Polanus' Syntagma Front Matter

[MW]

I have decided to go through the Syntagma of Polanus as a very long term project. I will try to post every week day, DV. With the assistance of AI I am somewhat confident of rendering the Latin into an accurate free-flowing English style. I will post both Latin and English so the translation can be checked against the original. As with the Koelman project I offer to correct anything that is pointed out to me. I will also post grammatical, historical, and theological notes as they occur to me. My aim will be to interact especially with Heinrich Heppe and Richard Muller, but also to make comparisons with other eras and developments in Reformed Systematic Theology.

If you would like to sharpen your theological skills this is a suitable work to do it with. Feel free to initiate and join in discussion.

 

[MW]

SYNTAGMA THEOLOGIÆ CHRISTIANÆ AB AMANDO POLANO A POLANSDORF Iuxta leges ordinis Methodici conformatum atque In libros decem tributum. Præfixa est SYNOPSIS, in qua ordo omnium distinctè & perspicuè ob oculos ponitur. Adjecti insuper ad calcem INDICES: 1. Locorum Sacræ Scripturæ quæ in hoc Syntagmate explicantur & à corruptelis vindicantur. 2. Patrum & Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum, qui allegantur. 3. Quæstionum præcipuarum quæ expediuntur. 4. Rerum & vocum quæ enodantur. HANOVIÆ, Typis Wechelianis, apud CLAUDIUM MARNIUM,& hæredes JOHANNIS AUBRII. Anno M. DC IX.

THE SYNTAGMA OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY. By Amandus Polanus von Polansdorf. Conformed according to the laws of the Methodical order and divided into ten books. A SYNOPSIS IS PREFIXED, in which the order of all things is placed distinctly and clearly before the eyes. ADDITIONALLY, THE FOLLOWING INDEXES ARE APPENDED: 1. Of the Passages of Sacred Scripture which are explained in this Syntagma and defended from corruptions. 2. Of the Church Fathers and Writers who are quoted. 3. Of the Principal Questions which are resolved. 4. Of the Subjects and Terms which are clarified. HANAU: Printed by Wechelian types, at the press of CLAUDIUS MARNIUS and the heirs of JOHN AUBRY. In the year 1609.

[Notes: Historical theologians have usually carried the word "Syntagma" over from the original into English, so I have done the same. Syntagma, from σύν (syn), “with,” “together;” and τάγμα (tagma), “that which is set in order,” from the verb τάσσω (tassō), meaning “to arrange,” “to put in order.” Best understood as a systematic arrangement. The closest parallel is “syntax,” which is the arrangement of words to form sentences. It expresses the idea that the subject matter is organised in a way that each part relates logically to the others. It is what would now be called a “Systematic” Theology.]
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{i} ILLVSTRI AC VERE GENEROSO DOΜΙΝΟ, DN. CAROLO BARONI A ZEROTIN SENIORI, ROSSICII, PREROVIAE, DRZEWOHOSTICII, &c. DOMINO, PROMARCHIONI MORAVIÆ, &c. DOMINO ET PATRONO SUO CLEMENTI AMANDUS POLANUS A POLANSDORF SYNTAGMA HOC THEOLOGIÆ CHRISTIANÆ DEBITÆ GRATITUDINIS ET PERPETUÆ OBSERVANTIÆ MONIMENTUM. L.M.Q. DICAT, CONSECRAT.

TO THE ILLUSTRIOUS AND TRULY NOBLE LORD, LORD CHARLES, SENIOR BARON OF ŽEROTÍN, LORD OF ROSICE, PŘEROV, DRŽOVICE, ETC., PROMARCHON OF MORAVIA, ETC., HIS GRACIOUS LORD AND PATRON, AMANDUS POLANUS A POLANSDORF WILLINGLY AND DESERVEDLY DEDICATES AND CONSECRATES THIS SYNTAGMA OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY AS A MONUMENT OF HIS INDEBTED GRATITUDE AND PERPETUAL DEVOTION.

[Notes: DN. CAROLO BARONI A ZEROTIN SENIORI. This identifies the patron, Karel the Elder of Žerotín (1564-1636), a hugely influential Moravian nobleman, statesman, and patron of the Reformed faith.

L.M.Q.: An abbreviation for Libens Meritoque: He willingly and deservedly dedicates this work to his patron.

This dedication reveals the complex historical reality of Central Europe at this time. Moravia was a crown land of the Kingdom of Bohemia, which was itself a key electorate within the Holy Roman Empire. Karel starší ze Žerotína was a Moravian nobleman. He was a leading figure in the Moravian estates which formed the representative assembly. The Žerotín family, like many Central European noble houses, had international connections.

1609 was a critical year. The Habsburg rulers of Bohemia were Roman Catholic, but the Bohemian and Moravian nobility were largely Protestant, identifying as Utraquists, Lutherans, or Unity of the Brethren. In 1609 the Protestant estates forced Rudolf II to sign the “Letter of Majesty,” granting religious freedom in Bohemia.

By dedicating his major Reformed theological work to a powerful, internationally-connected Moravian Protestant leader like Žerotín, Polanus was aligning his German Reformed theology with the influential Czech Protestant movement. It reinforced the international network of Protestant intellectuals and rulers who were standing against the Counter-Reformation Habsburgs.]

 

[Joseph&Jami]

Excellent project! There's certainly a balance with AI and it seems like you're striking it well. I take a similar approach with AI and French translation.

 

[davejonescue]

This is awesome. Just a few possible suggestions.
1. When you start a post directly dealing with the translation, start them off by placing a bolded 000001, 000002, 000003, etc. at the very top of the post. This will allow a person, if you are not planning to publish, to easily keep track of order and which posts are direct translations.
2. Add a [**1],[**2], etc. For where you want your notes to be placed in the text. This will allow easy alignment when the entire text is finished. By allowing batch highlighting of where the footnote/endnote goes by the [**] indicator. I don't think it matters much if you restart from 1 every new chapter.
3. Post your notes in italics. And the Latin/English renderings in regular text. Make sure there is a corresponding [**] for the placement & note. This will allow an easy copy & paste, then, by using Find/Italics in Word, to isolate, separate, and paste; then delete the notes from the main body, while still having them marked and in order in a separate doc to attach as footnotes/endnotes. (And possibly, a Python script could be produced, that does it all automatically, since there will be corresponding markers.)
4. Write a (_LAT) for Latin and (_ENG) for English, followed by a matching sequential number, before each corresponding section. This should eventually allow easy splitting so that you can produce a LAT/ENG and ENG (only) version very easily via script.

An example of such would be:

000001

_LAT. 001.
SYNTAGMA THEOLOGIÆ CHRISTIANÆ AB AMANDO POLANO A POLANSDORF Iuxta leges ordinis Methodici conformatum atque In libros decem tributum. Præfixa est SYNOPSIS, in qua ordo omnium distinctè & perspicuè ob oculos ponitur. Adjecti insuper ad calcem INDICES: 1. Locorum Sacræ Scripturæ quæ in hoc Syntagmate explicantur & à corruptelis vindicantur. 2. Patrum & Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum, qui allegantur. 3. Quæstionum præcipuarum quæ expediuntur. 4. Rerum & vocum quæ enodantur. HANOVIÆ, Typis Wechelianis, apud CLAUDIUM MARNIUM,& hæredes JOHANNIS AUBRII. Anno M. DC IX.

_ENG. 001.
THE SYNTAGMA[**1] OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY. By Amandus Polanus von Polansdorf. Conformed according to the laws of the Methodical order and divided into ten books. A SYNOPSIS IS PREFIXED, in which the order of all things is placed distinctly and clearly before the eyes. ADDITIONALLY, THE FOLLOWING INDEXES ARE APPENDED: 1. Of the Passages of Sacred Scripture which are explained in this Syntagma and defended from corruptions. 2. Of the Church Fathers and Writers who are quoted. 3. Of the Principal Questions which are resolved. 4. Of the Subjects and Terms which are clarified. HANAU: Printed by Wechelian types, at the press of CLAUDIUS MARNIUS and the heirs of JOHN AUBRY. In the year 1609.

[**1] [Notes: Historical theologians have usually carried the word "Syntagma" over from the original into English, so I have done the same. Syntagma, from σύν (syn), “with,” “together;” and τάγμα (tagma), “that which is set in order,” from the verb τάσσω (tassō), meaning “to arrange,” “to put in order.” Best understood as a systematic arrangement. The closest parallel is “syntax,” which is the arrangement of words to form sentences. It expresses the idea that the subject matter is organised in a way that each part relates logically to the others. It is what would now be called a “Systematic” Theology.]

000002

_LAT. 002.
{i} ILLVSTRI AC VERE GENEROSO DOΜΙΝΟ, DN. CAROLO BARONI A ZEROTIN SENIORI, ROSSICII, PREROVIAE, DRZEWOHOSTICII, &c. DOMINO, PROMARCHIONI MORAVIÆ, &c. DOMINO ET PATRONO SUO CLEMENTI AMANDUS POLANUS A POLANSDORF SYNTAGMA HOC THEOLOGIÆ CHRISTIANÆ DEBITÆ GRATITUDINIS ET PERPETUÆ OBSERVANTIÆ MONIMENTUM. L.M.Q. DICAT, CONSECRAT.

_ENG. 002.
TO THE ILLUSTRIOUS AND TRULY NOBLE LORD, LORD CHARLES, SENIOR BARON OF ŽEROTÍN[**2], LORD OF ROSICE, PŘEROV, DRŽOVICE, ETC., PROMARCHON OF MORAVIA, ETC., HIS GRACIOUS LORD AND PATRON, AMANDUS POLANUS A POLANSDORF WILLINGLY AND DESERVEDLY DEDICATES AND CONSECRATES[**3] THIS SYNTAGMA OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY AS A MONUMENT OF HIS INDEBTED GRATITUDE AND PERPETUAL DEVOTION.

[**2] [Notes: DN. CAROLO BARONI A ZEROTIN SENIORI. This identifies the patron, Karel the Elder of Žerotín (1564-1636), a hugely influential Moravian nobleman, statesman, and patron of the Reformed faith.

[**3]L.M.Q.: An abbreviation for Libens Meritoque: He willingly and deservedly dedicates this work to his patron.

This dedication reveals the complex historical reality of Central Europe at this time. Moravia was a crown land of the Kingdom of Bohemia, which was itself a key electorate within the Holy Roman Empire. Karel starší ze Žerotína was a Moravian nobleman. He was a leading figure in the Moravian estates which formed the representative assembly. The Žerotín family, like many Central European noble houses, had international connections.

1609 was a critical year. The Habsburg rulers of Bohemia were Roman Catholic, but the Bohemian and Moravian nobility were largely Protestant, identifying as Utraquists, Lutherans, or Unity of the Brethren. In 1609 the Protestant estates forced Rudolf II to sign the “Letter of Majesty,” granting religious freedom in Bohemia.

By dedicating his major Reformed theological work to a powerful, internationally-connected Moravian Protestant leader like Žerotín, Polanus was aligning his German Reformed theology with the influential Czech Protestant movement. It reinforced the international network of Protestant intellectuals and rulers who were standing against the Counter-Reformation Habsburgs.]


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If you are doing all this in your own doc, please disregard. But if it will eventually fall on someone else to copy & paste from here, to compile an eBook/PDF or print option; these few steps while posting will take tons of the work out of doing so.

Thank you for doing this, it looks awesome already.

 

[CasualWestminsterEnjoyer]

Brother, you are of course free to spend your time as you see fit, but I do wonder if your energies would be better spent translating something that isn't already being translated by someone else (i.e. me).

 

[MW]

Brother, you are of course free to spend your time as you see fit, but I do wonder if your energies would be better spent translating something that isn't already being translated by someone else (i.e. me).

Sorry about that Charles. For some reason it didn't click that you were doing this. Once I realised I instantly regretted it, especially since you are more qualified than I am. I've heard about a Polanus translation for years now, but the time is ripe for me to go through Polanus both for Systematics and Historical Theology. I will still be going through it for my own benefit. I thought it would be helpful to others if I shared it here on PB. Even if I managed to do two pages a day for five days a week it is only 500 pages a year.

What do you think? Would it be a hindrance to your project? I would have thought it would only help to secure interest in what you are doing, especially since I have no plans to publish anything.

 

[CasualWestminsterEnjoyer]

What do you think? Would it be a hindrance to your project? I would have thought it would only help to secure interest in what you are doing, especially since I have no plans to publish anything.

Probably not any more than the AI version that's already out there.

 

[MW]

{ii} ILLVSTRI AC VERE GENEROSO DOMINO, DN. CAROLO BARONI A ZEROTIN SENIORI, ROSSICII, PREROVIAE, DRZEWOHOSTICII, &c. DOMINO, PROMARCHIONI MORAVIA, &c.

TO THE ILLUSTRIOUS AND TRULY NOBLE LORD, LORD CHARLES, SENIOR BARON OF ŽEROTÍN, LORD OF ROSICE, PŘEROV, DRŽOVICE, ETC., PROMARCHON OF MORAVIA, ETC.,

IN CHRISTO JESU SOSPITATORE omnium nostrum ac Mediatore unico, salutem felicitatemque, perpetuam exopto.

I wish everlasting health and happiness in Christ Jesus, the Saviour of us all and the sole Mediator.

Quemadmodum in toto hoc visibili mundo nihil est excellentius homine, in homine nihil præstantius anima, in anima nihil exquisitius ratione, in ratione nihil præclarius intellectu, in intellectu nihil pretiosius sapientia: Ita certissimum est, nullam sapientiam quæ quidem in hominis intellectum cadit, esse præstabiliorem & nobiliorem sapientiâ rerum divinarum, quam appellamus THEOLOGIAM CHRISTIANAM. Sive enim causas, sive effecta, sive subjecta, sive adjuncta ejus spectes, omnem aliam sapientiam, quantumvis in mundo & à mundo maximi æstimatam, longissimè superat & excellit.

[The Supreme Excellence of Christian Theology.]

Just as in this entire visible world there is nothing more excellent than man, in man nothing more outstanding than the soul, in the soul nothing more exquisite than reason, in reason nothing more splendid than the intellect, in the intellect nothing more precious than wisdom: so it is most certain that no wisdom which indeed falls within the understanding of man is more outstanding and noble than the wisdom of divine matters, which we call CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY. For whether you consider its causes, its effects, its subject, or its attributes, it surpasses and excels all other wisdom, however highly esteemed in the world and by the world, by a very great distance.

CAUSA EFFICIENS atque autor Theologiæ Christianæ princeps est Deus ipse fons sapientiæ, & in quo est archetypa Theologia ac sapientia; sicut Apostolus Paulus, Sapientiam, inquit, loquimur inter adultos: sapientiam autem non seculi hujus, neque Principum seculi hujus qui abolentur: sed loquimur sapientiam DEI (1. Corinth. 2. v. 6, 7.). Eam in initio mundi SERMO ILLE, qui est in sinu æterni Patris, protulit & cum humano genere communicavit, qui cum primis parentibus nostris in Paradiso, & postea cum Patriarchis & Prophetis loquutus est, & res divinas annunciavit. Primi administri servientes DEO in Theologiæ patefactione {iii} & propagatione fuerunt eximii & præstantissimi Patriarchæ, Principes, Duces & Reges; nempe ADAMUS origo, caput & princeps omnium hominum qua homines sunt: ABEL primus martyr, typus passuri & morituri Christi: SETH parens Enoschi, post quem natum cœtus filiorum DEI à profanis Kajinitis separari cœpit, & prædicatione verbi DEI, sanctisque precibus & exercitiis veræ pietatis ab impietate & injustitiâ palam grassante vindicari (Gen. 4. v. 26): CHANOCHUS, qui communiter ENOCH appellatur, & indefinenter secundùm DEUM ambulavit: NOACHUS præco justitiæ: ABRAHAMUS pater credentium, Propheta ac Princeps DEI: & ut summatim eos recenseam, Isaacum promissionis patri divinitus factæ hæres, Jacobus filius ejus, Josephus Aegypti Prorex, Moses Dux populi DEI & Rex in Jeschurune, Josua bellator Jehovæ, Samuel eximius Propheta ac judex populi DEI, David & Salomon Reges Israëlitarum, Daniel è filiis Jehudæ summus Præfectus prætorio & Admissionalis (ut Imperatores in Codice vocant) maximus Nebucadnetzaris Magni Monarchæ Babylonici, ut jam de aliis nihil addam, quorum operâ magnus ille DEUS usus est. Tandem ultimis diebus loquutus est nobis per Filium in carne manifestatum, quem constituit omnium hæredem, quique per Apostolos mysterium salutis nostræ æternæ universis nationibus & populis revelavit.

[The Efficient Cause of Theology.]

