Sect. 100The Distinction of the Divine Persons in Particular, and Their Distinctive MarksThe Distinction of the Divine Persons in Particular, and Their Distinctive Marks
I. According to Tertullian, the differentiation (œconomia) of the Divine Persons presupposes the Monarchy, that is the unity and unicity of the Divine Essence and particularly the unity and unicity of one Person, in whom the Divine Essence is present originally, not as communicated or received. The differentiation is brought about by the First Person being essentially a producing and communicating Person, producing the other Persons from Himself, and communicating His essence to Them.
II. The active production and communication of the First Person is twofold, and consequently the corresponding procession (πρόοδος) is also twofold, namely, the generation (γέννησις) which has its foundation in the First Person alone; and the procession in a narrower sense (spiratio, πνεῦσις or προβολή) when expressing the action; processio, ἐκπόρευσις, when considered passively), which has its common foundation in the First and Second Persons.
III. Hence a threefold positive fundamental form of possessing the Divine Nature (τρόποι ὑπάρξεος); viz. (1) communicating possession, or possession for self and for others; (2) two forms of receiving possession, or possession for self and from others. Of these latter the one is distinguished from the other inasmuch as it partakes of the communicating form. These three fundamental forms are the three distinguishing personal characters of the three Persons (ἰδιώματα ὑποστατικά, characteres personales et constituentes), from which they also take their names—the Father from the Fathership (πατρότης, paternitas), the Son from the Sonship (ὑιότης, filiatio), and the Holy Ghost from the Spiration (πνεῦσις, spiratio).
The Active Spiration is not a personal, constituent character like Paternity and Filiation, because it is not a fundamental form of possession, existing side by side with Paternity and Filiation, but is only an attribute of these. But Active Spiration is an attribute in such a manner that it is contained in the complete concept of Paternity and Filiation, and unfolds the full signification of these two characters. The Father, as principle of the first production in the Deity, is also principle of the second production; and the Son, as product of the first production, is also principle of the second. The Father generates the Son as Spirator (Pater generat Filium Spiratorem), and the Son is one with the Father in Spiration as in all other things The Father as Father being also Spirator, and the Son as Son being likewise Spirator, it follows that the Father is principle of all communications, and is a communicating principle only; that the Son is principle of only one communication, and is at the same time a receiving and communicating principle.
IV. As from the twofold production in God results a threefold form of possession, so from the same there result four real relations (relationes, σχέσεις), or two mutual relations. Each production gives rise to two relations, viz. of principle to product and vice versâ: generation is the foundation of the relation of Father to Son and of Son to Father; spiration is the foundation of the relation of Father and Son to the Holy Ghost, and of the relation of the Holy Ghost to Father and Son. And of these real relations there are only four, because the spiration proceeds from Father and Son as from one principle, so that Father and Son bear to the Holy Ghost one indivisible relation. The relations are real, not merely logical, because they are founded upon a real production, and are the condition of the real being of the principle and of the product. Whence they have essentially a twofold function: the differentiation of the terminus a quo and the terminus ad quem, and the connecting of both terms; or rather, they only distinguish, in as far as at the same time they represent, the Persons distinguished as appertaining one to another, and so bind Them together, that if one ceased to be, the corresponding one would likewise cease. This also applies to the relation of Father and Son to the Holy Ghost; for although They are not Father and Son on account of the Spiration, still without the Spiration They would not be all that They are by essence.
V. The special marks or characters which distinguish each of the three Persons from the other two, are called in theology proprietates, ἰδιώματα, or ἰδιότητες; and considered as objects of our knowledge, “Distinguishing and Personal Notions” (notiones distinguentes and personales, ἔννοιαι or γνωρίσματα διακριτικά and συστατικά); in the language of the schools they are termed simply notiones divinœ or notiones.
These notions are five in number, viz. the four relations as positive notions, to which is added the “Ingenerateness,” or “Innascibility” of the Father as a negative notion. This last characterizes the peculiar position of the Father more distinctly as First Principle in the Deity, and thus completes the notion of paternity. The negative notions that might be predicated of the Son and of the Holy Ghost (viz. that the Son is not Father, and the Holy Ghost is not Spirator) are not taken into account, because they do not complete the notions of Filiation and Spiration, but result at once from these notions. The positive notions may be conceived and expressed in a variety of ways, e.g. the Sonship as “being spoken as a Word,” or as generation in its active or passive sense. These differences of expression, however, do not alter the number of notions.
Three of the five notions appertain to the Father—Ingenerateness, Paternity, and Active Spiration; two to the Son—Filiation and Active Spiration; one to the Holy Ghost—Passive Spiration.
