42. Jo. ev. tr. 2.16 (BA 71:204–6); trans. Rettig, FOTC 78:73–74. (continued)
His disciples, who, in their unbelief, were arguing about the Resurrection. In fact, His appearance was so unexpected and unbelievable that, seeing, they did not see. For they saw Him alive and well, the One they had thought dead and had beaten their breasts over. They saw Him standing in their midst, the One they had grieved over as He hung on the cross. They saw, therefore, and because they did not believe their own eyes, that what they saw was real, they thought they were deceived. For, as you heard, they "thought they saw a spirit" (Lk 24:37). The wavering Apostles anticipated what the worst heretics later believed about Christ.43 For there are people today who do not believe that Christ had a body. . . .
(3) The Lord said to them: "What is troubling you? And why do thoughts rise up in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, rub and see" (Lk 24:38–39). It's not enough for you just to look. Reach out your hands. If it's not enough to reach out your hands, if it's not good enough just to touch, rub him. He did not only say "touch" but also "rub" and "handle." Let your hands prove it to you if your eyes are lying. Rub and see. You have eyes in your hands. Why? Because "a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have" (Lk 24:37–40). You were mistaken, just as the disciples were. Be corrected along with them. I admit, it's human. You suppose Christ is a ghost. Peter did too. The others did too. They thought they saw a ghost, but they did not remain in their mistake. To show that they earlier had a wrong idea in their hearts, the Doctor did not leave them in this condition. He approached. He applied a cure. He saw the wound in their hearts. He bore in His body the scars from which their wounded hearts would be healed.44
(viii) Church as Hospital
Augustine linked the image of Christ the Doctor with the image of the Church as a hospital. Playing on Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan, he interpreted Christ himself as the Good Samaritan, who carries fallen humanity back for healing to an inn called Church. The innkeeper is St. Paul, who nurses us back to health with the twofold medicine of the love of God and of neighbor. From Tractates on the Gospel of John 41:
(13) Let us, the wounded, beg the Doctor, let us be carried to the inn to be healed. For it is He who promises health, He who pitied the man left half-dead on the road by the robbers. He poured oil and wine, He healed the
43. "Worst heretics": Augustine goes on to specify that he is speaking of the Manichees, who denied the bodily resurrection because they denied the Incarnation. See Chapter 6.
44. S. 237.1–3 (PL 38:1122–24); my trans. See also s. 80.2; 159B.12 (= Dolbeau 12); 242.3. In s. 374.23 (= Dolbeau 23), Augustine puts it tersely: "He Himself is the Doctor; He Himself, the Medicine; the Doctor, because the Word; the Medicine, because the Word-made-flesh" (Dolbeau, VSS, 614–15; my trans.).