Recap

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We were still reading , which St Augustine introduces into Latin-speaking theology , and that is the analogia entis , the analogy of being . I think we said quite a bit about that , and it is true that Chadwick differs in his opinion about the use of analogy in St Augustine , because , according to Chadwick , analogy in Augustine is something mathematical and exact , whereas Metropolitan Callistos prefers to say that it is not mathematical and exact . It is an analogy and it's not to be taken too literally , and so on . I think Metropolitan Callistos says that because he wants to maintain a sort of openness to a fruitful dialogue , an element on which to build and to bring Augustine closer to the Cappadocian Trinitarian doctrine . So we did that and also in the process . Also in the process , we discussed some elements regarding participation , the good , absolute good , the good , the beautiful , and so on . After we mentioned Plato and participation , we come to paragraph number five .

Speaker 1 1:59

I think we began to read that as well . The point is that St Augustine wants to look to man . Having established that we can know God also through his creation , through knowledge of his world , having established the analogia entis , he then goes on to say so , therefore , let's take a look at ourselves , since we were created in the image of God and see what we can understand about the Holy Trinity reflected in man . And there I began to talk about the fact that both in Plato and in Augustine , when we say man , we don't actually mean man , body and soul , the psychosomatic entity which we have before us , the real man , the true man , both according to Plato and to a lesser degree in terms of emphasis , but nevertheless , in Augustine I'll qualify that in a moment it's the soul . The soul is the real man , and not only that , but it's a part of the soul that is the real man . Plato refers to it as

The Logistikon: “noesis” and “dianoia”

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the logisticon . Now , the logisticon is located in the head , according to Plato , and it consists of two aspects . One aspect , noesis , the intuitive aspect , is that which is capable of immediate apprehension , the immediate grasping of the truth of reality . The other aspect is the dhyanoya . Dhyanaya is that aspect which is the reasoning faculty of man . The reasoning power gives us knowledge by means of what we call dialectic discursive thinking , as in mathematics , as in logic . A plus b equals c , then we know C , so it has a successive character , whereas the nous of man in Plato , noesis , the intuitive aspect . Well , noesis is from the nous , is of the nous . So noesis is intuitive knowledge , it's that immediate grasping of reality

The place of the body

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.

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Now , when it comes to Saint Augustine , we have to qualify things considerably . Why ? Because although he's deeply influenced by this Platonic anthropology , he is a Christian and he knows that you cannot dismiss , simply discard the body , but he doesn't really know what to do with it . So , also with Augustine , then , his focus is on the soul , and his focus is on that part of the soul which

“Mens” and the two Analogies of Mind

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survives death . What Plato calls the logisticon , augustine calls mens , so the mind . That's where we have . The analogies of mind come in and we have the mind , the mind's knowledge of itself , different aspects of the mind in which St Augustine discerns a

First Analogy of Mind

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trinity Mind , the mind's knowledge of itself and the mind's love of itself . Notizia is the word for knowledge , not scientia , but notizia . And then the love of itself is amor , the amor sui , the mind , the love of itself , is amor , the amor sui , the mind's

Second Analogy of Mind

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love of itself . But then the second analogy of mind to which saint augustine refers in book 10 of the day trinitate is , is memory , understanding and will . So memoria , intelligentsia and voluntas . And this is what St Augustine sees in us and he says that this is the image of the Holy Trinity .

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The commentary on Psalm 134 goes on to talk about Christ as our mediator between God and man , about by following a man we are following the God-man . And then he talks about the bread of angels this food is the truth , talks about the good of all goods . He refers to his own experience . If , as is possible , indeed very well possible , anyone's mental sight is stronger than mine and he can keep the gaze of his heart fixed on him . Who is , then let him give praise as he is able . Let him give praise as we are not able is able . Let him give praise as we are not able . But thanks be to him who , in this psalm , has so tempered his praises

Augustine and the Orthodox tradition

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as to enable both strong and weak to praise him . There's a lot of good . Actually , I was talking about this the other day . What's the problem ?

