Thursday, July 09, 2009

Q107 A3: Whether an angel speaks to God?

Yes. An angel speaks to God because the angel speaks by ordering his mental concept to something else.

Loquitur Angelus Deo quia locutio Angeli est per hoc, quod conceptus mentis ordinatur ad alterum.

Speech is not always for the purpose of making something known to another; but is sometimes finally ordered to the purpose of manifesting something to the speaker himself; as when the disciples ask instruction from the master.

Locutio non semper est ad manifestandum alteri; sed quandoque ad hoc ordinatur finaliter, ut loquenti aliquid manifestetur; sicut cum discipulus quaerit aliquid a magistro.

The angels are ever speaking to God in the sense of praising and admiring Him and His works. But they speak to Him by consulting Him about what ought to be done whenever they have to perform any new work, concerning which they desire enlightenment.

Locutione qua Angeli loquuntur Deo laudantes ipsum et admirantes, semper Angeli Deo loquuntur. Sed locutione qua eius sapientiam consulunt super agendis, tunc ei loquuntur, quando aliquod novum per eos agendum occurrit, super quo desiderant illuminari.