1 Objection 1: It would seem that no other procession exists in God besides the generation of the Word. Because, for whatever reason we admit another procession, we should be led to admit yet another, and so on to infinitude; which cannot be. Therefore we must stop at the first, and hold that there exists only one procession in God.
1 Ad tertium sic proceditur. Videtur quod non sit in divinis alia processio a generatione verbi. Eadem enim ratione erit aliqua alia processio ab illa alia processione, et sic procederetur in infinitum, quod est inconveniens. Standum est igitur in primo, ut sit una tantum processio in divinis.
2 Objection 2: Further, every nature possesses but one mode of self-communication; because operations derive unity and diversity from their terms. But procession in God is only by way of communication of the divine nature. Therefore, as there is only one divine nature Question 11, Article 4), it follows that only one procession exists in God.
2 Praeterea, in omni natura invenitur tantum unus modus communicationis illius naturae, et hoc ideo est, quia operationes secundum terminos habent unitatem et diversitatem. Sed processio in divinis non est nisi secundum communicationem divinae naturae. Cum igitur sit una tantum natura divina, ut supra ostensum est, relinquitur quod una sit tantum processio in divinis.
3 Objection 3: Further, if any other procession but the intelligible procession of the Word existed in God, it could only be the procession of love, which is by the operation of the will. But such a procession is identified with the intelligible procession of the intellect, inasmuch as the will in God is the same as His intellect Question 19, Article 1). Therefore in God there is no other procession but the procession of the Word.
3 Praeterea, si sit in divinis alia processio ab intelligibili processione verbi, non erit nisi processio amoris, quae est secundum voluntatis operationem. Sed talis processio non potest esse alia a processione intellectus intelligibili, quia voluntas in Deo non est aliud ab intellectu, ut supra ostensum est. Ergo in Deo non est alia processio praeter processionem verbi.
4 On the contrary, The Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father Jn. 15, 26); and He is distinct from the Son, according to the words, I will ask My Father, and He will give you another Paraclete Jn. 14, 16). Therefore in God another procession exists besides the procession of the Word.
4 Sed contra est quod spiritus sanctus procedit a patre, ut dicitur Ioan. XV. Ipse autem est alius a filio, secundum illud Ioan. XIV, rogabo patrem meum, et alium Paracletum dabit vobis. Ergo in divinis est alia processio praeter processionem verbi.
5 I answer that, There are two processions in God; the procession of the Word, and another. In evidence whereof we must observe that procession exists in God, only according to an action which does not tend to anything external, but remains in the agent itself. Such an action in an intellectual nature is that of the intellect, and of the will. The procession of the Word is by way of an intelligible operation. The operation of the will within ourselves involves also another procession, that of love, whereby the object loved is in the lover; as, by the conception of the word, the object spoken of or understood is in the intelligent agent. Hence, besides the procession of the Word in God, there exists in Him another procession called the procession of love.
5 Respondeo dicendum quod in divinis sunt duae processiones, scilicet processio verbi, et quaedam alia. Ad cuius evidentiam, considerandum est quod in divinis non est processio nisi secundum actionem quae non tendit in aliquid extrinsecum, sed manet in ipso agente. Huiusmodi autem actio in intellectuali natura est actio intellectus et actio voluntatis. Processio autem verbi attenditur secundum actionem intelligibilem. Secundum autem operationem voluntatis invenitur in nobis quaedam alia processio, scilicet processio amoris, secundum quam amatum est in amante, sicut per conceptionem verbi res dicta vel intellecta, est in intelligente. Unde et praeter processionem verbi, ponitur alia processio in divinis, quae est processio amoris.
6 Reply to Objection 1: There is no need to go on to infinitude in the divine processions; for the procession which is accomplished within the agent in an intellectual nature terminates in the procession of the will.
6 Ad primum ergo dicendum quod non est necessarium procedere in divinis processionibus in infinitum. Processio enim quae est ad intra in intellectuali natura, terminatur in processione voluntatis.
7 Reply to Objection 2: All that exists in God, is God Question 3, Articles 3, 4); whereas the same does not apply to others. Therefore the divine nature is communicated by every procession which is not outward, and this does not apply to other natures.
7 Ad secundum dicendum quod quidquid est in Deo, est Deus, ut supra ostensum est, quod non contingit in aliis rebus. Et ideo per quamlibet processionem quae non est ad extra, communicatur divina natura, non autem aliae naturae.
8 Reply to Objection 3: Though will and intellect are not diverse in God, nevertheless the nature of will and intellect requires the processions belonging to each of them to exist in a certain order. For the procession of love occurs in due order as regards the procession of the Word; since nothing can be loved by the will unless it is conceived in the intellect. So as there exists a certain order of the Word to the principle whence He proceeds, although in God the substance of the intellect and its concept are the same; so, although in God the will and the intellect are the same, still, inasmuch as love requires by its very nature that it proceed only from the concept of the intellect, there is a distinction of order between the procession of love and the procession of the Word in God.
8 Ad tertium dicendum quod, licet in Deo non sit aliud voluntas et intellectus, tamen de ratione voluntatis et intellectus est, quod processiones quae sunt secundum actionem utriusque, se habeant secundum quendam ordinem. Non enim est processio amoris nisi in ordine ad processionem verbi, nihil enim potest voluntate amari, nisi sit in intellectu conceptum. Sicut igitur attenditur quidam ordo verbi ad principium a quo procedit, licet in divinis sit eadem substantia intellectus et conceptio intellectus; ita, licet in Deo sit idem voluntas et intellectus, tamen, quia de ratione amoris est quod non procedat nisi a conceptione intellectus, habet ordinis distinctionem processio amoris a processione verbi in divinis.