Pars 2, Cap. 12
Breviloquium · Pars II: De creatura mundi
Capitulum XII. De completione et ordinatione totius mundi consummati.
Ex praedictis autem colligi potest, quod creatura mundi est quasi quidam liber, in quo relucet, repraesentatur et legitur Trinitas fabricatrix secundum triplicem gradum expressionis, scilicet per modum vestigii, imaginis et similitudinis; ita quod ratio vestigii reperitur in omnibus creaturis, ratio imaginis in solis intellectualibus seu spiritibus rationalibus, ratio similitudinis in solis deiformibus; ex quibus quasi per quosdam scalares gradus intellectus humanus natus est gradatim ascendere in summum principium, quod est Deus2.
Ratio autem ad intelligentiam praedictorum haec est: quia, cum omnes creaturae respectum habeant et dependentiam ad suum Creatorem, tripliciter ad ipsum comparari possunt, scilicet aut sicut ad principium creativum3, aut sicut ad obiectum motivum, aut sicut ad donum inhabitativum. Primo modo comparatur ad ipsum omnis eius effectus, secundo modo omnis intellectus, tertio modo omnis spiritus iustus et Deo acceptus. Omnis enim effectus, quantumcumque parum habens de esse, habet Deum sicut principium. Omnis intellectus, quantumcumque parum habens de lumine, natus est per cognitionem et amorem capere Deum. Omnis autem spiritus iustus et sanctus habet donum Spiritus sancti sibi infusum.
Et quoniam creatura habere non potest Deum sicut principium, quin configuretur ei secundum unitatem, veritatem et bonitatem; nec Deum sicut obiectum, quin eum capiat per memoriam, intelligentiam et voluntatem; nec Deum sicut donum infusum, quin configuretur ei per fidem, spem et caritatem, seu triplicem dotem4; et prima conformitas est longinqua, secunda propinqua et tertia proxima: hinc est, quod prima dicitur vestigium Trinitatis, secunda imago et tertia similitudo.
Est igitur spiritus rationalis medius inter primam et ultimam, ita quod primam habet inferius, secundam interius, tertiam superius. Et ideo in statu innocentiae, cum imago non erat vitiata, sed deiformis effecta per gratiam, sufficiebat liber creaturae, in quo se ipsum exerceret homo ad contuendum lumen divinae sapientiae; ut sic sapiens esset, cum universas res videret in se, videret in proprio genere, videret etiam in arte; secundum quod res tripliciter habent esse, scilicet in materia vel natura propria, in intelligentia creata et in arte aeterna; secundum quae tria dicit Scriptura5: Dixit Deus: fiat; fecit, et factum est.
Propter quam triplicem visionem triplicem homo accepit oculum, sicut dicit Hugo de sancto Victore6, scilicet carnis, rationis et contemplationis: oculum carnis, quo videret mundum et ea quae sunt in mundo; oculum rationis, quo videret animum et ea quae sunt in animo; oculum contemplationis, quo videret Deum et ea quae sunt in Deo; et sic oculo carnis videret homo ea quae sunt extra se, oculo rationis ea quae sunt intra se, et oculo contemplationis ea quae sunt supra se. Qui quidem oculus contemplationis actum suum non habet perfectum nisi per gloriam, quam amittit per culpam, recuperat autem per gratiam et fidem7 et Scripturarum intelligentiam, quibus mens humana purgatur, illuminatur et perficitur ad caelestia contemplanda; ad quae lapsus homo pervenire non potest, nisi prius defectus et tenebras proprias recognoscat; quod non facit, nisi consideret et attendat ruinam humanae naturae.
Chapter XII. On the completion and ordering of the whole consummated world.
From the foresaid, moreover, it can be gathered that the creation of the world is a kind of book in which the fabricating Trinity shines forth, is represented and is read, according to a threefold grade of expression — namely, by way of vestige, of image and of likeness; in such a way that the character of a vestige is found in all creatures, the character of an image only in intellectual beings or rational spirits, and the character of a likeness only in the deiform. And from these, as by certain ladder-like steps, the human intellect is born to ascend by degrees to the highest principle, which is God2.
Now the reason for the understanding of the foresaid is this: that since all creatures have a relation and a dependence upon their Creator, they can be compared to him in three ways — namely, either as to a creative principle3, or as to a motive object, or as to an indwelling gift. In the first way every effect of his is compared to him; in the second way every intellect; in the third way every spirit just and acceptable to God. For every effect, however little it has of being, has God as its principle. Every intellect, however little it has of light, is born to grasp God through knowledge and love. And every just and holy spirit has the gift of the Holy Spirit infused into it.
