[Examen Theologicvm: Brevi Et Perspicva Methodo Conscriptvm; Svperiori Editioni Accesserunt duo Lemmata: prius de Lectione, posterius de Interpretatione sacrae Scripturae: huic etiam postremae editioni accessit breue Opusculum de formandis studiis, eodem authore; (Morgiis, 1584)]
Benedictus Aretius, born circa 1522 in Bätterkinden, within the canton of Bern, was a distinguished Swiss theologian, reformer, and natural philosopher. Originally bearing the surname Marti, he adopted the Hellenized name “Aretius” to reflect his scholarly pursuits. His early education in Latin schools paved the way for advanced studies in theology, astronomy, mathematics, and botany at the universities of Bern, Strasbourg, & Marburg. In Marburg, he served as a professor of logic and dialectics. In 1548, Aretius returned to Bern as a schoolteacher, ascending to the position of rector by 1549. By 1553, he was appointed professor of Greek and Hebrew at the High School in Bern, and in 1563, he succeeded Wolfgang Musculus as professor of theology. His tenure was marked by a steadfast commitment to Reformed orthodoxy and the promotion of ecclesiastical unity. Notably, in 1566, he authored a defense justifying the execution of the antitrinitarian Valentin Gentilis, upholding the traditional doctrine of the Trinity. Aretius's scholarly contributions were extensive. His “Theologiae Problemata” (1573) offered a systematic exploration of Christian doctrines, while his “Examen Theologicum” (1557) underwent multiple editions, reflecting its widespread influence. He produced commentaries on the New Testament (1580), the Pentateuch (1602), and the Psalms (1618), as well as a commentary on Pindar (1587). His interest in natural philosophy led to the “Stocc-Hornii et Nessi Descriptio” (1561), detailing the flora of the Stockhorn and Niesen mountains. Additionally, he authored a Hebrew instructional text for schools (Basel, 1561). Benedictus Aretius passed away on March 22, 1574, in Bern, likely due to the plague. His legacy endures through his theological works and contributions to natural science, exemplifying the integration of faith and reason characteristic of Reformed scholasticism.
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Among profane writers, it signifieth a military obligation confirmed by an oath. Hence the military sacrament, and the jurists call a sacrament certain coins deposited in lawsuits before the priest, concerning which Varro writeth thus in Book 4 of On the Latin Language: “He who sued and he who denied, in other matters, each deposited five hundred coins before the priest: in other matters likewise a certain number of coins. He who prevailed in the judgment took his sacrament from the sacred place. The coins of the vanquished went to the treasury, that is, the loser was fined from the money he had deposited as a penalty for unjust litigation, which went to the treasury.”
First, it signifieth a mystery. So in Ephesians 5:32, speaking of conjugal love, the Apostle saith, “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church,” where in Greek is the word mysterion. So Augustine calleth mystical interpretations sacraments, where one departeth from the historical sense: and he calleth allegory itself a figured sacrament, as from the exposition of Psalm 103:3, in those words, “He mounteth upon the wings of the winds.” But in the present question, theologians call a sacrament a ceremony instituted by Christ in place of the sacraments of the Old Testament, having an external sign of internal grace, that is, reconciliation, whereby Christ hath reconciled us to God, and which is preached through the Gospel.
A sacrament is the visible form of invisible grace.
The scholastics enumerate seven; others three: we acknowledge only two.
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. To which the Papists add Ordination, Confirmation, Unction, Penance, and Marriage.
First, because Christ instituted only these two, Baptism, I say, and the Lord’s Supper, and left them to his Church to be celebrated.