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PROSLOGION
P R E F A C E
After I had published, at the pressing entreaties of several of my
brethren, a certain short tract [the Monologton] as an example of meditation on the meaning of faith from the point of view of one seeking, through silent reasoning within himself, things he knows not-reflecting that this was made up of a connected chain of many
arguments, I began to wonder if perhaps it might be possible to find
one single argument that for its proof required no other save itself, and that by itself would suffice to prove that God really exists, that H e is the supreme good needing no other and is H e whom all things have need of for their being and well-being, and also to prove what- ever we believe about the Divine Being. But as often and as diligently
as I turned my thoughts to this, sometimes it seemed to me that I
had almost reached what I was seeking, sometimes it eluded my
acutest thinking completelv, so that finally, in desperation, I was
about to give up what I was looking for as something impossible to
find. However, when I had decided to put aside this idea altogether, lest by uselessl!- occupying my mind it might prevent other ideas with which I could make some progress, then, in spite of m unwilling- ness and my resistance to it, it began to force itself upon me more and more pressingly. So it was that one day when I was quite worn out with resisting its importunacy, there came to me, in the very conflict of my thoughts, what I had despaired of finding, so that
I eagerly grasped the notion which in my distraction 1 had been
rejecting. Judging, then, that what had given me such joy to discover would
- Several minor liberties havc been taken in the translation. 'The tirrmula 'that-than- which-nothing-greater-can-be-thought' and its variants ha\c been hyphcnatcd for thc sake of convenience; thc Fool of thc Psalmist has been given n capital letter; italics havc been added in a few passages to make the meanlng clearer; and somc supplementar! words and phrases (enclosed in square brackets) havc also been interpolated for the same purpose. Biblical quotations have been translated directl! from St .Inselm's test which differs slightly from that of the Latin Vulgate version. References to the Psalms folio\ the V u l ~ a t enumbering which differs from that of the Hebrew tests follo\ved b!- most other versions.
afford pleasure, if it were written down, to anyone who might read
it, I have written the following short tract dealing with this question
as well as several others, from the point of view of one trying to raise his mind to contemplate God and seeking to understand what he
believes. In my opinion, neither this tract nor the other I mentioned
before deserves to be called a book or to carr? its author's name, and yet I did not think they should be sent forth without some title (by which, so to speah, they might invite those into whose hands they
should come, to read them); so I have given to each its title, the first
being called An E.rample of M~dttatronon the Mrantng of Fatth, and the sequel Fatth En Quest of L:nderstandtn-:. However, as both of them, under these titles, had already been copied out by several readers, a number of people (above all the rev- erend Archbishop of Lyons, Hugh, apostolic delegate to Gaul, who commanded me by his apostolic authority) have urged me to put my name to them. For the sake of greater convenience I have named the first book Monologton, that is, a soliloquy; and the other Proslogton, that is, an allocution.
Chapters I. A rousing of the mind to the contemplation of God
- That God truly exists 3. That God cannot be thought not to exist
- How 'the Fool said in his heart' what cannot be thought 5. That God is whatever it is better to be than not to be, and that existing through Himself alone H e makes all other beings from nothing
- How H e is perceptive although H e is not a body 7. How H e is omnipotent although H e cannot do many things
8. How H e is both merciful and impassible
y. How the all-just and supremely just One spares the wicked and justly has mercy on the wicked
10. How H e justly punishes and justly spares the wicked I I. How 'all the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth', and vet how 'the Lord is just in all His ways'
Proslogion 85
- That ~ o isd the very life by which H e lives and that the same You, where and how to find You. Lord, if You are not present here,
holds for like attributes where, since You are absent, shall^ I^ look for You? O n the other hand,
- HOW H e alone is limitless and eternal, although other spirits are if^ You^ are everywhere why then, since You are present, do I not see You? But surely You dwell in 'light inaccessible' [I Tim. 6: 161. also limitless and eternal
And where is this inaccessible light, or how can I approach the
14. H~~ and whq- God is both seen and not seen by those seeking inaccessible light? O r who shall lead me and take me into it that I
may see You in it? .Again, by what signs, under what aspect, shall I I 5. HOW H e is greater than can be thought (^) seek You? Never have I seen You, Lord my God, I do not know
- That this is the 'inaccessible light' in which H e 'dwells' your^ face.^ What^ shall he do, most high Lord, what shall^ this^ exile^ do, '7, T h a t harmon5 fragrance, sweetness, softness, and beauty are in^ far^ away^ from^ You^ as he is? What shall Your servant do,^ tormented God according to His own ineffable manner byH e yearns to see You and Your countenance is too far away from^ love of You and yet cast off 'far from Your face' [Ps.^ 31:^ zz]? Ig. T h a t there are no parts in God or in His eternity which H e is (^) him. He desires to come close to You, and Your dwelling place is Ig. That H e is not in place or time but all things are in Him inaccessible; he longs to find You and does not know where You are;
- That H e is before and beyond even all eternal things he^ is^ eager^ to^ seek^ You^ out^ and he does not know Your countenance.
