5. Yet it follows not that the bodies of the departed are to be despised and flung aside, and above all of just and faithful men, which bodies as organs and vessels to all good works their spirit hath holily used. For if a father’s garment and ring, and whatever such like, is the more dear to those whom they leave behind, the greater their affection is towards their parents, in no wise are the bodies themselves to be spurned, which truly we wear in more familiar and close conjunction than any of our putting on. For these pertain not to ornament or aid which is applied from without, but to the very nature of man. Whence also the funerals of the just men of old were with dutiful piety cared for, and their obsequies celebrated, and sepulture provided:14    Gen. xxiii.; xxv. 9, 10; xlvii. 30 and themselves while living did touching burial or even translation of their bodies give charge to their sons. Tobias also, to have by burying of the dead obtained favor with God, is by witness of an Angel commended.15    Tobit ii. 7; xii. 12 The Lord Himself also, about to rise on the third day, both preaches, and commends to be preached, the good work of a religious woman, that she poured out a precious ointment over His limbs, and did it for His burial:16    Matt. xxvi. 7–13 and they are with praise commemorated in the Gospel, who having received His Body from the cross did carefully and with reverend honor see it wound and laid in the sepulchre.17    John xix. 38, 39 These authorities however do not put us upon thinking that there is in dead bodies any feeling; but rather, that the Providence of God (Who is moreover pleased with such offices of piety) doth charge itself with the bodies also of the dead, this they betoken, to the intent our faith of resurrection might be stayed up thereby. Where also is wholesomely learned, how great may be the reward for alms which we do unto the living and feeling, if not even that be lost before God, whatever of duty and of diligence is paid to the lifeless members of men. There are indeed also other things, which in speaking of the bestowal or removal of their bodies the holy Patriarchs willed to be understood as spoken by the prophetic Spirit: but this is not the place to treat thoroughly of these things, seeing that sufficeth which we have said. But if the lack of those things which are necessary for sustentation of the living, as food and clothing, however heavy affliction attend the lacking, do not break in good men the manly courage of bearing and enduring, nor eradicate piety from the mind, but by exercising make it more fruitful; how much more doth lack of those things which are wont to be applied for care of funerals and bestowal of bodies of the departed, not make them wretched, now that in the hidden abodes of the pious they are at rest! And therefore, when these things have to dead bodies of Christians in that devastation of the great City or of other towns also been lacking, there is neither fault of the living, who could not afford these things, nor pain of the dead who could not feel the same.18    On the City of God, book i. chap. xii. 13. Vol. ii. p. 10. This is my opinion concerning the ground and reason of sepulture. Which I have therefore from another book of mine transferred to this, because it was easier to rehearse this, than to express the same matter in another way.

CAPUT III.

5. Funeris et sepulturae cura quare laudabilis. «Nec ideo tamen contemnenda et abjicienda sunt corpora defunctorum, maximeque justorum ac fidelium, quibus tanquam organis et vasis ad omnia bona opera sancte usus est spiritus . Si enim paterna vestis et annulus, ac si quid hujusmodi, tanto charius est posteris, quanto erga parentes major affectus; nullo modo ipsa spernenda sunt corpora, quae utique multo familiarius atque conjunctius, quam quaelibet indumenta gestamus. Haec enim non ad ornamentum vel adjutorium, quod adhibetur extrinsecus, sed ad ipsam naturam hominis pertinent. Unde et antiquorum justorum funera officiosa pietate curata sunt, et exsequiae celebratae, et sepultura provisa: ipsique cum viverent, de sepeliendis, vel etiam transferendis suis corporibus filiis mandaverunt (Gen. XXIII, XXV, 9, 10, et XLVII, 30). Et Tobias sepeliendo mortuos Deum promeruisse, teste angelo commendatur (Tob. II, 9, et XII, 12). Ipse quoque Dominus die tertio resurrecturus religiosae mulieris bonum opus praedicat, praedicandumque commendat, quod unguentum pretiosum super membra ejus effuderit, atque hoc ad eum sepeliendum fecerit (Matth. XXVI, 7-13): et laudabiliter commemorantur in Evangelio, qui corpus ejus de cruce acceptum, diligenter atque honorifice tegendum sepeliendumque curarunt (Joan. XIX, 38). Verum istae auctoritates non hoc admonent, quod insit ullus cadaveribus sensus; sed ad Dei providentiam (cui placent etiam talia pietatis officia) corpora quoque mortuorum pertinere significant, propter fidem resurrectionis astruendam. Ubi et illud salubriter discitur, quanta possit esse remuneratio pro eleemosynis, quas viventibus et sentientibus exhibemus, si neque hoc apud Deum perit, quod exanimis hominum membris officii diligentiaeque persolvitur. Sunt quidem et alia quae sancti Patriarchae de corporibus suis vel condendis vel transferendis prophetico spiritu dicta intelligi voluerunt (Gen. XLVII, 30, et L, 24); non autem hic locus est ut ea pertractemus, cum sufficiant ista quae diximus. Sed si ea quae sustentandis viventibus sunt necessaria, sicut victus et amictus, quamvis cum gravi afflictione desint, non frangunt in bonis perferendi tolerandique virtutem, nec eradicant ex animo pietatem, sed exercitatam faciunt fecundiorem; quanto magis cum 0596 desunt ea quae curandis funeribus condendisque corporibus defunctorum adhiberi solent, non efficiunt miseros, in occultis piorum sedibus jam quietos? Ac per hoc, quando ista cadaveribus Christianorum in illa magnae urbis, vel etiam aliorum oppidorum vastatione defuerunt, nec vivorum culpa est, qui non potuerunt ista praebere; nec mortuorum poena, qui non potuerunt ista sentire (De Civitate Dei, lib. 1, capp. 12 et 13).» Haec est mea de sepulturae causa atque ratione sententia. Quam propterea ex alio libro meo in istum transtuli, quia facilius hoc a me recenseri potuit, quam idipsum alio modo eloquendum fuit.