Dist. 32
Book III: On the Incarnation of the Word · Distinction 32
DISTINCTIO XXXII.
Cap. I. De caritate Dei.
Praemissis adiiciendum est de dilectione Dei, qua ipse diligit nos, quae non est alia, quam illa qua diligimus eum. Dilectio autem Dei divina usia est; eadem dilectione Pater et Filius et Spiritus sanctus se diligunt et nos, ut supra1 disseruimus. Cumque eius dilectio sit immutabilis et aeterna, alium tamen magis, alium minus diligit. Unde Augustinus2: «Incomprehensibilis est dilectio atque immutabilis, qua Deus in unoquoque nostrum amat quod fecit, sicut et odit quod fecimus. Miro igitur et divino modo, etiam quando odit, diligit nos; et hoc quidem in omnibus intelligi potest. Quis ergo digne possit eloqui, quantum diligat membra Unigeniti sui, et quanto amplius Unigenitum ipsum? De ipso etiam dictum est: Nihil odisti eorum quae fecisti». — Ex his percipitur, quod Deus omnes creaturas suas diligat, quia scriptum est: Nihil odisti eorum quae fecisti; et item: Vidit Deus cuncta quae fecerat, et erant valde bona. Si omnia quae fecit, bona sunt; et omne bonum diligit: omnia igitur diligit, quae fecit; et inter ea magis diligit rationales creaturas, et de illis eas amplius, quae sunt membra Unigeniti sui, et multo magis ipsum Unigenitum.
Cap. II. Quomodo Deus dicitur magis diligere, vel minus hunc, vel illum.
Cum autem dilectio Dei immutabilis sit, et ideo non intenditur vel remittitur, si quaeritur, quae sit ratio dicti, cum dicitur magis vel minus diligere hoc quam illud, et cum dicitur Deus omnia diligere; dicimus, dilectionem Dei, sicut pacem, exsuperare omnem sensum3 humanum, ut ad tantae altitudinis intelligentiam vix aliquatenus aspiret. Potest tamen intelligi, ea ratione dici: omnia diligi a Deo, quae fecit, quia omnia placent ei, omnia approbat, in quantum opera eius sunt, nec tunc, vel prius, vel amplius placuerunt ei, cum facta sunt; sed et4 antequam fierent, immo ab aeterno omnia placuerunt ei, non minus, quam postquam esse coeperunt. Quod vero rationales creaturas, id est homines vel Angelos, alios magis, alios minus diligere dicitur, non mutabilitatem caritatis eius significat, sed quod alios ad maiora bona, alios ad minora dilexit, alios ad meliores usus, alios ad minus bonos. Omnia enim bona nostra ex eius dilectione nobis proveniunt. Electorum ergo alios magis, alios minus dilexit ab aeterno, et diligit etiam nunc, quia aliis maiora, aliis minora ex dilectione sua praeparavit bona, aliisque maiora, et aliis minora bona confert in tempore. Unde magis vel minus dicitur hos vel illos diligere.
Cap. III. Quod dupliciter inspicienda est dilectio[^8] Dei.
Consideratur enim duobus modis dilectio Dei: secundum essentiam et secundum efficientiam. Non recipit magis vel minus secundum essentiam, sed tantum secundum efficientiam, ut magis dilecti dicantur, quibus ex dilectione ab aeterno maius bonum praeparavit et in tempore tribuit, et minus dilecti, quibus non tantum. Inde etiam est, quod aliqui, quando convertuntur et iustificantur, dicuntur tunc incipere diligi a Deo, non quod Deus nova dilectione quemquam possit diligere — immo sempiterna dilectione dilexit ante mundi constitutionem5, quoscumque diligit — sed tunc dicuntur incipere diligi ab eo, cum aeternae Dei dilectionis sortiuntur effectum, scilicet gratiam, vel gloriam. Unde Augustinus6: «Absit, ut Deus temporaliter aliquem diligat quasi nova dilectione, quae in ipso ante non erat, apud quem nec praeterita transierunt, et futura iam facta sunt7. Itaque omnes Sanctos suos ante mundi constitutionem dilexit, sicut praedestinavit. Sed cum convertuntur et inveniunt illum, tunc incipere ab eo diligi dicuntur, ut eo modo dicatur, quo potest humano affectu capi quod dicitur. Sic etiam, cum iratus malis dicitur et placidus bonis, illi mutantur, non ipse. Ut lux infirmis oculis aspera, firmis lenis est, ipsorum scilicet mutatione, non sua»; «ita, cum aliquis per iustificationem incipit esse amicus Dei, ipse mutatur, non Deus».
