217. The Four Wounds of Nature and Their Effects

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Four Wounds of Nature #

Berquist discusses the four wounds inflicted on human nature through original sin:

• Ignorance: Reason destitute of its order to truth; the wound corresponding to error (from Greek plane, to wander)
• Malice: Not sin itself, but proneness (inclinatio) of the will toward evil; hardness of heart
• Infirmity: The irascible power lacking strength to face difficulty and the arduous; weakness in the virtue of courage (fortitude)
• Concupiscence: The concupiscible power exceeding the limits of reason; disordered desire for the delectable

Original Justice and Its Loss #

Original justice was the supernatural gift by which:

• Reason perfectly contained the inferior powers of the soul without disorder
• Reason itself was perfected by being subject to God
• The body was contained under the soul without defect

Through the sin of the first parent, this original justice was removed, leaving the powers of the soul destitute of their proper order to virtue.

The Four Powers of the Soul and Their Respective Virtues #

Berquist emphasizes the four powers of the soul that can be subject of virtue:

• Reason: foresight/prudence (φρόνησις)
• Will: justice
• Irascible power: courage/fortitude
• Concupiscible power: temperance

He notes that Plato, lacking a distinct doctrine of the will, has only three parts (reason, thumos, epithumia) and thus lacks a proper place for justice.

Key Arguments #

Article 3: Are These Four Things Properly Laid Down as Wounds of Nature? #

Objections:

• These are laid down as causes of sin, but wounds should be effects
• Malice names a certain sin, so should not be among effects of sin
• Concupiscence is something natural and should not be a wound
• Concupiscence cannot be divided against infirmity as both are passions
• Augustine’s account differs: he names ignorance, difficulty, error, and pain instead

Response: One sin’s effect can be the cause of another sin. Through a preceding sin, the soul becomes disordered and more easily inclined to further sinning. This is confirmed by experience and is a starting point in ethics. Malice here means proneness of will to evil (Genesis 8:21: “Prone are the senses of man to evil from his adolescence”), not sin itself. Concupiscence exceeding the limits of reason is against nature; concupiscence subject to reason is natural and not a wound.

Article 4: Is Privation of Mode, Species, and Order an Effect of Sin? #

Objections:

• Augustine states that where mode, species, and order are great, good is great; where they are small, good is small; where they are absent, good is absent
• Since sin does not annul the good of nature, it does not take away mode, species, and order
• Sin is itself a privation of mode, species, and order (per Augustine), not an effect of it
• The diverse effects of diverse sins suggest diverse lacks or privations, not a single effect

Response: Mode, species, and order follow every created good and every being. The form of each thing determines these properties; forms are “like numbers” (Aristotle, Metaphysics VIII). There are diverse grades of goods:

• The good of substance of nature: has its own mode, species, and order; not deprived or diminished by sin
• The good of natural inclination: has its own mode, species, and order; diminished but not wholly taken away by sin
• The good of virtue and grace: has its own mode, species, and order; wholly taken away through mortal sin
• The good that is a sinful act: has its own mode, species, and order; the privation of this is sin itself

Thus sin deprives the mode, species, and order of inclination (diminishing it) and of the sinful act itself (which is essentially the privation), but not of the substance of nature.

Article 5: Are Death and Other Bodily Defects Effects of Sin? #

Objections:

• These defects are not equal in all, yet original sin is equal in all
• When sin is removed by baptism or penance, these defects remain
• Actual sin has more the notion of guilt than original sin, yet does not change the body’s nature; therefore original sin cannot either

Scripture Against (Romans 5:12): “Through one man, sin came into this world, and through sin, death.”

Response: Something can be a cause in two ways:

• Per se: According to the power of its own nature or form; the effect is intended by the cause
• Per accidens: By removing the thing preventing it (as one removing a pillar per accidens causes a stone to fall)

Sin is a per accidens cause of death and bodily defects. Through original sin, original justice is taken away. Original justice contained not only the disorder of soul’s powers but also ensured the body was contained under the soul without defect. With original justice removed, the body becomes subject to the natural corruptibility of matter.

