Dist. 9, Art. 1, Q. 4
Book I: On the Mystery of the Trinity · Distinction 9
Quaestio IV. Utrum generatio Filii terminata sit.
Quarto et ultimo quaeritur, utrum generatio Filii sit terminata. Et quod sic, videtur.
1. Augustinus in libro octoginta trium Quaestionum1: « Qui semper nascitur nunquam est natus, ac per hoc nunquam est filius ». Nullus ergo per generationem dicendus est filius, quousque generatio
sit terminata; sed Verbum Patris recte dicitur perfectus Filius: ergo eius generatio est terminata.
2. Item, ratione ostenditur sic: produci terminatur ad productum esse, ergo generari ad generatum esse; sed Filius Dei est generatus et natus: ergo eius productio sive generatio est terminata.
3. Item, nobilius est esse generatum quam generari, quia generari est via ad generatum esse, et non e converso; sed quod nobilius est Deo est attribuendum: ergo magis debet ei attribui generatum esse quam generari: ergo generatio Filii dicitur in terminatione.
4. Item, in2 generatione, quae semper est in generando, semper aliquid vel aliquis producitur; sed non producitur id quod productum est, secundum id quod est productum: ergo oportet, vel quod iteretur, vel quod succedat generatum in tali generatione; sed in Filio Dei nec est successio nec3 iteratio: ergo nec continua generatio: ergo Filii Dei generatio est terminata.
Contra:
1. Damascenus4: « Deus, infinite et sine tempore ens, infinite et inquiescibiliter generat »: ergo generatio nunquam terminatur.
2. Item, ratione videtur hoc idem posse monstrari. Aeternum non habet se aliter nunc quam prius, sed semper omnino uniformiter: ergo si semper Pater a principio5 generat, adhuc generat; alioquin aliter se haberet nunc quam prius, et ita generatio aeterna mutaretur.
3. Item, simplex6 et infinitum caret omni termino; sed generatio Filii est simplex et infinita: ergo generatio Filii caret omni termino. Quod sit infinita, patet, quia Filius est infinitus, et iterum ipsa generatio est aeterna, et aeternum est duratione infinitum.
4. Item, perfectior est potentia semper actui coniuncta, quam quae non semper: ergo perfectior est fecunditas semper actui generationis coniuncta, maxime cum fecunditas generandi non perdatur, sed perficiatur7: si ergo in Deo est fecunditas perfecta, semper ergo generat; sed non generat alium nisi Filium: ergo Filius semper generatur.
Conclusio. Generatio divina dicenda est terminata, quatenus hoc vocabulum excludit imperfectionem, interminata vero, quatenus excludit durationem.
Respondeo: Ad praedictorum intelligentiam notandum, quod quaedam sunt, in quibus idem est esse et factum esse, differt tamen fieri et esse, ut sunt illa, quorum esse est permanens nec dependet omnino a principio producente8, immo habent rationem subsistendi aliquam intra se, sive per principia propria sive subiecti, ut substantiae et accidentia innata. Quaedam sunt, in quibus differt esse et factum esse, idem tamen est fieri et esse, ut sunt successiva, quorum esse dependet omnino a principio producente existente in sua actualitate, ut sunt motus et mutationes. Quaedam sunt, in quibus est idem fieri et esse et factum esse, ut sunt illa, quae habent esse permanens et totaliter dependent a principio producente, existente in sua actualitate per eundem modum, per quem in principio9, non tantum in se, sed etiam respectu producti, ita quod consimilis modus actualitatis attendatur quantum ad utrumque; et talia sunt influentiae sive corporales sive spirituales. Unde Augustinus octavo super Genesim ad litteram10 dicit, quod lumen semper nascitur et, dum nascitur, est, unde aer semper est illuminatus et semper illuminatur. Similiter omnino dicit11 de lumine spirituali, quod est gratia.
Si igitur Filius Dei habet esse permanentissimum
et esse coniunctissimum principio productivo, ut in sui actualitate existenti, quia ipse Filius est purus12 actus; omnino idem est in ipso nasci et natum esse; et ideo semper nascitur et semper est natus et semper est, nec unquam desinit nec cessat generari, nec Pater generare.
