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Objection 1: It seems that beatitude does not belong to God. For
beatitude according to Boethius (De Consol. iv) "is a state made
perfect by the aggregation of all good things." But the aggregation
of goods has no place in God; nor has composition. Therefore
beatitude does not belong to God.
Objection 2: Further, beatitude or happiness is the reward of
virtue, according to the Philosopher (Ethic. i, 9). But reward
does not apply to God; as neither does merit. Therefore neither does
beatitude.
On the contrary, The Apostle says: "Which in His times He shall
show, who is the Blessed and only Almighty, the King of Kings and
Lord of Lords." (1 Tim. 6:15).
I answer that, Beatitude belongs to God in a very special manner.
For nothing else is understood to be meant by the term beatitude than
the perfect good of an intellectual nature; which is capable of knowing
that it has a sufficiency of the good which it possesses, to which it
is competent that good or ill may befall, and which can control its own
actions. All of these things belong in a most excellent manner to
God, namely, to be perfect, and to possess intelligence. Whence
beatitude belongs to God in the highest degree.
Reply to Objection 1: Aggregation of good is in God, after the
manner not of composition, but of simplicity; for those things which
in creatures is manifold, pre-exist in God, as was said above
(Question 4, Article 2; Question 13, Article 4), in
simplicity and unity.
Reply to Objection 2: It belongs as an accident to beatitude or
happiness to be the reward of virtue, so far as anyone attains to
beatitude; even as to be the term of generation belongs accidentally to
a being, so far as it passes from potentiality to act. As, then,
God has being, though not begotten; so He has beatitude, although
not acquired by merit.
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