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De Trinitate

X.

[X] Sed his ut dicere coeperam exceptis, alia sunt illa quae quamvis ex eadem materia corporali ad aliquid tamen divinitus annuntiandum nostris sensibus admoventur, quae proprie miracula et signa dicuntur, nec in omnibus quae nobis a domino deo annuntiantur ipsius dei persona suscipitur. Cum autem suscipitur, aliquando in angelo demonstratur, aliquando in ea specie quae non est quod angelus quamvis per angelum disposita ministretur; rursus cum in ea specie suscipitur quae non est quod angelus, aliquando iam erat ipsum corpus et ad hoc demonstrandum in aliquam mutationem assumitur, aliquando ad hoc exoritur et re peracta rursus absumitur. Sicut etiam cum homines annuntiant, aliquando ex sua persona verba dei loquuntur sicuti cum praemittitur: Dixit dominus, aut: Haec dicit dominus, aut tale aliquid; aliquando autem nihil tale praemittentes ipsam dei personam in se suscipiunt sicuti est: Intellectum dabo tibi et constituam te in via hac qua ingredieris. Sic non solum in dictis verum etiam in factis dei persona significanda imponitur prophetae ut eam gerat in ministerio prophetiae, sicut eius personam gerebat qui vestimentum suum divisit in duodecim partes et ex eis decem servo regis Salomonis dedit regi futuro Israhel; aliquando etiam res quae non erat quod propheta et erat iam in terrenis rebus in huiusmodi significationem assumpta est, sicut somnio viso evigilans Iacob fecit de lapide quem dormiens habebat ad caput; aliquando ad hoc fit eadem species vel aliquantum mansura, sicut potuit serpens ille aeneus exaltatus in eremo, sicut possunt et litterae; vel peracto ministerio transitura sicut panis ad hoc factus in accipiendo sacramento consumitur.

[20] Sed quia haec hominibus nota sunt quippe quia per homines fiunt, honorem tamquam religiosa possunt habere, stuporem tamquam mira non possunt. Itaque illa quae per angelos fiunt quo difficiliora et ignotiora eo mirabiliora sunt nobis, illis autem tamquam suae actiones notae atque faciles. Loquitur ex persona dei angelus homini dicens: Ego sum deus Abraham et deus Isaac et deus Iacob, cum scriptura praedixisset: Visus est ei angelus domini; loquitur et homo ex persona dei dicens: Audi populus meus et loquar, Israhel, et testificabor tibi: Deus, deus tuus sum ego. Assumpta est virga ad significationem et in serpentem angelica facultate mutata est; quae facultas cum desit homini, assumptus est tamen et ab homine lapis ad talem aliquam significationem. Inter factum angeli et factum hominis plurimum distat. Illud et mirandum est et intellegendum, hoc autem tantummodo intellegendum. Quod ex utroque intellegitur fortassis unum est, at illa ex quibus intellegitur diversa sunt, tamquam si domini nomen et auro et atramento scribatur. Illud est pretiosius, illud vilius; quod tamen utroque significatur id ipsum est.

Et quamvis idem significaverit serpens ex virga Moysi quos lapis Iacob, melius tamen aliquid lapis Iacob quam serpentes magorum. Nam sicut unctio lapidis Christum in carne in qua unctus est oleo exsultationis prae participibus suis, ita virga Moysi conversa in serpentem ipsum Christum factum oboedientem usque ad mortem crucis. Unde ait: Sicut exaltavit Moyses serpentem in eremo, sic oportet exaltari filium hominis ut omnis qui credit in eum non pereat sed habeat vitam aeternam, sicut intuentes illum serpentem exaltatum in eremo serpentium morsibus non peribant. Vetus enim homo noster confixus est cruci cum illo ut evacuetur corpus peccati. Per serpentem autem mors intellegitur quae facta est a serpente in paradiso modo locutionis per efficientem id quod efficitur demonstrante. Ergo virga in serpentem, Christus in mortem, et serpens rursus in virgam, Christus in resurrectionem totus cum corpore suo quod est ecclesia, quod in fine temporis erit quem serpentis cauda significat quam Moyses tenuit ut redigeretur in virgam. Serpentes autem magorum tamquam mortui saeculi nisi credentes in Christum tamquam devorati in corpus eius intraverint resurgere in illo non poterunt. Lapis ergo Iacob, ut dixi, melius aliquid significavit quam serpentes magorum; at enim factum magorum multo mirabilius. Verum haec ita non praeiudicant rebus intellegendis tamquam si hominis nomen scribatur auro et dei atramento.

