第二节 论上帝的存在——雅威
18# 我们首先论述上帝的存在（Divinum Esse），继而论述上帝的本质（Divina Essentia）。二者看似同属一事，实则 “存在” 比 “本质” 更具普遍性 —— 本质以存在为前提，且借着存在才成其为本质。
上帝的存在，即神性存在，是无法言说的，因为它超越人类一切心智观念。人的心智只能领悟受造的、有限的事物，不能领悟非受造的、无限的事物，因此也无从领会神性的存在。神性存在乃是 “存在本身”，万物皆由它而出，且它内在于万物之中，使万物得以存续。
对于神性存在的更深认知，可从以下数条要义中获得：
一、独一上帝被称为 “雅威”，正是源于祂的 “存在”—— 唯独祂是昔在、今在、以后永在的那位；祂是首先的，也是末后的；是初，也是终；是阿拉法，也是俄梅戛。
二、独一上帝是实体本身，也是形式本身；天使与人都是从祂而出的实体与形式。他们住在祂里面、祂也住在他们里面到何种程度，他们就成为祂的形像与样式到何种程度。
三、神性的存在，是在自身内的存在，同时也是在自身内的显现。
四、在自身内为神性的存在与显现，不能产生出另一个同样在自身内为存在与显现的神性；因此，绝不可能有第二位同本质的上帝存在。
五、古往今来一切多神信仰的滋生，莫不起源于对神性存在的误解。
以上各要义，下文将逐一阐释。
18# 我们首先论述神性存在，然后论述神性本质。表面上看，这两者似乎是同一个；但存在比本质更普遍，因为本质以存在为前提，并源于存在，或说从存在中获得自己的起源。神的存在，或神性存在无法描述，或说无法定义，因为它超越了人类的一切思维观念；只有受造的和有限的才能进入人类的思维，而非受造的和无限的，因而神性存在是无法进入的。神性存在是存在本身，一切事物都来自存在本身，并且存在本身必须在一切事物中，以便它们可以存在。对神性存在的进一步概念可从以下几个命题中形成，即：
（1）独一神凭存在而被称为耶和华，因为唯独祂今在、昔在和永在；还因为祂是首先的和末后的，是始和终，是阿拉法和俄梅戛。
（2）独一神是实质本身和形式本身，天使和世人是来自祂的实质和形式；他们在祂里面，祂在他们里面到何等程度，他们就在何等程度上是祂的形像和样式。
（3）神性存在就是存在本身，同时也是出现或显现本身（Existere 或Manifestation）。
（4）神性存在和出现本身不可能产生另一个神性，即存在和出现本身；因此，具有相同本质的另一位神是不可能的。
（5）无论在古代还是在现代，多神的教义完全是因为不理解神性存在。
现逐一解释这些命题。
18. The Underlying Divine Reality or Jehovah
First I will discuss the underlying divine reality, and afterward the divine essence. These two might seem to be one and the same thing, but underlying reality is even more universal than essence. Essence presupposes an underlying reality and arises from it. The underlying reality of God, the underlying divine reality, cannot be described. It is beyond the reach of any idea in human thought. Everything human thought can conceive of is created and finite; it cannot conceive of what was not created and is infinite. Therefore it cannot conceive of the underlying divine reality. The underlying divine reality is the reality itself from which all things exist, and which must be in every thing in order for that thing to exist. Some further notion of the underlying divine reality may, however, be gained from the following points:
1. The one God is called Jehovah from "being," that is, from the fact that he alone is and was and will be, and that he is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega.
2. The one God is substance itself and form itself. Angels and people are substances and forms from him. To the extent that they are in him and he is in them, to that extent they are images and likenesses of him.
3. The underlying divine reality is intrinsic reality and is also an intrinsic capacity to become manifest.
4. The intrinsic, underlying divine reality and intrinsic capacity to become manifest cannot produce anything else divine that is intrinsically real and has an intrinsic capacity to become manifest. Therefore another God of the same essence is impossible.
5. The plurality of gods in ancient times, and nowadays as well, has no other source than a misunderstanding of the underlying divine reality.
These points need to be clarified one by one.
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18. THE DIVINE BEING, WHICH IS JEHOVAH
The Divine Being (Esse) will be discussed first, then the Divine Essence. It looks as if these two are one and the same, but in fact Being (Esse) is more universal than Essence, since Essence presupposes Being, and comes into existence from Being. The Being of God, or the Divine Being, is indescribable, since it transcends all ideas of human thought. This cannot grasp anything except what is created and finite. What is uncreated and infinite, such as the Divine Being, is incomprehensible. The Divine Being is Being Itself, the source of all things and which must be in all things for them to exist. Some further conception of the Divine Being can be gained from the following propositions: viz.
(i) The one God is named Jehovah from His Being, that is, from the fact that He alone is, was and will be, and because He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, Alpha and Omega.
