerarium mentis in Deum 2.un.4 (I, 56) 34n17 27.1.3 (I, 476) 38n32 1.1.1-2 (II, 14-30) 61n6
1.2 (V) 96n105 3.1.2 (I, 71-73) 96n105 27.1.un.2 (I, 468-474) 35n21 1.1.2.1 (II, 25-27) 101n7
1.3 (V) 82n62, 3.1.dub.3 (I, 78-79) 61n6, 27.2.1ff. (I, 481ff.) 36n24 1.1.dub 2, 4 (II, 36-38) 64n15
98n107 100n2 27.2.2 (I, 484-86) 46n50 1.2.1.2.ad 3 (II, 42) 71n32
1.4 (V,297) 185n42 3.1.dub.3-4 (1, 78-80) 45n47 27.2.2-4 (1, 485-90) 51n60 1.2.3.2 (II, 50) 71n32,
1.6 (V, 296-99) 195n72 3.2.1.1 (1, 80-82) . 84n69 27.2.2 (1, 541-43) 15n41 78n54
2.2-3 87n79 5.1.1 (I, 111-14) 37n27 27.2.4 (I, 488-90) 138n22 2.2.1.1 (II, 39-40) 67n21
3.1 (V,303) 98n108 6.3 (1, 129-30) 46n50 27.p.un.3 (1, 488) 36n23 2.2.1.2 (II, 41) 90n88
4.3 (V, 343, 306) 132n3, 8.2.2 (I, 167-69) 136n17 28ff. (1, 496ff.) 36n22 2.2.2.1 (II, 75ff.) 83n64
194n68 8.2.4 (1, 173-74) 53n63 30.1ff. (I, 521ff) 41n38 2.2.2.2 (II, 73-75) 69n26
4.3-4 (V, 306-7) 170n5 9.1 (1, 180-81) 33n13 31.1.2 (1, 534-36) 39n33 2.2.dub.2 (II, 84-85)
6.2 (V, 310-311) 31n8 10.1.1(1,194-96) 33n13 33.1 (I, 571-73) 38n32 165n96
7.5 (V, 313) 196n74 10.1-2, (I, 194-204) 36n25 33.2 ad 5 (1, 576) 37n27 3.1 (1:341-42) 77n48
10.2.1 (I, 200-201) 168n107 31.2.1.1 (I, 539ff.) 36n24 3.1.1.1 (II, 89-91) 78n51
Quaest. disp. de scientia 10.2.dub.2 (1, 205-06) 31.2.3 (1, 548-49) 45n47 3.1.2.1-3 (II, 102-10)78n51
Christi 168n107 34.3 (1, 592-93) 41n38 3.2.1 (II, 112-17) 79n55
q. 1 cv, 3-6) 151n56 14.2.1 (I, 249-50) 172n10 34.4 (I, 593-94) 45n47 3.2.2.1-2 (II, 117-24) 82n61
q.4 cv, 17-27) 293n70 14.2.2 (1, 250-53) 171n9 35 (I, 600-616) 51n60 3.2.2.2 (II, 122ff.) 82n62
q. 5-7 (V, 27-43) 151n56 14-16 (I, 224-286) 42n40 . 35.2 (1, 605-7) 52n62 4.1.2, ad 3 (II, 134) 170n6
16.3 (1, 283-84) 43n45 35.dub.3 (1,614-15) 50n58 4.3.1-2 (II, 138-42) 82n61
Sc. Chr. 17.1.1 (1, 292-96) 168n107 36.2.1 (I, 623-24) 51n60 5.1-2 (II, 145-54) 79n56
q.4 13n33 17.1.un.1 (1, 294) 172nlO 36.2.2 (1, 625) 12n27 5.3.1-2 (II, 154-58) 82n61
q. 7 (V,40) 196n74 18.un.3 (I, 326-27) 169n1 36.dub.3 (1, 631) 50n58 7.1.1.ad.2 (II, 177) 78n54
1 (V, 3-6) 51n61 18.un.5, esp. ad 4 37.1 (1, 637-41) 42n41 7.1.2.3 (II, 187-88) 82n61
2-3 cv, 6-16) 51n60 (1,329,331) 36n25 37.1.1.1 (I, 638-39)175n18 7.2.1 (2:190) 88n81
7 (V, 37-43) 14n37 19.1.4 (I, 347-50) 73n37 37.1.3.1-2 (1,646-49) 42n39 7.2.2.1 (II, 196-99) 63n13
20.2.1-2 (I, 372-75) 73n37 37.dub.2 (I, 664) 36n24 8.1 (II, 209-24) 82n63
Second Sermon on the 21.dub.2 (I, 387) 42n39 38.2.1 (1, 674-76) 51n61 8.1.3.2 (II, 221) 153n61
Nativity 22.3 (I, 394-96) 41n38 38-42 (I, 668-761) 50n58 8.2 (II, 224-34) 79n56
IX,207 132n6 22.4 (1, 397-99) 37n26 39.2.1-3 (I, 692-96) 51n61 9 praenotata (II, 237-41)
