Sect. 102The Productions in God Are True Productions of an Inner Manifestation (1) of the Divine Knowledge Through Word and Image; and (2) of the Divine Love Through Aspiration, Pledge, and GiftThe Productions in God Are True Productions of an Inner Manifestation (1) of the Divine Knowledge Through Word and Image; and (2) of the Divine Love Through Aspiration, Pledge, and Gift
I. The chief difficulty of the doctrine of the Divine Productions consists in clearly determining how a real production in the Divine Intellect and Will is to be conceived.
The Divine Intellect and the Divine Will essentially possess their entire actual perfection, and are identical with the acts of knowing and willing. Hence a production by the acts of knowing and willing similar to that which takes place in the created mind (viz. by a transition from potentiality to act), is impossible in God. The First Person does not acquire His wisdom through the Generated Wisdom, but possesses in His own Essence Wisdom in its fullest actuality. In the created mind, all productions are the result of a faculty passing from potentiality into actuality; this being impossible in God, we cannot conclude from His acts of thought and volition that these acts result in the production of any reality. This is also the reason why the reality of the Divine Productions cannot be known by reason alone, but must be learned from Revelation. The only conceivable form of a Divine Production is that, in virtue of the superabundant fulness of the actuality of the Divine Knowledge, a manifestation of it is brought about and a fruit produced. This is the element which Revelation adds to our natural knowledge of the perfection of Divine Life, and which connects the doctrine of the Trinity with the doctrine of the Nature of God.
II. The character of the first production in God as a manifestation and an exercise of the Divine knowledge is fittingly pointed out in Holy Scripture by the names of “Word” and “Image” (John 1; Heb. 1). “The Word” designates the product formally as the expression of the knowledge; “the Image” designates it as the expression or copy of the object of the Divine knowledge—that is, the Divine Essence. The inner manifestation and expression of knowledge is called Word and Image in analogy with the external word and image which manifest our knowledge externally. But, whereas in man we apply the names “word” and “image” to the act of knowledge itself because our mental representation is distinct from its principle and from its object; in God, Whose actual knowledge is identical with its principle and its object, the terms “Word” and “Image,” in their proper sense, can only be applied to the manifestation of the knowledge and to the expression which results from the manifestation. The sense of both names is contained in the representation of the intellectual product as radiation and splendour of the Divine Light; for God is Light, especially inasmuch as He is the substantial Truth—that is, the “adequation of the highest knowable with the highest knowledge,”—and hence the “splendour and radiance” of this Light is necessarily the expression of the Divine knowledge as well as of the Divine Essence. Moreover, this way of designating the intellectual production illustrates how the Divine knowledge necessarily produces an expression of itself, not from any want, but by virtue of its essential fecundity.
III. Holy Scripture indicates the character of the second production in God as a manifestation and exercise of His Love, by representing its product as an “Aspiration” and “Gift” or “Pledge” of Love. Just as thought naturally craves to express itself, so love naturally desires to pour itself forth; the external out-pouring of love is manifested by an aspiration or sigh coming from the heart, and by the gifts which pass from the lover to the beloved as pledges of his love. In like manner the internal effusion of love, in as far as the effusion can and ought to be distinguished from love itself, must be considered as an internal aspiration, gift, and pledge. Holy Scripture applies the names of gift and pledge to the Holy Ghost only in relation to creatures; but we have to determine the operation of the Divine Love independently of creatures, and must therefore study it in its own essence.
The Divine Love must be viewed in a threefold manner:
I. First, and above all, as God’s complacency with Himself as the supreme Goodness and Beauty. The product of the Love in this sense does not yet appear as a pledge or gift, but rather as an aspiration or as a sigh of love, in which Love breathes forth its ardour and energy, or as the seal of love (Cant. 8:6: “Put me as a seal upon thy heart”). It is in this sense that the Greek Fathers conceive the Holy Ghost when, in analogy with the odour of incense or of plants, they describe Him as the odour of the sanctity of God.
2. Divine Love may be considered as the mutual love of Father and Son for each other, as founded upon their common possession of the supreme Goodness and Beauty. In this respect the manifestation of Love appears as the final act or complement of the living communion of Father and Son: the manifestation still bears the character of an aspiration, but at the same time it conveys the notion of a bond or link, which, as a bond (vinculum, nexus) of love, is called “Pledge” (pignus, arrha, inasmuch as in the pledge the lover possesses the beloved, or gives himself to be possessed by the beloved), and “kiss” (osculum) and “embrace” (amplexus, by St. Aug.).
3. God loves Himself as the infinitely communicable and diffusive Good; consequently His Self-Love contains a readiness to communicate His goodness—that is, supreme liberality. In this respect the Divine Love acts as giver, and the fruit of the Liberality of Divine Love is called Gift. This name, however, is not quite adequate, because at first sight it signifies only that the inner product of the Divine liberality should manifest it ad extra, as a gift to others, whereas the self-giving Love of God cannot pour out its entire plenitude on its product without making this the object and the subject of the communication. In other words, the term “Gift” supposes the existence of a receiver, whereas the communication of Love in God produces both Receiver and Gift.
In every one of these three ways, the effusion of the Divine Love appears as an effusion of Divine delight, happiness, and suavity; as a bright burning flame rising from the fire of Divine Love; as the burning breath escaping from a loving heart. Hence the manifestation of Love in God is as much a breathing of Love and a flame of Love, as the manifestation of knowledge is a radiation of knowledge.
