Here the maiden exclaimed: Marvellous! I swim in the Godhead like an
eagle in the air. The servitor, resuming his exposition, continued:
It is impossible to express in words how the Trinity can subsist in
the unity of one essence. Nevertheless, to say what may be said on
the subject, Augustine says that in the Godhead the Father is the
Fountain-head of the Son and the Holy Ghost. Dionysius says, that in
the Father there is an outflowing of the Godhead, which naturally
communicates itself to the Word or Son. He also freely and lovingly
pours Himself out into the Son; and the Son in turn pours Himself
out freely and lovingly into the Father; and this love of the Father
for the Son, and of the Son for the Father, is the Holy Ghost. This
is truly said, but it is made clearer by that glorious Doctor of the
Church, St Thomas, who says as follows: In the outpouring of the
Word from the Father's heart, God the Father must contemplate
Himself with His own mind, bending back, as it were, upon His Divine
essence; for if the reason of the Father had not the Divine essence
for its object, the Word so conceived would be a creature instead of
God; which is false. But in the way described He is "God of God."
Again, this looking back upon the Divine essence, which takes place
in the mind of God, must, in a manner, produce a natural likeness;
else the Word would not be the Son of God. So here we have the unity
of essence in the diversity of Persons; and a clear proof of this
distinction may be found in the word of that soaring eagle St John:
"The Word was in the beginning with God."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account