CHAPTER 4
LECTURE 2
5 εἷς κύριος, μία πίστις, ἓν βάπτισμα: 6 εἷς θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ πάντων, ὁ ἐπὶ πάντων καὶ διὰ πάντων καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν.
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all.
Posita eorum exhortatione pro servanda ecclesiastica unitate, in hac parte apostolus formam dictae unitatis ipsis Ephesiis insinuat. Ubi sciendum est, quod cum Ecclesia Dei sit sicut civitas, est aliquod unum et distinctum, cum non sit unum sicut simplex, sed sicut compositum ex diversis partibus. Et ideo apostolus duo facit. After he has exhorted them to secure ecclesial unity (4:1), the Apostle offers the Ephesians, in this section, a glimpse of this unity’s pattern. Since the Church is likened to a city, it is one and distinct, although this unity is not uncomposed but composed of different parts. Thus the Apostle does two things:
Primo ostendit id quod est commune Ecclesiae;
secundo ostendit id quod est distinctum in ipsa, ibi unicuique autem nostrum data est gratia , et cetera.
First, he shows what is common in the Church.
Secondly, he shows what is distinctive [to each member] in her (4:7).
In qualibet autem civitate, ad hoc ut sit una, quatuor debent esse communia, scilicet unus gubernator, una lex, eadem insignia, et idem finis: haec autem quatuor dicit apostolus esse in Ecclesia. The solidarity of any city demands the presence of four common elements: one governor, one law, the same symbols, and a common goal. The Apostle affirms that these are present in the Church also.
Dicit ergo: dico quod debetis habere unum corpus et unum spiritum, quia estis in unitate Ecclesiae, quae est una. Primo, quia habet ducem unum, scilicet Christum, et quantum ad hoc dicit unus dominus , non plures, pro quorum diversis voluntatibus oporteat vos discordare. Dicitur enim Hebr. III, 6: Christus est tamquam filius in domo sua . Act. II, 36: certissime ergo sciat omnis domus Israel, quia et dominum eum et Christum Deus fecit hunc Iesum, quem vos crucifixistis . I Cor. VIII, 6: unus dominus noster Iesus Christus . Zach. c. XIV, 9: in illa die erit dominus unus, et nomen eius unum . Hence, he says: You ought to have one body and one spirit since you belong to the one unified Church. First, she has one leader, Christ. Obeying one Lord, not many, conflicts do not arise from trying to comply with divergent commands. For Hebrews 3 (6) states: “Christ [is] as the Son in his own house.” “Therefore let all the house of Israel know most certainly that God hath made both Lord and Christ, this same Jesus, whom you have crucified” (Ac. 2:36). “There be lords many; yet to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things... and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things” (1 Cor. 8:5-6). “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth. In that day there shall be one Lord, and his name shall be one” (Zach. 14:9).
Secundo quia lex eius est una. Lex enim Ecclesiae est lex fidei. Rom. III, v. 27: ubi est ergo nunc gloriatio tua? Exclusa est. Per quam legem? Factorum? Non, sed per legem fidei . Sed fides quandoque sumitur pro ipsa re credita, secundum illud: haec est fides Catholica , etc., id est, ista debent credi. Quandoque vero sumitur pro habitu fidei, quo creditur in corde. Et de utroque hoc potest dici. Secondly, her law is one. For the law of the Church is the law of faith: “Where then is thy boasting? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith” (Rom. 3:27). Faith is sometimes applied to the reality believed in, as with “This is the Catholic faith...,”
De primo, ut sit sensus una est fides , id est, idem iubemini credere et eodem modo operari, quia unum et idem est quod creditur a cunctis fidelibus, unde universalis seu Catholica dicitur. Unde I Cor. I, 10: idipsum dicatis , id est sentiatis, omnes , et cetera. Alio modo una est fides , id est unus habitus fidei quo creditur; una, inquam, non numero, sed specie, quia idem debet esse in corde omnium; et hoc modo idem volentium dicitur una voluntas. In the former, one faith would mean that you are bidden to believe in the same truths and live in the same moral way. For what is believed by all the faithful is one and the same reality, hence [their faith] is termed Catholic or Universal. “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak,” that is, think, “the same thing and that there be no schisms among you; but that you be perfect in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10). In the second way, one faith designates the unity of the habit of faith by which all believe. I mean that it is specifically one—not numerically one—since the same faith is present in each one’s heart; just as when many persons want the same thing, they are said to be of one will.