I. The chief difficulty of the doctrine of the Divine Productions consists in clearly determining how a real production in the Divine Intellect and Will is to be conceived.
The Divine Intellect and the Divine Will essentially possess their entire actual perfection, and are identical with the acts of knowing and willing. Hence a production by the acts of knowing and willing similar to that which takes place in the created mind (viz. by a transition from potentiality to act), is impossible in God. The First Person does not acquire His wisdom through the Generated Wisdom, but possesses in His own Essence Wisdom in its fullest actuality. In the created mind, all productions are the result of a faculty passing from potentiality into actuality; this being impossible in God, we cannot conclude from His acts of thought and volition that these acts result in the production of any reality. This is also the reason why the reality of the Divine Productions cannot be known by reason alone, but must be learned from Revelation. The only conceivable form of a Divine Production is that, in virtue of the superabundant fulness of the actuality of the Divine Knowledge, a manifestation of it is brought about and a fruit produced. This is the element which Revelation adds to our natural knowledge of the perfection of Divine Life, and which connects the doctrine of the Trinity with the doctrine of the Nature of God.
II. The character of the first production in God as a manifestation and an exercise of the Divine knowledge is fittingly pointed out in Holy Scripture by the names of “Word” and “Image” (John 1; Heb. 1). “The Word” designates the product formally as the expression of the knowledge; “the Image” designates it as the expression or copy of the object of the Divine knowledge—that is, the Divine Essence. The inner manifestation and expression of knowledge is called Word and Image in analogy with the external word and image which manifest our knowledge externally. But, whereas in man we apply the names “word” and “image” to the act of knowledge itself because our mental representation is distinct from its principle and from its object; in God, Whose actual knowledge is identical with its principle and its object, the terms “Word” and “Image,” in their proper sense, can only be applied to the manifestation of the knowledge and to the expression which results from the manifestation. The sense of both names is contained in the representation of the intellectual product as radiation and splendour of the Divine Light; for God is Light, especially inasmuch as He is the substantial Truth—that is, the “adequation of the highest knowable with the highest knowledge,”—and hence the “splendour and radiance” of this Light is necessarily the expression of the Divine knowledge as well as of the Divine Essence. Moreover, this way of designating the intellectual production illustrates how the Divine knowledge necessarily produces an expression of itself, not from any want, but by virtue of its essential fecundity.
III. Holy Scripture indicates the character of the second production in God as a manifestation and exercise of His Love, by representing its product as an “Aspiration” and “Gift” or “Pledge” of Love. Just as thought naturally craves to express itself, so love naturally desires to pour itself forth; the external out-pouring of love is manifested by an aspiration or sigh coming from the heart, and by the gifts which pass from the lover to the beloved as pledges of his love. In like manner the internal effusion of love, in as far as the effusion can and ought to be distinguished from love itself, must be considered as an internal aspiration, gift, and pledge. Holy Scripture applies the names of gift and pledge to the Holy Ghost only in relation to creatures; but we have to determine the operation of the Divine Love independently of creatures, and must therefore study it in its own essence.
The Divine Love must be viewed in a threefold manner:
I. First, and above all, as God’s complacency with Himself as the supreme Goodness and Beauty. The product of the Love in this sense does not yet appear as a pledge or gift, but rather as an aspiration or as a sigh of love, in which Love breathes forth its ardour and energy, or as the seal of love (Cant. 8:6: “Put me as a seal upon thy heart”). It is in this sense that the Greek Fathers conceive the Holy Ghost when, in analogy with the odour of incense or of plants, they describe Him as the odour of the sanctity of God.
2. Divine Love may be considered as the mutual love of Father and Son for each other, as founded upon their common possession of the supreme Goodness and Beauty. In this respect the manifestation of Love appears as the final act or complement of the living communion of Father and Son: the manifestation still bears the character of an aspiration, but at the same time it conveys the notion of a bond or link, which, as a bond (vinculum, nexus) of love, is called “Pledge” (pignus, arrha, inasmuch as in the pledge the lover possesses the beloved, or gives himself to be possessed by the beloved), and “kiss” (osculum) and “embrace” (amplexus, by St. Aug.).
3. God loves Himself as the infinitely communicable and diffusive Good; consequently His Self-Love contains a readiness to communicate His goodness—that is, supreme liberality. In this respect the Divine Love acts as giver, and the fruit of the Liberality of Divine Love is called Gift. This name, however, is not quite adequate, because at first sight it signifies only that the inner product of the Divine liberality should manifest it ad extra, as a gift to others, whereas the self-giving Love of God cannot pour out its entire plenitude on its product without making this the object and the subject of the communication. In other words, the term “Gift” supposes the existence of a receiver, whereas the communication of Love in God produces both Receiver and Gift.
In every one of these three ways, the effusion of the Divine Love appears as an effusion of Divine delight, happiness, and suavity; as a bright burning flame rising from the fire of Divine Love; as the burning breath escaping from a loving heart. Hence the manifestation of Love in God is as much a breathing of Love and a flame of Love, as the manifestation of knowledge is a radiation of knowledge.
Seção 34% da obra, de A Manual of Catholic Theology (Wilhelm & Scannell, sobre a Dogmatik de Scheeben). Ver o original.