Cum ergo quaeritur, an generatio Filii sit terminata, distinguendum est, quia terminatum aut excludit imperfectionem; et sic generatio Filii est terminata, quia perfecta, cum simul sint13, immo idem sit generari et generatum esse. Si vero excludat durationem, falsa est, quia semper durat.
Concedo ergo14, quod generatio Filii est interminata ratione desitionis, quia nunquam desinit generari, sicut probant rationes ad secundam partem adductae.
Ad argumenta pro parte affirmativa:
1. Ad illud quod obiicitur in contrarium, quod Qui semper nascitur nunquam est natus; dicendum, quod verum est in illa generatione, in qua differt nasci et natum esse; sed non talis est generatio divina. Attamen quia generatio divina intelligitur per generationem creatam, et in creaturis de perfecte nato non dicitur nasci, sed natum esse: ideo vult Augustinus15, quod melius dicitur Filius natus esse, quia intelligibilius est, non quia ei non conveniat nasci.
2. 3. Ad illud quod obiicitur, quod produci terminatur ad productum esse, et similiter, nobilius est generatum esse quam generari; dicendum, quod omnia ista tantum ibi habent locum, ubi differt generari et generatum esse. In illa16 autem generatione locum non habent.
4. Ad illud quod ultimo obiicitur, in generatione, quae semper est in generando etc.; solvendum est per interemptionem; non enim est verum, quod generatio semper ens17 semper de novo aliquid producat, quia radius semper oritur a sole, nec tamen semper iteratur nec succedit, sed a sua origine continuatur in esse.
I. In quaestione praecedenti probatum est, quod generatio Filii non habet initium; hic quaeritur, utrum habeat terminum, sive utrum sit terminata. Et cum vocabulum terminata habeat duplicem sensum, quatenus excludit aut imperfectionem aut durationem, quaestio haec etiam duplici conclusione resolvitur. — Triplex distinctio in principio responsionis satis notabilis est.
II. De ipsa quaestione cfr. hic dub. 8. — Alex. Hal., S. p. I. q. 42. m. 3. a. 2. — Scot., hic q. unic. ad 3. — S. Thom., hic q. 2. a. 2; S. I. q. 42. a. 2. ad 4. — B. Albert., hic a. 19; S. p. I. tr. 7. q. 30. m. 4. particula 1. — Petr. a Tar., hic q. 4. a. 1. 2. — Richard. a Med., hic a. 2. q. 2; a. 3. q. 1. 2. — Aegid. R., hic 2. princ. q. 3. — Henr. Gand., S. a. 54. q. 3. n. 70. — Durand., hic q. 4.
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Question IV. Whether the generation of the Son is terminated.
Fourthly and lastly it is asked, whether the generation of the Son is terminated. And that it is so, seems [the case].
1. Augustine in the Book of Eighty-Three Questions1: "He who is always being born is never born, and accordingly is never a son." Therefore no one is to be called a son through generation, until the generation
is terminated; but the Word of the Father is rightly called a perfect Son: therefore his generation is terminated.
2. Likewise, by reason it is shown thus: to-be-produced is terminated at being-produced, therefore to-be-generated [is terminated] at being-generated; but the Son of God is generated and born: therefore his production or generation is terminated.
3. Likewise, it is more noble to be generated than to be generating, because to be generating is the way to being-generated, and not conversely; but what is more noble is to be attributed to God: therefore being-generated ought rather to be attributed to him than being-generating: therefore the generation of the Son is spoken of as in [its] termination.
4. Likewise, in2 generation, which is always in [the act of] generating, something or someone is always being produced; but that which has been produced is not produced [further], according to that by which it has been produced: therefore it must be either that there is repetition, or that one generated thing succeeds [another] in such a generation; but in the Son of God there is neither succession nor3 repetition: therefore neither continuous generation: therefore the generation of the Son of God is terminated.
On the contrary:
1. The Damascene4: "God, being infinitely and without time, generates infinitely and unceasingly": therefore the generation never terminates.
