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Chapter 11AmourDieu.1.11

Qu'il y a deux portions en l'ame,et comment

The Architecture of the Soul

The soul is a single, indivisible entity that functions through various degrees of perfection, including natural inclinations and sensitive appetites.

We have only one soul, Theotimus, and it's indivisible; but there are various degrees of perfection within it, as it is living, sensitive, and rational. Depending on these degrees, it has a variety of properties and inclinations that draw it either to flee from things or to unite with them. For first of all, just as we see that the vine hates, so to speak, and flees from cabbages, so that they harm each other, and that on the contrary it delights in the olive tree, so we see that by nature there is opposition between man and the serpent, such that a fasting man's saliva alone kills the serpent, and that on the contrary man and the sheep have a marvelous affinity and take pleasure in one another.1 Now this inclination does not come from any knowledge one has of the harm done by its opposite, or of the usefulness of that with which it has affinity, but only from a hidden and secret property that produces this opposition and nonsensory antipathy, and likewise the liking and sympathy.2 Secondly, we have in ourselves the sensitive appetite, by which we're drawn to seek and to flee many things through the sense-knowledge we have of them—just as animals do, some of which desire one thing and others another according to the knowledge they have of whether it suits them or not; and in this appetite resides, or from it comes, the love we call sensual or animal, which, strictly speaking, should not nevertheless be called love, but simply appetite.3

Higher and Lower Portions

The rational soul is divided into a higher portion, which reasons by intellectual or supernatural light, and a lower portion, which reasons based on sensory experience.

Third, insofar as we are rational, we have a will by which we are drawn to seek the good, according as we know it and judge it to be such by reasoning. In our soul, insofar as it is rational, we clearly see two levels of perfection—what Saint Augustine and the doctors after him called the two parts of the soul: the lower and the higher. The lower part is the one that reasons and draws conclusions based on what it learns and experiences through the senses. The higher part is the one that reasons and draws conclusions based on intellectual knowledge, which isn't founded on sensory experience but on the mind's own discernment and judgment. This higher part is commonly called the spirit or the mental part of the soul, while the lower part is usually called sense, feeling, or human reason.45 This higher portion can reason using two kinds of light: either natural light, as philosophers and all who reason through learning have done; or supernatural light, as theologians and Christians do when they base their reasoning on faith and the revealed word of God—and even more so those whose spirit is led by specific illuminations, inspirations, and heavenly stirrings.6 This is what Saint Augustine means when he says that the higher portion of the soul is the part by which we cling and apply ourselves to obedience to the eternal law.

Examples of Interior Conflict

Biblical figures like Jacob and Abraham illustrate how the higher and lower portions of the soul can experience conflicting desires without dividing the soul's nature.

Jacob, hard pressed by his family's extreme need, let his Benjamin go to be taken by his brothers into Egypt—something he did against his will, as Sacred History assures us. In this he shows two wills: one lower, by which he was distressed at sending him, and the other higher, by which he resolved to send him. For the reasoning that made him distressed about sending him was founded on the pleasure he felt in having him near and the pain that came from their separation—grounds that are felt and sensible. But the resolution he took to send him was founded on a consideration of his family's condition, with foresight of the necessity that was coming and already near.7 According to the lower portion of his soul, Abraham spoke words that show a kind of distrust when the Angel announced he would have a son: "Do you think a child can be born to a man of a hundred years?"✦8 But according to the higher portion, he believed in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.✦ According to the lower portion, he was no doubt greatly troubled when he was commanded to sacrifice his child; but according to the higher, he determined to sacrifice him courageously. Every day we experience having several conflicting wills. A father, sending his son either to court or to his studies, still cannot keep from weeping as he lets him go, showing that although, according to the superior portion, he wants this child's departure for the sake of his progress in virtue, nevertheless according to the inferior portion he feels reluctance at the separation; and even though a daughter is married with her father and mother's full consent, still, when she takes their blessing, she draws tears from them, so that while the superior will assents to her departure, the inferior shows resistance.9 Yet this doesn't mean there are two souls or two natures in a person, as the Manicheans thought. "No," says Saint Augustine in the eighth book of his Confessions, chapter ten, "rather the will, drawn by various attractions and stirred by various reasons, seems divided within itself while it is pulled from two sides, until, taking sides according to its freedom, it follows either one or the other." For then the stronger will prevails, and gaining the upper hand, leaves the soul only the sting of the harm the struggle has done it—what we call going against the heart.10

The Example of Christ in Gethsemane

Christ's prayer in Gethsemane serves as the ultimate proof of the distinction between the higher and lower portions of the soul.