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St Saint Augustine and this whole question of the place of Saint Augustine in the Orthodox tradition , and I think that it boils down to our lack of understanding as to what is a saint . What do we mean when we say saint in the Orthodox tradition ? What do we mean when we say sanctity or holiness ? What do we mean when we say theology and who is a theologian , these basic questions keep coming back to us again

The revelation of “I AM” to Moses

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and again . But at any rate , he goes on to say about God , referring to Moses , the revelation of I am to Moses , where he does not focus on I but on being . Essay so I am true being , I am being , because true being is hard for the human mind to grasp , he says . And a man was being sent to men , though not by man .

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God immediately tempered his praises by saying something else about himself that could be grasped with ease . He did not wish to remain at a level of praise which could not be reached by those who would praise him . Go , he said . Say to the children of Israel the God of Abraham , the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has sent me to you . This is my name forever .

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Exodus 3.15 . Surely , lord , you have that earlier name . You yourself said I am Ego sum quesum . He who is has sent me to you . Why have you changed your name ? Why are you now saying the God of Abraham , the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob ?

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Is it not reasonable to answer by saying the words I am , who am , are true , but you cannot grasp them ? The words I am the God of Abraham , the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob are true and you can grasp them . The words I am , the God of Abraham , the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob are true and you can grasp them . They're more concrete , less abstract . So I am who am . That relates to me , but I am the God of Abraham , the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob . That relates to you . Question of relation If you fail at what I am to myself , you can grasp what I am to you .

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No one should suppose that God's words I am who am and he who is has sent me to you are his only eternal name and that his other words I am , the God of Abraham , the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob are a temporal name . When God said I am , who am and he who is has sent me to you , he did not need to say that this was his name forever , for that would be understood even without his saying it , for he is and really is . And by the fact that he really is , he is without beginning and without end . But in the case of what he is for man's sake , end . But in the case of what he is for man's sake . I am the God of Abraham , the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob . He has forestalled any human anxiety that this might be temporal and not eternal by assuring us that he is leading us out of what is temporal to life eternal , is leading us out of what is temporal to life eternal . This , he says , is my name forever . Not because Abraham or Isaac or Jacob is eternal , but because God makes them eternal hereafter , without end . Indeed , they had a beginning , but they will not have

De Trinitate Book IX

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an end . So lots of interesting points there .

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I read it , and I read it rather quickly because I want to move on to Augustine on the Trinity . So now we're going to read from Book 9 on the Trinity the De Trinitate of Augustine , and here it is the object of our present inquiry is Trinity , not a Trinity , but the Trinity which is God , the true , supreme and only God . The reader , then , must be patient . We are still inquiring , and such inquiry deserves no censure , provided that our search for what must baffle knowledge and expression be made in unshaken faith . So he's writing at a time he thinks this question has not been resolved . We are still inquiring , we're still inquiring , who is still inquiring ? The Second Ecumenical Council has taken place , 381 , and it was based on the theology of the Cappadocian fathers St Basil , st Gregory and the other Gregory . St Gregory , nyssa , st Basil's younger brother in particular . Nyssa , st Basil's younger brother in particular .

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Affirmation indeed calls at once and rightly for censure from any who may see and instruct to better purpose . Seek the Lord , and your soul shall live . Psalm 69 , 32 . But we are warned against any rash boast of having already attained . Seek his face always . Psalm 105.4 . If anyone thinks that he knows something he does not yet know , as he ought to know . But if one loves God , one is known by him . 1 Corinthians 8.2.3 . He does not say has known him , which would be dangerous presumption , but is known by him . So elsewhere , after saying now that you have come to know God , he at once corrects himself Rather , are known by God . Galatians 4.9 .

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And most emphatic is that other passage . Brethren , I do not consider that I have attained , but one thing I do forgetting what lies behind and reaching out to what lies ahead , I am intent to follow after the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus . Therefore , let those of us who are perfect be thus minded . Philippians 3 , 13-15 . By perfection in this life , he understands nothing but to forget the things which lie behind and to reach out intently after the things which lie ahead . The safest intention is that of seeking continually until the goal of all our effort and our reaching out be attained . The intent is rightly directed only if it sets out

“Sure faith” and “sure knowledge”

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from faith .