The EFFICIENT CAUSE and prime author of Christian Theology is God Himself, the fountain of wisdom, and in whom is the archetypal Theology and wisdom; as the Apostle Paul says, “We speak wisdom among the perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, neither of the princes of this world that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 2:6-7). He, in the beginning of the world, brought forth that WORD, who is in the bosom of the eternal Father, and communicated it with the human race, who spoke with our first parents in Paradise, and afterwards with the Patriarchs and Prophets, and announced divine matters. The first ministers serving God in the revelation and propagation of Theology were the distinguished and most excellent Patriarchs, Princes, Leaders, and Kings; namely: Adam, the origin, head, and prince of all men insofar as they are men: Abel the first martyr, a type of Christ who was to suffer and die: Seth the parent of Enosh, after whose birth the assembly of the sons of God began to be separated from the profane Cainites, and to be vindicated from openly rampant impiety and injustice by the preaching of the word of God, and by holy prayers and exercises of true piety (Genesis 4:26): Chanochus who is commonly called Enoch, and who walked unswervingly with God: Noah the herald of righteousness: Abraham the father of believers, a Prophet and Prince of God: and, to recount them summarily, Isaac the heir of the promise divinely made to his father, Jacob his son, Joseph the Viceroy of Egypt, Moses the Leader of the people of God and King in Jeshurun, Joshua the warrior of Jehovah, Samuel the distinguished Prophet and judge of the people of God, David and Solomon Kings of the Israelites, Daniel, of the sons of Judah, the supreme Praetorian Prefect and Chief Chamberlain (as they are called in the Emperors’ Code) of Nebuchadnezzar the Great, the Monarch of Babylon – to say nothing now of others, by whose service the great God made use. Finally, in these last days, He has spoken to us through the Son, manifested in the flesh, whom He appointed heir of all things, and who through the Apostles revealed the mystery of our eternal salvation to all nations and peoples.

INSTRUMENTUM Theologiæ est Scriptura θεόπνευστος, quæ sic cælestis sapientiæ mysteria exponit, ut altitudine superbos irrideat, profunditate attentos terreat, veritate magnos pascat, affabilitate parvulos nutriat. (Augustinus tertio tomo, libro quinto de Genesi ad literam, cap. tertio.) MATERIA ex qua Theologia constat sunt principia ac præcepta modum rationis humanæ longissimè superantia, nec aliter nisi per revelationem divinam cognita: non autem rationi humanæ insita, non rationis humanæ acumine inventa, non per experientiam observata, qualia humanarum disciplinarum principia sunt ac præcepta ex ratione deducta vel experimentis collecta. FORMA ejus interna atque essentialis est veritas divina, sancta, justa, perfecta, æterna, immutabilis, ideæ Theologiæ quæ in DEO est imitatrix: veritas nos sanctificans, veritas nos veraces Deoque quàm simillimos reddens. FINIS cjus primarius est gloria DEI immortalis & sapientissimi: Hanc Theologia præcipuè spectat, hanc spectandam aliis exhibet, hanc omnes pii habitu Theologiæ præditi, usu ejus legitimo testatam faciunt. Secundarius ejusdem finis est Beatitudo nostra ad quam Theologia tanquam medium certissimum nos ducit: Beatitudo, inquam, non quam Philosophi docuerunt, quæ veriùs miseria est, sed quam Deus patefecit & omnibus electis suis exhibet, quæ est communio illa cum DEO Patre, Filio & Spiritu Sancto, quæ sola æternùm beatos facit. Nemo sine Theologia, sine sapientia beatus est: nemo enim beatus est nisi Summo Bono, quod in ea veritate, quam Theologiam & sapientiam vocamus, cernitur & tenetur. Summi, inquam, {iv} Boni adeptione & possessione quisque fit beatus.

[The Instrument, Matter, Form, and End of Theology.]

The INSTRUMENT of Theology is the θεόπνευστος [inspired] Scripture, which so expounds the mysteries of heavenly wisdom that it mocks the proud with its height, terrifies the attentive with its depth, feeds the great with its truth, and nourishes the small with its affability. (Augustine, third volume, fifth book on the Literal Interpretation of Genesis, third chapter.)

The MATTER from which Theology consists are principles and precepts surpassing the mode of human reason by a very great distance, and known only through divine revelation; they are not innate to human reason, not discovered by human sharpness of reason, not observed through experience, as are the principles and precepts of human disciplines, deduced from reason or collected from experiments.

The FORM of Theology, internal and essential, is the divine truth, holy, just, perfect, eternal, immutable, an imitator of the archetypal Theology which is in God: truth sanctifying us, truth making us truthful and as similar to God as possible.

The END of Theology, its primary end, is the glory of the immortal and most wise God. Theology chiefly looks to this; it presents this to others to be looked upon; this, all the pious, endowed with the habit of Theology, attest to it through theology’s legitimate use. Its secondary end is our Blessedness, to which Theology leads us as the most certain means: a Blessedness, I say, not which the Philosophers taught (which is more truly misery), but which God has revealed and exhibits to all his elect, which is that communion with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which alone makes eternally blessed. No one is blessed without Theology, without wisdom; for no one is blessed except by the Highest Good, which is discerned and held in that truth which we call Theology and wisdom. By the gaining and possessing of the Highest Good, I say, everyone is made blessed.

EFFECTA Theologiæ multa & præclara sunt. Illa veram Summi illius Boni, quod Deus est, cognitionem tradit: illa veram ac solidam beatitudinem ostendit: illa mentes ignorantiâ exitiali liberat: illa cordibus vitia expellit: illa est morum sanctorum Deoque probatorum magistra: illa superbiam DEO bonisque invisam eradicat, & humilitatem gratiam conciliantem plantat: illa ad sanctimoniam in nobis, ad justitiam erga omnes, ad perfectionem per omnia dirigit: illa verè adolescentiam alit, senectutem sancte oblectat, secundas res ornat adversis perfugium ac solatium constans ac solidum præbet: illa vitæ tranquillitatem largitur & terrorem mortis aufert: ex illius præceptis dies unus bene actus, peccanti immortalitati est anteponendus: & ut summatim multa complectar, illa docet in terris ea quorum fructus sempiternus nos manet in cælo: illa morti æternæ eripit & ad immortalitatem beatam perducit.

[The Effects of Theology.]

The EFFECTS of Theology are many and splendid. It conveys the true knowledge of that Highest Good, which is God: it shows true and solid blessedness: it frees minds from deadly ignorance: it expels vices from hearts: it is the teacher of holy morals approved by God: it eradicates pride, hateful to God and good men, and plants humility, which procures grace: it directs us to holiness in ourselves, to justice towards all, to perfection in all things: it truly nourishes youth, holily delights old age, adorns prosperity and offers a constant and solid refuge and solace in adversity: it bestows tranquility of life and takes away the terror of death: from its precepts, one day lived well is to be preferred to a sinning immortality: and to encompass many things summarily, it teaches on earth those things whose eternal fruit awaits us in heaven: it snatches from eternal death and leads to blessed immortality.

SUBJECTUM circa quod occupatur seu materia in qua versatur, sunt res divinæ propriè & simpliciter sic dictæ, nempe verus DEUS & quicquid est veri DEI, ac proinde ad ipsum refertur ut ad principium & finem. Hoc subjectum Theologiæ est nobilissimum: est infinitum, nemini cognitum nisi quatenus sese retegit: unde & ipsa infinitè & supra omnem analogiam cæteris supereminet disciplinis. Locus in quo usus ejus est eritque non tantùm in terris est, verùm etiam in cælo.

[The Subject of Theology.]

The SUBJECT with which it is occupied, or the matter in which it is engaged, are divine matters properly and simply so called, namely the true God and whatever is of the true God, and consequently is referred to Him as to the principle and end. This subject of Theology is the most noble: it is infinite, known to no one except insofar as He reveals Himself; whence Theology itself infinitely and beyond all analogy surpasses and excels all other disciplines. The place in which its use is and will be is not only on earth, but also in heaven.

ADJUNCTA denique quod attinet, Christiana Theologia est sancta, justa atque perfecta; quippe quæ nihil profani, injusti, imperfecti docet: est una, immutabilis & æterna. Hæc omnia Theologiam Christianam universis disciplinis aliis longissimè præstare evincunt, quum talia sint, quæ vel aliis disciplinis minimè competant: vel eminentiora, certiora & efficaciora sint in Theologia, quàm in artibus & scientiis humanis. Quæ causa est cur magni etiam & potentissimi Reges divinæ huic Theosophiæ serio affectu dediti fuerint. Præcepta Jehovæ, ait DAVID rex ille magnus vir secundum cor DEI, desiderabiliora sunt auro, & quidem auro purgatissimo quàm plurimo; ac dulciora melle, & quidem acœto melle (Psal. 19. 11). De via testimoniorum tuorum (ait idem rex ad Jehovam) gaudeo, ut super omnibus opibus. De mandatis tuis meditor, & intueor semitas tuas: Tum testimonia tua oblectationes meæ sunt, consiliarii mei (Psal. 119. 14, 15, 24). SALOMON filius ejus cùm fuerit sapiens, docuit scientiam populum, & attendens, scrutatusque concinnavit sententias multas: quæsiuit assequi verba delectabilia, & singula scripta rectè, verba fidelia, verba sapientum similia aculeis, & similia clavis infixis, lectissima; tradita à Pastore eodem (Eccles. 12. v. 11, 12, 13) nempe CHRISTO Domino. Plura exempla non appono, quæ multa sunt inter Imperatores, Reges, Principes & Magnates alios Christianos. Nihil dicam de Episcopis & Doctoribus Ecclesiæ Christianæ, qui Theologiam ex scriptis Propheticis & Apostolicis piè eruditeque contextam explicarunt & tradiderunt: quorum in numero sunt Justinus {v} Martyr, Clemens Alexandrinus, Irenæus Martyr, Tertullianus, Cyprianus Martyr, Athanasius, Lactantius, Chrysostomus, Ambrosius, Hieronymus, Augustinus & alii plurimi qui ad hoc usque seculum vixerunt & floruerunt, quorum nomina recensere nimis prolixum foret.

[The Attributes of Theology.]

Finally, concerning its ATTRIBUTES, Christian Theology is holy, just, and perfect; seeing that it teaches nothing profane, unjust, imperfect: it is one, immutable, and eternal. All these things prove that Christian Theology is superior to all other disciplines by a very great distance, since they are such things which either do not pertain at all to other disciplines, or are more eminent, more certain, and more effective in Theology than in human arts and sciences. This is the reason why even great and most powerful Kings have been devoted to this divine Theosophy with serious affection. “The precepts of Jehovah,” says DAVID, that great king, a man after God’s own heart, “are more desirable than gold, and indeed than much pure gold; and sweeter than honey, and indeed than honey from the comb” (Ps. 19:11). “Concerning the way of thy testimonies” (the same king says to Jehovah) “I rejoice as much as over all riches. I will meditate on thy commandments and regard thy ways. Truly, thy testimonies are my delight, they are my counsellors” (Ps. 119:14-15, 24). Solomon his son, “when he had been wise, taught the people knowledge, and, attending and searching, he composed many proverbs. He sought to attain delightful words, and to write accurately words of truth, words of the wise like goads, and like nails firmly fixed, most choice; delivered by one Shepherd” (Eccl. 12:11-13), namely by the Lord Christ. I do not adduce more examples, which are many among Emperors, Kings, Princes, and other Christian Magnates. I will say nothing of the Bishops and Doctors of the Christian Church, who explained and handed down Theology, piously and learnedly woven together from the Prophetic and Apostolic writings: among whose number are Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Irenaeus the Martyr, Tertullian, Cyprian the Martyr, Athanasius, Lactantius, Chrysostom, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine and many others who have lived and flourished up to this present century, whose names it would be too lengthy to recount.

Eorum exempla imitari jam dudum optavi studio gloriæ DEI & propagandæ veritatis atque ædificanda Ecclesiæ accensus, certè aliquot jam annis conatus sum labore quanto potui, fide quâ debui, sincera certè & constanti. Etsi enim nihil de Theologia & sapientia rerum divinarum dici jam possit, quod non sit dictum priùs, ac proinde actum egisse videri queam: tamen utile est de iisdem quæstionibus plures à pluribus fieri libros, diverso stylo, non diversa fide, ut Augustinus tertio tomo ait, libro primo de Trinitate, capite tertio.

[The Author’s Desire.]

I have long desired to imitate their examples, inflamed by a zeal for the glory of God and the propagation of truth and the edification of the Church, and certainly for several years now I have attempted it with as much labour as I could, with the faith I owed, certainly with a sincere and constant faith. For although nothing can now be said about Theology and the wisdom of divine matters that has not been said before, and thus I might seem to be doing what has already been done: nevertheless, it is useful for many books to be made by many people on the same questions, with a different style, not a different faith; as Augustine says in the third volume, first book on the Trinity, third chapter.

[Notes: The original is a single paragraph. I have broken up the text into sections to reflect the logical flow of thought and added headings in square brackets to provide a structured outline that might assist in comprehension.

This opening passage exemplifies the grandeur and systematic rigour of Reformed Scholasticism. Polanus structures his argument using the classical Aristotelian causes – Efficient, Instrumental, Material, Formal, and Final – to present Christian theology not merely as a set of beliefs, but as the highest and most coherent of all human knowledge. Its source, substance, and end is God Himself. The sweeping prose is designed to convince the reader of theology’s unparallelled dignity and desirability. One is struck by the synthesis of logical precision and profound reverence. This is an invitation to Divine Wisdom. It is argued that theology is unique because its author is God, its instrument is divine Scripture, its subject is the infinite Godhead, and its end is eternal blessedness. The effect is overwhelming: the reader is meant to feel that to study theology is to engage with the most noble, soul-forming, and glorious pursuit possible. It is a study that begins on earth and finds its fulfilment in heaven.

Polanus expresses a deep and deliberate catholicity. He was working with a conscious connection to the universal, historic Christian faith: “nothing can now be said about Theology ... that has not been said before.” The aim is fidelity, not novelty. He worked from a persuasion that there is a “consensus of the orthodox ancient Fathers and other best writers.” Truth is not a new discovery but a timeless revelation, and the role of the theologian is to arrange, defend, and explain this received truth with greater clarity and systematic rigour. The goal is to speak in harmony with the historic church. This high regard for tradition, however, does not negate the need for new works. As Polanus notes, following Augustine, it is useful to write on the same questions “with a different style, not a different faith.” This “style” means providing a clearer methodical order and refuting contemporary errors. It is this respect for the sacred trust of the faith, combined with his masterful systematisation of it, that gives the Syntagma its enduring value. It is a monumental effort to preserve and pass on timeless truth.]

 

[MW]

[The final part of the Dedication. Notes to follow.]

Sed de ratione instituti mei aliquid amplius mihi dicendum. Multi jam anni sunt, ex quo studiis Theologicis deditus & publicis privatisque lectionibus, disputationibus, orationibus ea tractans, animadverti operæ pretium futurum, si quæ per universam Veteris & Novi Testamenti Scripturam latè fusa ac sæpè repetita sunt colligerentur & collecta in ordinem certum perspicuumque ad intelligentiam atque memoriam juvandam redigerentur. Rem eandem à me partim coràm, partim per epistolas viri boni & sapientiæ rerum divinarum amantes postularunt. Quumque professionis meæ & exercitiorum ratio eandem requireret: fretus DEO piorum consiliorum autore & secundatore, διατύπωσιν quandam universæ Theologiæ adumbravi, eamque paulatim illustravi: utque felicius succederet institutum, Biblia Vulgatæ versionis Latinæ cum fontibus conferre Hebræis & Græcis & singula capita ordine retexere Methodo Analyticâ cœpi, & inde observare quæ ad Theologiam pertinent rectè tractandam. Plurimorum autem Scripturæ Sacræ locorum difficiles explicatus fecerunt, ut judicio meo fidere noluerim, sed Patres & Scriptores alios Ecclesiasticos veteres & recentes consuluerim, sententias illorum perquisiverim & annotaverim: unde non tantùm SYMPHONIA CATHOLICA sub manu nata est, sed multorum etiam utriusque Testamenti locorum δυσνοήτων interpretationes orthodoxæ subministratæ.

[The Plan of this Work.]

But I must say something more about the plan of my work. It is now many years that, devoted to theological studies and treating them in public and private lectures, disputations, and orations, I noticed it would be worthwhile if the things – which are widely spread throughout the entire Scripture of the Old and New Testament, and often repeated – were gathered together, and, having been collected, were brought into a certain clear and perspicuous order for the aiding of understanding and memory. Good men and lovers of the wisdom of divine matters have requested the same thing from me, partly in person, partly by letters. And since the nature of my profession and exercises required the same: relying on God, the author and supporter of pious plans, I sketched a certain διὰτύπωσιν [outline] of the whole of Theology, and I gradually illustrated it. And so that my undertaking might succeed more happily, I began to compare the Vulgate Latin version of the Bible with the Hebrew and Greek sources, and to reweave the individual chapters in order by the Analytical Method, and from there to observe the things which pertain to the correct handling of Theology. Furthermore, the difficult explanations of very many passages of Sacred Scripture made me unwilling to trust my own judgment, but I consulted the Fathers and other Ecclesiastical writers, both ancient and recent; I sought out and annotated their opinions: whence not only a SYMPHONIA CATHOLICA [Catholic Harmony] came to be under my hand, but also orthodox interpretations of many δυσνοήτων [difficult to understand] passages of each Testament were supplied.

