“THE LORD POSSESSED ME IN THE BEGINNING OF HIS WAYS”: MARY AND THE TRINITARIAN ORDER OF THE UNIVERSE A Commentary on Charles De Koninck’s Ego Sapientia: The Wisdom That Is Mary Katherine M. Gardner Dissertation Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctorate of Theology DIRECTOR: Michael Waldstein READERS: Steven Long, Roger Nutt Department of Graduate Theology Ave Maria University July, 2013 AKNOWLEDGEMENTS I owe a debt of gratitude to Michael and Susie Waldstein that I can only aspire to repay by imitating them to the best of my ability. They constantly place themselves at the disposal of the common good, alike in the extraordinary and in the apparently mundane encounters that fill their days. If I have expressed in what follows any valuable insights into the thought of De Koninck, and through it, into the fumdamental order of God’s creation and Mary’s place therein, this is largely due to the inexhaustible generosity, friendship, and wisdom with which they accompanied me throughout this work. Great thanks are also due to Patrick Gardner, whose insightful suggestions and careful editing not only made it possible for me to complete this work on time, but also greatly improved it. Thanks also to the Jacques Maritain Center at the University of Notre Dame, and in particular to John O’Callaghan and Alice Osberger, for so kindly facilitating my research in the archives of De Koninck’s notes and correspondence housed there. There are many others whose conversation and friendship, prayers, and support were indispensible, especially Matthew DuBroy, Jared Kuebler, Sr. Maria Josefa Bartosch, Sr. Luz-Amen Fischer, and Scott and Simone Heffelfinger. To each of you I offer my profound gratitude. ii Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 Commentary on Title and Mottos: .................................................................................................................. 15 Commentary on the Foreword: ....................................................................................................................... 19 Part I: Ego Sapientia .................................................................................................. 27 Chapters 1 and 2: The Nature of Wisdom....................................................................................................... 32 Commentary Chapters 3-7 ................................................................................................................................. 50 Initial Commentary on Chapters 3-5: the Criteria of Wisdom ............................................................ 51 Chapter 3: Mary as Origin of God ....................................................................................................................... 51 Chapter 4: Mary as Origin of God with Knowledge .................................................................................... 58 Chapter 5: Mary as Origin of God as Redeemer ........................................................................................... 60 Chapters 4-7: Wisdom and the Trinitarian Processions ....................................................................... 62 Excursus on the Causality of the Divine Processions ................................................................................. 64 Commentary on Chapters 4-7 in light of Trinitarian Wisdom ............................................................ 89 Chapter 4: The Likeness of the Eternal and Temporal Generations................................................... 90 Chapter 5: Mary as a Principle of the Temporal Procession of the Son ............................................ 94 Chapter 6: The Divine Maternity and the Hypostatic Order .................................................................. 96 Chapter 7 Mary’s Habitual Grace and the Order of Redemption ......................................................... 98 Commentary on Chapters 8-16 ................................................................................ 109 Chapters 8-9: The Shift from God to the World......................................................................................... 112 Chapter 10: Mary as cause of the universal order ................................................................................... 124 Chapters 11-12 Mary as a Common Good ................................................................................................... 131 Chapters 13-14: The Circular Movement in God, Mary, and creation ............................................ 176 Chapter 15: Summary of the First Part ........................................................................................................ 181 Chapter 16: The Height of Beauty in Mary ................................................................................................. 187 Part II: Nigra Sum Sed Formosa ............................................................................... 189 Introduction to Second Part: .......................................................................................................................... 190 Chapters 17-18: Mercy at the Root of God’s Works Ad Extra ............................................................. 200 Commentary on Chapters 19-34 .................................................................................................................. 208 Chapters 19-25: The Nigra Sum as Applied to Human nature .......................................................... 209 Chapters 26-30: The Nigra Sum as Applied to Sin ................................................................................... 245 Chapters 31-34: Unfolding the Most Profound Sense of Nigra Sum sed Formosa .................... 269 Commentary on Chapters 35-42 .................................................................................................................. 297 Chapters 36-39: The Rejection of Mercy ...................................................................................................... 299 Chapters 40-42: The Beauty of Mary in Humility .................................................................................... 333 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 345 Divisio Textus ......................................................................................................... 348 Bibliography ........................................................................................................... 349 i Index of Texts: Ego Sapientia Title and Mottos……………………………………………………………………………………………12 Foreword……………………………………………………………………………………………………...15 Part I Chapters 1-2………………………………………………………………………………………………….26 Chapters 3-7………………………………………………………………………………………………….37 Chapters 8-9………………………………………………………………………………………………..108 Chapter 10…………………………………………………………………………………………………..119 Chapters 11-12……………………………………………………………………………………………124 Chapters 13-14……………………………………………………………………………………………171 Chapter 15…………………………………………………………………………………………………..176 Chapter 16…………………………………………………………………………………………………..183 Part II Chapters 17-18……………………………………………………………………………………………193 Chapter 19…………………………………………………………………………………………………..207 Chapter 20…………………………………………………………………………………………………..219 Chapters 21-23……………………………………………………………………………………………227 Chapters 24-25……………………………………………………………………………………………236 Chapter 26…………………………………………………………………………………………………..243 Chapters 27-28……………………………………………………………………………………………246 Chapters 29-30……………………………………………………………………………………………254 Chapters 31-34……………………………………………………………………………………………261 Chapter 35…………………………………………………………………………………………………..292 Chapter 36……………………..……………………………………………………………………………295 Chapters 37-39……………………………………………………………………………………………316 Chapters 40-41……………………………………………………………………………………………325 Chapter 42…………………………………………………………………………………………………..330 ii Introduction The Nature and Importance of Ego Sapientia: Its Essential Contribution to Mariology In the first question of his Summa Theologiae, St. Thomas delineates the entire science of theology: its very existence, its nature, its principles, and its subject matter. Characteristic of Thomas’s genius is his precise view of the role of philosophy in that science: Sacred doctrine makes use even of human reason, not, indeed, to prove faith (for thereby the merit of faith would come to an end), but to make clear other things that are put forward in this doctrine. Since therefore grace does not destroy nature but perfects it, natural reason should minister to faith as the natural bent of the will ministers to charity. Hence the Apostle says: "Bringing into captivity every understanding unto the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5).1 Equally characteristic of Thomas’s contribution to theology is his particular use of Aristotle, especially of his metaphysics and natural philosophy. In the systematic work that begins with Question 2 of the Summa, Thomas takes as foundational the things that God reveals about Himself in Scripture and has entrusted to the Church, never supplanting this foundation with philosophy, but making use of human reason to find the inner order of the things that have been revealed and to penetrate them more deeply, drawing out the treasures hidden within. Theology is therefore the 1 STh Ia, q1 a8 ad2. “Utitur tamen sacra doctrina etiam ratione humana, non quidem ad probandum fidem, quia per hoc tolleretur meritum fidei; sed ad manifestandum aliqua alia quae traduntur