1/5. When Augustine says in Bk. V of The Trinity that the distinction between ousia & hypostasis is "obscure to me" he is not saying he does not understand Greek, but that he does! He is not making a mistake but a profound point.
2/5. He is saying that the exact nature of the difference bet. what these 2 words mean is a mystery beyond human comprehension. He quotes Jn. 10:30 "I & the Father are one" & notes that Jesus says "are one," not what the Sabellians would say, i.e. "is one."
3/5. Then he says: "Yet when you ask 'Three what?' human speech labor under a great dearth of words. So we say 3 persons (persona), not in order to say that precisely, but in order not to be reduced to silence."
4/5. He notes that in Latin ousia & hypostasis are translated as being & substance. These are synonyms. If the Latins translated the Nicene Creed as saying God is one being & three substances, that would be contradictory.
5/5. He rules out silence for we must follow Scripture and speak of God. But he also rules out speaking logical contradictions when we speak of God. What is left?
We affirm the mystery of the Divine being, which is neither creaturely nor contradictory, but worthy of worship.
We affirm the mystery of the Divine being, which is neither creaturely nor contradictory, but worthy of worship.
