Proslogion
P R O O E M I U M
PosTQ.UAM opusculum quoddam velut exemplum meditandi
de ratione fidei cogentibus me precibus quorundam fratrum in
persona alicuius tacite secum ratiocinando qme nesciat in,.
vestigantis edidi : considerans illud esse multorum concatena tione contextum argumentorum, coepi mecum qmerere, si
forte posset inveniri unum argumentum, quod nullo alio ad se probandum quam se solo indigeret, et solum ad astruendum quia deus vere est, et quia est summum bonum nullo alio
indigens, et quo omnia indigent ut sint et ut bene sint, et qurecumque de divina credimus substantia, sufficeret. Ad quod cum srepe studioseque cogitationem converterem, atque aliquando mihi videretur iam posse capi quod qurerebam, aliquando mentis aciem omnino fugeret : tandem desperans volui cessare velut ab inquisitione rei quam inveniri essct im possibile. Sed cum illam cogitationem, ne mentem mcam frustra occupando ab aliis in quibus proficere possem im pediret, penitus a me vellem excludere : tune magis ac magis nolenti et defendenti se coepit cum importunitate quadam ingerere. Cum igitur quadam die vehementer eius importuni tati resistendo fatigarer, in ipso cogitationum conflictu sic se obtulit quod desperaveram, ut studiose cogitationem ample cterer, quam sollicitus repellebam.
Aestimans igitur quod me gaudebam invenisse, si scriptum esset, alicui legenti placiturum : de hoc ipso et de quibusdam aliis sub persona conantis erigere mentem suam ad contem plandum deum et qurerentis intelligere quod credit, subditum scripsi opusculum. Et quoniam nee istud nee illud cuius supra memini <lignum libri nomine aut cui auctoris prreponeretur nomen iudicabam, nee tamen eadem sine aliquo titulo, quo aliquem in cuius manus venirent quodam modo ad se legendum
PREFA C E
AFTER I had published, a t the pressing entreaties of several of my brethren, a certain short tract [the Monologion] as an example of meditation on the meaning of faith from the point of view of one seeking, through silent reasoning within himself, things he knows not-reflecting that this was made up of a a connected chain of many arguments, I began to wonder if perhaps it might be possible to find one single argument that for its proof required no other save itself, and that by itself would suffice to prove that God really exists, that He is the supreme good needing no other and is He whom all things have need of for their being and well-being, and also to prove what ever we believe about the Divine Being. But as often and as diligently as I turned my thoughts to this, sometimes it seemed to me that I had almost reached what I was seeking, sometimes it eluded my acutest thinking completely, so that finally, in desperation, I was about to give up what I was looking for as something impossible to find. However, when I had decided to put aside this idea altogether, lest by uselessly occupying my mind it might prevent other ideas with which I could make some progress, then, in spite of my unwillingness and my resistance to it, it began to force itself upon me more and more pressingly. So it was that one day when I was quite worn out with resisting its importunacy, there came to me, in the very
conflict of my thoughts, what I had despaired of finding, so that I eagerly grasped the notion which in my distraction I had been rejecting.
Judging, then, that what had given me such joy to discover would afford pleasure, if it were written down, to anyone who might read it, I have written the following short tract dealing with this question as well as several others, from the point of view of one trying to raise his mind to contemplate God and seeking to understand what he believes. In my opinion, neither this tract nor the other I mentioned before deserves to be called a book or to carry its author's name, and yet I did not think they should be sent forth without some title (by which, so to speak, they might invite those into whose hands they should come, to read
P R O S L O G I O N : P R E F A C E
invitarent, dimittenda putabam : unicuique suum dedi titulum, ut prius Exemplum meditandi de ratione fidei, et sequens Fides quaerens intellectum diceretur.
Sed cum iam a pluribus cum his titulis utrumque transcri ptum esset, coegerunt me plures et maxime reverendus archi episcopus Lugdunensis, HUGO nomine, fungens in Gallia legatione Apostolica, qui mihi hoc ex Apostolica prrecepit auctoritate, ut nomen meum illis prrescriberem. Quod ut aptius fieret, illud quidem Monologion, id est soliloquium, istud vero Proslogion, id est alloquium, nominavi.
PROSLOGION: PREFACE
them) ; so I have given to each its title, the first being called An Example of Meditation on the Meaning of Faith, and the sequel
Faith in Quest of Understanding.
However, as both of them, under these titles, had already been copied out by several readers, a number of people (above all the reverend Archbishop of Lyons, Hugh, apostolic delegate to Gaul, who commanded me by his apostolic authority) have urged me to put my name to them. For the sake of greater convenience I have named the first book Monologion, that is, a soliloquy; and the other Proslogion, that is, an allocution.
C A P I T U LA
I. Excitatio mentis ad contemplandum deum.
II. Quod vere sit deus.
III. Quod non possit cogitari non esse.
IV. Quomodo 'insipiens dixit in corde', quod cogitari non
po test.
V. Quod deus sit quidquid melius est esse quam non esse ; et solus existens per se omnia alia faciat de nihilo.
VI. Quomodo sit sensibilis, cum non sit corpus.
VII. Quomodo sit omnipotens, cum multa non possit.
VIII. Quomodo sit misericors et impassibilis.
IX. Quomodo totus iustus et summe iustus parcat malis ; et
quod iuste misereatur malis.
X. Quomodo iuste puniat et iuste parcat malis.
XI. Quomodo 'univcrs<e vi<e domini misericordia ct veritas', et tamen 'iustus dominus in omnibus viis suis'.
XII. Quod deus sit ipsa vita qua vivit ; et sic de similibus.
XIII. Quomodo solus sit incircumscriptus et reternus, cum alii spiritus sint incircumscripti et <eterni.
XIV. Quomodo et cur videtur et non videtur deus a qurerentibus eum.
XV. Quod maior sit quam cogitari possit.
XVI. Quod hrec sit 'lux inaccessibilis', quam 'inhabitat'.
XVII. Quod in deo sit harmonia, odor, sapor, lenitas, pulchritudo, suo ineffabili modo.
XVIII. Quod in deo nee in <etcrnitate eius, qure ipse est, null<e sint
part es.
XIX. Quod non sit in loco aut tempore, sed omnia sint in illo.
XX. Quod sit ante et ultra omnia etiam reterna.
XXL An hoc sit 'sreculum s<eculi' sive 'srecula s<eculorum' .
XXII. Quod solus sit quod est et qui est.
C O N T E N T S
I. A Rousing of the mind to the contemplation of God.
II. That God truly exists.
III. That God cannot be thought not to exist.
IV. How 'the Fool said in his heart' what cannot be thought.
V. That God is whatever it is better to be than not to be, and that existing through Himself alone He makes all other beings from nothing.
VI. How He is perceptive although He is not a body.
VII. How He is omnipotent although He cannot do many
things.
VIII. How He is both merciful and impassible.
IX. How the all-just and supremely just One spares the wicked
and justly has mercy on the wicked.
X. How He justly punishes and justly spares the wicked.
XI. How ' all the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth', and
yet how 'the Lord is just in all His ways' .
XII. That God i s the very life b y which H e lives and that the same holds for like attributes.
XIII. How He alone is limitless and eternal, although other
spirits are also limitless and eternal.
XIV. How and why God is both seen and not seen by those
seeking Him.
XV. How He is greater than can be thought.
XVI. That this is the 'inaccessible light' in which He 'dwells'.
XVII. That harmony, fragrance, sweetness, softness, and beauty are in God according to His own ineffable manner.
XVIII. That there are no parts in God or in His eternity which He is.
XIX. That He is not in place or time but all things are in Him.
XX. That He is before and beyond even all eternal things.
XXL Whether this is the 'age of the age' or the 'ages of the ages' .
XXII. That H e alone i s what H e i s and who H e is.
PROSL O G I O N : C A P ITULA
XXIII. Quod hoc bonum sit pariter pater et filius et spmtus
sanctus ; et hoc sit 'unum necessarium', quod est omne et
totum et solum bonum.
XXIV. Coniectatio quale et quantum sit hoc bonum.
XXV. Qure et quanta bona sint fruentibus eo.
XXVI. An hoc sit 'gaudium plenum' quod promittit dominus.
PRO S L O G I O N : CONTENTS
XXIII. That this good is equally Father and Son and Holy Spirit, and that this is the one necessary being which is altogether and wholly and solely good.
XXIV. A speculation as to what kind and how great this good is.
XXV. Which goods belong to those who enjoy this good and how great they are.
XXVI. Whether this is the 'fulness of joy' which the Lord promises.
PRO S L O G I O N
C A P I T U L U M I
Excitatio mentis ad contemplandum deum EIA nunc, homuncio, fuge paululum occupationes tuas, absconde te modicum a tumultuosis cogitationibus tuis. Abice nunc onerosas curas, et postpone laboriosas distentiones tuas.
Vaca aliquantulum deo, et requiesce aliquantulum in eo. 'Intra in cubiculum' mentis ture, exclude omnia prreter deum et qure te iuvent ad qurerendum eum, et 'clauso ostio' qurere eum. Die nunc, totum 'cor meum', die nunc deo : ' Qurero vultum tu um ; vultum tuum, domine, requiro'.
Eia nunc ergo tu, domine deus meus, doce cor meum ubi et quomodo te qurerat, ubi et quomodo te inveniat. Domine, si hie non es, ubi te qureram absentem ? Si autem ubique es, cur non video prresentem? Sed certe habitas 'lucem inaccessibilem' .
Et ubi est lux inaccessibilis ? Aut quomodo accedam ad lucem inaccessibilem ? Aut quis me ducet et inducet in illam, ut videam te in ilia ? Deinde quibus signis, qua facie te qureram?
Numquam te vidi, domine deus meus, non novi faciem tuam.
Quid faciet, altissime domine, quid faciet iste tuus longinquus exsul? Quid faciet servus tu us anxius amore tui et longe proie ctus 'a facie tua' ? Anhelat videre te, et nimis a best illi facies tua.
Accedere ad te desiderat, et inaccessibilis est habitatio tua.
Invenire te cupit, et nescit locum tuum. Qurerere te affectat, et ignorat vultum tuum. Domine, deus meus es, et dominus meus es, et numquam te vidi. Tu me fecisti et refecisti, et omnia mea bona tu mihi contulisti, et nondum novi te. Denique ad te videndum factus sum, et nondum feci propter quod factus sum.
P R O S L O G I O N
C H A P T E R I
A Rousing of the mind to the contemplation of God
C o l\IE now, insignificant man, fly for a moment from your
affairs, escape for a little while from the tumult of your thoughts.
Put aside now your weighty cares and leave your wearisome
toils. Abandon yourself for a little to God and rest for a little in Him. Enter into the inner chamber of your soul, shut
out everything save God and what can be of help in your quest
for Him and having locked the door seek Him out [Matt. vi.
6] . Speak now, my whole heart, speak now to God : 'I seek Your countenance, 0 Lord, Your countenance I seek' [Ps. xxvi. 8] .
