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20. On the Place of God
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QUESTIONS 18-20 47 the search for truth, there can be no more than three kinds of question: Does a thing exist at all? Is it this particular thing or something else? Should it be approved or disapproved?3 19. ON GOD AND THE CREA TED What is unchangeable is eternal, for it always exists in the same state. But what is changeable is subject to time, for it does not always exist in the same state and accordingly is not correctly said to be eternal. For what changes does not remain , and what does not remain is not eternal. Now between the immortal and the eternal there is this difference. Everything eternal is immortal, but not everything immortal is with sufficient accuracy called eternal. For although something may live forever, still, if it is subject to change, it is not prop~erly called eternal, since it does not always exist in the same state. However, it can be called immortal because it lives forever. But sometimes what is immortal is also called eternal. However, what is both subject to change and said to live by the presence of a soul, although it is not a soul, cannot at all be understood to be even immortal, much less eternal . For in that which is properly called eternal there is nothing past as if it has already transpired, nor anything future as if it does not yet exist, but whatever is simply is. 20. ON THE PLACE OF GOD God is not anywhere. For what is somewhere is contained in a place, and what is contained in a place is body. But God is not body, so he is not anywhere. Nevertheless, since he is and yet is not in a place, all things are in him rather than he himself being anywhere. Still, they are not in God as if he himself were a place, for place is in space which is occupied by the length, breadth, and height of a body. But God is not 3 For these three questions, see also C 10.40.65 (PL 32.807). 48 ST. AUGUSTINE of this character. Therefore all things are in him, and he is not a place. Nonetheless, the temple of God, through a misuse of the term, is called the place of God, not because he is contained in it, but because he is present there. But in the understanding of this nothing excells the soul which is pure. 21. IS NOT GOD THE AUTHOR OF EVIL?! Whoever is the author of all things which are and whose goodness is responsible for the existence of all that exists cannot have anything at all to do with nonbeing. Now everything which lacks anything lacks in relation to being and tends toward nonbeing. However, to be and to lack in nothing is good, whereas evil is a lacking. But he on whom nonbeing has no claim is not the cause of [this] lacking (causa deJiciendz) , i.e., of the tending toward nonbeing, because he is, if I may say so, the cause of being (causa essendz). Therefore he is the cause only of good, and for that reason he is the highest good. Consequently he who is the author of all things which are is not the author of evil, because to the degree that things are, to that degree are they good. Cf. R 1.26 (PL 32.625): "care must be taken that one not misunderstand my claim that 'God is not the author of evil b,ecause he is the author of all things which are, and because to the degree that things are, to that degree are they good.' Let no one think on this account that the punishment of the wicked, which is obviously an evil to those who are punished, does not come from him. But I have spoken thus in the same way in which it was said: 'God has not made death' (Wis 1.13), although it was elsewhere written: 'Death and life are from the Lord God' (Ecclus [Sir] 11.14). Therefore the punishment of the wicked, which is from God, is indeed evil to the wicked; but it is counted among the good works of God, because it is just that the wicked be punished, and, of course, everything which is just is good." The Latin wording of the last sentence in Q. 21 differs from the Latin wording of that sentence as quoted by St. Augustine in R. There...