Augustine of Hippo

In his own words on Wisdom of Solomon

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:1

  Christ died for the ungodly and sinners so that we might be called to believe, not by merit but by grace, and thus by believing we might also establish merit. This is why sinners are commanded to believe, because by believing one purges himself from sins. Sinners, in fact, have no idea what they will see by living rightly. This is why—since they cannot see unless they live rightly, and they cannot live rightly unless they believe—it is obvious that they must begin by believing. In this way the commandments, by which those who believe separate themselves from the things of this world, purify their hearts—for only with a pure heart can one see God. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Also, in the words of the prophecy it is sung, "Seek him in sincerity of heart."

  ON EIGHTY-THREE VARIED QUESTIONS 68:3

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:5

  Nor can it be said that those who mingle with Christ's sheep in a merely physical and hypocritical way are either in the church or belong to the communion of the Spirit. For the Holy Spirit, the master of discipline, hates those who are hypocritical. That is why all those baptized in schismatic or heretical congregations—they might better be called segregations—have not been regenerated by the Spirit. They are similar, so to speak, to Ishmael, who was born from Abraham according to the flesh, and not like Isaac who was born according to the Spirit in virtue of the promise.

  SERMON 71:19.32

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:6

  Often, in fact, when the Scriptures speak about the mouth, they refer to the intimate recesses of the heart, where one approves and determines what will eventually be spoken with the mouth, when one speaks the truth. It follows, then, that anyone who approves a lie is in his heart a liar. A person might not lie in his heart, however, if in saying something that is not in his heart, he does so knowing that what he does is evil, but he does so to avoid a greater evil—at the same time disapproving of both evils. Those who hold this principle say that Scripture, as well, must be understood in this sense when it says, "He who pronounces the truth in his heart." With the heart, in fact, one must always speak the truth—but not always with the lips; for example, if someone is forced, so as to avoid a greater evil, to say with his voice something contrary to what is in his mind.… A response in fact cannot be known when it remains hidden from others, who cannot listen to the voice of the heart unless the voice of the body makes it heard. But that voice of the heart does reach the ears of the Spirit of the Lord who, as Scripture says in the text cited, fills the whole earth. In that same portion of Scripture it also speaks about lips, the voice and language; but saying that these are known to the Lord means nothing other than what refers to the heart. Thus, when it is said that a sound "reaches our ears," it means that it is no longer hidden even from human beings.

  On Lying 16:31

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:7

  The words "the Spirit hovered over the waters" do not require us, as some claim, to understand that spirit by which this corporal mass of the universe is animated, allowing bodily creatures to generate and preserve themselves, each according to their species. In fact, such a being would also be a creature. Also, regarding the text, "The Spirit of the Lord fills the universe," there are those who understand by this that spirit which, as an invisible creature, encompasses and vivifies the entire visible creation with a universal breath. But even here I do not see what would prevent one from understanding the Holy Spirit, when God says in a prophet, "I fill the heavens and the earth." God in fact does not fill heaven and earth without his Holy Spirit. What is strange, then, if it was said of his Holy Spirit, "he filled the universe"? Indeed, he fills in one way when he sanctifies, as was said of Stephen, "He was filled with the Holy Spirit," and of many others. In another way he fills with sanctifying grace, as happens with some saints, and in yet another way he fills everything with his manifest and ordering presence. In conclusion, I do not know whether it can be proven with certainty from Scripture that, when speaking of the Spirit of God or of the Spirit of the Lord without any further qualification, it refers to something other than the Holy Spirit.

  ON VARIOUS QUESTIONS TO SIMPLICIANUS 2:1.5

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:8

  Do not think, therefore, that God is in a particular place! He is with you, and he will be as you are. What does it mean, "He will be as you are"? He will be good if you are good, and he will seem bad to you if you are bad. If you are good, he will help you, but he will avenge himself if you are wicked. You have the judge within you. When you want to do evil, you withdraw from the town square to your house, where no enemy can see you. From the rooms of your house that are open and can be seen by others, you go into your own room. And even if in your room you fear indiscreet eyes, you hide in your heart, and there, within, you weave your plot. God is within you more deeply than your very heart. Wherever you flee to, he is there.

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 74:9

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:9

  So that human beings would not complain that they lacked something, what they were unable to read in their own hearts was written on tablets of stone. It is not true that they did not have a law written in their hearts. It is only that they refused to read it. What they should have read in their consciences was thus put before their eyes. People were urged to look into their hearts by the voice of God, coming, as it were, from without. As Scripture says, "He will inquire into the counsels of the godless." Now, where there is an inquiry, there must also be law. But, because human beings, in their desire for exterior things, had become strangers even to themselves, they were also given a written law. Not because the law had not already been written on their hearts, but because you had fled from your heart, and he who is everywhere wanted to find you again and compel you to return to yourself. And what does the written law call out to those who have distanced themselves from the law impressed on their hearts? "Transgressors, return to your hearts."

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 57:1

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:9

  Perhaps the good that has come to us from the Lord's passion should be attributed to the godless people who killed Christ? Absolutely not. They wanted to kill; God permitted it. They would have been guilty even if they had had only the intention. As for God, he would not have permitted the crime if it had not been just. Let us suppose that they had not been able to carry out their crime but had only wanted to: they would have been equally unjust, equally murderers. Who can doubt this? It is true that "the Lord scrutinizes the righteous and the godless," and "he will inquire into the counsels of the ungodly." God sees, therefore, what someone wants, and not only what he is able to do. It follows that, if the Jews had wanted to kill Christ but were unable to carry out their intention (and therefore actually would not have killed him), they would have still been guilty, while you would have been without the advantages of the passion of Christ. The godless therefore wanted to carry out actions worthy of condemnation and were allowed to do so in your favor. Desiring to do so is imputed to the unrighteousness of the godless, while being permitted to do so is attributed to the power of God. The godless therefore desired unjustly, whereas God permitted justly.

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 61:22

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:9

  Is God perhaps circumscribed by a place—he to whom every conscience is present, angelic and human, not only good but also evil? This distinction is truly important: whereas to good consciences he is present as Father, to bad consciences he is present as judge. In fact, it is written, "God judges the righteous and the ungodly." It is also written, "The thoughts of the ungodly will be examined." The Lord does not make himself heard to the ears of the body more strongly than he does in the secret of one's thoughts, where he alone listens, where he alone is heard.

