Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series • VOLUME 3
Augustine — Trinity, Doctrinal & Moral Treatises
SECTION 41
Chapter 10.--As Christ is the Mediator of Life, So the Devil is the Mediator of Death.
Chapter 10.--As Christ is the Mediator of Life, So the Devil is the Mediator of Death. 13. Therein is our true peace and firm bond of union with our Creator, that we should be purified and reconciled through the Mediator of life, as we had been polluted and alienated, and so had departed from Him, through the mediator of death.…
1,247 wordsSECTION 42Chapter 13.--The Death of Christ Voluntary. How the Mediator of Life Subdued the Mediator of Death. How the Devil Leads His Own to Despise the Death of Christ.
Chapter 13.--The Death of Christ Voluntary. How the Mediator of Life Subdued the Mediator of Death. How the Devil Leads His Own to Despise the Death of Christ. 16. Wherefore, since the spirit is to be preferred to the body, and the death of the spirit means that God has left it, but the death of the body that the spirit has lef…
1,739 wordsSECTION 43Chapter 14.--Christ the Most Perfect Victim for Cleansing Our Faults. In Every Sacrifice Four Things are to Be Considered.
Chapter 14.--Christ the Most Perfect Victim for Cleansing Our Faults. In Every Sacrifice Four Things are to Be Considered. 19. They do not understand, that not even the proudest of spirits themselves could rejoice in the honor of sacrifices, unless a true sacrifice was due to the one true God, in whose stead they desire to be w…
1,726 wordsSECTION 44Chapter 18.--The Son of God Became Incarnate in Order that We Being Cleansed by Faith May Be Raised to the Unchangeable Truth.
Chapter 18.--The Son of God Became Incarnate in Order that We Being Cleansed by Faith May Be Raised to the Unchangeable Truth. 24. Since, then, we were not fit to take hold of things eternal, and since the foulness of sins weighed us down, which we had contracted by the love of temporal things, and which were implanted in us as…
2,561 wordsSECTION 4528. Therefore the Word of God is sent by Him, of whom He is the Word; He is sent by Him, from whom He was begotten (genitum); He sends who b
28. Therefore the Word of God is sent by Him, of whom He is the Word; He is sent by Him, from whom He was begotten (genitum); He sends who begot, That is sent which is begotten. And He is then sent to each one, when He is apprehended and perceived by each, in so far as He can be apprehended and perceived, in proportion to the co…
1,633 wordsSECTION 46Chapter 21.--Of the Sensible Showing of the Holy Spirit, and of the Coeternity of the Trinity. What Has Been Said, and What Remains to Be Said.
Chapter 21.--Of the Sensible Showing of the Holy Spirit, and of the Coeternity of the Trinity. What Has Been Said, and What Remains to Be Said. But with respect to the sensible showing of the Holy Spirit, whether by the shape of a dove, [560] or by fiery tongues, [561] when the subjected and subservient creature by temporal mot…
1,201 wordsSECTION 47Book V.
Book V. ------------------------ Proceeds to treat of the arguments put forward by the heretics, not from Scripture, but from their own reason. Those are refuted, who think the substance of the Father and of the Son to be not the same, because everything predicated of God is, in their opinion, predicated of Him according to su…
854 wordsSECTION 48Chapter 2.--God the Only Unchangeable Essence.
Chapter 2.--God the Only Unchangeable Essence. 3. He is, however, without doubt, a substance, or, if it be better so to call it, an essence, which the Greeks call ousia. For as wisdom is so called from the being wise, and knowledge from knowing; so from being [566] comes that which we call essence. And who is there that is, mor…
877 wordsSECTION 49Chapter 5.--Nothing is Spoken of God According to Accident, But According to Substance or According to Relation.
Chapter 5.--Nothing is Spoken of God According to Accident, But According to Substance or According to Relation. 6. Wherefore nothing in Him is said in respect to accident, since nothing is accidental to Him, and yet all that is said is not said according to substance. For in created and changeable things, that which is not sai…
1,265 wordsSECTION 50Chapter 7.--The Addition of a Negative Does Not Change the Predicament.
