Page:Illustrations of the history of medieval thought and learning.djvu/77

Rh thing, it is universally diffused. It is the cause substance of all virtues. it is a stream that runs through all nature. ''Intellect. . . and the rest of things that are said to be, are theophanies, and in theophany really subsist; therefore God is everything that truly is, since he makes all things and is made in all things''. The pantheism of the last sentence must be interpreted by John s view of God as apart from nature, a view as important in his system as that of revelation. It is impossible for any one who fairly weighs his opinions on this subject not to feel that the charge of pantheism has been premature and warranted only by one set of statements, contradicted and at the same time justified by another set no less necessary to the complete understanding of his doctrine. If the reconciliation appear paradoxical we have but to remember that paradox in the philosopher's view is inevitable when we attempt to conceive the eternal.

The statement that God is everything stands in juxtaposition to the statement that God is the supreme unity. The one bears relation to the world, the other to God himself. The latter is therefore the only strict mode of expression. The central thought of John Scotus's system is that God s being is absolute, it cannot be described by any of the categories to which creation is subject; for he transcends them all. a We cannot without a misuse of language affirm of him essence, quantity or quality, relation, position, or habit, place or time, action, or passion. For to affirm these or any of these of God is to limit the illimitable: they are only applicable by way of accommodation to our earthly understanding, they have a literal meaning to the simple, to the philosopher they are figures of speech. The rule is stated universally, and can admit no exception even in the theological relation of Father and Son. His honesty forbade our philosopher to ignore a difficult consequence of his position, even when it seemed to oppose a cardinal point of piety. He is indeed reluctant to dwell upon the subject, but not from any mistrust of his own