Introduction to the Philosophy of Saint Augustine
wish to say as I wish to say it. Who of us may not wonder that the word of the prophet is declared by the apostle to be more convincing than the voice coming from heaven? To be sure, he says more certain—more certain, not better nor truer. How much more true indeed is that word from heaven, than the prophetical word, how much more good and useful. What then is the meaning of "more firm' except that by it the hearer is confirmed? But how can this be? Because there are unbelievers who slander Christ by saying that what he did he did by magic. In this way these unbelievers, through human guesses and illicit speculations, can ascribe the voice from heaven to the arts of magic. But the prophets existed before, not I say before that voice, but before the Incarnation. Christ was not yet a man when He sent the prophets. As for anyone who calls him a magician, even supposing that by magic he brought about the cult of himself though dead, was he a magician before he was born? Behold why the apostle Peter says: In the message of the prophets we have something still more certain. (II Pet. 1:19) The voice from heaven admonishes believers, the voice of the prophets condemns unbelievers. It seems to me, dearly beloved, that we now perceive why the apostle Peter said: In the message of the prophets we have something still more certain, after the voice came down from heaven.
6. And how great is the condescension of Christ? This
Peter who speaks thus was a fisherman, and now a rhetorician has great praise if a fisherman can be understood by him. Hence the apostle Paul speaking to the first Christians says: Consider brethren, the circumstances of your own calling; not many of you are wise, in the world's fashion, not many powerful, not many well-born. No, God has chosen what the world holds foolish, so as to abash the wise, God has chosen what the world holds weak, so as to abash the strong. God has chosen what the world holds base and contemptible, nay, has chosen what is nothing, so as to bring to nothing what is now in being." (I Cor. 1:26-28) If in the first place Christ had chosen an orator, the orator would have said: "My eloquence entitled me to be chosen." If he had chosen a senator, the senator would have said: 'Because of my dignity I have been chosen." Finally if he had chosen an emperor, the emperor would have said: "Because of my power I was chosen." Let all these be silent and passed over for the time being, let them be silent, not given up nor disdained, but passed over for a while to give them time to bask in their glory as self-made men. "Give me this simple, unskilled fisherman," he says, "give me this fellow whom the senator will not condescend to speak to, even when he buys fish. Give