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Dist. 22, Art. 1, Q. 6

Book III: On the Incarnation of the Word · Distinction 22

Textus Latinus
p. 463

Quaestio VI. Utrum Christus statim post mortem introduxerit animas liberatas in caelum.

Sexto et ultimo quaeritur de traductione animarum, quas liberavit de inferno, ad caelos, et est quaestio, utrum statim post mortem introduxerit eas in caelum. Et quod sic, videtur:

1. Per illud quod dicitur Lucae vigesimo tertiop463-1: Dixit Dominus ad latronem: Hodie mecum eris in paradiso; et constat, quod illud non intelligitur de paradiso terrestri, quia non magnum esset illi animae esse in illo paradiso: ergo intelligitur de caelesti.

2. Item, statim post mortem Christi aperta fuit ianua, et nihil fuit omnino retardansp463-2: ergo videtur, quod anima Christi cum aliis animabus statim in caelum evolaverit.

3. Item, locus superior competit statui gloriae, sicut inferior competit statui culpae: ergo sicut animae damnatae statim descendunt in infernum, ita animae beatae statim debent evolare in caelum; sed statim post mortem Christi animae illae, quae fuerunt in inferno, fuerunt luce supernae veritatis irradiataep463-3: ergo statim debuerunt in caelum traduci.

4. Item, nulla anima purior fuit quam anima Christi; sed animae sanctorum Martyrum, qui modo moriuntur, statim evolantp463-4: ergo anima Christi statim evolavit in caelum. Sed non ascendit caput sine membris: ergo aliae animae post mortem Christi statim ad caelum fuerunt perductae.

Sed contra: 1. Michaeae secundop463-5: Ascendit pandens iter ante eos, dicitur de Christo; sed Christus non ascendit in caelum usque ad quadragesimum diem post resurrectionem: ergo nec animae aliorum Sanctorum, quae erant in limbo.

2. Item, resurrectio debuit praecedere ascensionem; sed non resurrexit statim post mortemp463-6: ergo videtur, quod nec anima ipsius nec aliae animae ascenderunt in caelum ante diem tertium.

3. Item, in quadam collectap463-7 in die Resurrectionis dicitur: « Deus, qui aeternitatis nobis aditum, devicta morte reserasti »: ergo videtur, quod ante diem resurrectionis non fuerunt animae eductae de limbo inferni.

4. Item, Christus cum resurrexit, dicitur ab inferis redirep463-8 ad superos; sed si anima eius statim post mortem alias animas duxisset in caelum, non ab inferis rediret ad superos, sed potius de supernis descenderet ad inferiora: ergo non videtur, quod animae Sanctorum statim post mortem Christi perductae fuerint in caelum.

Conclusio.

Animae Sanctorum statim post mortem Christi non sunt perductae in caelum quoad locum, tamen statim factae sunt beatae.

Respondeo: Dicendum, quod animae Sanctorum non statim post mortem Christi perductae sunt in caelum quantum ad locum; statim tamen post resolutionem animae a corpore in Christi descensu ad inferos viderunt lumen aeternum et beatae factae sunt, et patefactum est caelum eis quantum ad praemium. Unde in loco etiam infernali existentes, habuerunt paradisum et apertam Dei visionem, quae non est aliud quam vita aeternap463-9.

Licet autem beatitudinem statim post mortem Christi haberent, non tamen locum beatitudinis statim adeptae sunt; quoniam ipse Christus debuit in omnibus primatum tenere et primogenitus esse in multis fratribus tanquam caput omniump463-10. Resurrectio autem Christi et eius ascensio differri debuit propter nostrae fidei confirmationem. Ideo enim dilata fuit resurrectio, ut ostenderetur, quod vere Christus mortuus fuerit. Et ideo etiam dilata fuit ascensio, ut per multa argumenta ostenderetur, quod vere resurrexerit, secundum quod dicitur Actuum primop463-11: Praebuit semetipsum in multis argumentis, apparens eis etc. Quoniam ergo nulla anima in caelum debuit ascendere ante Christum,

p. 464

et Christi ascensio propter nostram salutem debebat differri; hinc est, quod animae Sanctorum nec statim fuerunt de limbo eductae nec statim in caelesti paradiso fuerunt locatae, divina dispensatione hoc faciente ad nostram salutem.

Ad argumenta: 1. Ad illud quod obiicitur de auctoritate Domini in Luca, dicendum, quod, sicut dicit Augustinusp464-1 hoc verbum exponens, paradisus ibi dicitur non locus empyrei nec locus paradisi terrestris, sed ipsa Dei visio. Ubicumque enim homo sit, dum tamen Deum aperte videat, potest dici esse in paradiso.

2. Ad illud quod obiicitur, quod statim ianua fuit aperta, et nihil erat retardans; dicendum, quod statim in morte ianua fuit aperta quantum ad meritum, sed in resurrectione quantum ad egressum de limbo, in ascensione vero quantum ad ascensum in caelum. Unde in omnibus his tribus dicitur ianua fuisse aperta, ratione tamen aliap464-2. Praeterea, quod dicitur, quod nihil erat retardans; hoc verum est, quod nihil erat retardans quantum ad violentiam, erat tamen aliquid retardans ex rationabili causa, videlicet dilatio ascensionis Christi, quae differri habebat ex causa supra dicta.

