Part III (Secunda Secundae) Part 248 (1/2)
(1) Whether the prophets see G.o.d's very essence?
(2) Whether the prophetic revelation is effected by the infusion of certain species, or by the infusion of Divine light alone?
(3) Whether prophetic revelation is always accompanied by abstraction from the sense?
(4) Whether prophecy is always accompanied by knowledge of the things prophesied?
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FIRST ARTICLE [II-II, Q. 173, Art. 1]
Whether the Prophets See the Very Essence of G.o.d?
Objection 1: It would seem that the prophets see the very essence of G.o.d, for a gloss on Isa. 38:1, ”Take order with thy house, for thou shalt die and not live,” says: ”Prophets can read in the book of G.o.d's foreknowledge in which all things are written.” Now G.o.d's foreknowledge is His very essence. Therefore prophets see G.o.d's very essence.
Obj. 2: Further, Augustine says (De Trin. ix, 7) that ”in that eternal truth from which all temporal things are made, we see with the mind's eye the type both of our being and of our actions.” Now, of all men, prophets have the highest knowledge of Divine things.
Therefore they, especially, see the Divine essence.
Obj. 3: Further, future contingencies are foreknown by the prophets ”with unchangeable truth.” Now future contingencies exist thus in G.o.d alone. Therefore the prophets see G.o.d Himself.
_On the contrary,_ The vision of the Divine essence is not made void in heaven; whereas ”prophecy is made void” (1 Cor. 13:8). Therefore prophecy is not conveyed by a vision of the Divine essence.
_I answer that,_ Prophecy denotes Divine knowledge as existing afar off. Wherefore it is said of the prophets (Heb. 11:13) that ”they were beholding ... afar off.” But those who are in heaven and in the state of bliss see, not as from afar off, but rather, as it were, from near at hand, according to Ps. 139:14, ”The upright shall dwell with Thy countenance.” Hence it is evident that prophetic knowledge differs from the perfect knowledge, which we shall have in heaven, so that it is distinguished therefrom as the imperfect from the perfect, and when the latter comes the former is made void, as appears from the words of the Apostle (1 Cor. 13:10).
Some, however, wis.h.i.+ng to discriminate between prophetic knowledge and the knowledge of the blessed, have maintained that the prophets see the very essence of G.o.d (which they call the ”mirror of eternity”) [*Cf. De Veritate, xii, 6; Sent. II, D, XI, part 2, art.
2, ad 4], not, however, in the way in which it is the object of the blessed, but as containing the types [*Cf. I, Q. 15] of future events. But this is altogether impossible. For G.o.d is the object of bliss in His very essence, according to the saying of Augustine (Confess. v, 4): ”Happy whoso knoweth Thee, though he know not these,” i.e. creatures. Now it is not possible to see the types of creatures in the very essence of G.o.d without seeing It, both because the Divine essence is Itself the type of all things that are made--the ideal type adding nothing to the Divine essence save only a relations.h.i.+p to the creature--and because knowledge of a thing in itself--and such is the knowledge of G.o.d as the object of heavenly bliss--precedes knowledge of that thing in its relation to something else--and such is the knowledge of G.o.d as containing the types of things. Consequently it is impossible for prophets to see G.o.d as containing the types of creatures, and yet not as the object of bliss. Therefore we must conclude that the prophetic vision is not the vision of the very essence of G.o.d, and that the prophets do not see in the Divine essence Itself the things they do see, but that they see them in certain images, according as they are enlightened by the Divine light.
Wherefore Dionysius (Coel. Hier. iv), in speaking of prophetic visions, says that ”the wise theologian calls that vision divine which is effected by images of things lacking a bodily form through the seer being rapt in divine things.” And these images illumined by the Divine light have more of the nature of a mirror than the Divine essence: since in a mirror images are formed from other things, and this cannot be said of G.o.d. Yet the prophet's mind thus enlightened may be called a mirror, in so far as a likeness of the truth of the Divine foreknowledge is formed therein, for which reason it is called the ”mirror of eternity,” as representing G.o.d's foreknowledge, for G.o.d in His eternity sees all things as present before Him, as stated above (Q. 172, A. 1).
Reply Obj. 1: The prophets are said to read the book of G.o.d's foreknowledge, inasmuch as the truth is reflected from G.o.d's foreknowledge on the prophet's mind.
Reply Obj. 2: Man is said to see in the First Truth the type of his existence, in so far as the image of the First Truth s.h.i.+nes forth on man's mind, so that he is able to know himself.
Reply Obj. 3: From the very fact that future contingencies are in G.o.d according to unalterable truth, it follows that G.o.d can impress a like knowledge on the prophet's mind without the prophet seeing G.o.d in His essence.
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SECOND ARTICLE [II-II, Q. 173, Art. 2]
Whether, in Prophetic Revelation, New Species of Things Are Impressed on the Prophet's Mind, or Merely a New Light?
Objection 1: It would seem that in prophetic revelation no new species of things are impressed on the prophet's mind, but only a new light. For a gloss of Jerome on Amos 1:2 says that ”prophets draw comparisons from things with which they are conversant.” But if prophetic vision were effected by means of species newly impressed, the prophet's previous experience of things would be inoperative.
Therefore no new species are impressed on the prophet's soul, but only the prophetic light.
Obj. 2: Further, according to Augustine (Gen. ad lit. xii, 9), ”it is not imaginative but intellective vision that makes the prophet”; wherefore it is declared (Dan. 10:1) that ”there is need of understanding in a vision.” Now intellective vision, as stated in the same book (Gen. ad lit. xii, 6) is not effected by means of images, but by the very truth of things. Therefore it would seem that prophetic revelation is not effected by impressing species on the soul.
Obj. 3: Further, by the gift of prophecy the Holy Ghost endows man with something that surpa.s.ses the faculty of nature. Now man can by his natural faculties form all kinds of species of things. Therefore it would seem that in prophetic revelation no new species of things are impressed, but merely an intellectual light.
_On the contrary,_ It is written (Osee 12:10): ”I have multiplied”
their ”visions, and I have used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.” Now multiplicity of visions results, not from a diversity of intellectual light, which is common to every prophetic vision, but from a diversity of species, whence similitudes also result.
Therefore it seems that in prophetic revelation new species of things are impressed, and not merely an intellectual light.