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Objection 1: It seems that by grace a higher knowledge of God is
not obtained than by natural reason. For Dionysius says (De
Mystica Theol. i) that whoever is the more united to God in this
life, is united to Him as to one entirely unknown. He says the same
of Moses, who nevertheless obtained a certain excellence by the
knowledge conferred by grace. But to be united to God while ignoring
of Him "what He is," comes about also by natural reason.
Therefore God is not more known to us by grace than by natural
reason.
Objection 2: Further, we can acquire the knowledge of divine things
by natural reason only through the imagination; and the same applies to
the knowledge given by grace. For Dionysius says (Coel. Hier.
i) that "it is impossible for the divine ray to shine upon us except
as screened round about by the many colored sacred veils." Therefore
we cannot know God more fully by grace than by natural reason.
Objection 3: Further, our intellect adheres to God by grace of
faith. But faith does not seem to be knowledge; for Gregory says
(Hom. xxvi in Ev.) that "things not seen are the objects of
faith, and not of knowledge." Therefore there is not given to us a
more excellent knowledge of God by grace.
On the contrary, The Apostle says that "God hath revealed to us
His spirit," what "none of the princes of this world knew" (1
Cor. 2:10), namely, the philosophers, as the gloss expounds.
I answer that, We have a more perfect knowledge of God by grace than
by natural reason. Which is proved thus. The knowledge which we have
by natural reason contains two things: images derived from the sensible
objects; and the natural intelligible light, enabling us to abstract
from them intelligible conceptions.
Now in both of these, human knowledge is assisted by the revelation of
grace. For the intellect's natural light is strengthened by the
infusion of gratuitous light; and sometimes also the images in the
human imagination are divinely formed, so as to express divine things
better than those do which we receive from sensible objects, as appears
in prophetic visions; while sometimes sensible things, or even
voices, are divinely formed to express some divine meaning; as in the
Baptism, the Holy Ghost was seen in the shape of a dove, and the
voice of the Father was heard, "This is My beloved Son" (Mt.
3:17).
Reply to Objection 1: Although by the revelation of grace in this
life we cannot know of God "what He is," and thus are united to
Him as to one unknown; still we know Him more fully according as many
and more excellent of His effects are demonstrated to us, and
according as we attribute to Him some things known by divine
revelation, to which natural reason cannot reach, as, for instance,
that God is Three and One.
Reply to Objection 2: From the images either received from sense in
the natural order, or divinely formed in the imagination, we have so
much the more excellent intellectual knowledge, the stronger the
intelligible light is in man; and thus through the revelation given by
the images a fuller knowledge is received by the infusion of the divine
light.
Reply to Objection 3: Faith is a kind of knowledge, inasmuch as
the intellect is determined by faith to some knowable object. But this
determination to one object does not proceed from the vision of the
believer, but from the vision of Him who is believed. Thus as far as
faith falls short of vision, it falls short of the knowledge which
belongs to science, for science determines the intellect to one object
by the vision and understanding of first principles.
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