Chapter 56 — That God’s knowledge is not a habit

From the foregoing it follows that God’s knowledge is not a habit.

For wherever knowledge is habitual, all things are not known simultaneously, but some actually and others habitually. Now God knows all things actually in the same instant, as we have proved. (Ch. 55.) Therefore, in him knowledge is not a habit.

Further. He who has a habit, while not using it, is somewhat in potency, but not in the same way as before learning. (Aristotle, On the Soul 2.1, 412a6–10; 2.5, 417a22–b1.) Now it has been shown that the divine intellect is in potency in no way. (Ch. 45.) Therefore, in no way is there habitual knowledge in him.

Again. The essence of any intellect that knows something habitually is distinct from its intellectual operation, which is consideration itself, because the intellect that knows something by a habit lacks its operation, but it cannot lack its essence. Now in God his essence is his operation, as we have proved. (Ch. 45.) Therefore, there is no habitual knowledge in his intellect.

Again. The intellect that knows something only habitually is not in its ultimate perfection: hence happiness, which is the best thing of all, is held to be not a habit but an act. (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 1.8, 1098b30–1099a2; 1.13, 1102a5.) Therefore, if God has habitual knowledge through his substance, he will not be universally perfect considered with regard to his substance. And the contrary of this was proved above. (Ch. 28.)

Moreover. We have shown (Ch. 46.) that he is intelligent by his essence, and not by any intelligible species added to his essence. Now every intellect with a habit understands by some species: for habit is either the ability of the intellect to receive intelligible species by which it becomes actually understanding, or else it is the orderly collection of the species themselves residing in the intellect without complete act, and after a manner that lies between potency and act. Therefore, in him there is no habitual knowledge.

Further. Habit is a quality. Now neither quality nor any accident can be ascribed to God, as was proved above. (Ch. 23.) Therefore, habitual knowledge is not becoming to God.

Since, however, the disposition by which one is only habitually considering, willing, or acting is like the disposition of one who sleeps, (Cf. Aristotle, Metaphysics 12.9, 1074b15–21.) hence David, in order to remove habitual knowledge from God, says: behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep (Ps 121[120]:4). For the same reason it is said: the eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun (Sir 23:19), for the sun is always in act shining.