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Seventh BookThe Nature Of Jesus
The Nature Of Jesus
Again I read there, that God the Word was born not of flesh, nor of
blood, nor of the will of man, nor of the will of the flesh, but of God. ^13
But that the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, ^14 I read not there.
For I traced in those books that it was many and divers ways said, that the
Son was in the form of the Father, and thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, for that naturally He was the Same Substance. But that He emptied
himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and
found in fashion as a man, humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death,
and that the death of the cross: wherefore God exalted Him from the dead and
gave Him a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and
that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the Glory of
God the Father; ^15 those books have not. For that before all times and above
all times Thy Only-Begotten Son remaineth unchangeable, co-eternal with Thee,
and that of His fullness souls receive, ^16 that they may be blessed; and that
by participation of wisdom abiding in them, they are renewed, so as to be
wise, is there. But that in due time He died for the ungodly; ^17 and that
Thou sparedst not Thine Only Son, but deliveredst Him for us all, ^18 is not
there. For Thou hiddest these things from the wise, and revealedst them to
babes; that they that labour and are heavy laden might come unto Him, and He
refresh them, because He is meek and lowly in heart; ^19 and the meek He
directeth in judgment, and the gentle He teacheth His ways, ^20 beholding our
loneliness and trouble, and forgiving all our sins. ^21 But such as are lifted
up in the lofty walk of some would-be sublimer learning, hear not Him, saying,
Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest to your
souls. ^22 Although they knew God, yet they glorify Him not as God, nor are
thankful, but wax vain in their thoughts; and their foolish heart is darkened;
professing that they were wise, they became fools. ^23
[Footnote 13: Ib. 13.]
[Footnote 14: Ib. 14.]
[Footnote 15: Phil. ii. 6-11.]
[Footnote 16: John i. 16.]
[Footnote 17: Rom. v. 6.]
[Footnote 18: Ib. viii. 32.]
[Footnote 19: Matt. xi., 25, 28, 29.]
[Footnote 20: Ps. xxv. 9.]
[Footnote 21: Ib. 18.]
[Footnote 22: Matt xi. 29.]
[Footnote 23: Rom. i. 21, 22.]
And therefore did I read there also, that they had changed the glory of
Thy incorruptible nature into idols and divers shapes, into the likeness of
the image of corruptible man, and birds, and beasts, and creeping things; ^24
namely, into that Egyptian food for which Esau lost his birthright, ^25 for
that Thy first-born people worshipped the head of a four-footed beast instead
of Thee; ^26 turning in heart back towards Egypt; and bowing Thy image, their
own soul, before the image of a calf that eateth hay. ^27 These things found I
here, but I fed not on them. For it pleased Thee, O Lord, to take away the
reproach of diminution from Jacob, that the elder should serve the younger:
^28 and Thou calledst the Gentiles into Thine inheritance. And I had come to
Thee from among the Gentiles; and I set my mind upon the gold which Thou
willedst Thy people to take from Egypt, seeing Thine it was, wheresoever it
were. ^29 And to the Athenians Thou saidst by Thy Apostle, that in Thee we
live, move, and have our being, as one of their own poets had said. ^30 And
verily these books came from thence. But I set not my mind on the idols of
Egypt, whom they served with Thy gold, ^31 who changed the truth of God into a
lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator. ^32
[Footnote 24: Rom. i. 23.]
[Footnote 25: Gen. xxv. 33, 34]
[Footnote 26: Ex. xxxii. 1-6.]
[Footnote 27: Ps. cvi. 20.]
[Footnote 28: Rom. ix. 13.]
[Footnote 29: Ex. iii. 22; xi. 2.]
[Footnote 30: Acts xvii. 28.]
[Footnote 31: Hos. ii. 8.]
[Footnote 32: Rom. i. 25.]
