primo proponit distinctionem;
secundo inducit ad hoc auctoritatem, ibi propter quod dicit, etc.;
tertio ponit auctoritatis expositionem, ibi quod autem ascendit, et cetera.
| First, he points out the fact of distinctions.
Secondly, he introduces a [Scriptural] authority for them (4:8). 
Thirdly, he explains this authoritative quotation (4:9).
| Dicit ergo: habemus in Ecclesia unum Deum, unam fidem, etc., sed tamen diversas gratias diversis particulariter collatas habemus, quia unicuique nostrum data est gratia, quasi dicat: nullus nostrum est qui non sit particeps divinae gratiae et communionis. Io. I, 16: de plenitudine eius omnes accepimus gratiam pro gratia. Sed certe ista gratia non est data omnibus uniformiter seu aequaliter, sed secundum mensuram donationis Christi, id est secundum quod Christus est dator, et eam singulis mensuravit. Rom. XII, 6: habentes donationes secundum gratiam quae data est nobis differentes.
| He states: We have in the Church one God, one faith, one baptism. Nonetheless, each of us has the diverse graces especially granted to him—to every one of us is given grace. As though he said: None of us lack a share in divine grace and communion, “of his fullness we all have received; and grace for grace” (Jn. 1:16). This grace, however, is certainly not bestowed on everyone uniformly and equally but according to the measure of the giving of Christ. Christ is the donor who metes out the grace to each, who have “different gifts according to the grace that is given us” (Rom. 12:6).
| | Haec differentia non est ex fato, nec a casu, nec ex merito, sed ex donatione Christi, id est secundum quod Christus nobis commensuravit. Ipse enim solus recepit spiritum non ad mensuram, Io. III, 34, caeteri autem sancti ad mensuram recipiunt. Rom. XII, 3: unicuique sicut Deus divisit mensuram fidei. I Cor. III, 8: unusquisque propriam mercedem accipiet, et cetera. Matth. XXV, 15: unicuique secundum propriam virtutem, et cetera. Quia sicut in potestate Christi est dare vel non dare, ita dare tantum vel minus.
| The variation does not spring from fate or chance, nor from a difference of merit, but from the giving of Christ; that is, according as Christ allots it to us. Only he has received the Spirit without measure (cf. Jn. 3:34); the rest of the saints obtain it in a limited degree, “according as God hath divided to every one the measure of faith” (Rom. 12:3). “And every man shall receive his own reward, according to his own labor” (1 Cor. 3:8). Again, “to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to every one according to his proper ability” (Mt. 25:15). just as it is in Christ’s power to give or not, so he can grant more or less.
| | Sequitur propter quod dicit, et cetera. Hic ponit quamdam auctoritatem assumptam de Ps. LXVII, 19, et refertur ad hoc quod dixit secundum mensuram donationis Christi; ubi tria facit. Primo commemorat Christi ascensionem; secundo humani generis liberationem; tertio ponit donorum spiritualium collationem. Partes consequuntur se.
| Wherefore he saith (v. 8) introduces an authoritative text from Psalm 67 (19) suporting according to the measure of the giving of Christ. Three points are made. First, it speaks of Christ’s ascension; secondly, of mankind’s liberation; thirdly, of the bestowal of spiritual gifts. Each of these will follow in order.
| | Ostendit ergo primum, dicens sic: propter quod, scilicet significandum, dicit, scilicet propheta David in Ps. LXVII, 19: ascendens Christus in altum, et cetera. Mich. II, 13: ascendit ante eos pandens iter, et cetera. Iob XXXIX, 18: in altum alas erigit, et cetera. Ascendens, inquam, sed non solus, quia captivam duxit captivitatem, eos scilicet quos Diabolus captivaverat. Humanum enim genus captivatum erat, et sancti in charitate decedentes, qui meruerant gloriam, in captivitate Diaboli detinebantur quasi captivi in Limbo. Is. V, 13: ductus est captivus populus meus, et cetera. Hanc ergo captivitatem Christus liberavit, et secum duxit in caelum. Is. XLIX, 24 s.: numquid tolletur a forti praeda, aut quod captum fuerit a robusto salvabitur, ac salvum poterit esse? Quia haec dicit dominus: equidem et captivitas a forti tolletur, et quod ablatum fuerit a robusto, salvabitur.
