Below is a quote from Augustine's Confessions:
et blanditiae lascivientium amari volunt: sed neque blandius est aliquid tua caritate nec amatur quicquam salubrius quam illa prae cunctis formosa et luminosa veritas tua.
Most translations render "sed neque blandius est aliquid tua caritate..." as follows: "but there is nothing more seductive (alluring, charming, etc...) than your charity. However, these same translations render "nec amatur quicquam salubrius quam illa prae cunctis formosa et luminosa veritas tua..." as follows: "nor anything more wholesomely loved than that (or this), your truth, beautiful and luminous before all [others]."
My questions is, why is the object of the first comparison, "tua caritate" in the ablative case and not in the nominative like "veritas tua?"
Can anyone explain this to me?
et blanditiae lascivientium amari volunt: sed neque blandius est aliquid tua caritate nec amatur quicquam salubrius quam illa prae cunctis formosa et luminosa veritas tua.
Most translations render "sed neque blandius est aliquid tua caritate..." as follows: "but there is nothing more seductive (alluring, charming, etc...) than your charity. However, these same translations render "nec amatur quicquam salubrius quam illa prae cunctis formosa et luminosa veritas tua..." as follows: "nor anything more wholesomely loved than that (or this), your truth, beautiful and luminous before all [others]."
My questions is, why is the object of the first comparison, "tua caritate" in the ablative case and not in the nominative like "veritas tua?"
Can anyone explain this to me?