And since a creature cannot have God as its principle without being configured to him according to unity, truth and goodness; nor God as its object without grasping him through memory, intelligence and will; nor God as an infused gift without being configured to him through faith, hope and charity, or the threefold dowry4; and since the first conformity is remote, the second near and the third nearest: hence it is that the first is called the vestige of the Trinity, the second the image, and the third the likeness.
The rational spirit, therefore, is midway between the first and the last, in such a way that it has the first below it, the second within it, and the third above it. And therefore in the state of innocence, when the image was not vitiated but made deiform through grace, the book of creation sufficed, in which man might exercise himself in beholding the light of divine wisdom — so that he might be wise in this way: seeing all things in themselves, seeing them in their proper genus, and seeing them also in the art; according as things have being in three ways, namely in matter or their proper nature, in created intelligence, and in the eternal art. And according to these three Scripture says5: God said: let it be made; he made it, and it was made.
On account of which threefold vision man received a threefold eye, as Hugh of St. Victor says6 — namely, of the flesh, of reason and of contemplation: the eye of the flesh, by which he might see the world and the things that are in the world; the eye of reason, by which he might see the mind and the things that are in the mind; the eye of contemplation, by which he might see God and the things that are in God. And thus by the eye of the flesh man would see the things that are outside himself; by the eye of reason, the things that are within himself; and by the eye of contemplation, the things that are above himself. And this eye of contemplation does not have its act in perfection except through glory — which it loses through guilt, but recovers through grace and faith7 and the understanding of the Scriptures, by which the human mind is purged, illumined and perfected for the contemplation of heavenly things; to which fallen man cannot attain unless he first recognize his own defects and darkness; which he does not do unless he consider and attend to the ruin of human nature.
- 2Vide I. Sent. d. 3. p. I. q. 2; p. II. a. 1. q. 1. ad 5. et II. Sent. d. 16. a. 2. q. 3. — Pro summum nonnulli codd., ut I L M, suum.See I Sent. d. 3, p. I, q. 2; p. II, a. 1, q. 1, ad 5; and II Sent. d. 16, a. 2, q. 3. — For summum some codices, such as I L M, [read] suum.
- 3B H P Q causativum. — De his cfr. supra pag. 24. col. I.B H P Q [read] causativum. — On these compare above, p. 24, col. I.
- 4Cfr. IV. Sent. d. 49. p. I. q. 5. in corp.Compare IV Sent. d. 49, p. I, q. 5, in the body.
- 5Gen. 1, 3. seqq. Cfr. August., II. de Gen. ad lit. c. 8. n. 16-20; IV. c. 29. n. 46. et c. 31. n. 48. Vide etiam supra pag. 204, nota 9.Gen. 1:3 and following. Compare Augustine, II On Genesis to the Letter c. 8, nn. 16–20; IV, c. 29, n. 46, and c. 31, n. 48. See also above, p. 204, note 9.
- 6Libr. I. de Sacram. p. X. c. 2. — Pro animum et animo A animam et anima (textus originalis se ipsam et ipsa).Book I On the Sacraments, p. X, c. 2. — For animum and animo A [reads] animam and anima (the original text: se ipsam and ipsa).
- 7Hugo a S. Vict., loc. cit.: Postquam autem tenebrae peccati in illam [animam] intraverunt, oculus quidem contemplationis exstinctus est, ut nihil videret... Fides ergo necessaria est, qua credantur quae non videntur etc. — Mox respiciuntur tres actus hierarchici, scil. purgare etc.; cfr. supra pag. 225, nota 6. — Pro et sic post Deo I L Q ut sic, B ut sicut; deinde pro amittit edd., excepta 2, amisit, quae etiam in fine cap. cum uno alteroque cod. diligenter.Hugh of St. Victor, at the place cited: But after the darkness of sin entered into it [the soul], the eye of contemplation was indeed extinguished, so that it saw nothing… Faith, therefore, is necessary, by which those things may be believed which are not seen, etc. — Just below, reference is made to the three hierarchic acts, namely to purge, etc.; compare above, p. 225, note 6. — For et sic after Deo I L Q [read] ut sic, B ut sicut; then, for amittit, the editions, edition 2 excepted, [read] amisit, which also at the end of the chapter, with one or another codex, [read] diligenter.