Chapter 2 (109)
122 | THE SENTENCES, BOOK 3
which is above us, second that which we are, third that which is near us, fourth that which is below us; the order of loving is manifested by the arrangement of the enumeration itself—But it has not been revealed whether we must love all men equally, and whether as much as ourselves or less.
Chapter 2 (109) 1. WHETHER ALL MEN ARE TO BE LOVED EQUALLY. And so, as to this, too, a question is frequently raised, which the various views expressed by the saints make perplexing.
2. HE SETS OUT SOME AUTHORITIES WHICH APPEAR TO SAY THAT ALL
ARE TO BE LOVED EQUALLY, BUT THAT THERE IS SOME DIFFERENCE IN THE
DOING OF IT. For some seem to teach that all are to be loved with equal affection; but a distinction is to be preserved in the doing of it, that is, in the manifestation of respect—AUGUSTINE, IN BOOK 1, ON CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE. Hence Augustine: "All men are to be loved equally. But since you cannot be useful to all, you are to be particularly attentive to those who, by occasion of places, or times, or any other circumstances, are joined more closely to you, as if by some destiny. For that is to be considered destiny by which someone is more closely connected to you for the time being, and by reason of which you read that you are to give more to him."
—THE SAME [AUGUSTINE], ON THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS: "Let us
work good to all men, but especially to those who are of the household of the faith,' that is, to Christians. For eternal life is to be wished for everyone with equal love, even though the services of love cannot be shown to everyone." These are to be shown especially to the brethren, "because they are members of one another,"*" "since they have the same Father.'
—These are the authorities by which they, who say that all men are to be equally loved by the affection of charity, but that there is a difference in the performance of works, support their view.
3. WHAT [AUTHORITIES] SEEM TO BE IN OPPOSITION TO THESE. But in op-
position to these stands the commandment of the Law concerning the love of parents: Honour your father and your mother, so that you may have long life upon the earth.' For what reason would this be especially commanded concerning parents, if not because they are to be loved with a greater love?—But they say that this is to be referred to the provision of 'Augustine, De doctrina christiana, bk 1 c28 n29.
*Gal. 6, 10.
'Augustine, Epistolae ad Galatas expositio, 6, 10, n61.
"Eph. 4, 25.
°Ambrosiaster, /n Epistolas s. Pauli, Gal. 6, 10.
°*Jerome, /n quattuor Epistolas Paulinas, Gal. 6, 10.
"Ex. 20, 12; Deut. 5, 16;
Distinction XXIX | external goods, in which parents are to be placed first; that is why it says honour, and not love.
4. JEROME. In opposition to these stands also what Jerome says, in On Ezechiel, namely "that Li the order of charity, as it is written: He set charity in order within me,* after God the father of all, our father according to the flesh is also to be loved, and our mother, our son and daughter, our brother and sister."
5. AMBROSE. Ambrose too, describing the order of charity, when commenting on that text of the Canticle: He set charity in order within me,'° in the second chapter, says: "The charity of many is disordered: what ought to be in the first place, they place in the third or fourth. God is to be loved first, parents second, then children, then the members of the household; if these last are good, they are to be placed ahead of wicked children. In accordance with this, the Gospel expresses what is proper to the love of each: You shall love the Lord your God with your Wore heart and with all your strength, and your neighbour as yourself,'' and your enemies:'* not with all your power, nor as yourself, but simply. For it suffices that we love them, and not hold them in hate."
6. HERE IS SHOWN THE ORDER OF LOVING. See, by the foregoing the distinction which is to be kept in the feeling of charity is clearly indicated, so that we love men with a different feeling, and not an equal one, and that we love God before all, ourselves second, parents third, then children and siblings, then members of our household, and finally enemies.—But they say that the things said above about the order of love are to be referred to the performance of works, which are to be extended differently to our neighbours: to our parents first, then to our children, afterwards to the members of our household, and finally to our enemies; but God is to be loved before all in both feeling and the manifestation of respect.
7. THAT SOME OF THE SAME PEOPLE TEACH THAT WE OUGHT TO LOVE
OUR NEIGHBOUR AS MUCH AS OURSELVES. A few of them also teach that, by the feeling of charity, we are to love our neighbours as much as we love ourselves.—AUGUSTINE, IN BOOK 8, ON THE TRINITY. They confirm this by the authority of Augustine, who says: "And do not let that other question be troublesome as to how much charity we ought to show our brother, and how much to God: incomparably more to God than to ourselves, to our brother as much as to ourselves; and the more we love God,
8Canticle 2, 4.
*Jerome, In Ezechielem 44, 25; ordinary gloss, on the same text.
'Canticle 2, 4.
BE 10227: et. Mit 2237-39. Mk.12, 30-31:
Mit 5 44 Uk 6.27:
Ordinary gloss, on Canticle 2, 4; not from Ambrose, but from Origen, Homiliae in Cantica, hom. 2 n8.
124 | THE SENTENCES, BOOK 3
so much more do we love ourselves."'*—From this and the above testimonies of Augustine, they assert that all men are to be loved equally by us, and as much as we love ourselves; but God more than ourselves, and our own body less than ourselves or our neighbours. They also say that an order of loving is not set out in the above enumeration of the four things to be loved,'° but only the things to be loved.
8. ACCORDING TO OTHERS, ALL ARE NOT TO BE LOVED WITH EQUAL
FEELING. But because the above words of Ambrose, to those who examine them with diligence, seem to set out the order of loving according to feeling more than according to doing, others say not unlearnedly that not only in the performance of works, but also in the feeling of charity, a different order is set out: so that before all things we love God, ourselves second, parents third, children or siblings and suchlike fourth, afterwards members of our household, and finally our enemies.
9. DETERMINATION OF THE AUTHORITIES WHICH SEEM TO CONTRADICT
EACH OTHER. But what Augustine says, that all are to be loved equally and that, with equal love, life is to be desired for everyone, can be taken in this sense: that the parity be referred not to the feeling, but to the good which is desired for them, because we must desire by charity that all deserve equal goods, as the Apostle says: J wish all men to be like me.'®
Indeed, the perfection of their betters is to be wished for those who are less good, so that they too become perfect and so deserve an equal blessedness. Or 'with equal love,' that is, all are to be loved by the same love.—
Also, his statement, that we love our brothers as much as ourselves, can be taken in this sense: that is, let us love our brothers for the sake of as much good as for ourselves, so that we desire as much good for them in eternity as for ourselves, even though with not as much feeling. But there
'as much' denotes likeness, not quantity.
10. QUESTION REGARDING EVIL PARENTS AND OTHERS WHO ARE GOOD.
It is also usual to ask: if our parents are evil, or our children, or our siblings, whether they are to be loved more or less than other people who are good, but not joined to us by such a bond.—It seems that good people who are not linked to us by the flesh are to be loved more than others who are so linked to us, because the former are joined to us at heart by the bond of charity; for the joining of hearts is holier than the one of bodies. —
BEDE. Hence Bede says of those words of the Lord, These are my mother and my brothers, who fulfil God's word:"' "He does not wrongfully neglect his mother, nor is the mother denied, who is acknowledged even
'Augustine, De Trinitate, bk 8 c8 n12.
' Above, cl nl.
SL Coni asa ik eee