Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It would seem that the hypostases remain if the properties or relations are mentally abstracted from the persons. For that to which something is added, may be understood when the addition is taken away; as man is something added to animal which can be understood if rational be taken away. But person is something added to hypostasis; for person is "a hypostasis distinguished by a property of dignity." Therefore, if a personal property be taken away from a person, the hypostasis remains.

Objection 2: Further, that the Father is Father, and that He is someone, are not due to the same reason. For as He is the Father by paternity, supposing He is some one by paternity, it would follow that the Son, in Whom there is not paternity, would not be "someone." So when paternity is mentally abstracted from the Father, He still remains "someone"---that is, a hypostasis. Therefore, if property be removed from person, the hypostasis remains.

Objection 3: Further, Augustine says (De Trin. v, 6): "Unbegotten is not the same as Father; for if the Father had not begotten the Son, nothing would prevent Him being called unbegotten." But if He had not begotten the Son, there would be no paternity in Him. Therefore, if paternity be removed, there still remains the hypostasis of the Father as unbegotten.

On the contrary, Hilary says (De Trin. iv): "The Son has nothing else than birth." But He is Son by "birth." Therefore, if filiation be removed, the Son's hypostasis no more remains; and the same holds as regards the other persons.

I answer that, Abstraction by the intellect is twofold---when the universal is abstracted from the particular, as animal abstracted from man; and when the form is abstracted from the matter, as the form of a circle is abstracted by the intellect from any sensible matter. The difference between these two abstractions consists in the fact that in the abstraction of the universal from the particular, that from which the abstraction is made does not remain; for when the difference of rationality is removed from man, the man no longer remains in the intellect, but animal alone remains. But in the abstraction of the form from the matter, both the form and the matter remain in the intellect; as, for instance, if we abstract the form of a circle from brass, there remains in our intellect separately the understanding both of a circle, and of brass. Now, although there is no universal nor particular in God, nor form and matter, in reality; nevertheless, as regards the mode of signification there is a certain likeness of these things in God; and thus Damascene says (De Fide Orth. iii, 6) that "substance is common and hypostasis is particular." So, if we speak of the abstraction of the universal from the particular, the common universal essence remains in the intellect if the properties are removed; but not the hypostasis of the Father, which is, as it were, a particular.

But as regards the abstraction of the form from the matter, if the non-personal properties are removed, then the idea of the hypostases and persons remains; as, for instance, if the fact of the Father's being unbegotten or spirating be mentally abstracted from the Father, the Father's hypostasis or person remains.

If, however, the personal property be mentally abstracted, the idea of the hypostasis no longer remains. For the personal properties are not to be understood as added to the divine hypostases, as a form is added to a pre-existing subject: but they carry with them their own "supposita," inasmuch as they are themselves subsisting persons; thus paternity is the Father Himself. For hypostasis signifies something distinct in God, since hypostasis means an individual substance. So, as relation distinguishes and constitutes the hypostases, as above explained (Article 2), it follows that if the personal relations are mentally abstracted, the hypostases no longer remain. Some, however, think, as above noted, that the divine hypostases are not distinguished by the relations, but only by origin; so that the Father is a hypostasis as not from another, and the Son is a hypostasis as from another by generation. And that the consequent relations which are to be regarded as properties of dignity, constitute the notion of a person, and are thus called "personal properties." Hence, if these relations are mentally abstracted, the hypostasis, but not the persons, remain.

But this is impossible, for two reasons: first, because the relations distinguish and constitute the hypostases, as shown above (Article 2); secondly, because every hypostasis of a rational nature is a person, as appears from the definition of Boethius (De Duab. Nat.) that, "person is the individual substance of a rational nature." Hence, to have hypostasis and not person, it would be necessary to abstract the rationality from the nature, but not the property from the person.

Reply to Objection 1: Person does not add to hypostasis a distinguishing property absolutely, but a distinguishing property of dignity, all of which must be taken as the difference. Now, this distinguishing property is one of dignity precisely because it is understood as subsisting in a rational nature. Hence, if the distinguishing property be removed from the person, the hypostasis no longer remains; whereas it would remain were the rationality of the nature removed; for both person and hypostasis are individual substances. Consequently, in God the distinguishing relation belongs essentially to both.

Reply to Objection 2: By paternity the Father is not only Father, but is a person, and is "someone," or a hypostasis. It does not follow, however, that the Son is not "someone" or a hypostasis; just as it does not follow that He is not a person.

Reply to Objection 3: Augustine does not mean to say that the hypostasis of the Father would remain as unbegotten, if His paternity were removed, as if innascibility constituted and distinguished the hypostasis of the Father; for this would be impossible, since "being unbegotten" says nothing positive and is only a negation, as he himself says. But he speaks in a general sense, forasmuch as not every unbegotten being is the Father. So, if paternity be removed, the hypostasis of the Father does not remain in God, as distinguished from the other persons, but only as distinguished from creatures; as the Jews understand it.

