Our conception is framed according to this notion, when we believe that God was made man for us, as an example of humility, and to show the love of God towards us. For this it is which it is good for us to believe, and to retain firmly and unshakenly in our heart, that the humility by which God was born of a woman, and was led to death through contumelies so great by mortal men, is the chiefest remedy by which the swelling of our pride may be cured, and the profound mystery by which the bond of sin may be loosed. So also, because we know what omnipotence is, we believe concerning the omnipotent God in the power of His miracles and of His re- surrection, and we frame conceptions respecting actions of this kind, according to the species and genera of things that are either ingrafted in us by nature, or gathered by experience, that our faith may not be feigned. For neither do we know the countenance of the Virgin Mary; from whom, untouched by a husband, nor tainted in the birth itself. He was wonder- fully born. Neither have we seen what were the lineaments of the body of Lazarus; nor yet Bethany; nor the sepulchre, and that stone which He commanded to be removed when He raised him from the dead; nor the new tomb cut out in the rock" whence He Himself arose; nor the Mount of Olives, from whence He ascended into heaven. And, in short, whoever of VIS have not seen these things, know not whether they are as we conceive them to be, nay judge them more probably not to be so. For when the aspect either of a place, or a man, or of any other body, which we happened to imagine before we saw it, turns out to be the same when it occurs to our sight as it was when it occurred to our mind, we are moved with no little wonder. So scarcely and hardly ever does it happen. And yet we believe those things most stedfastly, because we imagine them according to a special and general notion, of DE TKIN. 0 210 ON THE TRINITY. [BOOK VIII.
which we are certain. For we helieve our Lord Jesus Christ to be born of a virgin who was called Mary. But what a virgin is, or what it is to be born, and what is a proper name, we do not believe, but certainly know. And whether that was the countenance of Mary which occurred to the mind in speaking of those things or recollecting them, we neither know at all, nor believe. It is allowable, then, in this case to say without violation of the faith, perhaps she had such or such a coun- tenance, perhaps she had not: but no one could say without violation of the Christian faith, that perhaps Christ was born of a virgin.
8. Wherefore, since we desire to understand the eternity, and equality, and unity of the Trinity, as much as is per- mitted us, but ought to believe before we understand; and since we must watch carefully, that our faith be not feigned; since we must have the fruition of the same Trinity, that we may live blessedly; but if we have believed anything false of it, our hope would be worthless, and our charity not pure: how then can we love, by believing, that Trinity which we do not know? Is it according to the special or general i notion, according to which we love the Apostle Paul? In whose case, even if he was not of that countenance which occurs to us when we think of him (and this we do not know at all), yet we know what a man is. For not to go far away, this we are; and it is manifest he, too, was this, and that his soul joined to his body lived after the manner of mortals. There- fore we believe this of him, which we find in ourselves, according to the species or genus under which all human nature alike is comprised. What then do we know, whether specially or generally, of that most excellent Trinity, as if there were many such trinities, some of which we had learned by experience, so that we may believe that Trinity, too, to have been such as they, through the rule of similitude, impressed upon us, whether a special or a general notion; and thus love also that thing which we believe and do not yet know, from the parity of the thing which we do know? But this certainly is not so. Or is it that, as we love in our Lord Jesus Christ, that He rose from the dead, although we never saw any one rise from thence, so we can believe in and love the Trinity wlilch we do not see.
CHAP. VI.] HOW WE BELIEVE IN GOD BEFOKE WE KNOW Um. 211 and tlie like of which we never have seen? But we certainly know what it is to die, and what it is to live; because we both live, and from time to time have seen and experienced both dead and dying persons. And what else is it to rise again, except to live again, that is, to return to life from death? When, therefore, we say and believe that there is a Trinity, we know what a Trinity is, because we know what three are; but this is not what we love. For we can easily have this when- ever we will, to pass over other things, by just holding up three fingers. Or do we indeed love, not every trinity, but the Trinity, that is God? We love then in the Trinity, that it is God: but we never saw or knew any other God, because God is One; He alone whom we have not yet seen, and whom we love by believing. But the question is, from what likeness or comparison of known things can we believe, in order that we may love God, whom we do not yet know?
