Introduction

The Collations on the Ten Commandments1

A. Preliminary Comments
The Collationes De Decem Praeceptis were given during the
season of Lent at the University of Paris in the year 1267.
Bonaventure was 50 years old when he gave these talks and h e
was then Minister General of the Franciscan Order. He h a d
previously been at Paris between the years 1235 and 1257, first as
a student and then as an instructor. He ended his formal
academic career in 1257 when he was elected Minister General.
Bonaventure continued in this position until he was made
cardinal of the Church in 1273. He died one year later.
These talks are called collations, but there is some
speculation as to what that term actually meant. In the case of
Bonaventures Collationes De Decem Praeceptis the talks are
very clearly sermons because they adhere very closely to t h e
pattern of the thematic sermon. This style of sermonizing was just
coming into vogue during Bonaventures day. There were three
major elements to this style: theme, protheme, and development
of the theme.
The theme gives the portion of Scripture that serves as t h e
point of departure for the sermon, and which contains in itself
the basis of all further development. The protheme is a small
sermon in and of itself, usually using a different portion of
Scripture and accompanied by a short exposition of that portion.
The protheme usually ends with a prayer asking Gods help and
guidance for the preacher and for his audience.
These two opening sections account for only a small part of
the total sermon. By far the largest part of the sermon is taken up
with the development of the theme. This development consists
of creating divisions within the theme and then making further
sub-divisions or distinctions.

1The Latin text used as a basis for the English translation is from Vol, 5 of St.
Bonaventures Opera Omnia issued by the College of St. Bonaventure at Quaracchi,
Italy, in 1891.

2 / Collations on the Ten Commandments

These divisions and distinctions were fleshed out by using
various means of expansion. Different treatises on preaching
would list different means of expansion. For example, the Ars
C o n c i o n a n d i lists eight: 1) definition or interpretation, 2)
dialectic or rhetoric, 3) argumentation, 4) comparison of
authorities, 5) use of words from the same root, 6) scriptural
metaphors, 7) application of tropes and 8) cause and effect.
To help with the process of construction of the thematic
sermon there were various aids that were developed. Among
these aids there were topical concordances to the Bible,
collections of sermon illustrations called exempla (which
consisted of stories and anecdotes), collections of sayings of t h e
Church fathers (florilegia), alphabetically arranged treatises
on virtues and vices, and even collections of model sermons t h a t
were never preached but written down as examples of proper
sermonizing.
Theme and development in Bonaventures Collationes D e
Decem Preceptis consists of the exposition of a passage of
Scripture, which is, of course, Exodus 20:1-17. His exposition is
divided, as were almost all of the bible commentaries of his day,
into consideration of the literal meaning and the spiritual
meaning of the text. Rather than offering multiple spiritual
meanings, as many of his contemporaries would, Bonaventure
gives only one.

B. Structure, content overview and main themes

Bonaventure, in the first sermon of the series, begins by
giving the theme not only of that sermon but also of the whole
series. He does this by quoting the words of Christ from Matthew
19:17, If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.2
In this we see that Bonaventure is concerned with a goal (life),
and a way to that goal (keeping the commandments). This is
shown to be of the greatest importance to the Christian since t h e
words are those of Jesus. From the start Bonaventure centers our
attention on Christ. H. Heinz describes Bonaventures exegesis of
the Decalogue as a summa of the Christian life, in that
Bonaventure portrays the Decalogue as containing

2Collation 1.1.

