La revelación como «locutio Dei»

Abstract

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The article studies the natura of divine Revelation. Although it can be described in various ways, the author considers that there are sufficient motives in Scripture and Tradition, and also in the Magisterium, to prefer the formula which defines divine Revelation as a locutio Dei ad homines. This said, the author uses texts of St Thomas which present Revelation as divine speaking to develop and penetrate its different facets. He finds that from this angle the possibility of Revelation is easily demonstrated since speaking is a spiritual activity and therefore to be found to a maximum degree in God. He highlights that Revelation, by which God manifests his intimacy to man and addresses him with his Word, is related to God's intertrinitarian life, to the eternal locution of the Father who engenders the Word. Thus, the Incarnation of the Word is the fulness of divine Revelation: The Father manifests his Word to men by dressing it with flesh in time so that men can see it, hear it, touch it.

The consideration of Revelation as a locutio helps to underline certain aspects which are fundamental if one is not to disfigure its nature. The author alludes to several of these: divine freedom in manifesting himself to men, the determining nature of the content, and man's freedom and responsability in the face of the locutio Dei.

The analogy of Revelation with human speaking is made complete by the consideration of the excellence of the divine locution. The author sums up this superiority by showing that God, speaking to men, transforms them and divinises them. God works in creatures intrinsically: when he reveals himself, he does not stop at proposing what he wants to manifest through signs; he infuses, besides, a supernatural light into the soul, which allows it to know with superior certainty and to reach higher truths. Men only communicates concepts and realities attainable' by their intelligence; God can speak of things which exceed man because he can act on the human mind, raising it above its natural capacity. Therefore, the infusion of supernatural light and the presence of supernatural truth in the content of Revelation are characteristics that are proper and exclusive to the divine locution.

The superiority of the divine locution does not mean that there is difficulty in understanding it, since God has manifested himself by using human words. Besides, divine Revelation also deals with truths attainable by Reason, thus providing the necessary conceptual nucleus to recieve the superior content. In short, Revelation does not distance man from God. On the contrary, it introduces him into the divine intimacy; it allows him to deal with God in friendship.

The article concludes with a study of Christ, fulness of Revelation. By taking on our nature, the Word has drawn close to us. He has elevated us to knowledge of Himself to a maximum degree. The definitive nature of this Revelation follows on necessarily from its fulness. There is room for growth in the expression and understanding of what is revealed, though not in the content itself. It is necessary therefore to conserve the same dogma, the same meaning, the same interpretation. The article ends by recalling that the supreme form of divine speaking to man is to be found in Heaven.