In this chapter, Augustine meditates on what it means that the Son was "sent" by the Father. He defines this as "going forth from the Father and coming into this world" (101). To understand the concept of "sent" Augustine comments that it is the part about being made of woman that sent refers to.
Augustine further explains that God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit were already here. The "sent" refers to the idea of being inserted into time, in this case through the birthing process. So, Jesus entering into the world as flesh through Mary renders language, the Word, into a fleshly component.
To further elucidate the language concept, Augustine points out that symbolic acts are given significance through the act itself to things that already existed. This is an exegetical move. He writes that Isaac "became Christ" (105) when he carried the wood for his sacrifice. Isaac would have already existed; its his symbolic actions that give it significance.
Can we, then, extrapolate from the event of Jesus' birth through Mary that although she already existed, it is her symbolic action of giving birth that give her significance? Is this symbolism reductive?
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Monday, September 14, 2015
The Trinity, Book 2: Prologue and Chapter One
Augustine begins Book 2 with a discussion in the prologue of how the Bible creates a problem for readers as it takes many forms. Poems, gospels, parables, the Bible forces the reader to make choices that Augustine implies are difficult especially as it comes to interpretation. Augustine writes that he going to put forth his reading but "would rather receive any sort of censure than mistaken or flattering praise" (97)--as if to invite to crowd-sourcing exegetical practice.
Book 2: Chapter One
Augustine is again concerned with thinking about the univocity of the Trinity. The problem can be expressed as how to understand the Son being derived from God and still be equal with God. Augustine unpacks this problem using John 5:19--"Whatever the Father does, the same the son also does likewise." By using "the same" and "likewise" John is indicating that they are "equal and indivisible" but also that "the son cannot do anything of himself except what he sees the Father doing" (99).
The problem in other terms is the differences between "from" and "equal." The problem is that "derived from" is thought of as being "unequal" but really it only describes a sequence of order in time. The Son is derived from the Father in time but not necessarily in magnitude.
Augustine, then, reinforces, the univocity of the Trinity by parsing out the cause of inequality as derived from thinking that something that may come afterward is "inferior." Rather, progression does not equate with equality, and the Trinity is equal even if it occurs in time differently (although, as emphasized before, the Word was always there and the Word is Jesus). By progression, Augustine, I assume, is meaning Jesus as manifested in flesh which doesn't violate the problem of equality, but does indeed put Jesus in time.
Book 2: Chapter One
Augustine is again concerned with thinking about the univocity of the Trinity. The problem can be expressed as how to understand the Son being derived from God and still be equal with God. Augustine unpacks this problem using John 5:19--"Whatever the Father does, the same the son also does likewise." By using "the same" and "likewise" John is indicating that they are "equal and indivisible" but also that "the son cannot do anything of himself except what he sees the Father doing" (99).
The problem in other terms is the differences between "from" and "equal." The problem is that "derived from" is thought of as being "unequal" but really it only describes a sequence of order in time. The Son is derived from the Father in time but not necessarily in magnitude.
Augustine, then, reinforces, the univocity of the Trinity by parsing out the cause of inequality as derived from thinking that something that may come afterward is "inferior." Rather, progression does not equate with equality, and the Trinity is equal even if it occurs in time differently (although, as emphasized before, the Word was always there and the Word is Jesus). By progression, Augustine, I assume, is meaning Jesus as manifested in flesh which doesn't violate the problem of equality, but does indeed put Jesus in time.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
The Trinity, Book One, Chapter Four
Augustine concludes Book I with further discussion on the resonances of Christ and God. He sets forth this exegetical formula: we need to "distinguish the two resonances" [...] one turned to the form of God in which he is and is equal to the Father, the other turned to the form of a servant in which he too is and is less than the Father" (82). So Augustine is considering again the problem of forms: the form is God vs. the form of the servant.
One important aspect of faith is unpacked with the passage "He who believes in me does not believe in me" (Jn 12:44). This apparent contradiction seems initially shocking. By this, Augustine explains that faith is not what one sees--he further points out and interprets--he "who believes does not believe in what he sees" or he who believes is not limited to only seeing. Thus, a truly faithful person sees Jesus, but also sees beyond Jesus to God. If we believe in God, who we do not see, Jesus invites us to believe in him in the same way. Jesus is inviting the faithful to believe in the beyond of the flesh in order to believe in the univocity of the Trinity. As long as one is hung-up on (so to speak) Jesus as flesh then faith is limited to the sensory, and, thus, is not really faith in the Augustinian sense.
Augustine concludes this book with an invitation to try out different interpretations of understanding the connection between Jesus and God as long as they do not contradict "sound doctrine." By this, Augustine hopes to side-step the "trap" of the heretics--who are "dogmatists" (according to the notes).
One important aspect of faith is unpacked with the passage "He who believes in me does not believe in me" (Jn 12:44). This apparent contradiction seems initially shocking. By this, Augustine explains that faith is not what one sees--he further points out and interprets--he "who believes does not believe in what he sees" or he who believes is not limited to only seeing. Thus, a truly faithful person sees Jesus, but also sees beyond Jesus to God. If we believe in God, who we do not see, Jesus invites us to believe in him in the same way. Jesus is inviting the faithful to believe in the beyond of the flesh in order to believe in the univocity of the Trinity. As long as one is hung-up on (so to speak) Jesus as flesh then faith is limited to the sensory, and, thus, is not really faith in the Augustinian sense.
Augustine concludes this book with an invitation to try out different interpretations of understanding the connection between Jesus and God as long as they do not contradict "sound doctrine." By this, Augustine hopes to side-step the "trap" of the heretics--who are "dogmatists" (according to the notes).
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