Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Q28 A1: Whether there are real relations in God?

Yes. Relations exist in God really because the divine processions are in the identity of the same nature.

Boethius likens the divine relations to a relation of identity, not in every respect, but only as regards the fact that the substance is not diversified by these relations, as neither is it by relation of identity.

As the creature proceeds from God in diversity of nature, God is outside the order of the whole creation, nor does any relation to the creature arise from His nature (for He does not produce the creature by necessity of His nature, but by His intellect and will).

Therefore there is no real relation in God to the creature, whereas in creatures there is a real relation to God (because creatures are contained under the divine order, and their very nature entails dependence on God).

On the other hand, the divine processions are in one and the same nature.

Relations which result from the mental operation alone in the objects understood are logical relations only (inasmuch as reason observes them as existing between two objects perceived by the mind).

Those relations, however, which follow the operation of the intellect, and which exist between the word intellectually proceeding and the source whence it proceeds, are not logical relations only, but are real relations (inasmuch as the intellect and the reason are real things, and are really related to that which proceeds from them intelligibly: as a corporeal thing is related to that which proceeds from it corporeally). Thus paternity and filiation are real relations in God.