City of God - Augustine - XXIII - Book 12 concluded

Required reading
City of God by Augustine (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Conclude Book 12 by reading Chapters 16 to 28.

My summary
In today's reading, Augustine firstly looks at whether God's eternal existence as a creator implies that creation eternally existed.  Augustine uses logic to say that a creature implies a point of creation and therefore a period of time previously of non-existence.  But as to how the Creator was always Creator if created beings did not always exist, Augustine admits he has no answer but submits his finite mind to God's infinite mind.

Secondly, Augustine takes up again the argument of the philosophers that creation is going through an eternal number of cycles.  The philosophers draw this conclusion because they allege that God's knowledge cannot embrace an infinity of things.  Augustine again attacks the cyclical view of the world by showing that:
(i) God can count past an infinity of numbers and so understandably has infinite knowledge;
(ii) to say God puts man through an infinite cycle of felicity and misery is blasphemous.

Thirdly, Augustine looks at the creation of man.  God created man:
(i) with the foreknowledge of his fall and the salvation of the elect;
(ii) with his own image;
(iii) as his own creations - angels are not the creators of man;
(iv) from one initial man.

What grabbed me
I always the love to see the humility of men like Augustine when they admit their inability to explain the mysteries of God: 'And so I return to what our Creator wished us to know.  What he has allowed wiser heads to know in this life, or has reserved for the knowledge of those who have reached their fulfilment in the other life, that I confess to be beyond my powers.  But I thought I should discuss this question, without reaching any positive conclusion, so that my readers may see what questions they should refrain from tackling, as dangerous, and to discourage them from thinking themselves capable of understanding everything.  Instead they should realize that they ought to submit to the wholesome instruction of the Apostle, when he says, "In virtue of the authority given to me by God's grace I say this to all in your company: do not be wiser than you ought to be: but be wise in moderation, in proportion to the faith which God has allotted to each of you."  For if a child's upbringing is adjusted to his strength, he will grow, and become capable of further progress, but if he is strained beyond his capacity he will fade away before he has the chance to grow up.'

We must remember we are children and God is our Father - so of course there are going to be things beyond the understanding of our years.  It would be bad parenting if God expected us to understand things we were unable to understand.

Next week's reading
Commence Book 13 by reading Chapters 1 to 16.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.