  SERMON 12:3.3

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:11

  "Do not fear those who kill the body, but do not have power to kill the soul." Whoever wants to kill you can so do in the body but not in the soul. Your soul will not die, unless you yourself want to kill it. Another's wickedness can kill your flesh, but the truth would preserve your soul in righteousness. If you abandon the truth, what other evil could your enemy do to you that would be greater than what you have done to yourself? Your enemy, if he wanted to harm you, could at most kill your flesh. You, however, by giving false testimony, kill the soul. Listen to Scripture: "A lying mouth destroys the soul."

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 79:13

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:11

  "I have the power to give my life and the power to take it up again." In another passage of the Gospel it says that it is not only the Father who raises the Son but the Son also raises himself. "I will destroy this temple," he says, "and in three days I will raise it up again." And the Evangelist notes, "he spoke of the temple of his body." In fact, he had to raise what had died; now, the Word is not dead, and neither is his soul. Could the Lord's soul die, when not even your soul dies? How do I know, you ask, that my soul does not die? If you do not kill it, it will not die. In what sense, you ask, can I kill my soul? "A lying mouth destroys the soul," to not speak of other sins. How can I be sure, you insist, that it does not die? Listen to the Lord, who gives this assurance to his servant: "You must not fear those who kill the body and, after that, can do nothing more." And more exactly, what did he say? "Fear, rather, him who has the power to cause both body and soul to perish in Gehenna." This proves that the soul both dies and does not die.

  TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 47:7-8

• Wisdom of Solomon 1:13

  Therefore death does not come from God. In fact, "God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living." In fact, the supreme essence makes all that is to exist, and consequently he is called essence. Death forces what dies into non-being, to the degree that it dies. If in fact something that dies were to die completely, it would certainly arrive at nonexistence. But it dies only to the extent that it does not participate in the essence. In short, the less it exists, the more it dies. The body is less than any kind of life, because to the extent that it remains in its species, it does so thanks to life, whether this regards an animated being or the entire nature of the world. For this reason the body is more subject to death and closer to nonexistence. Thus the life that neglects God, delighting in the fruits of the body, tends toward nonexistence. And this is wickedness.

  OF TRUE RELIGION 11:22

• Wisdom of Solomon 2:1

  "They are corrupt, they do abominable things, no one does what is right." Listen to these corrupt people. They in fact "have spoken among themselves, reasoning unsoundly." Corruption begins with bad faith. From there it passes to depraved habits, later leading to the most violent injustice. This is, in general, the ladder one climbs. What, then, did they say among themselves, thinking badly, "our life is short and sorrowful"? From this mistaken conviction proceeds what the apostle also spoke of: "Let us eat and drink, because tomorrow we die." But in the book of Wisdom this wantonness is described more thoroughly: "Let us crown ourselves with rosebuds before they wither. Let us leave signs of our enjoyment." And after this more thorough description of wantonness, what do we read? "Let us kill the poor, just person," which is as much as to say, "God does not exist."

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 52:3

• Wisdom of Solomon 2:1

  When you say to yourself, "The happiness of this world is false," though you dare not express it, I nevertheless see in your heart that perhaps you wrinkle up your nose, mockingly, and say to yourself, "Maybe it will go well for me here! What comes after, I don't know." And it is not a small thing that you at least say that you do not know, so as to not perhaps also say, "Our life is short and sorrowful, and there is no remedy when a person dies. No one has been known to return from Hades." At least you say, "I don't know." Recognizing one's ignorance is a step toward knowledge. I speak to you, therefore, as if you were to say to me, "I don't know what there could be after death. I simply don't know whether the righteous will be blessed and sinners unhappy, or if both will cease to exist." Even not knowing, you would nevertheless not have the audacity to say that after death sinners will be blessed and the righteous unhappy. You cannot say, even if you suppose that both will no longer exist, that after death the godless will enjoy a better state and the righteous will suffer. Not even your ignorance can lead you to speak like that. Say, therefore, "I don't know if after death it will go well for the righteous and badly for the godless, or if both the one and the other will exist insensibly."

  SERMON 301:4.3

• Wisdom of Solomon 2:8

  May it therefore never happen that we say to you, Live as you like! Don't worry! God will never condemn anyone—it is enough that you keep the Christian faith. He redeemed you, he shed his blood for you—he will not damn you. If the desire to go and enjoy a show comes over you, do that too! After all, what is so bad about that? And these festivals that they celebrate in the whole city, with people rejoicing and feasting and (so they think) amusing themselves—while they are actually ruining themselves—at public tables … you go too, celebrate, do not worry! God's mercy is so boundless, he will let everything slide! "Crown yourselves with rosebuds before they wither!" And in the house of your God, feast there too, whenever you want! Stuff yourselves with food and drink along with your friends. Indeed, these creatures were given that you might enjoy them. Can God have given these things to the godless and the pagans, and not to you? If we were to make speeches like this to you, perhaps more people would join us. And if some perhaps noticed that we were saying things that were not entirely correct, we would alienate those few, but we would gain the favor of the great majority. If we were to act in this way, however, we would be proclaiming to you not the words of God and of Christ but our own words. We would be shepherds who pasture themselves, and not the sheep.

  SERMON 46:3.8

• Wisdom of Solomon 2:15

  If you … want to love the beauty of the house of God and the place where his glory dwells, seek vessels for noble use. And do not say, "I looked for them but did not find them." If you have sought and have not found them, it means that you have not sought. The similar tends toward the similar, the dissimilar flees the dissimilar. If you are a vessel for common use, it is natural that the vessel for noble use is annoying to you, even to look at. Have you not heard how some people said of such a one, "It is unbearable for us just to look at him"? If merely to look at him is unbearable for you, how could he appear to you plainly, so you might find him? Because these vessels are found in the realm of the interior man. Certainly, when someone gives the impression of being righteous, it does not mean that he is righteous. The righteous and the unrighteous both have the same face. Both are human beings, but both are not God's house, even if they both call themselves Christians. One is a vessel, and so is the other, but both are not for noble use. Rather, one is for noble use, and the other for common.

  SERMON 15:2.2

• Wisdom of Solomon 2:15

  "Since the wicked went away from me, I did not know him." What, then, does "I did not know him" mean? Does it refer to the fact that when a scoundrel meets a righteous person on a narrow street, the words from the Wisdom of Solomon run through his mind, "It annoys us just to see him," and he crosses the street, so as to not see that undesired person? But how many rascals there are, and how difficult it is for us to see them! They see us, and not only do they not depart from us, but also they run after us, hoping (at least sometimes) to carry out their wicked plans with our collaboration! This happens all the time. In what sense, then, do they go away? The person who is not like you departs from you. What does "he departs from you" mean? He does not follow you. And what does "He does not follow you" mean? He does not imitate your conduct. Or, "Since the wicked was far from me," that is, since he was not like me, neither did he want to imitate my conduct (he did not want to live according to the model that my life offered for his imitation), and thus, "I did not know him." What, then, does "I did not know him" mean? That I did not approve of him, and not that I did not actually know him.

