DIVINE ATTRIBUTES: POWER
St. Thomas first argues that God is omnipotent or almighty and then proceeds to say something about what an analysis of omnipotence would look like. 1. That God is omnipotent (i.e., that God's power is not limited to any particular effect) SCG II, 22: a. God alone can create (since only a being that has or is unparticipated being is such that its transeunt action requires nothing as a patient of that action). So everything that exists, corporeal and incorporeal, derives its being from God. But no power that produces all these effects but not from matter is determined to one particular effect. That is, if a being can produce diverse effects without making them from anything, then it is not limited to a set effect or set number of effects. b. God's proper effect is being (perfection) as such. So his power extends to all things that can have being and not just to this or that kind of thing. c. As Pure Act, God has all perfections. So He is able transmit all perfections and all combinations of compossible perfections. d. There are infinitely many potentialities inherent in created being; but such potentialities are not in vain or purposeless. Therefore, God can by his active power actualize all the potentialities in created things and hence is not limited to a set number of effects. e. If God's power were limited, this limitation would arise from one of three sources: (i) the effect's not having a similarity to the agent--but every being is as such similar to God and is his proper effect; (ii) the effect is too excellent to be produced by the agent--but God transcends all things in perfection and goodness; (iii) the effect's requiring a matter that the agent cannot act upon--but God is the cause of matter and, in addition, needs no matter to act upon.
(NOTE: Until we get to those that involve God's will, all of these impossibilities
are such that the following is true: Even if God were to will p, p would
still be false.) a. LIMITATIONS ARISING FROM GOD'S NATURE AS PURE ACT: From the fact that God lacks passive potency, several "inabilities" with respect to acting follow: i. God cannot be a body.
i. God cannot make contradictories or contraries to exist at the same
time.
i. God cannot make Himself, since it is essential to a thing which is
made that it depends on another cause for its existence.
(NOTE: These things are such that counterfactuals of the following form are true: If per impossibile God willed p, then p would be true.) i. God cannot make himself not exist or not be happy or not be good.
(NOTE: These impossibilities are all on a supposition.) i. God cannot both foresee that he will do X and yet not do X.
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