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De Trinitate

III.

[III 4] Et nescio utrum inveniatur in scripturis dictum ‚unum sunt‘ quorum est diversa natura. Si autem et aliqua plura eiusdem naturae sint et diversa sentiant, non sunt unum in quantum diversa sentiunt. Nam si iam unum essent ex eo quod homines erant, non diceret: Ut sint unum sicut et nos unum cum suos discipulos patri commendaret. At vero Paulus et Apollo quia et ambo homines et idem sentiebant: Qui plantat, inquit, et qui rigat unum sunt. Cum ergo sic dicitur unum ut non addatur quid unum et plura unum dicantur, eadem natura atque essentia non dissidens neque dissentiens significatur. Cum vero additur quid unum, potest aliquid significari ex pluribus unum factum quamvis diversis natura. Sicut anima et corpus non sunt utique unum (quid enim tam diversum?), nisi addatur aut subintellegatur quid unum, id est unus homo aut unum animal. Inde apostolus: Qui adhaeret meretrici, inquit, unum corpus est. Non dixit ‚unum sunt‘ aut ‚unum est,‘ sed addidit corpus tamquam ex duobus diversis masculino et feminino unum corpus adiunctione compositum. Et: Qui adhaeret, inquit, domino unus spiritus est. Non dixit ‚qui adhaeret domino unus est‘ aut ‚unum sunt,‘ sed addidit spiritus. Diversum enim natura spiritus hominis et spiritus dei, sed inhaerendo fit unus spiritus ex diversis duobus, ita ut sine humano spiritu beatus sit dei spiritus atque perfectus, beatus autem hominis spiritus non nisi cum deo. Nec frustra, ut existimo, cum tanta in evangelio secundum Iohannem et totiens diceret dominus de ipsa unitate vel sua cum patre vel nostra invicem nobiscum, nusquam dixit: ‚Ut nos et ipsi unum,‘ sed: Ut sint unum sicut et nos unum. Pater ergo et filius unum sunt utique secundum unitatem substantiae, et unus deus est et unus magnus et unus sapiens sicut tractatum est.

[5] Unde ergo maior pater? Si enim maior, magnitudine maior. Cum autem magnitudo eius filius sit, nec ille utique maior est eo qui se genuit, nec ille maior est ea magnitudine qua magnus est; ergo aequalis. Nam unde aequalis si non eo quo est cui non est aliud esse et aliud magnum esse? Aut si aeternitate pater maior est, non est aequalis filius quacumque re. Unde enim aequalis? Si magnitudine dixeris, non est par magnitudo quae minus aeterna est, atque ita cetera. An forte in virtute aequalis est, in sapientia vero non est aequalis? Sed quomodo est aequalis virtus quae minus sapit? An in sapientia aequalis est, in virtute autem non est aequalis? Sed quomodo aequalis sapientia quae minus potens est? Restat itaque ut, si in ulla re aequalis non est, non sit aequalis. At scriptura clamat: Non rapinam arbitratus est esse aequalis deo. Cogitur ergo quivis adversarius veritatis qui modo tenetur auctoritate apostolica in qualibet vel una re aequalem deo filium confiteri. Eligat quam voluerit. Hinc ei ostendetur in omnibus esse aequalem quae de substantia eius dicuntur.

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

Chapter 3.--That the Unity of the Essence of the Father and the Son is to Be Gathered from the Words, "We are One." The Son is Equal to the Father Both in Wisdom and in All Other Things.

4. And I know not whether the words, "They are one," are ever found in Scripture as spoken of things of which the nature is different. But if there are more things than one of the same nature, and they differ in sentiment, they are not one, and that so far as they differ in sentiment. For if the disciples were already one by the fact of being men, He would not say, "That they may be one, as we are one," ¹ when commending them to the Father. But because Paul and Apollos were both alike men, and also of like sentiments, "He that planteth," he says, "and he that watereth are one." ² When, therefore, anything is so called one, that it is not added in what it is one, and yet more things than one are called one, then the same essence and nature is signified, not differing nor disagreeing. But when it is added in what it is one, it may be meant that something is made one out of things more than one, though they are different in nature. As soul and body are assuredly not one; for, what are so different? unless there be added, or understood in what they are one, that is, one man, or one animal [person]. Thence the apostle says, "He who is joined to a harlot, is one body;" he does not say, they are one or he is one; but he has added "body," as though it were one body composed by being joined together of two different bodies, masculine and feminine. ³ And, "He that is joined unto the Lord," he says," is one spirit:" he did not say, he that is joined unto the Lord is one, or they are one; but he added, "spirit." For the spirit of man and the Spirit of God are different in nature; but by being joined they become one spirit of two different spirits, so that the Spirit of God is blessed and perfect without the human spirit, but the spirit of man cannot be blessed without God. Nor is it without cause, I think, that when the Lord said so much in the Gospel according to John, and so often, of unity itself, whether of His own with the Father, or of ours interchangeably with ourselves; He has nowhere said, that we are also one with Himself, but, "that they maybe one as we also are one." ⁴ Therefore the Father and the Son are one, undoubtedly according to unity of substance; and there is one God, and one great, and one wise, as we have argued.

5. Whence then is the Father greater? For if greater, He is greater by greatness; but whereas the Son is His greatness, neither assuredly is the Son greater than He who begat Him, nor is the Father greater than that greatness, whereby He is great; therefore they are equal. For whence is He equal, if not in that which He is, to whom it is not one thing to be, and another to be great? Or if the Father is greater in eternity, the Son is not equal in anything whatsoever. For whence equal? If you say in greatness, that greatness is not equal which is less eternal, and so of all things else. Or is He perhaps equal in power, but not equal in wisdom? But how is that power which is less wise, equal? Or is He equal in wisdom, but not equal in power? But how is that wisdom equal which is less powerful? It remains, therefore, that if He is not equal in anything, He is not equal in all. But Scripture proclaims, that "He thought it not robbery to be equal with God." ⁵ Therefore any adversary of the truth whatever, provided he feels bound by apostolical authority, must needs confess that the Son is equal with God in each one thing whatsoever. Let him choose that which he will; from it he will be shown, that He is equal in all things which are said of His substance.