Pars 7, Cap. 1
by St. Bonaventure
Source text: Public Domain Mark 1.0. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://bonaventure.wrootpress.com/browse/5/d/7/q/bon-brev-p7-c1
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### PART SEVEN. *On the state of the final judgment.*

### Chapter I. *On the judgment in general.*

After some things have been said briefly concerning the Trinity of God, concerning the creation of the world, concerning the corruption of sin, concerning the incarnation of the Word, concerning the grace of the Holy Spirit and concerning the medicine of the Sacrament; it remains now, seventhly and lastly, to touch briefly upon some things concerning the *state of the final judgment*. Concerning which this must be held in *summary*: that without doubt there is to be a judgment of all, in which God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ will judge the living and the dead, the good and the wicked, rendering to each one according to the requirement of his merits. — But in this judgment there will come about the *opening of the books*, namely of the consciences, by which the merits and demerits of all will become known to themselves and to the rest, this being effected by the power of that *book of life*, namely of the incarnate Word; who in the form of *Divinity* will not be seen save by the good, but in the form of *humanity*, in which he will also promulgate the sentence, will be seen as much by the good as by the wicked, although in that same form he appear terrible to the reprobate and gentle to the just.

Now the reason for the understanding of the aforesaid is this: since the first principle, by this very fact that it is first, is from itself, according to itself and for the sake of itself, by this very fact it is *efficient [cause]*, *form* and *end*, *producing*, *governing* and *perfecting* all things; so that, just as it *produces* according to the *height of its own power*, so also it *governs* according to the *rectitude of truth* and *consummates* according to the *fulness of goodness*. Since therefore the *height of the highest power* required that there should be a production of the creature not only unto a *vestige*, but also unto an *image*; not only of the *irrational* creature, but also of the *rational*; not only of the creature which is moved according to a *natural impulse*, but also according to *freedom of will*; and [since] the creature which is unto the *image*, because it is capable of God, is *beatifiable*, the *rational* creature is *teachable*, the creature *having freedom* of will is according to the law of justice *orderable* and *disorderable*: hence it is that the *rectitude of truth* had to impose a law upon man, in which it might *invite* him to beatitude and *instruct* him unto truth and *oblige* him unto justice; yet in such a way that it should not coerce the freedom of the will, but that according to the pleasure of his own will he might be able both to forsake justice and to follow it, since « he so administers the things which he founded, that he lets them exercise their own motions ». And because the *fulness of goodness* operates in consummating, according as the *height of power* and the *rectitude of truth* require; hence it is that the consummation of beatitude is not given by the highest goodness save to those who have kept the *justice* imposed by the rectitude of truth, who have received *discipline* and have loved that highest and perpetual *felicity* more than transitory goods. — And since some do this, but some the opposite, according to the variety of their wills, which are inwardly hidden and in the state of the way run according to their own choice; hence it is that for the manifestation of the *height of power*, of the *rectitude of truth* and of the *fulness of goodness*, it is necessary that a universal judgment follow; in which there come about just *retributions* of rewards, open *declarations* of merits and irrevocable *deliverances* of sentences, so that in the just *retributions* of wages the fulness of the highest goodness may appear, in the open *declarations* of merits the rectitude of truth may appear, and in the irrevocable *deliverances* of sentences the height of the highest power and authority may appear. — First therefore, since a just *retribution* regards fault, to which punishment is owed, or justice, to which glory is owed; and all the sons of Adam have the one or the other: hence it is that it is necessary that *all* be judged by the judgment of retribution, so that the just may be glorified and the wicked condemned.

Again, because the open *declaration* of merits requires that there appear at once what is to be done, and what has been done or omitted by the freedom of the human will according to the variety of circumstances; hence it is that both the *books of the consciences* will be opened, so that merits may appear, and the *book of life*, so that that very justice may appear according to which those merits are to be approved or reproved. And since that *book of life* is a book in which all things are written, at once and most lucidly,

and in the *consciences* they are written truthfully; therefore from the concurrence of the opening of these books there will come about an open *declaration* of all merits, so that the hidden things of each one's heart may become known both to himself and to the rest. Hence, as Augustine will have it, that book is « a power by which it will come about that all things be marvellously recalled to the memory of each one », so that the equity of the divine judgments may lucidly appear in the most open light of truth.

Lastly, because the irrevocable *deliverance* of sentences ought to be made by one who can be heard and seen, and from whom there can be no appeal; and the highest light cannot be seen by all, which darkened eyes cannot see, for the reason that it cannot be seen *face to face* without deiformity of mind and gladness of heart: it is necessary that the judge appear in the semblance of a creature. But because a pure creature does not have the highest authority, from which there can be no appeal; hence it is that it is necessary that our judge be also *God*, that he may judge by the highest authority; and be *man*, that he may be seen and may dispute with sinners in a human semblance. And because one voice of disputation terrifies the culpable and reassures the innocent; hence it is that one and the same semblance of his will gladden the just and, on the contrary, deter the wicked.

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