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 100:7

• Wisdom of Solomon 2:20

  "Since, when he sees the death of the wise, he will not see death." He who has wearied himself endlessly and will live to the very end, "will not see death, when he sees the death of the wise." What do these words mean? He will not understand what death is when he sees the wise die. In fact, he says to himself, hasn't the one who was so wise, who was intimate with Wisdom, who worshiped God with such piety—hasn't he died also? I will therefore do what I like while I live. Indeed, if those who have wisdom could do something about it, they would not die. He sees the one who dies, yet fails to see what death is. "When he sees the death of the wise, he will not see death." In the same way, the Jews saw Christ hanging on the cross and mocked him, saying, "If he is the Son of God, he would come down from the cross." They did not see, in short, what death is. O, if they had seen what death is, they would have understood it! He died in time, so as to live again forever. They lived in time, so as to die forever. But since they saw him die, they did not see death, that is, they did not understand what true death is. What, in fact, do they say in Wisdom? "Let us condemn him to a shameful death, because, according to his own words, he will be protected. If he is truly a son of God, God will help him, and free him from the hands of his adversaries." That is, he will not allow his Son to die, if he truly is his Son. But when they saw him on the cross being insulted, and he did not descend from the cross, they said, "He was truly a man." It had already been said that one who could rise from the grave certainly could have descended from the cross. He taught us, however, to bear insults, to be patient before the tongues of people, to drink the bitter chalice now so as to later receive eternal life. You who are sick, drink the bitter chalice if you want to be healthy, because now your viscera are not healthy. Do not tremble with fear, because the doctor drank it first, that you might not tremble. The Lord, that is, drank the bitterness of the passion first. The one who had no sin drank, the one who had nothing to be healed of. Drink, therefore, until the bitterness of this world passes, until that world comes where there will be no scandal, no anger, no sickness, no bitterness, no fever, no deceit, no enmity, no old age, no death, no quarrels.

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 48:1.11

• Wisdom of Solomon 2:21

  Because Jesus was crucified and not freed, they believed he was not the Son of God. Thus, insulting him as he hung on the cross, they shook their heads, saying, "If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. He saved others, but he cannot save himself." With these words, as one reads in the book of Wisdom, "they thought thus but were mistaken. Their wickedness blinded them." What would have been so amazing about coming down from the cross, for one who rose from the grave without difficulty? But why did he want to be patient to death? To flee from the presence of Saul into the cave. "Cave," here, can be understood as a lower part of the earth. It was attested, in fact, and known to all, that Jesus' body was placed in a grave that had been hewn out of rock. This grave, then, was the cave, and Christ took refuge there from Saul. The Jews, in fact, persecuted him until he was placed in the cave. How can we show that they persecuted him until he had been put in the cave? They wounded him with a lance, when he was already dead on the cross. But when, after the funeral practices, the corpse was wrapped in linen and placed in the cave, by then they had nothing to do with his flesh. It was then that the Lord arose, unharmed and incorrupt, from the cave where he had taken refuge to flee the presence of Saul. He hid himself from the godless, whom Saul prefigured, and showed himself to his members. Once risen, his bodily members were touched by his members, the apostles. They touched the risen one and believed. Thus, Saul's persecution came to nothing.

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 56:4

• Wisdom of Solomon 2:21

  The third way in which sin itself is also the punishment for sin can be seen in the one who says, "I do the evil that I do not want to do." To this third type also belong all those evil actions one does through ignorance, believing them not evil or even good. In fact, blindness of heart, if it were not a sin, would be unjustly reproved, and yet it is reproved justly where it says, "Blind Pharisee!" as well as in a great many other passages of the Word of God. Moreover, if blindness itself were not a punishment for sin, it would not be said, "Their wickedness has blinded them." And if this did not happen by a judgment of God, we would not read, "Their eyes are darkened so they would not see; he weakens their backs forever." Indeed, who would blind his heart by his own choice, when no one would want to be blind in his body?

  UNFINISHED TRACTATE AGAINST JULIAN 1:47

• Wisdom of Solomon 2:23

  If, because of the sorrows the soul has conceived by its love of the world, we are not yet able to taste how sweet the Lord is, let us at least believe what the divine authority wanted said in the holy Scriptures regarding his Son, "born," as the apostle says, "of the seed of David according to the flesh." In fact, as it is written in the Gospel, "Everything was made through him, and without him nothing was made." He is the one who had compassion on our weakness, a weakness that we merited, not by his work but by our will. "Indeed, God created human beings for immortality" and gave them free will. A person would not be excellent if he were to observe God's commandments out of necessity and not through his own will.

  CHRISTIAN COMBAT 10:11

• Wisdom of Solomon 2:24

  Christ descended and died and by his death freed us from death. Dying, he destroyed death. And you, brothers, know that death entered the world through the envy of the devil. Scripture says that "God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the death of the living. He created all things that they might exist. But, by the devil's envy, death entered the world." Human beings would not have died at the hands of the devil, had it been a matter of being compelled by force. The devil did not have the power to force them, only the shrewdness to seduce them. Without your consent the devil would have remained impotent. It was your consent, O man, that led you to death. Born mortal from a mortal, we became mortal from the immortals that we were. By their origin in Adam all human beings are mortal. But Jesus, the Son of God, the Word of God through whom all things were made, the only-begotten Son, equal to the Father, became mortal. "The Word became flesh and dwelled among us."

  TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 12:10

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:1

  Where do we think these saints are? In a place where they are doing well. What more do you want? You do not know the place, but consider what it truly is. Wherever they are, they are with God. "The souls of the righteous are in the hands of God; no torment will touch them." They passed through torments to reach the place without torment. Through narrowness and constriction they reached the place of freedom. Therefore, those who are heading toward such a homeland should not be dismayed if the way is difficult.

