Chapter 20.—Examples of the Various Styles Drawn from Scripture.

39.  But now to come to something more definite.  We have an example of the calm, subdued style in the Apostle Paul, where he says:  “Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons; the one by a bond maid, the other by a free woman.  But he who was of the bond woman was born after the flesh; but he of the free woman was by promise.  Which things are an allegory:  for these are the two covenants; the one from the Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Hagar.  For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all;”268    Gal. iv. 21–26. and so on.  And in the same way where he reasons thus:  “Brethren, I speak after the manner of men:  Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.  Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made.  He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.  And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.  For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise:  but God gave it to Abraham by promise.”269    Gal. iii. 15–18.  And because it might possibly occur to the hearer to ask, If there is no inheritance by the law, why then was the law given? he himself anticipates this objection and asks, “Wherefore then serveth the law?”  And the answer is given:  “It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.  Now a mediator is not a mediator of one; but God is one.”  And here an objection occurs which he himself has stated:  “Is the law then against the promises of God?”  He answers:  “God forbid.”  And he also states the reason in these words:  “For if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.  But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.”270    Gal. iii. 19–22.  It is part, then, of the duty of the teacher not only to interpret what is obscure, and to unravel the difficulties of questions, but also, while doing this, to meet other questions which may chance to suggest themselves, lest these should cast doubt or discredit on what we say.  If, however, the solution of these questions suggest itself as soon as the questions themselves arise, it is useless to disturb what we cannot remove.  And besides, when out of one question other questions arise, and out of these again still others; if these be all discussed and solved, the reasoning is extended to such a length, that unless the memory be exceedingly powerful and active the reasoner finds it impossible to return to the original question from which he set out.  It is, however, exceedingly desirable that whatever occurs to the mind as an objection that might be urged should be stated and refuted, lest it turn up at a time when no one will be present to answer it, or lest, if it should occur to a man who is present but says nothing about it, it might never be thoroughly removed.

40.  In the following words of the apostle we have the temperate style:  “Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; the elder women as mothers, the younger as sisters.”271    1 Tim. v. 1, 2.  And also in these:  “I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is you reasonable service.”272    Rom. xii. 1.  And almost the whole of this hortatory passage is in the temperate style of eloquence; and those parts of it are the most beautiful in which, as if paying what was due, things that belong to each other are gracefully brought together.  For example:  “Having then gifts, differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering; or he that teacheth, on teaching; or he that exhorteth, on exhortation:  he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness.  Let love be without dissimulation.  Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good.  Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another; not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.  Bless them which persecute you:  bless, and curse not.  Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.  Be of the same mind one toward another.”273    Rom. xii. 6–16.  And how gracefully all this is brought to a close in a period of two members:  “Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate!”  And a little afterwards:  “Render therefore to all their dues:  tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.”274    Rom. xiii. 7.  And these also, though expressed in single clauses, are terminated by a period of two members:  “Owe no man anything, but to love one another.”  And a little farther on:  “The night is far spent, the day is at hand:  let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.  Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying:  but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.”275    Rom. xiii. 12–14.  Now if the passage were translated thus, “et carnis providentiam ne in concupiscentiis feceritis,”276    Instead of “ne feceritis in concupiscentiis,” which is the translation as quoted by Augustin. the ear would no doubt be gratified with a more harmonious ending; but our translator, with more strictness, preferred to retain even the order of the words.  And how this sounds in the Greek language, in which the apostle spoke, those who are better skilled in that tongue may determine.  My opinion, however, is, that what has been translated to us in the same order of words does not run very harmoniously even in the original tongue.

