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Objection 1: It would seem that the procession of love in God is
generation. For what proceeds by way of likeness of nature among
living things is said to be generated and born. But what proceeds in
God by way of love proceeds in the likeness of nature; otherwise it
would be extraneous to the divine nature, and would be an external
procession. Therefore what proceeds in God by way of love, proceeds
as generated and born.
Objection 2: Further, as similitude is of the nature of the word,
so does it belong to love. Hence it is said, that "every beast loves
its like" (Ecclus. 13:19). Therefore if the Word is
begotten and born by way of likeness, it seems becoming that love
should proceed by way of generation.
Objection 3: Further, what is not in any species is not in the
genus. So if there is a procession of love in God, there ought to be
some special name besides this common name of procession. But no other
name is applicable but generation. Therefore the procession of love in
God is generation.
On the contrary, Were this true, it would follow that the Holy
Ghost Who proceeds as love, would proceed as begotten; which is
against the statement of Athanasius: "The Holy Ghost is from the
Father and the Son, not made, nor begotten, but proceeding."
I answer that, The procession of love in God ought not to be called
generation. In evidence whereof we must consider that the intellect
and the will differ in this respect, that the intellect is made actual
by the object understood residing according to its own likeness in the
intellect; whereas the will is made actual, not by any similitude of
the object willed within it, but by its having a certain inclination to
the thing willed. Thus the procession of the intellect is by way of
similitude, and is called generation, because every generator begets
its own like; whereas the procession of the will is not by way of
similitude, but rather by way of impulse and movement towards an
object.
So what proceeds in God by way of love, does not proceed as
begotten, or as son, but proceeds rather as spirit; which name
expresses a certain vital movement and impulse, accordingly as anyone
is described as moved or impelled by love to perform an action.
Reply to Objection 1: All that exists in God is one with the
divine nature. Hence the proper notion of this or that procession, by
which one procession is distinguished from another, cannot be on the
part of this unity: but the proper notion of this or that procession
must be taken from the order of one procession to another; which order
is derived from the nature of the will and intellect. Hence, each
procession in God takes its name from the proper notion of will and
intellect; the name being imposed to signify what its nature really
is; and so it is that the Person proceeding as love receives the
divine nature, but is not said to be born.
Reply to Objection 2: Likeness belongs in a different way to the
word and to love. It belongs to the word as being the likeness of the
object understood, as the thing generated is the likeness of the
generator; but it belongs to love, not as though love itself were a
likeness, but because likeness is the principle of loving. Thus it
does not follow that love is begotten, but that the one begotten is the
principle of love.
Reply to Objection 3: We can name God only from creatures
(Question 13, Article 1). As in creatures generation is the
only principle of communication of nature, procession in God has no
proper or special name, except that of generation. Hence the
procession which is not generation has remained without a special name;
but it can be called spiration, as it is the procession of the
Spirit.
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