Bonaventure

Quaestio II. Utrum in corpore dominico formatio et distinctio membrorum facta sit subito, an successive.

Secundo quaeritur de eius corporis perfectione quantum ad membrorum distinctionem, et est quaestio, utrum membrorum formatio et distinctio facta sit subito, an successive in corpore dominico. Et quod non subito, videtur.

1. Augustinus, in quarto de Trinitate¹ tractans illud verbum Ioannis secundo: Solvite templum hoc... dixerunt Iudaei: Quadraginta sex etc.; ibi Augustinus: « Hic numerus perfectioni dominici corporis congruit, quia, ut dicunt physici, tot diebus forma humani corporis perficitur »: ergo non videtur, quod corpus Christi ab instanti conceptionis organizatum fuerit et formatum. Si tu dicis, sicut dicit Magister in littera², quod hoc dictum fuit propter incrementum molis; tunc non videtur, quod quadraginta sex diebus perfectum sit, quia ad perfectionem hanc non pervenit usque ad annos viginti.

2. Item, ad Hebraeos secundo³: Per omnia debuit fratribus similari, ergo videtur, quod in modo formationis corporis; sed corpora aliorum hominum successive formantur: ergo videtur, quod similiter corpus Christi.

3. Item, corpus Christi nutritum et augmentatum fuit, sicut corpora aliorum hominum successive⁴: ergo videtur pari ratione, quod fuerit successive formatum.

p. 934. Item, formationem corporis⁵ antecedit consolidatio, et consolidationem antecedit conversio, et conversionem seminis decisio: si ergo quaelibet istarum operationum non potest fieri in minori quam in instanti, et una est ordinata ad aliam; ergo videtur, quod formatio corporis non poterit esse instantanea.

Sed contra: 1. Augustinus in libro de Fide ad Petrum⁶: « Firmissime tene, et nullatenus dubites, non carnem Christi sine divinitate in utero Virginis conceptam, priusquam susciperetur a Verbo; sed Verbum non suscepit nisi carnem formatam, et in instanti suscepit eam »: igitur videtur, quod in instanti corpus Christi fuerit ad perfectionis organizationem deductum.

2. Item, Augustinus, in libro de Trinitate⁷: « Non ex utero Virginis prius caro concepta est, et postea divinitas venit in carnem; sed mox ut Dei Verbum in uterum venit, factum est caro, servata proprietate naturae, et perfectus homo in veritate carnis et animae ».

3. Item, Virgo beata dicitur concepisse Filium Dei ratione carnis assumtae ex ipsa; sed non est communicatio idiomatum nisi propter unionem⁸; non est autem unio nisi ad naturam perfectam: ergo cum in instanti conceptionis verum sit dicere, Filium Dei conceptum ex Virgine; necesse fuit, et corpus ad perfectam organizationem esse deductum.

4. Item, conceptio Christi fuit virtute⁹ mirabili et mirabiliter operante; sed virtus mirabiliter operans est infinita et operans infinite: ergo videtur, quod eius operatio debeat esse instantanea; et si hoc, corpus dominicum in instanti in perfecta organizatione fuit constitutum.

Conclusio

Corpus Christi ab instanti conceptionis habuit perfectionem organizationis.

Respondeo: Dicendum, quod absque dubio, sicut dicit Augustinus¹⁰, corpus Christi ab instanti conceptionis habuit perfectionem organizationis. — Et ratio huius sumi potest ex parte Verbi assumentis, et ex parte virtutis efficientis, et ex parte Virginis concipientis. — Ex parte Verbi assumentis: quia non decebat Verbum assumere partem humanae naturae, ut esset homo secundum quid, sed totam humanam naturam, et ita carnem et animam, maxime cum anima det carni congruentiam, ut uniatur cum natura divina, sicut ostensum est supra¹¹. Et quoniam anima non est nata uniri nisi carni formatae et organizatae, ideo in primo instanti conceptionis necesse fuit, corpus ad perfectionem organizationis perduci. — Ratio etiam est ex parte virtutis operantis: quia ibi virtus divina operabatur mirabiliter. Hoc enim est miraculum miraculorum, quod femina concipiat Deum. Et ideo ad suae mirabilis potentiae ostensionem subito formavit illud corpus, quod natura non potest formare nisi successive. — Ratio vero nihilominus est ex parte Virginis concipientis, quae statim, ut consensit, repleta fuit Spiritu sancto et Mater Dei effecta, iuxta illud quod Angelus annuntiabat¹². Et quoniam Mater Dei non erat, nisi Deus unitus esset carni, quam conceperat; et caro nec Deo nec animae congrueret uniri, nisi haberet membrorum distinctionem convenientem: hinc est, quod ab instanti conceptionis corpus Christi debuit in membrorum distinctione perfectum esse. — Unde concedendae sunt rationes ad istam partem inductae.