2. Likewise, by reason this same thing seems able to be shown. The eternal does not have itself otherwise now than before, but always entirely uniformly: therefore if the Father from the beginning5 always generates, he still generates; otherwise he would have himself otherwise now than before, and so the eternal generation would be changed.
3. Likewise, the simple6 and the infinite lack every term; but the generation of the Son is simple and infinite: therefore the generation of the Son lacks every term. That it is infinite, is plain, because the Son is infinite, and again the generation itself is eternal, and the eternal is infinite in duration.
4. Likewise, more perfect is a power always conjoined to act than [one which is] not always [so]: therefore more perfect is the fecundity always conjoined to the act of generation, especially since the fecundity of generating is not lost, but rather perfected7: if therefore in God there is perfect fecundity, he therefore always generates; but he does not generate any other than the Son: therefore the Son is always being generated.
Conclusion. The divine generation must be called terminated, insofar as this word excludes imperfection, but unterminated, insofar as it excludes [the limit of] duration.
Respondeo: For the understanding of the foregoing it must be noted that there are some things in which to-be and to-have-been-made are the same, but to-become and to-be differ — as are those whose being is permanent and does not depend wholly upon the producing principle8, but rather have some ground of subsisting within themselves, whether through their own principles or [those] of the subject, as substances and innate accidents. There are some in which to-be and to-have-been-made differ, but to-become and to-be are the same — as are successive things, whose being depends wholly upon the producing principle as existing in its actuality, as are motions and changes. There are some in which to-become and to-be and to-have-been-made are the same — as are those which have permanent being and depend totally upon the producing principle, as it exists in its actuality in the same mode by which [it existed] at the beginning9, not only in itself but also with respect to the produced thing, in such a way that a like mode of actuality is regarded with respect to both; and such are influences, whether bodily or spiritual. Hence Augustine in the eighth [book] On Genesis according to the Letter10 says that light is always being born and, while it is being born, it is, whence the air is always illumined and is always being illumined. He says11 entirely the same of the spiritual light, which is grace.
If therefore the Son of God has most-permanent being
and being most-conjoined to the productive principle, as [a being] existing in its actuality, because the Son himself is pure12 act; entirely the same is in him to-be-born and to-have-been-born; and therefore he is always being born and is always born and always is, nor does he ever cease nor leave off being generated, nor [does] the Father [leave off] generating.
When, therefore, it is asked whether the generation of the Son is terminated, a distinction must be made: because "terminated" either excludes imperfection — and thus the generation of the Son is terminated, because perfect, since they are simultaneously13, indeed the same is to-be-generated and to-have-been-generated. But if it should exclude duration, [then] it is false, because it always endures.
I therefore14 grant that the generation of the Son is unterminated by reason of ceasing, because it never ceases to be generated, as the reasons adduced for the second part prove.
To the arguments for the affirmative side:
1. To that which is objected on the contrary, that He who is always being born is never born; it must be said that this is true in that generation in which to-be-born and to-have-been-born differ; but the divine generation is not such. Nevertheless, because the divine generation is understood through created generation, and in creatures of one perfectly born one does not say "is being born" but "has been born": therefore Augustine15 holds that it is better said that the Son "has been born", because it is more intelligible, not because to be born does not befit him.
2. 3. To that which is objected, that to-be-produced is terminated at being-produced, and likewise, that being-generated is more noble than being-in-generation; it must be said that all these things have place only there, where to-be-generated and to-have-been-generated differ. In that16 generation, however, they have no place.
4. To that which is objected last, that in generation, which is always in [the act of] generating etc.; it is to be solved by way of refutation; for it is not true that a generation always being17 always produces something anew, because a ray always arises from the sun, and yet it is not always repeated nor does it succeed [itself], but from its origin it is continued in being.
I. In the preceding question it was proved that the generation of the Son has no beginning; here it is asked whether it has a term, that is, whether it is terminated. And since the word terminated has a twofold sense, insofar as it excludes either imperfection or duration, this question also is resolved by a twofold conclusion. — The threefold distinction at the beginning of the response is sufficiently noteworthy.
