Chapter 17.—How the Back Parts of God Were Seen. The Faith of the Resurrection of Christ. The Catholic Church Only is the Place from Whence the Back Parts of God are Seen. The Back Parts of God Were Seen by the Israelites. It is a Rash Opinion to Think that God the Father Only Was Never Seen by the Fathers.

Not unfitly is it commonly understood to be prefigured from the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, that His “back parts” are to be taken to be His flesh, in which He was born of the Virgin, and died, and rose again; whether they are called back parts305    Posteriora on account of the posteriority of mortality, or because it was almost in the end of the world, that is, at a late period,306    Posterius that He deigned to take it: but that His “face” was that form of God, in which He “thought it not robbery to be equal with God,”307    Phil. ii. 6 which no one certainly can see and live; whether because after this life, in which we are absent from the Lord,308    2 Cor. v. 6 and where the corruptible body presseth down the soul,309    Wisd. ix. 15 we shall see “face to face,”310    1 Cor. xiii. 12 as the apostle says—(for it is said in the Psalms, of this life, “Verily every man living is altogether vanity;”311    Ps. xxxix. 5 and again, “For in Thy sight shall no man living be justified;”312    Ps. cxliii. 2 and in this life also, according to John, “It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know,” he says, “that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is,”313    1 John iii. 2 which he certainly intended to be understood as after this life, when we shall have paid the debt of death, and shall have received the promise of the resurrection);—or whether that even now, in whatever degree we spiritually understand the wisdom of God, by which all things were made, in that same degree we die to carnal affections, so that, considering this world dead to us, we also ourselves die to this world, and say what the apostle says, “The world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”314    Gal. vi. 14 For it was of this death that he also says, “Wherefore, if ye be dead with Christ, why as though living in the world are ye subject to ordinances?”315    Col. ii. 20. Viventes de hoc mundo decernitis. Not therefore without cause will no one be able to see the “face,” that is, the manifestation itself of the wisdom of God, and live. For it is this very appearance, for the contemplation of which every one sighs who strives to love God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind; to the contemplation of which, he who loves his neighbor, too, as himself builds up his neighbor also as far as he may; on which two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.316    Matt. xxii. 37–40 And this is signified also in Moses himself. For when he had said, on account of the love of God with which he was specially inflamed, “If I have found grace in thy sight, show me now Thyself plainly, that I may find grace in Thy sight;” he immediately subjoined, on account of the love also of his neighbor, “And that I may know that this nation is Thy people.” It is therefore that “appearance” which hurries away every rational soul with the desire of it, and the more ardently the more pure that soul is; and it is the more pure the more it rises to spiritual things; and it rises the more to spiritual things the more it dies to carnal things. But whilst we are absent from the Lord, and walk by faith, not by sight,317    2 Cor. v. 6, 7 we ought to see the “back parts” of Christ, that is His flesh, by that very faith, that is, standing on the solid foundation of faith, which the rock signifies,318    [Augustin here gives the Protestant interpretation of the word “rock,” in the passage, “on this rock I will build my church.”—W.G.T.S.] and beholding it from such a safe watch-tower, namely in the Catholic Church, of which it is said, “And upon this rock I will build my Church.”319    Matt. xvi. 18 For so much the more certainly we love that face of Christ, which we earnestly desire to see, as we recognize in His back parts how much first Christ loved us.

