97. Christ's Life: Austerity, Poverty, and Common Living

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

Austerity in Food and Drink #

Question: Whether Christ ought to have led an austere life in food and drink.

Thomas’s Position: Christ conformed himself to the common life of those he associated with, following the principle “I was made all things to all men” (1 Corinthians 9:22).

• Christ fasted 40 days in the desert to instruct us about fasting’s value as a shield against the devil
• However, he did not maintain perpetual fasting but returned to common life
• The 40-day fast has symbolic meaning: 4 (bodily elements: hot, cold, wet, dry) × 10 (Decalogue) = 40
• This exemplifies the pattern of receiving the lordly precepts (praecepta dominica) through bodily discipline
• Key Principle: Abstinence from food does not per se pertain to salvation; “the kingdom of God is not food and drink” (Romans 14)
• Distinction between John and Christ: John the Baptist exemplified austere life (no wine, no drink); Christ exemplified both austerity and participation in common meals
• Christ’s divine power over the flesh made abstinence unnecessary for him, unlike for us

Voluntary Poverty #

Question: Whether Christ should have led a life of poverty.

Thomas’s Answer: Christ’s voluntary poverty was fitting for four reasons:

1. Fitting to the office of preaching: Preachers must be freed entirely from concern for wealth to focus on their mission. Christ instructed the apostles: “Do not possess any gold nor silver” (Matthew 10:9)
2. Spiritual exchange: Christ assumed bodily poverty to give us spiritual riches (2 Corinthians 8:9: “Know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who on account of us was made needy, that by his lack of things we might become rich”)
3. Prevents misinterpretation: If Christ had wealth, his teaching might be attributed to greed rather than salvation. Jerome notes that if disciples had wealth, their preaching would seem to be for gain, not for the sake of salvation of men
4. Manifests divine power: His divinity shines more brightly through poverty and abjection. The Council of Ephesus teaches that he “chose all things that are poor and vile, all mediocre and obscure… that his divinity might be known to have transformed the earth”

Critical Distinction:

• Involuntary poverty (mendicant poverty necessitated by destitution) is not commendable and occasions sin (stealing, lying, perjury)
• Voluntary poverty chosen for spiritual purposes demonstrates great humility and is not an occasion for sin
• Christ chose the latter

Practical Details:

• Christ had no place to lay his head (Matthew 8:20)
• He relied on women who ministered to him from their substance (Luke 8)
• This was a Jewish custom and not scandalous in that context, though Paul avoided this to prevent scandal among Gentiles

Musical and Liturgical Digression #

Berquist opens with extended discussion of liturgical music, contrasting:

• Gregorian chant (official music of Roman rite, emphasizing words)
• Palestrina and Bach (suitable for church)
• Mozart’s masses (problematic because, as Mozart himself said, “the words ought to be altogether the obedient servant of the music,” whereas in church music the reverse must be true)
• The Handel Messiah and the tradition of standing during the Hallelujah chorus (begun when the King stood up)

This appears tangential but may relate to the principle that Christ adapted himself to his cultural context.

Key Arguments #

Against Austerity #

Objection 1: Christ preaches a more perfect life than John the Baptist; he should fast more.

• Response: Abstinence from food does not per se pertain to salvation. The kingdom of God is not about food and drink (Romans 14). Christ demonstrated both the value of fasting and the acceptability of common meals.

Objection 2: Christ began with 40 days of fasting in the desert; returning to common life seems inconsistent (incongruum).

• Response: This follows the pattern of “contemplata aliis tradere” (handing over to others what one has contemplated). Christ first withdrew for contemplation, then engaged in public life with others. As Bede says: “Christ fasted, lest he depart from the precept; he ate with sinners, that observing his grace, he would recognize his power.”

Against Poverty #

Objection 1: The mean between wealth and poverty is most choosable (Proverbs 30: “Do not give to me mendicant poverty or wealth, but give me what is necessary for my sustenance”).

• Response: The mean is most choosable only for those who might be tempted by extremes. Christ, incapable of sin, was not bound by this principle. Voluntary poverty is not an occasion for sin.

Objection 2: Christ used common food and clothing; he should therefore use common wealth too.

• Response: Common food can be obtained without possession of wealth through receiving from others who minister to one. This is what Christ did. The absence of possession prevents the corruption that wealth brings (as exemplified by Judas).

Objection 3: Humility is more commendable in the wealthy (1 Timothy 6: “Give this precept to the wealthy: Do not savor high things”).

• Response: While humility in the wealthy is commendable, voluntary poverty is a greater sign of humility. Humility is not much commended in one who is poor from necessity, but in one who is voluntarily poor, as Christ was, it is a sign of the greatest humility.