And being thence admonished to return to myself, I entered even into my
inward self, Thou being my Guide: and able I was, for Thou wert become my
Helper. And I entered and beheld with the eye of my soul (such as it was),
above the same eye of my soul, above my mind, the Light Unchangeable. Not this
ordinary light, which all flesh may look upon, nor as it were a greater of the
same kind, as though the brightness of this should be manifold brighter, and
with its greatness take up all space. Not such was this light, but other, yea,
far other from all these. Nor was it above my soul, as oil is above water, nor
yet as heaven above earth: but above to my soul, because It made me; and I
below It, because I was made by it. He that knows the Truth, knows what that
Light is; and he that knows It, knows eternity. Love knoweth it. O Truth Who
art Eternity! and Love Who art Truth! and Eternity Who art Love! Thou art my
God, to Thee do I sigh night and day. Thee when I first knew, Thou liftedst me
up, that I might see there was what I might see, and that I was not yet such
as to see. And Thou didst beat back the weakness of my sight, streaming forth
Thy beams of light upon me most strongly, and I trembled with love and awe:
and I perceived myself to be far off from Thee, in the region of unlikeness,
as if I heard this Thy voice from on high: "I am the food of grown men; grow
and thou shalt feed upon Me; nor shalt thou convert Me, like the food of thy
flesh, into thee, but thou shalt be converted into Me." And I learned, that
Thou for iniquity chastenest man, and Thou madest my soul to consume away like
a spider. ^33 And I said, "Is Truth therefore nothing because it is not
diffused through space finite or infinite?" And Thou criedst to me from afar:
"Yea, verily, I am that I am." ^34 And I heard, as the heart heareth, nor had
I room to doubt, and I should sooner doubt that I live than that Truth is not,
which is clearly seen, being understood by those things which are made. ^35
[Footnote 33: Ps. xxxix. 11.]
[Footnote 34: Exod. iii. 14.]
[Footnote 35: Rom. i. 20.]
And I beheld the other things below Thee, and I perceived that they
neither altogether are, nor altogether are not, for they are, since they are
from Thee, but are not, because they are not, what Thou art. For that truly is
which remains unchangeably. It is good then for me to hold fast unto God; ^36
for if I remain not in Him, I cannot in myself; but He remaining in Himself,
reneweth all things. ^37 And Thou art the Lord my God since Thou standest not
in need of my goodness. ^38
[Footnote 36: Ps. lxxiii. 28]
[Footnote 37: Wisd. vii. 27.]
[Footnote 38: Ps. xvi. 1.]
And it was manifested unto me, that those things be good which yet are
corrupted; which neither were they sovereignly good, nor unless they were good
could be corrupted: for if sovereignly good, they were incorruptible, if not
good at all, there were nothing in them to be corrupted. For corruption
injures, but unless it diminished goodness, it could not injure. Either then
corruption injures not, which cannot be; or which is most certain, all which
is corrupted is deprived of good. But if they be deprived of all good, they
shall cease to be. For if they shall be, and can now no longer be corrupted,
they shall be better than before, because they shall abide incorruptibly. And
what more monstrous than to affirm things to become better by losing all their
good? Therefore, if they shall be deprived of all good, they shall no longer
be. So long therefore as they are, they are good: therefore whatsoever is, is
good. That evil then which I sought, whence it is, is not any substance: for
were it a substance, it should be good. For either it should be an
incorruptible substance, and so a chief good: or a corruptible substance;
which unless it were good, could not be corrupted. I perceived therefore, and
it was manifested to me that Thou madest all things good, nor is there any
substance at all, which Thou madest not; and for that Thou madest not all
things equal, therefore are all things; because each is good, and altogether
very good, because our God made all things very good. ^39
[Footnote 39: Gen. i. 31.; Eccli. xxxix. 21.]
And to Thee is nothing whatsoever evil: yea, not only to Thee, but also
to Thy creation as a whole, because there is nothing without, which may break
in, and corrupt that order which Thou hast appointed it. But in the parts
thereof some things, because unharmonising with other some, are accounted
evil; whereas those very things harmonise with others, and are good; and in
themselves are good. And all these things which harmonise not altogether, do
yet with the inferior part, which we call Earth, having its own cloudy and
windy sky harmonising with it. Far be it then that I should say, "These things
should not be:" for should I see nought but these, I should indeed long for
the better; but still must even for these alone praise Thee; for that Thou art
to be praised, do show from the earth, dragons, and all deeps, fire, hail,
snow, ice, and stormy wind which fulfil Thy word; mountains and all hills,
fruitful trees, and all cedars; beasts, and all cattle, creeping things, and
flying fowls; kings of the earth, and all people, princes, and all judges of
the earth; young men and maidens, old men and young, praise Thy Name. But
when, from heaven, these praise Thee, praise Thee, our God, in the heights,
all Thy angels, all Thy hosts, sun and moon, all the stars and light, the
Heaven of heavens, and the waters that be above the heavens, praise Thy Name;
^40 I did not now long for things better because I conceived of all: and with
a sounder judgment. I apprehended that the things above were better than these
below, but all together better than those above by themselves.