29. But in the flesh itself, the faith in His resurrection saves and justifies us. For, “If thou shalt believe,” he says, “in thine heart, that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved;”320    Rom. x. 9 and again, “Who was delivered,” he says, “for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.”321    Rom. iv. 25 So that the reward of our faith is the resurrection of the body of our Lord.322    [The meaning seems to be, that the vivid realization that Christ’s body rose from the dead is the reward of a Christian’s faith. The unbeliever has no such reward.—W.G.T.S.] For even His enemies believe that that flesh died on the cross of His passion, but they do not believe it to have risen again. Which we believing most firmly, gaze upon it as from the solidity of a rock: whence we wait with certain hope for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body;323    Rom. viii. 23 because we hope for that in the members of Christ, that is, in ourselves, which by a sound faith we acknowledge to be perfect in Him as in our Head. Thence it is that He would not have His back parts seen, unless as He passed by, that His resurrection may be believed. For that which is Pascha in Hebrew, is translated Passover.324    Transitus = passing by. Whence John the Evangelist also says, “Before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come, that He should pass out of this world unto the Father.”325    John xiii. 1

30. But they who believe this, but believe it not in the Catholic Church, but in some schism or in heresy, do not see the back parts of the Lord from “the place that is by Him.” For what does that mean which the Lord says, “Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock?” What earthly place is “by” the Lord, unless that is “by Him” which touches Him spiritually? For what place is not “by” the Lord, who “reacheth from one end to another mightily, and sweetly doth order all things,”326    Wisd. viii. 1 and of whom it is said, “Heaven is His throne, and earth is His footstool;” and who said, “Where is the house that ye build unto me, and where is the place of my rest? For has not my hand made all those things?”327    Isa. lxvi. 1, 2 But manifestly the Catholic Church itself is understood to be “the place by Him,” wherein one stands upon a rock, where he healthfully sees the “Pascha Domini,” that is, the “Passing by”328    Transitus of the Lord, and His back parts, that is, His body, who believes in His resurrection. “And thou shalt stand,” He says, “upon a rock while my glory passeth by.” For in reality, immediately after the majesty of the Lord had passed by in the glorification of the Lord, in which He rose again and ascended to the Father, we stood firm upon the rock. And Peter himself then stood firm, so that he preached Him with confidence, whom, before he stood firm, he had thrice from fear denied;329    Matt. xxvi. 70–74 although, indeed, already before placed in predestination upon the watch-tower of the rock, but with the hand of the Lord still held over him that he might not see. For he was to see His back parts, and the Lord had not yet “passed by,” namely, from death to life; He had not yet been glorified by the resurrection.

31. For as to that, too, which follows in Exodus, “I will cover thee with mine hand while I pass by, and I will take away my hand and thou shalt see my back parts;” many Israelites, of whom Moses was then a figure, believed in the Lord after His resurrection, as if His hand had been taken off from their eyes, and they now saw His back parts. And hence the evangelist also mentions that prophesy of Isaiah, “Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes.”330    Isa. vi. 10; Matt. xiii. 15 Lastly, in the Psalm, that is not unreasonably understood to be said in their person, “For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me.” “By day,” perhaps, when He performed manifest miracles, yet was not acknowledged by them; but “by night,” when He died in suffering, when they thought still more certainly that, like any one among men, He was cut off and brought to an end. But since, when He had already passed by, so that His back parts were seen, upon the preaching to them by the Apostle Peter that it behoved Christ to suffer and rise again, they were pricked in their hearts with the grief of repentance,331    Acts ii. 37, 41 that that might come to pass among the baptized which is said in the beginning of that Psalm, “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;” therefore, after it had been said, “Thy hand is heavy upon me,” the Lord, as it were, passing by, so that now He removed His hand, and His back parts were seen, there follows the voice of one who grieves and confesses and receives remission of sins by faith in the resurrection of the Lord: “My moisture,” he says, “is turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.”332    Ps. xxxii. 4, 5 For we ought not to be so wrapped up in the darkness of the flesh, as to think the face indeed of God to be invisible, but His back visible, since both appeared visibly in the form of a servant; but far be it from us to think anything of the kind in the form of God; far be it from us to think that the Word of God and the Wisdom of God has a face on one side, and on the other a back, as a human body has, or is at all changed either in place or time by any appearance or motion.333    [This explanation of the “back parts” of Christ to mean his resurrection, and of “the place that is by him,” to mean the church, is an example of the fanciful exegesis into which Augustin, with the fathers generally, sometimes falls. The reasoning, here, unlike that in the preceding chapter, is not from the immediate context, and hence extraneous matter is read into the text.—W.G.T.S.]

