The Grace of Christ and the Grace of God in Augustine of Hippo (continued)
Now, because Christ •. . is. with the Father. truth and life. the Word of God. of which it is said 'lYit.> life was rlw Jigllr of{lwmankiltd) (Jn J :4):
as the true Teacher, while the incarnate \Vord summons them from ex· terM Is w the interior. "The one true teachel', the unchangeable Tl'uth, the only imerior teacher, teaches us, but he has become an external teacher in order to call us back from things cxtcma Jto whm is within."6·' thus. bec•mse [Chri~a_l i~ . with the f'adle•·, lire il Jld trurh and we had rlO way of geuing Ill th~~ Jrulh; l he Son of God. who is always in the Fmher 1nuh and life. became the wHy by taking [on humw1 nature]. WaJk along the [human being] and you come to God. You go by [Christ]. you come ro [Christj.M
Augustine says the same at the end of the first book of The Co11sem oj1he
.he contrasts Christian teaching about the true mediator, Christ. who as the Wisdom of God assumed the human being inro the unity of [Christ's] person, with the pagan conception of Christ as simply a wise man: he expres$1)' cites words l'rom Plato's Ttnuu!us and say~ . "rChri~tl ~ who is Truth in math!rs etemaL is out· faith ln created lh.ings:•M Cbl'ist thus grounds
in language even more Niccne: "You believe in Christ who was bQrn in the flesh, aud you wiU arrive at Christ who is born of God. God with God."'" A similar statement occurs ;JL the end of a survey of heresies: "To confess thm Christ is God, equal to ~le Father, and true [human being·l . . . to confess both is to be a Catholic. As such, you have a home country, you have a way to it. . . . ICtuistl .is the home country we arc going to. [Christl is the way \Ve are-going by. Let us go to [Ciuist] by [Christ], and not get on d1e wrong [rack."'"
faith in history and thereby opens the way to eten>al t.n.1th.
AgairtS( the same philosophicaJ hackgrountl, but nm without polemical overtones. Augustine also spoke to his faithful on the theme of Christ as way and Cluist as homelomd. Thus. the beginning of the Prologue of John provided an occasion for attacking lhc "wisdom of Ll1c proud';65 and urging his conlmunity to the Christian life:
Because this reduction comes closest to the fundamental Christological
Lhcmc ''one Christ, God and human being;' iL i~ CCJ1ainly lc.:gitimate Lu orga .. nize tl1e varied themes of Augustinian Clllistology with it in mind-this despile the l~tc t that a richer raoge of •netnpbors is used io deve.loping rhe "way-homcfand
Cling to Christ ~~ccurdi •.1g 10 what he became for us, so 1hm you may reach him according lO what he is and according to what he was. He cmnc
1 ' theme than the theme of mediation. Nor i::; iL out of place in the process to disthtguish a more individual and a more social point of view. Augustine himself provides a basis for do.i.ng so when he explains in a sermon: "\Vhen you believe in Christ, by your believing in Christ, Christ comes into you. <Uld you are somehow or other united { 0 [Chtist] and made imo a member of [Chrbt.'s] body. And this cannot h<Jppen unle~s both hope and charity come along too."n Through genuine Christian faith, a person attains 1.0 Chris t~ in ord~r to become for us (var.: what he was not). He became for us that hy which the weak a1-e carrie.d and may cn,)SS 1hc sea of I his world and roach the honwhllld. when.: 1h..:rc will n.o kmgc.:r be ntX:d of auy ~hip be· cause there is no sea to cross.66
Prcquemly, however, the philosophical controversy is hardly perceptible any longer. as. for example, when we read in an explnnation of the Prologue. of John: but in union with Christ. the person also belongs to Christ's body. which will be completed in the. resurrection.
