Chapter 11
William of Ockham it cannot be deduced infailibly from the divine Scriptures either that they did ascend bodily into heaven, or that they did not ascend bodily.
The second [distinction? is that a doubt about the faith or about divine matters and matters that relate to salvation can be twofold: for of some things explicit knowledge is necessary to salvation, and of other things explicit knowledge is not necessary to salvation.
Through this the above argument is answered. For in a general council either some doubt is put forward for decision that can be inferred from the divine Scriptures by a deduction that is infallible and naturally known, at least to the wise and to experts, or sormething is put forward for decision that cannot be inferred in such a way from the divine Scriptures but can be had by divine revelation alone; again, knowledge of what is put forward for decision in the general council either is necessary to the faithful, or it is not necessary to the faithful. If what is put forward for decision in the general council can be inferred from the divine Scriptures by an infallibte deduction, and knowledge of it is necessary to the faithful, then the wise men assembled in the general council should, not without prayer and other good works, most diligently search the sacred Scriptures, following the example of those of whom it is said
; in Acts 17{:11] "They received the word eagerly, daily searching the Scriptures." In such a case, because the gencral council and any
Catholic, when something must be done, should, so as not to be seen to tempt God, do whatever reasonably and prudently can be done (following the example of Abraham, who, according to Augustine in Questions on Genesis, quoted in 22, q. 2, ¢. Quaerttur, when he went into Egypt, fearing the Egyptians because of his wife's beauty, "did what he could, and what he could not do he entrusted to God, in whom he hoped")... .'""
Chapter 11 Student Relate how, through the foregoing, the argument for the contrary opinion is answercd.
Master It is answered that when they take [as a premise the proposition] that "Christ would have given the law of cternal
"" Accerding to a note in two of the manuscripts, the rest of chapter 10 is missing.
A Dialogue, Part ut, Tract 1 salvation in vain if he did not make plain its true meaning — the meaning it is necessary for salvation for the faithful te believe to those who seek it and call on him for it together but instead allowed the majority of the faithful ro err about it," if [1] by the majority of the faithful (i.¢., of Christians rightly believing) they mean the whele Church (or congregation of the faithful), [2] speaking {as their words suggest} of the true meaning of everything contained in divine law that is secessary to salvation and [3] of making such meaning plain by means of the Scriptures or by revelation to those assembled in a general council er te others who were outside a general council (for both when a general council is being held and when it is not being held many things necessary to salvation are made plain, or can be made plain, both through the Scriptures and through miraculous revelation, to those who are not in a general council, through whom they can come to those present in 2 general council, if they are worthy or if it is necessary to the Christian people for salvation}: and thus'! it cannot be proved from this that it is necessary to believe that the decisions ef general councils on doubtful senses of Scripture derive their truth from the Holy Spirit ia the way the divine Scriptures were breathed into the writers. For an understanding of a law that is necessary to salvation can be made plain to other persons, either through the Scriptures or through a miraculous operation; this should not be regarded as remarkable or incredible, since often many wiser and better persons than are there assembled are not called to a general council. And a general council can be called with @ corrupt intention; and even if it was assembled with a night intention, it can afterwards be held not rightly, since those assembled there are not confirmed in faith, grace, or good morals, but sometimes, perhaps, all or many will have been, or could be, involved in serious sins.
And the law of Christ is not for that reason useless or given to harm men, because, whether its true meaning is revealed or otherwise manifested to those present in a general council or to those not called to that general council, it can be useful for eternal salvation to those who seek it piously and rightly. God has revealed
See Marsilius, p. 275.
' That is, under this interpretation of their premise.
Wilham of Ockham and in other ways manifested many things regarding the meaning of the divine law to experts, to saints, and to the inexpert who have not been called to a general council (and not only because a general council was not being held but in the time of a general council), and God is still able to do the same: because the meaning of the law can be made plain in many respects through consideration of the Scriptures, without the Holy Spirit's making their meaning plain to anyone whatever in a special way; also, because in a general council many doubts about faith can be clarified that are not necessary to salvation; also, because it has been shown earlier that a general council, or what is thought to be a general council by the greater part of Christians, can err against the faith.
Hf, however, those who hoid this opinion [1] mean by the majority of Christians the greater part of the faithful or of Christians, and if [2] by the meaning of the law they mean the understanding of whatever is contained in the divine law without any exception, and [3] mean to speak of those who seek that understanding for every time, as often as they seek such understanding and have called ion God] for it, they err in many ways: First, because the law of eternal salvation given by Christ would not be in vain even if the great part of the faithful — indeed, all except a very few, or except one — erred, not damnably but detestably, about it, even about an understanding necessary to salvation; nor would the law have been given in vain even if all Christians except a few er one erred about it damnably, because the whole Christian faith could be preserved in one alone {as during the three days'*' the whole faith remained in the mother of our redeemer alone) without its being true that the law of eternal salvation had been given in vain. Second, because many things are contained in the divine Scriptures whose tue first and literal meaning is not at all times necessary to salvation, even if a solution is sought by those present in a general council both by earnest meditation on the Scriprures and by prayer, so that they quite intend to define it. It is not necessary to believe that God makes such a true understanding plain to them through the Scriptures or through miraculous revelation, because although God does not fail his Church (that is, the congregation of the faithful) in 52 1 would be implausible to say that not even such minor truths can become manifest to believers not present in a general council.
'! "That is, between Christ's crucifixion and his resurrection.