  SERMON 298:3.3

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:1

  To say that God remembers is to say that he acts. Conversely, to say that he forgets is to say that he does not act: not because there is forgetfulness in God (given that he never changes) or remembrance (given that he never forgets). For those, then, who did not know what they were doing, "I have become like a man without support," when I was "free among the dead." And for those who did not know what they were doing, I have become "like the slain who sleep in the grave. And they are cast away from your hand." That is, when they reduced me to such a condition, "they were cast away from your hand." They thought I was a man without support; rather, it was they who were without the support of your hand. In fact, as it says in another psalm, "they dug a ditch before me, but they fell in it themselves." I think that the words "and I have been cast away from your hand" are best interpreted in this way, rather than referring to those who sleep in the grave, whom God does not remember. In fact, there are some righteous people among these latter, of whom it is true that he has not remembered them yet, so as to raise them. Nevertheless, of these it is also said, "The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God." That is, they enjoy the support of the Most High, and they dwell in the protection of the God of heaven. As for the others, however, they were cast away from the hand of God, since they thought that the Lord Jesus Christ was rejected by his hand, so much so that they could number him among the evildoers and kill him.

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 87:5

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:2

  "The Lord abandoned the evil he intended to inflict on his people." God wanted it to be understood that this evil was a punishment, as is said, "Their end was thought to be an evil." Similarly, it is said that good and evil come from God, but not according to the evil by which human beings are evil. God in fact is not evil, but he gives bad things to evil people, because he is just.

  QUESTIONS ON THE HEPTATEUCH 2:143

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:2

  "The sufferings of the present time cannot be compared with the future glory that will be revealed in us." But it remains hidden until it is revealed. And precisely because it is hidden, "in the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died." But, by the fact that it is concealed, does it thus also remain hidden to God, before whom it is precious? "Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his saints." Consequently, in the face of this hidden mystery we need eyes of faith, so as to believe what we do not see and to suffer courageously, resolutely accepting unjust evils.

  SERMON 306:1.1

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:2

  "In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their end was thought to be a punishment." "Malice," in Latin, does not ordinarily have the same meaning that it has in the language used in sacred Scripture. In fact, in Latin one usually calls "malice" that which makes human beings wicked. In the language of the Scripture, however, by "malice" is also meant the evil suffered by human beings. In this passage, therefore, the term should be understood in the sense of "punishment."

  SERMON 306:1.1

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:6

  There are two kinds of persecutors: those who insult and those who flatter. The tongue of the flatterer does more damage than the hand of the murderer, and Scripture calls such a tongue a furnace. Speaking of persecution, it says, "He tried them like gold in the crucible" (referring to the martyrs who had been killed), "and they pleased him like a sacrifice." Listen how the tongue of the flatterer is no different: "Fire puts gold and silver to the test, and a person is tested by the mouth that praises him." Both the one and the other are fire. You must emerge unscathed from both. The one who insults you breaks you to pieces, and you are shattered in the furnace like a clay vase. The word of God formed you; then came the test of suffering. Indeed, it is necessary that what has been formed also be baked. If the vase was well formed, fire is welcome! It will serve to harden it.

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 69:5

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:6

  The nations "did for their gods what is abominable to the Lord and what he detests. They even burned their sons and daughters in the fire, in homage to their gods." In what other way can it be more clearly shown than with these testimonies of sacred Scripture (and I have omitted others that are similar) that God, who gave these Scriptures to the human race, was not only not pleased but indeed detested sacrifices in which human beings were immolated? God loves and rewards fully those sacrifices in which a righteous person who suffers iniquity fights for the truth even to the point of death or is killed by enemies that he has offended for the sake of justice, repaying them good for evil, love for hatred. The Lord calls this righteous blood, from the blood of Abel until the blood of Zechariah. And especially, because he poured out his blood for us and offered himself in sacrifice to God. This surely was an offering, as much as it was also his being killed by his enemies for the sake of justice. Imitating him, the army of the martyrs fought until death for the truth and was immolated by ruthless enemies. Scripture says of the martyrs, "He tried them like gold in the crucible, and he was pleased with them as with a holocaust." Thus the apostle says, "Indeed, I am already being sacrificed."

  QUESTIONS ON THE HEPTATEUCH 7:49

• Wisdom of Solomon 3:8

  "If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." But, when we have arrived at life, what need is there for me to add "eternal"? And why add "happy"? Life, plain and simple, because that which is both eternal and happy is life. When we have arrived at life, we will have the certainty that we will live in it forever. In fact, if we find ourselves there and do not have the certainty of remaining there forever, even there we would be in fear. And if there is fear, there would be suffering, not of the body but of the soul, which is worse. But what kind of happiness is it where there is suffering? Thus, we will have the assurance of always being in that life, unable to see its end, because we will be in the kingdom of him about whom it was said, "And his kingdom will have no end." The book of Wisdom, making known to us the glory of God's saints, whose death is precious in his sight, says, as you heard at the end of the reading, "And the Lord will reign over them forever." We will therefore be in that great kingdom that endures forever, precisely because it is just, great and eternal.

  SERMON 306:8-9:7

• Wisdom of Solomon 4:7

  "The righteous one, even if he dies prematurely, will find rest." For whom, or from whom, is there in fact rest in this world, if there are trials on every side and, when we are spared these, temptations are everywhere? Indeed, this world should be feared, whether it threatens or seduces. But if one fears both God and the world, he will despise the latter, so as to better guard himself against it. Therefore, if we want to be at rest when death comes to surprise us, let us be righteous.

  SERMON 335m

• Wisdom of Solomon 4:11

  You will say, How much and how often have I prayed, and I have not been answered! But what did you ask for? Perhaps you asked for the death of your enemy. And … what if he asked for yours, as well? The one who created you also created him. You are a human being, and he is too, but God is the judge. He has listened to both of you and answered neither. Are you sad because your prayer against your enemy has not been granted? Rejoice, rather, that your enemy's prayer has not been granted, to your harm. But, you say, I did not ask for this. I did not ask for the death of my enemy but the life of my son. What evil is there in that? You asked for nothing evil, in your opinion. But what would you say if he was taken so that wickedness would not corrupt his soul? But, you object, he was a sinner! And this is why I wanted him to live, so that he would amend his life. You wanted him to live so that he would become better. And what would you say if someone told you that God knew that he would have become worse if he had lived? How do you know which would have been better for him, to die or to live? If, then, you do not know, return to your heart, and leave every decision to God. You will say to me, "But, then, what should I do? What should I ask for in prayer?" What should you ask for? What the Lord, the heavenly teacher, taught us. Invoke God as God, love God as God. There is nothing better than him. Desire him, long for him!

