Prologue to the Third Book of Sentences
Theology, Life, and God's Word ----------------------telJl und U1'Iclcalll1t'SS [14:25-26]. These are the countless questions, all mingled together, in which humanldnd involves it elf, n e lh will is no longer conformed to the highest good.
Human p wer, by br al ing awa from th highest power, becomes w a:~ . Enlan led in eneII 5S qu lions through its instability, it constantly . eel s rest but never finds it. The Lora mi1lgled iii lhe midst of Egypt the spirit of dizziJless [J 9: 141 ac ording to Isaiah. This is th spiril oj' insta ility, and ev 'lything is off baLanc b cause or il. ' 0 the sinI'ul pel's n is Like dust, which the wind drivesfrom tlll:./ace flj:the earth LPs 1 :4J. hi. i why lh · psalm says: If you turn (l1V{!y. IOIlT face, t"~ I . hnll be trouhlcd; )I()U shall take away theirbrc?ftlth [103:29].111> sinful person j.'> IiI. wise similar to the dust wh ieh Lhe wind drives from the fac ~ of the earth. Just as dust cannot settle in a whirlwind, neither can our power remain steady. This is why it seeks out and moves on from innumerable places as it begs for support.
Humanldnd, then, entangled itself in an infinity of questiuns through curiosity, Callin from twth in 0 ibTllorance; thTOugh ovetou n ~ss, falling fr m goodness inL evil; Lhrough instability, -ailing from power into ul'lpolen e. he original stat of hL1Jnank:iJ1d and subsequent fa ll are inti,mated , in this mann r. by lh te L 'it d al the I eginning. I hay found th is to be the sole matter treated in this se ond Book of entrmccs.
Prologue to the Third Book of Sentences But God, who is rich in mercy, by reason rifhis very great love, with which he has loved us, even when we were dead by reason rif our sins, brought us to life together with Christ, by whose grace you have been saved. [Eph 2:4-5] This passage is written in the Letter to the Ephesians
[2 :4-5]. Here the mystery of our redemption is made known to us. Here too the subject matter of the Book l!!Senlences is clearly
Theology, Life, and God's Word
---------------------shown to us, especially that of its third part in which the sacrament of our redemption achieved through Christ is explained.
There are four points pertinent to the restoration of the human race that can be noted in this passage: the first of which is the author of the restoration; the second, the restorable fall; the third, the person of the Restorer; the fourth and last, the salvation of the restored person.
The Restoration of Humankind The author of the restoration is indicated when it is said:
But od, who is rich in mercy. . .
. In his verflowi I g 11 ere , and not by om ·' other movi ng fore , 11 arranged t restore the human. ra eas it is wrirten in the third chnp erofJohn: God 0 lovcd the world that hI' galle his 011 [v-begotten SOI1, that those whO' bclielle ill hilll may lIot l)crish L 3: 16].
The restorable fall is indicated because it is said: Ellen when Jill! were dead bjl reasoll of our sins. For tl1 in of our first p<:l.r II t:l was the cause of our death, through whi h the ntire hwnan race fell C1' m the h1.te of i.nnocen • a cording to what ha,
I een 'Nritt n to the RorrwllS: As through olle 1'/lQ./1 sin entered illta the world and through sin, death. and tlms dMth lUIS passed to (If' mel/ bcca.u ,~e (~1I hal I' inncd [5: 12 J, Becau, they inned in 'mot] er all I thr ugh an th r, tha fall was, th'refor , r torable.
The P 'rson of the R storer is i nd i at d tl1 rough he following passage: Ne ha.' hrought us to lije together IVitlt Christ. It was
Christ in wh In that re oration h.a. b en achieved, as has been written in Colossians: It has pleased God the Father that in him all his fullness should dwell, and that through him he should reconcile to himself all things, whether on the earth or in the heaJlens, making peace through the blood of his cross [1: 19-20].
The salvali n of th rest >red per. on is toud d 011 by ""hal is said: By who, e grace vou IJcl/le beell smfed. For efficacy was giv n lO the sacram nts througl1 lh merit of th passion of Chdst, o that h aling gnc is given to th sick through it, a Ol'ding to Titus: But accordillg to hi mcrqy, he sCllled lis through the /)flth qf
Theology, Life, and God's Word regeneration and renewal by the HolY Spirit; whom he has abundantlY poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior [3:5-6].
These four points are considered together in Romans in a passage where it says: But God commends his charity toward us-behold the author of the restoration-because when as yet we were sinners-behold the restorable fall-Christ died for us-in which the person of the Restorer is indicated-Much more now that we are justified by his blood, shall we be saved through him from the wrath-behold the salvation of the restored person [5: 8-9] .
According to these four points, provided by the aforementioned passage, there are four books of "Sentences." In the first book, the author of the restoration is treated, that is, the blessed Trinity. In the second, the restorable one, that is, the person falling from the state of integrity and innocence. In the third, the person of the Restorer is considered, that is Christ,
God and man. In the fourth, the salvation of the restored person, which certainly consists in the expiation of the fault and the removal of all misery.
Christ as the Mediator of Life Thus, it is evident how this entire book treats the explanation of the mystery of our restoration. Nevertheless, in a more special manner, it looks to the third book in which it is shown how we have been brought to life through Christ. The apostle makes this known in that aforementioned passage when he says: He has brought us to life together with Christ. The apostle says this because God brings us to life in Christ, with Christ, through Christ, and according to Christ.
In the first place, God has brought us to life in Christ, because he has shared our mortality of life in his person, according to that passage in John: As the Father has life in himself, even so he has given to the Son to have life in himself [5:26]. Therefore, if the Son has life in himself, while he has taken to himself our mortality, he has joined us to the true and immortal life, and through this he has brought us to life in himself.
Theology, Life, and God's Word
----------------He has brought us to life with Christ, while Christ himself, who was life, lived among mortal men, according to that passage in the beginning of the First Epistle of John: Whatwasfrom the beginning, what we have seen with our ryes, what we have looked upon and our hands have handled: We speak of the Word of Life; and the Life was made known and we have seen, and now testifY and announce to you life eternal [1: 1-2]. So while he was seen on earth and lived among men [Bar 3:38], God brought us to life with Christ, when he made us live with him.
He also brought us to life through Christ, when he snatched us from death through his death, according to that passage of the First Epistle of Peter: Christ also died once for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. Put to death indeed in the flesh, he was brought to life in the spirit [3: 18]. When Christ laid down his life for us, God brought the dead human race to life through him.
Finally, he brought us to life according to Christ when he guided us through the path oflife according to his example, according to that passage of the psalmist: You have made known to me the paths of life [15: 10]. He made known to us the paths of life when he gave us faith, hope, charity, and the gifts of grace.
To these he added the commands according to which Christ himself walked and in which the path of life consists. It is according to these that Christ has taught us to walk. God has brought us to life according to Christ because he guides his imitators to life.
The four of these points are found together in the second chapter of the Letter to the Philippians: He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave-behold the first, namely, that he united our mortality to his life-was made in the likeness of men-behold the second, namely, that he lived with humankind as a man-he humbled himself even to death-behold the third, namely, that he freed us from death through his death-because of this God exalted him-behold the fourth, namely, that after death he had many followers and imitators who believed in him [2:7].