Articulus 5 Article 5 Utrum corpus Christi ascenderit super omnem creaturam spiritualem Whether Christ’s body ascended above every spiritual creature? Ad quintum sic proceditur. Videtur quod corpus Christi non ascenderit super omnem creaturam spiritualem. Eorum enim quae non dicuntur secundum rationem unam, non potest convenienter fieri comparatio. Sed locus non eadem ratione attribuitur corporibus et spiritualibus creaturis, ut patet ex his quae dicta sunt in prima parte. Ergo videtur quod non possit dici corpus Christi ascendisse super omnem creaturam spiritualem. Objection 1: It would seem that Christ’s body did not ascend above every spiritual creature. For no fitting comparison can be made between things which have no common ratio. But place is not predicated in the same ratio of bodies and of spiritual creatures, as is evident from what was said in the First Part (Q. 8, A. 2, ad 1, 2; Q. 52, A. 1). Therefore it seems that Christ’s body cannot be said to have ascended above every spiritual creature. Praeterea, Augustinus dicit, in libro de vera Relig., quod omni corpori spiritus praefertur. Sed nobiliori rei sublimior debetur locus. Ergo videtur quod Christus non ascenderit super omnem spiritualem creaturam. Obj. 2: Further, Augustine says (De Vera Relig. lv) that a spirit always takes precedence over a body. But the higher place is due to the higher things. Therefore it does not seem that Christ ascended above every spiritual creature. Praeterea, in omni loco est aliquod corpus, cum nihil sit vacuum in natura. Si ergo nullum corpus obtinet altiorem locum quam spiritus in ordine naturalium corporum, nullus locus erit supra omnem spiritualem creaturam. Non ergo corpus Christi potuit ascendere super omnem spiritualem creaturam. Obj. 3: Further, in every place a body exists, since there is no such thing as a vacuum in nature. Therefore if no body obtains a higher place than a spirit in the order of natural bodies, then there will be no place above every spiritual creature. Consequently, Christ’s body could not ascend above every spiritual creature. Sed contra est quod dicitur Ephes. I, constituit illum super omnem principatum et potestatem, et supra omne nomen quod nominatur sive in hoc saeculo sive in futuro. On the contrary, It is written (Eph 1:21): God set Him above all principality, and Power, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. Respondeo dicendum quod tanto alicui rei debetur altior locus, quanto est nobilior, sive debeatur ei locus per modum contactus corporalis, sicut corporibus; sive per modum contactus spiritualis, sicut spiritualibus substantiis. Exinde enim spiritualibus substantiis debetur secundum quandam congruentiam locus caelestis, qui est supremus locorum, quia illae substantiae sunt supremae in ordine substantiarum. Corpus autem Christi, licet, considerando conditionem naturae corporeae, sit infra spirituales substantias; considerando tamen dignitatem unionis qua est personaliter Deo coniunctum, excellit dignitatem omnium spiritualium substantiarum. Et ideo, secundum praedictae congruentiae rationem, debetur sibi locus altior ultra omnem creaturam etiam spiritualem. Unde et Gregorius dicit, in homilia ascensionis, quod qui fecerat omnia, super omnia sua virtute ferebatur. I answer that, The more exalted place is due to the nobler subject, whether it be a place according to bodily contact, as regards bodies, or whether it be by way of spiritual contact, as regards spiritual substances; thus a heavenly place which is the highest of places is becomingly due to spiritual substances, since they are highest in the order of substances. But although Christ’s body is beneath spiritual substances, if we weigh the conditions of its corporeal nature, nevertheless it surpasses all spiritual substances in dignity, when we call to mind its dignity of union whereby it is united personally with God. Consequently, owing to this very fittingness, a higher place is due to it above every spiritual creature. Hence Gregory says in a Homily on the Ascension (xxix in Evang.) that He who had made all things, was by His own power raised up above all things. Ad primum ergo dicendum quod, licet alia ratione attribuatur locus corporali et spirituali substantiae, tamen hoc est in utraque ratione commune, quod digniori rei attribuitur superior locus. Reply Obj. 1: Although a place is differently attributed to corporeal and spiritual substances, still