Edition Masquer
Contra Faustum Manichaeum libri triginta tres

11.

Dicit deus ad Cain: Et nunc maledictus tu a terra, quae aperuit os suum accipere sanguinem fratris tui de manu tua; quoniam operaberis terram, et non adiciet virtutem suam dare tibi; gemens et tremens eris in terra. Non dixit: maledicta terra, sed maledictus tu a terra, quae aperuit os suum excipere sanguinem fratris tui de manu tua. Maledictus est enim populus Judaicus infidelis a terra, id est ab ecclesia, quae aperuit os suum in confessione peccatorum accipere sanguinem Christi, qui fusus est in remissionem peccatorum de manu persecutoris nolentis esse sub gratia, sed sub lege, ut esset ab ecclesia maledictus, id est ut eum intellegeret et ostenderet ecclesia maledictum dicente apostolo: Quicumque enim ex operibus legis sunt, sub maledicto sunt legis. Deinde cum dixisset: Maledictus tu a terra, quae aperuit os suum accipere sanguinem fratris tui de manu tua, non dixit: Quoniam operaberis eam, sed ait: Quoniam operaberis terram et non adiciet virtutem suam dare tibi. p. 339,29 Unde non est necesse eandem terram intellegere operari Cain, quae aperuit os accipere sanguinem fratris de manu eius, sed ideo maledictus intellegitur ab hac terra, quoniam operatur terram, quae non adiciet virtutem suam dare illi; id est ideo populum Iudaeorum maledictum agnoscit et ostendit ecclesia, quoniam occiso Christo adhuc operatur terrenam circumcisionem, terrenum sabbatum, terrenum azymum, terrenum pascha, quae omnis terrena opratio habet occultam virtutem intellegendae gratiae Christi, quae non datur Iudaeis in impietate et infidelitate perseverantibus, quia novo testamento revelata est; p. 340,10 et non transeuntibus ad dominum non eis auferetur velamen, quod in lectione veteris testamenti manet, quia in solo Christo evacuatur, non ipsa lectio veteris testamenti, quae habet absconditam virtutem, sed velamen, quo absconditur. Unde Christo in cruce passo velum templi conscissum est, ut per Christi passionem revelentur secreta sacramentorum fidelibus ad bibendum eius sanguinem ore aperto in confessione transeuntibus. Propterea populus ille sicut Cain adhuc operatur terram, adhuc exercet operationem legis carnaliter, quae non ei dat virtutem suam, quia in ea non intellegit gratiam Christi. Propterea et in ipsa terra, quam Christus portavit, id est in eius carne, ipsi operati sunt salutem nostram crucifigendo Christum, qui mortuus est propter delicta nostra. Nec eis dedit eadem terra virtutem suam, quia non iustificati sunt virtute resurrectionis eius, qui resurrexit propter iustificationem nostram; p. 340,25 quia etsi crucifixus est ex infirmitate, sed vivit in virtute dei, sicut dicit apostolus. Haec ergo est virtus terrae illius, quam non ostendit impiis et incredulis. Unde nec resurgens eis, a quibus erat crucifixus, apparuit, tamquam Cain operanti terram, ut granum illud seminaretur, non ostendens eadem terra fructum virtutis suae. Quoniam operaberis inquit terram et non adiciet virtutem suam dare tibi.

Traduction Masquer
Reply to Faustus the Manichaean

11.

Then God says to Cain: "Thou art cursed from the earth, which hath opened its mouth to receive thy brother's blood at thy hand. For thou shalt till the earth, and it shall no longer yield unto thee its strength. A mourner and an abject shalt thou be on the earth." It is not, Cursed is the earth, but, Cursed art thou from the earth, which hath opened its mouth to receive thy brother's blood at thy hand. So the unbelieving people of the Jews is cursed from the earth, that is, from the Church, which in the confession of sins has opened its mouth to receive the blood shed for the remission of sins by the hand of the people that would not be under grace, but under the law. And this murderer is cursed by the Church; that is, the Church admits and avows the curse pronounced by the apostle: "Whoever are of the works of the law are under the curse of the law." ¹ Then, after saying, Cursed art thou from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive thy brother's blood at thy hand, what follows is not, For thou shalt till it, but, Thou shalt till the earth, and it shall not yield to thee its strength. The earth he is to till is not necessarily the same as that which opened its mouth to receive his brother's blood at his hand. From this earth he is cursed, and so he tills an earth which shall no longer yield to him its strength. That is, the Church admits and avows the Jewish people to be cursed, because after killing Christ they continue to till the ground of an earthly circumcision, an earthly Sabbath, an earthly passover, while the hidden strength or virtue of making known Christ, which this tilling contains, is not yielded to the Jews while they continue in impiety and unbelief, for it is revealed in the New Testament. While they will not turn to God, the veil which is on their minds in reading the Old Testament is not taken away. This veil is taken away only by Christ, who does not do away with the reading of the Old Testament, but with the covering which hides its virtue. So, at the crucifixion of Christ, the veil was rent in twain, that by the passion of Christ hidden mysteries might be revealed to believers who turn to Him with a mouth opened in confession to drink His blood. In this way the Jewish people, like Cain, continue tilling the ground, in the carnal observance of the law, which does not yield to them its strength, because they do not perceive in it the grace of Christ. So too, the flesh of Christ was the ground from which by crucifying Him the Jews produced our salvation, for He died for our offences. But this ground did not yield to them its strength, for they were not justified by the virtue of His resurrection, for He arose again for our justification. As the apostle says: "He was crucified in weakness, but He liveth by the power of God." ² This is the power of that ground which is unknown to the ungodly and unbelieving. When Christ rose, He did not appear to those who had crucified Him. So Cain was not allowed to see the strength of the ground which he tilled to sow his seed in it; as God said, "Thou shalt till the ground, and it shall no longer yield unto thee its strength."