If you S(:ek. the. trulh, holcJ lO I he,:. way, ror the l.rutb i 1self is 1hc way. One and lhc same is th~1l to which you go ~md that by whjch you go: you do nm go through one thi ng to anmher nor do you come to Christ by any. thing other lhiln Chris1: you come throogh Chris1 10 Christ. How do yo~• come dtr01.1gh Christ w Christ? Through Christ as hunmn being to Christ ns God; through the Word mi\de flesh to the Word that was in the begi n·
4. The Way Is Faith in Chri~t
Augustine is not satisfied wirb the general starement about salvation, namely, that "Christ is the way and the homel<md." R<~the r, with h.is eye on the consummation, he plumbs it more fully by developing the Paulinc theme of justificadon through fairh. In the process~ he emphasizes three poims of view
11ing. God wi1h God; fmm Lhat which hun1ao hei11gs me to Lha1 which Jhe
(lllgciS daily C0:11.6' in particulm: Christ as teacher of faith, as example of hum.ility, and as source of' grace. At bottom. he is ahvays dealing with the \Vay. which consist:;; of faith
In any case. it is remarkable that AugusLinc should develop this 1heme in speaking to the ordinary faithful. 1\vo poims are noteworthy. first, he manages to 1\nd quite simple formulas. such as "by whom we go-to whom we go" (qua imus-quo inws) and «we nre going to him, we are going by hU11, we are not going off the rails .. (tu/ ilium imus, per iJium imus, non perimus).68 Second, probably tUlder the int1uence of the Nicene tradjtion, he l'educes the in Christ. Tn this sense. the 11andiH>t>k speaks of ~le way .. by which we go to God: this way is faith in Christ. a faith that works through love.''u a) Christ, the One Teacher theme t(J the Cbristocentric antithesis. "through Christ as human being to Christ as God." A good example is an expl,.na1i()n of )()hn 14:6:
To reach Christ ns God through Christ as hum(m being means. more specitically, t() travel the way of faith. Por when the Bishop of HipJX) repeatedly
48 Tl'" Ort~u of Christ
Thf! Clm'.srocemrism of Augtmine 49 nature) wid1our abandoning ... godhead, and IIIUS established and founded lhi> faith, so that (humanity) migh1 have a path to [humaniry's) God through the 1 human being) who wa; God.'"" This idea of faith as grounded in the incarnation is n()( limited 10 learned treatise' bur I. also the content of Augusde,cribe> the Christ life "'itb tbe ''erbs "go. walk. sail. tra•el. pass lime.
what be is referring to is simply believing in Chri\t." According ro the ba,ic demand made of every Christian. anyone who doe; nor belie' e in Christ on the cro ... < will nor reach rhe everlasting vision of Chnst: ··Christ is never going to be seen on the c~ again; but unless we believe thm he was once so to be ~cen, in a manner in which £here would be no expectation of !'tCCing him again, we shull nm come to see Christ as he is to be seen forever."75 ln the expo>ilion of Psalm 123 Augustine is even more explicit: tine· M!nnons. We read. for example. in one of the sennons, '·his good for us 10 believe in Christ. especially h<.'Cause he himself openly said what you have heard. that he came into the world 10 be light that those wbo believe in him will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life ... ., ln summary, then, it may be said tha1 the w<.~y of' faith consists in unreservedly foll<>wiog Christ who came into time in order 10 lead humanity 10 eiCI'II ity. To believe in Christ means, consequently, to rake the economy of sal-
Wha1 does being pilgrims mean·,t We w:•lk by f:tilh, (the ps[•imistl
111lys. n<11 by vb.iou. Pilgrirns rherefon; walk by fuith, they nl'c not yet in I he homcl:m<l bu1 MW on the way; those however who do not believe are neither in lhc homeland nor on the way. Le1 us, 1hcrcfore. so wnlk 1hm we I'Cillain on the way: for the King or lhe tlon.clnnd has bcct>nle! th~; way. ·nh! Kh•g or our horne1and, 1be Lord Jesus Chri~t. i~ lherc the tnuh but hc:rc the WiJy. Whither arc we going? To the truth. l)y whm way are we going? By faith. Whither are we going? To Oui\1. Uy wh:.1 \\'3Y ate we goong·) Throogl1 Christ"' vation serjously. This is to say, in tl'IOI'C Lechnicallanguage, that Christ is the "authority behind faith." If human beings want to come to faith, they must submit to the various lbnns of this authority: the Scriptures. the preaching of the Church. and Chrisr•'
