Christiaan*Kappes*2015*

ARMANDUS OF BELLOVISU AND , Commentary on the

De ente et essentia, in Oeuvres Compltes de Georges Scholarios, vol 6, ed. L. Petit -X.
Sidrids and M. Jugie (Paris: Maison de la Bonne Presse,1935).
TRANSLATION OF SCHOLARIUS FIRST WORK AGAINST AQUINAS
ESSENCE-ENERGIES DOCTRINE AND HIS DEFENSE OF PALAMAS IN
TWO CHAPTERS.
Nb, the editor of the critical edition of Scholarius sermons writes in his Latin
edition: Because the Greek idiom of this guy Scholarius is so difficult, let not the
reader expect that the Latin will be much better! As for the English, you be the
judge!
!
CHAPTER!93:!IF!THERE!IS!A!COMPOSITION!()!IN!GOD!
!
[Armandus!of!Bellovisus!Commentary!on!Aquinas!De#ente#et#essentia:]!
!
We! are!not! able! to!suppose! this!composition! in!God.!For,!if!the! essence!
(>)!of!God!is!per!se!also!some!energy!(EJ!),!it!is!but!unable!
at! any! rate! to! take! on! the! notion! of! potency! (! ! JR! U).!
For! the! act! of! existence! (! )! does! not! but! posseses! the! other!
potencies,!but!this!essence!exists!through!these!potencies,!which!are!really!
(R)! all! the! items! in! God! because! of! this! (combination! of!
potencies).! If! someone! says! that! the! essence! of! God! is! able! to! be!
considered! as! if! the! act! of! an! essence! which! receives! existence! (! !
RJ),! and! that! its! act! of! existence! is! as! if,! indeed,! something!
received,!just!like!it!is!in!creatures,!and!would!also!be!some!composition!
of!reason!(!!U)!for!God.!Yet,!it!is!necessary!to!know!that!
the!composition!of!reason!is!true,!whenever!it!has!been!distinguished!in#
re! [in! the! thing! itself]! (>>! ! ! ! JR).! Just! when! we!
assert! that! the! essence! of! angel! in! virtue! of! res# (JR),! viz.,! what!
really!is!in!relation!to!itself,!and!that!there!is!some!act!(E),!and!we!
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say!that!the!act!of!existence!is!received!by!virtue!of!the!thing!(JR)!
as!something!distinct!(E)!from!the!very!essence.!So,!in!this!we,!the!
composition! of! reason! is! this,! which! we! suppose! in! the! angel,! [P.! 278]!
holds!for!something!in!the!thing!itself!(!!JR),!but!this!is!not!so!
for! God,! for! His! essence,! being! that! it! is! act! (E),! does! not! receive!
the! act! of! existence! as! differing! from! its! essence.! Whence,! there! is! not! a!
composition! of! reason! in! Him! truly! from! these! items! [of! essence! and!
existence]! on! this! account,! for! [the! distinction]! has! no! fundamentum# in# re#
(foundation!in!the!thing!itself;!!!JR),!but!is!a!composition!by!
our! soul! (),! that! was! produced! (RE)! or! formed!
(RE).!!
!
[Scholarius!Commentary!on!Armandus]!
!
!

[Introduction:]!Now,!among!us![creatures],!Armandus!posits!such!a!kind!

of!differentiation!(U),!out!of!which!a!composition!would!come!about,!
but! [doesnt! posit! this]! in! God,! for! we! see! that! this! kind! of! synthesis! is! in!
creatures,!as!was!said!above,!yet!we![Orthodox]!are!considering!God!through!the!
path! of! creatures! [created! known! items],! and! yet! we! say! heartily! that:! In! Him!
such! a! composition! of! reason! does! exist!! Now,! God! is! in! every! respect! simple!
(),!and!he!is!situated!in!the!extreme!of!simplicity!(U),!of!Whom,!
yet,!it!is!not!in!the!least!necessary!for!us!to!say:!nothing!at!all!is!distinguished!in!
the! thing! itself! just! because! of! this! [Armandus]! account.! We! send! laud! up! to!
Him! by! means! of! many! names,! which! are! invoked! concerning! God,! but! now!
some! sort! of! composition! is! not! distinguished! through! the! composition! of!
thought! objects! (RJ)! in! us,! but! for! each! name! of! the! items! predicated!
about! God,! something! is! distinguished! in# re! (! ! JR).! So,! in! another!
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manner,!we!would!be!deceived,!after!such!names!were!supposed,!i.e.,!following!
our! attribution! of! some! such! kinds! of! names! to! God;! namely:! God! is! good,! or!
that! He! is! true,! or! some! such! item;! clearly,! this! is! an! absurdity,! for! it! reverts!
back!to!some!kind!of!deformity!as!compared!to!Holy!Scripture!and!with!respect!
to!the!very!truth!itself!!
!