41.  And, indeed, I must confess that our authors are very defective in that grace of speech which consists in harmonious endings.  Whether this be the fault of the translators, or whether, as I am more inclined to believe, the authors designedly avoided such ornament, I dare not affirm; for I confess I do not know.  This I know, however, that if any one who is skilled in this species of harmony would take the closing sentences of these writers and arrange them according to the law of harmony (which he could very easily do by changing some words for words of equivalent meaning, or by retaining the words he finds and altering their arrangement), he will learn that these divinely-inspired men are not defective in any of those points which he has been taught in the schools of the grammarians and rhetoricians to consider of importance; and he will find in them many kinds of speech of great beauty,—beautiful even in our language, but especially beautiful in the original,—none of which can be found in those writings of which they boast so much.  But care must be taken that, while adding harmony, we take away none of the weight from these divine and authoritative utterances.  Now our prophets were so far from being deficient in the musical training from which this harmony we speak of is most fully learnt, that Jerome, a very learned man, describes even the metres employed by some of them,277    In his preface to Job. in the Hebrew language at least; though, in order to give an accurate rendering of the words, he has not preserved these in his translation.  I, however (to speak of my own feeling, which is better known to me than it is to others, and than that of others is to me), while I do not in my own speech, however modestly I think it done, neglect these harmonious endings, am just as well pleased to find them in the sacred authors very rarely.

42.  The majestic style of speech differs from the temperate style just spoken of, chiefly in that it is not so much decked out with verbal ornaments as exalted into vehemence by mental emotion.  It uses, indeed, nearly all the ornaments that the other does; but if they do not happen to be at hand, it does not seek for them.  For it is borne on by its own vehemence; and the force of the thought, not the desire for ornament, makes it seize upon any beauty of expression that comes in its way.  It is enough for its object that warmth of feeling should suggest the fitting words; they need not be selected by careful elaboration of speech.  If a brave man be armed with weapons adorned with gold and jewels, he works feats of valor with those arms in the heat of battle, not because they are costly, but because they are arms; and yet the same man does great execution, even when anger furnishes him with a weapon that he digs out of the ground.278    An allusion to Virgil’s Æneid, vii. 508:  “Quod cuique repertum Rimanti, telum ira fecit.”  The apostle in the following passage is urging that, for the sake of the ministry of the gospel, and sustained by the consolations of God’s grace, we should bear with patience all the evils of this life.  It is a great subject, and is treated with power, and the ornaments of speech are not wanting:  “Behold,” he says, “now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.  Giving no offence in anything, that the ministry not blamed:  but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in strifes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report:  as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.”279    2 Cor. vi. 2–10.  See him still burning:  “O ye Corinthians, our mouth is opened unto you, our heart is enlarged,” and so on; it would be tedious to go through it all.

43.  And in the same way, writing to the Romans, he urges that the persecutions of this world should be overcome by charity, in assured reliance on the help of God.  And he treats this subject with both power and beauty:  “We know,” he says, “that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.  For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren.  Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called; and whom He called, them He also justified; and whom He justified, them He also glorified.  What shall we then say to these things?  If God be for us, who can be against us?  He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?  Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?  It is God that justifieth; who is he that condemneth?  It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  (As it is written, For Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.)  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through Him that loved us.  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”280    Rom. viii. 28–39.

44.  Again, in writing to the Galatians, although the whole epistle is written in the subdued style, except at the end, where it rises into a temperate eloquence, yet he interposes one passage of so much feeling that, notwithstanding the absence of any ornaments such as appear in the passages just quoted, it cannot be called anything but powerful:  “Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain.  Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are:  ye have not injured me at all.  Ye know how, through infirmity of the flesh, I preached the gospel unto you at the first.  And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.  Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.  Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?  They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.  But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.  My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.”281    Gal. iv. 10–20.  Is there anything here of contrasted words arranged antithetically, or of words rising gradually to a climax, or of sonorous clauses, and sections, and periods?  Yet, notwithstanding, there is a glow of strong emotion that makes us feel the fervor of eloquence.

CAPUT XX. Exempla ex sacris Litteris, primum, dictionis submissae; deinde temperatae; postremo, grandis: haec tria ex Epistolis Pauli.