22.dub.2 (I, 400) 39n33 40.2.1 (1, 706-9) 51n61 11n25,
Sentence Commentary 1 23.1.1-3 (1, 404-10) 40n36 41.1.2 (I, 731-34) 57n72 83n65
proem.,q. 3 (I, 12-13) 17n44 23.1.3 (1, 408-10) 37n28 42 (esp. q. 2), 43 (I, 745-778) 9.7 (II, 253-54) 166n99
proem. 1 (I, 7) 14n35 24.3.1-2 (I, 428-31) 39n33 48n54 9-11 (II, 237-90) 82n61
318 ST. BONA~SIBREVIWQU1VM INDEX 319
-
10.2.2 (II, 264-67) 293n70 (II, 497-503) 108n25 30.1.1-2 (II, 714-20) 111n32 2.3.1 (III, 49-51) 141n32
12.1.2 (II, 295-98) . 76n47 21.dub.3 (II, 510-11) 104n17 30.1.2 (II, 717-20) 112n35 2.dub.4 (III, 59-60) 141n29
12.2.2 (II, 304-5) 64n15 21.dub.4 (II, 511-12) 120n52 30.2.1 (II, 721-23) 109n27, 3.1 (III, 60-78) 140n27
13.1.1 (II, 311-13) 76n47 22.1 (II, 515-21) 105n18 114n38 3.2.3.2, resp. (III, 93)
14.1.1.1 (II, 335-38) 67n21, 22.1.1 (II, 516-17) 134n10 30.3.2 (II, 734-37) 285n46 142n31
75n42 22.1.2-3 (II, 519-21) 106n21 31 (II, 739-56) 112n35 3-5 (III, 60-143) 139n25
14.1.1.2 (II, 338-41) 67n23 22.2.3 (525-27) 128n73 32.1 (II, 759-65) 115n41 4.1.1 (III, 98-99) 141n30
14.2.1.3 (II, 362-64) 67n21 22.dub.2 (II, 528) 109n28, 32.3 (II, 769-74) 112n36 4.1.1, resp. (III, 98-99) 132n4
14.2.2.2-3 (II, 359-65) 69n26 158n72, 33.3.1 (II, 794) 111n33 4.3.l(III, 110) 92n95
14.2.2.3 (II, 361-65) 71n33 190n56 33.3.1-2 (II, 769-74) 110n30 5.1.1-2 (III, 122-25) 138n20
14.2.dub.4 (II, 369-70) 70n28 23.1.1-2 (II, 531-35) 102n12 34.2.1 (II, 809-12) 101n7 5-7 (III, 121-84) 136n15
15.1.1 (II, 372-76) 87n75 23.2.1-3 (II, 537-47) 94n98 34-35 (II, 802-39) 99n1 6.2.3 ad. 1 (III, 163) 132n5
15.1.3 (II, 379-81) 70n30 23.2.3 (II, 643-46) 196n74 35 (II, 821-39) 125n64 9.1.1 (III, 199-200) 148n49
15.2.1 (II, 382-84) 9n21, 24 (II, 573-86) 118n47 35.2.1 (II, 828-30) 61n6 11.2.3 ad 3 (III, 257)
71n34 24.1.1.1 (II, 560) 104n16 35.dub.6 (II, 838-39) 101n5 136n15
15.2.3.dub.4 (II, 386-90) 24.1.2.3 (II, 564) 88n81 36 (II, 842-59) 124n63 12.2.1 (III, 261-63) 147n44
63n13 24.1.2.3 (II, 565-67) 88n82 36.dub.5 (II, 858-59) 176n20 12.2.1.4 (III, 267) 158n71
16 (II, 393-408) 84n69 24.2.dub.3 37.1.1 (II, 861-63) 55n69 13 (III, 276-93) 147n43
16.1.1 (II, 394-95) 71n34 (II, 587-88) 94n100 37.2.1 (II, 869-70) 55n69 13.2.1, resp. (III, 284)
16.2.2 (II, 404) 102nlO 25 (II, 591-626) 85n70 39 (II, 888-917) 94n98 149n52
16.2.3 (II, 404-6) 96n105 25.1.3 (II, 597-600) 89n84 41.1.1 (II, 937-38) 176n20 13.2.1-3 (III, 283-90) 12n30
17.1.1 (II, 410-13) 84n67 25.1.6 (II, 604-6) 94n100 41.2.1 (I, 947-50) 120n52 13.2.3.4 (III, 288-90)149n51
17.1.2 (II, 413-16) 87n75 25.2.3 (II, 613-15) 99n1 41.2.2 (II, 950-53) 118n48 14.1.2 (III, 298-302)
17.2.1-3 (II, 419-26) 89n86 25.2.4 (II, 615-16) 128n73 42.2.1 (II, 964-66) 119n51 153n59