Come then, Lord my God, teach my heart where and how to seek You, where and how to find You. Lord, if You are not present here, where, since You are absent, shall I look for You ? On the other hand, if You are everywhere why then, since
You are present, do I not see You ? But surely You dwell in 'light inaccessible' [ r Tim. vi. 1 6] . And where is this inaccessible light, or how can I approach the inaccessible light ? Or who shall lead me and take me into it that I may see You in it ?
Again, by what signs, under what aspect, shall I seek You ?
Never have I seen You, Lord my God, I do not know Your face.
What shall he do, most high Lord, what shall this exile do, far
a way from You as he is ? What shall Your servant do, tor mented by love of You and yet cast off 'far from Your face'
[Ps. i. r 3] ? He yearns to see You and Your countenance is too far away from him. He desires to come close to You, and Your dwelling place is inaccessible ; he longs to find You and does not
know where You are ; he is eager to seek You out and he does
not know Your countenance. Lord, You are my God and my
Lord, and never have I seen You. You have created me and re-created me and You have given me all the good things I possess, and still I do not know You. In fine, I was made in order to see You, and I have not yet accomplished what I was
made for.
I I 2
P R O S L O G I O N I
0 misera sors hominis, cum hoc perdidit ad quod factus est.
0 durus et dirus casus ille ! Heu, quid perdidit et quid invenit, quid abscessit et quid remansit ! Perdidit beatitudinem ad quam
factus est, et invenit miseriam propter quam factus non est.
Abscessit sine quo nihil felix est, et remansit quod per se nonnisi miserum est. 'Manducabat' tune 'homo panem ange
lorum' quern nunc esurit, manducat nunc 'panem dolorum',
quern tune nesciebat. Heu publicus luctus hominum, universalis
planctus filiorum Adre ! Ille ructabat saturitate, nos suspiramus esurie. Ille abundabat, nos mendicamus. Ille feliciter tenebat et misere deseruit, nos infeliciter egemus et miserabiliter
desideramus, et heu, vacui remanemus. Cur non nobis custo divit cum facile posset, quo tam gravitcr careremus ? Quare sic
nobis obseravit lucem, et obduxit nos tenebris ? Ut quid nobis abstulit vi tam, et inflixit mortem? Aerumnosi, uncle sumus
expulsi, quo sumus impulsi ! Unde prrecipitati, quo obruti ! A patria in exsilium, a visione dei in crecitatem nostram. A
iucunditate immortalitatis in amaritudinem et horrorem
mortis. Misera mutatio ! De quanta bono in quantum malum !
Grave damnum, gravis dolor, grave totum.
Sed heu me miserum, unum de aliis m1sens filiis Evre
elongatis a deo, quid incepi, quid effeci? Quo tendebam, quo
deveni ? Ad quid aspirabam, in quibus suspiro? 'Quresivi bona'
'et ecce turbatio' ! Tendebam in deum, et offendi in me ipsum.
Requiem qurerebam in secreto meo, et 'tribulationem et
dolorem inveni' in intimis meis. Volebam ridere a gaudio
mentis mere, et cogor rugire 'a gemitu cordis mei'. Sperabatur lretitia, et ecce uncle densentur suspiria !
Et o 'tu, domine, usquequo' ? 'Usquequo, domine, oblivi sceris' nos, 'usquequo avertis faciem tuam' a nobis? Quando
respicies et exaudies nos ? Quando illuminabis oculos nostros, et
PRO S L O G I O N I
How wretched man's lot is when he has lost that for which he was made ! Oh how hard and cruel was that Fall ! Alas, what has man lost and what has he found? What did he lose and what remains to him? He lost the blessedness for which he was made, and he found the misery for which he was not made. That without which nothing is happy has gone from him and that which by itself is nothing but misery remains to him. Once
'man ate the bread of angels' [Ps. lxxvii. 25], for which now he hungers ; now he eats 'the bread of sorrow' [Ps. cxxvi. 2], which then he knew nothing of. Alas the common grief of mankind, alas the universal lamentation of the children of Adam ! He groaned with fullness; we sigh with hunger. He was pros perous ; we go begging. He in his happiness had possessions and in his misery abandoned them ; we in our unhappiness go without and miserably do we yearn and, alas, we remain empty.
Why, since it was easy for him, did he not keep for us that which we lack so much? Why did he deprive us of light and surround us with darkness? vVhy did he take life away from us and inflict death upon us? Poor wretches that we are, whence have we been expelled and whither are we driven? \Vhence have we been cast down and whither buried? From our homeland into exile ; from the vision of God into our present blindness; from the joy of immortality into the bitterness and horror of death. Oh wretched change from so great a good to so great an evil ! vVhat a grievous loss, a grievous sorrow, utterly grievous !
Alas, unfortunate that I am, one of the miserable children of Eve, separated from God. \Vhat have I undertaken? What have
I actually done? Where was I going? Where have I come to?
To what was I aspiring? For what do I yearn? 'I sought good ness' [Ps. cxxi. g] and, lo, 'there is confusion' [Jer. xiv. 19] . I yearned for God, and I was in my own way. I sought peace within myself and 'I have found tribulation and sadness' in my heart of hearts [Ps. cxiv. 3] . I wished to laugh from out the happiness of my soul, and 'the sobbing of my heart' [Ps. xxxvii. g] makes me cry out. I hoped for gladness and, lo, my sighs
come thick and fast.
And You, 'O Lord, how long' [Ps. vi. 4] ? How long, Lord, will You be unmindful of us? 'How long will You turn Your countenance' from us [Ps. xii. r J ? When will You look upon us
826610
P R O S L O G I O N I
ostendes nobis 'faeiem tuam' ? Quando restitues te no bis ?
Respiee, domine, exaudi, illumina nos, ostende nobis teipsum.
Restitue te nobis, ut bene sit nobis, sine quo tam male est nobis.
Miserare labores et conatus nostros ad te, qui nihil valemus
sine te. Invitas nos, 'adiuva nos' . Obsecro, domine, ne desperem suspirando, sed respirem sperando. Obsccro, domine, amari
catum est cor meum sua desolatione, indulca illud tua consola tione. Obsecro, domine, esuriens incepi qurerere te, ne desinam
ieiunus de te. Famelicus aceessi, ne reeedam impastus. Pauper veni ad divitem, miser ad misericordem ; ne redeam vacuus et contemptus. Et si 'antequam comedam suspiro', da vel post suspiria quod comedam. Domine, ineurvatus non possum nisi deorsum aspicere, erige me ut passim sursum intendere. 'Iniqui tates mere supergressre caput meum' obvolvunt me, 'et sieut onus grave' gravant me. Evolve me, exonera me, ne 'urgeat puteus' earum 'os suum super me' . Liceat mihi suspicere lueem
tuam, vel de longe, vel de profundo. Doce me qmerere te, et ostende te qurerenti ; quia nee qurerere te possum nisi tu
doceas, nee invenire nisi te ostendas. Qureram te desiderando, desiderem qurerendo. Inveniam amando, amem inveniendo.
Fateor, domine, et gratias ago, quia ereasti in me hanc imaginem tuam, ut tui memor tc eogitem, te amem. Sed sic est abolita attritione vitiorum, sic est offuscata fumo pecca
torum, ut non possit facere ad quod facta est, nisi tu renoves et reformes earn. Non tento, domine, penetrare altitudinem tuam, quia nullatenus comparo illi intelleetum meum ; sed desidero
aliquatenus intelligere veritatem tuam, quam credit et amat cor meum. Neque enim qurero intelligere ut credam, sed credo ut
intelligam. Nam et hoc credo : quia 'nisi credidero, non in telligam'.
PRO S L O G I ON I
1 15
and hear us [Ps. xii. 4] ? When will You enlighten our eyes and show 'Your countenance' to us [Ps. lxxix. 4] ? When will You give Yourself again to us? Look upon us, Lord ; hear us, enlighten us, show Yourself to us. Give Yourself to us that it may be well with us, for without You it goes so ill for us. Have pity upon our efforts and our strivings towards You, for we can avail nothing without You. You call to us, 'so help us' [Ps. lxxviii. 9] . I beseech You, Lord, let me not go sighing hope lessly, but make me breathe hopefully again. My heart is made bitter by its desolation; I beseech You, Lord, sweeten it by Your consolation. I set out hungry to look for You ; I beseech You, Lord, do not let me depart from You fasting. I came to You as one famished ; do not let me go without food.
Poor, I have come to one who is rich. Unfortunate, I have come to one who is merciful. Do not let me return scorned and empty-handed. And if now I sigh before I eat [Job iii. 4], give me to eat after my sighs. Lord, bowed down as I am, I can only look downwards ; raise me up that I may look upwards. 'My sins are heaped up over my head' ; they cover me over and 'like a heavy load' crush me down [Ps. xxxvii. 5]. Save me, disburden me, 'lest their pit close its mouth over me' [Ps. lxviii. 1 6] . Let me discern Your light whether it be from afar or from the depths.
Teach me to seek You, and reveal Yourself to me as I seek, because I can neither seek You if You do not teach me how, nor find You unless You reveal Yourself. Let me seek You in desiring You ; let me desire You in seeking You ; let me find
You in loving You ; let me love You in finding You.
I acknowledge, Lord, and I give thanks that You have created Your image in me, so that I may remember You, think of You, love You. But this image is so effaced and worn away by vice, so darkened by the smoke of sin, that it cannot do what it was made to do unless You renew it and reform it. I do not try, Lord, to attain Your lofty heights, because my understanding is in no way equal to it. But I do desire to understand Your truth a little, that truth that my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand so that I may believe ; but I believe so that I may understand. For I believe this also, that 'unless I believe, I shall not understand'
[Is. vii. 9] .
1 16
PRO S L O G I O N I I
C A P I T U L U M I I
Q,uod vere sit deus ERGO, domine, qui das fidei intellectum, da mihi, ut quantum
scis expedire intelligam, quia es sicut credimus, et hoc es quod credimus. Et quidem credimus te esse aliquid quo nihil maius cogitari possit. An ergo non est aliqua talis natura, quia 'dixit
insipiens in corde suo : non est deus' ? Sed certe ipse idem in sipiens, cum audit hoc ipsum quod dico : 'aliquid quo maius nihil cogitari potest', intelligit quod audit ; et quod intelligit in intellectu eius est, etiam si non intelligat illud esse. Aliud enim est rem esse in intellectu, aliud intelligere rem esse. Nam cum pictor prrecogitat qure facturus est, habet quidem in intellectu, sed nondum intelligit esse quod nondum fecit. Cum vero iam pinxit, et habet in intellectu et intelligit esse quod iam fecit.
Convincitur ergo etiam insipiens esse vel in intellectu aliquid quo nihil maius cogitari potest, quia hoc cum audit intelligit, et quidquid intelligitur in intellectu est. Et certe id quo maius
cogitari nequit, non potest esse in solo intellectu. Si enim vel in solo intellectu est, potest cogitari esse et in re, quod maius est.
Si ergo id quo maius cogitari non potest, est in solo intellectu :
id ipsum quo maius cogitari non potest, est quo maius cogitari potest. Sed certe hoc esse non potest. Existit ergo procul dubio
aliquid quo maius cogitari non valet, et in intellectu et in re.
