‘We shall be like him, for we shall see him’: A ugustine's D e T rinitate and the Purification of the Mind

Contemporary re‐examinations of Augustine's D e T rinitate have made the case for the coherence and consistency of the work based on the material content of its trinitarian theology. I propose that A ugustine's understanding of D e T rinitate 's function also ties the work together as a whole. Rather than just talking about purification, D e T rinitate 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 D e T rinitate as a participation in purification holds all 15 books together.