Quaestio 72 Question 72 De opere sextae diei The Work of the Sixth Day Deinde quaeritur de opere sextae diei. We must now consider the work of the sixth day. Articulus 1 Article 1 Utrum opera sextae diei convenientur describatur Whether the work of the sixth day was fittingly described? Et videtur quod inconvenienter describatur. Sicut enim aves et pisces habent viventem animam, ita etiam et animalia terrestria; non autem terrestria animalia sunt ipsa anima vivens. Ergo inconvenienter dicitur, producat terra animam viventem; sed debuit dici, producat terra quadrupedia animae viventis. Objection 1: It would seem that this work is not fittingly described. For as birds and fishes have a living soul, so also have land animals. But these animals are not themselves living souls. Therefore the words, Let the earth bring forth the living creature, should rather have been, Let the earth bring forth the living four-footed creatures. Praeterea, genus non debet dividi contra speciem. Sed iumenta et bestiae sub quadrupedibus computantur. Inconvenienter ergo quadrupedia connumerantur iumentis et bestiis. Obj. 2: Further, a genus ought not to be opposed to its species. But beasts and cattle are quadrupeds. Therefore quadrupeds ought not to be enumerated as a class with beasts and cattle. Praeterea, sicut alia animalia sunt in determinato genere et specie, ita et homo. Sed in factione hominis non fit mentio de suo genere vel specie. Ergo nec in productione aliorum animalium debuit fieri mentio de genere vel specie, cum dicitur, in genere suo, vel specie sua. Obj. 3: Further, as animals belong to a determinate genus and species, so also does man. But in the making of man nothing is said of his genus and species, and therefore nothing ought to have been said about them in the production of other animals, whereas it is said according to its genus and in its species. Praeterea, animalia terrestria magis sunt similia homini, qui a Deo dicitur benedici, quam aves et pisces. Cum igitur aves et pisces dicantur benedici, multo fortius hoc dici debuit de aliis animalibus. Obj. 4: Further, land animals are more like man, whom God is recorded to have blessed, than are birds and fishes. But as birds and fishes are said to be blessed, this should have been said, with much more reason, of the other animals as well. Praeterea, quaedam animalia generantur ex putrefactione, quae est corruptio quaedam. Corruptio autem non convenit primae institutioni rerum. Non ergo animalia debuerunt in prima rerum institutione produci. Obj. 5: Further, certain animals are generated from putrefaction, which is a kind of corruption. But corruption is repugnant to the first founding of the world. Therefore such animals should not have been produced at that time. Praeterea, quaedam animalia sunt venenosa et homini noxia. Nihil autem debuit esse homini nocivum ante peccatum. Ergo huiusmodi animalia vel omnino fieri a Deo non debuerunt, qui est bonorum auctor, vel non debuerunt fieri ante peccatum. Obj. 6: Further, certain animals are poisonous, and injurious to man. But there ought to have been nothing injurious to man before man sinned. Therefore such animals ought not to have been made by God at all, since He is the Author of good; or at least not until man had sinned. In contrarium sufficit auctoritas Scripturae. On the contrary, Suffices the authority of Scripture. Respondeo dicendum quod, sicut in die quinto ornatur medium corpus, et respondet secundae diei, ita in sexto die ornatur ultimum corpus, scilicet terra, per productionem animalium terrestrium, et respondet tertiae diei. Unde utrobique fit mentio de terra. Et hic etiam, secundum Augustinum, animalia terrestria producuntur potentialiter, secundum vero alios sanctos, in actu. I answer that, As on the fifth day the intermediate body, namely, the water, is adorned, and thus that day corresponds to the second day; so the sixth day, on which the lowest body, or the earth, is adorned by the production of land animals, corresponds to the third day. Hence the earth is mentioned in both places. And here again Augustine says (Gen ad lit. v) that the production was potential, and other holy writers that it was actual. Ad primum ergo dicendum quod, sicut Basilius dicit, diversus gradus vitae qui in diversis viventibus invenitur, ex modo loquendi Scripturae colligi potest. Plantae enim habent imperfectissimam vitam et occultam. Unde in earum productione nulla mentio fit de vita, sed solum de generatione, quia secundum hanc solum invenitur actus vitae in eis; nutritiva enim et augmentativa generativae deserviunt, ut infra dicetur. Inter animalia