Thomas Aquinas Commentary 1 Corinthians 13:12-13

"For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known. But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love." — 1 Corinthians 13:12-13 (ASV)

Here he speaks of the vision, which is the knowledge of God. Therefore, all the preceding gifts must be understood as destined to be eliminated, since they are directed toward the knowledge of God. In this regard, he does two things: first, he proves his proposal in general; second, he applies it in detail to himself (1 Corinthians 13:12).

He says, therefore: I have said that we know imperfectly because we know in a mirror dimly, but then—that is, in heaven—we will see face to face. The first consideration concerns what it means to see through a mirror dimly; the second, what it means to see face to face.

It should be noted, therefore, that a sensible object can be seen in three ways. First, by its own presence in the one seeing, as light is present in the eye. Second, by the presence of its likeness in the sense, derived immediately from the object, as the whiteness of a wall is seen; even though the whiteness itself does not exist in the eye, its likeness does (although the eye does not see the likeness itself). Or third, by the presence of a likeness derived not immediately from the object itself, but from a likeness of the object in something else, as when a person is seen in a mirror. In this case, the likeness of the person is not immediately in the eye but is a reflection from the mirror.

Applying this to the vision of God, I say that by natural knowledge, God alone sees Himself, because in God, essence and intellect are the same. Therefore, His own essence is present to His intellect. In the second way, the angels perhaps see God by natural knowledge, since a likeness of the divine essence is reflected immediately upon them. But in the third way, we know God in this life, since we know the invisible things of God through created things, as it says in Romans 1:20. And so, all creation is a mirror for us, because from the order, goodness, and multitude that God has caused in things, we come to a knowledge of His power, goodness, and eminence. This knowledge is what is called seeing in a mirror.

It should be further noted that this kind of likeness—one reflected from another—is twofold. Sometimes it is clear and open, like an image in a mirror. At other times, it is obscure and secret, and then the vision is called an enigma, as in the riddle: "A mother begot me, and soon she is born from me." This is a secret expressed through a simile. It refers to ice, which is born from frozen water, while water is born from melted ice.

Therefore, it is clear that vision through a "likeness of a likeness" is vision in a mirror. When this likeness is hidden, it is in an enigma, but a clear and open likeness constitutes another kind of allegorical vision. Thus, since we know the invisible things of God through created things, we are said to see through a mirror. And since those invisible things are secrets to us, we see in an enigma. Alternatively, we see now through a mirror, that is, by our reason; in this case, "through" designates only the faculty. It is as if to say: we see through a mirror, meaning, by a power of our soul.

Regarding the second point, it should be noted that God as God does not have a face; therefore, the expression face to face is metaphorical. When we see something in a mirror, we do not see the thing itself, but its likeness. But when we see someone face to face, we see them as they are. Therefore, when the Apostle says that in heaven we will see face to face, he means nothing other than that we will see the very essence of God: We shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2).

However, an objection is raised from Genesis 32:30: I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. It is evident, however, that Jacob did not see the essence of God at that time. Therefore, seeing face to face must not mean seeing the essence of God. The answer is that Jacob's vision was an imaginary one. An imaginary vision, which involves seeing a form in which God appears, is a higher degree of grace than the lowest grace, which is only to hear words. Hence, to indicate the excellence of the imaginary vision shown to him, Jacob says, I have seen the Lord face to face. This means, "I have seen the Lord through my imagination in His own chosen image, and not through His essence." For if he had seen God's essence, it would not have been an imaginary vision.

Still, some say that in heaven the divine essence will be seen through a created likeness. This, however, is entirely false and impossible. Something can never be known in its essence by a likeness that does not agree with that thing in its species. For a stone cannot be known as it is except through the species of "stone" that is in the soul. No likeness can lead to knowledge of a thing’s essence if it differs from that thing in species, and much less if it differs in genus. The essence of a man, and even less the essence of an angel, cannot be known through the species of a horse or of whiteness. Much less, then, can the divine essence be seen through any created species whatsoever, since any created species in the soul is more distant from the divine essence than the species of a horse or whiteness is from the essence of an angel.

Therefore, to suppose that God is seen only by a likeness or through some brilliance of His clarity is to suppose that the divine essence is not seen at all. Furthermore, the soul itself is a certain likeness of God. If we were to see God only through another created likeness in heaven, that vision would be no different from the mirror-like and enigmatic vision we have in this life. It would not be the clear and open vision promised to the saints in glory, in which our beatitude will consist. This is why Augustine says in a gloss that a vision of God through a likeness pertains to a vision "in a mirror and an enigma." It would also follow that humanity's final beatitude would consist in something other than God, which is foreign to the faith. Even the natural human desire to reach the first cause of all things and to know Him in Himself would be in vain.

He continues: Now I know in part. Here he proves in particular for himself what he had proved in general about knowledge. He says: Now—that is, in the present life—I, Paul, know in part—that is, obscurely and imperfectly. But then—that is, in heaven—I will know as I am known. Just as God knows my essence, so I will know God through His essence. The word "as" does not imply equality of knowledge, but only similarity.

Then he draws his main conclusion, when he says: Now there abide... The reason he does not mention all the gifts but only three is that these three join us to God directly. The other gifts do not join us to God except through the mediation of these three. Also, the other gifts prepare for the birth of these three in human hearts. For this reason, only these three—faith, hope, and charity—are called theological virtues, because they have God as their immediate object.

But since these gifts exist for perfecting the affections or the intellect—with charity perfecting the affections and faith perfecting the intellect—it might seem that hope is unnecessary and superfluous. The answer is that love is a unitive force, and all love consists in some kind of union. Thus, according to the Philosopher, different kinds of friendship are distinguished by their various kinds of union.

Now, we have a twofold union with God. The first relates to the goods of nature, which we receive from Him in this life. The second relates to beatitude, as through grace we partake here of heavenly felicity, as far as is possible in this life. We also hope to arrive at the perfect attainment of that eternal beatitude and become citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem.

Corresponding to the first kind of communion with God, there is a natural friendship, by which every being, simply by existing, seeks and desires God as its end, as the first cause and supreme being. Corresponding to the second kind of communion, there is the love of charity, by which an intellectual creature alone loves God. But because nothing can be loved unless it is known, the love of charity first requires a knowledge of God. And because this knowledge is supernatural, it first requires faith, which is concerned with things not seen. Second, so that a person does not fail or fall away, hope is required, through which one strives toward that end as something attainable. Concerning these three, it says in Sirach 2:8: You who fear the Lord, believe in him (pertaining to hope), and you who fear the Lord, love him (pertaining to charity). Therefore, these three remain now, but charity is the greatest of them for the reasons already given.