Confessions

CHAPTERS XXI-XXIX. CHAPTER XXI. And thus in thy word it was not the depth of the sea, but the earth, separated from the brackishness of the water, that brought forth, not the creeping and the flying creature that has life, but the living soul itself. And now this soul no longer has need of baptism, as the heathen had, or as it did when it was covered with the waters. And there can be no other entrance into the kingdom of heaven, since thou hast appointed that baptism should be the entrance. Nor does it seek great miraculous works by which to buttress faith, for such a soul does not refuse to believe unless it sees signs and marvels, now that the faithful earth is separated from the waters of the sea, which have been made bitter by infidelity. Thus, for them, tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe, but to those who do not believe. And the earth, which thou hast founded above the waters, does not stand in need of those flying creatures which the waters brought forth at thy word. Send forth thy word into it by the agency of thy messengers. For we only tell of their works, but it is thou who dost the works in them, so that they may bring forth a living soul in the earth. The earth brings forth the living soul, because the earth is the cause of such things being done by thy messengers, just as the sea was the cause of the production of the creeping creatures having life, and the flying fowl under the firmament of heaven. The earth no longer needs them, although it feeds on the fish which was taken out of the deep, set out on that table which thou preparest in the presence of those who believe. To this end he was raised from the deep, that he might feed the dry land. And the fowl, even though they were bred in the sea, will yet be multiplied on the earth. The preaching of the first evangelists was called forth by reason of man's infidelity. But the faithful also are exhorted and blessed by them in manifold ways, day by day. The living soul has its origin from the earth, because only to the faithful is there any profit in restraining themselves from the love of this world, so that their soul may live to thee. This soul was dead while it was living in pleasures, in pleasures that bear death in them, whereas thou, O Lord, art the living delight of the pure heart. Now therefore let thy ministers do their work on the earth, not as they did formerly in the waters of infidelity, when they had to preach and speak by miracles and mysteries and mystical expressions, in which ignorance, the mother of wonder, gives them an attentive ear because of its fear of occult and strange things. For this is the entry into faith for the sons of Adam who are forgetful of thee, who hide themselves from thy face, and who have become a darkened abyss. Instead let thy ministers work, even as on the dry land, safe from the whirlpools of the abyss. Let them be an example unto the faithful by living before them and stirring them up to imitation. For in such a setting men will heed, not with the mere intent to hear, but also to act. Seek the Lord and your soul shall live, and the earth may bring forth the living soul. Be not conformed to this world, separate yourselves from it. The soul lives by avoiding those things which bring death if they are loved. Restrain yourselves from the unbridled wildness of pride, from the indolent passions of luxury, and from what is falsely called knowledge. Thus may the wild beast be tamed, the cattle subdued, and the serpent made harmless. For in allegory these figures are the motions of our mind, that is to say, the haughtiness of pride, the delight of lust, and the poison of curiosity, are motions of the dead soul. Not so dead that it has lost all motion, but dead because it has deserted the fountain of life, and so has been taken up by this transitory world and conformed to it. But thy word, O God, is a fountain of life eternal, and it does not pass away. Therefore this desertion is restrained by thy word when it says to us, Be not conformed to this world, to the end that the earth may bring forth a living soul in the fountain of life, a soul disciplined by thy word, by thy evangelists, by the following of the followers of thy Christ. For this is the meaning of after his kind. A man tends to follow the example of his friend. Thus he, Paul, says, Become as I am, because I have become as you are. Thus in this living soul there shall be good beasts, acting meekly. For thou hast commanded this, saying, Do your work in meekness, and you shall be loved by all men. And the cattle will be good, for if they eat much they shall not suffer from satiety. And if they do not eat at all they will suffer no lack. And the serpents will be good, not poisonous to do harm, but only cunning in their watchfulness, exploring only as much of this temporal nature as is necessary, in order that the eternal nature may be clearly seen, understood through the things that have been made. For all these animals will obey reason when, having been restrained from their death-dealing ways, they live and become good. CHAPTER XXII. Thus, O