Capitula
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/3/d/0/q/bon-sent-III-capitula
----------------------------------------
# HERE BEGIN THE CHAPTERS OF THE THIRD BOOK.

### Distinction I.

**Chap. I.** Why the Son assumed flesh, and not the Father or the Holy Spirit.

**II.** Whether the Father or the Holy Spirit could have been incarnate.

**III.** Whether the Son, who alone took flesh, did anything which the Father or the Holy Spirit did not.

### Distinction II.

**Chap. I.** Why he took the whole human nature, and what is to be understood by the name of humanity or of human nature.

**II.** On the union of the Word and the flesh with the soul as intermediary.

**III.** That the Word assumed the soul and the flesh at once, and that the flesh was not conceived before it was assumed.

### Distinction III.

**Chap. I.** On the flesh assumed, of what sort it was before.

**II.** That no one here is without sin, the Virgin excepted.

**III.** Why Christ was not tithed in Abraham, as Levi was.

**IV.** Why Christ's flesh was not called sinful, but like [sinful flesh].

### Distinction IV.

**Chap. I.** Why the incarnation is attributed to the Holy Spirit, since it is the work of the Trinity.

**II.** Why Christ is said to be conceived and born of the Holy Spirit.

**III.** Why the Apostle says that Christ was *made*, whom we confess to have been *born*.

### Distinction V.

**Chap. I.** Whether a person or a nature assumed a person or a nature, and whether the nature of God was incarnate.

**II.** Whether the divine nature ought to be called made flesh.

**III.** Why he did not take the person of a man, since he assumed a man — which some strive to prove.

### Distinction VI.

**Chap. I.** On the understanding of these locutions — *God is man*, *God was made man* — he sets down three opinions.

**II.** The first is of those who say that in the incarnation a certain man was constituted of soul and flesh, and that that man was made God, and God that man; and he sets down the authorities by which they assert that it is so.

**III.** The second is of those who say that that man consists of three substances, or of two natures; and they confess him to be one person, before the incarnation simple only, but in the incarnation composite; and he sets forth the authorities with which they fortify themselves.

**IV.** The third is of those who not only deny a person composed of natures, but also disavow that any man or any substance there is composed of soul and flesh; and thus they say that those two, namely soul and flesh, are so united to the Word that out of them no

substance or person is composed, but that God is clothed with those two as with a garment, so that he might appear to mortal eyes — they who take the account of the incarnation according to *habit*.

