S
steph_86
Guest
The fact of God’s Existence and of His Being remains one of the greatest subjects of tension and of mystery not only in classical philosophy, but also for me in particular.
In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself to Moses by the following statement:
My question, however, is what the term “Actus Purus” actually means.
In my understanding, it is said that in every created thing there is both potentiality and actuality. Every extant thing possesses the potential to be actualized by some agent or some thing that already possesses said actuality or said perfection.
In God, however, there is no potential. God, is Actuality Itself. But, how does this relate to the term that God is "Actus Purus"?
The way that I understand it is that "Actus Purus refers both to the facts that **God is Perfect **and that God knows no limitations in His Activity. To be more precise, it follows from this statement that, God is Omnipotent. His Being, itself, is Infinite.
When I contemplate this statement, that God is "Actus Purus, I am totally petrified. It seems to express in one statement the Utter Transcendence, the Utter Omnipotence, and the Absolute Purity of God in all His Infinite Perfections. There seems to be in this, then, a chasm, an infinite gulf that subsists between God and all creatures, and in particular, all rational creatures, both angelic and human substances. But at the same time, that gulf, that chasm, can be bridged, overcome, by the ascending pull of Grace, which Itself is a manifestation of the Divine Love.
In any case, my main question is, fundamentally speaking, what is God’s Essence?
Fundamentally or metaphysically speaking, is God’s Essence to Exist, that is, to Be, as He revealed to Moses in the burning bush?
Or is God’s Essence to Be Love, as St. John revealed by St. John in the New Testament in his First Epistle?
And lastly, what does it actually mean to say that, God is Good?
How does God’s Goodness relate to His Being and to His Essence? What does the statement actually mean?
While reflecting upon the above statements, I get the sense that God’s Goodness expresses one of His most fundamental Attributes, although I tend to not comprehend their meaning precisely.
Is God’s Goodness merely understood in relation to creation, to His Eternal Law and His Providence, or does it also express an aspect of His Being in Himself, of His Essence?
I hope someone can help me grasp these difficult concepts.
In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself to Moses by the following statement:
In Hebrew, this Name has often been related with the Name YHWH, often translated Yahweh. This has been interpreted in Catholic and Thomistic philosophy in the statement that God’s very Essence is to Exist. That is, God’s Essence and God’s Existence are identical.
My question, however, is what the term “Actus Purus” actually means.
In my understanding, it is said that in every created thing there is both potentiality and actuality. Every extant thing possesses the potential to be actualized by some agent or some thing that already possesses said actuality or said perfection.
In God, however, there is no potential. God, is Actuality Itself. But, how does this relate to the term that God is "Actus Purus"?
The way that I understand it is that "Actus Purus refers both to the facts that **God is Perfect **and that God knows no limitations in His Activity. To be more precise, it follows from this statement that, God is Omnipotent. His Being, itself, is Infinite.
When I contemplate this statement, that God is "Actus Purus, I am totally petrified. It seems to express in one statement the Utter Transcendence, the Utter Omnipotence, and the Absolute Purity of God in all His Infinite Perfections. There seems to be in this, then, a chasm, an infinite gulf that subsists between God and all creatures, and in particular, all rational creatures, both angelic and human substances. But at the same time, that gulf, that chasm, can be bridged, overcome, by the ascending pull of Grace, which Itself is a manifestation of the Divine Love.
In any case, my main question is, fundamentally speaking, what is God’s Essence?
Fundamentally or metaphysically speaking, is God’s Essence to Exist, that is, to Be, as He revealed to Moses in the burning bush?
Or is God’s Essence to Be Love, as St. John revealed by St. John in the New Testament in his First Epistle?
Is Love the fundamental Essence of God, or is Existence, or Being, His fundamental Essence?
And lastly, what does it actually mean to say that, God is Good?
How does God’s Goodness relate to His Being and to His Essence? What does the statement actually mean?
While reflecting upon the above statements, I get the sense that God’s Goodness expresses one of His most fundamental Attributes, although I tend to not comprehend their meaning precisely.
Is God’s Goodness merely understood in relation to creation, to His Eternal Law and His Providence, or does it also express an aspect of His Being in Himself, of His Essence?
I hope someone can help me grasp these difficult concepts.
