Original Douay–Rheims Annotations2 Corinthians 2
English College of Douai–Rheims
Read 2 Corinthians 2 in the Bible2 Corinthians 2:8
I beseech you.
◦ They which at the beginning did bear too much with the offender, and seemed loath to have him excommunicated in so austere manner: yet through their obedience to the Apostle became on the other side so rigorous, and so far detested the malefactor after he was excommunicated, that the Apostle now meaning to absolve him, was glad to entreat and command them also to accept him to their company and grace again.
- ◦ Zeal against the excommunicate.
2 Corinthians 2:9
Obedient.
◦ Though in the last chapter he discharged himself of tyrannical dominion over them, yet he challengeth their obedience in all things as their Pastor and Superior, and consequently in this point of receiving to mercy the penitent Corinthian. Whereby we see, that as the power and authority of excommunicating, so of absolving also was in S. Paul's person, though both were to be done in the face of the Church: else he would not have commanded or required their obedience.
- ◦ The Apostle challengeth their obedience to his Ecclesiastical authority.
2 Corinthians 2:10
I also.
[1] The Heretics and others not well founded in the Scriptures and antiquity, marvel at the Pope's pardons, counting them either fruitless or unlawful or no elder than S. Gregory. But indeed the authority, power, and right of them is of Christ's own word and commission, principally given to Peter, and so afterward to all the Apostles, and in their persons to all the chief Pastors of the Church, when it was said, [2] Whatsoever you loose in earth, shall be loosed in heaven. By which commission the holy Bishops of old did cut off large pieces of penance enjoined to offenders, and gave peace, grace, or indulgence, [3] before they had accomplished the measure of their appointed or deserved punishment. And that is to give pardon. And so S. Paul here did towards the Corinthian, whom he assoiled of mere grace and mercy, as the word donare or condonare doth signify [4], when he might longer have kept him in penance and temporal affliction for his offence. Whereof though he had already before God inwardly repented, yet was he justly holden under this correction for some satisfaction of his fault past, during the Apostle's pleasure. [5] To remit then the temporal punishment or chastisement due to sinners after the offence itself and the guilt thereof be forgiven of God, is an Indulgence or pardon. Which the principal Magistrates of God's Church by Christ's warrant and the Apostle's example, have ever done, being no less authorised to pardon than to punish, and by imitation of our Master (who forgave [6] the adulteress and diverse other offenders, not only their sins, but also often the temporal punishments due for the same) are as much given to mercy as to justice.
For you.
[1] [2] Theodorete upon this place saith that the Apostle gave this pardon to the Corinthian at the intercession of the blessed men Timotheus and Titus. And we may read in sundry places, of S. Cyprian [3] namely, that Indulgences or remissions were given in the primitive Church by the mediation of holy Confessors or Martyrs, and by communicating the satisfactory works of one to another, to which end they gave their letters to Bishops in the behalf of diverse their Christian brethren, a thing most agreeable to the mutual intercourse that is between the members of Christ's mystical body, and very answerable to God's justice, [4] which by supply of the one sort that aboundeth, standeth entire in respect of the other sort also that wanteth. In which kind the Apostle confesseth that himself by his suffering and tribulations, supplieth the wants of such passions as Christ hath to suffer [5], not in his own person, but in his body, which is his Church. Whereupon we infer most assuredly, that the satisfactory and penal works of holy Saints suffered in this life, be communicable and applicable to the use of other faithful men their fellow-members in our Lord, and to be dispensed according to every one's necessity and deserving, by them whom Christ hath constituted over his family, and hath made the dispensers of his treasures.
In the person of Christ.
[1] For that many might of ignorance or pride reprove the practice of God's Church and her Officers, or deny the Apostle's authority to be so great over men's souls as to punish and pardon in this sort, S. Paul doth purposely and precisely tell them that he doth give pardon as Christ's Vicar, or as bearing his person in this case: and therefore that no man may marvel of his power herein, except he think that Christ's power, authority, and commission is not sufficient to release temporal punishment due to sinners. And this to be the proper meaning of these words, [2] In the person of Christ, and not as the Protestants would have it [3] (the better to avoid the former conclusion of the Apostle's giving indulgence) In the face or sight of Christ, you may easily understand by the Apostle's like insinuation of Christ's power, when he committed this offender to Satan, affirming that he gave that sentence in the name and with the [4] virtue or power of our Lord Jesus Christ. In all which cases the Protestants' blindness is exceeding great, who cannot see that this is not the way to extol Christ's power, to deny it to his Priests, seeing the Apostle challengeth it by that that Christ hath such power, & that himself doth it in his name, virtue, and person. So now in this, and in no other name, give Popes and Bishops their pardons. Which pertaining properly to releasing only of temporal punishment due after the sin and the eternal punishment be forgiven, is not so great a matter as the remission of the sin itself: which yet the Priests [5] by express commission do also remit.
