SECOND TREATISE
On God the Triune

  • CHAPTER I
    On the existence of three persons in God
    • SECTION I
      Teaching of the Scripture on the divinity of Christ
    • SECTION II
      Teaching of the Scripture on the divinity of the Holy Ghost
      • § 36 Holy Ghost is a person
      • § 37 Holy Ghost is God
    • SECTION III
      Proof of the existence of Trinity from the Tradition
      • § 38 On the antitrinitarian heresies
      • § 39 Proof of the divinity of Christ on the basis of the Ante-Nicene testiomonies
      • § 40 Proof of the Trinity of persons from the cult of the Ante-Nicene church
      • § 41 Proof of the Trinity of persons on the basis of the Ante-Nicene testimonies
      • § 42 On difficult statements of the Ante-Nicene Fathers
  • CHAPTER II
    On the distinction of the persons in God
    • SECTION I
      Fundaments of the doctrine
      • § 43 General theses concerning the divine persons
      • § 44 The distinction between the persons is solely due to the relations of origin
      • § 45 The same thing is explained by reason
    • SECTION II
      On the procession of the Son
      • § 46 The Son proceeds as a real terminus of the intellect
      • § 47 The procession of the Son is true generation
      • § 48 Explanation why the procession of the Son is generation
      • § 49 From the intellection of which objects the Word proceeds
      • § 50 Some corollaria
    • SECTION III
      On the procession of the Holy Ghost
      • § 51 The Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son
      • § 52 The Holy Ghost proceeds as a real terminus of the will
      • § 53 The Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son as from a single principle
      • § 54 The procession of the Holy Spirit is not generation
  • CHAPTER III
    On the Trinity from a general point of view
      • § 55 On processions, relations and persons in God
      • § 56 On proprieties, notions and notional acts
      • § 57 On the way of speaking about the Trinity
      • § 58 On God's external operation and appropriation
      • § 59 On circumincession
      • § 60 On the equality of the divine persons
      • § 61 Some difficulties


Title page of the work

§55. On the processions, relations and persons in God

1. The formal terminus of a production is that at the production of which the originating action is directed. E. g. creation is directed at communicating esse, sculpturing at imprinting a shape into the stone. The formal terminus of the action of divine origination or divine proscession is the divine nature, for the procession is directed at communicating or positing anew the very same nature.

a) How this applies to generation is clear: the action of the Father is directed at positing a substantial similitude of the Father's nature. This similitude cannot be an accident, as that is repugnant in God, nor a substance distinct from God, for such a procession would be no generation but creation. Likewise, spiration is directed at producing substantial love (since accidental love is repugnant in God) identical with divine substance (otherwise not a divine person but a creature would be posited).

§ 55. De processionibus, relationibus, personis divinis

1. Terminus formalis alicuius productionis est id, in quod in re produceudm actio originans tendit. E. g. creatio tendit in communicationem TOU esse, sculptio in inducendam figuram in lapidem. Terminus formalis actionis divinae originantis seu activae processionis est natura divina quia processio tendit in communicandam seu denuo ponendam eandem naturam.

a) Patet de generatione: Actio Patris tendit in ponendam similitudinem substantialem naturae paternae. Quae similitudo non potest esse accidens, quod in De0 repugnat, neque substantia a Deo distincta, quia talis processio non esset generatio, sed creatio. Similiter spiratio tendit in producendum amorem substantialem (nam amor accidentallis in De0 repugnat) cum substantia divina identicum (quia secus non poneretur pers0na divina, sed creatura).

b) Relatio originati ad originantem non est terminus formalis divinae processionis. sed mere materiaiter et concomitanter se habet. Hoc valet de qnl V'$ actione origlnan te. Vid~licet id, in quod efficiendum actiooriginllllJitendit(!;$$(!, figural, non pot.estoffici nili utah originante d;stinctum et ad ~um vi originis l"I)lationem h&bens, TIll·minn. ;gitnr materialis proc"SSionis divi" .... ~t relalio originis distincl.ionem u alem intor personas emeiens. Telminus formalil est natura oommunicand., terminus totalis (m ...teriaJ!s +formalis) est personll divin. compl~t.lns Communem naturarn et personajitatem "II relationem (§ 43, 7). oj D~rand" . pntabat relationes divinas _ r,,~ltl> modificationes 'essentiae divinRe, et idoo di",it t.lnninum form ...lem proc-wnis divina.e _ relationem. sicut e. g. terminus forml.lill, quem inducit llgulus in limum, est IIgurk. Sed tale !Uppositum Ellit flll.um, quia modillcatio est accidens substantiam maliter perlkiens, et ideo in infinit... et simpli~i5Sim. Dfli _ntia repugnat 2, Vox proc_ionis et relationis divinae elUldem rem .igni6cat. P~essio II.Ctiva est "i originem dare immutabili et a.etern... II.Ctione, p'"OC<lSSio passi'!a est ,0 otiginem sine mutatione ab let.>rnoaccipere. Est igitur proceasio ip&a relatio originis super actionem imma!le!!tem fundata. Inter utramque non est nisi d;stinctiovirtualillminol", quatenu. eadem res con~ipitur lIut tamquam .Iiquid plene oonstitutum et manens (nlllltioj aut tamqu ...m motus ad plenam constitutionem et permanentill;m (ptocessio). Hicdopluinadaequatusconsiderandi modus tran96nmptus est a creati •. Ibi ita generatur fililUl, ut demum natura JX>St actum , gen~rationi& adsit ens perfecrum, manans, aWectum r"latione origin!ti ad origin~ntem. Sed in divinis inl.ellectio . d iva t&mquam relatio generati'·~ tel111inans Fiiium est Raterna, ~arans omni mutationa aut progreuu r. nihilo vel imperfeetione termini ad eiua perfeetam constitutionem.
Tto.<~ II. Do D•• 'I'ri..,. Cap.IlL ! W, 3-~
3. Idoo dicimus , 1''''''10'1<>1 di","/Q ' poUU $ CI!"$ljt,.""t~,· "'/IJlionih, quam p,"O<:,uiOllib~,. NIUll pel"$ona ~ignificat aliquid iam constitutum ...t manen., non viam et motum ...d plenllm ronstitutionem et pIlrmanenbam. Sed est difficultu de Potre. Pater bumanns antM est persona. delude general, tandem est paterM'n aWectu l reiatioll e originllnti,. E, so idem "idetur dicendum de Pllt ... ., di vino. ~ ""sand ... ~.t p,,,·ita. In Patre divino pef"80nalitas, s ...neratio, !'elatio gen!rantis eat \lnum idamque. Tamen facilioris oogitationis gr...tia li08t prius eoncipere Pat.em ut ~~omun in eonfu$o, deinde ut generantem, tnndem ut relatum ad Filium. At hie ooncipiendi 11I00UI @st merUI anthropomorphi8mus.