Letter 14: 1. I have preferred to reply to your last letter, not because I undervalued your earlier questions, or enjoyed them less, but because in answering you I undertake a greater task than you think. For although you enjoined me to send you a superlatively long letter, I have not so much leisure as you imagine, and as you know I have always wished to...

Augustine to his dear friend Nebridius -- greetings. 1. I have chosen to answer your most recent letter first -- not because I value your earlier questions any less or find them less enjoyable, but because answering you is a bigger undertaking than you realize. You told me to send you an extraordinarily long letter, but I do not have nearly as much free time as you imagine, and as you know I have always wished for, and still do. Do not ask me why -- I could more easily list every single thing that keeps me busy than explain why any of them should keep me busy at all. 2. You ask why you and I, though separate individuals, do many of the same things, while the sun does not do the same things as the other heavenly bodies. Let me try to address this. If you and I do the same things, then the sun also does many things the other heavenly bodies do: if in some respects it differs from them, the same is true of you and me. I walk, and you walk; it moves, and they move. I stay awake, and you stay awake; it shines, and they shine. I discuss, and you discuss; it makes its circuit, and they make theirs. And yet there is really no valid comparison between acts of the mind and visible phenomena. If, more reasonably, you compare mind with mind, then the heavenly bodies -- if they possess any kind of mind -- must be regarded as even more uniform in their contemplations than human beings are in theirs. As for bodily movements: if you think about it with your usual attentiveness, you will find that it is impossible for two people to do precisely the same thing. When we walk side by side, do you think we are necessarily doing the same thing? Surely not, with your wisdom! The one of us walking on the north side must, in taking the same step as the other, either get slightly ahead or fall slightly behind. These differences are imperceptible to the senses, but you, unless I am mistaken, care more about what we know through understanding than what we learn through the senses. Even if we pressed together as closely as possible and walked on a perfectly smooth surface of marble or ivory, our movements would be as distinct from each other as our pulses or our faces. Replace us with identical twins, and you gain nothing: the necessity that each person's movements be uniquely their own is as great as the necessity that they be born as separate individuals. 3. You may say: the difference between two people walking is detectable only by reason, while the difference between the sun and other heavenly bodies is obvious to the senses. If you are pointing to their difference in size, you know how much could be said about the distances separating them from us, and how quickly what seems obvious becomes deeply uncertain. I may, however, grant that their actual sizes correspond to their apparent sizes -- I believe this myself -- but then I ask you to consider: who could fail to notice the enormous stature of Naevius, who stood a full foot taller than the tallest man? (I suspect, by the way, that you have been searching hard for someone to match him, and failing to find one, have decided to make me stretch my letter to rival his height instead.) If such variety in size exists even here on earth, it should not surprise us to find the same in the heavens. And if what really astonishes you is that no other heavenly body but the sun fills the day with its light -- then I ask you: who among human beings has ever been as extraordinary as that Man whom God took into union with Himself, in a way entirely different from how He has taken all other holy and wise men? If you compare Christ with other wise men, He surpasses them by a distance far greater than the sun's superiority over the other heavenly bodies. I urge you to study this comparison carefully, for it may well suggest to your brilliant mind the answer to a question you once put to me about the humanity of Christ. 4. You also ask whether that highest Truth and Wisdom and Form of all things -- through whom all things were made, and whom our faith confesses to be the only-begotten Son of God -- contains the idea of humanity in general, or also of each individual human being. A profound question. My view is this: in the creation of the human race, the divine mind held the idea of humanity as such, not of you or me as individuals. But in the unfolding of time, the idea of each individual, with all the particularities that distinguish one person from another, lives in that pure Truth. I grant this is very obscure. But perhaps we can find an illustration from the sciences that reside entirely within our minds. In geometry, the idea of an angle is one thing; the idea of a square is another. Whenever I choose to draw an angle, the idea of the angle alone is present to my mind. But I can never draw a square without holding the idea of four angles simultaneously. In the same way, every individual person has been made according to an idea proper to that person alone. But in the making of a nation -- though the governing idea is also one -- it is the idea not of a single person but of many collectively. If, then, Nebridius is part of this universe -- as he is -- and the universe is made up of parts, the God who made the universe could not have lacked in His plan the idea of every part. Since this plan contains a vast number of human beings, it does not belong to any individual human as such. And yet all those individuals are, in wonderful ways, brought back into unity. But you will reflect on this at your leisure. For now, please be content with what I have written -- though I have already outdone Naevius himself in length.

