Chapter 5 · On the beholding of the divine unity, through its primary name, which is Being — The Journey of the Mind into God
On the beholding of the divine unity, through its primary name, which is Being
But, inasmuch as we may contemplate God, not only without us and within us, but also above us—without us, by his footsteps, within us, by his image, and above us, by the light which is impressed upon our minds (which is the light of eternal truth, since these minds of ours are formed directly by the truth itself)—those who are exercised in the first have entered the court in front of the tabernacle; those who are exercised in the second have entered the Holy Place; while those who are exercised in the third enter with the High Priest into the Holy of Holies, where above the ark are the cherubim of glory, overshadowing the mercy-seat. These we understand to mean two modes or grades of contemplating the invisible and eternal things of God. One of these relates to the essential attributes of God; the other to the special attributes of the (three) persons. The first mode first and chiefly fixes our vision upon Being itself, telling us that THAT WHICH IS is the first name of God. The second mode fixes our vision upon THE GOOD itself, telling us that this is the first name of God. The first looks specially toward the Old Testament, which chiefly proclaims the unity of the Divine Essence; whence it was said to Moses: “I am that am.” The second looks to the New Testament, which determines the plurality of the (divine) persons, baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Wherefore, our master, Christ, wishing to lift up to the perfection of the gospel the young man who had observed the law, ascribed to God chiefly and alone the attribute of goodness. He says: “None is good save one, even God.” Damascenus, therefore, following Moses, says that HE WHO IS is the first name of God; Dionysius, following Christ, says that THE GOOD is the first name of God.
Let him, therefore, who desires to contemplate the invisible things of God, as regards unity of essence, first fix his eyes upon being itself, and see that it is so absolutely certain in itself that it cannot be thought not to be; because, being absolutely pure, it presents itself in the complete absence of non-being, just as naught presents itself in the complete absence of being. Even, therefore, as pure naught contains naught of being or of its conditions, so, on the contrary, being contains naught of non-being, either actually, or potentially, either according to the real truth, or to our estimate. But since non-being is a privation of being, it enters our intelligence only through being. Being, on the other hand, does not enter our intelligence through anything but itself, because everything that is understood, is understood either as not-being, or as being potentially, or as being actually. If, therefore, non-being can be understood only through being, and potential being only through actual being, and being designates the pure act of that which is, it follows that being is what first enters the intellect, and this being it is that is pure act. But this is not particular being, which is limited being, because it is mixed with potentiality; nor is it analogous being, because this has least of actuality, being that which in the smallest degree is. It remains, therefore, that this being is the divine being.
Strange, therefore, is the blindness of the intellect, which does not consider that which it first sees, and without which it can know nothing. But as the eye, when intent upon various differences of colors, does not see the light whereby it sees all other things, and if it does see it, does not notice it, so the eye of our mind, being intent upon these particular and universal things, does not notice that being which is outside all genus, although it first occurs to the mind, and all things are known through it. Hence, it most truly appears that as the eye of the bat is related to light, so the eye of our mind is related to the most manifest things of nature. The reason is that, being accustomed to the darkness of beings, and the phantasm of sensible things, when it sees the light of the highest being, it seems to see nothing (not understanding that this darkness is the highest illumination of our minds), just as when the eye sees pure light, it seems to see nothing.
Behold, therefore, this absolutely pure being, if thou canst, and it will be plain to thee that it cannot be derived from aught else; and it is necessarily thought as in every respect first, because it can neither be from nothing nor from anything else. For what is through itself, if being be not through itself and from itself? It will present itself to thee as altogether free from non-being, and, hence, as never beginning, never ending, and, therefore, as eternal. It will likewise present itself to thee as in no way containing anything but being itself, and, hence, as not compounded with anything, but perfectly simple. It will further present itself as containing naught of possibility, because every possible in some way contains somewhat of non-being; hence, it will appear as supremely and completely actual. It will present itself as containing no defectibility, and, hence, as absolutely perfect. Finally, it will present itself as having no diversity, and, hence, as supremely one.