VI. Thus there are in God:—
1. One Nature;
2. Two Productions;
3. Three Persons;
4. Four Relations; and
5. Five Notions.
I. According to Tertullian, the differentiation (œconomia) of the Divine Persons presupposes the Monarchy, that is the unity and unicity of the Divine Essence and particularly the unity and unicity of one Person, in whom the Divine Essence is present originally, not as communicated or received. The differentiation is brought about by the First Person being essentially a producing and communicating Person, producing the other Persons from Himself, and communicating His essence to Them.
II. The active production and communication of the First Person is twofold, and consequently the corresponding procession (πρόοδος) is also twofold, namely, the generation (γέννησις) which has its foundation in the First Person alone; and the procession in a narrower sense (spiratio, πνεῦσις or προβολή) when expressing the action; processio, ἐκπόρευσις, when considered passively), which has its common foundation in the First and Second Persons.
III. Hence a threefold positive fundamental form of possessing the Divine Nature (τρόποι ὑπάρξεος); viz. (1) communicating possession, or possession for self and for others; (2) two forms of receiving possession, or possession for self and from others. Of these latter the one is distinguished from the other inasmuch as it partakes of the communicating form. These three fundamental forms are the three distinguishing personal characters of the three Persons (ἰδιώματα ὑποστατικά, characteres personales et constituentes), from which they also take their names—the Father from the Fathership (πατρότης, paternitas), the Son from the Sonship (ὑιότης, filiatio), and the Holy Ghost from the Spiration (πνεῦσις, spiratio).
The Active Spiration is not a personal, constituent character like Paternity and Filiation, because it is not a fundamental form of possession, existing side by side with Paternity and Filiation, but is only an attribute of these. But Active Spiration is an attribute in such a manner that it is contained in the complete concept of Paternity and Filiation, and unfolds the full signification of these two characters. The Father, as principle of the first production in the Deity, is also principle of the second production; and the Son, as product of the first production, is also principle of the second. The Father generates the Son as Spirator (Pater generat Filium Spiratorem), and the Son is one with the Father in Spiration as in all other things The Father as Father being also Spirator, and the Son as Son being likewise Spirator, it follows that the Father is principle of all communications, and is a communicating principle only; that the Son is principle of only one communication, and is at the same time a receiving and communicating principle.
IV. As from the twofold production in God results a threefold form of possession, so from the same there result four real relations (relationes, σχέσεις), or two mutual relations. Each production gives rise to two relations, viz. of principle to product and vice versâ: generation is the foundation of the relation of Father to Son and of Son to Father; spiration is the foundation of the relation of Father and Son to the Holy Ghost, and of the relation of the Holy Ghost to Father and Son. And of these real relations there are only four, because the spiration proceeds from Father and Son as from one principle, so that Father and Son bear to the Holy Ghost one indivisible relation. The relations are real, not merely logical, because they are founded upon a real production, and are the condition of the real being of the principle and of the product. Whence they have essentially a twofold function: the differentiation of the terminus a quo and the terminus ad quem, and the connecting of both terms; or rather, they only distinguish, in as far as at the same time they represent, the Persons distinguished as appertaining one to another, and so bind Them together, that if one ceased to be, the corresponding one would likewise cease. This also applies to the relation of Father and Son to the Holy Ghost; for although They are not Father and Son on account of the Spiration, still without the Spiration They would not be all that They are by essence.
V. The special marks or characters which distinguish each of the three Persons from the other two, are called in theology proprietates, ἰδιώματα, or ἰδιότητες; and considered as objects of our knowledge, “Distinguishing and Personal Notions” (notiones distinguentes and personales, ἔννοιαι or γνωρίσματα διακριτικά and συστατικά); in the language of the schools they are termed simply notiones divinœ or notiones.
These notions are five in number, viz. the four relations as positive notions, to which is added the “Ingenerateness,” or “Innascibility” of the Father as a negative notion. This last characterizes the peculiar position of the Father more distinctly as First Principle in the Deity, and thus completes the notion of paternity. The negative notions that might be predicated of the Son and of the Holy Ghost (viz. that the Son is not Father, and the Holy Ghost is not Spirator) are not taken into account, because they do not complete the notions of Filiation and Spiration, but result at once from these notions. The positive notions may be conceived and expressed in a variety of ways, e.g. the Sonship as “being spoken as a Word,” or as generation in its active or passive sense. These differences of expression, however, do not alter the number of notions.
Three of the five notions appertain to the Father—Ingenerateness, Paternity, and Active Spiration; two to the Son—Filiation and Active Spiration; one to the Holy Ghost—Passive Spiration.
VI. Thus there are in God:—
1. One Nature;
2. Two Productions;
3. Three Persons;
4. Four Relations; and
5. Five Notions.
Seção 34% da obra, de A Manual of Catholic Theology (Wilhelm & Scannell, sobre a Dogmatik de Scheeben). Ver o original.