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Writer's pictureChristian B. Wagner

Whether Those Who See the Essence of God See All in God?

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In this article, we begin to discuss the "accidental " or "secondary" object of beatitude.


Why must we posit a secondary object? For two reasons, one of which he discusses in this article and another he discusses elsewhere.


The first reason is taught in this article, from the nature of God. For, God is the cause of all things. Now, in that the cause is known, the effects are also known *virtually,* which becomes *actual* due to the greater or lesser degree of one's "light" and the greater or lesser degree of one's natural powers. Thus, in knowing God, the cause of all things, we know his effects more or less actually depending on our beatific state. This knowledge is said to be "in the Word" or "morning knowledge" since it is that which is seen through the Divine Essence (which we will cover in more detail next article).

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