Two Philosophers, Boethius and Augustine, Each Paving a Separate Route Towards the Concept of Trinity, Striving for Unification of Thoughts
Boethius and Augustine, two influential thinkers from late antiquity, have each left a lasting impact on the way we understand the Trinity. While their approaches differ significantly, both philosophers strive to provide clarity and depth in their theological treatises.
Boethius, a philosopher imprisoned during his time, wrote the "Trinity Treatises" to give form to the mystery of Christian revelation using the means of Aristotle and Neoplatonism. His approach is more ontological than existential, and he analyses the Trinity under the concept of substantia (substance), stating that God is una substantia (one substance), but tres personae (three persons). Boethius' method is systematic and abstract, focusing on how three persons can be one essence without contradiction, using concepts like 'relation' as a real distinctia in the Godhead.
In contrast, Augustine's approach in his Trinity treatises (notably De Trinitate) is psychological and genetic, modeled on human internal experience and the faculties of the mind. Augustine explores the Trinity by analogy to the human mind’s memory, understanding, and will, which are three distinct but unified aspects of one self. This psychological analogy offers a way to grasp the relational and personal distinctions within the Godhead through mental activities.
These complementary perspectives reflect their different intellectual backgrounds and aims in explicating the complex doctrine of the Trinity. Boethius prioritizes logical coherence and metaphysical clarity, while Augustine prioritizes existential insight and spiritual comprehension.
Both philosophers emphasize the importance of finding a language and an order of thought for the unspeakable and the unreasonable when discussing the divine. However, Augustine acknowledges the limitations of the analogy between the divine Trinity and human thought, as human thought is fragmented and wounded by sin, whereas the divine Trinity is eternal, unchanging, and perfect.
Boethius' work marks a turning point in the era when theology was moving from the mystical to the academic, from inwardness to systematics. His definition of the person as a "rational substance of individual nature" was later adopted by Thomas Aquinas and became the systematic foundation of scholasticism. On the other hand, Augustine's "De Trinitate" is a significant work aiming to inscribe trinitarian thought into the human consciousness itself. For Augustine, the human mind is a trinitarian prototype, consisting of memory, understanding, and will, reflecting the divine unity in the multiplicity of inner life.
In summary, Boethius provides a more abstract metaphysical-logical account grounded in philosophical categories, whereas Augustine offers a more analogical and experiential understanding rooted in psychological experience and the genesis of self-awareness. Despite these differences, both Boethius and Augustine suggest that thinking about the divine demands both clarity and depth, and that it is not enough to feel or believe, but that the mind - trained, honed, and offered - is the only vessel that can give form to truth.
[1] Mark Vessey, Boethius and the Consolations of Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, 2003. [2] Eleonore Stump, Aquinas, Oxford University Press, 2003.
Education and self-development can be seen as the fundamental motivations behind the works of Boethius and Augustine, two influential thinkers from late antiquity. Boethius, through his "Trinity Treatises," sought to provide a systematic and abstract explanation of the Trinity, shaping the foundations of scholasticism, while Augustine aimed to inscribe trinitarian thought into the human consciousness itself, viewing the human mind as a trinitarian prototype.
