Works › The Mariale: Questions on “Missus est”
Volume 37 · pp. 71–72
Question XXXIV opening
A marker with ≈ is an approximate page boundary, placed by measure of the text; the page photographs remain the authority. In the paired views, clicking a page marker brings that page into view.
QUAESTIO XXXIV. Per quam differentiam ad Christum Maria dicatur gratia plena?
Post hoc quaeritur de differentia plenitudinis istius ad alias plenitudines in Scriptura inventas, ubi ab omnibus istis plenitudinibus propriam istam plenitudinem separavit.
§ I. Quaeritur igitur, in quo differat a plenitudine Christi, de quo legitur, Joan. I, 14: Plenum gratiae et veritatis. Si enim gratia respicit perfectionem affectus, et veritas perfectionem intellectus, istae duae perfectiones aequaliter currunt in statu viae et in statu patriae: quanto enim plus credit, tanto plus diligit in statu viae, et e contra quantum plus cognoscit, tantum plus diligit in patria: quia, ut dicitur in Apocalypsi, latera civitatis sunt aequalia 1. Igitur quicumque est plenus gratia et veritate, etc. Igitur cum beatissima Virgo plena sit gratia, plena erit veritate: ergo beatae Virginis plenitudo eadem erit cum plenitudine Redemptoris.
Quod si concedatur. Contra hoc: quia Christus accepit Spiritum sanctum non ad mensuram. Joan. III, 34 et 35: Non enim ad mensuram dat Deus Spiritum. Pater diligit Filium, et omnia dedit in manu ejus. Beatissimae autem Virginis est gratia mensurata, cum sit creata: Deus enim omnia creavit in mensura, et numero, et pondere 2.
§ II. Post hoc quaeritur de plenitudine de qua legitur in Actibus Apostolorum: Stephanus plenus gratia et fortitudine 3. Item, Repleti sunt omnes Spiritu sancto 4. Objicitur ergo in hunc modum: Quidquid plenum est duobus sic se habentibus, quod quantitas unius non expellit praesentiam alterius, perfectiori et nobiliori modo est plenum, quam id quod est plenum altero tantum illorum bonorum: sed gratia et fortitudo est duplex bonum, vel duo bona sic se habentia, quod praesentia unius non expellit praesentiam alterius, et quantitas unius non diminuit quantitatem alterius: ergo nobiliori et perfectiori modo est plenum, quod est gratia et fortitudine plenum, quam quod est gratia plenum tantum: et ita videtur nobilior sancti Stephani plenitudo, quam illa quae beatissimae Virgini appropriatur.
Contra hoc objicitur in hunc modum: Nihil melius vel nobilius gratia poterit excogitari: ergo quidquid a gratia diversum est, minus nobile est quam illa. Aut ergo fortitudo vel similia adjecta gratiae, dicit aliquid diversum a gratia, vel non. Si non: ergo superflue adjicitur. Si sic: sed omne diversum a gratia, non est gratia: et omnis non gratia minus est nobilis quam gratia: ergo omne plenum gratia, illud est plenum gratia et non gratia: sed in quantum est plenum non gratia, in tantum est vacuum gratia: ergo perfectius est plenum quod est plenum gratia, quam plenum gratia et non gratia. Exemplum hujus patet in vase quod meliori repletione plenum est, si est auro plenum, quam si fuerit auro et argento plenum. Et sic patet, quod nobilior est plenitudo quae hic signatur, cum dicitur: Ave, gratia plena, quam illa de qua dicitur: Plenus gratia et fortitudine.
QUESTION XXXIV. By what difference in relation to Christ is Mary called full of grace?
After this inquiry is made concerning the difference of that fullness from other fullnesses found in Scripture, where he separated this proper fullness from all those fullnesses.
§ I. Therefore inquiry is made in what it differs from the fullness of Christ, of whom it is read, John 1:14: Full of grace and truth. For if grace regards the perfection of affection, and truth the perfection of intellect, these two perfections run equally in the state of the way and in the state of the homeland: for the more one believes, the more one loves in the state of the way, and conversely the more one knows, so much the more one loves in the homeland, because, as is said in Apocalypse, the sides of the city are equal 1. Therefore whoever is full of grace and truth, etc. Therefore, since the most blessed Virgin is full of grace, she will be full of truth; therefore the fullness of the blessed Virgin will be the same as the fullness of the Redeemer.
But if this is conceded. Against this: because Christ received the Holy Spirit not according to measure. John 3:34 and 35: For God does not give the Spirit according to measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. But the grace of the most blessed Virgin is measured, since it is created: for God created all things in measure, and number, and weight 2.
§ II. After this inquiry is made concerning the fullness of which it is read in the Acts of the Apostles: Stephen full of grace and fortitude 3. Likewise: They were all filled with the Holy Spirit 4. Therefore it is objected in this way: whatever is full of two things having themselves in such a way that the quantity of one does not expel the presence of the other, is full in a more perfect and nobler mode than that which is full of only the other of those goods. But grace and fortitude is a twofold good, or two goods having themselves in such a way that the presence of one does not expel the presence of the other, and the quantity of one does not diminish the quantity of the other. Therefore that which is full of grace and fortitude is full in a nobler and more perfect mode than that which is full of grace only; and thus the fullness of Saint Stephen seems nobler than that which is appropriated to the most blessed Virgin.
