English Translations from the Patrologia Latina
I. On the Blindness and Hardening of the Jews
From Quaestiones in Epistolas Pauli (Questions on the Epistles of Paul)
Question CCLXII – “They could not believe, because Isaiah had prophesied…”
Latin Original:
“Quaeritur de hac prophetia, an propheta voluerit impleri quae dixit? Quod si voluit, videtur voluisse ut excaecatio Judaeorum fieret: nam in excaecatione Judaeorum adimpleta est prophetia.”
Translation:
“It is asked concerning this prophecy whether the prophet wanted what he said to be fulfilled? For if he wanted it, it seems he wanted the blinding of the Jews to occur, since the prophecy was fulfilled in the blinding of the Jews.”
Hugh’s Response:
“Solutio. Non est concedendum, quod vellet Judaeos excaecari, quamvis voluit suam prophetiam adimpleri… multa enim sic conjuncta sunt, ut unum non possit fieri sine altero, tamen possumus velle unum sine altero.”
Translation:
“Solution: It must not be conceded that he wanted the Jews to be blinded, although he wanted his prophecy to be fulfilled… for many things are so connected that one cannot happen without the other, yet we can will one without the other.”
Question CCLXIII – On the guilt of the Jews
Latin Original:
“Legitur in Evangelio de Judaeis, qui non crediderunt, ut sermo Isaiae impleretur: unde sic objiciunt: Quae culpa Judaeorum, quod non crediderunt, cum necesse esset prophetiam impleri, et sic necesse fuit eos non credere?”
Translation:
“It is read in the Gospel about the Jews who did not believe, so that the word of Isaiah might be fulfilled, whence they object thus: What is the guilt of the Jews, that they did not believe, when it was necessary for the prophecy to be fulfilled, and thus it was necessary for them not to believe?”
Hugh’s Response:
“Solutio. Deus praedixit per prophetam peccata Judaeorum, sed non fecit; non enim praescientia eorum infert eis necessitatem… tantum notat quod illa prophetia impleta est in caecitate Judaeorum, et quod ipsa est praedicta antequam impleta.”
Translation:
“Solution: God foretold through the prophet the sins of the Jews, but did not cause them; for His foreknowledge does not impose necessity upon them… it only indicates that the prophecy was fulfilled in the blindness of the Jews, and that it was predicted before it was fulfilled.”
Question CCLXIV – How the Jews sinned by not believing
Latin Original:
“Verum est quod non poterant credere, sicut dicit Evangelium, et tamen non credendo peccaverunt; quia ad illam impossibilitatem ex vitio propriae voluntatis pervenerunt, et ideo talis impossibilitas non habet excusationem.”
Translation:
“It is true that they could not believe, as the Gospel says, and yet they sinned by not believing; because they arrived at that impossibility through the fault of their own will, and therefore such impossibility provides no excuse.”
Continuation:
“Verum est ergo utrumque, quod non poterant credere, et quod poterant credere, sed non secundum idem: poterant natura, et non poterant culpa: tales enim facti sunt, ut haberent possibilitatem non solum credendi, sed etiam Deum facie ad faciem videndi.”
Translation:
“Therefore both are true: that they could not believe, and that they could believe, but not in the same respect. They could by nature, but could not by guilt. For they were made such that they had the capability not only of believing, but even of seeing God face to face.”
On God’s hardening:
“Hoc autem, quod dicitur, Deus excaecavit, etc., sic intelligendum est, id est permisit excaecari non impertiendo malitiam qua fierent deteriores, sed non conferendo gratiam qua fierent meliores.”
Translation:
“But when it says ‘God blinded,’ etc., this is to be understood thus: that is, He permitted them to be blinded, not by imparting malice by which they would become worse, but by not conferring grace by which they would become better.”
On modern Jews:
Latin Original:
“Quod Judaei hujus temporis excaecati sint, hoc plane habemus, et sancti in multis locis idipsum dicunt, persecutionem Christi excaecationis causam constituentes… Sed non videtur rationi consentaneum, quod ideo praesentes Judaei puniantur, cum scelera multis displiceant, quae patres eorum commiserunt.”
Translation:
“That the Jews of this time are blinded, this we plainly have, and the saints say the same in many places, constituting the persecution of Christ as the cause of blindness… But it does not seem reasonable that the present Jews should be punished for this, since many disapprove of the crimes that their fathers committed.”
Hugh’s Response:
“Solutio. Non immerito etiam moderni Judaei excaecantur, quia si daretur facultas eis, quod patres eorum fecerunt Christo, idem et Christi membris facerent, etiamsi fieri posset ipsi capiti.”
Translation:
“Solution: Not undeservedly are even modern Jews blinded, because if the opportunity were given to them, what their fathers did to Christ, they would do the same to Christ’s members, and even to the Head Himself if it were possible.”