II. On this question itself cf. here dub. 8. — Alexander of Hales, Summa p. I, q. 42, m. 3, a. 2. — Scotus, here q. unic. ad 3. — St. Thomas, here q. 2, a. 2; Summa I, q. 42, a. 2, ad 4. — Bl. Albert, here a. 19; Summa p. I, tr. 7, q. 30, m. 4, particle 1. — Peter of Tarentaise, here q. 4, a. 1. 2. — Richard of Mediavilla, here a. 2, q. 2; a. 3, q. 1. 2. — Giles of Rome, here 2 princ., q. 3. — Henry of Ghent, Summa a. 54, q. 3, n. 70. — Durandus, here q. 4.
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- Quaest. 37: Qui semper nascitur nondum est natus; et nunquam natus est aut natus erit, si semper nascitur. Aliud est enim nasci, aliud natum esse. Ac per hoc nunquam Filius, si nunquam natus. — Mox cod. 1 Nunquam pro Nullus, et cod. S enim pro ergo.[Augustine, De diversis Quaestionibus LXXXIII,] q. 37: "He who is always being born is not yet born; and he is never born nor will be born, if he is always being born. For one thing is to be born, another to have been born. And accordingly, [there is] never a Son, if [he is] never born." — Just below, codex 1 reads Nunquam ("never") for Nullus ("no one"), and codex S reads enim for ergo.
- Fide plurium codd. ut B F H P Q Y et ed. 1 supplevimus in; quae lectio comprobatur etiam inde, quod infra in solutione huius obiectionis omnes codd. cum Vat. exhibeant praepositionem in. Plures codd. ut AGKSTVYZ falso generatio naturae loco generatione; pauci ut FX cum ed. 1 generatione naturae.On the faith of several codices such as B F H P Q Y and ed. 1 we have supplied in; which reading is corroborated also from the fact that, below in the solution to this objection, all the codices with the Vatican [edition] exhibit the preposition in. Several codices such as AGKSTVYZ falsely [give] generatio naturae in place of generatione; a few such as FX with ed. 1 [give] generatione naturae.
- Vat. cum cod. cc adiungit ibi, quod bene deest in aliis mss. et ed. 1.The Vatican [edition] with codex cc adds ibi ("there"), which is rightly absent from the other manuscripts and ed. 1.
- Libr. I. de Fide orthod. c. 8: Deus enim, ut qui tempori non subsit et principio, passione ac fluxione omni vacet sitque incorporeus ac solus ab interitu liber, ita citra tempus quoque et principium et passionem et fluxum et sine ullo congressu gignit, ac nec initium nec finem habet incomprehensibilis ipsius generatio. — Vat. per Damascenum pro Damascenus, sed contra mss. et ed. 1.Book I On the Orthodox Faith c. 8: "For God, as one who is not subject to time or to a beginning, and is empty of all passion and flux, and is incorporeal and alone free from destruction, so also begets beyond time and beginning and passion and flux and without any union, and his incomprehensible generation has neither beginning nor end." — The Vatican [edition reads] per Damascenum in place of Damascenus, but against the manuscripts and ed. 1.
- Cod. M addit Filium. Mox unus alterve cod. cum ed. 1 generavit loco generat.Codex M adds Filium. Just below, one or another codex with ed. 1 [reads] generavit in place of generat.
- Lectio plurium codd. ut H I P Q ee ff et ed. 1, in qua hic et paulo infra ponitur simpliciter pro simplex et, satis bona est.The reading of several codices such as H I P Q ee ff and ed. 1, in which here and a little below simpliciter is put for simplex et, is sufficiently good.
- Vat., refragantibus mss. et ed. 1, legit perditur, sed perficitur.The Vatican [edition], with the manuscripts and ed. 1 resisting, reads perditur ("is lost"), but [the correct reading is] perficitur ("is perfected").
