Selections of Emanuel Sà’s writings on the Jews

Emanuel Sà (1530–1596) was a Portuguese Jesuit theologian, scripture scholar, and moral theologian. Born in Vila do Conde, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1545, studied and later taught theology at the Roman College, and spent decades producing exegetical and moral works that became standard references for Catholic priests and scholars throughout the Counter-Reformation. His three principal works are:

  • Notationes in Totam Scripturam Sacram (Antwerp, 1598) — brief philological and doctrinal annotations on every book of the Bible
  • Aphorismi Confessariorum (1595) — a widely-used manual of moral theology for confessors
  • In Quatuor Evangelia (Lyon) — a centone commentary on the four Gospels, weaving together the interpretations of the principal Fathers and Doctors of the Church

The passages below are drawn primarily from the In Quatuor Evangelia, where Sà assembles and transmits the traditional exegesis of the Church Fathers on the Jews, their rejection of Christ, their supersession by the Gentile Church, and the spiritual meaning of the Synagogue. Citations attributed to named Fathers (Augustine, Jerome, Chrysostom, Bede, etc.) are those Fathers’ words as collected and endorsed by Sà.

Latin is reproduced from scanned editions and contains minor OCR imperfections. Translations are from the Latin.

I. The Perfidy of the Jews (Perfidia Iudaeorum)

On Matthew 2 (The Massacre of the Innocents)

Sopita Iudzorum perfidia, Helia & Enoch prædicantibus, Iudæa verbum Dei recipiet.

— Bede, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Matt. 2

“When the perfidy of the Jews is silenced, with Elijah and Enoch preaching, Judaea will receive the word of God.”

On Luke 3 (The Preaching of John the Baptist)

Iudæa pro culpa perfiæ dispergenda erat, in ea plurimi principabantur.

— Gregory the Great, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Luke 3

“Judaea, on account of the guilt of perfidy, was to be scattered; in it very many held positions of authority.”

On John 5 (The Healing at the Pool of Bethesda)

Ne Christiana fide curatus, moreris in perfidia Iudzorum.

— In Quatuor Evangelia, on John 5

“Lest, healed by the Christian faith, you die in the perfidy of the Jews.”

On Luke 18 (The Healing of the Blind Man near Jericho)

Hinc ergo apparet perfidia Iudeorum.

— Chrysostom, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Luke 18

“Hence, therefore, the perfidy of the Jews is apparent.”

On Matthew 10 (The Mission of the Apostles)

Relicta Iudæa ob perfidiam, ad gentes.

— Bede, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Matt. 10

“Judaea having been abandoned on account of her perfidy, [the Gospel goes] to the Gentiles.”

On Matthew 24 (Signs of the End Times)

Ablata veró perfidia Ifrael, propé erit dies iudicij.

— Origen, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Matt. 24

“And when the perfidy of Israel has been put away, the day of judgement will be near.”

II. Deicide — The Jews Crucified Christ

On Matthew 8 (The Centurion’s Servant)

Christus apud Iudzos corpore fuit, apud gentes virtute; Iudæa cognouit & Crucifixit; Gentes audierunt & crediderunt.

— Augustine, In Verbum Domini, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Matt. 8

“Christ was present among the Jews in body, among the Gentiles in power; Judaea knew Him and crucified Him; the Gentiles heard and believed.”

On the Passion — Matthew 3 / John the Baptist (The Viper Metaphor)

Viperam marem coeundo necare, perimi veró excrescente fœtu, scisso parentis utero. Sic Iudæi spirituales patres occidebant.

— Chrysostom, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Matt. 3

“The male viper is killed in the act of mating, and is likewise destroyed when the growing offspring bursts through the mother’s womb. In this same manner did the Jews slay their spiritual fathers.”

On Mark (The Passion — The Princes of the Jews)

Manifestissimé probatur Principes Iudzorum, Christum non per ignorantiam, sed per invidiam… dum crucifigentes eius fidem extinguere, & iustitiam gentibus inferere conabantur.

— Bede, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on the Passion in Mark

“It is most manifestly proved that the princes of the Jews acted against Christ not out of ignorance, but out of envy… while, by crucifying Him, they endeavoured to extinguish faith in Him and to impose injustice upon the Gentiles.”

On Mark 14–15 (The Passion — Choosing Barabbas)

Hæret adhuc Iudæis sua petitio: quia enim pro Iesu latronem, pro Salvatore interfectorem elegerunt, meritó salutem perdiderunt & vitam: seque ita latrociniis & seditionibus subdiderunt, ut patriam & regnum perdiderint, & libertatem corporis & animæ numquam receperint.

