Melum ut in pluribus

I am having trouble understanding the above Latin expression. I encountered it in Theodor Haecker, Kierkegaard the Cripple (tr. C. Van O. Bruyn, New York: Philosophical Library, 1950) in the passage:

Not only for Augustine, but also for that Christian whose teaching is most perfectly harmonious, Thomas Aquinas, the evil in the world was always in the majority. Melum ut in pluribus. This must never be forgotten, nor was it in Kierkegaard's judgment. (pp. 29-30)

My first question: why melum and not malum?

Second question: where in Thomas can we find melum ut in pluribus?

Wiktionary informs us:

Borrowed from Ancient Greek μῆλον (mêlon). Doublet of mālum, from dialectal Ancient Greek μᾶλον (mâlon). First attested in Petronius.

Now mēlum n (genitive mēlī) means apple, and malum, mali means evil, adversity, torment, misery, punishment, etc.  This answers my first question but gives rise to a third: Is there some connection here with the Adam and Eve story in the Garden? 

Fourth question: I don't recall ever seeing the word 'apple' in my English versions of Genesis. Is there in the original text of Genesis a word that translates as 'apple'?  

Fifth question:  I don't understand ut in this context.  Wiktionary says it can be used as an adverb or as a conjunction. But it doesn't seem to be used in either way in melum ut in pluribus.

Here are some other Latin phrases most of which my astute readers already know. 

Comments

[Joe Odegaard]

Hodie mihi, cras tibi

Today me, tomorrow you.

[Hector]

I have very little Latin but I think it's a typo. Is it the same in the German text?

A Google search of the Latin discovers that the phrase 'malum est ut in pluribus, bonum ut in paucioribus' is in the Summa Theologiae but it is attributed to the 'Philosophus':

https://aquinas.cc/la/en/~ST.I.Q63.A9.T

As for the apple, the Hebrew word in Genesis does not mean 'apple' specifically. The word used, pərî, means 'fruit'. As for which fruit, that has been a matter of much speculation.

Some scholars have conjectured that the 'malum' pun is the origin of the apple link in Western iconography.

[BV]

Thanks, Joe. Now we know where 'proCRAStinate' comes from!

At the Tech I recall only Frs. Joseph and Jiru as Latin teachers. Who else taught Latin?

And who was the wit who referred to Fr. Jiru as Fr. Jew?

[BV]

Excellent comment, Hector. I don't believe it is a typo on the strength of the first Wiktionary reference: melum is a doublet of malum. I don't have the German original. I am reading an English translation.

So Thomas is echoing Aristotle, Philosophus, the Philosopher! Interesting.

The apple, I suppose, is the 'iconic' fruit. For example, in English we say, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree" and not "The olive doesn't fall far from the tree."

These days a good illustration of the English saying is the pair, Joe Biden and his scumbag son, Hunter.

[BV]

Q 63 art 9: Videtur quod plures peccaverunt de angelis, quam permanserunt. Quia, ut dicit Philosophus, malum est ut in pluribus, bonum ut in paucioribus.

It would seem that more angels sinned than stood firm. For, as the Philosopher says (Ethic. ii, 6): Evil is in many, but good is in few.

There are three occurrences of *ut.* The first I understand, the second two I don't understand. Why are the second two even needed?

[Hector]

Those sinning angels really upset the apple cart!

Could it be a specific usage of medieval Latin rather than classical Latin?

[Joe Odegaard]

Hi Brother Bill; I think that my Latin teacher at Don Bosco Tech was Brother Anthony, but it has been a long time.