Ordinatio

Secondly [n.24] I say that not only in a concept analogous to a concept of creatures is God conceived (namely one which is altogether other than that which is said of creatures), but in some concept univocal to him and creatures. And lest there be dispute about the name of univocity, I say a concept is univocal that is so one that the unity of it suffices for contradiction, for affirming and denying it of the same thing; suffices too for a syllogistic middle term, so that the extreme terms [sc. major and minor] when united in a middle term thus one may be deduced, without fallacy of equivocation, to be united between themselves.

[Reasons for univocity]. And univocity thus understood I prove in five ways.¹ First as follows: every intellect, certain of one concept and doubtful of diverse ones, has a concept about which it is certain different from the concepts about which it is doubtful; the subject [‘every intellect…’] includes the predicate [‘has a concept…’]. But the intellect of a wayfarer can be certain that God is a being while doubting about finite or infinite, created or uncreated being; therefore, the concept of being of God is different from the former and latter concepts [‘finite …infinite’ ‘created…uncreated’], and so, of itself, it is neither of them and is included in each of them; therefore it is univocal.

The proof of the major is that no same concept is certain and doubtful; therefore either it is a different concept, which is the intended proposition, or no concept – and then there will not be certitude about any concept.

The proof of the minor is that every philosopher was certain that what he posited as first principle was a being – to wit, one about fire, another about water, was certain that it was a being;² but he was not certain that it would be a being created or uncreated, first or not first. For he was not certain that it was first, because then he would have been certain about what is false and the false is not knowable; nor certain that it was a being not first, for then they would not have posited the opposite [sc. that it was the first being]. There is a confirmation too, for someone seeing the philosophers disagreeing was able to be certain that whatever one of them posited as first principle was a being, and yet, because of the contrariety of their opinions, was able to doubt whether it is this being [e.g. fire] or that being [e.g. water]. And if a demonstration were given to such doubter proving or destroying some lower concept (to wit, that fire will not be the first being but some being posterior to the first being), the concept first certain to him, which he had about being, would not be destroyed but preserved in the particular concept proved of fire – and hereby the proposition, supposed in the ultimate consequence of the reasoning [n.27, end], is proved, which was that the certain concept, which of itself is neither of the doubtful ones, is preserved in each of them.

But if you do not care about the authority taken from the diversity of philosophizers’ opinions, but you say [Henry of Ghent, Summa a.21 q.2] that everyone has in his intellect two concepts close to each other which, because of the closeness of analogy, seem to be a single concept – against this seems to be that then, from this evasion, the whole way of proving univocal unity of some concept would seem to be destroyed; for if you say that ‘man’ has one concept for Socrates and Plato, it will be denied you, and it will be said that they are two but ‘they seem’ one because of their great similarity.

Besides, the two concepts are simply simple; therefore, not intelligible save distinctly and totally. Therefore, if they are not now seen to be two, not afterwards either.

Again, they are conceived either as altogether disparate, and it is a wonder how they seem to be one, or as compared according to analogy or likeness or distinction, and then they are conceived at once or in advance as distinct. Therefore, they are not seen as one.

Again, in positing two concepts you posit two formal objects known. How are two formal objects known and not as distinct?

Further, if the intellect were to understand singulars in their proper ideas, then, although the concepts of two things of the same species would be very similar (it is, however, not doubtful but that they are much more similar than the two in the issue at hand [finite, infinite, created, uncreated, n.29] because these two differ in species), still the intellect would well distinguish between such concepts of singulars. This response [n.30] is also rejected in d.8 q.3 [d.8 p.1 q.3 n.7], and one other response [d.8 nn.5-6] that denies the major [nn.27-28].