3. Ad illud quod obiicitur, quod locus superior competit statui gloriae; dicendum, quod verum est; attamen, sicut Angeli beati ex causa mittuntur deorsum ad nostrae salutis procurationem, quamvis, in quantum beati sunt, eis competat locus sursump464-3; sic etiam locus gloriae differri poterat ex causa illis animabus ad tempus.

4. Ad illud quod obiicitur, quod animae aliorum Sanctorum nunc statim evolant; iam patet responsio: quia caput eorump464-4 est supra, nec est aliquid ex parte ipsarum, vel ex parte nostra, quod eas debeat retardare; et ideo non est similep464-5.

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English Translation

Question VI. Whether Christ, immediately after death, led the liberated souls into heaven.

Sixth and last it is asked concerning the leading-up of the souls, which he liberated from hell, to the heavens, and the question is whether immediately after death he led them into heaven. And that he did so, it seems:

1. By that which is said in Luke twenty-threep463-1: The Lord said to the thief: Today you will be with me in paradise; and it is certain that this is not understood of the earthly paradise, since it would be no great thing for that soul to be in that paradise: therefore it is understood of the heavenly one.

2. Likewise, immediately after Christ's death the gate was opened, and there was nothing at all delayingp463-2: therefore it seems that Christ's soul, with the other souls, flew up into heaven at once.

3. Likewise, the higher place befits the state of glory, just as the lower befits the state of fault: therefore, just as the damned souls descend at once into hell, so the blessed souls ought to fly up at once into heaven; but immediately after Christ's death those souls which had been in hell were irradiated by the light of supernal truthp463-3: therefore they ought at once to have been led up into heaven.

4. Likewise, no soul was purer than the soul of Christ; but the souls of the holy Martyrs, who now die, fly up at oncep463-4: therefore the soul of Christ flew up at once into heaven. But the head does not ascend without the members: therefore the other souls too, after Christ's death, were at once led up to heaven.

On the contrary: 1. In Micah twop463-5: He went up opening the way before them, which is said of Christ; but Christ did not ascend into heaven until the fortieth day after the resurrection: therefore neither did the souls of the other Saints, who were in limbo.

2. Likewise, the resurrection ought to precede the ascension; but he did not rise again immediately after deathp463-6: therefore it seems that neither his soul nor the other souls ascended into heaven before the third day.

3. Likewise, in a certain collectp463-7 on the day of the Resurrection it is said: « O God, who hast unlocked for us the entrance of eternity, death being conquered »: therefore it seems that before the day of resurrection the souls were not led out of the limbo of hell.

4. Likewise, when Christ rose again, he is said to return from the lower regionsp463-8 to the upper; but if his soul, immediately after death, had led the other souls into heaven, he would not return from the lower regions to the upper, but rather would descend from the higher to the lower: therefore it does not seem that the souls of the Saints were led into heaven immediately after Christ's death.

Conclusion.

The souls of the Saints, immediately after Christ's death, were not led into heaven as to place, yet they were made blessed at once.

I respond: It must be said that the souls of the Saints were not led into heaven as to place immediately after Christ's death; yet immediately after the separation of the soul from the body, in Christ's descent to the lower regions, they saw the eternal light and were made blessed, and heaven was opened to them as to reward. Hence, even while existing in the infernal place, they had paradise and the open vision of God, which is nothing other than eternal lifep463-9.

But although they had beatitude immediately after Christ's death, nevertheless they did not at once attain the place of beatitude; since Christ himself was to hold the primacy in all things and to be the firstborn among many brethren as the head of allp463-10. But the resurrection of Christ and his ascension had to be deferred for the confirmation of our faith. For the resurrection was delayed for this reason, that it might be shown that Christ truly died. And for this reason too the ascension was delayed, that by many proofs it might be shown that he truly rose again, according to what is said in Acts onep463-11: He showed himself by many proofs, appearing to them, etc. Since therefore no soul was to ascend into heaven before Christ,

and Christ's ascension was to be deferred for our salvation; hence it is that the souls of the Saints were neither led out of limbo at once nor at once placed in the heavenly paradise, the divine dispensation bringing this about for our salvation.

To the arguments: 1. To that which is objected from the authority of the Lord in Luke, it must be said that, as Augustine saysp464-1 in expounding this word, paradise there means not the place of the empyrean nor the place of the earthly paradise, but the very vision of God. For wherever a man may be, provided he sees God openly, he can be said to be in paradise.

2. To that which is objected, that the gate was opened at once and nothing was delaying; it must be said that the gate was opened at the moment of death as to merit, but in the resurrection as to the exit from limbo, and in the ascension as to the ascent into heaven. Hence in all these three the gate is said to have been opened, but for a different reason in eachp464-2. Moreover, as to what is said, that nothing was delaying; this is true, that nothing was delaying as to force, yet there was something delaying for a reasonable cause, namely the deferral of Christ's ascension, which had to be deferred for the cause stated above.

