Chapter 11.—The Likeness of the Divine Word, Such as It Is, is to Be Sought, Not in Our Own Outer and Sensible Word, But in the Inner and Mental One. There is the Greatest Possible Unlikeness Between Our Word and Knowledge and the Divine Word and Knowledge.

20. Accordingly, the word that sounds outwardly is the sign of the word that gives light inwardly; which latter has the greater claim to be called a word. For that which is uttered with the mouth of the flesh, is the articulate sound of a word; and is itself also called a word, on account of that to make which outwardly apparent it is itself assumed. For our word is so made in some way into an articulate sound of the body, by assuming that articulate sound by which it may be manifested to men’s senses, as the Word of God was made flesh, by assuming that flesh in which itself also might be manifested to men’s senses. And as our word becomes an articulate sound, yet is not changed into one; so the Word of God became flesh, but far be it from us to say He was changed into flesh. For both that word of ours became an articulate sound, and that other Word became flesh, by assuming it, not by consuming itself so as to be changed into it. And therefore whoever desires to arrive at any likeness, be it of what sort it may, of the Word of God, however in many respects unlike, must not regard the word of ours that sounds in the ears, either when it is uttered in an articulate sound or when it is silently thought. For the words of all tongues that are uttered in sound are also silently thought, and the mind runs over verses while the bodily mouth is silent. And not only the numbers of syllables, but the tunes also of songs, since they are corporeal, and pertain to that sense of the body which is called hearing, are at hand by certain incorporeal images appropriate to them, to those who think of them, and who silently revolve all these things. But we must pass by this, in order to arrive at that word of man, by the likeness of which, be it of what sort it may, the Word of God may be somehow seen as in an enigma. Not that word which was spoken to this or that prophet, and of which it is said, “Now the word of God grew and multiplied;”970    Acts vi. 7 and again, “Faith then cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ;”971    Rom. x. 17 and again, “When ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men but, as it is in truth, the word of God”972    1 Thess. ii. 13 (and there are countless other like sayings in the Scriptures respecting the word of God, which is disseminated in the sounds of many and diverse languages through the hearts and mouths of men; and which is therefore called the word of God, because the doctrine that is delivered is not human, but divine);—but we are now seeking to see, in whatsoever way we can, by means of this likeness, that Word of God of which it is said, “The Word was God;” of which it is said, “All things were made by Him;” of which it is said, “The Word became flesh;” of which it is said “The Word of God on high is the fountain of wisdom.”973    Ecclus. i. 5 We must go on, then, to that word of man, to the word of the rational animal, to the word of that image of God, that is not born of God, but made by God; which is neither utterable in sound nor capable of being thought under the likeness of sound such as must needs be with the word of any tongue; but which precedes all the signs by which it is signified, and is begotten from the knowledge that continues in the mind, when that same knowledge is spoken inwardly according as it really is. For the sight of thinking is exceedingly like the sight of knowledge. For when it is uttered by sound, or by any bodily sign, it is not uttered according as it really is, but as it can be seen or heard by the body. When, therefore, that is in the word which is in the knowledge, then there is a true word, and truth, such as is looked for from man; such that what is in the knowledge is also in the word, and what is not in the knowledge is also not in the word. Here may be recognized, “Yea, yea; nay, nay.”974    Matt. v. 37 And so this likeness of the image that is made, approaches as nearly as is possible to that likeness of the image that is born, by which God the Son is declared to be in all things like in substance to the Father. We must notice in this enigma also another likeness of the word of God; viz. that, as it is said of that Word, “All things were made by Him,” where God is declared to have made the universe by His only-begotten Son, so there are no works of man that are not first spoken in his heart: whence it is written, “A word is the beginning of every work.”975    Ecclus. xxxvii. 20 But here also, it is when the word is true, that then it is the beginning of a good work. And a word is true when it is begotten from the knowledge of working good works, so that there too may be preserved the “yea yea, nay nay;” in order that whatever is in that knowledge by which we are to live, may be also in the word by which we are to work, and whatever is not in the one may not be in the other. Otherwise such a word will be a lie, not truth; and what comes thence will be a sin, and not a good work. There is yet this other likeness of the Word of God in this likeness of our word, that there can be a word of ours with no work following it, but there cannot be any work unless a word precedes; just as the Word of God could have existed though no creature existed, but no creature could exist unless by that Word by which all things are made. And therefore not God the Father, not the Holy Spirit, not the Trinity itself, but the Son only, which is the Word of God, was made flesh; although the Trinity was the maker: in order that we might live rightly through our word following and imitating His example, i.e. by having no lie in either the thought or the work of our word. But this perfection of this image is one to be at some time hereafter. In order to attain this it is that the good master teaches us by Christian faith, and by pious doctrine, that “with face unveiled” from the veil of the law, which is the shadow of things to come, “beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,” i.e. gazing at it through a glass, “we may be transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord;”976    2 Cor. iii. 17 as we explained above.