[Footnote 40: Ps. cxlviii. 1-12.]
There is no soundness in them, whom aught of Thy creation displeaseth: as
neither in me, when much which Thou hast made, displeased me. And because my
soul durst not be displeased at my God, it would fain not account that Thine,
which displeased it. Hence it had gone into the opinion of two substances, and
had no rest, but talked idly. And returning thence, it had made to itself a
God, through infinite measures of all space; and thought it to be Thee, and
placed it in its heart; and had again become the temple of its own idol, to
Thee abominable. But after Thou hadst soothed my head, unknown to me, and
closed mine eyes that they should not behold vanity, ^41 I ceased somewhat of
my former self, and my frenzy was lulled to sleep; and I awoke in Thee, and
saw Thee infinite, but in another way, and this sight was not derived from the
flesh.
[Footnote 41: Ps. cxix. 37.]
And I looked back on other things; and I saw that they owed their being
to Thee; and were all bounded in Thee: but in a different way; not as being in
space; but because Thou containest all things in Thine hand in Thy Truth; and
all things are true so far as they be; nor is there any falsehood unless when
that is thought to be, which is not. And I saw that all things did harmonise,
not with their places only, but with their seasons. And that Thou, who only
art Eternal, didst not begin to work after innumerable spaces of times spent;
for that all spaces of times, both which have passed, and which shall pass,
neither go nor come, but through Thee, working, and abiding.
And I perceived and found it nothing strange, that bread which is
pleasant to a healthy palate is loathsome to one distempered: and to sore eyes
light is offensive, which to the sound is delightful. And Thy righteousness
displeaseth the wicked; much more the viper and reptiles, which Thou hast
created good, fitting in with the inferior portions of Thy Creation, with
which the very wicked also fit in; and that the more, by how much they be
unlike Thee; but with the superior creatures by how much they become more like
to Thee, And I enquired what iniquity was, and found it to be no substance,
but the perversion of the will, turned aside from Thee, O God, the Supreme,
towards these lower things, and casting out its bowels, and puffed up
outwardly.
And I wondered that I now loved Thee, and no phantasm for Thee. And yet
did I not press on to enjoy my God; but was borne up to Thee by Thy beauty,
and soon borne down from Thee by mine own weight, sinking with sorrow into
these inferior things. This weight was carnal custom. Yet dwelt there with me
a remembrance of Thee; nor did I any way doubt that there was One to whom I
might cleave, but that I was not yet such as to cleave to Thee: for that the
body which is corrupted presseth down the soul, and the earthly tabernacle
weigheth down the mind that museth upon many things. ^42 And most certain I
was, that Thy invisible works from the creation of the world are clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made, even Thy eternal power and
Godhead. ^43 For examining whence it was that I admired the beauty of bodies
celestial or terrestrial; and what aided me in judging soundly on things
mutable, and pronouncing, "This ought to be thus, this not;" examining, I say,
whence it was that I so judged, seeing I did so judge, I had found the
unchangeable and true Eternity of Truth above my changeable mind. And thus by
degrees I passed from bodies to the soul, which through the bodily senses
perceives; and thence to its inward faculty, to which the bodily senses
represent things external, whitherto reach the faculties of beasts; and thence
again to the reasoning faculty, to which what is received from the senses of
the body is referred to be judged. Which finding itself also to be in me a
thing variable, raised itself up to its own understanding, and drew away my
thoughts from the power of habit, withdrawing itself from those troops of
contradictory phantasms; that so it might find what that light was whereby it
was bedewed, when, without all doubting, it cried out, "That the unchangeable
was to be preferred to the changeable;" whence also it knew That Unchangeable,
which, unless it had in some way known, it had had no sure ground to prefer it
to the changeable. And thus with the flash of one trembling glance it arrived
at That Which Is. And then I saw Thy invisible things understood by the things
which are made. ^44 But I could not fix my gaze thereon; and my infirmity
being struck back, I was thrown again on my wonted habits, carrying along with
me only a loving memory thereof, and a longing for what I had, as it were,
perceived the odour of, but was not yet able to feed on.
[Footnote 42: Wisd. ix. 15.]
[Footnote 43: Rom. i. 20.]
[Footnote 44: Rom. i. 20.]
