159. Divine Equality in Nature, Magnitude, and Power

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Problem of Apparent Subordination #

• Scripture presents the Son as unable to act independently: “The Son cannot do anything from himself except what he sees the Father doing” (John 5:19)
• The Father is presented as commanding and teaching the Son; the Son as hearing and obeying
• The Father has the power to generate an equal Son; the Son does not have this power
• These apparent subordinations seem to contradict the doctrine of equal divine power

The Resolution: Equality in Power Follows from Equality in Nature #

• Principle: The power of doing follows from the perfection of nature (perfectio naturae sequitur potentia actionis)
• Since the Father and Son possess the same divine nature perfectly, they must possess equal power
• This equality was established in the prior treatment of equal magnitude (perfection of nature)
• Logical consequence: As night follows day, if the Son is equal to the Father in magnitude, he must be equal in power

The Critical Distinction: Per Se vs. A Se #

• Acting per se (through oneself): The Son acts through his own nature, which is the divine nature
• Acting a se (from oneself): The Son does not act from himself as a principle—he has his nature and power from the Father
• The Son acts per se (independently and truly) but not a se (not as self-originated)
• The text “the Son cannot do anything a se” must be understood as a se, not per se
• This is the key insight from Hilary of Poitiers (Book 9, On the Trinity): “This is the unity of the divine nature, that thus the Son acts per se, elected through himself, that he does not act a se, from himself”

Key Arguments #

Against Equal Power (Objections Presented) #

Objection 1: If the Son acts “from himself” in nothing, he lacks power the Father has

• Response: The text says the Son cannot do anything a se (from himself), not that he lacks power
• Whatever the Father does, the Son likewise does (John 5:19)
• The Son has his power from the Father, just as he has his nature from the Father
• Acting per se through the divine nature is sufficient for equal action

Objection 2: The Father commands and teaches; the Son obeys and hears; therefore the Father has greater power

• Response: The Father’s “showing” and “commanding” mean nothing except that the Father communicates the divine nature to the Son (as in generation)
• The Son “hears” because he is the Word proceeding from the Father
• These are scriptural modes of speaking about the eternal generation and procession

Objection 3: The Father can generate a Son equal to himself (manifesting omnipotence); the Son cannot generate a Son; therefore the Son lacks omnipotence

• Response: This confuses quid (essential attribute) with ad aliquid (relational attribute)
• Generation signifies only a relation in the manner of an act (actus), not an essential power
• The same omnipotence exists in both Father and Son, but according to different relations:
  • The Father has omnipotence as giving it (signified by “able to generate”)
  • The Son has omnipotence as receiving it (signified by “able to be generated”)
• The difference is relational, not essential; thus there is no difference in actual power

The Nature of Relations in God #

• Notional acts (generation, spiration) are not really distinct from the relations they signify
• They signify something in the manner of an act (in modo actus) but are identical to relations
• A difference in relation does not entail a difference in power, since power is not in the category of relation
• The Father and Son possess the same power (idem omnipotentia) with different relations (cum diversa relatio)

Important Definitions #

Per Se (Through Oneself) #

Acting through one’s own nature; the Son acts per se because he acts through the divine nature, which is his own nature

A Se (From Oneself) #

Originally or self-originated; the Son does not act a se because he does not originate his nature or power from himself but receives it from the Father

Quid (Essential Attribute) #

What something is in its essence; an intrinsic property belonging to the very nature of a thing

Ad Aliquid (Relational Attribute) #

What something is in relation to another; properties that depend on a relation to something else rather than on intrinsic nature

Notional Acts (Actus Notionales) #

Actions or operations that manifest and are not really distinct from the relations that constitute the divine persons (e.g., generation manifests fatherhood/sonship)

Examples & Illustrations #

The Analogy of the Artist’s Tools #

• Objection: The Son is merely a tool of the Father, like Michelangelo’s chisel and hammer
• If the hammer does what Michelangelo does, it does so in a different way—moved by Michelangelo
• Response: But Scripture says “whatever things the Father does, these the Son does likewise” (eodem modo) — in the same way
• The Son is not a tool; he acts through the same divine nature as the Father, not as an instrument moved externally

The Structure of Relations #

• Double and half: you cannot understand “double” without “half”; they are correlatives understood together
• Father and Son: likewise cannot be understood apart; they are correlatives by relation of origin
• The relation is the same but considered from two directions

Questions Addressed #

How can the Son be equal in power if Scripture says he “cannot do anything from himself”? #

The text speaks of the Son not acting a se (from himself as principle), which is true and does not diminish power. The Son acts per se (through himself) via the divine nature. He receives his nature and power eternally from the Father through generation, yet possesses it fully and identically.

How can the Father’s power to generate an equal Son not be absent in the Son? #

Generation is not an essential attribute (quid) but a relational attribute (ad aliquid). The same omnipotence belongs to both, but manifested according to different relations: the Father as the giver, the Son as the receiver. The notional acts express these relations in the manner of acts, but are not really distinct from the relations themselves.

What is the relationship between the doctrine of equal magnitude and equal power? #

Equal magnitude means equal perfection of the divine nature. Since power flows from the perfection of nature, equal perfection entails equal power. This is why Berquist notes that the examination of equal magnitude precedes the examination of equal power—it provides the metaphysical foundation.

Notable Quotes #

“He acts per se, elected, through himself, that he does not act a se, from himself. That’s a very subtle distinction you have to see, right? He’s not the tool of the Father, then he would be acting per se, right? But he’s not acting a se because he doesn’t have from himself his little nature or power, but from the Father.” — Berquist, citing Hilary of Poitiers on the distinction between per se and a se

“The power of doing follows the perfection of the nature. For we see in creatures that the extent that something has a more perfect nature, so is it of more power in action, right?” — Berquist, presenting Thomas’s foundational principle

“The same divine nature, the same essence, which in the father is fatherhood, right? In the son is what? Sonship. So the same is the power by which the father generates and by which the son, what? Is generated.” — Berquist, on the identity of power with different relational expressions