第四节 论上帝的本质——神性之爱与神性智慧
36# 我们区分上帝之存在（Esse Dei）与上帝之本质（Essentia Dei），旨在于厘清上帝的无限性与神性之爱二者分际：无限性用以述称上帝的存在，神性之爱则用以述称上帝的本质。如前文所证，上帝之存在较其本质更为普遍，同理，无限性亦较神性之爱更为宽泛。是以 “无限” 可作为一切神性本原与属性的限定谓词 —— 神性之爱是无限的，神性智慧是无限的，神性权能亦同为无限。此区分并非意指上帝的存在先于其本质，而是说存在内入本质，作为内在本原与之相融相合，对本质施以界定、赋形与成全提升之功。
本章本节体例与前文一致，分六项命题逐层阐论：
一、上帝为爱本身、智慧本身，二者共同构成祂的本质。
二、上帝为良善本身、真理本身；良善归属于爱，真理归属于智慧。
三、上帝为爱本身、智慧本身，故亦是生命本身，即自存于自身之内的生命。
四、爱与智慧在上帝之中全然合一。
五、爱的本质，在于爱慕自身以外的他者，渴愿与他者相融合一，并由自身施予他者福乐。
六、神性之爱的三重本质，既是宇宙受造之根源，亦是宇宙恒存维系之根基。
下文将依次逐条阐释。
36# 我们区分了神的存在和神的本质，因为神的无限和神的爱是有区别的，无限适用于神的存在，爱适用于神的本质，因为如刚才所述，神的存在比神的本质更普遍，正如神的无限比神的爱更普遍。因此，无限一词是一个适用于神的本质和属性的形容词，这些本质和属性都被称为无限。因此，论到神性之爱、神性智慧和神性能力，我们说，它们都是无限的；不是因为神的存在先于祂的本质而存在，而是因为它作为附属物进入祂的本质，与它一致，并决定、形成，同时提升它。和前面的部分一样，本章的这一部分将按以下顺序来论述：
（1）神是爱本身和智慧本身，这两者构成祂的本质。
（2）神是良善本身和真理本身，因为良善属于爱，真理属于智慧。
（3）爱本身和智慧本身是生命本身，即在自己的生命。
（4）爱和智慧在神里面合一。
（5）爱的本质就是爱自己以外的其他人，渴望与他们合而为一，并从自己那里使他们幸福，或说从自己那里祝福他们。
（6）神性之爱的这些要素或属性就是创造宇宙的原因，也是维护宇宙的原因。
现逐一论述这些要点。
36. The Essence of God:
I have drawn a distinction between God's underlying reality and God's essence because there is a difference between God's infinity and God's love. Infinity pertains to God's underlying reality; love pertains to God's essence. As I said above [18, 21], God's underlying reality is more universal than God's essence. Likewise, God's infinity is more universal than God's love. "Infinite" is an adjective modifying God's attributes and the components of God's essence. All these are said to be infinite. In the same way, divine love is said to be infinite, and so are divine wisdom and divine power. I do not mean that God's underlying reality came about before God's essence, but rather that it is an ingredient or component of that essence that is connected with that essence, that gives that essence direction, and that forms and also elevates that essence.
This part of this chapter, like the parts that went before, will be divided into points, as follows:
1. God is love itself and wisdom itself. These two constitute his essence.
2. Because goodness comes from love and truth comes from wisdom, God is goodness itself and truth itself.
3. Love itself and wisdom itself are life itself, or life in itself.
4. Love and wisdom are united in God.
5. The essence of love is loving others who are outside of oneself, wanting to be one with them, and blessing them from oneself.
6. These essential characteristics of divine love were the reason the universe was created, and they are the reason it is maintained.
I will take up these points one by one.
36. THE ESSENCE OF GOD, WHICH IS THE DIVINE LOVE AND THE DIVINE WISDOM
We made a distinction between the Being (Esse) and Essence of God, because there is a distinction between God's Infinity and His Love, and the term infinity is applicable to God's Being and the term Love to His Essence. As stated above, God's Being is more universal than His Essence; and in the same way His Infinity is more universal than His Love. For this reason 'infinite' is the adjective appropriate to the essentials and attributes of God; all of these are called infinite, thus the Divine Love is infinite, the Divine Wisdom is infinite, and so is the Divine Power. It is not that God's Being existed before His Essence, but it enters into His Essence as an adjunct which is inseparable, directing, forming and at the same time raising it to a higher plane. This section of the chapter will be discussed under separate headings as before.
(i) God is Love itself and Wisdom itself, these two making up His Essence.
(ii) God is Good itself and Truth itself, because Good refers to Love and Truth to Wisdom.
