7. The Notion of Revelation
4. The Notion of Revelation
The verb to reveal generally means to unveil, to remove the veil that hides something, to manifest or make known that which is hidden or invisible. Here, we use it to denote God’s manifestation to humans of truths that were concealed from them. These truths may refer to God or to creatures, and reveal the origin and destiny of men and of the world.
5. Natural Revelation
5a) Notion
Natural revelation is what God communicates simply through the existence of creatures. When God creates, he imprints a mark in the creatures, and through that mark, we can learn something about God.
Actually, everything that is—insofar as it is—in some way reflects the self-subsistent Being (ipsum esse subsistens) who created it and keeps it in its being through continuous action. Similarly, the being of an artificial thing reflects something of the being of its maker: the existence of the craftsman, his talent and skill, his aesthetic appreciation, and moral judgment.
Since God’s creative action is stronger and deeper than the transformations achieved by man, the likeness between God and his creatures is deeper than the likeness between man and his artifacts.
On the other hand, since the distance between the self-subsistent Being and a being by participation is infinitely greater than the distance between man and his products, the information that creatures give us about their Creator is infinitely less proportionate than what man’s products tell us about man. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the information that creatures reveal about their Creator is essentially true.
5b) The Scope of Natural Revelation
Natural revelation includes only those divine attributes reflected in creatures: the existence of God and his attributes of goodness, unity, simplicity, infinity, wisdom, and omnipotence.
5c) Acquisition of the Natural Knowledge of God
Knowledge of the contents of natural revelation is reached simply through natural reason’s reflection on the positive characteristics of the being of things (its “perfections”) and on what we could call its negative characteristics (limitations or “imperfections”).
Reflection of natural reason is the route followed, for example, by the Five Ways of St. Thomas, which demonstrate the existence of God and his attributes.
Moral uprightness and good intentions are necessary to reach these truths, since they are not concerned with realities that are known through immediate evidence, but are attained by means of more or less complicated reasoning. If good will is lacking, one’s resistance could easily mislead his intelligence.
5d) Scientific and Common Knowledge of Natural Revelation
Natural knowledge of God and other truths of natural revelation is accessible not only to the smart, trained philosopher with sufficient moral dispositions. It is within the reach of everyone who has not been influenced by distorted ideas and who has some good moral dispositions.
The objective value of the argument leading to knowledge of the existence of God and some of his essential properties may be different for the philosopher and the layman. However, the objective truth of the conclusion (as well as its validity for the person) is the same in both cases, regardless of the reasoning followed in each case.
Natural revelation is the root of what is commonly called “natural” religion: there is a God, only one God who remunerates; man has to obey him and show him respect by accepting him as his Creator, and man has to do this internally and externally, individually and collectively. The acceptance of natural revelation is a necessary condition for admitting supernatural revelation.
5e) The Existence of Natural Revelation
Faith teaches us that God can be known with certainty through his creatures by the natural light of human reason. The existence of God and some characteristics (attributes) of the divine Being can be known by simply observing reality, reflecting on it, and drawing rational conclusions from what one sees.
This is what St. Paul’s words refer to when he says, “Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made” (Rom 1:20). He fully explains this idea in preceding and subsequent verses. The Church has formally taught this in the First and Second Vatican Councils.1
6. Supernatural Revelation
6a) Concept
Supernatural revelation is God’s manifestation to mankind, no longer through the mere existence of creatures, but through words or interventions in events in history.2 God communicates these words to a person; he enlightens him with these interventions. The person receives this revelation immediately, or directly from God himself, and not through creatures. When this person transmits the revelation to other people, they receive it mediately, that is, through that person.
This revelation is not a discovery of reason, as in natural revelation, but man’s acceptance of a truth that God communicates to him.
6b) Supernaturally Revealed Truths
God may reveal a supernatural reality, something that cannot be communicated to a creature in a natural way. The revelation of these supernatural truths is called supernatural revelation because of its content (quoad substantiam). No human or other created intelligence can have natural knowledge of such realities. People can receive these truths only through supernatural elevation.
It also may happen that God reveals some truths that are not supernatural in themselves, but belong to the order of what can be naturally shared by creatures. These truths can also be known in a natural way. Examples of these truths are the immortality of the soul and the fact of creation. The revelation of this second group of truths is called supernatural only in the manner that is brought about (quoad modum).
Although the supernatural truths quoad modum are, by nature, communicable and accessible to man, a supernatural elevation is still needed to receive them through revelation. God transmits them in a manner beyond the capacity of the creature’s nature.
6c) Supernatural Revelation and Inspiration
Supernatural revelation is not the same as the “inspiration” through which the sacred writers wrote the Bible. Inspiration does not necessarily imply or exclude revelation. Thus, St. Matthew did not need any revelation to tell us what happened in the Last Supper, since he was present. But he wrote about the Last Supper under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; he had the special assistance of the Holy Spirit to write exactly what God wanted to be written.
6d) Definition of Supernatural Revelation
Thus, supernatural revelation can be defined as a divine action that manifests far beyond the natural order a truth that was previously hidden.
The word revelation indicates not only the action itself, but also the result and the contents—the truths communicated. Thus, when we talk about the “deposit of revelation,” we refer to communicated truths. It is easy to discover which meaning is intended from the context.