17.2.2-3 (II, 420-26) 70n30 25.2.5 (II, 618-20) 180n30 42.dub.2 (II, 976) 119n50 14.1-3 (III, 295-324)
17.2.3 (II, 420-23) 67n23, 26.1-2 (II, 630-36) 170n6 .42.dub.3-4 (II, 977-78) 151n56
91n89 26.3-4 (II, 637-41) 171n9 121n57 14.3.1-2 (III, 318-23) 153n62
17.dub.5 (II, 428-29) 95n103 26.4 (II, 640) 180n28 43 (II, 981-98) 127n68 14.3.2 (III, 322-23) 152n58
18.1.1 (II, 431-34) 90n87 26.5 (II, 641-44) 176n21 15.1.2, resp.
18.1.2 (II, 436-37) 49n56, 26.6 (II, 645-46) 182n38 Sentence Commentary 3 (III, 332-33) 158n73
286n49 26.un.5 (II, 643) 185n45 1.1.1, resp. 15.2.1 (II,327-29) 16n43
18.1.3 (II, 439-43) 84n67 26-29 (II, 629-709) 94n98 (III,9-1O) 136n15 15.2.2., resp.
18.1-3 (II, 434-43) 63n13 27.1.1-2 (II, 653-58) 183n39 1.1.2 (III, 12-13) 135n13 (III,338-39) 159n74
18.dub (II, 454-55) 260n120 27.2 (II, 661-68) 175n16 1.2.1-3 (III, 19-31) 131nl 15-18 (III, 329-96) 157n68
19.1.1 (II, 457-61) 84n68 27.2.1 (II, 669) 169n2 1.2.2 (II, 20) 71n32 16 (III, 345-61) 160n78
19.2.1 (II, 464-68) 90n87 27.dub.1 (II, 669-70) 173n13, 1.2.3 (III, 28-31) 138n23 16.1.3.2 (III, 351-52)
20 (II, 477-89) 90n87 175n16 158n71
1.2.4 and dub.
20.dub.7 (II, 489) 93n97 28 (II, 674-92) 178n24 (III,31-33) 143n34 17.1.3 (III, 368-69) 160n77
21.1.1-3 (II, 493-97) 102n9 28.2.1 (II, 682) 182n37 1.2-3,2.1-3 18 (III, 379-96) 155n63
21.1.3 (II, 496) 103n15 28.2.3 (II, 689) 175n18 (III, 539-551) 14n35 18.1.2 (III, 383-84) 155n64
21.2 (II, 496-503) 104n17 28.dub.2 (II, 691) 175n16 2.1 (III, 746) 191n60 18.2,3 (III, 391-93) 166n100
21.2,21.dub.3 29.1.1 (II, 395-96) 172n11 2.2 (III, 44-47) 135n14
 320 ST. BONAVENiitRE'SBREVILOQUIUM
INDEX 321
19.1 (III, 399-408) 163n91, 37.2.1-3 (III, 821-29)206n105 15.2 (IV, 361-80) 275n22 27.2.1 (IV, 678-79) 225n43
164n94 38.un.2 (III, 776) 2n4 17.1 (IV; 418-34) 179n25 27.2.1-2
19.2.2 (III, 408-9) 158n69 40.103 (III, 884-92) 205n102 17.1.1.2 (IV)15.2.2.3 (IV,678-81) 261n124
19.2.2 ad 1 (III, 411)
(IV,375) 208n111 28.5 (IV, 694-95) 225n43
138n21 Sentence Commentary 4 17.1.1.3-4,17.1.2.1-4 28.un.6 (IV, 695-97)
20.1.2 (III, 416-22) 131n1 (IV, 1-3) 211n1 (IV, 421-32) 248n92 262n126
20.1.6 (III, 430-32) 131n1 (IV, 522-24) 272n18
20.3-4 (III, 422-26) 31.1.2, ad. 4
156n67 1.1 (IV, 10-31) 212n4 17.2.1.1-3 (IV,719-20)
20.5 (III, 427-29) 259n113
161n81 1.1.2 (IV, 13-15) 223n35 (IV,435-41) 222n31
21 (III, 436-47) 31.2.1 (IV, 721-23) 261n122
160n80 1.1.2.ad 4 (IV, 15) 217n19 17.2.2.1.ad 4 (IV, 443) 33.1.1 (IV, 589)
22.1 (III, 450-53) 120n52
163n90, 1.2 (IV; 31-46) 215n12 120n52 33.2.3 (IV; 755-58) 291n62
164n93 2.1.1 (IV, 361-62) 162n85 17.3.1 (IV, 450-57) 225n43
22.3 (III, 457-58) 40.dub.3 (IV, 854) 145n39
166n101 2.1.1-2 (IV, 48-52) 215n12 18.1.1.1 (IV, 470)
