Moralia in Job 1207

Latin original · 3 verses · some words can be tapped for a gloss

1207:1

1. Dei Filius in æterna nativitate nobis ignotus, nasci voluit in tempore, ut se imitandum prœberet. — Dominus Deus nosier Jesus Christus in eo quod virtus et sapientia Dei est, de Patre ante tempora natus est (1 Cor. 1, 21); vel potius quia a nec cœpit nasci, nec desiit, dicamus verius semper natus. Non autem possumus dicere semper nascitur, ne imperfectus videatur. At vero ut æternus designari valeat et perfectus, semper dicamus et natus, quatenus ei natus ad perfectionem pertineat, et semper ad æternitatem, ut quocunque modo illa essentia sine tempore temporali valeat dcsignari sermone;

1. The Son of God, unknown to us in His eternal nativity, willed to be born in time, that He might offer Himself for imitation. -- Our Lord God Jesus Christ, in that He is the power and wisdom of God, was born of the Father before all ages (1 Cor. 1:24); or rather, because He neither began to be born nor ceased, let us say more truly, ever born. Yet we cannot say He is ever being born, lest He seem imperfect. But that He may be designated eternal and perfect, let us say both ever and born, so that 'born' may pertain to Him for perfection, and 'ever' for eternity, that in whatever way that essence without time may be designated by temporal speech;

1. 神的兒子，在祂永恆的出生上為我們所不認識，卻甘願在時間中降生，為要將自己作為效法的榜樣。──我們的主神耶穌基督，就祂是神的能力和智慧而言，是在萬世以先由父所生（哥林多前書一章24節）；或更確切地說，因為祂既未開始被生，也未止息，讓我們更真實地說：是永遠被生的。然而我們不能說祂是永遠正在被生，免得祂顯為不完全。但為使祂可被稱為永恆而完全，讓我們說「永遠」也說「被生」，使「被生」歸於祂為完全，「永遠」為永恆，好叫那無時間的本質能以有時間的言語，用某種方式被描述；

1207:2

quamvis hoc ipso quod perfectum dicimus, multum ab illius veritatis expiessione deviamus, quia quoI facium non est non potest diri per rectum. Et tamn infirmitatis nostræ verbis Dimnus condescendens, ait: Erote perfecti, sicut et Pater vester cœlestis perfectus est (Matth. t, 48). In illa itaque nativitate divina ab humano genere cognosci non poterat; proinde in humanitate venit ut videretur, videri voluit ut imitaretur. Quæ cat nis nativitas de-pecta visa est sapientibus mundi; contempserunt namque infirma humanitatis ejus, Deo hæc indigna judicantes. Cui tanto magis bomo debitor fuit, quanto pro illo Deus etiam indigna suscepit.

although by this very thing, that we call Him perfect, we deviate much from the expression of that truth, because what has not been made cannot be rightly called perfect. And yet the Lord, condescending to the words of our weakness, says: 'Be ye perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect' (Matt. 5:48). In that divine nativity, therefore, He could not be known by the human race; therefore He came in humanity that He might be seen, He willed to be seen that He might be imitated. Which nativity of the flesh seemed despicable to the wise of the world; for they despised the weak things of His humanity, judging these unworthy of God. To whom man was so much the more a debtor, by how much God undertook even unworthy things for him.

雖然正因我們稱祂為完全這件事，我們就大大偏離了那真理的表達，因為那未被造成的，不能被正確地稱為完全。然而主俯就我們軟弱的言語，說：「所以你們要完全，像你們的天父完全一樣」（馬太福音五章48節）。所以，在那神性的出生上，祂不能被人類所認識；因此祂在人性中降臨，為要被人看見，祂甘願被看見，為要被人效法。這肉身的出生，在世上智慧人看來似乎是可鄙的；因為他們藐視祂人性的軟弱，斷定這些是不配於神的。人對祂就更加成了欠債者，因為神為人甚至擔當了不配的事。

1207:3

Quia enim non cognovit mundus per sapientiam Deum,, placuit Deo per stultitiam prœdicationis salvet facere.credentes (I Cor. I, 21). Ac si diceret: Cum Deum, qui est sapientia, nequaquam per sapientiam suam mundus inveniret, placuit ut Deum hominem factilth b per humanitatis stultitiam cognosceret, quatenbs ejus sapientia i ad nostra stUUa descenderet, et lucem supernæ prudentiæ luto suae caritis illuminata nostra cxciias videret. Natus igitur ex Patre sine tempore, ex matre nasci est dignatus in tempore, ut, per hoc quod ortum suum inter initium flnemque' concluderet, humanæ mentis oculis ortum, qui nec initio sumitur, hec fine angustatut; aperiret. Unde bene nunc ad beatum Job dicitur:

For because the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe (1 Cor. 1:21). As if He said: Since the world would by no means find by its own wisdom God, who is wisdom, it pleased Him that it should know God made man through the foolishness of humanity, so that His wisdom might descend to our foolish things, and our blindness, illumined by the light of supernal prudence with the clay of His flesh, might see. Born therefore of the Father without time, He deigned to be born of a mother in time, that, by this that He enclosed His origin between beginning and end, He might open to the eyes of the human mind that origin which is neither taken up with a beginning nor straitened with an end. Whence well is it now said to blessed Job:

因為世人憑自己的智慧既不認識神，神就樂意用所傳愚拙的道拯救那些信的人（哥林多前書一章21節）。這彷彿是說：既然世人斷不能憑自己的智慧尋見那本是智慧的神，神就樂意叫世人藉著人性的愚拙認識那成為人的神，使祂的智慧能降到我們愚拙的事上，使我們的盲目，被那屬天智慧的光藉祂肉身的泥所光照，得以看見。所以，祂在時間之外由父所生，卻甘願在時間中由母而生，為要藉著祂把自己的起源封閉於開始與結束之間這件事，向人心的眼目開啟那既不以開始起算、也不以結束為限的起源。所以，如今對聖約伯說得好：

← ch. 1206ch. 1208 →

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