Articulus 3

Argumentum 1

Ad tertium sic proceditur. Videtur quod, abstractis per intellectum proprietatibus seu relationibus a personis, adhuc remaneant hypostases. Id enim ad quod aliquid se habet ex additione, potest intelligi remoto eo quod sibi additur, sicut homo se habet ad animal ex additione, et potest intelligi animal remoto rationali. Sed persona se habet ex additione ad hypostasim, est enim persona hypostasis proprietate distincta ad dignitatem pertinente. Ergo, remota proprietate personali a persona, intelligitur hypostasis.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, pater non ab eodem habet quod sit pater, et quod sit aliquis. Cum enim paternitate sit pater, si paternitate esset aliquis, sequeretur quod filius, in quo non est paternitas, non esset aliquis. Remota ergo per intellectum paternitate a patre, adhuc remanet quod sit aliquis; quod est esse hypostasim.

Ergo, remota proprietate a persona, remanet hypostasis.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, Augustinus dicit, V de Trin., non hoc est dicere ingenitum, quod est dicere patrem, quia etsi filium non genuisset, nihil prohiberet eum dicere ingenitum.

Sed si filium non genuisset, non inesset ei paternitas. Ergo, remota paternitate, adhuc remanet hypostasis patris ut ingenita.

Sed Contra

Sed contra est quod Hilarius dicit, IV de Trin., nihil habet filius nisi natum.

Nativitate autem est filius. Ergo, remota filiatione, non remanet hypostasis filii.

Et eadem ratio est de aliis personis.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod duplex fit abstractio per intellectum.

Una quidem, secundum quod universale abstrahitur a particulari, ut animal ab homine. Alia vero, secundum quod forma abstrahitur a materia; sicut forma circuli abstrahitur per intellectum ab omni materia sensibili. Inter has autem abstractiones haec est differentia, quod in abstractione quae fit secundum universale et particulare, non remanet id a quo fit abstractio, remota enim ab homine differentia rationali, non remanet in intellectu homo, sed solum animal. In abstractione vero quae attenditur secundum formam et materiam, utrumque manet in intellectu, abstrahendo enim formam circuli ab aere, remanet seorsum in intellectu nostro et intellectus circuli et intellectus aeris.

Quamvis autem in divinis non sit universale neque particulare, nec forma et materia, secundum rem; tamen, secundum modum significandi, invenitur aliqua similitudo horum in divinis; secundum quem modum Damascenus dicit quod commune est substantia, particulare vero hypostasis.

Si igitur loquamur de abstractione quae fit secundum universale et particulare, remotis proprietatibus, remanet in intellectu essentia communis, non autem hypostasis patris, quae est quasi particulare. Si vero loquamur secundum modum abstractionis formae a materia, remotis proprietatibus non personalibus, remanet intellectus hypostasum et personarum, sicut, remoto per intellectum a patre quod sit ingenitus vel spirans, remanet hypostasis vel persona patris. Sed remota proprietate personali per intellectum, tollitur intellectus hypostasis. Non enim proprietates personales sic intelliguntur advenire hypostasibus divinis, sicut forma subiecto praeexistenti, sed ferunt secum sua supposita, inquantum sunt ipsae personae subsistentes, sicut paternitas est ipse pater, hypostasis enim significat aliquid distinctum in divinis, cum hypostasis sit substantia individua.

Cum igitur relatio sit quae distinguit hypostases et constituit eas, ut dictum est, relinquitur quod, relationibus personalibus remotis per intellectum, non remaneant hypostases.

Sed, sicut dictum est, aliqui dicunt quod hypostases in divinis non distinguuntur per relationes, sed per solam originem; ut intelligatur pater esse hypostasis quaedam per hoc, quod non est ab alio; filius autem per hoc, quod est ab alio per generationem. Sed relationes advenientes quasi proprietates ad dignitatem pertinentes, constituunt rationem personae, unde et personalitates dicuntur.

Unde, remotis huiusmodi relationibus per intellectum, remanent quidem hypostases, sed non personae.

Sed hoc non potest esse, propter duo. Primo, quia relationes distinguunt et constituunt hypostases, ut ostensum est.

Secundo, quia omnis hypostasis naturae rationalis est persona, ut patet per definitionem boetii, dicentis quod persona est rationalis naturae individua substantia.

Unde, ad hoc quod esset hypostasis et non persona, oporteret abstrahi ex parte naturae rationalitatem; non autem ex parte personae proprietatem.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod persona non addit supra hypostasim proprietatem distinguentem absolute, sed proprietatem distinguentem ad dignitatem pertinentem, totum enim hoc est accipiendum loco unius differentiae. Ad dignitatem autem pertinet proprietas distinguens, secundum quod intelligitur subsistens in natura rationali. Unde, remota proprietate distinguente a persona, non remanet hypostasis, sed remaneret, si tolleretur rationalitas naturae. Tam enim persona quam hypostasis est substantia individua, unde in divinis de ratione utriusque est relatio distinguens.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod paternitate pater non solum est pater, sed est persona, et est quis sive hypostasis. Nec tamen sequitur quod filius non sit quis sive hypostasis; sicut non sequitur quod non sit persona.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod intentio Augustini non fuit dicere quod hypostasis patris remaneat ingenita, remota paternitate, quasi innascibilitas constituat et distinguat hypostasim patris, hoc enim esse non potest, cum ingenitum nihil ponat, sed negative dicatur, ut ipsemet dicit. Sed loquitur in communi, quia non omne ingenitum est pater. Remota ergo paternitate, non remanet in divinis hypostasis patris, ut distinguitur ab aliis personis; sed ut distinguitur a creaturis, sicut Iudaei intelligunt.