Dist. 25, Art. 1, Q. 3
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/25/q/bon-sent-III-d25-a1-q3
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### Question III. *Whether all are bound to believe all the articles explicitly after the advent of Christ.*

Thirdly there is inquiry concerning the sufficiency of faith as to those who came after the advent of Christ, and the question is whether all are bound to believe all the articles explicitly after the advent of Christ. And that it is so, it seems.

1. In Deuteronomy, chapter twenty-seven, it is commanded that the Law be written clearly and openly upon stones; and there the Gloss says that «the laity and the simple are the stones»: therefore if that Scripture is through knowledge, it seems that the laity were bound to know the Law clearly and openly: therefore much more strongly does it seem that under the New [Testament] they are bound to know the doctrine of the catholic faith.

2. Likewise, in Leviticus, chapter fourteen, it is said of the leper that he should offer a *sextarius* for [his] cleansing; there the Gloss: «The *sextarius* is the most true confession of faith, where if there is more, it is poured out, if there is less, it falls short»: therefore it seems, in order that someone be able to be purified from sins, that it is necessary to have the full measure of faith: therefore it seems that it is necessary for all to know all the articles explicitly and distinctly.

3. Likewise, as obedience stands with respect to the precepts, so faith [stands] with respect to the articles; but there is no true obedience unless one obey all the precepts: therefore neither [is there] true faith unless one assent distinctly and explicitly to all the articles. The minor [premise] is proved through that which is said to the Galatians, chapter five: *I testify to every man circumcising himself, that he is a debtor to do the whole Law*; and James, chapter two: *If he should keep the whole Law, but offend in one [point], he is made guilty of all.*

4. Likewise, as charity stands toward the things to be loved, so faith stands toward the things to be believed; but charity, however small it be and in whomsoever it be, makes one love everything that is lovable — for it is necessary for everyone for salvation that he love God, neighbor, and himself — therefore by parity of reasoning it is necessary for faith, however small, to believe all the articles distinctly.

5. Likewise, an evil is not avoided unless [it is] known; but everyone, however simple, is bound to avoid error against every article: therefore he is bound to know and believe every article. And that everyone is bound to avoid error against every article is manifest, since, if ignorance does not excuse in things to be done, by parity of reasoning it seems that neither ought it to excuse in things to be believed. Granted even that some simple old woman should hear a priest preaching an error also against some article of faith and believe him; it is agreed that she is not excused, because, if at the preaching of her priest she were to commit adultery or homicide, she would in no way be excused; but it is agreed that she cannot avoid that error which the priest preaches unless she know that the opposite of that error is true: therefore that returns which was inferred before, namely that it is necessary for everyone to believe all the articles of faith distinctly.

6. Likewise, all the articles equally constrain to assent, all also stand indifferently to this, that they be made manifest through hearing: if therefore they equally oblige as to assent and equally oblige as to hearing, it seems that in the same way all the articles stand toward the faith of the believer: therefore either he is bound to believe all, or none. But he is not bound to believe none, because he is bound to believe some: therefore he is bound to believe all and each.

**On the contrary:** 1. Upon that [text] of John, chapter six: *Gather up the fragments that have remained over, lest they perish*; there the Gloss says: «The fragments are the secret mysteries which the common people cannot grasp»: therefore if those secret mysteries are especially those things which pertain to the articles of the Christian faith, it seems that the people are not bound to know them.

2. Likewise, in order that something be known by demonstrative science, it suffices that it be known in the universal, and it is not necessary that it be known in the particular: if therefore the cognition of faith is content with a lesser certitude than is the certitude of demonstrative science; it seems that one is not bound through faith to believe all the articles explicitly.

3. Likewise, few there are, unless they be well skilled in theology, who know how to distinguish and number the articles of the Creeds well: if therefore all were bound to know all the articles of faith distinctly and explicitly, few would be saved; which is very cruel to say.

4. Likewise, if all were now bound to know all the articles of faith explicitly, whereas in the Old Testament they were not bound [to do so], as was proved above; it seems that the evangelical Law is much heavier than the Mosaic: if therefore it is unfitting to say this, it remains that all are not bound to believe each article explicitly and distinctly.

### Conclusion.

> All Christians are bound to believe all the articles, and indeed some explicitly, some at least implicitly, which can suffice for the simple.

**I respond:** It must be said that all Christians after the advent of Christ are bound to believe all the articles. But this can be in three ways: either to believe all implicitly, or to believe all explicitly, or [to believe] some explicitly, some implicitly. — To believe all implicitly is [the mark] of a diminished faith. For it does not now suf-

fice for anyone who has the use of reason to believe in general in a Redeemer and a Rewarder; for the knowledge of certain articles is so manifest that no one having the use of reason is ignorant of them, unless he altogether neglect and despise the worship of God and his own salvation.

