De sanctis Wachabeis
The Witness of the Maccabees
The chapter introduces the martyrdom of the Maccabees and explains the unique liturgical exception made for their feast in the Western Church.
The Maccabees were seven brothers, along with their venerable mother and the priest Eleazar, who endured unheard-of tortures because they refused to eat pork in order to observe the law, as recorded in the Second Book of Maccabees. Maccabees. It is contained more fully there. And it should be noted that the Eastern Church celebrates feasts for saints of both the Old and New Testaments, whereas the Western Church does not celebrate feasts for saints of the Old Testament because they descended into the underworld, except for the Holy Innocents—because Christ was killed in each of them—and the Maccabees. There are, however, four reasons why the Church celebrates the Maccabees, even though they descended into the underworld. The first is because of the prerogative of their martyrdom. For because they suffered unheard-of tortures among the saints of the Old Testament, they are privileged so that their passion may be deservedly celebrated. This reason is set forth in the Historia Scholastica; the second is because of the representation of the mystery.
Four Reasons for Veneration
The author details four symbolic and practical reasons for the Church's celebration of the Maccabees, focusing on their role as universal examples of faith.
The number seven is the number of universality. Therefore, all the fathers of the Old Testament worthy of celebration are signified by these seven. Although the Church doesn't hold a feast for them—partly because they descended into the underworld, and partly because a multitude of new saints has since entered in—it still pays reverence to all of them through these seven, because, as has been said, the number seven signifies universality. The third reason is for the sake of the example of suffering; they are proposed as an example to the faithful so that, following their constancy, they might be encouraged toward a zeal for the faith and, just as those were for the Law of Moses, be more strongly girded to suffer for the law of the Gospel. The fourth reason concerns the cause of their punishment, for they suffered such torments in defense of their law, just as Christians now suffer in defense of the law of the Gospel. Master John Beleth assigns these last three reasons in his Summa de Officiis, chapter 105. 105.
Read the original Latin
Machabei fuerunt septem fratres cum matre reverenda et Eleazaro sacerdote, qui pro observatione legis cum carnem porcinam nollent comedere, inaudita suppliciorum genera pertulerunt, secundum quod in Il. Machab. plenius continetur. Et notandum, quod ecclesia orientalis facit festa de sanctis utriusque testamenti, occidentalis autem non facit festa de sanctis veteris testamenti eo, quod ad inferos descenderunt, praeterquam de innocentibus, ex eo quod in ipsis singulis occisus est Christus, et de Machabeis. Sunt autem quatuor rationes, quare ecclesia de istis Machabeis, licet ad inferos descenderint, sollemnizat. Prima est propter praerogativam martirii. Quia enim inaudita supplicia inter sanctos veteris testamenti passi sunt, ideo privilegiati sunt, ut eorum passio merito celebretur. Haec ratio ponitur in hystoria scholastica, secunda est propler repraesentationem mysterii.
Septenarius enim numerus est numerus universitatis. Significantur ergo in istis omnes patres veteris testamenti celebritate digni, nam licet de ipsis non sollemnizetecelesia, tum quia ad lymbum descenderunt, tum quia multitudo multorum novorum subintravit, in his tamen septem impendit omnibus reverentiam, quia per septem, ut dictum est, universitas designatur. Tertia est propter exemplum patiendi, proponuntur enim in exemplum fidelibus, ut secundum horum constantiam ad zelum fidei animentur et ad patiendum pro lege evangelii, sicut illi pro lege Moysi fortius aceingantur. Quarta est propter causam supplicii, nam pro defensione legissuae talia supplicia passi sunt, sicut et christiani pro defensione legis evangelicae patiuntur. Has tres ultimas rationes assignat magister Joannes Beleth in summa de officiis C. V.
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