Chapter One
A Summary of the Seven Topics with which Theology Deals
1. At the outset, we must understand that sacred doctrine, namely,
theology, deals principally with the first principle, namely, God triune and one, and
discusses in the main seven topics: first, the Trinity of God; second, the creation of the
world; third, the corruption of sin; fourth, the incarnation of the Word; fifth, the grace
of the Holy Ghost; sixth, the sacramental remedy; and seventh, the state of the final
judgement.
In the opening of his work, St. Bonaventure established the answer to one
simple question: what is theology? He did this in order to provide his reader the scope of
his investigation, that is, what he will examine in his theological summary The
Breviloquim. Theology, he wrote, deals principally with the first principle,
namely, God.... There are two meanings which historically have be given to the word
theology: a discussion with God, or a discussion about God. Either way indicates that
theology deals with God, but the question is rather one is saying words to God, or words
about God. Here St. Bonaventure has established which of the two meaning he meant:
sacred doctrine, that is, a study about God and the relationship of creation with its
creator. We see that he divided theology into seven elements: God in Himself, creation,
the fall of creation, the redemption of creation through the Incarnation of God Himself,
the application of such redemption through the Holy Spirit, and the final end of creation
through the universal and last judgment.
Because there is a consistent use of numerological symbols in the
ancient and medieval world, there is no coincidence that St. Bonaventure split up his
discussion on theology into seven parts. Being trained in philosophy and theology, he
surely understood the meaning that by his time had been given to the number seven. Indeed,
the number seven has had a considerable amount of meaning behind it in numerology. For
example, Iamblichus the Platonist in his Theology of Arithmetic (trans. Robin
Waterfield, Phanes Press: 1988) indicated what several authors before him said
about the number seven: "Seven is said to be the number of primary concord..."
(p. 87); "that which brings completion" (ibid.); and "its structure has
been collected and gathered in a manner resembling unity, since it is altogether
indissoluble, except into something which has the same denominator as itself; or because
all things have brought their natural results by its agency..."(p. 88). Philo in his
works indicated that the number seven was said to be believed by the Pythagoreans as being
a way to represent the "Ruler of all things." (Philo, "On Creation"
XXXIX:100, trans. C. D. Yonge, in The Works of Philo, Hendrickson: 1993). We see
Scripture indicating completion with the use of the number seven, for example, in its
discussion of creation. Thus, we can see that Scripture seems to follow the same line of
thought as numerology. Indeed, it seems to be indicating that the discussion of creation
found in Scripture, by using numerological representations, has a meaning which is deeper
than just a literal outline of creation. Scripture also has made other connections with
the number seven and God. The Apocalypse of St. John the Apostle uses the number showing
that there are "seven spirits of God" (cf. Apoc 3:1), and that Jesus is holding
"seven stars" (cf. Apoc 1:16) in his hand. Thus, not only does Scripture seem to
follow the meaning of "completion", but also that it seems to follow through
with the symbolism of the Pythagoreans and establishes a connection of the use of the
number seven with God. Thus, when St. Bonaventure established in his exposition that
theology deals with seven elements, we can understand that the way he broke up the
elements of theology sevenfold was in itself a way to indicate the fullness of knowledge
incorporated in theology, but also to indicate that theology deals with God as subject.
2. The explanation of this truth is as follows: Because Sacred
Scripture or theology is a study giving the idea of the first beginning adequate enough
for the state of the wayfarer, and this is according to what is necessary for salvation,
and because God is not only the beginning of things and the exemplar operative in the act
of creation, but also restorative in the redemption and perfective in retribution,
theology treats of God the Creator, of the act of creation and the creature. And also,
because the rational creature who is in a certain sense the end of all, did not persist in
good, but because of its fall needed to be restored, it follows that theology deals with
the corruption of sin, the physician, the state of health, and the remedy, and finally
with the completed healing which will be in glory after the wicked have been hurled to
their punishment. Finally, it follows that theology alone is a perfect science because it
begins from the beginning, which is the first principle, and continues to the very end,
namely, the everlasting reward. It begins with the highest, which is Almighty God, Creator
of all, and extends to the very lowest, which is infernal punishment.
St. Bonaventure has established for us why theology is the central focus
of all knowledge: for all knowledge is contained within its limits. Theology deals with
God as subject, but also deals with creation as that which was produced by its subject.
Since the only way theology can be properly studied is for one to know God both in Himself
and in His actions, theology requires the study of knowledge both at its height in
metaphysics, but also in its lowest form, on what could be normally considered as
insignificant. However, since theology deals with both God and what God has produced,
nothing which exists is insignificant to its study: all of creation finds within its
framework purpose and value. Thus, each element must be examined within its own sphere as
well as within its relation to other elements of creation. Nothing can be neglected, for
indeed, all that is within creation will find its proper and just end, not in itself, but
in God.
Not only did God create the universe, He is also its preserver and also
the principle of its restoration. For theology not only deals with creation at its
beginning and at its end, that is being begun by God and in being united with God.
Theology also deals with what has happened inside the framework of creation itself.
Creation, given its own self-rule, abandoned God and splintered itself; it fell apart and
caused havoc and chaos, thus destroying its own original, orderly existence. Nonetheless
while creation was given freedom to do so, God also provided the means for its restoration
into its original, orderly way. If in its freedom, creation does not on its own return to
God, God will nonetheless provide the means for it to learn that it has need of God. That
is, God will provide creation the means by which it can learn that it is only causing its
own self-destruction by abandoning God and relying upon itself. How does God accomplish
this? Through the natural law of justice which He Himself enacts. He provides just
chastisements to those who are disobedient. These punishments are used to awaken the one
who is erring, to help him out of his ignorance. Hence St. Bonaventure states, God is
not only the beginning of things and the exemplar operative in the act of creation, but
also restorative in the redemption and perfective in retribution.