**V.** Then he adduces authorities by which this opinion is strengthened.

**VI.** Four species of habit are distinguished.

### Distinction VII.

**Chap. I.** Then he sets down what seem to be against each of the opinions.

**II.** In what sense Christ is called predestined.

**III.** That he ought not to be called a *lordly* man.

### Distinction VIII.

**Chap. I.** Whether the divine nature ought to be called born of the Virgin.

**II.** On the twofold nativity of Christ, who was twice born.

### Distinction IX.

**Sole chapter.** On the adoration to be shown to the humanity of Christ.

### Distinction X.

**Chap. I.** Whether Christ, according as he is man, is a person, or something.

**II.** Whether Christ, according as he is man, is an adoptive son.

**III.** Whether a person, or a nature, was predestined.

### Distinction XI.

**Chap. I.** Whether Christ is a creature, or made.

**II.** On the perfidy and the punishment of Arius.

**III.** Whether that man always was.

### Distinction XII.

**Chap. I.** Whether God could have taken another, or from elsewhere than from the race of Adam.

**II.** Whether that man could have sinned, or not have been God.

**III.** Whether God could have assumed a man in the female sex.

### Distinction XIII.

**Sole chapter.** On the wisdom and grace of Christ as man, whether he could have advanced in them.

### Distinction XIV.

**Chap. I.** Whether Christ's soul had wisdom equal with God, and whether it knows all things that God knows.

**II.** Why God did not give to that soul the power of all things, as he gave it knowledge.

### Distinction XV.

**Chap. I.** On the defects of man which Christ assumed.

**II.** On the propassion and the passion of fear or of sorrow.

### Distinction XVI.

**Chap. I.** On certain obscure chapters of Hilary, by which pains seem to be removed from Christ's flesh.

**II.** On the sorrow of Christ and its cause, according to the same [author].

**III.** Whether there was in Christ a necessity of suffering and of dying, which is a general defect.

**IV.** On the states of man, and what Christ took from each of them.

### Distinction XVII.

**Chap. I.** Whether every prayer, or will, of Christ was fulfilled.

**II.** On the wills of Christ according to the two natures.

**III.** On certain chapters of Ambrose and Hilary, where the doubting and fear of Christ are treated.

### Distinction XVIII.

**Chap. I.** Whether Christ merited for himself and for us, and what for himself and what for us.

**II.** That from his conception Christ merited for himself the same thing that he merited through his passion.

**III.** On that which is written: *He gave him a name which is above every name.*

**IV.** Whether Christ could have had without any merit what he obtained by merit.

**V.** On the cause of Christ's passion and death.

### Distinction XIX.

**Chap. I.** In what manner Christ redeemed us from the devil and from sin through his death.

**II.** Why God [became] man and died.

**III.** In what manner Christ redeemed us from punishment.

**IV.** In what manner he bore our punishment.

**V.** Whether Christ alone ought to be called redeemer, as mediator.

**VI.** On the mediator.

**VII.** According to which nature he is mediator.

### Distinction XX.

**Chap. I.** That he could have delivered [us] in another way.

**II.** Why rather in this way.

**III.** By what justice the devil was overcome.

**IV.** On the case between God and man and the devil.

**V.** On the handing over of Christ, done by Judas, by God, by the Jews.

**VI.** Whether Christ's passion is the work of God, or of the Jews.

### Distinction XXI.

**Chap. I.** Whether in Christ's death the soul or the flesh was separated from the Word.

**II.** For what reason Christ is said to have died or suffered.

### Distinction XXII.

**Chap. I.** Whether Christ in death was man.

**II.** Whether Christ, wherever he is, is man.

**III.** That Christ is everywhere whole, but not the whole [of him]; as he is wholly man or God, but not the whole.

**IV.** Whether the things which are said of God or of the Son of God can be said of that man or of the son of man.

### Distinction XXIII.

**Chap. I.** Whether Christ had faith, hope, and charity.

**II.** What faith is.

**III.** In how many ways faith is spoken of.

**IV.** What it is to believe God, or to believe that God is, or to believe in God.

**V.** On the unformed quality of mind which is in a bad Christian.

**VI.** In what manner faith is called one.

**VII.** That faith is properly of those things which are not seen, yet is itself seen by him in whom it is.

**VIII.** A description of faith.

**IX.** Why faith alone is called the foundation.

### Distinction XXIV.

**Chap. I.** How that is to be understood which is written: *That, when it shall come to pass, you may believe*.

**II.** Whether Peter had faith in the passion when he saw that man suffer.

**III.** Whether some things are known which are believed.

### Distinction XXV.

**Chap. I.** On the faith of the ancients.

**II.** On the faith of the simple.

**III.** What it sufficed to believe before the advent.

**IV.** On the faith of Cornelius.

**V.** On the equality of faith, hope, charity and work.

### Distinction XXVI.

**Chap. I.** On hope: what it is.

**II.** Of what things hope is.

**III.** In what faith and hope differ.

**IV.** Whether the just in hell had faith and hope.

### Distinction XXVII.

**Chap. I.** On the charity of God and of neighbour, which is in Christ and in us.

**II.** What charity is.

**III.** Whether God and neighbour are loved by the same charity.

**IV.** Why they are called the two commandments of charity.

**V.** On the manner of loving.

**VI.** On the fulfilling of that commandment: *Thou shalt love God with thy whole heart.*

**VII.** That the one commandment is in the other.

**VIII.** What things are to be loved with charity.

### Distinction XXVIII.

**Chap. I.** Whether we are commanded to love the whole neighbour, and ourselves wholly.

**II.** That in the love of neighbour the love of the Angels is included.

**III.** Who is the neighbour.

**IV.** In what ways one is called a neighbour.

### Distinction XXIX.

**Chap. I.** On the order of loving: what comes first, what after.

**II.** Whether all men are to be loved equally.

**III.** On the degrees of charity.

### Distinction XXX.

**Sole chapter.** Whether it is better to love enemies than friends.

### Distinction XXXI.

**Chap. I.** Whether charity once had is lost.

**II.** Why faith, hope, and knowledge are said to be done away, and not charity, since it too is in part.

**III.** Whether Christ kept the order of loving which we keep.

### Distinction XXXII.

**Chap. I.** On the charity of God.

**II.** In what manner God is said to love this one more, or that one less.

**III.** That the love of God is to be regarded in two ways.

**IV.** Whether anyone is loved more or less by God at one time than at another.

**V.** Whether God from eternity loved the reprobate.

### Distinction XXXIII.

**Chap. I.** On the four principal virtues.

**II.** Whether they were in Christ and are in the Angels.

**III.** On the uses of them.

### Distinction XXXIV.

**Chap. I.** On the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

**II.** Whether they are virtues, and are in the Angels.

**III.** Whether they were in Christ.

**IV.** On the distinction of fears.

**V.** On chaste and servile and initial [fear].

**VI.** In what the chaste and the servile differ.

**VII.** That servile and initial fear are called the beginning of wisdom, but in different ways.

**VIII.** In what manner chaste fear remains for ever.

**IX.** Whether the fear of punishment which was in Christ was servile or initial.

### Distinction XXXV.

**Chap. I.** On wisdom and knowledge: in what they differ.

**II.** In what wisdom differs from understanding.

**III.** Whether understanding and knowledge, which are numbered among the gifts, are those which man has naturally.

### Distinction XXXVI.

**Chap. I.** On the connection of the virtues, which are not separated.

**II.** Whether all the virtues are equal, in whomsoever they are.

**III.** In what manner the whole law hangs upon charity.

### Distinction XXXVII.

**Chap. I.** On the ten commandments: in what manner they are contained in the two.

**II.** Why an idol is said to be nothing in the world.

**III.** Why the remission of sins is properly said to be effected in the Holy Spirit.

**IV.** On the spiritual and the carnal sense of the Law.

**V.** On theft.

**VI.** On lying.

### Distinction XXXVIII.

**Chap. I.** On the threefold kind of lying.

**II.** On the eight species of lying.

**III.** What it is to lie.

**IV.** That every lie is a sin, whether it profits or not, and why.

**V.** In what matters one errs with danger, and in what not.

### Distinction XXXIX.

**Chap. I.** On perjury.

**II.** Whether there is a perjury which is not a lie.

**III.** On the threefold mode of perjury.

**IV.** Whether swearing is an evil.

**V.** On the oath which is made by creatures.

**VI.** Which swearing is graver — that which is made by God, or that which is made by creatures, or by the Gospel.

**VII.** What it is to say *by God*.

**VIII.** On those who swear by false gods.

**IX.** That an oath or promise made against God is not to be kept.

**X.** Whether he is a perjurer who does not do what he has incautiously sworn.

**XI.** On those who swear with craftiness of words.

**XII.** On him who compels another to swear.

### Distinction XL.

**Chap. I.** Why the Law is said to restrain the hand, not the mind.

**II.** What is the letter that kills.

**III.** On the distance between the Law and the Gospel.

**HERE END THE CHAPTERS OF THE THIRD BOOK.**

---