These!matters!mentioned!are!expedient!for!the!sentential!judgment!of!the!

doctor.! So,! we,! speaking! for! ourselves,! think! that! his! rationale! quite! literally!
comes!up!about!the!following![theological]!matters.!!
[Argument! 1:]! Firstly,! it! is! necessary! to! know! that! God! is! most! simple!
({),! as! was! said! above! and,! hence,! a! composition! following! a!
quantity! of! parts! (R)! is! not! in! him,! nor! then! is! God! a! body,! nor! is! He!
composed! of! matter! ()! and! form! (),! since! he! is! entirely! immaterial!
(),! and! nor! is! there! a! composition! of! a! substrate! (RE)! in! Him;!
namely,!this!very!divine!form!(),!i.e.,!the!godhead!(!U)!has!been!set!
over!()!upon!a!subject!(>R)!and!per!se!has!this!(>)!act!of!
existence!and!is!an!individual!(R).!Whence,!in!no!way!is!it!different!for!us!
to! believe! in! one! godhead,! and! one! God,! but! this! God! will! fit! into! this!
godhead,! if! they! only! differ! by! the! mode! of! signification! (! U! !
R>).! Following! from! the! aforesaid,! neither! is! godhead! composed! of!
essence!and!act!of!existence,!nor!from!genus!or!difference!due!to!the!fact!that!
some!potency!({R)!in!God!be!not!joined!through!act!(!>),!Whose!
potency!would!be!received!from!some!part!of!a!genus,!as!in!respect!of!all!having!
the!character!of!composed!items!in!this!manner.!God!is,!too,!not!at!all!in!a!genus!
and! nor! is! He! in! the! manner! of! analysis! (J)! thinking! that! He! is! the!
principle!of!all!beings!(),!according!as!some!were!wont!to!think.!Yet,!all!the!
less,!then,!is!there!a!composite!of!subject!and!accident,!for!it!is!not!at!all!possible!
that!an!accident!exists!in!Him,!who!is!simply!()!first!and!first!cause!of!all!
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things.! Since! there! are! so! many! and! great! modes! of! composition,! and! since!
according!to!no!one!is!there!possibility!that!God!is!put!together,!for!we!believe!
that!this![preoccupation!of!Armandus]!is!suitably!avoided!regarding!composition!
and! that! God! is! first! through! His! very! act! of! existence! and! He! is! first! and!
universal! ()! cause.! In! no! way! does! he! harmonize! with! the! act! of! being!
composed! in! some! way.! If! every! composed! item! has! a! unifying! cause! in! itself,!
while!presuming!that!these!items!differ!per!se,!as!otherwise!they!would!not!have!
been! possible! from! themselves! to! be! brought! together! into! a! unity,! then! this!
being! is! further! of! the! nature! of! items! placed! together! and! has! been! fastened!
together!from!these!items.!
[Argument!2:]!Secondly,!it!is!necessary!to!understand!that,!in!the!case!of!
things!predicated!about!God,!but!more!so!of!those!things!attributed!to!the!divine!
nature:! there! are! items! properly! belonging! to! the! first! entelechy! (E),!
which!is!opposed!to:!
!
(I.)

the! passive! potency! (! ! JR).! This! is! just! like!

the!act!of!existence.!This!entelechy!is!active!().!

(II.)

Although!this!active!entelechy!is!opposite!to!the!active!potency!
(!!JR).!However,!we!also!suppose!no!passive!
potency! in! God! but! only! the! active! power! (!
{R).!!

(III.)

Since! these! items! belong! to! the! active! activity! (!

E),!these!have!been!ordered!to:!!
1.) theoretical! activity! (! E)...So,! let! them! be!
called!such!!The!theoretical!activity!is!perfective!()!of!
the! same! subject! that! possesses! this! activity.! Such! is! to!
contemplate,!to!will,!wisdom,!and!science.!!

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2.) progressive! power! ().! This! is! perfective! of! other!
sorts! of! things.! After! this! energy! has! also! itself! been! divided!
(RE)! into! two,! these! two! belong! to! those! things! by!
reason!of!their!natural!activity!(!!>):!
a. This! is! within! ()! God,! a! for! instance! begetting!
(E)! and! emanation! (),! by! means! of!
which! the! divine! hypostases! are! harmoniously!
discriminated! (J)! from! the! first! hypostasis!
according!to!Gods!very!form!()!of!His!nature.!Now,!
there! are! items! properly! belonging! to! the! volitional!
power!(!E).!!
b. That!is!an!energy!regarding!the!ad#extra!(!);!namely:!!
i. An!energy!by!which!Gods!creatures!exist:!
1. They!subsist!(>)!!
2. They!are!perfected!()!according!
to:!
a. Similitude!

(RU;!

Cf.!

Bonaventure!prototype)!of!the!act!of!
the!will!(),!!
b. But!certainly!not!as!a!similtude!of!the!
act!of!nature!({).!!
After,!too,!this!volitional!energy!is!divided!within!itself,!!there!are!things!proper!
in!relation!to!that!energy!(E);!namely:!
(I.)! There! is! the! energy! by! means! of! which! beings! came! forth! from!
absolute! nonexistence! into! the! act! of! existence;! namely,! creation.! There! are!
things!that!properly!befit!that!energy!(E)...!

