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Bekenntnisse
6. Augustinus wird in Mailand mit Alypius und Adeodatus getauft.
Als nun die Zeit gekommen, wo ich mich zur Taufe anmelden mußte, verließen wir das Land und kamen wieder nach Mailand. Mit mir wollte auch Alypius in dir wiedergeboren werden, den schon die Demut zierte, die deine Sakramente verlangen, und der seinen Körper so in der Gewalt hatte, daß er mit ungewöhnlichem Starkmute barfüßig auf dem gefrorenen Boden Italiens ging. Auch den Adeodatus nahmen wir mit uns, den ich in der Sünde erzeugt hatte. Du hattest ihn gut geschaffen. Er war fünfzehn Jahre alt, überragte aber an Geist viele gesetzte und gelehrte Männer. Dein sind diese Gaben, Herr mein Gott, die ich vor dir bekenne, der du alles schaffst und mächtig bist, was übel an uns ist, neu zu gestalten; denn ich hatte an dem Knaben keinen Anteil als meine Sünde. Daß wir ihn aber in deiner Zucht aufzogen, das hattest du uns eingegeben und sonst kein anderer; deine Gaben bekenne ich. Ich habe da ein Buch geschrieben mit dem Titel „Der Lehrer“; er ist's, der sich dort mit mir unterredet. Du weißt, daß alle Gedanken, die dort demjenigen, der sich mit mir unterredet, in den Mund gelegt werden, wirklich seine Gedanken sind; und doch war er noch nicht sechzehn Jahre. Und noch anderes und Wunderbareres habe ich an ihm erlebt, so daß mir oft ein Grauen ankam vor solch außergewöhnlicher Begabung. Doch wer kann solche Wunder wirken wenn nicht du? Schnell hast du ihn von der Erde hinweggenommen, und ohne jede Beunruhigung gedenke ich nun seiner; weder für seine Kindheit noch für seine Jugend noch für sein ganzes Leben brauche ich irgendwelche Besorgnisse zu hegen. Als Altersgenossen in deiner Gnade nahmen wir ihn zu uns, um ihn in deiner Lehre zu erziehen. Wir wurden getauft, und jede ängstliche Sorge wegen unseres früheren Lebens entschwand. Nicht sättigen konnte ich mich in jenen Tagen an der wunderbaren Süßigkeit, die ich kostete, wenn ich die Erhabenheit deines Ratschlusses zum Heile des Menschengeschlechtes betrachtete. Wieviel Tränen habe ich vergossen, wenn ich deinen Hymnen S. 198 und Liedern lauschte, tief gerührt von den Worten, die deine Kirche so lieblich sang! Jene Worte strömten in meine Ohren, durch sie strömte deine Wahrheit in mein Herz, fromme Empfindungen wallten in ihm auf, meine Tränen flossen, und es war mir bei ihnen selig zu Mute.
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The Confessions of St. Augustin In Thirteen Books
Chapter VI.--He is Baptized at Milan with Alypius and His Son Adeodatus. The Book "De Magistro."
14. Thence, when the time had arrived at which I was to give in my name, 1 having left the country, we returned to Milan. Alypius also was pleased to be born again with me in Thee, being now clothed with the humility appropriate to Thy sacraments, and being so brave a tamer of the body, as with unusual fortitude to tread the frozen soil of Italy with his naked feet. We took into our company the boy Adeodatus, born of me carnally, of my sin. Well hadst Thou made him. He was barely fifteen years, yet in wit excelled many grave and learned men. 2 I confess unto Thee Thy gifts, O Lord my God, Creator of all, and of exceeding power to reform our deformities; for of me was there naught in that boy but the sin. For that we fostered him in Thy discipline, Thou inspiredst us, none other,--Thy gifts I confess unto Thee. There is a book of ours, which is entitled The Master. 3 It is a dialogue between him and me. Thou knowest that all things there put into the mouth of the person in argument with me were his thoughts in his sixteenth year. Many others more wonderful did I find in him. That talent was a source of awe to me. And who but Thou could be the worker of such marvels? Quickly didst Thou remove his life from the earth; and now I recall him to mind with a sense of security, in that I fear nothing for his childhood or youth, or for his whole self. We took him coeval with us in Thy grace, to be educated in Thy discipline; and we were baptized, 4 and solicitude about our past life left us. Nor was I satiated in those days with the wondrous sweetness of considering the depth of Thy counsels concerning the salvation of the human race. How greatly did I weep in Thy hymns and canticles, deeply moved by the voices of Thy sweet-speaking Church! The voices flowed into mine ears, and the truth was poured forth into my heart, whence the agitation of my piety overflowed, and my tears ran over, and blessed was I therein.
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"They were baptized at Easter, and gave up their names before the second Sunday in Lent, the rest of which they were to spend in fasting, humility, prayer, and being examined in the scrutinies (Tertull. Lib. de Bapt. c. 20). Therefore went they to Milan, that the bishop might see their preparation. Adjoining to the cathedrals were there certain lower houses for them to lodge and be exercised in, till the day of baptism" (Euseb. x. 4).--W. W. See also Bingham, x. 2, sec. 6; and above, note 4, p. 89; note 4, p. 118, and note 8, p. 118. ↩
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In his De Vita Beata, sec. 6, he makes a similar illusion to the genius of Adeodatus. ↩
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This book, in which he and his son are the interlocutors, will be found in vol. i. of the Benedictine edition, and is by the editors assumed to be written about A.D. 389. Augustin briefly gives its argument in his Retractations, i. 12. He says: "There it is disputed, sought, and discovered that there is no master who teaches man knowledge save God, as it is written in the gospel (Matt. xxiii. 10), One is your Master, even Christ.'" ↩
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He was baptized by Ambrose, and tradition says, as he came out of the water, they sang alternate verses of the Te Deum (ascribed by some to Ambrose), which, in the old offices of the English Church is called "The Song of Ambrose and Augustin." In his Con. Julian. Pelag. i. 10, he speaks of Ambrose as being one whose devoted labours and perils were known throughout the whole Roman world, and says: "In Christo enim Jesu per evangelium ipse me genuit, et eo Christi ministro lavacrum regenerationis accepti." See also the last sec. of his De Nupt. et Concup., and Ep. cxlvii. 23. In notes 3, p. 50, and 4, p. 89, will be found references to the usages of the early Church as to baptism. ↩