CHAPTER 4
LECTURE 9
28 ὁ κλέπτων μηκέτι κλεπτέτω, μᾶλλον δὲ κοπιάτω ἐργαζόμενος ταῖς [ἰδίαισ] χερσὶν τὸ ἀγαθόν, ἵνα ἔχῃ μεταδιδόναι τῷ χρείαν ἔχοντι. 29 πᾶς λόγος σαπρὸς ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν μὴ ἐκπορευέσθω, ἀλλὰ εἴ τις ἀγαθὸς πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν τῆς χρείας, ἵνα δῷ χάριν τοῖς ἀκούουσιν.
28 He that stole, let him now steal no more; but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have something to give to him that suffereth need. 29 Let no evil speech proceed from your mouth; but that which is good, to the edification of faith, that it may administer grace to the hearers.
Exclusa supra vetustate hominis quantum ad vim rationalem et irascibilem, hic prohibet eam quantum ad concupiscibilem provenientem ex rerum inordinata concupiscentia. Circa quod duo facit. Having banned the age old corruption in man’s rational and irascible powers (4:25), here he proscribes it in regard to the concupiscible emotions when they desire temporal goods inordinately. Concerning this he does two things:
Primo prohibet concupiscibilis vetustatem;
secundo hortatur ad eius novitatem, ibi magis autem laboret , et cetera.
First, he prohibits the old ways of these emotions.
Secondly, he exhorts the Ephesians to renew them (4:28b).
Ad vetustatem autem concupiscibilis pertinet furtum, quod provenit ex corrupto et inordinato appetitu rei temporalis. Ideo dicit qui furabatur, iam non furetur , etc., quasi dicat: qui habebat concupiscibilem corruptam et vetustam ex corrupto appetitu rerum temporalium, iam non furetur, scilicet si vult concupiscibilem renovare, quia, ut dicitur Eccli. V, 17: super furem confusio ; propter hoc dicitur Ex. XX, 15: non furtum facies . Stealing pertains to the concupiscible appetite’s old ways; it arises from a corrupted and inordinate desire for a temporal object. Therefore he says He that stole, let him now steal no more, as if to say: Whoever has old and corrupted concupiscible emotions due to a contaminating desire for transitory goods, let him not steal any more if he wants to renew them. For “confusion is upon a thief” (Ecclus. 5:17), so that Exodus 20 (15) asserts: “Thou shalt not steal.”
Et quia aliquis posset se excusare prae paupertate, ideo dicit magis autem laboret , et cetera. Sicut ipse fecit apostolus, ut dicitur Act. XX, 33: argentum et aurum nullius concupivi, aut vestem, vos ipsi scitis, quoniam ad ea quae mihi opus erant, et his qui mecum sunt, ministraverunt manus istae . Item II Thess. III, 78: ipsi enim scitis quemadmodum oporteat vos imitari nos, quoniam non inquieti fuimus inter vos, neque gratis panem manducavimus ab aliquo, sed in labore et fatigatione, nocte ac die laborantes, ne quem vestrum gravaremus , et cetera. Since someone might excuse himself by reason of his poverty,
Unde notandum est, quod opus manuale ad tria inducitur. Primo ad necessitatem victus acquirendam. Gen. III, 19: in sudore vultus tui vesceris pane tuo . Et ideo qui non habet unde licite vivat, tenetur manibus laborare. II Thess. III, 10: si quis non vult operari, non manducet ; quasi dicat: sicut qui non comedit in necessitate peccat, ita et si non laborat. Et sic ponitur hic ad excludendum furtum. Quandoque vero inducitur contra otium, quia multa mala docuit otiositas , Eccli. XXXIII, v. 29. Et ideo qui habent vitam otiosam, tenentur manibus laborare. II Thess. III, 11 s.: audivimus quosdam inter vos ambulare in quiete nihil operantes, sed curiose agentes. His autem, qui huiusmodi sunt, denuntiamus et obsecramus in domino Iesu Christo, ut cum silentio operantes suum panem manducent . Quandoque enim inducitur ad carnis macerationem et domationem. Unde ponitur inter alia opera continentiae II Cor. VI, 5: in laboribus, in vigiliis, in ieiuniis , et cetera. Notice that three motives for manual labor are given. Primarily, it is to obtain necessary food: “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Gen. 3:19). Therefore, anyone who does not lawfully have the where-with-all to live is bound to work with his hands. “If any man will not work, neither let him eat,” (2 Thess. 3:10) seems to affirm: just as he who does not eat when necessity demands it sins, so likewise he who does not work when necessary. This is put here to exclude stealing. Sometimes, however, work is urged in order to dispel idleness since “Idleness hath taught much evil” (Ecclus. 33:29). Hence, those who lead an idle life are bound to work with their hands: “For we have heard there are some among you who walk disorderly; working not at all, but curiously meddling. Now we charge them that are such and beseech them by the Lord Jesus Christ that, working with silence, they would eat their own bread” (2 Thess. 3:11-12). At other times work is recommended to discipline and control the flesh. In this sense it is included among the acts of continence, as in 2 Corinthians 6 (5): “In labours, in watchings, in fastings.”
