Dist. 17, Part 2, Dubia
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/1/d/17/q/bon-sent-I-d17-p2-dubia
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### DOUBTS ON THE MASTER'S TEXT.

### Doubt I.

In this part there fall doubts concerning the *littera*, and first about what he says, that *to Christ the Spirit was given not by measure.* For it appears false, because every finite [thing] has a measure: therefore, if to Christ the Spirit was given not by measure, to Christ an infinite Spirit was given. But against this is, that all created things are of finite capacity.

**I respond:** This will appear better below; for now let it suffice that this is said either on account of the grace of union, which made it that all things which are God's are that man's; or on account of the grace of [Christ as] head, because in Christ there is grace for all acts unconfined, just as in the head all the senses flourish. Whence that determination [i.e., the qualification "not by measure"] does not take away finitude, but takes away the determination to some [single] act or special gift.

### Doubt II.

Likewise it is asked about what Augustine says, that *charity is the most upright affection of our soul.* For it appears to speak ill, because no habit is an affection; charity is a virtue and thus a habit: therefore it is not an affection.

**I respond:** It must be said that *affection* is said in four ways: in one way, the affective power itself; in another way, an *affection* is called the passion of the affective power, as joy and grief and the like; in a third way, it is called the act of the affective potency; in a fourth way, it is called an affective habit, just as *intellect* in one way is called the habit of principles, which is the rule of intellect: and in this way it is taken when it is said that charity is an affection; and similarly Bernard takes it when he says that *virtue is an ordered affection.*

### Doubt III.

Likewise it is asked about what the Master says, that *charity inwardly works the other acts and motions, by the mediation of the other virtues.* For it appears to say [something] contrary to that which is said in Galatians five: *Faith works through love.*

**I respond:** It must be said that, although it can be maintained that charity works by the mediation of the other virtues as by ministers, and the others, no less, [work] through charity helping and directing; nevertheless the solution of the Master, which he makes here, does not hold, because the Master begs the question in solving. For he supposes in the solution the opposite of what is being proved. For since the Holy Spirit does not effect in us the works of the other virtues without intermediate habits, how does he effect in us the work of love? If you say that he himself is love, similarly I can say that the Son is Wisdom and the Word, therefore by parity of reasoning he ought, without an intermediate habit, to illuminate the intellect. And on account of this the Master's opinion is not as probable, neither as to reasons nor as to authorities. Which is plain, if the aforesaid solutions are attended to. For in all the solutions the Master begs that which is at the beginning [i.e., the question itself].

### Doubt IV.

Likewise it is asked about what he says, that *the Holy Spirit is not divided.* For it appears to say [something] false, because in Numbers eleven it is said that the Lord said to Moses: *I will take from your spirit* etc. Likewise, in First John, four: *Of his Spirit he has given to us;* if he gave of [his] Spirit, it appears that either he gave the whole, or divided [it] into parts.

**I respond:** It must be said that the Holy Spirit is in himself simple and therefore in himself undivided; but in his effects he is manifold, and therefore with respect to effect he is divided, because he is not given to single [persons] for all things. And hence it is — because he was more fully given to Moses than to others — that he therefore says: *I will take from your spirit;* and because he is not given to us for all things, therefore the blessed John says: *Of his Spirit he has given to us.*

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