And all these things are prohibited in the first commandment. And just as God in the first creation of things in a certain manner produced all things, so also in the first commandment he prohibits all evils, although for greater explanation he sets forth multiple commandments.
8. I omitted to say that the Jews sometimes reproach us and say that we do not properly observe that commandment, and they charge us with transgressing it. For in this commandment three statements are contained: You shall not have strange gods before me
you shall not make a graven image
nor any likeness of those things that are in the heavens etc.
9. Concerning the first statement, namely: You shall not have strange gods, they say that the Lord says: Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one; and you posit a Trinity, namely the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. — Concerning the second they say that we make a graven image, because our churches are full of images.
Concerning the third: nor any likeness etc., in which God prohibits worshipping corporeal nature, they say that we worship a morsel of bread; and this seems to them most absurd.
10. To the first objection, that we worship three gods, I say that if we worshipped three persons such that we said there were three gods and a threefold essence, it would necessarily follow that we worshipped three gods. But we worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God and one essence, but three persons. Whence, just as we see that in man there is a plurality of natures, namely intellectual and corporeal, and yet there is but one person, so conversely in the divine there is unity of essence and plurality of persons.
11. A certain Jew said: You say that God has a Son; why do you not give Him a wife? — These Jews understand in the most base manner. God the Father has a Word and the Holy Spirit: indeed He has a Word, through which He made all things; and He has the Holy Spirit, through whom He preserves all things. The Word flows forth from the one who speaks and is God from God. Likewise the Holy Spirit is spirated from the Father and the Son and is God and in God. The Holy Spirit alone is the one who searches the depths of hearts, and He is God.
Hence the person who wishes to understand these things and to speak about them must have the most elevated thoughts, not earthbound ones: for otherwise he cannot understand the most exalted things concerning God. For when we posit the Trinity, we do not posit Christ as a mere man, but God with man.
12. Concerning the second, which says: You shall not make a graven image, they object that we make graven images, because we have many images in our churches. I say that it is impossible for the Divinity to be carved; but we make an effigy of Christ — of Christ, I say, incarnate, and we adore that effigy.
But it must be understood that there is a twofold adoration: one which is called dulia, another which is called latria . With the adoration of dulia we can adore all those in whom there is power, wisdom, and holiness: and thus we adore princes, prelates, and masters as those in whom there is power and wisdom; likewise those who have the excellence of prophecy, as those in whom there is wisdom: and thus that captain of fifty adored Elijah.
Likewise, we thus adore the Saints who are in the homeland, as those in whom there is eminent holiness.
Similarly, the adoration of dulia is to be shown to images, not insofar as it is an image or painting, but by reason of that which is signified through it. — But to God alone is the adoration of latria to be shown.
13. Concerning the third thing which they oppose and which they most abhor, namely concerning the Body of Christ: this was most secret, but now it has been promulgated to all. — Some once said that God was not present there except as in a sign. But it must be understood that at the utterance of the word of the priest and the intention of the one speaking, the substance of the bread is immediately converted into the true Body of Christ, which has a soul united with the Divinity: and this is clear. — But the Jew says: how can this be? I say that He who can separate substance from accidents can bring it about that the substance which is under alien accidents does not appear to our senses. Hence I say that we adore the true Body of Christ and God, three and one; and in this the virtue, power, wisdom, and goodness of God are manifested. But the Jew errs who believes he can judge of this in an earthbound manner.
14. I have heard that there was a certain conjurer of demons. One day, when he was invoking a demon in the midst of certain persons who wished to obtain something from the demon, a certain priest passed by carrying the Body of Christ, and immediately the demon bowed down before him, and likewise on his return. And the conjurer said: whence is this? You have forbidden me to adore Christ, and yet you adore him? The demon replied: I did so unwillingly. Is it not written: At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth?
These things have been said concerning the first commandment.
15. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Just as in the first commandment humble adoration of the supreme majesty is commanded, so in this second commandment faithful confession of the supreme truth is commanded, and the denial of truth is forbidden. In the Old Testament it is said that he who swears in the name of God should swear and not perjure himself. For to perjure is the same as to forswear, and this is to take the name of God in vain.
Jeremiah says: And you shall swear: the Lord lives, in truth and in judgment and in justice; and the Gloss says there that "an oath ought to have three companions: truth, judgment, and justice. "
16. First, I say, an oath ought to be made with truth; whence he says: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, that is, without truth.
Now it must be understood that there is a twofold oath, namely assertory and promissory, such that there is a certain oath given as testimony and a certain oath given as a promise. An assertory oath is made thus: I assert this to you and testify to it by the witness of divine truth.
17. Now this assertory oath must first possess truth. Truth is present in an assertory oath when a man does not deny what is true, nor affirm what is false, nor knowingly assert what is doubtful; for speech is indicative of those things which are in the heart. But do you know what it means when a man testifies to something false by the witness of divine truth? It is to say that he lies and that divine truth lies along with him. And this is the first way of taking the name of God in vain, namely, when we deny the truth.
18. Second, an assertory oath must be made with justice. It is made with justice when it is not made against a commandment of the divine law, nor against a precept of holy Mother Church, nor to the detriment of one's own salvation or that of another. And he who swears against these three swears rashly and sins in a twofold manner: both because he swears and because he keeps the oath.
19. Third, it is necessary that judgment accompany an assertory oath, so that there be in the mind a discernment of truth and justice, namely, whether the oath is true or false, just or unjust, fruitful or unfruitful. Whence, if I swear without judgment, not discerning among these three, I swear rashly. — These three companions ought to be present in an assertory oath.
20. But the Manicheans assail us and say that we ought not to swear at all, because it is said in the New Testament, namely in Matthew: You shall not swear falsely; and it follows: But I say to you, not to swear at all. But let your speech be: yes yes, no no.
I certainly say that in certain cases or for certain reasons it is quite lawful to swear. But the heretics do not rightly attend to the force of the words. For it is one thing to say: "not to swear at all," and another to say: "at all not to swear" — just as it is one thing to say: "a certain man does not run," and another: "not a certain man runs." At all not to swear is the same as in no way to swear, and not to swear at all is the same as not to swear in every way, but for certain reasons.