Cap. IV. Si quis magis vel minus diligitur a Deo uno tempore quam alio.
Si vero quaeritur de aliquo, utrum magis diligatur a Deo uno tempore quam alio, distinguenda est dilectionis5 intelligentia. Si enim referatur ad dilectionis effectum, concessibile est; si vero ad dilectionis essentiam, infitiabile est.
Cap. V. Si Deus ab aeterno dilexit reprobos.
De reprobis vero, qui praeparati non sunt ad vitam, sed ad mortem, si quaeritur, utrum debeat concedi, quod Deus ab aeterno dilexit eos; dicimus, de electis solis simpliciter hoc esse concedendum, quod Deus ab aeterno eos dilexit, quos ad iustitiam et coronam praeparavit. De non electis vero simpliciter est concedendum, quod odio habuit, id est reprobavit, sicut legitur9: Iacob dilexi, Esau odio habui; sed non est simpliciter dicendum, quod dilexit, ne praedestinati intelligantur, sed cum adiectione: dilexit eos, in quantum opus eius futuri erant, id est, quos et quales eos facturus erat.
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DISTINCTION XXXII.
Chapter I. On the love of God.
To what has gone before must be added [a treatment] of the love of God, by which he himself loves us, which is no other than that by which we love him. Now the love of God is the divine substance; by the same love the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit love themselves and us, as we discussed above1. And although his love is immutable and eternal, yet he loves one more, another less. Hence Augustine2: «Incomprehensible and immutable is the love by which God in each one of us loves what he has made, just as he hates what we have made. In a wondrous and divine manner, therefore, even when he hates, he loves us; and this indeed can be understood in all. Who then can worthily tell how much he loves the members of his Only-Begotten, and how much more the Only-Begotten himself? Of him too it has been said: Thou hatest none of the things which thou hast made». — From these things it is perceived that God loves all his creatures, because it is written: Thou hatest none of the things which thou hast made; and likewise: God saw all the things that he had made, and they were very good. If all the things he made are good, and he loves every good: he therefore loves all the things he has made; and among them he loves the rational creatures more, and of these more those which are members of his Only-Begotten, and much more the Only-Begotten himself.
Chapter II. How God is said to love this one or that one more, or less.
But since the love of God is immutable, and therefore is neither intensified nor remitted, if it is asked what is the account of the saying, when he is said to love this more than that, and when God is said to love all things; we say that the love of God, like peace, surpasses all human understanding3, so that it scarcely in any measure aspires to the comprehension of so great a height. Yet it can be understood that it is said for this reason: that all the things he made are loved by God, because all please him, he approves all, insofar as they are his works; nor did they please him then, or earlier, or more, when they were made; but even4 before they came to be, indeed from eternity all pleased him, no less than after they began to be. But that he is said to love some rational creatures, that is, men or Angels, more, others less, does not signify mutability of his charity, but that he loved some unto greater goods, others unto lesser, some unto better uses, others unto less good ones. For all our goods come to us from his love. Of the elect, therefore, he loved some more, others less from eternity, and loves them even now, because for some he has prepared from his love greater goods, for others lesser, and on some he confers greater goods in time, and on others lesser. Hence he is said to love these or those more or less.
Chapter III. That the love of God[^8] is to be considered in two ways.
For the love of God is considered in two ways: according to essence and according to efficacy. It does not admit of more or less according to essence, but only according to efficacy, so that those are called more loved for whom from his love from eternity he prepared a greater good and bestowed it in time, and those less loved for whom not so much. Hence too it is, that some, when they are converted and justified, are then said to begin to be loved by God, not that God can love anyone with a new love — nay, with an everlasting love he loved, before the foundation of the world5, whomever he loves — but they are then said to begin to be loved by him, when they obtain the effect of God's eternal love, namely grace, or glory. Hence Augustine6: «Far be it that God should love anyone temporally as if with a new love, which was not before in him, with whom neither have the things past passed away, and the things future are already done7. Therefore he loved all his Saints before the foundation of the world, just as he predestined them. But when they are converted and find him, then they are said to begin to be loved by him, so that it is said in that manner in which what is said can be grasped by human affection. So too, when he is said to be angry with the evil and kindly toward the good, they are changed, not he. As light is harsh to weak eyes, gentle to strong ones, namely by their change, not its own»; «so, when anyone through justification begins to be a friend of God, he himself is changed, not God».
