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St. Augustine and being pp 34–42Cite as

Creation and Formation

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Abstract

If, as Augustine says, there is nothing in God except “is,” then His efficacy, if He exercises it at all, will consist in the giving of “is.” But He obviously did and does give it: other things besides Him exist.

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References

  1. Creatura … ita esse dicitur ex Deo, ut non ex ejus natura facta sit … Ex il lo … dicitur, quia ipsum auctorem habet ut sit: non ita, ut ab illo nata dit … sed … ab illo creata, condita, facta sit ex nulla alia, id est omnino ex nihilo. On the Soul and Its Origin (De anima et ejus origine), II, 3.5 (PL 44, 497); Cf. Confessions, XII, 7.7 (PL 32, 828); A Literal Commentary on “Genesis” VII, 2 (PL 34, 356); On the Notion of the Good, I (PL 42, 551).

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  2. The City of God, XII, 2 (PL 41, 350); Confessions, XI, 5.7 (PL 32, 812).

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  3. “nihil … majus est voluntate Dei; non ergo ejus causa quaerenda est. The Book of Eighty-three Questions, q.28 (PL 40, 18). Qui autem dicit: quare voluit facere coelum et terrain, majus aliquid quaerit quam est voluntas Dei: nihil autem majus inveniri potest.” On ‘Genesis’ Against the Manicheans I, 2.4 (PL 34, 175).

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  4. E.g., cf. E. Gilson, The Christian Philosophy of St. Augustine, (trans. L. Lynch, New York: Random House, 1960, pp. 185-289; C. O’Toole, The Philosophy of Creation in the Writings of St. Augustine, (Washington: The Catholic University Press, 1944); C. Boyer, L’idee de vérité dans la Philosophie de saint Augustin (Paris: Beauchesne, 1941), pp. 129-178; J. Guitton, Le temps et l’éternité chez Plotin et saint Augustin (Paris: Vrin, 1959), pp. 175-222.

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  5. Cf. Confessions, VII, 9.13 (PL 32, 740-741).

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  6. Cf. Enneads, I, 8.2; V, 2.1-2; V, 5.9; V, 6.6; VI, 4, 8.

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  7. The City of God, XII, 26 (PL 41, 375); cf. Against Felix the Manichean, II, 18 (PL 42, 547-578); On the True Religion, XVIII, 35 (PL 34, 137), etc.

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  8. E.g., in On “Genesis” Against the Manicheans, I, 6.10 (PL 34, 178); A Literal Commentary on “Genesis”, V, 5.14 (PL 34, 326). Cf. A. Gardeil, O.P., La structure de l’àme et l’expérience mystique, Paris, Lecoffre, 1927, t. I, pp. 156-159; t. II, Appendice II, pp. 313-325.

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  9. Cf. A. Gardeil, op. cit., t. I, pp. 157-159; t. II, p. 320; C. O’Toole, The Philosophy of Creation in the Writings of St. Augustine, pp. 27-33.

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  10. Cf. E. Gilson, The Christian Philosophy of St. Augustine, p. 205; nth French edition (Paris, Vrin, 1943) pp. 266-67, and n. 2.

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  11. “The proper act of a Deus-Essentia is to produce existents by giving them being in the proper meaning that Augustine attributes to this term, viz., ‘being that which they are.’” (“L’acte propre d’un Deus-essentia est de produire des entia en leur donnant d’exister au sens propre qu’ Augustin attribuit à ce terme, c’est-à-dire, ‘d’être ce qu’ils sont’ ”). E. Gilson, op. cit., French edition, p. 266; cf. A. Gardeil, op. cit., t. I, p. 159.

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  12. “… Augustin semble avoir conçu la création elle-meme comme une sorte de formation.” op. cit., p. 267, n. 2.

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  13. E.G., On “Genesis” Against the Manicheans, I, 6.10 (PL 34, 178); A Literal Commentary on “Genesis” 5.14 (PL 34, 326); II, 1.1 (PL 34, 263); II, 6.12 (PL 24,268); Against the Adversary of the Law and the Prophets, I, 9.12 (PL 42, 610); On Faith and Creed, II, 2 (PL 40, 181).

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  14. On Freedom of Choice, II, 17.45 (PL 32, 1265); similarly: “were form taken away altogether they would sink into nothingness: amissaque omnino forma in nihilum residunt.” Ibid., II, 17.46.

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  15. E.g., Unfinished Literal Commentary on “Genesis” X, 32 (PL 34, 233); On the Greatness of the Soul, XXXIII, 73 (PL 32, 1075); On the Christian Way of Life, II, 6.8 (PL 32, 1348); On the True Religion, XI, 21 (PL 34, 131).

