On Faith and the Creed · §8 · Augustine of Hippo

The earthly mission and the whole human assumed

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Augustine is explaining why the creed adds faith in the Son's earthly mission, and he is defending the full assumption of body, soul, and spirit against heretics.

But because of his earthly mission, as I said, our changeable nature was taken up by that unchangeable wisdom of God for our salvation and restoration, through the working of God's kindness. So we add faith in the temporal deeds beneficially done for us, believing in that Son of God who was born through the Holy Spirit from the virgin Mary. For by God's gift—that is, by the Holy Spirit—such great humility of so great a God was granted to us that he deigned to take up the whole human in the womb of the virgin, inhabiting the mother's body intact and leaving it intact. Heretics plot against this earthly mission in many ways. But whoever holds the catholic faith, believing that the whole human was taken up by the Word of God—that is, body, soul, and spirit—is well fortified against them. Since this taking up was done for our salvation, we must beware that, when one believes any part of us does not belong to that taking up, it does not belong to salvation. And since a human being, apart from the shape of the limbs which is distributed differently among different kinds of animals, does not differ from a beast except by the rational spirit, which is also called the mind, how can that faith be sound whereby one believes that God's wisdom took up what we have in common with beasts, but did not take up what is illuminated by the light of wisdom and is proper to a human being?

Latin

Sed per temporalem, ut dixi, dispensationem quoniam ad nostram salutem et reparationem operante dei benignitate ab illa incommutabili dei sapientia natura mutabilis nostra suscepta est, temporalium rerum salubriter pro nobis gestarum adiungimus fidem, credentes in eum dei filium, qui natus est per spiritum sanctum ex uirgine Maria. dono enim dei, hoc est sancto spiritu concessa nobis est tanta humilitas tanti dei, ut totum hominem suscipere dignaretur in utero uirginis, maternum corpus integrum inhabitans, integrum deserens. cui temporali dispensationi multis modis insidiantur haeretici. sed quisquis tenuerit catholicam fidem, ut totum hominem credat a uerbo dei esse susceptum, id est corpus, animam, spiritum, satis contra illos munitus est. quippe cum ista susceptio pro salute nostra gesta sit, cauendum est, ne, cum crediderit aliquid nostrum non pertinere ad istam susceptionem, non pertineat ad salutem. et cum homo excepta forma membrorum, quae diuersis generibus animantium diuersa tributa est, non distet a pecore nisi rationali spiritu, quae mens etiam nominatur, quomodo sana est fides, qua creditur, quod id nostrum susceperit dei sapientia, quod habemus commune cum pecore, illud autem non susceperit, quod inlustratur luce sapientiae et quod hominis proprium est?

About this text

The text does not explicitly state the occasion.

Augustine of Hippo (354–430) delivered this treatise as a presbyter, at the request of the bishops assembled for a council of the whole North African episcopate at Hippo-Regius. He later issued it as a book at the desire of friends. The work offers a fuller treatment of the brief creed memorized by new Christians, to protect it against heretics.

Augustine explains the articles of the creed in order, beginning with God the Father almighty as creator of all things from nothing. He then treats the eternal generation of the Son, the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and future judgment. He defends the full divinity and co-equality of the Holy Spirit within the one divine substance, and finally expounds the church, forgiveness of sins, and the resurrection of the body, urging that faith must be held before it can be understood.

Augustine quotes Scripture throughout and reports the claims of heretics, Gentiles, and philosophers. Augustine uses Old Latin versions of the Bible, with Psalms numbered according to the Septuagint.

New English from the Latin base text; no published English used as wording.

Printed text used

Translated from CSEL 41 (1900) (Latin)

This work has passed this project's source check. This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.