39. Submissae dictionis exemplum est apud apostolum Paulum, ut planius aliquid commemorem, ubi ait: Dicite mihi, sub Lege volentes esse, Legem non audistis? Scriptum est enim, quod Abraham duos filios habuit, unum de ancilla, et unum de libera: sed ille qui de ancilla, secundum carnem natus est; qui autem de libera, per repromissionem: quae sunt in allegoria. Haec enim sunt duo Testamenta: unum quidem a monte Sina in servitutem generans, quae est Agar. Sina enim mons est in Arabia, qui conjunctusest huic quae nunc est Jerusalem, et servit cum filiis suis. Quae autem sursum est Jerusalem, libera est, quae est mater nostra (Galat. IV, 21-26), etc. Itemque ubi ratiocinatur, et dicit: Fratres, secundum hominem dico, tamen hominis confirmatum testamentum nemo irritum facit, aut superordinat. Abrahae dictae sunt promissiones et semini ejus. Non dicit, Et seminibus, tanquam in multis, sed tanquam in uno, Et semini tuo, quod est Christus. Hoc autem dico, testamentum confirmatum a Deo, quae post quadringentos et triginta annos facta est Lex, non infirmat ad evacuandas promissiones. Si enim ex Lege haereditas, jam non ex promissione. Abrahae autem per repromissionem donavit Deus. Et quia occurrere poterat audientis cogitationi, Utquid ergo Lex data est, si ex illa non est haereditas? ipse sibi hoc objecit, atque ait velut interrogans: Quid ergo Lex? Deinde respondit: Transgressionis gratia proposita est, donec veniret semen cui promissum est, dispositaper Angelos in manu mediatoris. Mediator autem unius non est, Deus vero unus est. Et hic occurrebat, quod sibi ipse proposuit, Lex ergo adversus promissa Dei? Et respondit, Absit: reddiditque rationem, dicens, Si enim data esset Lex quae posset vivificare, omnino ex Lege esset justitia. Sed conclusit Scriptura omnia sub peccato, ut promissio ex fide Jesu Christi daretur credentibus, etc. (Galat. III, 15-22); vel si quid ejusmodi est. Pertinet ergo ad docendi curam non solum aperire clausa, et nodos solvere quaestionum; sed etiam dum hoc agitur, aliis quaestionibus, quae fortassis inciderint, ne id quod dicimus improbetur per illas aut refellatur, occurrere: si tamen et ipsa earum solutio pariter occurrerit, ne moveamus quod auferre non possumus. Fit autem ut cum incidentes quaestioni aliae quaestiones, et aliae rursus incidentibus incidentes pertractantur atque solvuntur, in eam longitudinem ratiocinationis extendatur intentio, ut nisi memoria plurimum valeat atque vigeat, ad caput unde agebatur disputator redire non possit. Valde autem bonum est ut quidquid contradici potest, si occurrerit, refutetur; ne ibi occurrat, ubi non erit qui respondeat; aut praesenti quidem, sed tacenti occurrat, et minus sanatus abscedat.

40. In illis autem apostolicis verbis dictio temperata 0108 est: Seniorem ne increpaveris, sed obsecra ut patrem, juniores ut fratres, anus ut matres, adolescentulas ut sorores (I Tim. V, 1, 2). Et in illis: Obsecro autem vos, fratres, per miserationem Dei, ut exhibeatis corpora vestra hostiam vivam, sanctam, Deo placentem. Et totus fere ipsius exhortationis locus temperatum habet elocutionis genus: ubi illa pulchriora sunt, in quibus propria propriis tanquam debita reddita decenter excurrunt, sicuti est, Habentes dona diversa secundum gratiam quae data est nobis; sive prophetiam, secundum regulam fidei; sive ministerium, in ministrando; sive qui docet, in doctrina; sive qui exhortatur, in exhortatione; qui tribuit, in simplicitate; qui praeest, in sollicitudine; qui miseretur, in hilaritate. Dilectio sine simulatione; odio habentes malum, adhaerentes bono: charitate fraternitatis invicem diligentes, honore mutuo praevenientes, studio non pigri, spiritu ferventes, Domino servientes, spe gaudentes, in tribulatione patientes, orationi instantes, necessitatibus sanctorum communicantes, hospitalitatem sectantes. Benedicite persequentibus vos; benedicite, et nolite maledicere. Gaudere cum gaudentibus, flere cum flentibus: idipsum invicem sentientes (Rom. XII, 1, 6-16). Et quam pulchre ista omnia sic effusa, bimembri circuitu terminantur, Non alta sapientes, sed humilibus consentientes! Et aliquanto post: In hoc ipso, inquit, perseverantes, reddite omnibus debita: cui tributum, tributum; cui vectigal, vectigal; cui timorem, timorem; cui honorem, honorem. Quae membratim fusa clauduntur etiam ipsa circuitu, quem duo membra contexunt: Nemini quidquam debeatis, nisi ut invicem diligatis. Et post paululum: Nox praecessit, inquit, dies autem appropinquavit. Abjiciamus itaque opera tenebrarum, et induamus arma lucis: sicut in die honeste ambulemus; non in comessationibus et ebrietatibus, non in cubilibus et impudicitiis, non in contentione et aemulatione; sed induite Dominum Jesum Christum, et carnis providentiam ne feceritis in concupiscentiis (Id. XIII, 6-8, 12-14). Quod si quisquam ita diceret, Et carnis providentiam ne in concupiscentiis feceritis; sine dubio aures clausula numerosiore mulceret: sed gravior interpres etiam ordinem maluit tenere verborum. Quomodo autem hoc in graeco eloquio sonet, quo est locutus Apostolus, viderint ejus eloquii usque ad ista doctiores: mihi tamen quod nobis eodem verborum ordine interpretatum est, nec ibi videtur currere numerose.