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(II.)! through! which,! beings! came! forth! from! essential! nonexistence! (!
!!R!)!into!act!of!some!essence!existing!(!!!).!Now,!creation!
would!be!this!very!thing.!
[Excursus! on! Supposition:]! Accordingly,! from! all! these! names! and! from!
the! name! God,! which! has! been! orderered! to! the! act! of! signifying! (R>)!
the!divine!nature,!our!mind!composes!(>)!many!propositions;!namely,!
that!God!exists,!or!that!God!considers,!or!that!God!begets,!or!emanates,!or!
creates,! or! such.! This! [grammatical]! composition! is! invented! by! the! soul! alone!
and!in!the!soul!alone,!for!the!composition!is!of!a![grammatical]!subject!and!of!a!
predicate.![Latin!logical]!supposition!(U)!and!predication!is!the!work!of!
the! soul,! not! in! the! least,! because! of! this! work! there! are! formed! propositions,!
although!these!names!do!not!make!any!sort!of!composition!in!God.!!
[Excursus!on!Real!and!Intentional!Being:]!On!the!other!hand,!our!mind!is!
unable!to!consider!in!an!alternative!way,!if!not!through!this!sort!of![grammatical]!
composition,!by!the!mode!of!which!it!considers!other!items!and!even!considers!
God!Himself.!It!can!also!consider!that!this!God!is!above!all!beings!(!),!but!
it! is! not! possible! that! the! character! of! divine! simplicity! is! thus! arrogantly!
grasped,! with! the! result! that! it! considers! divine! nature! according! to! one! act! of!
direct! apprehension! (),! as! whenever! the! soul! considers! itself! as! one!
simultaneous! whole.! Because! of! this,! the! soul! composes! also! multitudinous!
propositions.! Quite! a! number! have! been! composed! from! real! things!
(RJ);!namely,!from!the!things!that!are!in!the!soul,!that!is!from!thought!
objects!(RJ),!by!means!of!which!certain!beings!are!distinguished!outside!
of!the!soul![i.e.,!real!beings],!just!as!they!are!in!themselves,!but!not!as!they!are!are!
considered!by!the!soul![i.e.,!beings!of!reason],!as!is!the!nature!of!second!intention!
(!E!).!Now,!on!the!contrary,!these!beings!of!reason!are!the!
exact!things!distinguished!by!means!of!these!kinds!of!things!(JR),!which!
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are! [exclusively]! in! the! soul.! In! this! way,! they! are! not! real! things! (JR)!
differing! in! God,! just! like! the! concepts! of! these! things! are! in! the! soul,! i.e.,! the!
aforesaid! second! intention! is! not! some! whole! thing! (R)! springing! up!
under! dependence! upon! the! notion! (! ! U)! of! goodness! in! God.!
Objectively,! in! this! latter! notion,! that! has! a! relation! to! God! and! the! divine!
essence,!the!notion!(!U)!of!goodness!in!the!soul,!but!after!it!is!predicated!of!
the!divine!essence!in!the![real]!manner!in!which![real]!things!(JR)!exist,!
as!they!are!indeed!understood!of!the!thing!and!in!the!thing.!!This!means!to!say!
that!the!one!most!simple!essence!properly!possesses!too!these!items!in!relation!to!
all! such! perceptions,! but! not! because! of! the! fact! that! it! is! perceived! by! us!
[directly]! in! this! way,! but! because! of! the! fact! that! [the! object]! has! this! kind! of!
essence! in! this! way,! that! is! with! respect! to! the! distinction! of! those! perceptions!
which!are!in!us,!by!which!nothing!at!all!real!(RU)!is!distinguished!ad#
extra,! but! rather! only! the! thing! is! distinguished! in! the! soul,! that! is! the! thought!
object!(UR),!or!some!thing!is!distinguished!not!as!a!thing![really]!exists,!but!
[merely]! as! it! is! understood! ({R),! as! happens! in! the! concept! (! !