32. Wherefore, if in those words which were spoken in Exodus, and in all those corporeal appearances, the Lord Jesus Christ was manifested; or if in some cases Christ was manifested, as the consideration of this passage persuades us, in others the Holy Spirit, as that which we have said above admonishes us; at any rate no such result follows, as that God the Father never appeared in any such form to the Fathers. For many such appearances happened in those times, without either the Father, or the Son, or the Holy Spirit being expressly named and designated in them; but yet with some intimations given through certain very probable interpretations, so that it would be too rash to say that God the Father never appeared by any visible forms to the fathers or the prophets. For they gave birth to this opinion who were not able to understand in respect to the unity of the Trinity such texts as, “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God;”334    1 Tim. i. 17 and, “Whom no man hath seen, nor can see.”335    1 Tim. vi. 16 Which texts are understood by a sound faith in that substance itself, the highest, and in the highest degree divine and unchangeable, whereby both the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is the one and only God. But those visions were wrought through the changeable creature, made subject to the unchangeable God, and did not manifest God properly as He is, but by intimations such as suited the causes and times of the several circumstances.

CAPUT XVII.

Posteriora Dei quomodo visa. Resurrectionis Christi fides. Catholica Ecclesia sola est locus unde videntur posteriora Dei. Posteriora Dei ab Israelitis visa. Deum Patrem solum nunquam Patribus visum existimare temeraria opinio est. Non incongruenter ex persona Domini nostri Jesu Christi praefiguratum solet intelligi, ut posteriora ejus accipiantur caro ejus, in qua de Virgine natus est, et mortuus, et resurrexit; sive propter posterioritatem mortalitatis posteriora dicta sint, sive quod eam prope in fine saeculi, hoc est, posterius suscipere dignatus est: facies autem ejus illa Dei forma, in qua non rapinam arbitratus est esse aequalis Deo Patri (Philipp. II, 6), quam nemo utique potest videre et vivere; sive quia post hanc vitam, in qua peregrinamur a Domino (II Cor. V, 6), et ubi corpus quod corrumpitur aggravat animam (Sap. IX, 15), videbimus facie ad faciem, sicut dicit Apostolus (I Cor. XIII, 12) (de hac enim vita in Psalmis dicitur, Verumtamen universa vanitas omnis homo vivens [Psal. XXXVIII, 6]; et iterum, Quoniam non justificabitur coram te omnis vivens [Psal. CXLII, 2]. In qua vita etiam, secundum Joannem, nondum apparuit quid erimus. Scimus autem, inquit, quia cum apparuerit, similes ei erimus; quoniam videbimus eum sicuti est [I Joan. III, 2]: quod utique post hanc vitam 0864 intelligi voluit, cum mortis debitum solverimus, et resurrectionis promissum receperimus); sive quod etiam nunc in quantum Dei Sapientiam per quam facta sunt omnia, spiritualiter intelligimus, in tantum carnalibus affectibus morimur, ut mortuum nobis hunc mundum deputantes, nos quoque ipsi huic mundo moriamur, et dicamus quod ait Apostolus, Mundus mihi crucifixus est, et ego mundo (Galat. VI, 14). De hac enim morte item dixit, Si autem mortui estis cum Christo, quid adhuc velut viventes de hoc mundo decernitis (Coloss. II, 20)? Non ergo immerito nemo poterit faciem, id est, ipsam manifestationem Sapientiae Dei videre et vivere. Ipsa est enim species, cui contemplandae suspirat omnis qui affectat Deum diligere ex toto corde, et ex tota anima, et ex tota mente: ad quam contemplandam etiam proximum quantum potest aedificat, qui diligit et proximum sicut se ipsum: in quibus duobus praeceptis tota Lex pendet et Prophetae (Matth. XXII, 37-40). Quod significatur etiam in ipso Moyse. Nam cum dixisset, propter dilectionem Dei qua praecipue flagrabat, Si inveni gratiam in conspectu tuo, ostende mihi temetipsum manifeste, ut sim inveniens gratiam ante te; continuo propter dilectionem etiam proximi subjecit atque ait, Et ut sciam quia populus tuus est gens haec. Illa est ergo species quae rapit omnem animam rationalem desiderio sui, tanto ardentiorem quanto mundiorem, et tanto mundiorem quanto ad spiritualia resurgentem: tanto autem ad spiritualia resurgentem, quanto a carnalibus morientem. Sed dum peregrinamur a Domino, et per fidem ambulamus, non per speciem (II Cor. V, 6, 7), posteriora Christi, hoc est carnem, per ipsam fidem videre debemus, id est in solido fidei fundamento stantes, quod significat petra; et eam de tali tutissima specula intuentes, in catholica scilicet Ecclesia, de qua dictum est, Et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam (Matth. XVI, 18). Tanto enim certius diligimus, quam videre desideramus faciem Christi, quanto in posterioribus ejus agnoscimus quantum nos prior dilexerit Christus.

