Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Q73 A1: Whether the completion of the Divine works ought to be ascribed to the seventh day?

Yes. The completion of the Divine works does belong to the seventh day because on the seventh day was the consummation of nature; in Christ's Incarnation, the consummation of grace; and at the end of the world will be the consummation of glory.

Completio divinorum operum competit diei septimo quod in septima die fuit consummatio naturae; in incarnatione Christi, consummatio gratiae; in fine mundi, consummatio gloriae.

The perfection of a thing is twofold, the first perfection and the second perfection. The 'first' perfection is that according to which a thing is substantially perfect, and this perfection is the form of the whole; which form results from the whole having its parts complete.

Duplex est rei perfectio, prima, et secunda. Prima quidem perfectio est, secundum quod res in sua substantia est perfecta. Quae quidem perfectio est forma totius, quae ex integritate partium consurgit.

But the 'second' perfection is the end, which is either an operation, as the end of the harpist is to play the harp; or something that is attained by an operation, as the end of the builder is the house that he makes by building. But the first perfection is the cause of the second, because the form is the principle of operation.

Perfectio autem secunda est finis. Finis autem vel est operatio, sicut finis citharistae est citharizare, vel est aliquid ad quod per operationem pervenitur, sicut finis aedificatoris est domus, quam aedificando facit. Prima autem perfectio est causa secundae, quia forma est principium operationis.

Now the final perfection, which is the end of the whole universe, is the perfect beatitude of the Saints at the consummation of the world; and the first perfection is the completeness of the universe at its first founding, and this is what is ascribed to the seventh day.

Ultima autem perfectio, quae est finis totius universi, est perfecta beatitudo sanctorum; quae erit in ultima consummatione saeculi. Prima autem perfectio, quae est in integritate universi, fuit in prima rerum institutione. Et haec deputatur septimo diei.

Now for the attaining of beatitude two things are required, nature and grace.

Ad beatitudinem autem consequendam duo requiruntur, natura et gratia.

But this consummation existed previously in its causes, as to nature, at the first founding of the world, as to grace, in the Incarnation of Christ. For, "Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).

Sed ista consummatio praecessit causaliter, quantum ad naturam quidem, in prima rerum institutione, quantum ad gratiam vero, in incarnatione Christi, quia "gratia et veritas per Iesum Christum facta est," ut dicitur Ioan. I.

God did act on the seventh day, not by creating new creatures, but by directing and moving His creatures to the work proper to them, and thus He made some beginning of the "second" perfection.

Septima die Deus aliquid operatus est, non novam creaturam condendo, sed creaturam administrando, et ad propriam operationem eam movendo, quod iam aliqualiter pertinet ad inchoationem quandam secundae perfectionis.

Nothing entirely new was afterwards made by God, but all things subsequently made had in a sense been made before in the work of the six days.

Nihil postmodum a Deo factum est totaliter novum, quin aliqualiter in operibus sex dierum praecesserit.

The glory that is spiritual was anticipated in the angels by way of similitude; and that of the body in the heaven, especially the empyrean. Hence it is written (Ecclesiastes 1:10), "Nothing under the sun is new, for it hath already gone before, in the ages that were before us."

Gloria etiam spiritualis secundum similitudinem praecessit in Angelis, corporalis vero in caelo, praecipue Empyreo. Unde dicitur Eccle. I, "nihil sub sole novum; iam enim praecessit in saeculis quae fuerunt ante nos."