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De civitate Dei (CCSL)

Caput IX: An sancti angeli, quem habent creatorem naturae, eundem habeant bonae uoluntatis auctorem per spiritum sanctum in eis caritate diffusa.

Cum ergo malae uoluntatis efficiens naturalis uel, si dici potest, essentialis nulla sit causa - ab ipsa quippe incipit spirituum mutabilium malum, quo minuitur atque deprauatur naturae bonum, nec talem uoluntatem facit nisi defectio, qua deseritur deus, cuius defectionis etiam causa utique deficit: si dixerimus nullam esse efficientem causam etiam uoluntatis bonae, cauendum est, ne uoluntas bona bonorum angelorum non facta, sed deo coaeterna esse credatur. cum ergo ipsi facti sint, quomodo illa non esse facta dicetur? porro quia facta est, utrum cum ipsis facta est, an sine illa fuerunt prius? sed si cum ipsis, non dubium quod ab illo facta sit, a quo et ipsi; simulque ut facti sunt, ei, a quo facti sunt, amore, cum quo facti sunt, adhaeserunt; eoque sunt isti ab illorum societate discreti, quod illi in eadem bona uoluntate manserunt, isti ab ea deficiendo mutati sunt, mala scilicet uoluntate hoc ipso quod a bona defecerunt; a qua non defecissent, si utique noluissent. si autem boni angeli fuerunt prius sine bona uoluntate eamque in se ipsi deo non operante fecerunt, ergo meliores a se ipsis quam ab illo facti sunt. absit. quid enim erant sine bona uoluntate nisi mala? aut si propterea non mali, quia nec mala uoluntas eis inerat - neque enim ab ea, quam nondum coeperant habere, defecerant - , certe nondum tales, nondum tam boni quam esse cum bona uoluntate coeperunt. at si non potuerunt se ipsos facere meliores, quam eos ille fecerat, quo nemo melius quidquam facit, profecto et bonam uoluntatem, qua meliores essent, nisi operante adiutorio creatoris habere non possent. et cum id egit eorum uoluntas bona, ut non ad se ipsos, qui minus erant, sed ad illum, qui summe est, conuerterentur eique adhaerentes magis essent eiusque participatione sapienter beateque uiuerent: quid aliud ostenditur nisi uoluntatem quamlibet bonam inopem fuisse in solo desiderio remansuram, nisi ille, qui bonam naturam ex nihilo sui capacem fecerat, ex se ipso faceret inplendo meliorem, prius faciens excitando auidiorem? nam et hoc discutiendum est, si boni angeli ipsi in se fecerunt bonam uoluntatem, utrum aliqua eam an nulla uoluntate fecerunt. si nulla, utique nec fecerunt. si aliqua, utrum mala an bona? si mala, quomodo esse potuit mala uoluntas bonae uoluntatis effectrix? si bona, iam ergo habebant. et istam quis fecerat nisi ille, qui eos cum bona uoluntate, id est cum amore casto quo illi adhaererent, creauit, simul eis et condens naturam et largiens gratiam? unde sine bona uoluntate, hoc est dei amore, numquam sanctos angelos fuisse credendum est. isti autem, qui, cum boni creati essent, tamen mali sunt - mala propria uoluntate, quam bona natura non fecit, nisi cum a bono sponte defecit, ut mali causa non sit bonum, sed defectus a bono - , aut minorem acceperunt diuini amoris gratiam quam illi, qui in eadem perstiterunt, aut si utrique boni aequaliter creati sunt, istis mala uoluntate cadentibus illi amplius adiuti ad eam beatitudinis plenitudinem, unde se numquam casuros certissimi fierent, peruenerunt; sicut iam etiam in libro, quem sequitur iste, tractauimus. confitendum est igitur cum debita laude creatoris non ad solos sanctos homines pertinere, uerum etiam de sanctis angelis posse dici, quod caritas dei diffusa sit in eis per spiritum sanctum, qui datus est eis; nec tantum hominum, sed primitus praecipueque angelorum bonum esse, quod scriptum est: mihi autem adhaerere deo bonum est. hoc bonum quibus commune est, habent et cum illo cui adhaerent et inter se sanctam societatem et sunt una ciuitas dei eadem que uiuum sacrificium eius uiuumque templum eius. cuius pars, quae coniungenda inmortalibus angelis ex mortalibus hominibus congregatur et nunc mortaliter peregrinatur in terris uel in eis, qui mortem obierunt, secretis animarum receptaculis sedibusque requiescit, eodem deo creante quemadmodum exorta sit, sicut de angelis dictum est, iam uideo esse dicendum. ex uno quippe homine, quem primum deus condidit, humanum genus sumpsit exordium secundum sanctae scripturae fidem, quae mirabilem auctoritatem non inmerito habet in orbe terrarum atque in omnibus gentibus, quas sibi esse credituras inter cetera uera, quae dixit, uera diuinitate praedixit.

