Bonaventure

Articulus I. De iudicis apparitione.

Quaestio III. Utrum Christus apparebit reprobis in forma humanitatis gloriosa.

The footnotes below are Quaracchi's, which restarts its numbering on every printed page. Labels here are page-qualified: notes 1–10 of page 987 and notes 1–2 of page 988. Notes 3 and following of page 988 anchor in the next question and are rendered there.

Tertio quaeritur de qualitate formae, in qua apparebit Christus, utrum scilicet in forma gloriosa appareat reprobis. Et quod sic, videtur:

1. Quia in primo adventu apparuit passibilis, quia adventus ille fuit in infirmitate: ergo cum secundus adventus sit in virtute, ergo apparebit gloriosus¹.

2. Item, in iudicio apparebit talis, qualem decet apparere ad confusionem inimicorum et laetitiam amicorum; sed inimici maxime confunduntur in gloria et in exaltatione illius, quem despexerunt, et e converso amici laetantur: ergo apparebit in gloria.

3. Item, nulla erit in eo fictio, ergo talem ostendet formam, qualem habebit; sed habebit gloriosam: ergo ostendet reprobis gloriosam formam.

Contra: 1. Matthaei vigesimo quarto²: Apparebit signum Filii hominis in caelo; hoc erit signum crucis: ergo cum crux sit signum infirmitatis, videtur, quod appareat in infirmitate, non in gloria.

2. Item, Chrysostomus³: « Veniet in iudicio Christus, non solum vulnerum cicatrices, sed etiam ipsam mortem exprobratissimam ostendens ».

3. Item, ratione videtur: quia, sicut oculus spiritualis se habet ad lucem spiritualem, ita corporalis ad corporalem; sed sic est, quod oculus spiritualis malorum non videt lucem spiritualem, quia est improportionalis: ergo similiter, cum oculus non⁴ glorificatus sit improportionalis, non videbit claritatem corporis glorificati.

4. Item, si videbit; cum « sensus exterior pascatur in contemplatione humanitatis, sicut interior in contemplatione Divinitatis⁵ »; videtur, quod habeant delectationem; sed non videbunt Divinitatem, ne delectentur: ergo nec humanitatem.

5. Item, quamvis « Christus sit benignus secundum veritatem, tamen apparebit terribilis reprobis », sicut dicit Isidorus⁶: ergo pari ratione, quamvis sit gloriosus, tamen debet reprobis apparere ingloriosus.

Conclusio

Christus tam bonis quam malis apparebit in forma gloriosa, bonis quidem cum gaudio, sed malis cum confusione.

Respondeo: Dicendum, quod Christus apparebit in forma gloriosa, ut ostensum est, non tantum bonis, sed etiam reprobis; et non erit differentia ex parte apparentis, sed ex parte recipientium⁷. Boni enim recipient gloriosam formam cum gaudio et gloria, sed mali cum confusione et poena. Confundentur enim in aspectu eius et non poterunt eius sustinere vultum propter conscientiae remorsum et propter exspectationem ferendae sententiae contra eos; sed econtra boni oblectabuntur.

Ad argumenta in oppositum:

Ad 1, 2. Ad illud quod obiicitur, quod apparebit cum cruce et cicatricibus; dicendum, quod sicut cicatrices in Martyribus non sunt signum infirmitatis praesentis, sed infirmitatis praeteritae, immo quantum ad gloriam et decentiam et pulcritudinem sunt signa victoriae et gloriae⁸; sic in Christo intelligendum, quia illae cicatrices et crux signa erunt mortis vilissimae, quam sustinuit; sed tamen, quia apparebunt in excellentia gloriae, signum erunt gloriae tunc praesentis. Unde Chrysostomus dicit super Matthaeum⁹, quod « crux radiis solis erit lucentior », similiter et cicatrices.

Ad 3, 4. Ad illud quod obiicitur, quod oculi eorum sunt improportionales; dicendum, quod improportionales erunt per privationem sufficientis proportionis; ideo retundentur visus et confundentur; sed tamen non erunt omnino improportionales per defectum omnis proportionis. Nec est simile de luce spirituali, quia illa excedit multo plus oculum peccatoris¹⁰, quam lux corporis gloriosi oculum corporis passibilis.

