Tractates on the Gospel of John 55–111

Tractate 90

160 TRACTATE 90 On John 15.23 ou have heard the Lord saying, “He who hates me hates my Father also.” Now, earlier he had said, “These things they will do to you because they do not know him who sent me.”1 Therefore a problem arises, and we must not pretend it isn’t there: how can they hate him whom they do not know? For if they suspect or believe that God is, not what he himself is, but that he is some other thing, and they hate this thing, they do not of course hate him but what they conceive in their deluding conjecture or vain credulity. But if they perceive this about him, namely what he is, how are they said not to know him? And indeed with regard to men it is possible for us oftentimes to love those whom we have never seen; and on this account neither is the contrary impossible, for us to hate those whom we have never seen. (2) For indeed, when a story conveys a good or bad report about someone, it is not an inappropriate result that we should love or hate the unknown person. But if the story is true, how is he about whom we have learned the truth to be called unknown? Is it because we have not seen his face? But even though he too does not see that, yet it can be better known to no one than himself. Therefore, knowledge of someone is not communicated to us in his bodily face. But then a way for the acquisition of knowledge lies open to us when his character and life are not hidden [from us]. Otherwise , anyone who cannot see his own face cannot know even himself. But assuredly he himself knows himself so much 1. Jn 15.21. TRACTATE 90 161 more certainly than he is known to others in so far as by introspection he can more certainly see what he is aware of, see what he desires, see what life he really lives; and when these things are opened also to us, then he truly comes to be known to us. And so because very often this information is relayed to us, either in story or in writings, about those absent or even dead, the result of it is that often we either hate or love men whom we have never seen with the body’s face (although not whom we do not at all know.) 2. But very often our credulity is deceived in regard to them; for sometimes even history, and much more story, misrepresents. But it is important for us that we not be deceived by a deleterious opinion, so that, because we cannot search out men’s conscience, we may have a true and sure idea2 about the things themselves, that is, so that, if we do not know whether this or that man is unchaste or chaste, we may nevertheless hate the unchastity and love3 the chastity, and if we do not know that this or that individual is unjust or just, we may nevertheless love the justice and hate the injustice : not such things as we ourselves devise for ourselves by our erroneous thinking, but such as we see with faith, the one to be sought after, the other to be avoided, in the truth of God. [It is also important for us not to be deceived] so that when in regard to things themselves we seek after what ought to be sought after, shun what ought to be shunned, we may be forgiven because in regard to the hidden things of men sometimes, no, rather constantly, we hold untrue opinions. (2) Indeed, I think that this has to do with “temptation such as is human” without which this life cannot be spent, so that the Apostle said, “Let not temptation take hold on you, but such as is human.”4 For what is so human as to be 2. That Latin here is sententiam; several codices read scientiam, knowledge . 3. Augustine uses diligere for love here, but amare in the next part of the sentence. The words are exact synonyms; see Tractates 3.5, note 20, and 32.8, note 24. 4. 1 Cor 10.13. Most Greek codices have the verb in the perfect indicative , “temptation has not taken hold”; the Vulgate tradition overwhelming- ST. AUGUSTINE 162 unable to look...