Introduction / 3
fundamentally the whole of Gods will in relation to humanity.3
Bonaventure not only starts his sermons by pointing to Christ as
the lifegiver, but also concludes the series of sermons by pointing
to Christ as the liberator from the penalty of sin by his atoning
work on the cross. In the last sermon Bonaventure likens the ten
plagues that God sent against Egypt to the things t h a t
transgressors of the commandments suffer because of their
actions.4 But then Christ is shown as having gone through ten
acts of condescension, presumably to free the transgressor from
the penalty of his sin.5 Bonaventures concluding remark is that
we should always conform to Christ and eat with him so that we
might come to the eternal feast. . . .6 The parallel between this
and the opening passage from Matthew is clear: the eternal feast
or life is the goal; conforming to Christ or keeping t h e
commandments is the way.
In all this Bonaventure demonstrates the essential unity of
the revelation of Scripture. The commandments are not seen only
as a moral code or something given to the Jews alone, but as a
basic component of the Christian life, adherence to which is
commanded by Christ himself. Tavard writes:
To St. Bonaventure the historical passage from t h e
Old Testament to the New Testament embodies t h e
theological scale which divides faith in implicit and
explicit. The substance of faiththat is, belief in God
and Christwas realised in the Old Testament and, as
far as individuals were concerned, there was no radical
difference from what the New Testament was to bring.
Whoever practised the Old Law with implicit f a i t h
already partook of the spirit of the New Testament.7
Following on with the next section of the first sermon
Bonaventure gives four motives or reasons for keeping the commandments.8 The first is the authority of God who gave the com3Hanspeter Heinz, Trinitarische Begegnungen bei Bonaventura (Mnster:
Aschendorff, 1985),16-17.
4Collation 7.10-14.
5Collation 7.15-17.
6Collation 7.18.

7George H. Tavard, Transiency and Permanence, the Nature of Theology According

to St. Bonaventure (St. Bonaventure, N.Y.: Franciscan Institute, 1954) 42.
8Collation 1.2-18.

4 / Collations on the Ten Commandments

mandments. The second is the benefit derived from keeping t h e
commandments. The third is the danger from transgressing. The
fourth is the perfection of the commandments. This last motive
deals with the idea that there is no place for the blame of sin in
the commandments themselves; rather, this blame lies
completely with the transgressor.
There is a short interlude before the last section of the first
sermon that in purpose is similar to a protheme. In this part
Bonaventure talks about Matthew 22:36-40, where Christ is
asked what is the greatest commandment.9 The answer was, of
course, to love God above all else and your neighbor as yourself. I t
was six years later, in 1273, that Thomas Aquinas also preached
a series of Lenten sermons on the Decalogue which he prefaced
with two lengthy sermons on these two precepts of love.10
Lastly, in this first sermon, Bonaventure gives us what he
sees as the proper division of the commandments into two
sections, or tables.11 Keeping the commandments on the first
table, or the first three precepts, puts us in right standing before
God, or uncreated being.12 Keeping the commandments on t h e
second table, or the last seven precepts, puts us in right standing
before human beings, or created beings.13
In explaining the special significance of the first three
commandments Bonaventure utilizes a second major theological
theme, and that is the Trinity. Bonaventure tells us that t h e
first three commandments correspond to three attributes of t h e
Persons of the Trinity.14 The first commandment tells us to adore
divine majesty in the Father, the second commandment tells us to
confess divine truth in the Son, and the third commandment tells
us to love divine goodness in the Holy Spirit. In the second
sermon Bonaventure explains the opening phrase of the first
commandment, I am the Lord your God, in terms of t h e
9Collation 1.19.
10The critical edition of this work is: Les Collationes in Decem Praeceptis de
Saint Thomas dAquin, edition critique avec introduction et notes, ed. Jean-Pierre
Torrell, Revue des Sciences Philosophiques et Theologiques, 69 (1985) 5-40, 227-63. There
is an English translation also: The Commandments of God, Conferences on the Two
Precepts of Charity and the Ten Commandments, trans. Laurence Shapcoate (London:
Burns, Oates & Washbourne, 1937).
11Collation 1.21-24.
12Collation 2.3.
13Collation 2.3.

14Collation 1.22.

Introduction / 5
aforementioned attributes of the Trinity.15 In the third sermon
Bonaventure speaks in terms which we can line up as follows:16
FATHER

SON

HOLY SPIRIT

Fatherhood
Majesty

Sonship
Truth

Procession
Goodness

Efficient Cause

Exemplary Cause

Final Cause

First Commandment

Second Commandment Third Commandment

And finally in the Collation 5.2, Bonaventure states t h a t

these first three commandments, which he has aligned with
characteristics of the Trinity, are the basis of all the teaching
of the Law.
Again, the first three commandments deal with our relationship with God, while the last seven deal with our relationship
with human beings. These last seven are seen in the light of t h e
golden rule showing a twofold justice.17 The first justice shown is
that of kindness, or of doing good. The second justice shown is
that of blamelessness, or not doing evil. The fourth commandment
is of kindness, while the last six are of blamelessness.
In general there is a gradation of importance with which
Bonaventure ranks the commandments.18 This is demonstrated
most forcefully in the space devoted to the exposition of each
commandment. Commandments 1-4 are each treated in separate
sermons, while commandments 5-7 are treated in one sermon and
commandments 8-10 are treated in one sermon. In fact the last two
commandments are treated together in one paragraph!
And further, Bonaventure himself sets higher esteem on the
first commandment than on all the others when he writes that i t ,
is the foundation and the standard of all the other commandments.19
In relation to Bonaventures elevation of the first commandment, it is interesting to notice that at the start of Collation 3
there is an unusually long section devoted to review and further
15Collation 2.9.
16Collation 3.2.