Meanwhile. since the adnh Chrbtian's faith in Chri>1 seeks undemanding. the way to the homeland, the way 10 1.1\llh. i> always also a way of deeper knowledge ... Failh in Christ is rhus open in principle to tbe understanding of Christ." Christians are therefore nor ;,arisfied w1lh milk, the food of lhe weak: rather. they eat solid food and s.wor the bread of the angels. Through faith in the incarnation. they anain to knowledge of the Word. Tbey go beyond Christ as human being to Christ as G<)(l.86 llut Augustine is nor satislied wilh faith in
fundamental faith in Christ embraces rhc entire economy of sal>-arion that i< decreed by the Trinity aod summed up in rbe profession of faith." More panicularly. as Augustine emphasizes with his eye on the Pelagian heresy. Christians lllliSI believe in the one Mediator. the human being Christ
and in his rc:surrection. and therefore in his incarnation ::tnd death.111 It the incarnatioo and with ll1e funhe•· knowledge of the Word. He also contemplates the various mysteries of the life of Jesus in order to account for the ltl..:rcy of God.81 He even goes into Lhc weaknesses of Christ. his tears and m)- guish." in order to finally lead by this menns his li•ithfu l into 1he mystery of ''being co1nmcnded 10 lhe love of God."89 is wo•·rh noting. however. how Augustine can focus belief in Christ <>n h.is res· un·cctkm. Evt.!n Jews aud pagans, he thinks. bl!licvl.! th~lt Clu·ist Jived and died. bur only Christians believe that he rose from the clend.'9 Jn the comext of ami-PclngiuniSm1 on Lhc other hand, he can focus nu her ()n the iden of justificntion:
But Augustine does nol unders Wncl the way of faith l<> be simply a progressive enligbteomenl of the heart. By n growing faill•, Christians also at-
1:-nilh in Ch1 i:-.l con ~ i SlS in believing in hirn who juo,lifics the wicked; il mcJmo: believing in the mediator withoul whose mediation we :ue no1 reconciled wuh God: it means believing an the Savif!.r who ha~ come eo ~k 3nd re.\C\Ie wh.al wa.~ Jos1; i1 means believing in him who (ajd .. Withtached themselves more in1e1·iorly lo Christ Those wbo believe in Christ are freed from sin and through their faith in Christ attain lo the grace of divine adoption: "lbe medicine for all the wounds of the soul. nod lhe one way of atoning for all human delinquency. is 10 believe in Christ .... By believing in [Christ), !hey become children of God. because they are born of God adoptively by the grace which consi"s of faith in Jesus Chri>l our Locd."10 Ytore concretely. those who believe in Christ keep themselves free from the sin of
001 me )'QU c-an do nOthing.'' Therefore those who do not know the jus· uc.-c by wh1ch God justifies the wicked and ~le to es1abli~h their own
by "hich the proud are proven guih). lhe)C c;mnoa bcljC\'C in him. to unchastity; !hey do not forger that they belong to the body of Christ: they do n(ll scom the Christ within them: they take seriously the warning. "Spare a thought for Christ in yourself, recognize Chri>t in yourself.''"
This faith in Chrbt. moreover. has its origin in Christ himself. For when pet·sons walk in faith toward the truth. it is rhe divine truth it-!->Cif. in its real fnC:lm:uion. lhlll £rounds their faith. SO lhal it is through lhC human being, Clwisr, that the way ro God becomes possible for them. ''In order to give a
Faith jn Chris t~ understood in this n1orc compi'Chensive way, likewise has its origin in Chrisr. He is head of lhc "school of Christ."" Not without reaSQil does Augustine repeatedly remind his hc.al'ers ~H the beginning of his se.nnons
[person's] mind S•'Cater cuntldcnce in its journey toward' rho truth along the way of fniLh, God the Son of God, who is . . . Truth [ilsclfl, ruuk fou human
Clu-isl is lhe real teacher. who pi'Oclaim;, the fnilltthrough him (Augustine)
C/u.;.swumrism of Augu..)·ti~tr 51
5() Tht1 Gm<·e of Chrh•t ity pn."Cedts: and accompanies and folluWl'l upon all our good actions . • . pride will snatch tVCr')'th Jng from our hand as \\t: congratul~le out'Selves and open' up its deeper meaning,93 nor does he ev~r w~ary of reminding them of Jesu>' own words about the "one teacher .. (Mall 23:8ff.) ...
