God by nature is uncompounded, joined to nothing, composed of nothing, to whom nothing happens by accident; but only possessing in His own nature that which is divine, enclosing all things, Himself closed out of nothing, penetrating all things, Himself never penetrable, everywhere complete, everywhere present at the same time, whether in heaven or on earth or in the depths of the sea, incapable of being seen or measured by our senses, to be followed only by faith and venerated in our religion.
(De Fide, 1.16, as quoted in Loci Theologici, Vol. I, p. 58)
God knows the future with as much certainty as He knows the present.
(as quoted in Loci Theologici, Vol. I, p. 206)
He took what is mine in order that He might impart to me what is His. He took it not to overturn it but to fill it.
(De Incarnationis Dominicae Sacramento, ch. 4, as quoted in The Two Natures in Christ, pp. 128 and 360)
In this matter [of the incarnation] my ignorance far surpasses my knowledge; but this one thing I know well, that I am ignorant of things which I cannot understand.
(De Incarnationis Dominicae Sacramento, ch. 3, as quoted in The Two Natures in Christ, p. 145)
The pious mind distinguishes between what is written with reference to the deity and with reference to the flesh, and thus avoids sacrilege.
(De Fide, Bk. 5, ch. 8, as quoted in The Two Natures in Christ, p. 182)
We must preserve the distinction between the deity and the flesh. The Son of God is described as one in both natures because both natures are in the same person. Although the same person speaks, He does not always speak in the same way, for as God He speaks divine things and as man the things which are human.
(De Fide, Bk. 2, ch. 9, as quoted in The Two Natures in Christ, p. 182)
The Lord of majesty is crucified, not as if we were to think He was crucified in His majesty, but rather because He is both God and man, God through the deity and man through the assumption of the flesh. Jesus Christ, the Lord of Majesty, is called the Crucified One because He is a participant in both natures, the human and the divine. In the nature of man He endures the Passion, and thus He is said to be indivisibly the Lord of Majesty and the Son of Man who was crucified.
(De Fide, Bk. 2, ch. 7, as quoted in The Two Natures in Christ, p. 182)
As man He is beaten...and crucified.
(De Fide, Bk. 2, ch. 7, as quoted in The Two Natures in Christ, p. 199)
Through His deity He is God, through the assumption of the flesh He is man. ...through the nature of man He grows tired. ...in the nature of man He is less than the Father. ...as God He speaks things which are divine, as man He says things which are human. By reason of the body He says, “Sit at My right hand” [Ps. 110:1].
(De Fide, Bk. 2, chs. 7-8, as quoted in The Two Natures in Christ, pp. 199)
He says, “Sit at My right hand” [Ps. 110:1], on account of the body, for it is quite a different matter to ask about the eternal seat of the Deity.
(De Fide, Bk. 2, ch. 12, as quoted in The Two Natures in Christ, p. 359)
Christ...according to the assumption of the flesh is of one substance with all men in the flesh, but the glory of His incarnation is unimpaired. ... According to His human condition and according to the incarnation...God is the Head of Christ, where He uses the form of a servant, that is, of a man and not of God.
(De Fide, Bk. 4, ch. 3, as quoted in The Two Natures in Christ, pp. 199 and 360)
In Christ the nature which we have in common with him, according to the flesh, has obtained the prerogative of the heavenly throne.
(On the Faith, book 5, chapter 6, as quoted in Catalog of Testimonies, p. 227)
In order that you do not refer the statement of Scripture, “God subjected all things to Him” [1 Cor. 15:27], to the infirmity of the Son, learn what is written concerning the Son in Phil. 3:21, “According to the power by which He is able to subject all things to Himself.” You have therefore learned that He is able to subject all things to Himself – according to the working of the deity, to be sure. Note, too, that He receives all things in subjection according to the flesh also, as it is written [Eph. 1:20-22], “Raising Him from the dead and establishing Him at the right hand in heavenly places above every principality and dominion, and above every name, He also subjects all things under His feet.” Therefore, also according to the flesh all things are given in subjection to Him, according to which He was also raised from the dead.