Secondly I argue principally as follows:³ no real concept is caused naturally in the intellect of the wayfarer save by things that naturally move our intellect; but those are the phantasms (or an object shining forth in a phantasm) and the agent intellect; therefore no simple concept naturally comes to be now in our intellect save what can come to be by virtue of these. But a concept that would not be univocal to the object shining forth in a phantasm but one altogether different, prior, to which the object would have an analogy, cannot be brought about by virtue of the agent intellect and the phantasm; therefore the sort of different, analogous concept that is posited will never exist naturally in the intellect of a wayfarer; and so a concept of God will be unable to be had naturally, which is false. Proof of the assumption [sc. “But a concept that would not be univocal to the object shining forth in a phantasm…”]: any object, whether shining forth in the phantasm or in the intelligible species, with the agent or possible intellect cooperating, produces according to the ultimate of its power, as an effect adequate to it, its own proper concept,⁴ and a concept of everything essentially or virtually included in it. But that other concept, which is posited to be analogous, is not essentially or virtually included in this one, nor too is it this one; therefore, this one will not be brought about by any such moving object [sc. by an object that brings about the analogous concept]. And there is confirmation of the reasoning (because ‘any object, whether…’ [previous paragraph]): besides its proper concept, adequate to it and included in it in either of the two aforesaid ways [sc. ‘essentially or virtually’ – previous paragraph], nothing can be known from this object save by discursive reasoning; but discursive reasoning presupposes knowledge of the simple thing to which the discourse leads. Let the reason, therefore, be formed as follows: because no object brings about a proper simple concept in this intellect (a proper simple concept of another object) unless it contain that other object essentially or virtually; but a created object does not contain an uncreated object essentially or virtually (and this under the idea under which it is attributed to an uncreated object as something essentially posterior is attributed to something essentially prior; because it is against the idea of the essentially posterior to include its prior virtually); and it is plain that a created object does not essentially contain an uncreated object according to anything altogether proper to it and not common; therefore it does not make a concept that is simple and proper to uncreated being.

There is argument, third, as follows: the concept proper to a subject is an idea sufficient for proving of that subject all the conceivable things that are necessarily present in it; but we have no concept of God by which we could sufficiently know all the things conceived by us that are necessarily in him – it is plain about the Trinity and other necessary points of faith; therefore etc.

The proof of the major is because we know any immediate truth to the extent we know the terms; so the major is plain about everything conceivable that is immediately present in the concept of the subject. But if it is present in it mediately, the same argument will be made about the middle term compared to the same subject; and wherever a stand will be made, the proposed thesis about immediates is obtained; and further, through them will the mediates be known.

Again, fourth, an argument can be made as follows: either a ‘perfection simply’ has an idea common to God and creatures, and the proposed thesis is obtained; or it does not but has only an idea proper to creatures, and then the idea of it will not belong formally to God, which is unacceptable; or it has an idea that is altogether proper to God, and then it follows that nothing is to be attributed to God because it is a perfection simply, for this is to say nothing else save that, because its idea as it belongs to God states ‘a perfection simply’, therefore is it posited in God; and so will perish Anselm’s doctrine in the Monologion ch.15, where he maintains that ‘passing over relations, in the case of all other things, whatever is simply better it than not it is to be attributed to God, just as whatever is not such is to be removed from him’. First then, according to Anselm, is something known to be such [sc. ‘better it than not it’] and second it is attributed to God; therefore, it is not such precisely as it is in God. This is also confirmed because then no perfection simply would exist in a creature; the consequence is plain, because of no such perfection does even any concept belong to creatures, save an analogical concept that, ex hypothesi, is such in itself, because an analogical concept is imperfect, and in nothing is its idea better than not it, because otherwise it would, according to that analogical idea, be posited in God.

This fourth reason is confirmed also as follows:⁵ every metaphysical inquiry about God proceeds in this way: by considering the formal idea of something and taking away from that formal idea the imperfection that it has in creatures, and by keeping hold of the formal idea and attributing to it an altogether supreme perfection, and attributing it thus to God. An example about the formal idea of wisdom or intellect or will: for it is considered in itself and by itself, and from the fact that this idea does not prove formally any imperfection or limitation, the imperfections are removed from it that are concomitant with it in creatures and, with the same idea of wisdom and of will retained, these are attributed most perfectly to God.⁶ Therefore, all inquiry about God supposes that the intellect has the same univocal concept that it has taken from creatures.

But if you say [Henry of Ghent, Summa a.32 q.4] the formal idea of the things that belong to God is different – from this follows something unacceptable, that from no idea proper to them as they are in creatures can they be proved of God, because the idea of the former is altogether different from the idea of the latter. Indeed, from the idea of wisdom that we grasp from creatures, it will no more be proved that God is formally wise than that God is formally a stone. For a concept different from the concept of a created stone can be formed, to which concept of stone, as it is an idea in God, this stone has an [analogous] attribution; and so ‘God is a stone’ would be asserted formally according to this analogous concept [of stone], just as ‘God is wise’ would be according to that analogous concept [of wise].

An argument for this is also, fifth, made as follows: a more perfect creature can move [the intellect] to a more perfect concept of God. Therefore, since some vision of God, for example the lowest, does not differ as much from any given abstractive intellection of him as the highest creature is distant from the lowest, it seems to follow that, if the lowest can move [the intellect] to some abstractive intellection, that the highest creature, or some creature below it, will be able to move [the intellect] to an intuitive intellection, which is impossible.