U)! of! genus! and! of! species! and! altogether! among! the! second! intentions.!
Because!of!the!aforementioned,!the!divine!essence!is!such,!as!compared!to!all!its!
own!perfections.!!
Yet,! some! other! Magistri# [Franciscans]! were! already! commonly!
accustomed!to!maintain!to!call!others!!besides!the!aforementioned!differences!!!
energies.! Accordingly,! this! divine! essence! was! considered! in! the! following!
manner,!as!were!its!perfections;!namely,!wisdom!and!goodness,!or!paternity!and!
sonship,!or!begetting!and!emanation!and!such!a!sort.!There!are!not!many!things!
(JR),!but!rather!some!one!thing!(!!R),!in!so!far!as,!through!the!
thing! itself,! we! consider! something! springing! forth! (U! )! and!
something! reflective! [of! it].! So! to! say,! there! is! a! simultaneous! whole,! the! res! of!
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which!we!already!call!according!to!a!mode:![for!example:]!this!stone!and!that!
man,! or! Gabriel,! all! of! which! are! individuals! (R)! separated! from! one!
another.!Or!we!call!the!soul!and!the!body,!both!of!which,!even!if!they!have!not!
also!been!separated!in!fact,!as!long!as!the!parts!are!still!united!together,!they!are!
still!able!to!be!separated.!!
Therefore,! in! this! mode! above,! (energies)! are! not! these! kinds! of! res!
(JR),!but!the!distinction!of!these!energies!is!still!real!(R),!but!
rather! all! these! [energetic! items]! are! one(the! energies)! are! one! res# in! the!
following! manner,! for! all! these! items! are! surely! the! one,! who! is! God.! Yet,! res#
(JR)! [in! the! plural]! exist! according! to! some! other! mode! (U! !
U),!considered!not!to!exist!in!the!soul!alone,!as!if!they!were!manufactured!
or! produced! items! by! virtue! of! the! soul,! but! (these! energies)! are! certain! [real]!
items!also!outside!the!same!soul.!These!have!existence!()!as!the!basis!for!
[the!ratiocination!of]!the!soul.!!
From!here,!it!felicitously!results!that!it!is!necessary!that!the!divine!essence!
is!absolutely!()!and!properly!(>)!called!a!res!(R),!non!only!as!
something! existing! outside! the! soul! and! Who! really! has! subsistence,! but! also!
[R]!by!manner!of!individual!and!whole!and!one,!and!this!would!similarly!
become! some! term! ()! or! foundation! (RE)! of! the! real! distinction!
between!itself!and!another!thing!(JR).!!
We! assert! that! God! and! some! creature;! for! example,! Gabriel,! are! really!
distinguished! from! one! another,! because! in! this! distinction,! in! place! of! certain!
terms!and!their!foundations,!two!whole!subsistent!things!are!taken!into!account.!
Verily,!let!one!dismiss!from!what!was!said!now!at!this!point,!because!these!also!
are! distinguished! according! to! essence! (>)! and! one! thing! is! a! second!
more! powerful! antithesis! than! the! other,! but! it! satisfies! present! necessity! that! it!
exists!really!(R).!For!things!that!are!essentially!different!(!
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Christiaan*Kappes*2015*
E)!are!much!more!distinguished!really!(R).!Certainly,!one!
would! call! the! divine! essence! a! thing,! but! all! the! perfections! within! itself! are!
energies,!and!in!this!way!would!not!be!called!things!(JR),!but!would!be!
thought!of!as!beings!of!the!thing!and!in!the!thing.!It!would!also!be!thought!of!
as! a! whole! together! (! {R).! It! would! be! realia! [realities]! (RJ).!
And! from! this! point,! there! is! no! synthesis! at! all! in! God! from! these! items!
themselves!and!the!essence,!Whose!aforementioned!items!(RJ)!are!real!
and!true!perfections.!
!
CHAPTER!94:!ON!HOW!MANY!ITEMS!ARE!SOUGHT!FOR!A!COMPOSITION!()!
!
!

