II.1 chapter 26

Do these three things in man, being, knowledge and love, form a unity in him too?
Man is made in the image of God, although he is not equal to God, rather, very far removed from him: not eternal, nor, to say all in a word, of the same being. But because man is the image of God we find the same unity: we are; we know that we are, we know that we love; and we love that we are, and love that we know.
These things are sure, not bothered by sceptical questions; for they are not dependent from any deceivable senses. Because: if I were deceived, I would therefore be; and therefore I can know that I am. Moreover, I know that I love: because I may be deceived in my love, but even if I loved false things, I would know that I loved. Finally, who does not love that he is, because to be happy, one has to be, and who does not desire happiness?

[Note: the last backward transitivity of desire does not seem to apply. If we desire to be married to Mary (D(p)), but it is impossible to marry Mary without killing John (p ↔ q), it does not follow that we desire to kill John (D(q)).]
[Note that Descartes took the same argument for being as a starting point of his metaphysics: dubio, ergo (cogito, ergo) sum.]

II.1 chapter 25

Do we not find the same trichotomy of being, knowing, and loving, in man?
In the philosophy we find the same trichotomy: it has been divided in physics, logic, and ethics. These three correspond to three necessary things with which a human artificer is able to make something: nature, education, use. [Compare the four causes from Aristotle: working cause (artificer), material cause (nature), formal cause (education), final cause (use).] Here within use I do not distinguish between use for a purpose and enjoying something, although we know there is this difference: the things of time should rather be used than enjoyed, because the last becomes the eternal things (but the opposite is often done).
If our nature would be from ourself, we would produce our own knowledge (and not have to learn it) and our joy would return to itself (and need nothing external); but as God is our creator, we have to learn from him and our joy has to be turned to him.

II.1 chapter 24

How can you explain the full origin of creation in God?
We believe that the Father begot the Word, which is the wisdom by which everything is made, and is of the same unity, eternity and goodness; and that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and the Son, and the same in being and eternity. Still these are united as one almighty God. The Holy Spirit may be called the holiness of both, or, more explicit, the goodness of both, although the Father and the Son are both holy and good.

So this is the origin of the City of God: God made it; the wise are by illumination from God; the happiness is from enjoying in God. It is, it sees, it loves: in God's eternity is its life; in God's truth its light; in God's goodness its joy.

II.1 chapter 23

It is strange that Origen asserts that the earth is a prison for an already fallen soul to prevent further evil, because he ignores the word in the Bible that God saw that it was good. In this creation, had no one sinned, the world would have been filled and beautified with natures good without exception; and though there is sin, all things are not therefore full of sin, for the great majority of the heavenly inhabitants preserve their nature's integrity. And even fallen natures contribute to Gods plan and orderliness of the world producing beauty.
Moreover he asserts that the different bodies are possessed by different souls, in the degree that they were good or bad; but that is easily contradicted because every man received the same earthly body even before doing any sin, and because the orderliness of the world cannot correlate with an accidental ordering of fallen souls.

So we conclude with what we have stated: that we can answer the following questions about the world: Who created it? God. How? Through the word of God. Why? Because he is good. If these three facts are a mystical indication of the trinity of God, of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we cannot explore in this book completely [see also the later book of Augustine, 'De Trinitate'].

II.1 chapter 21

What do the words "God saw that it was good" indicate exactly?
It does not mean that God became a knowledge he did not have before he made it. For God does not have a body, such that seeing and thinking would be different, but is eternal and unchangeable, such that the past, present and future are comprehended without transition of thought.
It is instead a statement of approval for us to know it was Gods will that was why it was created. This also Plato has assigned as the most sufficient reason for the creation of the world, that good works might be made by a good God. This completes our knowledge about the creation:

• who created, was God;
• how it was created, was by the word of God
• why it was created, the will of God.

II.1 chapter 10

What is the relation in being between God and the world he created? Is it the case that everything came forth from the One, like the school of Plato says?
Only God is one and therefore unchangeable. From this everything which is good is created, but not being one and therefore changeable.
They are created, not emanated. Because what is begotten from the one good, is one too and identical; these two we call the Father and the Son, and they are together with their Spirit, called the Holy Spirit, which is not identical with the Father nor with the Son, but likewise one and unchangeable, one God.
The trinity of God is distinct (though the same), not a singularity; but inseparable. Other things can be deprived of what they are grouped with; but the trinity in God is what it is with.
Therefore we only call that one, which is divine, because in it quality and substance are one; and because it does not need any quality from outside.
The wisdom with which God created the world is likewise one, but called 'manifold' because it contains many things, all the invisible and unchangeable reasons with which the visible and changeable things were made.