3. To that which is objected, that the higher place befits the state of glory; it must be said that this is true; nevertheless, just as the blessed Angels are sent downward for a cause, for the procuring of our salvation, although, insofar as they are blessed, the place above befits themp464-3; so also the place of glory could be deferred for those souls for a time, for a cause.

4. To that which is objected, that the souls of the other Saints now fly up at once; the answer is already clear: because their headp464-4 is above, and there is nothing on the part of those souls, nor on our part, that ought to delay them; and therefore it is not alikep464-5.

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Apparatus Criticus
  1. Vers. 43.
    Verse 43.
  2. Cfr. supra d. 18, a. 2, q. 3.
    Cf. above, d. 18, a. 2, q. 3.
  3. Respiciuntur verba Ambrosii hic in lit. Magistri, c. 2, allata, quae deinde infra dub. 1. explicantur. — Paulo superius pro beatae edd. liberatae.
    This looks back to the words of Ambrose cited here in the text of the Master, c. 2, which are then explained below in dub. 1. — A little earlier, for beatae (blessed) the editions read liberatae (liberated).
  4. Cod. D supplet in caelum.
    Codex D supplies into heaven.
  5. Vers. 13. Pro Ascendit Vulgata Ascendet. complures codd. Ascendens. — De minori cfr. Act. 1, 3. seqq.
    Verse 13. For Ascendit (he went up) the Vulgate has Ascendet (he will go up); several codices, Ascendens (going up). — On the minor premise cf. Acts 1, 3 ff.
  6. Cfr. supra q. 3.
    Cf. above, q. 3.
  7. Quae iam in Gregorii lib. Sacramentar. in die Paschae exhibetur hodieque et in Missali et in Breviario Roman. invenitur.
    Which is already presented in Gregory's book of the Sacramentary on the day of Easter, and today is found both in the Roman Missal and in the Breviary.
  8. Vat. habet rediisse et deinde cum edd. 1, 2 pro rediret... descenderet substituit rediisset.. descendisset. In fine arg. pro fuerint non pauci codd. cum edd. 1, 2 fuerunt, cod. U sint.
    The Vatican edition has rediisse, and then, with editions 1 and 2, for rediret... descenderet substitutes rediisset.. descendisset. At the end of the argument, for fuerint not a few codices, with editions 1 and 2, read fuerunt; codex U, sint.
  9. Ad Marc. 15, 33. Glossa ordinaria apud Strabum (sumta ex Beda) observat: Rationis ergo, immo divinae pietatis ordo poscebat, ut eodem temporis articulo, quo tunc Adae praevaricanti occluserat, nunc latroni Dominus poenitenti ianuam paradisi reseraret, et qua hora primus Adam peccando mortem huic mundo invexerat, eadem hora secundus Adam mortem moriendo destrueret.
    On Mark 15, 33. The ordinary Gloss in Strabo (taken from Bede) observes: The order of reason, indeed of divine piety, therefore demanded that at the very moment of time at which it had once been closed to the transgressing Adam, now the Lord should unlock the gate of paradise to the penitent thief, and that at the hour at which the first Adam, by sinning, had brought death into this world, at that same hour the second Adam, by dying, should destroy death.
  10. Colos. 1, 18: Et ipse est caput corporis Ecclesiae, qui est principium, primogenitus ex mortuis, ut sit in omnibus ipse primatum tenens. Rom. 8, 29: Ut sit ipse primogenitus in multis fratribus. — De propos. seq. cfr. supra q. 3.
    Colossians 1, 18: And he is the head of the body, the Church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself may hold the primacy. Romans 8, 29: That he himself may be the firstborn among many brethren. — On the following proposition cf. above, q. 3.
  11. Vers. 3, ad quem versum Glossa ordinaria apud eundem Strabum (vide pag. 457, nota 6.) annotat: Quadraginta horis mortuus fuerat, quadraginta diebus se vivere confirmat.
    Verse 3, on which verse the ordinary Gloss in the same Strabo (see p. 457, note 6) annotates: He had been dead for forty hours; for forty days he confirms that he is alive.
  12. Epist. 187. (alias 57.) c. 3. n. 7.
    Letter 187 (otherwise 57), c. 3, n. 7.
  13. Codd. K U alia et alia. Mox pro hoc verum est, quod nihil erat retardans edd. substituerunt intellige.
    Codices K and U, alia et alia (for differing reasons). Shortly after, for hoc verum est, quod nihil erat retardans the editions substituted intellige (understand).
  14. Cfr. II. Sent. d. 10. a. 1. q. 1. seq.
    Cf. II Sentences, d. 10, a. 1, q. 1 ff.
  15. Cod. K earum. Deinde pro eas cod. A eos.
    Codex K, earum (of them, fem.). Then for eas codex A reads eos (them, masc.).
  16. Vide scholion ad 4. quaestionem.
    See the scholion on the fourth question.
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