King Alfred's Old English Version of St. Augustine's Soliloquies: Turned into Modern EnglishAugustine, of Hippo, Saint
ReligionChristian
King Alfred's Old English Version of St. Augustine's Soliloquies: Turned into Modern English
Augustine, of Hippo, Saint
Knowledge, Theory of (Religion) -- Early works to 1800
_A._ _Yea; truly enough I believe that we need not lose aught of the
wisdom which we now have, although the soul and the body part. But I
believe that our intellect shall thereby be very much increased, though
we can not all know before Doomsday what we would know. Howbeit I
believe that after Doomsday naught will be hidden from us, neither of
that which is in our days, nor of that which was before us, nor of that
which shall come after us. Thou hast now related to me many examples,
and I myself have seen in the writings of the sacred books more than I
can reckon, or even can remember. Thou didst show me also such reliable
testimony that I can do nothing else but believe it; for if I believe
not weaker testimony, then know I very little or naught. What know I
except that I wish we knew about God as clearly as we would? But the
soul is weighed down and busied with the body so that we can not, with
the eyes of the mind, see any thing just as it is, any more than thou
canst see at times the sun shine, when the clouds shoot between it and
thee, although it shineth very brightly where it is. And even though
there be no cloud between thee and it, thou canst not see it clearly
just as it is, because thou art not where it is; nor can thy body be
there; nor can thy bodily eyes come any nearer there, nor even see that
far. Not even the moon, which is nearer us, can we see just as it is. We
know that it is larger than the earth, and yet it doth not seem at times
larger than a shield on account of the distance. Now thou hast heard
that we can not with the eyes of the mind ever see any thing of this
world just as it is; yet from the part of it which we see we must
believe the part which we do not see. But it is promised us beyond any
doubt that, as soon as we come out of this world and the soul is
released from the prison of the body, we shall know every thing which we
now desire to know, and much more than the ancients, the wisest of all
on the earth, could know. And after Doomsday it is promised that we may
see God openly--yea, see Him just as He is; and know Him ever afterwards
as perfectly as He now knoweth us. There shall never be any wisdom
wanting to us. He who granteth us to know Himself will conceal naught
from us. Howbeit we shall know then all that we now wish to know, and
also that which we do not now wish to know. We shall all see God, both
those who here are worst, and those who here are best. All the good
shall see Him, to their comfort, and joy, and honor, and happiness, and
glory; and the wicked shall see Him just the same as the good, though to
their torment, for they shall see[13] ... might or could in this world,
or whether they had any remembrance of the friends whom they left behind
in this world._
[13] Omission in the MS.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: 67.9--68.10]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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