41. Sane hunc elocutionis ornatum, qui numerosis fit clausulis, deesse fatendum est auctoribus nostris. Quod utrum per interpretes factum sit, an (quod magis arbitror) consulto illi haec plausibilia devitaverint, affirmare non audeo, quoniam me fateor ignorare. Illud tamen scio, quod si quisquam hujus numerositatis peritus illorum clausulas eorumdem numerorum lege componat, quod facillime fit mutatis quibusdam verbis, quae tantumdem significatione valent, vel mutato eorum quae invenerit ordine; nihi. illorum quae velut magna in scholis grammaticorum aut rhetorum didicit, illis divinis viris defuisse cognoscet: 0109 et multa reperiet locutionis genera tanti decoris, quae quidem et in nostra, sed maxime in sua lingua decora sunt, quorum nullum in eis, quibus isti inflantur, litteris invenitur. Sed cavendum est ne divinis gravibusque sententiis, dum additur numerus, pondus detrahatur. Nam illa musica disciplina, ubi numerus iste plenissime discitur, usque adeo non defuit Prophetis nostris, ut vir doctissimus Hieronymus quorumdam etiam metra commemoret, in hebraea duntaxat lingua (Hieron. in prologo super Job): cujus ut veritatem servaret in verbis, haec inde non transtulit. Ego autem ut de sensu meo loquar, qui mihi quam aliis et quam aliorum est utique notior, sicut in meo eloquio, quantum modeste fieri arbitror, non praetermitto istos numeros clausularum; ita in auctoribus nostris hoc mihi plus placet, quod ibi eos rarissime invenio.

42. Grande autem dicendi genus hoc maxime distat ab isto genere temperato, quod non tam verborum ornatibus comptum est, quam violentum animi affectibus. Nam capit etiam illa ornamenta pene omnia; sed ea si non habuerit, non requirit. Fertur quippe impetu suo, et elocutionis pulchritudinem, si occurrerit, vi rerum rapit, non cura decoris assumit. Satis enim est ei propter quod agitur, ut verba congruentia, non oris eligantur industria, sed pectoris sequantur ardorem. Nam si aurato gemmatoque ferro vir fortis armetur, intentissimus pugnae, agit quidem illis armis quod agit, non quia pretiosa, sed quia arma sunt: idem ipse est tamen, et valet plurimum, etiam cum rimanti telum ira facit . Agit Apostolus, ut pro evangelico ministerio patienter mala hujus temporis, cum solatio donorum Dei, omnia tolerentur. Magna res est, et granditer agitur, nec desunt ornamenta dicendi: Ecce, inquit, nunc tempus acceptabile, ecce nunc dies salutis. Nullam in quoquam dantes offensionem, ut non reprehendatur ministerium nostrum: sed in omnibus commendantes nosmetipsos ut Dei ministros, in multa patientia, in tribulationibus, in necessitatibus, in angustiis, in plagis, in carceribus, in seditionibus, in laboribus, in vigiliis, in jejuniis, in castitate, in scientia, in longanimitate, in benignitate, in Spiritu sancto, in charitate non ficta, in verbo veritatis, in virtute Dei: per arma justitiae a dextris et a sinistris , per gloriam et ignobilitatem, per infamiam et bonam famam; ut seductores, et veraces; ut qui ignoramur, et cognoscimur; quasi morientes, et ecce vivimus: ut coerciti, et non mortificati; ut tristes, semper autem gaudentes; sicut egeni, multos autem ditantes; tanquam nihil habentes, et omnia possidentes. Vide adhuc ardentem, Os nostrum patet ad vos, o Corinthii; cor nostrum dilatatum est (II Cor. VI, 2-11), et caetera, quae persequi longum est.

