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Merchant Royal Press

Five Books on the Nature of God,
or
On the Divine Attributes



By Girolamo Zanchi

Translated by Patrick J. O'Banion

Book 1, Chapter 9, Quaestio 7, Part 5

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The Sixth Thesis

Of those names signifying the divine essence in the abstract, some, such as deity and the divine essence,[1] are never predicated of creatures; others are predicated of creatures, but improperly, such as the glory of God.

A

s for the two names first mentioned, I judge that this is plain to everyone. For we read the name deity[2] only once, in the apostle’s letter to the Colossians. In fact, when he said that the fullness of the deity[3] dwells in Christ, he meant the divine essence itself [Col. 2:9]. And although we do not read the name divine essence[4] in the Scriptures in those precise words—although it is very frequently found in patristic writings—nevertheless, it derives from a name that is found in the Scriptures. For example, when God calls Himself the One who is[5] in Exodus 3:14. However, that this entire composite name—the divine essence—has never been predicated of creatures is manifest, for it means both supremely perfect as well as supremely simple, which is something that cannot apply to any creature.

We often read in the Scriptures of the names the glory of God and the divine majesty, and it is plain that sometimes these names signify God’s essence. This is the case in Exodus, when Moses says: Show me Your glory (כבוד), that is, Your glorious essence (Ex. 33:18). Clearly, this is how Moses understood it, for what Moses called the glory of God, God Himself then calls His face, saying: You will not see My face [v. 20]. And Saint John: We saw His glory, as the glory of the only begotten One (John 1[:14]), that is, We saw His divine power and deity revealing itself to us through miracles. We saw this and knew with certainty. Thus, according to John 2:11, when Christ transformed water into wine, He is said to have manifested His glory, that is, His deity and divine power.

To be sure, sometimes the same thing is applied to creatures, but improperly. For the names the glory of God and the majesty of God were often taken for the created and visible light and splendor in which God was wont to appear. Take for example Leviticus 9[:23]: And the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole people. And Luke 2[:9]: The glory of God shone around them (the shepherds). And so, because those external splendors were symbols of God’s glory (that is, of God’s glorious presence), they are for that reason called by the name the glory of God.This is also the case with regard to the name the divine nature. On account of the gifts and accomplishments of God in us, in 2 Peter 1:4 the faithful are said to become partakers of the divine nature, that is, of the gifts of God, such as regeneration and the renewal of nature. Some cite the passage in Amos 6:8, where God says: I abhor את–גאון [the pride or majesty][6] of  Jacob, and they interpret it with reference to the temple of the Lord, as if Amos were calling the temple of the Lord the majesty of Jacob, because the Israelites gloried in the temple of the Lord, but they are mistaken. For in that passage, Amos is not saying the majesty of Jehovah[7] but of Jacob. He means, in contrast, the excellence and nobility of the Israelites, which they set in opposition to God when He threatened to punish them. Indeed, it is as if (by God’s favor, because of the nobility and glory that they received from their ancestors) they ought to be immune from punishments, despite sinning more gravely day by day. But, just as in that passage in Amos, when the names the glory of God and the majesty of God are predicated of creatures, they are predicated improperly, as has been explained. Therefore, this fifth thesis also remains firm and settled.

The Seventh Thesis

The names whereby the divine persons are signified—such as the names Father, Son, Word,[8] Wisdom of God, and Holy Spirit—are also truly predicated of creatures, although not of all creatures.
With regard to the names Father and Son there is no doubt. Indeed, because this is something that God has actually shared with us (namely, the capacity to beget children and to be begotten of parents), the fact that He also made us privy to the names Father and Son is no surprise. This is likewise clear with regard to the names Word[9] and Wisdom of God, for Holy Scripture is called (and is) the Word of God. Likewise, created wisdom in the souls of the saints is called (and is) the wisdom of God. A nearly infinite number of testimonies, especially in Acts, demonstrate that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are called the Holy Spirit. There we read that the faithful received the Holy Spirit, meaning the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In fact, both the dove and the tongues of fire were called by the name the Holy Spirit, albeit figuratively. Accordingly, this thesis is also so certain that no other proof is needed. And this suffices for the seventh quaestio.

[1] θεότης, καὶ θεία οὐσία.

[2] θεότητος.

[3] πᾶν πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος.

[4] τῆς θείας οὐσίας.

[5] τὸν ὄντα.

[6] את–גאון can be translated “the pride” or “the majesty,” depending on context.

[7] גאון יהוה.

[8] Λόγου.

[9] Λόγου.

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