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 85:8

• Wisdom of Solomon 4:20

  "In you, Lord, I have taken refuge. I will never be put to shame." I am terrified, you say, of that confusion that lasts forever. There is a certain temporal confusion that is useful: the disturbance of a soul that realizes its sins, is horrified by what it sees and in that horror is ashamed and corrects what it is ashamed of. For this reason the apostle says, "But what fruit did you reap then of the things of which you are now ashamed?" He says, then, that those who are already believers should blush not for the gifts they have now but for the sins of the past. The Christian does not fear this confusion. Indeed, if he had not known this confusion, he would know the eternal confusion. What is the eternal confusion? When what is said will take place: "Their iniquities will rise up against them to accuse them." And the entire herd of the wicked, their accusing iniquities before them, will be on the left, as goats separated from the sheep. They will hear, "Be gone, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." They will ask, "Why?" "I was hungry, and you did not give me to eat." They despised the hungry Christ when they did not feed him. They gave him no drink when he was thirsty or clothes when he was naked. They did not take him in when he was a traveler or visit him when he was sick. They thus despised him. When he begins to point out all these sins, they will be covered with confusion, and this confusion will be eternal.

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 30:2.1:5

• Wisdom of Solomon 5:6

  One must not believe that we owe religious cult to the heavenly lights or must worship them because they are sometimes used as images to refer to the saints. We will now explain this in the name of Christ, showing how illogical it would be to want to worship the sun or the moon or the stars or the sky, because an image has been derived from them to indicate the saints. Many objects have been chosen by the inspired authors to represent the saints, but no one worships them. If in fact you wanted to worship everything symbolizing the saints, you would have to worship the mountains and the hills, given that it is written, "The mountains will exult like rams and the hills like lambs." You refer to the saints, but I will speak of Christ himself. If it is written, "The lion of the tribe of Judah has triumphed," why don't you worship the lion? And the rock as well, since it is written, "And the rock was Christ." If, then, you do not worship these earthly beings that symbolize Christ, even if certain images have been derived from them, you must remember that any creature that has been used to symbolize the saints is just an image and reserve your adoration for the Creator. Our Lord Jesus Christ has been called the sun. But is he perhaps this sun that the least significant animals see along with us? He is the light of which it is written, "He was the true light who enlightens every person who comes into this world." Material light enlightens not only people but also quadrupeds, herds and every kind of animal. The Light that enlightens all people shines in the heart and illumines only those having an intellect.

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 93:4

• Wisdom of Solomon 5:6

  Those who worship the sun will say, "The sun has not risen for us." While they worship the sun that he makes rise on the good and the wicked, the sun that enlightens only the good has not risen for them. Therefore, they fashion new gods, each one as he wishes. Indeed, what would prevent the workshop of an erring heart from giving the form he likes to his own fantasies?

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 80:14

• Wisdom of Solomon 5:7

  We must come to him who is the way, the truth and the life. And it should not surprise us that we reach, by faith, him through whom we walk in faith. Indeed, because he is the way, we run with him. And since he is our homeland, once we have finished the race we arrive where he is. In fact, being the rest and homeland of the angels according to his divinity, he became the way of pilgrims according to his humanity. As the rest and homeland of the angels, and indeed of all the faithful, "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And as the way of pilgrims, "the Word became flesh and came to dwell among us." When, after the sin of the first man, we were cast out of the earthly paradise as into a valley of tears, losing both the way and the homeland, we walked in difficult and lonely places, not knowing the way of the Lord. But not only did the good and merciful king of our homeland take it on himself to frequently send us his servants, but also he himself deigned to come down and prepare the way by which we can return to our homeland. O mortal, if you were lazy in looking for the way, the way himself deigned to look for you. If you were lazy in coming to the way, the way himself has come to you. Rise and walk. Flee the way of the world, wide and spacious, which delights for a time and damns for eternity. Run by the way of Christ, on which you will suffer for a very brief time, then rejoice forever together with the angels.

  SERMON 67:3-4

• Wisdom of Solomon 5:8

  They placed their hope in corruptible things, and therefore their hope will become vain, whereas our hope will then become reality. So that God's promise to us would remain whole, fixed and certain, let us say with hearts full of faith, "Do not destroy in the end." Do not fear, therefore, that some power might ruin the promises of God. God will not spoil them, because he is true. And there is no one more powerful than him who could cause them to fail.

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 74:1

• Wisdom of Solomon 5:9

  Now is the time of mercy, then will be the time of judgment. Why is now the time of mercy? Now he calls to the one who is far away and forgives the sins of the one who returns. He is patient with sinners, until they convert, and once they convert, he forgets the past and promises the future. He exhorts the lazy, consoles the afflicted, teaches the zealous, helps those who struggle. He abandons none of those who labor and cry out to him. He gives to those who give to him; he gives the means by which they might please him. The great time of mercy should not pass in vain, brothers and sisters—it should not pass in vain for us! The judgment will come, and then also there will be repentance, but by then it will be fruitless. "Repentant, they will speak to each other, groaning in anguish of spirit" (these things are written in the book of Wisdom). "What has our arrogance profited us? And what good has our boasted wealth brought us? All this has passed like a shadow." Let us say now, "All these things pass like a shadow." Let us say it now, fruitfully, "They will pass," so we will not have to say then, without fruit, "They have passed." This is therefore the time of mercy, but there will also be the time of judgment.

  EXPOSITION 2 OF THE PSALMS 32:1.10

• Wisdom of Solomon 5:9

  "The posterity of the godless will perish." This is because the posterity of the godless are their works. But we again see that the child of the godless prospers in the world and, at times, becomes righteous and prospers in Christ. Observe therefore how you must understand this, so as to open the roof and come to Christ. Do not understand this carnally, because you would fall into error. But the seed of the godless, all the works of the godless, will perish; they will not bear fruit. For the time being, in fact, they will have some value, but later they will look for what they have done and not find it.

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 36:3.10

• Wisdom of Solomon 6:15

  The Lord adds, "Because they do not know the one who sent me." These words are said concerning that knowledge about which it is written elsewhere, "To know you is perfect wisdom." Those who have this knowledge of the Father, by whom Christ was sent, absolutely cannot persecute the ones whom Christ gathers, because they themselves, along with the others, have been gathered by Christ.

  TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 88:4

• Wisdom of Solomon 6:16

  God, through his hidden power, impresses an impetus on the entire universe of his creatures. And it is precisely in virtue of this impetus that every creature is set in motion—when the angels carry out God's orders, when the stars complete their orbit; when the winds blow now in one direction, now in another, when the abyss is stirred up by rushing waters and by condensed, swirling vapors in the air; when the vegetable kingdom germinates and its seeds develop, when animals are born and pass their lives according to their proper instincts; and when the wicked are allowed to torment the righteous. Thus God unfurls the ages that he had rolled up, so to speak, in the primordial creation. Those ages would not have followed their course if he who created them were to cease his providential government over them. The beings that grow and are born in time should teach us how we are to think of these things. Not without reason, in fact, does Scripture say that Wisdom "benevolently appears" to those who love her, "in their ways, and meets them with her unfailing providence." Moreover, we should not listen to those who think that divine providence governs only the highest regions of the world, those on the outer edge of (that is, above) our atmosphere, which is denser; but that the lowest part—the earth and the sea, and the earthly atmosphere that is closer and thus permeated with humidity because of evaporation from the land and the sea (and in which winds and clouds are formed)—is rather ruled by chance, agitated by random movements. Against these the psalm speaks that, after having praised the heavenly beings, turns its attention to those of earth and says, "Praise the Lord of the earth, you sea monsters and all you deeps. Fire and hail, snow and ice, storm winds which fulfill his command."

  ON GENESIS 5:20.41-21:42

• Wisdom of Solomon 6:20

  "At all times my soul longed to desire the ways of your righteousness." A commendable passion, this, not a blameworthy one. It is not of this desire that it is written, "Do not covet," a prohibition that regards the passions with which the flesh rises against the spirit. This, rather is a longing by which the spirit rises against the flesh. If you wanted to find a scriptural passage on this, you would find, "The desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom." And there are many other testimonies concerning this concupiscence in a good sense. It is very interesting to note that when speaking of desire in a good sense, the object that is desired is always expressed. On the contrary, if only concupiscence is spoken of, without adding the object, it must be understood in a bad sense. Thus in the cited passage it says, "The desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom." If it had not specified, "for wisdom," it certainly would not have said, "Concupiscence leads to a kingdom." The apostle writes, "I would not have known concupiscence, if the law had not said, 'Do not covet.' " It does not specify the object of that desire or what it is prohibited to desire, yet it is certain that, expressing himself in this way, he is referring to a disordered desire.

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 118:8.3

• Wisdom of Solomon 6:24

  One who must speak with wisdom, if he is unable to do so eloquently, must absolutely follow the word of the Scriptures closely. The poorer he is in himself, the more necessary it is that he be rich in the Scriptures, so as to demonstrate, using them, what he says with his own words. And one who is inferior in speaking will in some way grow, thanks to the testimony of what is superior. In fact, the one less able to delight by speaking will delight by demonstrating. One who makes an effort to speak not only with wisdom but also with eloquence will be even more useful if he is skilled in both. Willingly would I allow that a person whom I counsel to follow the masters of rhetorical art read, listen to or practice imitating the eloquent, because those who are read or listened to are known for speaking or for having spoken not only eloquently but also wisely and truly. In fact, those who speak with eloquence do so attractively, whereas those who speak with wisdom are listened to for salvation. For this reason, Scripture does not say, "An abundance of those who are eloquent," but "An abundance of the wise is the salvation of the world."

  CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 4:5.8

• Wisdom of Solomon 7:16

  Since concerning everything that must be explained in the light of faith and love, there are many things to say and many ways in which experts can speak about them, who knows, at the present moment, what would be useful for us to say or to hear, except the one who sees the hearts of all? And who makes us say what should be said, in the right way, if not him in whose hands are both we and all of our words? Therefore, even if one learns everything there is to teach, all that he ever wanted to know and teach, and acquires the ability to speak, as is appropriate to a church leader—when the moment comes to speak, he should remember that what the Lord says is more fitting than all his valid arguments. "Do not worry about how and what you are to say, because what you are to say will be given you in that moment. Indeed, it will not be you who are speaking but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you." If, then, the Holy Spirit speaks in those who have been handed over to persecution for Christ, why would he not also do so in those who hand over doctrine to those who want to know Christ?

  CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 4:15.32

• Wisdom of Solomon 7:22

  After many descriptive phrases it says of the Spirit of wisdom, "Acute, mobile, certain, immaculate." Thus the Wisdom of God is also mobile. Now, if it is mobile, when it dwells in one place, does it perhaps not dwell in another? Or if it is here, does it depart from there? What, then, about speed? Its speed derives from this: that it is always everywhere, and nothing can contain it. But we are incapable of thinking of such things—we are slow. Who could ever think of them? In fact, brothers and sisters, I have said something to you as best I can (if I have in fact understood something), and likewise you have understood as best you can. But what does the apostle say? "To him who can accomplish more than all we can ask or think." What can we deduce from this? That even when we understand, we do not understand how things really are, objectively. Why is this? "The corruptible body weighs down the soul." Therefore, as long as we are on earth we will be cold, whereas speed burns with heat—and all hot things are fast, but what is cold is slow. We are slow, and thus cold, while Wisdom runs at the maximum limit of speed. It is therefore exceedingly hot, and no one can escape its heat.

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 147:22

• Wisdom of Solomon 7:26

  See God, see His Word inhering to the Word speaking, that the speaker speaks not by syllables, but this his speaking is a shining out in the brightness of wisdom. What is said of the Wisdom itself? "It is the radiance of eternal light." Observe the radiance of the sun. The sun is in the heaven, and spreads out its brightness over all lands and over all seas, and it is simply a corporal light. If, indeed, thou canst separate the brightness from the sun, then separate the Word from the Father. I am speaking of the sun. One small, slender flame of a lamp, which can be extinguished by one breath, spreads its light over all that lies near it: thou seest the light generated by the flame spread out; thou seest its emission, but not a separation. Understand, then, beloved brethren, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are inseparably united in themselves; that this Trinity is one God; that all the works of the one God are the works of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

  TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 20:13

• Wisdom of Solomon 7:26

  What wonder, therefore, if He is sent, not because He is unequal with the Father, but because He is "a pure emanation issuing from the glory of the Almighty God?" For there, that which issues, and that from which it issues, is of one and the same substance. For it does not issue as water issues from an aperture of earth or of stone, but as light issues from light. For the words, "For she is the brightness of the everlasting light," what else are they than, she is light of everlasting light? For what is the brightness of light, except light itself? and so co-eternal with the light, from which the light is. But it is preferable to say, "the brightness of light," rather than "the light of light;" lest that which issues should be thought to be darker than that from which it issues. For when one hears of the brightness of light as being light itself, it is more easy to believe that the former shines by means of the latter, than that the latter shines less. But because there was no need of warning men not to think that light to be less, which begat the other (for no heretic ever dared say this, neither is it to be believed that any one will dare to do so), Scripture meets that other thought, whereby that light which issues might seem darker than that from which it issues; and it has removed this surmise by saying, "It is the brightness of that light," namely, of eternal light, and so shows it to be equal. For if it were less, then it would be its darkness, not its brightness; but if it were greater, then it could not issue from it, for it could not surpass that from which it is educed.