Chap. vi. — JIoio the man not yet righteous can know the righteous man whom he loves.
he loves.
9. Keturn then with me, and let us consider why we love the apostle. Is it at all on account of his human kind, which we knov\r right well, in that we believe him to have been a man? Assuredly not; for if it were so, he now is not that we may love him, since he is no longer that man, for his soul is separated from his bc^dy. But we believe that which we love in him to be still living now, for we love his righteous mind. From what general or special measure then, except that we know both what a mind is, and what it is to be righteous? And we say indeed, not unfitly, that we therefore know what a mind is, because we too have a mind.; For neither did we ever see it with our eyes, and gather a special or general notion from the resemblance of more minds than one, which we had seen; but rather, as I have said before, because we too have it. For what is known so inti- mately, and so perceives itself to be itself, as that by which also all other things are perceived, that is, thevmind itself? For we recognise the movements of bodies also, by which we per- ceive that others live besides ourselves, from the resemblance of ourselves; since we also so move our body in living as we, observe those bodies to be moved. For even when a living 212 ON THE TPJNITY. [bOOK VIII.
body is moved, there is no way opened to our eyes to see the mind, a thing which cannot be seen by the eyes; but we ]oerceive something to be contained in that bulk, such as is contained in ourselves, so as to move in like manner our own bulk, which is the life and the soul. Neither is this, as it were, the property of human foresight and reason, since brute animals also perceive that not only they themselves live, but also other brute animals interchangeably, and the one the other, and that we ourselves do so. Neither do they see our souls, save from the movements, of the body, and that imme- diately and most easily by some natural agreement. There- fore we both know the mind of any one from our own, and believe also from our own of him whom we do not know. Por not only do we perceive that there is a mind, but we can also know what a mind is, by reflecting upon our own: for we have a mind. But whence do we know what a right- eous man is? For we said above that we love the apostle for no other reason except that he is a righteous mind. We know, then, what a righteous man also is, just as we know what a mind is. But what a mind is, as has been said, we know from ourselves, for there is a mind in us. But whence do we know what a righteous man is, if we are not righteous? But if no one but he who is righteous knows what is a right- eous man, no one but a righteous man loves a righteous man; for one cannot love him whom one believes to be righteous, for this very reason that one does believe him to be righteous, if one does not know what it is to be righteous; according to that which we have shown above, that no one loves what he believes and does not see, except by some rule of a general or special notion. And if for this reason no one but a right- eous man loves a righteous man, how will any one wish to be a righteous man who is not yet so? For no one wishes to be that which he does not love. But he certainly must wish to be righteous, who, not yet being righteous, means to be so; and in order that he may wish to be so, he loves the righteous man. Therefore, even he who is not yet righteous loves the righteous man. But he cannot love the righteous man, who is ignorant what a righteous man is. Accordingly, even he who is not yet righteous, knows what a righteous man is. Whence CHAP. VL] whence our KNOWLEDGE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. 213 then does lie know this? Does he see it with his eyes? Is any corporeal thing righteous, as it is white, or black, or square, or round? Who could say this? Yet with one's eyes one has seen nothing except corporeal things. But there is nothing righteous in a man except the mind; and when a man is called a righteous man, he is called so from the mind, not from the body. Tor righteousness is in some sort the beauty of the mind, by which men are beautiful, very many too, who are misshapen and deformed in body. And as the mind is not seen with the eyes, so neither is its beauty. From whence then does he who is not yet righteous know what a righteous man is, and love the righteous man that he may become righteous? Do certain signs shine forth by the motion of the body, by which this or that man is manifested to be righteous? But whence does any one know that these are the signs of a righteous mind, when he is wholly ignorant what it is to be righteous? Therefore he does know. But whence do we know what it is to be righteous, even when we are not yet righteous? If we know from without ourselves, we know it by some bodily thing. But this is not a thing of the body. Therefore we know in ourselves what it is to be rio-hteous.
