Prologue — St. Thomas’ Introduction

I will seek her out from the beginning of her birth, and bring the knowledge of her to light.

Wisdom 6:24

The natural intuition of the human mind, burdened by the weight of a corruptible body, cannot fix its gaze in the prime light of first truth, in which all things are easily knowable; whence it must be that, according to the progress of its natural manner of cognition, the reason advances from the things that are posterior to those that are prior, and from creatures to God. For the invisible things of him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made (Rom 1:20) and for by the greatness of the beauty and of the creature, the Creator of them may be seen, so as to be known thereby (Wis 13:5); and this is what is said in Job 36:25: all men see him, everyone beholdeth afar off. For creatures, through whom God can be known by the natural light of reason, are at an infinite distance from him.

But since, in those who look at a thing from a great distance, vision may readily be deceived, therefore those striving to attain to a knowledge of God from creatures fell into many errors: wherefore it is said: the creatures of God are . . . a snare to the feet of the unwise (Wis 14:11), and: they have failed in their search (Ps 63:7); and therefore God has provided for the human race another safe road of cognition, bestowing upon the minds of men, by faith, a knowledge of himself. Therefore, it is said: the things also that are of God no man knoweth, but the Spirit of God: but to us God has revealed them by his Spirit (1 Cor 2:11): and this is the Spirit by whom we are enabled to be believers: having the same spirit of faith, as it is written: “I believed, for which cause I have spoken.” We also believe, for which cause we speak also (2 Cor 4:13).

Therefore, as the principle of our cognition is naturally the knowledge of created things, obtained by means of the senses, so the principle of supernatural cognition is that knowledge of first truth conferred upon us, infused by faith; and hence it follows that in advancing one proceeds according to a diverse order. For philosophers, who follow along the way of natural cognition, place knowledge about created things before knowledge about divine things: natural science before metaphysics: but among theologians the procedure is in reverse order, so that study of the Creator comes before that of creatures.

This order, therefore, Boethius followed: intending to treat of those things which are of faith, he took as the starting point of his study that highest origin of things, namely, the Trinity of the one, simple God. Whence it is that the above-quoted words are applicable to him: I will seek her out from the beginning of her birth, and bring the knowledge of her to light (Wis 6:24). In these words, as regards the present opusculum, which he addressed to Symmachus, a patrician of Rome, three things can be noted: namely, the matter, the mode, and the purpose.

The matter of this work is the Trinity of persons in the one, divine essence, that Trinity which has its source in the primal nativity in which divine wisdom is eternally generated by the Father. The depths were not as yet, and I was already conceived (Prov 8:24), and: this day have I begotten you (Ps 2:7).

This nativity is the beginning of every other nativity, as it is the only one involving perfect participation in the nature of the generator: but all others are imperfect according as the one generated receives either a part of the substance of the generator, or only a similitude: from this it follows that from the aforesaid nativity, every other is derived by a kind of imitation; and thus: of whom all paternity in heaven and in earth is named (Eph 3:15); and on this account the Son is called the first-born of every creature (Col 1:15) so that the origin of nativity and its imitation might be designated, but not according to the same meaning of generation; and therefore it is aptly said: I will seek her out from the beginning of her birth; the Lord possessed me in the beginning of his ways (Prov 8:22); for not only of creatures is the aforesaid nativity the beginning, but even of the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Generator and the Generated.

But in saying this, he does not say: I will seek out the beginning of nativity, but from the beginning signifies that his search is not limited by initiation of this kind of nativity, but that, beginning from this, he proceeds to others. For his doctrine is divided into three parts.

The first part, concerning the Trinity of persons, from the procession of whom every other nativity and procession are derived, is contained in that book which we possess at hand, so far as anything can be known about the Trinity and Unity. But in another book which he wrote to John, a deacon of the Roman Church, we find what he says about the mode of predication which we employ in the distinction of persons and unity of essence; and this book begins: I inquire whether the Father. (Boethius, To John the Deacon, (ed. Peiper, p. 164).)

The second part, which is about the procession of good creatures from a good God, is in a book that is written to the same John (De hebdomadibus), and this begins: you ask of me. (Boethius, To John the Deacon, (p. 168).)

The third part is about the separation of creatures through Christ. This is divided into two parts:

For first, there is set forth the faith which Christ taught by which we are justified, in that book entitled De fide Christiana, which begins: the Christian faith. (Boethius, On the Catholic Faith, (ed. Peiper, p. 175).)

In the second part, an explanation is given of what must be held about Christ: namely, how two natures are united in one person. This discussion of the two natures and the one person in Christ is also in a book written to the same John, which begins: you, indeed, solicitously. (Boethius, A Treatise Against Eutyches and Nestorius, (ed. Peiper, p. 186).)

Now the mode employed in treating of the Trinity is twofold, as St. Augustine says in De Trinitate, 1, namely, through truths known on the basis of authority, and through those known by reason, both of which modes Augustine combined, as he himself says. (Augustine, On the Trinity, 1.2.4 (Patrologia Latina [PL] [Migne], 42:822, Corpus Christianorum Series Latina [CCSL] 50:31).)

Some of the holy fathers, as Ambrose and Hilary, employed but one mode of explanation: namely, by setting forth those truths founded upon authority. But Boethius chose to proceed according to the other mode; namely, according to reasoned arguments, presupposing what had been concluded by others on the grounds of authority. Hence also the method of his work is indicated in what he says: I shall investigate, in which an inquiry of reason is signified. In Sirach 39:1 we read: wisdom, namely, knowledge of the Trinity; of all the ancients, that is, which the ancients affirmed solely on the grounds of authority; the wise man will seek out, that is, he will investigate by reason. Wherefore, in the preface he speaks of an investigation carried on for a very long time.

The purpose of this work is: that hidden things may be made manifest, so far as that is possible in this life. They that explain me shall have life everlasting (Sir 24:31); and therefore, he says: I will bring the knowledge of her to light (Wis 6:24). The depths also of rivers he hath searched, and hidden things he hath brought forth to light (Job 28:11).