28. Hence is also that which thou hast mentioned that they speak of, that the Lord Jesus, after He was risen, walked in the way with two disciples; and upon their drawing near to the village whither they were going, He made as though He would have gone farther: where the Evangelist, saying, “But He Himself feigned that He would go further,”52    Luke xxiv. 28—“Finxit.” hath put that very word in which liars too greatly delight, that they may with impunity lie: as if every thing that is feigned is a lie, whereas in a truthful way, for the sake of signifying one thing by another, so many things use to be feigned. If then there had been no other thing that Jesus signified, in that He feigned to be going further, with reason might it be judged to be a lie: but then if it be rightly understood and referred to that which He willed to signify, it is a mystery. Else will all things be lies which, on account of a certain similitude of things to be signified, although they never were done, are related to have been done. Of which sort is that concerning the two sons of one man, the elder who tarried with his father, and the younger who went into a far country, which is narrated so much at length.53    Luke xv. 11–32 In which sort of fiction, men have put even human deeds or words to irrational animals and things without sense, that by this sort of feigned narrations but true significations, they might in more winning manner intimate the things which they wished. Nor is it only in authors of secular letters, as in Horace,54    Serm. ii. 6; Epist. i. 7. that mouse speaks to mouse, and weasel to fox, that through a fictitious narration a true signification may be referred to the matter in hand; whence the like fables of Æsop being referred to the same end, there is no man so untaught as to think they ought to be called lies: but in Holy Writ also, as in the book of Judges, the trees seek them a king, and speak to the olive, to the fig and to the vine and to the bramble.55    Judg. ix. 8–15 Which, in any wise, is all feigned, with intent that one may get to the thing which is intended, by a feigned narration indeed, yet not a lying one, but with a truthful signification. This I have said on account of that which is written concerning Jesus, “And Himself feigned to be going further:” lest any from this word, like the Priscillianists, wishing to have license of lying, should contend that beside others even Christ did lie. But whoso would understand what He by feigning that did prefigure, let him attend to that which He by acting did effect. For when afterwards He did go further, above all heavens, yet deserted He not His disciples. In order to signify this which in the future He did as God, at the present He feigned to do that as Man. And therefore was a veritable signification caused in that feigning to go before, because in this departure the verity of that signification did follow after. Let him therefore contend that Christ did lie by feigning, who denieth that He fulfilled by doing that which He signified.

28. Hinc est etiam illud quod commemorasti eos dicere, Dominum Jesum, posteaquam resurrexit, ambulasse in itinere cum duobus discipulis; et propinquantibus eis castello quo ibant, illum longius se ire finxisse: ubi evangelista dicens, Ipse autem se finxit longius ire (Luc. XXIV, 28); etiam ipsum verbum posuit, quo mendaces nimium delectantur, ut impune mentiantur: quasi mendacium sit omne quod fingitur, cum veraciter aliud ex alio significandi causa tam multa fingantur. Si ergo nihil aliud significasset Jesus in eo quod longius ire se finxit, merito judicaretur esse mendacium: porro autem si bene intelligatur, et ad id quod voluit significare referatur, invenitur esse mysterium. Alioquin erunt cuncta mendacia, quae propter quamdam rerum significandarum similitudinem, cum gesta non sint, tanquam gesta narrantur. Unde est illa de duobus unius hominis filiis, majore qui mansit apud patrem suum, et minore qui longe peregrinatus est, tam prolixa narratio (Id. XV, 11-32). In quo genere fingendi humana etiam facta vel dicta irrationalibus animantibus et rebus sensu carentibus homines addiderunt, ut ejusmodi fictis narrationibus, sed veracibus significationibus, quod vellent commendatius intimarent. Nec apud auctores tantum saecularium litterarum, ut apud Horatium, mus loquitur muri, et mustela vulpeculae, ut per narrationem fictam ad id quod agitur, vera significatio referatur (Horat. Serm. lib. 2, sat. 6; et Epist. lib. 1, epist. 7); unde et Aesopi tales fabulas ad eum finem relatas, nullus tam ineruditus fuit, qui putaret appellanda mendacia: sed in Litteris quoque sacris, sicut in Libro Judicum ligna sibi regem requirunt, et loquuntur ad oleam, et ad ficum, et ad vitem, et ad rubum (Judic. IX, 8-15). Quod utique totum fingitur, ut ad rem quae intenditur, ficta quidem narratione, non mendaci tamen, sed veraci significatione veniatur. Haec dixi propter id quod scriptum est de Jesu, Et ipse se finxit longius ire: ne quisquam ex hoc verbo, sicut Priscillianistae, licitum volens habere mendacium, insuper etiam Christum contendat fuisse mentitum. Quisquis autem vult intelligere illud fingendo quid praefigurarit, attendat quid agendo perfecerit. Longius namque postea profectus super omnes coelos, non tamen deseruit discipulos suos. Propter hoc significandum futurum divinitus factum, ad praesens illud est humanitus fictum. Et ideo significatio verax in illa est fictione praemissa, quia in hac profectione illius est significationis veritas subsecuta. Ille igitur contendat Christum mentitum esse fingendo, qui negat eum quod significavit implevisse faciendo.