Lord, You are my God and my Lord, and never have I seen You. You
- Whether this is the 'age of the age' or the 'ages of the ages' (^) have created me and re-created me and You have given me all the
- That H e alone is what H e is and who H e is good^ things I possess, and still I do not know You. In fine, I was made
23. 'That this good is equally Father and Son and Holy Spirit, and in order to see You, and^ I^ have not yet accomplished what I was made
that this is the one necessary being which is altogether and wholly and solely good How wretched man's lot is when he has lost that for which he was made! Oh how hard and cruel was that Fall! Alas, what has man lost 24, A speculation as to what kind and how great this good is and what has he found? What did he lose and what remains to him? 25, Which goods belong to those who enjoy this good and how great (^) He lost the blessedness for which he was made, and he found the miser)- for which he was not made. That without which nothing is
- Whether this is the 'fullness of joy' which the Lord promises happy has gone from him and that which by itself is nothing but misery remains to him. Once 'man ate the bread of angels' [Ps. 77: 251, for which now he hungers; now he eats 'the bread of sorrow'
1. /4 vousjng of the mind to the contemplrrtion of God [Ps. 126: z], which then he knew nothing of. Alas the common grief
Come now, insignificant man, fly for a moment from your affairs, of mankind, alas the universal lamentation of the children of Adam! escape for a little while from the tumult of your thoughts. Put aside H e groaned with fullness; we sigh with hunger. H e was prosperous; now your weighty cares and leave your wearisome toils. Abandon we^ go^ begging. H e in his happiness had possessions and in his^ misery yourself for a little to God and rest for a little in Him. Enter into the abandoned them; we in our unhappiness go without and miserably inner chamber of your soul, shut out everything save God and what do^ we yearn and, alas, we remain empty. Why, since it was easy for can be of help in your quest for Him and having locked the door seek him, did he not keep for us that which we lack so much? Why did Him out [Matt. 6: 61. Speak now, my whole heart, speak now to he deprive us of light and surround us with darkness? Why did he
~ ~ '1 seekd :Your countenance, 0 Lord, Your countenance I seek' take life away from us and inflict death upon us? Poor wretches that
we are, whence have we been expelled and whither are we driven? c o m e then, Lord my God, teach my heart where and how to seek Whence have we been cast down and whither buried? From our
88 Proslogion
a-greater-cannot-be-thought is that-than-which-a-greater-can-be- thought. Rut this is obviously impossible. Therefore there is absolutely no doubt that something-than-which-a-greater-cannot- be-thought exists both in the mind and in reality.
3. That God cannot be thought not to exist
And certainly this being so truly exists that it cannot be even thought not to exist. For something can be thought to exist that cannot be thought not to exist, and this is greater than that which can be thought not to exist. Hence, if that-than-which- a-greater-cannot-be-thought can be thought not to exist, then that-than-which-a-greater-cannot-be-thought is not the same as that-than-which-a-greater-cannot-be-thou, which is absurd. Something-than-which-a-greater-cannot-be-thought exists so truly then, that it cannot be even thought not to exist. And You, Lord our God, are this being. You exist so truly, Lord my God, that You cannot even be thought not to exist. And this is as it should be, for if some intelligence could think of something better than You, the creature would be above its Creator and would judge its Creator-and that is completely absurd. In fact, everything else there is, except You alone, can be thought of as not existing. You alone, then, of all things most truly exist and therefore of all things possess existence to the highest degree; for anything else does not exist as truly, and so possesses existence to a lesser degree. Wh! then did 'the Fool say in his heart, there is no God' [Ps. r j : I ; 52: 11 when it is so evident to an>-rational mind that You of all things exist to the highest degree? Why indeed, unless because he was stupid and a fool?
