164. Divine Missions and the Two Orders of Understanding

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

Divine Missions and Procession #

The Core Problem: Can a divine person be sent by one from whom he does not proceed eternally?

• Traditional Answer (Articles 1-7): No divine person is sent except by the one from whom he proceeds eternally

  • The Father is sent by no one because he is from no one (Augustine)
  • Sending requires authority, and divine authority derives only from origin/procession

• Augustine’s Apparent Contradiction: Yet Augustine says the Son is sent both by himself and by the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit is sent both by itself and by the Son

  • Problem: The Son is not from himself or from the Holy Spirit
  • Problem: The Holy Spirit is not from itself

Thomas’s Solution: Distinguish two meanings of missio (sending)

1. Proper Sense: Sending designates a person existing from another and proceeding from the one sending

   • In this sense: the Son is sent only by the Father (proceeds only from the Father)
   • In this sense: the Holy Spirit is sent by the Father and the Son (proceeds from both)
   • In this sense: the Father sends no one and is sent by no one

2. Improper Sense: Sending designates the beginning or source of an effect in creatures according to which the mission is observed

   • In this sense: the whole Trinity sends any divine person
   • But note: this does not mean a man can give the Holy Spirit, because man cannot cause the effect of grace

The Two Orders of Understanding and Teaching #

Two Fundamentally Different Orders Exist:

1. Order of Intention (ordo intentionis): What we primarily intend comes first logically

   • Example: “Do good and avoid evil” — we primarily intend good; avoiding evil follows as consequence
   • In teaching: proposing “aids or tools” that the understanding uses to acquire knowledge
   • The Our Father follows this order (hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done precede forgive us our sins)

2. Order of Execution (ordo exsecutionis): How we actually proceed in act

   • Example: “Turn away from evil and do good” — we must first remove obstacle (evil) before achieving goal (good)
   • In teaching: proposing sensible examples, likenesses, and contrasts from which understanding is “led by the hand” (manuductio)
   • The Psalms follow this order: first 50 Psalms concern repentance and fighting sin; second 50 concern good deeds; last 50 concern resting in God

Critical Insight: The same order can be reversed depending on perspective

• In terms of intention: A comes before B
• In terms of execution: B comes before A
• Both are valid; they answer different questions

Application to the Incarnation #

Peter’s Confession vs. John’s Gospel: Two opposite orders of presenting Christ

Peter’s Confession (Matthew 16:16-17): “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”

• Order: Humanity first (Christ = anointed), then divinity (Son of God)
• This is the order of manuductio
• Based on what is before for the senses: humanity of Christ is sensible (can be touched, seen); divinity is not
• Follows the pedagogical principle: “lead the student from things foreknown to the unknown”

John’s Gospel (1:1-14): “In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was God… and the Word was made flesh”

• Order: Divinity first (the Word, eternal, towards God, is God), then humanity (made flesh)
• This is the order of definition or demonstration
• The Word must be defined and understood before the Incarnation can be understood
• To understand “the Word was made flesh,” one must already understand who the Word is

Why Both Are Legitimate:

• For the Senses: The singular is before the universal. Christ’s humanity is singular and sensible; his divinity is universal and intelligible. Therefore, sensibly, humanity comes first.

• For Reason/Definition: The universal is before the particular in definition. To define the Incarnation requires understanding the Word; to define the Word does not require understanding the Incarnation. Therefore, in definition, divinity comes first.

Boethius’s Principle: “A thing is singular when sensed, the universal is understood.” The senses know the singular directly; reason understands the universal and finds the singular less known to reason.

Order of Learning Sciences #

• Particular sciences (natural philosophy, geometry, logic, ethics) must be learned before wisdom because they provide the necessary foundation
• Yet wisdom, which deals with the most universal things (being, one, true, good), is first in definition — it demonstrates the principles of other sciences
• Wisdom is the last in the order of learning because it requires extensive manuductio and foundation in experience (experientia) of all the other sciences
• This parallels how the Gospels come before systematic theology: we see Christ’s humanity first (order of manuductio), but understanding requires grasping the Trinity and the nature of the Word (order of definition)

Key Arguments #

On Why the Objection Creates a Puzzle #

Objection Setup:

• If the Son can be sent by the Holy Spirit (from whom he does not proceed), then why can’t a man give the Holy Spirit?
• Yet Augustine and Scripture clearly teach that only God gives the Holy Spirit

Thomas’s Response:

