Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It would seem that the angels know future events. For angels are mightier in knowledge than men. But some men know many future events. Therefore much more do the angels.

Objection 2: Further, the present and the future are differences of time. But the angel's intellect is above time; because, as is said in De Causis, "an intelligence keeps pace with eternity," that is, aeviternity. Therefore, to the angel's mind, past and future are not different, but he knows each indifferently.

Objection 3: Further, the angel does not understand by species derived from things, but by innate universal species. But universal species refer equally to present, past, and future. Therefore it appears that the angels know indifferently things past, present, and future.

Objection 4: Further, as a thing is spoken of as distant by reason of time, so is it by reason of place. But angels know things which are distant according to place. Therefore they likewise know things distant according to future time.

On the contrary, Whatever is the exclusive sign of the Divinity, does not belong to the angels. But to know future events is the exclusive sign of the Divinity, according to Is. 41:23: "Show the things that are to come hereafter, and we shall know that ye are gods." Therefore the angels do not know future events.

I answer that, The future can be known in two ways. First, it can be known in its cause. And thus, future events which proceed necessarily from their causes, are known with sure knowledge; as that the sun will rise tomorrow. But events which proceed from their causes in the majority of cases, are not known for certain, but conjecturally; thus the doctor knows beforehand the health of the patient. This manner of knowing future events exists in the angels, and by so much the more than it does in us, as they understand the causes of things both more universally and more perfectly; thus doctors who penetrate more deeply into the causes of an ailment can pronounce a surer verdict on the future issue thereof. But events which proceed from their causes in the minority of cases are quite unknown; such as casual and chance events.

In another way future events are known in themselves. To know the future in this way belongs to God alone; and not merely to know those events which happen of necessity, or in the majority of cases, but even casual and chance events; for God sees all things in His eternity, which, being simple, is present to all time, and embraces all time. And therefore God's one glance is cast over all things which happen in all time as present before Him; and He beholds all things as they are in themselves, as was said before when dealing with God's knowledge (Question 14, Article 13). But the mind of an angel, and every created intellect, fall far short of God's eternity; hence the future as it is in itself cannot be known by any created intellect.

Reply to Objection 1: Men cannot know future things except in their causes, or by God's revelation. The angels know the future in the same way, but much more distinctly.

Reply to Objection 2: Although the angel's intellect is above that time according to which corporeal movements are reckoned, yet there is a time in his mind according to the succession of intelligible concepts; of which Augustine says (Gen. ad lit. viii) that "God moves the spiritual creature according to time." And thus, since there is succession in the angel's intellect, not all things that happen through all time, are present to the angelic mind.

Reply to Objection 3: Although the species in the intellect of an angel, in so far as they are species, refer equally to things present, past, and future; nevertheless the present, past, and future; nevertheless the present, past, and future do not bear the same relations to the species. Present things have a nature according to which they resemble the species in the mind of an angel: and so they can be known thereby. Things which are yet to come have not yet a nature whereby they are likened to such species; consequently, they cannot be known by those species.

Reply to Objection 4: Things distant according to place are already existing in nature; and share in some species, whose image is in the angel; whereas this is not true of future things, as has been stated. Consequently there is no comparison.

Articulus 3

Argumentum 1

Ad tertium sic proceditur. Videtur quod Angeli cognoscant futura.

Angeli enim potentiores sunt in cognoscendo quam homines.

Sed homines aliqui cognoscunt multa futura.

Ergo multo fortius Angeli.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, praesens et futurum sunt differentiae temporis.

Sed intellectus Angeli est supra tempus, parificatur enim intelligentia aeternitati, idest aevo, ut dicitur in libro de causis.

Ergo quantum ad intellectum Angeli, non differunt praeteritum et futurum; sed indifferenter cognoscit utrumque.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, Angelus non cognoscit per species acceptas a rebus, sed per species innatas universales. Sed species universales aequaliter se habent ad praesens, praeteritum et futurum.

Ergo videtur quod Angeli indifferenter cognoscant praeterita et praesentia et futura.

Argumentum 4

Praeterea, sicut aliquid dicitur distans secundum tempus, ita secundum locum. Sed Angeli cognoscunt distantia secundum locum.

Ergo etiam cognoscunt distantia secundum tempus futurum.

Sed Contra

Sed contra, id quod est proprium signum divinitatis, non convenit Angelis. Sed cognoscere futura est proprium signum divinitatis; secundum illud Isaiae XLI, annuntiate quae ventura sunt in futurum, et sciemus quod dii estis vos.

Ergo Angeli non cognoscunt futura.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod futurum dupliciter potest cognosci.

Uno modo, in causa sua. Et sic futura quae ex necessitate ex causis suis proveniunt, per certam scientiam cognoscuntur, ut solem oriri cras. Quae vero ex suis causis proveniunt ut in pluribus, cognoscuntur non per certitudinem, sed per coniecturam; sicut medicus praecognoscit sanitatem infirmi. Et iste modus cognoscendi futura adest Angelis; et tanto magis quam nobis, quanto magis rerum causas et universalius et perfectius cognoscunt; sicut medici qui acutius vident causas, melius de futuro statu aegritudinis prognosticantur. Quae vero proveniunt ex causis suis ut in paucioribus, penitus sunt ignota, sicut casualia et fortuita.

Alio modo cognoscuntur futura in seipsis. Et sic solius dei est futura cognoscere, non solum quae ex necessitate proveniunt, vel ut in pluribus, sed etiam casualia et fortuita, quia deus videt omnia in sua aeternitate, quae, cum sit simplex, toti tempori adest, et ipsum concludit. Et ideo unus dei intuitus fertur in omnia quae aguntur per totum tempus sicut in praesentia, et videt omnia ut in seipsis sunt; sicut supra dictum est cum de dei scientia ageretur.

Angelicus autem intellectus, et quilibet intellectus creatus, deficit ab aeternitate divina. Unde non potest ab aliquo intellectu creato cognosci futurum, ut est in suo esse.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod homines non cognoscunt futura nisi in causis suis, vel deo revelante.

Et sic Angeli multo subtilius futura cognoscunt.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod, licet intellectus Angeli sit supra tempus quo mensurantur corporales motus, est tamen in intellectu Angeli tempus secundum successionem intelligibilium conceptionum; secundum quod dicit Augustinus, VIII super Gen. Ad litt., quod deus movet spiritualem creaturam per tempus.

Et ita, cum sit successio in intellectu Angeli, non omnia quae aguntur per totum tempus, sunt ei praesentia.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod, licet species quae sunt in intellectu Angeli, quantum est de se, aequaliter se habeant ad praesentia, praeterita et futura; tamen praesentia, praeterita et futura non aequaliter se habent ad rationes. Quia ea quae praesentia sunt, habent naturam per quam assimilantur speciebus quae sunt in mente Angeli, et sic per eas cognosci possunt. Sed quae futura sunt, nondum habent naturam per quam illis assimilentur, unde per eas cognosci non possunt.

Ad 4

Ad quartum dicendum quod distantia secundum locum sunt iam in rerum natura, et participant aliquam speciem, cuius similitudo est in Angelo, quod non est verum de futuris, ut dictum est.

Et ideo non est simile.