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  16. On the True Religion, XVIII, 36 (PL 34, 137).

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  17. On Freedom of Choice, II, 17.45-46 (PL 32, 1265-66).

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  18. The City of God, XIX, 13.1 (PL 41, 640). 6 Ibid.

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  19. Cf. The City of God, XIX, 12.1 (PL 41, 637-638).

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  20. The Book of Eighty-three Questions, q. 35.1 (PL 40, 23): nihil enim aliud est amare, quam propter se ipsam rem aliquam appetere.

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  21. Cf. Confessions, XIII, 7.8 (PL 32, 847-848); XIII, 9.10 (PL 32, 848-849); Epistle LV, 10.18 (PL 33, 212): “Animus quippe, velut pondere, amore fertur quocumque fertur”; Epistle CLVII, 2.9 (PL 33, 677); The City of God, XI, 28. (PL 41, 341-342).

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  22. On the True Religion, XI, 21. (PL 34, 131).

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  23. See below, Chapter VII.

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  24. Sermon CXVII, 2.3 (PL 38, 663); On Freedom of Choice, II, 16.44 (PL 32, 1264-1265); The City of God, VIII, 6 (PL 41, 251); The Trinity, VI, 10.12 (PL 42, 932).

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  25. E.g., On Freedom of Choice, II, 17.45 (PL 32, 1265).

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  26. “Caetera illius unius [sc. Verbum Dei] similia dici possunt in quantum sunt, in tantum enim et vera sunt … Ut ergo Veritas forma verorum est, ita similitudo forma similium est. Quapropter vera quoniam in tantum vera sunt, in quantum sunt; in tantum autem sunt, in quantum principalis unius similia sunt: ea forma est omnium quae sunt, quae est similitudo Principii; et Veritas est, quia sine ulla dissimilitudine est.” On the True Religion, XXXVI, 66 (PL 34, 151-152); italics added.

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  27. On Freedom of Choice, II, 17.45 (PL 32, 1265).

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  28. Ibid.

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  29. E.g., On Freedom of Choice, II, 17-45 (PL 32, 1265); On the Immortality of the Soul, VIII, 14, (PL 32, 1028); Confessions, XI, 4.6 (PL 32, 811); On the Soul and its Origin, II, 3-5 (PL 44, 497).

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  30. “… facit [Deus] esse quidquid aliquo modo est, inquantumque est; quia nisi faciente illo, non tale vel tale esset, sed prorsus esse non posset.” The City of God, XII, 25 (PL 41, 375).

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  31. Cf. De Pot., Ill, 5, ad 2; Summa Theologiae, I, 65, 3.

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  32. De Pot., Ill, 2, ad 9.

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  33. On the True Religion XVIII, 35 (PL 34, 137); see Against Felix the Manichean, II, 18 (PL 42, 547-548) for a rather full development of this whole doctrine. In St. Thomas, see De Pot., Ill, 1, ad 7; Summa Theologiae I, 45, 1; 65, 3. Cf. J. Anderson. The Cause of Being (St. Louis: Herder, 1952, pp. 7-10; p. 31 and note).

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  34. “… Neque enim materies omnino nihil est, de qua in libro Sapientiae legitur, ‘Qui fecisti mundum de materia informi (11:18).’ Nam ergo quia informis dicta est, omnino nihil est: nec Deo fuit vel ipsa coaeterna, tanquam a nullo facta … Absit enim ut dicatur omnipotens non potuisse facere, nisi unde faceret, inveniret. Ergo et ipsam Deus fecit. Nec mala est putanda, quia informis: sed bona est intelligenda, quia jormabilis, id est, formationis capax.” Against the Adversary of the Law and the Prophets, I, 8. (PL 42, 609); italics added.

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  35. “sunt … ideae principales formae quaedam … “Book of Eighty-Three Questions q. 46, 2 (PL 40, 30); also called “species” (species), “reasons” (rationes) — eternal, immutable, necessary. Ibid. See below, Chapters VI and VII.

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  36. E.g., Summa Theologiae, III, 13.1.

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  37. “Necesse est … ponere proprietates in divinis … Quae quidem significatur in abstracto, ut quaedam formae personarum. Unde, cum de ratione formae sit, quod sit in eo cujus est forma, oportet dicere proprietates esse in personis, et eas tarnen esse personas; sicut essentiam esse in Deo dicimus, quae tarnen est Deus.” Summa Theologiae I, 41, 1; italics added.

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  38. See above, p. 41 note 1.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Villanova University, USA

    James F. Anderson (Professor of Philosophy)

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© 1965 Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, Netherlands

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Anderson, J.F. (1965). Creation and Formation. In: St. Augustine and being. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-9447-1_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-9447-1_5

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