| << | Contents | >> |
De Principiis
Show All Footnotes & Jump to 2217
[2209] Job xli. 34 [LXX.].
[2211] Ecclesiasticus 43.20.
[2212] ψυχή from ψύχεσθαι.
[2213] Ecclesiasticus 6.4.
[2216] “By falling away and growing cold from a spiritual life, the soul has become what it now is, but is capable also of returning to what it was at the beginning, which I think is intimated by the prophet in the words, ‘Return, O my soul, unto thy rest,’ so as to be wholly this.”—Epistle of Justinian to Patriarch of Constantinople.
[2218] “The understanding (Νοῦς) somehow, then, has become a soul, and the soul, being restored, becomes an understanding. The understanding falling away, was made a soul, and the soul, again, when furnished with virtues, will become an understanding. For if we examine the case of Esau, we may find that he was condemned because of his ancient sins in a worse course of life. And respecting the heavenly bodies we must inquire, that not at the time when the world was created did the soul of the sun, or whatever else it ought to be called, begin to exist, but before that it entered that shining and burning body. We may hold similar opinions regarding the moon and stars, that, for the foregoing reasons, they were compelled, unwillingly, to subject themselves to vanity on account of the rewards of the future; and to do, not their own will, but the will of their Creator, by whom they were arranged among their different offices.”—Jerome’s Epistle to Avitus. From these, as well as other passages, it may be seen how widely Rufinus departed in his translation from the original.
[2221] Animam.
[2224] The original of this passage is found in Justinian’s Epistle to Menas, Patriarch of Constantinople, apud finem. “In that beginning which is cognisable by the understanding, God, by His own will, caused to exist as great a number of intelligent beings as was sufficient; for we must say that the power of God is finite, and not, under pretence of praising Him, take away His limitation. For if the divine power be infinite, it must of necessity be unable to understand even itself, since that which is naturally illimitable is incapable of being comprehended. He made things therefore so great as to be able to apprehend and keep them under His power, and control them by His providence; so also He prepared matter of such a size (τοσαύτην ὕλην) as He had the power to ornament.”
[2225] Wisdom xi. 20: “Thou hast ordered all things in measure, and number, and weight.”
Search Comments
This page has been visited 0097 times.
| << | Contents | >> |
10 per page