36. 上帝的本質是聖仁和聖智
之前(18節), 我們將上帝的根本和本質區別開來, 因為上帝的無限和祂的仁愛有所區別, 無限這個措詞適用于上帝的根本, 而仁愛適用於祂的本質。如之前所述, 上帝的根本比祂的本質更普遍, 同理祂的無限比祂的仁愛更普遍。因這個緣故, "無限的"可作為上帝的要素和特徵等相稱的形容詞, 所有這些都可稱為"無限的", 因此聖仁(神性的仁愛)是無限的, 聖智(神性的智慧)是無限的, 聖能(神性的大能)也是。並不是上帝的根本在祂的本質之前就存在, 而是祂的根本成為祂本質的不可分的附屬因素, 引導和構成,同時提升本質到更高的水準。這部分的內容照之前一樣, 分開不同的標題來討論。
(1)上帝是仁(愛)之本,智(慧)之本, 二者組成祂的本質。
(2)上帝是善之本,理之本, 因為善從仁而來,理從智而來。
(3)仁之本和智之本就是生命之本,或生命在本身之中。
(4)仁與智在上帝裡聯合為一。
(5)仁的本質是仁愛身外的他人,願成為其中之一,由自己而祝福他人。
(6)聖仁的這些特徵是宇宙被造的原因, 也是宇宙被維持的原因。
36. The Essence of God:
I have drawn a distinction between God's underlying reality and God's essence because there is a difference between God's infinity and God's love. Infinity pertains to God's underlying reality; love pertains to God's essence. As I said above [18, 21], God's underlying reality is more universal than God's essence. Likewise, God's infinity is more universal than God's love. "Infinite" is an adjective modifying God's attributes and the components of God's essence. All these are said to be infinite. In the same way, divine love is said to be infinite, and so are divine wisdom and divine power. I do not mean that God's underlying reality came about before God's essence, but rather that it is an ingredient or component of that essence that is connected with that essence, that gives that essence direction, and that forms and also elevates that essence.
This part of this chapter, like the parts that went before, will be divided into points, as follows:
1. God is love itself and wisdom itself. These two constitute his essence.
2. Because goodness comes from love and truth comes from wisdom, God is goodness itself and truth itself.
3. Love itself and wisdom itself are life itself, or life in itself.
4. Love and wisdom are united in God.
5. The essence of love is loving others who are outside of oneself, wanting to be one with them, and blessing them from oneself.
6. These essential characteristics of divine love were the reason the universe was created, and they are the reason it is maintained.
I will take up these points one by one.
36. THE ESSENCE OF GOD, WHICH IS THE DIVINE LOVE AND THE DIVINE WISDOM
We made a distinction between the Being (Esse) and Essence of God, because there is a distinction between God's Infinity and His Love, and the term infinity is applicable to God's Being and the term Love to His Essence. As stated above, God's Being is more universal than His Essence; and in the same way His Infinity is more universal than His Love. For this reason 'infinite' is the adjective appropriate to the essentials and attributes of God; all of these are called infinite, thus the Divine Love is infinite, the Divine Wisdom is infinite, and so is the Divine Power. It is not that God's Being existed before His Essence, but it enters into His Essence as an adjunct which is inseparable, directing, forming and at the same time raising it to a higher plane. This section of the chapter will be discussed under separate headings as before.
(i) God is Love itself and Wisdom itself, these two making up His Essence.
(ii) God is Good itself and Truth itself, because Good refers to Love and Truth to Wisdom.
(iii) Love itself and Wisdom itself constitute Life itself, or Life in itself.
(iv) Love and Wisdom are one in God.
(v) The essence of love is loving others than oneself, wishing to be one with them and devoting oneself to their happiness.
(vi) These properties of the Divine Love were the reason the universe was created, and are the reason it is preserved in existence.
These headings must now be discussed one by one.
