Sunday, April 02, 2006

Q12 A10: Whether those who see the essence of God see all they see in it at the same time?

Yes. What is seen in the essence of God is seen not successively, but at the same time because things seen in God are not seen singly by their own similitude but all are seen by the one essence of God: hence they are seen simultaneously, and not successively.

As regards their natural knowledge, whereby they know things by diverse ideas given them, the angels do not know all things simultaneously, and thus they are moved in the act of understanding according to time; but as regards what they see in God, they see all at the same time.