17Collation 1.23.
18Heinz 22, also speaks of a gradation of descending dignity from the first to
the last commandment.
19Collation 2.6.

6 / Collations on the Ten Commandments

comments. In Collation 3.2 Bonaventure reviews 1.21-22, and in
3.3-6 he reviews 2.8-29. Then in 3.7 Bonaventure adds a further
comment on the idolatries mentioned in 2.29 and 3.6. Bonaventure
finishes this section in 3.7-14 with further comments on the first
commandment in answering criticisms leveled against
Christianity by the Jews. It is not until 3.15 that Bonaventure
begins to deal with the theme of that collation. This unusually
long section of review serves to mark a break between the first
two sermons, which cover general comments on the Decalogue as a
whole and on the first commandment specifically, and the last
five sermons, which cover commandments two through ten. This
again serves to underline the importance which Bonaventure
places on the first commandment in relation to the other nine.
But even though there is a gradation of importance in
Bonaventures treatment of the commandments, Heinz points out
that structurally all the commandments are equivalent in t h a t
each has positive and negative elements.20 This amounts to
saying yes to good and no to evil. And again, this is to both
love God and to fear him. Bonaventure writes, It is impossible
that a person would avoid evil except through fear, and that h e
would do good except through love.21 And later he writes,
When God prohibits something in some commandment, h e
commands its opposite; and conversely, when he commands
something, he prohibits its opposite.22
Excluding the first collation, Bonaventure makes use of t h e
basic outline of the thematic s e r m o n (theme, protheme,
division). Throughout the rest of the series the only departures
which he makes from this outline are in the review sections,
which he places after the protheme and before the division of
the theme, and in the last sermon where he departs from the
stated theme in order to make a number of concluding remarks on
the Decalogue as a whole.
The major form of development, aside from t h e
argumentations which will be spoken of in the next section, is t h e
use of anecdotes or stories which serve to illustrate the point
being made. In 2.23 Bonaventure tells of a learned person who

20Heinz 23; Bonaventure, Collation 7.8.

21Collation 2.14.
22Collation 7.8.

Introduction / 7
made a pact with a demon. In 3.2 he relates a story from St.
Gregory the Great (540-604) of a six year old boy who was thrown
into hell for blasphemy. In 3.14 he relates the story of a demon
bowing to a consecrated host. In 5.20 Bonaventure tells of a man
who honored his mother and in 5.21 of a man who did not honor
his father. This second story is unusual because the man dies from
having a toad permanently attached to his face, and this is t h e
only tale which Bonaventure himself attaches some veracity
to.23 And finally in 6.15 Bonaventure relates a story told by
Peter Damian (1007-1072) concerning a man exhausting himself in
the sin of pollution.
As far as Bonaventures exegetical method is concerned, h e
breaks his exposition down into only two senses instead of t h e
more common four senses. For commandments 1-5 he gives both a
literal and a spiritual interpretation. The spiritual
interpretations can be classified as either tropology or allegory.
The problem which arises is in seeing any essential difference
between the literal and spiritual interpretations that he gives.
In fact, for the first two commandments the spiritual
interpretations seem to deal more with the practical or literal
aspects of the commandments, while the literal interpretations
take on a decidedly theological or spiritualizing bent.
For commandments 6-10 Bonaventure gives only a literal
interpretation, dwelling at some length on simply defining t h e
various forms of murder, adultery, theft and lying.
The full treatment and development with which
Bonaventure begins this series of collations ends up by becoming
minimal. By the time the last few collations are reached the
exposition becomes little more than a catalog of sins. Even t h e
closing comments come on abruptly and are not fully developed.
The interest in the content of these sermons of Bonaventure
lies mostly in the fuller exposition found in the earlier
collations; then in the attacks leveled against the Latin
Averroists, the Albigensians and the Jews; and finally in t h e
overall themes expressed throughout the series. The interest in
the style of these sermons lies in the fact that here we have fine
examples both of Bonaventures sermon form and of h i s
expositional approach to Scripture.

