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9. Return then with me, and let us consider why we love the
apostle. Is it at all on account of his human kind, which we know
right well, in that we believe him to have been a man? Assuredly
not; for if it were so, he now is not him whom we love, since he is
no longer that man, for his soul is separated from his body. But we
believe that which we love in him to be still living, for we love his
righteous mind. From what general or special rule then, except that
we know both what a mind is, and what it is to be righteous? And we
say, indeed, not unfitly, that we therefore know what a mind is,
because we too have a mind. For neither did we ever see it with our
eyes, and gather a special or general notion from the resemblance of
more minds than one, which we had seen; but rather, as I have said
before, because we too have it. For what is known so intimately, and
so perceives itself to be itself, as that by which also all other
things are perceived, that is, the mind itself? For we recognize the
movements of bodies also, by which we perceive that others live besides
ourselves, from the resemblance of ourselves; since we also so move
our body in living as we observe those bodies to be moved. For even
when a living body is moved, there is no way opened to our eyes to see
the mind, a thing which cannot be seen by the eyes; but we perceive
something to be contained in that bulk, such as is contained in
ourselves, so as to move in like manner our-own bulk, which is the
life and the soul. Neither is this, as it were, the property of
human foresight and reason, since brute animals also perceive that not
only they themselves live, but also other brute animals
interchangeably, and the one the other, and that we ourselves do so.
Neither do they see our souls, save from the movements of the body,
and that immediately and most easily by some natural agreement.
Therefore we both know the mind of any one from our own, and believe
also from our own of him whom we do not know. For not only do we
perceive that there is a mind, but we can also know what a mind is, by
reflecting upon our own: for we have a mind. But whence do we know
what a righteous man is? For we said above that we love the apostle
for no other reason except that he is a righteous mind. We know,
then, what a righteous man also is, just as we know what a mind is.
But what a mind is, as has been said, we know from ourselves, for
there is a mind in us. But whence do we know what a righteous man is,
if we are not righteous? But if no one but he who is righteous knows
what is a righteous man, no one but a righteous man loves a righteous
man; for one cannot love him whom one believes to be righteous, for
this very reason that one does believe him to be righteous, if one does
not know what it is to be righteous; according to that which we have
shown above, that no one loves what he believes and does not see,
except by some rule of a general or special notion. And if for this
reason no one but a righteous man loves a righteous man, how will any
one wish to be a righteous man who is not yet so? For no one wishes to
be that which he does not love. But, certainly, that he who is not
righteous may be so, it is necessary that he should wish to be
righteous; and in order that he may wish to be righteous, he loves the
righteous man. Therefore, even he who is not yet righteous, loves
the righteous man. But he cannot love the righteous man, who is
ignorant what a righteous man is. Accordingly, even he who is not yet
righteous, knows what a righteous man is. Whence then does he know
this? Does he see it with his eyes? Is any corporeal thing
righteous, as it is white, or black, or square, or round? Who
could say this? Yet with one's eyes one has seen nothing except
corporeal things. But there is nothing righteous in a man except the
mind; and when a man is called a righteous man, he is. called so from
the mind, not from the body. For righteousness is in some sort the
beauty of the mind, by which men are beautiful; very many too who are
misshapen and deformed in body. And as the mind is not seen with the
eyes, so neither is its beauty. From whence then does he who is not
yet righteous know what a righteous man is, and love the righteous man
that he may become righteous? Do certain signs shine forth by the
motion of the body, by which this or that man is manifested to be
righteous? But whence does any one know that these are the signs of a
righteous mind when he is wholly ignorant what it is to be righteous?
