Autor: Lonergan, Bernard J.F.

Buch: The Trinune God: Systematics

Titel: The Triune God: Systematics

Stichwort: Trinität; Perichorese, Circumincessio: auf der Ebene der Relationen

Kurzinhalt: ASSERTION 13/2 - The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit dwell within one another ... Next, circumincession can be explained in terms of relation.

Textausschnitt: 417a Next, circumincession can be explained in terms of relation. It belongs to an absolute to be per se and in itself, because it has its total meaning through its proper reality and encloses it within its own reality. It belongs to what is relative, on the other hand, that its existence or meaning is to be related to another, because the very meaning of the relative includes within itself the meaning of another, and its very reality is just a relation to another. Thus, the Father is Father because he has a Son, and conversely the Son is Son because he has a Father. 'Son,' therefore, is included in the meaning of 'Father,' and 'Father' is included in the meaning of 'Son.' But the reality of the Father is the reality of this meaning itself, and likewise the reality of the Son is the reality of the meaning of 'Son.' Therefore, as 'Father' is included in the meaning of 'Son,' consequently the Father is in some way included in the relational reality of the Son, and similarly the Son is in some way included in the relational reality of the Father. And the same reasoning applies to the Holy Spirit. (Fs)

417b This is more clearly seen when we further consider that the real divine relations are intellectually conscious. For not only is what we have said above concerning the mutual inclusion of the divine persons in the real relation of each to each of the others known on the side of the object by each of the persons (as it is also known by us), but also that very reality which the divine persons are is an intellectually conscious ordering. Paternity is the intellectually conscious ordering from grasped evidence to the Word to be spoken and to the Word spoken; and this paternity is the Father himself. Filiation is likewise the intellectually conscious ordering of the Word spoken to the grasp of infinite evidence from which it is spoken; and this filiation is the Son himself. Passive spiration, finally, is the intellectually conscious ordering to the infinite good grasped by intellect and affirmed in an eminently true judgment; and this passive spiration is the Holy Spirit himself. (Fs)

417c Thus, we can expound the teaching of St Thomas, that 'one of the relatively opposed is in the other on the basis of intellect' (Summa theologiae, 1, q. 42, a. 5), not only from the perspective of our intellect inasmuch as we understand the divine relations, but also from the perspective of the divine intellect inasmuch as the divine persons comprehend the divine relations, and not only in accordance with the divine intellect inasmuch as these relations are understood on the side of the object, but also inasmuch as, on the side of the intellectually conscious subject, each person is conscious of the other two. (Fs)