{"id":"01KJR8Q6G2V37MWWCMHXDR1GEP","cid":"bafkreid7xs476vxzyux7jbmu5xlety2aeos7xjav3ldkojmkavfzqrxezq","type":"text_chunk","properties":{"char_end":477767,"char_start":469791,"chunk_index":66,"chunk_total":89,"estimated_tokens":1994,"source_file_key":"confessions","text":"of that wooden wheel was a day, nor yet he, that it was therefore no\r\ntime.\r\n\r\nI desire to know the force and nature of time, by which we measure the\r\nmotions of bodies, and say (for example) this motion is twice as long as\r\nthat. For I ask, Seeing \"day\" denotes not the stay only of the sun upon\r\nthe earth (according to which day is one thing, night another); but also\r\nits whole circuit from east to east again; according to which we say,\r\n\"there passed so many days,\" the night being included when we say, \"so\r\nmany days,\" and the nights not reckoned apart;--seeing then a day is\r\ncompleted by the motion of the sun and by his circuit from east to east\r\nagain, I ask, does the motion alone make the day, or the stay in which\r\nthat motion is completed, or both? For if the first be the day; then\r\nshould we have a day, although the sun should finish that course in so\r\nsmall a space of time, as one hour comes to. If the second, then should\r\nnot that make a day, if between one sun-rise and another there were\r\nbut so short a stay, as one hour comes to; but the sun must go four and\r\ntwenty times about, to complete one day. If both, then neither could\r\nthat be called a day; if the sun should run his whole round in the\r\nspace of one hour; nor that, if, while the sun stood still, so much\r\ntime should overpass, as the sun usually makes his whole course in, from\r\nmorning to morning. I will not therefore now ask, what that is which is\r\ncalled day; but, what time is, whereby we, measuring the circuit of the\r\nsun, should say that it was finished in half the time it was wont, if\r\nso be it was finished in so small a space as twelve hours; and comparing\r\nboth times, should call this a single time, that a double time; even\r\nsupposing the sun to run his round from east to east, sometimes in that\r\nsingle, sometimes in that double time. Let no man then tell me, that the\r\nmotions of the heavenly bodies constitute times, because, when at\r\nthe prayer of one, the sun had stood still, till he could achieve his\r\nvictorious battle, the sun stood still, but time went on. For in its own\r\nallotted space of time was that battle waged and ended. I perceive\r\ntime then to be a certain extension. But do I perceive it, or seem to\r\nperceive it? Thou, Light and Truth, wilt show me.\r\n\r\nDost Thou bid me assent, if any define time to be \"motion of a body?\"\r\nThou dost not bid me. For that no body is moved, but in time, I hear;\r\nthis Thou sayest; but that the motion of a body is time, I hear not;\r\nThou sayest it not. For when a body is moved, I by time measure, how\r\nlong it moveth, from the time it began to move until it left off? And if\r\nI did not see whence it began; and it continue to move so that I see not\r\nwhen it ends, I cannot measure, save perchance from the time I began,\r\nuntil I cease to see. And if I look long, I can only pronounce it to be\r\na long time, but not how long; because when we say \"how long,\" we do\r\nit by comparison; as, \"this is as long as that,\" or \"twice so long as\r\nthat,\" or the like. But when we can mark the distances of the places,\r\nwhence and whither goeth the body moved, or his parts, if it moved as in\r\na lathe, then can we say precisely, in how much time the motion of\r\nthat body or his part, from this place unto that, was finished. Seeing\r\ntherefore the motion of a body is one thing, that by which we measure\r\nhow long it is, another; who sees not, which of the two is rather to\r\nbe called time? For and if a body be sometimes moved, sometimes stands\r\nstill, then we measure, not his motion only, but his standing still too\r\nby time; and we say, \"it stood still, as much as it moved\"; or \"it stood\r\nstill twice or thrice so long as it moved\"; or any other space which our\r\nmeasuring hath either ascertained, or guessed; more or less, as we use\r\nto say. Time then is not the motion of a body.\r\n\r\nAnd I confess to Thee, O Lord, that I yet know not what time is, and\r\nagain I confess unto Thee, O Lord, that I know that I speak this in\r\ntime, and that having long spoken of time, that very \"long\" is not long,\r\nbut by the pause of time. How then know I this, seeing I know not what\r\ntime is? or is it perchance that I know not how to express what I know?\r\nWoe is me, that do not even know, what I know not. Behold, O my God,\r\nbefore Thee I lie not; but as I speak, so is my heart. Thou shalt light\r\nmy candle; Thou, O Lord my God, wilt enlighten my darkness.\r\n\r\nDoes not my soul most truly confess unto Thee, that I do measure times?\r\nDo I then measure, O my God, and know not what I measure? I measure the\r\nmotion of a body in time; and the time itself do I not measure? Or could\r\nI indeed measure the motion of a body how long it were, and in how long\r\nspace it could come from this place to that, without measuring the time\r\nin which it is moved? This same time then, how do I measure? do we by a\r\nshorter time measure a longer, as by the space of a cubit, the space\r\nof a rood? for so indeed we seem by the space of a short syllable, to\r\nmeasure the space of a long syllable, and to say that this is double\r\nthe other. Thus measure we the spaces of stanzas, by the spaces of the\r\nverses, and the spaces of the verses, by the spaces of the feet, and the\r\nspaces of the feet, by the spaces of the syllables, and the spaces of\r\nlong, by the space of short syllables; not measuring by pages (for then\r\nwe measure spaces, not times); but when we utter the words and they pass\r\nby, and we say \"it is a long stanza, because composed of so many verses;\r\nlong verses, because consisting of so many feet; long feet, because\r\nprolonged by so many syllables; a long syllable because double to a\r\nshort one.\" But neither do we this way obtain any certain measure of\r\ntime; because it may be, that a shorter verse, pronounced more fully,\r\nmay take up more time than a longer, pronounced hurriedly. And so for a\r\nverse, a foot, a syllable. Whence it seemed to me, that time is nothing\r\nelse than protraction; but of what, I know not; and I marvel, if it\r\nbe not of the mind itself? For what, I beseech Thee, O my God, do I\r\nmeasure, when I say, either indefinitely \"this is a longer time than\r\nthat,\" or definitely \"this is double that\"? That I measure time, I know;\r\nand yet I measure not time to come, for it is not yet; nor present,\r\nbecause it is not protracted by any space; nor past, because it now is\r\nnot. What then do I measure? Times passing, not past? for so I said.