For I find this nowhere else when I seek to utter it, except within myself; and if I ask another what it is to be righteous, he seeks within himself what to answer; and whosoever hence can answer truly, he has found within ^ himself what to an- swer. And when indeed I wish to speak of Carthage, I seek within myself what to speak, and I find within myself a notion or image of Carthage; but I have received. this through the body, that is, through the perception of the body, since I have been present in that city in the body, and I saw and perceived it, and retained it in my memory, that I might find within myself a word concerning it, whenever I might wish to speak of it. For its word is the image itself of it in my memory, not that sound of two syllables when Carthage is named, or even when that name itself is thought of silently from time to time, but that which I discern in my mind, when I utter that dissyllable with my voice, or even before I utter it. So also, when I wish to speak of Alexandria, which I never saw, an image of it is present with me. For whereas I had heard from 214 ON THE TRINITY. [BOOK VIII.
many and had believed that city to be great, in such Way as it could be told me, I formed an image of it in my mind as I was able; and this is with me its word when I wish to speak of it^ before I utter with my voice the five syllables which make the name that almost every one knows. And yet if I could bring forth that image from my mind to the eyes of men who know Alexandria, certainly all either would say. It is not it; or if they said. It is, I should greatly wonder; and ^s I gazed at it in my mind, that is, at the image which was as it were its picture, I should yet not know it to be it, but should believe those who retained an image they had seen. But I do not so ask what it is to be righteous, nor do I so find it, nor do I so gaze upon it, when I utter it; neither am I so approved when I am heard, nor do I so approve when I hear; as though I have seen such a thing with my eyes, or learned it by some perception of the body, or heard it from those who had so learned it. For when I say, and say knowingly, that mind is righteous which knowingly and of purpose assigns to every one his due in life and behaviour, I do not think of anything absent, as Car- thage, or imagine it as I am able, as Alexandria, whether it be so or not; but I discern something present, and I discern it within myself, though I myself am not that which I discern: and many if they hear will approve it. And whoever hears me and knowingly approves, he too discerns this same thing within himself, even though he himself be not what he dis- cerns. But when a righteous man says this, he discerns and says that which he himself is. And whence also does he discern it, except within himself? But this is not to be won- dered at; for whence should he discern himself except within himself? The wonderful thing is, that the mind should see within itself that which it has seen nowhere else, and should see truly, and should see the very true righteous raind, and should itself be a mind, and yet not a righteous mind, which nevertheless it sees within itself. Is there another mind that is righteous in a mind that is not yet righteous? Or if there is not, what does it there see when it sees and says what is a righteous mind, nor sees it anywhere else but in itself, when itself is not a rightefous mind? Is that which it sees an inner truth present to the mind which has power to behold it?
CHAP. VL] innate knowledge OF EIGHTEOUSNESS. 215 Yet all have not that power; and they who have power to behold it, are not all also that which they behold, that is, they are not also righteous minds themselves, just as they are able to see and to say what is a righteous mind. And whence will they be able to be so, except by cleaving to that very same form itself which they behold, so that from thence they may be formed and may be righteous minds; not only discerning and saying that the mind is righteous which knowingly and of purpose assigns to every one that which is his due in life and behaviour, but • so likewise that they themselves may live righteously and be righteous in character, by assigning to every one that which is his due, so as to owe no man anything, but to love one another.-^ And whence can any one cleave to that form but by loving it? Why then do we love another whom we believe to be righteous, and do not love that form itself wherein we see what is a righteous mind, that we also may be able to be righteou.s? Is it that unless we loved that also, we should not love him at all, whom through it we love; but whilst we are not righteous, we love that form too little to allow of our being able to be righteous? The man therefore who is believed to be righteous, is loved through that form and truth which he who loves discerns and understands within himself; but that very form and truth itself cannot be loved from any other source than itself For we do not find any other such thing besides itself, so that by believing we might love it when it is unknown, in that we here already know another such thing. For whatsoever of such a kind one may have seen, is itself; and there is not any other such thing, since itself alone is such as itself is. He therefore who loves men, ought to love them either because they are righteous, or that tlief may become righteous. For so also he ought to love himself, either because he is righteous, or that he may be righteous; for in this way he loves his neighbour as himself without any risk. For he who loves himself otherwise, loves himself wrongfully, since he loves himself to this end that he may be unrighteous; therefore to this end that he may be wicked; and hence it follows next that he does not love him- 216 ON THE TRINITY. [BOOK VIII.