Chapter 7.--The Addition of a Negative Does Not Change the Predicament. 8. This is to be made clear by examples. And first we must notice, that by the word begotten is signified the same thing as is signified by the word son. For therefore a son, because begotten, and because a son, therefore certainly begotten. By the word unb…
1,909 wordsSECTION 51Chapter 9.--The Three Persons Not Properly So Called [in a Human Sense].
Chapter 9.--The Three Persons Not Properly So Called [in a Human Sense]. But because with us the usage has already obtained, that by essence we understand the same thing which is understood by substance; we do not dare to say one essence, three substances, but one essence or substance and three persons: as many writers in Latin…
1,409 wordsSECTION 52Chapter 12.--In Relative Things that are Reciprocal, Names are Sometimes Wanting.
Chapter 12.--In Relative Things that are Reciprocal, Names are Sometimes Wanting. 13. Neither ought it to influence us--since we have said that the Holy Spirit is so called relatively, not the Trinity itself, but He who is in the Trinity--that the designation of Him to whom He is referred, does not seem to answer in turn to His…
840 wordsSECTION 53Chapter 14.--The Father and the Son the Only Beginning (Principium) of the Holy Spirit.
Chapter 14.--The Father and the Son the Only Beginning (Principium) of the Holy Spirit. 15. But in their mutual relation to one another in the Trinity itself, if the begetter is a beginning in relation to that which he begets, the Father is a beginning in relation to the Son, because He begets Him; but whether the Father is als…
878 wordsSECTION 54Chapter 15.--Whether the Holy Spirit Was a Gift Before as Well as After He Was Given.
Chapter 15.--Whether the Holy Spirit Was a Gift Before as Well as After He Was Given. 16. But it is asked further, whether, as the Son, by being born, has not only this, that He is the Son, but that He is absolutely; and so also the Holy Spirit, by being given, has not only this, that He is given, but that He is absolutely--whe…
1,453 wordsSECTION 55Book VI.
Book VI. ------------------------ The question is proposed, how the apostle calls Christ "the power of God, and the wisdom of God." And an argument is raised, whether the Father is not wisdom Himself, but only the Father of wisdom; or whether Wisdom begat Wisdom. But the answer to this is deferred for a little, while the unity…
826 wordsSECTION 56Chapter 2 .--What is Said of the Father and Son Together, and What Not.
Chapter 2 .--What is Said of the Father and Son Together, and What Not. 3. But if nothing is spoken of the Father as such, except that which is spoken of Him in relation to the Son, that is, that He is His father, or begetter, or beginning; and if also the begetter is by consequence a beginning to that which he begets of himsel…
1,728 wordsSECTION 57Chapter 4.--The Same Argument Continued.
Chapter 4.--The Same Argument Continued. 6. For in like manner the virtues which are in the human mind, although each has its own several and different meaning, yet are in no way mutually separable; so that, for instance, whosoever were equal in courage, are equal also in prudence, and temperance, and justice. For if you say th…
974 wordsSECTION 58Chapter 6.--How God is a Substance Both Simple and Manifold.
Chapter 6.--How God is a Substance Both Simple and Manifold. 8. But if it is asked how that substance is both simple and manifold: consider, first, why the creature is manifold, but in no way really simple. And first, all that is body is composed certainly of parts; so that therein one part is greater, another less, and the who…
776 wordsSECTION 59Chapter 8.--No Addition Can Be Made to the Nature of God.
Chapter 8.--No Addition Can Be Made to the Nature of God. Since, therefore, the Father alone, or the Son alone, or the Holy Spirit alone, is as great as is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit together, [616] in no manner is He to be called threefold. Forasmuch as bodies increase by union of themselves. For although he wh…
1,284 wordsSECTION 60Chapter 10.--Of the Attributes Assigned by Hilary to Each Person. The Trinity is Represented in Things that are Made.
Chapter 10.--Of the Attributes Assigned by Hilary to Each Person. The Trinity is Represented in Things that are Made. 11. A certain writer, when he would briefly intimate the special attributes of each of the persons in the Trinity, tells us that "Eternity is in the Father, form in the Image, use in the Gift." And since he was …
866 wordsSECTION 61Book VII.