23In Collation 5.21 Bonaventure says concerning this story that, I came into
contact with someone who knew the person to whom this happened.

8 / Collations on the Ten Commandments

C. Attacks against errors

Certainly one of the most interesting aspects of the contents

of these collations are the attacks and refutations which
Bonaventure levels against groups of his day which he sees as
being in error either philosophically or theologically. Almost
everything that has been written so far on this set of collations
on the Ten Commandments has centered attention, and then only
briefly, on Bonaventures attacks on the Latin Averroists. But t h e
Averroists are only one of three groups which are the targets for
Bonaventures words. Bonaventure also speaks in refutation of
arguments raised by the Albigensians, whom he calls
Manicheans, and the Jews.
The attacks made against the Latin Averroists account for
the smallest part of these volleys, consisting of two passages,
both of which are in the second collation. In Collation 2.24-25
Bonaventure tells us that some false and superstitious wrong
doing can be brought about by improper philosophical
investigations. These investigations proceed from errors in
philosophy such as saying that there is one intellect in a l l
created intelligence, or that the world is eternal. These two
thoughts, among others, were promoted by the Averroists in
their adherence to Aristotelian philosophy against Christian
doctrine. Bonaventure again mentions the doctrine of the eternity
of the world in C o l l a t i o n 2.28. In both of these passages
Bonaventure does not give any scholastic argumentation against
the erroneous doctrines, but rather simply states the truth as h e
sees it. He says that these Averroist doctrines are opposed to t h e
teachings of Christian doctrine and that those who hold to them
are not only foolish but are actually serving and worshipping an
idol of their own excessive philosophizing. The Scripture
passage that he uses in relation to this is from Jeremiah 10:14 ,
which says: Everyone has been made a fool for the sake of
knowledge. . . . Every artisan is put to shame by his own idol.
The Albigensians are also dealt with in two passages which
are reasoned responses to problems they see in Christian practice.
In Collation 3.20 Bonaventure tells us that the Albigensians take
the words of Christ in Matthew 5:34-35 as being a complete ban

Introduction / 9
against the taking of oaths. This was one of the reasons why t h e
Albigensians found themselves as outcasts in a medieval society
which was based on the taking of oaths and the swearing of
allegiances. In response Bonaventure says they are in error
because they do not understand the force of the words.
Bonaventure tells us that the true interpretation of this passage
is that a person should not swear an oath concerning everything
that he does, but he should swear an oath only for certain special
reasons or occasions.
In Collation 6.5-7 Bonaventure answers the contention made
by the Albigensians that a Christian should not be involved
with killing under any circumstances. The arguments of t h e
Albigensians are presented by pitting the Old Testament against
the New Testament, and the words of the Lawgiver against
those of Christ. Their main point is that there should be no such
thing as a death penalty under the law. Bonaventures reply to
this is that the killing of someone by a person acting on their own
accord is indeed wrong, but the killing of someone by a person
acting under the law is right and justifiable in Gods eyes since in
the latter case the person is acting as Gods minister of justice. To
further clarify the point Bonaventure says that the
administration of justice must also be done with proper intention
and not out of maliciousness or revenge.
The longest and most involved of these responses is made
against objections to Christianity raised by the Jews.
Bonaventure first mentions the Jews in Collation 2.21 where h e
says that Christians should have a better understanding of t h e
Commandments than the Jews since a great light has appeared
to us.
The first response to criticisms that Bonaventure makes
occurs in Collation 3.8-14 and concerns three objections which t h e
Jews raise. These criticisms are that in proposing the Trinity,
Christians are in reality worshipping three Gods; having images
in the Church is the same as worshipping idols; and t h e
celebration of the eucharist is the worshipping of bread.
Bonaventure answers the first criticism by saying that while
the Trinity is a plurality of persons it is a unity of essence.
Another related criticism of the Jews is slipped in at this point
which is that if God has a son why do Christians not give God a
wife? Bonaventure dismisses this as coming from earthly
thinking about God, when only the most elevated contemplation
should be employed.

