A Beautiful Motto
In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas
Latin for “Unity in necessary things; liberty in doubtful things; charity in all things”
or, alternatively with syntax more closely aligned;
“In necessary things unity; in uncertain things freedom; in everything compassion”.
This theological dictum is also less commonly rendered as
In necessariis unitas, in non necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas.
In essentials, there should be unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in both cases, charity [love].
Origin: traced to German Lutheran theologian, Rupertus Meldenius, in a call for peace among theologians of the Augustinian confession (ca. 1625), though sometimes attributed, perhaps incorrectly though it fits in with his ethos, to St Augustine of Hippo (354-430AD).
This is likely because August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben (1798-1894), a poet laureate who also wrote the words to the German national anthem “Das Lied der Deutschen”, penned a poem based on this famous saying for which German theologians and church historians have coined a special term: “Friedensspruch” or “Peace Saying”:
St. Augustine says:
In necessariis unitas,
In essentials unity,
In dubiis libertas,
In doubtful things liberty,
In omnibus autem caritas,
But in all things love.Yet I say: not only in all things,
But before all things
And thus I praise love.*
In Christian theology caritas at once means charity and love (agapē), or a loving-kindness towards all others as a higher octave of the human spirit and encapsulated in another Latin phrase Deus caritas est – “God is love”. Biblically, it is the greatest of the three theological virtues: faith, hope and charity/love (1 Corinthians 13:13):
“And now abideth faith, hope, and love, even these three: but the chiefest of these is love“.
For further information about the use of this Peace Saying, see Hans Rollman, “In Essentials Unity”: The Pre-History and History of a Restoration Movement Slogan.
* Hoffman von Fallersleben, Gesammelte Werke, edited by Heinrich Gerstenberg (Berlin, 1892), 6: 54; cf. A. Eekhof, De Zinspreuk In Necessariiis Unitas, In Non Necessariis Libertas, In Utrisque Caritas: Eenheid in het Noodige, Vrijheid in het Niet Noodige, in Beide de Liefde: Oorsprong, Beteekenis en Verbreiding (Leiden: A.W. Sijthhoff’s Uitgevermaatschappij, 1931), 77-8.
Boy, this is sure nice! I’m up here beating my brains out, fomenting revolution, fomenting impeachment, fomenting planet repairs, battling trolls coming hotly and heavily, and it’s darn nice to catch this breath of St. Augustine.
Good to hear. Everyone needs some beauty and a break in the battle. The struggle matters, but so does our sanity that allows us to sustain our participation in it and to savour those hard-won gains.
Just thought of you — have you seen the latest Moyers Journal on impeachment? Video here and also on You Tube but in several segments. I drafted a post on impeachment, constitutional abuses and the preemptive war doctrine but may have a blogging break instead and step back for a bit. The Moyers link was in the draft — hope its of interest if you haven’t already seen it.
I’ve been lauding it to the rafters since it came up on the net. (I don’t have a tv.) Banging the impeachment drums for all I’m worth, and I gotta say that Moyers’ coming out of retirement because there’s no journalism left on tv was a boon. He seems to have dropped a certain veneer that always hung around his stuff, and the clarity is higher quality than ever. He is doing singularly good work.
A beautiful quotation. Interesting, too, that what Westerners might interpret as something like “charity” was viewed–at least, as I understand it–as the ultimate virtue of Confucianism.
I was bored in history class this morning and I spawned a noologism for ya (well, it’s new to me, at least, if not searingly original): peopleography.
It’s amazing how many who claim the loudest to be Christians seem to have no clue of this.
LoL! Peopleography has a certain inebriated onomatopoeia, so I like it bery much.
I’m sorry, Ocifer. I was on my way to Peopleography when my directions got Confucius.
~~
I went to Parochial school but I missed that whole Latin scholar craze by about two decades. I’m so sorry. It’s really coming back to bite me in the ass now. Should have listened to Mom, eh?
I always thought it was Augustine who was the first to apply geometry to poetry in search of theology, but I was wrong.
[who failed to cite either Augustine or Empedocles, thus contributing to Confucius.]
J.R. Rigman Library
It turns out that I’ve been living in the shade of a tree which was cut down centuries before my misconception due to the improvements in wiki technology. I know, Mom. Damned kids. They never listen.
~~
While I was spelunkin’ the history of Christian thought, here are some some interesting collateral damages found nearby in the annals of Hermetic philosophy – sort of Davinci code-esque.
And then there’s this totally unrelated Alchemy factoid-quote which needs a home.
John Maynard Keynes
Brilliant wordplay, thanks for the neologism Curt. I especially like the thought of spawning a new discipline :) Hope its all going well at uni and you’re not running rings around the other students too much. :)
The pun fun continues in Ressentiment’s “but I got Confucius” — classic. That article link on Isaac Newton is very interesting and Keynes’ appraisal even more so — what I would give to be able to read some of Newton’s private papers on paranormal/ metaphysical matters.
Ain’t that the truth Blue Bear! Instead of sending so called “Christian” neocons to the South Pole as 99 suggests, I think they ought to be locked up in a monastery …
A great saying: “God is an infinite sphere, the centre of which is everywhere and the circumference nowhere”
Neocons couldn’t catch the drift of this with a thousand years in a monastery. Stake them to the surface of Mars. That will do it. Their karma will clear right the heck up then.
Love those purifying extremes of temperature. :)
Right, I’m taking a few days off. Will see how long I can last away from the blog.
Best to all.
–irrelevance warning–
“August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallerslebe”
i think that is the longest name i have ever seen.
did his mates just call him bob or something?
*hearty belly laugh*
Well, to be fair I think it was shortened to Hoffmann von Fallerslebe but I included the first two names.
A H? Henry? Hoffa? poet-dude?
very good quotes!
I’m taking a few days off
Sheesh girl, a while back you said you were going into hibernation! It seems you haven’t even slept a wink since then!
BB2
:) Too true. I was working my proverbial butt off and just didn’t think I’d have blogging time, but its kind of integrated into my day now.
Get busy, you slacker! :P
No rest for the wicked!
I am busy fellow wicked one … :) Let’s see if I can stick to a few days off blogging as some of you have so ably done. When one is online and at the desk so much for work anyway, its so easy to blocrastinate!
Well my proverbial gourd is empty of me and these words are ceasing to have a calming-enough effect! My legislature is trying to drive me further ’round the bend. It’s damn well working! I’ve taken to booze and John Mayall.
I know, I was just teasing you. Thought you’d appreciate the irony of _me_ calling _you_ slacker. It’s like the guy who begs for change outside an office building near here. He likes to tell people “Hurry, up! You’re late for work.”
99 —
Thanks for the flashback, now pass the Thorazine, man.
99, I’ve just sent you some promising stuff on The Orange Revolution, and I’ll post on it too. And there’s a forthcoming post in the works about some gorgeous singers from the East that may interest you. Be interested to know what you think.
Kilroy, the teasing put a smile on my face. Your great humour certainly shows that you are immune from irony deficiency (boom, tish). ;)
I love this post. Thank you.
Great to see you, Miche, thanks for coming by.