Pars 2, Cap. 6
Breviloquium · Pars II: De creatura mundi
Capitulum VI. De productione supernorum spirituum.
Consequenter vero agendum1 est de natura spirituali et incorporea, cuiusmodi est angelica, de qua considerari oportet quantum ad conditionem supernorum spirituum, quantum ad ruinam daemonum et quantum ad confirmationem bonorum Angelorum.
Sciendum est igitur, quod Angelis a primordio suae conditionis quatuor sunt attributa, scilicet simplicitas essentiae, personalis discretio, propter rationem insitam memoria, intelligentia et voluntas, et libertas arbitrii ad eligenda bona et respuenda mala2. — Haec autem quatuor attributa principalia alia quatuor comitantur, scilicet virtuositas in operando, officiositas in ministrando, perspicacitas in cognoscendo et immutabilitas post electionem sive in bono, sive in malo.
Ratio autem ad intelligentiam praedictorum haec est: quia primum principium, hoc ipso quod primum, omnia de nihilo produxit; ideo non tantum prope nihil, sed etiam prope se3; non tantum substantiam a se longinquam, scilicet naturam corpoream, producere debuit, verum etiam propinquam; et haec est substantia intellectualis et incorporea, quae hoc ipso, quod Deo simillima est, simplicitatem habet naturae et discretionem personalem, ut Deo assimiletur ex parte substantiae sive communis, sive individuae4. — Habet etiam in mente imaginem Trinitatis secundum memoriam, intelligentiam et voluntatem; habet etiam libertatem voluntatis, ut assimiletur Deo ex parte potentiae sive naturalis, sive electivae, ut sic potentia naturalis insignita sit Dei imagine, electiva vero arbitrii libertate. Nequaquam enim perveniret meritorie ad praemium gloriosum, quod facit quemque beatum, nisi haberet liberum voluntatis arbitrium; hoc autem esse non potest nisi in substantia rationali, quam comitatur memoria, intelligentia et voluntas. Ubi autem est ratio, oportet, quod sit « rationalis naturae substantia individua5 »; necesse est etiam, quod sit substantia spiritualis et incorporea, ac per hoc simplex, omni carens dimensione quantitativa.
Talis autem substantia hoc ipso, quod simplex, est virtuosa in operando6; hoc ipso, quod virtuosa et personaliter distincta, competit ei distinctio officii in ministrando; hoc ipso, quod simplex et virtuosa, competit ei perspicacitas in discernendo; hoc ipso, quod simplex et perspicax, habens intellectum deiformem7; ideo stabilitatem habet post electionem in electo sive in bono, sive in malo. — Et hae conditiones ipsam generalem conditionem supernorum spirituum generaliter comitantur.
Chapter VI. On the production of the higher spirits.
Next it must be treated1 of the spiritual and incorporeal nature, of which kind is the angelic; concerning which it is fitting to consider it as regards the founding of the higher spirits, as regards the ruin of the demons, and as regards the confirmation of the good Angels.
It is therefore to be known that to the Angels, from the very beginning of their founding, four things are attributed: namely simplicity of essence, personal distinctness, and — on account of the reason implanted in them — memory, understanding and will, and freedom of choice for choosing good things and rejecting evil2. — And these four principal attributes are accompanied by four others: namely power in operating, dutifulness in ministering, perspicacity in knowing, and immutability after election, whether in good or in evil.
Now the reason for the understanding of the foresaid is this: that the first principle, by this very fact that it is first, produced all things out of nothing; and therefore it had to produce not only what is near to nothing, but also what is near to itself3; not only a substance far removed from itself, namely corporeal nature, but also one near to it. And this is the intellectual and incorporeal substance, which by this very fact, that it is most like to God, has simplicity of nature and personal distinctness, so that it may be made like to God on the side of substance, whether common or individual4. — It has also in its mind an image of the Trinity according to memory, understanding and will; it has also freedom of will, so that it may be made like to God on the side of power, whether natural or elective — so that the natural power is marked with the image of God, and the elective with the freedom of choice. For it would in no way arrive meritoriously at the glorious reward which makes anyone blessed, unless it had free choice of will; and this cannot be except in a rational substance, which memory, understanding and will accompany. And where reason is, it must be « an individual substance of a rational nature5 »; it is necessary also that it be a spiritual and incorporeal substance, and through this simple, lacking all quantitative dimension.