Ad SYNTAGMA THEOLOGIAE igitur animum adjeci & ei opera valetudinemque impendi, materiam quidem & res ipsas primùm ex divinitus inspiratis literis Propheticis & Apostolicis, tanquam ex Oceano sapientiæ cælestis hauriens; deinde in quæstionibus & locis controversis consensum orthodoxorum Patrum antiquorum, & scriptorum aliorum optimorum certo consilio & deditâ operâ retinens: formam autem internam, id est, veritatem divinam, cujus me tanquam rei pulcherrimæ amatorem profiteor, constanter & sincerè consectans & conspiciendam satagens exhibere cupientibus eam intueri. Quod verò formam externam in ordine Methodico, quem disciplinæ, artes {vi} & scientiæ secundùm leges artis Logicæ postulant, elucentem attinet, de ea verba facere vix audeo, ne arroganter quicquam mihi tribuere videar. Hoc tantùm verè profiteor, Syntagma hoc magnis laboribus, multisque vigiliis mihi constitisse, neglectâ etiam quamvis tenui valetudine infirmi corporis mei & oculorum diuturna jam debilitate.

[The Labour of this Work.]

I therefore applied my mind to the SYNTAGMA OF THEOLOGY and spent upon it my effort and health, first drawing the material and the things themselves from the divinely inspired Prophetic and Apostolic writings, as from an Ocean of heavenly wisdom; then, in questions and controversial places, retaining the consensus of the orthodox ancient Fathers and other best writers with a fixed purpose and dedicated effort; but constantly and sincerely pursuing the internal form, that is, the divine truth, whose lover I profess myself to be, and striving to display it for those wishing to behold it. But concerning the external form, shining forth in the Methodical order, which disciplines, arts and sciences demand according to the laws of the Logical art, I scarcely dare to speak, lest I seem to arrogate anything to myself. This only I truly profess, that this Syntagma has cost me great labours and many vigils, with even the slight health of my weak body and the now long-lasting debility of my eyes being neglected.

Impulit me desiderium propagandi gloriam DEI æterni & Patris Domini nostri JESU CHRISTI: impulit me amor Ecclesiæ DEI, in memoriam identidem mihi revocans Davidicum illud; Propter fratres meos & amicos meos eloquar nunc, pax sit in te. Propter domum Jehovæ Dei nostri, procurabo bonum tibi (Psal. 122. v. 8, 9). Porrò DEO Trinuno, PATRI, FILIO ET SPIRITUI SANCTO acceptum fero & in sacrificium eucharisticum offero quicquid in opere isto boni est: eundemque supplicibus votis solicito ut illud ad nominis sui divini laudem & ad fidelium suorum ædificationem gratiosè jubeat pertinere.

[The Goal of this Work.]

I was driven by a desire to propagate the glory of the eternal God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I was driven by a love for the Church of God, calling back into my memory again and again that saying of David: “For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek thy good” (Psalm 122:8-9). Furthermore, I ascribe to the Triune God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and offer as a Eucharistic sacrifice whatever is good in this work: and I beseech Him with suppliant prayers that He may graciously ordain it to pertain to the praise of His divine name and to the edification of His faithful.

Lectores autem amanter rogatos volo ut Christianum candorem adhibeant in judicando: & ubi pariter mecum certi sunt de veritate, pergant mecum: ubi pariter hæsitant, quærant mecum: ubi errorem suum cognoscunt, redeant ad veritatem: ubi meum, revocent me. Ita ingrediamur simul charitatis viam, tendentes ad eum cujus cognitio vita est æterna, per cum qui est via, veritas & vita, corroborati virtute Spiritus Sancti.

[A final word to the Reader.]

Moreover, I wish the readers, whom I lovingly ask, to employ Christian candour in judging: and where they are equally certain with me of the truth, let them proceed with me: where they equally hesitate, let them seek with me: where they recognise their own error, let them return to the truth: where they recognise mine, let them call me back. Thus let us together enter the way of charity, tending towards Him whose knowledge is eternal life, through Him who is the way, the truth, and the life, strengthened by the virtue of the Holy Spirit.

Cæterùm tibi, Illustris & verè Generose Domine BARO, Syntagma hoc dedico & inscribo, quia meretur pietas tua, & quia virtuti tuæ spectaræ debetur. Datum enim est tibi munere divino ut in verè Catholica & Christiana Ecclesia nascereris; utque in te sit minimè simulata fides, quæ habitavit priùs in utroque illustri parente tuo. Serviisti fideliter consilio DEI in procuranda pace publica tum Ecclesiæ DEI tum Reipublicæ Moravicæ & vicinarum: probasti documentis plurimis Christiano orbi, quantopere tibi cordi sit gloria Servatoris nostri JESU CHRISTI & religio ipsius pura atque orthodoxa: & nunc divini Numinis providentiâ & Serenissimi Regis MATTHIAE nutu & autoritate, Marchionatus Moravici Præsidem ita agis, ut ex administratione tua solatium Ecclesia, præsidium Respublica accipiat. Sed ad publicas causas privatum meum officium accedit, quo tibi me obstrictum esse profiteor & quoad vixero profitebor: quamobrem Syntagma hoc elaboratum à me per voluntatem DOMINI, grati mei erga te animi monimentum,& constantissimi sponsorem officii esse volo.

[Reason for this Dedication.]

Furthermore, to you, Illustrious and truly Noble Lord BARON, I dedicate and inscribe this Syntagma, because your piety merits it, and because it is owed to your conspicuous virtue. For it has been given to you by divine gift that you were born in the truly Catholic and Christian Church; and that in you there is a faith that is in no way feigned, a faith which first dwelt in both of your illustrious parents. You have served faithfully the counsel of God in procuring public peace both for the Church of God and for the Republic of Moravia and its neighbours. You have proven to the Christian world by very many evidences how greatly the glory of our Savior Jesus Christ and His pure and orthodox religion are close to your heart: and now, by the providence of the Divine Majesty and by the will and authority of the Most Serene King Matthias, you so act as President of the Margraviate of Moravia that from your administration the Church receives solace and the Republic receives protection.

But to these public causes, my private duty is added, by which I profess myself to be bound to you, and as long as I live I will profess it. For this reason, I wish this Syntagma, elaborated by me through the will of the Lord, to be a monument of my grateful mind towards you, and a pledge of my most constant duty.

Te itaque, Illustris ac verè Generose Domine BARO, humiliter demisseque rogo & oro, ut studium meum gratiosè probes tanquam à DEO inditum, & laborem accipias ut Deo sacrum, & Ecclesiæ ejus ut spero fructuosum.

And so I humbly and meekly ask and beseech you, Illustrious and truly Noble Lord Baron, that you graciously approve of my endeavour as given by God, and accept this labour as consecrated to God, and, as I hope, fruitful for His Church.

{vii} Deum autem & Patrem Domini nostri JESU CHRISTI supplex veneror, ut te, Illustris ac magnanime BARO quàm diutissimè servet incolumem & florentem, tibi dexter adsit, te Spiritu suo bono regat, & omni benedictione ornet augeatque cumulatissimè; quod & socer meus venerandus D. Johannes Jacobus Grynæus una mecum vovet. Vale prosperrimè, & me favore tuo complecti perge. Basileæ die 28. Augusti, anno à nato Sospitatore Mundi CHRISTO DOMINO 1609.

Furthermore, I humbly pray to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He preserve you, Illustrious and magnanimous Baron, safe and flourishing for a very long time, that He be favourably at your side, guide you with His good Spirit, and adorn and increase you most abundantly with every blessing; a prayer which my revered father-in-law, Mr. Johannes Jacobus Grynæus, vows together with me. Fare most excellently, and continue to embrace me with your favour. Basel, the 28th day of August, in the year 1609 from the birth of the world’s Saviour, Christ the Lord.

T. G.
addictissimus

Most devoted to your grace,

AMANDUS POLANUS A POLANSDORF

Academia Basiliensis pro tempore Rector.

For the time being, Rector of the University of Basel.

[Notes: Polanus noticed that key theological truths were “widely spread throughout the entire Scripture ... and often repeated.” His goal was to “gather them together ... into a certain clear and perspicuous order for the aiding of understanding and memory.” This reflects the humanist and Ramist influence on Reformed scholasticism, which valued method, logic, and pedagogical clarity. He adopted the Analytical Method. This meant breaking down a text into its constituent logical parts like subjects, predicates, causes, effects, etc., to understand its precise meaning and structure. This methodological rigour was central to the intellectual project of Reformed orthodoxy. In controversial matters, he deliberately retained “the consensus of the orthodox ancient Fathers and other best writers.” He admitted that the difficulty of many passages made him unwilling to trust his own judgment, leading him to consult both ancient and recent writers. So individual interpretation was kept in check by the wider, historical consensus of the church.

The Syntagma is presented as the culmination of years of work in various roles: “public and private lectures, disputations, and orations.” It was not an abstract exercise but a work forged in the fires of academic and ecclesiastical life. This came at a personal cost: “great labours and many vigils” were undertaken while neglecting his “slight health” and the debility of his eyes. This was common among humanist scholars. It showed the priority they gave to their work. But for Polanus this was a “Eucharistic Sacrifice” – offered to the Triune God; so it was not just work for him, it was worship.

The abbreviation “T. G.” is attested in other works of the period and seems to be an honorific form of adress to a noble. My best guess is that it functions as the dative indirect object of “addictissimus,” yielding the translation: “Most devoted to Your Grace.”]

 

[greenbaggins]

Matthew and Charles, since Polanus is so gigantic, you could possibly pool your resources and divide the work, with Charles being editor, and Matthew translating things Charles hasn't gotten to yet. Just a suggestion. Divide and conquer, and Polanus could be published MUCH more quickly.

 

[MW]

Matthew and Charles, since Polanus is so gigantic, you could possibly pool your resources and divide the work, with Charles being editor, and Matthew translating things Charles hasn't gotten to yet. Just a suggestion. Divide and conquer, and Polanus could be published MUCH more quickly.

That is a good suggestion and would be desirable, but I am wanting to go completely through Polanus for my own study so as to fit him in the landscape of Reformed historical theology. My first aim is not to translate since Charles is much better qualified than I am. The goal for me is to work through the original Latin from beginning to end. The text is provided with notes here on PB so others might enjoy the fruit of it. At the same time an ongoing public project helps to keep me on track.

 

[MW]

[The Synopsis of Book 1, Prolegomena and Scripture. Because the paragraphs are brief I have formatted the English directly under the Latin to make it clearer. This can also be helpful for those learning Latin as it functions like an Interlinear text.]

{viii} SYNOPSIS SYNTAGMATIS THEOLOGIAE CHRISTIANAE
SYNOPSIS OF SYNTAGMA OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY

LIBRI I.
BOOK I

Theologia ὁμωνύμως dicitur: est enim vel vera vel falsa.
Theology is spoken of homonymously: for it is either true or false.

Theologia falsa est tum veterum Ethnicorum, tum aliorum de rebus divinis errantium.
False theology is both that of the ancient Pagans and that of others who err concerning divine matters.

Veterum Ethnicorum Theologia bipartita fuit: alia de diis: alia de dæmonibus.
The theology of the ancient Pagans was divided into two parts: one concerning the gods, the other concerning demons.

Quæ de diis egit, fuit duplex: una vulgaris, altera exquisita.
That which concerned the gods was twofold: one vulgar, the other refined.

Theologia Ethnicorum exquisita est triplex; Fabulosa, Physica & Politica.
The refined theology of the Pagans is threefold: Fabulous, Physical, and Political.

Quæ de dæmonib. tractavit, gemina est: μαγία & θεουργία.
That which treated of demons is twinfold: magic and theurgy.

Aliorum de rebus divinis errantium, est blasphemorum Judæorum, Mahumetanorum, pseudochristianorum & hæreticorum.
The theology of others who err concerning divine matters is that of blasphemous Jews, Mohammedans, pseudo-Christians, and heretics.

Theologia vera vel archetypa est, vel ectypa.
True theology is either archetypal or ectypal.

Theologia ectypa vel in se consideratur: vel ut est in creaturis rationalibus.
Ectypal theology is considered either in itself or as it is in rational creatures.

Theologiæ cum creaturis rationalibus communicatæ fines sunt duo: primarius & summus est glorificatio Dei tanquam summi boni: secundarius & subordinatus est beatitudo creaturarum rationalium.
The ends of theology communicated to rational creatures are two: the primary and highest is the glorification of God as the highest good; the secondary and subordinate is the blessedness of rational creatures.

Partes Beatitudinis sunt duæ: libertas à malis omnibus, & poffessio verorum bonorum omnium, quibus in Deo creaturæ rationales potiuntur: Cujusmodi sunt: visio Dei, conformitas cum Deo, sufficientia in Deo & certa scientia æternæ suæ selicitatis.
The parts of Blessedness are two: freedom from all evils, and possession of all true goods, which rational creatures enjoy in God. Such are: the vision of God, conformity with God, sufficiency in God, and certain knowledge of their eternal happiness.

Visio Dei in homine, vel obscura est, vel clara.
The vision of God in man is either obscure or clear.

Theologia ectypa considerata ut est in creaturis rationalibus, est tum Christi tanquam Capitis Ecelesiæ Dei secundùm humanitatem ipsius: tum membrorum Christi.
Ectypal theology, considered as it is in rational creatures, is both that of Christ as the Head of the Church of God according to His humanity, and that of the members of Christ.

Hæc est tum beatorum, tum viatorum.
This is both of the blessed and of wayfarers.

Theologia beatorum est vel Angelorum, vel hominum.
Theology of the blessed is both of Angels and of men.

Theologiæ viatorum duplex est ratio: nam vel absolutè consideratur, vel secundùm quid.
There is a twofold classification of the theology of wayfarers: for it is considered either absolutely, or in a certain respect.

Theologia viatorum absolutè dicta & secundum naturam suam considerata, secundùm essentiam una est & æterna, & immutabilis: Secundum adjuncta verò est vel vetus vel nova.
The theology of wayfarers, taken absolutely and considered according to its own nature, is according to its essence one, eternal, and immutable; but according to its adjuncts it is either old or new.

Theologia viatorum seu nostra secundùm quid considerata, vel quatenus est in ipsis viatoribus ex causis efficientibus, partim infusa est, partim acquisita.
The theology of wayfarers, or our theology, considered in a certain respect – namely, as it is in the wayfarers themselves from the efficient causes – is partly infused and partly acquired.

Principium Theologiæ nostræ est VERBVM DEI.
The principle of our Theology is the WORD OF GOD.

Idque re & substantia unicum est & simplex, sed revelationis modo duplex est, ἐνδιάθετον καὶ προφορικὸν, id est, internum & externum.
And this, in the thing and the substance, is single and simple, but in its mode of revelation it is twofold: ἐνδιάθετον καὶ προφορικὸν (endiathetos kai prophorikon), that is, internal and external.

Utrumque Verbum Dei appellatur scriptura; internum quidem, scriptura cordis: externum verò, scriptura utriusque Testamenti.
Both are called the Word of God in Scripture; the internal indeed, the scripture of the heart; but the external, the scripture of each Testament.

Hæc aliàs secundùm essentiam consideratur, alias secundùm accidens.
This is at one time considered according to its essence, at another time according to its accidents.

Scripturæ Sacræ secundùm accidens consideratæ expendenda est, autoritas, necessitas, editio authentica, translatio in linguas vernaculas, lectio, perspicuitas, interpretatio seu expositio & perfectio.
Holy Scripture, considered according to its accidents, must be weighed in terms of its authority, necessity, authentic edition, translation into vernacular languages, reading, perspicuity, interpretation or exposition, and perfection.

AUTORITAS Sacræ Scripturæ est duplex: divina & canonica.
The AUTHORITY of Holy Scripture is twofold: divine and canonical.

Utraque hæc autoritas Scripturæ consideratur tum absolutè in se: tum quoad nos.
Both of these authorities of Scripture is considered both absolutely in itself, and with respect to us.

Sacram Scripturam tum in generali, tum in particulari esse verè divinam nobis hodie constat. tum ex testimoniis & rationibus divinis, tanquam veris κριτηρίοις seu normis judicandi: tum ex testimoniis humanis.
That Holy Scripture, both in general and in particular, is truly divine, is established for us today both from divine testimonies and reasons, as true criteria or norms of judging, and from human testimonies.

{ix} Testimonia divina tanquam præcipua κριτήρια sunt duo, unum externum: alterum internum: illud est Scripturæ ipsius met, tanquam vocis Dei de se testantis: hoc vero Spiritus Sancti in cordibus nostris.
The divine testimonies, as the principal criteria, are two: one external, the other internal. The former is of Scripture itself, as the voice of God testifying concerning itself; the latter is that of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

Testimonia humana itidem duo sunt: unum Ecclesiæ veræ, alterum eorum qui sunt extra Ecclesiam.
The human testimonies are likewise two: one of the true Church, the other of those who are outside the Church.

Testimonium hoc Ecclesiæ veræ duplex est, nimirum, veteris & hodiernæ.
This testimony of the true Church is twofold, namely, of the ancient and of the present day.

