Fundamentals: Fr Daniel Ava Moses

• Essence
  • That which all Subjects of a Common Group are constituted or made up of
    • Essence is what causes a Being to be what it is
  • A being is not said to POSSESS the Essence but IS the Essence
  • Complete definition of an essence includes All its natural attributes
    • Removing natural attributes from an essence destroys the definition of that essence
  • Definition of an essence is made clear by stating what an essence is and not by stating what it is not
  • This definition is NOT impacted by Accidents (Contingent attributes)
    • It can also be viewed that contingent attributes are included in the definition of an essence
  • Using secular methods of categorizing existence is NOT wrong
  • Synonyms
    • Being or Existence
    • Concrete Reality
    • Hypostasis (archaic)
    • Nature
    • Substance
  • Divine Essence
    • Synonyms for the Divine Essence
      • Divinity
      • Godhead
    • Principles of the Divine Essence
      • Able to be Imitated
      • Able to be Partaken of
      • Able to be taught by faith and pious reasoning
      • Eternal, Uncreated, Unoriginate
      • Incommunicable
        • NO created being can EVER become constituted of the Divine Essence
      • Incomprehensible
        • NOT possible to know WHAT the Divine Essence is
        • Seeking the definition of the Divine Essence is NOT to be pursued
        • ONLY the Trinity know WHAT the Divine Essence is
      • Indivisble
        • Cannot be broken up into parts
        • Division of Divine Essence would necessitate that It be incomplete
      • One
        • This necessitates that there be One God
        • This One God is a Triad
          • It is NOT wrong to confess belief in One God, but better to unfold or expand our confession to clearly note each of the Three Divine Hypostases
          • This is the Fullness of the Godhead
          • This is the Perfect Doctrine of the Only True Religion
          • The Holy Trinity is Father, Son, Holy Spirit
        • Multiple divine essences would necessitate multiple gods
      • The Divine Essence is Referred to when naming individual Divine Hypostasis
      • The Divine Essence is not able to exist or energize contrary to Itself
• Hypostasis
  • Essence (archaic)
  • Individual Subject
    • In Most cases, each hypostasis is a portion of essence distinct from another hypostasis constituted of the same essence
      • MW: This is NOT the case with the Divine Essence
  • Synonyms
    • Person
    • Individual or Personal Existence
    • Subsistence
  • An Individual Hypostasis is NOT the same thing as a commonly shared essence
  • Divine Hypostases
    • Father
    • Son
    • Holy Spirit
  • Principles of the Divine Hypostases
    • The Divine Hypostases are all able to be partaken of or participated in
    • Partaking of One Divine Hypostasis is the same as partaking of any of Them
    • NO Created Being can cause another created being to partake of God
    • Divine Hypostases do NOT partake of anything created
    • The Divine Hypostases are all coessential, connatural, consubstantial, being constituted of the One and Only Divine Essence
      • This precludes Them from not being equal
      • This causes Them to be equal in all things
    • The Divine Hypostases are all complete, perfect or whole
    • The Divine Hypostases are all constituted of the One Undivided or Unpartitioned Divine Essence
    • The Divine Hypostases are all coworkers in any and all things
      • They will NEVER do anything separately EVER
      • Abilities or Energizations are not divided up among the Divine Hypostases
      • Assigning specific abilities or energies to individual divine hypostases leads to polytheism
      • If something is ascribed to a specific Divine Hypostasis, it should be understood as From the Father, Through the Son and In the Holy Spirit
      • Each Divine Hypostasis can be understood to energize the same energy in a way that varies from the other Divine Hypostases
      • The formula of HOW They work together is that each Divine Hypostasis has His own Preposition that describes its relationship to the work
        • From the Father
        • Through the Son (sometimes By the Son)
        • In the Holy Spirit
        • Each Divine Hypostasis having Its own preposition allows for differences and variation for the same energization
        • Being able to do the same works testifies to the Son being the Father’s Image and Imprint
        • Being able to do the same works testifies to their being coessential
        • Each Divine Hypostasis is completely sufficient of Itself to completely accomplish any work
        • They are equal in all things
        • Examples
          • Creating
          • Sharing Grace (Divine Attributes)
          • Judging
          • Purifying
          • Sanctifying
    • The Divine Hypostases are all distinct from one another
    • The Divine Hypostases are all Eternal, Uncreated, Unoriginate
      • This means before or outside of time
      • The Son and Holy Spirit are Simultaneously Originate (the Father is their Origin) and yet, NOT Temporally
    • The Divine Hypostases are all IN each other
      • The Father is In the Son
      • The Son is in the Father
      • The Son is in the Holy Spirit
      • The Holy Spirit is in the Father
      • The Holy Spirit is in the Son
    • The Divine Hypostases are all indivisible or inseparable from each other
      • Division of any Divine Hypostasis from each other…
        
        • Causes one to be Divided from Life
        • Causes the Divine Essence to be more than one
        • Destroys the perfection of the Trinity
        • Destroys the unity of the Trinity
        • Necessitates that the Divine Essence has mixed with it an essence that is created and different
        • Precludes there being only One True God
    • The Divine Hypostases are all said to be possessed by those who participate in Them
    • The Divine Hypostases are all simultaneously individually existent with the other Divine Hypostases
    • The Divine Hypostases are the ONLY Hypostases that can COMPLETELY know each Other.
    • The Divine Hypostases are all united to each other
      • Father <—> Son
      • Father <—> Holy Spirit
      • Son <—> Holy Spirit
    • They are NOT able to go above or below Three
    • They are NOT the Divine Essence
    • They are NOT duplicates of each Other
      