Then I sought a way of obtaining strength sufficient to enjoy Thee; and
found it not, until I embraced that Mediator betwixt God and men, the Man
Christ Jesus, ^45 who is over all, God blessed for evermore, ^46 calling unto
me, and saying, I am the way, the truth, and the life, ^47 and mingling that
food which I was unable to receive, with our flesh. For, the Word was made
flesh, ^48 that Thy wisdom, whereby Thou createdst all things, might provide
milk for our infant state. For I did not hold to my Lord Jesus Christ, I,
humbled, to the humble; nor knew I yet whereto His infirmity would guide us.
For Thy Word, the Eternal Truth, far above the higher parts of Thy Creation,
raises up the subdued unto Itself: but in this lower world built for Itself a
lowly habitation of our clay, whereby to abase from themselves such as would
be subdued, and bring them over to Himself; allaying their swelling, and
fomenting their love; to the end they might go on no further in self
confidence, but rather consent to become weak, seeing before their feet the
Divinity weak by taking our coats of skin; ^49 and wearied, might cast
themselves down upon It, and It rising, might lift them up.
[Footnote 45: I Tim. ii. 5.]
[Footnote 46: Rom. ix. 5.]
[Footnote 47: John xiv. 6.]
[Footnote 48: John i. 14.]
[Footnote 49: Gen. iii. 21.]
But I thought otherwise; conceiving only of my Lord Christ as of a man of
excellent wisdom, whom no one could be equalled unto; especially, for that
being wonderfully born of a Virgin, He seemed, in conformity therewith,
through the Divine care for us, to have attained that great eminence of
authority, for an ensample of despising things temporal for the obtaining of
immortality. But what mystery there lay in "The Word was made flesh," I could
not even imagine. Only I had learnt out of what is delivered to us in writing
of Him that He did eat, and drink, sleep, walk, rejoiced in spirit, was
sorrowful, discoursed; that flesh did not cleave by itself unto Thy Word but
with the human soul and mind. All know this who know the unchangeableness of
Thy Word, which I now knew, as far as I could, nor did I at all doubt thereof.
For, now to move the limbs of the body by will, now not, now to be moved by
some affection, now not, now to deliver wise sayings through human signs, now
to keep silence, belong to soul and mind subject to variation. And should
these things be falsely written of Him, all the rest also would risk the
charge, nor would there remain in those books any saving faith for mankind.
Since then they were written truly, I acknowledged a perfect man to be in
Christ; not the body of a man only, nor, with the body, a sensitive soul
without a rational, but very man; whom, not only as being a form of Truth, but
for a certain great excellency of human nature and a more perfect
participation of wisdom, I judged to be preferred before others. But Alypius
imagined the Catholics to believe God to be so clothed with flesh, that
besides God and flesh, there was no soul at all in Christ, and did not think
that a human mind was ascribed to him. And because he was well persuaded that
the actions recorded of Him could only be performed by a vital and a rational
creature, he moved the more slowly towards the Christian Faith. But
understanding afterwards that this was the error of the Apollinarian heretics,
he joyed in and was conformed to the Catholic Faith. But somewhat later, I
confess, did I learn how in that saying, The Word was made flesh, the Catholic
Truth is distinguished from the falsehood of Photinus. For the rejection of
heretics makes the tenets of Thy Church and sound doctrine to stand out more
clearly. For there must also be heresies, that the approved may be made
manifest among the weak. ^50
[Footnote 50: 1 Cor., xi. 19.]
But having then read those books of the Platonists, and thence been
taught to search for incorporeal truth, I saw Thy invisible things, understood
by those things which are made; ^51 and though cast back, I perceived what
that was which through the darkness of my mind I was hindered from
contemplating, being assured, "That Thou wert, and wert infinite, and yet not
diffused in space, finite or infinite; and that Thou truly art who art the
same ever, in no part nor motion varying; and that all other things are from
Thee, on this most sure ground alone, that they are." Of these things I was
assured, yet too unsure to enjoy Thee. I prated as one well skilled; but had I
not sought Thy way in Christ our Saviour, I had proved to be, not skilled, but
killed. For now I had begun to wish to seem wise, being filled with mine own
punishment, yet I did not mourn, but rather scorn, puffed up with knowledge.