Testimonia aliorum hominum extra Dei Ecclesiam sunt tum Judæorum, tum hæreticorum, tum Gentilium ipsorummet.
The testimonies of other men outside the Church of God are from Jews, heretics, and even the Gentiles themselves.

NECESSITAS Sacræ Scripturæ consideratur ratione tum scriptionis, tum exsistentiæ perpetuæ; maximè si spectes Scripturæ finem, qui est duplex; Theoricus & Practicus: ille ad cognitionem, hic ad actionem pertinens.
The NECESSITY of Holy Scripture is considered both in terms of its having been written and its perpetual existence; especially if you consider the end of Scripture, which is twofold: theoretical and practical. The former pertains to knowledge, the latter to action.

Theoricus finis itidem duplex est: Doctrinalis & judicialis.
The theoretical end is likewise twofold: doctrinal and judicial.

Judicialis hic finis duplex est, directivus & definitivus.
This judicial end is twofold: directive and definitive.

EDITIO Scripturæ Sacræ authentica, quod ad Vetus Testamentum attinet, est Hebræa, & in quibusdam capitibus Danielis & Ezræ Chaldæa: quod ad Novum Testamentum attinet est Græca.
The authentic EDITION of Holy Scripture, as it pertains to the Old Testament, is the Hebrew, and in certain chapters of Daniel and Ezra, the Chaldee; as it pertains to the New Testament, it is the Greek.

TRANSLATIONES seu versiones Scripturæ Sacræ in linguas vulgares sunt multæ: distinguuntur tamen commodè in antiquas & recentes.
The TRANSLATIONS or versions of Holy Scripture into the vernacular languages are many; they are, however, usefully distinguished into ancient and recent.

Antiquæ versiones Veteris Testamenti, aliæ ante Christum natum, aliæ post Christum natum prodierunt.
The ancient versions of the Old Testament: some were produced before the birth of Christ, others after the birth of Christ.

LECTIO Scripturæ Sacræ à Deo mandata est tum Ecclesiasticis quos vocant: tum laicis, & in-primis Regibus & Principibus & aliis Magistratibus.
The READING of Holy Scripture is commanded by God both to those who are called Ecclesiastics and to the laity, and in the first place to Kings and Princes and other Magistrates.

PERSPICUITAS Scripturæ Sacræ constat tum ex testimoniis Scripturæ, tum ex rationibus.
The PERSPICUITY of Holy Scripture is established both from the testimonies of Scripture and from reasoned arguments.

Partes INTERPRETATIONIS Scripturæ duæ sunt: enarratio veri sensus & accommodatio ad usum.
The parts of the INTERPRETATION of Scripture are two: the explanation of the true sense and the accommodation to use.

In veri sensus enarratione considerandum, unúsne sit an plures? et quomodo enarrande?
In the explanation of the true sense, it must be considered whether it is single or multiple? and how it is to be explained?

Quod ad prius attinet; reuera unius cujusque loci Scripturæ Sacræ sensus verus & genuinus, est tantùm unicus, isque literalis.
As to the former point: in reality, the true and genuine sense of each and every passage of Holy Scripture is only one, and that is the literal sense.

Isque vel est simplex, vel compositus.
And this is either simple or composite.

Ille vel proprius est, vel figuratus.
That is either proper or figurative.

Quod ad posterius; indicato proposito seu scopo loci interpretandi, deinceps thema & argumentum ad thema tractandum adhibitum exponitur tum per vocum declarationem, tum per rerum expositionem.
As to the latter: the purpose or scope of the passage to be interpreted having been indicated, the theme and the argument employed for treating the theme are then set forth, both by an explanation of the words and by an exposition of the matter.

Utraque autem nempe tum vocum tum rerum explicatio interdum breviter, interdum pluribus verbis instituitur.
Each of these explanations – namely, of both the words and subject matter – is sometimes undertaken briefly, sometimes at greater length.

Usus ad quem Scriptura Sacra accommodatur est quintuplex: διδασκαλία, ἔλεγχος, ἐπανόρθωσις, παιδεία; & παράκλησις; Doctrina, redargutio, correctio, institutio & consolatio.
The use to which Holy Scripture is accommodated is fivefold: διδασκαλία, ἔλεγχος, ἐπανόρθωσις, παιδεία, and παράκλησις; Doctrine, reproof, correction, training, and consolation.

Omnis justa S. Scripturæ interpretatio duplex est: analytica & synthetica.
Every just interpretation of Holy Scripture is twofold: analytical and synthetical.

Illa item duplex est communis & singularis.
The former is likewise twofold: common and singular.

Potestas seu autoritas & jus interpretandi Scripturam & judicandi de interpretatione aliorum atque adeò de omnibus controversiis religionis vel publica est, vel privata.
The power or authority and right of interpreting Scripture and of judging the interpretation of others, and consequently concerning all religious controversies, is either public or private.

Publica vel summa est, vel ministerialis.
Public is either supreme or ministerial.

Ministerialis potestas seu autoritas publica est tum Scripturæ Sacræ, tum orthodoxæ Ecclesiæ Dei.
Ministerial power or authority is public, belonging both to Holy Scripture and to the orthodox Church of God.

Interpretatio Scripturæ ex causis efficientibus est duplex divina & humana.
The interpretation of Scripture, with respect to its efficient causes, is twofold: divine and human.

Humana interpretatio Scripturæ Sacræ est duplex: alia publica, alia privata.
Human interpretation of Sacred Scripture is twofold: one public, the other private.

Publica itidem duplex est: Catholica vel particularis.
Public is likewise twofold: Catholic or particular.

PERFECTIO Sacræ Scripturæ excludit Traditionem humanam.
The PERFECTION of Holy Scripture excludes human Tradition.

Traditio interdum sumitur pro re tradita, interdum pro actione tradendi.
Tradition is sometimes taken for the thing handed down, sometimes for the action of handing down.

Traditio quum pro re tradita accipitur est è causis efficientibus vel divina vel humana.
When Tradition is taken for the thing handed down, it is, with respect to its efficient causes, either divine or human.

Traditio divina è subjestis est vel dogmatica, vel historica, vel ritualis.
Divine Tradition, from its subjects, is either dogmatic, historical, or ritual.

Traditio ritualis è subjectis vel universalis est, vel particularis.
Ritual Tradition, from its subjects, is either universal or particular.

Eadem ex adjunctis, vel perpetua est, vel temporaria.
The same, from its adjuncts, is either perpetual or temporary.

[Notes: The Synopsis is a good guide to the structure of the Reformed system of dogmatics in the Post-Reformation period. According to Muller (PRRD 1), “the basic form of the prolegomena is established in Junius’ De theologia vera while the form of the entire system is established in Polanus’ Partitiones and Syntagma.” Here we meet the preliminary doctrines about the nature of theology itself. The system is built on a logical division between false and true theology. This immediately excludes rival systems like the Pagan, Jewish, Mohammedan, Roman Catholic, and heretical.

Then one begins to construct the true system. The governing structure of true theology is the archetypal/ectypal distinction. God’s own self-knowledge is infinite and incomprehensible. Ectypal theology is revealed to and for rational creatures. This is finite and accommodated. Here is a single category for the theology of angels, Christ (according to His humanity), Adam, the Church militant, and the Church triumphant. The source of ectypal theology gives us a clear expression of sola Scriptura as a formal principle. This leads us to a discussion of Scripture’s authority, necessity, authenticity, perspicuity, interpretation, and perfection, which explicitly excludes human tradition.

The structure itself is the product of a specific method of dichotomy. The use of binary divisions is a hallmark of Ramist logic. Each major topic is subdivided into two, and those two are often further subdivided. The structure moves from the most general to the more specific, and then to the practical consequences. This creates a logically coherent movement from foundation to application.]

 

[cthorn14]

Dr. Thornwell has the following discussion on Scholastic and Positive theology. Is there any validity to his criticism? It seems that Polanus, Mastricht and others absolutely do "turn aside to reverence". On the other hand, Thornwell appears to have familiarity with scholastic writings, so I am hesitant to dismiss his criticism outright.

Theology has again been distinguished with reference to the order and arrangement of its contents and the general style of discussion, into Scholastic and Positive. "The positive," says Marck, " is not rigidly restricted to logical rules. The scholastic proceeds in a method more truly disciplinary, a most useful and ancient institution." "Positive and scholastic are not to be distinguished from each other," says DeMoor, as if the one were conversant about the exposition of Scripture, and the other a treatise of doctrines and commonplaces. For doctrines are obviously to be treated in the exposition of Scripture, and commonplaces and doctrines must depend upon the genuine sense and authority of Scripture. The true distinction is that Positive Theology is not strictly confined to logical rules; it gives itself more oratorical freedom of style. Scholastic Theology proceeds in a method more disciplinary [more strictly adapted to teaching] and reduces Divine truths to certain heads according to the rules of logic for the use of Christian schools."

It must be remembered that Marck and De Moor were both advocates of the Scholastic Theology, and have consequently failed to point out its most objectionable feature. Its great defect was not its logical method, nor its contempt of the embellishments of rhetoric, but the manner in which it used its method. It gave no scope to the play of Christian feeling ; it never turned aside to reverence, to worship or adore. It exhibited truth, nakedly and baldly, in its objective reality, without any reference to the subjective conditions which, under the influence of the Spirit, that truth was calculated to produce. It was a dry digest of theses and propositions—perfect in form, but as cold and lifeless as a skeleton. What it aimed at was mere knowledge, and its arrangements were designed to aid intelligence and memory.

The true method of Theology is, no doubt, a combination of the Scholastic and Positive. It must be not nakedly truth, but truth according to godliness. The writer must know it, because he has been taught by the Spirit and feels its power. This living consciousness of its preciousness and sweetness and glory is absolutely essential to save a system from the imputation of a frozen formalism. There must be method, but method without life is a skeleton. Infuse life, and you have a noble organism.

 

[greenbaggins]

Thornwell here makes the mistake that many have made in equating Scholasticism with content. Richard Muller, Willem Van Asselt, Adrian Neele, and Ryan McGraw (among others) have proven that scholasticism is merely a pedagogical method (state the claim, list the objections, answer the objections, prove from the sources), not a content. Previous generations allowed the incorrect definition of scholasticism to color what they viewed as cold, rational, unfeeling, logic-chopping. The Protestant scholastics ALWAYS made sure that doctrine led to doxology. So, no, Thornwell is incorrect here.

 

[cthorn14]

Thank you. I have also found them to be doxological. What made me curious is that he does seem very familiar with reformed orthodoxy, citing De Moor a lot especially.

 

[MW]

Dr. Thornwell has the following discussion on Scholastic and Positive theology. Is there any validity to his criticism? It seems that Polanus, Mastricht and others absolutely do "turn aside to reverence". On the other hand, Thornwell appears to have familiarity with scholastic writings, so I am hesitant to dismiss his criticism outright.

Thornwell identifies that the problem, in his view, is not the use of logic and method itself, but the manner of its use. His core charge is that Scholastic Theology can become a "dry digest of theses and propositions." This is a valid pastoral concern. By the turn of the 18th century it may well be that the "system" had calcified into bone. The earlier work was possibly assumed, although with Marckius and De Moor (whom one can follow on Dr. Dilday's site) it seems to me that they leave no stone unturned to answer the objections of their opponents. But by their time there was a need to answer "rationalism," and so it can appear that every objection has a "rational" answer.

When one examines Junius and Polanus there is a strong doxological element. Even the section posted above from the Synopsis shows that they were sensitive to the "ends" of theology, and this comes to expression in the well known opening question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. The charge, "It never turned aside to reverence, to worship or adore" might be true in some instances where the aim was to write a manual for students as a kind of "index;" but there are also systems that are sensitive to the practical side, as we see in the republication of Mastricht. Nevertheless this is the Puritan-Pietist stream of thought and is not to be found everywhere. For every Mastricht, there were doubtless imitators who produced the kind of "frozen formalism" that Thornwell criticises. So we must take on board his criticism as a warning against the potential abuses of the method.

 

[MW]

SYNOPSIS LIBRI II.
SYNOPSIS OF BOOK II.

Theologiæ Christianæ sunt partes duæ; prima de fide: altera de bonis operibus.
Christian Theology has two parts; the first concerning faith: the other concerning good works.

{x} Doctrinæ fidei partes sunt duæ: prima de Deo, secunda de Ecclesia.
The doctrines of faith are of two parts: the first concerning God, the second concerning the Church.

Fidei de Deo duæ sunt partes: prima de essentia Dei, secunda de operibus ipsius.
There are two parts of faith concerning God: the first concerning the essence of God, the second concerning his works.

Essentia Dei consideratur vel communiter, vel singulariter. Eodem prorsus sensu dicitur essentia divina considerari vel indistinctè vel distinctè. Ac rursus eodem sensu dicitur essentia divina considerari vel absolutè, vel relatè.
The essence of God is considered either commonly, or singularly. In exactly the same sense, the divine essence is said to be considered either indistinctly or distinctly. And again, in the same sense, the divine essence is said to be considered either absolutely, or relatively.

Fidei de essentia Dei duæ sunt partes: prima de attributis Dei; secunda de personis Deitatis.
There are two parts of faith concerning the essence of God: the first concerning the attributes of God; the second concerning the persons of the Godhead.

Attributa divina primò vel affirmativa sunt, vel negativa.
The divine attributes are firstly either affirmative or negative.

Secundò vel propria sunt, vel figurata.
Secondly, they are either proper or figurative.

Distributiones propriorum attributorum Dei sunt præcipuæ duæ.
There are chiefly two distributions of the proper attributes of God.

PRIMO attributa divina propria sunt tum nomina divina, tum proprietates Dei essentiales.
FIRSTLY, the proper divine attributes are both the divine names, and the essential properties of God.

NOMINA divina quædam in Veteri sunt Testamento, quædam in Novo.
The DIVINE NAMES are some in the Old Testament, some in the New.

Quæ in Veteri sunt Testamento alia essentiam Dei designant, alia ejus essentiæ propria.
Those which are in the Old Testament, some designate the essence of God, others the properties of his essence.

Essentiam Dei designantia sunt Jehova, Jah, Eheje.
Those designating the essence of God are LORD (Jehovah), Jah, I am (Eheje).

Designantia propria essentiæ Dei sunt; El, Elohim, Schaddái, Adonái, Heljon, &c.
Those designating the properties of God’s essence are: God (El), God (Elohim), Almighty (Shaddai), Lord (Adonai), Most High (Elyon), etc.

In Novo Testamento frequentissima funt Θεὸς & Κύριος.
In the New Testament, the most frequent are God (Θεὸς) and Lord (Κύριος).

In quo occurrunt & ista: ὕψιστος, πατήρ, τῶν φώτων, Abba, κύριος σαβαώθ.
In which also these occur: the Highest (ὕψιστος), Father (πατήρ), of lights (τῶν φώτων), Father (Abba [Aramaic]), Lord of Sabaoth (κύριος σαβαώθ).

PROPRIETATES Dei essentiales sunt duplicis ordinis: aliæ primi, aliæ secundi.
The ESSENTIAL PROPERTIES of God are of a twofold order: some of the first, others of the second.

Proprietates Dei essentiales primi ordinis sunt tum simplicitas & perfectio; tum infinitas & immutabilitas.
The essential properties of God of the first order are both simplicity and perfection; and infinity and immutability.

Infinitas Dei tum æternitas est, tum immensitas.
The infinity of God is both eternity and immensity.

Immutabilitas Dei tum essentiæ est: tum naturæ seu proprietatum essentialium: tum decretorum & promissionum Dei.
The immutability of God is both of essence and of nature or of the essential properties: and of the decrees and promises of God.

Proprietates Dei essentiales secundi ordinis sunt vita & immortalitas: beatitudo & gloria.
The essential properties of God of the second order are life and immortality, blessedness and glory.

Beatitudo Dei complectitur immunitatem ab omnibus malis, & omnium bonorum possessionem.
The blessedness of God comprises an immunity from all evils, and the possession of all goods.

Bona quæ beatus Deus possidet infinita & incomprehensibilia sunt: ea tamen nostræ melioris & facilioris intelligentiæ gratiâ ad hæc attributa revocari possunt, quæ sunt; Sapientia & voluntass, potentia & libertas.
The goods which the blessed God possesses are infinite and incomprehensible: yet, for the sake of our better and easier understanding, they can be referred to these attributes which are wisdom and will, power and liberty.

Sapientia Dei essentialis complectitur intelligentiam, scientiam, artem & prudentiam.
The essential wisdom of God comprises understanding, knowledge, skill, and prudence.

Scientia Dei PRIMO vel generalis est, vel specialis.
The knowledge of God is, FIRST, either general or special.

SECUNDO scientia Dei est tum notitia præteritorum, & præsentium; tum præscientia futurorum.
SECONDLY, the knowledge of God is both the awareness of past and present things, and the foreknowledge of future things.

Præscientia est duplex: universalis & particularis.
Foreknowledge is twofold: universal and particular.

Rursus præscientia Dei vel theorica est, vel practica.
Furthermore, the foreknowledge of God is either theoretical or practical.