Question CCLXX – On Jewish unbelief as the cause of Gentile salvation
Latin Original:
“Si enim amissio eorum, reconciliatio est mundi, etc. Quaeritur quomodo infidelitas Judaeorum, et excaecatio fuerit causa salutis gentium, nunquid gentes non salvarentur, nisi Judaei excaecarentur. Nonne Deus posset aliter gentes salvare?”
Translation:
“For if their loss is the reconciliation of the world, etc. It is asked how the unbelief of the Jews and their blinding was the cause of the salvation of the Gentiles. Would the Gentiles not be saved unless the Jews were blinded? Could not God have saved the Gentiles otherwise?”
Hugh’s Response:
“Solutio. Infidelitas eorum non erat causa efficiens, quare gentes salvarentur, tamen ex eo quod illi excaecati verbum praedicationis repulerunt, Apostoli occasionem acceperunt praedicandi gentibus.”
Translation:
“Solution: Their unbelief was not the efficient cause why the Gentiles would be saved; nevertheless, from the fact that those blinded ones rejected the word of preaching, the Apostles took the occasion of preaching to the Gentiles.”
II. On the Synagogue Dispersed and the Church Gathered
From Adnotationes in Threnos (Annotations on Lamentations)
On the Garden Dispersed:
Latin Original:
“Sicut hortus dissipatur, quando, collectis ex eo fructibus, sepis destruitur, et custodia removetur; sic ille populus, postquam fructum justitiae ferre desiit, statim custodia et tutela Dei ab eo recessit.”
Translation:
“Just as a garden is scattered when, after the fruits are gathered from it, the hedge is destroyed and the guard removed; so that people, after they ceased to bear the fruit of righteousness, immediately the custody and protection of God departed from them.”
On the Kingdom Transferred:
“Et ipse Dominus et Evangelio Judaeis loquitur, dicens: Auferetur a vobis regnum Dei, et dabitur genti facienti fructum ejus. Hortus enim sterilis, et non faciens fructum, id est Synagoga Judaeorum, dissipatur: et hortus fructum faciens, id est Ecclesia gentium, munitur atque concluditur.”
Translation:
“And the Lord Himself speaks to the Jews in the Gospel, saying: ‘The kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation producing its fruit.’ For the sterile garden that does not bear fruit, that is, the Synagogue of the Jews, is scattered; and the garden bearing fruit, that is, the Church of the Gentiles, is fortified and enclosed.”
On Sister and Mother:
“Bene autem sororem vocat, quam hortum conclusum nominat, quia Ecclesia gentium per fidem de Synagoga nata est, de qua etiam Christus carnem sumpsit: sed tamen eamdem Synagogam, quia fructum justitiae non habebat, quasi hortum sterilem dissipavit. Mater ergo Christi, hoc est Synagoga, hortus est dissipatus. Soror Christi, id est Ecclesia, hortus conclusus.”
Translation:
“And well does He call her sister whom He names an enclosed garden, because the Church of the Gentiles was born from the Synagogue through faith, from which also Christ took flesh. But nevertheless He scattered that same Synagogue, because it did not have the fruit of righteousness, like a sterile garden. Therefore the mother of Christ, that is the Synagogue, is a scattered garden. The sister of Christ, that is the Church, is an enclosed garden.”
On Legal Observances Abandoned:
“Legales enim observantiae umbrae quaedam fuerunt futurorum; et ideo postquam ipsa Veritas venit, jam ultra Deus ad cultum suum priora non admittit. Quasi enim oblitum dicit, quia amplius illa sibi exhiberi non praecipit.”
Translation:
“For legal observances were certain shadows of things to come; and therefore after Truth Itself came, God no longer admits the former things for His worship. For He speaks as if having forgotten, because He no longer commands those things to be offered to Him.”
On the Blinding of the Jews:
Latin Original:
“Repulit Dominus altare suum. Supra de excaecatione Judaeorum locutus fuit; nunc quo ordine eadem facta sit subjungit, dicens: Repulit Dominus altare suum… Hoc altare Deus Pater quasi repulit, quando Christum usque ad crucis patibulum in manibus persequentium Judaeorum in passione dereliquit.”
Translation:
“The Lord has rejected His altar. Above He spoke of the blinding of the Jews; now He adds in what order the same thing occurred, saying: ‘The Lord has rejected His altar’… God the Father as it were rejected this altar when in the Passion He abandoned Christ even to the gibbet of the cross in the hands of the persecuting Jews.”
III. On the Rejection and Transfer of Election
From Adnotationes in Threnos (continued)
On God’s Counsel to Reject Judea and Gather the Gentiles:
Latin Original:
“Per cogitationem quippe Dei, occulta dispensatio incarnationis ejus intelligi potest. Et quia in carne veniens, occulto quodam consilio Judaeam repulit, ut gentes ad fidem colligeret, quasi prius murum filiae Sion dissipavit, id est protectionem suam a populo Judaeorum abstulit, ac sic deinde funiculum hereditatis suae super populum gentium dilatavit.”
