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7. But all that I have said, and whatever else seems to be worthily
said of God after the like fashion of human speech, applies to the
whole Trinity, which is one God, and to the several Persons in that
Trinity. For who would dare to say either of the one God, which is
the Trinity itself, or of the Father, or Son, or Holy Spirit,
either that He is not living, or is without sense or intelligence; or
that, in that nature in which they are affirmed to be mutually equal,
any one of them is mortal, or corruptible, or changeable, or
corporeal? Or is there any one who would deny that any one in the
Trinity is most powerful, most righteous, most beautiful, most
good, most blessed? If, then, these things, and all others of the
kind, can be predicated both of the Trinity itself, and of each
several one in that Trinity, where or how shall the Trinity manifest
itself? Let us therefore first reduce these numerous predicates to
some limited number. For that which is called life in God, is itself
His essence and nature. God, therefore, does not live, unless by
the life which He is to Himself. And this life is not such as that
which is in a tree, wherein is neither understanding nor sense; nor
such as is in a beast, for the life of a beast possesses the fivefold
sense, but has no understanding. But the life which is God perceives
and understands all things, and perceives by mind, not by body,
because "God is a spirit." And God does not perceive through a
body, as animals do, which have bodies, for He does not consist of
soul and body. And hence that single nature perceives as it
understands, and understands as it perceives, and its sense and
understanding are one and the same. Nor yet so, that at any time He
should either cease or begin to be; for He is immortal. And it is
not said of Him in vain, that "He only hath immortality." For
immortality is true immortality in His case whose nature admits no
change. That is also true eternity by which God is unchangeable,
without beginning, without end; consequently also incorruptible. It
is one and the same thing, therefore, to call God eternal, or
immortal, or incorruptible, or unchangeable; and it is likewise one
and the same thing to say that He is living, and that He is
intelligent, that is, in truth, wise. For He did not receive
wisdom whereby to be wise, but He is Himself wisdom. And this is
life, and again is power or might, and yet again beauty, whereby He
is called powerful and beautiful. For what is more powerful and more
beautiful than wisdom, "which reaches from end to end mightily, and
sweetly disposes all things"? Or do goodness, again, and
righteousness, differ from each other in the nature of God, as they
differ in His works, as though they were two diverse qualities of God
goodness one, and righteousness an other? Certainly not; but that
which is righteousness is also itself goodness; and that which is
goodness is also itself blessedness. And God is therefore called
incorporeal, that He may be believed and understood to be a spirit,
not a body.
8. Further, if we say, Eternal, immortal incorruptible,
unchangeable, living, wise, powerful, beautiful, righteous, good,
blessed spirit; only the last of this list as it were seems to signify
substance, but the rest to signify qualities of that substance; but it
is not so in that ineffable and simple nature. For whatever seems to
be predicated therein according to quality, is to be understood
according to substance or essence For far be it from us to predicate
spirit of God according to substance, and good according to quality;
but both according to substance. And so in like manner of all those we
have mentioned, of which we have already spoken at length in the former
books. Let us choose, then, one of the first four of those in our
enumeration and arrangement, i.e. eternal, immortal,
incorruptible, unchangeable; since these four, as I have argued
already, have one meaning; in order that our aim may not be distracted
by a multiplicity of objects. And let it be rather that which was
placed first, viz. eternal. Let us follow the same course with the
four that come next, viz. living, wise, powerful, beautiful. And
since life of some sort belongs also to the beast, which has not
wisdom; while the next two, viz. wisdom and might, are so compared
to one another in the case of man, as that Scripture says, "Better
is he that is wise than he that is strong;" and beauty, again, is
commonly attributed to bodily objects also: out of these four that we
have chosen, let Wise be the one we take. Although these four are
not to be called unequal in speaking of God; for they are four names,
but one thing. But of the third and last four, although it is the
same thing in God to be righteous that it is to be good or to be
blessed; and the same thing to be a spirit that it is to be righteous,
and good, and blessed; yet, because in men there can be a spirit that
is not blessed, and there can be one both righteous and good, but not
yet blessed; but that which is blessed is doubtless both just, and
good, and a spirit, let us rather choose that one which cannot exist
even in men without the three others, viz. blessed.
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