Autor: Lonergan, Bernard J.F.

Buch: The Trinune God: Systematics

Titel: The Triune God: Systematics

Stichwort: Emanation; Unterschied: intellektuelle - materielle E. (intelligibile: in potencia - in actu usw.); geschaffener Intellekt: Teilhabe am ungeschaffenen Licht: potens omnia facere et fieri; Norm: Intelligibilität: Wort -> Urteil -> Liebe, Wille; Licht

Kurzinhalt: 'The higher a particular nature is, the more that which emanates from it will be intimately (one) with it.' Think of a nature that is most perfect in every way and you will come to the conclusion that in it the principle of emanation and that which ...

Textausschnitt: 613a The disparity between these intellectual emanations and the other material or sensible emanations can be seen in the nature and manner of their emanating. Every created being is an outward imitation of divine perfection. Other created things manifest some particular aspect of the divine excellence and operate of their own accord according to particular laws that are appropriate to each. But the created intellect is a participated likeness of uncreated Light. Since this uncreated Light is the source and origin of all natures and all laws, even the created intellect has a certain omnipotence about it, whence it is said to be potens omnia facere et fieri - able to make and to become all things. Nor is the operation of the created intellect controlled by any particular law, whether implanted in it by its very nature or imposed upon it from without: the intellect itself is, as it were, a transcendental law unto itself. What are generally regarded as laws of the intellect, such as the principles of identity, of noncontradiction, of the excluded middle, or of sufficient reason, express no rule, whether particular or specific or generic, but rather state the conditions of possibility of any rule or law. But although the created intellect is in some sense capable of everything, and although it is not controlled by any determinate law, nevertheless it does not operate by whim or by chance. Its supreme norm is that it operate only in accordance with an intelligibility that it has grasped; indeed, the whole force and efficacy of intellectual operation and emanation lies in this, that it is from this apprehended intelligibility and in accordance with it that both words in the intellect and acts of the will proceed. An inner word proceeds from grasping a quiddity; a judgment proceeds from grasping the evidence; an act of love proceeds from grasping goodness. (Fs) (notabene)

Kommentar (11/10/10): Hier also: Akt der Liebe = Akt des Willens. Der Willen geht hervor im Erfassen der Gutheit.

613b These relations between principle and resultant are of an altogether different nature from the relations between a material cause and a material effect. These latter relations can be understood, and so are said to be intelligible in potency; the former, however, belong to one who understands precisely as understanding, and so are by their very nature intelligible in act. The latter are understood according to a particular law; the former emerge as the primary principle of all law. The latter are verified in material or sensible realities, not because these realities themselves understand anything but because they were made by some intelligence; the former, on the other hand, come into being because their principle actually understands. (Fs) (notabene)

615a Let us now press on to our goal! 'The higher a particular nature is, the more that which emanates from it will be intimately (one) with it.' Think of a nature that is most perfect in every way and you will come to the conclusion that in it the principle of emanation and that which emanates are really identical. And from this identity you may further conclude that that emanation does not take place in the manner of efficient causality, since this supposes and requires a cause and an effect that are really distinct. Your final conclusion will be that it can be said truly and properly to be an emanation provided it is intellectual. For although the real identity here between the word and the principle of the word rules out efficient causality, one cannot argue that it denies that the inner word exists because of the act of understanding on the part of its principle. Likewise, although the real identity between the word that spirates love and that proceeding love itself rules out efficient causality, it cannot be demonstrated that it denies that that love exists because of the apprehended goodness of its principle. (Fs)

615b Now if all this is more or less understood, it is clear why human beings are said to be in the image of the Holy Trinity precisely wim respect to their minds. (Fs)