Translation:
“For by God’s counsel, the hidden dispensation of His incarnation can be understood. And because coming in the flesh, by a certain hidden counsel He rejected Judea in order to gather the Gentiles to faith, He first as it were scattered the wall of the daughter of Zion, that is, He removed His protection from the people of the Jews, and thus afterward He extended the cord of His inheritance over the people of the Gentiles.”
On the Inheritance Rope Extended:
“Quasi enim funiculus contractus erat funiculus ejus, quando de populo Judaeorum tantum dicebatur: Jacob funiculus hereditatis ejus; sed tunc funiculus tenditur, quando, ut dictum est, sors hereditatis super omnes gentes dilatatur.”
Translation:
“For as it were, His rope was contracted when it was said only of the people of the Jews: ‘Jacob is the rope of His inheritance’; but then the rope is extended when, as was said, the lot of inheritance is spread over all nations.”
On the Grief of the Fathers:
“Quia vero illuminationem gentium praecessit excaecatio Judaeorum, recte subinfertur… Multiplicata quippe gente, laetitia magnificata non est, quia priores patres, quamvis quidem laetarentur de futura salute gentium, nimium tamen doluerunt de perditione Judaeorum.”
Translation:
“Because the blinding of the Jews preceded the illumination of the Gentiles, it is rightly added… For though the nation was multiplied, joy was not magnified, because the earlier fathers, although they indeed rejoiced over the future salvation of the Gentiles, nevertheless grieved greatly over the perdition of the Jews.”
On the Stone Rejected by the Builders:
Latin Original:
“Dissipatus est Judaeis, ut aedificaretur gentibus, quia per hoc fides ejus ad gentes transiit, quod Judaea illam in perfidia manens reprobavit, sicut per Psalmistam dicitur: Lapidem, quem reprobaverunt aedificantes, hic factus est in caput anguli.”
Translation:
“He was scattered from the Jews so that He might be built up among the Gentiles, because through this His faith passed to the Gentiles—that Judea, remaining in perfidy, rejected it, just as it is said through the Psalmist: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner.'”
On Perfidious Jews and the Two Walls:
“Per hoc namque quod a perfidis Judaeis reprobatus est gentium pariter, et Judaeorum fidelium, quasi duorum parietum ex diverso in unum concurrentium, caput factus est.”
Translation:
“For through this—that He was rejected by the perfidious Jews—He became the head of both the Gentiles and the faithful Jews, like two walls running from different directions into one.”
On Christ’s Weeping:
“Nam quod ipse etiam humani generis Redemptor cum caeteris fidelibus illius populi perfidiam et dissipationem fleverit, Evangelium manifeste declarat ubi dicitur: Cum appropinquaret Dominus Jerusalem, videns civitatem flevit super eam.”
Translation:
“For the Gospel clearly declares that the Redeemer of the human race Himself also wept over the perfidy and scattering of that people along with the other faithful, where it says: ‘When the Lord approached Jerusalem, seeing the city He wept over it.'”
IV. Theological Framework Summary
Key Themes in Hugh’s Anti-Jewish Theology:
- Jewish Blindness: The Jews were blinded by their own culpable will, not by God’s direct action. God permitted their blindness by withholding grace, not by imposing malice.
- Collective Guilt: Modern Jews share in the guilt of their ancestors because, given the opportunity, they would do the same to Christ and His members.
- Transfer of Election: God’s protection and covenant were removed from the Jews and transferred to the Church of the Gentiles because the Jews failed to bear the fruit of righteousness.
- Fulfillment and Abrogation: The legal observances of Judaism were merely shadows of things to come; after the Truth (Christ) came, God no longer accepts the former worship.
- Rejection as Divine Plan: God’s hidden counsel included rejecting Judea in order to gather the Gentiles, though the ancient fathers grieved over Jewish perdition even while rejoicing in Gentile salvation.
- Synagogue vs. Church: The Synagogue is the scattered, sterile garden; the Church is the enclosed, fruitful garden. The Synagogue is the mother from whom Christ took flesh, but the Church is the sister—the true bride.
- Perfidy: The Jews are characterized as “perfidious” (perfidis) for their rejection of Christ, which paradoxically became the cornerstone of the Church among both Gentiles and faithful Jews.
Editorial Note
These passages demonstrate Hugh of St. Victor’s participation in the medieval Catholic Adversus Judaeos theological tradition. While he did not write a formal polemical treatise titled “Against the Jews,” his biblical commentaries and theological works systematically articulate supersessionist doctrine: the abrogation of the Mosaic Law, the transfer of covenantal privileges from Jews to the Church, Jewish spiritual blindness as culpable and ongoing, and the Church as the true Israel.
This represents the exegetical-systematic strand of anti-Jewish theology, as distinguished from the formal dialogue or treatise genres practiced by others in the same tradition (Tertullian, Peter the Venerable, Petrus Alfonsi, etc.).
Source. Patrologia Latina – Translated by Claude.AI. Hugh of St. Victor, Writings. Migne, PL 175–177. 1879.