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047 - Xlvii That God Understands Himself Perfectly · Summa Contra Gentiles, First Book (On God)

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  Speaker 1: Chapter forty seven of Suma Contragentilees, First Book on God
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  Speaker 1: by Saint Thomas aquinas translated by the Fathers of the
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  Speaker 1: English Dominican Province. This LibriVox recording is in the public
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  Speaker 1: domain Chapter forty seven that God understands himself perfectly. It
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  Speaker 1: is furthermore clear from the above that God understands himself perfectly.
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  Speaker 1: For since the intellect is directed by the intelligible species
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  Speaker 1: to the thing understood, the perfection of intellectual operation depends
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  Speaker 1: on two things. One is that the intelligible species be
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  Speaker 1: perfectly conformed to the thing understood. The other is that
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  Speaker 1: it be perfectly united to the intellect. And this is
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  Speaker 1: all the more so according as the intellect is endowed
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  Speaker 1: with greater efficacy in understanding. Now, the divine essence, which
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  Speaker 1: is the intelligible speed sees, whereby the divine intellect understands,
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  Speaker 1: is absolutely the same as God himself, and is altogether
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  Speaker 1: identified with his intellect. Therefore, God understands himself most perfectly. Further,
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  Speaker 1: a material thing is made intelligible by being abstracted from
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  Speaker 1: matter and from material conditions. Wherefore, that which by its
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  Speaker 1: nature is severed from matter and from material conditions, is
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  Speaker 1: by its very nature intelligible. Now, every intelligible is understood
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  Speaker 1: according as it is actually one with the intelligent. And
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  Speaker 1: God is himself intelligent, as we have proved. Therefore, since
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  Speaker 1: He is altogether immaterial and is absolutely one with himself,
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  Speaker 1: he understands himself most perfectly. Again, a thing is actually
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  Speaker 1: understood through the unification of the intellect in act and
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  Speaker 1: the intelligible in act. Now, the divine intellect is always
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  Speaker 1: intellect in act, since nothing is in potentiality and imperfect
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  Speaker 1: in God, and God's essence is by itself perfectly intelligible,
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  Speaker 1: is shown above. Since then the divine intellect and the
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  Speaker 1: divine essence are one. As stated above, it is evident
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  Speaker 1: that God understands himself perfectly, for God is both his
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  Speaker 1: own intellect and his own essence. Moreover, whatever is in
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  Speaker 1: any one in an intelligible manner is understood by him.
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  Speaker 1: Now the divine essence is in God in an intelligible manner.
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  Speaker 1: For God's natural being and his intelligible being are one
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  Speaker 1: and the same, since his being is his active intelligence.
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  Speaker 1: Therefore God understands his essence. Therefore, he understands himself, since
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  Speaker 1: he is his very Essence. Further, the acts of the intellect,
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  Speaker 1: as of the other powers of the soul, are distinguished
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  Speaker 1: according to their objects. Hence, the more perfect the intelligible,
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  Speaker 1: the more perfect will the operation of the intellect be. Now,
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  Speaker 1: the most perfect intelligible is the Divine essence, since it
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  Speaker 1: is the most perfect act and the first truth. And
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  Speaker 1: the operation of the Divine intellect is also the most excellent,
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  Speaker 1: since it is the divine being itself, as we have shown. Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: God understands himself. Again, all the perfections of things are
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  Speaker 1: found eminently in God. Now, among other perfections found in
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  Speaker 1: created things is that of understanding God. Since the intellectual nature,
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  Speaker 1: whose perfection it is to understand, stands above others, and
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  Speaker 1: God is the most excellent intelligible. Therefore, God, most of all,
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  Speaker 1: understands himself. This is confirmed by divine authority, for the
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  Speaker 1: Apostle says and First Corinthians two ten that the spirit
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  Speaker 1: of God searcheth the deep things of God. End of
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  Speaker 1: Chapter forty seven read by Michael Shane, Craig, Lambert Elsie