The being, therefore, which is pure being, being simply, and being absolute is being primary, eternal, superlatively simple, actual, perfect, and one. And these things are so certain that the opposite of them cannot be thought by him who understands being. From one of them, likewise, the rest may be inferred. For, since being is being simple, it is simply first; because it is simply first, it is not made by aught else, nor could it be made by itself; therefore, it is eternal. In like manner, since it is first and eternal, it is not composed of other things; therefore it is perfectly simple. Again, since it is first, eternal, and perfectly simple, it contains no possibility intermingled with its actuality; therefore it is perfectly actual. Since it is first, eternal, perfectly simple, and perfectly actual, therefore it is altogether perfect; such a thing neither lacks aught, nor can aught be added to it. Since it is first, eternal, perfectly simple, perfectly actual, and altogether perfect, therefore it is in the highest degree one; for that which is called omnifarious superabundance is so called with respect to all things. Also, that which is called superabundance simply cannot possibly belong save to one being. Hence, if God is the name for being, primary, eternal, altogether simple, altogether actual, altogether perfect, it is impossible that he should be thought not to be, or not to be one, and no more. “Hear, therefore, O Israel! the Lord our God is one God.” If thou beholdest this in pure simplicity of mind, thou art in some sort suffused with the illumination of the eternal light. But thou hast wherewithal to be uplifted into admiration; for being is first and last; it is eternal and altogether present; it is most simple and greatest; it is altogether actual and altogether immutable; it is altogether perfect and infinite; it is in the highest degree one, and yet in all modes. If thou admirest these things with a pure mind, thou art suffused with a greater light, because thou seest, further, that it is last because it is first. For, because it is first, it performs all things by reason of itself, whence it must be the ultimate end, the beginning and consummation, Alpha and Omega. It is most excellent, because it is eternal. For, because it is eternal, it is not limited by another; it does not fail from itself; it does not pass from one thing to another. Therefore, it has neither past nor future, but is solely present. It is greatest, because it is altogether simple. Because it is altogether simple in essence, it is greatest in virtue; inasmuch as virtue is the more nearly infinite, the more it is united. It is altogether immutable, because it is altogether actual. For, because it is altogether actual, it is pure act, and, because it is such, it acquires nothing new, and loses nothing which it has; hence it cannot be changed. It is infinite, because it is altogether perfect. For, because it is altogether perfect, nothing better, nobler, or worthier than it can be thought; hence, nothing greater. And every such thing is infinite. It is in all modes, because it is in the highest degree one. For, because it is in the highest degree one, it is the universal principle of all multiplicity, and, for the same reason, it is the universal cause of all things—efficient, formal, and final—as likewise the cause of being, the ground of understanding, the order of living. It is, therefore, in all modes, not as the essence of all things, but as the altogether superexcellent, altogether universal, and altogether sufficient cause of all essences. Its virtue, because in the highest degree united in essence, is in the highest degree infinite and manifold in efficacy.
Turning back, let us say: Because being altogether pure and absolute—that is, being simply—is first and last, it is the origin and consummating end of all things. Because it is eternal and altogether present, it includes and pervades all durations, as if it were at once their centre and circumference. Because it is altogether simple and greatest, it is wholly within everything and wholly without everything; hence it is an intelligible sphere, whose centre is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. Because it is altogether actual and immutable, while remaining motionless, it imparts motion to the universe. Because it is altogether perfect and infinite, it is within everything, without being included; it is outside of everything, without being excluded; it is above everything, without being lifted up; it is below everything, without being cast down. But because it is in the highest degree one and in all modes, it is all things in all things, albeit all things are many, and it is but one. And it is so, because, through its perfectly simple unity, its perfectly serene truth, and its perfectly sincere goodness, there is in it all virtuosity, all exemplarity, and all communicability; whence all things are of it, through it, and unto it. And this is true because it is omnipotent, omniscient and in all modes, to behold which perfectly is to be blest; as it was said to Moses: “I will make all my goodness pass before thee.”