\r\n\r\nCourage, my mind, and press on mightily. God is our helper, He made us,\r\nand not we ourselves. Press on where truth begins to dawn. Suppose, now,\r\nthe voice of a body begins to sound, and does sound, and sounds on, and\r\nlist, it ceases; it is silence now, and that voice is past, and is\r\nno more a voice. Before it sounded, it was to come, and could not be\r\nmeasured, because as yet it was not, and now it cannot, because it is\r\nno longer. Then therefore while it sounded, it might; because there then\r\nwas what might be measured. But yet even then it was not at a stay; for\r\nit was passing on, and passing away. Could it be measured the rather,\r\nfor that? For while passing, it was being extended into some space of\r\ntime, so that it might be measured, since the present hath no space. If\r\ntherefore then it might, then, lo, suppose another voice hath begun\r\nto sound, and still soundeth in one continued tenor without any\r\ninterruption; let us measure it while it sounds; seeing when it hath\r\nleft sounding, it will then be past, and nothing left to be measured;\r\nlet us measure it verily, and tell how much it is. But it sounds still,\r\nnor can it be measured but from the instant it began in, unto the end\r\nit left in. For the very space between is the thing we measure, namely,\r\nfrom some beginning unto some end. Wherefore, a voice that is not yet\r\nended, cannot be measured, so that it may be said how long, or short it\r\nis; nor can it be called equal to another, or double to a single, or the\r\nlike. But when ended, it no longer is. How may it then be measured?"},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KJR8NK5DAD726FMQ6JCHGZ5R","peer_label":"confessions","peer_type":"text","predicate":"derived_from"},{"peer":"01KJR8M0JHPZXCPKJ34HTYXSWW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KJR8RE3RPZS4WRY0CA8H0JCT","peer_label":"sun","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"celestial_body","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:26.457Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RMY5Z14GFJFB6ZPH725J","peer_label":"time","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"concept","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:26.457Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8R5M8VXDW8Z6YHQTCPK14","peer_label":"god","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"divine_being","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:26.457Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RF6KCT84WHBBE6FCG0DV","peer_label":"speaker","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"person","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:26.457Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RYJQ7XXSKBZ5NB8CXJS3","peer_label":"soul","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"spiritual_entity","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:26.457Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RYBEARXK298SX8W8HGB4","peer_label":"motion of bodies","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"concept","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:26.457Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RYCPX15VMMPNZWAGSTSA","peer_label":"day","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"unit_of_time","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:26.457Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RYDTYYW1RQ1MTWY0863B","peer_label":"heavenly bodies","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"celestial_bodies_group","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:26.457Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RZ1ED9A9P6TYAT91TJC2","peer_label":"foot","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"linguistic_unit","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:26.457Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RZ43RQ3HBZTCDYMTP06A","peer_label":"verse","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"linguistic_unit","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:26.457Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RYQBK49SMFE5YP4YZ9BV","peer_label":"syllable","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"linguistic_unit","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:26.457Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RYR1RAN5G5PDSWCTFMVD","peer_label":"voice of a body","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"phenomenon","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:26.457Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RZ66EYZ883Y3P53QNXSP","peer_label":"stanza","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"linguistic_unit","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:26.457Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RZDJZ10ZHMEFXS4DDG7H","peer_label":"battle","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"event","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:26.457Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RZHD53PJ668X63YGFWAT","peer_label":"motion of the sun","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"entity","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:26.457Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RZHXCZSJHQ990D43WW1X","peer_label":"a certain extension","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"entity","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:26.457Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RZSV09N3C0WXEHA6Q7YV","peer_label":"protraction","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"entity","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:26.457Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8RZV11RYA12F7C740AMWN","peer_label":"past","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"entity","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:26.457Z"}},{"peer":"01KJR8S017H8SFGSKV4H3E4V2D","peer_label":"to come","predicate":"extracted_entity","properties":{"entity_type":"entity","extracted_at":"2026-03-02T21:55:26.457Z"}}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-03-02T21:54:24.898Z","ts":"2026-03-02T21:55:27.603Z","edited_by":{"method":"system","user_id":"01KJ60XQBHJ0GBGTP9X8HXAPPM"}}