22.4-6 (III, 458-64) 165n96 250n95 43.1 (IV, 883-96) 282n36
2.1.3 (IV, 52-54) 218n22 18.1.1.1-2 (IV; 469-72) 43.2.1-3 (IV, 896-99) 50n59
23.1.1 (III, 471) 6n16 3.1.2.2, ad. 3 (IV, 72-73)
23.1.3 (III, 478-80) 200n83 246n88 43.2-3 (IV, 896-902) 266n2
234n58 18.1.1-2 (IV, 469-72) 43.5 (IV, 462) 294n74
23.2.5 (III, 497-500) 186n49 3.2.1.1 (IV; 76-78) 221n31
23-25 (III, 469-553) 248n92 44.1 (IV, 906-16) 282n36
3n9, 3-5 (IV, 63-132) 233n56 18.2.2 (IV, 486-87) 250n95 44.1.dub. 2 (IV, 473)
197n78 4.1.2.2-3 (IV, 102-4) 223n35 19 (IV, 499-529)
23-33 (III, 470-731) 183n39 225n43 282n37
4.1.dub.2 (IV, 104) 180n31 20.1 (IV, 516-28) 270n13 44.2 (IV, 919-36)
24.1.2 (III, 512-14) 200n83 286n50
5.1.1 (IV; 122) 234n59 21.1.1.2 (IV; 548-50) 44.2.1, reply 3
24.dub.3 (III, 530) 18n46 5.1-2 (IV, 120-25) 225n43
25.1.1 (III, 534-38) 199n82, 272n19 (IV,481) 294n74
6.2.2 (IV; 152-55) 225n43 21.1.2.1 (IV, 551-53) 44.2.3.2 (IV, 501)
200n83 265n1
6.2.3 (IV, 155-59) 233n56 272n19
25.1.3 (III, 334-35) 44.2.3.2 (IV, 931-35) 271n15
15n40 7 (IV, 163-77) 236n64 23 (IV; 587-602)
27.1.1-3 (III, 589-98) 201n90 251n97 45.2.3 (IV, 946-47) 277n25
7.1.1-2 (IV; 163-67) 221n31 .23.1.2 (IV, 590-92) 222n31 45.2-3 (IV, 843-51) 273n20
27. 1.dub. 1 7.1.3 (IV; 167-68) 225n43
(III,615-17) 23.2.1 (IV, 596-97) 225n43 45.3.1-3 (IV, 947-51) 208n112
201n90 8.1.2.1-3 (IV, 184-86)
27.2.5-6 (III, 611-15) 24.1,24.2.2-3 46.2.1-4 (IV, 962-66) 56n71
222n31 (IV; 615-18) 222n31 46.2.3 (IV, 964-65) 129n75
201n88 8.1.2.dub.4 (IV, 188)
28-29 (III, 620-54) 201n88 24.2.2.4 ( 47.2 (IV, 975-80) 278n28
8.2.1 (IV, 208) 243n80 IV,634-36) 256n107
34.1.1.1 (III, 735-39) 184n41, 48.1 (IV, 984-88) 266n2
8.2.2.1 (IV, 195-96) 242n79 24-25 (IV, 607-69) 254n103 48.2 (IV, 989-95)
187n51, 278n28
8-13 (IV, 179-314) 240n73 25.1 (IV, 641-49) 225n43 48.2.1 (IV, 990)
191n60 71n32
9.1.2-3 (IV, 201-4) 244n82 25.1.1 (IV; 641-43) 246n89
34-35 (III, 734-809) 187n50 48.2.2 (IV,561-62) 265n1
13.1.1-4 (IV; 302-7) 225n43 26.1.1-2 48.dub.3 (IV, 996) 279n31
35.1.1 (III, 774) 190n58 13.2.1 (IV, 307-9) 244n82
35.un.1 (III, 77) (IV,661-64) 222n31, 49.1.5 (IV, 509) 97n106
28n3 14.1, dub. 4
35. un.6 (III, 785) 30n7 260n119 49.1.un.5
(IV, 329-30) 248n92 26.2.2 (IV, 667-69) 261n122
36 (III, 791-809) 186n48 (IV, 1008-9) 291n63
14.1.2.2 (IV) 181n32 26.2.3 (IV, 669-70) 262n125
36.1, scholion 49.1-2 (IV, 999-1032)291n62
14-22 (IV, 317-586) 245n87
(III, 793-94) 91n60 50.1.1.1 (IV, 1036) 288
15.1.1 (IV, 350-51) 156n67, 26-42 (IV, 661-80) 258n109
37.1.1 (III, 812-24) 204n99 50.2.2 (IV, 1050-53) 287n51
162n85 27.1.1 (IV, 675-76) 261n123 454, dub. 1 (IV, 507) 294n74
322 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQUIUM INDEX 323