1. Ad illud quod obiicitur, quod numerus quadraginta sex dierum congruit perfectioni corporis dominici; dicendum, quod in Scriptura frequenter dicitur res tunc fieri, cum innotescit¹³; et per hunc quidem modum verbum beati Augustini est intelligendum, quia, etsi corpus dominicum ab instanti conceptionis fuit formatum, non tamen apparuit nec percipi potuit prae parvitate quantitatis molis; sed post quadraginta sex dies ad tantam perfectionem quantitatis¹⁴ deductum est, quod aspectibus hominum patere potuit. Unde corpus Christi illud in incremento cum aliis corporibus similitudinem habuit, quamvis non haberet similitudinem in formatione primaria; non enim naturaliter, sed mirabiliter p. 94formatum fuit. Et sic intelligenda sunt verba Augustini in quarto libro de Trinitate et in libro Octoginta trium Quaestionum¹⁵, quae ad praesens omittuntur ob vitandam prolixitatem.

2. Ad illud quod obiicitur de verbo Apostoli, quod per omnia debuit fratribus assimilari; dicendum, quod verum est quantum ad ea quae faciebant ad reparationem generis humani, sicut hoc quod est tentari, conversari cum hominibus et pati. Sed in modo conceptionis, quia in nobis annexam habet traductionem originalis peccati, non debuit assimilari, quia non competebat hoc hominum¹⁶ Mediatori et Reparatori.

3. Ad illud quod obiicitur, quod similiter fuit nutritum et generatum¹⁷; dicendum, quod non est simile, quia nostra augmentatio et nutritio culpam non habet annexam, sicut nostra generatio; et ita non sic debuit assimilari in generationis primordio, sicut in augmento et nutrimento.

4. Ad illud quod obiicitur, quod formationem praecessit consolidatio, et consolidationem conversio; dicendum, quod duplex est ordo, videlicet secundum tempus et naturam, vel secundum naturam¹⁸ tantum. Isti autem tres actus ordinem habent in nostra generatione utroque modo, quia nostra generatio est a virtute finita, quae operatur in tempore. In generatione autem Christi non habent ordinem nisi secundum naturam; et quoniam habentia ordinem secundum naturam simul esse possunt tempore absque aliqua incompossibilitate: hinc est, quod nihil impedit, illos actus esse¹⁹ in generatione dominica, quamvis non sint simul in generatione nostra. — Unde ratio illa non cogit, quia aut procedit ab ordine secundum naturam ad ordinem secundum tempus, aut procedit ab operatione naturae ad operationem virtutis divinae. Et nullo istorum modorum est ibi necessitas consequentiae²⁰.

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Question II. Whether in the Lord's body the formation and distinction of members took place suddenly or successively.

Secondly, inquiry is made concerning the perfection of his body as to the distinction of members; and the question is whether the formation and distinction of members took place suddenly or successively in the Lord's body. And that it was not sudden seems [to be the case]:

1. Augustine, in the fourth [book] On the Trinity¹, treating that word of John in the second [chapter]: Destroy this temple... the Jews said: Forty-six etc.; there Augustine [says]: « This number is fitting to the perfection of the Lord's body, because, as the natural philosophers say, in just so many days the form of the human body is perfected »: therefore it does not seem that Christ's body was organized and formed from the instant of conception. If you say, as the Master says in the text², that this was said on account of the increase of bulk; then it does not seem that it was perfected in forty-six days, because it did not reach this perfection until twenty years [of age].

2. Likewise, to the Hebrews in the second [chapter]³: In all things he ought to be made like his brethren, therefore it seems [it was so] in the mode of the body's formation; but the bodies of other men are formed successively: therefore it seems that Christ's body [was formed] likewise.

3. Likewise, Christ's body was nourished and increased, just as the bodies of other men [are] successively⁴: therefore by parity of reasoning it seems that it was formed successively.

p. 934. Likewise, consolidation precedes the formation of the body⁵, and conversion precedes consolidation, and the cutting-off of the seed precedes conversion: if therefore each one of these operations cannot take place in less than an instant, and one is ordered to another; therefore it seems that the formation of the body could not be instantaneous.

Sed contra: 1. Augustine in the book On the Faith, to Peter⁶: « Hold most firmly, and in no way doubt, that the flesh of Christ was not conceived in the womb of the Virgin without the divinity, before it was assumed by the Word; but the Word assumed only flesh [already] formed, and assumed it in an instant »: therefore it seems that in an instant Christ's body was brought to the perfection of organization.