vero, perfectiora sunt, communiter loquendo, terrestria avibus et piscibus, non quod pisces memoria careant, ut Basilius dicit, et Augustinus improbat; sed propter distinctionem membrorum, et perfectionem generationis (quantum autem ad aliquas sagacitates, etiam aliqua animalia imperfecta magis vigent, ut apes et formicae). Reply Obj. 1: The different grades of life which are found in different living creatures can be discovered from the various ways in which Scripture speaks of them, as Basil says (Hom. viii in Hexaem.). The life of plants, for instance, is very imperfect and difficult to discern, and hence, in speaking of their production, nothing is said of their life, but only their generation is mentioned, since only in generation is a vital act observed in them. For the powers of nutrition and growth are subordinate to the generative life, as will be shown later on (Q. 78, A. 2). But amongst animals, those that live on land are, generally speaking, more perfect than birds and fishes, not because the fish is devoid of memory, as Basil upholds (Hom. viii in Hexaem.) and Augustine rejects (Gen ad lit. iii), but because their limbs are more distinct and their generation of a higher order, (yet some imperfect animals, such as bees and ants, are more intelligent in certain ways). Et ideo pisces vocat, non animam viventem, sed reptile animae viventis, sed terrena animalia vocat animam viventem, propter perfectionem vitae in eis, ac si pisces sint corpora habentia aliquid animae, terrestria vero animalia, propter perfectionem vitae, sint quasi animae dominantes corporibus. Perfectissimus autem gradus vitae est in homine. Et ideo vitam hominis non dicit produci a terra vel aqua, sicut ceterorum animalium, sed a Deo. Scripture, therefore, does not call fishes living creatures, but creeping creatures having life; whereas it does call land animals living creatures on account of their more perfect life, and seems to imply that fishes are merely bodies having in them something of a soul, whilst land animals, from the higher perfection of their life, are, as it were, living souls with bodies subject to them. But the life of man, as being the most perfect grade, is not said to be produced, like the life of other animals, by earth or water, but immediately by God. Ad secundum dicendum quod per iumenta, vel pecora, intelliguntur animalia domestica, quae homini serviunt qualitercumque. Per bestias autem intelliguntur animalia saeva, ut ursi et leones. Per reptilia vero, animalia quae vel non habent pedes quibus eleventur a terra, ut serpentes; vel habent breves, quibus parum elevantur, ut lacertae et tortucae et huiusmodi. Sed quia sunt quaedam animalia quae sub nullo horum comprehenduntur, ut cervi et capreae, ut etiam ista comprehenderentur, addidit quadrupedia. Reply Obj. 2: By cattle, domestic animals are signified, which in any way are of service to man: but by beasts, wild animals such as bears and lions are designated. By creeping things those animals are meant which either have no feet and cannot rise from the earth, as serpents, or those whose feet are too short to lift them far from the ground, as the lizard and tortoise. But since certain animals, as deer and goats, seem to fall under none of these classes, the word quadrupeds is added. Vel quadrupedia praemisit quasi genus, et alia subiunxit quasi species, sunt enim etiam quaedam reptilia quadrupedia, ut lacertae et tortucae. Or perhaps the word quadruped is used first as being the genus, to which the others are added as species, for even some reptiles, such as lizards and tortoises, are four-footed. Ad tertium dicendum quod in aliis animalibus et plantis mentionem fecit de genere et specie, ut designaret generationes similium ex similibus. In homine autem non fuit necessarium ut hoc diceretur, quia quod praemissum fuit de aliis, etiam de homine intelligi potest. Reply Obj. 3: In other animals, and in plants, mention is made of genus and species, to denote the generation of like from like. But it was unnecessary to do so in the case of man, as what had already been said of other creatures might be understood of him. Vel quia animalia et plantae producuntur secundum genus et speciem suam, quasi longe a similitudine divina remota, homo autem dicitur formatus ad imaginem et similitudinem Dei. Again, animals and plants may be said to be produced according to their kinds, to signify their remoteness from the Divine image and likeness, whereas man is said to be made to the image and likeness of God. Ad quartum dicendum quod benedictio Dei dat virtutem multiplicandi per generationem. Et ideo quod positum est