P R O S L O G I O N I I
C H A P T E R I I
That God truly exists \V E L L then, Lord, You who give understanding to faith, grant
me that I may understand, as much as You see fit, that You exist as we believe You to exist, and that You are what we believe You to be. Now we believe that You are something than which nothing greater can be thought. Or can it be
that a thing of such a nature does not exist, since 'the Fool has said in his heart, there is no God' [Ps. xiii. I , lii. I ] ? But
surely, when this same Fool hears what I am speaking about, namely, 'something-than-which-nothing-greater-can-be thought', he understands what he hears, and what he under stands is in his mind, even if he does not understand that it
actually exists. For it is one thing for an object to exist in the
mind, and another thing to understand that an object actually
exists. Thus, when a painter plans beforehand what he is going to execute, he has [the picture] in his mind, but he does not yet think that it actually exists because he has not yet executed it.
However, when he has actually painted it, then he both has it
in his mind and understands that it exists because he has now
made it. Even the Fool, then, is forced to agree that somcthing than-which-nothing-greater-can-be-thought exists in the mind, since he understands this when he hears it, and whatever is
understood is in the mind. And surely that-than-which-a greater-cannot-be-thought cannot exist in the mind alone. For
if it exists solely in the mind even, it can be thought to exist in reality also, which is greater. If then that-than-which-a-greater
cannot be-thought exists in the mind alone, this same that-than which-a-greater-cannot-be-thought is that-than-which-a-greater can-be-thought. But this is obviously impossible. Therefore there
is absolutely no doubt that something-than-which-a-greater
cannot-be-thought exists both in the mind and in reality.
I I8
PROSLOGI ON I I I - I V
C A P I T U L U M I I I
Q,uod non possit cogitari non esse
Qu o o utique sic vere est, ut nee cogitari possit non essc. Nam
potest cogitari esse aliquid, quod non possit cogitari non esse ; quod maius est quam quod non esse cogitari potest. Quare si id quo maius nequit cogitari, potest cogitari non esse : id ipsum
quo maius cogitari nequit, non est id quo maius cogitari nequit ; quod convenire non potest. Sic ergo vere est aliquid quo maius cogitari non potest, ut nee cogitari possit non esse.
Et hoc es tu, domine deus noster. Sic ergo vere es, domine deus meus, ut nee cogitari possis non esse. Et merito. Si enim
aliqua mens posset cogitare aliquid melius te, ascenderet
creatura super creatorem, et iudicaret de creatore ; quod valde est absurdum. Et quidem quidquid est aliud prreter te solum, potest cogitari non esse. Salus igitur verissime omnium, et ideo
maxime omnium ha bes esse : quia quidquid aliud est non sic
vere, et idcirco minus habet esse. Cur itaque 'dixit insipiens in corde suo : non est deus', cum tam in promptu sit rationali menti te maxime omnium esse ? Cur, nisi quia stultus et insipiens ?
C A P I T U L U M IV
Q,uomodo insipiens dixit in corde, quad cogitari non potest
VER U M quomodo dixit in corde quod cogitare non potuit ; aut quomodo cogitare non potuit quad dixit in corde, cum idem sit
dicere in corde et cogitare ? Quod si vere, immo quia vere et cogitavit quia dixit in corde, et non dixit in corde quia cogitarc
non potuit : non uno tantum modo dicitur aliquid in corde vel
P R O S L O G I O N I I II V
I l9
C H A P T E R I I I
That God cannot be thought not to exist
AND certainly this being so truly exists that it cannot be even
thought not to exist. For something can be thought to exist that cannot be thought not to exist, and this is greater than that which can be thought not to exist. Hence, if that-than which-a-greater-cannot-be-thought can be thought not to exist,
then that-than-which-a-greater-cannot-be-thought is not the same as that-than-which-a-greater-cannot-be-thought, which is absurd. Something-than-which-a-greater-cannot-be-thought exists so truly then, that it cannot be even thought not to exist.
And You, Lord our God, are this being. You exist so truly, Lord my God, that You cannot even be thought not to exist.
And this is as it should be, for if some intelligence could think of something better than You, the creature would be above its creator and would judge its creator-and that is completely absurd. In fact, everything else there is, except You alone, can be thought of as not existing. You alone, then, of all things most truly exist and therefore of all things possess existence to the
highest degree ; for anything else does not exist as truly, and so possesses existence to a lesser degree. Why then did 'the Fool say in his heart, there is no God' [Ps. xiii. 1, Iii. 1] when it is so evident to any rational mind that You of all things exist to the highest degree? Why indeed, unless because he was stupid and a fool?
C H A P T E R I V
How 'the Fool said in his heart' what cannot be thought H o w indeed has he 'said in his heart' what he could not think ; or hov.- could he not think what he 'said in his heart', since to 'say in one's heart' and to 'think' are the same? But if he really (indeed, since he really) both thought because he
'said in his heart' and did not 'say in his heart' because he could not think, there is not only one sense in which something is 'said in one's heart' or thought. For in one sense a thing is
1 20
P R O S L O G I O N I V -V I
cogitatur. Aliter enim cogitatur res cum vox eam significans cogitatur, aliter cum id ipsum quod res est intelligitur. Illo
itaque modo potest cogitari deus non esse, isto vero minime.
Nullus quippe intelligens id quod deus est, potest cogitare quia
deus non est, licet h<ec verba dicat in corde, aut sine ulla aut cum aliqua extranea significatione. Deus enim est id quo
maius cogitari non potest. Quod qui bene intelligit, utique
intelligit id ipsum sic esse, ut nee cogitatione queat non esse.
Qui ergo intelligit sic esse deum, nequit eum non esse cogitare.
Gratias tibi, bone domine, gratias tibi, quia quod prius credidi te donante, iam sic intelligo te illuminante, ut si te esse nolim credere, non possim non intelligere.
C A P I T U L U M V
Q,uod deus sit quidquid melius est esse quam non esse; et solus
existens per se omnia alia faciat de nihilo Qu r n igitur es, domine deus, quo nil maius valet cogitari? Sed quid es nisi id quod summum omnium solum existens per
seipsum, omnia alia fecit de nihilo? Quidquid enim hoc non est, minus est quam cogitari possit. Sed hoc de te cogitari non potest. Quod ergo bonum deest summo bono, per quod est
omne bonum? Tu es itaque iustus, verax, beatus, et quidquid melius est esse quam non esse. Melius namque est esse iustum quam non iustum, beatum quam non beatum.
C A P I T U L U M V I
Q,uomodo sit sensibilis, cum non sit corpus V E R u M cum melius sit esse sensibilem, omni po ten tern, miseri
cordem, impassibilem quam non esse : quomodo es sensibilis,
PRO S L O G I ON IV-V I
thought when the word signifying it is thought; in another sense when the very object which the thing is is understood.
In the first sense, then, God can be thought not to exist, but not at all in the second sense. No one, indeed, understanding what God is can think that God does not exist, even though he may say these words in his heart either without any [objective] signification or with some peculiar signification. For God is that-than-which-nothing-greater-can-be-thought. Whoever really understands this understands clearly that this same being so exists that not even in thought can it not exist. Thus whoever understands that God exists in such a way cannot think of Him as not existing.
I give thanks, good Lord, I give thanks to You, since what I believed before through Your free gift I now so understand through Your illumination, that if I did not want to believe that You existed, I should nevertheless be unable not to understand it.
C H A P T E R V
That God is whatever it is better to be than not to be and that, existing through Himself alone, He makes all other beings from nothing WHAT then are You, Lord God, You than whom nothing greater can be thought? But what are You save that supreme being, existing through Yourself alone, who made everything else from nothing? For whatever is not this is less than that which can be thought of; but this cannot be thought about You. What goodness, then, could be wanting to the supreme good, through which every good exists? Thus You are just, truthful, happy, and whatever it is better to be than not to be for it is better to be just rather than unjust, and happy rather than unhappy.
C H A P T E R V I
How He is perceptive although He is not a body B u T since it is better to be perceptive, omnipotent, merciful, impassible, than not to be so, how are You able to perceive if
P R O S L O G I O N VI-V I I
si non es corpus ; aut omnipotens, si omnia non potes ; aut
misericors simul et impassibilis? Nam si sola corporea sunt sensibilia, quoniam sensus circa corpus et in corpore sunt :
quomodo es sensibilis, cum non sis corpus sed summus spiritus, qui corpore melior est ?
Sed si sentire non nisi cognoscere aut non nisi ad cogno scendum est-qui enim sentit cognoscit secundum sensuum proprietatem, ut per visum colores, per gustum sapores-non
inconvenienter dicitur aliquo modo sentire, quidquid aliquo modo cognoscit. Ergo domine, quamvis non sis corpus, vere tamen eo modo summe sensibilis es, quo summe omnia cogno scis, non quo animal corporeo sensu cognoscit.
C A P I T U L U M V I I
Q,uomodo sit omnipotens, cum multa non possit
S E D et omnipotens quomodo es, si omnia non potes? Aut si non potes corrumpi nee mentiri nee facere verum esse falsum, ut
quod factum est non csse factum, et plura similiter : quomodo
potes omnia ?
An hrec posse non est potentia, sed impotentia ? Nam qui
hrec potest, quod sibi non expedit et quod non debet potest.
Qme quanto magis potcst, tanto magis adversitas et perversitas
possunt in illum, et ipse minus contra illas. Qui ergo sic potest,
non potentia potest, sed impotentia. Non enim idea dicitur
posse, quia ipse possit, sed quia sua impotentia facit aliud in se
posse ; sive aliquo alio genere loquendi, sicut multa improprie dicuntur. Ut cum ponimus 'esse' pro 'non esse', et 'facere' pro
eo quod est 'non facere', aut pro 'nihil facere'. Nam sa:pe dicimus ei qui rem aliquam esse negat : sic est quemadmodum
dicis esse, cum magis proprie videatur dici : sic non est quemad modum dicis non esse. Item dicimus : iste sedet sicut ille facit,
aut : iste quiescit sicut ille facit, cum 'sedere' sit quiddam non
P R O S L O G I O N VI -VII
You are not a body; or how are You omnipotent ifYou are not able to do everything; or how are You merciful and impassible at the same time? For if only corporeal things are capable of perception, since the senses are involved with the body and in the body, how are You perceptive, since You are not a body but the supreme spirit who is better than any body? But if to perceive is nothing else than to know, or if it is directed to knowing (for he who perceives knows according to the appro priate sense, as, for example, colours are known by sight and flavours through taste), one can say not inappropriately that whatever in any way knows also in some way perceives. So it is, Lord, that although You are not a body You are supremely perceptive, in the sense that You know supremely all things and not in the sense in which an animal knows through a bodily sense-faculty.
CHAPTER VII
How He is omnipotent although He cannot do many things AGAIN, how are You omnipotent if You cannot do all things?
But, how can You do all things if You cannot be corrupted, or tell lies, or make the true into the false (such as to undo what has been done), and many similar things? Or is the ability to do these things not power but impotence? For he who can do these things can do what is not good for himself and what he ought not to do. And the more he can do these things, the more power adversity and perversity have over him and the less he has against them. He, therefore, who can do these things can do them not by power but by impotence. It is said, then, that he 'can', not because he himself can do them but because his impotence gives another power against him. Or it is said in some other manner of speaking, in the sense in which many words are used improperly, as, for example, when we use 'to be' for 'not to be', and 'to do' for 'not to do' or for 'to do nothing'.