TERTIO scientia Dei est vel visionis, vel simplicis intelligentiæ.
THIRDLY, the knowledge of God is either of vision, or of simple intelligence.

Voluntas Dei reipsâ est unica, nostræ tamen institutionis gratiâ est PRIMO vel essentialis, vel personalis.
The will of God is in reality one, but for the sake of our instruction, it is FIRST, either essential or personal.

SECUNDO voluntas Dei vel efficiens est, vel permittens.
SECONDLY, the will of God is either efficacious or permissive.

TERTIO voluntas Dei, vel absoluta est, vel conditionalis: illa beneplaciti dicitur, hæc signi.
THIRDLY, the will of God is either absolute or conditional: the former is called the will of good pleasure, the latter the will of the sign.

QUARTO voluntas Dei vel revelata est, vel occulta.
FOURTHLY, the will of God is either revealed or hidden.

Revelata primò vel antecedens est, vel consequens.
The revealed will is firstly either antecedent or consequent.

Secundò revelata voluntas Dei, est vel legalis, vel Evangelica.
Secondly, the revealed will of God is either legal or Evangelical.

QUINTO voluntas Dei est vel necessitatis naturæ, vel libera.
FIFTHLY, the will of God is either of natural necessity or free.

SEXTO alia est voluntas Dei erga nos & quam vult fieri de nobis & aliis creaturis: alia quam vult fieri à nobis.
SIXTHLY, one is the will of God towards us and what He wills to be done concerning us and other creatures; another is what He wills to be done by us.

SEPTIMO si objecta voluntatis spectes, ejus objectum est tum bonum tum malum.
SEVENTHLY, if you look at the objects of the will, its object is both good and evil.

Bonum quod Deus vult, est tum Deus ipse, tum omne bonum naturale, morale, & divinum.
The good that God wills is both God Himself and every natural, moral, and divine good.

Malum aliud est pœnæ, aliud culpæ. Voluntas Dei speciatim considerata tum bonitas ejus est, tum justitia.
One type of evil is that of punishment, another that of fault. The will of God, considered specifically, is both His goodness and His justice.

BONITAS Dei primò consideratur vel quâ in se bonus est, vel quâ extra se omnis boni autor exsistit.
The GOODNESS of God is firstly considered either as that by which He is good in Himself, or as that by which He stands forth as the author of all good outside Himself.

Bonitas Dei, quâ extra se omnis boni autor exsistit vel generalis est, vel specialis.
The goodness of God, by which He is the author of all good outside Himself, is either general or special.

Secundò bonitas Dei est fons gratiæ, amoris, misericordiæ, patientiæ, clementiæ Dei.
Secondly, the goodness of God is the source of the grace, the love, the mercy, the patience, and the clemency of God.

{xi} Gratia Dei ὁμωνύμως dicitur: est enim vel in Deo residens, vel à Deo data.
The Grace of God is spoken of homonymously: for it is either residing in God, or given by God.

Gratia in Deo residens vel generalis est, vel specialis.
Grace residing in God is either general or special.

Amor Dei dupliciter dicitur, vel quo Deus amat, vel quo nos Deum amamus.
The Love of God is spoken of in two ways: either as that by which God loves, or as that by which we love God.

Priore significato usurpatur dupliciter, nempevel ἐνεργητικῶς, vel παθητικῶς.
In the former sense, it is used in two ways, namely, either actively or passively.

Amor Dei ἐνεργητικῶς usurpatus est tum naturalis, tum voluntarius.
The Love of God, used in the active sense, is both natural and voluntary.

Amor Dei voluntarius est vel generalis, vel specialis.
The voluntary Love of God is either general or special.

Specialis seu singularis amor Dei est tum erga Christum quoad humanam ejus naturam, tum erga electos in Christo.
The special or singular Love of God is both toward Christ with respect to His human nature and toward the elect in Christ.

Misericordia Dei duobus modis dicitur; vel activè vel passivè.
The Mercy of God is spoken of in two modes: either actively or passively.

Illa ex objectis est vel generalis, vel specialis.
The former, from its objects, is either general or special.

JUSTITIA Dei reipsa unica est, pro captu tamen nostro considerata PRIMO vel uniuersalis est, vel particularis.
The JUSTICE of God is in reality one, yet considered according to our grasp, it is FIRST, either universal or particular.

Particularis justitia Dei tum erga se est, tum erga creaturas.
The particular justice of God is both toward Himself and toward creatures.

Hæcque vel disponens est, vel distribuens.
And the latter is either disposing or distributing.

Justitia Dei distribuens vel gratiæ est, vel iræ.
The distributing justice of God is either of grace or of wrath.

Justitia iræ divinæ est vel castigans vel vindicans.
The justice of divine wrath is either chastising or vindicating.

Eadem perspicitur tum quoad electos, tum quoad reprobos.
The same is perceived both concerning the elect and concerning the reprobate.

Quoad electos quidem, tum in ipsismet, tum in Christo pro ipsis.
Concerning the elect, indeed, both in themselves and in Christ on their behalf.

Quoad reprobos, tum in hominibus reprobis, tum in diabolo & angelis ejus.
Concerning the reprobate, both in reprobate men and in the devil and his angels.

SECUNDO justitia Dei tum veritas est, tum sanctitas.
SECONDLY, the justice of God is both truth and holiness.

Deus est veritas, tum in seipso, tum extra se erga creaturas.
God is Truth, both in Himself and outside Himself in relation to creatures.

In seipso tum essentiâ suâ, tum ideâ rerum verarum omnium in ipso exsistente, tum operibus internis.
In Himself, both in His own essence, and as the Idea of all true things existing in Him, and in His internal works.

Extra se tum in operibus externis, tum in verbis suis.
Outside Himself, both in His external works and in His words.

Tantum de voluntate Dei.
So much for the will of God.

Potentia Dei bifariam consideratur, vel quatenus ea Deus in seipso agit, vel quatenus extra se operatur aut operari potest.
The Power of God is considered in two aspects: either insofar as God acts in Himself, or insofar as He operates or can operate outside Himself.

Potentia quâ Deus in seipso agit, vel communis est omnibus tribus personis Deitatis, Patri, Filio, & Spiritui Sancto, ut quâ Deus in se intelligit & amat; vel est propria unius personæ, ut potentia generandi Filium est propria Patris, quia solius Patris est generare Filium.
The power by which God acts in Himself is either common to all three persons of the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as that by which God understands and loves in Himself; or it is proper to one person, as the power of generating the Son is proper to the Father, because it belongs to the Father alone to generate the Son.

Potentia quâ Deus extra se operari potest aut operatur vel absoluta est, vel actualis.
The power by which God can operate or does operate outside Himself is either absolute or actual.

Libertas Dei est triplex, à coactione, à servitute, ab onere miseriæ.
The Freedom of God is threefold: from coaction, from servitude, and from the burden of misery.

Hæc de beatitudine Dei.
Thus concerning the blessedness of God.

Gloria Dei vel essentialis est, vel personalis.
The Glory of God is either essential or personal.

Hucusque prima distinctio attributorum Dei propriorum.
Thus far for the first distinction of the proper attributes of God.

Secundo propria attributa Dei vel absoluta sunt, vel relativa.
For the second [distinction], the proper attributes of God are either absolute or relative.

Hactenus fuerunt attributa Dei propria: sequuntur figurata.
Thus far have been the proper attributes of God: the figurative follow.

Figurata attributa Dei vel singula distincte adhibentur: vel plura conjunctim.
Figurative attributes of God are presented either individually and distinctly, or several conjointly.

Singula distinctè sunt vel metonymica, vel Ironica, vel metaphorica, vel Synecdochica.
Those used individually and distinctly are either Metonymical, or Ironical, or Metaphorical, or Synecdochical.

Metonymica; ut quum Deus dicitur firmitas nostra, robur nostrum, fiducia omnium extremitatum terræ, carmen nostrum, laus nostra, &c.
Metonymical; as when God is called our firmness, our strength, the confidence of all the ends of the earth, our song, our praise, &c.

Metaphorica attributa Dei vel ab homine sumuntur, vel ab aliis creaturis.
Metaphorical attributes of God are taken either from man, or from other creatures.

Ab homine sumuntur ejus partes, membra corporis, sensus, affectus, actiones, subjecta & adjuncta.
From man are taken his parts, bodily members, senses, affections, actions, subjects and adjuncts.

Partes essentiales: ut anima.
Essential parts: as soul.

Membra corporis: ut caput, facies, oculus, palpebræ, pupilla, os, auris, nasus, nares, cervix, manus, brachium, &c.
Bodily members: as head, face, eye, eyelids, pupil, mouth, ear, nose, nostrils, neck, hand, arm, etc.

Sensus tribuuntur Deo tum interni tum externi.
Senses are ascribed to God both internal and external.

Interni, ut memoria seu recordatio, & ci opposita oblivio.
Internal, as memory or remembrance, and its opposite forgetfulness.

Externi, ut visus, auditus, odoratus.
External, as sight, hearing, smell.

Affectus ut lætitia, dolor in corde Dei, ira, zelus, zelotypia, odium, pœnitentia.
Affections as joy, pain in the heart of God, anger, zeal, jealousy, hatred, repentance.

Actiones humanæ quæ Deo κατ’ ἀνθρωποπάθειαν tribuuntur, tum internæ sunt, tum externæ.
Human actions which are ascribed to God anthropopathically (κατ’ ἀνθρωποπάθειαν), are both internal and external.

Internæ sunt, cogitare, cognoscere, numerare, &c.
Internal are: to think, to know, to number, etc.

Externæ sunt: dicere, elevare lucem faciei, inspirare, abscondere faciem, visitare homines, &c.
External are: to speak, to lift up the light of His countenance, to breathe, to hide His face, to visit men, etc.

Deus visitat homines vel per cognitionem, vel per effecta.
God visits men either through cognition, or through effects.

Per effecta bifariam, nempe in misericordia, & in judicio.
Through effects in two ways, namely in mercy, and in judgment.

{xii} Subjecta Deo per metaphoram attributa, sunt, thronus, solium, scabellum pedum.
Subjects attributed to God by metaphor, are, throne, seat, footstool.

Adjuncta sunt, magnitudo, vestimentum, liber, tempus, &c.
Adjuncts are, magnitude, clothing, book, time, etc.

Liber Dei quadruplex est, liber providentiæ, liber Scripturæ Sacræ, liber judicii divini, & liber vitæ.
The book of God is fourfold: the book of providence, the book of Holy Scripture, the book of divine judgment, and the book of life.

Liber providentiæ Dei est duplex, Mundi & Ecclesiæ.
The book of God’s providence is twofold: of the World and of the Church.

Metaphorica attributa Dei, quæ ab aliis creaturis sumuntur, sunt duplicia, quædam enim sumuntur ab animalibus, ut alæ, cornu. quædam à rebus inanimatis, ut, turris, rupes, clypeus.
Metaphorical attributes of God, which are taken from other creatures, are of two kinds; for some are taken from animals, as wings, horn; some from inanimate things, as, tower, rock, shield.

Hactenus de attributis Dei: sequitur de personis Deitatis.
Thus far concerning the attributes of God: what follows concerns the persons of the Godhead.

[Notes: The Synopsis is not just a table of contents. It is the logical skeleton of a comprehensive body of divinity. We can look through it to see the structural developments of Reformed systematic theology in terms of Ramist dichotomies. A major division is made between faith and good works. This reflects the Reformed emphasis on sola fide as the principle of salvation while maintaining that genuine faith necessarily produces obedience. From this division will come the formula that “Scripture is the rule for faith and life,” and will lead to the distinction between dogmatics and ethics. It came to be embodied in the Shorter Catechism, question 3, and forms the two parts of its basic structure.

Polanus’ organisation of the doctrine of God is also highly significant. By placing the Attributes before the Trinity, he establishes what God is in His fundamental being (One, Simple, Infinite, etc.) before discussing how He exists as three persons. This grounds the Trinity in the single, simple divine essence. The section on God’s will is a perfect example of Polanus’ use of dichotomous logic. He analyses a single subject, like the Will of God, through seven successive layers of distinction: Essential/Personal, Efficacious/Permissive, Absolute (of good pleasure)/ Conditional(of the sign), Revealed/Hidden, Necessary/Free, Concerning us/To be done by us, and its objects of Good and Evil. This brings precision to complex doctrinal points and makes it easier to refute opposing views.

I leave it to Richard Muller to assess the significance of Polanus’ contribution to the Reformed development of the doctrine of God: “Amandus Polanus von Polansdorf is certainly the most remarkable, whether for the detail of his doctrinal statements, his full use of the patristic and medieval tradition, or his Ramist attention to the architectonic issues of theology. Whereas the other writers just noted wrote shorter systems, notable for definition and organization, Polanus produced not only a finely defined and organized work, but also a summation of Reformed doctrine vast in its proportions… Where Polanus goes beyond his predecessors is in his detail of definition and in the vast mass of patristic material and of references to the scholastic tradition that illustrate and augment his own definitions and arguments” (PRRD, 3).]

 

[MW]

SYNOPSIS LIBRI III.
SYNOPSIS OF BOOK III.

Personæ Deitatis numero tres sunt: Pater, Filius & Spiritus Sanctus.
The Persons of the Godhead are three in number: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Persona divina quælibet vel communiter consideratur vel singulariter.
Each divine Person is considered either in a common or in a singular respect.

Singulariter consideratur vel absolutè vel relatè.
Singularly [a Person] is considered either absolutely or relatively.

Relatè quatenus respectum habet vel ad essentiam vel ad personas alias.
Relatively, insofar as [a Person] has a relation either to the essence or to the other Persons.

Persona comparatè ad alias personas consideratur tum quoad communionem, tum quoad distinctionem.
A Person, compared to the other Persons, is considered both with regard to communion and with regard to distinction.

Personæ distinguuntur secundum originem, ordinem & operationem earum.
The Persons are distinguished according to their origin, order, and operation.

Distinctio personarum secundum opes rationem duplex est: vel quoad modum agendi in operationibus essentialibus, vel quoad operationem personalem.
The distinction of Persons according to their powers is twofold in reason: either with regard to the mode of acting in essential operations, or with regard to personal operation.

Hactenus fuit de essentia Dei, sequitur de operibus ejus.
So far concerning the essence of God; the discussion of His works follows.

[Note: Dealing first with the divine essence allows Polanus to focus on the precise logical and relational distinctions of the Persons. This exemplifies the maturing of Reformed Scholasticism in the 17th century. The structure is characterised by analytical precision that distinguishes common/singular, absolute/relative, and a reliance on Aristotelian logic and causality with its references to origin, order, and operation. This marks a deliberate move beyond the simpler catechetical or polemical formats of earlier Reformers.]

SYNOPSIS LIBRI IV.
SYNOPSIS OF BOOK IV.

Opera Dei primò uel sunt personalia, vel essentialia.
The works of God, first, are either personal or essential.

Opera Dei personalia sunt duum generum: alia simpliciter personalia, alia certo modo.
The personal works of God are of two kinds: some simply personal, others in a certain manner.

Secundò opera Dei vel interna sunt, vel externa.
Secondly, the works of God are either internal or external.

Interna opera Dei itidem alia personalia sunt, alia essentialia.
The internal works of God, likewise, some are personal, others essential.

Essentialia opera Dei interna sunt æternum consilium & Decretum Dei.
The essential internal works of God are the eternal counsel and the Decree of God.

Partes decret Dei sunt duæ: omnium quæ futura erant præfinitio, & ordinatio primum finis deinde mediorum & circumstantiarum.
The parts of the decree of God are two: a predetermination of all things which were future, and an ordination first of the end then of the means and of the circumstances.

Æternum decretum Dei primò est vel beneplaciti Dei vel signi.
The eternal decree of God, first, is either of the good-pleasure of God or of sign.

Decretum signi vel præcipiens est, vel permittens.
The decree of sign is either commanding or permitting.

Secundò Decretum Dei vel generale est, vel speciale.
Secondly, the Decree of God is either general or special.

Decretum speciale est prædestinatio creaturarum rationalium tum ad certum finem, tum ad media per quæ ad finem perducuntur.
The special decree is the predestination of rational creatures both to a certain end, and to the means through which they are led to the end.

Estque tum electio, tum reprobatio.
And it is both election and reprobation.

Electio est tum Christi, tum membrorum Christi.
Election is both of Christ and of the members of Christ.

Electio membrorum Christi est tum beatorum Angelorum, tum hominum æternùm servandorum.
The election of the members of Christ is both of the blessed Angels, and of men to be saved eternally.

Electionis hominum partes sunt, destinatio hominum ad salutem æternam, & præparatio mediorum ad salutem homines perducentium.
The parts of the election of men are the destination of men to eternal salvation, and the preparation of means leading men to salvation.

Reprobationis partes seu actus duo sunt: prior est destinatio reproborum ad mortem æternam: posterior, est destinatio mediorum exsequendi decretum reprobationis.
The parts or acts of reprobation are two: the prior is the destination of the reprobate to eternal death: the posterior is the destination of means for executing the decree of reprobation.