As the principle of restoration, God provided what is necessary for all
that is fallen in creation to receive what it needs: once it is awakened from its slumber,
it can then begin through God to be reunited with God. Thus, theology not only deals with
God, creation, and the punishments of God, but theology also deals with the acts of God in
the process of the restoration of creation. It thus discusses God as the physician; it
seeks to understand the state of health of creation; and it will engage the
searcher of knowledge with the completed healing of all things which will be in
glory.
3. Theology alone is perfect wisdom because it starts from the
highest cause as the beginning of things caused, beyond where philosophical knowledge
ceases, and proceeds through this cause in its role as the remedy of sinners and leads
back to it as the reward of the deserving ones and the culmination of desires. In this
knowledge there is a perfect taste, life, and salvation of souls, and consequently the
desire of all Christians should be inflamed to its attainment.
As having God as the subject, theology is indeed perfect wisdom since
God is Himself Wisdom. It reaches beyond where philosophical knowledge ceases because it
reaches to God, and He is beyond the grasp of the human intellect. We can not attain in
our philosophical pursuit comprehension of God, and hence, though it must be remembered
that true philosophy is indeed true theology, theology, having chosen God as its specific
subject, is indeed wisdom which is beyond man's natural ability to attain. Theology is
thus, in this sense, a special subset of philosophy. It is philosophy at its true height.
It is the greatest desire of philosophy to comprehend all things, but here, at the height
of philosophy, we find that we will be infinitely lacking in the ability to comprehend
God.
Because theology seeks after God, and seeks after the interaction of
creation with God, the desire of all Christians should be inflamed to its attainment. Christians
should have a desire for this knowledge. The desire for an understanding about God should
be a part of their life, a driving force in their own spirituality. In this desire they
should humbly seek after this wisdom, knowing it will be ever out of their reach. Yet, if
they fully love God and seek after Him, though He will always be beyond their grasp, He
will be ever closer to them and they will continue to understand more and more about God.
Thus God, whom they search after, will reveal more of Himself to them who seek Him than to
those who ignore Him. Thus it can be said that those who have searched for and gained in
this knowledge, they have received a perfect taste and life which will
enable them to seek out salvation, not only of their own soul, but the salvation of all
souls.
4. From all these statements, it is evident that, although theology
treats of many and varied topics, it is a united science whose subject is God as He from
whom all things have existence, Christ as He through whom all things are, the work of
reparation as that toward which all things are directed, the singular bond of charity by
which heavenly and earthly things are joined as that about which all things are united,
the credible in so far as it is credible as that about which all things are contained in
the canonical books, the credible in so far as it is intelligible as that about which all
things are contained in the expository books. All this is in accord with Augustine, who
says in the De utilitate credendi (II:25): "What we believe, we owe to
authority; what we understand, we owe to reason."
Even though there are many varied topics which can be discussed
underneath theology, even though there are many layers to the discussion of theology,
theology is a united science. All the varied depths of theology, all the twists and
turns it takes, end up bringing all that is said into a unity. There is only one full
subject in theology: God. Theology discovers, through what it knows of God, many different
elements which make the one science seem multifold. Thus it examines not just God, but the
manner by which God created the universe, and the way God has undergone the work of
reparation as that toward which all things are directed. Though many dispute this
simple fact, St. Bonaventure not only demonstrated that all things in creation are
contained under the way of restoration, but he identified this unity was from a bond of
charity which unites heavenly and earthly things. This bond of charity, this
bond of love, is the way which all things unite in Christ; it is the way by which the
process of disunification found within creation is halted and reversed.
St. Bonaventure also established that theology has a two-fold
credibility: that of authority and that of reason. That is what he means when he wrote
that theology is credible as that about which all things are contained in the canonical
books, that is, the authority of the Church to dictate what should be believed, and
then the credible in so far as it is intelligible as that about which all things are
contained in the expository books, i.e., theology is credible in the explanation which
is given to understand its ways. As an explanation tries to elaborate on a previously
believed teaching, it is through the process of reasoning that it accomplishes its task.
Thus, it truly is an intelligible science which allows the one who believes theology on
authority to understand deeper with reason. Hence St. Bonaventure ended his introductory
discussion on theology through a quote of St. Augustine, "What we believe, we owe
to authority; what we understand, we owe to reason." We believe the Church when
it dictates its dogmas and its Scriptural Canon to us because it has been given the
authority to determine that for us; however, when we examine what we have been given and
have been given no exact way to understand precisely what is being meant, we are then to
use as best we can our ability to reason to help us follow properly and understand
properly what we already believe by way of authority. Thus, theology is first to be
believed on the authority given to the Church to dictate the truth, as the Church is the
pillar and ground of truth (cf. 1 Tim 3:15), but then we are to use our reason in those
areas which the Church has not yet fully addressed. The Church allows us to deepen our
faith through reason. We are to obey the dictates of the Church and to follow them above
our own reason, but then we are to use our reason in those areas which the Church has not
fully established what to believe or how to believe. Thus theology is at its root,
believed on authority but it is understood through reason. And why should it not be
understood as a reasonable science, since the very basis of our reason is found within God
Himself?