Thomas Aquinas: Whether by grace a higher knowledge of God can be obtained than by natural reason?

P(1)-Q(12)-A(13)

Whether by grace a higher knowledge of God

can be obtained than by natural reason?

P(1)-Q(12)-A(13) -O(1) — It seems that by grace a higher knowledge of

God is not obtained than by natural reason. For Dionysius says (De

Mystica Theol. i) that whoever is the more united to God in this life, is

united to Him as to one entirely unknown. He says the same of Moses,

who nevertheless obtained a certain excellence by the knowledge conferred

by grace. But to be united to God while ignoring of Him “what He is,”

comes about also by natural reason. Therefore God is not more known to

us by grace than by natural reason.

P(1)-Q(12)-A(13) -O(2) — Further, we can acquire the knowledge of

divine things by natural reason only through the imagination; and the same

applies to the knowledge given by grace. For Dionysius says (Coel. Hier.

i) that “it is impossible for the divine ray to shine upon us except as

screened round about by the many colored sacred veils.” Therefore we

cannot know God more fully by grace than by natural reason.

P(1)-Q(12)-A(13) -O(3) — Further, our intellect adheres to God by grace

of faith. But faith does not seem to be knowledge; for Gregory says (Hom.

xxvi in Ev.) that “things not seen are the objects of faith, and not of

knowledge.” Therefore there is not given to us a more excellent knowledge

of God by grace.

P(1)-Q(12)-A(13) — On the contrary, The Apostle says that “God hath

revealed to us His spirit,” what “none of the princes of this world knew”

(<460210>1 Corinthians 2:10), namely, the philosophers, as the gloss expounds.

I answer that, We have a more perfect knowledge of God by grace than by

natural reason. Which is proved thus. The knowledge which we have by

natural reason contains two things: images derived from the sensible

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objects; and the natural intelligible light, enabling us to abstract from them

intelligible conceptions.

Now in both of these, human knowledge is assisted by the revelation of

grace. For the intellect’s natural light is strengthened by the infusion of

gratuitous light; and sometimes also the images in the human imagination

are divinely formed, so as to express divine things better than those do

which we receive from sensible objects, as appears in prophetic visions;

while sometimes sensible things, or even voices, are divinely formed to

express some divine meaning; as in the Baptism, the Holy Ghost was seen

in the shape of a dove, and the voice of the Father was heard, “This is My

beloved Son” (<400317>Matthew 3:17).

P(1)-Q(12)-A(13) -RO(1) — Although by the revelation of grace in this

life we cannot know of God “what He is,” and thus are united to Him as to

one unknown; still we know Him more fully according as many and more

excellent of His effects are demonstrated to us, and according as we

attribute to Him some things known by divine revelation, to which natural

reason cannot reach, as, for instance, that God is Three and One.

P(1)-Q(12)-A(13) -RO(2) — From the images either received from sense

in the natural order, or divinely formed in the imagination, we have so

much the more excellent intellectual knowledge, the stronger the intelligible

light is in man; and thus through the revelation given by the images a fuller

knowledge is received by the infusion of the divine light.

P(1)-Q(12)-A(13) -RO(3) — Faith is a kind of knowledge, inasmuch as

the intellect is determined by faith to some knowable object. But this

determination to one object does not proceed from the vision of the

believer, but from the vision of Him who is believed. Thus as far as faith

falls short of vision, it falls short of the knowledge which belongs to

science, for science determines the intellect to one object by the vision and

understanding of first principles.

Summa Theologica