But to believe some implicitly, some explicitly, this is [the mark] of a faith necessary for salvation; for it can suffice for the faith of the simple. For they are bound to believe explicitly those [articles] which not only preaching makes manifest to them, but also ecclesiastical usage and custom: as concerning the Unity and the Trinity, which they can know from the very act of signing [themselves], for they sign themselves in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; as concerning the nativity, the passion, the resurrection, and the remission of sins, which they can know from the very solemnities which the Church celebrates and from the acts of the priests. Therefore from the knowledge and notice of these no one using reason is excepted; nor is ignorance excused, because there cannot be such ignorance without negligence and contempt. — Other articles too, not so manifest, they are indeed bound to believe implicitly. And I call [it] to believe implicitly, that they believe in general universally everything that holy mother Church believes, so that in particular they dissent from none of them nor disbelieve any of the articles.

But to believe all the articles explicitly and distinctly is [the mark] of a faith already advanced. For this is not of the general necessity of faith; but, if it is necessary for anyone, it is necessary for those who have advanced in the knowledge of faith, and most of all for those who are bound to explain and make faith manifest to others, or also for those who take up the office of teaching and preaching, such as those having the care of souls and the preachers of the word of God and the doctors of sacred Scripture and others whose manner of life is occupied about the truth of faith. — Yet this I do not believe to be fitting for all who are saved. For there are many good simple people who, although they are of small knowledge, are nevertheless of great devotion; and of such it is pious to believe that they attain to salvation. — And therefore it must be granted that, although it is fitting for all not only to believe all the articles implicitly, but also some explicitly after the advent of Christ; nevertheless it is not necessary for all, especially for the simple, to believe all explicitly. — Hence the reasons which are on that side are to be granted.

1. But to that which is first objected on the contrary, that the Law ought to be written upon the stones clearly; it must be said that that command was not given to the laity, but to those who were to teach them the Law. Hence from this it cannot be concluded that the simple are bound to believe all the articles of faith, but that those who have the care of their souls are bound to make faith manifest clearly and openly.

2. To that which is objected, that the *sextarius* of faith consists in the full confession of it; it must be said that that *sextarius*, which signifies the confession of faith, has to be filled with the fullness of sufficiency and the fullness of abundance. It is filled with the fullness of sufficiency when someone believes all the articles, so that he disbelieves none; some, however, he believes implicitly and some explicitly, so that in his belief, whether in those which he believes implicitly, or in those which he believes explicitly, he adds nothing nor takes away from those things which holy Church believes and holy Scripture says; and this *sextarius* thus filled all ought to offer. But it is the fullness of abundance when someone distinctly and explicitly knows and believes those things which pertain to the articles of faith, and those things which follow from them; and this measure is not of all, but rather of the more capable.

3. 4. To that which is objected thirdly and fourthly, that as obedience stands with respect to the precepts, and charity with respect to the things to be loved, so faith too [stands] with respect to the things to be believed; it can be answered in two ways: first by saying that it is not similar: because, since faith consists in cognition, and cognition can know something in the universal, yet so that it does not know [it] in the particular, and thus know in one way and be ignorant in another way; faith too can believe something implicitly, although it does not believe explicitly. But it is not so with obedience, which consists in the execution of commands; for a command cannot be fulfilled in the universal without its being fulfilled in the particular. Likewise those things which charity loves are so manifest that they cannot be hidden. — Otherwise it can be answered that in a certain way it is similar: because obedience is not bound to execute all commands in deed except according to place and time, but it suffices that it render [a person] prompt and willing to execute all, when there shall be place and time. Likewise neither does charity love each one specially, but embraces all in common, while it loves specially him whom it knows specially. Therefore from this it cannot be concluded that someone is bound through faith to believe all the articles explicitly, but [only] implicitly; explicitly, however, when the opportunity offers itself, namely when some article is preached and explained to him by one whom he ought to believe.

5. To that which is objected, that an evil is not avoided unless [it is] known; it must be said that this is true. But something can be known in two ways: either in itself, or in another; and according to this twofold mode someone can avoid an evil, either through his own knowledge, or through another's knowledge. But he who has implicit faith concerning some article, although he cannot altogether avoid error against that article through his own knowledge, can nevertheless avoid [it] through another's knowledge: for he leans upon those who believe the articles explicitly. Hence some simple man or old woman, when he hears something new preached, ought not at once to assent, until he know that it is universally held by the Church. Hence besides the remedy of divine inspiration and prayer, to which recourse must always be had, the simple have the remedy of human instruction, to which they can have recourse, that they may be able to turn aside errors. For God always had and will have certain just and renowned [men] who preserve the truth of faith not only in themselves, but also in the simple, while the simple lean upon them and believe.

6. To that which is objected last, that all the articles stand equally toward assent and hearing; it must be said that, even if all the articles stand indifferently toward faith itself as to the readiness of assenting, nevertheless they do not stand equally as to instruction. For what is more frequently before the eyes and in the ears of the untrained and the simple is better grasped and retained by them; and certain articles are of this kind, which are so frequented — as concerning the nativity of Christ and the passion and the like — that they cannot be ignored without the fault of negligence. But it is not so concerning all the others, and therefore it is not necessary that all be equally believed explicitly. For although the habit of faith is by infusion, the explication nevertheless is by teaching and instruction, toward which not all the articles stand uniformly.

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