Original Douay–Rheims AnnotationsJudges 11
English College of Douai–Rheims
Read Judges 11 in the BibleOriginal Douay–Rheims Annotations — English College of Douai–Rheims. CC0 1.0
English College of Douai–Rheims
Read Judges 11 in the BibleOriginal Douay–Rheims Annotations — English College of Douai–Rheims. CC0 1.0
Judges 11:39
Did to her as he had vowed.
Whether Jephte did well or no in sacrificing his daughter, having vowed to offer in sacrifice whosoever (or whatsoever) should first meed him returning with victory, as it happened she did, is a great and hard question, saith S. Augustine (q. 49. in lib. Iudic.) and not easily decided, the holy scripture neither approving nor reproving his fact. Nevertheless by conference of other scriptures and discourse of reason, he judgeth it most probable that [1] Jephte offended in vowing without special warrant from God, to sacrifice, that which by the law was not sacrificable; yet sinned not in performing his vow, but rather pacified God thereby, whose will it seemed to be, that for punishment of his sin he should sacrifice his daughter, because by his divine providence she first met him: and the omission might rather have been for his natural love towards his only child, than for the unlawfulness of the sacrifice: seeing it once pleased God to command Abraham to immolate his son Isaac, though when it came to execution, he forbade the same, appointing another host in place of the child, which here he did not. Neither was it injurious to the daughter, seeing she, as all mankind, must once die when God appointeth. Yea further she offered herself freely (which seemed to be by God's instinct) willing her father to do to her whatsoever he had promised to God. This is the sum of [2] S. Augustin's large discourse. Likewise [3] S. Ambrose (li. 3. de Officiis c. 12.) supposeth assuredly that this Prince Jephte offended in vowing unadvisedly, for it also repented him, when his daughter first met him: yet that with godly fear and dread he performed to his own bitter pain that which he had promised: instituting an anniversary lamentation of his daughter, for a warning to posterity of more circumspection in making vows. [4] S. Hierome also (li. 1. advers. Iovinian.) approveth their opinion that say: It was God's ordinance Jephte should feel the error of his unadvised vow, by the death of his daughter, for a document of others. The very same teacheth [5] S. Chrysostome (ho. 14. ad pop. Antioch.) that God would have this error to be thus punished, that others might be warned from vowing the like [6] S. Gregory Nazianzen (orat. de Machabæis) preferring the martyrdom of the seven brothers and their mother, before this sacrifice of Jephte as more advised and more honourable, yet condemneth not this, but recounteth it amongst other commendable acts. [7] Theodoret (q. 19. in Iudic.) and all the aforesaid fathers do highly commend the daughter's promptness in offering herself to be sacrificed, which either much extenuated her father's fault, or wholly justified his fact. Thus the ancient fathers moderate their censures. [8] [9] Yet a new glosser of the English Bible without scruple saith, that by his rash vow, and wicked performance, his victory was defaced: and again, that he was overcome with blind zeal, not considering whether the vow was lawful or no.