Lord, our God, our Creator, when our affections have been turned from the love of the world, in which we died by living ill, and when we began to be a living soul by living well, and when the word, Be not conformed to this world, which thou didst speak through thy apostle, has been fulfilled in us, then will follow what thou didst immediately add when thou saidst, But be transformed by the renewing of your mind. This will not now be after their kind, as if we were following the neighbour who went before us, or as if we were living after the example of a better man. For thou didst not say, Let man be made after his own kind, but rather, Let us make man in our own image and our own likeness, so that then we may be able to prove what thy will is. This is why thy minister begetting children by the gospel so that he might not always have them babes whom he would still have to feed with milk and nurse as children. This is why he said, Be transformed by the renewing of your minds, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Therefore thou didst not say, Let man be made, but rather, Let us make man. And thou didst not say, After his kind, but after our image and likeness. Indeed it is only when man has been renewed in his mind, and comes to behold and apprehend thy truth, that he does not need another man as his director, to show him how to imitate human examples. Instead, by thy guidance, he proves what is thy good and acceptable and perfect will. And thou dost teach him, now that he is able to understand, to see the trinity of the unity, and the unity of the trinity. This is why the statement in the plural, Let us make man, is also connected with the statement in the singular, And God made man. Thus it is said in the plural, after our likeness, and then in the singular, after the image of God. Man is thus transformed in the knowledge of God, according to the image of Him who created him. And now, having been made spiritual, he judges all things, that is, all things that are appropriate to be judged. And he himself is judged of no man. CHAPTER XXIII Now this phrase, he judges all things, means that man has dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over all cattle and wild beasts, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. And he does this by the power of reason in his mind, by which he perceives the things of the Spirit of God. But when man was put in this high office, he did not understand what was involved, and thus was reduced to the level of the brute beasts, and made like them. Therefore, in thy church, O our God, by the grace thou hast given us, since we are thy workmanship, created in good works, not only those who are in spiritual authority, but also those who are spiritually subject to them. Thou madest man male and female. Here all are equal in thy spiritual grace, where, as far as sex is concerned, there is neither male nor female, just as there is neither Jew nor Greek, nor bond nor free. Spiritual men, therefore, whether those who are in authority or those who are subject to authority, judge spiritually. They do not judge by the light of that spiritual knowledge which shines in the firmament, for it is inappropriate for them to judge by so sublime an authority. Nor does it behoove them to judge concerning thy book itself, although there are some things in it which are not clear. Instead we submit our understanding to it, and believe with certainty that what is hidden from our sight is still rightly and truly spoken. In this way, even though a man is now spiritual and renewed by the knowledge of God according to the image of Him who created him, he must be a doer of the law rather than its judge. Neither does the spiritual man judge concerning that division between spiritual and carnal men which is known to thy eyes, O God, and which may not as yet be made manifest to us by their external works, so that we may know them by their fruits. Yet thou, O God, knowest them already, and thou hast divided and called them secretly before the firmament was made. Nor does a man, even though he is spiritual, judge the disordered state of society in this world. For what business of his is it to judge those who are without, since he cannot know which of them may later on come into the sweetness of thy grace, and which of them may continue in the perpetual bitterness of their impiety? Man then, even if he was made after thy own image, did not receive the power of dominion over the lights of heaven, nor over the secret heaven, nor over the day and the night which thou callest forth before the creation of the heaven, nor over the gathering together of the water which is the sea. Instead, he received dominion over the fish of the sea and the fowls of the air, and over all cattle and all the earth, and over all creeping things which creep on the earth. Indeed he judges and approves what he finds right, and disapproves what he finds amiss, whether in the celebration of those mysteries by which are initiated those whom thy mercy hast sought out in the midst of many waters, or in that sacrament in which is exhibited the fish