- In Vat. et cod. cc hic additur et hoc proximo producente in facto esse, quod tamen abest ab aliis mss. et ed. 1 et superfluere videtur, quia hoc distinctionis membrum per duo alia satis superque explicatur. Paulo infra Vat. cum cod. cc, aliis tamen codd. cum ed. 1 renitentibus, post propria habet sui loco sive, sed non bene. Mox ex mss. et ed. 1 substituimus substantiae loco substantia.In the Vatican [edition] and codex cc there is added here et hoc proximo producente in facto esse ("and this with the proximate producent in [the state of] having-been-made"), which however is absent from the other manuscripts and ed. 1 and seems superfluous, since this member of the distinction is more than sufficiently explained by the other two. A little below the Vatican [edition] with codex cc — the other codices with ed. 1 resisting — after propria has sui in place of sive, but not well. Next, from the manuscripts and ed. 1 we have substituted substantiae for substantia.
- Intellige: in initio productionis. Sensus est: modus actualitatis principii taliter producentis idem est in principio seu initio et in continuatione productionis, tum in se tum quoad productum; sicut est v. g. actualitas solis illuminantis et luminis vel aeris illuminati. Vat. falso et contra antiquiores codd. ac ed. 1 post per quem addit sunt.Understand: at the beginning of the production. The sense is: the mode of actuality of a principle so producing is the same at the principle or beginning and in the continuation of the production, both in itself and as regards the produced; as is, e.g., the actuality of the illuminating sun and of the light or of the illumined air. The Vatican [edition], falsely and against the older codices and ed. 1, after per quem adds sunt.
- Cap. 12. n. 26: Neque enim, ut dicebamus, sicut operatur homo terram… ita Deus operatur hominem iustum, id est iustificando eum, ut si abscesserit, maneat in abscedente quod fecit; sed potius sicut aer praesente lumine non factus est lucidus, sed fit, quia si factus esset, non autem fieret, etiam absente lumine lucidus maneret; sic homo Deo sibi praesente illuminatur, absente autem continuo tenebratur.[De Genesi ad litteram lib. VIII,] c. 12, n. 26: "For neither, as we were saying, [does it happen] as a man works the earth… [that] thus God works the just man, that is, by justifying him, that if [God] should depart, what he made should remain in the one departing; but rather, as the air, with light present, has not been made bright but is becoming [bright], because if it had been made [bright once for all], and were not [continually] becoming [bright], it would remain bright even with the light absent; so the man is illumined by God present to him, but with [him] absent he is at once darkened."
- Vide textum modo citatum. — Vat. cum cod. cc, aliis vero cum ed. 1 reluctantibus, dicendum pro dicit.See the text just cited. — The Vatican [edition] with codex cc, but with the others together with ed. 1 resisting, [reads] dicendum in place of dicit.
- Ita vetustiores mss. et ed. I, dum Vat. cum cod. cc ipse est Filius et purus. Paulo ante unus alterve cod. ut PQ cum ed. 1 sua loco sui.Thus the older manuscripts and ed. I, while the Vatican [edition] with codex cc [reads] ipse est Filius et purus ("the Son himself is also pure"). A little before, one or another codex such as PQ with ed. 1 [reads] sua in place of sui.
- Lectio Vat. simile loco simul sint corrigitur ex mss. et ed. 1.The reading of the Vatican [edition], simile in place of simul sint, is corrected from the manuscripts and ed. 1.
- Ed. 1 addit ergo.Ed. 1 adds ergo.
- Verba Augustini vide supra in ipsa obiectione. — Mox ed. 1 dicatur loco dicitur. Paulo ante fide mss. et ed. 1 substituimus perfecte pro perfecto.See the words of Augustine above in the objection itself. — Just below, ed. 1 [reads] dicatur in place of dicitur. A little before, on the faith of the manuscripts and ed. 1 we have substituted perfecte for perfecto.
- Vat. contra mss. ista.The Vatican [edition], against the manuscripts, [reads] ista.
- Hoc est, quae semper est. — Paulo infra post nec tamen semper Vat. explicando addit eius productio, quod deest in mss. et ed. 1.That is, [a generation] which always is. — A little below, after nec tamen semper, the Vatican [edition] by way of explanation adds eius productio ("its production"), which is absent from the manuscripts and ed. 1.