Autor: Stebbins, J. Michael

Buch: The Divine Initiative

Titel: The Divine Initiative

Stichwort: Lonergan contra Banzez, Molina: Aufnahme übernatürlicher Akte: potentia oboedientialis allein

Kurzinhalt: reception of a supernatural act -> unnecessary to posit any condition other than the fact of the subject's obediential potency

Textausschnitt: 8/7 Lonergan distinguishes the conditions for the reception of supernatural acts from the conditions for the production of supernatural acts. He treats the former first. In order to account for the reception of a supernatural act, he says, it is generally unnecessary to posit any condition other than the fact of the subject's obediential potency, which, as it turns out, is only extrinsically distinct from the subject's intellect and will considered precisely as natural, essential, passive potencies. (214; Fs) (notabene)

9/7 Anyone who requires some prior, preparatory elevation of the potency ends up in one of two indefensible positions (DES:85, 99). If, like the Molinists, one argues for an elevation extrinsic to the subject, then in fact that elevation refers to nothing real at all: ex hypothesi it is not something in the subject; nor is it something in God, since the elevation of a potency implies some change or movement, and God is immutable. On the other hand, if one claims in Bannezian fashion that the required elevation is some reality intrinsic to the subject, then one has to specify whether or not that reality is supernatural. If it is not, then how can it raise the subject to the supernatural order? But if the intrinsic, elevating reality is said to be supernatural, then it stands in need of exactly the same explanation as does the supernatural act itself. If obediential potency alone does not suffice to render the subject proportionate to the reception of a supernatural act, then neither does it suffice to render the subject proportionate to the reception of some prior supernatural elevation; consequently, one has to postulate an elevation prior to the prior elevation, and then another elevation still more prior, and so on. But an infinite series of these elevations is impossible; hence the requirement of a supernatural, intrinsic elevation has no basis (cf. GF:25-26 note 17). Lonergan concludes that a supernatural elevation cannot be considered a universally applicable prerequisite for the reception of a supernatural act. Obediential potency alone suffices. (214; Fs)