4. Horn 'the Fool said in his heart' rnhat cannot be thought
How indeed has he 'said in his heart' what he could not think; or how could he not think what he 'said in his heart', since to 'saq. in one's heart' and to 'think' are the same? But if he really (indeed, since he really) both thought because he 'said in his heart' and did not 'say in his heart' because he could not think, there is not only one sense in which something is 'said in one's heart' or thought. For in one sense a thing is thought when the word signifying it is thought; in
Proslo<qion (^89) another sense when the very object which the thing is is understood. In the first sense, then, God can be thought not to exist, but not at all in the second sense. No one, indeed, understanding what God is can think that God does not exist, even though he may say these words in his heart either without any [objective] signification or with some peculiar signification. For God is that-than-which-nothing- geater-can-be-thought. Whoever really understands this under- stands clearly that this same being so exists that not even in thought can it not exist. Thus whoever understands that God exists in such a way cannot think of Him as not existing.
I give thanks, good Lord, I give thanks to You, since what I
believed before through Your free gift I now so understand through Your illumination, that if I did not want to believe that You existed, I should nevertheless be unable not to understand i;.
5. That God IS rvhatezler rt is better to be than not to be a n d that,
extsting through Himself alone, H e makes a l l other beings from nothing What then are You, Lord God, You than whom nothing greater can be thought? But what are You save that supreme being, existing through Yourself alone, who made everything else from nothing? For whatever is not this is less than that which can be thought of; but this cannot be thought about You. What goodness, then, could be wanting to the supreme good, through which every good exists? Thus You are just, truthful, happy, and whatever it is better to be than not to be-for it is better to be just rather than unjust, and happy rather than unhappy.
6. Horn H e is perceptive although H e is not a body
But since it is better to be perceptive, omnipotent, merciful, impas- sible, than not to be so, how are You able to perceive if You are not a body; or how are You omnipotent if You are not able to do every- thing; or how are You merciful and impassible at the same time? For if only corporeal things are capable of perception, since the senses are involved with the body and in the body, how are You perceptive, since You are not a body but the supreme spirit who is better than
90 Proslogion I
Proslogton 91
any body? But if to perceive is nothing else than to know, or if it is directed to knowing (for he who perceives knows according to the appropriate sense, as, for example, colours are known by sight and flavours through taste), one can say not inappropriately that what- ever in any way knows also in some way perceives. So it is, Lord, that although You are not a body You are supremely perceptive, in the sense that You know supremely all things and not in the sense in which an animal knows through a bodily sense-faculty.
7. How H e is omnipotent although H e cannot do many things
Again, how are You omnipotent if You cannot do all things? But, how can You do all things if You cannot be corrupted, or tell lies, or make the true into the false (such as to undo what has been done), and many similar things? Or is the ability to do these things not power but impotence? For he who can do these things can do what is not good for himself and what he ought not to do. And the more he can do these things, the more power adversity and perversity have over him and the less he has against them. He, therefore, who can do these things can do them not by power but by impotence. It is said, then, that he 'can', not because he himself can do them but because his impotence gives another power against him. Or it is said in some other manner of speaking, in the sense in which many words are used improperly, as, for example, when we use 'to be' for 'not to be', and 'to do' for 'not to do' or for 'to do nothing'. T h u s
we often say to someone who denies that some thing exists: 'It is as
you say it is', although it would seem much more proper to say, 'It is
not as you say it is not'. Again, we say 'This man is sitting', just as
we say 'That man is doing [something]'; or we say 'This man is resting', just as we say 'That man is doing [something]'. But 'to sit'
is not to do something, and 'to rest' is to do nothing. In the same
way, then, when someone is said to have the 'power' of doing or suffering something which is not to his advantage or which he ought not to do, then by 'power' here we mean 'impotence', for the more he has this 'power', the more adversity and perversity have power over him and the more is he powerless against them. 'Therefore, Lord God, You are the more truly omnipotent since You can do nothing through impotence and nothing can have power against You.
8. How H e is both mercijul and impassible
But how are kbu at once both merciful and impassible? For if You are impassible You do not have any compassion; and if You have no compassion Your heart is not sorrowful from compassion with the sorrowful, which is what being merciful is. But if You are not mer- ciful whence comes so much consolation for the sorrowful?
