Saint Augustine of Hippo - The Real · PDF fileaint Augustine in the renowned work The City of...

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aint Augustine in the renowned workThe City of God, deals with the sublime

spiritual vision of God that the souls in Paradise enjoy: “Therefore it may verywell be and it is perfectly credible that ineternity we shall see the material formsof the world of new heavens and of newearth in such a way that we will see Godwith luminous clarity, wherever we turnour eyes, through the body that we willhave and through the bodies that we willobserve. God is present everywhere anddirects to their end all things includingthe material ones. And this will notoccur as in our time, when the invisibleperfections of God, regarding the worksaccomplished by Him, are contemplatedwith the intellect as in a mirror, in anobscure manner and only in part,because here the faith by which webelieve can be more useful than the representation of the objects of the phys-ical world that we express by means ofthe eyes of our body. When we see thepeople living around us, who are exercis-ing vital functions, it is not by faith thatwe understand that they are alive, but byseeing them, because we cannot observetheir life without their bodies, but we seeit beyond any uncertainty by means oftheir bodies. In the same way, in eternitywherever we will direct the spiritualluminosity of our bodies, also with ourbodies we shall contemplate God, Who is

incorporeal and directs everything to itsown end. Therefore either God will beseen through the eyes in the sense thatthey would have in a such high sublimitya function similar to that of the mind andby which they may be able to discernalso the spiritual nature, and it is difficult,or rather impossible to clarify such a supposition with examples or with textsof the Sacred Scripture. Alternatively,and this is an idea easier to comprehend,God will be so known by us with such a clarity that we shall see Him by thespirit in ourselves, in one another, inHimself, in the new heavens and in thenew earth and in every creature that willexist in eternity, and also by the means of the body we shall see God in everybody, in every direction where the sharpvision of the spiritual body shall reach.Also thoughts will be revealed from oneanother. Then, shall be fulfilled thewords of the Apostle, who after havingsaid: Judge nothing before time, adds:Until the Lord comes and will bring tolight the hidden things of darkness andwill manifest the intentions of the heart;then shall everyone have praise of God.”

Saint Augustine was born in Africain Thagaste, Numidia – now Souk Ahrasin Algeria – on November 13, 354 from afamily of small landowners. He receiveda Christian education from his mother,

but after having read the work Hortensiusby Cicero he embraced philosophy,adhering to Manichaeism. In 387 on atrip to Milan he met Saint Ambrose. Theencounter revealed itself important tothe faith journey of Augustine: it is from him that he received Baptism.Subsequently he returned to Africa withthe desire to create a community ofmonks. After the death of his mother hemoved to Hippo, where he was ordainedpriest and Bishop. He died on August28, 430.

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