21. When, therefore, this image shall have been renewed to perfection by this transformation, then we shall be like God, because we shall see Him, not through a glass, but “as He is;”977    1 John iii. 4 which the Apostle Paul expresses by “face to face.”978    1 Cor. xiii. 12 But now, who can explain how great is the unlikeness also, in this glass, in this enigma, in this likeness such as it is? Yet I will touch upon some points, as I can, by which to indicate it.

CAPUT XI.

20. Verbi divini similitudo qualiscumque in verbo nostro non exteriore ac sensibili, sed in interiore ac mentali quaerenda. Dissimilitudo quam maxima inter verbum ac scientiam nostram et Verbum scientiamque divinam. Proinde verbum quod foris sonat, signum est verbi quod intus lucet, cui magis verbi competit nomen. Nam illud quod profertur carnis ore, vox verbi est: verbumque et ipsum dicitur, propter illud a quo ut foris appareret assumptum 1072 est. Ita enim verbum nostrum vox quodam modo corporis fit, assumendo eam in qua manifestetur sensibus hominum; sicut Verbum Dei caro factum est, assumendo eam in qua et ipsum manifestaretur sensibus hominum. Et sicut verbum nostrum fit vox, nec mutatur in vocem; ita Verbum Dei caro quidem factum est, sed absit ut mutaretur in carnem. Assumendo quippe illam, non in eam se consumendo, et hoc nostrum vox fit, et illud caro factum est. Quapropter quicumque cupit ad qualemcumque similitudinem Verbi Dei, quamvis per multa dissimilem, pervenire, non intueatur verbum nostrum quod sonat in auribus, nec quando voce profertur, nec quando silentio cogitatur. Omnium namque sonantium verba linguarum etiam in silentio cogitantur, et carmina percurruntur animo, tacente ore corporis: nec solum numeri syllabarum, verum etiam modi cantilenarum, cum sint corporales, et ad eum, qui vocatur auditus, sensum corporis pertinentes, per incorporeas quasdam imagines suas praesto sunt cogitantibus, et tacite cuncta ista volventibus. Sed transeunda sunt haec, ut ad illud perveniatur hominis verbum, per cujus qualemcumque similitudinem sicut in aenigmate videatur utcumque Dei Verbum: non illud quod factum est ad illum vel illum prophetam, et de quo dictum est, Verbum autem Dei crescebat et multiplicabatur (Act. VI, 7); et de quo iterum dictum est, Igitur fides ex auditu, auditus autem per verbum Christi (Rom. X, 17); et iterum, Cum accepissetis a nobis verbum auditus Dei, accepistis non ut verbum hominum, sed sicuti est vere verbum Dei (I Thess. II, 13). Et innumerabilia similiter in Scripturis dicuntur de Dei verbo, quod in sonis multarum diversarumque linguarum per corda et ora disseminatur humana. Ideo autem verbum Dei dicitur, quia doctrina divina traditur, non humana. Sed illud Verbum Dei quaerimus qualitercumque per hanc similitudinem nunc videre, de quo dictum est, Deus erat Verbum; de quo dictum est, Omnia per ipsum facta sunt; de quo dictum est, Verbum caro factum est (Joan. I, 1, 3, 14); de quo dictum est, Fons sapientiae Verbum Dei in excelsis (Eccli. I, 5). Perveniendum est ergo ad illud verbum hominis, ad verbum rationalis