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Objection 1: It would seem that the saints, seeing God in His
essence, see all that God sees in Himself. For as Isidore says
(De Sum. Bon. 1.): "The angels know all things in the World
of God, before they happen." Now the saints will be equal to the
angels of God (Mt. 22:30). Therefore the saints also in
seeing God see all things.
Objection 2: Further, Gregory says (Dial. iv.): "Since all
see God there with equal clearness, what do they not know, who know
Him Who knows all things?" and he refers to the blessed who see God
in His essence. Therefore those who see God in His essence know all
things.
Objection 3: Further, it is stated in De Anima (iii, text.
7), that "when an intellect understands the greatest things, it is
all the more able to understand the least things." Now God is the
greatest of intelligible things. Therefore the power of the intellect
is greatly increased by understanding Him. Therefore the intellect
seeing Him understands all things.
Objection 4: Further, the intellect is not hindered from
understanding a thing except by this surpassing it. Now no creature
surpasses the intellect that understands God, since, as Gregory says
(Dial. ii.), "to the soul which sees its Creator all creatures
are small." Therefore those who see God in His essence know all
things.
Objection 5: Further, every passive power that is not reduced to
act is imperfect. Now the passive intellect of the human soul is a
power that is passive as it were to the knowledge of all things, since
"the passive intellect is in which all are in potentiality" (De
Anima iii, text. 18). If then in that beatitude it were not to
understand all things, it would remain imperfect, which is absurd.
Objection 6: Further, whoever sees a mirror sees the things
reflected in the mirror. Now all things are reflected in the Word of
God as in a mirror, because He is the type and image of all.
Therefore the saints who see the Word in its essence see all created
things.
Objection 7: Further, according to Prov. 10:24, "to the
just their desire shall be given." Now the just desire to know all
things, since "all men desire naturally to know," and nature is not
done away by glory. Therefore God will grant them to know all
things.
Objection 8: Further, ignorance is one of the penalties of the
present life [FS, Question 85, Article 3]. Now all penalty
will be removed from the saints by glory. Therefore all ignorance will
be removed: and consequently they will know all.
Objection 9: Further, the beatitude of the saints is in their soul
before being in their body. Now the bodies of the saints will be
reformed in glory to the likeness of Christ's body (Phil.
3:21). Therefore their souls will be perfected in likeness to the
soul of Christ. Now Christ's soul sees all things in the Word.
Therefore all the souls of the saints will also see all things in the
Word.
Objection 1:: Further, the intellect, like the senses, knows all
the things with the image of which it is informed. Now the Divine
essence shows a thing forth more clearly than any other image thereof.
Therefore since in that blessed vision the Divine essence becomes the
form as it were of our intellect, it would seem that the saints seeing
God see all.
Objection 1:: Further, the Commentator says (De Anima iii),
that "if the active intellect were the form of the passive intellect,
we should understand all things." Now the Divine essence represents
all things more clearly than the active intellect. Therefore the
intellect that sees God in His essence knows all things.
Objection 1:: Further, the lower angels are enlightened by the
higher about the things they are ignorant of, for the reason that they
know not all things. Now after the day of judgment, one angel will
not enlighten another; for then all superiority will cease, as a gloss
observes on 1 Cor. 15:24, "When He shall have brought to
nought," etc. Therefore the lower angels will then know all things,
and for the same reason all the other saints who will see God in His
essence.
On the contrary, Dionysius says (Hier. Eccles. vi): "The
higher angels cleanse the lower angels from ignorance." Now the lower
angels see the Divine essence. Therefore an angel while seeing the
Divine essence may be ignorant of certain things. But the soul will
not see God more perfectly than an angel. Therefore the souls seeing
God will not necessarily see all things.
Further, Christ alone has the spirit not "by measure" (Jn.
3:34). Now it becomes Christ, as having the spirit without
measure, to know all things in the Word: wherefore it is stated in
the same place (Jn. 3:35) that "the Father . . . hath given
all things into His hand." Therefore none but Christ is competent
to know all things in the Word.
Further, the more perfectly a principle is known, the more of its
effects are known thereby. Now some of those who see God in His
essence will know God more perfectly than others. Therefore some will
know more things than others, and consequently every one will not know
all.
