Romans say perfect/absolute in essence, not degree
Roman doctors verbally reject inchoate/imperfect language, calling it perfect and absolute—yet when explained, they mean essence, not degree.
They admit remaining blemishes and need of mercy; absolute = truly such, not fictively.
Latin
XXVII. Hic autem certe tanta est veritatis evidentia, ut etiam qui verbis videntur con-tradicere, reipsa tamen idem dicere comperiantur. Nam Scholae Romanae Doctores plane quidem adversa Reformatis loquuntur. Nolunt enim justitiam per Spiritum Sanctum fide-libus infusam, inchoatam solum & imperfectam dici: & acriter contendunt illam esse, & dici debere, perfectam atque absolutam. Sed, quum mentem suam distinctius expli-cant, in eundem plane sensum cum Theologis Reformatis recidunt. Quippe quando justitiam, de qua agimus, absolutam vocant, non intelligunt talem esse ut pervenerit ad summum, & ei nihil addi possit. Et similiter, quum dicunt perfectam, non in-telligunt perfectam simpliciter, & talem cui nihil omnino desit. Fatentur enim justos in hac vita suos adhuc habere naevos, & in varia peccata incidere; non ita gravia quidem, ut propter illa justitia excidant, sed quae tamen egeant divina misericordia & condonatione. Et hominum etiam sanctissimorum docent justitiam esse ejusmodi, quae quotidie per-fici, & augmentum sumere possit. Itaque justitiam fidelium in hac vita propterea tan-tum absolutam vocant, quoniam absolute, simpliciter, & revera talis est: non vero tantum justitia quaedam improprie, secundum quid, & per aliquam fictionem sic di-cta. Et similiter illam perfectam vocant, quoniam illi nihil deest quod ad essentiam verae justitiae pertineat: licet desit illi quaedam perfectio accidentaria, & multis gra-dibus a summa perfectione absit.
About this text
Louis Le Blanc de Beaulieu - Sedan Theological Theses, newly rendered from the 1675 London Latin. Covers De Theologia through Angelorum & Hominum Sanctorum Cultu Romana I-LXXVII and Pars Secunda (Reformata) I-XL. Not the collected folio.
English follows locked Pitt Latin through Imaginum CLOSED + Sanctorum Cultu Romana CLOSED + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL. 1675 PDF ~384-390 (book ~370-376); Vision OCR + pdftotext + tess. No modern English. This slice densifies Sanctorum Pars Secunda I-XL. Next: Pars Secunda XLI–fin (~CI). Claim stays claimed (book densify not done).
Catalogue & scope
ESTC R17887; Wing L802. IA bub_gb_eOkHAW4G0-wC (+ EEBO 1675 for gap leaves). Densify through Sanctorum Cultu Romana I-LXXVII + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL (Pars Secunda not closed; not whole folio).
Witnesses
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Theologia I-XLIII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Checked print Internet Archive PDF of the 1675 Pitt folio (Latin)
- Checked print pdftotext of De Theologia pages (Latin)
- Checked print Internet Archive DjVu OCR of the 1675 Pitt folio (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Fide I-XXII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Authoritate Scripturae Pars I I-XLVII + Pars II I-XXXV + Pars III I-VIII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Scripturae plenitudine densify (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.