Pars 2, Cap. 1
Breviloquium · Pars II: De creatura mundi
PARS SECUNDA.
De creatura mundi.
Capitulum I. De productione mundi totalis.
His summatim praeintellectis de Trinitate Dei, dicenda sunt aliqua de creatura mundi. Circa quam haec tenenda sunt in summa: videlicet quod universitas machinae mundialis producta est in esse ex tempore et de nihilo ab uno principio primo, solo et summo; cuius potentia, licet sit immensa, disposuit tamen omnia in certo pondere, numero et mensura1. — Haec generaliter intelligenda sunt circa rerum productionem, ex quibus veritas colligitur, et error repudiatur. Per hoc enim, quod dicitur ex tempore, excluditur error ponentium mundum aeternum. Per hoc, quod dicitur de nihilo, excluditur error ponentium aeternitatem circa principium materiale. Per hoc, quod dicitur ab uno principio, excluditur error Manichaeorum ponentium pluralitatem principiorum. Per hoc, quod dicitur solo et summo, excluditur error ponentium, Deum produxisse inferiores creaturas per ministerium intelligentiarum. Per hoc autem, quod additur in certo pondere, numero et mensura, ostenditur, quod creatura est effectus Trinitatis creantis sub triplici genere causalitatis: efficientis, a quo est in creatura unitas, modus et mensura; exemplaris, a quo est in creatura veritas, species et numerus; finalis, a quo est in creatura bonitas, ordo et pondus. Quae quidem reperiuntur in omnibus creaturis tanquam vestigium Creatoris, sive corporalibus, sive spiritualibus, sive ex utrisque compositis.
Ratio autem ad intelligentiam praedictorum haec est: quia ad hoc, quod sit ordo perfectus et status in rebus, necesse est, quod omnia reducantur ad unum principium, quod quidem sit primum, ut det ceteris statum; et perfectissimum, ut det ceteris omnibus complementum2. Quoniam igitur primum principium, in quo est status, non potest esse nisi unum solum; si mundum producit, cum non possit ipsum producere de se ipso, necesse est, quod producat ex nihilo. Et quia productio ex nihilo ponit esse post non-esse ex parte producti, et immensitatem in virtute producente ex parte principii, cum hoc sit solius Dei; necesse est, quod creatura mundi sit producta ex tempore ab ipsa virtute immensa, agente per se et immediate.
Rursus, quoniam principium perfectissimum, a quo manat perfectio universorum, necesse est agere a se et secundum se et propter se — quia nullo in agendo indiget extra se — necesse est, quod habeat respectu cuiuslibet creaturae intentionem triplicis causae, scilicet efficientis, exemplaris et finalis; necesse est etiam, omnem creaturam secundum hanc triplicem habitudinem comparari ad causam primam. Omnis enim creatura constituitur in esse ab efficiente, conformatur ad exemplar et ordinatur ad finem; ac per hoc est una, vera, bona; modificata, speciosa, ordinata; mensurata, discreta et ponderata; est enim pondus inclinatio ordinativa3. — Et haec quidem generaliter dicta sunt de omni creatura, sive corporea, sive incorporea, sive ex utrisque composita, sicut est natura humana.
PART TWO.
On the creature of the world.
Chapter I. On the production of the world as a whole.
These things concerning the Trinity of God having been understood beforehand in summary, some things must now be said concerning the creature of the world. Concerning which these things are to be held in summary: namely, that the whole frame of the world's machinery was produced into being in time and out of nothing by one principle, first, sole and supreme; whose power, although it be immeasurable, nevertheless disposed all things in a certain weight, number and measure1. — These things are to be understood generally concerning the production of things, and from them the truth is gathered and error is repudiated. For by this, that it is said in time, the error of those positing an eternal world is excluded. By this, that it is said out of nothing, the error of those positing an eternity as regards a material principle is excluded. By this, that it is said by one principle, the error of the Manichees positing a plurality of principles is excluded. By this, that it is said sole and supreme, the error of those positing that God produced the lower creatures through the ministry of intelligences is excluded. But by this, that there is added in a certain weight, number and measure, it is shown that the creature is the effect of the creating Trinity under a threefold kind of causality: efficient, from which there is in the creature unity, mode and measure; exemplary, from which there is in the creature truth, species and number; final, from which there is in the creature goodness, order and weight. And these indeed are found in all creatures as a vestige of the Creator, whether corporeal, or spiritual, or composed of both.
Now the reason for the understanding of the foresaid is this: since, for there to be a perfect order and a stable term among things, it is necessary that all things be led back to one principle, which indeed is first, that it may give to the rest their stable term; and most perfect, that it may give to all the rest their completion2. Since therefore the first principle, in which the stable term is, cannot be except one alone; if it produces the world, seeing that it cannot produce it out of its very self, it is necessary that it produce it out of nothing. And because production out of nothing posits being after non-being on the side of the thing produced, and an immeasurableness in the producing power on the side of the principle, since this belongs to God alone; it is necessary that the creature of the world be produced in time by that very immeasurable power, acting of itself and immediately.
Again, since the most perfect principle, from which the perfection of all things flows, must necessarily act of itself and according to itself and for the sake of itself — because it needs nothing outside itself in acting — it is necessary that it have, in respect of any creature whatever, the intention of a threefold cause, namely of the efficient, the exemplary and the final; it is necessary also that every creature be related to the first cause according to this threefold disposition. For every creature is constituted in being by the efficient [cause], is conformed to the exemplar, and is ordered to the end; and through this it is one, true, good; measured out, comely, ordered; measured, distinct and weighted; for weight is an ordering inclination3. — And these things indeed have been said generally concerning every creature, whether corporeal, or incorporeal, or composed of both, such as is human nature.
- 1Sap. 11, 21. — De seqq. cfr. II. Sent. d. 1. p. I. a. 1. et 2. De creatura sub triplici respectu ad Creatorem cfr. I. Sent. d. 3. p. I. dub. 3, et Alex. Hal., S. p. II. q. 7. — Pro disposuit A B P disponit.Wis. 11:21. — On what follows compare II Sent. d. 1, p. I, a. 1 and 2. On the creature under a threefold respect to the Creator compare I Sent. d. 3, p. I, dub. 3, and Alexander of Hales, Summa p. II, q. 7. — For disposuit [A B P read] disponit.
- 2Vide supra pag. 12, nota 9. et pag. 19, nota 8. — Omnibus omittitur a plurimis codd. et 2, sicut et paulo superius non pauci codd. omittunt quidem.See above p. 12, note 9, and p. 19, note 8. — Omnibus is omitted by very many codices and by edition 2, just as also a little above not a few codices omit quidem.
- 3Sive ut August., Enarrat. in Ps. 29. enarrat. 2. n. 10, ait: Pondus enim est impetus quidam cuiusque rei velut conantis ad locum suum. Cfr. supra p. I. c. 6. — Voci discreta A praefigit numerata sive, et inferius cum pluribus aliis codd. et 2 voci composita addit sive [alii et 2 vel] constituta.Or, as Augustine says, Enarration on Psalm 29, enarration 2, n. 10: For weight is a certain impetus of each thing, as it were striving toward its own place. Compare above, Part I, c. 6. — To the word discreta A prefixes numerata sive, and further below, together with very many other codices and edition 2, it adds to the word composita the word sive [others and edition 2, vel] constituta.