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De la trinité

Livre III

Dieu a-t-il formé des créatures pour apparaître ainsi aux hommes, ou ces apparitions ont-elles eu lieu par le ministère des anges? Dans ce cas, ces esprits célestes, usant de la puissance que le Créateur leur a accordée, employaient les créatures de la manière qui leur paraissait la plus propre à former ces apparitions. Mais quant à l’essence divine, considérée en elle-même, jamais elle n’a été vue sur la terre.

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The Fifteen Books of Aurelius Augustinus, Bishop of Hippo, on the Trinity

Book III.

The question is discussed with respect to the appearances of God spoken of in the previous book, which were made under bodily forms, whether only a creature was formed, for the purpose of manifesting God to human sight in such way as He at each time judged fitting; or whether angels, already existing, were so sent as to speak in the person of God; and this, either by assuming a bodily appearance from the bodily creature, or by changing their own bodies into whatever forms they would, suitable to the particular action, according to the power given to them by the Creator; while the essence itself of God was never seen in itself.