But if you say [Henry of Ghent, Summa a.24 q.6] that there are as many degrees in abstractive intellection of God as there are created species, though the extreme intellections not be as distant from each other as the extreme species, which is very possible, because any degree in intellections is less distant from the degree next to it than the created species moving [the intellect] to that one is distant from the species moving it to another one – on the contrary: the difference of abstractive intellections is not only numerical, because they are caused by causes of different species and through the proper ideas of them, not insofar as they include something common as the way about univocity says. Therefore it follows that between the lowest abstractive intellection and the lowest intuitive one there are more intermediates than between the lowest species of beings and the highest, or there are as many. But if the consequent is unacceptable, then also, through the consequent, is the antecedent. Therefore, the species of abstractive intellection are fewer than those of beings. Therefore, by beginning from the lowest on this side and that, a species of being is left that is higher than the one that causes the highest abstractive intellection. Therefore, that higher one will cause intuitive intellection of God.

Again, why will so many species of intellections of the same object be posited, if the object moves [the intellect] to what is proper to it?

Again, as to the principal conclusion [the univocity of being, n.26], it seems to be that every multitude is reduced to unity [Henry of Ghent, Summa a.21 q.2 ad 2]. Therefore so it is in concepts.⁷

But of what sort the univocity of being is, how many and what things it extends to, will be spoken of rather in the question about the first object of the intellect [nn.130-151].

[Objections against the aforesaid reasons] – Against these reasons is objection made. Against the first reason the objection is about the total disjunct [n.27], and the response is set down in d.8 p.1 q.3 n.68, and is more weakly refuted than others are [supra, second paragraph of added note to n.44].

As to the second (as it is briefly stated [n.35]), the major is denied because, on account of their connection, the effect can produce some concept of the cause, though not as perfect as the cause can about itself: for it is conceded that the conclusion produces knowledge of the principle by a demonstration of the ‘that’ [sc. as opposed to a demonstration of the ‘why’]; but it is not the most perfect knowledge of a principle; rather that knowledge is by which [the conclusion] is known from terms perfectly known. For why (unlike in the case of concepts) will an effect simply apprehended cause some simple habitual knowledge of the cause?

To the proof of the major [n.35, third paragraph], I say that although an equivocal effect have no power over an existing equivocal cause, nor over anything of the same idea as the cause [sc. to produce a concept of them], yet it does have power for some knowledge of it, which knowledge is more imperfect not only than the very cause in itself, but also in the very equivocal effect of the cause, namely than a perfect concept of it. But let the major be taken in this way: “no object has power for a concept of anything unless it contain that concept virtually or essentially.” This seems manifest from the idea of cause and equivocal effect [infra n.429], and although action be attributed to the intellect, according to some (I care not), the object, in whatever way it is required, has thus no power for a concept more perfect than a concept adequate to it; such is the proper quidditative concept; therefore etc. The proof of the minor [“such is the proper quidditative concept”] is because, in the case of equivocal effects of the same cause, that effect is most perfect which is most like the cause; such is the intellectual offspring, or the perfect word, of this object. The proof of the major [“the object…has no power for a concept more perfect…”] because then [sc. if the major were false] the perfection of intelligence would exceed the whole power of the memory.

It seems one must absolutely concede that no concept of God can come to be in us by the action of a created object, which may be more perfect than the perfect concept proper to that object, nor consequently [could there come to be in us] a concept to which this concept, proper to the moving object, may be attributed [sc. analogically]; indeed further, the concept of God is more imperfect than this word, because an equivocal effect is less like the cause. It is necessary, therefore, to depart from the opinion of Henry if he posit that the concept of a stone is attributed to the concept that the stone causes of God. It is possible to preserve precisely that the object conceived is attributed to the object, but not that the concept is attributed to the concept. And this is possible enough, because of a more perfect concept a more imperfect concept is had than of a more imperfect concept. And how is it reasonable that, in the same intellect, a proper concept of God is simply more imperfect than the concept of stone or white? And how will there be natural beatitude in the knowledge of God (from Ethics 10.7.1177a12-17)?

But there seems to be the same difficulty against univocity [sc. same as against analogy, n.49], because every concept of God will be less perfect than a perfect proper concept of white, since every such concept is contained in whiteness as a common concept in a special one, and a common concept is simply less perfect, because it is potential and a part with respect to a special concept. How then according to that [sc. univocity] will there be beatitude in natural knowledge of God?

