t Luke xxiv, 39. 2 City of God, Bk. xxii. Ch. 21.
318 INTRODUCTORY NOTICE.
more, undoubtedly he must be set right, by being put in mind of the body of the Lord, who subsequently to His resurrection appeared in the same members, as One who was not only to be seen with the eyes, but also handled with the hands; and made His possession of the flesh likewise surer by the discourse which He spake, saying, 'Handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.'* Hence it is certain that the apostle did not deny that the substance of the flesh will exist in the kingdom of God, but that under the name of ' flesh and blood he designated either men who live after the flesh, or the express corruption of the flesh, which assuredly at that period shall subsist no more. For after he had said, ' Flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God,' what he proceeds to say next,—namely, 'neither shall corruption inherit incorruption,'—is rightly taken to have been added by way of explaining his previous statement. And on this subject, which is one on which it is difficult to convince unbelievers, any one who reads my last book, Oz the City of God, will find that I have discoursed with the utmost carefulness of which I am capable.?, The performance in question commences thus: 'Since it is written,' etc.''
ADDITIONAL NOTE BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR, |
[ Another English edition of this treatise De Jide et Symbolo was prepared by the REv. CuHarLEs A, Heurtiey, D.D., Margaret Professor of Divinity and Canon of Christ Church, Oxford, and published by Parker & Co., Oxford and London, 1886.
The following text of the Apostles' Creed may be collected from this book of St. Augustin, and was current in North Africa towards the close of the fourth century:
1. I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, Chs. 2 and 3. (And) In JEsus CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD, THE ONLY-BEGOTTEN OF THE FATHER, or, His ONLY Son, oUR LorpD. Ch. 3. WHO WAS BORN THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT OF THE VIRGIN Mary. Ch. 4 (§ 8.)
. WHO UNDER PONTIUS PILATE WAS CRUCIFIED AND BURIED, Ch. 5 (§$ 11.) ON THE THIRD DAY HE ROSE AGAIN FROM THE DEAD, Ch, 5 (§ 12.)
. Hz ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN, Ch. 6 (§ 13.)
. HE SITTETH AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER, Ch. 7 (§ 14.)
. FROM THENCE HE WILL COME AND JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD, Ch, 8 (§ 15.)
OO-SI ON On pe GS g. (AND I BELIEVE) IN THE Hoty Spirit. Ch, 9 (§ 16-19.)
10, I BELIEVE THE Hoty Cuurcw (CaTHoLic), Ch. ro (§ 21.)
11, THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN. Ch. to (§ 23.)
12, THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY. Ch. ro (§ 23, 24.) 13. THE LIFE EVERLASTING. Cu, 10 (§ 24.)]
t Luke xxiv, 39. 2 City of God, Bk. xxii. Ch. 21.
CONTENTS OF FAITH AND THE CREED
PAGE eat
I.—Of the origin and object of composition, . . .. .. -
CHAP.
I].—Of God and his exclusive eternity, . .. . ie
CHAP.
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III.—Of the Son of God, and His peculiar ae as the Word, . PA IV.—Of the Son of God as neither made by the Father nor less than the Father, and of His incarnation, eee:
CHAP.
CHAP.
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V.—Of Christ's passion, burial, and resurrection, VI.—Of Christ's ascension into heaven, . . wre a Ae haee te SE Hithle, came VII.—Of Christ's session at the Fathez's right eA mp sR i ar AR Dilly aa Se
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X.—-Of the Catholic Church, the remission of sins, and the resurrection of the flesh, . .
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A TREATISE ON FAITH AND THE CREED.
[DE FIDE ET SYMBOLO.]
DISCOURSE DELIVERED BEFORE A COUNCIL OF THE WHOLE NORTH AFRICAN
EPISCOPATE ASSEMBLED AT HIPPO-REGIUS. ] those who have been born again in Christ, and who have not yet been strengthened by most diligent and spiritual handling and understanding of the divine Scriptures, should be furnished with a summary, expressed in few words, of those matters of necessary belief which were subsequently to be explained to them in many words, as they made progress and rose to [the height of] divine doctrine, on the assured and steadfast basis of humility and charity. It is underneath these few words, therefore, which are thus set in order in the Creed, that most heretics have endeavored to conceal their poisons; whom divine mercy has withstood, and still withstands, by the instrumentality of spiritual men, who have been counted worthy not only to accept and believe the catholic faith as expounded in those terms, but also thoroughly to understand and apprehend it by the enlightenment imparted by the Lord. For it is written, "Unless ye believe, ye shall not understand.''3 But the handling of the faith is of service for the protection of the Creed; not, however, to the intent that this should itself be given instead of the Creed, to be committed to memory and repeated by those who are receiving the grace of God, but that it may guard the matters which are retained in the Creed against the insidious assaults of the heretics, by means of catholic authority and a more entrenched defence.
CHAP. I,—-OF THE ORIGIN AND OBJECT OF THE
COMPOSITION.
1. INASMUCH as it is a position, written and established on the most solid foundation of apostolic teaching, "'that the just lives of faith;''* and inasmuch also as this faith demands of us the duty at once of heart and tongue,—for an apostle says, '' With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation,''?—it becomes us to be mindful both of righteousness and of salvation. For, destined as we are to reign hereafter in everlasting righteousness, we certainly cannot secure our salvation from the present evil world, unless at the same time, while laboring for the salvation of our neighbors, we likewise with the mouth make our own profession of the faith which we carry in our heart. And it must be our aim, by pious and careful watchfulness, to provide against the possibility of the said faith sustaining any injury in us, on any side, through the fraudulent artifices [or, cunning fraud] of the heretics.
We have, however, the catholic faith in the Creed, known to the faithful and committed to memory, contained ina form of expression as concise as has been rendered admissible by the circumstances of the case; the purpose of which [compilation] was, that individuals who are but beginners and sucklings among t Hab. ii. 4; Rom. i. 17; Gal. iii. 11 ; Heb. x. 38. 2 Rom. x. to.
3 Isa. vii. 9, according to the rendering of the Septuagint,