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72 ST. AUGUSTINE ever been born nor will he ever be born if he is forever in the process of birth. For it is one thing to be in the process of birth, it is another to have been born. Consequently one never becomes a son if one is never born. But the Son, because born, is forever the Son. Therefore he is forever born. 38. ON THE STR UCTURE OF THE SaUD Although nature, learning, and habit differ, they are understood [to exist] in a soul which is one without distinction of nature. Again, native endowment, courage, and tranquillity differ, yet similarly they belong to one and the same substance. The soul, furthermore, is a substance other than God, although made by him. And God himself is that most sacred Trinity, known by name to many but in reality However, this Q. may have an indirect refation to the Arian controversy which would allow us to view it as anti-Arian. For Augustine is arguing here in Q. 37 that the expression semper natus is to be preferred to the expression semper nascitur. The reason for this preference seems to be the following: if the Son were truly he who is "forever in the process of birth," then he would never be a son, whereas if he were truly "forever born," then he is both a son and forever a son. Furthermore Augustine's interest in this terminological dispute might very well have been aroused by criticism of Catholic trinitarian teaching by Arians who had seized on Origen's expression semper nascitur (found in St. Jerome's Latin translation of one ofOrigen's homilies on Jeremias [see In Ieremiam homiliae 9.4 (PG 13.358)1, which Jerome translated in the early 380's) in order to show the alleged incoherence of orthodox belief. Augustine's argument on behalf of the Son being "forever born" would therefore be a response to just such a criticism. St. Augustine is here once again interested in the issue of the vestiges of the divine Trinity in the created order. (See above, Q. 18, "On the Trinity," and n. 1.) In particular, he has an interest in certain "trinitarian" features of the life of the mind or soul, an interest whose rationale and whose detailed expression are found in Books 9 and 10 of DT (PL 42.959-84). But here he speaks first of the triad of nature (natura), learning (disciplina) and habit (usus) in one and the same soul, and then of native endowment (ingenium), courage (uirtus), and tranquillity (tranquillitas). He then goes on to mention explicitly the Trinity. And, as well, each Scripture verse of the three which he cites at the end of the Q. is understood to refer to one of the persons of the Trinity. QUESTIONS 38-40 73 to few. [For these reasons,] one should investigate with great attentiveness the following sayings of the Lord Jesus: "No one comes to me except the Father draw him";2 "No one comes to the Father except through me";3 and, "He himself will lead you into all truth."4 39. ON THE SOURCES OF NOURISHMENTt What is it that takes the thing which it changes? The animal eating food. What is it that is taken and changed? Food. What is it that is taken and not changed? Light by the eyes and sound by the ears. However, the soul gets these things through the body; but what is it that the soul gets through itself and changes within itself? Another soul which it assimilates to itself by receiving it into its friendship. And what is it that the soul gets through itself and does not change? The truth. For this reason, one should come to understand the meaning of both the statement to Peter: "Kill and eat,"2 and the statement in the gospel: "And the life was the light of men."3 40. SINCE THE NA TURE OF SOULS IS THE SAME, WHY ARE THE CHOICES! OF MEN DIFFERENT? Diverse sense impressions give rise to diverse desires in souls; diverse desires, to diverse means of getting; diverse means of getting, to diverse habits; and diverse habits, to diverse choices. Now the order of things produces the differ2 In 6.44. 3 In 14.6. 4 In 16.13. 1 See below, Q. 73.1. 2 Acts 10.13. 3 In 1.4. uoluntates. Throughout this Q. uoluntas IS consistently translated "choice." See above, Q. 2, n. 2...

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