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11. But these three are in such way in man, that they are not
themselves man. For man, as the ancients defined him, is a rational
mortal animal. These things, therefore, are the chief things in
man, but are not man themselves. And any one person, i.e. each
individual man, has these three things in his mind. But if, again,
we were so to define man as to say, Man is a rational substance
consisting of mind and body, then without doubt man has a soul that is
not body, and a body that is not soul. And hence these three things
are not man, but belong to man, or are in man. If, again, we put
aside the body. and think of the soul by itself, the mind is somewhat
belonging to the soul, as though its head, or eye, or countenance;
but these things are not to be regarded as bodies. It is not then the
soul, but that which is chief in the soul, that is called the mind.
But can we say that the Trinity is in such way in God, as to be
somewhat belonging to God, and not itself God? And hence each
individual man, who is called the image of God, not according to all
things that pertain to his nature, but according to his mind alone, is
one person, and is an image of the Trinity in his mind. But that
Trinity of which he is the image is nothing else in its totality than
God, is nothing else in its totality than the Trinity. Nor does
anything pertain to the nature of God so as not to pertain to that
Trinity; and the Three Persons are of one essence, not as each
individual man is one person.
12. There is, again, a wide difference in this point likewise,
that whether we speak of the mind in a man, and of its knowledge and
love; or of memory, understanding, will, we remember nothing of the
mind except by memory, nor understand anything except by
understanding, nor love anything except by will. But in that
Trinity, who would dare to say that the Father understands neither
Himself, nor the Son, nor the Holy Spirit, except by the Son,
or loves them except by the Holy Spirit; and that He remembers only
by Himself either Himself, or the Son, or the Holy Spirit; and
in the same way that the Son remembers neither Himself nor the
Father, except by the Father, nor loves them except by the Holy
Spirit; but that by Himself He only understands both the Father and
Son and Holy Spirit: and in like manner, that the Holy Spirit by
the Father remembers both the Father and the Son and Himself, and
by the Son understands both the Father and the Son and Himself; but
by Himself only loves both Himself and the Father and the Son; as
though the Father were both His own memory, and that of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit; and the Son were the understanding of both
Himself, and the Father and the Holy Spirit; but the Holy Spirit
were the love both of Himself, and of the Father and of the Son?
Who would presume to think or affirm this of that Trinity? For if
therein the Son alone understands both for Himself and for the Father
and for the Holy Spirit, we have returned to the old absurdity, that
the Father is not wise from Himself, but from the Son, and that
wisdom has not begotten wisdom, but that the Father is said to be wise
by that wisdom which He begat. For where there is no understanding
there can be no wisdom; and hence, if the Father does not understand
Himself for Himself, but the Son understands for the Father,
assuredly the Son makes the Father wise. But if to God to be is to
be wise, and essence is to Him the same as wisdom, then it is not the
Son that has His essence from the Father, which is the truth, but
rather the Father from the Son, which is a most absurd falsehood.
And this absurdity, beyond all doubt, we have discussed, disproved,
and rejected, in the seventh book. Therefore God the Father is wise
by that wisdom by which He is His own wisdom, and the Son is the
wisdom of the Father from the wisdom which is the Father, from whom
the Son is begotten; whence it follows that the Father understands
also by that understanding by which He is His own understanding (for
he could not be Wise that did not understand); and that the Son is
the understanding of the Father, begotten of the understanding which
is the Father. And this same may not be unfitly said of memory also.
For how is he wise, that remembers nothing, or does not remember
himself? Accordingly, since the Father is wisdom, and the Son is
wisdom, therefore, as the Father remembers Himself, so does the
Son also remember Himself; and as the Father remembers both Himself
and the Son, not by the memory of the Son, but by His own, so does
the Son remember both Himself and the Father, not by the memory of
the Father, but by His own. Where, again, there is no love, who
would say there was any wisdom? And hence we must infer that the
Father is in such way His own love, as He is His own understanding
and memory. And therefore these three, i.e. memory,
understanding, love or will in that highest and unchangeable essence
which is God, are, we see, not the Father and the Son and the
Holy Spirit, but the Father alone. And because the Son too is
wisdom begotten of wisdom, as neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit
understands for Him, but He understands for Himself; so neither
does the Father remember for Him, nor the Holy Spirit love for
Him, but He remembers and loves for Himself: for He is Himself
also His own memory, His own understanding, and His own love. But
that He is so comes to Him from the Father, of whom He is born.
And because the Holy Spirit also is wisdom proceeding from wisdom,
He too has not the Father for a memory, and the Son for an
understanding, and Himself for love: for He would not be wisdom if
another remembered for Him, and yet another understood for Him, and
He only loved for Himself; but Himself has all three things, and
has them in such way that they are Him self. But that He is so comes
to Him thence, whence He proceeds.
13. What man, then, is there who can comprehend that wisdom by
which God knows all things, in such wise that neither what we call
things past are past therein, nor what we call things future are
therein waited for as coming, as though they were absent, but both
past and future with things present are all present; nor yet are things
thought severally, so that thought passes from one to another, but all
things simultaneously are at hand in one glance; what man, I say, is
there that comprehends that wisdom, and the like prudence, and the
like knowledge, since in truth even our own wisdom is beyond our
comprehension? For somehow we are able to behold the things that are
present to our senses or to our understanding; but the things that are
absent, and yet have once been present, we know by memory, if we have
not forgotten them. And we conjecture, too, not the past from the
future, but the future from the past, yet by all unstable knowledge.
For there are some of our thoughts to which, although future, we, as
it were, look onward with greater plainness and certainty as being very
near; and we do this by the means of memory when we are able to do it,
as much as we ever are able, although memory seems to belong not to the
future, but to the past. And this may be tried in the case of any
words or songs, the due order of which we are rendering by memory; for
we certainly should not utter each in succession, unless we foresaw in
thought what came next. And yet it is not foresight, but memory,
that enables us to foresee it; for up to the very end of the words or
the song, nothing is uttered except as foreseen and looked forward to.
And yet in doing this, we are not said to speak or sing by foresight,
but by memory; and if any one is more than commonly capable of uttering
many pieces in this way, he is usually praised, not for his
foresight, but for his memory. We know, and are absolutely certain,
that all this takes place in our mind or by our mind; but how it takes
place, the more attentively we desire to scrutinize, the more do both
our very words break down, and our purpose itself fails, when by our
understanding, if not our tongue, we would reach to something of
clearness. And do such as we are, think, that in so great infirmity
of mind we can comprehend whether the foresight of God is the same as
His memory and His understanding, who does not regard in thought each
several thing, but embraces all that He knows in one eternal and
unchangeable and ineffable vision? In this difficulty, then, and
strait, we may well cry out to the living God, "Such knowledge is
too wonderful for me: it is high, I cannot attain unto it." For I
understand by myself how wonderful and incomprehensible is Thy
knowledge, by which Thou madest me, when I cannot even comprehend
myself whom Thou hast made! And yet, "while I was musing, the
fire burned," so that "I seek Thy face evermore."
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