Tertio eadem sunt insignia Ecclesiae, scilicet sacramenta Christi, inter quae primum Baptisma, quod est ianua omnium aliorum. Et ideo dicit unum Baptisma . Dicitur autem unum triplici ratione. Primo quia Baptismata non differunt secundum baptizantes; quia a quocumque conferantur, uniformem virtutem habent, quia qui baptizat interius, unus est, scilicet Christus. Io. I, v. 33: super quem videris spiritum descendentem, et manentem super eum, hic est qui baptizat in spiritu sancto . Secundo dicitur unum, quia datur in nomine unius, scilicet Trinitatis. Baptizantes eos in nomine patris, et filii, et spiritus sancti . Tertio quia iterari non potest. Poenitentia autem, matrimonium, Eucharistia, et extrema unctio, iterari possunt, non autem Baptismus. Hebr. VI, 4: impossibile est eos qui semel sunt illuminati , scilicet per Baptismum, gustaverunt autem donum caeleste, et participes facti sunt spiritus sancti, gustaverunt nihilominus bonum Dei verbum virtutesque saeculi venturi, et prolapsi sunt , scilicet per peccatum, renovari rursus ad poenitentiam . Non iteratur autem vel propter characterem, vel quia causa eius non iteratur. Rom. VI, 4: consepulti enim sumus cum illo per Baptismum in mortem , et cetera. Nunc autem Christus semel pro peccatis mortuus est , ut dicitur I Petr. III, 18. Thirdly, the Church shares the same symbols. They are Christ’s sacraments, of which baptism is the first and the entrance to the rest. Hence he says one baptism. Three reasons account for this unity. First, baptisms do not differ by reason of who administers them. No matter who performs the rites they possess an unvaried power because he who baptizes interiorly is one, namely, Christ. “He upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him, he it is that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost” (Jn. 1:33). Second, baptism is one since it is conferred in the name of the one Triune God: “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost” (Mt. 28:19). The third reason is that it cannot be repeated. The sacraments of penance, matrimony, the eucharist and last anointing may be repeated, but not baptism. “For it is impossible for those who were once illuminated,” by baptism, “have tasted also the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, have moreover tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come, and are fallen away,” through sins, “to be renewed again to penance” (Heb. 6:4-6). It is not repeated, either by reason of the sacramental character [it imparts], or because its cause is not repeated: “For we are buried together with him by baptism into death; that, as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). And Christ died but once as 1 Peter 3 (18) affirms.
Quarto in Ecclesia est idem finis, qui est Deus. Filius enim ducit nos ad patrem. I Cor. XV, 24: cum tradiderit regnum Deo et patri, cum evacuaverit omnem principatum, et potestatem, et virtutem, oportet autem illum regnare , et cetera. Et quantum ad hoc subiungit, dicens unus Deus , etc., Fourthly, the Church has the same goal, God. The Son leads us to the Father: “when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God and the Father; when he shall have brought to nought all principality and power and virtue” (1 Cor. 15:24). In reference to this the Apostle adds one God and Father of all:
ubi primo, ponit apostolus eius unitatem;
secundo eius dignitatem, ibi qui est super omnes , et cetera.
First, he mentions his unity.
Secondly, his dignity (4:6b),
Circa primum duo dicit: primum pertinet ad naturam divinam; unde dicit unus Deus . Deut. VI, 4: audi, Israel, dominus Deus tuus unus est . Aliud pertinet ad eius benevolentiam ad nos et ad pietatem; unde dicit et pater omnium . Is. LXIII, 16: tu, domine, pater noster, et redemptor noster . Mal. II, 10: numquid non pater unus omnium nostrum? Numquid non Deus creavit nos? Regarding the first he has two remarks. One pertains to the Divine Nature, he says there is one God: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord” (Deut. 6:4). The other has to do with his kindness to us and our piety; whence he says Father of all : “Thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer: from everlasting is thy name” (Is. 63:16); “Have we not all one father? Hath not one God created us?” (Mal. 2:10).
Dignitatem autem eius commendat ex tribus. Ex altitudine divinitatis, cum dicit qui est super omnes . Ps. CXII, 4: super omnes gentes dominus , et cetera. Ex amplitudine eius potestatis, cum dicit per omnia . Ier. c. XXXIII, 24: caelum et terram ego impleo , et cetera. Ps. VIII, 8: omnia subiecisti sub pedibus , et cetera. Lc. X, 22: omnia mihi quippe tradita sunt , quippe quia omnia per ipsum facta sunt , Io. I, 3. Sed modo quo dicitur Sap. XI, 21: omnia in numero, et pondere, et mensura disposuisti . Ex largitate gratiae, cum dicit et in omnibus nobis , scilicet per gratiam. Ier. XIV, 9: tu autem in nobis es, domine , et cetera. He extols Gods dignity on three scores. The Divine Majesty who is above all: “The Lord is high above all nations; and his glory above the heavens” (Ps. 112:4). His power which extends through all [that exists]: “Do not I fill heaven and earth, saith the Lord?” (Jer. 23:24). “Thou bast subjected an things under his feet” (Ps. 8:8). “All things are delivered to me” (Lk. 10:22) since “all things were made by him” (Jn. 1:3). Wisdom 11 (21) indicates how this is accomplished: “Thou hast ordered all things in measure, and number, and weight. For great power always belonged to thee alone: and who shall resist the strength of thy arm?” Finally, there is the abundance of his grace in us all: “Thou, 0 Lord, art among us, and thy name is called upon by us” (Jer. 14:9).
Sed primum appropriatur patri, qui est fontale principium divinitatis et omnes creaturas excellit. Secundum filio, qui est sapientia attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter , Sap. VIII, 1. Tertium vero spiritui sancto, qui replet orbem terrarum , Sap. I, 7. Majesty is appropriated to the Father who is the source and principle in the Divinity, exceeding the whole of creation. Power is appropriated to the Son who is that wisdom which “reacheth from end to end mightily” (Wis. 8:1). Grace is appropriated to the Holy Spirit who “hath filled the whole world” (Wis. 1:7).”
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Thirdly, he explains this authoritative quotation (4:9). * Clearly, he as God bestows the gifts which he as man receives in the faithful who are his members. In heaven be gives, since he is God, while on earth he accepts what is given in the manner Matthew 25 (40) describes: “As long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.” * For he who descended, as was said, is the Son of God taking on human nature. He who ascends is the Son of man, raising human nature to the preeminence of immortal life. Thus the Son of God who descended and the Son of man who ascended are identical: “And no man hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven” (Jn. 3:13). Notice too how the humble who voluntarily lower themselves, spiritually ascend to the grandeur of God: “he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Lk. 14:11).