Placeus preferred — tenacious efficacious persuasion; Vermigli, Musculus, Le Blanc’s own formula
Le Blanc ranks Placeus’s definition most convenient, full, and brief: tenacious efficacious persuasion of what God reveals — specially remission and eternal life through Christ.
“Persuasion of revealed truth” marks what it shares with historical faith; “tenacious and efficacious” marks what sets justifying faith apart.
Vermigli: firm certain Spirit-breathed assent strong enough to draw fiducia, hope, charity, and good works.
Musculus: constant heart-assent to what the Word narrates or promises.
Le Blanc’s own: firm, practical, fiducial assent to all God reveals — specially Gospel promises.
Latin
LXXXIX. Sed omnium commodissima, plenissima & brevissima simul, videtur definitio supra allata Josuae Placei, cui fides justificans est, Tenax & efficax persuasio veritatis eorum quae Verbo Dei nobis revelata sunt, speciatim vero promissionis de remissione peccatorum, & vita aeterna nobis per Christum parta. Nam cum dicit fidem illam esse persuasionem veritatis eorum quae Verbo Dei nobis revelata sunt, exprimit totum illud quod haec fides habet commune cum fide historica. Quum vero addit persuasionem illam esse tenacem atque efficacem, sub verbis istis complectitur totum illud quod fidem justificantem, ab historica, discernit atque discriminat. Cum Placei autem definitione coincidit jam ante memorata Petri Martyris descriptio, dum ait Fidem esse firmum certumque assensum Verbis Dei, a Spiritu Sancto afflatum, ad salutem credentium. Et assensum firmum exponit per eum, qui sit tantarum virium & efficaciae, ut secum trahat affectum fiduciae, spei, charitatis, & omnia tandem bona opera, ut praesentis vitae infirmitas patitur. Et etiam Musculi fidem definientis, Constantem assensum cordis ad ea quae vel narrantur, vel promittuntur verbo. Verbis meis dicerem fidem salutarem esse, assensum firmum, practicum, atque fiducialem adhibitum omnibus quae sunt a Deo revelata, speciatim autem promissionibus Evangelii.
About this text
Louis Le Blanc de Beaulieu, Sedan Theses, newly rendered from Latin: from theology proper through the Roman theses I–77 and the Reformed theses of Part Two. The theses only — not the collected works.
English follows locked Pitt Latin through Imaginum CLOSED + Sanctorum Cultu Romana CLOSED + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL. 1675 PDF ~384-390 (book ~370-376); Vision OCR + pdftotext + tess. No modern English. This slice densifies Sanctorum Pars Secunda I-XL. Next: Pars Secunda XLI–fin (~CI). Claim stays claimed (book densify not done).
Catalogue & scope
ESTC R17887; Wing L802. IA bub_gb_eOkHAW4G0-wC (+ EEBO 1675 for gap leaves). Densify through Sanctorum Cultu Romana I-LXXVII + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL (Pars Secunda not closed; not whole folio).
Witnesses
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Theologia I-XLIII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Checked print Internet Archive PDF of the 1675 Pitt folio (Latin)
- Checked print pdftotext of De Theologia pages (Latin)
- Checked print Internet Archive DjVu OCR of the 1675 Pitt folio (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Fide I-XXII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Authoritate Scripturae Pars I I-XLVII + Pars II I-XXXV + Pars III I-VIII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
- Copy-text Locked Latin, De Scripturae plenitudine densify (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.