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De Trinitate

XXIII.

[XXIII] Verum in illa summa trinitate quae incomparabiliter rebus omnibus antecellit tanta est inseparabilitas ut cum trinitas hominum non possit dici unus homo, illa unus deus et dicatur et sit, nec in uno deo sit illa trinitas, sed unus deus. Nec rursus quemadmodum ista imago quod est homo habens illa tria una persona est ita est illa trinitas, sed tres personae sunt, pater filii et filius patris et spiritus patris et filii. Quamvis enim memoria hominis et maxime illa quam pecora non habent, id est qua res intellegibiles ita continentur ut non in eam per sensus corporis venerint, habeat pro modulo suo in hac imagine trinitatis incomparabiliter quidem imparem sed tamen qualemcumque similitudinem patris, itemque intellegentia hominis quae per intentionem cogitationis inde formatur quando quod scitur dicitur et nullius linguae cordis verbum est habeat in sua magna disparilitate nonnullam similitudinem filii, et amor hominis de scientia procedens et memoriam intellegentiamque coniungens tamquam parenti prolique communis, unde nec parens intellegitur esse nec proles, habeat in hac imagine aliquam licet valde imparem similitudinem spiritus sancti; non tamen sicut in ista imagine trinitatis non haec tria unus homo sed unius hominis sunt, ita in ipsa summa trinitate cuius haec imago est unius dei sunt illa tria, sed unus deus est et tres sunt illae, non una persona.

Quod sane mirabiliter ineffabile est vel ineffabiliter mirabile, cum sit una persona haec imago trinitatis, ipsa vero summa trinitas tres personae sint, inseparabilior est illa trinitas personarum trium quam haec unius. Illa quippe in natura divinitatis, sive id melius dicitur deitatis, quod est hoc est, atque incommutabiliter inter se ac semper aequalis est, nec aliquando non fuit aut aliter fuit, nec aliquando non erit aut aliter erit.

Ista vero tria quae sunt in impari imagine, etsi non locis quoniam non sunt corpora, tamen inter se nunc in ista vita magnitudinibus separantur. Neque enim quia moles nullae ibi sunt ideo non videmus in alio maiorem esse memoriam quam intellegentiam, in alio contra; in alio duo haec amoris magnitudine superari sive sint ipsa duo inter se aequalia sive non sint. Atque ita a singulis bina et a binis singula et a singulis singula maioribus minora vincuntur. Et quando inter se aequalia fuerint ab omni languore sanata, nec tunc aequabitur rei natura immutabili ea res quae per gratiam non mutatur quia non aequatur creatura creatori, et quando ab omni languore sanabitur mutabitur.

[44] Sed hanc non solum incorporalem verum etiam summe inseparabilem vereque immutabilem trinitatem cum venerit visio quae facie ad faciem nobis promittitur, multo clarius certiusque videbimus quam nunc eius imaginem quod nos sumus. Per quod tamen speculum et in quo aenigmate qui vident sicut in hac vita videre concessum est non illi sunt qui ea quae digessimus et commendavimus in sua mente conspiciunt, sed illi qui eam tamquam imaginem vident ut possint ad eum cuius imago est quomodocumque referre quod vident et per imaginem quam conspiciendo vident etiam illud videre coniciendo quoniam nondum possunt facie ad faciem. Non enim ait apostolus: ‚Videmus nunc speculum,‘ sed: ‚Videmus per speculum.‘

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

Chapter 23.--Augustin Dwells Still Further on the Disparity Between the Trinity Which is in Man, and the Trinity Which is God. The Trinity is Now Seen Through a Glass by the Help of Faith, that It May Hereafter Be More Clearly Seen in the Promised Sight Face to Face.

43. A thing itself, then, which is a trinity is different from the image of a trinity in some other thing; by reason of which image, at the same time that also in which these three things are is called an image; just as both the panel, and the picture painted on it, are at the same time called an image; but by reason of the picture painted on it, the panel also is called by the name of image. But in that Highest Trinity, which is incomparably above all things, there is so great an indivisibility, that whereas a trinity of men cannot be called one man, in that, there both is said to be and is one God, nor is that Trinity in one God, but it is one God. Nor, again, as that image in the case of man has these three things but is one person, so is it with the Trinity; but therein are three persons, the Father of the Son, and the Son of the Father, and the Spirit of both Father and Son. For although the memory in the case of man, and especially that memory which beasts have not--viz. the memory by which things intelligible are so contained as that they have not entered that memory through the bodily senses ¹ --has in this image of the Trinity, in proportion to its own small measure, a likeness of the Father, incomparably unequal, yet of some sort, whatever it be: and likewise the understanding in the case of man, which by the purpose of the thought is formed thereby, when that which is known is said, and there is a word of the heart belonging to no tongue, has in its own great disparity some likeness of the Son; and love in the case of man proceeding from knowledge, and combining memory and understanding, as though common to parent and offspring, whereby it is understood to be neither parent nor offspring, has in that image, some, however exceedingly unequal, likeness of the Holy Spirit: it is nevertheless not the case, that, as in that image of the Trinity, these three are not one man, but belong to one man, so in the Highest Trinity itself, of which this is an image, these three belong to one God, but they are one God, and these are three persons, not one. A thing certainly wonderfully ineffable, or ineffably wonderful, that while this image of the Trinity is one person, but the Highest Trinity itself is three persons, yet that Trinity of three persons is more indivisible than this of one. For that [Trinity], in the nature of the Divinity, or perhaps better Deity, is that which it is, and is mutually and always unchangeably equal: and there was no time when it was not, or when it was otherwise; and there will be no time when it will not be, or when it will be otherwise. But these three that are in the inadequate image, although they are not separate in place, for they are not bodies, yet are now in this life mutually separate in magnitude. For that there are therein no several bulks, does not hinder our seeing that memory is greater than understanding in one man, but the contrary in another; and that in yet another these two are overpassed by the greatness of love; and this whether the two themselves are or are not equal to one another. And so each two by each one, and each one by each two, and each one by each one: the less are surpassed by the greater. And when they have been healed of all infirmity, and are mutually equal, not even then will that thing which by grace will not be changed, be made equal to that which by nature cannot change, because the creature cannot be equalled to the Creator, and when it shall be healed from all infirmity, will be changed.

44. But when the sight shall have come which is promised anew to us face to face, we shall see this not only incorporeal but also absolutely indivisible and truly unchangeable Trinity far more clearly and certainly than we now see its image which we ourselves are: and yet they who see through this glass and in this enigma, as it is permitted in this life to see, are not those who behold in their own mind the things which we have set in order and pressed upon them; but those who see this as if an image, so as to be able to refer what they see, in some way be it what it may, to Him whose image it is, and to see that also by conjecturing, which they see through the image by beholding, since they cannot yet see face to face. For the apostle does not say, We see now a glass, but, We see now through a glass. ²