— Bede, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Mark 15

“The petition of the Jews still clings to them: for because they chose a robber in place of Jesus, a murderer in place of the Saviour, they deservedly lost both salvation and life; and they so subjected themselves to robberies and seditions, that they lost their homeland and kingdom, and never recovered freedom of body or soul.”

On John 19 (The Crucifixion)

Qui Pilato parebant, quamquam si voluntates cogitemus, Iudæi magis crucifixerunt.

— Augustine, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on John 19

“Those who obeyed Pilate — yet if we consider their wills, the Jews crucified Him the more.”

On Mark 14 (The High Priest Tears His Garments)

Surgens de sede, & vestimenta scindens, significat Iudzos Sacerdotalem gloriam perdidisse, & sedem vacuam esse.

— Glossa Ordinaria, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Mark 14

“Rising from his seat and tearing his garments signifies that the Jews have lost their priestly glory and that their seat is empty.”

III. Theological Enmity between Jews and Christians

On Matthew 8 — Envy of the Gentile Mission

Inuidia Iudzorum de salute gentium.

— In Quatuor Evangelia, on Matt. 8

“The envy of the Jews at the salvation of the Gentiles.”

On Matthew 20 (The Labourers in the Vineyard)

Iudæi gentilibus inuident… Iudæi de salute gentium dolebant.

— Jerome and Remigius, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Matt. 20

“The Jews are envious of the Gentiles… The Jews grieved at the salvation of the Gentiles.”

On Matthew 20 — The First Become Last

Iudæi de capite versi in caudam; & nos de cauda in caput.

— Remigius, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Matt. 20

“The Jews, turned from head into tail; and we from tail into head.”

On Matthew 12 (The Beelzebub Controversy — the Kingdom Taken Away)

Quod ablatum à Iudzis, traditur Gentibus; diminutio regni diaboli, augmentatio est regni Dei.

— Jerome and Hilary, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Matt. 12

“That which has been taken from the Jews is given to the Gentiles; the diminution of the kingdom of the devil is the increase of the kingdom of God.”

On Matthew 13 (The Parable of the Talents — The Light Hidden)

Iudzorum populus propter inuidiam saluandarum gentium, prædicationis gloriam sub… occultauit.

— Hilary, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Matt. 25

“The people of the Jews, on account of envy at the salvation of the Gentiles, concealed the glory of preaching beneath…”

On Mark (Mother and Brethren of Christ Seeking Him)

Iudæi Christum ad docenda carnalia volunt exire, ipsi ad discenda spiritualia nolunt ingredi. Beda: differente Iudæa, gentilitas fluxit ad Christum.

— Bede, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Mark 3

“The Jews want Christ to come out to teach them earthly things; they themselves refuse to enter within to learn spiritual things. Bede: With Judaea holding back, the Gentile world flowed toward Christ.”

On John 12 (The Greeks Seek Jesus)

Augustinus: Iudæi volunt occidere, Gentiles videre; sed & ex Iudæis erant qui clamabant, Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.

— Augustine, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on John 12

“Augustine: The Jews want to kill; the Gentiles want to see. But there were also those among the Jews who cried out, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.'”

IV. Supersessionism — The Church Inherits What Was Taken from the Jews

On Matthew 13 — The Jews Lose Even Natural Understanding

Iudæis non credentibus in Christum, etiam natura bonum tollitur, non enim possunt sapienter intelligere, qui sapientiæ non habent caput. Hilarius: Perdiderunt Iudæi legem, non habentes fide[m].

— Jerome and Hilary, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Matt. 13

“For the Jews who do not believe in Christ, even the natural good is taken away; for those who do not possess the head of wisdom cannot wisely understand. Hilary: The Jews have lost the Law, not having faith.”

On Matthew 22 (The Parable of the Marriage Feast)

Quod ablatum à Iudzis, traditur Gentibus.

— Hilary, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Matt. 22

“What was taken from the Jews is given to the Gentiles.”

On Luke 3 / John 1 — Judaea Dispersed

In Prophetis, qui solis Iudæis prædicant, solum Iudæorum regnum describitur; at in Evangelio toti orbi prædicando eius dominium, qui totius orbis Dominus videbatur.

— Origen, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Luke 3

“In the Prophets, who preach to the Jews alone, only the kingdom of the Jews is described; but in the Gospel, which is to be preached to the whole world, His dominion extends over one who appeared as Lord of the whole world.”

On the Parable of the Vineyard — The Vineyard Given to Others

A suis finibus excluserunt, & gentibus miserunt.

— Glossa Ordinaria, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Matt. 21

“They excluded Him from their own borders, and sent Him to the Gentiles.”