Reprobatio æterna est tum diaboli, tum membrorum diaboli.
Eternal reprobation is both of the devil and of the members of the devil.

Reprobatio membrorum diaboli est, tum malorum angelorum, tum hominum damnandorum.
The reprobation of the members of the devil is both of the evil angels and of men to be damned.

Sic fuit de internis operibus Dei: sequitur de externis.
This much concerning the internal works of God: concerning the external follows.

[Note: Having defined God in Himself, the system moves to God in relation to His creatures, which it does through the pertinent locus of the “works of God.” While the Divine Decree is eternal and internal, Polanus’ placement of it under the works of God is a deliberate and significant structural choice. It treats the decree not as a static attribute of the essence, but as the primary internal act of the divine will – the first movement from God in Himself toward creation outside Himself. The internal works of counsel and decree are the foundation for the external works of execution.

Logical subdivision continues as the decree is traced from general to special objects, and within special objects to the difference between election and reprobation, including means with the end. This structure serves to place a debated doctrine within a stable, comprehensive framework of God’s sovereign will. Far from setting forth a decretal theology, this means the decree itself is made a part of an integrated system that balances the teaching with other doctrines.]

 

[cthorn14]

Æternum decretum Dei primò est vel beneplaciti Dei vel signi.
The eternal decree of God, first, is either of the good-pleasure of God or of sign.

Can someone please give a simple explanation of this distinction? I am understanding him as saying that some aspects of the decree very directly serve God's good pleasure and other aspects are decreed subordinately to signify God's purpose. Is this right? It would seem that everything is ultimately rooted in his good pleasure.

 

[paranymph]

Can someone please give a simple explanation of this distinction? I am understanding him as saying that some aspects of the decree very directly serve God's good pleasure and other aspects are decreed subordinately to signify God's purpose. Is this right? It would seem that everything is ultimately rooted in his good pleasure.

Turretin discusses on Vol I p. 223–225.

"The scholastics call that the beneplacit [good pleasure] will which remains concealed previously in God and is left to his most free power and becomes at length known by some oracle or by the event. But the will of sign is that which by some sign (for instance by a precept or a promise) is made known to us and which indicates some effect out of God as the sign of his will." Five signs are: precept, prohibition, counsel, permission, operation.

"With more propriety, therefore, the beneplacit will is made by us to answer to the decretive (which is nothing else than the decree of the good purpose of God about future external things); the will of sign is made by us to answer to the preceptive and approving (which prescribes to man his duty and indicates what is acceptable to God."

 

[cthorn14]

Thanks for the reference! Turretin goes on to make the beneplacit will answer to the decretive will and the will of sign answer to the preceptive and approving. That is pretty straightforward.

 

[MW]

Can someone please give a simple explanation of this distinction? I am understanding him as saying that some aspects of the decree very directly serve God's good pleasure and other aspects are decreed subordinately to signify God's purpose. Is this right? It would seem that everything is ultimately rooted in his good pleasure.

Because it is a Synopsis it only gives the outline without qualifications. This distinction allows him to account for human responsibility and what is contingent in human experience in terms of the decree. When the distinction itself comes to be discussed I expect it will be clarified that the will of good pleasure is the will of God in a proper sense because that determines what is to be done, whereas the will of sign is His will in an improper sense as it has no determination with regard to the event. It only indicates what God will do on certain conditions and what man ought to do.

 

[cthorn14]

When the distinction itself comes to be discussed I expect it will be clarified that the will of good pleasure is the will of God in a proper sense because that determines what is to be done, whereas the will of sign is His will in an improper sense as it has no determination with regard to the event.

That would make sense, but he has permitting as a category under the will of sign.

 

[MW]

That would make sense, but he has permitting as a category under the will of sign.

Yes, it seems a category error. He wants to ensure the decree is not made the cause of the sin. I will paste the relevant passage below. The last paragraph speaks to the point. He says sin is according to a decree permitting, not from it.

Decretum pracipiens, est quo Deus ab æterno constituit res faciendas imperare quas probat fieri, aut fugiendas vitare, quas improbat.
A decree commanding, is that by which God from eternity established to command the doing of those things which He approves to be done, or to forbid the doing of things which He disapproves.

Decretum permittens, est quo Deus ab æterno constituit permittere fieri, quæcunque permittit.
A decree permitting, is that by which God from eternity established to permit to happen, whatever He permits.

Hoc decreto Deus decrevit permittere non tantum bona aut media, sed etiam peccatum; sic enim legitur Actor. 2.v.23. Hunc definito consilio, & providentia Dei deditum quum accepissetis, manibus sceleratis cruci affixum interemistis. Et cap. 4. v. 27, 28. Coacti sunt enim verè adversus sančtum Filium tuum Jesum quem unxisti, Herodes & Pontius Pilatus cum gentibus & populis Israël, Ut facerent quæcunque manus tua & consilium tuum priùs definierat facienda.
By this decree God decreed to permit not only good or indifferent things, but also sin; for thus it is read in Acts 2:23. “This man, delivered by the definite plan and providence of God, you, having taken, with wicked hands, crucified and killed.” And chapter 4, verses 27-28. “For truly, against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, were gathered together, To do whatever thy hand and thy plan had determined to be done.”

Quamvis autem Deus decreverit permittere peccatum: tamen id à nullo decreto Dei est, nec efficiente, nec præcipiente, nec permittente, etsi fiat decreto {1541} to permittente seu secundùm decretum permittens. Aliud enim est esse à decreto, aliud esse secundùm decretum: illud enim causam; hoc verò antecedens notat, etiamsi non sit causa, sed tantumodo adjunctum quod antecedit.
Moreover, although God decreed to permit sin: yet it is not from any decree of God, neither an efficient one, nor a commanding one, nor a permitting one, even if it happens according to a permitting decree. For it is one thing to be from a decree, another thing to be according to a decree: for the former denotes a cause; but the latter denotes an antecedent, even if it is not a cause, but only an attendant circumstance which precedes.

 

[MW]

Polanus' understanding of permission will certainly warrant further attention. Given the historical equation of the will of sign with what God commands as distinct from what He decrees, it is unique and curious that Polanus places permission under the "decree of sign." Even the placement of the decree and the sign together seems like an oxymoron. But then by speaking of the "decree of sign" it may be that he intends something different from "the will of sign." Perhaps he was concerned to ensure that the "sign" was not separated from the decree as if were free-floating. At this stage I do not know what to make of it, other than to point out the anomaly. Below is Muller's discussion in PRRD, 3, which makes no mention of Polanus' peculiarity, but shows what was intended by the distinction between good pleasure and sign:
__________

1. Voluntas beneplaciti and voluntas signi. In most of the orthodox systems this stands as the initial or at least one of the basic distinctions—and it is certainly a distinction well established in the older theological tradition.471 Wendelin and Rutherford comment that the distinction between the will of the divine good pleasure (beneplaciti) and the will of the sign or precept (signi) is unanimously attested and rightly used by the scholastics.472 It is, however, omitted by the Synopsis purioris and Hottinger.473

The biblical texts most frequently examined to support this distinction are Matthew 3:17; 11:25–26; 12:18; Romans 9:19; 12:2; Ephesians 1:5; 5:10; Philippians 2:13; Colossians 3:20. In the first of these texts, Jesus speaks of God as hiding “the mysteries of the gospel” from the wise but revealing them to children because this pattern of revelation seemed good to God: in other words, this revelation rests entirely on the divine “good pleasure (ἐυδοκία)”474 or, stated slightly differently, God’s “most wise decree and counsel.”475 Ephesians 1:5 offers the point even more clearly: “having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.” Thus, the “efficient cause” of predestination is God himself, and the “formal cause” is “the good pleasure of his will.”476 Poole comments that the latter phrase indicates God’s “sovereign grace and good will, as the only spring from which predestination issued, God being moved to it by nothing out of himself.”477 The other verses do not so much identify the distinction as confirm the assumption that God does, indeed, have a good pleasure or ultimately good volition.

The terms voluntas beneplaciti and voluntas signi can be rendered into English in several ways, each conveying only a part of the technical meaning of the terms. Thus, voluntas beneplaciti can be rendered as a “willing” or even “wishing” of “good pleasure” or “complacency” and sometimes appears as voluntas complacentiae, indicating the resting of the will in its fundamental willing or, simply, the fundamental inclination of the will. In God this fundamental willing or inclination of will must ultimately be identical with all that God wills and, therefore, with all that was, is, and will be: thus the identification of the voluntas beneplaciti with the divine decree and the voluntas propositi. Leigh indicates that the voluntas beneplaciti or the beneplacitum of God is in fact the divine “decree, properly so called,” and that it “may be either hidden or revealed.”478 So, too, is this will identified as beneplacitum, not on the basis of its objects, given that some things and events are good and others are not, but because of the “manner of [divine] willing, since whatever God wills, whether to effect or to permit, has as its cause nothing other than his pleasure.”479

The term voluntas signi, literally, the will of the sign, is closely related to the term signum voluntatis, the sign of the will or purpose. It indicates an overt sign or indication that someone wills something and can therefore be understood as a revealed will or, specifically, as a revealed precept or “preceptive will”—thus, what is literally called the “signified will” is a will that God makes known and in effect “signifies” what is commanded. This signified or preceptive will, moreover, does not contradict the will of the divine good pleasure, although the relationship between the two may sometimes be difficult to establish immediately. The voluntas signi, therefore, is not a “mere sign” but one that corresponds with something that is truly in God.480 In the particular sense of a distinction between the voluntas beneplaciti as the decree and the voluntas signi as the divine command, the distinction is little different than the correctly understood distinction between the absolute and the conditional will of God.481

Thus, when the voluntas signi is understood as the revealed preceptive will of God, the definition takes as its point of departure the identity of “command” and “will” and then identifies “the commandment of God” as “one of the signs of his will.” In this sense, Twisse argues, when God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac or when God commanded Pharaoh to “let Israel go,” this is a revelation or pronouncement of the voluntas signi. Yet, in both cases, this revealed will was not the ultimate will of God: the voluntas beneplaciti or divine good pleasure was that Isaac not be sacrificed and that Pharaoh’s heart be hardened to deny Israel’s departure. What, therefore, God is said to will according to the “sign,” “the same at once he does not will, but rather the contrary sometimes, by his voluntas propositi” or beneplaciti. Yet, there is not an ultimate contrariety inasmuch as the distinction between these two wills arises only because the “objects” of God’s signs or commandments are “are only morall duties, and not the rewards of them, such as is salvation.”482 Nor do the things that God commands always reflect his ultimate purpose—commands may point toward penultimate ends rather than to the ultimate ends identified in the voluntas beneplaciti. In the light of such problems, Leigh, Maccovius, and Twisse (very much following the tradition) indicate that the voluntas propositi or beneplaciti alone is properly called the will of God, “which none can resist, Rom. 9:19,” whereas the voluntas signi or commandment is only “improperly” called God’s will.483

A different nuance in the definition is found in Baxter, who states that Twisse’s definition is correct in itself but is too narrow, given the full meaning of the distinction. In favor of his own view, Baxter cites Pierre D’Ailly. Inasmuch as God’s revelation is true, the voluntas signi can never be contrary to the voluntas beneplaciti—rather the will of the sign only partially reveals the divine good pleasure, and the revelation can be misinterpreted by human beings.484 The voluntas beneplaciti, according to Baxter, refers to God’s ultimate will to effect all “Natural Things and Events as such,” whereas the voluntas signi is God’s will “concerning what is owed or commanded as such.” The object of the first is “nature,” of the second, law and justice. The partial character of the voluntas signi arises out of the fact that it covers only juridical events: thus, God’s good pleasure or beneplacitum concerns natural things and events, including judicial events. The correct formulation of the distinction, according to Baxter, recognizes that “as Gods Will de Naturalibus is his Beneplacitum; and the effects of it as the signa subsequentia … so God’s will de Debito is his Beneplacitum, signified by his Law and Judgment.”485 So too are the signs of God’s law both natural and revealed—namely, the natural law or “order of things” and the revealed precepts given directly to human beings. Baxter does agree with Twisse, however, that the commandments or signs of God are only improperly designated as the divine will. We note that Heppe’s claim to the effect that the Reformed “disapproved” of the distinction and Strehle’s argument concerning an “antithesis” between the voluntas beneplaciti and the voluntas signi at the heart of Reformed theology are simply not borne out by the evidence from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.486

471 Thus, e.g., Hugh of St. Victor, De sacram., I.iv.2; Lombard, Sententiae, I, d. 45, cap. 5; Alexander of Hales, Summa theol., I, inq. I, tract. vi, q. iii, tit. 1; Bonaventure, In Sent., I, d. 45, a. 3, q. 1.
472 Wendelin, Christianae theologiae libri duo, I.i.18 (2); Rutherford, Exercitationes apologeticae, II.i.1 (pp. 213–214). Cf. Lombard, Sent., I, d. 46, cap. 1–2; Alexander of Hales, Summa theol., I, inq. 1, tract. IV, q. 3, tit. 3, memb. 1–2. Among the Reformed, see, e.g., Heereboord, Meletemata philosophica, Disputatio XXIII, de voluntate Dei, i (p. 122).
473 Cf. Synopsis purioris theol., VI.xxxiv; Hottinger, Cursus theologicus, III.xv & canones A–E.
474 Poole, Commentary, Matt. 11:25–26, in loc.; cf. Diodati, Pious and Learned Annotations, in loc.; Amyraut et al., Syntagma thesium theologicarum, IV.viii.9.
475 Trapp, Commentary, in loc. (V, p. 164); Cocceius, Summa theol., III.x41, 47.
476 Trapp, Commentary, Eph. 1:6, in loc. (V, p. 598); cf. Calvin, Commentary on Ephesians, Eph. 1:5 (CTS, p. 200), who identifies the divine “good pleasure” as the “efficient cause” of predestination; similarly, Diodati, Pious and Learned Annotations, in loc …
477 Poole, Commentary, Eph. 1:5, in loc.
478 Leigh, Body of Divinity, II.vii (p. 199); cf. Zanchi, De natura Dei, III.iv, q. 3.2 (cols. 253–254).
479 Maccovius, Loci communes, xxiii (p. 173, col. 1); cf. Beza et al. Propositions and Principles, VIII.iii; Mastricht, Theoretico-practica theol., II.xv.22.
480 Cocceius, Summa theologiae, III.x.47; Amyraut et al., Syntagma thesium theologicarum, IV.viii.20.
481 Leigh, Body of Divinity, II.vii (p. 198); Cocceius, Summa theol., III.x47.
482 Twisse, Discovery, II.xv (p. 536); cf. Beza, Christian questions and aunsweres, pp. 70v–71r.
483 Leigh, Body of Divinity, II.vii (p. 199); Maccovius, Loci communes, xxiii (pp. 172–173); Twisse, Discovery, II.xv (p. 536); cf. Lombard, Sententiae, I, d.45, c.6; Alexander of Hales, Summa theol., I, inq.I, tract.vi, q.iii, tit.1.
484 Baxter, Catholike Theologie, I.xiv, §325–326 (pp. 51–52); cf. Cocceius, Aphorismi breviores, V.10–12.
485 Baxter, Catholike Theologie, I.xiv, §329 (p. 52).
486 Baxter, Catholike Theologie, I.xiv, §332, 340 (pp. 52, 53); contra Heppe, Reformed Dogmatics, p. 88, and Strehle, “Calvinism, Augustinianism, and the Will of God,” p. 232.

 

[MW]

SYNOPSIS LIBRI V.
SYNOPSIS OF BOOK V.

Externa opera Dei sunt duo: Creatio & Providentia actualis.
The external works of God are two: Creation and actual Providence.

Creationis consideranda causa efficiens, materia, forma, finis, effecta, &c.
Of creation are to be considered the efficient cause, matter, form, end, effects, etc.

Causa creationis efficiens est Deus Pater, Filius & Spiritus Sanctus.
The efficient cause of creation is God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Causæ creationis προηγουμέναι sunt Voluntas, Bonitas, Sapientia & Potentia Dei.
The principal causes of creation are the Will, Goodness, Wisdom, and Power of God.

Forma creationis est vel communis omnium rerum creatarum vel quarundam propria.
The form of creation is either common to all created things or proper to certain ones.

Propria est vel effectio è nihilo, vel formatio.
The proper form is either production from nothing or formation.

Formatio est vel ποίησις factura, vel πλᾶσις figuratio.
Formation is either making or shaping.

Finis creationis est duplex: summus & subalternus.
The end of creation is twofold: the highest and the subordinate.

Subalternus finis est noster vsus in didascalia, {xiii} confutatione, reprehensione, pædiâ, & consolatione.
The subordinate end is our use in teaching, refutation, reproof, training, and consolation.

Effecta creationis sunt creaturæ, quæ considerantur vel conjunctim, vel disjunctim.
The effects of creation are creatures, which are considered either collectively or individually.

Creaturæ conjunctæ nomine mundi comprehenduntur. Hujus notanda causa efficiens, materia, forma, finis, adjuncta.
Creatures collectively are comprehended under the name “world.” Its efficient cause, matter, form, end, and adjuncts are to be noted.

