Wisdom And The Incarnation

Quapropter, cum illa veritate perfruendum sit quae incommutabiliter vivit, et in ea trinitas Deus, auctor et conditor universitatis, rebus quas condidit consulat, purgandus est animus, ut et perspicere illam lucem valeat et inherere perspectae. Quam purgationem quasi ambulationem quamdam et quasi navigationem ad patriam esse arbitremur. Non enim ad eum qui ubique praesens est locis movemur, sed bono studio bonisque moribus. Quod non possumus, nisi ipsa Sapientia tantae etiam nostrae infirmitati congruere dignaretur et vivendi nobis praeberet exemplum, non aliter quam in homine, quoniam et nos homines sumus. Sed quia nos cum ad illam venimus, sapienter facimus; ipsa cum ad nos venit, ab hominibus superbis quasi stulte fecisse putata est. Et quoniam nos cum ad illam venimus, convalescimus; ipsa cum ad nos venit, quasi infirma existimata est. Sed quod stultum est Dei, sapientius est hominibus, et quod infirmum est Dei, fortius est hominibus. Cum ergo ipsa sit patria, viam se quoque nobis fecit ad patriam. Et cum sano et puro interiori oculo ubique sit praesens, eorum qui oculum illum infirmum immundumque habent, oculis etiam carneis apparere dignata est. Quia enim in Sapientia Dei non poterat mundus per sapientiam cognoscere Deum, placuit Deo per stultitiam praedicationis salvos facere credentes. Non igitur per locorum spatia veniendo, sed in carne mortali mortalibus apparendo, venisse ad nos dicitur. Illuc ergo venit ubi erat, quia in hoc mundo erat et mundus per eam factus est. Sed quoniam cupiditate fruendi pro ipso Creatore creatura homines configurati huic mundo et mundi nomine congruentissime vocati non eam cognoverunt, propterea dixit Evangelista: Et mundus eam non cognovit. Itaque in Sapientia Dei non poterat mundus per Sapientiam cognoscere Deum. Cur ergo venit cum hic esset, nisi quia placuit Deo per stultitiam praedicationis salvos facere credentes? Quomodo venit, nisi quod Verbum caro factum est et habitavit in nobis? Sicuti cum loquimur, ut id quod animo gerimus in audientis animum per aures carneas illabatur, fit sonus verbum quod corde gestamus, et locutio vocatur. Nec tamen in eumdem sonum cogitatio nostra convertitur, sed apud se manens integra, formam vocis qua se insinuet auribus, sine aliqua labe suae mutationis assumit. Ita Verbum Dei non commutatum, caro tamen factum est ut habitaret in nobis. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, De Doctrina Christiana, Liber I, Caput X-XIII Source: Migne PL 34 23-24

Whence, since one must take joy in the truth which lives without change, and since in this the triune God, creator and founder of all things, in that which he has established takes counsel, the soul must be purified that it may be able to perceive that light, and to adhere to what is perceived. Which purification we should judge as a journey and voyage to our native land. For it is not that we come to Him who is in every place by change of place, but by good desires and good habits. Of which we would not be capable, had not Wisdom condescended to adapt Himself to our weakness, and to show us an example of living, not in any other way but that of man because we are men. But because we, when we come to Him, act wisely, He when He came to us was thought to have acted foolishly by proud men. And because we when we come to Him are strengthened, He when He came to us was thought to be weak. But 'the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.' 1 And thus with Wisdom our home, He also made Himself the way by which we should reach our home. And though He is present everywhere to the healthy and pure inner eye, He condescended to make Himself manifest to the outward eye of those whose inward sight is weak and soiled. 'For in the wisdom of God the world was not able by wisdom to know God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.' 2 Not then by passing through space, but because He appeared to mortal men in mortal flesh, is He said to have come to us. For He came where He had always been, because 'He was in the world, and the world was made by Him.' 3 But since men, who in their eagerness to delight in the creature instead of the Creator had conformed to this world, and are most appropriately called by the name of 'the world,' did not recognize Him, thus the Evangelist says, 'And the world knew Him not.' 3 Thus, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom was not able to know God. Why, then, did He come when He was already here, except that it pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe? And how did He come but by'The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us'? 4 Just as when we speak, in order that what we have in our minds may enter through the ear into the mind of the hearer, the word which we have in our heart becomes a sound and is called speech. Yet as into that sound our thought is not transformed but remains complete in itself, in the form of speech which enters into the ear not receiving any alteration in itself by the change, so the Divine Word, not being changed, yet became flesh that He might dwell among us. Saint Augustine of Hippo, On Christian Teaching, Book 1, Chap 10-13 1 1 Cor 1.25 2 1 Cor 1.21 3 Jn 1.10 4 Jn 1.14