1 The translation that follows is of the second controversy in the first volume of St. Robert Bellarmine’s famous Disputations about Controversies of the Christian Faith against the Heretics of this Age, first published at Ingolstadt in 1581-1593 and republished several times thereafter. The translation is complete. The Latin text can be downloaded from Google books: http://books.google.com/books?id=vqJaa8h_teQC&pg=PP22&dq=bellarmini+contro versiae&hl=en&sa=X&ei=5ZGvUcO9HtS44APBqoHgAg&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAjgU The third controversy in the first volume, about the Papacy, is not translated here. A translation has however been published by the Liberty Fund https://catalog.libertyfund.org/natural-law/on-temporal-and-spiritual-authority- paperback-detail.html and also by Mediatrix Press http://mediatrixpress.com/?s=bellarmine The translator of the Mediatrix Press edition, Ryan Grant, is already working on translating volume two and intends, it would appear, to translate all the volumes. However, a complete translation of all the controversies from all four volumes has apparently just been published by Fr. Kenneth Baker S.J. Controversies of the Catholic Faith, Keep the Faith Inc., February 2016. https://www.amazon.com/Controversies-Catholic-Robert-Cardinal- Bellarmine/dp/0991226860/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1470054230&sr=8- 6&keywords=bellarmine+controversies&linkCode=sl1&tag=thecatthi- 20&linkId=bf6094cd1baf18490929382fa5d1a053 The second volume of Bellarmine’s Controversies is on the Church, the third on grace, and the fourth on the sacraments, and each of these volumes, like the first, consists of several distinct controversies divided into multiple books and chapters. Peter L P Simpson July 2016 2 Robert Bellarmine’s Disputations about Controversies of the Christian Faith Volume One Second General Controversy: On Christ the Head of the Whole Church in Five Books Contents: Book One: On the True Divinity of Christ (page 6) Chapter One: the Opinion of the New Samosatans is Expounded Chapter Two: the Opinion of the New Arians is Explained Chapter Three: that God is One in Number is Proved from Scripture and the Fathers Chapter Four: the Divinity of the Son of God is Established. First Class of Arguments: from both Testaments Chapter Five: Second Class: from the Old Testament Chapter Six: Third Class: from the New Testament Chapter Seven: Fourth Class: from the Names of the True God Chapter Eight: Fifth Class: from the Attributes Chapter Nine: Sixth Class: from the Works Chapter Ten: Seventh Class: from the Fathers Chapter Eleven: Eighth Class: from the Sibyls Chapter Twelve: Ninth Class: from the Divine Testimonies of Visions and Miracles Chapter Thirteen: the Divinity of the Holy Spirit is Demonstrated Chapter Fourteen: the First Argument of the Heretics is Dissolved Chapter Fifteen: the Second Argument is Solved Chapter Sixteen: the Third Argument is Solved Chapter Seventeen: the Fourth Argument is Solved Chapter Eighteen: the Fifth Argument is Solved Chapter Nineteen: the Sixth Argument is Solved Chapter Twenty: the Objections against the Divinity of the Holy Spirit are Solved Book Two: On Christ’s Personal Distinction from the Father and the Holy Spirit, and on the Procession of the Holy Spirit from the Son (page 91) Chapter One: On the Distinction of Persons in the Same Essence Chapter Two: On the Terms that we Use in Explaining this Mystery Chapter Three: On the Terms Essence and Homoousion or Consubstantial 3 Chapter Four: On the Terms Hypostasis and Substance Chapter Five: On the Other Terms Chapter Six: the Distinction of Persons is Shown Chapter Seven: the First Argument against the Distinction of Persons in the Same Essence is Dissolved Chapter Eight: the Second Argument is Dissolved Chapter Nine: the Third Argument is Dissolved Chapter Ten: the Fourth Argument is Dissolved Chapter Eleven: the Fifth Argument is Dissolved Chapter Twelve: the Sixth Argument is Dissolved Chapter Thirteen: the Seventh Argument is Dissolved Chapter Fourteen: the Eighth Argument is Dissolved Chapter Fifteen: the Ninth Argument is Dissolved Chapter Sixteen: the Tenth Argument is Dissolved Chapter Seventeen: the Eleventh Argument is Dissolved Chapter Eighteen: the Twelfth Argument is Dissolved Chapter Nineteen: whether the Son is God of Himself Chapter Twenty: Of the Procession of the Holy Spirit from the Son Chapter Twenty One: On the Origin of this Heresy Chapter Twenty Two: It is Shown from the Scriptures that the Holy Spirit Proceeds from the Son Chapter Twenty Three: the Same is Proved by the Testimonies of the Councils Chapter Twenty Four: the Same is Proved from the Latin Fathers Chapter Twenty Five: the Same is Proved from the Greek Fathers Chapter Twenty Six: the Same is Confirmed by Reason Chapter Twenty Seven: the Arguments of the Greeks are Solved Chapter Twenty Nine: It is Shown that the Addition of ‘and from the Son’ was Rightly Made Chapter Twenty