Thus we often say to someone who denies that some thing exists :
'It is as you say it is', although it would seem much more proper to say, 'It is not as you say it is not'. Again, we say 'This man is sitting', just as we say 'That man is doing [something]' ; or we say 'This man is resting', just as we say 'That man is doing
PRO S L O G I O N V II - I X
facere et 'quiescere' sit nihil facere. Sic itaque cum quis dicitur habere potentiam faciendi aut patiendi quod sibi non expedit aut quod non debet, impotentia intelligitur per potentiam ; quia quo plus habet bane potentiam, eo adversitas et perversi tas in ilium sunt potentiores, et ille contra eas impotentior.
Ergo domine deus, inde verius es omnipotens, quia nihil potes per impotentiam, et nihil potest contra te.
C A P I T U L U M V I I I
Q,uomodo sit misericors et impassibilis S E D et misericors simul et impassibilis quomodo es? Nam si es impassibilis, non compateris ; si non compateris, non est ti bi miserum cor ex compassione miseri, quod est esse misericordem.
At si non es misericors, uncle miseris est tanta consolatio ?
Quomodo ergo es et non es misericors, domine, nisi quia es misericors secundum nos, et non es secundum te? Es quippe secundum nostrum sensum, et non es secundum tuum. Etenim cum tu respicis nos miseros, nos sentimus misericordis eff ectum, tu non sentis affectum. Et misericors es igitur, quia miseros salvas et peccatoribus tuis parcis ; et misericors non es, quia nulla miserire compassione afficeris.
CAPITULUM IX
Q,uomodo totus iustus et summe iustus parcat malis; et quod iuste misereatur malis VERUM malls quomodo parcis, si es totus iustus et summe iustus ? Quomodo enim totus et summe iustus facit aliquid non iustum ? Aut qure iustitia est merenti mortem reternam dare
P R O S L O G I O N V I I - I X
1 2 5 [something'] . But 'to sit' is not to d o something, and 'to rest' i s to do nothing. In the same way, then, when someone is said to have the 'power' of doing or suffering something which is not to his
advantage or which he ought not to do, then by 'power' here we mean 'impotence', for the more he has this 'power', the
more adversity and perversity have power over him and the more is he powerless against them. Therefore, Lord God, You are the more truly omnipotent since You can do nothing through impotence and nothing can have power against You.
C H A P T E R V I I I
How He is both merciful and impassible B u T how are You at once both merciful and impassible ? For
if You are impassible You do not have any compassion ; and if You have no compassion Your heart is not sorrowful from compassion with the sorrowful, which is what being merciful is.
But if You are not merciful whence comes so much consolation for the sorrowful ?
How, then, are You merciful and not merciful, 0 Lord, unless it be that You are merciful in relation to us and not in
relation to Yourself ? In fact, You arc [merciful] according to our way of looking at things and not according to Your way. For when You look upon us in our misery it is we who feel the effect of Your mercy, but You do not experience the feeling.
Therefore You arc both merciful because You save the sorrow ful and pardon sinners against You ; and You are not merciful because You do not experience any feeling of compassion for
misery.
C H A P T E R I X
How the all-just and supremel:J just One spares the wicked and
justl:J has mercy on the wicked BuT how do You spare the wicked if You are all-just and supremely j ust ? For how does the all-just and supremely just
One do something that is unjust ? Or what kind of j ustice is
it to give everlasting life to him who merits eternal death ?
PROS L OG I ON I X
vitam sempiternam? Uncle ergo, bone deus, bone bonis et malis,
uncle tibi salvare malos, si hoc non est iustum, et tu non facis
aliquid non iustum?
An quia bonitas tua est incomprehensibilis, latet hoc in luce inaccessibili quam inhabitas? Vere in altissimo et secretissimo
bonitatis ture latet fons, uncle manat fluvius misericordire ture.
Nam cum totus et summe iustus sis, tamen idcirco etiam malis benignus es, quia totus summe bonus es. Minus namque bonus esses, si nulli malo esses benignus. Melior est enim qui et bonis et malis bonus est, quam qui bonis tantum est bonus. Et melior
est qui malis et puniendo et parcendo est bonus, quam qui puniendo tantum. Ideo ergo misericors es, quia totus et summe bonus es. Et cum forsitan videatur, cur bonis bona et malis mala retribuas, illud certe penitus est mirandum, cur tu totus iustus et nullo egens malis et reis tuis bona tribuas. 0 altitudo boni tatis ture, deus ! et videtur uncle sis misericors, et non pervidetur.
Cernitur uncle flumen manat, et non perspicitur fons uncle
nascatur. Nam et de plenitudine bonitatis est quia peccatoribus tuis pius es, et in altitudine bonitatis latet qua ratione hoc es. Etenim licet bonis bona et malis mala ex bonitate retribuas, ratio tamen iustitire hoc postulare videtur. Cum vero malis bona tribuis : et scitur quia summe bonus hoc facere voluit, et
mirum est cur summe iustus hoc velle potuit.
0 misericordia, de quam opulenta dulcedine et dulci opulentia nobis profluis ! 0 immensitas bonitatis dei, quo affectu amanda es peccatoribus ! Iustos enim salvas iustitia
comitante, istos vero liberas iustitia damnante. lllos meritis adiuvantibus, istos meritis repugnantibus. Illos bona qure
dedisti cognoscendo, istos mala qure odisti ignoscendo. 0 immensa bonitas, qure sic omnem intellectum excedis, veniat
PRO S L O G I O N I X
How then, 0 good God, good to the good and to the wicked, how do You save the wicked if this is not just and You do not
do anything which is not just ? Or, since Your goodness is
beyond comprehension, is this hidden in the inaccessible light in which You dwell ? Truly in the deepest and most secret place of Your goodness is hidden the source whence the stream of Your mercy flows. For though You are all-just and supremely just You are, however-precisely because You are all-just and
supremely just-also beneficent even to the wicked. You would, in fact, be less good if You were not beneficent to any wicked
man. For he who is good to both good and wicked is better than he who is good only to the good. And he who is good to the wicked by both punishing and sparing them is better than he who is good to the wicked only by punishing them. You are merciful, then, because You are all-good and supremely good.
And though perhaps it is apparent why You should reward the good with good and the bad with bad, what is indeed to be
wondered at is why You, the all-just One who wants for nothing, should bestow good things on Your wicked and guilty creatures.
0 God, how profound is Your goodness ! It is apparent whence Your mercy comes, and yet it is not clearly seen. Whence
the stream flows is obvious, and yet the source where it rises is not seen directly. For on the one hand it is from plenitude of
goodness that You are gentle with those who sin against You ; and on the other hand the reason why You are thus is hidden
in the depths of Your goodness. For although from Your good ness You reward the good with good and the bad with bad,
yet it seems that the very definition of j ustice demands this.
But when You give good things to the wicked, one both under
stands that the supreme Good has willed to do this and one wonders why the supremely just One could have willed it.
0 mercy, from what abundant sweetness and sweet abun dance do you flow forth for us ! 0 boundless goodness of God,
with what feeling should You be loved by sinners ! For You save the just whom justice commends, but You free sinners
whom justice condemns. The former [are saved] by the aid of their merits ; the latter despite their merits. The former [are
saved] by regarding the good things You have given ; the latter by disregarding the bad things which You hate. 0 boundless
goodness which so surpasses all understanding, let that mercy
1 28
PRO S L O G I O N I X-X
super me misericordia illa, qme de tanta opulentia tui procedit !
Influat in me, qure profluit de te ! Paree per clementiam, ne ulciscaris per iustitiam !
Nam etsi difficile sit intelligere,
quomodo misericordia tua non absit a tua iustitia, necessarium
tamen est credere, quia nequaquam adversatur iustitire quod exundat ex bonitate, qme nulla est sine iustitia, immo vere concordat iustitire. N empe si misericors es quia es summe bonus,
et summe bonus non es nisi quia es summe iustus : vere idcirco es
misericors, quia summe iustus es. Adiuva me, iuste et misericors deus, cuius lucem qurero, adiuva me, ut intelligam quod dico.
Vere ergo ideo misericors es, quia iustus.
Ergone misericordia tua nascitur ex iustitia tua? Ergonc
parcis malis ex iustitia ? Si sic est, domine, si sic est, doce me
quomodo est. An quia iustum est te sic esse bonum, ut nequeas intelligi melior, et sic potenter operari, ut non possis cogitari potentius ? Quid enim hoc iustius ? Hoc utique non fieret, si
esses bonus tantum retribuendo et non parcendo, et si faceres
de non bonis tantum bonos, et non etiam de malis. Hoc itaque
modo iustum est ut parcas malis, et ut facias bonos de malis.
Denique quod non iuste fit, non debet fieri ; et quod non debet
fieri, iniuste fit. Si ergo non iuste malis misereris, non dcbes
misereri : et si non de bes misereri, iniuste misereris. Quod s1 nefas est dicere, fas est credere te iuste misereri malis.
C A P I T U L U M X
Q,uomodo iuste puniat et iuste parcat malis
S E D et iustum est, ut malos punias. Quid namque iustius, quam ut boni bona et mali mala recipiant? Quomodo ergo et iustum est ut malos punias, et iustum est ut malis parcas?
PRO SLOGION I X-X
come upon me which proceeds from Your so great abundance !
Let that which flows forth from You flow into me ! For bear through mercy lest You be avenged through justice ! For even if it be difficult to understand how Your mercy is not apart from Your justice, it is, however, necessary to believe that it is not in any way opposed to justice, for it derives from goodness which is naught apart from justice, which indeed really coin cides with justice. Truly, if You arc merciful because You are supremely good, and if You are supremely good only in so far as You are supremely just, truly then You are merciful pre cisely because You arc supremely just. Help me, just and merci ful God, whose light I seek, help me so that I may understand what I am saying. Truly, then, you are merciful because You are just.
Is Your mercy not then derived from Your justice? Do You not then spare the wicked because of justice? If it is so, Lord, if it so, teach me how it is so. Is it because it is just that You are so good that You cannot be conceived to be better, and that You act with so much power that You cannot be thought to be more powerful? For what is more just than this? This, however, would not be the case if You were good only by way of retribu tion and not by way of forgiveness, and if You made to be good only those not yet good, and not also the wicked. In this way, then, it is just that You spare the wicked and make good men from bad. Finally, what is done unjustly ought not to be done; and what ought not to be done is done unjustly. If, then, it is uajust that You should have mercy on the wicked, You ought not to be merciful; and if You ought not to be merciful it is unjust of You to be merciful. But if it is improper to say this, then it is proper to believe that it is just of You to have mercy on the wicked.
C H A P T E R X
How He justly punishes and justly spares the wicked
BUT it is also just that You punish the wicked. For what is more just than that the good should receive good things and the bad receive bad things? How then is it just both that You punish the wicked and that You spare the wicked?