Chapter IV. Whether anyone is loved by God more or less at one time than at another.
But if it is asked of someone, whether he is loved by God more at one time than at another, the understanding of the love must be distinguished. For if it is referred to the effect of the love, it can be granted; but if to the essence of the love, it is to be denied.
Chapter V. Whether God from eternity loved the reprobate.
But of the reprobate, who are prepared not for life but for death, if it is asked whether it ought to be granted that God from eternity loved them; we say that of the elect alone this is simply to be granted, that God from eternity loved those whom he prepared for justice and the crown. But of the non-elect it is simply to be granted that he held [them] in hatred, that is, reprobated them, as it is read9: Jacob I loved, Esau I held in hatred; yet it is not to be said simply that he loved them, lest they be understood as predestined, but with the addition: he loved them, insofar as they would be his work, that is, who and what manner of persons he would make them.
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- Libr. I. d. X. c. I. et d. XVII. c. I.Book I, dist. X, c. I, and dist. XVII, c. I.
- In Evang. Ioan. tr. 110. n. 6. — Post dilectio edd., exceptis 1, 8, addunt Dei, refragantibus codd., et deinde pro possit eaedem ponunt potest, et solae edd. 1, 8 loqui pro eloqui. — Locus Scripturae est Sap. 11, 25; deinde Gen. 1, 31.On the Gospel of John, tractate 110, n. 6. — After dilectio (love) the editions, except 1, 8, add Dei (of God), the codices opposing; and then for possit (can) the same put potest, and editions 1, 8 alone read loqui (to speak) for eloqui (to tell). — The scriptural passage is Wisdom 11:25; then Genesis 1:31.
- Respicitur Phil. 4, 7, in quo loco edd. 1, 8 cum Vulgata adiiciunt Dei post pacem, et superius eaedem cum codd. ABD omittunt Deus post dicitur. Denique in fine propositionis omnes edd. superflue adiiciunt humanus sensus, refragantibus nostris codd., qui immediate post cum sola ed. 8 bene addunt sane ante intelligi.Reference is made to Philippians 4:7, in which passage editions 1, 8 with the Vulgate add Dei (of God) after pacem (peace), and above the same with codices ABD omit Deus (God) after dicitur (is said). Finally, at the end of the proposition all the editions superfluously add humanus sensus (human sense), our codices opposing, which immediately after cum; edition 8 alone rightly adds sane before intelligi.
- Vat. cum plurimis edd. pro sed et, quod habent codd. et ed. 1, legit quam, ed. 8 et, ed. 5 scilicet.The Vatican edition with most editions, for sed et (but even), which the codices and edition 1 have, reads quam (than); edition 8 reads et (and); edition 5 reads scilicet (namely).
- Respicitur Eph. 1, 4. — Inferius edd. 1, 8 glossando legunt gratiam in praesenti vel gloriam in futuro.Reference is made to Ephesians 1:4. — Below, editions 1, 8 by way of gloss read grace in the present or glory in the future.
- Libr. V. de Trin. c. 16. n. 17. Ultima verba capituli leguntur ibid., sed paulo superius.Book V, On the Trinity, c. 16, n. 17. The last words of the chapter are read in the same place, but a little above.
- De hac profunda sententia S. Augustini cfr. doctrina Ss. Thomae et Bonaventurae relata 1. Sent. d. 39. a. 2. q. 3, et scholion.On this profound sentence of St. Augustine cf. the doctrine of Saints Thomas and Bonaventure reported at 1 Sent., dist. 39, a. 2, q. 3, and the scholion.
- Codd. ABDE bene dictionis, quam lectionem etiam Erf. annotat.Codices ABDE rightly read dictionis, which reading the Erfurt codex also notes.
- Malach. 1, 2. 3. et Rom. 9, 13. — Pro simpliciter dicendum edd. 1, 8 intelligendum. Vat. cum edd. 1, 9 post adiectione adiiciunt concedatur.Malachi 1:2–3 and Romans 9:13. — For simpliciter dicendum (simply to be said) editions 1, 8 read intelligendum (to be understood). The Vatican edition with editions 1, 9 after adiectione (addition) add concedatur (let it be granted). ---