Materia mundi est vel ex qua ille creatus: vel ex qua post creationem jam constitutus constat.
The matter of the world is either that from which it was created or that of which it consists after its creation.

Forma mundi alia est connexa mundo, alia separata.
The form of the world is partly connected with the world, partly separate.

Forma mundo connexa tum interna est tum externa.
The form connected with the world is both internal and external.

Finis Mundi est vel universalis vel particularis.
The end of the world is either universal or particular.

Creaturæ disjunctim consideratæ distinguuntur ratione dierum quibus productæ sunt.
Creatures considered individually are distinguished according to the days on which they were produced.

Opera primi diei fuerunt, cæli & Angeli: principia interna corporum naturalium, cum accidentibus illorum inseparabilibus, loco, tempore, finitate & motu: lux primigenia atque sic elementi ignis separatio ab aliis elementis: nox & dies.
The works of the first day were: the heavens and the angels; the internal principles of natural bodies, with their inseparable accidents, place, time, finiteness, and motion; the primordial light, and thus the separation of the element of fire from the other elements; night and day.

Cælum est tum supremum tum sidereum. Angeli considerantur vel in communi vel distinctè.
Heaven is both the highest and the starry heaven. Angels are considered either in common or distinctly.

In communi considerati Angeli 1. sunt; 2. sunt substantiæ. 3. Spiritus. 4. creati: 5. creati ad imaginem Dei: 6. incommunicabiles: 7. non sustentati in alio: 8. non sunt pars alterius.
Considered in common, angels 1. exist; 2. are substances; 3. are spirits; 4. are created; 5. are created in the image of God; 6. are incommunicable; 7. are not sustained in another; 8. are not part of another.

Imaginis Dei in Angelis duæ sunt partes prima est ipsa substantia Angelorum incorporea: secunda sunt excellentes eorum proprietates.
The image of God in angels has two parts: the first is the incorporeal substance of the angels themselves; the second is their excellent properties.

Proprietates illæ sunt vita & immortalitas, beatitudo & gloria.
Those properties are life and immortality, blessedness and glory.

Vita Angelorum vel naturalis est vel supernaturalis.
The life of angels is either natural or supernatural.

Immortalitas Angelorum est vel naturalis vel supernaturalis.
The immortality of angels is either natural or supernatural.

Beatitudo Angelorum consistit in eorum sapientia, & voluntate: potentia & libertate.
The blessedness of angels consists in their wisdom and will, power and freedom.

Sapientiæ Angelorum observanda sunt subjectum, modus & varietas.
The subject, mode, and variety of the angels’ wisdom are to be observed.

Angeli distinctè considerati vel boni sunt vel mali.
Angels considered distinctly are either good or evil.

In Angelis bonis considerandum nomen & res.
In good angels, the name and the thing are to be considered.

Angelorum nomina sunt communia & propria.
The names of angels are common and proper.

Bonorum Angelorum officium duplex est: vel erga Deum, vel erga homines.
The office of good angels is twofold: either toward God or toward men.

Erga homines rursus duplex est, vel enim beneficia Dei dispensant & ministrant iis qui electi sunt ad vitam æternam: vel judicia Dei exsequuntur in homines.
Toward men, it is again twofold: for they either dispense and minister the benefits of God to those who are elected to eternal life, or they execute the judgments of God upon men.

Judicia Dei exsequuntur tum in hac vita, tum post hanc vitam.
They execute the judgments of God both in this life and after this life.

Malorum Angelorum notanda malitia, intelligentia, liberum arbitrium, potentia, ordo.
The malice, intelligence, free will, power, and order of the evil angels are to be noted.

Sic fuit de Angelis, sequitur de principiis corporum naturalium internis.
Thus much concerning angels; next follow the internal principles of natural bodies.

Principia interna naturæ visibilis sunt vel constitutionis, vel transmutationis.
The internal principles of visible nature are either of constitution or of transmutation.

Principia constitutionis duo sunt: materia & forma.
The principles of constitution are two: matter and form.

Principium transmutationis est privatio.
The principle of transmutation is privation.

Proprietates corporum naturalium sunt, Locus & Tempus: Finitas & motus.
The properties of natural bodies are Place and Time, Finiteness and motion.

Elementa quatuor sunt: ignis, aër, aqua, terra.
There are four elements: fire, air, water, earth.

Secundi diei opus est expansum, distinguens aquas superiores ab aquis inferioribus.
The work of the second day is the firmament, separating the upper waters from the lower waters.

Opera tertii diei sunt: discretio aquarum inferiorum à terra & plantæ omnis generis.
The works of the third day are the separation of the lower waters from the earth, and plants of every kind.

Opera quarti dies sunt stellæ seu luminaria.
The works of the fourth day are the stars or lights.

Luminaria cæli primò vel magna sunt vel minora.
The lights of heaven are first either great or lesser.

Magna luminaria sunt Sol & Luna.
The great lights are the Sun and the Moon.

Deinde luminaria cæli sunt vel asteres vel astra.
Furthermore, the lights of heaven are either fixed stars or planets.

Opera quinti disi sunt animalia aquatilia & volatilia.
The works of the fifth day are aquatic and flying animals.

Animalia aquatilia sunt tum pisces, tum ζωόφυτα.
Aquatic animals are both fish and zoophytes.

Volatilia sunt tum aves, tum insecta alata.
Flying animals are both birds and winged insects.

Opera sexti diei sunt animantes terrestres & homo.
The works of the sixth day are land animals and man.

Animantes terrestres sunt pecudes, reptilia & bestiæ feræ.
Land animals are livestock, reptiles, and wild beasts.

Hominis considerandum nomen, causa efficiens, materia, forma, finis, adjuncta, &c.
Regarding man, one must consider the name, efficient cause, matter, form, end, adjuncts, etc.

Causa efficiens hominis aliter consideratur si primes homines spectes, aliter si eorum posteros.
The efficient cause of man is considered in one way if you look at the first humans, and in another way if you consider their descendants.

{xiv} Causa efficiens hominis tum principalis est tum administra.
The efficient cause of man is both principal and administrative.

Administra, si corpus spectes, est tum remota, tum propinqua, tum media.
The administrative cause, if you consider the body, is either remote, proximate, or intermediate.

Materia hominis tum remota est, tum propinqua.
The matter of man is both remote and proximate.

Propinqua materia sunt partes corporis, humores & spiritus.
The proximate matter consists of the parts of the body, the humours, and the spirits.

Forma hominis interna & substantialis est ejus anima.
The internal and substantial form of man is his soul.

Animæ humanæ notanda definitio, origo, finis, potentiæ, &c.
The definition, origin, end, powers, etc., of the human soul are to be noted.

Origo comprehendit animæ causam efficentem, materiam, tempus, & locum.
The origin comprises the soul’s efficient cause, matter, time, and place.

Finis animæ humanæ vel naturalis est vel supernaturalis.
The end of the human soul is either natural or supernatural.

Potentiæ animæ humanæ sunt tres, vegetativa, sensitiva, & intellectiva.
The powers of the human soul are three: the vegetative, the sensitive, and the intellective.

Potentiæ sensitivæ vires sunt duæ: apprehensiva & motiva.
The powers of the sensitive force are two: the apprehensive and the motive.

Vis apprehensiva comprehendit sensus tum externos tum internos.
The apprehensive force comprises the senses, both external and internal.

Sensus externi sunt, visus, auditus, odoratus, gustus, & tactus.
The external senses are sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

Sensus interni sunt, sensus communis, phantasia, & memoria.
The internal senses are the common sense, fantasy, and memory.

Sensuum affectiones sunt, vigilia, somnus & somnium.
The affections of the senses are waking, sleep, and dream.

Somnia sunt vel physica vel hyperphysica.
Dreams are either physical or hyperphysical.

Vis motiva potentiæ sensitivæ triplex est: vitalis imperans, & prosequens.
The motive force of the sensitive power is threefold: the vital, the commanding, and the pursuing.

Vis vitalis distinguitur in pulsatricem & respiratricem.
The vital force is distinguished into the pulsative and the respiratory.

Vis motiva imperans est duplex: appetitus sensitivus & affectus.
The commanding motive force is twofold: the sensitive appetite and the affect.

Appetitus sensitivi duæ sunt partes, ἐπιθυμιτική, & θυμοειδής. appetitoria & irascibilis.
The sensitive appetite has two parts: the ἐπιθυμιτική (appetitive) and the θυμοειδής (irascible).

Affectuum omnium duo sunt capita voluptas & dolor.
All affects have two heads: pleasure and pain.

Potentia intellectiva eft duplex: agens & patiens.
The intellective power is twofold: agent and patient.

Intellectus agens duplex est; theoricus & practicus.
The agent intellect is twofold: theoretical and practical.

Rursus intellectus vel simplex est vel compositus.
Furthermore, the intellect is either simple or composite.

Compositus vel noëticus est vel dianoëticus.
The composite is either noëtic or dianoëtic.

Intellectui hominis à Deo insita est recta ratio & conscientia.
Innate in man’s intellect by God are right reason and conscience.

Rectæ rationis norma sunt principia naturalia, quæ duplicia sunt: theorica & practica.
The norms of right reason are natural principles, which are of two kinds: theoretical and practical.

Hæc de intellectu.
So much for the intellect.

Voluntatis hominis actus duplex est: elicitus & imperatus.
The act of the will of man is twofold: elicited and commanded.

Rursus actio voluntatis est vel βούλησις vel προαίρεσις.
Furthermore, the action of the will is either boulēsis (will/wish) or proairesis (choice/deliberate purpose).

Hæc de hominis forma.
So much for the form of man.

Finis hominis vel supremus est vel subordinatus.
The end of man is either supreme or subordinate.

Adjuncta hominis quod attinet, ad ea pertinet status ejus, qui alius est in hac vita, alius post hanc vitam erit.
As pertains to the adjuncts of man, these include his state, which is one thing in this life and will be another after this life.

Status hominis in hac vita itidem duplex est: unus naturæ, alter gratiæ.
The state of man in this life is likewise twofold: one of nature, the other of grace.

Status naturæ est vel integræ vel corruptæ: Hîc agitur de statu naturæ integra.
The state of nature is either integral or corrupt. Here we treat the state of integral nature.

In statu naturæ integræ præditi erant homines integrâ imagine Dei.
In the state of integral nature, men were endowed with the integral image of God.

Imaginis Dei in homine partes duæ sunt: substantia animæ, & dotes ei attributæ.
The image of God in man has two parts: the substance of the soul, and the endowments attributed to it.

Dotes & proprietates illæ sunt, naturalis vita & immortalitas, beatitudo & gloria.
Those endowments and properties are: natural life and immortality, blessedness and glory.

Naturalis beatitudo animæ consistit in ejus sapientia & justitia: potentia & libertate originali.
The natural blessedness of the soul consists in its wisdom and justice, power and original liberty.

Externa bona homini in statu integritatis tributa fuerunt, elegantissima forma, decor, præstantia & gratia humani corporis, nuditas corporis nullum pudorem incutiens, robur & firmitas: habitatio in paradiso, dominium in creaturas inferiores omnes, usus fructus fructuum omnium in Paradiso, excepto fructu arboris scientiæ boni & mali.
The external goods bestowed upon man in the state of integrity were: the most elegant form, beauty, excellence, and grace of the human body; a nakedness that induced no shame; strength and soundness; dwelling in Paradise; dominion over all the lower creatures; the use and enjoyment of all the fruits in Paradise, except the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Sic fuit de creatione, sequitur de Providentia Dei actuali de qua lib. VI. agitur.
This much concerning creation; next follows the actual Providence of God, concerning which Book VI treats.

[Notes: The doctrine of creation might be one of the least analysed in terms of scholastic Reformed development, perhaps because it did not elicit much in the way of controversy. The discussion logically moves from the internal to the external works of God. The Trinity is the efficient cause of creation. Polanus again utilises the Aristotelian causal framework but he takes his lead from the Scripture's own account of creation and follows the work of each of the six days as it is recorded. All is viewed through the lens of contemporary natural philosophy, including the use of elements, internal principles of matter and form, and properties like place and time. He present a unified Christian worldview and provides a framework for understanding all of reality. Theology is seriously understood to be the queen of the sciences.

The creation and constitution of man is analysed through the same causal lens with a particular focus on the soul’s powers. This psychology draws on a tradition filtered through Augustine and medieval scholastics, and was central to Reformed debates on sin, grace, and the will. The distinctions between the state of integral and corrupt nature, and then the state of grace, is a foundational point of reference for the doctrine of the Fall. Hence while the method is scholastic, the content is consciously biblical and confessionally Reformed.]

 

[cthorn14]

Elementa quatuor sunt: ignis, aër, aqua, terra.
There are four elements: fire, air, water, earth.

Is there anything worth retaining from this kind of analysis?

 

[MW]

Is there anything worth retaining from this kind of analysis?

I don't know how far one can take this but Earth gives us metals. Water gives us acids and bases. Air gives us gases. Fire gives us oxidation and combustion. If I burn wood the ashes remain, which is earth. It condenses into steam and smoke, which is water. It releases gases, which is air, and it gives off heat and light, which is fire. While the four-element system is scientifically obsolete, it is somewhat intuitive for categorising the world as we perceive it. Good philosophy sees use even in naive concepts and in attempting to explain what is intuitive in experience. Like the "humours" in the body, we wouldn't diagnose anything by them, but they are still descriptively useful as categories.

 

[MW]

De providentia divina actuali expendendum an sit? quid sit? quod subjectum ejus? quæ partes? quæ species?
Concerning actual divine providence, it is to be examined: Whether it is? What it is? What is its subject? What are its parts? What are its kinds?

Subjectum quod providentia Dei gubernatur tum bonum omne creatum est tum malum.
The subject which is governed by God’s providence is both every created good and evil.

Bonum est vel absolutè bonum, vel secundùm quid.
Good is either absolutely good, or relatively so.

Absolutè bonum vel naturale est vel morale.
The absolutely good is either natural or moral.

Bonum naturale est vel essentiale vel accidentale.
Natural good is either essential or accidental.

Bonum morale est vel naturæ vel gratiæ.
Moral good is either of nature or of grace.

Bonum secundùm quid est bonum utile seu bonum conditionis.
Relative good is useful good or the good of condition.

Malum est vel culpæ vel afflictionis.
Evil is either of fault or of affliction.

{xv} Malum culpæ seu peccatum vel diaboli est vel hominum.
The evil of fault, or sin, is either of the devil or of men.

Peccatum hominum est vel primorum nostrorum parentum, vel posterorum.
The sin of men is either of our first parents, or of their posterity.

Peccatum posterorum est vel originale vel actuale.
The sin of posterity is either original or actual.

Peccati originalis partes sunt duæ: culpa inobedientiæ seu defectionis à Deo in lumbis Adami: & corruptio defectionem Adæ sequuta in tota hominum natura.
Original sin has two parts: the guilt of disobedience or defection from God in the loins of Adam; and the corruption following Adam’s defection in the whole nature of men.

Corruptio illa duplex est: Boni originalis defectus, & mali in locum boni originalis successio.
That corruption is twofold: the loss of original good, and the succession of evil in the place of original good.

Is defectus est tum in anima tum in corpore.
This loss is both in the soul and in the body.

Defectus in anima est tum in mente tum in voluntate.
The loss in the soul is both in the mind and in the will.

Malum quod in locum boni originalis successit est itidem tum in anima: tum in corpore.
The evil which succeeded in the place of original good is likewise both in the soul and in the body.

Peccatum actuale primò est vel proprium vel alienum.
Actual sin is first either one’s own or another’s.

Secundò est vel per se vel per accidens.
Secondly, it is either of itself or accidental.

Tertiò est vel affectatum vel inaffectatum.
Thirdly, it is either deliberate or non-deliberate.

Quartò est vel contra conscientiam vel ignorantiæ.
Fourthly, it is either against conscience or of ignorance.

Quintò est vel internum vel externum.
Fifthly, it is either internal or external.

Externum vel occultum est vel manifestum.
External sin is either hidden or manifest.

Manifestum seu scandalum est vel datum vel acceptum.
Manifest sin, or scandal, is either given or accepted.

Sextò peccatum actuale est vel spirituale vel carnale.
Sixthly, actual sin is either spiritual or carnal.

Septimò vel extra corpus est, vel in corpus proprium committitur.
Seventhly, it is either committed outside the body or against one’s own body.

Octavo vel commissionis est vel omisionis.
Eighthly, it is either of commission or of omission.

Peccatum commissionis est vel contra Deum vel contra homines.
Sin of commission is either against God or against men.

Peccatum contra homines vel est contra seipsum, vel contra alium, vel contra utrumque.
Sin against men is either against oneself, or against another, or against both.

Nonò peccatum actuale vel gravius est vel levius.
Ninthly, actual sin is either more grave or less grave.

Decimò est vel remissibile vel irremissibile.
Tenthly, it is either remissible or irremissible.

Deinde omne peccatum vel regnans est vel non regnans.
Furthermore, every sin is either reigning or non-reigning.

