Triadology

Substantia vel essentia and substantia vel persona in
the triadology of Saint Augustine: did he understand the triadological
terminology of the cappadocian fathers?

Aleksandar Milojkov
Archbishopric of Belgrade and Karlovac,
Belgrade

Summary: The theme of research in this paper is the triadology and triadological terminology of St. Augustine and its relationship with Cappadocian triadology. The focus of the research is on the use of the terms „substantia vel essentia“ and „substantia vel persona“ in St. Augustine’s triadology — in the context of the question of whether he
understood the Cappadocian conceptual revolution, i.e. the sense of the Cappadocian conceptual revolution in triadological terminology (their distinguishing between essence and hypostasis). It turns out that Augustine’s confession that he did not understand the Cappadocian distinction between essence and hypostasis (in the fifth book of his De
Trinitate) is not based on his alleged ontological diminution of personality (Latin persona). Such an interpretation is a prejudice based on the so-called de Regnon’s exegetical paradigm. Despite the fact that at first he did not understand the Cappadocian distinction between the terms essence and hypostasis in triadology, the Cappadocian triadology itself was not disputable for Augustine, as was the case, for example, with Blessed Jerome. Augustine never understood the Cappadocian phrase „three hypostases“ in the Arian sense, as Jerome did. Augustine’s correct interpretation was most probably influenced by the writings
of his famous predecessor, Saint Hilary of Poitiers — De Synodis. Finally, the paper shows that Augustine, during the writing of his De Trinitate (in the seventh book), came to a complete understanding of the Cappadocian equating of hypostasis and personality („substantia vel persona“). However, Augustine did not give up the old practice —
„substantia vel essentia“, believing that he should remain faithful to the inherited Latin practice.

The writings of Saint Sava, but also the first hagiographical works that describe his life, are consciously dedicated, underlining, promoting, protecting and defending faith in the Holy Trinity, the only true God. In this study, the author proves the hypothesis of the triadological basis of the entire Sava’s legacy, confirming the allegations from the very writings of our first archbishop, but also from the work of both the oldest Sava hagiographist. After that, the results obtained link with the still insufficiently explored attitude of the close relationship of faith and learning about the Trinity God with the establishment of the socio-political and church entity in the mentioned spatial and chronological frameworks.
Списи Светога Саве, али и прва агиографска дела, која описују његов живот, упадљиво посвећено, подвлаче, промовишу, утврђују и бране веру у Свету Тројицу, јединог истинитог Бога. У овој студији аутор доказује хипотезу о тријадолошком подмету целокупног Савиног опуса, поткрепљујући је наводима из самих списа нашег првог архиепископа, али и из дела обојице најстаријих С-виних хагиографа. Након тога, добијене резултате повезује са још увек недовољно истраженим ставом о блиској вези вере и учења о Тројичном Богу са устројавањем социо-политичког и црквеног ентитета у поменутим просторним и хронолошким оквирима.

Nicholas Mesarites (ca. 1163/1164 – post 1214) was rather a " theologian of transition " , than an independent thinker. Yannis Spiteris discovered in 1977 that the entire chapter on the primacy of Rome in Mesarites' treatise The Account of the Political and Ecclesiastical Events of the Year 1214 turned out to be a large quote from the Sacred Arsenal (1173–1174) by Andronicus Camaterus. We have enlarged Spiteris' observations by discovering that Chs. 35–50 of the treatise are a large quotation (with the elements of a paraphrase) of the triadological section of the Arsenal, which was centered on the Filioque. We can conclude that Mesarites' piece might have served as a florilegium and a channel of transmission of Camaterus' ideas concerning the interpenetration of the Persons within the Holy Trinity and the inadmissibility of confounding their hypostatic properties, like the Holy Spirit's hypostatic projection by the Father, with the natural ones.