76. Divine Simplicity, Knowledge, and the Order of God's Attributes

Subscribe in Podcast App | Download Transcript

Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Hierarchy of Knowledge from God to Creatures #

• As one descends from God to angels to humans, knowledge becomes increasingly multiplied
• Humans require many thoughts and many truths to understand what angels grasp with fewer thoughts
• Yet the inverse relationship holds: fewer thoughts correlate with greater understanding
• God knows all things through one simple thought: His own eternal substance

Divine Simplicity and God’s Self-Knowledge #

• God the Father expresses all knowledge in one eternal Word (the Son)
• This single divine thought contains infinite comprehension
• No composition or division can exist in God’s being or knowledge
• If God’s knowledge involved composition (combining man + animal, or 2.5 + 4), God would no longer be simple

The Power of Mind and Comprehension #

• Core principle: The greater the power of a mind, the more it can see and understand from a single thing
• Example: Einstein sees many consequences from one scientific principle that others cannot perceive
• Application to geometry: When beginning geometry, one sees basic axioms without initially grasping all consequences; greater minds see more from fewer principles
• Divine application: God’s infinite power means He comprehends an infinity of things from His own substance as the single principle

The Ordering of Divine Attributes Across Aquinas’s Works #

Summa Theologiae Order #

1. Simplicity
2. Perfection
3. Infinity
4. Immutability
5. Unity

• Then: Life (after understanding, before will)

Summa Contra Gentiles Order #

1. Immutability and Eternity (developed through the unmoved mover argument, which is more elaborate in SCG than ST)
2. Simplicity
3. Perfection
4. Infinity
5. Unity

• Then: Life (after both understanding and will)

Compendium Theologiae Order #

1. Simplicity
2. Unity (placed between simplicity and other attributes)
3. Perfection
4. Infinity

Significant difference: In ST, immutability follows from simplicity (through the argument: whatever changes is composed; God is simple; therefore God cannot change). In SCG, immutability precedes simplicity because the unmoved mover argument is more developed, making it natural to establish God’s immutability first.

Structure of Aquinas’s Argumentation #

• The Summa Contra Gentiles contains more developed arguments than the Summa Theologiae on the same topics
• Example: On God’s existence, SCG includes two arguments from motion vs. one in ST
• SCG arguments have multiple middle terms and reasons; ST arguments are more concise
• The Disputed Questions typically present fewer arguments than SCG

Method of Study and Retention #

• Berquist’s pedagogical approach: Read a chapter in a Summa work, then later try to recall the arguments
• This reveals the depth and interconnection of each argument
• Each argument deserves contemplation and “savoring”
• Comparing versions across works enriches understanding by showing subtle differences in order and emphasis

Key Arguments #

Argument from Mental Power (SCG, Question on infinity of God’s knowledge) #

• Premise 1: The greater a mind’s power, the more it can see/understand from one thing
• Premise 2: God’s power is infinite
• Premise 3: God’s only principle is His own substance
• Conclusion: From His own substance alone, God comprehends an infinity of things
• Significance: This accounts for how God’s knowledge can be infinite without composition

The Problem of Composition in God’s Knowledge #

• Objection: Knowledge appears to require composition (putting together and dividing concepts)
• Response: God knows composite things in a simple way, whereas creatures know simple things in a composite way
• Example: Humans must think “man” + “animal” separately, then compose them; God grasps this in one simple intuition

Why Simplicity Precedes Immutability in ST #

• Argument: Whatever is composite can be affected or changed; whatever is simple cannot
• Use of natural philosophy: Aristotle’s principle from Physics: whatever changes is composed
• Pedagogical advantage: This connection shows why knowing God’s simplicity immediately illuminates His immutability

Important Definitions #

Unmoved Mover (ἀκίνητος κινοῦν) #

• God as the ultimate principle that causes all motion without itself being moved
• The SCG develops this Aristotelian argument more extensively than the ST
• Key to establishing God’s immutability and eternality

Simplicity (Simplicitas) #

• Absence of composition of any kind (substance/accidents, form/matter, essence/existence, potency/act)
• In God, all attributes are identical with His substance and with each other
• The foundation for understanding God’s other attributes

Substance (Substantia) / Essence (Essentia) #

• In God, being itself; the source from which God’s knowledge proceeds
• God knows through His substance, not through external ideas or forms

Examples & Illustrations #

The Divine Word and Human Speech #

• God the Father expressed all knowledge in one Word
• When that Word became human (the Incarnation), He “spoke in words so few and said so much”
• This illustrates the contrast between God’s singular, comprehensive expression and human multiplicity of speech
• The compressed expression reflects the infinite content expressed in simplicity

Geometry and Hidden Consequences #

• When students begin geometry, they see axioms as simple starting points
• They do not initially grasp the vast consequences flowing from these few principles
• A master geometrician sees far more consequences from the same principles
• Application: God, with infinite understanding, sees infinite consequences from His own being

Einstein and Scientific Insight #

• A physicist of Einstein’s caliber sees many consequences flowing from a single principle
• Ordinary physicists perceive only the obvious consequences from the same principle
• This illustrates how mental power determines the comprehensiveness of understanding from a single source

The Latin Word and Its Multiple Uses #

• When one tries to express in Latin (or any language) what one understands, multiple words and compositions are needed
• This demonstrates why finite minds require multiple thoughts to express even simple ideas
• God, needing no external expression, requires no such multiplication

Notable Quotes #

“God the Father said it all with one word. No wonder when that word became a man. He spoke in words so few and said so much. He was the brevity and soul of it.”

• Berquist’s composition on God’s knowledge and the Incarnation

“The greater the power of the mind, the more it can see from one thing.”

• Aquinas’s principle cited repeatedly by Berquist, applying it across all intellects from human to divine

“The better a mind is, the more it sees from one thing.”

• Alternative formulation of the same principle from Aquinas

Questions Addressed #

Q1: How does God maintain simplicity while knowing infinite truths? #

• Answer: God knows all things through a single principle—His own eternal substance—by comprehending them in one simple act. This is possible because infinite mental power can grasp infinite consequences from a single source, whereas finite minds require multiplication of thoughts.

Q2: Why does the order of divine attributes differ between Summa Theologiae and Summa Contra Gentiles? #

• Answer: In ST, simplicity comes first because immutability can be derived from it. In SCG, immutability comes first because the unmoved mover argument (from natural philosophy) is more extensively developed, making it pedagogically natural to establish God’s immutability before establishing simplicity.

Q3: What is the pedagogical value of comparing arguments across Aquinas’s works? #

• Answer: Each work presents arguments with different levels of development and different orderings. Comparing them reveals subtle nuances in reasoning and shows how the same truth can be approached from different angles, deepening understanding and encouraging contemplation.

Connections to Other Lectures #

Natural Philosophy and Theology #

• The use of Aristotle’s Physics (principle that whatever changes is composed) to support theological conclusions about God’s immutability
• This exemplifies how the first book of natural hearing (Aristotle’s physics) serves theology

The Doctrine of God’s Knowledge #

• Connects to earlier discussions of how God’s being is identical with His understanding
• Prepares for further discussion of how God’s knowledge relates to creation and providence

Monastic Education #

• The discussion of memorization and recollection of arguments reflects pedagogical concerns for Maronite monks
• Encourages the practice of contemplative reading and retention of wisdom