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August 08, 2005
Ch.X. Q.67. Circumcession
CIRCUMCESSION (circumcessio, circumincessio, commeatio, περιχώρησις, συμπεριχώρησις, περιεγχώρησις) "is that property by which the Divine Persons, by reason of the identity of their natures, communicate with each other. It is the internal existence of one Person in the other, without confusion of person or of personality."1
2. The Divine Persons mutually coinhere in action as well as in essence. Every Divine operation proceeds equally from the Three. The reason why it is possible, none the less, to distinguish, and to speak, for example, of the Father as Creator, of the Son as Redeemer, and of the Holy Ghost as Sanctifier, is that the distinction of Persons involves a diversity of relations between each Person and Their common operations.2
3. The doctrine of Circumcession is useful (a) to guard the truth of the Divine Unity; (b) to teach the moral harmony, or unity of purpose, which must attend Divine activity;—e.g., in the plan of Redemption; (c) to refute the error that the economy of one Person displaces that of another in this world.3
1 Forbes, Nicene Creed; Bright, St. Leo on the Incarn., note 83; St. Thos., Summa, I., xlii. 5; Schouppe, Elementa, Tr. VI., §§ 163-165; Liddon, Divinity of Christ, p. 34, note g; Ottley, Incarnation, Vol. II., p. 253; Owen, Dogmatics, ch. v. § 7; Wilhelm and Scannell, Manual, Vol. I., pp. 336-340; Weidner, Theologia, p. 55, § 33; p. 58, § 52. Cf. John xiv. 9, 11; I. Cor. ii. 11; I. John iv. 15, 16; v. 20.
2 Wilhelm and Scannell, pp. 339-340; Wilberforce, Holy Eucharist, pp. 222-228; Hooker, Eccles. Polity, I., ii. 2.
3 Wilberforce, pp. 227, 228. Divine Unity has been considered in Q. xlvi.
Posted by Debra Bullock at August 8, 2005 06:25 PM
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