Our Lord's example on this point is wonderful, and once you've considered it, there's no longer any room to doubt the distinction between the higher and lower parts of the soul; for what theologian doesn't know that he was perfectly glorious from the very instant of his conception in the Virgin's womb? And yet, at the same time, he was subject to sadness, regrets, and afflictions of the heart. We shouldn't say he suffered only in the body, or even only in the soul insofar as it is sensitive—or, which is the same thing, according to the senses—for he himself attests that before he suffered any outward torment, or even saw the executioners near him, his soul was sorrowful unto death. After that he prayed that the cup of the Passion might be taken away from him—that is, that he might be spared it. In this he clearly expresses the will of the lower portion of his soul: that portion, reasoning over the sad and anguishing objects of the Passion prepared for him, whose vivid image was present in his imagination, drew from them, by a very reasonable inference, the desire to flee them and keep far away, and of this he makes the request to his Father. From this one sees clearly that the lower portion of the soul is not the same thing as its sensitive degree, nor is the lower will the same thing as sensual appetite; for sensual appetite, and the soul according to its sensitive degree, are not capable of making any request or prayer, which are acts of the rational faculty—and especially they are not capable of speaking to God, an object the senses cannot reach so as to give knowledge of him to the appetite.11 But this same Savior, having exercised the lower portion and shown that according to it, and the considerations he was making, his will leaned toward fleeing pains and sufferings, then showed that he also had the higher portion. By that higher portion, holding inviolably to the eternal will and to the decree the heavenly Father had made, he willingly accepts death; and notwithstanding the resistance of the lower part of reason, he says: "Ah no, my Father, let not my will be done, but yours." When he says "my will," he is speaking of his will according to the lower portion; and insofar as he says this voluntarily, he shows that he has a higher will.

Read the original Latin

Nous n'avons qu'une ame, Theotime, et laquelle est indivisible; mais en cette ame il y a divers degrés de perfection, car elle est vivante, sensible et raysonnable,et selon ces divers degrés elle aaussi diversité de proprietés et inclinations, par lesquelles elle est portee a la fuite ou a l'union des choses. Car premierement, comme nous voyons que la vigne hait, par maniere de dire, et fuit les choux, en sorte qu'ilz s'entrenuisent l'un a l'autre, et qu'au contraire elle se plaist avec l'olivier; ainsy voyons-nous que naturellement il y a contrarieté entre l'homme et le serpent, en sorte que la seule salive de l'homme qui est a jeun fait mourir le serpent, et que, au contraire, l'homme et la brebis ont une merveilleuse convenance et se plaisent l'un avec l'autre. Or cette inclination ne procede d'aucune connoissance que l'un ait de la nuisance de son contraire ou de l'utilité de celuy avec lequel il a convenance, ains seulement d'une proprieté occulte et secrete qui produit cette contrarieté et antipathie insensible, comme aussi la complaysance et simpathie.

Secondement, nous avons en nous l'appetit sensitif, par le moyen duquel nous sommes portés a la recherche et a la fuite de plusieurs choses, par la connoissance sensitive que nous en avons; tout ainsy comme les animaux, desquelz les uns appetent une chose et les autres une autre, selon la connoissance qu'ilz ont qu'elle leur est convenable ou non: et en cet appetit reside,ou d'iceluy provient l'amour que nous appelons sensuel ou brutal, qui, a proprement parler, ne doit neanmoins pas estre appellé amour,ains simplement appetit.