How, then, are You merciful and not merciful, 0 Lord, unless it
be that You are merciful in relation to us and not in relation to Your- self? In fact, You are [merciful] according to our way of looking at things and not according to Your way. For when You look upon us in our misery it is we who feel the effect of Your mercy, but You do not experience the feeling. Therefore You are both merciful because You save the sorrowful and pardon sinners against You; and You are not merciful because You do not experience any feeling of compas- sion for misery.
9. How the all-just and supremely just One spares the mrcked and
justllf has mercy on the wrcked
But how do You spare the wicked if You are all-just and supremely just! For how does the all-just and supremely just One do something that is unjust? Or what kind of justice is it to give everlasting life to him who merits eternal death.: How then, 0 good God, good to the good and to the wicked, how do You save the wicked if this is not just and You do not do anything which is not just? Or, since Your goodness is beyond comprehension, is this hidden in the inaccessible light in which You dwell? Truly in the deepest and most secret place of Your goodness is hidden the source whence the stream of Your mercy flows. For though You are all-just and supremely just You are, however-precisely because You are all-just and supremely just- also beneficent even to the wicked. You would, in fact, be less good if You were not beneficent to any wicked man. For he who is good to both good and wicked is better than he who is good only to the good. And he who is good to the wicked b?- both punishing and sparing them is better than he who is good to the wicked only by punishing them. You are merciful, then, because You are all-good
and supremely good. And though perhaps it is apparent why IOU
should reward the good with good and the bad with bad, what is
94 Proslogion bad. For he is more just who rewards the merits of both good and bad than he who rewards the merits of the good alone. Therefore it
is just in relation to You, 0 just and benevolent God, both when You
punish and when You pardon. Tru1~-,then, 'all the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth' [Ps. 24: 10] and yet 'the Lord is just in all His ways' [Ps. 144: 171. And [this is so] without any inconsistency at all, since it is not just for those to be saved whom You will to punish, and it is not just for those to be damned whom You will to pardon. For that alone is just which You will, and that is not just which You do not will. Thus, then, Your mercy is derived from Your justice since it is just that You are so good that You are good even in for- giving. And perhaps this is why one who is supremely just can will good for the wicked. But if it can in some way be grasped why You can will to save the wicked, it certainly cannot be understood by an!. reason why from those who are alike in wickedness You save some rather than others through Your supreme goodness, and damn some rather than others through Your supreme justice. Thus, then, truly are You perceptive, omnipotent, merciful, and impassible, just as You are living, wise, good, blessed, eternal, and whatever it is better to be rather than not to be.
I
E 1 12.^ That^ God^ is the very^ lzfe^ by^ whzch^ He^ 1zz)esand that the same
holdsfor like attrtbutes
But clearly, whatever You are, You are not that through another but through Your very self. You are therefore the very life by which You live, the wisdom by which You are wise, the very goodness by which You are good to both good men and wicked, and the same holds for like attributes.
13. How He alone is limitless and eternal, although other spirits
are also limitless and eternal
All that which is enclosed in any way by place or time is less than that which no law of place or time constrains. Since. then, nothing is greater than You, no place or time confines You but You exist everywhere and always. And because this can be said of You alone, You alone are unlimited and eternal. How then are other spirits also said to be unlimited and eternal?
Proslogion (^) 95 Now, You alone are said to be eternal because, alone of all beings, You will not cease to esist just as You have not begun to exist. But how are You alone unlimited? Is it that compared with You the created spirit is limited, but unlimited with respect to a body? Cer- tainly that is absolutely limited which, when it is wholly in one place, cannot at the same time be somewhere else. This is seen in the case of bodies alone. But that is unlimited which is wholly everywhere at once; and this is true only of You alone. That, however, is limited and unlimited at the same time which, while wholly in one place, can at the same time be wholly somewhere else but not everywhere; and this is true of created spirits. For if the soul were not wholly in each of the parts of its body it would not sense wholly in each of them. You then, 0 Lord, are unlimited and eternal in a unique way and yet other spirits are also unlimited and eternal.
