Friday, July 07, 2023

Epilogue to the Council of Orange

The following is the epilogue to the Second Council of Orange, together with an AI translation (source of Latin is Hefele):

Ac sic secundiun suprascriptas sanctarum Scripturarum sententias vel antiquorum patrum definitiones hoc Deo propitiante et prsedicare debemus et credere, quod per peccatum primi hominis ita inclinatum et attenuatum fuerit liberum arbitrium, ut nullus postea aut diligere Deum sicut opportuit, aut credere in Deum, aut operari propter Deum quod bonum est possit, nisi eum gratia misericordiae divinae praevenerit. Unde et Abel justo et Noe et Abrahae, et Isaac et Jacob et omni antiquorum patrum multitudini illam praeclaram fidem, quam in ipsorum laude praedicat Apostolus Paulus, non per bonum natures quod prius in Adam datum fuerat, sed per gratiam Dei credimus fuisse collatam. 

And thus, according to the aforementioned sentences of the Holy Scriptures or the definitions of the ancient Fathers, with God being propitious, we must preach and believe that through the sin of the first man, free will was so inclined and weakened that no one thereafter can either love God as he ought, or believe in God, or act for God's sake in what is good, unless the grace of divine mercy precedes him. Therefore, we believe that to Abel the righteous, and to Noah, and to Abraham, and to Isaac, and to Jacob, and to the whole multitude of ancient fathers, that excellent faith, which the Apostle Paul proclaims in their praise, was not conferred through the natural goodness which was first given in Adam, but through the grace of God.

Quam gratiam etiam post adventum domini omnibus qui baptizari desiderant, non in libero arbitrio haberi, sed Christi novimus simul et credimus largitate conferri, secundum illud quod saepe jam dictum est et quod saepe jam dictum est et quod praedicat Paulus apostolus : Vobis donatum est pro Christo non solum ut in eum credatis, sed etiam, ut pro illo patiamini (Phil. i. 29) ; et illud : Deus qui ccepit in vobis bonum opus, perficiet usque in diem domini nostri Jesu Christi (Phil. i. 6); et illud: Or alia, salvi facti estis per fidem, et hoc non ex vobis, dei enim donum est (Eph. ii. 8); et quod de se ipso ait apostolus : Misericordiam consecutus sum, ut fidelis essem (1 Cor. vii. 25); non dexit quia eram sed ut essem ; et illud : Quid habes quod non accepistii. (1 Cor. iv. 7); et illud: Omne datum bonum et omnc donum perfectum desursum est, descendens a patre luminum (Jac. i. 17); et illud : Nemo habet quidquam nisi illi datum fuerit desuper (Joann. iii. 27). 

We also know and believe that this grace, even after the coming of the Lord, is not held in free will for all who desire to be baptized, but is conferred through the generosity of Christ, according to what has been often said and what the Apostle Paul preaches: 'For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him' (Philippians 1:29); and this: 'He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus' (Philippians 1:6); and this: 'For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God' (Ephesians 2:8); and what the apostle says of himself: 'I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power' (1 Corinthians 7:25); not because I was [faithful], but so that I might be [faithful]; and this: 'What do you have that you did not receive?' (1 Corinthians 4:7); and this: 'Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights' (James 1:17); and this: 'A person can receive only what is given them from heaven' (John 3:27).

Innumerabilia sunt sanctorum scripturarum testimonia quae possunt ad probandam gratiam proferri sed brevitatis studio praetermissa sunt, quia et revera cui pauca non sufficiunt plura non proderunt. Hoc etiam secundum fidem Catholicam credimus, quod accepta per baptismum gratia omnes baptizati, Christo auxiliante et co-operante, quae ad salutem animse pertinent, possint et debeant, si fideliter laborare voluerint adimplere. Aliquos vero ad malum divina potestate praedestinatos esse non solum non credimus, sed etiam si sunt qui tantum malum credere velint, cum omni detestatione illis anathema dicimus. Hoc etiam salubriter profitemur et credimus, quod in omni opere bono non nos incipimus et postea per Dei misericordiam adjuvamur sed ipse nobis nullis praecedentibus bonis meritis et fidem et amorem sui prius inspirat, ut et baptismi sacramenta fideliter requiramus, et post baptismum cum ipsius adjutorio ea quae sibi sunt placita implere possimus. Unde manifestissime credendum est quod et illius latronis, quern dominus ad paradisi patriam revocavit, et Cornelii centurionis ad quern angelus Domini missus est, et Zacchaei qui ipsum dominum suscipere meruit, ilia tarn admirabilis fides non fuit de natura, sed divinaa largitatis donum. Et quia definitionem antiquorum patrum nostramque, quae suprascripta est, non solum religiosis, sed etiam laicis medicamentum esse et desideramus et cupimus, placuit, ut earn et illustres ac inagnifici viri, qui nobiscum ad praefatam festivitatem convenerunt, propria manu subscriberent. 

There are innumerable testimonies of the holy scriptures that can be brought forward to prove grace, but they have been omitted for the sake of brevity, because indeed, if a few are not sufficient for someone, more will not be beneficial. We also believe this according to the Catholic faith, that after receiving grace through baptism, all baptized, with the help and cooperation of Christ, can and should fulfill what is necessary for the salvation of the soul, if they want to work faithfully. We not only do not believe that some are predestined to evil by divine power, but also, if there are those who want to believe such great evil, we say anathema to them with all detestation. We also healthily profess and believe that in every good work, it is not us who begin and are then helped by God's mercy, but He Himself first inspires in us faith and love for Him, without any preceding good merits, so that we may faithfully seek the sacraments of baptism, and after baptism, with His help, fulfill what is pleasing to Him. Therefore, it is most clearly to be believed that the admirable faith of the thief whom the Lord called back to the paradise of heaven, of Cornelius the centurion to whom the angel of the Lord was sent, and of Zacchaeus who was worthy to receive the Lord Himself, was not from nature, but was a gift of divine generosity. And because we desire and wish the definition of the ancient fathers and ours, which is written above, to be not only a remedy for the religious but also for the laity, it was pleasing that the illustrious and magnificent men, who came together with us for the aforementioned celebration, should also subscribe to it with their own hand.


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