22. Vision and Pleasure in Beatitude; The Trinity and Reason

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Primacy of Vision Over Pleasure in Beatitude (Article 2) #

Thomas argues that vision (visio) is the principal element of beatitude, while pleasure (delectatio) is secondary and merely accompanies the operation of understanding. The question addresses whether pleasure should be considered more fundamental than the vision of God itself.

The Central Distinction: Pleasure consists in the quieting or resting of the will in a good that has been obtained. The will seeks the good (the object of understanding) for its own sake, not for the sake of pleasure. Pleasure naturally follows from the attainment of a perfect operation, but it does not constitute beatitude itself.

Analogy to Beauty and Youth: Thomas uses an analogy from Aristotle: just as beauty perfects youth but is not the essence of youth, pleasure perfects the operation of understanding but is not the essence of beatitude. Beauty is something that “goes along with” youth as a concomitant perfection; similarly, pleasure accompanies vision without being its fundamental nature.

Shakespeare’s Definition of Reason and the Trinity #

Berquist explores how Shakespeare’s exhortation to “use reason” (defined as “looking before and after”) provides a philosophical pathway to understanding the Trinity. This connection operates at three levels:

Three Ways of Understanding the Trinity #

1. Through the Footprint in Creatures: Every creature possesses beginning, middle, and end. These temporal distinctions are defined by the affirmation and negation of “before” and “after”:

   • What is before something but not after it = beginning
   • What is both before and after something = middle
   • What is after something but not before it = end
   • What is neither before nor after = not a part of the sequence

   Every creature thus carries a footprint of the Trinity insofar as it exhibits this triadic structure. This footprint is distant and imperfect—we never say the Son is a “footprint” of God, but rather the “image.”

2. Through the Image in the Soul: From reason proceeds a thought of what reason is (analogous to the Word proceeding from the Father). From reason and this definition proceeds love of reason (analogous to the Holy Spirit proceeding from Father and Son). This triadic structure in the soul (reason, its definition/thought, and love of reason) mirrors the processions of the Trinity.

3. Direct Theological Understanding: Thomas studies the Trinity directly through the processions and relations of the divine persons.

Processions and the Divine Persons #

The Trinity is distinguished by relations of origin—processions of one divine person from another. Two fundamental processions determine the persons:

• Those who proceed from someone and from whom someone proceeds = the Holy Spirit
• Those from whom someone proceeds but who do not proceed from anyone = the Father
• Those from whom someone proceeds and from whom something proceeds = the Son

The Son, proceeding from the Father and having the Holy Spirit proceed from him (along with the Father), bears a remote analogy to the middle in the temporal sequence.

Language, Grammar, and Theological Precision #

Berquist examines how Latin’s lack of the article (“the” vs. “a”) obscures the rhetorical figure of antonomasia (also called antonomastia)—the use of the article to indicate a universal cause or supreme exemplar.

The Problem: When Scripture uses the article—such as in “I am the Immaculate Conception” or “I am the truth itself”—the Greek allows this rhetorical precision. Latin, lacking articles, cannot easily convey this distinction. When Mary says “I am the Immaculate Conception” rather than “I am an immaculate one,” she is speaking antonomastically—identifying herself as the universal cause of our baptismal purity, just as Christ identifies himself as truth itself because he is its source.

Impact on Thomas’s Interpretation: Thomas, thinking primarily in Latin, may not have fully emphasized the antonomastic reading of John 1:1 (“In the beginning was the Word”). Reading it antonomastically—“In the beginning was the Thought [supreme and perfect]"—highlights that among all thoughts that ever were or will be, this one is the thought: the thought of God that fully expresses what God is, that comprehends all other things in comprehending God.

The Excellence of English: English, retaining articles and other grammatical features from Greek, is superior to Latin and even French for philosophical precision. The lecture notes examples from distinguished French philosophers who acknowledged English’s superiority for philosophy.

Key Arguments #

On the Primacy of Vision (Article 2) #

Objections:

• Pleasure seems more principal because it perfects operation (as beauty perfects youth)
• Operations are desired for the sake of pleasure
• Nature adds pleasure to necessary operations to ensure their performance
• Charity (corresponding to pleasure) is greater than faith (corresponding to vision)

Thomas’s Resolution:

• The intellect apprehends the universal notion of the good; pleasure naturally follows from attaining it
• The will does not seek pleasure as the primary end; rather, it seeks the good, and pleasure concomitantly follows
• Vision is the cause; pleasure is the effect. What causes something is more potent than what it causes
• Pleasure is a perfection that accompanies the operation but does not constitute its essence
• In animals with only sensitive appetite, operations are pursued for pleasure because they cannot grasp universal good. In intellectual creatures, the operation itself (vision) is chiefly intended

On Charity and Vision #

The objection argues that since charity (corresponding to pleasure) is greater than faith (corresponding to vision), pleasure must be more potent than vision. Thomas responds by clarifying that:

• Charity does not seek the good loved for the sake of pleasure; pleasure is something following upon the attainment of the beloved
• Vision is what makes the end present to the soul
• Pleasure does not respond to charity as an end, but vision does—vision is what makes God present

Important Definitions #

Delectatio (Pleasure) #

The quieting or resting of the will (appetite) in a good that has been obtained. It is intrinsic to the perfect operation and strengthens it, but it is not the operation itself. Pleasure follows from the goodness of the operation, not vice versa.