Footnotes:
1. Cf. DS 3004, 3026; DV, 3; CCC, 27–49.
2. Cf. CCC, 50–73.
The verb to reveal generally means to unveil, to remove the veil that hides something, to manifest or make known that which is hidden or invisible. Here, we use it to denote God’s manifestation to humans of truths that were concealed from them. These truths may refer to God or to creatures, and reveal the origin and destiny of men and of the world.
5. Natural Revelation
5a) Notion
Natural revelation is what God communicates simply through the existence of creatures. When God creates, he imprints a mark in the creatures, and through that mark, we can learn something about God.
Actually, everything that is—insofar as it is—in some way reflects the self-subsistent Being (ipsum esse subsistens) who created it and keeps it in its being through continuous action. Similarly, the being of an artificial thing reflects something of the being of its maker: the existence of the craftsman, his talent and skill, his aesthetic appreciation, and moral judgment.
Since God’s creative action is stronger and deeper than the transformations achieved by man, the likeness between God and his creatures is deeper than the likeness between man and his artifacts.
On the other hand, since the distance between the self-subsistent Being and a being by participation is infinitely greater than the distance between man and his products, the information that creatures give us about their Creator is infinitely less proportionate than what man’s products tell us about man. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the information that creatures reveal about their Creator is essentially true.
5b) The Scope of Natural Revelation
Natural revelation includes only those divine attributes reflected in creatures: the existence of God and his attributes of goodness, unity, simplicity, infinity, wisdom, and omnipotence.
5c) Acquisition of the Natural Knowledge of God
Knowledge of the contents of natural revelation is reached simply through natural reason’s reflection on the positive characteristics of the being of things (its “perfections”) and on what we could call its negative characteristics (limitations or “imperfections”).
Reflection of natural reason is the route followed, for example, by the Five Ways of St. Thomas, which demonstrate the existence of God and his attributes.
Moral uprightness and good intentions are necessary to reach these truths, since they are not concerned with realities that are known through immediate evidence, but are attained by means of more or less complicated reasoning. If good will is lacking, one’s resistance could easily mislead his intelligence.
5d) Scientific and Common Knowledge of Natural Revelation
Natural knowledge of God and other truths of natural revelation is accessible not only to the smart, trained philosopher with sufficient moral dispositions. It is within the reach of everyone who has not been influenced by distorted ideas and who has some good moral dispositions.
The objective value of the argument leading to knowledge of the existence of God and some of his essential properties may be different for the philosopher and the layman. However, the objective truth of the conclusion (as well as its validity for the person) is the same in both cases, regardless of the reasoning followed in each case.
Natural revelation is the root of what is commonly called “natural” religion: there is a God, only one God who remunerates; man has to obey him and show him respect by accepting him as his Creator, and man has to do this internally and externally, individually and collectively. The acceptance of natural revelation is a necessary condition for admitting supernatural revelation.
5e) The Existence of Natural Revelation
Faith teaches us that God can be known with certainty through his creatures by the natural light of human reason. The existence of God and some characteristics (attributes) of the divine Being can be known by simply observing reality, reflecting on it, and drawing rational conclusions from what one sees.
This is what St. Paul’s words refer to when he says, “Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made” (Rom 1:20). He fully explains this idea in preceding and subsequent verses. The Church has formally taught this in the First and Second Vatican Councils.1
6. Supernatural Revelation
6a) Concept
Supernatural revelation is God’s manifestation to mankind, no longer through the mere existence of creatures, but through words or interventions in events in history.2 God communicates these words to a person; he enlightens him with these interventions. The person receives this revelation immediately, or directly from God himself, and not through creatures. When this person transmits the revelation to other people, they receive it mediately, that is, through that person.
This revelation is not a discovery of reason, as in natural revelation, but man’s acceptance of a truth that God communicates to him.
6b) Supernaturally Revealed Truths
God may reveal a supernatural reality, something that cannot be communicated to a creature in a natural way. The revelation of these supernatural truths is called supernatural revelation because of its content (quoad substantiam). No human or other created intelligence can have natural knowledge of such realities. People can receive these truths only through supernatural elevation.
It also may happen that God reveals some truths that are not supernatural in themselves, but belong to the order of what can be naturally shared by creatures. These truths can also be known in a natural way. Examples of these truths are the immortality of the soul and the fact of creation. The revelation of this second group of truths is called supernatural only in the manner that is brought about (quoad modum).
Although the supernatural truths quoad modum are, by nature, communicable and accessible to man, a supernatural elevation is still needed to receive them through revelation. God transmits them in a manner beyond the capacity of the creature’s nature.
6c) Supernatural Revelation and Inspiration
Supernatural revelation is not the same as the “inspiration” through which the sacred writers wrote the Bible. Inspiration does not necessarily imply or exclude revelation. Thus, St. Matthew did not need any revelation to tell us what happened in the Last Supper, since he was present. But he wrote about the Last Supper under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; he had the special assistance of the Holy Spirit to write exactly what God wanted to be written.
6d) Definition of Supernatural Revelation
Thus, supernatural revelation can be defined as a divine action that manifests far beyond the natural order a truth that was previously hidden.
The word revelation indicates not only the action itself, but also the result and the contents—the truths communicated. Thus, when we talk about the “deposit of revelation,” we refer to communicated truths. It is easy to discover which meaning is intended from the context.
Footnotes:
1. Cf. DS 3004, 3026; DV, 3; CCC, 27–49.
2. Cf. CCC, 50–73.