Chapter 3.—Of the Full Narration to Be Employed in Catechising.

5. The narration is full when each person is catechised in the first instance from what is written in the text, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,”13    Gen. i. 1 on to the present times of the Church. This does not imply, however, either that we ought to repeat by memory the entire Pentateuch, and the entire Books of Judges, and Kings, and Esdras,14    In the mss. we also find the reading Ezræ = Ezra. and the entire Gospel and Acts of the Apostles, if we have learned all these word for word; or that we should put all the matters which are contained in these volumes into our own words, and in that manner unfold and expound them as a whole. For neither does the time admit of that, nor does any necessity demand it. But what we ought to do is, to give a comprehensive statement of all things, summarily and generally, so that certain of the more wonderful facts may be selected which are listened to with superior gratification, and which have been ranked so remarkably among the exact turning-points (of the history);15    In ipsis articulis = “among the very articles,” or “connecting links.” Reference is made to certain great epochs or articles of time in sections 6 and 39. that, instead of exhibiting them to view only in their wrappings, if we may so speak, and then instantly snatching them from our sight, we ought to dwell on them for a certain space, and thus, as it were, unfold them and open them out to vision, and present them to the minds of the hearers as things to be examined and admired. But as for all other details, these should be passed over rapidly, and thus far introduced and woven into the narrative. The effect of pursuing this plan is, that the particular facts which we wish to see specially commended to attention obtain greater prominence in consequence of the others being made to yield to them; while, at the same time, neither does the learner, whose interest we are anxious to stimulate by our statement, come to these subjects with a mind already exhausted, nor is confusion induced upon the memory of the person whom we ought to be instructing by our teaching.

6. In all things, indeed, not only ought our own eye to be kept fixed upon the end of the commandment, which is “charity, out of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and faith unfeigned,”16    1 Tim. i. 5 to which we should make all that we utter refer; but in like manner ought the gaze of the person whom we are instructing by our utterance to be moved17    Reading movendus, for which monendus = to be admonished, also occurs in the editions. toward the same, and guided in that direction. And, in truth, for no other reason were all those things which we read in the Holy Scriptures written, previous to the Lord’s advent, but for this,—namely, that His advent might be pressed upon the attention, and that the Church which was to be, should be intimated beforehand, that is to say, the people of God throughout all nations; which Church is His body, wherewith also are united and numbered all the saints who lived in this world, even before His advent, and who believed then in His future coming, just as we believe in His past coming. For (to use an illustration) Jacob, at the time when he was being born, first put forth from the womb a hand, with which also he held the foot of the brother who was taking priority of him in the act of birth; and next indeed the head followed, and thereafter, at last, and as matter of course, the rest of the members:18    Gen. xxv. 26 while, nevertheless the head in point of dignity and power has precedence, not only of those members which followed it then, but also of the very hand which anticipated it in the process of the birth, and is really the first, although not in the matter of the time of appearing, at least in the order of nature. And in an analogous manner, the Lord Jesus Christ, previous to His appearing in the flesh, and coming forth in a certain manner out of the womb of His secrecy, before the eyes of men as Man, the Mediator between God and men,19    1 Tim. ii. 5 “who is over all, God blessed for ever,”20    Rom. ix. 5 sent before Him, in the person of the holy patriarchs and prophets, a certain portion of His body, wherewith, as by a hand, He gave token beforetime of His own approaching birth, and also supplanted21    Reading supplantavit. Some mss. give supplantaret = wherewith also He might supplant, etc. the people who were prior to Him in their pride, using for that purpose the bonds of the law, as if they were His five fingers. For through five epochs of times22    Temporum articulos there was no cessation in the foretelling and prophesying of His own destined coming; and in a manner consonant with this, he through whom the law was given wrote five books; and proud men, who were carnally minded, and sought to “establish their own righteousness,”23    Rom. x. 3 were not filled with blessing by the open hand of Christ, but were debarred from such good by the hand compressed and closed; and therefore their feet were tied, and “they fell, while we are risen, and stand upright.”24    Ps. xx. 8 But although, as I have said, the Lord Christ did thus send before Him a certain portion of His body, in the person of those holy men who came before Him as regards the time of birth, nevertheless He is Himself the Head of the body, the Church,25    Col. i. 18 and all these have been attached to that same body of which He is the head, in virtue of their believing in Him whom they announced prophetically. For they were not sundered (from that body) in consequence of fulfilling their course before Him, but rather were they made one with the same by reason of their obedience. For although the hand may be put forward away before the head, still it has its connection beneath the head. Wherefore all things which were written aforetime were written in order that we might be taught thereby,26    Rom. xv. 4 and were our figures, and happened in a figure in the case of these men. Moreover they were written for our sakes, upon whom the end of the ages has come.27    1 Cor. x. 11

CAPUT III.