14. How and whj~God is both seen and not seen by those
seeking Him
Have you found, 0 m! soul, what you were seeking? You were
seeking God, and you found Him to be something which is the highest of all, than which a better cannot be thought, and to be life itself, light, wisdom, goodness, eternal blessedness and blessed eter- nity, and to exist everywhere and always. If you have not found your God, how is He this which you have found, and which you have understood with such certain truth and true certitude? But if you have found [Him], why is it that you do not experience what you have found? Why, 0 Lord God, does my soul not experience You if it has found You? O r has it not found that which it has found to be the light and the truth? But then, how did it understand this save by seeing the light and the truth? Could it understand anything at all about You save through 'Your light and Your truth' [Ps. 42: 3]? If, then, it saw the light and the truth, it saw You. If it did not see You then it did not see the light or the truth. O r is it that it saw both the truth and the light, and yet it did not see You because it saw You only partially but did not see You as You are? Lord my God, You who have formed and reformed me, tell m! desiring soul what You are besides what it has seen so that it ma! see clearly that which it desires. It strives so that it ma) see more, and it
sees nothing beyond what it has seen save darkness. Or rather it does not see darkness, which is not in You in any way; but it sees that it cannot see more because of its own darkness. Why is this, Lord, why is this? Is its eye darkened by its weakness, or is it dazzled by Your splendour? In truth it is both darkened in itself and dazzled by You. It is indeed both darkened by its own littleness and ovcrwhelmed by Your immensity. It is, in fact, both restricted by its own limited- ness and overcome by Your fullness. For how great is that light from which shines every truth that gives light to the understanding! How complete is that truth in which is everything that is true and outside of which nothing exists save nothingness and falsity! HOP boundless is that which in one glance sees everything that has been made, and by whom and through whom and in what manner it was made from nothing! What purity, what simplicity, what certitude and splendour is there! Truly it is more than can be understood by any creature.
15. How H e is greater than can be thought
Therefore, Lord, not only are You that than which a greater cannot be thought, but You are also something greater than can be thought. For since it is possible to think that there is such a one, then, if kbu are not this same being something greater than You could be thought-which cannot be.
16. That this is the 'inuccessible light' in whzch He 'dmells'
Truly, Lord, this is the inaccessible light in which You dwell. For truly there is nothing else which can penetrate through it so that it might discover You there. Truly I do not sce this light since it is too much for me; and yet whatever 1 see I see through it, just as an eye that is weak sees what it sees by the light of the sun which it cannot
look at in the sun itself. My understanding is not able [to attain] to
that [light]. It shines too much and [my understanding] does not grasp it nor does the eye of my soul allow itsclf to be turned towards it for too long. It is dazzled by its splendour, overcome by its full-
ness, overwhelmed by its immensity, confused by its extent. 0
supreme and inaccessible light; 0 whole and blessed truth, how far
You are from me who am so close to You! How distant You are from
my sight while I am so present to Your sight! You are wholly present
everywhere and I do not see You. In You I move and in You I have
my being and I cannot come near to You. You are within me and around me and I do not have any experience of You.
17. T h u t harmony, j>agrunce, sweetness, softness, and beuuty are
in God according to His own inejfible manner
Still You hide awaq; Lord, from my soul in Your light and blessed- ness, and so it still dwells in its darkness and misery. For it looks all about, and does not see Your beauty. It listens, and does not hear Your harmony. It smells, and does not sense Your fragrance. It tastes, and docs not recognize Your savour. It feels, and does not sense Your softness. For You have in Yourself, Lord, in Your own ineffable manner, those [qualities] You have given to the things created by You according to their own sensible manner. Rut the senses of my soul, because of the ancient weakness of sin, have become hardened and dulled and obstructed.