Soliloquium 296n78 2.4.16-17 190n57 1.9.5 214n9 Etymologiae

2.7.11 195n69 1.10.2 98 4.5 70n28
98n108, 6.19.40 211n2
Fulgentius of Ruspe
Liber responsorialis 98n109 7.12.3 255n105
111n33,
238n70 1.11.6 215n11
115n40 2.2.1 8n20 Sententiarum 128n70
Moral. in lob 144n35 1.27.9 266n4
Gregory IX 6.16.20 281n35 2.7 248n92
Decretals 25.11.28 128n70 2.8.8 242n79 Jerome
3.43.3 230n51 2.15.1 237n69 Comment. in Marc.
5.29 230n51 11.4 217n18 9.28 219n26
Hilary 46
De Trinitate 11.8 216n13
Glossa ordinaria 68 216n14 Epistulae
189n54 2.1 45,5n47
130,9 245n85
on Genesis 1:2 74n39 De sacramentis legis
on Isaiah 30:26 Hugh of St. Victor naturalis et scriptae
De area Noe morali John Cas sian
(Lyranum 4:57) 278n30 216n14
on Mark 15:33 4.6 59n1 Conferences
2.6 190n57 14.8 14n34
(Lyranum 5:118v)167n106 De tribus diebus 63n14
onPsaIm 109 19.14.15 140n28
(Lyranum 3:251v) 65n96 De quatuor volunt. Didascalion
in Christo 160n77 John of Damascus
5.2 14n34
Gratian De fide orthodoxa
Decretum de cons., d. 4, c. 118 De sacramentis 2.12 91n88
Expositio in Hierarchiam
(1:1398) Christianae Fidei 2.24 128n73
232n53 Caelestem
1.prol.3 72n36 3.1 132n4
1.3 11n26
1.1.3 66n19 . 1.5 3.6 137n18
Gregory the Great 11n26
1.3.26-29 63n14 3.20 159n74
211n2 1.5.7-8 77n49 3.27,4.1 (2:116-21) 161n80
Dialogues 1.6.5 Irenaeus 3.24 207n108
94n99
4.55 275n22 1.6.6 Adversus Haereses
95n101
1.6.7 4.20.4 132n6
96n102 John of La Rochelle
Hom. in Evang. 281n35 1.7.1-3
2.29.2 102n8 114n38
71n31 1.7.6-8 106n22 Isidore of Seville
2.32.1 140n28 Summa de anima
1.7.10 106n20 [see also Pseudo-Isidore]
21.3 266n4 2.19 87n79
1.7.31 235n61 De officiis ecelesiasticis
34.13 83n64, 2.12 255n105
1.8.3 8n19,
83n65 Justinian
8n20, Digesta
144n35 De rerum natura 67n21
In Ezechielem 1.1.10 205n100
1.8.11-12 215n11
1.6.12 6n14 De summa bono
1.9.2 212n3
1.11.23-25 124n61 2.17.3-4 128n70 Institutes
1.9.3 212n4 1.9.1 258n109
1.9.4 213n8
324 ST. BONAVEN'TtffiE'S BREVlLOQUIUM INDEX 325