in either case this remains in common, that the higher place is assigned to the worthier. Ad secundum dicendum quod ratio illa procedit de corpore Christi secundum conditionem naturae corporeae, non autem secundum rationem unionis. Reply Obj. 2: This argument holds good of Christ’s body according to the conditions of its corporeal nature, but not according to its formality of union. Ad tertium dicendum quod comparatio ista potest attendi vel secundum rationem locorum, et sic nullus locus est tam altus quod excedat dignitatem spiritualis substantiae; secundum quod procedit obiectio. Vel secundum dignitatem eorum quibus attribuitur locus. Et sic corpori Christi debetur ut sit supra spirituales creaturas. Reply Obj. 3: This comparison may be considered either on the part of the places; and thus there is no place so high as to exceed the dignity of a spiritual substance: in this sense the objection runs. Or it may be considered on the part of the dignity of the things to which a place is attributed: and in this way it is due to the body of Christ to be above spiritual creatures. Articulus 6 Article 6 Utrum ascensio Christi sit causa nostrae salutis Whether Christ’s ascension is the cause of our salvation? Ad sextum sic proceditur. Videtur quod ascensio Christi non sit causa nostrae salutis. Christus enim fuit causa nostrae salutis inquantum salutem nostram meruit. Sed per ascensionem nihil nobis meruit, quia ascensio pertinet ad praemium exaltationis eius; non est autem idem meritum et praemium, sicut nec via et terminus. Ergo videtur quod ascensio Christi non fuit causa nostrae salutis. Objection 1: It would seem that Christ’s Ascension is not the cause of our salvation. For, Christ was the cause of our salvation in so far as He merited it. But He merited nothing for us by His Ascension, because His Ascension belongs to the reward of His exaltation: and the same thing is not both merit and reward, just as neither are a road and its terminus the same. Therefore it seems that Christ’s Ascension is not the cause of our salvation. Praeterea, si ascensio Christi est causa nostrae salutis, maxime hoc videtur quantum ad hoc quod ascensio eius sit causa nostrae ascensionis. Sed hoc collatum est nobis per eius passionem, quia, ut dicitur Heb. X, habemus fiduciam in introitu sanctorum per sanguinem ipsius. Ergo videtur quod ascensio Christi non fuit causa nostrae salutis. Obj. 2: Further, if Christ’s Ascension be the cause of our salvation, it seems that this is principally due to the fact that His Ascension is the cause of ours. But this was bestowed upon us by His Passion, for it is written (Heb 10:19): We have confidence in the entering into the holies by His blood. Therefore it seems that Christ’s Ascension was not the cause of our salvation. Praeterea, salus per Christum nobis collata est sempiterna, secundum illud Isaiae li, salus autem mea in sempiternum erit. Sed Christus non ascendit in caelum ut ibi in sempiternum esset, dicitur enim Act. I, quemadmodum vidistis eum ascendentem in caelum, ita veniet. Legitur etiam multis sanctis se demonstrasse in terris post suam ascensionem, sicut de Paulo legitur Act. IX. Ergo videtur quod eius ascensio non sit causa nostrae salutis. Obj. 3: Further, the salvation which Christ bestows is an everlasting one, according to Isa. 51:6: My salvation shall be for ever. But Christ did not ascend into heaven to remain there eternally; for it is written (Acts 1:11): He shall so come as you have seen Him going, into heaven. Besides, we read of Him showing Himself to many holy people on earth after He went up to heaven, to Paul, for instance (Acts 9). Consequently, it seems that Christ’s Ascension is not the cause of our salvation. Sed contra est quod ipse dicit, Ioan. XVI, expedit vobis ut ego vadam, idest, ut recedam a vobis per ascensionem. On the contrary, He Himself said (John 16:7): It is expedient to you that I go; i.e., that I should leave you and ascend into heaven. Respondeo dicendum quod ascensio Christi est causa nostrae salutis dupliciter, uno modo, ex parte nostra; alio modo, ex parte ipsius. I answer that, Christ’s Ascension is the cause of our salvation in two ways: first of all, on our part; second, on His. Ex parte quidem nostra, inquantum per Christi ascensionem mens nostra movetur in ipsum. Quia per eius ascensionem, sicut supra dictum est, primo quidem datur locus fidei; secundo, spei; tertio, caritati. Quarto