  ON THE TRINITY 4:20.27

• Wisdom of Solomon 7:27

  If Adam had been capable of understanding the word that God communicates to angelic spirits through his own essence, it cannot be doubted that God, without being moved himself through time, would have moved Adam's spirit in a mysterious and ineffable way. He would have taught him a useful and salutary precept of truth and, by the same Truth, what punishment awaited its transgressor. This is how all the salutary precepts of unchanging Wisdom that are communicated to holy souls at particular moments, at this or that time, should be seen and understood. If, however, Adam was righteous only to the extent that he still needed another holier and wiser creature through whom he would come to know the will and command of God (as we have had need of the prophets, and they of the angels), why should we doubt that God would have spoken to him through such a creature, using a language that Adam could understand?

  ON GENESIS 8:27.50

• Wisdom of Solomon 7:27

  Observing, then, all the other things put beneath you, I discovered that they neither wholly exist, nor do they wholly not exist. They exist, since they are from you, but they also do not exist because they are not what you are. For only what exists immutably, truly exists. It is good for me to be in union with God then, since, if I do not remain in him, neither can I remain in myself. He, by contrast, "remaining stable in himself, renews all things." "You are my Lord, because you have no need of my goodness."

  Confessions 7.11.17

• Wisdom of Solomon 7:27

  You believe in God, the Father almighty, invisible, immortal, king of the ages, creator of all things visible and invisible, and so on according to what is said of him, either by right reason or by the authority of sacred Scripture. From this greatness of the Father, then, you must not exclude the Son. Because these are things that are not said exclusively of the Father, as though he were unrelated to the one who said, "I and the Father are one," and of whom the apostle said, "Who, being divine in nature, did not consider robbery his equality with God." Robbery is the usurping of something that belongs to another, but this equality is his by nature. Consequently, how is the Son not almighty, through whom all things were made, who is also the power and the wisdom of God, that wisdom about which it is written, "Being one, she can do all things"? That nature is therefore also invisible, by the very fact that he is equal to the Father.

  SERMON 212:1

• Wisdom of Solomon 7:27

  If spiritual light was created when God said, "Let there be light," you must not think that this was the true light, coeternal with the Father, through whom all things were created and who enlightens every person. Rather, it was that light of which Scripture could say, "Among all things, Wisdom was created first." In fact, when that eternal and immutable Wisdom, which is not created but generated, communicates itself to spiritual and rational creatures—as to holy souls so that, enlightened, they might shine—he constitutes in them, so to speak, a state of enlightened reason that can be understood as the creation of the light when God said, "Let there be light!" If there already existed a spiritual creature called by the name "heavens" in the passage where it is written, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," these heavens are not the corporeal heavens but the incorporeal. They are superior to any body, not by the ordering of space into levels but because of the exceeding dignity of their nature.

  ON GENESIS 1:17.32

• Wisdom of Solomon 7:27

  The world is the greatest of the visible beings. God is the greatest of the invisible beings. But we see that the world exists, and we believe that God exists. No one makes us believe with more certainty that God created the world than God himself. And when did we hear this? Nowhere better than in the holy Scriptures, where his prophet said, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Was this prophet perhaps present when God created the heavens and the earth? No. But the Wisdom of God was there, through whom all things were made. Entering holy souls, this Wisdom makes friends of God and prophets, silently making her works known in them. With them the angels of God also speak, who always see the face of the Father, and communicate his will to those to whom it must be communicated. And one of these was this prophet who said and wrote, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." And this is a text so trustworthy for belief in God that, thanks to the same Spirit of God through whom he knew these revealed things, he also predicted, long ago, the advent of our faith.

  City of God 11.4.1

• Wisdom of Solomon 7:28

  In your opinion, even those who are born foolish—whom sacred Scripture says should be pitied more than the dead—receive their foolishness as fate from God their creator. But even with these, God undoubtedly loves their souls in some way, because they exist, live and feel, and in any case they are greater than beasts, even if they are dull-minded souls. But that love is different, of which it is written, "God loves no one so much as the one who lives with wisdom." You, however, ask why God has more love for the souls of babies, for whom he provides the washing of regeneration, sending them to the kingdom, and why would he not give this benefit to others, since babies have no merits of the will to distinguish them, nor is there preference of persons with God. This is a completely stupid argument, which you are always bringing up to us. That where it was said, "You love souls," it did not say "all souls," there is no question. Perhaps it was said this way in the sense that God creates all souls but loves only those whom he distinguishes from the others, not based on their merits but by the generosity of his grace, so that they might live with wisdom, as it is written, "God loves no one so much as the one who lives with wisdom—but the Lord gives the wisdom!"

  UNFINISHED TRACTATE AGAINST JULIAN 4:125

• Wisdom of Solomon 8:1

  There is a problem regarding certain very small animals, that is, whether they were created at the beginning of the creation or whether they derived later from the corruption of mortal beings. Most of these in fact come either from pathological mutations in living beings, or from their excrement or fumes or from decayed cadavers. Some others come from rotten wood or grasses, and others from rotten fruit. Regarding all these animals, we nonetheless do not have the right to say that God did not create them, since they all have a certain natural beauty appropriate to their species. This beauty can provoke greater wonder in one who considers them closely, leading him to even greater praise of the almighty Artisan who made all of them in Wisdom, which, extending from one end of the earth to the other and governing all things well, leaves not even the lowest creatures of nature without form. These creatures decay, as is appropriate to their species (something that horrifies us to see, recalling the punishment that made us mortal). He creates animals, however, having tiny bodies but acute senses. If we were to observe them more closely, we might be more amazed at the agility of a fly than at the power of a beast of burden that walks, and we might admire the works of ants more than the heavy loads carried by camels.

  ON GENESIS 3:14.22

• Wisdom of Solomon 8:1

  What is speed, brothers and sisters, essentially? It is everywhere and cannot be divided. Now this applies to the Word of God: not being divided in parts, being everywhere in its nature as Word, being the Power and Wisdom of God—without, that is, considering the flesh he would assume. If we think of God in the form of God, of the Word equal to the Father, he is the Wisdom of God of which it was said, "She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other." What speed! "She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other." But perhaps these ends are reached by remaining immobile. If this occurs without motion, as when a boulder fills a space, so it is said of him that he reaches both ends of that space without any motion.

