On the Twelve Abuses of the World

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A Most Excellent Authority of Augustine Concerning the Origin of the Soul

I speak concerning my soul; I do not know how it came into my body, nor did I myself give it to myself. He who gave it knows, whether He drew it from my father or created it new, as He did for the first man. I will know if He himself wills it when He comes. But now I do not know, nor am I ashamed to confess that I do not know what I do not know. I defended a new soul without the inspiration of the page likely referring to specific scripture, for we are not philosophers; but I gratefully receive from those who can find something—either in the canonical books that is not ambiguous to resolve this most difficult question, or in their own reasons that is not contrary to Catholic truth—whatever they may offer.

Augustine on the Divination of Demons

The nature of demons is such that they easily proceed from the sensation of the aerial body to the sensation of earthly bodies. Also, because of the superior mobility of the same aerial body, they surpass the speed of the course of any men or beasts, and even the flight of birds, incomparably. Through these two things, as far as the aerial body is concerned, it can be stated—this is the acuteness of sensation and the speed of motion—that they announce many things known beforehand, or announce things that men marvel at because of the slowness of earthly sensation. There has also been added to demons, through the long time that their life extends, an experience of things much greater than can come to men because of the shortness of life. Through these efficacies, which are naturally associated with the aerial body, demons not only predict many future things, but also perform many wonders. It must be known that demons often announce things that they themselves are about to do. For they often receive the power to send diseases, to spoil the air itself and render it morbid, and to persuade humans of earthly desires and evil deeds. They are certain of their morals, knowing that they will agree without them persuading them of such things. They persuade, however, in wonderful and invisible ways through the subtlety of their bodies, penetrating the bodies of those who do not feel them and mixing with their thoughts through certain imaginary visions, whether waking or sleeping. Sometimes, however, they do not predict what they themselves do, but also predict future things through natural signs that cannot come into the senses of men before they announce them.