Creation & the Supernatural Order

§1 establishes the dogma of creation ex nihilo. Article 1 proves it from Scripture (Gen. 1:1; 2 Macc. 7:28; John 1:3; Rom. 4:17; Heb. 11:3) and Tradition (Fourth Lateran; Vatican Council — de fide). Article 2 refutes the two main heresies: Dualism (matter co-eternal with God) and Pantheism (universe identical with God) — both condemned by the Church.

Five articles explain the dogma philosophically. Art. 1: The Divine Idea (exemplary cause) — God's creative ideas are identical with His Essence. Art. 2: Creation and the Trinity — all Three Persons co-create; appropriations of Power, Wisdom, Goodness. Art. 3: Creation as a free act — God was not compelled to create; refutes emanationism. Art. 4: Creation in time — the world had a temporal beginning (de fide); the eternity of the world is not demonstrably impossible. Art. 5: The incommunicability of God's creative power — no creature can be an instrumental cause of creation.

Chapter II treats God's ongoing causal relation to the universe. §1 Divine Preservation: God continuously sustains creatures in existence; denial of conservation leads to Deism; de fide from Vatican Council. §2 Divine Co-operation or Concurrence: God co-operates in every creatural action without being the author of sin; the Scholastic controversy between Bañezian physical premotion and Molinist simultaneous concurrence is treated at length.

Chapter III treats the teleological dimension of creation. §1 The Final Cause: God created the universe for His own external glory — not from need but to communicate His goodness; the happiness of creatures is subordinate to this end. §2 Divine Providence: God governs all things to their appointed end; Providence is universal and extends to free acts; it is compatible with evil through permissive will; distinguished from predestination.

Chapter I treats the created material universe. §1 First and Second Creation: the Augustinian vs. Thomistic interpretations of the Hexaemeron's temporal sequence. §2 The Hexaemeron and Science/Exegesis: Article 1 treats the relationship of the Mosaic account to physical science — the Concordist and non-Concordist positions; Article 2 treats Hexaemeron exegesis — the literal, allegorical, and ideal interpretations, with assessment of each.

Four articles on human nature. Art. 1: Origin of Man — immediate divine creation of Adam; unity of the human race (de fide); refutes Polygenism and Evolutionism of the soul. Art. 2: Essential Constituents — the soul as substantial form of the body (de fide — Council of Vienne); refutes Trichotomy, Dualism, Günther's system. Art. 3: Immortality of the Human Soul — de fide; proved from Scripture, Tradition, and reason (simplicity of the soul). Art. 4: Origin of the Soul — Pre-existentism, Generationism, and Creationism; Creationism the only tenable position (sententia communis).

Four articles on man's supernatural endowment. Art. 1: Nature and the Supernatural — defines the supernatural (modal, simply supernatural, essentially supernatural); refutes Baius and Jansenius who denied the gratuity of grace. Art. 2: Man's Supernatural Endowment in Paradise — sanctifying grace, the beatific vision as man's final end, preternatural gifts (integrity, immortality, impassibility, infused knowledge). Art. 3: Heresies vs. the State of Original Justice — Pelagianism, Baius, Jansenism. Art. 4: The Different States of Man including the state of pure nature.

Five articles on original sin. Art. 1: Adam's personal sin and its effects on our protoparents — loss of grace, concupiscence, death, devil's dominion (de fide — Trent). Art. 2: Adam's sin as original sin transmitted to all — de fide (Trent, Sess. V); refutes Pelagianism. Art. 3: Nature of original sin — privation of sanctifying grace as formal element; concupiscence as material element; controversy with Reformers and Jansenists. Art. 4: Mode of propagation — through generation, not imitation (de fide). Art. 5: Penalties of original sin — death, ignorance, weakness of will, concupiscence.

§1 establishes the reality and nature of the angels. Article 1: Existence and Nature of the Angels — de fide (Fourth Lateran; Vatican Council); angels are pure spirits, personal beings distinct from God and from matter; refutes Angelomorphism, the material angel theory (Tertullian), and rationalist denials. Article 2: Number and Hierarchy of the Angels — Scripture and Tradition attest to an immense multitude; the traditional nine choirs (Pseudo-Dionysius; St. Thomas) and their theological assessment.

§2 treats the angels' supernatural endowment and their mission to men. Article 1: The Supernatural Endowment of the Angels — the angels were created in a state of grace; they received the beatific vision as their supernatural end; the probation and confirmation of the good angels. Article 2: The Angels in Their Relation to Men — Guardian Angels (de fide — Vatican Council's implicit definition); the angelic mission of protection, intercession, and guidance; tutelary angels of nations and churches.

§3 treats the fall of the rebel angels and their ongoing relation to mankind. Article 1: The Fallen Angels or Demons — their existence is de fide (Fourth Lateran; Trent); nature of the angelic sin (pride, envy); eternal punishment; the Devil's nature and power. Article 2: The Demons in Their Relation to the Human Race — temptation (tentatio probationis vs. tentatio malitiae); demoniacal possession and obsession; exorcism; the limits of diabolic power over man.