Text

Dicebam haec et flebam amarissima contritione cordis mei. Et ecce audio vocem de vicina domo cum cantu dicentis et crebro repetentis quasi pueri an puellae, nescio: "Tolle lege, tolle lege". Statimque mutato vultu intentissimus cogitare coepi, utrumnam solerent pueri in aliquo genere ludendi cantitare tale aliquid, nec occurrebat omnino audisse me uspiam repressoque impetu lacrimarum surrexi nihil aliud interpretans divinitus mihi iuberi, nisi ut aperirem codicem et legerem quod primum caput invenissem. Audieram enim de Antonio, quod ex evangelica lectione, cui forte supervenerat, admonitus fuerit, tamquam sibi diceretur quod legebatur: Vade, vende omnia, quae habes, da pauperibus et habebis thesaurum in caelis; et veni, sequere me, et tali oraculo confestim ad te esse conversum. Itaque concitus redii in eum locum, ubi sedebat Alypius; ibi enim posueram codicem Apostoli, cum inde surrexeram. Arripui, aperui et legi in silentio capitulum, quo primum coniecti sunt oculi mei: Non in comessationibus et ebrietatibus, non in cubilibus et impudicitiis, non in contentione et aemulatione, sed induite Dominum Iesum Christum et carnis providentiam ne feceritis in concupiscentiis. Nec ultra volui legere nec opus erat. Statim quippe cum fine huiusce sententiae quasi luce securitatis infusa cordi meo omnes dubitationis tenebrae diffugerunt.

Translation

So I spoke and wept bitterly in the contrition of my heart. And look, I heard a voice from a neighboring house say in a singing tone, it was a boy or a girl: Take and read! Take and read! I blanched my color and wondered if perhaps children in some game were in the habit of singing such words, but I could not remember ever hearing of them. Then I fought back my tears, stood up, and put the words I had heard no other than that a divine command bid me open the Holy Scriptures, and that I should read the first chapter that came to my eye. For I had heard from Antony that when he happened to be reading the gospel in church, he referred to himself the word that was being read as an exhortation: Go, sell all that you have, and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me. By such a divine voice he was immediately converted. And so I returned in haste to the place where Alypius was sitting, and where I had left the writings of the apostle Paul in my going. I took the book, opened it and quietly read the passage that first caught my eye: Not in gluttony and drinking, not in confinement and fornication, not in strife and envy, but draw on the Lord Jesus Christ and wait of the body, but in such a way that he does not become horny. I read no further, it was really not necessary, for immediately at the end of these words the light of peace came over my heart and the night of doubt fled.

Author

Augustinus, Aurelius

Reference

Augustinus - Confessiones, liber VIII, caput XII,29

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