animantis, ad verbum non de Deo natae, sed a Deo factae imaginis Dei, quod neque prolativum est in sono, neque cogitativum in similitudine soni, quod alicujus linguae esse necesse sit, sed quod omnia quibus significatur signa praecedit, et gignitur de scientia quae manet in animo, quando eadem scientia intus dicitur, sicuti est. Simillima est enim visio cogitationis, visioni scientiae. Nam quando per sonum dicitur, vel per aliquod corporale signum, non dicitur sicuti est, sed sicut potest videri audirive per corpus. Quando ergo quod in notitia est, hoc est in verbo, tunc est verum verbum, et veritas, qualis exspectatur ab homine, ut quod est in ista, hoc sit et in illo; quod non est in ista, non sit et in illo; hic agnoscitur, Est, est; Non, non (Matth. V, 37). Sic accedit, quantum potest, ista similitudo imaginis factae ad illam similitudinem imaginis natae, qua Deus Filius 1073 Patri per omnia substantialiter similis praedicatur. Animadvertenda est in hoc aenigmate etiam ista Verbi Dei similitudo, quod sicut de illo Verbo dictum est, Omnia per ipsum facta sunt, ubi Deus per unigenitum Verbum suum praedicatur universa fecisse; ita hominis opera nulla sunt, quae non prius dicantur in corde: unde scriptum est, Initium omnis operis verbum (Eccli. XXXVII, 20). Sed etiam hic cum verum verbum est, tunc est initium boni operis. Verum autem verbum est, cum de scientia bene operandi gignitur, ut etiam ibi servetur, Est, est; Non, non: ut si est in ea scientia qua vivendum est, sit et in verbo per quod operandum est; si non, non: alioquin mendacium erit verbum tale, non veritas; et inde peccatum, non opus rectum. Est et haec in ista similitudine verbi nostri similitudo Verbi Dei, quia potest esse verbum nostrum quod non sequatur opus; opus autem esse non potest, nisi praecedat verbum: sicut Verbum Dei potuit esse nulla existente creatura; creatura vero nulla esse posset, nisi per ipsum per quod facta sunt omnia. Ideoque non Deus Pater, non Spiritus sanctus, non ipsa Trinitas, sed solus Filius, quod est Verbum Dei, caro factum est; quamvis Trinitate faciente: ut sequente atque imitante verbo nostro ejus exemplum, recte viveremus, hoc est, nullum habentes in verbi nostri vel contemplatione vel operatione mendacium. Verum haec hujus imaginis est quandoque futura perfectio. Ad hanc consequendam nos erudit magister bonus fide christiana pietatisque doctrina, ut revelata facie a Legis velamine quod est umbra futurorum, gloriam Domini speculantes, per speculum scilicet intuentes, in eamdem imaginem transformemur de gloria in gloriam, tanquam a Domini Spiritu (II Cor. III, 18), secundum superiorem de his verbis disputationem.

21. Cum ergo hac transformatione ad perfectum fuerit haec imago renovata, similes Deo erimus, quoniam videbimus eum, non per speculum, sed sicuti est (Joan. III, 2): quod dicit apostolus Paulus, facie ad faciem (I Cor. XIII, 12). Nunc vero in hoc speculo, in hoc aenigmate, in hac qualicumque similitudine, quanta sit etiam dissimilitudo, quis potest explicare? Attingam tamen aliqua, ut valeo, quibus id possit adverti.