[lit-ideas] Re: Beyond Belief
- From: Robert.Paul@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Robert Paul)
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: 22 Aug 2004 23:55:54 PDT
>A connection can be made here with the topic of inconceivability.
>It was that Father of the Church who said (in Latin)
It is absurd; therefore, I believe it.
>(He was referring to either Jesus's resurrection or to the Immaculate
Conception (or both).
>On another accounts of his dictum, it comes out as:
>I believe in it, and I believe in it (if you ask me)
>_because_ [Latin *quia*] it's absurd.
>But I prefer the former wording since the grammar (and logic) of 'quia' is
tricky (hardly conditional).
It was Tertullian who said 'Natus est Dei Filius: non pudet quia pudendum est;
et mortuus est Dei Filius: prorsus credibile est, quia ineptum est; et sepultus
resurrexit: certum est, quia impossibile.' [de Carne Christi 5] 'Certum est,
quia impossibile est' is often extracted and misquoted as 'Credo quia
impossibile.'
Robert Paul
Editor, Mutton Dictionary of Lost Quotations
Mutton College
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