Response. Any concept simply simple [n.71], namely of univocity, is more imperfect positively than the word of white, that is, it does not posit as much perfection; however it is more perfect permissively, because it abstracts from limitation and so is conceivable under infinity; and then the concept, simple indeed but not simply simple, namely ‘infinite being’, will be more perfect than the word of white, and it will be proper to God, but not the prior, common one abstracted from whiteness. Hence the way of univocity holds that every concept proper to God is more perfect than the word of any created thing, but the other way not so.

But there is a twofold objection against this response: first by arguing that the difficulty remains against the way of univocity, because from two concepts, each of which is more imperfect than the word of white, there does not seem to come to be a concept more perfect than that word. But the concept of being, as is conceded [n.51], is more imperfect than the concept of white or of line, and the concept of the infinite similarly. The proof is because the infinite is conceived by us through the finite, the finite through line, or some such object moving us to a concept of the property. Therefore, the concept of the infinite is more imperfect than the concept of line. There is a confirmation of the reason, because a concept that includes affirmation and negation is not more perfect because of the negation, or at least it is not more perfect than by conceiving the affirmation of the negation; here infinite being is not some concept of a positive save of being; therefore infinity does not make a perfect concept, or at any rate there will not be a more perfect concept of infinite being than of finite being.

A second objection in favor of Henry is made in a similar way, because although a simply simple concept is more imperfect than the word or concept of a creature, as the argument says, [n.51], yet many such concepts can be put together, and one will determine another, and the whole concept will be more perfect. And there is no greater difficulty here [in the way of analogy] than there [the way of univocity] save on two points: first that here any concept [‘infinite’, ‘being’], whether determining or determinable, is posited proper to God, and there one is common [‘being’ as univocal] and the other proper [‘infinite’ as proper to God]; second: that here some concept proper to God is conceded to be more imperfect than the word of a creature [n.52], there that none is [n.51, end]. Now the first of these points is not unacceptable, because a property does well determine a subject (‘man’ ‘capable of laughter’ [cp. ‘being’ ‘infinite’]), and yet each is equally common. The second point one should altogether concede, because of this second argument here [n.53] – when speaking of the concept, that is, of the act of conceiving, but not of the object conceived.

As to these objections [nn.52-53], it seems that a response sufficiently fitting is that each opinion [sc. of analogy and of univocity] posits a not simply simple concept more perfect than the word of that which moves to a part [of that simply simple concept; n.51 end, n.53 beginning]. But the objection made in the arguing [sc. for Henry, nn.52-53] seems against both opinions, because however many are put together, each of the concepts is impressed [on the intellect] by a creature moving [the intellect]. Therefore, each is more imperfect than the word of the creature. How will an aggregation of more imperfect concepts make a concept that is intensively more perfect? The confirmation too [n.52] objects well against the point about the infinite. Not for this reason, then, may the opinion [of the univocity of being] be rejected, because the difficulty is common to both, and equally so, if the analogy of concepts be expounded of concepts.

Perhaps the objections [nn.52-53] do well prove that an act about God is not the most perfect intensively; nor, in order for natural beatitude to exist there, is this required, but that there be union with the most perfect object (Parts of Animals 1.5.644b31-33). And perhaps some creature is more intensely loved than God, nor yet when loved does it now beatify as God does (about this in Ord. IV d.49 p.1 qq.1-2 [nn.1-4 19-32], ‘how we are beatified in the object’). This point about infinite being would be true if the infinite were precisely the mode under which the object would be conceived, and not a part of the concept, or the mode such that the concept in itself [would be conceived] (as distinguished [Ord. I d.2 n.183] in the question about the unity of God, about singularity as conceived, and as now precisely ‘that under which’ it is conceived [Ord. I d.2 n.183]), the way too a certain degree of intensity is precisely the mode under which ‘this’ whiteness is seen. But we do not understand ‘infinite being’ thus, but as including two concepts, albeit one of them determine the other. And perhaps the privative concept of the infinite [sc. the infinite conceived as the privation or negation of finitude, from Henry of Ghent n.35] does not posit anything, although it does give to understand a positive such that, if we do have a positive concept of the necessary, more perfectly positively is God understood here, the simply necessary being. But perhaps we conceive neither the necessary nor the eternal except as negation of imperfection, namely of potency to be differently disposed or to be in flux, or of beginning or end. The eternal states an infinite of a sort, for in duration is infinity not at all more perfect than in quantity of perfection, as an infinite magnitude would be more perfect than an infinite time.