Saturday, July 15, 2006

Q28 A4: Whether in God there are only four real relations--paternity, filiation, spiration, and procession?

Yes. In God there are only four real relations (paternity, filiation, spiration, and procession) because real relations in God can be understood only in regard to those actions according to which there are internal, and not external, processions in God.

These processions are two only, as above explained (Q27, A5), one derived from the action of the intellect (the procession of the Word) and the other from the action of the will (the procession of love).

In respect of each of these processions two opposite relations arise, one of which is the relation of the person proceeding from the principle; the other is the relation of the principle Himself.

The procession of the Word is called generation in the proper sense of the term, whereby it is applied to living things. Now the relation of the principle of generation in perfect living beings is called paternity; and the relation of the one proceeding from the principle is called filiation.

But the procession of Love has no proper name of its own (Q27, A4); and so neither have the ensuing relations a proper name of their own. The relation of the principle of this procession is called spiration; and the relation of the person proceeding is called procession: although these two names belong to the processions or origins themselves, and not to the relations.