Book 13

Summary

Outline

1. When we think of John, we represent him to ourselves with a made -up image of his outer features, and think of him as having a human soul, the nature of which we know from our own case. (1.1–3)

2. We turn over the sounds of words through images, but learn their meaning through reason. (1.4)

3. We can see faith in ourselves, but we have only indirect evidence that others have faith. (2.5)

4. How can it be that everyone wants to be happy, yet not everyone knows what happiness is? (4.7)

5. The answer is that happiness is getting everything you want and wanting only what it would be food for you to get. (5.8–7.10)

6. Since no one who is happy abandons life willingly, immortality is required for happiness. (8.11)

7. God has a plan for human salvation. (9.12–19.24)

8. By faith we may obtain the happiness of immortal life. (20.25)

9. One who commits the words of faith to memory, and whose will combines the words with their meaning, which he loves and believes, may live according to the trinity of the inner man. (20.26)

Chapter 1

In the preceding book of this work – the twelfth – we were busily occupied in distinguishing the function of the rational mind in temporal things, where not only our knowledge, but also our action are called into play, from the more excellent function of this same mind which is employed in the contemplation of eternal things, and has its final goal in knowledge alone.