The following is the Latin text of Augustine’s Expositions on the Psalms, 98.9 (note: Augustine is following the Vulgate/LXX numbering; for LDS and other non-RC/EO readers: Psa 99):
Et adorate scabellum pedum ejus, quoniam sanctus
est. Quid habemus adorare? Scabellum pedum ejus. Suppedaneum dicitur scabellum.
Quod dicunt Graeci, dixerunt υποποδιον, Latini scabellum; et alii dixerunt,
suppedaneum. Sed videte, fratres, quid nos jubet adorare. Alio loco
Scripturarum dicitur: Cælum mihi sedes est, terra autem scabellum pedum meorum
(Isai. LXVI, 1). Ergo terram nos jubet adorare, quia dixit alio loco quod sit
scabellum pedum Dei? Et quomodo adoramus terram, cum dicat aperte Scriptura:
Dominum Deum suum adorabis (Deut. VI, 13)? Et hic dicit, Adorate scabellum
pedum ejus; exponens autem mihi quod sit scabellum pedum ejus, dicit, Terra
autem scabellum pedum meorum. Anceps factus sum: timeo adorare terram, ne
damnet me qui fecit cælum et terram; rursus timeo non adorare scabellum pedum
Domini mei, quia Psalmus mihi dicit, Adorate scabellum pedum ejus. Quaero quod
sit scabellum pedum ejus; et dicit mihi Scriptura: Terra scabellum pedum meorum.
Fluctuans converto me ad Christum, quia ipsum quaero hic; et invenio quomodo
sine impietate adoretur terra, sine impietate adoretur scabellum pedum ejus.
Suscepit enim de terra terram; quia caro de terra est, et de carne Mariæ carnem
accepit. Et quia in ipsa carne hic ambulavit, et ipsam carnem nobis
manducandam ad salutem dedit; nemo autem illam carnem manducat, nisi prius
adoraverit: inventum est quomodo adoretur tale scabellum pedum Domini, et
non solum non peccemus adorando, sed peccemus non adorando. Nunquid autem caro
vivificat? Ipse Dominus dixit, cum de ipsa commendatione ejusdem terræ
loqueretur: Spiritus est qui vivificat; caro autem nihil prodest. Ideo et ad
terram quamlibet cum te inclinas atque prosterneris, non quasi terram
intuearis, sed illum Sanctum cujus pedum scabellum est quod adoras; propter
ipsum enim adoras: ideo et hic subjecit, Adorate scabellum pedum ejus, quoniam
sanctus est. Quis sanctus est? In cujus honore adoras scabellum pedum ejus. Et
cum adores illum, ne cogitatione remaneas in carne, et a spiritu non
vivificeris: Spiritus est enim, inquit, qui vivificat; caro autem nihil
prodest. Tunc autem, quando hoc Dominus commendavit, de carne sua locutus erat,
et dixit: Nisi quis manducaverit carnem meam, non habebit in se vitam æternam.
Scandalizati sunt discipuli ejus quidam, septuaginta ferme, et dixerunt: Durus
est hic sermo; quis potest eum intelligere? Et recesserunt ab eo, et amplius
cum eo non ambulaverunt. Durum illis visum est quod ait, Nisi quis manducaverit
carnem meam, non habebit vitam æternam: acceperunt illud stulte, carnali ter
illud cogitaverunt, et putaverunt quod præcisurus esset Dominus particulas
quasdam de corpore suo, et daturus illis, et dixerunt, Durus est hic sermo.
Ipsi erant duri, non sermo. Etenim si duri non essent, sed mites essent,
dicerent sibi: Non sine causa dicit hoc, nisi quia est ibi aliquod sacramentum
latens. Mauerent cum illo lenes, non duri; et discerent ab illo, quod illis
discedentibus, qui remanserunt, didicerunt. Nam cum remansissent cum illo
discipuli duodecim, illis recedentibus, suggeresserunt illi, tanquam dolentes
illorum mortem, quod scandalizati sunt in verbo ejus et recesserunt. Ille autem
instruxit eos, et ait illis: Spiritus est qui vivificat; caro autem nihil
prodest: verba quæ locutus sum vobis, spiritus est et vita (Joan. VI, 54–64).
