Commonitorium (Vincent de Lérins)
The Commonitorium is a theological work of the early church monastic theologian Vincent von Lérins . He wrote this Commonitorium with the responsibility of Peregrinus ("a pilgrim") in the year 434. It is the only writing for which his authorship is considered certain. It is famous and, above all , widely cited by the controversial theologians of the 16th and 17th centuries, because of its classic formulation of the Catholic principle of tradition .
Text history
The commonitorium originally consisted of two books. Instead of the second book, all available copies contain only a summary of both books written by Vincent himself. The reasons for this can only be speculated.
The reason for writing was Augustine's doctrine of grace , which Vincent saw as an illegitimate innovation. Against this background he wants to give christianus catholicus (III.4) a standard for the one, true faith at hand.
content
As the theme of the Commonitorium, Vincent mentions the question "how I am able to distinguish the truth of the Catholic faith from the falsehood of the heretical wrongness on a safe and, so to speak, all accessible and straight path" (II.1). For this distinction, as for all Christian knowledge of truth, it is true that Holy Scripture is the inherently perfect and sufficient norm ( canon ); However, this is interpreted differently and evidently justifies as many opinions as there are people. Scripture is only correctly understood by listening to the church's tradition of interpretation (II.2). This is followed by the famous and, in shortened form, proverbial sentence:
| In ipsa item catholica ecclesia magnopere curandum est, ut id teneamus, quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est. Hoc est etenim vere proprieque catholicum; quod ipsa vis nominis ratioque declarat, quae omnia fere universaliter comprehendit (II.3). |
“In the same way, in the Catholic Church itself, we must ensure that we hold onto what is everywhere, what always and what has been believed by everyone; because that is Catholic in the true and proper sense. This is already indicated by the meaning and sense of the word, which includes everything in its entirety. " |
In the following chapters, Vincent develops this threefold principle of universitas , antiquitas and consensio (II.3) using the example of prominent false doctrines and church doctrinal decisions of the past, admits that there were regionally and temporally limited heretical majorities, and sets against it the certainty of Church teaching tradition. He presents these in detail with regard to the then young trinity theological, christological and mariological definitions of the Council of Ephesus (XIII – XV; XXIX – XXXI).
In Chapter XXIII (28–32), Vincent finally develops the important idea of the organic progress ( profectus ) of teaching:
| Sed forsitan dicit aliquis: Nullusne ergo in ecclesia Christi profectus habebitur religionis? Habeatur plane, et maximus. [...] Sed ita tamen, ut vere profectus sit seine fidei, non permutation. Siquidem ad profectum pertinet, ut in semetipsam unaquaeque res amplificetur; ad permutationem vero, ut aliquid ex alio in aliud transvertatur. Crescat igitur oportet, et multum vehementerque proficiat tam singulorum, quam omnium; tam unius hominis quam totius ecclesiae, aetatum ac saeculorum gradibus, intelligentia, scientia, sapientia; sed in suo duntaxat genere, in eodem scilicet dogmate, eodem sensu, eadem sententia (XXVIII). [...] Unde non dubium est, hanc esse legitimam et rectam proficiendi regulam, hunc ratum atque pulcherrimum crescendi ordinem, si eas semper in grandioribus partes ac formas numerus detexat aetatis, quas in parvulis creatoris sapientia praeformaverat (XXIX). |
“But perhaps someone will say, will there be no advancement of religion in the Church of Christ? Certainly there should be one, even a very large one. [...] In fact, progress means that something increases in itself, but change means that something is transformed from one into another. So should grow and increase vigorously both with the individual and with all, both with the one person and in the whole Church, according to the levels of age and time, insight, knowledge and wisdom, but only in one's own way, namely, in the same doctrine, in the same sense and in the same meaning. [...] Therefore, the lawful and correct norm of progress, the fixed and most beautiful order of growth, is undoubtedly this, that the number of years always forms the parts and forms for adults, which already with the little ones the wisdom of the Creator had laid the foundation. " |
In this way, believers and teachers face the task of distinguishing organic folds of the depositum fidei from innovations and abbreviations that are alien to their nature in the contemporary religious discourse .
literature
- Latin text edition: Sancti Vincentii Lirinensis Commonitorium . Ingolstadt 1823
- German text edition ( Library of the Church Fathers Volume 20, 1914)
- Michael Fiedrowicz : “Whatever was believed by everyone everywhere, always”. Reflections on the Year of Faith according to Vincent de Lérins . 2012
- Thomas G. Guarino: Vincent of Lérins and the Development of Christian Doctrine . Grand Rapids 2013 ( partially digitized )
- Berthold Altaner , Alfred Stuiber : Patrology . Freiburg-Basel-Wien, 8th edition 1978, pp. 454f.