by virtue of its essence can necessitate that entity only in conjunction with temporal events. Thus, it can never necessitate it except in conjunction with a temporally originated act (1) subsisting in it. If it acts only through a temporally originated act, it is impossible for the effected thing to be (2 eternal; for the eternity of the effected thing 2) (2) necessarily entails the eternity of the act.

If it is said:

The act producing the entailing entity is eternal, whereas the acts producing its temporal events arise successively,

then two acts must subsist in the essence of the agent. The first is an act producing the eternal entity, itself eternal with that entity’s eternity and enduring as long as it endures. The other consists of acts producing its temporal events, which arise successively. The essence of the agent would thus produce the entailing entity through one act and its necessary concomitant through another act—or through several acts. The agent’s act of producing the entailing entity necessitates its act of producing the concomitant, since the former cannot be separated from the latter. Likewise, willing the entailing entity necessitates willing its concomitant, for if one who wills the entailing entity and knows that this concomitant necessarily follows from it did not will the concomitant, he would either not truly will the entailing entity to exist or would lack knowledge of it.

The Lord Most High wills the entailing entity (3) and knows it. It is therefore impossible for Him to will the entailing entity without its concomitant. Although this is necessarily the case regarding whatever He wills to bring into being and for which He wills to bring about successive temporal events—as He brings man into being and brings about for him ever-renewed states one after another, and brings the celestial spheres into being and successively brings about their temporal events—if it is assumed that He does not bring the entailing entity into being, it is unintelligible for it to be His product. Nor is it [also] (4) intelligible for it to be His effect while being eternal as He is, for the effect has attributes and magnitudes