Matthew of Aquasparta 12.1.2 (II, 295-98) 65n17 28.1 (2:168-69) 200n87 Peter of Blois
Introitus ad sacram 12.2 (1:384-85) 65n17 29.1 (2:171-72) 201n91 Letter 115 259n114
Scripturam, nn. 22-27, in 13.1.1 (II, 311-13) 65n17 35.1 (2:198-200) 188n52
Quaestiones disputatae 15.6 (1:402-3) 65n17 Peter of Poitiers
De fide et De cognitione n13 16.4 (1:409) 91n91 Liber 4 Sent. Five Books of Sentences
19.2 92n94 1.1.1 (2:23) 211n1 3.2 245n87
Nemesius of Emesa 90n88 20.6 (1:432-33) 93n97 1.4 (2:233) 213n6 5.3 220n28
95n101 1.5 (2:234-35) 212n4,
Origen 21.1-3 (1:433-35) 102n8 214n9 Praepositinus of Cremona
22.1-4 (1: 439-45) 105n18 1.6 216n15
In Levit. 1.1 15n42 277n25
22.4 (1:442-45) 106n22 3.3 (2:245) 233n58
22.4 (1:514-15) 162n87 4.1 (2:251-52) 241n75
Peter Abelard 22.5 (1:446-47) Presbyterorum et diaconorum
128n70 6.1, 6.4, 6.9
InEp. ad Rom. 23.1 (1:447-48) 102n12 Achaiae de martyrio S.
(IV, 135-48) 229n49
3.26 133n9 24.4-13 (1:453-60) 118n47 Andreae apostoli epistula
7.3.3 (IV, 175) 229n49
24.6-12 (1:455-460) 121n53 encyclica 238n71
8.2.7 (2:284-86) 242n79
Theologia scholarium 25.8 (1:466-69) 85n72 8.7 (2:285) 243n81
2.10 40n37 25.8-9 (1:466-69) 85n70 Pseudo-Augustine
10-22 (2:290-303) 239n72
26.2 (1:471-72) 175n16 11.3 (2:299-300) 242n80 Hypognosticon
Peter Hispanus 26.4 (1:473-76) 174n15 3.5.7 89n84
13.1 (2:311-12) 211n2
Summulae logicales 27.6 (1:484-85) 182n35 245n85 3.11 182n38
14.1 (2:315)
12 48n55 30.9 (1:500-501) 235n61 245n86
16.1 (2:336)
32.1 (1:511-13) 116n44 18.1.3.1-2 Pseudo-Dionysius 11n26
Peter Lombard 36.1 (1:537) 124n61 (IV,478-81) 249n93 De cael. hier.
Glossa 36.4 (1:539) 124n62 18.2 (2:356) 249n93 (Celestial Hierarchy)
on 2 Corinthians 6.15 81n59 41.3 (1:564-65) 101n6 24.1.3 (2:405) 254n103 3.1-2 170n5
on Psalm 61.12 31n9 41.4 (1:565) 128n72 24.2.1.1-4 3.2-3 82n61
on Galatians 149n51 (IV,620-29) 229n49 4.3 85n71
Liber 3 Sent. 26.2 (2:417) 258n110 11.2 136n17
Liber 1 Sent. 2.1 (2:27-29) 137n18 26.6-28.1 (2:419-32)
2.4 (1:339-40) 68n25 3.1-3 (2:32-35) 140n27 259n112 De div. nom. (The Divine
8.8 40n37 3.9 (2:68-71) 148n49 26.6.2 (2:420-21) 258n111 Names)
15.2.9 (1:132, 137) 44n46 5.1-3 (2:41-18) 138n20 27.2 (2:422) 258n109 2.7 35n21
25.2 (1:254-255) 50n57 15.1-2 (2:93-100) 158n73 31.1 (2:442) 259n113 4.14 47n52
31.2 (1:225-29) 45n47 16.1-2 (2:103-4) 158n73 43.4 (2:512) 266n3 4.19 80n57
31.2 (1:228) 46n48 16.2 (2:105) 158n71 43.4 (2:513) 268n8 5.6 61-62n9
31.6 (1:232) 46n48 18.1 (2:111-12) 166nlOO 44.1 (2:516-17) 284n43 7.2 78n54
37. Iff. (1:263ff.) 42n40 18-19 (2:116-21) 161n82 44.2 (2:517) 282n38
45.6 (1:310) 54n64 19.1-4 (2:118-22) 162n87 273n20 Pseudo-Isidore
45.2 (2:523-25)
21.1-2 (2:131-35) 164n93 45.3 (2:525) 275n23 Epist. ad Leudefredum 5
Liber 2 Sent. 23.3 (2:142-43) 189n54 48.1-2 (2:542-44) 266n4 255n105
9.3 (1:372-73) 84n66 27.4 (2:163-64) 202n92
326 ST. BONAVENTtJRE'sBREVlLOQUIUM