18. That there are no purls in God or in His eternit), which H e is
Behold, once more confusion, once more sorrow and grief stand in my way as I scek joy and happiness! Even now m! soul hoped for fulfilment, and, lo, once again it is overwhelmed by neediness! Even now I sought to have my fill, and, lo, I hunger the more! I strole to ascend to God's light and I have fallen back into m!- own darkness. Indeed, not only have I fallen back into it, but I feel myself enclosed
within it. I fell before 'my mother conceived me' [Ps. 50: 7 1. In that
darkness indeed 'I was conceived' [ibid.] and I was born under its shadow. We all, in fact, at one time fell in him 'in whom all of us'
sinned [Rom. 5 : 121. In him (who easily possessed and wickedly lost
it for himself and for us), we all lost that which, when we wish to look for it, we do not know; that which, when we look for it, we do not find; that which, when we find it, is not what wc are looking for. Help me 'because of Your goodness, Lord' [Ps. 24: 71. 'I sought
Your countenance, Your countenance I will seek, 0 Lord; do not turn
Your face away from me' (Ps. 26: 81. Raise me up from my own
self to You. Purify, heal, make sharp, 'illumine' the exe of my soul so that it may see You [Ps. 12: 41. Let my soul gather its strength
100 Proslogion
returns to non-existence unless it subsists through some other; and what has had a past existence but does not now exist, and a future existence but does not yet exist-such a thing does not exist in a strict and absolute sense. But You are what You are, for whatever You are at any time or in any way this You are wholly and forever. And You are the being who exists in a strict and absolute sense because l-ou have neither past nor future existence but only present existence; nor can 'kbu be thought not to exist at any time. .4nd You are life and light and wisdom and blessedness and eternity and many suchlike good things; and yet You are nothing save the one and supreme good, You who are completely sufficient unto hursclf, needing nothing, but rather He whom all things need in order that they may have being and well-being.
23, That this good I S cqualb Father and S o n and H o b Spirit;
and that thts IS the one necessarjt being whtch I S altogether
and wholly and solely good
You are this good, 0 God the Father; this is l o u r W-ord, that is to say, Your Son. For there cannot be any othcr than what You are, or any thing greater or lesser than You, in the Word by which l h u utter Yourself. For kbur Word is as true as You are truthful and is therefore the very truth that kbu are and that is not other than You. And You are so simple that there cannot be born of You any other than what You are. This itself is the Love, one and common to You and to Your Son, that is the Holy Spirit proceeding from both. For this same Love is not unequal to You or to Your Son since Your love for Yourself and Him, and His love for kbu and Himself, arc as grcat as Eou and H e are. Nor is that other than You and than Him which is not different from You and Him; nor can there proceed from l o u r supreme simplicity what is other than that from which it proceeds. Thus, whatever each is singly, that the whole Trinity is altogether, Father, Son. and Holy Spirit; since each singly is not other than the supremely simple unity and thc supremely unified simplicity which can be neither multiplied nor differentiated. 'Moreover, one thing is necessary' [Luke 10: 421. This is, more- over, that one thing ne~essar?~in which is every good, or rather, which is wholly and uniquel!. and completely and solely good.
Proslogion I O I
24. A speculation us to what kind and how great this good is
Now, my soul, rouse and lift up your whole understanding and think as much as you can on what kind and how great this good is. For if particular goods are enjoyable, consider carefull! how enjoyable is that good which contains the joyfulness of all goods; not [a joy] such as we have experienced in created things, but as different from this as the Creator differs from the creature. For if life that is created is good, how good is the Life that creates? If the salvation that has been brought about is joyful, how joyful is the Salvation that brings about all salvation? If wisdom in the knowledge of things that have been brought into being is lovable, how lovable is the Wisdom that has brought all things into being out of nothing? Finally, if there are many great delights in delightful things, of what kind and how great is the delight in Him who made these same delightful things?
25. Which goods belong to those who enjoy this good, and how
grcat thqy arc
Oh he who will enjoy this good, what will be his and what will not be his! Whatever he wishes will certainly be his and whatever he does not wish will not be his. In fact, all the goods of body and soul will be there such that 'neither eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived' 11 Cor. 2: 91. Why, then, do you wander about so much, 0 insignificant man, seeking the goods of your soul and body? Love the one good in which all good things are, and that is sufficient. Desire the simple good which contains every good, and that is
enough. For what do you love, 0 my flesh, what do you desire. 0 my
soul? l'here it is, there it is, whatever you love, whatever you desire. If bcauty delights you, 'the just will shine as the sun' [Matt. 13: 431. If the swiftness or strength or freedom of thc body that nothing can withstand [delights you], 'they will be like the angels of God' [Matt. 22: 301; for it is 'sown as a natural body and shall rise as a spiritual body' [I Cor. IS: 441 by a supernatural power. If it is a long and healthy life, a hcalthy eternity and an eternal health is there since 'the just will live forever' [Wis. 5 : I 61 and 'the salvation of thc just is from the Lord' [Ps. 36: 391. If it is satisfaction, they will be satisfied 'when
the glory of God will appear' [Ps. 16: IS]. If it is quenching of thirst,
'they will be inebriated with the abundance of the house of God' [Ps.
