Dist. 50, 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/4/d/50/q/bon-sent-IV-d50-p1-a2-q2
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### Article II. Question II. *Whether in the damned there will be spiritual darknesses as to the act of knowing.*

Secondly it is asked whether there will be there spiritual darknesses as regards the act of knowing. And that there will be, seems [to follow]:

1. Because for a blind man, wherever he is, there is darkness; but the wicked and the damned have been blinded by malice, Wisdom, chapter two: *Their own malice blinded them*: therefore, if malice grows there, then blindness too.

2. Likewise, Augustine says on the sixth Psalm: "There the exterior darknesses will be, because they will be utterly outside God. For what is it to be outside God, save to be in the highest blindness?" Therefore they will be in the highest blindness; and if so, then there will be no spiritual illumination there.

3. Likewise, just as the intellective [power] is born to be illumined toward the true, so the affective to be enkindled toward the good; but the affective is wholly deprived of the warmth or love of the good: therefore the cognitive [is wholly deprived] of the light of the true.

4. Likewise, just as the affective is delighted in goodness, so the cognitive in truth; but from the reprobate every delight will be taken away: therefore, by parity of reasoning, every illumination and knowledge of truth [will be taken away].

**On the contrary:**

1. The reprobate have a natural knowledge of many things; but neither punishment nor fault ought wholly to destroy the goods of nature: therefore some knowledge will remain in them.

2. Likewise, the damned have remorse of conscience and the worm; but conscience does not gnaw except concerning sins which it has known: therefore etc.

3. Likewise, it seems that there is more of light in the damned than in wayfarers, even than in themselves [as they were]; which is plain, because many kill the Martyrs, thinking that they do well, and many believe that they sin with impunity; but then they will be certain that they had been deceived: therefore the light of knowledge will increase for them; and if so, then it seems that God gives new illuminations to the damned.

4. Likewise, it seems that at least on the side of speculation there is as much light in them as now: because, if the privation of light is through the merit of sin; but merit and demerit are in the practical or motive power, not in the speculative power: therefore etc.

### Conclusion

> *To the damned some things indeed are made manifest, but unto the heaping up of their sorrows; yet they have nothing of light for directing and for delighting.*

**I respond:** It must be said that, just as there is a threefold act of bodily light, namely *to make manifest*, *to direct* and *to delight*; so also in spiritual light. If we speak as regards the first act; thus I say that they will not be wholly outside light, because some things will be manifest to them, but only those which make for the heaping up of punishment, others not; and therefore that light is for making manifest the darknesses and is one leading into darkness, not consisting in light. — If we speak as regards the second act, which is *to direct*; thus I say that they will be wholly outside light, because they will not be able to be directed. For they will be outside every way and time and place of acting well, as is said in Ecclesiastes, chapter nine: *Because there is neither work, nor reason, nor knowledge among the dead.* — If [we speak] as regards the third, which is *to delight*; thus I say likewise that they will be outside light altogether, because they will know nothing in act in which they might be delighted. For they will be wholly absorbed by the magnitude of their punishments, so that it will not be permitted them to think of any delightful things.

**To the arguments for the affirmative side:**

*To 1, 2.* That they are therefore said to be wholly blinded and to be outside God; this is understood as regards direction and delight.

*To 3, 4.* But to that which is objected, that they have no knowledge, because neither does their affection have the love of the good; it must be said that, just as they will not have the love of the honorable good, but of the advantageous; so neither will they think about the honorable good, but only about the advantageous. — Or it must be said that the case is not similar, because the affection is more corrupted by sin than the intellect.

**To the arguments for the negative side:**

*To 1, 2.* To that which is objected to the contrary, that they have natural knowledge and knowledge of their sins; it must be said that natural knowledge will not be abolished; but nevertheless no knowledge in them will issue into act which does not make for their torment either *per se* or *per accidens*.

*To 3.* To that which is objected, that they will have a fuller illumination; it must be said that they will know some sins which they now do not know, not through the bestowal of a new light, but through the affliction of punishment, because, as Gregory says, "punishment opens the eyes which fault closes."

*To 4.* To that which is objected, that as regards the speculative intellect there is no demerit; it must be said that the will earns demerit for itself and for all the powers of the soul and the members of the body; therefore it is punished not only in itself, but also in all the powers and members, although it is itself punished more principally. And thus that is plain.

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