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5. Narratio plena quae fieri debeat catechizando. Ad charitatis finem dirigenda narratio. Scripturae veteres propter commendandum Christi adventum, cujus finis charitas. Narratio plena est, cum quisque primo catechizatur ab eo quod scriptum est, In principio fecit Deus coelum et terram (Gen. I, 1), usque ad praesentia tempora Ecclesiae. Non tamen propterea debemus totum Pentateuchum, totosque Judicum et Regnorum et Esdrae libros, totumque Evangelium et Actus Apostolorum, vel, si ad verbum edidicimus, memoriter reddere, vel nostris verbis omnia quae his continentur voluminibus narrando evolvere et explicare; quod nec tempus capit, nec ulla necessitas postulat: sed cuncta summatim generatimque complecti, ita ut eligantur quaedam mirabiliora quae suavius audiuntur, atque in ipsis articulis constituta sunt , ut ea tanquam in involueris ostendere, statimque a conspectu abripere non oporteat, sed aliquantum immorando quasi resolvere atque expandere, et inspicienda atque miranda offerre animis auditorum; caetera vero celeri percursione inserendo contexere. Ita et illa quae maxime commendari volumus, aliorum submissione magis eminent; nec ad ea fatigatus pervenit, quem narrando volumus excitare; nec illius memoria confunditur, quem docendo debemus instruere.

6. In omnibus sane non tantum nos oportet intueri praecepti finem, quod est charitas de corde puro et conscientia bona et fide non ficta (I Tim. I, 5), quo ea quae loquimur cuncta referamus; sed etiam illius quem loquendo instruimus, ad id movendus atque illuc dirigendus aspectus est. Neque enim ob aliud ante adventum Domini scripta sunt omnia quae in sanctis Scripturis legimus, nisi ut illius commendaretur adventus, et futura praesignaretur Ecclesia, id est, populus Dei per omnes gentes, quod est corpus ejus; adjunctis atque annumeratis omnibus sanctis, qui etiam ante adventum ejus in hoc saeculo vixerunt, ita eum credentes venturum esse, sicut nos venisse. Sicut enim Jacob manum prius, dum nasceretur, emisit ex utero, qua etiam pedem praenascentis fratris tenebat, deinde utique secutum est caput, tum demum necessario membra caetera (Gen. XXV, 25); sed tamen caput non tantum ea membra quae secuta sunt, sed etiam ipsam manum quae in nascendo praecessit, dignitate ac potestate praecedit; et quamvis non tempore apparendi, tamen naturae ordine prius est: ita et Dominus Jesus Christus etsi antequam appareret in carne, et quodam modo ex utero secreti sui ad hominum oculos Mediator Dei et hominum homo procederet, qui est super omnes Deus benedictus in saecula (Rom. IX, 5), praemisit in sanctis Patriarchis et Prophetis quamdam partem corporis sui, qua velut 0314 manu se nasciturum esse praenuntians, etiam populum praecedentem superbe, vinculis Legis tanquam digitis quinque supplantavit (quia et per quinque temporum articulos praenuntiari venturus prophetarique non destitit; et huic rei consonans per quem Lex data est, quinque libros conscripsit: et superbi carnaliter sentientes, et suam justitiam volentes constituere [Rom. X, 3], non aperta manu Christi repleti sunt benedictione, sed constricta atque conclusa retenti sunt: itaque illis obligati sunt pedes, et ceciderunt; nos autem surreximus et erecti sumus [Psal. XIX, 9]): quamvis ergo, ut dixi, praemiserit Dominus Christus quamdam partem corporis sui in sanctis, qui eum nascendi tempore praeierunt; tamen ipse est caput corporis Ecclesiae (Coloss. I, 18); illique omnes eidem corpori cujus ille caput est cohaeserunt, credendo in eum quem praenuntiabant. Non enim praecurrendo divulsi sunt, sed adjuncti potius obsequendo. Nam etsi manus a capite praemitti potest, connexio tamen ejus sub capite est. Quapropter omnia quae ante scripta sunt, ut nos doceremur scripta sunt (Rom. XV, 4), et figurae nostrae fuerunt, et in figura contingebant in eis ; scripta sunt autem propter nos, in quos finis saeculorum obvenit (I Cor. X, 11).