itself, which, being raised from the depths, the pious earth feeds upon, or in the signs and symbols of words which are subject to the authority of thy book. Such signs as burst forth and sound from the mouth as if it were flying under the firmament, interpreting, expounding, discoursing, disputing, blessing, invoking thee, so that the people may answer, Amen. The reason that all these words have to be pronounced vocally is because of the abyss of this world, and the blindness of our flesh, in which thoughts cannot be seen directly, but have to be spoken aloud in our ears. Thus, although the flying fowl are multiplied on the earth, they still take their origins from the waters. The spiritual man also judges by approving what is right, and reproving what he finds amiss in the works and morals of the faithful, such as in their almsgiving, which is signified by the phrase, The earth bringing forth its fruit. And he judges of the living soul, which is then made to live by the disciplining of her affections in chastity, in fasting, in holy meditation. And he also judges concerning all those things which are perceived by the bodily senses. For it can be said that he should judge in all matters about which he also has the power of correction. CHAPTER XXIV. But what is this? What kind of mystery is this? Behold, O Lord, thou dost bless men in order that they may be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth. In this art thou not making a sign to us, that we may understand something allegorically? Why didst thou not also bless the light, which thou callest the day? Nor the firmament of heaven, nor the lights, nor the stars, nor the earth, nor the sea? I might reply, O our God, that thou, in creating us after thy own image, I might reply that thou didst will to bestow this gift of blessing upon man alone, if thou hadst not similarly blessed the fishes and the whales, so that they too should be fruitful and multiply and replenish the waters of the sea, and also the fowls, so that they should be multiplied on the earth. In like fashion I might say that this blessing properly belonged only to such creatures as are propagated from their own kind, if I could find it given also as a blessing to trees and plants and the beasts of the earth. But this increase and multiply was not said to plants or trees or beasts or serpents, although all of these, along with fishes and birds and men, do actually increase by propagation, and so preserve their species. What then shall I say, O truth, O my life, that it was idly and vainly said? Surely not this, O father of piety, far be it from a servant of thy word to say anything like this. But if I do not understand what thou meanest by that phrase, let those who are better than I, that is, let those more intelligent than I, interpret it better, in the degree that thou hast given each of us the ability to understand. But let also my confession be pleasing in thy eyes, for I confess to thee that I believe, O Lord, that thou hast not spoken thus in vain. Nor will I be silent as to what my reading has suggested to me, for it is valid, and I do not see anything to prevent me from thus interpreting the figurative sayings in thy books. For I know that a thing that is understood in only one way in the mind may be expressed in many different ways by the body, and I know that a thing that has only one manner of expression through the body may be understood in the mind in many different ways. For consider this single example, the love of God and of our neighbor. By how many different mysteries and countless languages, and in each language by how many different ways of speaking, this is signified corporeally. In similar fashion the young fish in the waters increase and multiply. On the other hand, whoever you are who reads this, observe and behold what Scripture declares and how the voice pronounces it, in only one way. In the beginning God created heaven and earth. Is this not understood in many different ways by different kinds of true interpretations, which do not involve the deceit of error? Thus the offspring of men are fruitful and do multiply. If then we consider the nature of things in their strict literal sense, and not allegorically, the phrase be fruitful and multiply applies to all things that are begotten by seed. But if we treat these words figuratively, as I judge that the Scripture intended them to be, since it cannot be for nothing that this blessing is attributed only to the offspring of marine life and man, then we discover that the characteristic of fecundity belongs also to the spiritual and physical creations, which are signified by heaven and earth, and also in righteous and unrighteous souls, which are signified by light and darkness, and in the sacred writers through whom the law is uttered, who are signified by the firmament established between the waters and the waters, and in the earthly commonwealth still steeped in their bitterness, which is signified by the sea, and in the zeal of holy souls, signified by the dry land, and the works of mercy done in this present life, signified by the