Chap. II.—Of the Error of the Philosophers, and of the Divine Wisdom, and of the Golden Age.

Now let us instruct those who are ignorant of the truth. It has been so determined by the arrangement of the Most High God, that this unrighteous age, having run the course1273    [One wonders whether the Duæ Viæ here be not a reference to the “Apost. Constitutions” (book vii.), which, with the Bryennios discovery, will receive attention hereafter.]      Decurso temporum spatio. A metaphor taken from the chariot course; spatium being used for the length of the course, between the metæ, or goals.      [A specimen of the abridgments made by authors and editors, owing to the great expense of books in manuscript. They have been sources of great injury to literature.]   of its appointed times, should come to an end; and all wickedness being immediately extinguished, and the souls of the righteous being recalled to a happy life, a quiet, tranquil, peaceful, in short, golden age, as the poets call it, should flourish, under the rule of God Himself. This was especially the cause of all the errors of the philosophers, that they did not comprehend the system of the world, which comprises the whole of wisdom. But it cannot be comprehended by our own perception and innate intelligence, which they wished to do by themselves without a teacher. Therefore they fell into various and ofttimes contradictory opinions, out of which they had no way of escape,  

as the comic writer1274    [Again the Duæ Viæ. See capp. 1 and 5, in (eds. Hitchcock and Brown) the Bryennios ms., pp. 3 and 13.]      Ter., Phorm., v. 2.      [We have here only a fragment of the Epitome The rest is lost.]   says, since their conclusion does not correspond with their assumptions;1275    Virg., Æneid, vi. 540.      Assumptio: often used for the minor proposition in a syllogism.      [Christian morals were now to be taught openly in schools: hence the need of such manuals.]   inasmuch as they had assumed things to be true which could not be affirmed, and proved without the knowledge of the truth and of heavenly things. And this knowledge, as I have often said already, cannot exist in a man unless it is derived from the teaching of God. For if a man is able to understand divine things, he will be able also to perform them; for to understand is, as it were, to follow in their track. But he is not able to do the things which God does, because he is clothed with a mortal body; therefore he cannot even understand those things which God does. And whether this is possible is easy for every one to measure, from the immensity of the divine actions and works. For if you will contemplate the world, with all the things which it contains, you will assuredly understand how much the work of God surpasses the works of men. Thus, as great as is the difference between divine and human works, so great must be the distance between the wisdom of God and man. For because God is incorruptible and immortal, and therefore perfect because He is everlasting, His wisdom also is perfect, as He Himself is; nor can anything oppose it, because God Himself is subject to nothing.  

But because man is subject to passion, his wisdom also is subject to error; and as many things hinder the life of man, so that it cannot be perpetual, so also his wisdom must be hindered by many things: so that it is not perfect in entirely perceiving the truth. Therefore there is no human wisdom, if it strives by itself to attain to the conception and knowledge of the truth; inasmuch as the mind of man, being bound up with a frail body, and enclosed in a dark abode, is neither able to wander at large, nor clearly to perceive the truth, the knowledge of which belongs to the divine nature. For His works are known to God alone. But man cannot attain this knowledge by reflection or disputation, but by learning and hearing from Him who alone is able to know and to teach. Therefore Marcus Tullius,1276    Evadat ad bonam frugem.      Tusc. Disp., i. 41.   borrowing from Plato the sentiment of Socrates, who said that the time had come for himself to depart from life, but that they before whom he was pleading his cause were still alive, says: Which is better is known to the immortal gods; but I think that no man knows. Wherefore all the sects of philosophers must be far removed from the truth, because they who established them were men; nor can those things have any foundation or firmness which are unsupported by any utterances of divine voices.  

CAPUT II. De errore philosophorum, ac de divina sapientia; atque de aureo saeculo.

Nunc ignaros veritatis instruamus. Dispositione summi Dei sic ordinatum, ut injustum hoc saeculum decurso temporum spatio terminum sumat, extinctaque protinus omni malitia, et piorum animis ad beatam vitam revocatis, quietum, tranquillum, pacificum, aureum denique, ut poetae vocant, saeculum, 0739B Deo ipso regnante, florescat. In primis causa eorum omnium philosophis haec fuit, quod rationem mundi, quae totam sapientiam continet, non comprehenderunt. Ea vero sensu proprio, et interna intelligentia non potest comprehendi, quod illi sine doctore per seipsos facere voluerunt. Itaque in varias sibique saepe contrarias sententias inciderunt, ex quibus exitum non haberent; et in eodem luto (sicut Comicus ait) haesitaverunt; scilicet assumptionibus eorum non respondente ratione, cum assumpsissent quidem vera, sed quae affirmari probarique non possent sine scientia veritatis rerumque coelestium: quae (ut saepe jam dixi) non potest esse in homine, nisi Deo docente percepta. Nam si potest homo intelligere divina, poterit et facere; nam intelligere, 0739C est quasi e vestigio subsequi. Non potest autem facere quae Deus, quia mortali corpore indutus est; ergo nec intelligere quidem potest, quae facit Deus. Quod an fieri possit, ex immensitate rerum atque operum divinorum facile est unicuique metiri. Nam si mundum cum omnibus quae sunt in eo contemplari velis, 0740A intelliges profecto, quantum Dei opus humanis operibus antestet. Ita quantum inter opera divina et humana interest, tantum distare inter Dei hominisque sapientiam necesse est. Nam quia Deus incorruptus, atque immortalis est, et ideo perfectus, quia sempiternus est, sapientia quoque ejus, perinde ut ipse, perfecta est; nec obstare illi quidquam potest, quia nulli rei Deus ipse subjectus est.

Homo autem quin subjectus est passioni, subjecta est et sapientia ejus errori; et sicut hominis vitam multae res impediunt, quominus possit esse perpetua: ita sapientiam quoque ejus multis rebus impediri necesse est, quominus in perspicienda penitus veritate perfecta sit. Ergo nulla est humana sapientia, si per se ad notionem veri scientiamque 0740B nitatur; quoniam mens hominis cum fragili corpore illigata, et in tenebroso domicilio inclusa, neque liberius evagari, neque clarius perspicere veritatem potest; cujus notitia divinae conditionis est. Deo enim soli opera sua nota sunt. Homo autem non cogitando, aut disputando assequi eam potest, sed discendo, et audiendo ab eo, qui scire solus potest, et docere. Ideo Marcus Tullius sententiam Socratis de Platone transferens dicentis, venisse tempus, ut ipse migraret e vita, illos autem, apud quos causam suam perorabat, agere vitam: Utrum melius sit, inquit, dii immortales sciunt; hominem arbitror scire neminem. Quare necesse est omnes philosophiae sectas alienas esse a veritate; quia homines erant, qui eas constituerunt, nec ullum fundamentum aut firmitatem 0740C possunt habere, quae nullis divinarum vocum fulciuntur oraculis.