Confessions, Book XII

Book XII

• Confessions XII.1 — The Discovery of Truth is Difficult, But God Has Promised that He Who Seeks Shall Find. Chapter I .—The Discovery of Truth is Difficult, But God Has Promised that He Who Seeks Shall Find. 1. My heart, O Lord,…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.2 — Of the Double Heaven,—The Visible, and the Heaven of Heavens. 2. The weakness of my tongue confesseth unto Thy Highness, seeing that Thou madest heaven and earth. This heaven which I see, and this earth upon which I…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.3 — Of the Darkness Upon the Deep, and of the Invisible and Formless Earth. 3. And truly this earth was invisible and formless, and there was I know not what profundity of the deep upon which there was no light, because…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.4 — From the Formlessness of Matter, the Beautiful World Has Arisen. 4. What, then, should it be called, that even in some ways it might be conveyed to those of duller mind, save by some conventional word? But what, in…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.5 — What May Have Been the Form of Matter. 5. So that when herein thought seeketh what the sense may arrive at, and saith to itself, “It is no intelligible form, such as life or justice, because it is the matter of…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.6 — He Confesses that at One Time He Himself Thought Erroneously of Matter. 6. But were I, O Lord, by my mouth and by my pen to confess unto Thee the whole, whatever Thou hast taught me concerning that matter, the name…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.7 — Out of Nothing God Made Heaven and Earth. 7. And whence and in what manner was this, unless from Thee, from whom are all things, in so far as they are? But by how much the farther from Thee, so much the more unlike…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.8 — Heaven and Earth Were Made ‘In the Beginning;’ Afterwards the World, During Six Days, from Shapeless Matter. Chapter VIII.—Heaven and Earth Were Made “In the Beginning;” Afterwards the World, During Six Days, from…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.9 — That the Heaven of Heavens Was an Intellectual Creature, But that the Earth Was Invisible and Formless Before the Days that It Was Made. Chapter IX.—That the Heaven of Heavens Was an Intellectual Creature, But that…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.10 — He Begs of God that He May Live in the True Light, and May Be Instructed as to the Mysteries of the Sacred Books. Chapter X.—He Begs of God that He May Live in the True Light, and May Be Instructed as to the…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.11 — What May Be Discovered to Him by God. 11. Already hast Thou told me, O Lord, with a strong voice, in my inner ear, that Thou art eternal, having alone immortality. Since Thou art not changed by any shape or motion,…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.12 — From the Formless Earth God Created Another Heaven and a Visible and Formed Earth. Chapter XII.—From the Formless Earth God Created Another Heaven and a Visible and Formed Earth. 15. Which things considered as much…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.13 — Of the Intellectual Heaven and Formless Earth, Out of Which, on Another Day, the Firmament Was Formed. Chapter XIII.—Of the Intellectual Heaven and Formless Earth, Out of Which, on Another Day, the Firmament Was…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.14 — Of the Depth of the Sacred Scripture, and Its Enemies. 17. Wonderful is the depth of Thy oracles, whose surface is before us, inviting the little ones; and yet wonderful is the depth, O my God, wonderful is the…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.15 — He Argues Against Adversaries Concerning the Heaven of Heavens. 18. “Will you say that these things are false, which, with a strong voice, Truth tells me in my inner ear, concerning the very eternity of the Creator,…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.16 — He Wishes to Have No Intercourse with Those Who Deny Divine Truth. 23. With such as grant that all these things which Thy truth indicates to my mind are true, I desire to confer a little before Thee, O my God. For…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.17 — He Mentions Five Explanations of the Words of Genesis I. I. 24. For they say, “Although these things be true, yet Moses regarded not those two things, when by divine revelation he said, ‘In the beginning God created…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.18 — What Error is Harmless in Sacred Scripture. 27. All which things having been heard and considered, I am unwilling to contend about words, for that is profitable to nothing but to the subverting of the hearers. But…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.19 — He Enumerates the Things Concerning Which All Agree. 28. For it is true, O Lord, that Thou hast made heaven and earth; it is also true, that the Beginning is Thy Wisdom, in Which Thou hast made all things. It is…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.20 — Of the Words, ‘In the Beginning,’ Variously Understood. 29. From all these truths, of which they doubt not whose inner eye Thou hast granted to see such things, and who immoveably believe Moses, Thy servant, to have…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.21 — Of the Explanation of the Words, ‘The Earth Was Invisible.’. 30. And as concerns the understanding of the following words, out of all those truths he selected one to himself, who saith, “But the earth was invisible…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.22 — He Discusses Whether Matter Was from Eternity, or Was Made by God. 31. For, should any one endeavour to contend against these last two opinions, thus,—“If you will not admit that this formlessness of matter appears…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.23 — Two Kinds of Disagreements in the Books to Be Explained. 32. These things, therefore, being heard and perceived according to my weakness of apprehension, which I confess unto Thee, O Lord, who knowest it, I see that…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.24 — Out of the Many True Things, It is Not Asserted Confidently that Moses Understood This or That. Chapter XXIV.—Out of the Many True Things, It is Not Asserted Confidently that Moses Understood This or That. 33. But…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.25 — It Behoves Interpreters, When Disagreeing Concerning Obscure Places, to Regard God the Author of Truth, and the Rule of Charity. Chapter XXV.—It Behoves Interpreters, When Disagreeing Concerning Obscure Places, to…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.26 — What He Might Have Asked of God Had He Been Enjoined to Write the Book of Genesis. Chapter XXVI.—What He Might Have Asked of God Had He Been Enjoined to Write the Book of Genesis. 36. And yet, O my God, Thou…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.27 — The Style of Speaking in the Book of Genesis is Simple and Clear. 37. For as a fountain in a limited space is more plentiful, and affords supply for more streams over larger spaces than any one of those streams…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.28 — The Words, ‘In the Beginning,’ And, ‘The Heaven and the Earth,’ Are Differently Understood. Chapter XXVIII.—The Words, “In the Beginning,” And, “The Heaven and the Earth,” Are Differently Understood. 38. But others,…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.29 — Concerning the Opinion of Those Who Explain It ‘At First He Made.’. 40. But he who does not otherwise understand, “In the beginning He made,” than if it were said, “At first He made,” can only truly understand heaven…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.30 — In the Great Diversity of Opinions, It Becomes All to Unite Charity and Divine Truth. Chapter XXX.—In the Great Diversity of Opinions, It Becomes All to Unite Charity and Divine Truth. 41. In this diversity of true…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.31 — Moses is Supposed to Have Perceived Whatever of Truth Can Be Discovered in His Words. Chapter XXXI.—Moses is Supposed to Have Perceived Whatever of Truth Can Be Discovered in His Words. 42. Thus, when one shall say,…vatican.va
• Confessions XII.32 — First, the Sense of the Writer is to Be Discovered, Then that is to Be Brought Out Which Divine Truth Intended. Chapter XXXII.—First, the Sense of the Writer is to Be Discovered, Then that is to Be Brought Out Which…vatican.va