Theological Theses · §1577 · Louis Le Blanc de Beaulieu

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.

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