
Augustine's 3 Rules When Speaking of God
Augustine's Grammar of Theology from Book 5 of De Trinitate
Augustine's 3 Rules for Fitting Language of God
In the fifth book of his De Trinitate, Augustine shifts his theological focus to what transcends human comprehension. As he says: "From now on I begin to speak of subjects, which are altogether above the power of any man" (Aug., De Trin. 5.1.1).
What follows in Book 5 then is Augustine's attempt to develop a theological grammar adequate for discussing both the divine nature and the relation of the Father, Son, and Spirit. He discovers three rules that should rule our speech about God.
Rule 1: We can’t judge uncreated nature by created things
Augustine's first rule challenges the direct application of earthly categories to divine realities. He asserts: "whatever is said about a nature invisible, unchangeable, with the highest kind of life and sufficient to itself, ought not to be judged by the ordinary standard of visible, changeable, mortal, or dependent things." (Aug., De Trin. 5.1.2)
This rule guards against anthropomorphic or materialistic conceptions of divinity. In other words, created things cannot be univocally applied to the uncreated Creator.
Rule 2: We mustn't confuse substantial and relational words
Augustine's theological grammar secondly distinguishes between substantial and relational predication:
"Wherefore, let us hold fast above all to this principle: whatever in that divine and exalted sublimity is said in reference to Himself is said according to the substance; but what is said in reference to something does not refer to a substance but to a relationship. The power of the same substance in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is so great that everything which is said of the individual person in reference to Himself may also be said of them together, not in the plural, but in the singular number." (Aug., De Trin. 5.8.9)
Attributes predicated of God substantially (e.g., goodness, wisdom, power) apply equally and identically to Father, Son, and spirit. Relational terms (e.g., Father, Son, begotten, begetter) distinguish the persons without introducing substantial division within the Godhead.
Augustine thus affirms that "God is great" and that "Father and Son is/are God" without logical inconsistency because the first word “great” refers substantially to God while the names Father and Son are relational terms. They do not refer to substance but only to relations, namely, of fatherness and sonness.
Rule 3: What is said of One is said of the Others
Augustine's third rule sums up the previous distinctions:
"To sum up: whatever is spoken of God in respect to Himself and of each single person, that is, of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and together of the Trinity itself, is to be predicated in the singular of each divine person and not in the plural" (Aug., De Trin. 5.8.9)
God is great, good, and love. And so Father, Son, and Spirit are great, good, and love. What is said of God in non-relational ways is said of God substantially. The Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Father, but the Father and Son are one goodness.
Conclusion
Augustine's rules for theological discourse in Book 5 of De Trinitate give us a grammar to speak of the mystery of God. They protect us from heresy, draw our minds to the meaning of Scripture, and allow us to know God with clear concepts.
Wyatt...
This is good stuff from Jonathan Edwards and Augustine on the Trinity and the Eternal Generation of the Son as well as the procession of the Spirit from both towards each other.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM8ovjIEbo8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgtAE_AlmzY
God from before the beginning is a living God, a Divine uncreated deity. The Father knows Himself immediately, exhaustively, comprehensively, thoroughly, all at once, "through one act of perfect eternal vision/perception". The incomprehensible and infinite is comprehended perfectly by the infinite Knower. The Son is this knowledge, the image and likeness of God Who is also necessarily an uncreated Person. One cannot properly talk of the Living God apart from Him living, knowing and thinking. And neither of these "acts" is prior to or subsequent to His being. The Father looks at His divine perfections and glory and loves what He sees. The Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father, therefore the Father shows the Son all things whatsoever He doeth. And all things that are Thine [belong to the Father] are Mine [belong properly and equally to the Son]. The Son is "appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholds all things by the word of his power". This Second Person is now incarnate by the virgin birth, He who has seen the Son has seen the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. The Spirit is the uncreated filial love and joy that the Father has for the Son and the Son for the Father. Also co-eternal, proceeding from [and to!] both Father and Son in mutual love and joy, the Holy Spirit is the agent or the doer of whatsoever He doeth and pleaseth. Not by might nor by power but by My Spirit saith Jehovah. And... the joy of the LORD [Jehovah... pure Being] is our strength.