Two kinds of attributes: via affirmation and negation

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Attributes affirm or deny — two paths to divine nature.

Give God creature-perfections eminently; strip every creature-imperfection.

Negatives teach clearer what God is not; affirmatives dimly what He is.

Latin

IV. Porro attributa ista duorum sunt generum. Nam vel iis aliquid de Deo affirmatur, vel aliquid de Deo negatur. Etenim duabus viis ad Divinae naturae cognitionem contendere possumus. Primum ipsi tribuendo perfectiones omnes quae in rebus creatis cernuntur. Quum enim sit primum ens, primaque omnium causa, necesse est ut quicquid perfectionis creaturis inest, in eo reperiatur modo quodam eminentiori. Deinde de Deo negando quicquid in creaturis sapit aut secum trahit aliquam imperfectionem. Oportet enim quicquid est imperfectum in rebus creatis a Deo removeri. Cum certum sit causam efficientem perfectiorem esse rebus effectis, eam maxime quae est prima & summa causa. Unde oriuntur, ut dictum, duo attributorum divinorum genera, quaedam scilicet negativa, alia vero affirmativa. Et prioribus quidem clarius & distinctius de Deo docetur quid non sit: posterioribus vero confusius & obscurius quid sit. Nam longe facilius est de Deo dicere quid non sit, quam explicare & capere quid sit. Itaque nobis naturam divinam investigantibus istiusmodi attributa divina breviter percurrenda & consideranda sunt: non omnia quidem & singula, sed praecipua nonnulla quae plus habent difficultatis, aut in Theologia majorem usum praestant.

About this text

Louis Le Blanc de Beaulieu - Sedan Theological Theses, newly rendered from the 1675 London Latin. Covers De Theologia through Angelorum & Hominum Sanctorum Cultu Romana I-LXXVII and Pars Secunda (Reformata) I-XL. Not the collected folio.

English follows locked Pitt Latin through Imaginum CLOSED + Sanctorum Cultu Romana CLOSED + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL. 1675 PDF ~384-390 (book ~370-376); Vision OCR + pdftotext + tess. No modern English. This slice densifies Sanctorum Pars Secunda I-XL. Next: Pars Secunda XLI–fin (~CI). Claim stays claimed (book densify not done).

Catalogue & scope

ESTC R17887; Wing L802. IA bub_gb_eOkHAW4G0-wC (+ EEBO 1675 for gap leaves). Densify through Sanctorum Cultu Romana I-LXXVII + Pars Secunda Reformata I-XL (Pars Secunda not closed; not whole folio).

Witnesses

Copy-text Locked Latin, De Theologia I-XLIII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
Checked print Internet Archive PDF of the 1675 Pitt folio (Latin)
Checked print pdftotext of De Theologia pages (Latin)
Checked print Internet Archive DjVu OCR of the 1675 Pitt folio (Latin)
Copy-text Locked Latin, De Fide I-XXII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
Copy-text Locked Latin, De Authoritate Scripturae Pars I I-XLVII + Pars II I-XXXV + Pars III I-VIII (Pitt 1675) (Latin)
Copy-text Locked Latin, De Scripturae plenitudine densify (Pitt 1675) (Latin)

This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.