10 / Collations on the Ten Commandments

To the second criticism Bonaventure contends that images in
churches are of the earthly or human likeness of Christ, and this
human likeness is what is honored. Here Bonaventure also gives
an explanation of dulia and latria worship.
To the third criticism Bonaventure relies on an Aristotelian
explanation of transubstantiation. That is to say that the bread
which our eyes see is only the unrelated accident hiding t h e
substance beneath, this substance being the body of Christ. He
concludes with a story of a demon having to bow when a
consecrated host crosses his path, illustrating the real presence
in the host.
By far the most complicated response to any of the groups
referred to in this section is the one which Bonaventure makes to
the Jews concerning the Christian sabbath in Collation 4.5-10.
The criticism is that Christians celebrate the sabbath on Sunday
instead of Saturday as they should. Bonaventure does not try to
answer this criticism concerning the actual day of celebration, but
rather argues along the lines of the theological meaning of t h e
day.
Bonaventure defines three aspects to the commandment to
rest on the sabbath. The first aspect is moral, by which we are
commanded to contemplate God. The second aspect is ceremonial,
by which is defined the actual meaning of the day. This
argument is made by means of a discussion of eternity in relation
to creation. In this discussion Bonaventure gives us a hierarchy
beginning with the angels, descending to human intelligence, and
ending with material creation. The angels possess as much of
eternity as any created being can have, but all of creation
possesses eternity in some measure. The conclusion that
Bonaventure draws is that since all of creation possesses at least
something of eternity, then it should mirror its Creator by
working six days and resting on the seventh. Lastly Bonaventure
tells us that there is a mixture of the moral and ceremonial
aspects of the commandment whereby the question is asked
whether there should be a ceasing from all work on the sabbath.
In answer to this Bonaventure says that some work which is of a
necessary nature is to be allowed and some activities of a
pleasurable nature are also to be allowed.

Introduction / 11
D. Sources quoted
The following lists show how many times Bonaventure quotes
from books of the Bible and other sources in the course of h i s
collations on the Ten Commandments.
1. Bible (This excludes quotes from the text of the
commandments themselves.)
Psalms
Ecclesiasticus
Deuteronomy
Romans
Matthew
Exodus
Genesis
John
Hebrews
Proverbs
Jeremiah
Luke
Ephesians
I John
Leviticus
Ecclesiastes
2.

25
11
10
10
9
5
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
3
2
2

Daniel
Phillipians
James
I Peter
II Kings
II Chronicles
Job
Isaiah
Micah
Baruch
Mark
I Corinthians
I Timothy
II Timothy
Titus
Revelation

2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

5
3
3
2

Ambrose
Anselm
Peter Damian
Seneca

1
1
1
1

Other sources
Augustine
Gregory
Jerome
Aristotle

E. Comparison to other works

It is valuable to compare Bonaventures exposition of t h e
Decalogue with other medieval writings. This has been done to a
certain extent in some of the footnotes concerning a few
individual points in the text. For our purposes here we will look
briefly at the Sententiae in IV Libri of Peter Lombard, t h e
Summa Theologica of Alexander of Hales, Bonaventures own
Commentaria in Quatuor Libros S e n t e n t i a r u m , the Glossa

12 / Collations on the Ten Commandments

O r d i n a r i a and Thomas Aquinas Collationes in Decem
Praeceptis. All of these works, with the exception of that by
Thomas Aquinas, were written or compiled before Bonaventures
Collationes in Decem Praeceptis. A detailed comparison of these
texts is beyond the scope of this section. What is within t h e
scope of this section is to suggest some of the context which
supplies a background to Bonaventures work. It should be noted
first that the works by Lombard and Hales and Bonaventures
Commentaria are academic in nature and of a different genre
than Bonaventures Collations. These three texts are presented
as disputations in which pro and con opinions from different
authors are given, followed by a summary or determination. In
Bonaventures Collations, the purpose is not academic
enlightenment but rather spiritual edification. On the other
hand, the work by Aquinas is of exactly the same genre, even to
the point of being given at the University of Paris at Lent.
Peter Lombards exposition deals with the commandments
individually rather than making comments on the Decalogue as
a whole. This is mainly the pattern which Bonaventure follows
in his Collations.
Lombard prefaces his exposition by quoting from Matthew
22:40.24 Bonaventure also does this in Collation 1.19 just before
he discusses the proper division of the commandments. This
division, which Bonaventure gives in Collation 1.21-24, is the
same as that which Lombard quotes from Augustine.25 This
division as is given in Lombard divides the Decalogue into two
tables. The first table, consisting of commandments 1-3, pertains
to the knowledge and love of the triune God. The second table,
consisting of commandments 4-10, pertains to the love of ones
neighbor. Later, in underscoring the trinitarian element in t h e
first three commandments, Lombard lines these elements up:26
FATHER