[p.!281]!For!with!respect!to!a!certain!act!of![metaphysical]!composition,!or!

producing! something! composite! ({)! out! of! its! own! intrinsic! items,! the!
manner!is!not!merely!to!be!sought!in!which!these!items!are!something!higher!(!
)!and!different!(J).!
[Gennadius!statement!of!problems!presented!from!thomistic!Armandus]!
[Problem!1:]!Now,!firstly,!it!is!necessary!that!each!of!these![metaphysical]!
items!have!been!delimited!(RE).!
[Solution!1:]!The!divine!essence!(>)!is!infinite!().!!
[Problem!2:]!Secondly,!it!is!necessary!that!each!of!these!items!should!be!a!
res#(R).!
[Solution!2:]!Now,!the!divine!energy,!whether!ad#intra!()!or!ad#extra!
(),! is! not! principally! (>)! a! res,! exactly! as! the! divine! essence,! but! rather!
there!is!an!aliquid#rei!(!!JR)!and!an!aliquid#in#re!(!!JR).!
Now,! some! or! other! [indeterminatecommon]! nature! ({)! is! also! not! an!
individual! (R)! [nature],! since! the! divine! energy! is! some! other! (nature),!

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posterior! to! the! divine! essence,! and! is! not! capable! of! being! separable!
(>)!from!the!divine!essence.!!
[Problem! 3:]! Thirdly,! it! is! necessary! that! each! of! these! items! should! be!
capable!of!being!a!part!of!something!(RE!>).!
[Solution!3:]!What!is!divine!(!)!is!impartable!(RE).!
[Problem!4:]!Fourthly,!it!is!necessary!that,!on!one!account!of!these!items,!
these!be!in!potency!(!JR),!which!is!in!relation!to!a!future!(whole)!through!
juxtaposition!(E).!
[Solution! 4:]! Now,! God! is! pure! act! (! EJ)! and! there! has!
not!at!all!been!mixed!with!Himself!any!bit!of!potency!(RER),!viz.,!what!
is!called!a!passive!()!potency.!
[Problem! 5:]! Fifthly,! it! is! necessary! that,! on! one! account! of! these! items,!
there!is!activity!(E)!that!perfects!()!the!future!(whole).!
[Solution!5:]!However,!in!God,!nothing!at!all!would!exactly!be!in!need!of!
perfection!()!as!an!incomplete!being!(!),!since!all!the!items!
in!God!existing!by!means!of!the!divine!essence,!are!(>)![activities]!in!virtue!of!a!
perfect!mode!of!existence!(>!).!
[Problem! 6:]! It! is! necessary! that! pure! energies! not! also! be! ultimately!
entelechies! (E),! and! certainly! not! be! necessary! beings! (! J!
).![Solution!6:]!Now,!God!is!pure!act!and!the!ipsum#esse#(!!)!is!
necessary!simpliciter!(!).!!
[Problem!7:]!Yet,!on!one!account!of!these!items,!it!is!necessary!that!these!
are!employed!in!the!a!future!(whole).!!
[Solution!7:]!Now,!the!divine!nature!does!not!at!all!employ![these]!due!to!
that!fact!that!there!is!not!at!all!in!God!prior!and!posterior![in!gradation].!!
[Problem! 8:]! Some! other! things! are! sought,! too,! with! respect! to! the! fact!
that!some!composition!comes!about!(>)!from!a!greater!number!of!diverse!
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items!(U),!which!same!items!do!not!harmonize!with!God,!whether!on!
account!of!the!essence,!or!on!the!part!of!the!activity,!or!from!both.!!
[Solution! 8:]! And! because! of! this! very! fact,! no! composite! at! all! comes!
about!in!God!from!the!essence!and!its![pure]!act!or!from!the!activities.!
[Florentine! Debate:]! From! the! aforesaid! explanation,! it! is! clear! as! well!
what!is!necessary!to!opine!also!about!the!recently!rehashed!discussion!among!us!
(terminus# ante# quem! 1445! =! Florence! 1439).! Now,! it! is! rather! obvious! that! our!
Church! has! opined! well! and! justly! about! those! not! opining! correctly! on! this!
subject! and! banished! those! opining! suchwise! about! the! sacred! emanations!
(U).! Now,! among! us,! some! happened! to! suppose! only! (RU)! a!
distinction! of! reason! (! J! U)! between! the! divine! essence! and!
energy! (>),! i.e.,! a! conceptual! distinction! (>),! whose! heretical!
leaders! existed! among! Barlaam! the! Calabrian! and! the! unkind! Akindynos,! from!
whose!city!of!ours,!claiming!to!hold!up!Thrace,!did!no!aid!to!us,!where!they!were!
divided!among!themselves.!For,!in!this!way,!it!was!probable!too!that!these!were!
fighting!on!account!of!a!falsity,!who!were!inimical!among!themselves,!while!the!
citizens!of!the!time!were!defending!the!common!opinion!on!this!in!respect!to!the!
truth.! The! citizens! rejected! war! from! this! very! same! rashness! and! stubborness.!
From! this! time,! Akindynus! was! of! a! much! worse! sort! and! was! harder! to! bear,!
since!!after!Barlaams!shameful!flight!from!the!contest!!Akindynus!also!showed!
himself! conquered! by! pride.! [P.! 282]! Even! before! this,! he! put! this! together.! He!
had! taken! up! the! war! against! the! Church! from! some! kind! of! factious! ambition!
and!became!nonethless!fixed!with!Barlaam!more!than!all!other!Orthodox.!
[Metaphysical! Logic:]! Accordingly,! these! and! all! associated! with! their!
heresy! were! speaking! of! the! nonsensical! distinction! between! the! divine! essence!
and! energies! (commonly! called! [a! distinction]! by! reason,! that! is! by! concept,),!
according! to! whose! mode! all! whatsoever! understood! objects! of! thought! (!
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Christiaan*Kappes*2015*
UR)! are! distinguished! (E)! by! the! the! soul,! by! whom! are!
understood! objects! of! thought! as! also! conceptualized! items! ({R),! and!
all!these!are!second!intentions!(!{!>),!regarding!which!there!is!a!
logical! theory.! Now,! doubtless,! these! understood! objects! are! manufactured!
(>)! in! the! soul.! Whence,! too,! the! distinction! by! the! soul! has! been!
produced!(RE)!and!exists!in!the!soul!alone.!In!this!way!were!they!also!
accustomed! to! assert! that! all! the! items! attributedpredicated! (UR)! of!