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A sure faith is itself a beginning of knowledge . But sure knowledge will not be perfected till after this life , when we shall see face to face . So here I'm pausing , because it's important to say that St Augustine is introducing the understanding that true knowledge is not possible in this life . And he says sure knowledge will not be perfected till after this life , when we shall see face to face in patria , in the kingdom of heaven . So he makes a distinction between faith and knowledge . It is a sure faith , it's a strong faith and sure knowledge . Let us then be thus minded , convinced that the temper of the truth seeker is safer than that of rashly taking the unknown for

The vision of Christ in glory in this life

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known , that of rashly taking the unknown for known . The reason why I paused there sure knowledge will not be perfected till after this life , when we shall see face to face .

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But the vision of God is possible in this life , the vision of Christ in glory is the state in which the Holy Spirit reveals that Christ is our Creator and our God , and it is the moment when the person beholding is sanctified or has reached that dynamic state of sanctification . So it contains many things . What Saint Augustine doesn't seem to be aware of is that this is possible in this life . It may not be given to everyone , but it is characteristic of the saints the vision of Christ in glory , the vision of the risen Lord . So this is the point of sanctification . It is the vision of Christ's glory , but it's also the glorification of the person beholding Christ's glory , of the person beholding Christ's glory .

The threefold light of Christ

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This is very important . The light of Christ is threefold and reveals the mystery of the Holy Trinity .

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I just said a moment ago that it is not possible to behold the glory of Christ but by the Holy Spirit . Only in the Holy Spirit , through the Holy Spirit , is this given , the other comforter . And in seeing Christ we see God , the Father , because no one can come to the Father but by me , and he who has seen me has seen the Father . Christ is the express image of the Father . These are all biblical references . So this is very important , it's highly

“Not yet, but in the life to come”

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significant . And what is characteristic of that Western theology that follows the Augustinian approach is that everything is to be given to be experienced , to be seen and so forth in the life to come , not yet , but in the life to come , which is deeply disappointing and seems to be ignorant of the fact that sanctification begins in this life and continues in the

Sanctification a dynamic state: Irenaeus of Lyons

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next . Because together with this view of the scheme of things vis-a-vis short knowledge to use the exact phrase here is this idea that perfection is a static state whereas it is in fact a dynamic one .

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Saint irenaeus , spiritual grandchild of the apostles , because he was the spiritual child of saint polycarp of smyrna , and saint polycarp of smyrna was a disciple of saint john the theologian . Well , saint irenaeus is very keen stick by the apostolic teaching . One of his famous works is called the apostolic preaching . Well , saint iranese tells us very plainly that the life of man is the vision of god . And he says just as those who see the lights are in the light , so it is that they who see god are in god , partaking of his brightness . And when he says that he's not referring to the life to come , he's referring to now . When he does refer to the life to come , he speaks of it in terms of continuous growth , continuous progress , increase , learning , increasing in knowledge , knowledge of God , of course

Irenaeus compared to Plato, Origen and Augustine

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. So for Plato , there's the spiritual aspect of man , rational aspect of man . The spiritual aspect is capable of grasping spiritual reality . So that means ultimate reality , because that reality is spiritual . No materiality is involved in real being , real existence , involved in real being , real existence .

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And Augustine is influenced by that , though of course he accepts the incarnation , he accepts the resurrection of the body and so on and so forth . But his focus on the mens , the nous , the spiritual faculty of man , first of all , is philosophical . Secondly , his focus is at the exclusion of the body . He doesn't know what to do with the body . So he talks about what he knows , what he understands . Origen had this problem . Well , I mean , he didn't regard it as a problem , he thought he understood . But he had this approach we don't know what to do with the body . The body is going to be resurrected , the Bible says that . But what do we do with the body ? So that is not the biblical view of man , it's not the patristic view of man , and all of this feeds into what we're saying . And perhaps this is a good place to stop and , god willing , we'll take this up again , because we will also discuss the differences between theosis and the life to come in the Orthodox tradition and what the Roman Catholics referred to as the beatific

Appeal

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vision .