• The word “sending” must be understood in two distinct senses
• In the proper sense (procession from the sender), only the Father sends the Son
• In the improper sense (source of the effect in creatures), the whole Trinity sends
• A man cannot give the Holy Spirit in either sense because man lacks the power to cause the effect of grace

On the Necessity of Manuductio in Teaching #

The Teacher’s Two Methods (from Thomas, ST II-II, Question 117):

1. By proposing aids or tools that the understanding uses:

   • Proposing less universal statements (contrary to the order of definition)
   • Proposing sensible examples, likenesses, opposites
   • This is manuductio — leading by the hand from what is known to the senses to what is unknown to reason

2. By strengthening the understanding:

   • Not by imparting active power (as guardian angels do)
   • But by proposing the order of premises to conclusions
   • Allowing the student to deduce conclusions from principles he could not deduce alone

Application: Geometry and easy sciences require little manuductio; logic and wisdom require extensive manuductio because of their difficulty.

Important Definitions #

Manuductio #

From Latin manus (hand) and ducere (to lead): leading by the hand. The pedagogical principle of guiding understanding from sensible, particular things to intelligible, universal things. Essential in teaching because human knowledge begins in the senses.

Ordo Intentionis (Order of Intention) #

The logical order determined by what is primarily intended. In this order, the end comes first in intention even if it is last in execution.

Ordo Exsecutionis (Order of Execution) #

The order of actual performance or carrying out. In this order, obstacles must be removed first, then the goal pursued.

Missio (Divine Mission) #

A divine person taking on a new mode of existence in a creature, either invisibly (through grace) or visibly (through a sensible sign). In the proper sense, it requires the person sent to proceed from the one sending.

Examples & Illustrations #

The Two Orders in Scripture #

Order of Intention (Our Father):

• “Hallowed be thy name” (resting in God/divinity)
• “Thy kingdom come” (same)
• “Thy will be done” (good deeds)
• “Give us our daily bread” (good deeds)
• “Forgive us our sins” (turning from evil)
• “Lead us not into temptation” (avoiding evil)

Order of Execution (Psalms):

• Psalms 1-50: Repentance and fighting sin
• Psalms 51-100: Good deeds
• Psalms 101-150: Resting in God

Teaching Method Examples #

Teaching “Animal” to Someone:

• Manuductio order: Start with dog, cat, horse (singular, sensible) → then lead to animal (universal, intelligible)
• Definition order: Animal is the genus; dog, cat, horse are species defined through animal
• In definition, animal comes first; in teaching (sensible), dog/cat/horse come first

Philosophy of Natural Things (Aristotle’s Eight Books of Physics):

• Aristotle says we must know the confused before the distinct, the general before the particular
• This is the order of definition: universal before particular
• But the order of manuductio reverses this: sensible particulars before intelligible universals

The Sacred Heart Devotion #

An example of ascending through the order of manuductio:

1. Physical heart of Christ (sensible, particular)
2. Emotional attachment to Christ (still sensible)
3. Human will’s love (intelligible but attached to the sensible)
4. Divine will’s love (purely intelligible)

Questions Addressed #

On Divine Missions #

Q: How can Augustine say the Son is sent by the Holy Spirit when the Son does not proceed from the Holy Spirit?

A: In the proper sense of sending (based on procession), the Son is sent only by the Father. In the improper sense (source of the effect in creatures), the Holy Spirit can be said to send because the effect of grace comes through the Holy Spirit’s action. But this does not mean the Holy Spirit is the origin of the Son.

Q: Why can’t a man give the Holy Spirit?

A: Because to give the Holy Spirit requires causing the effect of grace, and man lacks this power. Only God (the whole Trinity) can cause grace. Therefore, in neither sense of “sending” can a man send the Holy Spirit.

On the Order of Understanding #

Q: Is it correct to present the humanity of Christ before his divinity (as in the Gospels and Peter’s confession)?

A: Yes, in the order of manuductio — this is pedagogically necessary because our knowledge begins in the senses, and Christ’s humanity is sensible while his divinity is not.

Q: Is it correct to present the divinity of Christ before his humanity (as in John’s Gospel prologue and systematic theology)?

A: Yes, in the order of definition and demonstration — this is correct for understanding because the Word must be understood before the Incarnation can be explained.

Q: Can these two orders contradict each other?

A: No. They are answering different questions: the order of manuductio asks “In what order does our knowledge grow?” The order of definition asks “In what order should these truths be defined and explained?” Both are valid and necessary.