But such a substance, by this very fact that it is simple, is powerful in operating6; by this very fact, that it is powerful and personally distinct, there belongs to it a distinction of office in ministering; by this very fact, that it is simple and powerful, there belongs to it perspicacity in discerning; by this very fact, that it is simple and perspicacious, having a deiform intellect7, it therefore has stability after election in what has been chosen, whether in good or in evil. — And these conditions generally accompany the general founding itself of the higher spirits.
- 1Pro vero agendum, quod plures codd. omittunt, E dicendum, M videndum, et inferius pro considerari plures codd. et 2 considerare. — De his tribus agitur c. 6. 7. 8.For vero agendum, which very many codices omit, E [reads] dicendum, M videndum; and below, for considerari, very many codices and edition 2 [read] considerare. — These three are treated in cc. 6, 7, 8.
- 2Secundum Hug. a S. Vict., quem sequitur Magister Sent., II. Sent. d. III. c. 1. — Superius post discretio S addit eo quod unus differt ab alio. Inferius post immutabilitas T subiungit in persistendo.According to Hugh of St. Victor, whom the Master of the Sentences follows, II Sent. d. III, c. 1. — Above, after discretio, S adds eo quod unus differt ab alio. Below, after immutabilitas, T subjoins in persistendo.
- 3August., XII. Confess. c. 7. n. 7: Tu eras, et aliud nihil; unde fecisti caelum et terram duo quaedam: unum prope te, alterum prope nihil. — Superius pro produxit plures codd. et 2 producit, B H in esse producit.Augustine, XII Confessions c. 7, n. 7: Thou wast, and nothing else; whence thou madest heaven and earth, two somethings: the one near to thee, the other near to nothing. — Above, for produxit, very many codices and edition 2 [read] producit, B H in esse producit.
- 4Cfr. II. Sent. d. 3. p. I. a. 1. q. 1. et a. 2. q. 1. seqq.Compare II Sent. d. 3, p. I, a. 1, q. 1, and a. 2, q. 1 ff.
- 5Id est persona, secundum Boeth.; cfr. I. Sent. d. 25. a. 1. q. 2. — Quod liberum arbitrium competat soli substantiae rationali, fusius ostenditur II. Sent. d. 25. p. I. q. 1. — Superius pro quemque M quemlibet, Vat., 1, 3 quemquam. Inferius pro dimensione edd. cum pluribus codd. divisione, multi codd. sunt dubiae lectionis.That is, a person, according to Boethius; compare I Sent. d. 25, a. 1, q. 2. — That free choice belongs to a rational substance alone is shown more fully in II Sent. d. 25, p. I, q. 1. — Above, for quemque M [reads] quemlibet, the Vatican [edition] and editions 1 and 3 quemquam. Below, for dimensione the editions with very many codices [read] divisione; many codices are of doubtful reading.
- 6Vide supra pag. 215, nota 4. (Lib. de Causis).See above, p. 215, note 4 (the Book of Causes).
- 7Secundum Dionys.; cfr. tom. II. pag. 50, nota 1. et pag. 177, nota 5. (allegatus in solvenda quaest. de obstinatione voluntatis daemonum). — Immediate post H et 2 prosequuntur: ideo post electionem stabilientem stabilitatem habet in electo etc. (terminus stabilientem occurrit etiam in Q).According to Dionysius; compare vol. II, p. 50, note 1, and p. 177, note 5 (cited in resolving the question on the obstinacy of the will of the demons). — Immediately after, H and edition 2 continue: ideo post electionem stabilientem stabilitatem habet in electo etc. (the term stabilientem occurs also in Q).