Dist. 34, Part 1, Art. 2, Q. 2
by St. Bonaventure
Source text: Public Domain Mark 1.0. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://bonaventure.wrootpress.com/browse/3/d/34/q/bon-sent-III-d34-p1-a2-q2
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### Question II. *On the ordering and combination of the gifts.*

Secondly it is asked concerning the order and combination of the gifts, which two things Isaiah very pointedly intimates in the enumeration of the aforesaid gifts, in chapter eleven, where he thus speaks of Christ: *The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and of piety; and the spirit of the fear of the Lord shall fill him.*

**Arguments against the order:**

1. *First* it is objected against the order: for, since an ordered progress should be from the lower to the higher, and the gift of wisdom is the greatest, but the gift of fear the least: since therefore it places the gift of wisdom in the first place, but the gift of fear last; it does not seem to order the gifts in right order.

2. Likewise, a habit regarding cognition precedes a habit which regards affection: since therefore wisdom, called from "savor", regards the affective power, but understanding regards the cognitive power; it seems that the gift of understanding should be set before the gift of wisdom.

3. Likewise, either the gifts are ordered according to the order of greater and lesser dignity, or according to the order of priority and posteriority. If in the first way: therefore since fortitude is of greater perfection than counsel, and piety than knowledge, they ought to be set before them and not after. If according to the order of priority and posteriority; thus, since that which is on the side of the cognitive precedes that which is on the side of the affective; it seems that understanding should be set before wisdom. But if you say that understanding is set before wisdom in ascending; then likewise it is asked: why is knowledge not set before piety, and counsel before fortitude, in ascending, but rather the contrary?

**Arguments against the combination:**

4. Likewise, it is objected against the combination: for the habits of the virtues are not combined with one another, but rather are distinguished singly: therefore by parity of reason neither are the habits of the gifts.

5. Likewise, if the gifts are combined with one another; since combination is only in an even number, therefore it seems that there should be more than seven.

6. Likewise, since every gift regarding affection has its own directive, it seems that the gift of fear too should have its own directive, with which it would be combined; but if it does not have one, it seems that neither should the others have one.

It is asked therefore, what is the reason for combining and ordering the gifts; and why this sort of combination and order is assigned in the habits of the gifts rather than in the differences of other gratuitous habits.

### Conclusion

> The gifts of the Holy Spirit are rightly ordered and combined according to the assignment of Isaiah.

**I respond:** For the understanding of the aforesaid it must be noted that in the gifts there is an order according to the degree of excellence and dignity; and this as regards the uses of the gifts themselves, according to which the soul comes to be placed in a more perfect and worthier state, inasmuch as according to the use of the gift of wisdom it is more loftily elevated than according to the use of the gift of fear. For to the use of that gift no one attains, unless first an exercise in the use of fear be sent before. Since therefore there is in them an order according to the degrees of excellence and dignity; not by chance and fortune, but very reasonably are certain gifts set before certain others; and now thus, now contrariwise are they ordered, not on account of a reversal of order, but on account of a diverse reason of ordering. For as Augustine says *On the Sermon of the Lord on the Mount*, sometimes the enumeration of the gifts begins from the first, namely from fear, as the Lord intimates in Matthew; sometimes from the highest, namely from wisdom, as is written in Isaiah.