seed-bearing herbs and fruit-bearing trees, and in spiritual gifts which shine out for our edification, signified by the lights of heaven, and to human affections ruled by temperance, signified by the living soul. In all these instances we meet with multiplicity and fertility and increase. But the particular way in which be fruitful and multiply can be exemplified differs widely. Thus a single category may include many things, and we cannot discover them except through their signs displayed corporeally and by the things being excogitated by the mind. We thus interpret the phrase the generation of the waters as referring to the corporeally expressed signs of fecundity, since they are made necessary by the degree of our involvement in the flesh. But the power of human generation refers to the process of mental conception. This we see in the fruitfulness of reason. Therefore we believe that to both of these two kinds it has been said by thee, O Lord, be fruitful and multiply. In this blessing I recognize that thou hast granted us the faculty and power not only to express what we understand by a single idea in many different ways, but also to understand in many ways what we find expressed obscurely in a single statement. Thus the waters of the sea are replenished, and their waves are symbols of diverse meanings. And thus also the earth is also replenished with human offspring. Its dryness is the symbol of its thirst for truth, and of the fact that reason rules over it. CHAPTER XXV I also desire to say, O my Lord God, what the following scripture suggests to me. Indeed, I will speak without fear, for I will speak the truth, as thou inspirest me to know what thou dost will that I should say concerning these words. For I do not believe I can speak the truth by any other inspiration than thine, since thou art the truth, and every man a liar. Hence he that speaks a lie speaks out of himself. Therefore, if I am to speak the truth, I must speak of thy truth. Behold, thou hast given us, for our food, every seed-bearing herb on the face of the earth, and all trees that bear in themselves seed of their own kind, and not to us only, but to all the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things. Still, thou hast not given these things to the fishes and great whales. We have said that by these fruits of the earth the works of mercy were signified and figured forth in an allegory. Thus from the fruitful earth things are provided for the necessities of life. Such an earth was the godly Onesiphorus, to whose house thou gavest mercy, because he often refreshed Paul, and was not ashamed of his bonds. This was also the way of the brethren from Macedonia, who bore such fruit and supplied to him what he lacked. But notice how he grieves for certain trees which did not give him the fruit that was due, when he said, At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me. I prayed God that it be not laid up to their charge. For we owe fruits to those who minister spiritual doctrine to us, through their understanding of the divine mysteries. We owe these to them as men. We owe these fruits also to the living souls, since they offer themselves as examples for us in their own continents. And, finally, we owe them likewise to the flying creatures, because of their blessings which are multiplied on the earth, for their sound has gone forth into all the earth. CHAPTER XXVI Those who find their joy in it are fed by these fruits, but those whose god is their belly find no joy in them. For in those who offer these fruits it is not the fruit itself that matters, but the spirit in which they give them. Therefore he who serves God and not his own belly may rejoice in them, and I plainly see why. I see it and I rejoice with him greatly. For he, Paul, had received from the Philippians the things they had sent by Epaphroditus. Yet I see why he rejoiced. He was fed by what he found his joy in. For speaking truly, he says, I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me has flourished again, in which you were once so careful, but it had become a weariness to you. These Philippians, in their extended period of weariness in well-doing, had become weak and were, so to say, dried up. They were no longer bringing forth the fruits of good works. And now Paul rejoices in them, and not just for himself alone, because they were flourishing again in ministering to his needs. Therefore, he adds, I do not speak in respect of my want, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased and how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ, who strengthened me. Where do you find joy in all things, O great Paul? What is the cause of your joy? On what do you feed, O man, renewed now in the knowledge of God after the image of him who created you, O living soul of such great continents? O tongue tied like a winged bird, speaking mysteries! What food is owed such creatures? What is it that feeds you? It is joy. For hear what follows. Nevertheless, you have done well in that you have shared with me in my affliction. This is what he finds his joy in. This is what he