[21] Illas etiam nubes et ignes quomodo fecerint vel assumpserint angeli ad significandum quod annuntiabant etiam si dominus vel spiritus sanctus illis corporalibus formis ostendebatur, quis novit hominum? Sicut infantes non noverunt quod in altari ponitur et peracta pietatis celebratione consumitur unde vel quomodo conficiatur, unde in usum religionis assumatur. Et si numquam discant experimento vel suo vel aliorum et numquam illam speciem rerum videant nisi inter celebrationem sacramentorum cum offertur et datur, dicaturque illis auctoritate gravissima cuius corpus et sanguis sit, nihil aliud credent nisi omnino in illa specie dominum oculis apparuisse mortalium et de latere tali percusso liquorem illum omnino fluxisse.

Mihi autem utile est ut meminerim virium mearum, fratresque meos admoneam ut meminerint suarum, ne ultra quam tutum est humana progrediatur infirmitas. Quemadmodum enim haec faciant angeli vel potius deus quemadmodum haec faciat per angelos suos, et quantum fieri velit etiam per angelos malos sive sinendo sive iubendo sive cogendo ex occulta sede altissimi imperii sui, nec oculorum acie penetrare nec fiducia rationis enucleare nec provectu mentis comprehendere valeo ut tam certus hinc loquar ad omnia quae requiri de his rebus possunt quam si essem angelus aut propheta aut apostolus. Cogitationes enim mortalium timidae, et incertae providentiae nostrae. Corpus enim quod corrumpitur aggravat animam, et deprimit terrena inhabitatio sensum multa cogitantem. Et difficile aestimamus quae in terra sunt, et quae in prospectu sunt invenimus cum labore. Quae in caelis sunt autem quis investigavit? Sed quia sequitur et dicit: Sensum vero tuum quis scit nisi tu dederis sapientiam et miseris spiritum sanctum tuum de altissimis?, quae in caelis sunt quidem non investigamus quo rerum genere et corpora angelica secundum propriam dignitatem et eorum quaedam corporalis actio continetur; secundum spiritum tamen dei missus nobis de altissimis et impertitam eius gratiam mentibus nostris audeo fiducialiter dicere nec deum patrem nec verbum eius nec spiritum eius, quod deus unus est, per id quod est atque id ipsum est ullo modo esse mutabilem ac per hoc multo minus visibilem. Quoniam sunt quaedam quamvis mutabilia non tamen visibilia, sicut nostrae cogitationes et memoriae et voluntates et omnis incorporea creatura; visibile autem quidquam non est quod non sit mutabile.

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

Chapter 10.--In How Many Ways the Creature is to Be Taken by Way of Sign. The Eucharist.

Excepting, therefore, all these things as I just now said, there are some also of another kind; which, although from the same corporeal substance, are yet brought within reach of our senses in order to announce something from God, and these are properly called miracles and signs; yet is not the person of God Himself assumed in all things which are announced to us by the Lord God. When, however, that person is assumed, it is sometimes made manifest as an angel; sometimes in that form which is not an angel in his own proper being, although it is ordered and ministered by an angel. Again, when it is assumed in that form which is not an angel in his own proper being; sometimes in this case it is a body itself already existing, assumed after some kind of change, in order to make that message manifest; sometimes it is one that comes into being for the purpose, and that being accomplished, is discarded. Just as, also, when men are the messengers, sometimes they speak the words of God in their own person, as when it is premised, "The Lord said," or, "Thus saith the Lord," ¹ or any other such phrase, but sometimes without any such prefix, they take upon themselves the very person of God, as e.g.: "I will instruct thee, and teach thee in the way wherein thou shalt go:" ² so, not only in word, but also in act, the signifying of the person of God is imposed upon the prophet, in order that he may bear that person in the ministering of the prophecy; just as he, for instance, bore that person who divided his garment into twelve parts, and gave ten of them to the servant of King Solomon, to the future king of Israel. ³ Sometimes, also, a thing which was not a prophet in his own proper self, and which existed already among earthly things, was assumed in order to signify this; as Jacob, when he had seen the dream, upon waking up did with the stone, which when asleep he had under his head. ⁴ Sometimes a thing is made in the same kind, for the mere purpose; so as either to continue a little while in existence, as that brazen serpent was able to do which was lifted up in the wilderness, ⁵ and as written records are able to do likewise; or so as to pass away after having accomplished its ministry, as the bread made for the purpose is consumed in the receiving of the sacrament.