826610 K
P R O S L O G I O N X ºX I
An alio modo iuste punis malos, et alio modo iuste parcis
malis? Cum enim punis malos, iustum est, quia illorum meritis convenit; cum vero parcis malis, iustum est, non quia illorum
meritis, sed quia bonitati ture condecens est. Nam parcendo
malis ita iustus es secundum te et non secundum nos, sicut misericors es secundum nos et non secundum te. Quoniam
salvando nos quos iuste perdercs, sicut misericors es non quia tu sentias affectum, sed quia nos sentimus effectum : ita iustus es non quia nobis reddas debitum, sed quia facis quod decet te
summe bonum. Sic itaque sine repugnantia iuste punis et iuste
parc1s.
C A P I T U L U M X I
Q,uomodo 'univers(JJ vi(JJ domini misericordia et veritas', et tamen 'iustus dominus in omnibus viis suis'
SEn numquid etiam non est iustum secundum te, domine, ut malos punias? Iustum quippe est te sic esse iustum, ut iustior nequeas cogitari. Quod nequaquam esses, si tantum bonis bona, et non malis mala redderes. Iustior enim est qui et bonis et
malis, quam qui bonis tantum merita retribuit. Iustum igitur est secundum te, iuste et benigne deus, et cum punis et cum parcis.
Vere igitur 'universre vire domini misericordia et veritas', et tamen 'iustus dominus in omnibus viis suis'. Et utique sine repugnantia ; quia quos vis punire, non est iustum salvari, et quibus vis parcere, non est iustum damnari. Nam id solum iustum est quod vis, et non iustum quod non vis. Sic ergo nascitur de iustitia tua misericordia tua, quia iustum est te sic
esse bonum, ut et parcendo sis bonus. Et hoc est forsitan, cur summe iustus potest velle bona malis. Sed si utcumque capi potest, cur malos potes velle salvare : illud certe nulla ratione
comprehendi potest, cur de similibus malis hos magis salves
P R O S L O G I O N X - X I
Or do You with j ustice in one way punish the wicked and with justice in another way spare the wicked ? For when You punish the wicked it is just, since it agrees with their merits ; however, when You spare the wicked it is just, not because of their merits but because it is befitting to Your goodness. For in sparing the wicked Y oil are just in relation to Yourself and not in relation to us, even as You are merciful in relation to us and not in relation to Yourself. Thus it is, as You are merciful
(in saving us whom You might with j ustice lose) not because You experience any feeling, but because we experience the effect of Your mercy, so You are just not because You give us our due, but because You do what befits You as the supreme good. Thus, then, without inconsistency justly do You punish and justly do You pardon.
C H A P T E R X I
How 'all the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth', and yet how 'the Lord is Just in all His ways'
B u T is it not also just in relation to Yourself, Lord, that You should punish the wicked ? It is just inasmuch as You are so j ust that You cannot be thought to be more just. But You would in no wise be so if You only returned good to the good and did not return bad to the bad. For he is more just who rewards the merits of both good and bad than he who rewards the merits of the good alone. Therefore it is just in relation to
You, 0 just and benevolent God, both when You punish and when You pardon. Truly, then, 'all the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth' [Ps. xxiv. I O] and yet 'the Lord is just in all
His ways' [Ps. cxliv. 1 7] . And [this is so] without any incon sistency at all, since it is not just for those to be saved whom You
will to punish, and it is not just for those to be damned whom You will to pardon. For that alone is just which You will, and that
is not just which You do not will. Thus, then, Your mercy is derived from Your justice since it is j ust that You are so good that You are good even in forgiving. And perhaps this is why one who is supremely j ust can will good for the wicked. But if it can in some way be grasped why You can will to save the wicked, it certainly cannot be understood by any reason why from those who are alike in wickedness You save some rather
PlZO S L O G I O N X I -X I I I
quam illos per summam bonitatem, ct illos magis damnes quam istos per summam iustitiam.
Sic ergo vere es scnsibilis, omnipotens, misericors et impas sibilis, quemadmodum vivens, sapiens, bonus, beatus, reternus, et quidquid melius est esse quam non esse.
C A P I T U L U M X I I
Q,uod deus sit ipsa vita qua vivit, et sic de similibus S E D certe quidquid es, non per aliud cs quam per teipsum.
Tu es igitur ipsa vita qua vivis, et sapientia qua sapis, et bonitas ipsa qua bonis et malis bonus es ; et ita de similibus.
C A P I T U L U M X I I I
Q,uomodo solus sit incircumscriptus et ceternus, cum alii spiritus
sint incircumscripti et teterni S E D omne quod clauditur aliquatenus loco aut tempore, minus est quam quod nulla lex loci aut temporis coercet. Quoniam ergo maius te nihil est, nullus locus aut tempus te cohibet, sed ubique et semper es. Quod quia de te solo dici potest, tu solus incircumscriptus es et reternus. Quomodo igitur dicuntur et alii spiritus incircumscripti et retcrni?
Et quidem solus es reternus, quia solus omnium sicut non desinis, sic non incipis esse. Sed solus quomodo es incircum scriptus? An creatus spiritus ad te collatus est circumscriptus,
ad corpus vero incircumscriptus? Nempe omnino circumscri ptum est, quod cum alicubi totum est, non potest simul esse alibi ; quod de solis corporeis cernitur. Incircumscriptum vero, quod simul est ubique totum ; quod de te solo intelligitur.
Circumscriptum autem simul et incircumscriptum est, quod cum alicubi sit totum, potest simul esse totum alibi, non tamen ubique ; quod de creatis spiritibus cognoscitur. Si enim non esset anima tota in singulis membris sui corporis, non sentiret
PR O S L O G I O N XI-X I I I
1 33 than others through Your supreme goodness, and damn some rather than others through Your supreme justice.
Thus, then, truly are You perceptive, omnipotent, merciful, and impassible, just as You are living, wise, good, blessed,
eternal, and whatever it is better to be rather than not to be.
C H A P T E R X I I
That God is the very life by which He lives and that the same holds for like attributes
B u T clearly, whatever You are, You are not that through
another but through Your very self. You are therefore the very life by which You live, the wisdom by which You are wise, the very goodness by which You are good to both good men and
wicked, and the same holds for like attributes.
C H A P T E R X I I I
How He alone is limitless and eternal, although other spirits are also limitless and eternal A L L that which is enclosed in any way by place or time is less
than that which no law of place or time constrains. Since, then, nothing is greater than You, no place or time confines You but You exist everywhere and always. And because this can be said of You alone, You alone arc unlimited and eternal. How
then are other spirits also said to be unlimited and eternal ?
Now, You alone are said to be eternal because, alone of all beings, You will not cease to exist j ust as You have not begun
to exist. But how are You alone unlimited ? Is it that compared
with You the created spirit is limited, but unlimited with respect to a body? Certainly that is absolutely limited which, when it is wholly in one place, cannot at the same time be somewhere else. This is seen in the case of bodies alone. But that is unlimited which is wholly everywhere at once ; and this is true only of You alone. That, however, is limited and unlimited at the same
time which, while wholly in one place, can at the same time be
wholly somewhere else but not everywhere ; and this is true of
created spirits. For if the soul were not wholly in each of the parts of its body it would not sense wholly in each of them.
PRO S L O G I ON X I I I-X I V
tota m singulis. Tu ergo, domine, singulariter es mcircum scriptus et reternus, et tamen et alii spiritus sunt incircumscripti et reterni.
C A P I T U L U M X I V
Quomodo et cur videtur et non videtur deus a quterentibus eum AN invenisti, anima mea, quod qurerebas? Qurerebas dcum, ct invenisti eum esse quiddam summum omnium, quo nihil mclius
cogitari potest; et hoc esse ipsam vitam, lucem, sapientiam,
bonitatem, <eternam beatitudinem et beatam reternitatem ; et
hoc esse ubique et scmper. Nam si non invenisti deum tuum : quomodo est ille hoc quod invenisti, et quod illum tam certa
veritate et vera certitudine intellexisti? Si vero invenisti : quid est, quod non sentis quod invenisti? Cur non te sentit, domine deus, anima mea, si invenit te?
An non invenit, quern invenit esse lucem et veritatem ? Quo
modo namque intellexit hoc, nisi videndo lucem et vcritatem?
Aut potuit omnino aliquid intelligere de te, nisi per 'lucem tuam et veritatem tuam' ? Si ergo vidit lucem et veritatem, vidit te. Si non vidit te, non vidit lucem nee veritatem. An et veritas et lux est quod vidit, et tamen nondum te vidit, quia vidit te aliquatenus, sed non vidit te sicuti es?
Domine deus meus, formator et reformator meus, die desi deranti animre mere, quid aliud es, quam quod vidit, ut pure videat, quod desiderat. Intendit se ut plus videat, et nihil videt ultra hoc quod vidit nisi tenebras ; immo non videt tenebras,
qure nullre sunt in te, sed videt se non plus posse videre propter tenebras suas. Cur hoc, domine, cur hoc? Tenebratur oculus eius infirmitate sua, aut rcverberatur fulgore tuo ? Sed certe et tenebratur in se, et reverberatur a te. Utique et obscuratur sua brevitate, et obruitur tua immensitate. Vere et contrahitur angustia sua, et vincitur amplitudine tua. Quanta namque est lux illa, de qua micat omne verum quod rationali menti lucet !
P R O S L O G I O N X I I I-XIV
1 35 You then, 0 Lord, are unlimited and eternal in a unique way
and yet other spirits are also unlimited and eternal.
C H A P T E R X I V
How and why God is both seen and not seen by those seeking Him H A v E you found, 0 my soul, what you were seeking ? You were seeking God, and you found Him to be something which is the
highest of all, than which a better cannot be thought, and to be life itself, light, wisdom, goodness, eternal blessedness and
blessed eternity, and to exist everywhere and always. If you
have not found your God, how is He this which you have found, and which you have understood with such certain truth and true certitude ? But if you have found [Him], why is it that
you do not experience what you have found ? Why, 0 Lord
God, does my soul not experience You if it has found You ?
Or has it not found that which it has found to be the light and the truth ? But then, how did it understand this save by seeing the light and the truth ? Could it understand anything
at all about You save through 'Your light and Your truth'
[Ps. xlii. 3] ? If, then, it saw the light and the truth, it saw You.
If it did not see You then it did not see the light or the truth.
Or is it that it saw both the truth and the light, and yet it did not see You because it saw You only partially but did not see
You as You are ?
Lord my God, You who have formed and reformed me, tell
my desiring soul what You are besides what it has seen so that
it may see clearly that which it desires. It strives so that it may see more, and it sees nothing beyond what it has seen save darkness. Or rather it does not see darkness, which is not in
You in any way ; but it sees that it cannot see more because of
its own darkness. Why is this, Lord, why is this ? Is its eye darkened by its weakness, or is it dazzled by Your splendour?
In truth it is both darkened in itself and dazzled by You. It is indeed both darkened by its own littleness and overwhelmed by Your immensity. It is, in fact, both restricted by its own limitedness and overcome by Your fullness. For how great is
that light from which shines every truth that gives light to the
1 36
PRO S L O G I O N XIV-XV I
Quam ampla est illa veritas, in qua est omne quod verum est,
et extra quam non nisi nihil et falsum est ! Quam immensa est, qure uno intuitu videt qurecumque facta sunt, et a quo et per quern et quomodo de nihilo facta sunt ! Quid puritatis, quid
simplicitatis, quid certitudinis et splendoris ibi est ! Certe plus quam a creatura valeat intclligi.