Ad 5. Ad illud quod obiicitur, quod videbitur terribilis et blandus, ergo similiter gloriosus et ingloriosus; dicendum, quod non est simile: quia terribilis et blandus dicitur ad alterum; unde benignum hominem potest homo aspicere ut terribilem, quia eum timet; sed gloriosum et non gloriosum dicunt dispositionem a parte visibilis. Unde nisi fiat per deceptionem, vel per miraculum et divinam virtutem, quae teneat oculos, sicut dicitur Lucae ultimo¹: Oculi eorum tenebantur; res talis videtur, qualis est secundum veritatem².

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Article I. On the appearing of the Judge.

Question III. Whether Christ will appear to the reprobate in the glorious form of his humanity.

Thirdly it is asked concerning the quality of the form in which Christ will appear — namely, whether he appears to the reprobate in a glorious form. And that he does, seems to be so:

1. Because in his first coming he appeared passible, since that coming was in weakness: therefore, since the second coming is in power, he will accordingly appear glorious¹.

2. Likewise, at the judgement he will appear such as it befits him to appear for the confounding of his enemies and the gladness of his friends; but enemies are most of all confounded at the glory and exaltation of him whom they despised, and conversely friends rejoice: therefore he will appear in glory.

3. Likewise, there will be no pretence in him, therefore he will show such a form as he will have; but he will have a glorious one: therefore he will show the reprobate a glorious form.

On the contrary: 1. Matthew, chapter twenty-four²: There shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; this will be the sign of the cross: therefore, since the cross is a sign of weakness, it seems that he appears in weakness, not in glory.

2. Likewise, Chrysostom³: « Christ will come at the judgement, showing not only the scars of his wounds, but even that most reproachful death itself ».

3. Likewise, it seems so by reason: because, as the spiritual eye stands to spiritual light, so the bodily eye to bodily light; but so it is, that the spiritual eye of the wicked does not see the spiritual light, because it is disproportionate to it: therefore likewise, since an eye not⁴ glorified is disproportionate, it will not see the brightness of a glorified body.

4. Likewise, if it will see; since « the exterior sense is fed in the contemplation of the humanity, as the interior in the contemplation of the Divinity⁵ »; it seems that they would have delight; but they will not see the Divinity, lest they be delighted: therefore neither the humanity.

5. Likewise, although « Christ is kind according to the truth, yet he will appear terrible to the reprobate », as Isidore says⁶: therefore by parity of reasoning, although he is glorious, yet he ought to appear inglorious to the reprobate.

Conclusion

Christ will appear to the good as well as to the wicked in a glorious form — to the good indeed with joy, but to the wicked with confusion.

I respond: It must be said that Christ will appear in a glorious form, as has been shown, not only to the good, but also to the reprobate; and there will be no difference on the side of the one appearing, but on the side of those receiving⁷. For the good will receive the glorious form with joy and glory, but the wicked with confusion and punishment. For they will be confounded at the sight of him and will not be able to bear his countenance, on account of the remorse of conscience and on account of the expectation of the sentence to be borne against them; but on the contrary the good will be delighted.

To the arguments to the contrary:

To 1 and 2. To that which is objected, that he will appear with the cross and the scars; it must be said that, just as the scars in the Martyrs are not a sign of present weakness, but of past weakness — nay rather, as regards glory and comeliness and beauty they are signs of victory and of glory⁸ — so it is to be understood in Christ, since those scars and the cross will be signs of the most vile death which he underwent; but nevertheless, because they will appear in the excellence of glory, they will be a sign of the glory then present. Hence Chrysostom says on Matthew⁹ that « the cross will be brighter than the rays of the sun », and likewise the scars.

To 3 and 4. To that which is objected, that their eyes are disproportionate; it must be said that they will be disproportionate by the privation of a sufficient proportion; therefore their sight will be blunted and they will be confounded; but nevertheless they will not be altogether disproportionate through the lack of every proportion. Nor is the case like that of the spiritual light, because that light exceeds the eye of the sinner¹⁰ far more than the light of a glorious body exceeds the eye of a passible body.

To 5. To that which is objected, that he will be seen as terrible and as gentle, and therefore likewise as glorious and inglorious; it must be said that the case is not alike: because "terrible" and "gentle" are said in relation to another; hence a man can look upon a kind man as terrible, because he fears him; but "glorious" and "not glorious" express a disposition on the side of the visible thing. Hence, unless it come about through deception, or through a miracle and divine power which holds the eyes — as it is said in the last chapter of Luke¹: Their eyes were held — a thing is seen such as it is according to the truth².

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