1 Objection 1: It seems that the essence of God is seen through an image by the created intellect. For it is written: We know that when He shall appear, we shall be like to Him, and Vulg.: because') we shall see Him as He is 1 Jn. 3, 2).
1 Ad secundum sic proceditur. Videtur quod essentia Dei ab intellectu creato per aliquam similitudinem videatur. Dicitur enim I Ioan. III, scimus quoniam, cum apparuerit, similes ei erimus, et videbimus eum sicuti est.
2 Objection 2: Further, Augustine says De Trin. v): When we know God, some likeness of God is made in us.
2 Praeterea, Augustinus dicit, IX de Trin., cum Deum novimus, fit aliqua Dei similitudo in nobis.
3 Objection 3: Further, the intellect in act is the actual intelligible; as sense in act is the actual sensible. But this comes about inasmuch as sense is informed with the likeness of the sensible object, and the intellect with the likeness of the thing understood. Therefore, if God is seen by the created intellect in act, it must be that He is seen by some similitude.
3 Praeterea, intellectus in actu est intelligibile in actu, sicut sensus in actu est sensibile in actu. Hoc autem non est nisi inquantum informatur sensus similitudine rei sensibilis, et intellectus similitudine rei intellectae. Ergo, si Deus ab intellectu creato videtur in actu, oportet quod per aliquam similitudinem videatur.
4 On the contrary, Augustine says De Trin. xv) that when the Apostle says, We see through a glass and in an enigma, by the terms glass' and enigma' certain similitudes are signified by him, which are accommodated to the vision of God. But to see the essence of God is not an enigmatic nor a speculative vision, but is, on the contrary, of an opposite kind. Therefore the divine essence is not seen through a similitude.
4 Sed contra est quod dicit Augustinus, XV de Trin., quod cum apostolus dicit videmus nunc per speculum et in aenigmate, speculi et aenigmatis nomine, quaecumque similitudines ab ipso significatae intelligi possunt, quae accommodatae sunt ad intelligendum Deum. Sed videre Deum per essentiam non est visio aenigmatica vel specularis, sed contra eam dividitur. Ergo divina essentia non videtur per similitudines.
5 I answer that, Two things are required both for sensible and for intellectual vision, viz. power of sight, and union of the thing seen with the sight. For vision is made actual only when the thing seen is in a certain way in the seer. Now in corporeal things it is clear that the thing seen cannot be by its essence in the seer, but only by its likeness; as the similitude of a stone is in the eye, whereby the vision is made actual; whereas the substance of the stone is not there.
But if the principle of the visual power and the thing seen were one and the same thing, it would necessarily follow that the seer would receive both the visual power and the form whereby it sees, from that one same thing. Now it is manifest both that God is the author of the intellect power, and that He can be seen by the intellect. And since the intellective power of the creature is not the essence of God, it follows that it is some kind of participated likeness of Him who is the first intellect.
Hence also the intellectual power of the creature is called an intelligible light, as it were, derived from the first light, whether this be understood of the natural power, or of some perfection superadded of grace or of glory. Therefore, in order to see God, there must be some similitude of God on the part of the visual faculty, whereby the intellect is made capable of seeing God. But on the part of the object seen, which must necessarily be united to the seer, the essence of God cannot be seen by any created similitude.
First, because as Dionysius says Div. Nom. i), by the similitudes of the inferior order of things, the superior can in no way be known; as by the likeness of a body the essence of an incorporeal thing cannot be known. Much less therefore can the essence of God be seen by any created likeness whatever. Secondly, because the essence of God is His own very existence, as was shown above Question 3, Article 4), which cannot be said of any created form; and so no created form can be the similitude representing the essence of God to the seer.
Thirdly, because the divine essence is uncircumscribed, and contains in itself super-eminently whatever can be signified or understood by the created intellect. Now this cannot in any way be represented by any created likeness; for every created form is determined according to some aspect of wisdom, or of power, or of being itself, or of some like thing. Hence to say that God is seen by some similitude, is to say that the divine essence is not seen at all; which is false.
