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

Check out the fiftieth part of Translating the Apology of the Augsburg Confession: On Love and the Fulfillment of the Law! As always you’ll find the Latin text with notes, a listing of the Latin words which have not appeared in the previous sections, and an English translation. Only three more to go!

Hic error manifeste abolet iustitiam fidei, quae sentit, quod[1] accessum ad Deum habeamus propter Christum, non propter opera nostra, quae sentit[2] nos per pontificem et mediatorem Christum adduci ad Patrem et habere placatum Patrem, ut supra satis dictum est. Et haec doctrina de iustitia fidei non est[3] in ecclesia Christi negligenda, quia sine ea non potest officium Christi conspici, et reliqua doctrina iustificationis tantum est doctrina legis. Atqui nos oportet retinere evangelium et doctrinam de promissione propter Christum donata.[4]

Non igitur litigamus in hoc loco de parva re cum adversariis. Non quaerimus otiosas subtilitates, quum reprehendimus eos, quod docent[5] vitam aeternam mereri operibus, omissa hac fide,[6] quae apprehendit mediatorem Christum. Nam de hac fide, quae credit[7] nobis Patrem propitium esse propter Christum, nulla apud scholasticos syllaba exstat. Ubique sentiunt, quod[8] simus accepti, iusti propter opera nostra vel ex ratione facta, vel certe facta, inclinante[9] illa dilectione, de qua dicunt.

Et tamen habent quaedam dicta, quasi apophthegmata veterum auctorum, quae depravant interpretando.[10] Iactatur[11] in scholis, quod[12] bona opera placeant propter gratiam, et quod sit confidendum[13] gratiae Dei. Hic interpretantur gratiam habitum,[14] quo nos diligimus Deum, quasi vero voluerint dicere veteres, quod[15] debeamus confidere nostra dilectione, quae, quam[16] sit exigua, quam sit immunda, certe experimur. Quamquam hoc mirum est,[17] quomodo isti iubeant confidere dilectione, quum doceant[18] nesciri, utrum adsit. Cur non exponunt hic gratiam misericordiam Dei erga nos? Et quoties mentio huius fit, addere oportebat fidem. Non enim apprehenditur nisi fide promissio misericordiae, reconciliationis, dilectionis Dei erga nos. In hanc sententiam recte dicerent[19] confidendam esse gratiam, placere bona opera propter gratiam, quum fides gratiam apprehendit. Iactatur et hoc in scholis, valere bona opera nostra virtute[20] passionis Christi. Recte dicitur. Sed cur non addunt de fide? Christus enim est propitiatio, ut Paulus Rom. 3, 25 ait, per fidem. Quum fide eriguntur pavidae conscientiae et sentiunt[21] peccata nostra deleta esse morte Christi et Deum nobis reconciliatum esse propter passionem Christi, tum vero prodest nobis passio Christi. Si omittatur doctrina de fide, frustra dicitur[22] opera valere virtute passionis Christi.

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[1] A quod substantive clause

[2] Introduces an indirect statement

[3] Est…negligenda: the passive periphrastic

[4] A perfect passive participle

[5] Introduces an indirect statement

[6] Omissa…fide: an ablative absolute

[7] Introduces an indirect statement

[8] A quod substantive clause

[9] A present active participle used substantively: by one inclined…

[10] A gerund in the ablative

[11] An impersonal construction: it is boasted…

[12] A quod substantive clause

[13] The passive periphrastic

[14] Apposition to gratiam: as a habit

[15] A quod substantive clause

[16] This and the following quam are the exclamatory quam: how meager and unclean…

[17] An impersonal construction

[18] Introduces an indirect statement where the implied subject is impersonal: it is not known whether it is present

[19] Introduces an indirect statement

[20] An ablative of cause

[21] Introduces an indirect statement

[22] Introduces an indirect statement

Vocabulary
Apophthegmatum, i, n.- aphorism, saying	Negligō, ere, neglixī, neglictus- to neglect, disregard, ignore
Iacto, are, avi, atus- to boast; throw about, discuss	Subtilitas, subtilitatis, f.- subtlety; fineness of logical/detail; slenderness/exactness/acuteness; sharpness

This error clearly abolishes the righteousness of faith which knows that we have access to God on account of Christ not on account of our works and that we are lead to the Father and have a pleased Father through our high priest and mediator Christ as we have said enough above. And this doctrine of the righteousness of faith must not be neglected in Christ’s church because without it the office of Christ is not able to be discerned and the remaining doctrine of justification is only the doctrine of the law. It is still necessary that we retain the gospel and the doctrine of the promise which has been given because of Christ.

Therefore, we do not quarrel in this passage with the adversaries about a small matter. We are no seeking idle details when we condemn them because they teach that eternal life is merited with works, after this faith, which grasps the mediator Christ, has been omitted. For no syllable concerning this faith, which believes that the Father is propitious towards us on account of Christ, exists among the scholastics. Everywhere they think that we are accepted as righteous on account of our works or deeds from reason or certainly deeds, which have been done by one inclined with that love about which they speak. 

And, nevertheless, certain sayings, such as the sayings of the ancient authors, which they twist with their interpreting. It is boasted in the schools that good works are pleasing on account of grace and that it must be conceded to the grace of God. Here they interpret grace as a habit by which we love God as if truly the ancient wanted to say that we should trust our love, which we certainly experience is so meager and unclean. Although this is strange how they order us to trust love when they teach that it is not known when it is present. Why do they not explain here that grace is the mercy of God towards us. And as often as mention of this happens it is necessary to add faith. For the promise of mercy, reconciliation and the love of God for us is not grasped without faith. In this teaching they would rightly say that grace must be trusted and that good works are pleasing on account of grace since faith grasps this grace. And this is boasted in the schools: that our good works are powerful  because of the virtue of the passion of Christ. It is said rightly. But why not add something about faith? For Christ is our propitiation as Paul says in Romans 3:25, “through faith.” When terrified consciences are raised through faith and they think that our sin are removed by the death of Christ and that God has been reconciled to us on account of the passion of Christ, then truly the passion of Christ profits us. If the doctrine of faith is omitted, it is said in vain that our works are powerful through the virtue of Christ.

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