some good deed. The ocher 'ice<- ""' cenninly to be feared in <he fonn of sins. but pride b. to be rea~ t"\Cn m our good deeds.. 1~'1 our
Behind thi~ Christian com'ictioo. tbere b undoubt<..'dly the philosophical idea of the interior teacher who causes eternal truth to revcnl it>elf in the mind of the human being and the idea of the divine wi Mlom in which all human knowledge i~ a particit>Uiion. But lhere are four points that rnu\l not be overprni~worthy actions be k>sl through 1hc immoder:ue desire of praise •. .,..
Behind this earnest exhortation to humility there al<;<> lies, of course. the experience of Augustine himself. who suffered so greatly from his inability t<>
Looked. According to Augustine. it " "JS also by his human words and actions that Ch.-bt i111.-oduccd people to the meaniug of Chri>tiun life.•·• Christ is also the one front whom real understanding of the Bible comes: ror this reason. human beings owe theil' knowledge ulthnately to the: divine wisdom. In £he cou.-sc of the ycu.-s, moreoverand this is the third point this <:arly insight of A ugu!Stinc found expression in a way lhnt takes gremc1· account or the re· sponsihility of the Ch.-istian conscience."" Finally. as interiO I" I~ncher. the Lord teaches through th~ Spiril, whom he promised. and ~•rough the love which the Spirit gives." To the extent that Christ is in I his fuU sen,e both the authority that grounds faith and the interior teacher. and combines in himself both the koo" ledge through "hich human beings have access to temporal realities and the wi,dom that di..close.~ etemal realities to them. he guarantees the pr<>tt.~s of mntur:ui<.>n in which Christians move beyond faith to knowledge.
~ubm il to God Ln all t:bings.l01
But there were other reasons as well why 1hc Rishop of Hippo was so bent on prcscnling humi Jiry as a bt1sic ChrisLiHn n11iludc. Tn Jang\1age that was m times quite eloquent. he repcalcdly u1·ged it upon his fnithrul. Thu~. he says in a sermon on M:mhew 11 :25:
So fOod) hid , • . frorn the proud, (lhe one) who through . . . cre,a. tion had g.iveo those diligently sl-cking the creator hims of [God"s self] alone. So it was well said by the l ord. Ycm Jw,·e hie/den these things from th~ wi.k' and tl.e kiiQ\t:ing; "1lCther from those who with their l."Qmple.'< calcu LltiOClS and ski.Uful n:scan:he-. mad.: ~uch lhoroogh im,~sti,gations inlo cre:ued nature. but faded totally to rtC~)gni.te the crearor. or from those who !OC<>gn.i?.ed God but dtd not &lorify [Godl a< God or give th.tnks. and were uoobk: tO ~ llung.~ Mr.l1J;hl nnd as they ~m:~ beca~ they were proud. So. You hm:e hidtlcu tllt".\C thmgsjrom the ,,•ise and the J:nowin_g. oJUI ha\'t! re1 ·~aled them to tile lilt it fme''· What little ones? The b) Example of Humility humblc.•ro:
The wny to the homeland proves to be " way of faith. But walking by faith in Christ. who lc"ds 10 certain knowledge and ultimately to the full vision of the \Vord. requ ire.~ a whole selies of human attitude.). Among these. humility UlkCS lin;l place. On1y those who arc ready to adrni1 their OWil powcrlcs:sncss and to ~.:u truM thcrn-;elvcs without reserve l<) a supcl'ior authority can be Jieve in Christ nncl (hc.rcforc tn1vel (he wny thnt ends in the vision or (1()d and thus in cv..:rl:l'iting b lcs'iiedn~ss .