I answer that, God by seeing his essence knows all things whatsoever
that are, shall be, or have been: and He is said to know these
things by His "knowledge of vision," because He knows them as
though they were present in likeness to corporeal vision. Moreover by
seeing this essence He knows all that He can do, although He never
did them, nor ever will: else He would not know His power
perfectly; since a power cannot be known unless its objects be known:
and this is called His "science" or "knowledge of simple
intelligence." Now it is impossible for a created intellect, by
seeing the Divine essence, to know all that God can do, because the
more perfectly a principle is known, the more things are known in it;
thus in one principle of demonstration one who is quick of intelligence
sees more conclusions than one who is slow of intelligence. Since then
the extent of the Divine power is measured according to what it can
do, if an intellect were to see in the Divine essence all that God
can do, its perfection in understanding would equal in extent the
Divine power in producing its effects, and thus it would comprehend
the Divine power, which is impossible for any created intellect to
do. Yet there is a created intellect, namely the soul of Christ
[TP, Question 16, Article 2], which knows in the Word all
that God knows by the knowledge of vision. But regarding others who
see the Divine essence there are two opinions. For some say that all
who see God in His essence see all that God sees by His knowledge of
vision. This, however, is contrary to the sayings of holy men, who
hold that angels are ignorant of some things; and yet it is clear that
according to faith all the angels see God in His essence. Wherefore
others say that others than Christ, although they see God in His
essence, do not see all that God sees because they do not comprehend
the Divine essence. For it is not necessary that he who knows a cause
should know all its effects, unless he comprehend the cause: and this
is not in the competency of a created intellect. Consequently of those
who see God in His essence, each one sees in His essence so much the
more things according as he sees the Divine essence the more clearly:
and hence it is that one is able to instruct another concerning these
things. Thus the knowledge of the angels and of the souls of the
saints can go on increasing until the day of judgment, even as other
things pertaining to the accidental reward. But afterwards it will
increase no more, because then will be the final state of things, and
in that state it is possible that all will know everything that God
knows by the knowledge of vision.
Reply to Objection 1: The saying of Isidore, that "the angels
know in the Word all things before they happen," cannot refer to
those things which God knows only by the knowledge of simple
intelligence, because those things will never happen; but it must
refer to those things which God knows only by the knowledge of vision.
Even of these he does not say that all the angels know them all, but
that perhaps some do; and that even those who know do not know all
perfectly. For in one and the same thing there are many intelligible
aspects to be considered, such as its various properties and relations
to other things: and it is possible that while one thing is known in
common by two persons, one of them perceives more aspects, and that
the one learns these aspects from the other. Hence Dionysius says
(Div. Nom. iv) that "the lower angels learn from the higher
angels the intelligible aspects of things." Wherefore it does not
follow that even the angels who know all creatures are able to see all
that can be understood in them.
Reply to Objection 2: It follows from this saying of Gregory that
this blessed vision suffices for the seeing of all things on the part of
the Divine essence, which is the medium by which one sees, and
whereby God sees all things. That all things, however, are not seen
is owing to the deficiency of the created intellect which does not
comprehend the Divine essence.
Reply to Objection 3: The created intellect sees the Divine
essence not according to the mode of that same essence, but according
to its own mode which is finite. Hence its efficacy in knowing would
need to be infinitely increased by reason of that vision in order for it
to know all things.
Reply to Objection 4: Defective knowledge results not only from
excess and deficiency of the knowable object in relation to the
intellect, but also from the fact that the aspect of knowableness is
not united to the intellect: thus sometimes the sight sees not a
stone, through the image of the stone not being united to it. And
although the Divine essence which is the type of all things is united
to the intellect of one who sees God, it is united thereto not as the
type of all things, but as the type of some and of so much the more
according as one sees the Divine essence more fully.
Reply to Objection 5: When a passive power is perceptible by
several perfections in order, if it be perfected with its ultimate
perfection, it is not said to be imperfect, even though it lack some
of the preceding dispositions. Now all knowledge by which the created
intellect is perfected is directed to the knowledge of God as its end.
