Vossius: the Latria–Dulia split is not scriptural or classical, yet not wholly rejected
Vossius says neither Scripture nor the classics observe a Latria for God and a Dulia for creatures, as Valla and Vives also grant.
Taken strictly, douleia fits God more than the Saints, since religious service makes us God's servants; Perezius saw this, and Bellarmine's objection fails.
He still does not condemn the distinction, as a guard against ambiguous names, and because Augustine did not refuse it.
The quarrel with Rome is the thing, not the word: they do not leave God's cult whole, but hand a large part of divine honor to the Saints.
Latin
XX. Quibus similia tradit Gerardus Joannes Vossius in Thesibus Theologicis. Discrimen, inquit, vocabulorum λατρείας & δουλείας, quo illa uni Deo, haec creaturis etiam dicitur convenire, nec in Scripturis sacris, nec in scriptoribus classicis observatur: ut etiam Valla, Vives, aliique agnoscunt. Imo δουλείας vox, nisi eam metaphorice sumamus, Sanctis minus quam Deo competit: quia ratione cultus religiosi, non creaturae, sed Dei δοῦλοι sumus: quemadmodum ex Pontificiis Pereziius agnovit, frustra improbante Bellarmino. Nihilominus eos qui distinctionem hanc probant minime improbamus: partim quia vitanda est viro prudenti omnis ὁμωνυμία; partim quia nec inutile videtur, si cultibus toto genere differentibus, qualis est Dei & creaturae, ad homonymiam vitandam diversa imponantur nomina: partim denique quia nec ab ea abhorruit Augustinus. Nec idcirco praevaricamur, vel Pontificiorum causam juvamus quicquam; quia (ut Calvinus hac de distinctione agens agnoscit) de re non de voce quaestio est. Nempe hoc est quod in Pontificiis damnamus, quod cultum suum Deo illibatum non servant, sed divinum honorem magna parte transcribunt Sanctis. Appendice ad disputationem decimam, quae est quarta de Invocatione Sanctorum.
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.