System of Sacred Theology · §3.19.5 · Ludwig Crocius

Essential property; creatures beatific good; glory

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But Gods blessedness is an essential property, indeed the essence itself, which can be communicated to no creature — Isaiah 42:8; Jeremiah; 1 Corinthians 15:28; 1 Timothy 1:11; 6:15; Psalm 16:2,11. And yet it is the beatific good of intelligent creatures by reason of the object completing the act tending into the object and resting in the same, in which two the creatures blessedness consists and shines. For the object is the good which we enjoy. But the act is that by which we enjoy the good.

And it is glory or joy. III. Glory is that by which, on account of His infinite perfection, He excels all things. And so this attribute is indeed from Gods perfection, but with a certain respect outwardly, because He variously manifests His excellence above all things and His infinite perfection by external acts — Romans 1:23; 9:5; Psalm 8; Deuteronomy 32; 1 Timothy 1:11; 6:15.

And that either through unusual flashing and shining of light and splendor, or through opposed and split darkness, or through production of works which agree with His perfection and excellence — Matthew 17:2,5; Luke 2:9; Exodus; Psalm 19:1.

Latin

Est autem beatitudo Dei essentialis proprietas, imo ipsa essentia, quae nulli creaturae communicari potest — Isaia XLII.8; Jerem.; I Cor. XV.28; I Tim. I.11; VI.15; Psal. XVI.2,11. Et est tamen creaturarum intelligentium bonum beatificum ratione objecti destituens actus in objectum tendentis, inque eodem acquiescentis, in quibus duobus creaturae beatitudo consistit ac relucet. Objectum enim est bonum, quo fruimur. Actus vero, quo bono fruimur. Estque gloria aut gaudium. III. Gloria est, qua ob infinitam perfectionem suam omnia excellit. Atque ita hoc attributum est quidem a perfectione Dei, sed cum respectu quodam ad extra, quia excellentiam supra omnia et perfectionem suam infinitam actibus externis varie manifestat — Rom. I.23; IX.5; Psal. VIII; Deut. XXXII; I Tim. I.11; VI.15. Idque vel per luminis splendorisque inusitatam coruscationem et effulgescentiam, vel per oppositam et fissam tenebrositatem, vel per productionem operum, quae ipsius perfectioni et excellentiae congruunt — Matth. XVII.2,5; Luc. II.9; Exod.; Psal. XIX.1.

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About this text

Ludwig Crocius's System of Sacred Theology (Bremen, 1636), all four books: theology and its rule in Scripture; man's last end, death and the resurrection; God, the Trinity, creation, providence and sin; and the grace of Christ, the Word and sacraments, faith, the Christian life and prayer.

Ludwig Crocius (1586–1655) taught theology and philosophy at Bremen and sat as a delegate at the Synod of Dort (1618–1619). A Calvinist of the irenic school, he spent his career seeking common ground between the Reformed and Lutheran churches.

His System of Sacred Theology (Bremen, 1636) is a full Reformed dogmatics in the high-orthodox style: precise definitions, ordered questions, objections raised and answered.

Date1636 AD (Bremen; Reformed professor)

EditionSyntagma sacrae theologiae (Bremen: Berthold Villerian, 1636)

English follows the 1636 Bremen Latin (Berthold Villerian), read chapter by chapter from the SLUB Dresden page images, with a machine reading of the same pages as a check. No modern English was copied. The author index at the end of the volume is not translated.

Reference

VD17 14:684303C. SLUB id335860389.

We have not yet re-checked this work against its source. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Latin on any section, or the Latin source link, to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

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