V. The Synagogue — Its Spiritual Death and Replacement by the Church

On Matthew 5 (The Light of the World — the Bushel)

Modius, Synagoga, certum observantiæ modium continens. Ambrosius in Lucam: ne fidem intra legis mensuram includat, sed ad Ecclesiam conferat.

— Glossa Ordinaria and Ambrose, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Matt. 5

“The bushel is the Synagogue, containing a fixed measure of observance. Ambrose in his commentary on Luke: let [faith] not be enclosed within the measure of the Law, but brought to the Church.”

On Mark 5 / Luke 8 (The Daughter of Jairus)

Synagoga perfidia & inuidiæ zelo soluta est, in Christum credere nolens, & quod Ecclesia crederet dolens.

— Bede, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Mark 5

“The Synagogue, dissolved by perfidy and the zeal of envy, was unwilling to believe in Christ, and grieved that the Church believed.”

On Luke 8 (Jairus’s Daughter — Extended Allegory)

Filia Principis mortua nunciatur, id est; Synagoga; perfidia scilicet & inuidiâ: sanata mulier, id est; Ecclesia mundata; Principis seruus nuncians, qui Synagogæ statum videntes a Deo destitutum, restituri posse non credunt… Beda: Synagoga, quia Sponsi lætitiam amisit.

— Bede, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Luke 8

“The daughter of the ruler is announced as dead — that is, the Synagogue — through perfidy and envy, to be sure. The woman healed is the purified Church. The servant of the ruler announcing the death represents those who, seeing the state of the Synagogue abandoned by God, do not believe it can be restored… Bede: The Synagogue, because it has lost the joy of the Bridegroom.”

On Matthew 26 / Mark 14 (The Healing of Malchus’s Ear)

Hieronymus: Malchus, id est, Rex quondam populus Iudzorum, qui seruus factus est impietatis, dexteramque perdidit auriculam, ut litteram veritatem audiat in sinistram. Origenes: Iudæi sinistro auditu audiunt legem nunc; Petrus veró gentes significat, qui credentes in Christum causa fuerunt, ut præcideretur Iudæis auditio dextera.

— Jerome and Origen, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Matt. 26

“Jerome: Malchus — that is, the Jewish people, once a king — has become a servant of impiety, and has lost the right ear, so that it hears the letter rather than the truth on the left side. Origen: The Jews now hear the Law with the left ear; but Peter signifies the Gentiles, who, by believing in Christ, were the cause that the right hearing was cut off from the Jews.”

VI. Criticism of the Pharisees and Their Proselytising

On Matthew 23 (The Woes to the Pharisees)

Hilarius: proselytæ sunt ex gentibus in synagogam recepti. Chrysostomus: non hoc faciebant volentes saluare, sed ob auaritiam, ut plures essent oblationes, vel ob vanam gloriam… Hilarius: nec remissionem peccatorum consequitur, & societatem habet eorum qui Christum sunt persecuti.

— Hilary and Chrysostom, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Matt. 23

“Hilary: Proselytes are those received from among the Gentiles into the Synagogue. Chrysostom: They did not do this out of a desire to save souls, but out of greed, so that there might be more offerings, or out of vainglory… Hilary: He gains no remission of sins, and has fellowship with those who persecuted Christ.”

On Matthew 23 — The Guilt of All Generations Descending upon the Last Jews

Chrysostomus: ita quæ meruerunt singulæ generationes præcedentes, illis donata sunt, qui acceperunt Christum; ita quæ pati meruerunt præcedentes iniqui, super novissimos Iudæos venerunt.

— Chrysostom, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Matt. 23

“Chrysostom: Thus what the individual preceding generations had deserved was granted to those who received Christ; and thus what the preceding wicked deserved to suffer fell upon the last Jews.”

VII. Jewish Enemies of the Church — Enmity Toward the Saints

On Matthew 5 (Salt of the Earth)

Sal propter Iudæos Deum cognoscentes, lux propter gente[m] emigrantem; Christus sol.

— Hilary, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Matt. 5

“Salt, on account of the Jews who know God; light, on account of the nation that was departing; Christ is the sun.”

On Matthew 5 (Love of Enemies — against the Jewish Understanding)

Iudæi, cum audirent, oderis inimicum tuum, odio in homines [ferebant]; cum deberent solum vitium odisse, & naturam diligere.

— Augustine, as cited in In Quatuor Evangelia, on Matt. 5

“The Jews, when they heard ‘thou shalt hate thine enemy,’ directed their hatred against persons; whereas they ought to have hated only the vice, and loved the nature.”

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