C A P I T U L U M X V
Q,uod maior sit quam cogitari possit E R G O domine, non solum es quo maius cogitari nequit, sed es quiddam maius quam cogitari possit. Quoniam namque valet cogitari esse aliquid huiusmodi : si tu non es hoc ipsum, potest
cogitari aliquid maius te ; quod fieri nequit.
C A P I T U L U M X V I
Q,uod htEc sit 'lux inaccessibilis, quam inhabitat'
VE R E, domine, hrec est lux inaccessibilis, in qua habitas. Vere
enim non est aliud quod hanc penetret, ut ibi te pervideat.
Vere idco hanc non video, quia nimia mihi est ; et tamen quid
quid video, per illam video, sicut infirmus oculus quod videt per
lucem solis videt, quam in ipso sole nequit aspicere. Non potest
intellectus meus ad illam. Nimis fulget, non capit illam, nee suffert oculus animre mere diu intendere in illam. Rever
beratur fulgore, vincitur amplitudine, obruitur immensitate, confunditur capacitate. 0 summa ct inaccessibilis lux, o tota et
beata veritas, quam longe es a me, qui tam prope tibi sum !
Quam remota cs a conspectu meo, qui sic prresens sum con spectui tuo ! Ubique es tota pncsens, et non te video. In te moveor ct in te sum, et ad te non possum accedcrc. Intra me et circa me es, et non te sentio.
P R O S L O G I ON X I V
understanding ! How complete is that truth in which is every thing that is true and outside of which nothing exists save nothingness and falsity ! How boundless is that which in one glance sees everything that has been made, and by whom and through whom and in what manner it was made from nothing ! What purity, what simplicity, what certitude and splendour is there ! Truly it is more than can be understood by any creature.
C H A P T E R X V
How He is greater than can be thought T H E R E F O R E, Lord, not only are You that than which a
greater cannot be thought, but You are also something greater than can be thought. For since it is possible to think that there is such a one, then, if You are not this same being something greater than You could be thought-which cannot be.
C H A P T E R X V I
That this is the 'inaccessible light' in which He 'dwells'
T R U L Y, Lord, this is the inaccessible light in which You dwell. For truly there is nothing else which can penetrate through it so that it might discover You there. Truly I do not see this light since it is too much for me ; and yet whatever I see
I see through it, j ust as an eye that is weak sees what it sees by the light of the sun which it cannot look at in the sun itself.
My understanding is not able [to attain] to that [light] . It shines too much and [my understanding] does not grasp it nor does the eye of my soul allow itself to be turned towards it for too
long. It is dazzled by its splendour, overcome by its fullness, overwhelmed by its immensity, confused by its extent. 0 supreme and inaccessible light ; 0 whole and blessed truth, how far You are from me who am so close to You ! How distant
You are from my sight while I am so present to Your sight !
You are wholly present everywhere and I do not see You. In You I move and in You I have my being and I cannot come near to You. You are within me and around me and I do not have any experience of You.
P R O S L O G I O N XV I I-XV I I I
C A P I T U L U M X V I I
Q,uod in deo sit harmonia, odor, sapor, lenitas, pulchritudo, suo ineffabili modo A n H u c lates, domine, animam meam in luce et beatitudine tua, et idcirco versatur illa adhuc in tenebris et miseria sua. Circumspicit enim, et non videt pulchritudinem tuam.
Auscultat, et non audit harmoniam tuam. Olfacit, et non per cipit odorem tuum. Gustat, et non cognoscit saporem tuum.
Palpat, et non sentit lenitatem tuam. Habes enim hrec, domine deus, in te tuo ineffabili modo, qui ea dedisti rebus a te creatis suo sensibili modo ; sed obriguerunt, sed obstupuerunt, sed obstructi sunt sensus animre mere vetusto languore peccati.
C A P I T U L U M X V I I I
Q,uod in deo nee zn t.eternitate eius, quae ipse est, nullf£ sint partes ET iterum ecce turbatio, ecce iterum obviat mreror et luctus qurerenti gaudium et lretitiam ! Sperabat iam anima mea satietatem, et ecce iterum obruitur egestate ! Affectabam iam comedere, et ecce magis <inchoo) esurire ! Conabar assurgere ad lucem dei, et recidi in tenebras meas. Immo non modo cecidi in eas, sed sentio me involutum in eis. Ante cecidi, quam con ciperet 'me mater mea' . Certe in illis 'conceptus sum', et cum earum obvolutione natus sum. Olim certe in illo omnes cecidimus, 'in quo omnes' peccavimus. In illo omnes perdi dimus, qui facile tenebat et male sibi et nobis perdidit, quod cum volumus qurerere nescimus, cum qurerimus non invenimus,
cum invenimus non est quod qurerimus. Adiuva me tu 'propter bonitatem tuam, domine' . ' Quresivi vultum tu um, vultum tuum, domine, requiram ; ne avertas faciem tuam a me' .
Releva me de me ad te. Munda, sana, acue, 'illumina' oculum
PRO SLOGION XVI I-XV I I I
C H A P T E R XVI I
That harmony, fragrance, sweetness, sqftness, and beauty are in
God according to His own ineffable manner
S T I L L You hide away, Lord, from my soul in Your light and blessedness, and so it still dwells in its darkness and misery.
For it looks all about, and does not see Your beauty. It listens, and does not hear Your harmony. It smells, and does not sense
Your fragrance. It tastes, and does not recognize Your savour.
It feels, and does not sense Your softness. For You have in Yourself, Lord, in Your own ineffable manner, those [qualities]
You have given to the things created by You according to their own sensible manner. But the senses of my soul, because of the ancient weakness of sin, have become hardened and dulled and obstructed.
C H A P T E R X V I I I
That there are no parts in God or in His eternity which He is B E H O LD, once more confusion, once more sorrow and grief stand in my way as I seek joy and happiness ! Even now my soul hoped for fulfilment, and, lo, once again it is overwhelmed by neediness ! Even now I sought to have my fill, and, lo, I hunger the more ! I strove to ascend to God's light and I have fallen back into my own darkness. Indeed, not only have I fallen back into it, but I feel myself enclosed within it. I fell
before 'my mother conceived me' [Ps. L 7] . In that darkness indeed 'I was conceived' [ibid.] and I was born under its shadow. We all, in fact, at one time fell in him 'in whom all of us' sinned [Rom. v. 1 2] . In him (who easily possessed and wickedly lost it for himself and for us), we all lost that which, when we wish to look for it, we do not know; that which, when we look for it, we do not find ; that which, when we find it, is not what we are looking for. Help me 'because of Your good ness, Lord' [Ps. xxiv. 7] . 'I sought Your countenance, Your countenance l will seek, 0 Lord ; do not turn Your face away from me' [Ps. xxvi. 8] . Raise me up from my own self to You.
Purify, heal, make sharp, 'illumine' the eye of my soul so that it may see You [Ps. xii. 4] . Let my soul gather its strength
PR O S L O G I O N XV I I IX I X
mentis mere, ut intueatur te. Reeolligat vires suas anima mea, et toto intelleetu iterum intendat in te, domine.
Quid es, domine, quid es, quid te intelliget eor meum?
Certe vita es, sapientia es, veritas es, bonitas es, beatitudo es, reternitas es, et omne verum bonum es. Multa sunt hree, non potest angustus intelleetus meus tot uno simul intuitu videre, ut omnibus simul delectetur. Quomodo ergo, domine, es omnia hrec? An sunt partes tui, aut potius unumquodque horum est totum quod es? Nam quidquid partibus est iunctum, non est omnino unum, sed quodam modo plura et diversum a seipso, et vel actu vel intellectu dissolvi potest; qure aliena sunt a te quo
nihil melius cogitari potest. Nullre igitur partes sunt in te, domine, nee es plura, sed sic es unum quiddam et idem tibi ipsi, ut in nullo ti bi ipsi sis dissimilis ; immo tu es ipsa unitas, nullo intellectu divisibilis. Ergo vita et sapientia et reliqua non sunt partes tui, sed omnia sunt unum, et unumquodque horum est totum quod es, et quod sunt reliqua omnia. Quoniam ergo nee tu habes partes nee tua reternitas qure tu es : nusquam et numquam est pars tua aut <eternitatis ture, sed ubique totus es, et reternitas tua tota est semper.
C A P I T U L U M X I X
Q,uod non sit in loco aut tempore, sed omnia sint in illo
SED si per reternitatem tuam fuisti et es et eris, ct fuisse non est futurum esse, et esse non est fuisse vel futurum esse : quomodo reternitas tua tota est semper?
An de reternitate tua nihil pneterit ut iam non sit, nee aliquid futurum est quasi nondum sit? Non ergo fuisti heri aut eris eras, sed heri et hodic et eras es. Immo nee heri nee hodie nee eras es, sed simpliciter es extra omne tempus. Nam nihil aliud est heri et hodie et eras quam in tempore ; tu autem, licet nihil sit sine te,
PR O S L O G I ON XV I I I-X IX
again and with all its understanding strive once more towards You, Lord.
What are You, Lord, what are You ; what shall my heart understand You to be ? You are, assuredly, life, You are wisdom,
You are truth, You are goodness, You are blessedness, You are eternity, and You are every true good. These are many things, and my limited understanding cannot see them all in one single glance so as to delight in all at once. How then, Lord, are
You all these things? Are they parts of You, or rather, is each one of these wholly what You are? For whatever is made up of parts is not absolutely one, but in a sense many and other than itself and it can be broken up either actually or by the mind-all of which things are foreign to You, than whom nothing better can be thought. Therefore there are no parts in You, Lord ; neither are You many, but You are so much one and the same with Yourself that in nothing are You dissimilar with Yourself. Indeed You are unity itself not divisible by any mind. Life and wisdom and the other [attributes], then, are not parts of You, but all are one and each one of them is wholly what You are and what all the others are. Since, then, neither
You nor Your eternity which You are have parts, no part of You or of Your eternity is anywhere or at any time, but You exist as a whole everywhere and Your eternity exists as a whole always.
C H A P T E R X I X
That He is not in place or time but all things are in Him B u T if through Your eternity You have been and are and will be, and if to have been is not to be in the future, and to be present is not to have been or to be in the future-how does
Your eternity exist as a whole always?
Or is there nothing past in Your eternity, so that it is now no longer; nor anything future, as though it were not already?
You were not, therefore, yesterday, nor will You be tomorrow, but yesterday and today and tomorrow You are. Indeed You exist neither yesterday nor today nor tomorrow but are absolutely outside all time. For yesterday and today and to morrow are completely in time; however, You, though nothing
PROSLO G I ON X I X-X X I
non es tamen in loco aut tempore, sed omnia sunt in te. Nihil enim te continet, sed tu contines omnia.
C A P IT UL U M X X
Q,uod sit ante e t ultra omnia etiam ceterna
Tu · ergo imples et complecteris omnia, tu es ante et ultra omnia. Et quidem ante omnia es, quia antequam fierent tu es.
