§19Possit in isto capitulo etiam de militia definitum uideri, quae inter dignitatem et potestatem est.
In this chapter, it might also seem to be decided concerning military service, which is between dignity and power.
at nunc de isto quaeritur, an fidelis ad militiam conuerti possit et an militia ad fidem admitti, etiam caligata uel inferior quaeque, cui non sit necessitas immolationum uel capitalium iudiciorum.
But now this is questioned: whether a believer can be converted to military service, and whether military service can be admitted to the faith, even the common soldier's or any lower kind, which has no necessity of sacrifices or capital judgments.
non conuenit sacramento diuino et humano, signo Christi et signo diaboli, castris lucis et castris tenebrarum; non potest una anima duobus deberi, deo et Caesari.
Divine oath and human oath do not agree, the sign of Christ and the sign of the devil, the camp of light and the camp of darkness; one soul cannot be owed to two, God and Caesar.
et virgam portavit Moyses, fibulam et Aaron, cingitur loro et Iohannes, agmen agit et Iesus Naue, bellauit et populus, si placet ludere.
And Moses carried a rod, Aaron a brooch, John is girt with a leather belt, Joshua leads an army, and the people waged war, if you like to play.
quomodo autem bellabit, immo quomodo etiam in pace militabit sine gladio, quem dominus abstulit? nam etsi adierant milites ad Iohannem et formam obseruationis acceperant, si etiam centurio crediderat, omnem postea militem dominus in Petro exarmando discinxit.
But how will he wage war, or rather, how will he serve even in peace without a sword, which the Lord has taken away? For even if soldiers had come to John and had received a rule of conduct, and even if a centurion had believed, the Lord afterward, by disarming Peter, ungirt every soldier.
nullus habitus licitus est apud nos illicito actui adscriptus.
No habit is lawful among us that is assigned to an unlawful act.
§20Sed enim cum conuersatio diuinae disciplinae non factis tantum, uerum etiam uerbis periclitetur (nam sicut scriptum est, ecce homo et facta eius, ita, ex ore tuo iustificaberis), meminisse debemus etiam in uerbis quoque idololatriae incursum praecauendum aut de consuetudinis uitio aut timiditatis.
¦25 But indeed, since the conduct of divine discipline is endangered not only in deeds but also in words (for as it is written, "Behold, the man and his deeds," so, "by your mouth you shall be justified"), we must remember that even in words also we must guard against the incursion of idolatry, whether from the fault of habit or of timidity.
deos nationum nominari lex prohibet non utique: nomina eorum pronuntiemus, quae nobis ut dicamus conuersatio extorquet.
The law prohibits the gods of the nations from being named, but certainly not so that we may not pronounce their names, which ordinary conversation extorts from us to say.
nam id plerumque dicendum est: in templo Aesculapii illum habes, et, in uico Isidis habito, et sacerdos Iouis factus est, et multa alia in hunc modum, quando et hominibus hoc genus nomina inducuntur.
For this must generally be said: "You have him in the temple of Aesculapius," or "I live in the street of Isis," or "He has been made a priest of Jupiter," and many other things of this kind, when names of this sort are also applied to men.
neque enim Saturnum honoro, si ita uocauero eum suo nomine; tam non honoro, quam Marcum, si uocauero Marcum.
For I do not honor Saturn if I call him by his name; I no more honor him than I do Marcus if I call him Marcus.
sed ait: nomen aliorum deorum ne commemoremini neque audiatur de tuo ore. hoc praecepit, ne deos uocemus illos. nam et in prima parte legis, non sumes, inquit, nomen domini dei tui in uano idest idolo.
But it says: "The name of other gods you shall not mention, nor shall it be heard from your mouth." This it commanded, that we should not call them "gods." For also in the first part of the law, it says, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain," that is, for an idol.
cecidit igitur in idololatriam qui idolum nomine dei honorauerit.
Therefore, he has fallen into idolatry who has honored an idol with the name of God.
quodsi deos dicendum erit, adiciendum est aliquid quo appareat, quia non ego illos deos dico.
But if "gods" must be said, something must be added by which it may appear that I do not call them gods.
nam et scriptura deos nominat, sed adicit suos uel nationum; sicut Dauid, cum deos nominasset, ubi ait, dei autem nationum daemonia. sed hoc mihi ad sequentia magis praestructum est.
For the Scripture also names "gods," but adds "their" or "of the nations"; as David, when he had named "gods," where he says, "but the gods of the nations are demons." But this is rather prepared by me for what follows.
ceterum consuetudinis uitium est Mehercule dicere, Medius Fidius, accedente ignorantia quorundam, qui ignorant iusiurandum esse per Herculem.
Moreover, it is a fault of habit to say "Mehercule" or "Medius Fidius," with the addition of the ignorance of some who do not know that it is an oath by Hercules.
porro quid erit deieratio per eos quos eierasti quam praeuaricatio fidei cum idololatria? quis enim, per quos deierat, non honorat?
Furthermore, what is swearing by those whom you have abjured but a betrayal of faith with idolatry? For who does not honor those by whom he swears?