This humble faith bas its o1i gin in the incarnation of God. Ch1iSt abased himself in order tO break the 3l'I'Ogance Of humnn hcingS and thUS also tO COnlJUCr pride as the origin of sin: ""That high priest, you. sec. who dweUs in thi~ house, our Lord Jesus Cltrisl, was pleased 10 o1Tcr h1mself as an example ol humility, to ensure the return of humankind which had gone out from paradise through pride."'•' The example of Christ\ humility, which led him 10 his self· ab•tscmcnt in lhe incarnation, his ucccptancc of dea1h, his triple temptation by lt wu' chicOy through his debate with contemporary philosophy that Augt•stine cam~ tu insbt on the way of humility."" In particular. he criticized the the devil. his mocking by the Judcans. and his mistreatment by d1e soldiers. became ··the remedy for pride" for all.'"' 1\ugu,tine never tired of reminding his faithful of this example of humility. "lltU<. he says in his exposition of Psalm 31:6 (he is also referring to dte pride of the philosophers):
Platonists bec:~use in their pride they did not recognize the incarnation of Olti;.t and therefore. despite all their grasp of the end of the human person. they mi,.;ed the way to it.99 Behind this criticism. there no doubt lie~ the idea that pnde is the greatest human sin. In any case. it is for thi' rea">on that Augu,tinc urgently exho11s Dioscorus. a Greek, to humility:
Everywhere are to found excellent precept' <.'(nt Cdni•lg morals and di~ciplin~. but this ht~mili l )' i,. not 10 be found. Thi~ wAy of humility comes fronl a.tother source: it come:-. fJ'Oin C"hri-.1. Wh:1t else did he lc<tth by humbling him~el f and becomm~;. obedient unto deruh, even death on a cmss'? What e)se did he teach hy p·ayintt a debt which he did tlOI owe. so th;:•l h~ miglu free us from our dcbl'! What Cl M~ did he te.nch by being bap-
My deal' l)i()<.;cOrus, rny des-ire is that you submit yo111'M:If to (Christ) w1th all devotion and thm you provide you~elr with no other w:ty to Kn•..:pin,g ~md rotmni•l.S llu~ truth lh<m the ouc provided by l1he one I who l.ts God snw h ('IW weak our human steps are. 'l'htil way i~. lirst, humility; tized, though he had committed no sin. tmtl bciug cn•cified. though he sc..:~)u~l. humility: third. humility. And as oll.en as you mitdu t•:ok. I would w:~.s ll OI guilty in any way·! Wh:u el;;e did he teach but thi'> humility'! Not
"!l)" the same. h Is nm that th..;re are not other precepts. but unless h111nif·
52 The Grace <>f Christ
71u? Christoct.•url"ism of Augusline 53 withollt good (easorl dot:.s he say: I am the u·<lY and the truth llnd tile /{(e. By th i~ humility hum:Mr_ bt:iugs {}row close w God. for the Lord is close lO thOSC Of COIIlrite bcnrc,10S
In the dilliculties and afflictions of the presen Llife, ll<)wcver, it is not possible for believing Christions t<J persevere in docility to God and love of all dleir fellow human being~ unless they ann d1emselves with the patience Lhat allows them to hope unwaveringly in God. In oLhcr words, lhey mosl constantly be aware th::l.t they are redeemed only in hope and not yet jn re~1li 1y. They mus1 have not only a llnn faith but also a solid hope. Our hope. too. must
Or, again, in an explanation of Jobn 14:6:
Christ the way is the humble Christ; Christ the truth and the life is Christ exalted and God. If you walk along lhc humble Christ. you will ;w. rive at theexahed Cl~rist; if in your sickly heahJl and debili.l)' you do rtOI spur'n the humble or.1c, you wiU abide in perfect he-a.hb ~·od strength with be unchanging and strongly anchored in God. Just as God. on whom it re Hes. remains jmmovabJe, ~o hOpe.! must be steady. Only in lhe present time is it pos· sible to speak of hope. The time will come when there will be hope no longer, but only the reality sought. l.n this world there arc in fact numerous ills. iLllerior and exterior; trouble.-;. do not cease bot even iucrease. All who are on the way w God must experience tltem. But the entire Bible tells them that tltey should endure the preseot, hope in the future, and love God whom they do not. yet see so that they will be able to embrace God when they see God at last''6 th~ e-xalted one. What else, afte( all, was the re-::lson for Christ's humility. bul your debility? You were-~ }'Oll see. complctcJy and irremediably in 1he grip of your debility; and this was the fact that made so great a doctor come l<) yon. . . . BCc.'luse you were nOt able 10 go 10 hhn, he came to you. Why? Let us see. lr was bec.ause pride would not ;tllow us to reuun to life. '00
Not only the inner self but also the ot.•ter person will rise to life. Consequently. only wbe11 Christians place their hope entirely in Chtist can lhey love in the full sense and thus Jive out their faith in Christ. Most especially must they be-
Christ's role as exemplar is nor limited. however. to bumility. He also provided human beings with the example of a life of faith. 1-lis entire earthly exis1eoce was nothing but a manifestation of the standard and rule of discipline.107 lnhis life bm especially in his deMh, Christ preceded us in the right· eousncss in "',..hich I he commandment of love is ~u 1mned up. Ios J.o doing so. he showed how even in the direst dislress buman beings can hold fast to their lil!vC in Lhc resurrecdon of Christ and hope for their own resurrecdon."'