(De Fide, Bk. 5, ch. 15, as quoted in The Two Natures in Christ, p. 359; also quoted [in part] in Catalog of Testimonies, p. 227)
“It is not Mine to give” [Matt. 20:23]. ... The impossible was being asked, that men sit with the Son...while the angels stand in His presence (Luke 1:19); they stand before His throne (Rev. 7:11). ... The hosts of heaven stand around Him at the right and the left (1 Kings 22:19); there are thrones for the elders (Rev. 4:4), ...others for the apostles (Matt. 19:28); however, a share in His seat of honor is not given to the apostles but a share in the divine seat of honor is given to Christ according to His human nature.
(De Fide, Bk. 5, ch. 6, as quoted in The Two Natures in Christ, p. 360)
For God does not grant possession of his throne to the apostles, but he grants Christ, according to his humanity, possession of the divine throne.
(On the Faith, book 5, chapter 2, as quoted in Catalog of Testimonies, p. 227)
In Christ our common nature according to the flesh gained the honor of a heavenly seat.
(De Fide, Bk. 5, ch. 14, as quoted in The Two Natures in Christ, p. 360)
The nature of the human flesh must not be despised, for it was worthy to enter into the substance and fellowship of the Holy Trinity through our Lord Christ.
(De Resurrectione, as quoted in The Two Natures in Christ, p. 405)
[“The boy grew and gained in strength in the Spirit and was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him” (Luke 2:40); “Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52).] The advance in age and wisdom does not belong to the divine but to the human nature; for how could the wisdom of God advance? ... Therefore he mentions His age that we might believe that this was spoken according to the human nature. For age does not belong to the deity but to the humanity. Therefore, if He advanced in the age of a man, He also advanced in the wisdom of a man. ... In what sense did He advance? Did the divine nature? If so, it would be changed by the advancement, for what advances is changed for the better. But what is divine is not changed; therefore, that which is changed is not divine. He advanced in the human sense. The power of God could not be strengthened...nor could God grow, nor can the height of God’s wisdom be augmented. Thus what was augmented was not God’s wisdom but ours.
(De Incarnatione, ch. 7, as quoted in The Two Natures in Christ, p. 249)
The angels adore not only the divinity of Christ, but also the footstool of His feet. ... Or if they deny that in Christ also the mysteries of the incarnation are to be adored, in which the very marks of His deity are seen and where we note the sure paths of the heavenly Logos, they should read that the apostles also adored Him when He rose in the glory of His flesh [Luke 24:52]. ... The prophet says [Ps. 99:5] that the earth which the Lord Jesus took upon himself, when he took on flesh, should be adored. Therefore by “footstool” we understand the earth, and by this earth we understand the flesh, which we today also adore in the mysteries [i.e. in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper] and which the apostles adored in the Lord Jesus, as we have said above.
(De Spiritu Sancto, Bk. 3, ch. 11, as quoted in The Two Natures in Christ, pp. 360 and 420, and in Catalog of Testimonies, p. 231; also quoted [in part] in Examination of the Council of Trent, Part II, p. 278)
Thomas had reason for amazement when he saw Christ’s body come in unhindered through doors which were barred to [normal human] bodies, since all the doors were closed [cf. John 20:26-28]. ... Christ penetrated closed doors not by His incorporeal nature but with a quality of the body of the resurrection.
(Exposition of the Gospel According to Luke, 24:36, as quoted in The Two Natures in Christ, p. 360)
We are free to be ignorant [about the day on which angels were created] because we neither must nor can know.
(as quoted in Loci Theologici, Vol. I, p. 165)
Paul explains himself in most of his epistles in such a way that whoever treats them may find nothing of his own to add, or if he wants to say something, he performs the office of a grammarian rather than that of an expounder.
(Bk. 2, Letter No. 7, as quoted in Examination of the Council of Trent, Part I, p. 167)
He [Paul] speaks with us in this way [clearly], that we may understand his speech.
(Bk. 3, Letter No. 5, as quoted in Examination of the Council of Trent, Part I, p. 167)
We believe fishermen, not dialecticians.
(as quoted in Loci Theologici, Vol. I, p. 107)
Let the Word of God come; let it enter the church; let it become a consuming fire, that it may burn the hay and stubble, and consume whatever is worldly; there is heavy lead of iniquity in many; let it be molten by divine fire; let the gold and silver vessels be made better, in order that understanding and speech, refined by the heat of suffering, may begin to be more precious.
(On Psalm 118, Sermon 13, as quoted in Examination of the Council of Trent, Part III, pp. 349-50)
What is evil unless it is the absence of good?