Triplex ergo est ratio iniungendi laborem corporalem; sed prima omnibus necessaria est, et hoc de necessitate praecepti, quia aliis modis potest excludi otium, similiter et lascivia carnis potest alio modo domari et refrenari, et sufficit quomodocumque fiat. Three reasons exist, therefore, for engaging in physical labor. The first is necessary for everyone, and is so by a necessity of precept,
Sequitur quod bonum est , quod dupliciter potest intelligi. Vel in vi accusativi, et sic construetur: magis autem laboret operando manibus , et quidem non illicita, sed quod bonum est . Gal. ult.: bonum autem facientes, non deficiamus . Is. I, 16 s.: quiescite agere perverse, discite bene facere . Vel potest intelligi in vi nominativi: laboret , etc., quod bonum est , quasi haec sit ratio quare laborandum est; quasi dicat: non solum est necessarium laborare, immo etiam bonum est laborare, ut laborans possit vivere, et ut habeat unde tribuat necessitatem patienti . Eccli. XXIX, 2: foenerare proximo tuo in tempore necessitatis illius , et cetera. Which is good follows and can be understood in two ways. If it has the accusative force it could be rendered: Rather let him labor by the work of his hands, not at what is unlawful, but at whatever is honest. “And in doing good, let us not fail. For in due time we shall reap, not failing” (Gal. 6:9). “Cease to do perversely. Learn to do well” (Is. 1:16-17). Or it can be taken with a nominative force: Rather let him labor by the work of his hands which is good. This is the reason why they should work, as though he said: Not only is it necessary to work, it is even good to work that he who does can live and that he may have something to give to him that suffereth need. “Lend to thy neighbour in the time of his need” (Ecclus. 29:2).
Deinde cum dicit omnis sermo malus , etc., ponit pertinentia ad veterem hominem in deordinatione ad alium; et facit duo: When he states Let no evil speech proceed from your mouth (v. 29) he begins to discuss what the old man does in relation to other men. He makes two points:
quia primo prohibet vetustatem, et inducit novitatem;
secundo inducit exemplum, in principio V cap., ibi estote ergo , et cetera.
First, be prohibits the old and encourages the new.
Secondly, he provides an example for imitation at the beginning of Chapter Five (5:1).
Ad proximum autem potest quis male se habere dupliciter. Uno modo laedendo eum verbis malis; alio modo malis exemplis. Primo prohibet primum;
secundo secundum, ibi et nolite contristare , et cetera. Prima iterum in duas. A person may be wrongly disposed toward his neighbor in two ways. In one way, he may hurt him through evil words; in another, he may harm him through bad example. First he forbids the former, secondly the latter (4:30). The first of these also has two sections:
Primo prohibet vetustatem;
secundo inducit ad novitatem, ibi sed si quis , et cetera.
First, he bans the old.
Secondly, he urges them toward the new (4:29b)
Dicit ergo omnis sermo malus , et cetera. Sermo oris praetendit et annuntiat quae sunt in anima, quia voces sunt earum, quae sunt in anima, passionum notae. Ille est bonus sermo, qui indicat bonam dispositionem interiorem, malus vero qui malam. Thus he says Let no evil speech proceed from your mouth. A word from the mouth exteriorizes or expresses whatever is on the mind since spoken words are signs of what occurs in the soul. A good word is one which indicates good interior dispositions, while an evil word externalizes evil dispositions.