The equality of a per accidens cause does not produce equal effects. When original justice is removed equally from all, the body is left to its nature. According to the diversity of natural complexion, some bodies are subject to more defects and some to less.

The removal of guilt and the removal of bodily defects occur according to divine wisdom “in a suitable time” (Sapientis est ordinari). We must first be conformed to Christ’s sufferings before being promoted to the incorruptibility and impassibility of glory (Romans 8:11).

Important Definitions #

Original Justice (Iustitia Originalis): The supernatural gift whereby reason perfectly contained inferior powers without disorder, and reason itself was subject to God, resulting in the body being contained under the soul without defect.

Wound (Vulnus): A destitution of the proper order by which powers of the soul are naturally ordered to virtue. It is metaphorical when applied to the soul but used analogously to bodily wounds.

Per se cause: A cause that according to its own nature or form produces the effect; the effect is intended by the cause.

Per accidens cause: A cause that produces an effect by removing an impediment; the effect is not intended but follows from the removal of prevention.

Mode, Species, Order (Modus, Species, Ordo): Fundamental properties of all created goods. Mode regards measure and determination; species regards the form by which a thing is what it is; order regards the inclination of form to its end.

Examples & Illustrations #

• The Pillar and Stone (Aristotle, Physics VIII): One removing a pillar per accidens causes a stone above it to fall. Similarly, sin removes original justice, which was the “pillar” preventing corruption of the body.

• The Psalm Reference (Psalm 6): “Have mercy on me Lord because I am sick.” Just as infirmity in the body deprives the body of its proper mode, species, and order, sin deprives the soul of these properties.

• Musical Example (Mozart, clarinet quintet, horn quintet, oboe quartet): Berquist mentions “delectabilae moderatum ratione” (delight moderated by reason) in connection with proper concupiscence, using musical harmony as an analogy for ordered desire.

• Gettysburg Address: Berquist illustrates brevity and power of expression through Lincoln’s contrast with Everett’s lengthy address, connecting to the principle that brief, well-ordered speech accomplishes more than verbose speech—analogous to how the soul’s order accomplishes more than its disorder.

Notable Quotes #

“Through original justice, perfectly reason contained the inferior powers of the soul, right? That’s one of the things promised for us in heaven, right, that our reason would be perfectly in control of our emotions, right?”

“Know thyself now. You see how you’re wounded, huh?” (Referencing the Delphic maxim and exhorting self-knowledge through understanding the effects of sin)

“The forms of things are like numbers” (Aristotle, Metaphysics VIII, cited by Thomas to show how form determines the nature of all things)

“Faith enables us to see things as God sees them.” (From Father Dalzón on faith as a transformative vision)

“It is necessary, therefore, that to the immortality and… being not able to suffer… of glory, which is begun in Christ… we arrive… conformed before to his… we suffer like he does.”

Questions Addressed #

Can these four things be properly called wounds of nature? #

Resolution: Yes, they are effects of the loss of original justice. Each wound corresponds to a power of the soul destitute of its proper order. The apparent objections are resolved by distinguishing between causes and effects (one sin’s effect becomes another’s cause), between malice as sin and malice as proneness to evil, and between natural concupiscence (subject to reason) and concupiscence exceeding reason’s limits.

Does sin deprive things of their mode, species, and order? #

Resolution: Sin deprives the mode, species, and order not of the substance of nature, but of the natural inclination to virtue and of the sinful act itself. The substance of nature retains its fundamental properties; what is deprived is the ordered inclination toward good.

Are death and bodily defects truly effects of sin? #

Resolution: Yes, but only per accidens. Sin removes original justice, which had prevented the body’s natural corruptibility from manifesting. The removal of sin’s guilt and the removal of bodily defects occur in divine time according to the order of salvation history, requiring conformity to Christ’s passion before glory.