Spiritualiter intelligite quod locutus sum: non hoc corpus quod videtis manducaturi
estis; et bibituri illum sanguinem, quem fusuri sunt qui me crucifigent.
Sacramentum aliquod vobis commendavi; spiritualiter intellectum vivificabit
vos. Etsi necesse est illud visibiliter celebrari, oportet tamen invisibiliter
intelligi. Exaltate Dominum Deum nostrum, et adorate scabellum pedum ejus,
quoniam sanctus est. (PL 37:1264-65)
English translation :
“Worship the footstool of his
feet, for he is holy.” What are we commanded to worship? The footstool of his
feet. A footstool (supply-pillow) is called a scabellum. The Greeks call it υποποδιον, and the Latins rendered it scabellum;
others have rendered it suppedaneum. But see, brothers, what we are
commanded to worship. Elsewhere the Scriptures say: “Heaven is my throne, and
the earth is my footstool” (Isaiah 66:1). Therefore does Scripture command us
to worship the earth, since elsewhere it says that the earth is the footstool
of God? And how should we worship the earth, when Scripture plainly says: “You
shall worship the Lord your God” (Deut. 6:13)? Here it says, “Worship the
footstool of his feet,” and yet, to explain to me what that footstool of his
feet is, it says, “But the earth is my footstool.” I was made uncertain: I fear
to worship the earth lest he who made heaven and earth condemn me; again I fear
not to worship the footstool of the Lord my God, because the Psalm tells me,
“Worship the footstool of his feet.” I ask what that footstool of his feet is;
and Scripture tells me: “the earth is the footstool of my feet.” Tossing to and
fro, I turn myself to Christ, for it is him I seek here; and I find how the
earth may be worshipped without impiety, how the footstool of his feet may be
worshipped without impiety. For he took from the earth humanity; for the flesh
is from the earth, and of the flesh of Mary he took a body. And because he
walked in that very flesh, and gave that same flesh to be eaten by us for salvation
— and yet no one eats that flesh without first worshipping it — it is
discovered how such a footstool of the Lord’s feet is to be worshipped; and not
only do we not sin in worshipping, but we would sin by not worshipping. But
does flesh give life? The Lord himself said, when speaking of that very
commendation of the earth: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits
nothing.” Therefore, when you bow down and prostrate yourself before any earth,
do not look upon it as mere earth, but upon that Holy One whose footstool you
are adoring; for it is on his account that you adore it. Therefore he added
here, “Worship the footstool of his feet, for he is holy.” Who is holy? He in
whose honour you worship his footstool. And when you worship him, do not remain
in thought only in the flesh and fail to be vivified by the Spirit: “For it is
the Spirit,” he says, “who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.” Now when the
Lord recommended this he was speaking of his flesh, and had said: “Unless
anyone eats my flesh, he has no life in him” (John 6). Some of his disciples were
scandalized — about seventy, forsooth — and they said, “This is a hard saying;
who can hear it?” And they went back from him and no longer walked with him. It
seemed hard to them when he said, “Unless anyone eats my flesh he has no life”;
they took the saying foolishly, construed it carnally, and supposed that the
Lord was about to cut off and give them certain pieces of his body to eat; and
they said, “This is a hard saying.” It was they who were hard, not the saying.
For if they had not been hard but gentle in mind, they would have said to
themselves: “He does not say this without reason; it is because there is some
sacrament hidden here.” They would have become gentle with him, not hard; and
they would have discerned from him, when those withdrew who had departed, and
those who remained learned [the truth]. For when the twelve disciples remained
with him and those who were going away departed, they addressed him as if
grieving their death because they had been scandalized at his word and had
withdrawn. He, however, instructed them and said to them: “It is the Spirit who
gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are
spirit and life” (John 6:54–64). Understand spiritually what I have said: you
will not eat that body which you see; and you will drink that blood which those
will pour out who will crucify me. I have entrusted a certain sacrament to you;
when understood spiritually it will give you life. Although it is necessary
that it be celebrated visibly, yet it ought to be understood invisibly. Exalt
the Lord our God, and worship the footstool of his feet, for he is holy.
