Bonaventure

In his own words on Acts

• Acts 1:1

  The Scriptures in the New Testament are either legal as in the Gospels where commands are established, or historical as in the Acts of the Apostles, or sapiential as in the Epistles of Paul to which should be added the Canonical Letters, or prophetical as in the Apocalypse. Although the Epistles are placed after the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles follow the Gospels immediately. "In the former book, O Theophilus, I spoke of all that Jesus did and taught."

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 13

• Acts 1:3

  In order to raise us to hope, he ascended to the heavenly glory which we hope for. But because hope does not arise except from faith in future immortality, therefore he did not ascend immediately, but with an interval of forty days interposed, in which through many signs and proofs he established the true resurrection, by which the mind might be strengthened in faith and lifted up to hope for heavenly glory.

  Breviloquium

• Acts 1:3

  And this is the reasoning Christ used, during forty days appearing to them. "Did not the Christ have to suffer these things before entering into His glory?" Concerning this central position, John writes: "When it was late, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, 'Peace be to you!'" He is showing two things here, the loftiness of the state of glory, in that, being impassible and immortal, He entered as God while the doors were closed; later, He showed them His hands and side and forced Thomas to confess: "My Lord and my God!"

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 1

• Acts 1:5

  Before the sending of the Holy Spirit, there was neither the full gift of the Holy Spirit for confirmation and public confession of the name of Christ, nor the plenary anointing of the mind for departure; therefore Christ only initiated and intimated these two Sacraments, namely confirmation and extreme unction. Confirmation he initiated by laying his hand on the little ones and by foretelling that the disciples would be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

  Breviloquium, Part 6

• Acts 1:9

  Christ was such a Center in His ascension. Hence it is written in Acts: "A cloud took Him out of their sight." Likewise the Christian must rise "from strength to strength," and not stand still at the terminal point of virtue, for by so doing he would cease to be virtuous.

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 1

• Acts 2:2

  At first He had given the Holy Spirit to the world in a secret way, but He did it manifestly after He had ascended on high, for this Holy Spirit was the cleansing, enlightening, and perfecting Hierarch, and the Holy Spirit came down into the heavenly and sub-heavenly hierarchies. And so, "suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a violent wind." The Holy Spirit came down as a means of cleansing: hence, the "violent wind"; as a means of instruction, hence "there appeared to them parted tongues as of fire"; as a means of perfection, hence the tongues of fire "settled upon each of them." From Him come forth the free gifts of grace.

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 3

• Acts 2:3

  After an interval of ten days, He sent upon the Apostles the promised Holy Spirit, through whom the Church of the nations was gathered together and ordered according to the diverse distributions of offices and graces. In order to inflame to charity, he sent the fire of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. And because no one is filled with this fire unless he asks, seeks, and knocks with an urgent and importunate desire of hope: therefore he did not send it immediately after the ascension, but with an interval of ten days interposed, in which the disciples, fasting, praying, and groaning, disposed themselves for the reception of the Holy Spirit. And through this, just as he observed the due hour in suffering, so also in rising, so in ascending into heaven, so in sending the Holy Spirit, both on account of the foundation of the three aforesaid virtues and on account of the many mysteries that are implied in these times.

  Breviloquium

• Acts 2:3

  At first He had given the Holy Spirit to the world in a secret way, but He did it manifestly after He had ascended on high, for this Holy Spirit was the cleansing, enlightening, and perfecting Hierarch, and the Holy Spirit came down into the heavenly and sub-heavenly hierarchies. And so, "suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a violent wind." The Holy Spirit came down as a means of cleansing: hence, the "violent wind"; as a means of instruction, hence "there appeared to them parted tongues as of fire"; as a means of perfection, hence the tongues of fire "settled upon each of them." From Him come forth the free gifts of grace.

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 3

• Acts 2:3

  To appear denotes a sensible effect with express signification, as the Holy Spirit appeared in a dove. And since, just as the divine persons are distinct, so they can be distinctly signified both by signs and by names, therefore any person can appear by itself, and apparition can belong to all, whether together or to any one by itself. Whence that the Holy Spirit is said to have appeared in tongues of fire and in a dove, this is not on account of a new bond or a special effect, but on account of the union which exists between the thing signified and the sign specially and by manner and origin assigned to it.

  Breviloquium

• Acts 2:38

  Since the power that restores us is the power of the whole Trinity, which holy mother Church believes in the mind, confesses in word, and professes in sign, under the distinction and property, order and natural origin of the three persons: hence it is that for the expression of these things in the Sacrament which is the first of all Sacraments, and in which this power operates firstly and principally, there ought to be an expression of the Trinity in a distinct, proper, and ordered naming, as regards the common form, although in the time of the primitive Church it could be done in the name of Christ, in which the understanding of the Trinity is enclosed.

  Breviloquium, Part 6

• Acts 4:32

  It should be noted that the Church was placed in paradise, like the first man, "to till it," in such a way that no one would say "that anything he possessed" was "his own." For it began in a state of great perfection that is observed today in the religious life, for the love of Christ was still recent, and in those days "a large number also of the priests accepted the faith." This Church, meaning the one that began with the Jews, because they were converted at one time by the three thousand, and at another, by the five thousand, possessed the "tree of life," that is, faith, because "My just one lives by faith." It also had the "tree of knowledge," that is, the Law, which remained with them for seeing and reading, and not for eating. Much more: for "the day you eat of it, you must die." And so you may see the tree of knowledge, but not eat of it, or else you would destroy what Christ had done; and death would necessarily come in, for "the letter kills." Hence Paul says: "I, Paul, tell you that if you be circumcised, Christ will be of no advantage to you."

