Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Q109 A3: Whether there is enlightenment in the demons?

No. There can be no enlightenment properly speaking among the demons, because enlightenment properly speaking is the manifestation of the truth in reference to God, Who enlightens every intellect.

In Daemonibus non potest esse illuminatio proprie, quia illuminatio proprie est manifestatio veritatis, secundum quod habet ordinem ad Deum, qui illuminat omnem intellectum.

Another kind of manifestation of the truth is speech, as when one angel manifests his concept to another. Now the demon's perversity does not lead one to order another to God, but rather to lead away from the Divine order; and so one demon does not enlighten another; but one can make known his mental concept to another by way of speech.

Alia autem manifestatio veritatis potest esse locutio, sicut cum unus Angelus alteri suum conceptum manifestat. Perversitas autem Daemonum hoc habet, quod unus alium non intendit ordinare ad Deum, sed magis ab ordine divino abducere. Et ideo unus Daemon alium non illuminat; sed unus alii suum conceptum per modum locutionis intimare potest.

According to what belongs to natural knowledge, there is no necessary manifestation of the truth either in the angels, or in the demons, because, as above explained (Q55, A2; Q58, A2; Q79, A2), they know from the first all that belongs to their natural knowledge. So the greater fullness of natural light in the superior demons is not able to achieve the formal aspect of enlightenment.

Secundum ea quae ad naturalem cognitionem pertinent, non est necessaria manifestatio veritatis neque in Angelis neque in Daemonibus, quia, sicut supra dictum est, statim a principio suae conditionis omnia cognoverunt quae ad naturalem cognitionem pertinent. Et ideo maior plenitudo naturalis luminis quae est in superioribus Daemonibus, non potest esse ratio illuminationis.