Therefore he does know. But whence do we know what it is to be
righteous, even when we are not yet righteous? If we know from
without ourselves, we know it by some bodily thing. But this is not a
thing of the body. Therefore we know in ourselves what it is to be
righteous. For I find this nowhere else when I seek to utter it,
except within myself; and if I ask another what it is to be
righteous, he seeks within himself what to answer; and whosoever hence
can answer truly, he has found within himself what to answer. And
when indeed I wish to speak of Carthage, I seek within myself what
to speak, and I find within myself a notion or image of Carthage;
but I have received this through the body, that is, through the
perception of the body, since I have been present in that city in the
body, and I saw and perceived it, and retained it in my memory, that
I might find within myself a word concerning it, whenever I might
wish to speak of it. For its word is the image itself of it in my
memory, not that sound of two syllables when Carthage is named, or
even when thai name itself is thought of silently from time to time,
but that which I discern in my mind, when I utter that dissyllable
with my voice, or even before I utter it. So also, when I wish to
speak of Alexandria, which I never saw, an image of it is present
with me. For whereas I had heard from many and had believed that city
to be great, in such way as it could be told me, I formed an image of
it in my mind as I was able; and this is with me its word when I wish
to speak of it, before I utter with my voice the five syllables which
make the name that almost every one knows. And yet if I could bring
forth that image from my mind to the eyes of men who know Alexandria,
certainly all either would say, It is not it; or if they said, It
is, I should greatly wonder; and as I gazed at it in my mind, that
is, at the image which was as it were its picture, I should yet not
know it to be it, but should believe those who retained an image they
had seen. But I do not so ask what it is to be righteous, nor do I
so find it, nor do I so gaze upon it, when I utter it; neither am
I so approved when I am heard, nor do I so approve when I hear; as
though I have seen such a thing with my eyes, or learned it by some
perception of the body, or heard it from those who had so learned it.
For when I say, and say knowingly, that mind is righteous which
knowingly and of purpose assigns to every one his due in life and
behavior, I do not think of anything absent, as Carthage, or
imagine it as I am able, as Alexandria, whether it be so or not;
but I discern something present, and I discern it within myself,
though I myself am not that which I discern; and many if they hear
will approve it. And whoever hears me and knowingly approves, he too
discerns this same thing within himself, even though he himself be not
what he discerns. But when a righteous man says this, he discerns and
says that which he himself is. And whence also does he discern it,
except within himself? But this is not to be wondered at; for whence
should he discern himself except within himself? The wonderful thing
is, that the mind should see within itself that which it has seen
nowhere else, and should see truly, and should see the very true
righteous mind, and should itself be a mind, and yet not a righteous
mind, which nevertheless it sees within itself. Is there another mind
that is righteous in a mind that is not yet righteous Or if there is
not, what does it there see when it sees and says what is a righteous
mind, nor sees it anywhere else but in itself. when itself is not a
righteous mind? Is that which it sees an inner truth present to the
mind which has power to behold it? Yet all have not that power; and
they who have power to behold it, are not all also that which they
behold, that is, they are not also righteous minds themselves, just
as they are able to see and to say what is a righteous mind. And
whence will they be able to be so, except by cleaving to that very same
form itself which they behold, so that from thence they may be formed
and may be righteous minds; not only discerning and saying that the
mind is righteous which knowingly and of purpose assigns to every one
that which is his due in life and behavior, but so likewise that they
themselves may live righteously and be righteous in character, by
assigning to every one that which is his due, so as to owe no man
anything, but to love one another. And whence can any one cleave to
that form but by loving it? Why then do we love another whom we
believe to be righteous, and do not love that form itself wherein we
see what is a righteous mind, that we also may be able to be
righteous? Is it that unless we loved that also, we should not love
him at all, whom through it we love: but whilst we are not righteous,
we love that form too little to allow of our being able to be
righteous? The man therefore who is believed to be righteous, is
loved through that form and truth which he who loves discerns and
understands within himself; but that very form and truth itself cannot
be loved from any other source than itself. For we do not find any
other such thing besides itself, so that by believing we might love it
when it is unknown, in that we here already know another such thing.
For whatsoever of such a kind one may have seen, is itself; and there
is not any other such thing, since itself alone is such as itself is.
He therefore who loves men, ought to love them either because they are
righteous, or that they may become righteous. For so also he ought to
love himself, either because he is righteous, or that he may become
righteous; for in this way he loves his neighbor as himself without any
risk. For he who loves himself otherwise, loves himself wrongfully,
since he loves himself to this end that he may be unrighteous;
therefore to this end that he may be wicked; and hence it follows next
that he does not love himself; for, "He who loveth iniquity, hateth
his own soul."
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