Part 47 (1/2)

Next, we ask thes, meat, milk and all the food which they avoid on fast-days and in the orders, have not been created by God, and are not God's good creatures? Then it is certain that they are the men of whom Paul here says that they forbid the food which God has created and has given to believers to use And they also forbid e its them and is spoken of them Let us see what Paul thinks of them and how he reproves them

[Sidenote: Departed from the Faith]

I They have departed from the faith; for they could not have introduced such doctrines and works if they had not thought the doctrines and works would make them pious and save then that they have fallen away from the faith, since it is the work of faith alone to do that which they expect works to do, as has frequently been said

[Sidenote: Give Heed to Seducing Spirits]

II They give heed to seducing spirits He does not say, ”to seducingspirits”; and these are they who pretend to be spiritual and bear the name spiritual, and claim to be of the Spirit and in the Spirit But since they are without faith it is impossible for the succession: they depart from the faith and follow after error in the spirit

[Sidenote: Doctrines of Devils]

III Their doctrines he calls ”doctrines of devils” This also : the devil gives the spirit and leads them on with beautifully varnished doctrines and works, so that they think they are altogether spiritual

But since the doctrine does not originate in the Scriptures, it can be the doctrine of no one but the devil

[Sidenote: Speakers of Lies]

IV They are speakers of lies For they at tis of the fathers and wrest them to support their doctrines, as we see them do daily But this is all false and a lie, since the Scriptures are altogether against them

[Sidenote: Hypocrisy]

V It is sheer hypocrisy This is true and needs no comment For all that they do is only appearance and show, concerned with external matters of food and clothes

[Sidenote: Seared Conscience]

VI They have their conscience seared with a hot iron; that is, they have an unnatural conscience For where there is no sin nor matter of conscience, they make sin and a matter of conscience, as was said above Just as a scar caused by searing is an unnatural mark on the body

[Sidenote: Forbid to Marry]

VII They forbid toan estate in which there shall be no e, as we see in the case of both priests and ment of God upon such doctrines and estates: that they are doctrines of devils, seducing doctrines, false doctrines, faithless doctrines, hypocritical doctrines God help us!

Who would rement? What would it help you, if you had made a thousand vows and oaths on such doctrines? Nay, the stricter the vow, the more reason to break it, because it was ainst God

[Sidenote: The Tatianists]

But see how cleverly they worm the that it does not apply to them, but to the Tatianists[3], the heretics who condeether Paul, however, does not speak here of those who condee, but of those who forbid it for the sake of appearing spiritual Let us grant, however, that Paul speaks against the Tatianists Then, if the pope does what the Tatianists did, why does it not apply to him as well? Be they Tatianists or the pope, this text speaks of those who forbid e The words of Paul condemn the work, and make no distinction about the person who does it He who forbids e is the devil's disciple and apostle, as the words clearly say And since the pope does this, he must be the devil's disciple, as must all his followers; otherwise, St Paul must be a liar

[Sidenote: Forbid Food]

VIII They forbid the food which God has created Here, again, you see that the doctrines of h thewould you wish to hear concerning the doctrines ofaway fro, false, devilish, hypocritical?

What will satisfy those whom this text does not satisfy? But if the doctrine that forbids certain kinds of food is devilish and unchristian, that which concerns clothes, tonsures, places and everything external will be just as devilish and unchristian

[Sidenote: The Manicheans]

But here again they wor of the Manicheans[4] We are not asking about that St Paul speaks of the forbidding of meats, and, be they Manicheans or Tatianists, the pope and his followers forbid meats Paul speaks of the hich we see that the pope does Therefore we cannot save him from this text If some other man arose today or tomorrow and forbade meats, would it not apply to hi Scripture were true, we ht boldly do what Paul here forbids, and say It does not apply to us, but to the ancient Manicheans But that is not the way Whether the pope with his monks and priests be not a Manichean, I do not discuss; but I do say, that in his teaching and works he contradicts the teaching of St Paul more than any Manichean

[Sidenote: Unthankful]