the! divine! essence! are! distinguished! for! God,! for! Whom! these! very! items! were!
asserted!not![really]!to!be!distinguished!but!that!our!mind!()!distinguishes!
these! same! items,! while! these! [conceptual]! items! form! (J)! terms!
()!per!se,!among!which!such!a!kind!of!distinction!might!be!contemplated.!
Yet,! this! falsity! is! also! impossible,! for! as! the! divine! Scripture! attributes! these!
items! truly! to! God,! which! predicates! something! to! God;! namely,! justice! and!
wisdom! and! goodness,! then! there! is! said! to! be! a! just! and! wise! and! good!
[God].! And! teachers! of! our! Church! also! understand! ()! certain! true!
distinctions![to!be]!in!God!under!these!notions!(U).!Thence,!they!dont!fear!
that! they! might! inflict! some! injury! to! the! highest! unity! (! U)! and!
simplicity!(U)!of!God.!Yet,!if!a!distinction!of!hypostases!is!not!a!fact,!the!
distinction! of! which! is! really! de# re# (RJ),! i.e.,! of! subsistences!
()!or!Hypostases,!Whose!simplicity!according!to!Gods!essence!is!not!
contended,! so! that! they! distinguish! from! everyplace! the! divine! essence! of! each!
energy!from!those!items!predicated!to!God,!regarding!which!energy,!it!happens!
always! to! produce! a! notion! (U).! So,! then,! they! attribute! also! modes! of!
distinction,!the!terms!of!which!would!certainly!not!have!been!produced!by!the!
soul,! so! that! there! is! no! [real]! distinction! at! all.! This! is! just! like! when! they!
distinguish!these![attributed!items]!through!something!absolute!(RE),!
or!by!not!being!absolute!or!by!a!relation!(),!which!is!with!respect!to!
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Christiaan*Kappes*2015*
itself! and! in! respect! to! another,! which! is! from! something! else! and! which! is! not!
from!something!else,!which!is!participated!and!which!is!not!participated,!etc.!All!
these!are!said!as!contradictories!(J).!
[Statement!of!Purpose:]!It!is!the!character!of!this!treatise!that!the!greater!
of! sayings! of! our! teachers! are! explained! more! than! what! is! the! discourse! at!
present.!Yet,!these!dictums!were!laid!down!by!sacred!Gregory!of!Thessalonica!in!
his!same!compilation,1!who!fought!at!that!time!for!this!very!thesis!of!the!Church!
and!of!those!to!whom!it!seemed!good,!having!left!out!not!a!one!among!the!the!
ancient!doctors!through!his!wisdom!and!virtue!and!zeal.!And!if!free!time!be!not!
at! hand! for! the! lesser! work! from! that! famous! thesis! of! sacred! Gregory! (for! the!
implements! of! apostles! were! come! upon! him),! he! comes! upon! the! thought!
processes! (J)! of! those! teachers! of! yore,! to! gather! the! common! opinion!
among!them.!
[History! of! the! Conflict:]! These! of! the! party! surrounding! Barlaam! and!
Akindynus!promoted!that!some!such!things!be!held!as!opinion:!First,!they!badly!
held!that,!out!of!their!act!of!thinking,!the!divine!essence![P.!283]!and!energy!are!
distinguished! between! themselves! in! whatever! way,! for! in! the! following! way,!
they!were!accustomed!to!account!multiple!res!(JR)!being!in!God:!that!he!
would! be! composite,! as! if! in! him! many! res# (JR)! encompass! [separated]!
items! that! were! united.! Therefore,! fleeing! from! thinking! the! divine! as! a!
composite,! they! thought! that! this! is! distinguished! according! to! reason! alone!!
(>! RU).! They! were! thinking! too! that! this! teacher,! whom! I! call!
Thomas! Aquinas,! held! agreement! on! this! opinion.! In! fact,! Aquinas! did! not!
support!that!these!aforesaid!items!be!distinguished,!but!held!that!these!items!are!
fit! to! distinguish! by! reason! (U! E).! Now,! famed! Barlaam! seemed! to!
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Christiaan*Kappes*2015*
breathe!the!same!air!of!this!Thomas,!even!if!he!would!have!altogether!despised!
the!question!of!Aquinas!about!the!Spirit.!Indeed,!it!did!happen!that,!by!means!of!
those!supporting!Barlaam!and!Akindynus,!this!was!the!cause!for!translating!the!
books!of!this!doctor!Aquinas!into!the!Greek!language![via!Cydones].!They!were!
thinking! that! after! they! had! introduced! a! talented! ally! from! the! wisdom! of! this!
dictor! [Thomas],! that! they! might! persuade! all! others,! concerning! these! matters.!
Facing! these! matters,! these! [translators]! also! held! up,! with! respect! the! Roman!
Church,!that!it!took!the!first!place!on!these!questions!and,!at!that,!in!the!manner!
of!the!sentenctial!judgment!through!Thomas![Aquinas]!!unaware!of!the!fact!that!
many! of! the! Magistri! [Franciscans! and! Hervaeus! Natalis,! OP]! among! for! Latins!
had! determined! for! themselves! on! this! problem! rather! harmously! with! sacred!
Gregory!of!Thessalonica!and!the!whole!of!our!Church,!whose!number!it!would!
not!be!just!to!despise,!since!they!are!most!wise!and!cast!their!lot!from!the!side!of!
our! Church,! in! so! far! as,! on! these! matters,! these! [doctors]! magisterially!
determined!precisely!these!matters.!
[The!Kinds!of!Latin!Distinctions:]!Certainly,!in!an!equal!manner,!Thomas!
reflected:!
[Distinction! ! Class! I:]! There! is! the! distinctio# rationis! (J! U).!
This! distinction! (1.)! does! not! hold! two! res! are! opposite! of! their! fundamenta!
[foundations]!(R>)!and!their!terms!(),!(2.)!but!holds!for!two!aliquids!
[somethings]!(J),!that!are![said]!(i.)!of!the!thing!(!!!JR)!and!
(ii.)![said!to!be]!in!the!thing!(!!JR):!!
[Explanation! of! #2]! Now! these! two! res! differ! much! so! as! to! predicate! of!
both!that!they!are!two!aliquids!of!the!thing!and!in!the!thing!and!altogether,!as!
if! he! were! making! some! determination! of! a! distinction! of! reason! (distinctio#
rationis;!J!!U)!amid!two!res:!

