Chapter 61 — That by seeing God a man is made a partaker of eternal life

It follows from this that by the aforesaid vision the created intellect is made a partaker of eternal life.

For eternity differs from time in that the latter has its being in a kind of succession, whereas the former is all simultaneously. (Boethius, Consolation of Philosophy, ch. 5.) Now it has already been proved (Ch. 55.) that there is no succession in the vision in question, and that whatsoever is seen in it is seen at once and at a glance. Therefore, this vision takes place in a kind of participation of eternity. Moreover, this vision is a kind of life, because the act of the intellect is life. (Nicomachean Ethics 1.9.) Therefore, by that vision, the created intellect becomes a partaker of eternal life.

Again. Actions take their species from their objects. Now the object of the aforesaid vision is the divine substance in its very being, and not in some created image, as we have shown. (Ch. 50.) Now the being of the divine substance is in eternity, or rather is eternity itself. Therefore, the aforesaid vision consists in a participation of eternity.

Besides. If an action takes place in time, this is either because the principle of the action is in time—for instance, the actions of natural things are temporal—or on account of the term of the action—for instance, the actions which spiritual substances, who are above time, exercise on things subject to time. Now the vision in question is not subject to time on the part of the thing seen, since this is an eternal substance; nor on the part of the medium of vision, which is also the eternal substance; nor on the part of the seer (namely, the intellect), whose being is independent of time, because it is incorruptible, as we have proved. (Bk. 2, ch. 55, 79.) Therefore, this vision is according to a participation of eternity, as altogether transcending time.

Further. The intellective soul is created on the border line between eternity and time (as stated in De Causis, and explained above), (Bk. 2, ch. 68.) because it is the last in order among intellects, and yet its substance stands above corporal matter, and is independent of it. On the other hand, its action in respect of which it comes into conjunction with lower and temporal things is itself temporal. Consequently, its action by reason of which it comes into conjunction with higher things that are above time partakes of eternity. Especially does this apply to the vision in which it sees the divine substance. Therefore, by this vision it enters into a participation of eternity, and for the same reason, so too does any other created intellect that sees God.

For this reason our Lord says: This is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God (John 17:3).