Nine: the Objections of the Greeks are Solved Chapter Thirty: the Disputation is Concluded with a Divine Testimony Book Three: On the Incarnation of Christ (page 154) Chapter One: On the Errors of this Time about the Incarnation Chapter Two: the Heresy of Eutyches is Explained Chapter Three: the Heresy of Eutyches is Refuted Chapter Four: the Arguments are Solved that were Formerly made against what has been Demonstrated in the Previous Chapter Chapter Five: the Heresy of Nestorius is Explained Chapter Six: the Heresy of Nestorius is Refuted Chapter Seven: the Arguments of the Adversaries are Solved Chapter Eight: In what the Hypostatic Union of Two Natures Properly Consists is Explained 4 Chapter Nine: the Question is Posed whether from the Hypostatic Union there Follows a Real Communication of Divine Attributes, and in particular of Immensity or Ubiquity Chapter Ten: From the Hypostatic Union there did not Flow a Real Communication of Properties with respect to the Natures Chapter Eleven: the Ubiquity of the Humanity of Christ is Refuted because it Conflicts with the Scriptures Chapter Twelve: the Ubiquity of the Body of Christ is Refuted because it Conflicts with the Apostles’ Creed Chapter Thirteen: Ubiquity is Refuted because it Conflicts with the Presence of the Lord’s Body in the Eucharist Chapter Fourteen: Ubiquity is Refuted by the Testimonies of the Fathers Chapter Fifteen: the Arguments of the Heretics are Refuted Chapter Sixteen: Other Objections taken from the Word of God are Solved Chapter Seventeen: The Argument taken from the Incarnation itself is Solved Chapter Eighteen: The Argument taken from the testimony of the Fathers is Solved Chapter Nineteen: The Argument taken from the teaching of the Scholastics is Solved Chapter Twenty: The final Objection taken from Natural Reason is Solved Book Four: On the Soul of Christ (page 205) Chapter One: The first Controvesy, about the Knowledge of Christ’s Soul, is set forth Chapter Two: The Truth is proved from the Scriptures Chapter Three: The Same is proved from the Teaching of the Fathers Chapter Four: The Same is proved by Reason Chapter Five: The Arguments of the Adversaries are Solved Chapter Six: The Second Question is posed, which is about the Descent into Hell Chapter Seven: That to Descend into Hell is not to be totally Destroyed Chapter Eight: Christ did not suffer the Punishment of the Damned Chapter Nine: The Third Error about the Descent of Christ into Hell is set forth Chapter Ten: Hell is a Subterranean Place distinct from the Grave Chapter Eleven: The Souls of the Pious were not in Heaven before Christ’s Ascension Chapter Twelve: That Christ truly descended into Hell is shown from the Scriptures Chapter Thirteen: A very Obscure Place in St. Peter’s First Letter, chapters 3 and 4, is explained Chapter Fourteen: The Tradition of the Fathers about the Descent into Hell is introduced Chapter Fifteen: Christ properly and in fact descended into Hell Chapter Sixteen: Certain Doubts are solved Book Five: On Christ as Mediator and his Merit (page 247) Chapter One: Brief Explanation about which Nature Christ is Mediator in 5 Chapter Two: The Error of Stancar about the Mediator is refuted Chapter Three: The Errors of the Calvinists and Lutherans about the Mediator are refuted from the Scriptures Chapter Four: The same Error is refuted from the Fathers Chapter Five: The same Error is refuted with Reasons Chapter Six: The Adversaries’ Arguments taken from the Scriptures are solved Chapter Seven: The Testimonies of the Fathers are explained that the Adversaries put forward Chapter Eight: The Arguments taken form Reason are solved Chapter Nine: It is shown that Christ also merited something for Himself Chapter Ten: Calvin’s Arguments are solved END 6 Book One: On the True Divinity of Christ Chapter One: The Opinion of the New Samosatans is Expounded. The author of the new Samosatans was Michael Servetus who began to be known in the year 1532, on the evidence of Surius, and in the year 1555 he was burnt at the stake in Geneva. His followers are now mainly located in Transylvania, whose chiefs are George Blandrata, who is still alive, and Franciscus David who, since he denied that Christ should be invoked or that he has care of the Church, was condemned by the prince of Transylvania to perpetual imprisonment, but a little afterwards went mad and died after two years. The opinion of the Servetians teaches three things and is put together from three ancient heresies. First, it asserts that there is no personal distinction in God, which was formerly taught by Hermogenes, Praxeas, Noetus, and Sabellius. Augustine mentions them all in Heresies. And then it was also taught by Paul of Samosata and by Photinus, on the evidence of Hilary in his book on Synods. Second, it asserts that Christ before his incarnation was nothing save in the mind of God by way of Idea, which was formerly taught by Ebion and Cerinthus and by Paul of Samosata and by Photinus.