Translating the Apology of the Augsburg Confession: (Art. III) De Dilectione et Impletione Legis (xix)

Tollant[1] adversarii promissionem de Christo, aboleant evangelium, si nihil opus est Christo[2], si nostra dilectione possumus vincere mortem, si nostra dilectione sine propitiatore Christo accessum habemus ad Deum.

Adversarii corrumpunt pleraque loca, quia suas opiniones ad ea afferunt, non sumunt ex ipsis locis sententiam. Quid[3] enim habet hic locus incommodi, si detraxerimus interpretationem, quam adversarii de suo assuunt, non intelligentes,[4] quid[5] sit iustificatio aut quomodo flat? Corinthii antea iustificati[6] multa acceperant excellentia dona.

Fervebant initia, ut fit. Deinde coeperunt inter eos existere simultates, ut significat Paulus, coeperunt fastidire bonos doctores. Ideo obiurgat eos Paulus, revocans[7] ad officia dilectionis; quae,[8] etiamsi sunt necessaria, tamen stultum fuerit somniare, quod[9] opera secundae tabulae coram Deo iustificent, per quam agimus[10] cum hominibus, non agimus proprie cum Deo. At in iustificatione agendum est[11] cum Deo, placanda est ira eius, conscientia erga Deum pacificanda est. Nihil[12] horum fit per opera secundae tabulae.

Sed obiiciunt[13] praeferri dilectionem fidei et spei. Paulus enim ait 1 Cor. 13, 13: Maior horum caritas.[14] Porro consentaneum est[15] maximam et praecipuam virtutem iustificare. Quamquam hoc loco Paulus proprie loquitur de dilectione proximi et significat,[16] dilectionem maximam esse, quia plurimos fructus habet. Fides et spes tantum agunt cum Deo. At dilectio foris erga homines infinita habet officia, tamen largiamur[17] sane adversariis, dilectionem Dei et proximi maximam virtutem esse, quia hoc summum praeceptum est: Diliges Dominum Deum, Matth. 22, 37. Verum quomodo inde ratiocinabuntur, quod[18] dilectio iustificet?

Maxima virtus, inquiunt, iustificat. Imo, sicut lex etiam maxima seu prima non iustificat, ita nec maxima virtus legis. Sed illa virtus iustificat, quae apprehendit Christum, quae communicat nobis Christi merita, qua accipimus gratiam et pacem a Deo. Haec autem virtus fides est. Nam, ut saepe dictum est, fides non tantum notitia est, sed multo magis velle accipere seu apprehendere ea, quae in promissione de Christo offeruntur.

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[1] Tollant and aboleant are in the subjunctive to indicate a less certain future result: would destroy…would abolish

[2] A dative of agency: if Christ is not necessary

[3] Quid…incommodi: an objective genitive: what troublesome thing…

[4] A present active participle modifying adversarii

[5] Quid and quomodo introduce indirect questions

[6] A perfect passive participle

[7] A present active participle

[8] A relative conjunction which serves as a direct object in the clause tamen stultum fuerit somniare where the subject is the infinitive somniare: to dream….is stupid

[9] A quod substantive clause introduced by somniare

[10] Interact

[11] The first in three passive periphrastic constructions

[12] None

[13] The implied subject is adversarii, and the verb introduces an indirect statement

[14] Est is the implied main verb: the greater of these is charity

[15] An impersonal construction which introduces an indirect statement: it is fitting that

[16] Introduces an indirect statement

[17] Introduces an indirect statement

[18] A quod substantive clause

Vocabulary
Coepio, ere, coepi, coeptus- to begin	Plerique, pleraeque, pleraque- very many, the majority
Consentaneus, a, um- agreeable; appropriate, fitting; in harmony with	Praefero, praeferre, praetuli, praelatus- to prefer, give preference to
Excellens, excellentis- distinguished, excellent	Sane (adv.)-reasonably, certainly
Fastidio, ire, ivi, itus- to disdain; feel averse to; be scornful	Simultas, simultatis, f.- enmity; rivalry; hatred
Ferveo, ere, ferbui- to be busy; be hot; seethe	Summus, a, um- the greatest, the highest
Largior, īrī, largitus sum- to give generously; grant

The adversaries would destroy the promise of Christ, and they would abolish the gospel if Christ is not necessary or  if we are able to conquer death with our love or if we have an approach to God by our love without Christ our propitiator.

The adversaries corrupt very many passages because they bring to them their opinions, and they do not derive a meaning from those passages. For what troublesome thing does this passage have if we remove their interpretation which the adversaries, who do not know what justification is or how it occurs, sew on about this passage. The Corinthians, before they were justified, received many excellent gifts.

They were very busy in the beginning as it happens. Then rivalries began to exist among them, as Paul indicates, and they began to be scornful of good teachers. So Paul, recalling them to the duties of love, reproaches them; to dream that works of the second table, through which we interact with men not properly with God, justify before Godt, even if they are necessary, nevertheless was stupid. But in justification there must be an interaction with God: his wrath must be appeased, and consciences must be put at ease towards God. None of these things happen through the works of the second table.

But they object that love is preferred to faith and hope. For Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “The greater of these is charity.” Again it is fitting that the greatest and special virtue justifies. Although in this passage Paul properly is speaking about the love of our neighbor and means that it is the greatest love because it has many fruits. Faith and hope only interact with God. But love has unlimited duties outside of us towards men; nevertheless let us certainly grant to our adversaries that love of God and neighbor is the greatest virtue because it is the sum of the commandment: “You will love the Lord God” in Matthew 22:37. But how will they conclude from there that love justifies?

The greatest virtue, they say, justifies. Rather, in this manner even the greatest law or the first does not justify and thus not the greatest virtue of the law. But that virtue justifies which grasps Christ and which communicates to us the merits of Christ by which we receive grace and peace from God. However, this virtue is faith. For, as it has often been said, faith is not only knowledge but much more to want to receive or grasp those things which are offered in the promise of Christ.

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