in avibus et piscibus, quae primo occurrunt, non fuit necessarium repeti in terrenis animalibus, sed intelligitur. In hominibus autem iteratur benedictio, quia in eis est quaedam specialis multiplicationis ratio, propter complendum numerum electorum, et ne quisquam diceret in officio gignendi filios ullum esse peccatum. Plantae vero nullum habent propagandae prolis affectum, ac sine ullo sensu generant, unde indignae iudicatae sunt benedictionis verbis. Reply Obj. 4: The blessing of God gives power to multiply by generation, and, having been mentioned in the preceding account of the making of birds and fishes, could be understood of the beasts of the earth, without requiring to be repeated. The blessing, however, is repeated in the case of man, since in him generation of children has a special relation to the number of the elect, and to prevent anyone from saying that there was any sin whatever in the act of begetting children. As to plants, since they experience neither desire of propagation, nor sensation in generating, they are deemed unworthy of a formal blessing. Ad quintum dicendum quod, cum generatio unius sit corruptio alterius, quod ex corruptione ignobiliorum generentur nobiliora, non repugnat primae rerum institutioni. Unde animalia quae generantur ex corruptione rerum inanimatarum vel plantarum, potuerunt tunc generari. Non autem quae generantur ex corruptione animalium, tunc potuerunt produci, nisi potentialiter tantum. Reply Obj. 5: Since the generation of one thing is the corruption of another, it was not incompatible with the first formation of things, that from the corruption of the less perfect the more perfect should be generated. Hence animals generated from the corruption of inanimate things, or of plants, may have been generated then. But those generated from corruption of animals could not have been produced then otherwise than potentially. Ad sextum dicendum quod, sicut Augustinus dicit in I super Gen. contra Manichaeos, si in alicuius opificis officinam imperitus intraverit, videt ibi multa instrumenta quorum causas ignorat, et si multum est insipiens, superflua putat. Iam vero si in fornacem incautus ceciderit, aut ferramento aliquo acuto se vulneraverit, noxia existimat ibi esse multa, quorum usum quia novit artifex, insipientiam eius irridet. Sic in hoc mundo quidam audent multa reprehendere, quorum causas non vident, multa enim, etsi domui nostrae non sunt necessaria, eis tamen completur universitatis integritas. Homo autem ante peccatum ordinate fuisset usus rebus mundi. Unde animalia venenosa ei noxia non fuissent. Reply Obj. 6: In the words of Augustine (Super. Gen. contr. Manich. i): If an unskilled person enters the workshop of an artificer he sees in it many appliances of which he does not understand the use, and which, if he is a foolish fellow, he considers unnecessary. Moreover, should he carelessly fall into the fire, or wound himself with a sharp-edged tool, he is under the impression that many of the things there are hurtful; whereas the craftsman, knowing their use, laughs at his folly. And thus some people presume to find fault with many things in this world, through not seeing the reasons for their existence. For though not required for the furnishing of our house, these things are necessary for the perfection of the universe. And, since man before he sinned would have used the things of this world conformably to the order designed, poisonous animals would not have injured him. Quaestio 73 Question 73 De iis quae pertinent ad septimum diem The Things that Belong to the Seventh Day Deinde considerandum est de iis quae pertinent ad septimum diem. Et circa hoc quaeruntur tria. We must next consider the things that belong to the seventh day. Under this head there are three points of inquiry: Primo, de completione operum. (1) About the completion of the works; Secundo, de requie Dei. (2) About the resting of God; Tertio, de benedictione et sanctificatione huius diei. (3) About the blessing and sanctifying of this day. Articulus 1 Article 1 Utrum completio divinorum operum debeat septimo diei adscribi Whether the completion of the divine works ought to be ascribed to the seventh day? Ad primum sic proceditur. Videtur quod completio divinorum operum non debeat septimo diei adscribi. Omnia enim quae in hoc saeculo aguntur, ad divina opera pertinent. Sed consummatio saeculi erit in fine mundi, ut habetur Matth. XIII. Tempus etiam incarnationis Christi est cuiusdam completionis tempus, unde dicitur tempus plenitudinis, Gal. IV. Et ipse Christus moriens dixit, consummatum est, ut dicitur Ioan. XIX. Non ergo completio