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The City of God

Chapter 14.--Whether Men, Though Mortal, Can Enjoy True Blessedness.

It is a great question among men, whether man can be mortal and blessed. Some, taking the humbler view of his condition, have denied that he is capable of blessedness so long as he continues in this mortal life; others, again, have spurned this idea, and have been bold enough to maintain that, even though mortal, men may be blessed by attaining wisdom. But if this be the case, why are not these wise men constituted mediators between miserable mortals and the blessed immortals, since they have blessedness in common with the latter, and mortality in common with the former? Certainly, if they are blessed, they envy no one (for what more miserable than envy?), but seek with all their might to help miserable mortals on to blessedness, so that after death they may become immortal, and be associated with the blessed and immortal angels.

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De civitate Dei (CCSL)

Caput XIV: An homines, cum sint mortales, possint uera beatitudine esse felices.

Vtrum et beatus et mortalis homo esse possit, magna est inter homines quaestio. quidam enim condicionem suam humilius inspexerunt negaueruntque hominem capacem esse posse beatitudinis, quamdiu mortaliter uiuit. quidam uero extulerunt se et ausi sunt dicere sapientiae compotes beatos esse posse mortales. quod si ita est, cur non ipsi potius medii constituuntur inter mortales miseros et inmortales beatos, beatitudinem habentes cum inmortalibus beatis, mortalitatem cum mortalibus miseris? profecto enim, si beati sunt, inuident nemini - nam quid miserius inuidentia? - et ideo mortalibus miseris, quantum possunt, ad consequendam beatitudinem consulunt, ut etiam inmortales ualeant esse post mortem et angelis inmortalibus beatisque coniungi.