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Lull's Book of
Propositions
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2 - Figure A
A. is the supreme being of all beings, with its ineffable dignities. But as the intellect really has
no way of totally understanding A. but only understands through the
grace and influence of A. that there are sixteen dignities in A., not to say that there are only sixteeen,
since they are countless and all of the same unique
essence; but as it is sufficient for the intellect to take sixteen divine dignities in this Art so as
to answer any question regarding A., each of the sixteen dignities
has six propositions with which any question about A. can be answered with the help of T. Thus there
are sixteen times six, or ninety six propositions. And we
begin with goodness first, which does not mean that it is better than the others since there is no hierarchy
within God, and only means that this is the sequence
adopted in this Art.
Goodness B.
1. God's goodness exists so entirely in itself that it needs nothing apart from itself.
2. As God's goodness does good within itself, it exists in itself and in greatness, etc.
3. As God's goodness does good outside itself it exists in all creatures and their acts.
4. All created good is a mirror of uncreated good.
5. Goodness cannot be great without the good it does.
6. A good being never resists its own greatness.
Greatness C.
1. God's greatness cannot exist in itself or in anything else without magnification.
2. God's greatness has greater magnification in itself than anywhere else.
3. Greatness is as great in its goodness, eternity, power etc. as in itself.
4. All great good is lovable.
5. No great being contradicts itself.
6. Any magnification of a great being contradicts some lesser being.
Eternity D.
1. Eternizing is the act of eternity.
2. All duration is a likeness of eternity.
3. In eternity, immense magnifying and eternizing proceed with one equally immense velocity.
4. Eternity cannot exist on account of anything other than itself.
5. There is greater concordance between eternity and eternizing than between the creator and the
act of creation.
6. There cannot be any increase in eternity.
Power E.
1. God can legitimately do anything not unbecoming to God.
2. Whatever contradicts or defies empowerment, contradicts and defies power.
3. Every dignity produces its likeness in divine power.
4. As power and will are identical in God, God can do all of whatever He wants.
5. Without intrinsic empowerment in God's power, creation is impossible.
6. All power derives from God's power.
Wisdom F.
1. In God's wisdom, being and knowing are equal.
2. All acts of the divine dignities equally exist in divine wisdom.
3. God's wisdom is infused in itself and other beings.
4. God's science exists universally in all particulars.
5. As there is science in God, all ignorance is hateful.
6. All science is influenced by God's science.
Will G.
1. Because in God's essence there is no difference between willing and not willing , no power
of will can be great without both willing and not willing.
2. God's will does not want God's power to produce whatever it could produce outwardly.
3. Willingness and unwillingness in God both exist in one immense velocity of magnitude and eternity.
4. As God has all of whatever He wants, He has nothing that He does not want.
5. Will that intrinsically desires its own likeness is greater than will that does not desire
its likeness.
6. Divine will intrinsically wants whatever can make a creature be God.
Virtue H.
1. God's virtue is equal to God's substance.
2. Divine virtue cannot be idle.
3. Divine virtue is always joined to divine purpose.
4. A virtue always influences itself more strongly than anything other than itself.
5. No virtue can act without specification.
6. No virtue opposes the greatness of its own act.
Truth I.
1. God can verify more truth within himself, than anywhere else.
2. Through verification, truth produces its likeness and opposes falsehood.
3. Great truth consists in great verification.
4. Every truth is greater in reality than in the created intellect.
5. Because truth can be understood, it is an object of the intellect.
6. Without the light of truth, truth could not be an object of the intellect.
Glory K.
1. No Glory is supreme unless it exists in itself.
2. God's extrinsic glory is greater than the intrinsic glory of creatures.
3. God's glory is incessantly free of any imperfection.
4. Intrinsic glory is greater than extrinsic glory.
5. Glory can never be understood and loved without specification.
6. Because glory in God is one with Justice, God's glory is more desirable in equality than in
majority.
Perfection L.
1. Perfection existing per se within itself, is one without a second.
2. As perfecting is the act of perfection, all perfecting is desirable.
3. Perfecting cannot be absent from the perfection of immensity and eternity.
4. If God is nothing, perfection cannot exist without imperfection.
5. Without the divine intrinsic act of perfecting, anything perfect would have been imperfect
before being perfect.
6. God's intrinsic perfection exists in itself, and perfects in itself the necessary influence
of perfection that it gives out.
Justice M.
1. Justice is never repugnant to the magnitude of goodness, eternity, power etc.
2. Divine justice is the one and only justice that can exist by itself, in itself and for itself.
3. The act of God's justice is so great that it justifies all the intrinsic and extrinsic acts of the
other dignities.
4. Justice without its own intrinsic justifying act could be mixed with injury.
5. Whatever contradicts or opposes the magnitude of the justifying act, contradicts and opposes the
magnitude of justice.
6. With its intrinsic justification, justice opposes injury within itself and outside itself.
Generosity N.
1. Without generous action, generosity is worth nothing.
2. God's generosity gives generously within God through being, and outside God through influence.
3. On account of God's great intrinsic generosity, greater gifts are more desirable than lesser ones.
4. There is no generosity greater than the one which gives all of its gift from all of itself.
5. Generosity always contradicts avarice more greatly with greatness than with smallness.
6. Divine generosity gives more to man by giving him being, than by giving him prosperity.
Simplicity O.
1. Without simplification, nothing can be united into any kind of unity.
2. Union without simplification would have to proceed without composition.
3. As there is simplicity without composition in God, simplicity is always greater in unity than in
composition.
4. If some simplicity did not simplify anything, it would be less than any simplicity that did simplify
something.
5. There is no simplicity greater than the one which exists in unity and plurality without any composition.
6. All simplicity is removed from composition by form.
Nobility P.
1. If nobility can act more nobly within itself than anywhere else, it can also act more greatly within
itself than anywhere else.
2. There is as much nobility in God as can be empowered by God's intrinsic power.
3. If great nobility could not ennoble anything, then great vileness could not defile
anything.
4. On account of God's eternal intrinsic nobility, lasting nobility is always sought and desired.
6. As nobility belongs to being, greater nobility is always more sought after than lesser nobility.
Mercy Q.
1. The distinction between mercy and justice is merely a rational one.
2. Hope was equally created for mercy and justice.
3. Given the identical unity of God's mercy and justice, both must be equally feared.
4. God's intrinsic mercy is greater than man's nothingness.
5. Mercy is never opposed to great hope.
6. Greater forgiveness provides greater understanding of mercy.
Dominion R.
1. Because God is our Lord, all dominion is desirable.
2. Dominion never opposes its own greatness.
3. Dominion that dominates nothing is worth nothing.
4. Because God is the supreme sovereign, dominion takes natural precedence over servitude.
5. Domination is a majority in which some minority is sustained.
6. In view of divine justice, dominion always agrees better with greater than with lesser justice.
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