0110 43. Itemque ad Romanos agit, ut persecutiones hujus mundi charitate vincantur, spe certa in adjutorio Dei. Agit autem et granditer et ornate: Scimus, inquit, quoniam diligentibus Deum omnia cooperantur in bonum, iis qui secundum propositum vocati sunt . Quoniam quos ante praescivit, et praedestinavit conformes imaginis Filii sui, ut sit ipse primogenitus in multis fratribus. Quos autem praedestinavit, illos et vocavit; et quos vocavit, ipsos et justificavit; quos autem justificavit, illos et glorificavit. Quid ergo dicemus ad haec? Si Deus pro nobis, quis contra nos? Qui proprio Filio non pepercit, sed pro nobis omnibus tradidit illum, quomodo non etiam cum illo nobis omnia donavit? Quis accusabit adversus electos Dei? Deus qui justificat? Quis est qui condemnet? Christus Jesus qui mortuus est, magis autem qui resurrexit, qui est in dextera Dei, qui et interpellat pro nobis? Quis non separa bita charitate Christi? Tribulatio? an angustia? an persecutio? an fames? an nuditas? an periculum? an gladius? Sicut scriptum est, Quoniam propter te mortificamur tota die, aestimati sumus ut oves occisionis (Psal. XLIII, 22). Sed in his omnibus supervincimus per eum qui dilexit nos. Certus sum enim quia neque mors, neque vita, neque Angeli, neque principatus, neque praesentia, neque futura, neque virtus, neque altitudo, neque profundum, neque creatura alia poterit nos separare a charitate Dei, quae est in Christo Jesu Domino nostro (Rom. VIII, 28 39).

44. Ad Galatas autem quamvis tota ipsa Epistola submisso dicendi genere scripta sit, nisi in extremis partibus ubi est eloquium temperatum; tamen interponit quemdam locum eo motu animi, ut sine ullis quidem talibus ornamentis, qualia sunt in iis quae modo posuimus, non posset tamen nisi granditer dici. Dies, inquit, observatis, et menses, et annos, et tempora. Timeo vos, ne forte sine causa laboraverim in vos . Estote sicut et ego, quoniam et ego sicut vos: fratres, precor vos; nihil me laesistis. Scitis quia per infirmitatem carnis jampridem evangelizavi vobis, et tentationes vestrasin carne mea non sprevistis, neque respuistis; sed sicut angelum Dei excepistis me, sicut Christum Jesum. Quae ergo fuit beatitudo vestra? Testimonium vobis perhibeo, quoniam si fieri posset, oculos vestros eruissetis et dedissetis mihi. Ergo inimicus factus sum vobis verum praedicans? Aemulantur vos non bene; sed excludere vos volunt, ut eos aemulemini. Bonum est autem in bono aemulari semper, et non solum cum praesens sum apud vos. Filioli mei, quos iterum parturio donec formetur Christus in vobis. Vellem autem nunc adesse apud vos, et mutare vocem meam, quia confundor in vobis (Gal. IV, 10-20). Numquid hic aut contraria contrariis verba sunt reddita, aut aliqua gradatione sibi subnexa sunt, aut caesa et membra circuitusve sonuerunt? et tamen non ideo tepuit grandis affectus, quo eloquium fervere sentimus.