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Christiaan*Kappes*2015*
![First! kind! of! consideration! of! res:]! He! was! considering! it! distinctly*!
(;!in#abstracto;!cf.!Hervaeus!Natalis)!
[Second! kind! of! consideration! of! res:]! He! was! considering! it!
contractedly*!(RE;!in#concreto;!cf.!Hervaeus!Natalis)!!
[Conclusion:]! He! was! considering! each! as! some! rather! unreal!
(E)! distinction! under! the! genus! distinction.! [The! two! species! of!
unreal!distinction:]!
!(1.)!There!was!either!the!distinction!from!concepts!(!!U;!rationis#
ratiocinantis),!(2.)!or!the!distinction!from!the!nature!of!the!thing!(ex#rei#natura;!!
!!JR!{);!!
[Definition! of! #2:]! This! means! that,! there! was! not! only! a! distinction! of!
reason! (! U),! i.e.,! the! conceptual! distinction! (! >),! which!
concept!is!in!two!terms!().!These!terms!were!produced!(RE)!by!
virture!of!the!soul;!for!these,!no!sort!of!a!distinction!in!re!is!distinguished.!!
[Example]!For!it!would!not!be!simple!(),!with!the!result!that!the!
mind! believes! that! the! divine! essence! and! its! energy! is! in! this! manner! two!
[items],!as!whenever!the!mind!divides!()!and!composes!according!to!its!
intrinsic! power:! Socrates.! It! composes! some! such! kind! of! proposition;! namely,!
that! Socrates! is! Socrates.! Yet,! as! such,! the! mind! does! not! know! an! essential!
distinction!(!J).!!
[Distinction! ! Class!2:]! Also! there! is! a! major! distinction! (E)!
other! than! this! prior! [class! of]! distinction.! Yes,! indeed,! all! these! former!
distinctions! are! beyond! the! real! distinction! (R).! He! was! calling! all!
these!real!distinctions!(RJ):!
[Definition!of!Class!2:]!All!of!these!majors!fell!under!the!real!distinction!
in! the! following! way;! namely,! all! distinctions! betraying! beyond! the! minor!
(J)!and!comparatively!unreal!difference!(E!J).!All!of!
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Christiaan*Kappes*2015*
them!we!call!the!distinction!of!reason!(!!U).!These![greater]!are!
distinctions! that! caused! (RE)! that! division! be! made! (>)!
between! two! subsistent# res! and! two# individiuals! and! two# wholes! or! between! two#
separables! or! two# potencies9powers.! However,! they! they! speak! rather! of! the!
essential!definition!(!>!!)!in!concepts!(!!U).!!
[Excursus! Speculation! on! the! contrary! to! fact! possiblity! that! Aquinas!
could!have!accepted!a!real!distinction:]!If!there!would!have!been![a!division!of]!
major!distinctions!(U),!indeed!these!would!have!been!called!precisely!
differences! of! reason! (U! >),! which! were! certainly! divorced!
(RE)!from!one!another,!but!rather!through!the!nature!({)!of!the!
terms,!whenever!they!also!are![Page!284]!in!the!res!following![the!rationcination]!
of! the! soul,! rather! than! ! certainly! least! of! all! ! after! they! are! produced!
(RE)! by! the! soul! in! two! terms,! whose! distinction! would! have! been!
precisely!named!a!distinction!of!reason.!!
Anyone!whosoever!would!have!easily!went!into!a!fit!of!sweating!from!the!
writings! of! Thomas! on! account! of! the! difference! of! concepts! (! U!
J)! ! whether! or! not! Thomas! was! not! ignorant! about! the! formal!
distinction! (! J;! Distinctio# formalis# a# parte# rei)! stemming! from! the!
nature! of! thing! ! and! on! account! of! these! minor! distinctions! and! those!
distinctions! lesser! that! that;! namely,! those! which! come! in! the! class! behind! the!
real!distinction!!which!Thomas!diffusely!called!distinctions!of!reason.!!!
[Purpose!of!Chapter:]!Yet,!now!this!Thomas!is!not!our!concern,!but!rather!
consideration!of!what!is!serviceable!from!such!a!question!concerning!of!our!holy!
Church!and!the!blessed!Gregory!of!Thessalonica,!for!the!sake!of!whom!we!have!
servicably! published! this! very! discourse! at! hand! regarding! these! [theological]!
matters.! Whence,! let! the! matter! along! the! lines! of! Thomas,! as! much! as! in! the!
investigation!that!follows,!be!given!leave!to!others!to!consider!in!what!way!one!
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Christiaan*Kappes*2015*
holds! the! sentences! of! the! former! [Thomas],! or! to! the! sentence! of! the! other!
teachers,! or! in! respect! this,! the! very! truth! [of! Gregory].! Now,! Thomas! is! not!
exceedingly!important!for!us,!that!we!should!plead!on!behalf!of!all!his!artifices,!
even! if! otherwise! that! marvelous! man! is! important! for! us! and! was! the! glory! of!
the!prior!age!and!even!now!still!seems!to!be!such.!
[Metaphysical! Logic! Against! Barlaam! and! Akindynus:]! This! was! the!
only! provocation! of! those! [Barlaamites! and! Akindynists]! (those! reckless! men,!
who! had! waged! war! against! their! own! Mother! the! Church),! as! befits!
provocation,!in!as!much!as!their!brain!!from!so!much!pride!!was!possessed!of!
such!rattling.!For!how!would!one!otherwise!be!ignorant!that!there!is!a!distinction!
of! the! divine! essence! and! energy! and! that! it! exists! in# re,! following! [the!
