Augustine of Hippo

For this John, my dearest brothers, was one of those mountains about which it has been written, "Let the mountains receive peace for your people; and the hills justice." The mountains are eminent souls; the hills are little souls. But the mountains receive peace for this very reason, so that the hills can receive justice. What is the justice that the hills receive? Faith, because "the just person lives by faith." The lesser souls, however, would not receive faith if the greater souls, who were called mountains, were not illuminated by wisdom itself, so that they can convey to the little ones what the little ones are able to grasp, and so that the hills can live by faith because the mountains receive peace. By these very mountains it was said to the church, "Peace be with you." And the mountains themselves, in announcing peace to the church, did not set themselves apart in regard to him from whom they receive peace so that they might announce peace truly and not deceitfully.