Book VII. ------------------------ The question is explained, which had been deferred in the previous book, viz. that God the Father, who begat the Son, His power and wisdom, is not only the Father of power and wisdom, but also Himself power and wisdom; and similarly the Holy Spirit: yet that there are not three powers or thre…
2,688 wordsSECTION 62Chapter 2.--The Father and the Son are Together One Wisdom, as One Essence, Although Not Together One Word.
[627] 1 Cor. i. 24 [628] John i. 1, 3 Chapter 2.--The Father and the Son are Together One Wisdom, as One Essence, Although Not Together One Word. 3. Therefore the Father and the Son together are one essence, and one greatness, and one truth, and one wisdom. But the Father and Son both together are not one Word, because both t…
2,151 wordsSECTION 63Chapter 4.--How It Was Brought About that the Greeks Speak of Three Hypostases, the Latins of Three Persons. Scripture Nowhere Speaks of Three Persons in One God.
Chapter 4.--How It Was Brought About that the Greeks Speak of Three Hypostases, the Latins of Three Persons. Scripture Nowhere Speaks of Three Persons in One God. 7. For the sake, then, of speaking of things that cannot be uttered, that we may be able in some way to utter what we are able in no way to utter fully, our Greek fri…
2,084 wordsSECTION 64Chapter 5.--In God, Substance is Spoken Improperly, Essence Properly.
Chapter 5.--In God, Substance is Spoken Improperly, Essence Properly. 10. If, however, it is fitting that God should be said to subsist--(For this word is rightly applied to those things, in which as subjects those things are, which are said to be in a subject, as color or shape in body. For body subsists, and so is substance; …
2,851 wordsSECTION 65Book VIII.
[651] John x. 30 [652] Unum [653] Sumus [654] John xiv. 23 [655] Gen. i. 26 [656] 1 Cor. xi. 7 [657] [Augustin would find this "image" in the ternaries of nature and the human mind which illustrate the Divine trinality. The remainder of the treatise is mainly devoted to this abstruse subject; and is one of the most metaphy…
717 wordsSECTION 66Chapter 1.--It is Shown by Reason that in God Three are Not Anything Greater Than One Person.
Chapter 1.--It is Shown by Reason that in God Three are Not Anything Greater Than One Person. 2. For we say that in this Trinity two or three persons are not anything greater than one of them; which carnal perception does not receive, for no other reason except because it perceives as it can the true things which are created, b…
1,148 wordsSECTION 67Chapter 3.--How God May Be Known to Be the Chief Good. The Mind Does Not Become Good Unless by Turning to God.
Chapter 3.--How God May Be Known to Be the Chief Good. The Mind Does Not Become Good Unless by Turning to God. 4. Behold again, and see if thou canst. Thou certainly dost not love anything except what is good, since good is the earth, with the loftiness of its mountains, and the due measure of its hills, and the level surface o…
1,221 wordsSECTION 68Chapter 4.--God Must First Be Known by an Unerring Faith, that He May Be Loved.
Chapter 4.--God Must First Be Known by an Unerring Faith, that He May Be Loved. 6. But it is by love that we must stand firm to this and cleave to this, in order that we may enjoy the presence of that by which we are, and in the absence of which we could not be at all. For as "we walk as yet by faith, and not by sight," [668] w…
730 wordsSECTION 69Chapter 5.--How the Trinity May Be Loved Though Unknown.
Chapter 5.--How the Trinity May Be Loved Though Unknown. Our conception is framed according to this notion, when we believe that God was made man for us, as an example of humility, and to show the love of God towards us. For this it is which it is good for us to believe, and to retain firmly and unshakenly in our heart, that th…
1,006 wordsSECTION 70Chapter 6.--How the Man Not Yet Righteous Can Know the Righteous Man Whom He Loves.