Rursus omne peccatum vel mortuum est vel vivens.
Again, every sin is either dead or living.

Sic de peccato seu malo culpæ.
Thus concerning sin, or the evil of fault.

Malum afflictionis est vel pœna divina, vel exploratio, vel martyrium, vel pretium redemtionis pro nobis.
The evil of affliction is either a divine punishment, or a testing, or a martyrdom, or the price of redemption for us.

Pœna est vel nuda tantùm vel simul peccatum.
Punishment is either merely bare or simultaneously a sin.

Secundò pœna est vel castigatio paterna vel vindicta divina.
Secondly, punishment is either paternal chastisement or divine vengeance.

Vindicta divina est vel spiritualis vel corporalis.
Divine vengeance is either spiritual or corporeal.

Rursus vindicta divina vel temporalis est vel æterna.
Furthermore, divine vengeance is either temporal or eternal.

Exploratio est vel interna vel externa, vel utraque conjuncta.
Testing is either internal or external, or both conjoined.

Martyrium est vel cruentum vel incruentum.
Martyrdom is either bloody or unbloody.

Deinde malum afflictionis pertinet vel ad principium vel ad medium vel ad finem vitæ hominis uniuscujusque.
Next, the evil of affliction pertains either to the beginning, or the middle, or the end of the life of each and every man.

Afflictio quæ pertinet ad finem vitæ quæ mors est, primò vel spiritualis est vel corporalis.
The affliction which pertains to the end of life, which is death, is first either spiritual or corporeal.

Secundò mors vel prima est vel secunda.
Secondly, death is either the first or the second.

Rursum afflictio vel interna est vel externa.
Again, affliction is either internal or external.

Præterea afflictio vel publica est vel privata.
Furthermore, affliction is either public or private.

Ampliùs afflictio est hominum omnium ordinum, summi, medii, & infimi.
Moreover, affliction is of men of all orders: the highest, the middle, and the lowest.

Ex malo culpe & afflictionis judicium fieri potest de statu naturæ corruptæ hominis.
From the evil of fault and of affliction, a judgment can be made concerning the state of man’s corrupt nature.

Hoc statu homo miser factus est tum animâ tum corpore, tum externis bonis.
In this state, man has been made wretched both in soul and body, and in external goods.

Quod ad rationen seu mentem, planè vitiata est intelligentia & voluntas. Hinc colligi potest quale sit hominis arbitrium.
As to his reason or mind, his understanding and will are plainly corrupted. Hence the quality of free will can be inferred.

Hæc de subjecto providentiæ divinæ.
These things concerning the subject of divine providence.

Providentiæ divinæ actualis partes duæ sunt: actio & permissio.
The parts of actual divine providence are two: action and permission.

Actio Dei vel mediata est vel immediata.
The action of God is either mediate or immediate.

Mediatæ actionis Dei instrumenta vel bona sunt vel mala.
The instruments of God’s mediate action are either good or evil.

Utraque vel ordinaria sunt, vel extraordinaria.
Both are either ordinary or extraordinary.

Rursus instrumenta vel animata sunt vel inanimata.
Furthermore, instruments are either animate or inanimate.

Instrumenta animata vel rationalia sunt vel rationis expertia.
Animate instruments are either rational or devoid of reason.

Rationalia sunt tum Angeli tum homines.
Rational beings are both Angels and men.

Permissio Dei est vel boni, vel mali culpæ seu peccati.
The permission of God is either of good, or of the evil of fault, that is, of sin.

Permissio peccati est vel simplex & absoluta, vel ex hypothesi.
The permission of sin is either simple and absolute, or hypothetical.

Providentia Dei vel generalis est vel specialis.
The providence of God is either general or special.

Providentia Dei generalis inprimis conspicitur tum in conservatione rerum vel destructione: tum in gubernatione omnium.
The general providence of God is observed chiefly both in the conservation of things and in their destruction, and in the governance of all things.

{xvi} Conservatio rerum vel universalis est vel singularis.
The conservation of things is either universal or singular.

Conservatio universalis conspicitur tum in successione rerum mutabilium: tum in mutatione ex mala conditione in bonam velex bona in meliorem: tum in statu.
Universal conservation is observed both in the succession of mutable things, and in the change from a bad condition to a good one, or from a good to a better, and in their state.

Destructio rerum conspicitur tum in imminutione individuorum: tum in mutatione ex bona conditione in malam, vel ex mala in deteriorem: tum in abolitione rerum.
The destruction of things is observed both in the diminution of individuals, and in the change from a good condition to a bad one, or from a bad to a worse, and in the abolition of things.

Gubernationis partes sunt, motio & cohibitio.
The parts of governance are motion and restraint.

Motionis partes sunt: effectio motus, & directio ejusdem.
The parts of motion are the effecting of motion, and the direction of the same.

Gubernatio omnium vel generalis est vel specialis.
The governance of all things is either general or special.

Hactenus de providentia Dei generali.
Thus far concerning the general providence of God.

[Note: Polanus defines the “subject” of God’s providence as “both every created good and evil.” This is a foundational axiom. It formally establishes that no aspect of reality exists outside the scope of divine governance. By subsuming the doctrine of sin under providence he has produced a form of theodicy. There is a meticulous categorisation, first, of the “evil of fault,” detailing its origin, nature, and types, which is followed by the “evil of affliction,” and then the corrupted state of fallen man. This is crucial as it demonstrates that evil is not an ungoverned force but falls under the divine purpose. The structure is engineered to support the Reformed conviction that God’s sovereign will is ultimate in all that comes to pass.]

 

[MW]

Specialis providentia Dei tum in hac vita est, tum post hanc vitam erit.
The special providence of God is both in this life and will be after this life.

Opera specialis providentiæ Dei in hac vita sunt vel beneficia Dei, vel judicia ejus.
The works of the special providence of God in this life are either the benefits of God or His judgments.

Beneficia specialis providentiæ Dei vel præterita sunt, vel præsentia, vel futura.
The benefits of God’s special providence are either past, present, or future.

Secundò beneficia Dei vel spiritualia sunt vel corporalia.
Secondly, the benefits of God are either spiritual or corporeal.

Beneficia spiritualia sunt tum patefactio Dei & vocatio; tum fedus divinum & obsignatio federis aliorumque beneficiorum Dei omnium.
Spiritual benefits are both the disclosure of God and calling; and the divine covenant and the sealing of the covenant and all other benefits of God.

Patefactio Dei est tum naturalis tum supernaturalis.
The disclosure of God is both natural and supernatural.

Patefactio Dei naturalis est vel per legem naturæ vel per opera naturæ.
The natural disclosure of God is either through the law of nature or through the works of nature.

Patefactio Dei supernaturalis est vel interna vel externa.
The supernatural disclosure of God is either internal or external.

Patefactio externa sit vel terreno modo vel cælesti.
The external disclosure is either in an earthly or a heavenly manner.

Ac rursus tum per doctrinam cælestem nobis revelatam, tum per rerum futurarum prædictionem.
And again, both through the heavenly doctrine revealed to us, and through the prediction of future things.

Doctrina cælestis nobis revelata duplex est: Lex & Evangelium.
The heavenly doctrine revealed to us is twofold: the Law and the Gospel.

LEX Dei primò vel generalis est vel specialis.
The LAW of God is first either general or special.

Secundò Lex Dei vel moralis est, vel ceremonialis vel forensis.
Secondly, the Law of God is either moral, or ceremonial, or forensic.

Legis moralis duæ sunt tabulæ: prima de cultu Dei immediato, secunda de cultu Dei mediato.
The moral law has two tables: the first concerning the immediate worship of God, the second concerning the mediate worship of God.

Legis ceremonialis præcepta sunt duum generum: quædam pertinebant ad significandas res spirituales & erudiendos fideles de ratione salutis æternæ per Christum venturum: quædam spectabant ad ordinem.
The precepts of the ceremonial law are of two kinds: some pertained to signifying spiritual things and instructing the faithful about the manner of eternal salvation through Christ who was to come; some pertained to order.

Lex forensis continet statuta alia merè judicialia; alia admistum aliquid morale vel ceremoniale habentia.
The forensic law contains statutes, some merely judicial; others having something moral or ceremonial mixed in.

EVANGELII subjectum de quo agit est Christus.
The subject about which the GOSPEL treats is Christ.

Fidei seu doctrinæ de Christo duæ sunt partes: prima de persona Christi: secunda de officio ipsius.
The faith, that is, the doctrine concerning Christ has two parts: the first concerning the person of Christ: the second concerning His office.

Fidei de persona Christi duæ sunt partes: prima de naturis in persona Christi: secunda de statu ipsius.
The faith concerning the person of Christ has two parts: the first concerning the natures in the person of Christ: the second concerning His state.

Naturæ in persona Christi duæ sunt: divina & humana.
The natures in the person of Christ are two: divine and human.

Personæ Christi status duplex est vel humiliationis vel exaltationis.
The state of the person of Christ is twofold: either of humiliation or of exaltation.

Humiliationis Christi partes sunt duæ: Incarnatio & Legis impletio.
The parts of Christ’s humiliation are two: the Incarnation and the fulfilment of the Law.

Incarnationis Christi partes sunt, tum conceptio Christi & assumtio humanæ naturæ & unio personalis duarum naturarum: tum nativitas.
The parts of the Incarnation of Christ are, both the conception of Christ and the assumption of human nature and the personal union of the two natures: and the nativity.

Assumtio est perfectæ nature humanæ tum quoad substantiam: tum quoad accidentia, sive communia sive propria, excepto peccato.
The assumption is of perfect human nature, both regarding its substance and regarding its accidents, whether common or proper, with the exception of sin.

Si substantiam spectes: assumsit corpus & animam.
If you look at the substance: He assumed a body and a soul.

Si accidentia consideres assumsit tum proprietates & affectiones, tum defectus & infirmitates inculpabiles.
If you consider the accidents, He assumed both properties and affections, and blameless defects and infirmities.

In unione hypostatica considerandæ tum causæ, tum effectus.
In the hypostatic union, both the causes and the effects are to be considered.

Unionis hypostaticæ effectus sunt duplices: quidam respectu Christi, quidam respectu nostri.
The effects of the hypostatic union are double: some with respect to Christ, some with respect to us.

Nativitatis Christi fines sunt partim respectu Dei: partim respectu hominum.
The ends of Christ’s nativity are partly with respect to God, partly with respect to men.

Sic fuit de incarnatione Christi.
So much concerning the incarnation of Christ.

Legis impletio duabus partibus constat: prima est perfecta præceptorum Legis observatio; altera est sufficiens pœnæ peccatis nostris ex Legis comminatione debitæ & sacrificiis aliisque figuris significata exsolutio.
The fulfilment of the Law consists of two parts: the first is the perfect observance of the precepts of the Law; the other is the sufficient payment of the punishment owed for our sins by the threatening of the Law, [a payment] signified by sacrifices and other figures.

Persolutionis pœnæ partes duæ sunt: humilitas incarnationis, & continua miseria post incarnationem.
The payment of the punishment has two parts: the humility of the incarnation, and the continual misery after the incarnation.

Miseriæ quam Christus sustinuit partes due sunt: passio & mors: sepultura & detentio in sepulchro in vinculis mortis ad tertium vsque diem.
The misery which Christ sustained has two parts: passion and death; burial and detention in the tomb in the bonds of death until the third day.

{xvii} Passionis Christi partes sunt, tolerantia variorum malorum statum ab ipsa nativitate usque ad institutionem Sacræ Cœnæ: & solemnis ille gravissimusque passionis actus in vitæ extremo, inde ab instituta S. Cœnæ usque ad mortem in cruce.
The parts of Christ’s passion are: the endurance of various evils belonging to his state from his very nativity up to the institution of the Holy Supper; and that solemn and most grievous act of the passion at the end of his life, from the institution of the Holy Supper until his death on the cross.

Mala illa quæ mortem præcesserunt fuerunt vel corporis vel animæ.
Those evils which preceded his death were either of the body or of the soul.

Corporis fuerunt tum paupertas & pericula vitæ, tum variæ infirmitates.
Those of the body were both poverty and dangers to his life, as well as various infirmities.

Mala animæ fuerunt tentationes, turbatio animæ, & ignominia.
The evils of the soul were temptations, trouble of soul, and ignominies.

Extrema illa & magna passio Christi secundum locos distinguitur. Quædam enim Christus passus est extra urbem in horto: quædam in urbe ipsa: quædam rursus extra urbem.
That final and great passion of Christ is distinguished according to places. For Christ suffered some things outside the city in a garden; some things in the city itself; and some things again outside the city.

Hucusque de humiliatione Christi.
Thus far concerning the humiliation of Christ.

EXALTATIO Christi facta est partim per resurrectionem ex mortuis & gloriosam manifestationem ipsius quadraginta diebus in his terris post resurrectionem: tum per adscensionem in cælum, & sessionem ad dextram Dei Patris.
The exaltation of Christ was accomplished partly through his resurrection from the dead and his glorious manifestation for forty days on this earth after the resurrection; then through his ascension into heaven, and his session at the right hand of God the Father.

Hæc de persona Christi.
Thus much concerning the person of Christ.

OFFICIUM Mediatoris Christi est triplex: Propheticum, Sacerdotale & Regium.
The office of Christ the Mediator is threefold: Prophetic, Priestly, and Royal.

Officii prophetici partes duæ sunt: externa veritatis divinæ promulgatio & interna cordium per Spiritum Sanctum illuminatio.
The parts of the prophetic office are two: the external proclamation of divine truth and the internal illumination of hearts through the Holy Spirit.

Externa veritatis divinæ promulgatio itidem duab. partibus constat: prima est doctrina, altera rerum futurarum prædictio.
The external proclamation of divine truth likewise consists of two parts: the first is doctrine, the other is the prediction of future things.

Sacerdotalis officii Christi duæ sunt partes: expiatio nostrorum peccatorum, & intercessio apud Deum pro nobis.
The parts of Christ's priestly office are two: the expiation of our sins, and intercession with God for us.

Regii officii Christi sunt duæ partes: una si Ecclesiam per se spectes: altera, si Ecclesiæ hostes.
The parts of Christ’s royal office are two: one, if you look at the Church itself; the other, if the enemies of the Church.

Regnum Christi vel naturale est vel donativum.
The kingdom of Christ is either natural or donative.

Regnum donativum est duplex, regnum gratiæ & regnum gloriæ.
The donative kingdom is twofold: the kingdom of grace and the kingdom of glory.

Hucusque de doctrina cælesti nobis revelata.
Thus far concerning the heavenly doctrine revealed to us.

PRÆDICTIO divina rerum futurarum primo facta est vel per oracula divina, vel per visiones divinas.
The divine PREDICTION of future things was first made either through divine oracles or through divine visions.

Secundò, prædictio rerum futurarum facta est vel per typos vel per vaticinia Prophetica.
Second, the prediction of future things was made either through types or through prophetic utterances.

Typi fuerunt vel res vel personæ, vel rerum aut personarum facta vel eventa.
Types were either things or persons, or the deeds or events of things or persons.

Vaticinia prophetica sunt vel absoluta vel typica.
Prophetic utterances are either absolute or typical.

Vaticinia typica sunt vel simplicia vel composita.
Typical prophecies are either simple or composite.

Tertiò prædictio rerum futurarum est vel promissio vel comminatio.
Third, the prediction of future things is either a promise or a threatening.

PROMISSIO Dei est vel conditionalis vel absoluta.
The PROMISE of God is either conditional or absolute.

Promissio Dei conditionalis est vel legalis, vel Evangelica.
The conditional promise of God is either legal or Evangelical.

Promissio Dei absoluta est de iis rebus, quas Deus ipse per se vel extra nos sine nobis complet: vel in nobis.
The absolute promise of God concerns those things which God Himself fulfils of itself either outside of us without us or within us.

Rursus promissio Dei vel spiritualis est vel corporalis.
Again, the promise of God is either spiritual or corporeal.

Præterea promissio Dei est vel veteris Testamenti vel novi.
Furthermore, the promise of God is either of the Old Testament or of the New.

Comminatio Dei est vel conditionalis vel absoluta.
The threatening of God is either conditional or absolute.

Rursus vel spiritualis, vel corporalis.
Again, it is either spiritual or corporeal.

Hactenus de Patefactione Dei primo spirituali beneficio Dei: sequitur de Vocatione divina.
Thus far concerning the Disclosure of God, the first spiritual benefit of God; next follows the divine Calling.

[Notes: The doctrines of law and gospel are placed under the broader headings of special providence and divine disclosure. This structure presents God as the active Governor and Revealer who sovereignly accomplishes salvation. This framing prevents law and gospel from being treated as abstract principles. Instead they are presented as the two key modes of God’s covenantal administration within history.

A significant systematic development is the treatment of the person and offices of Christ under this same architecture. Christ is thereby presented as the supreme act of God’s special providence and the substance of His self-disclosure. His work as prophet, priest, and king is the definitive means through which God’s promises are fulfilled and His rule is exercised. This structure embodies the core Reformed conviction that salvation is of the Lord from start to finish. It also highlights the centrality of revelation in Christ.]