| Keywords |
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| ID |
5783 |
| Text |
De excidio urbis Romae (410 - 410) Augustine of Hippo |
| Quotation |
(II) Et mirantur homines, et utinam mirentur et non etiam blasphement, quando corripit Deus genus humanum et flagellis piae castigationis exagitat, exercens ante iudicium disciplinam et plerumque non eligens quern flagellet, nolen sinvenire quem damnet. Flagellat enim simul et iustos et iniustos, quamquam quis iustus si Daniel peccata propria confitetur?
2. Lecta est lectio libri Geneseos, quale nos, nisi fallor, multum fecit intentos, ubi Abraham dicit Domino, utrum, si inveniat in civitate quinquaginta iustos, parcat civitati propter eos, an cum ipsis perdat etiam civitatem. Et respondit ei Dominus quod, si inveniat in civitate quinquaginta iustos, parcat civitati.
(...)
'Non erant Romae quinquaginta iusti? In tanto numero fidelium, tanto numero sanctimonialium,
continentium, tanto numero servorum Dei et ancillarum, nec quinquaginta iusti inveniri potuerunt, nec quadraginta, nec triginta, nec viginti, nec decem? Si autem hoe incredibile est, quare non Deus propter quinquaginta, vel etiam propter ipsos decem pepercit illi civitati?' Scriptura non fallit, si se homo non fallat. Cum de iustitia Dei quaeritur et Deus de iustitia respondet, iustos quaerit ad regulam divinam, non ad regulam humanam. Cito ergo respondeo: 'Aut invenit ibi tot iustos et pepercit civitati, aut, si non pepercit civitati, nec iustos invenit.' Sed respondetur mihi manifestum esse quod Deus non pepercerit civitati. Respondeo ego: 'Immo mihi non est manifestum.' Perditio enim civitatis ibi facta non est sicut in Sodomis facta est. De Sodomis enim quaestio erat, quando Abraham Deum interrogavit. Deus autem dixit, 'Non perdam civitatem'; non dixit, 'Non flagellabo civitatem.' Sodom is non pepercit, Sodomam perdidit, Sodomam penitus igne consumpsit. Quam ad iudicium non distulit, sed in ea exercuit quod aliis malis ad iudicium reservavit. Prorsus nullus de Sodomis remansit. Nihil relict um est pecoris, nihil hominis, nihil domorum; cuncta omnino ignis absorbuit. Ecce quomodo Deus perdidit civitatem! Ab urbe autem Roma quam multi exierunt et redituri sunt, quam multi manserunt et evaserunt, quam multi in locis sanctis nec tangi potuerunt! 'Sed captivi,' inquiunt, 'multi ducti sunt.' Hoe et Daniel, non ad supplicium suum, sed ad solacium ceterorum. 'Sed multi,' inquiunt, 'occisi sunt.' Hoe et tot iusti prophetae a sanguine Abel iusti usque ad sanguinem Zachariae. Hoc etiam tot Apostoli, hoe etiam ipse Dominus prophetarum et apostolorum, Jesus. 'Sed multi,' inquiunt, 'tormentis variis excruciati sunt.' Putamusne quisquam tantum quantum lob'!
3. Horrenda nobis nuntiata sunt; strages factae, incendia, rapinae, interfectiones, excruciationes hominum. Verum est, multa audivimus, omnia gemuimus, saepe flevimus, vix consolati sumus; non abnuo, non nego multa nos audisse, multa in illa urbe esse commissa. |
| Translation |
(Il) And men wonder - and would that they wondered and did not also blaspheme when God corrects the human race and rouses it by scourges of holy chastisement, when He imposes discipline before the judgment, and often does not choose whom He will scourge, since He does not wish to seek out whom He
will condemn. For He scourges the just and the unjust together; although, who is just if Daniel confesses his own sins?
2.- A lesson was read from the Book of Genesis- which, unless I am mistaken, has made us particularly attentive where Abraham asks the Lord, if he should find in the city fifty just men, whether He would spare the city because of them or would destroy the city together with them. And the Lord replied that if he
should find fifty just men in.the city He would spare the city.
(...)
'Were there not fifty just men at Rome? In such a great number of the faithful, in such a great number of chaste men and women dedicated to God, in such a great number of servants and handmaids of God, was it impossible to find fifty just men, or forty, or thirty, or twenty, or even ten? But if that is incredible, why did God not spare that city for the sake of the fifty or even for the sake of the mere ten?' Scripture does not deceive, if man does not deceive himself. When inquiry is made regarding the justice of God and God
gives His answer on justice, He seeks out the just according to the divine norm, not according to the human. Therefore, I shall answer at once: 'Either He found there the required number of just men and spared the city, or if He did not spare the city, did not find the just men either.' But the retort is made to me: 'It is manifest that God did not spare the city'. My answer is: 'No, it is not at all manifest to me.' For the destruction of a city not take place in this case as it did in that of Sodom. For it was about Sodom that the questions were put, when Abraham inquired of God. Now God said, 'I will not destroy the city', He did not say, 'I will not scourge the city.' He did not spare Sodom, He destroyed Sodom, He consumed Sodom utterly with fire. He did not put Sodom off until the judgment, but He exercised upon her what He reserved for other wicked people until the judgment. Not a single soul survived from Sodom. No animal
was left, no human being, no home; the fire swallowed up absolutely everything. Behold how God destroyed a city! But from the city of Rome how many have gone forth and will return, how
many have remained and have escaped, how many in the holy
places could not even touched! 'But many,' they say, have
been led captive.' Daniel suffered this also, not unto his punishment but unto the solace of others: 'But many,' they say, 'have been killed'. And this also happened to many just prophets fro m the blood of Abel the just, even unto the blood of Zacharias. This happened even to many Apostles, this happened even to Jesus Himself the Lord of the prophets and apostles. 'But many,' they say, 'have been afflicted by various torments.' Can we imagine anyone has been tortured as much as Job?
3. Dreadful things are reported to us: destruction, fires, acts of rapine, killings, torturings of men. It is true, we have heard many terrible things, we have groaned over all, we have wept often, we find it hard to be consoled; I do not refuse to believe. I do not deny that we have heard many terrible things, that
many outrages have been committed in the city. |
| Quotation source |
II-III, pp. 54-9 |
| Temporal Coverage |
410 - 410 |
| Associated use case(s) |
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| Comment |
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