Chapter 6.--How the Man Not Yet Righteous Can Know the Righteous Man Whom He Loves. 9. Return then with me, and let us consider why we love the apostle. Is it at all on account of his human kind, which we know right well, in that we believe him to have been a man? Assuredly not; for if it were so, he now is not him whom we love…
2,238 wordsSECTION 7110. No other thing, then, is chiefly to be regarded in this inquiry, which we make concerning the Trinity and concerning knowing God, except
10. No other thing, then, is chiefly to be regarded in this inquiry, which we make concerning the Trinity and concerning knowing God, except what is true love, nay, rather what is love. For that is to be called love which is true, otherwise it is desire; and so those who desire are said improperly to love, just as they who love …
890 wordsSECTION 72Chapter 8.--That He Who Loves His Brother, Loves God; Because He Loves Love Itself, Which is of God, and is God.
Chapter 8.--That He Who Loves His Brother, Loves God; Because He Loves Love Itself, Which is of God, and is God. 12. Let no one say, I do not know what I love. Let him love his brother, and he will love the same love. For he knows the love with which he loves, more than the brother whom he loves. So now he can know God more tha…
968 wordsSECTION 73Chapter 9.--Our Love of the Righteous is Kindled from Love Itself of the Unchangeable Form of Righteousness.
Chapter 9.--Our Love of the Righteous is Kindled from Love Itself of the Unchangeable Form of Righteousness. 13. For why is it, pray, that we burn when we hear and read, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation: giving no offense in anything, that the ministry be not blamed: but in all things appro…
770 wordsSECTION 74Book IX.
Book IX. ------------------------ That a kind of trinity exists in man, who is the image of God, viz. the mind, and the knowledge wherewith the mind knows itself, and the love wherewith it loves both itself and its own knowledge; and these three are shown to be mutually equal, and of one essence. Chapter 1.--In What Way We Mu…
880 wordsSECTION 75Chapter 2.--The Three Things Which are Found in Love Must Be Considered. [705]
Chapter 2.--The Three Things Which are Found in Love Must Be Considered. [705] 2. And this being so, let us direct our attention to those three things which we fancy we have found. We are not yet speaking of heavenly things, nor yet of God the Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, but of that inadequate image, which yet is an image…
1,053 wordsSECTION 76Chapter 3.--The Image of the Trinity in the Mind of Man Who Knows Himself and Loves Himself. The Mind Knows Itself Through Itself.
Chapter 3.--The Image of the Trinity in the Mind of Man Who Knows Himself and Loves Himself. The Mind Knows Itself Through Itself. 3. For the mind cannot love itself, except also it know itself; for how can it love what it does not know? Or if any body says that the mind, from either general or special knowledge, believes itsel…
1,723 wordsSECTION 77Chapter 5.--That These Three are Several in Themselves, and Mutually All in All.
Chapter 5.--That These Three are Several in Themselves, and Mutually All in All. 8. But in these three, when the mind knows itself and loves itself, there remains a trinity: mind, love, knowledge; and this trinity is not confounded together by any commingling: although they are each severally in themselves and mutually all in a…
1,827 wordsSECTION 78Chapter 7.--We Conceive and Beget the Word Within, from the Things We Have Beheld in the Eternal Truth. The Word, Whether of the Creature or of the Creator, is Conceived by Love.
Chapter 7.--We Conceive and Beget the Word Within, from the Things We Have Beheld in the Eternal Truth. The Word, Whether of the Creature or of the Creator, is Conceived by Love. 12. We behold, then, by the sight of the mind, in that eternal truth from which all things temporal are made, the form according to which we are, and …
972 wordsSECTION 79Chapter 10.--Whether Only Knowledge that is Loved is the Word of the Mind.
Chapter 10.--Whether Only Knowledge that is Loved is the Word of the Mind. 15. It is rightly asked then, whether all knowledge is a word, or only knowledge that is loved. For we also know the things which we hate; but what we do not like, cannot be said to be either conceived or brought forth by the mind. For not all things whi…
2,217 wordsSECTION 80Book X.
[720] "Partum" or "repertum." [721] "Reperiendi." [722] [It is not these three together that constitute the one substance. The mind alone is the substance--the knowledge and the love being only two activities of it. When the mind is not cognizing or loving, it is still an entire mind. As previously remarked in the annotation o…
2,206 wordsSource & rights
Historical text source: Christian Classics Ethereal Library. The downloaded text itself records Public Domain.