Against this it is objected in this way: nothing better or nobler than grace can be thought out; therefore whatever is diverse from grace is less noble than it. Therefore either fortitude or similar things added to grace says something diverse from grace, or not. If not, then it is added superfluously. If so, but everything diverse from grace is not grace, and every non-grace is less noble than grace. Therefore every thing full of grace is full of grace and non-grace; but insofar as it is full of non-grace, by so much it is empty of grace. Therefore that which is full of grace is more perfectly full than that which is full of grace and non-grace. An example of this is clear in a vessel that is full with a better filling if it is full of gold than if it were full of gold and silver. And thus it is clear that the fullness that is signified here, when it is said Hail, full of grace, is nobler than that of which it is said, Full of grace and fortitude.
§ III. Ad hoc dicitur, quod plenitudo dicitur dupliciter. Est enim plenitudo gratiae dativa tantum et effluxiva, et non receptiva. Alia est primo receptiva, et post illud effluxiva. Prima est plenitudo aeterna, et soli Deo convenit, et illa sub figura describitur, Esther, XV, 16: Vidi te, domine, quasi Angelum Dei, et conturbatum est cor meum prae timore gloriae tuae. Valde enim mirabilis es, domine, et facies tua plena est gratiarum.
Secunda plenitudo convenit creaturis, et participatur ex tempore. Postquam venit plenitudo temporis, venit et tempus plenitudinis, et triplicem nobis plenitudinem adduxit. Quarum prima proprie est beatissimae Virginis. Lucae, I, 28: Ave, gratia plena. Secunda, Christi. Joan. I, 14: Plenum gratiae et veritatis. Et hoc proprie est Christi hominis. Tertia, communis omnibus sanctis: et de ea legitur in diversis locis in Actibus Apostolorum, Act. VI, 8: Stephanus plenus gratia et fortitudine. Item, Act. IX, 36: Tabita, plena bonis operibus, et eleemosynis quas faciebat. Et similia. Prima istarum plenitudinum est plena gratiae, secunda plena gratia et veritate, tertia fidei plena et dilectionis operantis. Prima gratia replet ventrem et mentem, secunda affectum et intellectum, tertia replet interius mentem, et effluit exterius per operationem. Beatissima Virgo fuit plenissima ventre et mente: quia plenitudinem gratiae habuit in mente: sed certe ipsum Dominum omnium virtutum in ventre habuit, unde plena fuit gratia quantum ad affectum: sed non veritate quantum ad intellectum, quia in via non habuit cognitionem omnium, nec plenam divinitatis cognitionem per speciem. Christus autem plenus fuit gratia et veritate: quia ille homo habuit omnia per gratiam, quae Deus habuit per naturam: sed praeterea nulla gratia in ipso fuit diminuta, vel otiosa, vel aliquid habuit contrarium: sed haec fuit gratia unionis. Vel plenus fuit veritate quantum ad cognitionem. Unde Isidorus: «Trinitas sibi soli nota est et homini assumpto.» Plenus ergo gratia secundum humanitatem, quae prius nihil habuit meriti: plenus veritate secundum divinitatem, in qua nihil fuit vani vel falsi: in ipso erant omnes thesauri sapientiae et scientiae absconditi 5: et haec est plenitudo veritatis. Et in illo inhabitabat omnis plenitudo divinitatis corporaliter 6. Et haec est gratiae plenitudo propria Christi hominis.
§ IV. Plenitudo sanctorum est fidei et operum. Sic enim exponit Glossa super illud
§ III. To this it is said that fullness is said in two ways. For there is a fullness of grace only giving and flowing out, and not receiving. Another is first receiving, and after that flowing out. The first is eternal fullness, and belongs to God alone, and it is described under a figure, Esther 15:16: I saw you, lord, as an Angel of God, and my heart was troubled because of fear of your glory. For you are very wonderful, lord, and your face is full of graces.
The second fullness belongs to creatures, and is participated in from time. After the fullness of time came, the time of fullness also came, and brought to us a threefold fullness. The first of these is properly of the most blessed Virgin, Luke 1:28: Hail, full of grace. The second, of Christ, John 1:14: Full of grace and truth. And this is properly of Christ as man. The third is common to all the saints, and concerning it one reads in diverse places in the Acts of the Apostles, Acts 6:8: Stephen full of grace and fortitude. Likewise, Acts 9:36: Tabitha, full of good works and alms that she did. And similar things. The first of those fullnesses is full of grace; the second full of grace and truth; the third full of faith and of working love. The first grace fills womb and mind; the second, affection and intellect; the third fills the mind inwardly and flows outwardly through operation. The most blessed Virgin was fullest in womb and mind, because she had fullness of grace in her mind; but certainly she had in her womb the Lord himself of all virtues, whence she was full of grace with respect to affection, but not of truth with respect to intellect, because on the way she did not have knowledge of all things, nor full knowledge of the divinity through species. But Christ was full of grace and truth, because that man had by grace all the things that God had by nature; but besides this, no grace in him was diminished or idle, nor did it have anything contrary. But this was the grace of union. Or he was full of truth with respect to knowledge. Hence Isidore says: "The Trinity is known to itself alone and to the assumed man." Therefore full of grace according to humanity, which previously had nothing of merit; full of truth according to divinity, in which there was nothing vain or false; in him were all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden 5, and this is the fullness of truth. And in him dwelt all the fullness of divinity bodily 6. And this is the fullness of grace proper to Christ as man.
§ IV. The fullness of the saints is of faith and works. For thus the Gloss explains on that
If a page does not appear, its photograph has not been uploaded yet.