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The Confessions of St. Augustin In Thirteen Books

Chapter XI.--They Who Ask This Have Not as Yet Known the Eternity of God, Which is Exempt from the Relation of Time.

13. Those who say these things do not as yet understand Thee, O Thou Wisdom of God, Thou light of souls; not as yet do they understand how these things be made which are made by and in Thee. They even endeavour to comprehend things eternal; but as yet their heart flieth about in the past and future motions of things, and is still wavering. Who shall hold it and fix it, that it may rest a little, and by degrees catch the glory of that everstanding eternity, and compare it with the times which never stand, and see that it is incomparable; and that a long time cannot become long, save from the many motions that pass by, which cannot at the same instant be prolonged; but that in the Eternal nothing passeth away, but that the whole is present; but no time is wholly present; and let him see that all time past is forced on by the future, and that all the future followeth from the past, and that all, both past and future, is created and issues from that which is always present? Who will hold the heart of man, that it may stand still, and see how the still-standing eternity, itself neither future nor past, uttereth the times future and past? Can my hand accomplish this, or the hand of my mouth by persuasion bring about a thing so great? ¹

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Confessiones (PL)

CAPUT XI. Objectioni respondet quod aeternitas Dei nescit tempora.

13. Qui haec dicunt, nondum te intelligunt, o Sapientia Dei, lux mentium; nondum intelligunt, quomodo fiant quae per te, atque in te fiunt: et conantur aeterna sapere; sed adhuc in praeteritis et futuris rerum motibus cor eorum volitat, et adhuc vanum est. Quis tenebit illud, et figet illud ut paululum stet, et paululum rapiat splendorem semper stantis aeternitatis, et comparet cum temporibus nunquam stantibus, et videat esse incomparabilem; et videat longum tempus, nisi ex multis praetereuntibus motibus, qui simul extendi non possunt, longum non fieri; non autem praeterire quidquam in aeterno, sed totum esse praesens; nullum vero tempus totum esse praesens: et videat omne praeteritum propelli ex futuro, et omne futurum ex praeterito consequi; et omne praeteritum ac futurum ab eo quod semper est praesens, creari et excurrere? Quis tenebit cor hominis, ut stet, et videat quomodo stans dictet futura et praeterita tempora, nec futura nec praeterita aeternitas? Numquid manus mea valet hoc, aut manus oris mei per loquelas agit tam grandem rem?