(ii) The one God is substance itself and form itself, and angels and men are substances and forms derived from Him; to the extent that they are in Him and He in them, so far are they images and likenesses of Him.
(iii) The Divine Being is Being in itself, and at the same time Coming-into-Being in itself.
(iv) The Divine Being and Coming-into-Being in itself cannot give rise to another Divine which is Being and Coming-into Being in itself. Consequently another God of the same essence is impossible.
(v) The plurality of gods in ancient times, as well as to-day, was entirely the result of a failure to understand the Divine Being.
These propositions must be elucidated one by one.
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18. THE DIVINE ESSE, WHICH IS JEHOVAH.
Let us first consider the Divine Esse, and afterwards the Divine essence. In appearance the two are one and the same; but esse is more universal than essence; for essence implies esse, and is derived from esse. The Esse of God (or the Divine Esse) it is impossible to define, because it transcends every idea of human thought, since this can take in only what is created and finite, and not what is uncreate and infinite, and therefore not the Divine Esse. The Divine Esse is Esse itself, from which all things are, and which must be in all things in order that they may have being. A fuller conception of the Divine Esse may be gained by the following propositions:
(1) The one God is called Jehovah from Esse, that is because He alone Is, Was, and Is To Be, and because He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega.
(2) The one God is substance itself and Form itself, and angels and men are substances and forms from Him, and so far as they are in Him and He is in them are images and likenesses of Him.
(3) The Divine Esse is at once Esse [Being] in itself and Existere [Manifestation] in itself.
(4) It is impossible for the Divine Esse and Existere in itself to produce another Divine which is Esse and Existere in itself; therefore another God of the same Essence is impossible.
(5) The doctrine of a plurality of gods, both in past ages and at the present day, sprang solely from a failure to understand the Divine Esse.
But these propositions must be elucidated one by one.
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18. THE DIVINE BEING (Esse), WHICH IS JEHOVAH.
In the first place the Divine Being (Esse) will be treated of, and afterwards the Divine Essence. It would appear as if they were one and the same; but Being is more universal than Essence, for Essence presupposes Being, and from Being Essence derives its origin. The Being of God, or the Divine Being, cannot be described, for it transcends every idea of human thought; and nothing enters human thought but the created and the finite, not the uncreated and the infinite, thus not the Divine Being. The Divine Being is Being itself, from which all things are, and which must be in all things that they may exist. A further conception of the Divine Being may be formed from the following articles:
(1) The one God is called Jehovah from His Being, because He alone is, was, and will be; and because He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega.
(2) The one God is Substance itself and Form itself, and angels and men are substances and forms from Him; and as far as they are in Him, and He in them, so far are they images and likenesses of Him.
(3) The Divine Being is Being in itself, and at the same time Existing (Existere) in itself.
(4) The Divine Being and Existing in itself cannot produce another Divine that is Being and Existing in itself; consequently there cannot be another God of the same Essence.
(5) The idea of a plurality of Gods in ancient and also in modern times arose because the nature of the Divine Being was not understood.
Each of these articles will now be explained in order.
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18. DE DIVINO ESSE, QUOD EST JEHOVAH.
Agitur primum de Divino Esse, et postea de Divina Essentia: apparet sicut duo illa unum idem sint, sed usque Esse est Universalius quam Essentia, Essentia enim ponit Esse, et ex Esse fit Essentia: Esse Dei, seu Esse Divinum, non 1 potest describi, quia est supra omnem ideam cogitationis humanae; in hanc non cadit aliud, quam quod creatum et finitum est, non autem Increatum et Infinitum, ita non Esse Divinum: Esse Divinum est ipsum Esse, ex quo omnia sunt, et quod in omnibus erit ut sint. Ulterior notio de Esse Divino potest influere ex Articulis sequentibus, qui sunt, I. Quod Unus ille Deus dicatur Jehovah ex Esse, ita ex eo, quia Solus Est, Fuit, et Erit, et quia est Primus et Ultimus, Principium et Finis, Alphah et Omegah. II. Quod Unus ille Deus sit ipsa Substantia et ipsa Forma, et quod Angeli et Homines sint substantiae et formae ex Ipso, et quod quantum illi in Ipso sunt, et Ipse in illis, tantum sint imagines et similitudines Ipsius. III. Quod Divinum Esse sit Esse in se, et simul Existere in se. IV. Quod Divinum Esse et Existere in se, non possit producere aliud Divinum quod sit Esse et Existere in se, consequenter quod Deus alius ejusdem Essentiae non dabilis sit. V. Quod Pluralitas deorum in Saeculis antiquis, et quoque hodiernis, non aliunde exstiterit, quam ex non intellecto Divino Esse. Sed haec singulatim elucidanda sunt.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: Divinum non.