Letter 58: 1. The good works which spring from the grace of Christ in you have given you a claim to be esteemed by us His members, and have made you as truly known and as much beloved by us as you could be. For even were I daily seeing your face, this could add nothing to the completeness of the acquaintance with you which I now have, when in the shining l...

Letter 58 — To Pammachius, Roman Senator (A.D. 401) To my noble and worthy lord Pammachius, my son dearly beloved in Christ — Augustine sends greetings in the Lord. The grace of Christ at work in you has given you a claim on the love of all his members, and has made you as well known and as dear to us as it is possible to be. Even if I could see your face every day, it would add nothing to the knowledge I already have of you — for in the bright light of one of your actions I have seen your inner self, made beautiful by the loveliness of peace and radiant with the brightness of truth. That sight gave me knowledge of you; that knowledge gave me love for you. And so I write to you, though we are far apart, as to someone I know and hold dear. The bond between us is older than this action. We were already united under one Head. Had you not been rooted in Christ's love, Catholic unity would not have been so precious to you — and you would not have done what you did with your African tenants, settled in the heart of Numidia, the very province where Donatist madness was born. You addressed them with such force and warmth of persuasion that they chose, with wholehearted devotion, the path they believed a man of your character and standing could only have adopted on the basis of recognized truth — and submitted themselves, distant as they are from you, to the same Head of the Church. Embracing you, therefore, as someone I know through that action, I am moved with joy to congratulate you in Christ Jesus our Lord. I cannot do much — but I can do this. I only beg you: do not measure the extent of my love by the length of this letter. Read it, and then pass through it by that unseen inward passage that thought opens up, and look into my heart. There you will see joy — beyond what words or pen can capture — blazing and burning in praise of him through whose inspiration you were made willing, and through whose help you were made able, to serve him in this way. "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15) How we long in Africa to see others like you — senators in the state and sons of the holy Church — doing what you have done! It is a risky thing to call them to it: they may refuse, and the enemies of the Church will seize on that refusal to mislead the weak. But it is safe to thank you — for you have already done it, and in freeing those who were weak, you have left the enemies of the Church without a word to say. I ask you to read this letter aloud to any among your acquaintance to whom you can do so on grounds of their Christian faith. When they hear what you have achieved, they will come to believe that what now seems impossible in Africa can in fact be done. As for the traps which these heretics devise in the perversity of their hearts, I chose not to speak of them here — I was only amused that they imagined they could gain any advantage over a mind that Christ holds as his own. My brothers who carry this letter will tell you about those things in person; I commend them to your Excellency with my whole heart. Farewell in the Lord.

Letter 58 (A.D. 401) To My Noble and Worthy Lord Pammachius, My Son, Dearly Beloved in the Bowels of Christ, Augustine Sends Greeting in the Lord. 1. The good works which spring from the grace of Christ in you have given you a claim to be esteemed by us His members, and have made you as truly known and as much beloved by us as you could be. For even were I daily seeing your face, this could add nothing to the completeness of the acquaintance with you which I now have, when in the shining light of one of your actions I have seen your inner being, fair with the loveliness of peace, and beaming with the brightness of truth. Seeing this has made me know you, and knowing you has made me love you; and therefore, in addressing you, I write to one who, notwithstanding our distance from each other, has become known to me, and is my beloved friend. The bond which binds us together is indeed of earlier date, and we were living united under One Head: for had you not been rooted in His love, the Catholic unity would not have been so dear to you, and you would not have dealt as you have done with your African tenants settled in the midst of the consular province of Numidia, the very country in which the folly of the Donatists began, addressing them in such terms, and encouraging them with such enthusiasm, as to persuade them with unhesitating devotion to choose that course which they believed that a man of your character and position would not adopt on other grounds than truth ascertained and acknowledged, and to submit themselves, though so remote from you, to the same Head; so that along with yourself they are reckoned for ever as members of Him by whose command they are for the time dependent upon you. 2. Embracing you, therefore, as known to me by this transaction, I am moved by joyful feelings to congratulate you in Christ Jesus our Lord, and to send you this letter as a proof of my heart's love towards you; for I cannot do more. I beseech you, however, not to measure the amount of my love by this letter; but by means of this letter, when you have read it, pass on by the unseen inner passage which thought opens up into my heart, and see what is there felt towards you. For to the eye of love that sanctuary of love shall be unveiled which we shut against the disquieting trifles of this world when there we worship God; and there you will see the ecstasy of my joy in your good work, an ecstasy which I cannot describe with tongue or pen, glowing and burning in the offering of praise to Him by whose inspiration you were made willing, and by whose help you were made able to serve Him in this way. Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift! 1 Corinthians 9:15 3. Oh how we desire in Africa to see such work as this by which you have gladdened us done by many, who are, like yourself, senators in the State, and sons of the holy Church! It is, however, hazardous to give them this exhortation: they may refuse to follow it, and the enemies of the Church will take advantage of this to deceive the weak, as if they had gained a victory over us in the minds of those who disregarded our counsel. But it is safe for me to express gratitude to you; for you have already done that by which, in the emancipation of those who were weak, the enemies of the Church are confounded. I have therefore thought it sufficient to ask you to read this letter with friendly boldness to any to whom you can do so on the ground of their Christian profession. For thus learning what you have achieved, they will believe that that, about which as an impossibility they are now indifferent, can be done in Africa. As to the snares which these heretics contrive in the perversity of their hearts, I have resolved not to speak of them in this letter, because I have been only amused at their imagining that they could gain any advantage over your mind, which Christ holds as His possession. You will hear them, however, from my brethren, whom I earnestly commend to your Excellency: they fear lest you should disdain some things which to you might seem unnecessary in connection with the great and unlooked for salvation of those men over whom, in consequence of your work, their Catholic Mother rejoices. 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/1102058.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.