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Saint Augustine: The City of God
408 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1962
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June 4, 2024
A MARVELOUSLY “SPIRITUAL” BOOK BY THE FAMED THEOLOGIAN
Augustine (354-430) of Hippo Regius (in North Africa) was a tremendously influential Christian theologian and philosopher; his ‘City of God’ is a theological landmark, and his autobiographical ‘Confessions’ tells the story of his conversion, plus much more. This book was written by Augustine in 390, four years after his conversion.
He states, “This… I will say with complete confidence, in spite of all who love so obstinately the books of the philosophers. In Christian times there can be no doubt at all as to which religion is to be received and held fast, and as to whether is the way that leads to truth and beatitude.” (Pg. 3; iii, 3) He adds, “From one particular region of the earth in which alone the one God was worshipped and where alone such a man could be born, chosen men were sent throughout the entire world, and by their virtues and words have kindled the fires of the divine love. Their sound teaching has been confirmed and they have left to posterity a world illumined.” (Pg. 5; §4)
He outlines, “Do not, then, let us serve the creature rather than the Creator, or become vain in our thoughts. That is the rule of perfect religion. If we cleave to the eternal Creator we must necessarily be somehow affected by eternity. But because the soul, implicated in and overwhelmed by its sins, cannot by itself see and grasp this truth, if in human experience there were no intermediate stage whereby man might strive to rise above his earthly life and reach likeness to God, God in his ineffable mercy by a temporal dispensation has used the mutable creation, obedient however to his eternal laws, to remind the soul of its original and perfect nature, and so has come to the aid of individual men and indeed of the whole human race. That is the Christian religion in our times. To know and follow it is the most secure and most certain way of salvation.” (Pg. 18-19; §19)
He advises, “Hold fast whatever truth you have been able to grasp, and attribute it to the Catholic Church. Reject what is false and pardon me who am but a man. What is doubtful believe until either reason teaches or authority lays down that it is to be rejected or that it is true, or that it has to be believed always. Listen to what follows as diligently and as piously as you can. For God helps men like that.” (Pg. 19-20, §20)
He states, “To ask, therefore, who created matter is to ask for him who is supreme in the ideal world. For every idea comes from him. How is he, then, save the one God, the one truth, the one salvation of all, the first and highest essence from which all that exists derives existence as such? For all existence as such is good.” (Pg. 20-21, §21)
He observes, “It is easy to see that that which judges is superior to that which is judged. For living reason judges not only of sensible things but also of the senses themselves, it knows why the oar dipped in water must appear crooked though it is really straight, and why the eyes must see it that way. Ocular vision can only tell us that it is so but cannot judge. Wherefore it is manifest that as the life of sense excels the body the life of reason excels both.” (Pg. 50, §53)
He notes, “All things which are beautiful to the senses, whether they are produced by nature or are worked out by the arts, have a spatial or temporal beauty, as for example the body and its movements. But the equality and unity which are known only by the mind, and according to which the mind judges of corporeal beauty by the intermediary of the senses, are not extended in space or unstable in time… Who then can doubt that it is neither greater nor less in a spatial or temporal sense but in potency surpasses all else? This standard of the arts is absolutely unchangeable, but the human mind, which is given the power to see the standard, can suffer the mutability of error. Clearly, then, the standard which is called truth is higher than our minds.” (Pg. 52-53, §56)
He argues, “No one … can fail to see that there is no form or material thing which does not have some trace of unity, or that no material thing however beautiful can possibly achieve the unity it aims at, since it must necessarily have its parts separated by intervals of space… Therefore it is with the mind that we see true unity. But where? If it were here where our body is, it would not be visible to a man who in eastern parts judges in the same way about corporeal things… It is present wherever anyone judges in this way. It is nowhere present spatially, but its potency is nowhere silent.” (Pg. 57-58, §60)
He suggests, “Do not go abroad. Return within yourself. In the inward men dwells truth. If you find that you are by nature mutable, transcend yourself. But remember in doing so that you must also transcend yourself even as a reasoning soul. Make for the place where the light of reason is kindled. What does every good reason attain but truth?” (Pg. 69, §72)
He points out, “Reasoning does not create truth but discovers it. Before it is discovered it abides in itself; and when it is discovered it renews us.” (Pg. 70-71, §73)
He explains, “Others have thought of God as the brightness of an immense light radiating through infinite space in all directions, except that on one side it is cloven as by a black wedge… If I were to urge them to declare on oath whether they know these things are true, probably they would not dare to go so far; but they might reply: YOU show us what truth is. If I were to reply simply that they should look for the light that enables them to be certain that believing is one thing and knowing another, they themselves would swear that that light cannot be seen with the eyes, not thought of as filling any space however vast, and yet that it is everywhere present to those who seek; and that nothing can be found more certain or more serene.” (Pg. 92, §96)
This brief book will be “must reading” for those interested in Augustine, or Medieval spirituality.