  EXPOSITIONS OF THE PSALMS 147:22

• Wisdom of Solomon 8:7

  I have used a passage of the book of Wisdom according to the copy in our possession, where it is read, "Wisdom teaches sobriety, justice and virtue." Even using these words I have been able to speak of some truths, but, by chance, I became aware of their true meaning through an error. What is more true than the fact that Wisdom teaches the truth of contemplation, a concept that I had thought was expressed by the term "sobriety," or that it teaches uprightness of action, which I thought was indicated by the other two terms, "justice and virtue"? But the best codices of that translation have, "It teaches sobriety and wisdom and justice and virtue." With these terms the Latin translator meant to designate the four virtues that pertain especially to philosophical language. He calls temperance sobriety, gives prudence the name of wisdom, names fortitude by the term "virtue," and has translated only justice by its own name. Much later, consulting the Greek copies, I noticed that in the book of Wisdom the four virtues are designated by the exact terms assigned them by the Greeks.

  RETRACTATIONS 1:7.3

• Wisdom of Solomon 8:19-20

  A closer examination is needed of the passage in the book of Wisdom that says, "A good soul fell to my lot, and, because I was unusually good, I entered an undefiled body." This would in fact seem to support the opinion according to which it is believed that souls are not propagated from a single soul but enter bodies from on high. What, however, is the meaning of the phrase "a good soul fell to my lot"? One could imagine that in the creation of souls, if there is such a thing, some are good and others not, and these are distributed on the basis of a kind of lottery, which would decide which type of soul would be infused in each individual person. Or, at the moment of conception or birth God makes some people good and others not, in such a way that each of them would receive the soul that had been assigned to them by the draw. It would be odd if the cited text were a convincing argument, at least for those who believe that souls are created in another place and sent by God, one by one, into each human body. Not so, however, for those who assert that souls are sent into bodies based on the merits from works done prior to being united to the body. Indeed, based on what criteria could it be thought that souls, some good and others not, enter bodies, except according to their actions? This is inconsistent, however, with a nature in which all souls are created by him who creates all natures good. Far be it from us, however, to contradict the apostle, who, when speaking of the twins who were still in Rachel's womb, says that, being as yet unborn, they had not done anything either good or evil. He thus concludes that, not based on works but by the grace of him who calls, Scripture says, "The older will serve the younger." Let us therefore set aside for awhile the text being considered here from the book of Wisdom, because we must not ignore the opinion, correct or not, of those who believe that it especially and exclusively concerns the soul "of the mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus." If necessary, we will examine the meaning of this text later in such a way that, if it cannot be applied to Christ, we will try to discover in what sense it must be understood so as to not contradict the doctrine of the apostle, starting from the hypothesis that souls have merits deriving from their actions prior to living in their bodies.

  ON GENESIS 10:7.12

• Wisdom of Solomon 8:19-20

  After saying, "I was a child of a noble nature," explaining why he was good-natured, he immediately adds, "A good soul fell to my lot," receiving it, that is, from either the nature or the physical temperament of the father. He then says, "Being good beyond the usual, I entered an unsullied body." … If we wanted to understand these expressions as referring to the Lord with respect to the human nature assumed by the Word, in the same context there are statements that cannot be applied to his sublime person, and especially the following. The same author, in the same book, a little above the passage we are now discussing, professes to have been formed from the blood that comes from the seed of a man. This kind of birth, however, is absolutely different from the birth from the Virgin, since no Christian doubts that she conceived the flesh of Christ without the cooperation of male seed.

  ON GENESIS 10:17.31-18:32

• Wisdom of Solomon 8:21

  "I said, 'Have mercy on me, O Lord. Heal me, for I have sinned against you.' " So—"I said." I do not, to excuse my sin, look for who sinned through me or who forced me to sin. I do not say that it was by chance or that Fate wanted it. And finally, I do not say that it was the devil. Certainly the devil has power to suggest, even to cause fear and even, if he is allowed, to seriously harass. But we must ask the Lord for strength, so that the seductions do not captivate us and the difficulties do not break us. Against the seductions and threats of the enemy he gives us two virtues: continence and patience. To curb pleasures, so that prosperity does not seduce us, and to endure fears, so that difficulties do not break us. "But knowing," it is written, "that no one can be continent unless it is granted him by God," we see that he asked him, "Create a pure heart in me, O God." And also, "Woe to those who have lost the strength to endure."

  SERMON 20:2

• Wisdom of Solomon 8:21

  Continence is commanded of us. Where is this command? The apostle writes to Timothy, "Be continent!" It is a command, a precept—we must listen to it and put it into practice. But if God does not help us, we are unable to. We try to do something about it with our will, and the will engages in the attempt. Do not presume to do it without someone to help you in your weakness! You have certainly been commanded to be continent, but listen now to another passage of Scripture: "Knowing that no one can be continent unless God grants it to him, and that it was a gift of wisdom itself to know who was the giver of this gift." So what did he do? He says, "I turned to the Lord and implored him." What need is there, my brothers and sisters, to cite many passages? Whatever command is given us, we must pray so as to be able to carry it out. Clearly not in the sense that we must go off and, as lazy people do, lay on the ground on our backs, saying, "God will rain food in our faces, so we'll have to do absolutely nothing." And then, when food falls in our mouths, we add, "God, stick it in our throats, as well!" We also must do something. We must apply ourselves, we must make an effort, and we must give thanks for what we have been able to do and pray for what we have been unable to do. By thanksgiving, you will avoid being condemned for ingratitude, by asking for what you do not yet have you will avoid being left empty-handed against the obstacles that hinder you.

  SERMONS 30:14

• Wisdom of Solomon 8:21

  "And this also was wisdom: to know whose gift it was." Therefore, if you have something from God and do not know from whom you have it, you will not receive a reward, since you will be ungrateful for it. If you do not know who gave it to you, you will not give thanks. And if you do not give thanks, you will also lose what you have. Indeed, "to him who has, more will be given." What is it to possess fully? To know from whom it comes. "But the one who does not have," that is, who does not know from whom it comes, "will lose even what he has." Finally, as it also says, "And precisely this was wisdom: to know from whom the gift came." The apostle Paul says this also when he exhorts us to give thanks to God in the Holy Spirit. And almost as if to respond to the question, How will we know the difference? he adds, "that we may know all that has been given to us by God."

  SERMON 283:2-3