v.22–28
VERS. 22-28.-- *If men quarrel.* If anyone, after the conceiving of the word, has injured another's soul through carelessness or through fraud, so that it cannot bring forth sound the living germ of a good work: even if that soul itself has persevered still living in the faith, it will be necessary, according to the ministry of the Gospel, that he make restitution through penance for the loss inflicted. But if the soul itself, slain by error, after the bringing forth of the abortion, that is, of the death-bearing work, has persevered in unbelief, without doubt the seducer of it, as a true homicide, will be guilty of eternal death. That he would not have an unformed birth pertain to homicide, etc., *as far as* and therefore not yet endowed with senses. * But if two men shall quarrel, and shall strike a woman with child, and her infant shall come forth not yet formed, he shall suffer detriment, as much as the woman's husband shall lay upon him, and he shall give for his own soul. But if it shall have been formed, he shall give life for life, eye for eye,* etc. Let us see first concerning him who shall come forth not yet formed, how one of the litigants is commanded to be struck with the loss of money, whereas two are spoken of. And also this, that the woman's husband lays it upon him, and not upon them; and he shall give, and not rather they shall give. But if the infant shall come forth already formed, we easily understand the giving of life for life: that is, that the sin be avenged by death. But the things which follow it is worth while to explain. For neither does the infant, even formed, seem to have lost an eye in the womb, when struck by the heel of a litigant, and teeth it had not at all. For if we refer this to the mother, how does a woman miscarrying lose an eye, or suffer in her teeth? But be it that, struck either in the eye or in the tooth, she miscarried, and received a bruise or a wound, what shall we say also of burning for burning? Could a woman standing by men who quarrel be burned, so that burning should be paid for burning? In Deuteronomy also these things cannot easily be explained. Yet in the Scriptures the members of the soul are named by the same words and offices by which the members of the body are used or called. Whence Matth. VII: *Thou seest the mote in thy brother's eye, and the beam which is in thine own eye thou seest not.* And Matth. XIII: *He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.* And Rom. X: *How beautiful are the feet of them that preach peace!* Let not, therefore, the likeness of words disturb us. There are, then, two litigants, two disputing also about the doctrines or the questions of the law, and quarrelling about strifes of words; whence the Apostle, II Tim. II: *Contend not in words,* etc. And in the same place: *Avoid the questions of the law, knowing that they beget strifes.* They, therefore, who quarrel in these questions to the subverting of the hearers, strike a woman with child, and cast out an infant formed or still unformed. The woman with child is called the soul, which has lately conceived the word of God; whence: *From thy fear, O Lord, we have conceived in the womb and have brought forth*. They, therefore, who conceive and straightway bring forth, are not to be reckoned women, but men and perfect; whence elsewhere: *If the earth brought forth in one day, and a nation was born in one day together*. This, then, is the generation of the perfect, which on the same day is conceived and born. And men bring forth according to that of Gal. IV: *My little children, of whom I am in labour again, until Christ be formed in you.* The perfect, therefore, and men bring forth straightway, that is, they carry through into works the word of faith conceived: but the soul which conceives, and holds in the womb and does not bring forth, is called a woman. Whence Isa. XXXVII: *The pains of birth are come upon her: and there is not strength in her to bring forth.* This soul, therefore, while two are quarrelling among themselves and putting forth scandals, is struck and scandalized: so that it casts away the word of faith which it had thinly conceived, not yet formed. For in some the word is formed, in some not formed; whence: *Until Christ be formed in you*; for Christ is the Word of God. He, therefore, shall suffer loss who has struck it out. Concerning losses, therefore, the Apostle speaks of the teacher, I Cor. III: *If any man's work burn, he shall suffer loss,* etc. And the Lord himself in the Gospel, Matth. XVI: *What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?* Whence it seems to be shown that certain sins pertain to loss, yet not to destruction, because he who shall have suffered loss is said to be saved, though by fire: whence John says that certain sins are unto death, certain not. But which are unto death cannot easily be discerned, *For who understands sins?* But when, upon five minas, five others gained are brought back, and upon two, two, he who loses the reward of this gain is said to be struck with loss, like him who has given cause of scandal to a weaker and womanish soul. And he shall give according to what her husband shall lay upon him, and he shall give with honour to the soul that learns. The husband is the master Christ, or he who is for Christ a teacher of souls. He, therefore, shall suffer loss who contends to the subverting of the hearers, for the soul which had not yet a formed infant: which can be taken of the scandal of a catechumen. It can also come to pass that he who has injured should instruct and repair the soul which he has lost, and that with honour, that is, with modesty, with meekness, not with strife, as when he brought in the scandal. But when the infant shall have been formed, he shall give life for life. The formed infant may be seen to be the word of God in the heart of the soul which has received the grace of baptism, or which has received the word of God more evidently and more clearly. He, therefore, who struck shall render life for life in the day of judgment, that is, before that judge who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Or, that he who shall be conscious to himself of so great a scandal, should lay down his own soul for the soul of the man scandalized, and even unto death give his labour that he may be restored to the faith. Let him lay down eye for eye: if he has injured the eye of the soul, that is, has troubled its understanding, let his eye be taken away from him by him who presides over the Church, that is, his understanding. If he has injured a tooth, which, receiving the food of the word of God, was wont to break it small or to grind it with the molars, that it might pass on a subtle meaning to the belly of the soul: if he has vexed and plucked out this tooth, so that by the wearing away of it the soul cannot subtly and spiritually receive the word of God, his tooth shall be taken away, who does not well break small and divide the foods of the word. For on this account perhaps it is said of the Lord: *Thou hast broken the teeth of sinners*. And elsewhere: *The Lord shall break the grinders of the lions*. So, then, the soul is said to be injured and struck through its members. He demands also hand for hand, and foot for foot. The hand of the soul is the power by which it can hold something and grasp it to the heart, as its act and its strength; and the foot is that by which it goes to good things or to evil. Because, therefore, the soul that is scandalized is cast down not only in faith but also in acts, which are signified by the hands, his hands are taken away by which he does not work well, and his feet, by which he does not walk well. He shall also receive burning, because he burned and delivered a soul to hell. By each of these things it is shown that the striker, all his members being lopped off, is to be cut away from the body of the Church, that the rest, seeing it, may have fear, and may not do the like. Therefore the Apostle, when he describes the teacher of the Church, among other things enjoins, *not a striker*: lest, striking women with child, that is, unwise souls, he should lay down life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, etc. Of such it is said, Matth. XXIV: *Woe to them that are with child and that give suck in those days, in which they shall be scandalized, if it be possible, even the elect.* Yet it must be known that it does not belong to the perfect to be scandalized, but to women or to little ones; whence Matth. XVIII: *If any man scandalize one of these little ones,* etc.