For the thoughts of mortal men are miserable, and our devices are but uncertain.
All Commentaries on Wisdom of Solomon 9:14 Go To Wisdom of Solomon 9
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
"And in my flesh I will see God" unquestionably foretells the resurrection of the flesh. It did not say, however, "through my flesh." If it had said this, it would still be possible that Christ was meant by "God," for Christ will be seen by our flesh in the flesh. But, even understanding it of God, it is only equivalent to saying, "I will be in my flesh when I see God." And the apostle"s phrase, "face to face" does not lead us to believe that we will see God with the face of this body, in which we have our bodily eyes. Rather, we will see him continuously with the mind. If the face were not also that of the interior person, the apostle would not say, "And we, with unveiled faces, seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, will be transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, as by the action of the Spirit of the Lord." Nor do we interpret differently what is proclaimed in a psalm, "Draw near to him, and you will be enlightened, and your faces will not blush with shame." One draws near to God by faith, which is certainly of the heart, not the body. But we are not unaware of the valid reasons that the spiritual body has for drawing near to the Lord, since we speak of a reality outside our experience, and because in this matter an authoritative passage of sacred Scripture that can be interpreted unequivocally does not come to mind or help us. Thus, necessarily, what we read in the book of Wisdom is also true of us: "The reasonings of mortals are timid and our reflections uncertain."