102 Proslogton
3 j: 91. If it is melody, there the choirs of angels play unceasingly to God. If it is pleasure of any kind, not impure but pure, God 'will make them drink from the torrent of His pleasure' [Ps. 3;: 91. If it is wisdom, the very Wisdom of God will show itself to them. If it is friendship, the? will love God more than themselves and one another as themselves, and God will love them more than they love them- selves because it is through Him that they love Him and themselves and one another, and H e loves Himself and them through Himself If it is peace, for all of them there will be one will, since they will have none save the will of God. If it is power, they will be all- powerful with regard to their wills, as God is with His. For just as God will be able to do what He arills through Himself, so through Him they will be able to do what they will; because, just as they will not will anything save what H e wills, so H e will will whatever they will, and what He intends to will cannot not be. If it is honours and riches, God will set His good and faithful servants over many things [Matt. 7-j: 21, 231; indeed, they will be called 'sons of God' and 'Gods' [Matt. j: g] and will in fact be so; and where the Son will be there also they will be, 'heirs indeed of God and co-heirs of Christ'
[Rom. 8: 171. If it is real security, they will indeed be as assured that
this same [security], or rather this same good, will never in any way fail them, as they will be assured that they will not lose it of their own accord, nor that the loving God will take it awa? against their will from those who love Him, nor that anything more powerful than God will separate God and them against their will. What joy there is indeed and how great it is where there exists so
great a good! 0 human heart, 0 needy heart, 0 heart experienced in
suffering, indeed overwhelmed by suffering, how greatly would you rejoice if you abounded in all these things! Ask your heart whether it could comprehend its joy in its so great blessedness? But surely if someone else whom you loved in every respect as yourself possessed that same blessedness, your joy would be doubled for you would rejoice as much for him as for yourself. If, then, two or three or many more possessed it you would rejoice just as much for each one as for yourself, if you loved each one as yourself. Therefore in that perfect and pure love of the countless holy angels and holy men where no one will love another less than himself, each will rejoice for every other as for himself. If, then, the heart of man will scarcely be able to comprehend the joy that will belong to it from so great a good,
Proslogion 103
how will it comprehend so many and such great joys? Indeed, to the degree that each one loves some other, so he will rejoice in the good of that other; therefore, just as each one in that perfect happiness will love God incomparably more than himself and all others with him, so he will rejoice immeasurably more over the happiness of God than over his own happiness and that of all the others with him. But if they love God with their whole heart, their whole mind, their whole soul, while yet their whole heart, their whole mind, their whole soul, is not equal to the grandeur of this love, they will assuredly so rejoice with their whole heart, their whole mind, and their whole soul, that their whole heart, their whole mind, their whole soul will not be equal to the fullness of their joy.
26. Whether this is the ~ u l l n e s so f joy' which the Lord promises?
My God and my Lord, my hope and the joy of my heart, tell my- soul if this is the joy of which You speak through Your Son: 'Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be complete' [John 16: 241. For I have discovered a joy that is complete and more than complete. Indeed, when the heart is filled with that joy, the mind is filled with it, the soul is filled with it, the whole man is filled with it, yet joy beyond measure will remain. T h e whole of that joy, then, will not enter into those who rejoice, but those who rejoice will enter wholly into that joy. Speak, J30rd, tell Your servant within his heart if this is the joy into which Your servants will enter who enter 'into the joy
of the 1,ord' [Matt. 25: 21 1. But surely that joy in which Your chosen
ones will rejoice is that which 'neither eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man' [I Cor. 2: 91. I have not yet said or thought, then, Lord, how greatly your blessed will rejoice. They will, no doubt, rejoice as much as they love, and they will love as much as they know. How much will they know You, then, Lord, and how much will they love You? In very truth, 'neither eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man' [ibid.] in this life how much they will know You and love You in that life.
I pray, 0 God, that I may know You and love You, so that I may
rejoice in You. And if I cannot do so fully in this life may I progress gradually until it comes to fullness. Let the knowledge of You grow in me here, and there [in heaven] be made complete; let Your love grow in me here and there be made complete, so that here my joy