Important Definitions #

• Conversatio (or conversationem): Not mere conversation but one’s manner of living or association with others
• Contemplata aliis tradere: “To hand over to others what one has contemplated”—the principle by which Christ and Dominican preachers combine contemplation with active ministry
• Voluntary poverty (paupertas voluntaria): Poverty chosen for spiritual purposes, distinct from involuntary destitution (paupertas necessaria)
• Mendicant (mendicitas): Begging state; destitution arising from necessity
• Occasion of sin (occasio peccati): A circumstance that tempts one toward sin (e.g., wealth occasions pride; involuntary poverty occasions theft)
• Per se: By its own nature or essential character
• Convenientissimum: Most suitable or fitting
• Opus divinum: Divine work (referenced from contextual notes; relates to Christ’s power)

Examples & Illustrations #

Patristic and Theological #

• Augustine (Against Faustus): Notes that John said “not eating or drinking,” but this could only be said of John in comparison if Christ did eat and drink. Christ was conforming himself.
• Jerome: On the custom of women ministering to teachers from their substance—a practice among Jews and even Gentiles, though Paul avoided it to prevent scandal
• Augustine (On the Questions of the Gospel): Wisdom is justified by its sons because the apostles understood the kingdom of God not to be in food and drink, but in “tolerating with people, evenness and so on. Neither abundance raised up, nor need depressed.”
• Bede: On Christ fasting and eating—“Christ fasted, lest he depart from the precept; he ate with sinners, that observing his grace, he would recognize his power”
• Council of Ephesus: Christ “chose all things that are poor and vile, all mediocre and obscure to many… that his divinity might be known to have transformed the earth”
• Gregory: On the symbolic meaning of 40: the power of the Decalogue through the four Gospels is fulfilled (4 × 10 = 40)
• Augustine (On the 83 Questions): All discipline of wisdom consists in knowing the creator (Trinity) and creature. The creature is partly invisible (soul, attributed the number 3, because ordered to love God with whole heart, soul, and mind) and partly visible (body, attributed the number 4, on account of the four qualities: hot, cold, wet, dry). The number 10 insinuates the whole discipline, led by the number attributed to the body (4), multiplied by that (4 × 10 = 40).

Personal and Literary #

• Vanderbilt household anecdote: A newly hired servant dropped a plate of dishes in a gorgeous dining room. Vanderbilt himself got up and helped pick them up, demonstrating humility and relieving her embarrassment—yet this does not argue that Christ should have had wealth, as Christ’s abjection shows his power more impressively
• Father Dalzon (founder of Assumptionists): Constantly received money from his mother and gave it all away. His sister once saved money for new sheets, gave it to him, and he gave it away; she burst into tears
• Childhood pastor anecdote: A pastor gave everything to the church, leaving the parish house shabby (crummy linen). When the bishop was coming to dinner, the housekeeper was embarrassed. She discreetly told parish ladies, who raised money for linens as a surprise. The pastor objected strongly to this going around him. He was also a severe man—when he asked young Dwayne how he was baptized, and learned he was baptized “Dwayne” (not a saint’s name), the pastor seemed troubled
• Shakespeare’s Hamlet: Berquist recalls the praise of Horatio as maintaining a level key whether in good fortune or bad fortune. Both lives are licit and praiseworthy: “Someone segregated from the common consortium of men should observe abstinence; and the one placed in the society of others should use the common life.”
• Monk’s final vow celebration: A monk, upon taking final vows, said: “I want to eat and drink. The kingdom of God has nothing to do with eating and drinking.” This celebrates the principle and shows his understanding that asceticism is not the essence of the kingdom

Notable Quotes #

“I was made all things to all men” (1 Corinthians 9:22)—the principle governing Christ’s conformity to common life

“The kingdom of God is not food and drink” (Romans 14)—used to show that abstinence does not per se pertain to salvation

“Contemplata aliis tradere”—the principle by which Christ and Dominican preachers combine contemplation with active ministry

“The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20)—Christ’s statement exemplifying his voluntary poverty

“Do not possess any gold nor silver” (Matthew 10:9)—Christ’s instruction to apostles about poverty in preaching

“Know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who on account of us was made needy, that by his lack of things we might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9)—the principle of spiritual exchange through Christ’s poverty

“If the disciples had wealth, it would seem not for the sake of the salvation of men, but for the sake of gain that they taught” (Jerome, On Matthew)—showing how wealth would corrupt the appearance of preaching

Questions Addressed #

1. Should Christ have led an austere life in food and drink?

   • No. While Christ fasted for 40 days to instruct us, he did not maintain perpetual fasting. He returned to common life, eating and drinking with others, because abstinence from food does not per se pertain to salvation. Christ demonstrated both the value of fasting and the acceptability of common meals, unlike John the Baptist who exemplified only austerity.

2. Why is Christ’s return to common life after 40 days of fasting not inconsistent?

   • It follows the pattern of “contemplata aliis tradere.” Christ first withdrew for contemplation and spiritual instruction, then engaged in active public life. This exemplifies that even those in active life must maintain contemplation.

3. Should Christ have possessed wealth?

   • No. Voluntary poverty was fitting for four reasons: (1) it is necessary for preachers to be freed from concern for wealth, (2) it exemplifies the spiritual exchange where Christ’s bodily poverty gives us spiritual riches, (3) it prevents misinterpretation of motives as greed, and (4) it manifests divine power through abjection.

4. How does voluntary poverty differ from involuntary poverty in terms of humility?

   • Involuntary poverty (necessitated by destitution) does not commend humility and occasions sin. Voluntary poverty chosen for spiritual purposes is a sign of the greatest humility, as it demonstrates the will’s ordering toward God rather than compulsion by circumstance.

5. Did Christ’s reliance on women who ministered from their substance compromise his poverty?

   • No. This was a Jewish and even Gentile custom. Common food can be obtained without possession of wealth. The key distinction is that possession of wealth corrupts (as with Judas), whereas receiving from others does not.

6. If humility is more commendable in the wealthy, should Christ not have had wealth?

   • Humility in the wealthy is commendable, but voluntary poverty is a greater expression of humility. Christ chose the greater sign of humility, not merely the commendable one.