SON

HOLY SPIRIT

Unity/Authority

Equality

Community

First Commandment

Second Commandment

Third Commandment

24Peter Lombard, Sententiae in IV Libros Distinctae, bk. 3, dist. 36, c. 3, n. 1-2.

25Lombard, bk. 3, dist. 37, c. 1, n. 1.
26Lombard, bk. 3, dist. 37, c. 3, n. 2.

Introduction / 13
This is very similar to what Bonaventure does in Collation 3.2.
A few other similarities are to be found in the use (by both
Lombard and Bonaventure) of the example of the Jews taking of
articles of gold and silver from the Egyptians as not being
theft.27 Also they both use Augustines classification of lies in
dealing with the commandment about bearing false witness.28
Alexander of Hales does not divide the commandments into
tables but rather speaks of three aspects of the Decalogue. These
are the moral, or the commandments themselves; the judicial, or
the cause of judgments; and the ceremonial containing figures of
the future.29 Alexander spends almost half his time on questions
concerning the Decalogue as a whole. When he does finally t a l k
about the individual commandments there is much in common
with the exposition found in Bonaventures Collations.
With the first commandment Hales speaks of the differences
between the worship of dulia and l a t r i a and in doing so talks
about the reverence owed God, Christ, and creatureswhether
angels or human beings.30
With the second commandment Hales speaks of the literal
intent of the command. Beyond this he spends most of his time
considering whether or not the taking of oaths is good and
allowed.31
With the third commandment Hales gives us an exposition
similar in intent to that of Bonaventure, but quite different in
approach.32 Neither deals directly with the day on which t h e
sabbath should be kept, but rather both talk about the meaning
of the day. Hales says that there is something to be understood
about the day in a general way, which is moral and eternal; and
something to be understood in a particular way, which is
ceremonial and temporal. This compares to Bonaventures moral
and ceremonial meanings in Collation 4.6-11. But whereas
Bonaventures solution ends in a blending of these two meanings,
27Lombard, bk. 3, dist. 37, c. 5, n. 4; Bonaventure, Collation 6.17.
28Lombard, bk. 3, dist. 38, c. 1, n. 1; Bonaventure, Collations 7.3 and 7.4.

29Alexander of Hales, Summa Theologica, pars. 1, inq. 3, tract. 2, sect. 1,

Introductio.
30Hales, pars. 1, inq. 3, tract. 2, sect. 1, quaest. 2, tit. 1; Bonaventure, Collation
1.17.
31Hales, pars. 1, inq. 3, tract. 2, sect. 1, quaest. 2, tit. 2; Bonaventure, Collation
3.15-23.
32Hales, pars. 1, inq. 3, tract. 2, sect. 1, quaest. 2, tit. 3.

14 / Collations on the Ten Commandments

Hales settles on a fourfold interpretation of the passage.
Literally it is a cessation from servile work, morally it is a
cessation from sin, allegorically it symbolizes Christs resting in
the tomb and anagogically it symbolizes the rest of souls in
heaven. Bonaventure also talks about these four points, but in a
completely different setting.
With the fourth commandment Hales discusses the question
of the subject to whom honor is due. Here he speaks about earthly
fathers, spiritual fathers, rulers, elders, learned ones, holy men
and others.33
With the fifth commandment Hales talks about whether
the commandment bans killing entirely or if it allows those t h a t
hold positions of authority in the Church or state to kill in the
carrying out of justice as ministers of the law.34 With the sixth
commandment Hales lists all the various forms that adultery can
take and shows how each is banned by the commandment.35 As
to commandments 7-10, there are few similarities between the
expositions of Hales and Bonaventure.
There is little resemblance between Bonaventures Collations
and his earlier treatment of the Decalogue in his Commentaria.
For the most part, the Sentence Commentary of Bonaventure
follows the treatment of Alexander of Hales, but only as i t
applies to the commandments as a whole. Bonaventures only
comments on individual commandments come in the form of
questions pertaining to certain matters in some of t h e
commandments. This is the opposite of what Bonaventure does in
the Collations, where he spends most of his time dealing with
the commandments individually.
The Glossa Ordinaria was the standard medieval Bible commentary of the day, consisting of excerpts from the church
fathers and early medieval writers. In the Glossa we find
Augustine, after examining other options, settling on the three
and seven division of the commandments,36 which is later
quoted by Lombard and, still later, used by Bonaventure. St.
33Hales, pars. 1, inq. 3, tract. 2, sect. 1, quaest. 2, tit. 4; Bonaventure, Collation
5.11-13.
34Hales, pars. 1, inq. 3, tract. 2, sect. 1, quaest. 2, tit. 5; Bonaventure, Collation
6.6-11.
35Hales, pars. 1, inq. 3, tract. 2, sect. 1, quaest. 2, tit. 6; Bonaventure, Collation
6.12-13.
36Glossa Ordinaria, Biblia Sacra Cum Glossa Ordinaria, I, cols. 373-74.

