Ongoing Translation Series: The Threefold Way of St. Bonaventure, Part II

Donald P. Goodman III

The great saint Bonaventure wrote many powerful works, but one that I have seen rarely examined, and even more rarely (if ever) translated, is The Threefold Way, subtitled incendium amoris, The Fire of Love. This short work (only twenty-five pages in the Latin, much less with footnotes removed) explores the threefold spiritual life: the purgative, the illuminative, and the contemplative ways. This series will be an ongoing translation project, in which we will English the saint's nobly simple Latin, for the benefit of all.

It is ongoing, and thus is necessarily a draft; if something sounds funny, please consult the Latin! And then let me know if I've gotten something wrong.

This installment: the conclusion of the first chapter with the illuminative and perfective ways.

If this is new to you, start with Part I.

§ 2: On the Illuminative Way and its Threefold Exercise

10. In the second place, after the purgative way, follows the illuminative way, in which a man ought to exercise himself toward the ray of understanding in this way. For that ray must be first prolonged to the sending away of evil things; second, expanded to the doing of good deeds; third, turned back to the promised gifts. — But the ray of understanding is stretched forth, while evil things which the Lord has indulged are carefully weighed, which are so many as there are sins which we have committed, and so great, as much as we are bound by evil things and as much as we are worthy to be deprived of good things. And this meditation stands enough from the preceeding ones. Nor must this only be turned to; but it must also be considered into how many evils we would have fallen if the Lord had permitted it. And when these things have been diligently weighed, our darkness will be illuminated by the ray of understanding. And such an illumination should be joined to the thankfulness of affection; otherwise it is not heavenly illumination, to the brilliance of which we see that heat follows. Whence here thanks must be given for the forgiveness of sins committed or for the necessity of sins possibly committed, in weakness and wickedness of will.

11. It must be seen secondly, how that ray is expanded in the consideration of good deeds done, which indeed are of threefold type. For certain things look to completion of nature, certain things to the help of grace, and certain things to the gift of superabundance. — To the completion of nature looks, what God has given from the part of the body: soundness of members, health of complexion, nobility of sex; from the part of the sense He has given clear sight, sharp hearing, and distinct speech; from the part of the soul He has given a bright nature, right judgment, a good mind.

12. To the help of grace looks, that He has given first baptismal grace, by which He has wiped away fault, restored innocence, brought in justice, which makes him worthy of eternal life. Second, that He has given penitential grace, as much as to the right time, the will of the mind, and the height of religion. Third, that He has given priestly grace, through which He makes thee a dispensor of doctrine, a dispensor of indulgence, and the dispensor of the Eucharist; in all of which things the words of life are dispensed more or less.

13. To the gift of superabundance looks, first that He has given the whole universe, certainly the lower parts for service, the equal parts for merit, and the higher parts for protection. Second, that He has given His Son, and this as a brother and a friend; He has given Him as a price, gives Him daily as food; first in the Incarnation, second in His Passion, third in the consecration. Third, that He has given the Holy Spirit as a sign of acceptance, as a privilege of adoption, as a ring of betrothal. For He makes the Christian soul His friend, His daughter, His spouse. All these things are marvelous and beyond all price, and in the meditation of such things the soul should be exceedingly grateful to God.

Lastly, concerning the illuminative way must be seen how this ray of understanding must be turned back through meditation, that it may be turned back to the source of every good thing, by considering the promised gifts. It must be considered, therefore, it must be frequently and carefully weighed, that God, who lieth not (Tit. 1:2), hath promised Himself to believers and lovers the removal of all evils, the company of all the saints, the fulfilling of all desires in Himself, Who is the source and end of all good things, Who is Good itself, that exceeds every petition, every desire, every valuation, and He thinks us worthy for such a good, if we love and desire it above all things and for the sake of Himself; and therefore, with every desire and affection and kindness we ought to reach toward Him.

§ 3 On the Perfective Way and Its Threefold Exercise

15. Finally, it follows how we ought to exercise toward the spark of wisdom. And it must be done in this order: for that spark first must be brought together; second, set aflame; third, raised up. — And it is brought together through the leading-away of affection from every love of creature, from the love of which indeed affection ought to be called back, for the love of creature does not accomplish; and if it accomplishes, it does not restore; and if it restores, it does not suffice; and therefore every such love ought to be exceedingly kept away from the affection.

16. Second, it must be set aflame, and this is from the conversion of the affection upon the love of the Spouse. And he does this, indeed, by comparing that love to himself, or to the affection of the heavenly citizens, or to the Spouse Himself. Then he does this, when he listens carefully, that all indulgence can be supplied by love, that abundance of every good thing in the Blessed is through love, that the greatest desirable presence is had through the love of Him. These things are those which set the affection aflame.

17. Third, it must be lifted up, and this over every sensible, imaginable, and understandable thing, in this order: that a man immediately may speak to himself in meditation about that thing which he chooses to love perfectly, because that which he loves is not sensible, because it is not seeable, hearable, smellable, tasteable, touchable, and therefore is not sensible; but is all desirable. Second, that he might consider that it is not imaginable, because it is not limitable, formable, countable, containable, changeable, and therefore is not imaginable, but is all desirable. Third, that he considers that it is not understandable, because it is not demonstrable, definable, supposable, valuable, searchable, and therefore is not understandable, but is all desirable.

§ 4 Corollary

18. From these things, therefore, it is clear how one comes to the wisdom of the sacred Scripture by meditating on the purgative, illuminative, and perfective way. And the contents not only of the sacred Scripture, but even of all our meditation ought to be turned around these things. For every meditation of the wise man is either about human works, by considering of course what man has done and what he ought to do, and what is the moving reason; or about divine works, by considering of course how much God has done for man, for He does everything because of him; how much He has forgiven and how much He has promised (and in this works of creating, of repairing, and of glorification are contained); or about the principles of either, which are God and the soul, how they are joined together. And here should stand our every meditation, for this is the end of all knowledge and work, and it is true wisdom, in which there is knowledge through true experience.

19. In this kind of meditation the whole soul should be intent, and this according to all its powers, especially according to reason, synderesis, conscience, and will. For in this type of meditation the reason, by questioning, gives a proposition; synderesis, by decreeing, brings forth a definition; the conscience, by testifying, brings in a conclusion, and the will, by choosing, brings down the solution. For example, if someone wants to meditate on the purgative way, the reason should seek what ought to be done about a man who has violated the temple of God; synderesis responds, that he either should be destroyed, or should be made clean by the wailings of penance; the conscience takes it up: Thou art he: for thou must be damned, or thou must be afflicted by the spurs of penance; then, the will chooses, of course, for it rejects eternal damnation, it takes up the wailings of penance willingly. According to this method, it must be understood in the other ways.