2 Corinthians 2:11
Circumvented of Satan.
[1] We may see hereby, that the dispensation of such discipline, and the releasing of the same, be put into the power and hands of God's ministers, to deal more or less rigorously, to pardon sooner or later, punish longer or shorter while, as shall be thought best to their wisdom. For the end of all such correction or pardoning must be the salvation of the party's soul, as the Apostle noted 1 Cor. 5, 5. Which to some, and some certain times, may be better procured by rigour of discipline than by indulgence, to some others, by lenity and humane dealing (so pardoning of penance is called in old Councels [2] ) rather than by overmuch chastisement. For consideration whereof, in some ages of the Church, much discipline, [3] great penance and satisfaction was both enjoined and also willingly sustained, and then was the less pardoning and fewer indulgences, because in that voluntary use and acceptation of punishment, and great zeal and fervour of spirit, every man fulfilled his penance, and few asked pardon. Now in the fall of devotion and loathsomeness that men commonly have to do great penance, though the sins be far greater than ever before, [4] yet our holy mother the Church knowing with the Apostle the cogitations of Satan, how he would in this delicate time, drive men either to desperation, or to forsake Christ and his Church and all hope of salvation, rather than they would enter into the course of canonical discipline, enjoineth small penance, and seldom useth extremity with offenders as the holy Bishops of the primitive Church did, but condescending to the weakness of her children, pardoneth exceeding often and much, not only all enjoined penance, but also all or great parts of what punishment temporal soever due or deserved, either in this world or in the next. As for the Heretics which neither like the Church's lenity and pardoning in these days, nor the old rigor of the primitive Church, they be like to the Jews [5] that condemned John the Baptist of austerity, and Christ of too much freedom and liberty: not knowing nor liking indeed either Christ's ordinance and commission in binding or loosing, or his providence in the government of the Church.
2 Corinthians 2:17
Adulterating.
[1] The Greek word [2] signifieth to make commodity of the word of God, as vulgar Vintners do of their wine. Whereby is expressed the peculiar trade of all Heretics, and
- 1 The Heretics' corrupting of the
- 2 καπηλεύοντες.
Original Douay–Rheims Annotations — English College of Douai–Rheims. CC0 1.0
2 Corinthians 2:6
This rebuke sufficeth.
[1] This Corinthian for incest was excommunicated and put to penance by the Apostle, as appeareth in the former Epistle c. 5. And here order is given for his absolution and pardoning. Where in first we have a plain example and proof of the Apostolic power, there of binding, and here of loosing: there of punishing, here of pardoning: there of retaining sins, here of remission. Secondly we may hereby prove that not only amendment, ceasing to sin, or repentance in heart and before God alone, is always enough to obtain full reconcilement, whereas we see here his separation also from the faithful, and the Sacraments, and from all company or dealing with other Christian men, besides other bodily affliction: all which, called of the Apostle before [2] interitus carnis, the destruction of the flesh, and named here, Rebuke, or (as the [3] Greek word also importeth) mulct, penalty, correction, chastisement, were enjoined him by the Apostle's commandment in the face of the Church, and by the offender patiently sustained so long. [4] Thirdly we see that it lieth in the hands of the Apostles, Bishops, and spiritual Magistrates, to measure the time of such penance or discipline, not only according to the weight of the offence committed, but also according to the weakness of the persons punished, and other respects, of time and place, as to their wisdom shall be thought most agreeable to the party's good, and the Church's edification. [5] Lastly by this whole handling of the offender's case, we may refute the wicked heresy of the Protestants, that would make the simple believe, no punishment of a man's own person for sins committed, nor penance enjoined by the Church, nor any pains temporal or satisfaction for our life past, to be necessary, but all such things to be superfluous, because Christ hath satisfied enough for all. Which Epicurean doctrine is refelled, not only hereby, but also by the Prophets' [6], John the Baptist's [7], Christ's, and the Apostles' preaching [8] of penance and condign works or fruits of repentance, to every man in his own person, and not in Christ's person only: and by the whole life and most plain speeches and penitential canons of the holy doctors and Councels prescribing times of penance, commanding penance, enjoining penance, and continually using the word satisfaction in this case throughout all their works, as our Adversaries themselves cannot but confess.