The essence that, with its inseparable attributes, cannot fail to exist is the Truth, necessarily existent in itself. As for mere absolute existence in external reality and an essence devoid of attributes, such a thing is intrinsically impossible, let alone necessarily existent.

The necessary essence’s possession of its inseparable attributes, whether called composition or not, does not entail that it, the essence, or any of its attributes depends upon an agent, an efficient cause, or anything of that kind. As for some of them entailing others and being conditioned upon them, existing only with them and depending upon them for their subsistence, and the like, none of this entails dependence upon an agent that brings them into being. Rather, it is known that the essence cannot exist without its inseparable attributes, nor can its attributes exist without it.

If someone calls this dependence, calls these things parts, and calls their conjunction composition, these designations do not entail that the entity possessing these attributes depends upon an agent. What he calls dependence is not the dependence of something produced upon its producer, or of an effect upon its efficient cause; it is merely mutual inseparability. Whoever calls it dependence can only explain it as the dependence of what is conditioned upon its condition, and of the condition upon what is conditioned.

Such a relationship is inseparable from necessary existence, not incompatible with it. What is impossible is dependence upon something distinct from it, such that the existence of the necessarily existent would depend upon the existence of