From this very life men are enlightened. Cattle are not en-
TRACTATE 1 57 (2) Pay attention then to the chest in the creative knowledge and the chest in the product. The chest in the product is not life; the chest in the creative knowledge is life. For the soul of the craftsman, in which exist all these things before they are produced, has life. So therefore, dearest brothers, because the wisdom of God, through which all things were made, contains all things in accordance with his creative knowledge before he constructs all things, it follows that whatever things are made through this creative knowledge are not immediately life; but whatever has been made is life in him. You see the earth; there exists an earth in his creative knowledge. You see the sky; there exists a sky in his creative knowledge. You see the sun and the moon; these, too, exist in his creative knowledge. But externally they are bodies; in his creative knowledge they are life.
(3) Look into this if you are at all able to; for a great matter has been expressed. And if [it has been expressed] by me who am not great or through me who am not great, nonetheless [it comes] from one who is great.^' For these words have not been expressed by me who am small; but that one is not small to whom I look that I may speak. Let each person grasp as he can, as far as he can; and he who cannot grasp, let him nourish it in his heart that he may be able to. With what is he to nourish it? Let him nourish it with milk so that he may arrive at solid food. Let him not withdraw from Christ, born through flesh, untif he arrives at Christ, born from the one Father, the Word, God with God, through whom all things were made. For that is life which in him is the light of men.
18. For this follows: "And the life was the light of men." From this very life men are enlightened. Cattle are not en-
41. Browne, 16, suggests that the great one here is perhaps Plato, not as an authority on Christian knowledge, but still as one who had some true knowledge that was useful to the Christian exegete. He refers to De Diversis Quaestionibm 46 and Retractationes 1.3.2 in support. It seems to me, however, that Augustine has the Lord, the Word, in mind to whom he constantly refers as the one who gives him his understanding, as in section 1, and from whom comes help to all Christians, "My help is from the Lord who made heaven and earth" (Ps 120.2), as in section 6. The last two sentences in this section support this view.