Augustine (354-430) of Hippo Regius (in North Africa) was a tremendously influential Christian theologian and philosopher; his ‘City of God’ is a theological landmark, and his autobiographical ‘Confessions’ tells the story of his conversion, plus much more. This book was written by Augustine in 390, four years after his conversion.
He states, “This… I will say with complete confidence, in spite of all who love so obstinately the books of the philosophers. In Christian times there can be no doubt at all as to which religion is to be received and held fast, and as to whether is the way that leads to truth and beatitude.” (Pg. 3; iii, 3) He adds, “From one particular region of the earth in which alone the one God was worshipped and where alone such a man could be born, chosen men were sent throughout the entire world, and by their virtues and words have kindled the fires of the divine love. Their sound teaching has been confirmed and they have left to posterity a world illumined.” (Pg. 5; §4)
He outlines, “Do not, then, let us serve the creature rather than the Creator, or become vain in our thoughts. That is the rule of perfect religion. If we cleave to the eternal Creator we must necessarily be somehow affected by eternity. But because the soul, implicated in and overwhelmed by its sins, cannot by itself see and grasp this truth, if in human experience there were no intermediate stage whereby man might strive to rise above his earthly life and reach likeness to God, God in his ineffable mercy by a temporal dispensation has used the mutable creation, obedient however to his eternal laws, to remind the soul of its original and perfect nature, and so has come to the aid of individual men and indeed of the whole human race. That is the Christian religion in our times. To know and follow it is the most secure and most certain way of salvation.” (Pg. 18-19; §19)
He advises, “Hold fast whatever truth you have been able to grasp, and attribute it to the Catholic Church. Reject what is false and pardon me who am but a man. What is doubtful believe until either reason teaches or authority lays down that it is to be rejected or that it is true, or that it has to be believed always. Listen to what follows as diligently and as piously as you can. For God helps men like that.” (Pg. 19-20, §20)
He states, “To ask, therefore, who created matter is to ask for him who is supreme in the ideal world. For every idea comes from him. How is he, then, save the one God, the one truth, the one salvation of all, the first and highest essence from which all that exists derives existence as such? For all existence as such is good.” (Pg. 20-21, §21)
He observes, “It is easy to see that that which judges is superior to that which is judged. For living reason judges not only of sensible things but also of the senses themselves, it knows why the oar dipped in water must appear crooked though it is really straight, and why the eyes must see it that way. Ocular vision can only tell us that it is so but cannot judge. Wherefore it is manifest that as the life of sense excels the body the life of reason excels both.” (Pg. 50, §53)
He notes, “All things which are beautiful to the senses, whether they are produced by nature or are worked out by the arts, have a spatial or temporal beauty, as for example the body and its movements. But the equality and unity which are known only by the mind, and according to which the mind judges of corporeal beauty by the intermediary of the senses, are not extended in space or unstable in time… Who then can doubt that it is neither greater nor less in a spatial or temporal sense but in potency surpasses all else? This standard of the arts is absolutely unchangeable, but the human mind, which is given the power to see the standard, can suffer the mutability of error. Clearly, then, the standard which is called truth is higher than our minds.” (Pg. 52-53, §56)
He argues, “No one … can fail to see that there is no form or material thing which does not have some trace of unity, or that no material thing however beautiful can possibly achieve the unity it aims at, since it must necessarily have its parts separated by intervals of space… Therefore it is with the mind that we see true unity. But where? If it were here where our body is, it would not be visible to a man who in eastern parts judges in the same way about corporeal things… It is present wherever anyone judges in this way. It is nowhere present spatially, but its potency is nowhere silent.” (Pg. 57-58, §60)
He suggests, “Do not go abroad. Return within yourself. In the inward men dwells truth. If you find that you are by nature mutable, transcend yourself. But remember in doing so that you must also transcend yourself even as a reasoning soul. Make for the place where the light of reason is kindled. What does every good reason attain but truth?” (Pg. 69, §72)
He points out, “Reasoning does not create truth but discovers it. Before it is discovered it abides in itself; and when it is discovered it renews us.” (Pg. 70-71, §73)
He explains, “Others have thought of God as the brightness of an immense light radiating through infinite space in all directions, except that on one side it is cloven as by a black wedge… If I were to urge them to declare on oath whether they know these things are true, probably they would not dare to go so far; but they might reply: YOU show us what truth is. If I were to reply simply that they should look for the light that enables them to be certain that believing is one thing and knowing another, they themselves would swear that that light cannot be seen with the eyes, not thought of as filling any space however vast, and yet that it is everywhere present to those who seek; and that nothing can be found more certain or more serene.” (Pg. 92, §96)
This brief book will be “must reading” for those interested in Augustine, or Medieval spirituality.
Displaying 1 of 1 review