Chapter XXVI.
It is worse to be one who kills his brother, that is, a companion of the same nature as oneself; however, a greater danger must be feared from one's own brothers who are born of the same parents, and the name of brotherhood should not be abolished for them, so that their impiety might be more burdened. Hence the moral doctrine, which warns each person to be cautious of their own thoughts and words. Like a threat to the author of spilled blood: the one who said about man, 'He made him in the image of God,' teaches us the reason for added retribution.
Finally, they approve this sense to be later; for thus it says: Indeed, I will require your blood, and the blood of your souls from all beasts, and from the hand of man (Gen. IX, 5). He compared it to bestial malice, or rather even accumulated the wickedness of man beyond the ferocity of beasts, by saying: From the hand of the brother of man. Indeed, beasts have nothing in common with us in nature, and they are not bound by any brotherly right. If they harm humans, they harm them as strangers. They do not violate the laws of nature; they do not forget the bond of kinship. Therefore, a person sins more gravely if they plot against their brother. And the Lord promised that He would seek the blood of a man from the hand of his brother, saying: 'I will require the blood of a man from the hand of his brother.' Is not a brother someone whom a rational nature has brought forth from a certain womb, and the same mother's generation has joined us together? For the same nature is the mother of all humans, and therefore we are all brothers, generated from the same mother, and bound by the same right of kinship.
Therefore the Lord also called him brother, and called him brother from whom the brother's blood is sought, signifying that danger should be more feared from those who are bound to one another by brotherly right. For from this, indeed, ambushes and more frequent dangers are compared to men, and to specify, because hatred often grows more among brothers in the division of inheritance. Then if more has been bestowed upon one brother by the parents, the other brothers are more indignant, and they attempt to take away the favor conferred by the parents by means of parricide. These wars are more suspicious, wars not only of the citizens, but of individual houses. Therefore, the Lord seizes those whom He has known to be more inclined to plot against Him, for the judgment of vengeance.
96. The third point is that he called him a brother, not that he is worthy of the name of parricide: but so that he may be burdened more heavily by the title of piety, and from there the increase of crime may occur, by which the punishment of the wicked may be even more just. Therefore, our Lord God promises revenge, so that even if he may be broken by fear, who has forgotten piety, and he may know that even if he may escape from men as a murderer, he cannot escape the judgment of God, but is reserved for greater and eternal punishment.
97. But by a higher sense we understand not only being on guard against the plots of strangers, but also against our own, that is, domestic thoughts. Furthermore, we must be careful not only of the wickedness of our mind, but also of our very words. And so it is said: You cannot escape sin by much speaking (Prov. 10:19). Therefore, it seems that this signifies that we must give an account to the Lord not only of our actions but also of our more intimate conversations. And for this reason, we must carefully consider, so that we do not provoke offense either in speech or in action; for just as confession is made with the mouth for salvation, so too is a slip made with the mouth for death.
98. Whoever sheds the blood of a man, by man shall his blood be shed (Gen. IX, 6). The statement is not a mistake, but an emphasis, that is, an exaggeration of words made, because whoever sheds the blood of a man, his own blood shall be shed as if to take away from him the hope of posterity; for just as spilled blood is scattered here and there on the ground, so may the soul of the wicked be released from the body's frailty like a dissolution (Job. XXXIII, 28); because it is also said of the soul that its death is corruption, because it is deprived of the gift of heavenly grace, and as if crushed by the rocks of wickedness, it diminishes its own healthiness.
99. It also moves most people what He said: God made man in His own image (Gen. IX, 6): and He did not say: In My own image, since He Himself is God. But understand that He is both Father and Son. And although through the Son all things were made, nevertheless we read that the Father made all things, and made them through the Son, as it is written: In wisdom You have made all things (Ps. CIII, 24). Therefore, whether the Father says, He made man in the image of the Word: or the Son says, He made man in the image of God the Father. And for this reason, it demonstrates that the nature of humans is familiar and domestic to God, that is, rational beings created in the image of God; and for that reason, it is not in vain before God that He sees cruel and impious acts committed against domestic animals.
100. Therefore, the added reason for vengeance is that we first exclude the opinions of certain philosophers who deny that God has care over humans: then, knowing that the prerogative of our vengeance remains with God, we do not commit what should be avenged by divine judgment to others; nor do we fear death itself more vehemently, when we know that the death of an innocent man is not despised by God.