The Theological Tractates and The Consolation of Philosophy | Page 8

single items does not by any means
produce numerical difference in the objects counted. There are as a fact
two kinds of number. There is the number with which we count

(abstract) and the number inherent in the things counted (concrete).
"One" is a thing-- the thing counted. Unity is that by which oneness is
denoted. Again "two" belongs to the class of things as men or stones;
but not so duality; duality is merely that whereby two men or two
stones are denoted; and so on. Therefore a repetition of unities[17]
produces plurality when it is a question of abstract, but not when it is a
question of concrete things, as, for example, if I say of one and the
same thing, "one sword, one brand, one blade."[18] It is easy to see that
each of these names denotes a sword; I am not numbering unities but
simply repeating one thing, and in saying "sword, brand, blade," I
reiterate the one thing and do not enumerate several different things any
more than I produce three suns instead of merely mentioning one thing
thrice when I say "Sun, Sun, Sun."
So then if God be predicated thrice of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the
threefold predication does not result in plural number. The risk of that,
as has been said, attends only on those who distinguish Them according
to merit. But Catholic Christians, allowing no difference of merit in
God, assuming Him to be Pure Form and believing Him to be nothing
else than His own essence, rightly regard the statement "the Father is
God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God, and this Trinity is one
God," not as an enumeration of different things but as a reiteration of
one and the same thing, like the statement, "blade and brand are one
sword" or "sun, sun, and sun are one sun."
Let this be enough for the present to establish my meaning and to show
that not every repetition of units produces number and plurality. Still in
saying "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit," we are not using synonymous
terms. "Brand and blade" are the same and identical, but "Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit," though the same, are not identical. This point
deserves a moment's consideration. When they ask "Is the Father the
same as the Son?" Catholics answer "No." "Is the One the same as the
Other?" The answer is in the negative. There is not, therefore, complete
indifference between Them; and so number does come in--number
which we explained was the result of diversity of substrates. We will
briefly debate this point when we have done examining how particular
predicates can be applied to God.

[17] e.g. if I say "one, one, one," I enounce three unities.
[18] The same words are used to illustrate the same matter in the
Comment. in Arist. [Greek: peri hermaeneias], 2nd ed. (Meiser) 56. 12.

IV.
Decem omnino praedicamenta traduntur quae de rebus omnibus
uniuersaliter praedicantur, id est substantia, qualitas, quantitas, ad
aliquid, ubi, quando, habere, situm esse, facere, pati. Haec igitur talis
sunt qualia subiecta permiserint; nam pars eorum in reliquarum rerum
praedicatione substantia est, pa*rs in accidentium numero est. At haec
cum quis i*n diuinam uerterit praedicationem, cuncta mutantu*r quae
praedicari possunt. Ad aliquid uero omnino non potest praedicari, nam
substantia in illo non est uere substantia sed ultra substantiam; item
qualitas et cetera quae uenire queunt. Quorum ut amplior fiat intellectus
exempla subdenda sunt.
Nam cum dicimus "deus," substantiam quidem significare uidemur, sed
eam quae sit ultra substantiam; cum uero "iustus," qualitatem quidem
sed non accidentem, sed eam quae sit substantia sed ultra substantiam.
Neque enim aliud est quod est, aliud est quod iustus est, sed idem est
esse deo quod iusto. Item cum dicitur "magnus uel maximus,"
quantitatem quidem significare uidemur, sed eam quae sit ipsa
substantia, talis qualem esse diximus ultra substantiam; idem est enim
esse deo quod magno. De forma enim eius superius monstratum est
quoniam is sit forma et unum uere nec ulla pluralitas. Sed haec
praedicamenta talia sunt, ut in quo sint ipsum esse faciant quod dicitur,
diuise quidem in ceteris, in deo uero coniuncte atque copulate hoc
modo: nam cum dicimus "substantia" (ut homo uel deus), ita dicitur
quasi illud de quo praedicatur ipsum sit substantia, ut substantia homo
uel deus. Sed distat, quoniam homo non integre ipsum homo est ac per
hoc nec substantia; quod enim est, aliis debet quae non sunt homo.
Deus uero hoc ipsum deus est; nihil enim aliud est nisi quod est, ac per
hoc ipsum deus est. Rursus "iustus," quod est qualitas, ita dicitur quasi
ipse hoc sit de quo praedicatur, id est si dicamus "homo iustus uel deus

iustus," ipsum hominem uel deum iustos esse proponimus; sed differt,
quod homo alter alter iustus, deus uero idem