Lecture 11 — Against revenge

^5:38^ You have heard that it was said: an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. [n. 525]

^5:39^ But I say to you not to resist evil: but if one strike you on your right cheek, turn to him also the other. [n. 527]

^5:40^ And if a man will contend with you in judgment, and take away your coat, let go your cloak to him also. [n. 532]

^5:41^ And whoever will force you one mile, go with him the other two, [n. 534]

^5:42^ give to him who asks of you and from him who would borrow of you turn not away. [n. 535]

525. You have heard that it was said: ‘an eye for an eye.’ Above, the Lord fulfilled the law as to the permissive precepts that pertain to God; now, he does it as to those that pertain to our neighbor. And this in two respects: as to the act, and as to the emotion. The second is found at, ‘you shall love your neighbor’ (Matt 5:43).

Concerning the first he does two things:

first, he quotes the words of the law,

second, he fulfills it.

526. Therefore he says, you have heard that it was said, that you ought to require ‘an eye for an eye’ (Ex 21:24: Deut 19:21). But in these words of the law different things were understood by the lawgiver than by the Jews, for the intention of the lawgiver was to establish a mode of judging in justice for the judges, so that they could impose a predetermined penalty. The Jews understood it as each one taking his own retribution for the injuries he had suffered, which was against the law: seek not revenge (Lev 19:18).

Therefore the Lord gives the fulfillment as to the wrong understanding. Hence, but I say to you.

And concerning this he does two things. For he fulfills it in two ways:

first, as to the fact that retribution is not to be sought;

second, that one should do good to anyone inflicting an injury, at give to him who asks of you.

Concerning this he does two things:

first, he gives the fulfillment in general,

second, in the particular, at but if one strike you.

527. As to the surface meaning of the letter, it seems to be a bad law. And vice versa. But according to Augustine, the Lord did not destroy, but fulfilled. For the intention of the law was to draw men away from extreme and unregulated revenge. But God completely prohibits revenge. Hence if the law had said ‘do not seek revenge beyond your due,’ and the Lord says: ‘do not seek it at all,’ he would be fulfilling the words of the law.

And here, according to Augustine, five degrees should be considered: one, the man who inflicted an injury, and this is the greatest degree of wickedness; second, the man who retaliates with an equal injury, and this is less of iniquity than the first; the third, someone who strikes back but less than he suffered; fourth, someone who repays no penalty; fifth, someone who not only does not repay, but also does not hinder even if another evil is inflicted on him. And this is what the Lord teaches: hence but I say to you not to resist evil. And it is understood to be about an evil, not of guilt, but of penalty or injury: do not revenge yourselves (Rom 12:19); and this fits well enough with what has been said.

528. But someone could say: I wish to be vindicated, not in order to delight in revenge, but so that I may not be offended again; but the Lord also excludes this: do not resist evil.

529. But it should be seen how these sentences of the Lord may be understood. For two kinds of objections are made, according to two errors. One, as Augustine says in his letter against Marcellinus, is the error of the gentiles, who argued that without retribution no state could be preserved. It is how a stand is made against enemies, and thieves are punished: which measures must be done thoroughly, or the state would perish. Therefore, the Gospel law destroys human society: therefore it should be obliterated. On the other hand, heretics say that the Gospels support revenge and do not wish to take away those things that pertain to society by abolishing it. Hence it should be said that those proceed from a false understanding. For someone can resist evil in two ways: out of love for a public good or for a private one. But the Lord did not intend to prohibit us from resisting evil for the good of the community, but rather that no one should burn with revenge for his own private good. For nothing preserves the society of men more than that a man not have the power of doing evil for his own private ends.

But again it seems that the Lord does not intend to prohibit this; for the natural inclination of anything is to resist evil corrupting its good; therefore this precept cannot be kept. But it should be said that the natural inclination is that everything repel its own harm. And similarly the natural inclination is that everything expose itself to its own detriment so as to avoid damage to the community, as a hand exposes itself to danger for the sake of the body, and any part for the sake of its whole. Hence it is natural that a man endure an evil for the good of the nation, and political virtue, like fortitude and such, pertains to this.

530. But Augustine says that let him not resist should be understood according to the preparation of the soul: for a man should be prepared to endure or undergo all evils for the benefit of his neighbor, and he gives an example. For if someone were taking care of a deranged man who struck him or did something like that, the first man, if he had good will toward the other, would be prepared to endure even other evils for his welfare: and this you must do for the benefit of the Church.

And it should be noted that what the Lord says is in some cases a precept, and in some cases, a counsel. It is a precept to someone who would abandon what he is bound to by fear of some temporal inconvenience; as a prelate who cares for a flock should be prepared in his soul to endure any losses before he will abandon what he is bound to. It is a counsel, when it does not involve overlooking what one is bound to, as when someone endures many injuries from his parents for the sake of entering religious life, the counsel is that he not let go of what is better.

