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TRACTATE 67 On John 14.1–4 e must direct upwards to God, brothers, a greater concentration, in order that we may somehow be able to grasp also with the mind the words of the holy Gospel that have just resounded in our ears. For the Lord Jesus says [to the Apostles], “Do not let your heart be troubled. Believe in God and believe in me.” That they might not now, as men, fear death and therefore be troubled , he consoles them, and also solemnly declares that he is God. “Believe,” he says, “in God and believe in me.” For it is reasonable that if you believe in God, you ought also to believe in me, which would not be reasonable if Christ were not God. “Believe in God and believe in” him for whom to be equal to God is his nature, not robbery; for he emptied himself, yet without losing the form of God, but taking the form of a servant.1 You fear death for this form of a servant; “do not let your heart be troubled,” the form of God will raise it up. 2. But what is it that follows, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places,” except that they too were fearing for themselves. For this reason they needed to hear, “Do not let your heart be troubled.” For who of them would not fear, when it was said to Peter, one more self-confident and more straightforward, “The cock will not crow till you deny me three times”?2 Therefore, as though they were going to be lost from him, they were reasonably troubled. (2) But when they hear, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places; if it were not so, I would have told you, because I go to prepare a place for you,” they are refreshed 1. Cf. Phil 2.6–7. 2. Jn 13.38. 58 from this troubledness, assured and confident that even after the dangers of temptations they will dwell before God with Christ. For, although one is braver than another, one wiser than another, “in the Father’ s house there are many dwelling-places.” None of them will be kept at a distance from that house where each will deservedly receive a dwelling-place for his own. For that denarius is unvarying for all, which the head of the house orders to be given to all of those who worked in the vineyard, not distinguishing in it who worked less and who more.3 For, of course, eternal life is signified by this denarius, wherein no one lives more than another, because the length of living is not diverse in eternity . (3) But the many dwelling-places signify the varied values of merits in the one eternal life. For the sun’s glory is one thing, the moon’s glory another, and the stars’ glory another ; for star differs from star in glory. So too is the resurrection of the dead.4 Like the stars, the saints are allotted different dwelling-places of different brightness; as in the sky, so in the kingdom. But because of the one denarius no one is separated from the kingdom; and so God will be all in all,5 so that, because God is love,6 it may come to pass through love that what each has may be common to all. For in this way each one himself also has, when he loves in another what he does not have himself. And so there will not be any envy of unequal brightness, because the unity of love will reign in all. 3. Accordingly, they must be repulsed from the Christian heart who think that it has been said that there are many dwelling-places for the reason that there will be something outside the kingdom of heaven where there may dwell the blessed innocents who have emigrated from this life without baptism, because without that they will not be able to enter the kingdom of God.7 This faith is not faith because it is not TRACTATE 67 59 3. See Mt 20.1–16. 4. 1 Cor 15.41–42. 5. Cf. 1 Cor 15.28. 6. Cf. 1 Jn 4.8. 7. A.-M. La Bonnardière, Recherches de chronologie augustinienne, 65–69, holds that this is part of Augustine’s refutation of Vincentius Victor, a Donatist of the Rogatist faction who had converted to the Catholic Church, [18.188.44.223...

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