Chap. vii. — Of true love, by which we arrive at the knowledge of the Trinity. God is to be sought, not outwardly, by seelcing to do wonderful things with the angels, but inwardly, by imitating the piety of good angels.
10. No other thing, then, is chiefly to be regarded in this inq^uiry, which we make concerning the Trinity and concerning knowing God, except what is true love, nay, rather what is love. For that is to be called love which is true, otherwise it is desire; and so those who desire are said improperly to love, just as they who love are said improperly to desire. But this is true love, that cleaving to the truth we may live righteously, and so may despise all mortal things in comparison with the love of men, whereby we wish them to live righteously. For so we should be prepared also to die profitably for our brethren, as our Lord Jesus Christ taught us by His example. For as there are two commandments on which hang all the Law and the prophets, love of God and love of our neighbour;^ not without cause the Scripture mostly puts one for both: whether it be of God only, as is that text, " For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God;" ^ and again, " But if any man love God, the same is known of Him;"^ and that, "Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us;"* and many other passages; because he who loves God must both needs do what God has commanded, and loves Him just in such proportion as he does so; therefore he must needs also love his neighbour, because God has commanded it: or whether it be that Scripture only mentions the love of our neighbour, as in that text, " Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ; " ^ and again, " For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself;"*^ and in the Gospel, " All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the Law and the prophets."^ And many other passages occur in the sacred writings, in which only the love of our neighbour seems to be commanded for perfection, while the love of God is passed over in silence; whereas the Law and the prophets hang on both precepts. But this, too, is because he who loves liis CHAP, vil] god must be sought from within ourselves. 217 neighbour must needs also love above all else love itself. But " God is love; and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God."^ Therefore he must needs above all else love God.
11. Wherefore they who seek God through those powers which rule over the world, or parts of the world, are removed and cast away far from Him; not by intervals of space, but by difference of affections: for they endeavour to find a path outwardly, and forsake their own inward things, within which is God. Therefore, even although they may either have heard some holy heavenly power, or in some way or another may have thought of it, yet they rather covet its deeds at which human weakness marvels, but do not imitate the piety by which divine rest is acquired. For they prefer, through pride, to be able to do that which an angel does, more than, through devotion, to be that which an angel is. For no holy being rejoices in his own power, but in His from whom he has the power which he fitly can have; and he knows it to be more a mark of power to be united to the Omnipotent by a pious will, than to be able, by his own power and will, to do what they may tremble at who are not able to do such things. Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, in doing such things, in order that He might teach better things to those who mar- velled at them, and might turn those who were intent and in doubt about unusual temporal things to eternal and inner things: " Come," He says, " unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you." And He does not say. Learn of me, because I raise those who have been dead four days; but He says, " Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart." JFor humility, which is most solid, is more powerful and safer than pride, that is most inflated. And so He goes on to say, " And ye shall find rest unto your souls," ^ for " Love ^ is not puffed up;"* and " God is Love;"^ and " such as be faithful in love shall rest in ^ Him,"^ called back from the din which is without to silent joys. Behold, " God is Love:" why do we go forth and run to the heights of the heavens and the lowest parts of the earth, seek- ing Him who is within us, if we wish to be with Him?
218 ON THE TEINITY. [BOOK YIII.
Chap. viii. — That he who loves his brother, loves God; because he loves love itself, which is of God, and is God.