divinorum operum competit diei septimo. Objection 1: It would seem that the completion of the Divine works ought not to be ascribed to the seventh day. For all things that are done in this world belong to the Divine works. But the consummation of the world will be at the end of the world (Matt 13:39, 40). Moreover, the time of Christ’s Incarnation is a time of completion, wherefore it is called the time of fullness (Gal 4:4). And Christ Himself, at the moment of His death, cried out, It is consummated (John 19:30). Hence the completion of the Divine works does not belong to the seventh day. Praeterea, quicumque complet opus suum, aliquid facit. Sed Deus non legitur septimo die aliquid fecisse, quinimmo ab omni opere quievisse. Ergo completio operum non competit septimo diei. Obj. 2: Further, the completion of a work is an act in itself. But we do not read that God acted at all on the seventh day, but rather that He rested from all His work. Therefore the completion of the works does not belong to the seventh day. Praeterea, non dicitur aliquid esse completum, cui multa superadduntur, nisi forte sint illa superflua, quia perfectum dicitur cui nihil deest eorum quae debet habere. Sed post septimum diem multa sunt facta, et productio multorum individuorum; et etiam quarumdam novarum specierum, quae frequenter apparent praecipue in animalibus ex putrefactione generatis. Quotidie etiam Deus novas animas creat. Novum etiam fuit incarnationis opus, de quo dicitur Ierem. XXXI, novum faciet dominus super terram. Nova etiam sunt miraculosa opera, de quibus dicitur Eccli. XXXVI, innova signa, et immuta mirabilia. Innovabuntur etiam omnia in glorificatione sanctorum, secundum illud Apoc. XXI, et dixit qui sedebat in throno, ecce nova facio omnia. Completio ergo divinorum operum non debet attribui septimo diei. Obj. 3: Further, nothing is said to be complete to which many things are added, unless they are merely superfluous, for a thing is called perfect to which nothing is wanting that it ought to possess. But many things were made after the seventh day, as the production of many individual beings, and even of certain new species that are frequently appearing, especially in the case of animals generated from putrefaction. Also, God creates daily new souls. Again, the work of the Incarnation was a new work, of which it is said (Jer 31:22): The Lord hath created a new thing upon the earth. Miracles also are new works, of which it is said (Eccl 36:6): Renew thy signs, and work new miracles. Moreover, all things will be made new when the Saints are glorified, according to Apoc. 21:5: And He that sat on the throne said: Behold I make all things new. Therefore the completion of the Divine works ought not to be attributed to the seventh day. Sed contra est quod dicitur Gen. II, complevit Deus die septimo opus suum quod fecerat. On the contrary, It is said (Gen 2:2): On the seventh day God ended His work which He had made. Respondeo dicendum quod duplex est rei perfectio, prima, et secunda. Prima quidem perfectio est, secundum quod res in sua substantia est perfecta. Quae quidem perfectio est forma totius, quae ex integritate partium consurgit. Perfectio autem secunda est finis. Finis autem vel est operatio, sicut finis citharistae est citharizare, vel est aliquid ad quod per operationem pervenitur, sicut finis aedificatoris est domus, quam aedificando facit. I answer that, The perfection of a thing is twofold, the first perfection and the second perfection. The first perfection is that according to which a thing is substantially perfect, and this perfection is the form of the whole; which form results from the whole having its parts complete. But the second perfection is the end, which is either an operation, as the end of the harpist is to play the harp; or something that is attained by an operation, as the end of the builder is the house that he makes by building. Prima autem perfectio est causa secundae, quia forma est principium operationis. Ultima autem perfectio, quae est finis totius universi, est perfecta beatitudo sanctorum; quae erit in ultima consummatione saeculi. Prima autem perfectio, quae est in integritate universi, fuit in prima rerum institutione. Et haec deputatur septimo diei. But the first perfection is the cause of the second, because the form is the principle of operation. Now the final perfection, which is the end of the whole universe, is the perfect beatitude of the Saints at the consummation of the world; and the first perfection is the completeness of the universe at its first founding, and this is what is ascribed to the seventh day.