• Attributes
  • Descriptive capacities possessed by an essence or individual
  • Energies
    • The supplying of an effect
    • The effect itself
  • Principles
    • Attributes can be categorized as:
      • Essential, Natural, Substantial
        • Shared and possessed by any and all things constituted of a given essence
        • These attributes are rooted in the nature and cannot be lost by that nature
        • These can grow dull if they are not used
      • Hypostatic
        • Belonging to specific individuals of a group that is coessential
        • Hypostatic Attributes of the Holy Trinity
          • Fatherhood
          • Only-Begottenness or Sonship
          • Procession
          • These are the ONLY differences between the Divine Hypostases
          • If these are removed, the Divine Hypostases will contract into One
      • Conditional, Contingent, Dependent or Impermanent (Accidents)
        • These type of attributes are not inherent to the Essence which they are attached
        • These can be lost by the Essence or Individual they were in
        • Losing these does not do any harm to the Essence or Subject
    • Mutually Exclusive Attributes CANNOT exist simultaneously in the same subject
    • Attributes are not:
      • Essences
      • Individual Hypostases
      • Self-existent or able to exist independent of an essence or hypostasis
  • Divine Attributes of the Holy Trinity
    • All-encompassingness
    • Authority or Sovereignty
    • Calmness, Peace, Serenity, Tranquility
    • Compassion
    • Completeness, Perfection, Wholeness
    • Creativity
      • How God creates is not able to be comprehended
      • Only the Trinity is able to possess this attribute
      • Causing something to exist in a given state and restoring this thing back to this state are the same thing
      • Whatever God wants to create is created immediately in its entirety
    • Energizing (Able to bring something about)
    • Eternity or Timelessness
    • Existence
      • God can NEVER not exist
      • His existence is beyond all understanding
    • Fearlessness
    • Formlessness or Shapelessness
    • Freedom
    • Gentleness
    • Glory
    • Godhood (Being Divine)
    • Goodness
    • Graciousness (Kindness)
    • Holiness, Righteousness, Sanctity
    • Honesty
    • Humility
    • Immateriality, Impalpability or Intangibility
    • Immeasurability
    • Immortality
    • Immutability, Inalterability, Unchangeability
    • Impartiality
    • Immovability or Impassibility
    • Imperishability
    • Incomprehensibility
    • Incorporeality
    • Incorruption or Indestructibility
    • Indescribability, Ineffability, Inexpressibility
    • Indivisibility
    • Infiniteness, Limitlessness or Unquantifiability
    • Invisibility
      • Only the Trinity can truly see Itself
      • The Divinity can appear to created beings through Accomodation
      • This is NOT seeing the Divine Essence itself
      • The Divine Nature CAN be seen with the soul
      • This is NOT possible with bodily eyes
      • This is what it means to gain knowledge of God
    • Invulnerability
    • Judgmental (Having the capacity to judge)
    • Leniency
    • Life
    • Light
    • Longsuffering or Patient
    • Lordship
    • Love
    • Manliness
    • Mercy
    • Nobility
    • Omnipotence
    • Omnipresence
    • Omniscience
    • Purity
    • Self-existence, Originateness, Subsistence
    • Self-sufficiency
    • Sinlessness
    • Supraessentiality
    • Supremacy or Transcendence
    • Truth
    • Uncompoundedness (Simplicity)
    • Uncreatedness
    • Unoriginateness
    • Unweariedness
    • Will
    • Wisdom
  • Principles of Divine Attributes
    • The Divine Attributes are a means to contemplate and gain knowledge of God
    • The Divine Attributes are able to be actualized or not by the Trinity at will
    • The Divine Attributes are able to be discovered through Holy Scripture
    • The Divine Attributes are able to be divided up 
    • The Divine Attributes are able to be guarded
    • The Divine Attributes are able to be increased by those who receive them
    • The Divine Attributes are able to be manifested:
      • through an object
      • towards an object
    • The Divine Attributes are able to be shared with created beings and become conditional attributes in them
      • This process is called partaking or participating in
      • Not ALL of the Divine Attributes are able to be shared with created beings
    • The Divine Attributes are difficult or hard to innumerate/explain
    • The Divine Attributes are eternal and uncreated
    • The Divine Attributes are from God as their Source
    • The Divine Attributes are immutable or unchangeable
    • The Divine Attributes are infinite or immeasurable
    • The Divine Attributes are possessed by the Trinity
    • The Divine Attributes are said to exist
    • The Divine Attributes are revealed in Holy Scripture
    • The Divine Attributes are a Single Instance of each divine attribute and not separate instances of the same divine attribute for each divine Hypostasis
    • The Divine Attributes are NOT:
      • The Divine Essence
        • If the Divine Attributes are the Divine Essence, then it is composite!!!
      • Divine Hypostases
  • Principles about energization, partaking, participation or sharing
    • It cannot occur if one is already constituted of that essence or inherently possesses that essence’s attributes
    • It can cause one to gain a new title or description
    • It enables one to escape one’s natural state
    • Created beings are not able to grant participation in the Divine Nature
      • Created beings can share some divine attributes with another being THROUGH themselves (e.g. teaching)
      • A human is not able to share every divine attribute it receives with others
    • Does NOT change the definition of an essence or its natural state UNLESS these new attributes become inherent in the essence
    • Is Passive
      • God shares
    • Is Active
      • Accomplished through Free will
    • Is Reversible (can be lost)
    • Maintained via
      • Attentiveness or Watchfulness
      • Faith
      • Humility
      • Holiness, keeping God’s commandments or Love
      • Purity
    • Disrupted via
      • Disbelief
      • Disobedience or Sin
      • Negligence
      • Turning to what is worse
    • No Created being can EVER inherently possess Divine Attributes
• Humans Did NOT exist prior to being created