| He refers to the ascension saying: Wherefore to signify this the prophet David saith in Psalm 67: ascending on high... “For he shall go up that shall open the way before them. They shall divide and pass through the gate and shall come in by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the Lord at the head of them” (Mic. 2:13). Christ “setteth up his wings on high” (Job 39:18). He ascends, I say, but not alone. He led captivity captive, that is, those whom the devil had captured. For the human race was imprisoned; the saints who had died in love, and so merited eternal glory, were held like prisoners by the devil in limbo. “My people led away captive because they had not knowledge” (Is. 5:13). Christ liberated these prisoners and brought them with himself to heaven. “Shall the prey be taken from the strong? Or can that which was taken by the mighty be delivered? For thus saith the Lord: Yea verily. Even the captivity shall be taken away from the strong: and that which was taken by the mighty shall be delivered” (Is. 49:24-25).
| | Sed certe hoc non verificatur solum quantum ad iam mortuos, sed etiam quantum ad viventes, qui captivi tenebantur sub peccato, quos, a peccato liberans, servos fecit iustitiae, ut dicitur Rom. VI, 18, et sic quodammodo eos in captivitatem duxit, non ad perniciem sed ad salutem. Lc. V, 10: ex hoc iam homines eris capiens.
| Indeed, this is not only true of those already dead; it also applies to the living. Held under sin’s bondage, Christ made men the slaves of justice in delivering them from sin, as Romans 6 (18) phrases it. Thus in some way he led men captive not unto destruction but salvation. “From henceforth thou shalt catch men” (Lk. 5:10).
| | Non solum autem homines a Diaboli captivitate eripuit, et suae servituti subiecit, sed etiam eos spiritualibus bonis dotavit. Unde subditur dedit dona hominibus, scilicet gratiae et gloriae. Ps. LXXXIII, 12: gratiam et gloriam dabit dominus. II Petr. I, 4: per quem et pretiosa nobis promissa donavit, et cetera. Nec est contrarium quod in littera praecedenti dicitur accepit dona in hominibus, quia certe ipse dedit ut Deus et accepit ut homo in fidelibus, sicut in membris suis. Dedit in caelo sicut Deus, et accepit in terra secundum modum loquendi quo dicitur Matth. c. XXV, 40: quod uni ex minimis meis fecistis, mihi fecistis.
| Besides grasping men from a diabolical slavery and placing them in his own service, he has enriched them spiritually. Hence he adds he gave gifts of grace and glory to men. “For God loveth mercy and truth; the Lord will give grace and glory” (Ps. 83:12). “By whom he hath given us most great and precious promises, that by these you may be made partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet. 1:4). This version [of Ps. 67:19] does not contradict the reading which has “Thou hast received gifts in men.” Clearly, he as God bestows the gifts which he as man receives in the faithful who are his members. In heaven be gives, since he is God, while on earth he accepts what is given in the manner Matthew 25 (40) describes: “As long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.”
| | Deinde cum dicit quod autem ascendit, etc., exponit propositam auctoritatem,
| Next he comments on the authority:
| et primo quantum ad ascensionem;
secundo quantum ad materiam donationis, ibi et ipse dedit, et cetera.
| First, in reference to the ascension.
Secondly, regarding what is given men (4: 11)
| | Circa primum duo facit.
| He does two things concerning the first:
| Primo ostendit quomodo descendit, ibi qui descendit;
secundo quomodo ascendit, ibi qui ascendit, et cetera.
| First, he shows how he descended.
Secondly, how he ascended (4: 10).
| | Circa primum considerandum, quod cum Christus vere sit Deus, inconveniens videbatur quod sibi conveniret descendere, quia nihil est Deo sublimius. Et ideo ad hanc dubitationem excludendam subdit apostolus quod autem ascendit quid est, nisi quia et descendit primum, et cetera. Ac si diceret: ideo postea dixi quod ascendit, quia ipse primo descenderat, ut ascenderet: aliter enim ascendere non potuisset.
| In reflecting upon the first point, it appears improper for Christ, who is true God, to lower himself, since nothing is more eminent than God. To remove any doubts on this score the Apostle asserts, Now, that he ascended, what is it, but because he also descended first. As if he would say: For this reason do I first mention that he ascended and only afterward that he descended; he descended in order that he might ascend. For otherwise he could not have ascended.
