'We shall be like him, for we shall see him': Augustine's De Trinitate and the Purification of the Mind

摘要

Contemporary re-examinations of Augustine's De Trinitate have made the case for the coherence and consistency of the work based on the material content of its trinitarian theology. I propose that Augustine's understanding of De Trinitate's function also ties the work together as a whole. Rather than just talking about purification, De Trinitate attempts to participate in and correspond to God's economically grounded, eschatological purification of humanity. By undertaking a close reading of Book 1, followed by a brief overview of Books 2-15, I make the case that reading De Trinitate as a participation in purification holds all 15 books together.