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 16

• Acts 6:3

  Those who are placed in charge of governing others ought to have mercy. "Consider therefore, brethren, from among you men of good testimony, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this work" of distribution. He would not be a wise steward who would steal the goods of God. If something were given to you to distribute to a household, and you were to steal it and put it in your purse: do you not believe that the household of the lord would cry out against you and call you the worst steward, and the lord would say: "Cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness"? The greatest wisdom that can exist is that the steward fruitfully expend what he has to distribute, and what has been entrusted to him for distribution. Such were blessed Stephen and Lawrence. The supreme pontiffs in the primitive Church did not occupy themselves with these earthly things: now there is concern for having temporal goods, not for distributing them.

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 9

• Acts 6:7

  It should be noted that the Church was placed in paradise, like the first man, "to till it," in such a way that no one would say "that anything he possessed" was "his own." For it began in a state of great perfection that is observed today in the religious life, for the love of Christ was still recent, and in those days "a large number also of the priests accepted the faith." This Church, meaning the one that began with the Jews, because they were converted at one time by the three thousand, and at another, by the five thousand, possessed the "tree of life," that is, faith, because "My just one lives by faith." It also had the "tree of knowledge," that is, the Law, which remained with them for seeing and reading, and not for eating. Much more: for "the day you eat of it, you must die." And so you may see the tree of knowledge, but not eat of it, or else you would destroy what Christ had done; and death would necessarily come in, for "the letter kills." Hence Paul says: "I, Paul, tell you that if you be circumcised, Christ will be of no advantage to you."

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 16

• Acts 7:52

  The third high reputation concerns merits, miracles and martyrdom. And this certainty of truth appears when a man wills to die for the truth he preaches, such as Isaiah who was cut up, Ezechiel who was killed, Jeremiah and also the other prophets. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? If heretics claim they too died for the truth and gained merits, yet they do not have the third requirement, miracles. For it was never heard that a heretic performed a miracle either before, after, or at the time of his death.

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 9

• Acts 7:56

  If you take a straight look at the leaders of the city, the foremost chief is Christ. In terms of the fight, although the angels and the saints help, yet the principal contender is Christ. Hence, in the Psalm: "I set the Lord ever before me; with Him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed." And again, in the Acts: "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 18

• Acts 8:20

  Such cupidity must be tamed by munificence, which includes generosity and magnificence. It is the fountain which pours out water: for the fountain does not keep water within. According to the Philosopher, it is hard to be completely cured from cupidity, for cupidity is delightful in that it makes a man imagine himself to be great, and makes others believe that he is. If a man indulges in excesses, his brain suffers: but a man rejoices in riches because they lead to presumption and reputation. And so, such cupidity infected Giezi, and he became a leper because he ran after Naaman. Even today those who practice simony consider it quite the right thing. Simon came to Peter and said to him: "Accept some money: I have enough. Grant that I may give the Holy Spirit through the laying of hands." But Peter did not consider it right, nor did he have any patience: "Thy money," he said, "go to destruction with thee."

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 5

• Acts 8:20

  Only a wretched man sells the grace bestowed upon him. Whence did this selling first enter? Surely from Simon the magician, to whom the Apostle Peter said: "May your money perish with you."

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 1

• Acts 10:42

  The third certainty derives from an intellectual vision combined with bodily vision. This occurred in the minds of the apostles. What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked upon and our hands have handled, the Word of Life. And we announce to you nothing else than what we have seen. And in the Acts: He charged us to testify. And the blessed Virgin Mary, the teacher of the Apostles and Evangelists, came in contact with this Word in her womb and on her lap.

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 9

• Acts 15:9

  This faith is most noble, most solid and most splendid. Many possess it, however, without knowing it, for the face of faith is covered: it wears a kind of dark veil. It turns sinful souls into the most exalted. Hence, in the Acts, "He cleansed their hearts by faith."

  Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 8

• Acts 17:27

  Few indeed are those who know that they attain those reasons: indeed, what is more, few are those who are willing to believe this, because it seems difficult to an intellect not yet elevated to contemplate eternal things that it should have God so present and so near, even though Paul says in Acts, chapter seventeen, *that He is not far from each one of us.*

  Disputed Questions on the Knowledge of Christ, Question 4

• Acts 17:28

  "In him we live and move and have our being." Augustine says that the Apostle does not speak there of corporeal life, but of intellectual life. Whence he speaks there of God, according as he is for all things "the cause of being, the reason of understanding, and the order of living." He is the cause of being, immediately producing all perpetual things, and mediately temporal things, yet immediately through elemental powers. He is the reason of understanding, because through him intelligences are made certain beyond the mutability of nature. If all creatures were to assail, God is nonetheless to be loved: nor can God bring it about that he is not to be loved. Though all things be corrupted, the certitude of truth remains. God is also the order of living: unless the gift of the Holy Spirit dwells in a man, he will not be governed according to the rule of upright life. Insofar as God is the cause of being, he enters the soul as its principle; but insofar as he is the order of living, he enters the soul as an infused gift: insofar as he is the reason of understanding, he enters the soul as the sun of intelligence.

  Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 8

• Acts 20:35

  Acts 20: It is more blessed to give than to receive: but giving alms does not make a man attain evangelical perfection: therefore much less does receiving. To the objection that it is more blessed to give than to receive: it must be said that this is true when the acceptance of alms comes from the necessity of nature; but not when it comes from the supererogation of justice, according to the distinction made in the principal solution. And that this is true appears from what is said in the book On Ecclesiastical Dogmas: "It is good to distribute one's resources to the poor with careful dispensation, but it is better, for the intention of following the Lord, to give all at once and, freed from anxiety, to be in want with Christ." Augustine himself says this in the book On the Good of Marriage, as was cited in the preceding question.

  Disputed Questions on Evangelical Perfection, Question 2