Monday, July 20, 2009

Q109 A1: Whether there are orders among the demons?

Yes. In the bad angels there are orders because order in the angels is considered both according to the grade of nature and according to that of grace.

In malis Angelis sunt aliqui ordines quia ordo angelicus consideratur et secundum gradum naturae, et secundum gradum gratiae.

Now grace has a twofold state, the imperfect, which is that of merit; and the perfect, which is that of consummae glory.

Gratia vero habet duplicem statum, scilicet imperfectum, qui est status merendi; et perfectum, qui est status gloriae consummatae.

If therefore we consider the angelic orders in the light of the perfection of glory, then the demons are not in the angelic orders, and never were.

Si ergo considerentur ordines angelici quantum ad perfectionem gloriae, sic Daemones neque sunt in ordinibus angelicis, neque unquam fuerunt.

But if we consider them in relation to imperfect grace, in that view the demons were at the time in the orders of angels, but fell away from them, according to what was said above (Q62, A3), that all the angels were created in grace.

Si autem considerentur quantum ad id quod est gratiae imperfectae, sic Daemones fuerunt quidem aliquando in ordinibus Angelorum, sed ab eis ceciderunt; secundum illud quod supra posuimus, omnes Angelos in gratia creatos fuisse.

But if we consider them in the light of nature, in that view they are still in those orders; because they have not lost their natural gifts, as Dionysius says (Div. Nom. iv).

Si autem considerentur quantum ad id quod est naturae, sic adhuc sunt in ordinibus, quia data naturalia non amiserunt, ut Dionysius dicit.