8. Concerning law through words.

D. Into how many parts is the law established in words divided? M. Into two: for it commands something either immutable or temporary. D. How many are the classes of the immutable? M. Two: love of God and love of neighbor. D. Into how many parts are the temporary commands divided? M. Into two: for either they have been kept for a long time, such as circumcision, or for a short time, such as the gathering of the manna.

[2] D. What second difference of laws is there? M. That either they command something, as, "Honor your father" (Ex 20:12), or forbid something, as, "You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery" (Ex 20:13,14).

[3] D. Give the third difference. M. That some things are beneficial in themselves, others are necessary because of those. D. Which are those beneficial in themselves? M. Love of God and neighbor. D. Which are those necessary because of others? M. For example, "You shall not kill," for love of brother is driven out by murder; and the keeping of the Sabbath, for in its observation there is the commemoration of God's rest from the work of creations, in which celebration the love of God as Creator was being pointed out.

[4] D. Give the fourth difference. M. That certain commandments were so to speak physical, as concerning clean and unclean animals, and leprosy, and the like. Certain were spiritual, as, "You shall not hate your brother in your heart" (Lv 19:17).

[5] D. Give the fifth difference. M. That certain commands belong specifically to the Old Testament, such as concerning the year of jubilee (Lv 25:8-17); certain ones, specifically to the New, such as, "Thus you shall pray, 'Our Father, who art in heaven'" (Mt 6:9); certain are common to both, such as, "You shall love the Lord your God" (Dt 6:5; Mt 22:37; Mk 12:30; Lk 10:27).

[6] D. Give the sixth difference. M. That some commands are understood just as they sound, such as, "You shall not commit adultery" (Ex 20:14); but others not as they sound, for example, "When you give alms, let not your left hand know what your right is doing" (Mt 6:3).

[7] D. Give the seventh difference. M. That the transgression of some commandments is severely punished, as for example, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" (Lv 24:20); for some it has no punishment, such as the eating of the priestly bread by him who was not a priest (1 Sm 21:6[7]; Mt 12:4); but of others the transgression is even praiseworthy, as for example, "if I have repaid evils to those rendering evils to me" (Ps 7:5). For the law at that time used to command that evils be redressed with evils. Therefore contempt for the law is found to be praiseworthy.

[8] D. Give the eighth difference. M. That some commandments pertain to faith, others to morals, of which the subdivision is acknowledged as quite extensive.