531. Accordingly, what the Lord said he demonstrates in general and in particular: but if one strike you. Three different kinds of harm can be inflicted on someone: by wounding his body, by taking his things, or by forcibly restricting his action. And he gives an example of these three.

Therefore he says, but if one strike you on your right cheek, turn to him also the other: he will give his cheek to him who strikes him (Lam 3:30); I have given my body to the strikers and my cheeks to those who plucked them (Isa 50:6). How those things should be understood can be seen from the acts of holy men. For the Lord who began to do and to teach this did not fulfill it: *if I have spoken evil, give testimony of it; but if not, why do you strike me? (*John 18:23); and the Apostle: God will strike you, you whited wall (Acts 23:3). And from this Augustine concludes that we know from the acts of holy men how the Scriptures are to be understood. Hence he says this is to be understood in the preparation of the soul, and explain this as above.

532. Mystically, however, it should be known that the man who strikes you in the face insults you in your sight: if a man is lifted up, if a man strike you on the face (2 Cor 11:20). The right cheek has to do with spiritual things, the left one with temporal things. Therefore it means that if you endure an injury in spiritual things, much more should you in temporal matters; against which prelates act who endure the loss of their churches but not of their relatives.

And if a man will contend with you in judgment. This can happen in two ways: someone may contend in order to receive his own things, and then it is no great thing if you yield; but if it is to take away your things, this belongs to perfection if you yield. And this is: and take away your coat, that is, any temporal thing, let go your cloak to him also, that is, any other thing. And this is also in the preparation of the soul, for if someone speaks some calumny against you, nevertheless, do not let go of the charity you have for him: already indeed there is plainly a fault among you, that you have lawsuits with one another (1 Cor 6:7).

533. This judgment is to be avoided for two reasons. One is that if a cleric is subjected to secular judgment it diminishes his dignity. The other reason is that although he does not intend any calumny, nevertheless if he sees the cause of his contention calumniated, an occasion for doing the same thing will be given to him; and thus it is dangerous to contend in judgment.

Likewise to seek redress in court can happen in two ways: licitly, and illicitly; it is illicit to go to court with unbelievers. Also, one may not go to court contentiously: for contention is an assault against the truth with the boldness of shouting; it is an honor for a man to separate himself from quarrels (Prov 20:3). On the other hand, a licit claim can happen two ways: when it is about the affairs of the poor or of the Church; hence if the bishop does not go to court over these, he sins. Another case is when someone who steals becomes even more insolent and more shameless unless he is resisted, charity is that in this case his soul should be delivered from death; but when it is a private matter and no correction is hoped for, then he is not to be condemned. Nevertheless, all these things are to be understood as referring to the preparation of the soul.

534. And whoever will force you one mile. Force is properly to enslave someone in some servile work without justice. Go . . . the other two, that is, miles: you suffer it if anyone brings you into bondage (2 Cor 11:20).

And it should be noted that the Lord proceeded in a certain order. First he said that evil was not to be resisted; afterward that a man should be prepared not only to not resist, but to endure an equal penalty, but more since he ascends to the double.

535. Give to him who asks of you. Here he says that we should do good to evildoers in two ways: by the mode of simple giving and of loaning. As to the first, he says who asks: if you have much, give abundantly (Tob 4:9); if I have denied to the poor what they desired (Job 31:16). But it is objected that the poor cannot do this. Likewise, if the rich were always giving, nothing would remain to them. And Augustine resolves this two ways. The first, thus, because you should not give everything that someone asks, for not something indecent or unjust or irrational or something that you need more; but when someone asks rightly, you should give: and this is a precept if you are bound, a counsel if you are not bound. Jerome, though, says that it is understood as referring to a spiritual good because that can be harmful to no one.

536. From him who would: receive a loan. Here two things: for anyone doing a service to another, even if he simply gives him something, expects retribution: who has mercy on the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him (Prov 19:17); cast your bread on running waters, for . . . you will find it again (Eccl 11:1). Or another way, who would receive something that he would return, turn not away. And it could seem to someone that God did not recompense the property that he hoped for from a man, and thus he might be moved to give rather than loan, or he would receive it back from God. But the Lord says that he will also receive it back from God. Or he says turn not away because sometimes they fear being cheated and so they refuse to make a loan: many have refused to lend, not out of wickedness, but they were afraid to be defrauded without cause (Sir 29:10) and further, lose your money for your brother (Sir 29:13). And it should be noted that this can be a precept and a counsel according to different situations: which is clear from what has been said.