Therefore it must be said that to see the essence of God, there is required some similitude in the visual faculty, namely, the light of glory strengthening the intellect to see God, which is spoken of in the Ps. 35, 10, In Thy light we shall see light. The essence of God, however, cannot be seen by any created similitude representing the divine essence itself as it really is.
5 Respondeo dicendum quod ad visionem, tam sensibilem quam intellectualem, duo requiruntur, scilicet virtus visiva, et unio rei visae cum visu, non enim fit visio in actu, nisi per hoc quod res visa quodammodo est in vidente. Et in rebus quidem corporalibus, apparet quod res visa non potest esse in vidente per suam essentiam, sed solum per suam similitudinem, sicut similitudo lapidis est in oculo, per quam fit visio in actu, non autem ipsa substantia lapidis. Si autem esset una et eadem res, quae esset principium visivae virtutis, et quae esset res visa, oporteret videntem ab illa re et virtutem visivam habere, et formam per quam videret.
Manifestum est autem quod Deus et est auctor intellectivae virtutis, et ab intellectu videri potest. Et cum ipsa intellectiva virtus creaturae non sit Dei essentia, relinquitur quod sit aliqua participata similitudo ipsius, qui est primus intellectus. Unde et virtus intellectualis creaturae lumen quoddam intelligibile dicitur, quasi a prima luce derivatum, sive hoc intelligatur de virtute naturali, sive de aliqua perfectione superaddita gratiae vel gloriae. Requiritur ergo ad videndum Deum aliqua Dei similitudo ex parte visivae potentiae, qua scilicet intellectus sit efficax ad videndum Deum.
Sed ex parte visae rei, quam necesse est aliquo modo uniri videnti per nullam similitudinem creatam Dei essentia videri potest. Primo quidem, quia, sicut dicit Dionysius, I cap. de Div. Nom., per similitudines inferioris ordinis rerum nullo modo superiora possunt cognosci, sicut per speciem corporis non potest cognosci essentia rei incorporeae. Multo igitur minus per speciem creatam quamcumque potest essentia Dei videri. Secundo, quia essentia Dei est ipsum esse eius, ut supra ostensum est, quod nulli formae creatae competere potest.
Non potest igitur aliqua forma creata esse similitudo repraesentans videnti Dei essentiam. Tertio, quia divina essentia est aliquod incircumscriptum, continens in se supereminenter quidquid potest significari vel intelligi ab intellectu creato. Et hoc nullo modo per aliquam speciem creatam repraesentari potest, quia omnis forma creata est determinata secundum aliquam rationem vel sapientiae, vel virtutis, vel ipsius esse, vel alicuius huiusmodi. Unde dicere Deum per similitudinem videri, est dicere divinam essentiam non videri, quod est erroneum. Dicendum ergo quod ad videndum Dei essentiam requiritur aliqua similitudo ex parte visivae potentiae, scilicet lumen gloriae, confortans intellectum ad videndum Deum, de quo dicitur in Psalmo, in lumine tuo videbimus lumen. Non autem per aliquam similitudinem creatam Dei essentia videri potest, quae ipsam divinam essentiam repraesentet ut in se est.
6 Reply to Objection 1: That authority speaks of the similitude which is caused by participation of the light of glory.
6 Ad primum ergo dicendum quod auctoritas illa loquitur de similitudine quae est per participationem luminis gloriae.
7 Reply to Objection 2: Augustine speaks of the knowledge of God here on earth.
7 Ad secundum dicendum quod Augustinus ibi loquitur de cognitione Dei quae habetur in via.
8 Reply to Objection 3: The divine essence is existence itself. Hence as other intelligible forms which are not their own existence are united to the intellect by means of some entity, whereby the intellect itself is informed, and made in act; so the divine essence is united to the created intellect, as the object actually understood, making the intellect in act by and of itself.
8 Ad tertium dicendum quod divina essentia est ipsum esse. Unde, sicut aliae formae intelligibiles quae non sunt suum esse, uniuntur intellectui secundum aliquod esse quo informant ipsum intellectum et faciunt ipsum in actu; ita divina essentia unitur intellectui creato ut intellectum in actu, per seipsam faciens intellectum in actu.