En troisieme lieu, entant que nous sommes raysonnables, nous avons une volonté par laquelle nous sommes portés a la recherche du bien, selon que nous le connoissons et jugeons estre tel par le discours. Or, en nostre ame entant qu'elle est raysonnable, nous rmarquons manifestement deux degrés de perfection, que le grand saint Augustin, et apres luy tous les docteurs, ont appellé deux portions de l'ame, l'inferieure et la superieure: desquelles celle la est dite inferieure, qui discours et fait ses consequences selon ce qu'elle apprend et experimente par les sens, et celle la est dite superieure, qui discours et fait ses consequences selon la connoissance intellectuelle, qui n'est point fondée sur l'expérience des sens,ains sur le discernement et jugement de l'esprit; aussi cette portion superieure est appellee communement esprit et partie mentale de l'ame, comme l'inferieure est ordinairement appellee le sens ou sentiment, et rayson humaine.

Or,cette portion superieure peut discourir selon deux sortes de lumieres: ou bien selon la lumiere naturelle, comme ont fait les philosophes et tous ceux qui ont discouru par la science; ou selon la lumire surnaturelle, comme font les theologiens et chrestiens, entant qu'ilz establissent leurs discours sur la foy et parole de Dieu revelee, et encor plus particulierement ceux desquelz l'esprit est conduit par des particulieres illustrations, inspirations et esmotions celestes. C'est ce que dit saint Augustin, que la superieure portion de l'ame est celle par laquelle nous adherons et nous appliquons a l'obeissance de la loy eternelle.

Jacob, pressé par l'extreme necessité de sa famille, lascha son Benjamin pour estre mené par ses freres en Egypte:ce qu'il fit contre son gré, comme l'Histoire sacree asseure. En quoy il tesmoigne deux volontés: l'une inférieure,par laquelle il se faschoit de l'envoyer, l'autre superieure,par laquelle il se resolut de l'envoyer; car le discours pour lequel il se faschoit de l'envoyer,estoit fondé sur le playsir qu'il sentoit de l'avoir pres de soy et le deplaysir qui luy revenoit de la separation d'iceluy, qui sont des fondemens perceptibles et sensibles;mais la resolution qu'il print de l'envoyer estoit fondée sur une rayson de l'estat de sa famille, pour la prevoyance de la necessité future et approchante. Abraham, selon l'inferieure portion de son ame, dit cette parole qui tesmoigne quelque sorte de defiance,quand l'Ange luy annonça qu'il auroit un filz: Pensés- vous qu'a un homme de cent ans puisse naistre un enfant? mais selon la superieure il creut en Dieu, et il luy fut imputé a justice. Selon la portion inferieure, il fut sans doute grandement troublé quand il luy fut enjoint de sacrifier son enfant, mays selon la superieure, il se determina de le sacrifier courageusement.

Nous experimentons tous les jours d'avoir plusieurs volontés contraires. Un pere, envoyant son filz ou en la cour ou aux estudes, ne laisse pas de pleurer en le icenciant,tesmoignant qu'encor qu'il veuille selon la portion superieure le despart de cet enfant pour son avancement a la vertu, neanmoins selon l'inferieure il a de la repugnance a la separation; et quoy qu'une fille soit mariée au gré de son pere et de sa mere, si est ce que prenant leur benediction, elle excite les larmes,en sorte que la volonté superieure acquiesçant a son despart,l'inferieure monstre de la resistance. Or, ce n'est pas pourtant a dire qu'il y ait en l'homme deux ames, ou deux natures, comme pensoient les Manicheens: " Non," dit saint Augustin, livre huitieme de ses Confessions, chapitre dixiesme, " ains la volonté allechee par divers attraitz, esmeûe par diverses raysons, semble estre divisee en soy mesme, tandis qu'elle est tiree de deux costés, jusques a ce que prenant parti selon sa liberté, elle suit ou l'un ou l'autre; "car alhors la plus puissante volonté surmonte, et gaignant le dessus, ne laisse al'ame que le ressentiment du mal que le debat luy a fait, que nous appellons contrecoeur.