Predselv then. because faiLh in Christ cannot exist withoul bope and love, !he way of i'aith necessarily proves to be the gift of God, "1he grace of God tJnough our Lord Jesus Christ.'.115 Faith itself, LOO, certainly originates in lhe preveniem kindness of God.11·9 Even its JlrsL beginnjog ls given to human be· ings by God, M Augustine insists especially to the monks of GauL'20 But in hi!i view. experience makes even more evidetlt LhaL grace is dte source of hope ancl love.121 He does O(.>l Lire or cl Ling the Aposde's words about Lhe love Lhat is poured (fut in out heans by the Holy Spirit.'» Only with the help of grace can Christians hasten joyfully along Lhe way of the commandme11ts123 nnd love of righteousness, that is. m the wil1 or God.'O'} In particulal', Chrisl gave {be example of a virginity consecrated to God. ]::or in Christ we see the most exc.elleut teacher and exemplar of virginal jntegrity.11(' J3ut, nlore than uny other, this typically Christian way of life is not possible without humility; for that reason. virgins musl also learn from Christ tO be meek aod humble. 111 Consequently, Christ's role as exemplar was most clearly shown in hi~ hurnil.ity.
love uprightness even in Lhe extreme afflictions of life.124 OnJy by the power of grace can they place Lheir trust emirely on God and persevere hl Lhis hope c) Exemplar of Grace t<) 1he very end. Augustine eveo devotes a special work. The Gift of Perseverance. to this basic concem in his teaching on grace. 115 ln addition to humility, other human :mitudes are required if one is to journey to the eternal homeland through faictt in ChrisL. Above all. the way of faith is inconceivable apart from hope nod love. Belief in Christ always1neans hope and love as well. '·You believe in Christ. you see! "vhen you both hope in Christ and love Christ. Because if you have faith without hope and without love. you believe that he is the Christ. but you don't believe in Christ.""'
In light M all this, it is understandable tl1nt August.inc should speak of Christ as "exemplar of g.race." Tn fnct, not only does he join the ancient tradjtion taken over by Christinns and especially by Lactantius in emphasizing that Christ taughl by word and example rutd had to reinforce his teaching by bis example' "' He also adds the idea of help to teaching and example. Thus, he
For this reason, Augustine constantly stresses the point Lhm genuine Christian faith musL tind l'ulfillment in active love. "Faith cannot work well, except tluough love. Such, you see, is the faith of tl1c J-;\illtful; it mustn't be the same :.s the faith of demons. because the demons 100 believe, :md tremble. So the writes at the beginning of 4 12, "At the lime that Christ knew to be most opportune and had ordained from eternily, [Christ's] teachi Jlg c.am.e 1.0 humanity and [Christ's! help in grasping e1ernal salvmion."'" He had already explained: "Let us observe our Lord, our true example and help. Can we prove he's our faiLh to be admired, the Lrue faith of grace. is Lhe son Lhat works through love.uu} As here. so in many other paS-sages. Augustine refel's or allude~ to lames 2:19:114 even more frequemly he cites Gal:ltians 5:6.115 help? Wirhour me )'OLt ccm do nothing (Jn 15:5). Cao we prove he•s our ex· ample? Chrlst suff'ered for us. f'cre.r s;lys. leavil!g us an example, ro follow in his steps ( I Pt 2:2 1 ).""3