etiam, per hoc reverentia nostra augetur ad ipsum, dum iam non existimamus eum sicut hominem terrenum, sed sicut Deum caelestem, sicut et apostolus dicit, II Cor. V, etsi cognovimus secundum carnem Christum, idest, mortalem, per quod putavimus eum tantum hominem, ut Glossa exponit, sed nunc iam non novimus. On our part, in so far as by the Ascension our souls are uplifted to Him; because, as stated above (A. 1, ad 3), His Ascension fosters, first, faith; second, hope; third, charity. Fourth, our reverence for Him is thereby increased, since we no longer deem Him an earthly man, but the God of heaven; thus the Apostle says (2 Cor 5:16): If we have known Christ according to the flesh—‘that is, as mortal, whereby we reputed Him as a mere man,’ as the gloss interprets the words—but now we know Him so no longer. Ex parte autem sua, quantum ad ea quae ipse fecit ascendens propter nostram salutem. Et primo quidem, viam nobis praeparavit ascendendi in caelum, secundum quod ipse dicit, Ioan. XIV, vado parare vobis locum; et Mich. II, ascendit pandens iter ante eos. Quia enim ipse est caput nostrum, oportet illuc sequi membra quo caput praecessit, unde dicitur Ioan. XIV, ut ubi sum ego, et vos sitis. Et in huius signum, animas sanctorum quas de Inferno eduxerat, in caelum traduxit, secundum illud Psalmi, ascendens in altum captivam duxit captivitatem, quia scilicet eos qui fuerant a Diabolo captivati, secum duxit in caelum, quasi in locum peregrinum humanae naturae, bona captione captivos, utpote per victoriam acquisitos. On His part, in regard to those things which, in ascending, He did for our salvation. First, He prepared the way for our ascent into heaven, according to His own saying (John 14:2): I go to prepare a place for you, and the words of Micheas (2:13), He shall go up that shall open the way before them. For since He is our Head the members must follow whither the Head has gone: hence He said (John 14:3): That where I am, you also may be. In sign whereof He took to heaven the souls of the saints delivered from hell, according to Ps. 67:19 (Cf. Eph. 4:8): Ascending on high, He led captivity captive, because He took with Him to heaven those who had been held captives by the devil—to heaven, as to a place strange to human nature; captives in deed of a happy taking, since they were acquired by His victory. Secundo quia, sicut pontifex in veteri testamento intrabat sanctuarium ut assisteret Deo pro populo, ita et Christus intravit in caelum ad interpellandum pro nobis, ut dicitur Heb. VII. Ipsa enim repraesentatio sui ex natura humana, quam in caelum intulit, est quaedam interpellatio pro nobis, ut, ex quo Deus humanam naturam sic exaltavit in Christo, etiam eorum misereatur pro quibus filius Dei humanam naturam assumpsit. Tertio ut, in caelorum sede quasi Deus et dominus constitutus, exinde divina dona hominibus mitteret, secundum illud Ephes. IV, ascendit super omnes caelos ut adimpleret omnia, scilicet donis suis, secundum Glossam. Second, because as the high-priest under the Old Testament entered the holy place to stand before God for the people, so also Christ entered heaven to make intercession for us, as is said in Heb. 7:25. Because the very showing of Himself in the human nature which He took with Him to heaven is a pleading for us, so that for the very reason that God so exalted human nature in Christ, He may take pity on them for whom the Son of God took human nature. Third, that being established in His heavenly seat as God and Lord, He might send down gifts upon men, according to Eph. 4:10: He ascended above all the heavens, that He might fill all things, that is, with His gifts, according to the gloss. Ad primum ergo dicendum quod ascensio Christi est causa nostrae salutis, non per modum meriti, sed per modum efficientiae, sicut supra de resurrectione dictum est. Reply Obj. 1: Christ’s Ascension is the cause of our salvation by way not of merit, but of efficiency, as was stated above regarding His Resurrection (Q. 56, A. 1, ad 3, 4). Ad secundum dicendum quod passio Christi est causa nostrae ascensionis in caelum, proprie loquendo, per remotionem peccati prohibentis, et per modum meriti. Ascensio autem Christi est directe causa ascensionis nostrae, quasi inchoando ipsam in capite nostro, cui oportet membra coniungi. Reply Obj. 2: Christ’s Passion is the cause of our ascending to heaven, properly speaking, by removing the hindrance which is sin, and