The seven women of Isaiah, and three ways of being Christian

Hence in Of Questions of the Old and New Law, chapter 47, Augustine, expounding that of Isaiah 4:1, "And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying: We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, take away our reproach," says first that the prophet speaks of the day of grace and of the sevenfold woman, namely the churchecclesia: church, which is the valiant womanmulier fortis: valiant woman 395of whom Proverbs 31 [speaks]: "By the seven women," he says, "I say that seven churches are signified, which, though it is one, is yet called sevenfold, as one body consists of a sevenfold number of members."¹ "Not only we," he says, "but also the citizens above are membersmembrum: member of the church, whose headcaput: head is Christ. Whether therefore the churches are called one or seven, it makes no difference, because the whole totality of the churches, which is seven churches on account of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, and all together are one body of Christ, from whom all things in heaven and on earth have their origin. Hence in this militant church mention is made of all the churches, because when the mystery of the creator is preached to it, the teaching is conveyed to the heavenly ones too. For when it is conveyed to the lower, it is necessary that those above hear it too."² Hence the Apostle, Ephesians 3: "To me, the least of all the saints, is given grace to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of the grace of Christ, and to enlighten all men, what is the dispensation of the mystery which hath been hidden from eternity in God who created all things, that the manifold wisdom of God may be made known to the princes and powers in heavenly places through the church."³ See that this holy apostle, placed in this mortal tabernacle, enlightened the citizens of the heavenly hierarchy, and without doubt purged Peter and perfected holy mother church, as every Christian ought to do, and especially the hierarchy of the church militantecclesia militans / triumphans / dormiens: the church militant / triumphant / sleeping. For there is no distinction of primacies as regards that; but every member of the church, according to the light of understanding given to it, is bound to communicate the three hierarchical acts to the several members of its mother; for as bodily light illuminates the understanding, so the members of Christ on the way 396illuminate the blessed in the homelandvia / patria: the way / the homeland, while they make them know, by a knowledge in its own kind, the fruits of light.⁴ Hence it is not to be believed that in the triumphant church there remain stains of sin to be purged (as is taught in Ephesians 6); but purgation is the continuation of the expulsion of stains, such that the intellect and affection of the citizens are illuminated and purged by the objective presentation of the dowries of their fellow citizens.⁵ And from these it follows that the multitude of the blessed citizens, as also their full blessedness, is perfected by their mutual acts; indeed, since the Word is in the midst of all his members all days, even to the consummation of the world, there is no doubt that the heavenly citizens see in him and hear whatever their fellow servants do for the edification of the church. For thus one member of the body feels the help and the harm of another by virtue of the sense of the head.⁶ This sevenfold church therefore addresses Christ the bridegroomsponsa / sponsus: bride / bridegroom, who is the man of whom it is written in Jeremiah 31:22 that "a woman shall compass a man"; and she took hold of him in a new way as bridegroom when she received the sacraments as the charters of her redemption, in the outflow of blood and water in the side of him sleeping on the cross (as the Apostle notes, Ephesians 6).⁷ And so this sevenfold church before the incarnation asks the saviour, made man, to take away the reproach of her barrenness. "We will eat our own bread," they say, because we shall live together on the words of the law which instruct us in the faith of one God; for in Hebrews 10:38 it is written: "The just liveth by faith"; "and wear our own apparel," because by faith in the creation and hope of the re-creation we are known for what we are. And in this way the Apostle speaks, Galatians 3:27: "All you who have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ." For the members of Christ are not naked of virtues, but put on his armour, at least in hope, imitating him imperfectly, if 397they are of his army.⁸ Thus therefore the fathers of the old testament had bread and clothing; but as "not in bread alone doth man live" (as is said in Matthew 4:4), so hope would be confounded, and the whole of life would be left reproachful and barren, unless consummating charitycaritas: charity, as drink and food, had been given through the Lord Jesus Christ; for otherwise the sin of the human race would not be blotted out, nor would a vital activity worthy of blessedness be brought forth, but an everlasting reproach would remain in each wayfarerviator: wayfarer, as in the damned. "Take away," they say, "our reproach," because we shall remain forever as abortive or maimed, unless you, giving the wedding garment and dwelling, have become incarnate. For food and clothing do not suffice for man without the last stable covering, which is the charity of the homeland that does not fall away, given through the Lord Jesus Christ. Let the name of Christ therefore be called upon us, that we may be called Christians in act.⁹ Hence Augustine says that this petition redounds to the church triumphant: "although," he says, "they are spiritual and heavenly powers, they are yet subject to reproach if they are estranged from their creator; and they will not be members of the body who wander astray, not knowing their head." He means that blessedness would be lacking to the whole church unless Christ, by the merit of his passion, had consummated the redemption of man.¹⁰ But here a doubt appears: whether the fathers of the old testament were Christians; and Augustine seems in this teachingsentencia: CONTEXTUAL: teaching / sentence to contradict himself. But it must be noted that men can be called Christians in three ways, namely in figure, in effect and in fruit. In figure, indeed, all the saints of the old law were called Christians. For if a diet is called healthy on account of the future health of which 398it is productive, how much more are the patriarchs called¹¹

Christians for their time, since Christ names them his members? For Christ abides forever according to the divine nature, and was created from the beginning of the world, not only in the common secondary causes but in the singular material essence; yet he did not assume it hypostatically before he was man, assuming a soul.¹² But in act, by the express name of Christ, the Christian peoples were so called in the time of grace; and the fathers of the old law invoke such a naming upon themselves; which they also had before they were led with Christ to heaven. But after the day of judgement¹³

all the members of holy church will have the name of Christian in perpetual fruit. And it is clear in part that, notwithstanding these declaratory teachings, the first little argument remains unsolved.¹⁴

The second reply, to the second little argument, denies the inferenceconsequencia: inference; but it seems [to hold]: if there is no church except a multitude of Christians, now Christ is not a Christian, then Christ is not a part or member of the church. He therefore grants that Christ our God is a Christian; nor does it follow, he says, if every Christian is named from Christ, that that Christ is not a Christian: so every creature is named from the creator; Christ is the creator, and so every creature is named from him, and yet he himself is a creature, as I assert.¹⁵