{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p>It is a matter of no moment in the city of God whether\r\nhe who adopts the faith that brings men to God adopts it in\r\none dress and manner of life or another, so long only as he\r\nlives in conformity with the commandments of God. And\r\nhence, when philosophers themselves become Christians, they\r\nare compelled, indeed, to abandon their erroneous doctrines, but\r\nnot their dress and mode of living, which are no obstacle to\r\nreligion. So that we make no account of that distinction of\r\nsects which Varro adduced in connection with the Cynic\r\nschool, provided always nothing indecent or self-indulgent is\r\nretained. As to these three modes of life, the contemplative,\r\nthe active, and the composite, although, so long as a man's\r\nfaith is preserved, he may choose any of them without detriment\r\nto his eternal interests, yet he must never overlook the\r\nclaims of truth and duty. No man has a right to lead such\r\na life of contemplation as to forget in his own ease the service\r\ndue to his neighbour; nor has any man a right to be so immersed\r\nin active life as to neglect the contemplation of God.\r\nThe charm of leisure must not be indolent vacancy of mind,\r\nbut the investigation or discovery of truth, that thus every\r\nman may make solid attainments without grudging that others\r\ndo the same. And, in active life, it is not the honours or\r\npower of this life we should covet, since all things under the\r\nsun are vanity, but we should aim at using our position and\r\ninfluence, if these have been honourably attained, for the welfare\r\nof those who are under us, in the way we have already\r\nexplained.<a id=\"FNanchor_653_653\"></a><a class=\"fnanchor pginternal\" href=\"#Footnote_653_653\">[653]</a> It is to this the apostle refers when he says,\r\n\"He that desireth the episcopate desireth a good work.\"<a id=\"FNanchor_654_654\"></a><a class=\"fnanchor pginternal\" href=\"#Footnote_654_654\">[654]</a> He\r\nwished to show that the episcopate is the title of a work, not\r\nof an honour. It is a Greek word, and signifies that he who\r\ngoverns, superintends or takes care of those whom he governs:\r\nfor ἐπί means <i>over</i>, and σκοπεῖν, <i>to see</i>; therefore <span class=\"pagenum\"><a id=\"Page_330\">[Pg 330]</a></span>ἐπισκοπεῖν\r\nmeans \"to oversee.\"<a id=\"FNanchor_655_655\"></a><a class=\"fnanchor pginternal\" href=\"#Footnote_655_655\">[655]</a> So that he who loves to govern rather\r\nthan to do good is no bishop. Accordingly no one is prohibited\r\nfrom the search after truth, for in this leisure may\r\nmost laudably be spent; but it is unseemly to covet the high\r\nposition requisite for governing the people, even though that\r\nposition be held and that government be administered in a\r\nseemly manner. And therefore holy leisure is longed for by\r\nthe love of truth; but it is the necessity of love to undertake\r\nrequisite business. If no one imposes this burden upon us,\r\nwe are free to sift and contemplate truth; but if it be laid\r\nupon us, we are necessitated for love's sake to undertake it.\r\nAnd yet not even in this case are we obliged wholly to relinquish\r\nthe sweets of contemplation; for were these to be\r\nwithdrawn, the burden might prove more than we could bear.</p>","headings":["THE CITY OF GOD.","BOOK NINETEENTH.","ARGUMENT."],"marker_anchor":null,"paragraph_id":"pg45305-paragraph-533"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"81f6ac5e20b5808053df2e2154e2e865b4e03d4878de70d4b1cdddbc07908344","edition_title":"The City of God, Volume II","edition_translators":["Marcus Dods","George Wilson (Books XVII-XVIII)"],"edition_year":1871,"explicit_reference_candidates":[],"headings":[],"id":"pg45305-Footnote_655_655","license_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html","public_import_allowed":false,"record_kind":"original-editor-translator-note","review_required":["work and recension attribution","original-work chronology","Bible reference numbering and citation kind","English edition rights and attribution"],"review_status":"needs_review","rights_evidence":"Provider catalog reports public domain in the USA. Original transcription title leaves state T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh, 1871; printed translator allocation retained. Gutenberg credits Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries without an exact scan identifier. Full provider license preserved with acquired original; republication and per-work metadata remain unreviewed.","source_anchor":"Footnote_655_655","source_ebook":45305,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\">\n<p><a id=\"Footnote_655_655\"></a><a class=\"pginternal\" href=\"#FNanchor_655_655\"><span class=\"label\">[655]</span></a> Augustine's words are: \"ἐπι, quippe 'super;' σκοπός, vero, 'intentio' est:\r\nεπισκοπεῖν, si velimus, latine 'superintendere' possumus dicere.\"</p></div>","source_sha256":"7e0ced9e70512f3cf050b53c9d548e36b70d468d875153869f95d8aff5bbb530","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/45305/pg45305-images.html#Footnote_655_655","text_sha256":"93a2b44f712c7d8c0e8d62943f0abac0837113a3ea713399aba3b348eb70325b","verified":false,"work_id":null}