840# 由于非洲人具有这样的品性，所以如今在他们那里正有启示发生；这启示已经开始，并从他们所在地区向四周推进，但尚未达到海边。他们轻视从欧洲来的外人，因为这些人相信人因唯信而得救，也就是只凭思想和言说得救，而不同时凭意愿和实行得救。非洲人说，凡有任何敬拜的人，若不照自己的宗教生活，就不成其为人；若不这样，他就只能变得愚钝而邪恶，因为那时他不从天堂接受任何东西。他们也把机巧的恶意称为愚钝，因为其中没有生命，只有死亡。
我曾多次与奥古斯丁交谈；他在第三世纪曾是非洲希波的主教。他说，他如今在那里，并感发他们敬拜主；并且这一新福音有望从那里传播到周围地区。我听见天使因这启示而欢喜，因为借着它，天使与人类理性之间的交流向他们开启了；此前，这交流曾因“人的理智必须服从教会人士所规定的信仰”这一普遍教条而被关闭。
840# 由于非洲人具有这种性质，所以如今他们得到一个启示，这个启示正在从它开始的地区向各个方向传播，但尚未到达海岸。他们与欧洲的陌生人保持距离，鄙视他们，因为他们认为人得救只靠信仰，因而只靠思维和言语，而不是也靠意愿和行为。非洲人说，没有人拥有某种敬拜，却又不照他的宗教生活；他若不照他的宗教生活，必变得愚蠢和邪恶，因为那时，他从天上什么都得不到。他们还称狡猾的邪恶为愚蠢，因为它里面没有任何生命，只有死亡。我曾与奥古斯丁交谈过几次，他是三世纪非洲希波的主教。他说，他目前正在那里用对主的敬拜激励当地人，并有希望将这新福音传播到周边地区。我听到天使们为这一启示而欢喜，因为通过它，与人类理性的交流就会打开，而迄今为止，人类理性一直被这一普遍教条所封闭，即：理解力必须服从教会领袖或权威所教导的信仰。
840. Since Africans are this way, a revelation is occurring among them today. It began in one place and then spread outward from there, but it has not yet reached the sea coasts. The Africans have no use for new arrivals from Europe who believe that people are saved by faith alone, and therefore just by thinking and speaking, not by willing and doing. The Africans say that none have a worshipful attitude if they are not living by their religion. If we do not live by our religion, they say, there is no way to avoid becoming evil and stupid, because in that circumstance we are not receiving anything from heaven. Even very clever forms of wickedness they characterize as "stupidity" because such acts contain death rather than life.
I have spoken a number of times with Augustine, who was the bishop of Hippo in Africa during the fourth century. He said he still lives in that area [in the spiritual world] and inspires people to worship the Lord; there is a good chance, he said, that this new gospel will spread from there into neighboring regions.
I have heard angels rejoicing about the revelation among Africans that I just mentioned. They are excited because it will open up a communication between them and the human rational faculty. This faculty has until recently been closed to angels as a result of the universal teaching that we have to hold our intellect under obedience to "faith," as defined by church authorities.
840. Since this is the nature of the Africans, at the present time a revelation is being made to them, which is spreading around its point of origin, but has not reached the seas. They reject with contempt visitors from Europe, who believe that a person is saved by faith alone, and by merely thinking and speaking, and not at the same time willing and doing. They say that no one who observes any worship fails to live in accordance with his religion. Otherwise he must inevitably become stupid and wicked, because he then does not receive anything from heaven. Clever wickedness they actually call stupidity, because there is no life, but only death, in it.
I have had several conversations with Augustine, who in the fourth century was bishop of Hippo in Africa 1 . He said that he was at the present time there, inspiring them to worship the Lord, and that he hoped to spread this new gospel into the surrounding districts. I heard of the angels' joy at that revelation, which was opening for them a means of communicating with the human rational faculty, which up to now had been shut up by means of the universal dogma of the clergy that the understanding should be kept subject to faith.
Footnotes:
1. Augustine (354-430) became bishop of Hippo, a town between Algiers and Tunis in North Africa, towards the end of the fourth century; the author uses the words 'third century' here to mean the period between 300 and 400 AD..
840. Because the Africans are such, a revelation has been made among them at the present time, which is spreading round about from the region where it began, but has not yet reached the coasts. They keep aloof from European strangers who believe that man is saved by faith alone, and thus by mere thought and word, and not by will and deed also; saying that he is no man who has any worship and fails to live according to his religion, for then he must needs become stupid and wicked, because he then receives nothing from heaven. They also call crafty wickedness stupidity, because there is no life in it, but death only. I have several times talked with Augustine, who was bishop of Hippo in Africa, in the third century. He said that he is there at this time, inspiring them with the worship of the Lord, and that there is hope that this new gospel will be extended into the surrounding regions. I have heard the angels rejoicing over that revelation, because through it there is being opened to them a communication with the human rational, hitherto closed up by the universal dogma that the understanding must be kept in obedience to the faith of the ministers of the church.
840. Because the Africans are of this character, a revelation has at this day been made to them, which is spreading in all directions from the quarter where it originated, but has not yet reached the seas. They despise strangers coming from Europe who believe that man is saved by faith alone, and thus by mere thought and speech independent of will and action. They say that every man who worships at all, lives according to his religion; and that if he does not, he must become stupid and wicked, because then he receives nothing from heaven. They also term ingenious wickedness stupidity, because there is not any life in it, but death. have conversed several times with Augustine, 1 who in the third century was bishop of Hippo 2 in Africa. He said that he is there at the present time inspiring the natives with the worship of the Lord and that there is a hope of this new Gospel being extended into neighboring regions. I have heard the angels rejoicing over this revelation because by its means communication is opened up with the human rational, hitherto closed by the prevailing dogma, that the understanding should the kept in obedience to the faith taught by the leaders of the Church.
Footnotes:
1. Augustine, the greatest of the Latin Fathers of the Christian Church, A.D. 354-430, was born in Numidia. After an early life, which he describes in his CONFESSIONS, spent in sins, struggles, and defeats ending in ultimate triumph, he became a Christian and was baptized in Milan in A.D. 386. Here turned to Numidia and became bishop of Hippo, where he died. His teaching, based on the dogma that man has no power either of choosing or of realizing good, but that grace must do all, became the basis of the system of theology known in later times as Calvinism.
2. Hippo, city of Numidia, North Africa; a bishop's see.
840. Quoniam Africani tales sunt, ideo apud illos hodie fit Revelatio, quae incepta vadit e Regione sua circum, sed non usque ad Maria; spernunt Advenas ex Europa, qui credunt hominem salvari per solam fidem, et sic per solum cogitare, et loqui, et non simul per velle et facere; dicentes quod nullus homo sit, cui aliquis Cultus, qui non vivit secundum Religionem suam, et si non, quod non possit aliter quam fieri stupidus et malus, quia tunc non recipit aliquid e Coelo; malitiam ingeniosam vocant etiam stupiditatem, quia non vita sed mors est in illa. Loquutus sum aliquoties cum Augustino, qui in tertio Saeculo fuerat Episcopus in Hippone 1 in Africa; dixit quod hodie ibi sit, ac inspiret illis cultum Domini, et quod spes propagationis hujus Novi Evangelii in circumjacentes Regiones ibi sit. Audivi Angelorum gaudium super illa Revelatione, quod per eam aperiatur illis communicatio cum Rationali humano, hactenus per Universale Dogmaticum, quod Intellectus sub obedientia fidei Ecclesiasticorum, occluso.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: Hippo.