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Unam Sanctam - Latin text with notes

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Primary source for Latin text:
  • Cardinal Henry Edward Manning, (Archbishop of Westminster, England), The Vatican Decrees in their Bearing on Civil Allegiance, (Catholic Publication Society: New York, 1875), p. 172-173.

    Secondary sources for Latin text:
  • Fr. Luigi Tosti, (Benedictine Monk, Abbey of Monte Cassino, Italy), Storia di Bonifazio VIII e de suoi tempi, Volume II, 1846; p. 304-306.
  • Fr. Luigi Tosti, History of Pope Boniface VIII and his times, with Notes and Documentary Evidence, in six books, (Christian Press Association, New York: 1911) p. 537-538.
  • Fr. Carl Mirbt, (professor of Church history at the University of Marburg, Germany), Quellen zur Geschichte des Papsttums ('Sources for the History of the Papacy'), (Freiburg und Leipzig: Marburg, 1895) p. 88-90.
  • Philip Schaff, History of the Christian church, Volume 5,
    (Scribner: New York, 1910), p. 27-28.

    Latin Text:

    Bonifatius, Episcopus, Servus servorum Dei.
    Ad perpetuam rei memoriam.

    1. Unam Sanctam Ecclesiam Catholicam et ipsam Apostolicam urgente fide credere cogimur et tenere. Nosque hanc firmiter credimus et simpliciter confitemur: extra quam nec salus est, nec remissio peccatorum, Sponso in Canticis proclamante, 'Una est columba mea, perfecta mea: una est matris suae, electa genitrici suae:' [Canticles 6:8] quae unum corpus mysticum repraesentat, cujus caput Christus, Christi vero Deus. [1 Corinthians 11:3] In qua unus Dominus, una fides, unum baptisma. [Ephesians 4:5] Una nempe fuit Diluvii tempore arca Noe, unam Ecclesiam praefigurans, quae in uno cubito consummata, [Genesis 6:16] unum, Noe videlicet, gubernatorem habuit et rectorem, extra quam omnia subsistentia super terram legimus fuisse deleta.

    Notes:
    Schaff has 'futuram' instead of 'perpetuam' in 'Ad perpetuam rei memoriam.'
    Tosti adds 'corporis' in 'cujus corporis caput Christus.' But Manning, Mirbt, and Schaff all lack corporis, and the word adds nothing to the meaning.
    Manning has the typographical error of 'omnis subsistentia,' instead of 'omnia subsistentia.'

    2. Hanc autem veneramur et unicam; dicente Domino in Propheta, 'Erue a framea, Deus, animam meam et de manu canis unicam meam;' [Psalm 21:21] pro anima enim, id est, pro seipso capite simul oravit et corpore: quod corpus unicam scilicet Ecclesiam nominavit, propter sponsi, fidei, sacramentorum, et charitatis Ecclesiae unitatem. Haec est tunica illa Domini inconsutilis, [John 19:23-24] quae scissa non fuit sed sorte provenit.

    3. Igitur Ecclesiae unius et unicae unum corpus, unum caput, non duo capita quasi monstrum, Christus videlicet, et Christi vicarius Petrus Petrique successor; dicente Domino ipsi Petro, 'Pasce oves meas,' [John 21:17] 'meas,' inquit, et generaliter non singulariter has vel illas, per quod commisisse sibi intelligitur universas. Sive igitur Graeci, sive alii se dicant Petro ejusque successoribus non esse commissos, fateantur necesse se de ovibus Christi non esse; dicente Domino in Joanne, 'unum ovile et unicum esse pastorem.' [John 10:16]

    Notes:
    Tosti and Schaff lack 'et' in 'inquit, et generaliter,' but add 'est,' in 'necesse est, se'; Manning and Mirbt agree in adding 'et' and lacking 'est'. But neither adding 'et,' nor taking away 'est,' would seem to alter the meaing of the text.
    Tosti alone adds a second 'unum' in 'unum ovile, unum et unicum esse Pastorem,' making the text read: 'one and only one Pastor.'

