The City of God, Volume IIAugustine, of Hippo, Saint
ReligionChristian
The City of God, Volume II
Augustine, of Hippo, Saint
Apologetics -- Early works to 1800; Kingdom of God -- Early works to 1800
that great honour taken away from himself, his eyes fail and his soul
melts away consumed with grief.
But what follows belongs properly to the house of Eli, to whom these
things were said: "And every one of thine house that is left shall fall
by the sword of men. And this shall be a sign unto thee that shall come
upon these thy two sons, Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die
both of them." This, therefore, is made a sign of the change of the
priesthood from this man's house, by which it is signified that the
priesthood of Aaron's house is to be changed. For the death of this
man's sons signified the death not of the men, but of the priesthood
itself of the sons of Aaron. But what follows pertains to that Priest
whom Samuel typified by succeeding this one. Therefore the things which
follow are said of Christ Jesus the true Priest of the New Testament:
"And I will raise me up a faithful Priest that shall do according to
all that is in mine heart and in my soul; and I will build Him a sure
house." The same is the eternal Jerusalem above. "And He shall walk,"
saith He, "before my Christ always." "He shall walk" means "he shall be
conversant with," just as He had said before of Aaron's house, "I said
that thine house and thy father's house shall walk before me for ever."
But what He says, "He shall walk before my Christ," is to be understood
entirely of the house itself, not of the priest, who is Christ Himself,
the Mediator and Saviour. His house, therefore, shall walk before Him.
"Shall walk" may also be understood to mean from death to life, all the
time this mortality passes through, even to the end of this world. But
where God says, "Who will do all that is in mine heart and in my soul,"
we must not think that God has a soul, for He is the Author of souls;
but this is said of God tropically, not properly, just as He is said to
have hands and feet, and other corporal members. And, lest it should
be supposed from such language that man in the form of this flesh is
made in the image of God, wings also are ascribed to Him, which man has
not at all; and it is said to God, "Hide me under the shadow of Thy
wings,"[378] that men may understand that such things are said of that
ineffable nature not in proper but in figurative words.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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