2. Likewise, Augustine, in the book On the Trinity⁷: « Not first was flesh conceived from the womb of the Virgin, and afterward the divinity came into the flesh; but as soon as the Word of God came into the womb, it was made flesh, the property of the nature being preserved, and [there was] a perfect man in the truth of flesh and soul ».

3. Likewise, the Blessed Virgin is said to have conceived the Son of God by reason of the flesh assumed from her; but there is no communication of idioms except on account of the union⁸; and there is no union except to a perfect nature: therefore, since in the instant of conception it is true to say that the Son of God was conceived from the Virgin, it was necessary that the body too was brought to perfect organization.

4. Likewise, Christ's conception was by a power⁹ miraculous and miraculously operating; but a power miraculously operating is infinite and operates infinitely: therefore it seems that its operation ought to be instantaneous; and if this is so, the Lord's body was constituted in perfect organization in an instant.

Conclusio

Christ's body had the perfection of organization from the instant of conception.

Respondeo: It must be said that, without doubt, as Augustine says¹⁰, Christ's body had the perfection of organization from the instant of conception. — And the ground of this can be taken from the part of the Word assuming, and from the part of the efficient power, and from the part of the Virgin conceiving. — From the part of the Word assuming: because it was not fitting that the Word should assume a part of human nature, so as to be a man in a certain respect, but [it was fitting that it should assume] the whole human nature, and thus both flesh and soul, especially since the soul gives to the flesh the fittingness to be united with the divine nature, as was shown above¹¹. And since the soul is not apt to be united except to flesh formed and organized, therefore in the first instant of conception it was necessary that the body be brought to the perfection of organization. — There is also a ground from the part of the operating power: because there the divine power was operating miraculously. For this is the miracle of miracles, that a woman should conceive God. And therefore, for the manifestation of his miraculous power, he suddenly formed that body which nature cannot form except successively. — And there is nonetheless a ground from the part of the Virgin conceiving, who at once, as she consented, was filled with the Holy Spirit and made the Mother of God, according to that which the Angel announced¹². And since she was not the Mother of God unless God were united to the flesh which she had conceived; and the flesh would be fitting to be united neither to God nor to the soul, unless it had the fitting distinction of members: hence it is that from the instant of conception Christ's body had to be perfect in the distinction of members. — Whence the arguments adduced to that side are to be conceded.

1. To that which is objected, that the number of forty-six days is fitting to the perfection of the Lord's body; it must be said that in Scripture a thing is frequently said to come about then, when it becomes known¹³; and indeed by this mode the word of blessed Augustine is to be understood, because, although the Lord's body was formed from the instant of conception, nevertheless it neither appeared nor could be perceived on account of the smallness of the quantity of its bulk; but after forty-six days it was brought to so great a perfection of quantity¹⁴ that it could be evident to the sight of men. Whence Christ's body had a likeness with other bodies in its increase, although it did not have a likeness in its primary formation; for it was formed not naturally, but miraculously.

p. 94And thus the words of Augustine in the fourth book On the Trinity and in the book of the Eighty-three Questions¹⁵ are to be understood, which are for the present omitted to avoid prolixity.

2. To that which is objected concerning the word of the Apostle, that in all things he ought to be made like his brethren; it must be said that this is true as to those things which made for the reparation of the human race, such as this — to be tempted, to dwell among men, and to suffer. But in the mode of conception, because in us it has annexed the transmission of original sin, he ought not to be made like [us], because this did not befit the Mediator and Repairer of men¹⁶.

3. To that which is objected, that he was likewise nourished and generated¹⁷; it must be said that it is not alike, because our increase and nutrition does not have sin annexed, as does our generation; and so he ought not to be made like [us] in the beginning of generation, as in increase and nutriment.

4. To that which is objected, that consolidation preceded formation, and conversion [preceded] consolidation; it must be said that there is a twofold order, namely according to time and nature, or according to nature¹⁸ only. Now these three acts have an order in our generation in both modes, because our generation is from a finite power, which operates in time. But in the generation of Christ they have an order only according to nature; and since things having an order according to nature can exist together in time without any incompossibility: hence it is that nothing prevents those acts from existing¹⁹ in the Lord's generation, although they are not together in our generation. — Whence that argument does not compel, because it either proceeds from an order according to nature to an order according to time, or it proceeds from the operation of nature to the operation of the divine power. And in none of these modes is there a necessity of consequence²⁰.

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