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The Treasure of St. Thomas’ Theology of the Trinity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Herwi Rikhof
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Abstract

One of the treasures of Thomas’ theology of the Trinity is his attention to the mission of the Spirit, to the gift of the Spirit (and not just to the gifts of the Spirit). In this slightly modified version of the 2016 Aquinas Lecture Oxford, three texts are read that show the richness of his attention to the Spirit and that show, too, that often repeated criticism that Thomas forgets the Spirit is incorrect. First, Thomas’ remark that the knowledge of the divine persons is necessary for a correct understanding of creation and salvation (STh I q. 32, a.1 ad 3m). Second, his commentary on the opening verse of ps 50, (‘the great mercy of God’). Third, two articles on the mission of the Spirit (STh 1, q. 43, a.3 and 5, especially the ad 2m).

Type
Original Article
Information
New Blackfriars , Volume 97 , Issue 1069 , May 2016 , pp. 250 - 265
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 The Dominican Council. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd

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References

1 Lonergan, B., Method in Theology, (New York: Herder and Herder, 1972), pp 157-8Google Scholar.

2 I have given a more elaborate analysis of what follows in: The Current Renaissance of the Theology of the Trinity. A reconstruction, in Bijdragen 70 (2009), pp 423-457.

3 Cfr. e.g. the definition of the christifideles in the Codex, can. 204.

4 Misericordia vultus, 20-21.

5 Misericordiae vultus, 21.

6 Misericordiae vultus, 6. The pope quotes from STh II II q. 30 a.4; he uses the same quote in Evangelium Gaudium 37.

7 Ad tertium dicendum quod cognitio divinarum personarum fuit necessaria nobis dupliciter. Uno modo, ad recte sentiendum de creatione rerum. Per hoc enim quod dicimus Deum omnia fecisse verbo suo, excluditur error ponentium Deum produxisse res ex necessitate naturae. Per hoc autem quod ponimus in eo processionem amoris, ostenditur quod Deus non propter aliquam indigentiam creaturas produxit, neque propter aliquam aliam causam extrinsecam; sed propter amorem suae bonitatis.Unde et Moyses, postquam dixerat, in principio creavit Deus caelum et terram, subdit, dixit Deus, fiat lux, ad manifestationem divini verbi; et postea dixit, vidit Deus lucem, quod esset bona, ad ostendendum approbationem divini amoris; et similiter in aliis operibus. Alio modo, et principalius, ad recte sentiendum de salute generis humani, quae perficitur per filium incarnatum, et per donum spiritus sancti. STh I, q.32 a.1 ad 3m.

8 Cfr. STh I q. 45 a.1sc.

9 STh I q. 34 a.1c.

10 STh q. 37 a.1 ad 2m.

11 Thomas refers to two other penitential psalms, 103(102), 10 and 6,7.

12 … quia si David post tot victorias, post donum spiritus sancti, post tantam familiaritatem cum Deo et prophetiam peccavit, quantum debemus cavere nos, qui fragiles et peccatores sumus?

13 Et ideo confidenter peto: miserere mei Deus.

14 Ergo cum considero quod bonitatis miseriam repellere est proprium, et tamen est ipsa bonitas, confidenter ad misericordiam recurro.

15 Et propter hoc etiam ea quae alicui creaturae debentur, Deus, ex abundantia suae bonitatis, largius dispensat quam exigat proportio rei. Minus enim est quod sufficeret ad conservandum ordinem iustitiae, quam quod divina bonitas confert, quae omnem proportionem creaturae excedit. ST I, q. 21, a.4c.