Wherefore he who sees God in His essence, even though he know
nothing else, would have a perfect intellect: nor is his intellect
more perfect through knowing something else besides Him, except in so
far as it sees Him more fully. Hence Augustine says (Confess.
v.): "Unhappy is he who knoweth all these" (namely,
creatures), "and knoweth not Thee: but happy whoso knoweth Thee,
though he know not these. And whoso knoweth both Thee and them is not
the happier for them but for Thee only."
Reply to Objection 6: This mirror has a will: and even as He will
show Himself to whom He will, so will He show in Himself whatsoever
He will. Nor does the comparison with a material mirror hold, for it
is not in its power to be seen or not to be seen.
We may also reply that in a material mirror both object and mirror are
seen under their proper image; although the mirror be seen through an
image received from the thing itself, whereas the stone is seen through
its proper image reflected in some other thing, where the reason for
seeing the one is the reason for seeing the other. But in the
uncreated mirror a thing is seen through the form of the mirror, just
as an effect is seen through the image of its cause and conversely.
Consequently it does not follow that whoever sees the eternal mirror
sees all that is reflected in that mirror: since he who sees the cause
does not of necessity see all its effects, unless he comprehend the
cause.
Reply to Objection 7: The desire of the saints to know all things
will be fulfilled by the mere fact of their seeing God: just as their
desire to possess all good things will be fulfilled by their possessing
God. For as God suffices the affections in that He has perfect
goodness, and by possessing Him we possess all goods as it were, so
does the vision of Him suffice the intellect: "Lord, show us the
Father and it is enough for us" (Jn. 14:8).
Reply to Objection 8: Ignorance properly so called denotes a
privation and thus it is a punishment: for in this way ignorance is
nescience of things, the knowledge of which is a duty or a necessity.
Now the saints in heaven will not be ignorant of any of these things.
Sometimes, however, ignorance is taken in a broad sense of any kind
of nescience: and thus the angels and saints in heaven will be ignorant
of certain things. Hence Dionysius says (Div. Nom. iv) that
"the angels will be cleansed from their ignorance." In this sense
ignorance is not a penalty but a defect. Nor is it necessary for all
such defects to be done away by glory: for thus we might say that it
was a defect in Pope Linus that he did not attain to the glory of
Peter.
Reply to Objection 9: Our body will be conformed to the body of
Christ in glory, in likeness but not in equality, for it will be
endowed with clarity even as Christ's body, but not equally. In
like manner our soul will have glory in likeness to the soul of
Christ, but not in equality thereto: thus it will have knowledge even
as Christ's soul, but not so great, so as to know all as Christ's
soul does.
Reply to Objection 1:: Although the Divine essence is the type of
all things knowable it will not be united to each created intellect
according as it is the type of all. Hence the objection proves
nothing.
Reply to Objection 1:: The active intellect is a form
proportionate to the passive intellect; even as the passive power of
matter is proportionate to the power of the natural agent, so that
whatsoever is in the passive power of matter or the passive intellect is
in the active power of the active intellect or of the natural agent.
Consequently if the active intellect become the form of the passive
intellect, the latter must of necessity know all those things to which
the power of the active intellect extends. But the Divine essence is
not a form proportionate to our intellect in this sense. Hence the
comparison fails.
Reply to Objection 1:: Nothing hinders us from saying that after
the judgment day, when the glory of men and angels will be consummated
once for all, all the blessed will know all that God knows by the
knowledge of vision, yet so that not all will see all in the Divine
essence. Christ's soul, however, will see clearly all things
therein, even as it sees them now; while others will see therein a
greater or lesser number of things according to the degree of clearness
wherewith they will know God: and thus Christ's soul will enlighten
all other souls concerning those things which it sees in the Word
better than others. Hence it is written (Apoc. 21:23):
"The glory of God shall enlighten the city of Jerusalem, and the
Lamb is the lamp thereof." In like manner the higher souls will
enlighten the lower (not indeed with a new enlightening, so as to
increase the knowledge of the lower), but with a kind of continued
enlightenment; thus we might understand the sun to enlighten the
atmosphere while at a standstill. Wherefore it is written (Dan.
12:3): "They that instruct many to justice" shall shine "as
stars for all eternity." The statement that the superiority of the
orders will cease refers to their present ordinate ministry in our
regard, as is clear from the same gloss.
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