(quoted in Augustine, Contra Julianum, 1.7, as quoted in Loci Theologici, Vol. I, p. 203)
That soul is not in the image of God in which God is not always present.
(Hexaemeron VI, 8, 45, as quoted in Apology II:19, The Book of Concord, p. 115)
Before we are born we are defiled with contagion, and before the enjoyment of light we receive the injury of [our] very origin. For we are conceived in iniquity [cf. Ps. 51:5]. ... Birth itself has its contagions, and not only one, but nature itself has contagion.
(Apologia David, ch. 11, as quoted in Loci Theologici, Vol. I, p. 278)
All of us human beings are born under sin, and our very origin is in sin, as David says, “I am conceived in iniquities” [Ps. 51:5].
(Cont. Novat., as quoted in Loci Theologici, Vol. I, p. 278)
As soon as the act of conception has occurred and pregnancy has resulted, the disease of lust begins.
(as quoted in Loci Theologici, Vol. I, p. 287)
Adam secured this obnoxious heritage of human succession.
(Apologia David, ch. 13, as quoted in Loci Theologici, Vol. I, p. 278)
The conflict between the flesh and the Spirit, because of the sinfulness of man, revolves around his [man’s] nature.
(as quoted in Loci Theologici, Vol. I, p. 299)
Original concupiscence is that which makes an easy little entrance for lusting, and renders the adult lustful.
(as quoted in Loci Theologici, Vol. I, p. 314)
Sin is the transgression of the divine law and disobedience of the heavenly precepts.
(as quoted in Loci Theologici, Vol. I, p. 268)
Feed him who is dying of hunger; if you have not fed him you have killed him.
(Exposition of Psalm 118, Sermon 12, 44, as quoted in Loci Theologici, Vol. II, p. 406; also quoted in Treatise on Good Works, p. 109)
The passions of the soul are pride, avarice, ambition, strife, envy; the vices that cling to the body are the desire for eating, prodigality of wantonness and licentiousness. Temperance greatly restrains the ardor of these passions. It first tempers the spirit with sobriety and moderation, and informs the mind; then it also reins in the bodily fierceness through abstinence from pleasures. Temperance is therefore a teacher who shows the way of corrective discipline, reining in desires.
(De Jacob et vita beata, as quoted in Examination of the Council of Trent, Part IV, p. 310)
Every man is a liar, and no one is without sin except the one God. It has therefore been held that from man and woman, that is, through the mingling of their bodies, no one is thought to be without defect. But he who is without defect is also without this conception.
(On Isaiah, as quoted in Examination of the Council of Trent, Part I, p. 378)
For of all those born of a woman it is the holy Lord Jesus alone who does not feel the contagions of earthly corruption because of the uniqueness of His unstained birth.
(On Luke, as quoted in Examination of the Council of Trent, Part I, p. 378)
I do not believe that Christ should be excused [from this suffering of sorrow], but at no point do I marvel more at His dutifulness; He would have bestowed less on me if He had not taken on Himself my infirmity.
(Exposition of the Gospel According to Luke, Book 10, 55, as quoted in Loci Theologici, Vol. I, p. 111; also quoted in The Two Natures in Christ, p. 62)
The Pelagians make void infant baptism, although John testifies: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” ... As now the institution of the Savior remains in the church, who says: “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he will not enter the kingdom of God,” so precaution was taken in the Law in connection with circumcision that, unless a person was circumcised on the eighth day, he was to be banished.
(Bk. 10, epistle 89, as quoted in Examination of the Council of Trent, Part I, p. 251)
John baptized for the remission of sins, not in his own name but in the name of the coming Jesus. And therefore those did not know the Spirit who had not received Baptism in the name of Christ, as John was accustomed to baptize [cf. Acts 19:1-7]. For though John did not baptize with the Spirit, nevertheless he preached both Christ and the Spirit. Therefore these [“disciples” who had received from someone else a so-called “baptism of John”], because they had been baptized neither in the name of Christ nor with the faith of the Spirit, were not able to receive the [true] sacrament of Baptism; therefore they were baptized in the name of Jesus, and in them Baptism was not repeated but renewed, for there is but one Baptism. However, where there is not the full sacrament of Baptism, there is thought to be neither the beginning nor any kind of Baptism; however it is full if you confess the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
(De Spiritu Sancto, Bk. 1, ch. 3, as quoted in Examination of the Council of Trent, Part II, p. 123)