Theological Theses · §1426

Bellarmine's first escape from idolatry: improper latria when the mind stays fixed on the exemplar alone

How can image-latria avoid idolatry? Bellarmine's first route: improper latria.

Mind fixed only on the exemplar while Good-Friday crucifix rites use the image as stand-in—latria properly goes to Christ alone, improperly said of the image.

Latin

LVII. Quomodo vero imago latria adorari possit, neque tamen in eo committatur crimen idololatriae, variis modis ostendere conantur Scholae Romanae Theologi. Et primo quidem dicit Bellarminus, imaginem quandoque vicem gerere exemplaris, & ea quae fierent circa ipsum exemplar, si adesset praesens, fieri circa imaginem, mente tamen unice defixa in exemplari, non in imagine, & tunc dici posse imaginem coli eodem cultu quo exemplar, non proprie tamen, sed improprie. Sic ex illius mente in die parasceves, seu feria sexta ante Pascha, cum crucifixus paulatim detegitur, & adorandus proponitur, multa quae pertinent ad latriae cultum, circa imaginem crucifixi fiunt; sed omnia illa per imaginem ipsi Christo vero exhiberi intelliguntur: tunc autem proprie loquendo honor ille latriae non defertur imagini, sed soli exemplari: tamen improprie dici potest ipsa etiam imago latria honorari.

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

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.