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68. On the Scripture: "O man, who are you to answer back to God?"
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158 ST. AUGUSTINE 68. ON THE SCRIPTURE: "0 MAN, WHO ARE YOU TO ANSWER BACK TO GOD?"! (1) Although the Apostle seems to have reproached the prying by saying: "0 man, who are you to answer back to God?" they raise a question about this very matter and do not cease to pry about that judgment by which prying itself was rebuked. And indeed the impious do this in an abusive way, saying that the Apostle failed to solve the question and rebuked inquirers because he could not explain what was under investigation. Moreover, some heretics,2 because they do not deceive except when they promise a knowledge which they do not produce, and who are enemies of the Law and the prophets, charge that whatever the Apostle has injected about them into his discussion is false and has been introduced by corrupters. These heretics have preferred to number even this passage among those which they say are interpolated and to deny that Paul said: "0 man, who are than that of Q. 67, and hence it can help in illuminating St. Augustine's explanation of creature in that Q. In ExR Augustine explains that the word takes on two different meanings in the development of St. Paul's argument. It 'refers, on the one hand, to mankind as a whole (creature,) and, on the other hand, only to Christian believers. The second group breaks down in turn into two subgroups: those who have not yet believed but will (creature2a) and those who are now believers (creature2b). Applying Augustine's analysis in schematic fashion to the verses from Romans 8, we have: vv. 19-20 creature! vv. 21-22 creature2a v. 23 creature2b This schematic arrangement differs somewhat from that which can be abstracted from Q. 67. There we have the following suggested arrangement : v. 19 creature2b v. 20 creature! v. 21 creatureZa v. 22 creature! v. 23 creature2b However, regardless of the exactness of the two schemata, it is clear that St. Augustine means to distinguish the two fundamental senses of creature that we have discussed. 1 Rom 9.20. 2 Probably the Manichaeans. QUESTION 68 159 you to answer back to God?" For if the passage speaks to the very ones who practice calumny in order to deceive men, then without doubt they will be silent, nor will they dare to promise to the ignorant whom they wish to deceive any knowledge of the will of the omnipotent God. Now certain people who read the Scriptures with a good and devout intention3 inquire what answer they can give in this case to the authors of abuse and calumny. But as for us who to our advantage cling to the apostolic authority, and who think that the books preserved in Catholic teaching have been in no way falsified, let us perceive the truth: those to whom the divine secrets are closed are unworthy of and incapable of understanding them. When those who murmur and are indignant that they do not learn the counsels of God begin to say: "Therefore he has mercy on whom he wants, and he hardens whom he wants. What then does he still complain about? For who resists his will?"4 and when with these words they begin either to misrepresent the Scriptures or to seek a pretext for their sins so that they might defy the commandments which lead to the moral life, to them, I say, let us boldly respond: "0 man, who are you to answer back to God?" Nor let us, out of regard for them, give what is holy to dogs or cast our pearls before swine5 (if, nonetheless, we ourselves are no longer dogs and swine), and, subject to the Holy Spirit's revelation concerning the merit of souls, let us raise our thoughts up to something lofty and far removed from commonplace conjecture, even if partially and dimly grasped. (2) Now the Apostle in this passage has not prohibited the saints, but those who have not yet been rooted and grounded in love, from inquiry, so that they might be able to comprehend with all saints the breadth, length, height, and depth, and the other things which he describes in the same passage.6 Therefore he has not prohibited inquiry who says: "However, the spiritual man judges all things, but he - 3 mente. 4 Rom 9.18-19. 5 Mt 6.6. 6 Eph 3.18-19. [44.193.80.126] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 16:36...