By: Brian G. Chilton, Ph.D., M.Div. | October 20, 2023
Recently, I began a project to read through the Summa Theologica, the massive magnum opus by Thomas Aquinas. Throughout my readings, I am learning new things that I had not considered in my graduate and post-graduate programs. Some of these topics are deeply theological and philosophical in nature, but they hold great value to the Christian and how we understand God. So, I would like to share some of these newfound revelations that I have learned with you. You may find that you agree with Aquinas’s take in some areas, and in other places you may not. Nonetheless, I hope that this new series will help you look deeper into your faith.
In Question 32 of the first volume of the Summa, Aquinas discusses the notions of God. He explains that a notion is a “proper idea whereby we know a divine person.”[1] In other words, a notion refers to the essence, trait, or the nature of a person or thing. When it comes to God, Aquinas contends that God has five notions as related to the Persons of the Triune nature of God.
The Notion of Innascibility
Innascibility is the first notion, and it relates to God the Father. Innascibility is a fancy philosophical word that refers to someone or something that was not born. In other words, to be innascible means that one is self-existent. God has no origin and was thereby never born. Thus, a defining notion of God is his innascibility—his self-existence. For this reason, Aquinas argued in another place that of all the divine names, Yahweh, which means “I AM WHAT I AM” (Exod. 3:14), best encapsulates the nature of God.[2]
The Notion of Paternity
The second notion refers to God’s paternity.[3] That is, God is the Father to the Son, Jesus Christ, eternally begotten from the Father, but he is also the Father to all creation. Thus, his paternal role is another notion describing the Personhood of God. If God is to be known as the Father, then it stands to reason that God would hold the notion of paternity.
The Notion of Filiation
The third notion links to the second. Filiation is known as the third divine notion. Filiation speaks of the relationship between the child and a parent, with the emphasis being on the child. Said another way, filiation speaks of a descendant. We do not understand Jesus’s relation to the Father the same as a biological child is descended from one’s parents. In contrast with other children, Jesus existed from all eternity as he is the eternally begotten from the Father (Jn. 1:18; 3:16).[4]
The Notion of Common Spiration
The first three notions dealt with the Father and the Son. The last two deal with the Holy Spirit. The fourth notion is known as common spiration.[5] Spiration is a term rarely used in modern parlance. It speaks of divine breathing out. Thus, Aquinas holds that God breathes out the Spirit to all creation and to individuals. This does not remove the Personhood of the Holy Spirit, just as the filiation of the Son does not remove the eternal divine nature of the Son. Rather, common spiration indicates the process by which the Holy Spirit flows.
The Notion of Procession
Finally, the fifth notion is that of procession. This notion speaks of the procession that the Spirit flows from Father and Son. Aquinas states that “the Holy Ghost can be known by the fact that He is from another, or from others … but not by the fact that another is from Him, as no divine person proceeds from Him.”[6] Here, it must be remembered that the Holy Spirit is eternal just as is the Father and Son. However, Aquinas speaks of the movement, or procession, of God. The Spirit flows from the Father and Son. Likewise, the Son is the eternally begotten of the Father from Whom there is no further source.
Conclusion
Aquinas argues that God has five primary notions by which we can know him. Four are properties except for common spiration as it belongs to two persons.[7] Three of the notions are personal—paternity, filiation, and procession—whereas the other two (i.e., common spiration and innascibility) are notions of Persons. Aquinas notes that the five notions do not indicate a quinary Personhood of God since the five relate to three Persons.[8] Nonetheless, these five-part notions speak to the quintessential and basic characteristics of God as he exists in the Triune Godhead. All these notions are revealed to us by God about himself. Most interesting of all is that we are escorted into this divine relationship by the Father, through the Son, and applied by the Spirit.
About the Author
Brian G. Chilton is the founder of Bellator Christi Ministries and the co-host of the Bellator Christi Podcast. Dr. Chilton earned a Ph.D. in the Theology and Apologetics at Liberty University (with high distinction), a M.Div. in Theology from Liberty University (with high distinction); his B.S. in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Gardner-Webb University (with honors); earned a Certificate in Christian Apologetics from Biola University, and completed Unit 1 of Clinical Pastoral Education at Wake Forest University’s School of Medicine. Dr. Chilton is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Evangelical Philosophical Society. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, working out in his home gym, and watching football. He has served in pastoral ministry for over 20 years and serves as a clinical chaplain.
https://www.amazon.com/Laymans-Manual-Christian-Apologetics-Essentials/dp/1532697104
https://www.amazon.com/Conversations-about-Heaven-Difficult-Questions/dp/1666762687
Notes
[1] Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica 1.q.32.3, Fathers of the English Dominican Province, trans (London, UK: Burns, Oates, & Washbourne, 1920).
[2] Aquinas, ST 1.q13.11.
[3] Aquinas, ST 1.q32a.resp.
[4] See also Athanasius who said that the Son is “begotten from the Father before all time … begotten not created … through Whom all things came into being.” Athanasius, Against the Arians 1.6.17. See also Augustine who said, “one exists not as before the other, but as from the other.” St. Augustine of Hippo, Contra Maximinum 2.14; Aquinas, ST. 1.q42.3.
[5] Aquinas, ST 1.q.32.a3.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Aquinas, ST 1.q32.a3.ad1.
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