29. Sed in ipsa carne fides resurrectionis ejus salvos facit, atque justificat, Si enim credideris, inquit, in corde tuo, quia Deus illum suscitavit a mortuis, salvus eris (Rom. X, 9): et iterum, Qui traditus est, inquit, propter delicta nostra, et resurrexit propter justificationem nostram (Id. IV, 25). Ideoque meritum fidei nostrae resurrectio corporis Domini est. Nam mortuam esse illam carnem in cruce passionis, etiam inimici ejus credunt, sed resurrexisse non credunt. Quod firmissime nos credentes, tanquam de petrae soliditate contuemur: unde certa spe adoptionem exspectamus redemptionem corporis nostri (Id. VIII, 23); quia hoc in membris Christi speramus, quae nos ipsi sumus, quod perfectum esse in ipso tanquam in capite nostro fidei sanitate cognoscimus. Inde non vult, nisi cum transierit, videri posteriora sua, ut in ejus resurrectionem credatur. Pascha enim hebraeum verbum dicitur, quod Transitus interpretatur. Unde 0865 et Joannes evangelista dicit: Ante diem festum Paschae, sciens Jesus quia venit hora ejus, ut transeat de hoc mundo ad Patrem (Joan. XIII, 1).

30. Hoc autem qui credunt, nec tamen in Catholica , sed in schismate aliquo aut in haeresi credunt, non de loco qui est penes eum vident posteriora Domini. Quid enim sibi vult quod ait Dominus, Ecce locus est penes me, et stabis super petram? Quis locus terrenus est penes Dominum, nisi hoc est penes eum quod eum spiritualiter attingit? Nam quis locus non est penes Dominum, qui attingit a fine usque ad finem fortiter, et disponit omnia suaviter (Sap. VIII, 1); et cujus dictum est coelum sedes, et terra scabellum pedum ejus; et qui dixit, Quam domum aedificabitis mihi? aut quis locus quietis meae? Nonne manus mea fecit haec omnia (Isai. LXVI, 1, 2)? Sed videlicet intelligitur locus penes eum in quo statur super petram, ipsa Ecclesia catholica, ubi salubriter videt Pascha Domini, id est transitum Domini, et posteriora ejus, id est, corpus ejus, qui credit in resurrectionem ejus. Et stabis, inquit, super petram, statim ut transiet mea majestas. Revera enim statim ut transiit majestas Domini in clarificatione Domini qua resurgens ascendit ad Patrem, solidati sumus super petram. Et ipse Petrus tunc solidatus est, ut cum fiducia praedicaret, quem, priusquam esset solidatus, ter timore negaverat (Matth. XXVI, 70-74), jam quidem praedestinatione positus in specula petrae, sed adhuc manu Domini sibi superposita ne videret. Posteriora enim ejus visurus erat, et nondum ille transierat, utique a morte ad vitam, nondum resurrectione clarificatus erat.