Ultra omnia vero quomodo es? Qualiter enim es ultra ea qure finem non habebunt?
An quia illa sine te nullatenus esse possunt, tu autem nullo modo minus es, etiam si illa redeunt in nihilum? Sic enim quodam modo es ultra illa. An etiam quia illa cogitari possunt habere finem, tu vero nequaquam? Nam sic illa quidem habent finem quodam modo, tu vero nullo modo. Et certe quod nullo modo habet finem, ultra illud est quod aliquo modo finitur.
An hoc quoque modo transis omnia etiam reterna, quia tua et illorum reternitas tota tibi prresens est, cum illa nondum habeant de sua reternitate quod venturum est, sicut iam non habent quod prreteritum est? Sic quippe semper es ultra illa, cum semper ibi sis pnesens, seu cum illud semper sit tibi prresens, ad quod illa nondum pervenerunt.
C A P I T U L U M X X I
A n hoc sit 'sceculum sceculi' sive 'scecula sceculorum'
AN ergo hoc est 'sreculum sreculi' sive 'srecula sreculorum' ? Sicut enim sreculum temporum continet omnia temporalia, sic tua reternitas continet etiam ipsa srecula temporum. Qure sreculum quidem est propter indivisibilem unitatem, srecula vero propter interminabilem immensitatem. Et quamvis ita sis magnus, domine, ut omnia sint te plena et sint in te : sic tamen es sine omni spatio, ut nee medium nee dimidium nee ulla pars sit in te.
PR O S L O G I O N X I X-X X I
can be without You, are nevertheless not in place or time but all things are in You. For nothing contains You, but You contain all things.
C H A P T E R X X
That He is before and beyond even all eternal things You therefore permeate and embrace all things ; You are be
fore and beyond all things. You are before all things of course
since, before they came to be, You already are. But how are
You beyond all things ? For in what way are You beyond those
things that will never have an end ?
Is it because these things can in no way exist without You,
though You do not exist any the less even if they return to nothingness ? For in this way, in a sense, You are beyond them.
Or is it also that they can be thought to have an end while You
cannot in any way ? For in this way, in a sense, they do indeed have an end, but You do not in any sense. And assuredly that which does not have an end in any way at all is beyond that
which does come to an end in some way. Is it also in this way
that You surpass even all eternal things, since Your eternity
and theirs is wholly present to You, though they do not have
the part of their eternity which is yet to come just as they do
not now have what is past ? In this way, indeed, are You always beyond those things, because You are always present at that
point (or because it is always present to You) which they have not yet reached.
C H A P T E R X X I
Whether this is the 'age ef the age' or the 'ages ef the ages'
I s this, then, the 'age of the age' or the 'ages of the ages' ? For
just as an age of time contains all temporal things, so Your eternity contains also the very ages of time. Indeed this [eternity] is an 'age' because of its indivisible unity, but 'ages' because of its immensity without limit. And although You are so great, Lord, that all things are filled with You and are in You, yet You exist without any spatial extension so that there
is neither a middle nor half nor any part in You.
P R O S L O G I O N X X I I - X X I I I
C A P I T U L U M X X I I
Qyod solus sit, quod est et qui est Tu solus ergo, domine, es quod es, et tu es qui cs. Nam quod
aliud est in toto et aliud in partibus, et in quo aliquid est muta bile, non omnino est quod est. Et quod incepit a non esse ct
potest cogitari non esse, et nisi per aliud subsistat redit in non esse ; et quod habet fuisse quod iam non est, et futurum esse
quod nondum est : id non est proprie et absolute. Tu vero es
quod es, quia quidquid aliquando aut aliquo modo es, hoc totus et semper es.
Et tu es qui proprie et simpliciter es, quia nee habes fuisse aut futurum esse, sed tantum prresens esse, nee potes cogitari
aliquando non esse. Et vita es et lux et sapientia et beatitudo et
reternitas ct multa huiusmodi bona, et tamen non es nisi unum et summum bonum, tu tibi omnino sufficiens, nullo indigens, quo omnia indigent ut sint, et ut bene sint.
C A P I T U L U M X X I I I
Q,uod hoc bonum sit pariter pater e t filius e t spiritus sanctus; et hoc sit unum necessarium, quod est omne et totum et solum
bonum H o c bonum es tu, deus pater ; hoc est verbum tuum, id est filius tuus. Etenim non potest aliud quam quod cs, aut aliquid
maius vel minus te esse in verbo quo te ipsum dicis ; quoniam verbum tuum sic est verum quomodo tu verax, et idcirco est
ipsa veritas sicut tu, non alia quam tu ; ct sic es tu simplex, ut de te non possit nasci aliud quam quod tu es. Hoc ipsum est
amor unus et communis tibi et filio tuo, id est sanctus spiritus ab utroque procedens. Nam idem amor non est impar tibi aut filio tuo ; quia tantum amas te et illum, et ille te et seipsum,
PRO S L O G I O N X X I I - X X I I I
C H A P T E R X X I I
That He alone is what He is and who He is Y o u alone then, Lord, are what You are and You are who You are. For what is one thing as a whole and another as to its parts, and has in it something mutable, is not altogether what it is. And what began [to exist] from non-existence, and can be thought not to exist, and returns to non-existence unless it subsists through some other; and what has had a past existence but does not now exist, and a future existence but does not yet exist-such a thing does not exist in a strict and absolute sense.
But You are what You are, for whatever You are at any time or in any way this You are wholly and forever.
And You are the being who exists in a strict and absolute sense because You have neither past nor future existence but only present existence ; nor can You be thought not to exist at any time. And You are life and light and wisdom and blessed ness and eternity and many suchlike good things ; and yet You are nothing save the one and supreme good, You who are completely sufficient unto Yourself, needing nothing, but rather He whom all things need in order that they may have being and well-being.
C H A P T E R X X I I I
That this good is equally Father and Son and Holy Spirit; and that this is the one necessary being which is altogether and wholly
and solely good Y o u are this good, 0 God the Father; this is Your Word, that is to say, Your Son. For there cannot be any other than what
You are, or any thing greater or lesser than You, in the Word by which You utter Yourself. For Your Word is as true as You are truthful and is therefore the very truth that You are and that is not other than You. And You are so simple that there cannot be born of You any other than what You are. This itself is the Love, one and common to You and to Your Son, that is the Holy Spirit proceeding from both. For this same Love is not unequal to You or to Your Son since Your love for Yourself and Him, and His love for You and Himself, are as great as You
826610 L
1 46
P R O S L O G I O N X X I I I - X X V
quantus cs tu et ille; nee est aliud a te et ab illo quad dispar non est tibi et illi ; nee de summa simplicitate potest proccdcre aliud quam quad est de quo procedit. Quad autem est singulus quisque, hoc est tota trinitas simul, pater ct filius et spiritus sanctus ; quoniam singulus quisquc non est aliud quam summe
simplex unitas et summe una simplicitas, qure nee multiplicari nee aliud et aliud esse potest.
'Porro unum est necessarium.' Porro hoc est illud unum necessarium, in quo est omne bonum, immo quad est omne et unum et totum et solum bonum.
C A P I T U L U M X X I V
Coniectatio, quale e t quantum sit hoc bonum Exe IT A nunc, anima mea, et erige totum intellectum tu um, et cogita quantum potes, quale et quantum sit illud bonum. Si enim singula bona delectabilia sunt, cogita intente quam delectabilc sit illud bonum, quod continet iucunditatem omni um bonorum; et non qualem in rebus creatis sumus experti, sed tanto differentem quanto differt creator a creatura. Si enim bona est vita creata : quam bona est vita creatrix? Si iucunda est
salus facta : quam iucunda est salus qua: facit omnem salutem?
Si amabilis est sapientia in cognitione rerum conditarum: quam amabilis est sapientia qure omnia condidit ex nihilo? Denique si multre et magnre delectationes sunt in rebus delectabilibus :
qualis et quanta delectatio est in illo qui fecit ipsa dclectabilia?
C A P I T U L U M X X V
Q,uae e t quanta bona sint fruentibus eo 0 Q.UI hoc bono fruetur : quid illi erit, et quid illi non erit !
Certe quidquid volct erit, et quod nolet non erit. Ibi quippe erunt bona corporis et animre, qualia 'nee oculus vidit nee
P R O S L O G I O N X X I I I-XXV
1 47 and He are. Nor is that other than You and than Him which is not different from You and Him ; nor can there proceed from Your supreme simplicity what is other than that from which it proceeds. Thus, whatever each is singly, that the whole Trinity is altogether, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit ; since each singly is not other than the supremely simple unity and the supremely unified simplicity which can be neither multiplied nor dif ferentiated.
'Moreover, one thing is necessary' [Luke x. 42] . This is, moreover, that one thing necessary in which is every good, or rather, which is wholly and uniquely and completely and solely good.
C H A P T E R X X I V
A speculation as to what kind and how great this good is N o w, my soul, rouse and lift up your whole understanding and think as much as you can on what kind and how great this good is. For if particular goods are enjoyable, consider care fully how enjoyable is that good which contains the joyfulness of all goods ; not [a joy] such as we have experienced in created things, but as different from this as the Creator differs from the creature. For if life that is created is good, how good is the Life that creates ? If the salvation that has been brought about is j oyful, how j oyful is the Salvation that brings about all salvation? If wisdom in the knowledge of things that have been
brought into being is lovable, how lovable is the Wisdom that has brought all things into being out of nothing? Finally, if there are many great delights in delightful things, of what kind and how great is the delight in Him who made these same delightful things ?
C H A P T E R X X V
Which goods belong to those who enjoy this good, and how great they are O H he who will enjoy this good, what will be his and what will not be his ! Whatever he wishes will certainly be his and what ever he does not wish will not be his. In fact, all the goods of body and soul will be there such that 'neither eye has seen, nor
PRO S L O G I O N X X V
auns audivit nee cor hominis' cogitavit. Cur ergo per multa
vagaris, homuncio, qmerendo bona animre tuce et corporis tui?
Arna unum bonum, in quo sunt omnia bona, et sufficit.
Desidera simplex bonum, quod est omne bonum, et satis est.
Quid enim amas, caro mea, quid desidcras, anima mea? Ibi est,
ibi est quidquid amatis, quidquid desideratis.
Si delectat pulchritudo : 'fulgebunt iusti sicut sol'. Si velocitas aut fortitudo, aut libertas corporis cui nihil obsistere possit :
'erunt similes angelis dei', quia 'seminatur corpus animale, et
surget corpus spirituale', potestate utique non natura. Si longa
et salubris vita : ibi est sana ceternitas et ceterna sanitas, quia
'iusti in perpetuum vivent' et 'salus iustorum a domino'. Si
satietas : satiabuntur 'cum apparuerit gloria' dei. Si ebrietas :
'inebriabuntur ab ubertate domus' dei. Si melodia : ibi angelo
rum chori concinunt sine fine deo. Si qucelibet non immunda sed munda voluptas : 'torrente voluptatis suce potabit eos' deus.
