Divine Semiotics And The Way To The Triune God In Augustine’S De Trinitate

Abstract

Among the notable distinctions of Augustine's De Trinitate is the sheer variety of tasks that are encompassed by the overall project of the work. As a demonstration of some of the routes that such an attentiveness might pursue, this chapter first analyses Augustine's description of his own theological method in the first book of De Trinitate in order to trace his argumentation for why knowledge of God must necessarily proceed by way of revealed signs. It then gives an albeit cursory account of how the framework of signs-things structurally governs the contents of the work. The chapter uses the binary opposition of idol/icon in the work of Jean Luc-Marion in order to characterize the general intent of De Trinitate as an attempt to render iconic access to the mystery of God's Trinitarian being. The foundational principle is that of the necessarily symbolic or semiotic nature of revelation. Keywords: Augustine's De Trinitate ; God; Jean Luc-Marion; semiotic method