| | Quomodo autem descendit, subdit, dicens quia in inferiores partes terrae. Quod potest intelligi dupliciter. Uno modo ut per inferiores partes terrae intelligantur istae partes terrae, in quibus nos habitamus, quae dicuntur inferiores, eo quod sunt infra caelum et aerem. In has autem partes terrae dicitur descendisse filius Dei, non motu locali, sed assumptione inferioris et terrenae naturae, secundum illud Phil. II, 7: exinanivit semetipsum, et cetera. Alio modo potest intelligi de Inferno, qui etiam infra nos est. Illuc enim descendit dominus secundum animam, ut inde sanctos liberaret. Et sic videtur hoc eis convenire quod dixerat: captivam duxit captivitatem. Zach. IX, 11: tu quoque in sanguine testamenti tui eduxisti vinctos tuos de lacu, in quo non erat aqua. Apoc. X, 1: vidi alium Angelum fortem descendentem de caelo, et cetera. Ex. III, 7: vidi afflictionem populi mei qui est in Aegypto, etc.; et sequitur: et descendi liberare eum.
| How he descended is shown in into the lower parts of the earth, which can be interpreted in two ways. In one, the lower regions are understood as those parts of the earth we inhabit. It is lower than the heavens and the atmosphere. The Son of God came down to these sections of the earth, not by any local movement, but by assuming a lowly, terrestrial nature; according to that text of Philippians 2 (7): “He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a man.” In the second way it can be understood as referring to hell, which is even below us. He descended thither in his soul that he might free the saints from it. This seems to agree with the he led captivity captive above. “Thou also, by the blood of thy testament, hast sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water” (Zach. 9:11). I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven” (Apoc. 10: 1 ) “I have seen the affliction of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their cry... And knowing their sorrow, I am come down to deliver them” (Ex. 3:7-8).
| | Deinde cum dicit qui descendit, etc., manifestat eius ascensionem quantum ad tria. Primo quantum ad personam ascendentis, cum dicit qui descendit, ipse est qui ascendit, et cetera. In quo designatur unitas personae Dei et hominis. Descendit enim, sicut dictum est, filius Dei assumendo humanam naturam, ascendit autem filius hominis secundum humanam naturam ad vitae immortalis sublimitatem. Et sic est idem filius Dei qui descendit et filius hominis qui ascendit. Io. c. III, 13: nemo ascendit in caelum, nisi qui descendit de caelo filius hominis, qui est in caelo. Ubi notatur quod humiles, qui voluntarie descendunt, spiritualiter Deo sublimante ascendunt, quia qui se humiliat, exaltabitur, Lc. XIV, 11.
| Next (v. 10), three aspects of the ascension are discussed. First, He that descended in the same also that ascended indicates the person who ascends. It affirms the unity of person [in the two natures of Christ], the divine and the human. For he who descended, as was said, is the Son of God taking on human nature. He who ascends is the Son of man, raising human nature to the preeminence of immortal life. Thus the Son of God who descended and the Son of man who ascended are identical: “And no man hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven” (Jn. 3:13). Notice too how the humble who voluntarily lower themselves, spiritually ascend to the grandeur of God: “he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Lk. 14:11).
| | Secundo ostendit terminum ascensionis, cum dicit super omnes caelos. Ps. LXVII, 34: qui ascendit super omnes caelos ad orientem. Nec solum intelligendum est quod ascenderit super omnes caelos corporales, sed etiam super omnem spiritualem creaturam. Supra c. I, 20: constituens illum ad dexteram suam in caelestibus super omnem principatum, et potestatem, et virtutem, et dominationem, et omne nomen quod nominatur, et cetera.
| Secondly, above all the heavens denotes the destination of the ascension. “He mounteth above the heaven of heavens, to the east” (Ps. 67:34). This should not be understood simply in reference to an ascension above the physical heavens, it also refers to every spiritual creature. God has set Christ “on his right band in the heavenly places. Above all principality and power and virtue and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come” (Eph. 1:20-21).
| | Tertio ponit ascensionis fructum, cum dicit ut adimpleret omnia, id est omne genus hominum spiritualibus donis repleret. Ps. LXIV, 5: replebimur in bonis domus tuae. Eccli. XXIV, 26: a generationibus meis adimplemini. Vel adimpleret, id est ut ad effectum perduceret, omnia quae de ipso erant scripta. Lc. ult.: oportet impleri omnia quae scripta sunt in lege et prophetis et Psalmis de me.
| Thirdly, the fruitful outcome of the ascension is that he might fill all things, bestowing on every race of men the fullness of spiritual gifts. “We shall be filled with the good things of thy house” (Ps. 64:5); “Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits” (Ecclus. 24:26). Or, that he might fulfill, that is, put into effect all things written concerning himself: “all things must needs be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the psalms, concerning me” (Lk. 24:44).
| |