36. THE DIVINE ESSENCE, WHICH IS DIVINE LOVE AND DIVINE WISDOM.
A distinction has been made between the Esse of God and the essence of God, because there is a distinction between the infinity of God and the love of God, infinity being applicable to the Esse of God, and love to the essence of God, since the Esse of God, as has just been said, is more universal than His essence; just as the infinity of God is more universal than His love; and for this reason the word infinite is an adjective that is applicable to the essentials and attributes of God, which are all called infinite; as we say of the Divine love that it is infinite, of the Divine wisdom that it is infinite, also of the Divine power; not because of any pre-existence of the Esse of God, but because it enters into the essence as joined to it, cohering with it, determining and forming and also exalting it. But this section of this chapter, like the previous ones, shall be presented under the following divisions:
(1) God is Love itself and Wisdom itself, and these two constitute His Essence.
(2) God is Good itself and Truth itself, because Good is of Love and Truth is of Wisdom.
(3) Love itself and wisdom itself are Life itself, which is Life in itself.
(4) Love and Wisdom in God make one.
(5) It is the essence of Love to love others outside of one-self, to desire to be one with them, and to render them blessed from oneself.
(6) These essentials of the Divine Love were the cause of the universe, and are the cause of its preservation.
But of these separately.
36. THE ESSENCE OF GOD, WHICH IS DIVINE LOVE AND DIVINE WISDOM.
We have distinguished between the Being of God and the Essence of God, because there is a distinction between the Infinity of God and the Love of God, Infinity being predicated of the Being of God and Love of the Essence of God; for, as was observed above, the Being of God is more universal than the Essence of God, and the Infinity more universal than the Love of God. Therefore the term infinite is applicable to the essentials and attributes of God, which are all called infinite. Thus the Divine Love, and the Divine Wisdom and the Divine Power are said to be infinite; not that the Being of God existed before His Essence, but because it enters into His Essence as an adjunct, cohering with, determining, forming, and at the same time, exalting it. This subject, as in previous cases, will be treated under separate articles in the following order:
(1) God is Love itself and Wisdom itself, and these two constitute His Essence.
(2) God is Good itself and Truth itself, because Good is of Love, and Truth is of Wisdom.
(3) Love itself and Wisdom itself are Life itself, which is Life in itself.
(4) Love and Wisdom in God make one.
(5) The essence of love is to love others outside itself, to desire to be one with them, and to make them happy from itself.
(6) These properties of Divine Love were the cause of the creation of the universe, and they are the cause of its preservation.
Each article will now be treated in order.
36. DE DEI ESSENTIA, QUAE EST DIVINUS AMOR ET DIVINA SAPIENTIA.
Distinximus inter Esse Dei et Essentiam Dei, quia inter Infinitatem Dei et Amorem Dei, ac Infinitas applicate dicitur de Esse Dei, ac Amor de Essentia Dei; est enim, ut supra dictum, Esse Dei universalius quam Essentia Dei, similiter Infinitas universalior quam Amor Dei, quapropter Infinitum fit adjectivum Essentialium et Attributorum Dei, quae omnia Infinita dicuntur, sicut de Divino Amore quod Infinitus sit, de Divina Sapientia quod Infinita, de Divina Potentia similiter: non quod Esse Dei praeexistat, sed quia ingreditur Essentiam ut adjunctivum cohaerens, determinans, formans, et simul elevans. Sed hoc Membrum hujus Capitis, ut priora, in sequentes Articulos dispescetur. I. Quod Deus sit ipse Amor et ipsa Sapientia, et quod haec duo faciant Essentiam Ipsius, II. Quod Deus sit ipsum Bonum et ipsum Verum, quia Bonum est amoris, et Verum est Sapientiae. III. Quod ipse Amor et ipsa Sapientia sint ipsa Vita, 1 quae 2 est Vita in se. IV. Quod Amor et Sapientia in Deo unum faciant. V. Quod Essentia amoris sit amare alios extra se, velle unum cum illis esse, et beatificare illos ex se. VI. Quod haec amoris Divini fuerint causa creationis Universi, et quod sint causa conservationis ejus. Sed de his singulatim.
Footnotes:
1. Sic prima editio. Cf. 39 et Index Generalis ubi: Quod Deus, quia est ipse Amor et ipsa Sapientia, sit ipsa Vita.
2. Prima editio: quoe.