Key Arguments

• Augustine twice exclaims over the Father’s love in giving the Son: "How you have loved us, good Father: you did not ‘spare your only Son but delivered him up for us sinners’ (Rom. 8: 32). How you have loved us, for whose sake ‘he did not think it a usurpation to be equal to you and was made subject to the death of the cross’ (Phil. 2: 6, 8)."
• He stresses Christ’s unique freedom among the dead, indicating voluntary death: "He was the only one to be ‘free among the dead’ (Ps. 87: 5). He had power to lay down his soul and power to take it back again (John 10: 18)."
• Christ’s victory is precisely through his being a victim: "For us he was victorious before you and victor because he was victim."
• He unites priesthood and sacrifice in Christ: "For us before you he is priest and sacrifice, and priest because he is sacrifice."
• Christ’s sonship to the Father and servanthood to us effect our adoption: "Before you he makes us sons instead of servants by being born of you and being servant to us."
• On this basis Augustine justifies his hope: "With good reason my firm hope is in him. For you will cure all my diseases (Ps. 102: 3) through him who sits at your right hand and intercedes with you for us (Rom. 8: 34)."
• He admits the magnitude of his sins and miseries, but insists that God’s remedy in Christ is greater: "Many and great are those diseases, many and great indeed. But your medicine is still more potent."

Source Quotes

He is not midway as Word; for the Word is equal to God and ‘God with God’ (John 1:1), and at the same time there is but one God. (69) How you have loved us, good Father: you did not ‘spare your only Son but delivered him up for us sinners’ (Rom. 8: 32). How you have loved us, for whose sake ‘he did not think it a usurpation to be equal to you and was made subject to the death of the cross’ (Phil.

8: 32). How you have loved us, for whose sake ‘he did not think it a usurpation to be equal to you and was made subject to the death of the cross’ (Phil. 2: 6, 8). He was the only one to be ‘free among the dead’ (Ps.

2: 6, 8). He was the only one to be ‘free among the dead’ (Ps. 87: 5). He had power to lay down his soul and power to take it back again (John 10: 18). For us he was victorious before you and victor because he was victim.

He had power to lay down his soul and power to take it back again (John 10: 18). For us he was victorious before you and victor because he was victim. For us before you he is priest and sacrifice, and priest because he is sacrifice. Before you he makes us sons instead of servants by being born of you and being servant to us.

For us before you he is priest and sacrifice, and priest because he is sacrifice. Before you he makes us sons instead of servants by being born of you and being servant to us. With good reason my firm hope is in him.

Before you he makes us sons instead of servants by being born of you and being servant to us. With good reason my firm hope is in him. For you will cure all my diseases (Ps. 102: 3) through him who sits at your right hand and intercedes with you for us (Rom. 8: 34). Otherwise I would be in despair.

Otherwise I would be in despair. Many and great are those diseases, many and great indeed. But your medicine is still more potent. We might have thought your Word was far removed from being united to mankind and have despaired of our lot unless he had become flesh and dwelt among us (John 1: 14).

Key Concepts

• How you have loved us, good Father: you did not ‘spare your only Son but delivered him up for us sinners’ (Rom. 8: 32).
• for whose sake ‘he did not think it a usurpation to be equal to you and was made subject to the death of the cross’ (Phil. 2: 6, 8).
• He was the only one to be ‘free among the dead’ (Ps. 87: 5). He had power to lay down his soul and power to take it back again (John 10: 18).
• For us he was victorious before you and victor because he was victim. For us before you he is priest and sacrifice, and priest because he is sacrifice.
• Before you he makes us sons instead of servants by being born of you and being servant to us.
• With good reason my firm hope is in him. For you will cure all my diseases (Ps. 102: 3) through him who sits at your right hand and intercedes with you for us (Rom. 8: 34).
• Many and great are those diseases, many and great indeed. But your medicine is still more potent.

Context

Book X, xliii (69): Moving from doctrinal description to worship, Augustine compresses multiple biblical motifs into a single vision of Christ’s atoning work and expresses his personal reliance on Christ’s priestly intercession for healing.