Visio (Vision) #

The perfect intellectual knowledge of God as He is, face to face. This is the chief constituent of beatitude and the operation in which the will ultimately rests.

Antonomasia / Antonomastia #

A rhetorical figure using the definite article (“the”) to indicate a universal cause or supreme exemplar. “I am the truth” differs from “I am a truth” because it identifies the speaker as the source or supreme instance of truth itself.

Footprint (Vestigium) vs. Image (Imago) #

A footprint of the Trinity is a distant likeness found in all creatures (the beginning, middle, and end structure). An image is a much closer likeness, as found in the human soul with its reason, understanding, and love. The Son is called the Image, not a footprint, of God.

Examples & Illustrations #

On Vision Accompanied by Pleasure #

Mozart and Music: When one takes delight in hearing Mozart, one listens more attentively; the pleasure strengthens rather than impedes the intellectual appreciation of the music.

Color Perception: Some people (particularly women, Berquist notes) perceive subtle distinctions in color (teal, taupe) that others miss; they see colors “as much as they are seeable.” Their refined perception and delight in perceiving allows them to grasp what others cannot.

Geometric Theorems: A mathematician takes delight in understanding a theorem of Euclid. This delight does not impede but rather strengthens the intellectual operation. People will not study theorems without some delight in them.

On Looking Before and After #

The Temporal Triad: The affirmation and negation of “before” and “after” generates the concepts of beginning, middle, and end—the footprint of the Trinity in all temporal things.

On Shakespeare’s Exhortation #

Berquist notes Shakespeare’s metrically careful construction of the exhortation: it begins on the seventh syllable and ends on the sixth. Seven symbolizes wisdom; six is the first perfect number. The exhortation contains 49 words (7 squared), which also symbolizes wisdom. These are not accidental features but reflect the profound nature of what Shakespeare has written about reason.

Notable Quotes #

“Pleasure is caused from this, that the appetite rests in the good obtained. Since beatitude is nothing other than the attaining of the highest good, it is not able to be beatitude without pleasure following upon it.” — Thomas Aquinas (quoted by Berquist)

“Pleasure perfects operation as beauty perfects youth.” — Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics, Book 10, cited via Thomas)

“Intellectum valde ama” (Love the intellect greatly) — Augustine (quoted by Berquist on the pursuit of understanding)

“Likeness is a slippery thing.” — Plato (Sophist, quoted via Dionysius, on the danger of false similarities)

Questions Addressed #

Is Pleasure or Vision the Chief Element of Beatitude? #

Resolution: Vision is chief; pleasure is secondary and accompanies it. Pleasure perfects the operation (as beauty perfects youth) but does not constitute beatitude itself. The will seeks the good for its own sake; pleasure naturally and necessarily follows from attaining it, but the operation of understanding is what is chiefly intended.

How Does Shakespeare’s Definition of Reason Connect to Understanding the Trinity? #

Resolution: “Looking before and after” enables one to define beginning, middle, and end through the affirmation and negation of temporal sequence. These structures appear as footprints of the Trinity in all creatures. The same “looking before and after” also appears in the soul as reason, its definition, and love of reason—an image of the Trinity far closer than the footprint. From these, one can ascend to understanding the Trinity itself.

Does Latin’s Lack of Articles Limit Thomas’s Philosophical Precision? #

Resolution: Yes. Thomas, thinking primarily in Latin, may not have fully recognized antonomasia in Scripture. The use of “the” in Greek and English (e.g., “I am the truth” or “In the beginning was the Word”) indicates a universal cause or supreme instance. Latin cannot easily express this distinction, potentially limiting Thomas’s appreciation of this rhetorical and theological precision, though his theological arguments remain sound.

Why Did Shakespeare Compose His Exhortation in Meter? #

Resolution: Berquist suggests three reasons: (1) to aid memorization, (2) for beauty, and (3) to glorify God. The metrically careful construction—beginning on the seventh syllable (symbolizing wisdom) and ending on the sixth (the first perfect number), with 49 words (7 squared)—suggests that Shakespeare carefully crafted a prayer that mirrors the structure of the divine mysteries it addresses.