Introduction / 15
Isidore (c. 560-636) also is quoted as making this division, but
goes on to speak of the first three commandments as pertaining to
the love and knowledge of the Trinity and the last seven as
pertaining to the love of ones neighbor.37 Isidore in another
excerpt refers to Matthew 22:36-40 in relation to this division.38
But the most striking similarity is to be found in a passage where
Isidore, after listing what each commandment prohibits, says
that just as the ten plagues of Exodus were sent to afflict t h e
Egyptians, so the Ten Commandments were given to guide t h e
people of God and to torment the demons.39 Bonaventure fills out
this outline of Isidores in Collation 7.10-14.
Finally it is of interest to compare Bonaventures Collations
with those of Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas treatment begins in a
way similar to that of Bonaventure, in that Aquinas also ties t h e
commandments directly to the life of the Christian. But whereas
Bonaventure does this by devoting part of his first sermon to an
exposition of Matthew 19:17, Aquinas devotes his first two
sermons fully to an exposition of Christs two precepts of love in
Matthew 22:36-40.40 Aquinas then goes on to divide t h e
commandments into the by now familiar groupings of three and
seven. The first three commandments relate to the precept, You
shall love the Lord your God. . . , while the last seven
commandments relate to the precept, You shall love your
neighbor as yourself. Beyond these similarities in approach,
there is little parallel between the works of Bonaventure and
Aquinas in either content or style.
Overall, Aquinas treatment is much more controlled and
even, not like Bonaventures which seems very much abbreviated
and rushed towards the end. But then Aquinas treatment is
stylistically repetitious and dry next to that of Bonaventure. In
Aquinas we find none of the anecdotal illustrations or personal
asides which are in Bonaventures work. Also there are few
references to answering disputed interpretations in Aquinas,
which tend to characterize the work by Bonaventure. Aquinas
exposition proceeds by the use of divisions of the theme
supported by Scripture. Aquinas does not follow the outline of t h e
37Glossa Ordinaria, I, col. 674.
38Glossa Ordinaria, I, col. 679.

39Glossa Ordinaria, I, col. 679; Bonaventure, Collation 7.10-14.

40Thomas Aquinas, Collationes in Decem Praeceptis, 11.

16 / Collations on the Ten Commandments

thematic sermon but rather his sermons are monolithic in
structure. This singularity is also furthered by Aquinas
exposition by only one sense of Scripture. Finally, whereas
Aquinas concludes his Collations with his treatment of t h e
content of the last commandment, Bonaventure makes concluding
remarks on the Decalogue as a whole and, in doing so, reinforces
the ties between the commandments and the Christian life with
which he began the series.
In looking at the earlier works of Peter Lombard and
especially that of Alexander of Hales, we can see t h a t
Bonaventure borrows from both and presents little that is new in
the outlines of his exposition of the Ten Commandments. We can
also see that Bonaventures earlier treatment of the Decalogue in
his Commentaria borrows from Hales, but is substantially
different from his treatment in his later Collations. The Glossa
also provides at least a couple of points possibly borrowed by
Bonaventure for his exposition. Finally, we can see how very
different in form are the collations of Aquinas and Bonaventure,
even though the educational backgrounds of both were very
similar and the circumstances of the talks were almost identical.