Tripliciter autem homo ordinatur interius, scilicet ad se, ut scilicet omnia sint rationi subiecta; ad Deum, ut ratio sit ei subdita; ad proximum, quando diligit eum ut seipsum. Est ergo quandoque sermo malus, quando indicat hominem inordinatum in se, et hic est sermo falsus eius, qui aliud loquitur et aliud intendit: et similiter sermo inutilis et vanus. Item, est sermo malus qui indicat hominem inordinatum contra Deum: sicut periuria, blasphemiae, et huiusmodi. Item, etiam est sermo malus, quando est contra proximum suum: sicut iniuriae, doli, et fallaciae. Et ideo dicit omnis sermo malus ex ore vestro non procedat. Omnis non vero aequipollet huic signo, nullus. Sap. I, 11: custodite ergo vos a murmuratione, quae nihil prodest, et a detractione parcite linguae, quia sermo obscurus in vacuum non ibit ; quia certe Deum non praeterit omnis cogitatus et non abscondit se ab eo ullus sermo , ut dicitur Eccli. XLII, 20. Nunc autem deponite et vos omnia, iram, indignationem, malitiam, blasphemiam, turpem sermonem de ore vestro , Col. III. Man should possess a threefold inner relationship; namely, to himself, that all his powers are subject to reason; to God, so that his reason submits to him; and to his fellow man when he loves him as himself. Hence a word is evil when it shows that a man is not properly related within himself. This is the false word by which he means one thing and says another; futile and vain talk also belong to this category. Again, there are wicked words which indicate that a man is not related properly to God, such as perjury, blasphemy and the like. Finally, there is also evil talk which is against one’s neighbor, such as injurious, deceitful, and fraudulent words. Therefore does he say Let no evil speech proceed from your mouth. “No” is equivalent to “none.” “Keep yourselves therefore from murmuring which profiteth nothing, and refrain your tongue from detraction: for an obscure speech shall not go for nought” (Wis. 1:11). For God will certainly not forget any thought, “and no word can hide itself from him” as Ecclesiasticus 42 (20) remarks. “But now put away also any anger, indignation, malice, blasphemy, or filthy speech out of your mouth” (Col. 3:8).
Sequitur sed si quis bonus est , et cetera. Inducit ad novitatem, quia sermo bonus benedicendus est pro loco et tempore. Prov. c. XV, 23: sermo opportunus est optimus. Si quis ergo loquitur, quasi sermones Dei , I Petr. c. IV, 11. Et ad quid? Subdit ad aedificationem fidei , id est ut corroboretur fides in cordibus infirmorum. I Cor. XIV, 26: omnia ad aedificationem fiant . With that which is good he encourages them on toward newness because a good word, spoken at the right time and place, is blessed. “A word in due time is best” (Prov. 15:23). “If any man speak, let him speak as the words of God” (1 Pet. 4:11). And what for? He adds to the edification of faith in order, that is, for faith to be strengthened in the hearts of the weak: “Let all things be done to edification” (1 Cor. 14:26).
Et hoc ut det gratiam audientibus , scilicet si talis bonus sermo sit probatus, vel talis sermo est conferens: quia frequenter homo ex bono sermone et per virtutem boni sermonis auditi, compunctus disponitur ad gratiam. Act. X, 44: adhuc loquente Petro verba haec, cecidit spiritus sanctus super omnes qui audiebant verbum . Sic loquebatur dominus, de quo dicitur Lc. IV, 22: mirabantur ex verbis gratiae, quae procedebant de ore ipsius . Eccle. X, 12: verba oris sapientis gratia . If it may administer grace to the hearers such a word is proven good and it is profitable. For frequently a man repents and is disposed for grace from hearing a good sermon and through the power it conveys. “While Peter was yet speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all them that heard the word” (Ac. 10:44). Our Lord spoke in this fashion; Luke 4 (22) recounts: “They wondered at the words of grace that proceeded from his mouth.” “The words of the mouth of a wise man are grace” (Eccl. 10:12).
* Just as God is said to be angry on account of the similarity of what he does [to the results of human anger], so he could also be said to be grieved. When some person is saddened he withdraws from whoever is depressing him, likewise does the Holy Spirit withdraw from one who is sinning. Thus the meaning of grieve not the Holy Spirit is: do not chase him away or reject him through sin. “For the Holy Spirit of discipline will flee from the deceitful, and will withdraw himself from thoughts that are without understanding: and he shall not abide when iniquity cometh in” (Wis. 1:5). * which Sacred Scripture refers to as bitterness: “As Anna had her heart full of bitterness, she prayed to the Lord, shedding many tears” (1 Kg. 1:10). Thus he says all bitterness which arises from the memory of past injuries. For “there is no understanding where there is bitterness” (Ecclus. 21:15). Secondly, it immediately desires revenge; hence he says and anger which is a craving for revenge. “For the anger of man worketh not the justice of God” (Jas. 1:20). Thirdly, an angered person imagines whatever offends him is an insult, and he is indignant if it passes without punishment. Therefore, and indignation follows.