Monologion: Chapter 25
MONOLOGION
once.32 For his eternity appears to be an illimitable life existing as a whole all at once and perfectly.For,since it became perfectly clear earlier33 that this same substance is nothing other than his own life and his own eternity, and that he is in no way limitable, nor exists otherwise than as a whole all at once and perfectly, what else is true eternity, which belongs to him alone, but an illimitable life existing as a whole all at once and perfectly? For, by this alone is it evidently seen that true eternity exists in that substance alone, who alone has been found to be not made, but the Maker. For true eternity is understood as lacking the boundaries of a beginning and an end. But this is not true of any created thing, as is shown by the very fact that they were made from nothing.
Chapter 25 That he cannot be changed by any accidents* But that essence, who has been shown34 to be in every respect the same as himself substantially: is he not sometimes different from himself, at least accidentally? But then how is he supremely unchangeable if he can—I will not say, be changeable, but at least be understood as changeable through accidents?
And on the other hand, how is he not subject to accidents, when the very fact that he is greater than all other natures, and that he is unlike them, seems to be accidental to him?
But why would susceptibility to certain of those things that are called accidents be inconsistent with natural immutability, if taking on those accidents causes no change in the substance? And in fact, among all the things that are called accidents, it is understood that some—all colors, for example—cannot be present or absent without some variation in the thing that participates in them. But there are others—some relations, for example—that are known to bring about no change at all in the thing of which they are said by beginning or ceasing to be present in it. For example, it is evident that I am not taller than,shorter than,equal to,or similar to a human being who will be born after this year. But once he has been born, I will be able—without any change on my part—to have and to lose all these relations with respect to him as he grows or is changed by various qualities. And so it becomes clear that among the things that are called accidents, some do imply a degree of mutability, whereas others in no way destroy immutability.
32 Anselm is here echoing the famous definition of eternity found in Boethius, Consolation of Philosophy, Book 5, prose 6:"Eternity is the whole and perfect possession of illimitable life all at once."
33 In Chapter 17.
34 Ibid.