    4. In hac ejusque potestate duos esse gladios, spiritualem videlicet et temporalem, Evangelicis dictis instruimur. Nam dicentibus Apostolis, 'Ecce gladii duo hic,' in Ecclesia scilicet, cum Apostoli loquerentur, non respondit Dominus nimis esse sed satis. [Luke 22:38] Certe qui in potestate Petri temporalem gladium esse negat, male verbum attendit Domini proferentes, 'Converte gladium tuum in vaginam.' [Matthew 26:52] Uterque ergo est in potestate Ecclesiae, spiritualis scilicet gladius et materialis. Sed is quidem pro Ecclesia, ille vero ab Ecclesia exercendus. Ille sacerdotis, is manu regum et militum, sed ad nutum et patientiam sacerdotis.

    Notes:
    St. Bernard (De Consideratione, Lib. iv. c. 3) writes:
    "Uterque ergo Ecclesiae, et, spiritalis scilicet gladius et materialis; sed is quidem pro Ecclesia, ille vero et ab Ecclesia exercendus: ille sacerdotis, is militis manu, sed sane ad nutum sacerdotis et jussum Imperatoris."
    "And both therefore, are of the Church, specifically, both the spiritual sword and the material. But indeed, the latter is to be exercised on behalf of the Church; and truly the former is to be exercised by the Church; the former is of the priest, the latter is by the hand of the soldier, but truly at the will of the priest and the order of the emperor."
    [Latin text from: Rev. Johannes Baptist Alzog, Manual of Universal Church History, Volume 2, (Gill and Son: Dublin, 1890), p. 448-449.]

    5. Oportet autem gladium esse sub gladio et temporalem auctoritatem spirituali subjici potestati: nam cum dicat Apostolus, 'Non est potestas nisi a Deo, quae autem sunt a Deo ordinata sunt,' [Romans 13:1] non autem ordinata essent, nisi gladius esset sub gladio, et tanquam inferior reduceretur per alium in suprema. Nam secundum beatum Dionysium, lex divinitatis est, infima per media in suprema reduci.

    Notes:
    Tosti lacks 'autem' in 'non autem ordinata essent.'
    Tosti has the word order: 'quae autem a Deo sunt, ordinata sunt.'
    Mirbt and Manning agree on the text above, except that Mirbt has the typographical error: 'ordinatae' and Mirbt has comma before 'a Deo'.

    6. Non ergo secundum ordinem universi omnia aeque ac immediate, sed infima per media, et inferiora per superiora ad ordinem reducuntur. Spiritualem autem et dignitate et nobilitate terrenam quamlibet praecellere potestatem, opportet tanto clarius nos fateri quanto spiritualia temporalia antecellunt. Quod etiam ex decimarum datione, et benedictione, et sanctificatione, ex ipsius potestatis acceptione, ex ipsarum rerum gubernatione claris oculis intuemur. Nam veritate testante, spiritualis potestas terrenem potestatem instituere habet et judicare, si bona non fuerit, sic de Ecclesia et ecclesiastica potestate verificatur vaticinium Hieremiae, 'Ecce constitui te hodie super gentes et regna,' [Jeremiah 1:10] et caetera quae sequuntur.

    Notes:
    Schaff omits with an elipse (…) everything in n. 6 from 'Non ergo' through 'si bona non fuerit', then he agrees with the rest of the text above.
    Tosti lacks 'et' in 'per media, et inferiora'.
    Mirbt and Manning agree on the text above.

    Hugh of St. Victor, in the 12th century, in 'De Sacramentis Christianæ Fidei,' lib. II, c. 4, writes the following:
    "Spiritualis potestas terrenam potestatem et instituere habet ut sit, et judicare habet, si bona non fuerit."
    "The spiritual authority holds [the ability] so that it may establish the earthly authority, and holds [the ability] to judge if it might not have been good."
    [Latin text from: Rev. Johannes Baptist Alzog, Manual of Universal Church History, Volume 2, (Gill and Son: Dublin, 1890), p. 448-449.]