20. But because these things are known to men, in that they are done by men, they may well meet with reverence as being holy things, but they cannot cause wonder as being miracles. And therefore those things which are done by angels are the more wonderful to us, in that they are more difficult and more known; but they are known and easy to them as being their own actions. An angel speaks in the person of God to man, saying, "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;" the Scripture having said just before, "The angel of the Lord appeared to him." ⁶ And a man also speaks in the person of God, saying, "Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee, O Israel: I am the Lord thy God." ⁷ A rod was taken to serve as a sign, and was changed into a serpent by angelical power; ⁸ but although that power is wanting to man, yet a stone was taken also by man for a similar sign. ⁹ There is a wide difference between the deed of the angel and the deed of the man. The former is both to be wondered at and to be understood, the latter only to be understood. That which is understood from both, is perhaps one and the same; but those things from which it is understood, are different. Just as if the name of God were written both in gold and in ink; the former would be the more precious, the latter the more worthless; yet that which is signified in both is one and the same. And although the serpent that came from Moses' rod signified the same thing as Jacob's stone, yet Jacob's stone signified something better than did the serpents of the magicians. For as the anointing of the stone signified Christ in the flesh, in which He was anointed with the oil of gladness above His fellows; ¹⁰ so the rod of Moses, turned into a serpent, signified Christ Himself made obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ¹¹ Whence it is said, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life;" ¹² just as by gazing on that serpent which was lifted up in the wilderness, they did not perish by the bites of the serpents. For "our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed." ¹³ For by the serpent death is understood, which was wrought by the serpent in paradise, ¹⁴ the mode of speech expressing the effect by the efficient. Therefore the rod passed into the serpent, Christ into death; and the serpent again into the rod, whole Christ with His body into the resurrection; which body is the Church; ¹⁵ and this shall be in the end of time, signified by the tail, which Moses held, in order that it might return into a rod. ¹⁶ But the serpents of the magicians, like those who are dead in the world, unless by believing in Christ they shall have been as it were swallowed up by, ¹⁷ and have entered into, His body, will not be able to rise again in Him. Jacob's stone, therefore, as I said, signified something better than did the serpents of the magicians; yet the deed of the magicians was much more wonderful. But these things in this way are no hindrance to the understanding of the matter; just as if the name of a man were written in gold, and that of God in ink.

21. What man, again, knows how the angels made or took those clouds and fires in order to signify the message they were bearing, even if we supposed that the Lord or the Holy Spirit was manifested in those corporeal forms? Just as infants do not know of that which is placed upon the altar and consumed after the performance of the holy celebration, whence or in what manner it is made, or whence it is taken for religious use. And if they were never to learn from their own experience or that of others, and never to see that species of thing except during the celebration of the sacrament, when it is being offered and given; and if it were told them by the most weighty authority whose body and blood it is; they will believe nothing else, except that the Lord absolutely appeared in this form to the eyes of mortals, and that that liquid actually flowed from the piercing of a side ¹⁸ which resembled this. But it is certainly a useful caution to myself, that I should remember what my own powers are, and admonish my brethren that they also remember what theirs are, lest human infirmity pass on beyond what is safe. For how the angels do these things, or rather, how God does these things by His angels, and how far He wills them to be done even by the bad angels, whether by permitting, or commanding, or compelling, from the hidden seat of His own supreme power; this I can neither penetrate by the sight of the eyes, nor make clear by assurance of reason, nor be carried on to comprehend it by reach of intellect, so as to speak thereupon to all questions that may be asked respecting these matters, as certainly as if I were an angel, or a prophet, or an apostle. "For the thoughts of mortal men are miserable, and our devices are but uncertain. For the corruptible body presseth down the soul, and the earthly tabernacle weigheth down the mind, that museth upon many things. And hardly do we guess aright at things that are upon earth, and with labor do we find the things that are before us; but the things that are in heaven, who hath searched out?" But because it goes on to say, "And Thy counsel who hath known, except Thou give wisdom, and send Thy Holy Spirit from above;" ¹⁹ therefore we refrain indeed from searching out the things which are in heaven, under which kind are contained both angelical bodies according to their proper dignity, and any corporeal action of those bodies; yet, according to the Spirit of God sent to us from above, and to His grace imparted to our minds, I dare to say confidently, that neither God the Father, nor His Word, nor His Spirit, which is the one God, is in any way changeable in regard to that which He is, and whereby He is that which He is; and much less is in this regard visible. Since there are no doubt some things changeable, yet not visible, as are our thoughts, and memories, and wills, and the whole incorporeal creature; but there is nothing that is visible that is not also changeable.