Si sapientia : ipsa dei sapientia ostendet eis seipsam. Si amicitia : diligent deum plus quam seipsos, et invicem tamquam
seipsos, et deus illos plus quam illi seipsos ; quia illi illum et se et invicem per illum, et ille se et illos per seipsum. Si concordia :
omnibus illis erit una voluntas, quia nulla illis erit nisi sola dei voluntas. Si potestas : omnipotentes erunt suce voluntatis ut
deus suce. Nam sicut poterit deus quod volet per seipsum, ita poterunt illi quod volent per ill um; quia sicut illi non aliud volent quam quod ille, ita ille valet quidquid illi volent ; et
quod ille volet non poterit non esse. Si honor et divitice: deus suos servos bonos et fideles supra multa constituet, immo
'filii dei' et dii 'vocabuntur' et erunt ; et ubi erit filius eius, ibi erunt et illi, 'heredes quidem dei, coheredes au tern Christi'. Si
PRO S L O G I O N XXV
1 49 ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived' [ 1 Cor. ii. g] . Why, then, do you wander about so much, 0 insignificant man, seeking the goods of your soul and body? Love the one good in which all good things are, and that is sufficient. Desire the simple good which contains every good, and that is enough. For what do you love, 0 my flesh, what do you desire, 0 my soul?
There it is, there it is, whatever you love, whatever you desire.
If beauty delights you, 'the just will shine as the sun' [Matt. xiii. 43] . If the swiftness or strength or freedom of the body
that nothing can withstand [delights you], 'they will be like the angels of God' [Matt. xxii. 30] ; for it is 'sown as a natural body and shall rise as a spiritual body' [I Cor. xv. 44] by a super natural power. If it is a long and healthy life, a healthy eternity and an eternal health is there since 'the just will live forever'
[Wis. v. 16] and 'the salvation of the just is from the Lord'
[Ps. xxxvi. 39] . If it is satisfaction, they will be satisfied 'when the glory of God will appear' [Ps. xvi. 1 5]· If it is quenching of thirst, 'they will be inebriated with the abundance of the house of God' [Ps. xxxv. g] . If it is melody, there the choirs of angels play unceasingly to God. If it is pleasure of any kind, not impure but pure, God 'will make them drink from the torrent of His pleasure' [Ps. xxxv. g] . If it is wisdom, the very
wisdom of God will show itself to them. If it is friendship, they will love God more than themselves and one another as them selves, and God will love them more than they love themselves because it is through Him that they love Him and themselves and one another, and He loves Himself and them through Himself: If it is peace, for all of them there will be one will, since they will have none save the will of God. If it is power, they will be all-powerful with regard to their wills, as God is with His. For just as God will be able to do what He wills
through Himself, so through Him they will be able to do what they will ; because, just as they will not will anything save what
He wills, so He will will whatever they will, and what He intends to will cannot not be. If it is honours and riches, God will set His good and faithful servants over many things [Matt. xxv. 2 l , 23] ; indeed, they will be called 'sons of God' and 'Gods'
[Matt. v. 9] and will in fact be so ; and where the Son will be there also they will be, 'heirs indeed of God and co-heirs of
Christ' [Rom. viii. 1 7] . If it is real security, they will indeed be
PROSLOGION XXV
vera securitas : certe ita certi erunt numquam et nullatenus ista
vel potius istud bonum sibi defuturum, sicut certi erunt se non sua sponte illud amissuros, nee dilectorem deum illud dile
ctoribus suis invitis ablaturum, nee aliquid deo potentius invitos
deum et illos separaturum.
Gaudium vero quale aut quantum est, ubi tale ac tantum bonum est? Cor humanum, cor indigens, cor expertum xrumnas immo obrutum <erumnis : quantum gauderes, si his omnibus abundares? Interroga intima tua, si capere possint gaudium suum de tanta beatitudine sua. Sed certe si quis alius, quern
omnino sicut teipsum diligeres, eandem beatitudinem haberet,
duplicaretur gaudium tuum, quia non minus gauderes pro eo quam pro teipso. Si vero duo vel tres vel multo plures idipsum haberent, tantundem pro singulis quantum pro teipso gauderes,
si singulos sicut teipsum amares. Ergo in illa perfecta caritate innumerabilium beatorum angelorum et hominum, ubi nullus minus diliget alium quam seipsum, non aliter gaudebit quisque pro singulis aliis quam pro seipso. Si ergo cor hominis de tanto suo bono vix capiet gaudium suum : quomodo capax erit tot et
tantorum gaudiorum? Et utique quoniam quantum quisque diligit aliquem, tan tum de bono eius gaudet : sicut in illa perfecta felicitate unusquisque plus amabit sine comparatione deum quam se et omnes alios secum, ita plus gaudebit absque
existimatione de felicitate dei quam de sua et omnium aliorum secum. Sed si deum sic diligent toto corde, tota mente, tota anima, ut tamen totum cor, tota mens, tota anima non sufficiat dignitati dilectionis : profecto sic gaudebunt toto cordc, tota
mente, tota anima, ut totum cor, tota mens, tota anima non
sufficiat plenitudini gaudii.
PRO S L O G I ON XXV
as assured that this same [security], or rather this same good, will never in any way fail them, as they will be assured that they will not lose it of their own accord, nor that the loving
God will take it away against their will from those who love Him, nor that anything more powerful than God will separate
God and them against their will.
What joy there is indeed and how great it is where there exists so great a good ! 0 human heart, 0 needy heart, 0 heart experienced in suffering, indeed overwhelmed by suffer ing, how greatly would you rejoice if you abounded in all these things ! Ask your heart whether it could comprehend its joy in its so great blessedness? But surely if someone else whom you loved in every respect as yourself possessed that same blessed ness, your joy would be doubled for you would rejoice as much for him as for yourself. If, then, two or three or many more possessed it you would rejoice just as much for each one as for yourself, if you loved each one as yourself. Therefore in that perfect and pure love of the countless holy angels and holy men where no one will love another less than himself, each will rejoice for every other as for himself. If, then, the heart of man will scarcely be able to comprehend the joy that will belong
to it from so great a good, how will it comprehend so many and such great joys? Indeed, to the degree that each one loves
some other, so he will rejoice in the good of that other; therefore, just as each one in that perfect happiness will love God in comparably more than himself and all others with him, so he will rejoice immeasurably more over the happiness of God than over his own happiness and that of all the others with him. But if they love God with their whole heart, their whole mind, their whole soul, while yet their whole heart, their whole mind, their whole soul, is not equal to the grandeur of this love, they will assuredly so rejoice with their whole heart, their whole mind, and their whole soul, that their whole heart, their whole mind, their whole soul will not be equal to the fullness of their joy.
PROS L O G I O N XXVI
C A P I T U L UM X X V I
An hoc sit 'gaudium plenum', quod promittit dominus D E u s meus et dominus meus, spes mea et gaudium cordis mei,
die animre mea:, si hoc est gaudium de quo nobis dicis per filium tu um : 'petite et accipietis, ut gaudium vestrum sit
plenum' . lnveni namque gaudium quoddam plenum, et plus
quam plenum. Pleno quippe corde, plena mente, plena anima, pleno toto homine gaudio illo : adhuc supra modum supcrerit gaudium. Non ergo totum illud gaudium intrabit in gaudentes, sed toti gaudentes intrabunt in gaudium. Die, domine, die servo tuo intus in corde suo, si hoc est gaudium, in quod intra
bunt servi tui, qui intrabunt 'in gaudium domini' sui. Scd
gaudium illud certe quo gaudebunt electi tui, 'nee oculus vidit, nee auris audivit, nee in cor hominis ascendit' . Nondum
ergo dixi aut cogitavi, domine, quantum gaudebunt illi beati tui.
Utique tantum gaudcbunt, quantum amabunt ; tantum ama
bunt, quantum cognoscent. Quantum te cognoscent, domine,
tune, ct quantum te amabunt ? Certc 'nee oculus vidit, nee auris audivit, nee in cor hominis ascendit' in hac vita, quantum te cognoscent et amabunt in illa vita.
Oro, deus, cognoscam te, amem te, ut gaudeam de te. Et si
non possum in hac vita ad plenum, vel proficiam in dies usquc
dum veniat illud ad plenum. Proficiat hie in me notitia tui, et ibi fiat plena ; crescat amor tu us, et ibi sit plenus : ut hie gaudium meum sit in spe magnum, et ibi sit in re plenum.
Domine, per filium tuum iubes immo consulis petere et pro
mittis accipere, 'ut gaudium' nostrum 'plenum sit' . Peto,
domine, quod consulis per admirabilem consiliarium nostrum ; accipiam quod promittis per veritatem tuam, 'ut gaudium' meum 'plenum sit' . Deus verax, peto accipiam, 'ut gaudium' meum 'plenum sit'. :rvfeditctur interim indc mens mea, loquatur
1 53
PR O S L O G I O N XXVI
C H A P T E R X X V I
Whether this is the 'fullness of joy' which the Lord
promises?
MY God and my Lord, my hope and the joy of my heart, tell my soul if this is the joy of which You speak through Your
Son : 'Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be complete'
[John xvi. 24] . For I have discovered a joy that is complete and more than complete. Indeed, when the heart is filled with that joy, the mind is filled with it, the soul is filled with it, the whole man is filled with it, yet joy beyond measure will remain.
The whole of that joy, then, will not enter into those who rejoice, but those who rejoice will enter wholly into that joy.
Speak, Lord, tell Your servant within his heart if this is the joy into which Your servants will enter who enter 'into the joy of the Lord' [Matt. xxv. '2 I ] . But surely that joy in which Your chosen ones will rejoice is that which 'neither eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man' [ 1 Cor. ii. 9] . I have not yet said or thought, then, Lord, how greatly your blessed will rejoice. They will, no doubt, rejoice as much
as they love, and they will love as much as they know. How much will they know You, then, Lord, and how much will they love You? In very truth, 'neither eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man' [ibid.] in this life how much they will know You and love You in that life.
I pray, 0 God, that I may know You and love You, so that I may rejoice in You. And if I cannot do so fully in this life may
I progress gradually until it comes to fullness. Let the know ledge of You grow in me here, and there [in heaven] be made complete ; let Your love grow in me here and there be made complete, so that here my joy may be great in hope, and there be complete in reality. Lord, by Your Son You command, or rather, counsel us to ask and you promise that we shall receive so that our 'joy may be complete' [John xvi. '24]. I ask, Lord, as You counsel through our admirable counsellor. May I re ceive what You promise through Your truth so that my joy may be complete' [ibid.] . God of truth, I ask that I may receive so that my joy may be complete' [ibid.]. Until then let my mind meditate on it, let my tongue speak of it, let my heart love
PRO S L O G I O N XXV I
inde lingua mea. Arnet illud cor meum, sermocinetur os meum.
Esuriat illud anima mea, sitiat caro mea, desideret tota substantia mea, donec intrem 'in gaudium domini' mei, 'qui
est' trinus et unus deus 'benedictus in srecula. Amen'.
PR O S L O G I O N X X V I
1 55 it, let my mouth preach it. Let my soul hunger for it, let my flesh thirst for it, my whole being desire it, until I enter into the ѩoy of the Lord' [Matt. xxv. 2 1 ] , who is God, Three in One, 'blessed forever. Amen' [ 1 Rom. i. 25] .