31. Nam et quod sequitur in Exodo, et dicit, Tegam manu mea super te, donec transeam; et auferam manum meam, et tunc videbis posteriora mea: multi Israelitae quorum tunc figura erat Moyses, post resurrectionem Domini crediderunt in eum, tanquam jam videntes posteriora ejus, remota manu ejus ab oculis suis. Unde et Isaiae talem prophetiam evangelista commemorat: Incrassa cor populi hujus, et aures eorum oppila, et oculos eorum grava (Isai. VI, 10; Matth. XIII, 15). Denique in Psalmo non absurde intelligitur ex eorum persona dici, Quoniam die ac nocte gravata est super me manus tua. Die fortasse, cum manifesta miracula faceret, nec ab eis agnosceretur; nocte autem, cum in passione moreretur, quando certius putaverunt, sicut quemlibet hominem, peremptum et exstinctum. Sed quoniam cum transisset ut ejus posteriora viderentur, praedicante sibi apostolo Petro, quia oportebat Christum pati et resurgere, compuncti sunt dolore poenitentiae (Act. II, 37, 41), ut fieret in baptizatis quod in capite ejus psalmi dicitur, Beati quorum remissae sunt iniquitates, et quorum tecta sunt peccata: propterea cum dictum esset, Gravata est super me manus tua, tanquam Domino transeunte, ut jam removeret manum, et viderentur posteriora ejus, sequitur vox dolentis et confitentis, et ex fide 0866 resurrectionis Domini peccatorum remissionem accipientis: Conversus sum, inquit, in aerumna mea, cum infigeretur mihi spina. Peccatum meum cognovi, et injustitiam meam non operui. Dixi, Pronuntiabo adversum me injustitiam meam Domino, et tu remisisti impietatem cordis mei (Psal. XXXI, 1-5). Neque enim tanto carnis nubilo debemus involvi, ut putemus faciem quidem Domini esse invisibilem, dorsum vero visibile: quandoquidem in forma servi utrumque visibiliter apparuit; in forma autem Dei absit ut tale aliquid cogitetur: absit ut Verbum Dei et Sapientia Dei ex una parte habeat faciem, et ex alia dorsum, sicut corpus humanum, aut omnino ulla specie vel motione sive loco sive tempore commutetur.

32. Quapropter, si in illis vocibus quae fiebant in Exodo, et illis omnibus corporalibus demonstrationibus Dominus Jesus Christus ostendebatur; aut alias Christus, sicut loci hujus consideratio persuadet; alias Spiritus sanctus, sicut ea quae supra diximus admonent: non hoc efficitur, ut Deus Pater nunquam tali aliqua specie Patribus visus sit. Multa enim talia visa facta sunt illis temporibus, non evidenter nominato et designato in eis vel Patre, vel Filio, vel Spiritu sancto; sed tamen per quasdam valde probabiles significationes nonnullis indiciis existentibus, ut nimis temerarium sit dicere, Deum Patrem nunquam Patribus aut Prophetis per aliquas visibiles formas apparuisse. Hanc enim opinionem illi pepererunt, qui non potuerunt in unitate Trinitatis intelligere quod dictum est, Regi autem saeculorum immortali, invisibili soli Deo (I Tim. I, 17); et, Quem nemo hominum vidit, nec videre potest (Id. VI, 16). Quod de ipsa substantia summa summeque divina et incommutabili, ubi et Pater et Filius et Spiritus sanctus unus et solus Deus est, per sanam fidem intelligitur. Visiones autem illae per creaturam commutabilem Deo incommutabili subditam factae sunt, non proprie sicuti est, sed significative sicut pro rerum causis et temporibus oportuit, ostendentes Deum.