Each manner of ordering is right and fitting, and this for a threefold reason: both on account of the diverse manner of taking the prior and the posterior; and on account of the diversity of the manner of ascending and descending from the higher to the lower; and on account of the diversity of principles with respect to the habit itself. — *First*, on account of the diverse manner of taking the prior and the posterior; for, as the Philosopher holds, a thing is prior in generation and time; a thing is prior in completion and definition or dignity. In the first way the gift of fear is first as regards use, but in the second way the gift of wisdom. And according to this twofold acceptation of that which is prior, the order of the gifts is twofold, and in either way it is reasonably begun. — *Secondly*, on account of the diverse manner of ascending and descending they have to be ordered in diverse ways. For since in the gifts the degrees of excellence and dignity are attended to; and the order in ascending is from the lower to the higher, but in descending is from the higher to the lower: hence it is that sometimes the highest gift is set first, sometimes the lowest. Yet each comes about according to a right and fitting order. — *Thirdly*, on account of the diversity of the efficient principle and of the receiving subject they likewise have to be ordered in diverse ways; for the producing principle is the Holy Spirit himself, in whom is the highest perfection; the receiving subject is free choice itself, in which is imperfection. Therefore in the order the gift can be set first which more nearly approaches the perfection of the Holy Spirit; and thus the gift of wisdom is set first, which is most perfect. The gift can also nonetheless be set first which more nearly approaches the imperfection of free choice, and this indeed is the gift of fear.

And thus it is plain that there is an order in the gifts, and that the order is also preserved in enumerating, whether one begins from the gift of fear, or begins from the gift of wisdom. Nor only is there order in them, but together with the order there is in them combination. For since the gifts are for making apt, as was said in what precedes; and whoever wishes to proceed readily, it is necessary that he foreknow and foresee the way: hence it is that the gifts have their directives appointed to them by appropriation, and that certain of the gifts are ruling, certain ruled, or certain regulating, certain executing. In sign of which thing the Prophet enumerated the gifts with a certain combination and distinction, the Holy Spirit prompting him. — It must therefore be granted that the gifts are rightly ordered and combined according to the prophetic assignment. And by these things which have been said, the answer to the objections is for the great part plain.

**To the arguments:**

*To 1.* As to what is first objected, that an ordered progress ought to be from the lower to the higher; it must be said that this is true in ascending, and when things are ordered according to the order of generation; but this is not true in descending, and when things are ordered according to the order of dignity; and in this second way is the order in the gifts, as has already been touched on in the foregoing.

*To 2.* As to what is objected, that a habit regarding cognition precedes a habit which regards affection; it must be said that this is true of purely affective habits, which need another to regulate them, as is plain in piety and fortitude; but this has no place in the habit of wisdom, since it has within itself the cognition of experience, which so directs and allures, that about the use of that gift error scarcely or never happens to occur. And on account of this a certain Gloss says that the gift of wisdom has to direct the gift of understanding; which is therefore said because experimental cognition of the divine sweetness amplifies the speculative cognition of the divine truth;

for the secrets of God are wont to be revealed to friends and intimates.

*To 3.* As to what is further asked, that either they are ordered according to the order of dignity etc.; it must be said that Isaiah orders them according to the order of dignity, as was touched on above; nor does that instance avail which it adduces concerning piety with respect to knowledge, and fortitude with respect to counsel. For those two are deservedly set before the other two by the order of dignity, just as a ruler is set before one who executes.

*To 4.* As to what is objected concerning combination, that the virtues are not combined, therefore neither are the gifts; it must be said that it is not alike, because a greater concurrence of habits is required for the setting-right and making-apt of an operation than for the setting-right alone. For rectitude consists in the order of a power to its object, but the making-apt consists not only in this, but also in this and in the help of an annexed habit.

*To 5.* As to what is objected, that there should then be eight; it must be said that this is true, if every gift had one to which it would be combined; but the gift of fear is not combined with another, because it does not have a directive gift appropriated to itself.

But then there remains a question, whence this is, as was asked last. To this, however, it must be said that it is not alike concerning the gift of fear and concerning the others, because, since it is the lowest among the gifts, it is sufficiently directed by the habit of faith; but it is not so concerning the more excellent gifts. — Moreover, although with respect to opposites there is one and another affection, yet there can be one cognition of opposites; and therefore through the cognitive habits, through which the other affective habits making apt for good are directed and regulated, the gift of fear, which makes apt for fleeing evil, has to be directed and regulated: and for this cause it does not have a directive gift distinct from the directives of the other gifts.