ratiocination]! of! the! soul,! just! as! too! this! divine! essence! and! its! goodness! in!
themeselves!are!outside!of!our!soul?!For!who!does!not!know,!after!the!soul!has!
been!stripped!away!and!granted!the!mind!is!created,!that!also!the!essence!of!God!
and! the! energy! thereof! and! the! difference! among! these! two! is! a# difference?! But,!
[who!does!not!know]!neither!actus#essendi!(!),!nor!the!act!of!existence!(!
J),! nor! the! act! of! distinguishment! (! J)! is! opposed! to! the!
divine! energy:! whether! ad# intra,! or! ad# extra?! [Who! does! not! know! that]! if! ones!
mind!happens!pick!up!all!these!aforesaid!items,!the!soul!predicates!these!items!of!
the!divine!energyattribute,!only!as!far!as!the!fact!that!Gods!being!good!!in!God!
! is! not! due! to! one! kind! of! [Aristotelian]! categorySaid! in! another! way:! [who!
does! not! know]! the! fact! is! that! goodness! itself! is! in! God! absolutely!
(RE),!but!not!relatively!(),!as!well!as!wisdom!and!mind!
and! such! kinds! of! things,! just! as! there! is! in! God! begetting! (E)! and!
emanation!()!and!paternity!and!likewise!sonship?!
Yet,!all!these!realities,!even!items!not!contemplated,!nonetheless!exist!and!
will!exist!in!this!way!in!a!nature!in!virtue!of!res!(!JR).!On!one!hand,!
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Christiaan*Kappes*2015*
there! is! not! a! definition! (RU)! of! a! future! (whole),! or! of! a! some! parts! limit!
(R!RE),!for!both!of!these!would!not!be!specifically!one!(!)!and!an!
essential! definition! by! reason! (U! ! >! ! ).! Now,! how! would! it! be!
according! to! reason! (>)! and! how! would! they! judge! that! the! items!
have! been! distinguished! in! virtue! of! individual! notions! (! U),! which!
predicate!the!essential!definition!and!that!exist!in!the!nature!of!the!thing!(!!
! JR! {)?! Yet,! their! alarm! at! composition! also! customarily!
disturbed!these!people,!for!it!is!not!true!that![as!they!say]:!
!
Because! the! [attributes]! really! are! attributed! to! God! also! they! are! not!
attributed!according!to!our!thought.!Consequently,!there!is!a!composition!
of!these![attributes]!and!this!is![composition]!in!God!from!these![items].!
!
Now,! from! this,! the! properties,! which! are! besought,! are! absent! with!
respect! to! that! act! of! making! some! kind! of! composition,! and! from! this! fact! the!
composition! is! also! absent.! Having! supposed! the! fact! that! the! divine! goodnes!
and!wisdom!and!science!is!in!the!res,!in!the!mode!they!are!in!God,!none!of!these!
properties! is! possible! of! being! discovered! among! these! named,! such! that! no!
composition! at! all! follows! out! of! necessity,! and! this! is! clear! from! the! aforesaid!
explanation.!!
[Apologia!on!behalf!of!Gregory!Palamas:]! Now,! sacred! Gregory! had! all!
these!points!within!the!range!of!his!vision.!He!both!followed,!once!and!for!all,!the!
sentence! (confirming! that! of! our! Mother,! the! Church)! and! judgment! of! the!
ancient! columns! of! doctors.! He! was! accustomed! to! say! that! the! divine! essence!
and!the!divine!energy!are!really!distinguished!(R!>).!He!
was! not! used! to! saying! that! res! (JR)! are! perfections! (U)! or!
energies! in! God! according! to! the! things! contracted/closely! ordered! cogitation!
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Christiaan*Kappes*2015*
().! Just! as! we! assert! that! the! divine! hypostases! are! res# (JR),! he!
used!to!say!that!these!hypostases!are!aliquid!rei!(!!JR)!and!in!re!
(!!JR),!and!he!said!that!the!whole!bespeaks!res!(JR),!as!realia!
[or! real! nonsubsistent! entities]! (RJ)! rather! than! res! (JR),! but!
according!to!another!mode!(U),!thinking!that!these!are!in!the!nature!of!the!
thing!(!!{!!JR)!and!after!the!manner![of!the!ratiocination]!of!
the! soul.! He! did! not! take! up! to! hold! the! distinction! by! reason! alone! (>!
R),!so!that!it!also!follow!from!this!that!these!items!exist!by!means!of!a!concept!
(>),!being!that!they!are!not!in!the!very!least!the!divine!perfections,!as!those!
around! Akindynus! and! Barlaam! nonsensically! were! blathering.! On! which!
account,!Palamas!was!saying!that!R!is!with!end!of!removing!what!
is! by! reason! ()! and! according! to! a! concept! (>),! but! he! was!
distinguishing!these!same![attributes]!by!means!of!concepts!(!U),!which!
were!making!known!what!is!essential!(!>!!)!and!manifesting!this!from!
the! nature! of! the! thing! itself! (! ! JR! {).! Now! these!
things! suffice,! for! now,! which! are! said! with! difficulty! as! on! the! run! and!
somewhat!simply,!as!these!items!would!be!obvious!to!many.!We!will!sink!deeper!
into!this!question,!if!God!wills,!in!a!special!treatise!on!these!matters,!and!as!much!
as!is!necessary,!we!shall!retrace!our!steps!on!this!very!matter,!just!as!will!shall!be!
inspired!for!us!at!that!time!but!now!it!is!necessary!to!examine!the!rest!of!sections!
[of!Armandus!treatise]!before!us.!

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