(iii) Love itself and Wisdom itself constitute Life itself, or Life in itself.
(iv) Love and Wisdom are one in God.
(v) The essence of love is loving others than oneself, wishing to be one with them and devoting oneself to their happiness.
(vi) These properties of the Divine Love were the reason the universe was created, and are the reason it is preserved in existence.
These headings must now be discussed one by one.
36. THE DIVINE ESSENCE, WHICH IS DIVINE LOVE AND DIVINE WISDOM.
A distinction has been made between the Esse of God and the essence of God, because there is a distinction between the infinity of God and the love of God, infinity being applicable to the Esse of God, and love to the essence of God, since the Esse of God, as has just been said, is more universal than His essence; just as the infinity of God is more universal than His love; and for this reason the word infinite is an adjective that is applicable to the essentials and attributes of God, which are all called infinite; as we say of the Divine love that it is infinite, of the Divine wisdom that it is infinite, also of the Divine power; not because of any pre-existence of the Esse of God, but because it enters into the essence as joined to it, cohering with it, determining and forming and also exalting it. But this section of this chapter, like the previous ones, shall be presented under the following divisions:
(1) God is Love itself and Wisdom itself, and these two constitute His Essence.
(2) God is Good itself and Truth itself, because Good is of Love and Truth is of Wisdom.
(3) Love itself and wisdom itself are Life itself, which is Life in itself.
(4) Love and Wisdom in God make one.
(5) It is the essence of Love to love others outside of one-self, to desire to be one with them, and to render them blessed from oneself.
(6) These essentials of the Divine Love were the cause of the universe, and are the cause of its preservation.
But of these separately.
36. THE ESSENCE OF GOD, WHICH IS DIVINE LOVE AND DIVINE WISDOM.
We have distinguished between the Being of God and the Essence of God, because there is a distinction between the Infinity of God and the Love of God, Infinity being predicated of the Being of God and Love of the Essence of God; for, as was observed above, the Being of God is more universal than the Essence of God, and the Infinity more universal than the Love of God. Therefore the term infinite is applicable to the essentials and attributes of God, which are all called infinite. Thus the Divine Love, and the Divine Wisdom and the Divine Power are said to be infinite; not that the Being of God existed before His Essence, but because it enters into His Essence as an adjunct, cohering with, determining, forming, and at the same time, exalting it. This subject, as in previous cases, will be treated under separate articles in the following order:
(1) God is Love itself and Wisdom itself, and these two constitute His Essence.
(2) God is Good itself and Truth itself, because Good is of Love, and Truth is of Wisdom.
(3) Love itself and Wisdom itself are Life itself, which is Life in itself.
(4) Love and Wisdom in God make one.
(5) The essence of love is to love others outside itself, to desire to be one with them, and to make them happy from itself.
(6) These properties of Divine Love were the cause of the creation of the universe, and they are the cause of its preservation.
Each article will now be treated in order.
36. DE DEI ESSENTIA, QUAE EST DIVINUS AMOR ET DIVINA SAPIENTIA.
Distinximus inter Esse Dei et Essentiam Dei, quia inter Infinitatem Dei et Amorem Dei, ac Infinitas applicate dicitur de Esse Dei, ac Amor de Essentia Dei; est enim, ut supra dictum, Esse Dei universalius quam Essentia Dei, similiter Infinitas universalior quam Amor Dei, quapropter Infinitum fit adjectivum Essentialium et Attributorum Dei, quae omnia Infinita dicuntur, sicut de Divino Amore quod Infinitus sit, de Divina Sapientia quod Infinita, de Divina Potentia similiter: non quod Esse Dei praeexistat, sed quia ingreditur Essentiam ut adjunctivum cohaerens, determinans, formans, et simul elevans. Sed hoc Membrum hujus Capitis, ut priora, in sequentes Articulos dispescetur. I. Quod Deus sit ipse Amor et ipsa Sapientia, et quod haec duo faciant Essentiam Ipsius, II. Quod Deus sit ipsum Bonum et ipsum Verum, quia Bonum est amoris, et Verum est Sapientiae. III. Quod ipse Amor et ipsa Sapientia sint ipsa Vita, 1 quae 2 est Vita in se. IV. Quod Amor et Sapientia in Deo unum faciant. V. Quod Essentia amoris sit amare alios extra se, velle unum cum illis esse, et beatificare illos ex se. VI. Quod haec amoris Divini fuerint causa creationis Universi, et quod sint causa conservationis ejus. Sed de his singulatim.
Footnotes:
1. Sic prima editio. Cf. 39 et Index Generalis ubi: Quod Deus, quia est ipse Amor et ipsa Sapientia, sit ipsa Vita.
2. Prima editio: quoe.