must judge of it in regard to the quality
of the Divine Person assuming, and not according to the quality of
the human nature assumed. Therefore it is not impossible that two or
three Divine Persons should assume one human nature, but it would be
impossible for them to assume one human hypostasis or person; thus
Anselm says in the book De Concep. Virg. (Cur Deus Homo ii, 9), that
"several Persons cannot assume one and the same man to unity of
Person."

Reply Obj. 1: In the hypothesis that three Persons assume one human
nature, it would be true to say that the three Persons were one man,
because of the one human nature. For just as it is now true to say
the three Persons are one God on account of the one Divine Nature, so
it would be true to say they are one man on account of the one human
nature. Nor would "one" imply unity of person, but unity in human
nature; for it could not be argued that because the three Persons
were one man they were one simply. For nothing hinders our saying
that men, who are many simply, are in some respect one, e.g. one
people, and as Augustine says (De Trin. vi, 3): "The Spirit of God
and the spirit of man are by nature different, but by inherence one
spirit results," according to 1 Cor. 6:17: "He who is joined to the
Lord is one spirit."

Reply Obj. 2: In this supposition the human nature would be assumed
to the unity, not indeed of one Person, but to the unity of each
Person, so that even as the Divine Nature has a natural unity with
each Person, so also the human nature would have a unity with each
Person by assumption.

Reply Obj. 3: In the mystery of the Incarnation, there results a
communication of the properties belonging to the nature, because
whatever belongs to the nature can be predicated of the Person
subsisting in that nature, no matter to which of the natures it may
apply. Hence in this hypothesis, of the Person of the Father may be
predicated what belongs to the human nature and what belongs to the
Divine; and likewise of the Person of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.
But what belongs to the Person of the Father by reason of His own
Person could not be attributed to the Person of the Son or Holy Ghost
on account of the distinction of Persons which would still remain.
Therefore it might be said that as the Father was unbegotten, so the
man was unbegotten, inasmuch as "man" stood for the Person of the
Father. But if one were to go on to say, "The man is unbegotten; the
Son is