^52 For where was that charity building upon the foundation of humility, which
is Christ Jesus? ^53 or when should these books teach me it? Upon these, I
believe, Thou therefore willedst that I should fall, before I studied Thy
Scriptures, that it might be imprinted on my memory how I was affected by
them; and that afterwards when my spirits were tamed through Thy books, and my
wounds touched by Thy healing fingers, I might discern and distinguish between
presumption and confession; between those who saw whither they were to go, yet
saw not the way, and the way that leadeth not to behold only but to dwell in
the beatific country. For had I first been formed in Thy Holy Scriptures, and
hadst Thou in the familiar use of them grown sweet unto me, and had I then
fallen upon those of other volumes, they might perhaps have withdrawn me from
the solid ground of piety, or, had I continued in that healthful frame which I
had thence imbibed, I might have thought that it might have been obtained by
the study of those books alone.
[Footnote 51: Rom. i. 20.]
[Footnote 52: 1 Cor. viii. 1.]
[Footnote 53: Ibid. iii. 11.]
Most eagerly then did I seize that venerable writing of Thy Spirit: and
chiefly the Apostle Paul. Whereupon those difficulties vanished away, wherein
he once seemed to me to contradict himself, and the text of his discourse not
to agree with the testimonies of the Law and the Prophets. And the face of
that pure word appeared to me one and the same; and I learned to rejoice with
trembling. ^54 So I began; and whatsoever truth I had read in those other
books, I found here amid the praise of Thy Grace; that whoso sees, may not so
glory as if he had not received, ^55 not only what he sees, but also that he
sees (for what hath he, which he hath not received?), and that he may be not
only admonished to behold Thee, Who art ever the same, but also healed, to
hold Thee, and that he who cannot see afar off, may yet walk on the way,
whereby he may arrive, and behold, and hold Thee. For, though a man be
delighted with the law of God after the inner man, ^56 what shall he do with
that other law in his members which warreth against the law of his mind, and
bringeth him into captivity to the law of sin which is in his members? ^57
For, Thou art righteous, O Lord, but we have sinned and committed iniquity,
and have done wickedly, ^58 and Thy hand is grown heavy upon us, and we are
justly delivered over unto that ancient sinner, the king of death; because he
persuaded our will to be like his will, whereby he abode not in Thy truth.
What shall wretched man do? who shall deliver him from the body of his death,
but only Thy Grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord, ^59 whom Thou hast begotten
co-eternal, and formedst in the beginning of Thy ways, ^60 in whom the prince
of this world found nothing worthy of death, ^61 yet killed he Him; and the
handwriting, which was contrary to us, was blotted out? ^62 This those
writings contain not. Those pages present not the image of this piety, the
tears of confession, Thy sacrifice, a troubled spirit, a broken and a contrite
heart, ^63 the salvation of the people, the Bridal City, ^64 the earnest of
the Holy Ghost, ^65 the Cup of our Redemption. ^66 No man sings there. Shall
not my soul be submitted unto God? for of Him cometh my salvation. For He is
my God and my salvation, my guardian, I shall no more be moved. ^67 No one
there hears Him call, Come unto Me, all ye that labour. ^68 They scorn to
learn of Him, because He is meek and lowly in heart; for these things hast
Thou hid from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. ^69 For
it is one thing, from the mountain`s shaggy top to see the land of peace, and
to find no way thither; ^70 and in vain to essay through ways unpassable,
opposed and beset by fugitives and deserters, under their captain the lion and
the dragon: and another to keep on the way that leads thither, guarded by the
host of the heavenly General; where they spoil not who have deserted the
heavenly army; for they avoid it, as very torment. These things did
wonderfully sink into my bowels, when I read that least of Thy Apostles, ^71
and had meditated upon Thy works, and trembled exceedingly.
[Footnote 54: Ps. ii. 11.]
[Footnote 55: 1 Cor. iv. 7.]
[Footnote 56: Rom. vii. 22.]
[Footnote 57: Rom. vii. 23.]
[Footnote 58: Song of the Three Children, 4 et seq.]
[Footnote 59: Rom. vii. 24.]
[Footnote 60: Prov. viii. 22.]
[Footnote 61: John xiv. 30.]
[Footnote 62: Col. ii. 14.]
[Footnote 63: Ps. li. 17.]
[Footnote 64: Rev. xxi. 2.]
[Footnote 65: 2 Cor. v. 5.]
[Footnote 66: Ps. cxvi. 13.]
[Footnote 67: Ps. lxii. 1, 2.]
[Footnote 68: Matt. xi. 28.]
[Footnote 69: Ver. 29.]
[Footnote 70: Deut. xxxii. 49.]
[Footnote 71: 1 Cor. xv. 9.]
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