Whether Ecstasy Is an Effect of Love?
Objection 1: It would seem that ecstasy is not an effect of love.
For ecstasy seems to imply loss of reason. But love does not always
result in loss of reason: for lovers are masters of themselves at
times. Therefore love does not cause ecstasy.
Obj. 2: Further, the lover desires the beloved to be united to him.
Therefore he draws the beloved to himself, rather than betakes
himself into the beloved, going forth out from himself as it were.
Obj. 3: Further, love unites the beloved to the lover, as stated
above (A. 1). If, therefore, the lover goes out from himself, in
order to betake himself into the beloved, it follows that the lover
always loves the beloved more than himself: which is evidently false.
Therefore ecstasy is not an effect of love.
_On the contrary,_ Dionysius says (Div. Nom. iv) that "the Divine
love produces ecstasy," and that "God Himself suffered ecstasy
through love." Since therefore according to the same author (Div.
Nom. iv), every love is a participated likeness of the Divine Love,
it seems that every love causes ecstasy.
_I answer that,_ To suffer ecstasy means to be placed outside
oneself. This happens as to the apprehensive power and as to the
appetitive power. As to the apprehensive power, a man is said to be
placed outside himself, when he is placed outside the knowledge
proper to him. This may be due to his being raised to a higher
knowledge; thus, a man is said to suffer ecstasy, inasmuch as he is
placed outside the connatural apprehension of his sense and reason,
when he is raised up so as to comprehend things that surpass sense
and reason: or it may be due to his being cast down into a state of
debasement; thus a man may be said to suffer ecstasy, when he is
overcome by violent passion or madness. As to the appetitive power, a
man is said to suffer ecstasy, when that power is borne towards
something else, so that it goes forth out from itself, as it were.
The first of these ecstasies is caused by love dispositively in so
far, namely, as love makes the lover dwell on the beloved, as stated
above (A. 2), and to dwell intently on one thing draws the mind from
other things. The second ecstasy is caused by love directly; by love
of friendship, simply; by love of concupiscence not simply but in a
restricted sense. Because in love of concupiscence, the lover is
carried out of himself, in a certain sense; in so far, namely, as not
being satisfied with enjoying the good that he has, he seeks to enjoy
something outside himself. But since he seeks to have this extrinsic
good for himself, he does not go out from himself simply, and this
movement remains finally within him. On the other hand, in the love
of friendship, a man's affection goes out from itself simply; because
he wishes and does good to his friend, by caring and providing for
him, for his sake.
Reply Obj. 1: This argument is true of the first kind of ecstasy.
Reply Obj. 2: This argument applies to love of concupiscence, which,
as stated above, does not cause ecstasy simply.
Reply Obj. 3: He who loves, goes out from himself, in so far as he
wills the good of his friend and works for it. Yet he does not will
the good of his friend more than his own good: and so it does not
follow that he loves another more than himself.
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