HKB
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Often appears with: the nature and attributes of God · judgment, heaven, and hell · the fear of death · prophecy and revelation · will, choice, and freedom · the problem of evil and theodicy · the passions and the emotions · scripture meditation · scripture and its interpretation · saints’ longing for embodiment · resurrection of the body · religious persecution and toleration
Usually: argument (7) · crisis of belief (4) · detachment (4) · confronting death (2) · praise (2) · narrative (1) · grief and loss (1) · exhortation (1) · reverence (1) · skepticism (1)
“For will increase whate’er bestows on us Of light gratuitous the Good Supreme, Light which enables us to look on Him; Therefore the vision must perforce increase, Increase the ardour which from that is kindled, Increase the radiance which from this proceeds.” Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy, Longfellow's Translation, Paradise · insight
“For the immortal and miserable mediator interposes himself to prevent us from passing to a blessed immortality, because that which hinders such a passage, namely, misery, continues in him.” Augustine (Aurelius Augustine), Saint of Hippo, The City of God, Volume I · insight
“Prophecy denotes vision of some supernatural truth as being far remote from us. This happens in two ways. First, on the part of the knowledge itself, because, to wit, the supernatural truth is not known in itself, but in some of its effects; and this truth will be more remote if it be known by means of images of corporeal things, than if it be known in its intelligible effects; and such most of all is the prophetic vision, which is conveyed by images and likenesses of corporeal things.” Thomas, Aquinas, Saint, Summa Theologica, Part II-II (Secunda Secundae) · insight
“There is a twofold knowledge in the angel. The first is his natural knowledge... By such knowledge the angels cannot know mysteries of grace.” Thomas, Aquinas, Saint, Summa Theologica, Part I (Prima Pars) · insight
“For the rational creature is confirmed in righteousness through the beatitude given by the clear vision of God; and when once it has seen God, it cannot but cleave to Him Who is the essence of goodness.” Thomas, Aquinas, Saint, Summa Theologica, Part I (Prima Pars) · insight
“A certain participation of Happiness can be had in this life: but perfect and true Happiness cannot be had in this life.” Thomas, Aquinas, Saint, Summa Theologica, Part I-II (Pars Prima Secundae) · insight
“For since the very essential substance of all the celestial joy standeth in the blessed beholding of the glorious Godhead face to face, no man may presume or look to attain it in this life.” Sir Thomas More, Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation · insight
He continues by contrasting demon immortality, which brings fear, with Christ’s mortality now ended, claiming only Christ can reconcile humans to God and lead them to beatific participation in the Trinity.
prevented them from seducing to misery by their boast of immortality those men whose hearts He has cleansed by faith, and whom He has thus freed from their impure dominion. Man, then, mortal and miserable, and far removed from the immortal and the blessed, what medium shall he choose by which he may be united to immortality and blessedness? The immortality of the demons, which might have some charm for man, is miser…
Thomas holds that angels do not know all mysteries of grace by natural knowledge, but they know some through beatific vision of the Word and through revelations suited to their ranks and duties.
the reasons of all mysteries of grace are contained in the Divine wisdom. But the angels behold God's wisdom, which is His essence. Therefore they know the mysteries of grace. Obj. 3: Further, the prophets are enlightened by the angels, as is clear from Dionysius (Coel. Hier. iv). But the prophets knew mysteries of grace; for it is said (Amos 3:7): "For the Lord God doth nothing without revealing His secret to His s…
In Question 100, Article 2, Aquinas argues that children would not have been born confirmed in righteousness, since confirmation requires the beatific vision, and because parents were not yet confirmed when begetting.
would have been confirmed in grace, so that with their offspring they would have been unable to sin any more." Therefore the children would have been born confirmed in righteousness. Obj. 3: Further, good is stronger than evil. But by the sin of the first man there resulted, in those born of him, the necessity of sin. Therefore, if the first man had persevered in righteousness, his descendants would have derived fro…
In Article 3 Thomas distinguishes imperfect participation in happiness in this life from perfect happiness, concluding true and complete happiness cannot be had now due to ongoing evils and lack of the beatific vision.
118:1): "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord." But this happens in this life. Therefore one can be happy in this life. Obj. 2: Further, imperfect participation in the Sovereign Good does not destroy the nature of Happiness, otherwise one would not be happier than another. But men can participate in the Sovereign Good in this life, by knowing and loving God, albeit imperfectly. There…
The text begins the prologue and then debates how God relates to human happiness, arguing that creatures cannot communicate happiness perfectly, while God illumines all for the beatific vision.
the angels in the attainment of his last end, in respect of certain preliminary dispositions thereto: whereas he attains the last end itself through the First Agent, which is God. Reply Obj. 2: When a form exists perfectly and naturally in something, it can be the principle of action on something else: for instance a hot thing heats through heat. But if a form exist in something imperfectly, and not naturally, it ca…
Aquinas denies that the blessed in heaven have prophecy, because prophecy involves knowing supernatural truth as distant through effects or images and because prophetic light is suited to a state of remaining “in the body.”
prophetic word is compared (2 Pet. 1:19) to a "light that shineth in a dark place." Now there is no darkness in the blessed. Therefore they cannot be called prophets. *I answer that,* Prophecy denotes vision of some supernatural truth as being far remote from us. This happens in two ways. First, on the part of the knowledge itself, because, to wit, the supernatural truth is not known in itself, but in some of its ef…
The poem moves to another theological discussion: after bodies are reunited, paradise’s light and vision intensify, and the saints show yearning for their physical resurrection while Dante sees new light-circles.
Whoso lamenteth him that here we die That we may live above, has never there Seen the refreshment of the eternal rain. The One and Two and Three who ever liveth, And reigneth ever in Three and Two and One, Not circumscribed and all things circumscribing, Three several times was chanted by each one Among those spirits, with such melody That for all merit it were just reward; And, in the lustre most …
Anthony urges repeated meditation and hearing of scripture about heaven, insists this life cannot grasp it fully because the bliss depends on beholding God face to face, citing “Oculus non vidit.”
be, with how good will and how gladly would he then give this whole world, if it were his, to have the feeling of some little part of those joys! And therefore let us all who cannot now conceive such delight in the consideration of them as we should, have often in our eyes by reading, often in our ears by hearing, often in our mouths by rehearsing, often in our hearts by meditation and thinking, those joyful words o…