Mais l'exemple de Nostre Seigneur est admirable pour ce sujet, et apres la consideration duquel il n'y a plus a douter de la distinction de la portion superieure et inferieure de l'ame; car,qui ne sçait, entre les theologiens, qu'il fut parfaitement glorieux des l'instant de sa conception au ventre de la Vierge? et neanmoins il fut a mesme tems sujet aux tristesses, regretz et afflictions de coeur. Et ne faut pas dire qu'il souffrit seulement selon le cors, ni mesme selon l'ame entant qu'elle estoit sensible, ou, qui est la mesme chose, selon le sens; car luy mesme atteste, qu'avant qu'il souffrit aucun tourment exterieur, ni mesme qu'il vit les bourreaux aupres de soy, son ame estoit triste jusques a la mort. Ensuite de quoy il fit la priere que le calice de la Passion fust transporté de luy, c'est a dire qu'il en fust exempt; en quoy il exprime manifestement le vouloir de la portion inferieure de son ame, laquelle discourant sur les tristes et angoisseux objetz de la Passion qui luy estoit preparee, et de laquelle la vive image estoit representee en son imagination, il en tira, par une consequence tres raysonnable, la fuite et esloignement d'iceux, dont il fait la demande a son Pere: par ou l'on remarque clairement que la portion inferieure de l'ame n'est pas la mesme chose que le degré sensitif d'icelle, ni la volonté inferieure une mesme chose avec l'appetit sensuel; car l'appetit sensuel,ni l'ame selon son degré sensitif, ne sont pas capable de faire aucune demande ni priere, qui sont des actes de la faculté raysonnable, et particulierement ilz ne sont pas capables de parler a Dieu, objet auquel les sens ne peuvent atteindre, pour en donner la connoissance a l'appetit. Mais ce mesme Sauveur ayant fait cet exercice de la portion inferieure, et tesmoigné que,selon icelle et les considerations qu'il faisoit, sa volonté inclinoit a la fuite des douleurs et des peynes, il monstra par apres qu'il avoit la portion superieure, par laquelle adherant inviolablement a la volonté eternelle et au decret que le Pere celeste avoit fait, il accepte volontairement la mort, et nonobstant la repugnance de la partie inferieure de la rayson, il dit: Ah non, mon Pere, que ma volonté ne soit pas faite, ains la vostre. Quand il dit ma volonté, il parle de sa volonté selon la portion inferieure, et d'autant qu'il dit cela volontairement, il monstre qu'il a une volonté superieure.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Gen.17.17 — Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, 'Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Or shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?'
  2. ↩Gen.15.6;Rom.4.3 — And he believed the LORD, and He counted it to him as righteousness. Rom.4.3 — For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Sales is using traditional natural-philosophy lore (antipathies/sympathies of plants and creatures) as an analogy for non-cognitive natural inclination, not as a modern scientific claim.
  2. 2 ↩insensible here means below the level of sensation/knowledge (non-cognitive), not emotional coldness; complaysance is the corresponding natural liking or affinity, not mere social politeness.
  3. 3 ↩French brutal here means of the brute animals (animal appetite), not modern English 'brutal' as cruel; rendered as 'animal'.
  4. 4 ↩Source reading 'rmarquons' treated as 'remarquons' (we notice/observe); normalized sense is unambiguous from context and spelling.
  5. 5 ↩'discours et fait ses consequences' rendered as 'reasons and draws its conclusions' (discursive reasoning and inference). 'Portion' kept for Salesian/Augustinian technical sense (inferieure/superieure). 'Sentiment' rendered 'feeling' (sensory/affective sense-life), not modern emotionalism.
  6. 6 ↩Source has «lumire surnaturelle»; read as «lumière surnaturelle» (supernatural light), matching the parallel «lumiere naturelle».
  7. 7 ↩"Discours" here means the lower mind's reasoning from sensible pleasure and pain, not a spoken speech; "volontés" names the two partial acts of will corresponding to the lower and higher portions of the soul.
  8. 8 ↩Old French "defiance" here means distrust or diffidence, not modern "defiance."
  9. 9 ↩Source reading 'icenciant' taken as 'licenciant' (dismissing / giving leave to go); the sense is clear from context.
  10. 10 ↩'contrecoeur' rendered as 'going against the heart' (the residual ache after a divided will resolves); not modern 'resentment,' though the French 'ressentiment' is the felt after-effect of the conflict.
  11. 11 ↩"portion inferieure" / "volonté inferieure" are rendered as the soul's lower portion and lower will, distinct both from the higher portion and from mere sensual appetite (Salesian anthropology of Gethsemane).

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