feeds on. They have done well not merely because his need has been relieved, for he says to them, You have opened my heart when I was in distress, but because he knew both how to abound and how to suffer need in thee who didst strengthen him. And so he said, You Philippians, know also that in the beginning of the Gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in regard to giving and receiving, except you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent time and time again according to my need. He now finds his joy in the fact that they have returned once again to these good works, and he is made glad that they are flourishing again as a fruitful field when it recovers its fertility. Was it on account of his own needs alone that he said, You have sent me gifts according to my needs? Does he find joy in that? Certainly not for that alone. But how do we know this? We know it because he himself adds, Not because I desire a gift, but because I desire fruit. Now I have learned from thee, O my God, how to distinguish between the terms gift and fruit. A gift is the thing itself, given by one who bestows life's necessities on another, such as money, food, drink, clothing, shelter, and aid. But the fruit is the good and right will of the giver. For the good teacher not only said, He that receives a prophet, but he added, In the name of a prophet. And he did not say only, He who receives a righteous man, but added, In the name of a righteous man. Thus surely the former shall receive the reward of a prophet, the latter that of a righteous man. Nor did he say only, Whoever shall give a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink, but added, In the name of a disciple, and concluded, Truly I tell you he shall not lose his reward. The gift involves receiving a prophet, receiving a righteous man, handing a cup of cold water to a disciple. But the fruit is to do all this in the name of a prophet, in the name of a righteous man, in the name of a disciple. Elijah was fed by the widow with fruit, for she knew that she was feeding a man of God, and this is why she fed him. But he was fed by the raven with a gift. The inner man of Elijah was not fed by this gift, but only the outer man, which otherwise might have perished from the lack of such food. Chapter 27 Therefore I will speak before thee, O Lord, what is true, in order that the uninstructed and the infidels, who require the mysteries of initiation and great works of miracles, which we believe are signified by the phrase, Fishes and great whales, may be helped in being gained for the church, when they endeavour to provide that thy servants are refreshed in body, or otherwise aided in this present life. For they do not really know why this should be done, and to what end. Thus the former do not feed the latter, and the latter do not feed the former. For neither do the former offer their gifts through a holy and right intent, nor do the others rejoice in the gifts of those who do not as yet see the fruit. For it is on the fruit that the mind is fed, and by which it is gladdened. And therefore fishes and whales are not fed on such food as the earth alone brings forth, when they have been separated and divided from the bitterness of the waters of the sea. CHAPTER XXVIII. And thou, O God, didst see everything that thou hadst made, and, behold, it was very good. We also see the whole creation, and, behold, it is all very good. In each separate kind of thy work, when thou didst say, Let them be made, and they were made, thou didst see that it was good. I have counted seven times where it is written that thou didst see what thou hadst made was good. And there is the eighth time when thou didst see all things that thou hadst made, and, behold, they were not only good, but also very good. For they were now seen as a totality. Individually they were only good, but taken as a totality they were both good and very good. CHAPTER XXIX. And I looked attentively to find whether it was seven or eight times that thou didst see thy works were good, when they were pleasing to thee. But I found that there was no time in thy seeing which would help me to understand in what sense thou hadst looked so many times at what thou hadst made. And I said, O Lord, is not this thy scripture true, since thou art true, and thy truth doth set it forth? Why, then, dost thou say to me that in thy seeing there are no times, while this scripture tells me that what thou madest each day thou didst see to be good? And when I counted them I found how many times. To these things thou didst reply to me, for thou art my God, and thou dost speak to thy servant with a strong voice in his inner ear, my deafness, and crying, O man, what my scripture says I say, but it speaks in terms of time, whereas time does not affect my word, my word which exists coeternally with myself. Thus the things you see through my spirit I see, just as what you say through my spirit I say. But while you see those things in time I do not see them in time, and when you speak those things in time I do not speak them in time, end of Book 13, Chapters 21-29.