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The City of God

Chapter 9.--Whether the Angels, Besides Receiving from God Their Nature, Received from Him Also Their Good Will by the Holy Spirit Imbuing Them with Love.

There is, then, no natural efficient cause or, if I may be allowed the expression, no essential cause, of the evil will, since itself is the origin of evil in mutable spirits, by which the good of their nature is diminished and corrupted; and the will is made evil by nothing else than defection from God,--a defection of which the cause, too, is certainly deficient. But as to the good will, if we should say that there is no efficient cause of it, we must beware of giving currency to the opinion that the good will of the good angels is not created, but is co-eternal with God. For if they themselves are created, how can we say that their good will was eternal? But if created, was it created along with themselves, or did they exist for a time without it? If along with themselves, then doubtless it was created by Him who created them, and, as soon as ever they were created, they attached themselves to Him who created them, with the love He created in them. And they are separated from the society of the rest, because they have continued in the same good will; while the others have fallen away to another will, which is an evil one, by the very fact of its being a falling away from the good; from which, we may add, they would not have fallen away had they been unwilling to do so. But if the good angels existed for a time without a good will, and produced it in themselves without God's interference, then it follows that they made themselves better than He made them. Away with such a thought! For without a good will, what were they but evil? Or if they were not evil, because they had not an evil will any more than a good one (for they had not fallen away from that which as yet they had not begun to enjoy), certainly they were not the same, not so good, as when they came to have a good will. Or if they could not make themselves better than they were made by Him who is surpassed by none in His work, then certainly, without His helpful operation, they could not come to possess that good will which made them better. And though their good will effected that they did not turn to themselves, who had a more stinted existence, but to Him who supremely is, and that, being united to Him, their own being was enlarged, and they lived a wise and blessed life by His communications to them, what does this prove but that the will, however good it might be, would have continued helplessly only to desire Him, had not He who had made their nature out of nothing, and yet capable of enjoying Him, first stimulated it to desire Him, and then filled it with Himself, and so made it better?

Besides, this too has to be inquired into, whether, if the good angels made their own will good, they did so with or without will? If without, then it was not their doing. If with, was the will good or bad? If bad, how could a bad will give birth to a good one? If good, then already they had a good will. And who made this will, which already they had, but He who created them with a good will, or with that chaste love by which they cleaved to Him, in one and the same act creating their nature, and endowing it with grace? And thus we are driven to believe that the holy angels never existed without a good will or the love of God. But the angels who, though created good, are yet evil now, became so by their own will. And this will was not made evil by their good nature, unless by its voluntary defection from good; for good is not the cause of evil, but a defection from good is. These angels, therefore, either received less of the grace of the divine love than those who persevered in the same; or if both were created equally good, then, while the one fell by their evil will, the others were more abundantly assisted, and attained to that pitch of blessedness at which they became certain they should never fall from it,--as we have already shown in the preceding book. ¹ We must therefore acknowledge, with the praise due to the Creator, that not only of holy men, but also of the holy angels, it can be said that "the love of God is shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto them." ² And that not only of men, but primarily and principally of angels it is true, as it is written, "It is good to draw near to God." ³ And those who have this good in common, have, both with Him to whom they draw near, and with one another, a holy fellowship, and form one city of God--His living sacrifice, and His living temple. And I see that, as I have now spoken of the rise of this city among the angels, it is time to speak of the origin of that part of it which is hereafter to be united to the immortal angels, and which at present is being gathered from among mortal men, and is either sojourning on earth, or, in the persons of those who have passed through death, is resting in the secret receptacles and abodes of disembodied spirits. For from one man, whom God created as the first, the whole human race descended, according to the faith of Holy Scripture, which deservedly is of wonderful authority among all nations throughout the world; since, among its other true statements, it predicted, by its divine foresight, that all nations would give credit to it.