211. Original Sin in the Essence and Powers of the Soul

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

• The Subject of Original Sin: Whether original sin inheres primarily in the essence (οὐσία/essentia) of the soul or in its powers (δυνάμεις/potentiae)
• The Relationship Between Essence and Powers: How powers flow from the essence as properties, using the mathematical analogy of “two” and “half of four”
• Aristotle’s Four Senses of ‘Before’: Temporal priority, priority in being, causal priority, and priority in perfection—essential for understanding how the soul’s essence relates to its powers
• The Will as Primary Power: Why the will, rather than the generative power or sensory powers, is the first power infected by original sin
• Original Justice: The divine gift that ordered the human will and all other powers in harmony

Key Arguments #

On Essence vs. Powers (Question 83, Article 2) #

Objections:

• Sin pertains to what can be moved by the will; the soul is moved only according to its powers, not its essence
• Original sin is opposed to original justice, which pertains to virtue (in the powers)
• Original sin is identified with concupiscence, which is in the powers

Thomas’s Response:

• Original sin is caused by origin (generation); what is first obtained through generation is the soul’s essence
• Just as “half of four” must follow upon being “two” (even though they exist simultaneously), the powers flow from the essence as properties
• The soul, according to its essence, is the first subject of original sin; the powers receive the infection secondarily
• Original sin is a peccata naturae (sin of nature), not a peccata personalia (personal sin)—it belongs to human nature as a whole, not to personal acts

On the Four Senses of “Before” #

• Before in time: What comes temporally prior and can exist without what comes later (e.g., the seed before the tree)
• Before in being: What can exist without what comes later, though not conversely (e.g., substance before accident)
• Before in causality: What is the cause of what comes later; cause and effect can exist simultaneously
• Before in perfection: What is more perfect or complete in nature (e.g., the soul’s essence before its powers)

The essence is before the powers in causality and perfection, though they arise simultaneously in generation.

On the Will as Primary Power (Question 83, Article 3) #

Objections:

• Original sin is caused by the generative power of the parents; therefore the generative power should be the primary subject
• The sensory powers are closer to the flesh than the will
• The intellect precedes the will in the order of knowledge; therefore it should be infected first

Thomas’s Response:

• Original sin is caused by the generative power of the parents, not the offspring’s own generative power
• Original sin has two processes: one from flesh to soul (order of generation); another from the soul’s essence to its powers (order of perfection)
• Although sensory powers are closer to the flesh, the will is closer to the soul’s essence as a superior power
• The intellect proposes the object to the will (causal priority in the sense of final cause), but the will moves toward the good understood (causal priority in the sense of moving cause)
• Therefore, the will is infected before (in the order of causality/motion) other powers

Important Definitions #

• Original Sin (peccatum originale): A disordered disposition of human nature arising from the privation of original justice, transmitted through generation from Adam to all humans
• Original Justice (iustitia originalis): The supernatural gift of divine grace that ordered the human will toward God and all other powers in harmony with reason
• Essence of the Soul (essentia animae): The fundamental nature of the rational soul (anima rationalis) as the form (forma) of the body
• Powers of the Soul (potentiae animae): The faculties that flow from the soul’s essence—intellect (intellectus), will (voluntas), sensory powers, generative power
• Sin of Nature (peccata naturae): Original sin, which belongs to human nature as a whole through Adam’s transmission
• Personal Sin (peccata personalia): Actual sins, which belong to the individual person through personal acts
• Infection (infectio): The transmission of corruption through generation, particularly through the semen carnale (carnal seed)

Examples & Illustrations #

• The Mathematical Analogy: “Two” and “half of four” are identical, yet causally ordered—to generate “half of four,” one must first generate “two.” Similarly, the soul’s essence and powers are simultaneous but causally related; the powers flow from the essence as properties
• Original Justice and Plato’s Soul: Original justice resembles Plato’s tripartite soul, where the virtues reside in different parts (reason in rulers, courage in soldiers, temperance in the crowd). The harmony of parts in the original state parallels Plato’s ordered city
• The Distinction Between Will and Emotion: Students often confuse love as an emotion with love as an act of the will. The distinction between will and emotions is harder for students to grasp than the distinction between reason and emotion
• Why the Isagoge is the Introduction to Logic: Though Porphyry’s Isagoge violates the rule of starting with easier subjects, it is necessary because definitions and divisions require understanding the five predicables (genus, species, difference, property, accident)
• Tools and Purpose: Understanding a tool requires knowing what it is for; purpose and function are inseparable from a thing’s nature—even in modern contexts (computer buttons, car alarms)
• Homer’s Plot Structure: Homer demonstrates that a good plot is not a report of everything that happened (like war reporting), but a course of action with a beginning, middle, and end—the plot being the “soul” of tragedy

Notable Quotes #

“Original sin is caused by origin, right? Whence that of the soul that is first obtained by the origin of man is going to be the first subject of original sin.”

“The soul, according to its essence, is the first subject of original sin, right? And then the powers of the soul flow from the soul, like half of four and half of six, or, I mean, a third of six follow from what? Being two, right?”

“Just like you were talking about the origin of two and half of four, right, huh? Well, being half of four follows upon being two, right, huh? So if you want to get to half of four, you’ve got to first generate a, what, a two, right?”

“Person has a very great dignity among all individual substances, huh? So when we say someone, although one could be applied, you know, one cat, one dog, right? But we, kind of by Antonia Messina, it applies to what? Yeah.”

“The powers seem more to pertain to the person insofar as they are the beginnings of personal acts. Whence they are the proper subject of actual sins, huh? Which are personal sins.”

Questions Addressed #

Question 83, Article 2: Is Original Sin in the Essence or Powers of the Soul? #

Resolution: Original sin is primarily in the essence of the soul as its first subject. The powers are infected secondarily and derivatively. The essence is before the powers in the order of causality and perfection, even though they arise simultaneously in generation.

Question 83, Article 3: Which Power is the Primary Subject Among Powers? #

Resolution: The will is the first power infected by original sin. Although the intellect precedes the will in proposing its object, the will precedes the intellect in motion toward good. As the highest power and source of motion for all other powers, the will is infected before (in the order of causality) other powers.

Philosophical Methods and Distinctions #

• The Distinction of “Before”: Thomas employs Aristotle’s four senses to resolve apparent contradictions about what is “first” or “prior” in original sin
• Essence vs. Powers as Substance vs. Accident: The relationship mirrors that of substance to its accidental properties—while causally ordered, they arise simultaneously
• Tying and Untying Knots: Thomas’s dialectical method (following Aristotle’s Metaphysics III) involves first presenting objections that “tie the knot” of apparent contradiction, then “untying” them in his response
• Nature vs. Person: Original sin pertains to human nature (what we are); personal sins pertain to the human person (who we are as individuals)

Connections to Other Lectures #

• Summa Contra Gentiles, Book IV: Thomas places original sin immediately before the Incarnation, suggesting Christ came principally to remove original sin
• Aristotle’s Categories, Chapter 12: The distinction of “before” is essential for understanding these metaphysical relationships
• Aristotle’s De Anima: The doctrine that the soul is the form (forma) of the body and that powers flow from the essence