also by way of merit: whereas Christ’s Ascension is the direct cause of our ascension, as by beginning it in Him who is our Head, with whom the members must be united. Ad tertium dicendum quod Christus, semel ascendens in caelum, adeptus est sibi et nobis in perpetuum ius et dignitatem mansionis caelestis. Cui tamen dignitati non derogat si ex aliqua dispensatione Christus quandoque corporaliter ad terram descendat, vel ut ostendat se omnibus, sicut in iudicio; vel ut ostendat se alicui specialiter, sicut Paulo, ut habetur Act. IX. Et ne aliquis credat hoc factum fuisse, non Christo ibi corporaliter praesente, sed aliqualiter apparente, contrarium apparet per hoc quod ipse apostolus dicit, I Cor. XV, ad confirmandam resurrectionis fidem, novissime omnium, tanquam abortivo, visus est et mihi, quae quidem visio veritatem resurrectionis non probaret nisi ipsum verum corpus visum fuisset ab eo. Reply Obj. 3: Christ by once ascending into heaven acquired for Himself and for us in perpetuity the right and worthiness of a heavenly dwelling-place; which worthiness suffers in no way, if, from some special dispensation, He sometimes comes down in body to earth; either in order to show Himself to the whole world, as at the judgment; or else to show Himself particularly to some individual, e.g., in Paul’s case, as we read in Acts 9. And lest any man may think that Christ was not bodily present when this occurred, the contrary is shown from what the Apostle says in 1 Cor. 14:8, to confirm faith in the Resurrection: Last of all He was seen also by me, as by one born out of due time: which vision would not confirm the truth of the Resurrection except he had beheld Christ’s very body. Quaestio 58 Question 58 De sessione Christi ad dexteram Patris Christ’s Sitting at the Right Hand of the Father Deinde considerandum est de sessione Christi ad dexteram patris. Et circa hoc quaeruntur quatuor. We have now to consider Christ’s sitting at the right hand of the Father, concerning which there are four points of inquiry: Primo, utrum Christus sedeat ad dexteram patris. (1) Whether Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father? Secundo, utrum hoc conveniat sibi secundum divinam naturam. (2) Whether this belongs to Him according to the Divine Nature? Tertio, utrum conveniat sibi secundum humanam. (3) Whether it belongs to Him according to His human nature? Quarto, utrum hoc sit proprium Christi. (4) Whether it is something proper to Christ? Articulus 1 Article 1 Utrum Christo conveniat sedere ad dexteram Dei Patris Whether it is fitting that Christ should sit at the right hand of God the Father? Ad primum sic proceditur. Videtur quod Christo non conveniat sedere ad dexteram Dei patris. Dextera enim et sinistra sunt differentiae positionum corporalium. Sed nihil corporale convenit Deo, quia Deus spiritus est, ut habetur Ioan. IV. Ergo videtur quod Christus non sedeat ad dexteram patris. Objection 1: It would seem unfitting that Christ should sit at the right hand of God the Father. For right and left are differences of bodily position. But nothing corporeal can be applied to God, since God is a spirit, as we read in John 4:24. Therefore it seems that Christ does not sit at the right hand of the Father. Praeterea, si aliquis sedet ad dexteram alicuius, ille sedet ad sinistram eius. Si ergo Christus sedet ad dexteram patris, sequitur quod pater sedeat ad sinistram filii. Quod est inconveniens. Obj. 2: Further, if anyone sits at another’s right hand, then the latter is seated on his left. Consequently, if Christ sits at the right hand of the Father, it follows that the Father is seated on the left of the Son; which is unseemly. Praeterea, sedere et stare videntur oppositionem habere. Sed Stephanus dicit, Act. VII, ecce, video caelos apertos, et filium hominis stantem a dextris virtutis Dei. Ergo videtur quod Christus non sedeat ad dexteram patris. Obj. 3: Further, sitting and standing savor of opposition. But Stephen (Acts 7:55) said: Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Therefore it seems that Christ does not sit at the right hand of the Father. Sed contra est quod dicitur Marci ult., dominus quidem Iesus, postquam locutus est eis, ascendit in caelum, et sedet a dextris Dei. On the contrary, It is written in the last chapter of Mark (16:19): The Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up to heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God.