Richard of St. Victor

De trinitate
3.2 31n8
3.19 31n8
6.15 47n53

Robert Grosseteste
De cessatione legalium
1.9.4 20n51
1.9.5-8 20n52

Dictum INDEX OF PHILOSOPHERS AND

48 60n1 JURISTS
Rufinus of Aquileia
Commentary on the
Apostles' Creed
2 197n77

Summa (ratris Alexandri

14n38
[see also Alexander of Hales]

Tertullian
De paenitentia
4.2-3 245n85

Thomas Aquinas 92n95

Summa theologiae 33n15
328 ST. BONAVENTURE'S BREVlLOQUIUM INDEX 329

Aristotle 92n95 Metaphysics

Categories 38n31 1.1 (980b 25-981a 10) 152n58 Cicero
5 (3b 10-12) 87n75 2.2 (994a 1-995b 14) 61n7 Disp. Tusc. 4.23 188n52
2.3 (993b 19-21) 6n14
De anima 6.22 (1032 a 12-13) 34n17 Galen 92n95
2.1 (412a 22-29) 184n40
2.2 (414a 25-28) 285n45 Nichomachean Ethics Hippocrates 92n95
2.24.2 (414a 12-13) 87n76 1.1 (1094a 2) 46n49
2.4 (415a 15-19) 184n40 1.2 (l094a 18-20) 47n51
2.2 (1103b 28) 17n44 Ovid
2.4 (416b 23-24) 214n10
2.3 (1104b 17-18) 140n28 Metamorphoses
2.9 (421a 6-8) 223n34
3.1 (1109b 35-1110a 1) 1.84-86 92n92
2.60.5 (417b 24-28) 153n61
2.68.7 74n41 128n73
3.3 (429a 2-3) 223n34 6.7 (1141b 1-16) 6n15 Philo 118n47
3.38.8 (432a 1-2) 91n90
3.9 (432b 21-22) 285n47 Physics Plato
1.81.9 (192a 17-24) 283n40 De spiritu et anima 88n80
De caelo 2.2 (194a 34-35) 9n21 11 195n72
1.3 (271a 33) 285n47 2.3 (195a 23-25) 46n49
1.12 (282b 8-9) 286n48 2.9 (200a 7-10) 237n67, Republic
1.126.12 (282b 8-9) 86n74 251n100 book 4 87n80
2.24.2 (194a 34-35) 71n34
De genera. et corrupt. 8.58.7 (261a 13-15) 145n36 Timaeus 91n92,
1.39.5 (320a 8ft'.) 87n76 60n3
2.25.4 (331a23-240) Posterior Analytics 69-70 87n80
275n24 1.1-3 3n10
1.2 (71b 8-71b 4) 17n45 Plotinus 60n5
De longit. et brevit. vitae 1. 7 (75a 39-b 6) 17n45
5 (466a 17-467a 5) 93n96 1.18 (81b 6-7) 18n46 Produs
Elements 35n21
De part. animal. Topics
2.2 (646a 11-16) 93n96 1.6 (103a 19-20) 234n60

De sensu et sensato Averroes

3 (419a 8-34, 439a 18b 10) Destructio destructionum
74n41 disp. met. 1, dub. 22 236n65
1 (437a 3-18) 223n34
Avicenna
De sophist. elenchis. Metaphysics
1.5 (168b 31-32) 139n24 1.9 236n65
6.3 176n21