16 Et dicitur magna sua incomprehensibilitate, qua implet omnia. Ps. 32: misericordia domini plena est terra. Et in omnibus habet locum: nam justi innocentiam servaverunt propter misericordiam Dei. Augustinus: domine gratiae tuae deputo mala quae non feci. Item peccatores sunt conversi ad justitiam propter Dei misericordiam. 1 Tim. 1: misericordiam consecutus sum. Item in peccato existentes misericordiam Dei experti sunt. Thren. 3: misericordiae domini multae, quod non sumus consumpti. Item dicitur magna sublimitate, quia miserationes ejus super omnia opera ejus; nam misericordia non signat in Deo passionem animi, sed bonitatem ad repellendam miseriam. Item magna duratione. Isa. 54: in misericordia sempiterna misertus sum tui. Item magna virtute, quia Deum hominem fecit, de caelo Deum ad terram deposuit, et immortalem mori fecit. Eph. 2: Deus autem qui dives est in misericordia. Item magna per effectum, quia ex omni miseria potest homo per misericordiam elevari. Ps. 85: misericordia tua magna est super me, et remisisti impietatem peccati mei, (Ps. 31). Et ideo confidenter peto: miserere mei Deus.

17 STh III, q. 1 a.2 and a.3. See for an insightful analysis of these texts Corbin, M., La Parole devenue chair, in L'inouï de Dieu. Six études christologiques (Paris: Desclée De Brouwer, 1981), pp 111-158Google Scholar.

18 STh I q. 36.

19 Relinquitur ergo quod necesse est dicere vel Filium esse a Spiritu Sancto, quod nullus dicit, vel Spiritum Sanctum esse a Filio, quod nos confitemur. STh I q. 36, a.2c.

20 Cfr. also Weinandy, Th. The Father's Spirit of Sonship. Reconceiving the Trinity, (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1995)Google Scholar.

21 For a more elaborate analysis see H. Rikhof, Trinity in Thomas. Reading the Summa Theologiae against the background of modern problems, Jaarboek 1999 Thomas Instituut Utrecht, Utrecht, 2000, 81-100, Cf. alsoWilliams, A. N., The Ground of Union, Deification in Aquinas and Palamas, (New York/Oxford: Oxford University Press 1999)CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Emery, G., La théologie trinitaire de saint Thomas d'Aquin, (Paris: Cerf, 2004), 439-464Google Scholar. Emery correctly remarks in his conclusions (486) that the person and work of the Holy Spirit occupy a central place in Thomas’ reflections on the Trinity.

22 Cfr. the opening sentence of the response: Respondeo dicendum quod divinae personae convenit mitti, secundum quod novo modo existit in aliquo; dari autem, secundum quod habetur ab aliquo. STh I q. 43, a.3co.

23 dari autem secundum quod habetur ab aliquo STh I q. 43, a.3co; ‘the verb ‘given’ is that he is possessed by someone’ (Blackfriars translation)

24 Similiter illud solum habere dicimur, quo libere possumus uti vel frui. Habere autem potestatem fruendi divina persona, est solum secundum gratiam gratum facientem. Sed tamen in ipso dono gratiae gratum facientis, spiritus sanctus habetur, et inhabitat hominem. Unde ipsemet spiritus sanctus datur et mittitur. STh I q. 43, a.3co.

25 STh I q.38, a.1c.

26 See the discussion in Lombard Sentences, I distinctio prima; see Thomas’ divisio textus in In I Sent.

27 STh Ia IIae q. 110, a.1c and a. 4c. The basis for this can be found in Thomas’ clearly Trinitarian understanding of imago Dei: STh I, q. 45 a.7 and q. 93 a.5.

28 Filius autem est verbum, non qualecumque, sed spirans amorem. STh I q. 43 a.5 ad 2m. Cf. the scene of the first Easter day described in John: the risen Lord enters the closed room, wishes his disciples peace and then says: ‘“As the Father has sent me, even so I send you”. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them “receive the Holy Spirit”’(20,21-22)

29 Unde Augustinus dicit Verbum quod insinuare intendimus cum amore notitia est. Non igitur secundum quamlibet perfectionem intellectus mittitur Filius, sed secundum talem instructionem intellectus qua prorumpat in affectum amoris….STh I q. 43 a.5 ad 2m.

30 cfr. also Thomas’ remark about David, quoted in footnote 10.