Letter 14 (A.D. 389) To Nebridius Augustine Sends Greeting. 1. I have preferred to reply to your last letter, not because I undervalued your earlier questions, or enjoyed them less, but because in answering you I undertake a greater task than you think. For although you enjoined me to send you a superlatively long letter, I have not so much leisure as you imagine, and as you know I have always wished to have, and do still wish. Ask not why it is so: for I could more easily enumerate the things by which I am hindered, than explain why I am hindered by them. 2. You ask why it is that you and I, though separate individuals, do many things which are the same, but the sun does not the same as the other heavenly bodies. Of this thing I must attempt to explain the cause. Now, if you and I do the same things, the sun also does many things which the other heavenly bodies do: if in some things it does not the same as the others, this is equally true of you and me. I walk, and you walk; it is moved, and they are moved: I keep awake, and you keep awake; it shines, and they shine: I discuss, and you discuss; it goes its round, and they go their rounds. And yet there is no fitness of comparison between mental acts and things visible. If, however, as is reasonable, you compare mind with mind, the heavenly bodies, if they have any mind, must be regarded as even more uniform than men in their thoughts or contemplations, or whatever term may more conveniently express such activity in them. Moreover, as to the movements of the body, you will find, if you reflect on this with your wonted attention, that it is impossible for precisely the same thing to be done by two persons. When we walk together, do you think that we both necessarily do the same thing? Far be such thought from one of your wisdom! For the one of us who walks on the side towards the north, must either, in taking the same step as the other, get in advance of him, or walk more slowly than he does. Neither of these things is perceptible by the senses; but you, if I am not mistaken, look to what we know by the understanding rather than to what we learn by the senses. If, however, we move from the pole towards the south, joined and clinging to each other as closely as possible, and treading on a sheet of marble or even ivory smooth and level, a perfect identity is as unattainable in our motions as in the throbbings of our pulses, or in our figures and faces. Put us aside, and place in our stead the sons of Glaucus, and you gain nothing by this substitution: for even in these twins so perfectly resembling each other, the necessity for the motions of each being peculiarly his own, is as great as the necessity for their birth as separate individuals. 3. You will perhaps say: The difference in this case is one which only reason can discover; but the difference between the sun and the other heavenly bodies is to the senses also patent. If you insist upon my looking to their difference in magnitude, you know how many things may be said as to the distances by which they are removed from us, and into how great uncertainty that which you speak of as obvious may thus be brought back. I may, however, concede that the actual size corresponds with the apparent size of the heavenly bodies, for I myself believe this; and I ask you to show me any one whose senses were incapable of remarking the prodigious stature of Nævius, exceeding by a foot that of the tallest man. By the way, I think you have been just too eager to discover some man to match him; and when you did not succeed in the search, have resolved to make me stretch out my letter so as to rival his dimensions. If therefore even on earth such variety in size may be seen, I think that it need not surprise us to find the like in the heavens. If, however, the thing which moves your surprise is that the light of no other heavenly body than the sun fills the day, who, I ask you, has ever been manifested to men so great as that Man whom God took into union with Himself, in another way entirely than He has taken all other holy and wise men who ever lived? For if you compare Him with other men who were wise, He is separated from them by superiority greater far than that which the sun has above the other heavenly bodies. This comparison let me charge you by all means attentively to study; for it is not impossible that to your singularly gifted mind I may have suggested, by this cursory remark, the solution of a question which you once proposed to me concerning the humanity of Christ. 4. You also ask me whether that highest Truth and highest Wisdom and Form (or Archetype) of things, by whom all things were made, and whom our creeds confess to be the only-begotten Son of God, contains the idea of mankind in general, or also of each individual of our race. A great question. My opinion is, that in the creation of man there was in Him the idea only of man generally, and not of you or me as individuals; but that in the cycle of time the idea of each individual, with all the varieties distinguishing men from each other, lives in that pure Truth. This I grant is very obscure; yet I know not by what kind of illustration light may be shed upon it, unless perhaps we betake ourselves to those sciences which lie wholly within our minds. In geometry, the idea of an angle is one thing, the idea of a square is another. As often, therefore, as I please to describe an angle, the idea of the angle, and that alone, is present to my mind; but I can never describe a square unless I fix my attention upon the idea of four angles at the same time. In like manner, every man, considered as an individual man, has been made according to one idea proper to himself; but in the making of a nation, although the idea according to which it is made be also one, it is the idea not of one, but of many men collectively. If, therefore, Nebridius is a part of this universe, as he is, and the whole universe is made up of parts, the God who made the universe could not but have in His plan the idea of all the parts. Wherefore, since there is in this idea of a very great number of men, it does not belong to man himself as such; although, on the other hand, all the individuals are in wonderful ways reduced to one. But you will consider this at your convenience. I beg you meanwhile to be content with what I have written, although I have already outdone Nævius himself. About this page Source. Translated by J.G. Cunningham. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 1. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1102014.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.