    7. Ergo si deviat terrena potestas, judicabitur a potestate spirituali, sed si deviat spiritualis minor a suo superiori: si vero suprema, a solo Deo, non ab homine poterit judicari, testante Apostolo, 'Spiritualis homo judicat omnia, ipse autem a nemine judicatur.' [1 Corinthians 2:16]

    8. Est autem haec auctoritas, etsi data sit homini et exerceatur per hominem, non humana, sed potius divina, [potestas,] ore divino Petro data, sibique suisque successoribus in ipso [Christo], quem confessus fuit petra firmata, dicente Domino ipsi Petro, 'Quodcunque ligaveris,' [Matthew 16:19] etc. Quicunque igitur huic potestati a Deo sic ordinatae resistit; Dei ordinationi resistit, [Romans 13:2] nisi duo sicut Manichaeus fingat esse principia: quod falsum et haereticum [esse] judicamus: quia testante Moyse, non in principiis, sed in principio coelum Deus creavit et terram. [Genesis 1:1]

    Notes:
    Tosti and Schaff add 'potestas' in 'sed potius divina, potestas, ore divino Petro data'.
    Tosti and Schaff add 'Christo' in 'successoribus in ipso Christo, quem'.
    Tosti adds 'esse' in 'haereticum esse judicamus'; Schaff does not.
    All of the additions of Tosti are useful in elucidating the meaning of the text.
    Mirbt has parentheses before 'etsi' and after 'hominem', also he adds paraentheses around 'sicut Manichaeus'. Otherwise Manning and Mirbt agree on the text above.

    9. Porro subesse Romano Pontifici omni humanae creaturae declaramus, dicimus, definimus, et pronunciamus omnino esse de necessitate salutis.

    Notes:
    Tosti and other sources lack 'et pronunciamus'; some sources place it in brackets and italics.
    Schaff, Mirbt, and Manning agree with the above text.

    Saint Thomas Aquinas, opusc. contra errores Graec. fol. 9:
    "Ostenditur enim, quod subesse Romano Pontifici sit de necessitate salutis."
    "For it is revealed that subjection to the Roman Pontiff is from the necessity of salvation."
    [Dr. Johann Karl Ludwig Gieseler, A Text-book of Church History, (Harper Brothers: New York, 1857), p. 351.]

    Datum Laterani
    xiv kal. Decembris,
    [18 November]
    pontificatus nostri anno octavo.

    Fifth Lateran Council: "Et cum de necessitate salutis existat omnes Christi fideles Romano Pontifici subesse, prout divinae Scripturae et sanctorum Patrum testimonio edocemur, ac Constitutione fel. mem. Bonifacii Papae VIII. quae incipit 'Unam Sanctam' declaratur; pro eorundem fidelium animarum salute, ac Romani Pontificis et hujus sanctae Sedis suprema auctoritate, et Ecclesiae sponsae suae unitate et potestate, Constitutionem ipsam, sacro approbante Councilio, innovamus et approbamus."

    "And since it arises from the necessity of salvation that all the faithful of Christ are to be subject to the Roman Pontiff, just as we are taught by the testimony of the divine Scriptures and of the holy Fathers, and as is declared by the Constitution of Pope Boniface VIII of happy memory, which begins 'Unam Sanctam,' for the salvation of the souls of the same faithful, and by the supreme authority of the Roman pontiff and of this holy See, and by the unity and power of the Church, his spouse, the same Constitution, being approved by the sacred Council, we renew and approve."
    (Pope Leo X, Fifth Lateran Council, Session 11, 19 December 1516)

    [Notes and translation by Ronald L. Conte Jr.]


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