2. Structure of Sacred Doctrine and the Incarnation

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

Two Structural Approaches to Sacred Doctrine #

Summa Contra Gentiles (Four-Book Structure)

• Book 1: God in Himself (existence, substance, operation)
• Book 2: God as Maker (creation, creatures, rational beings and angels)
• Book 3: God as End (divine end of all things, general providence, special providence over man)
• Book 4: Matters knowable by faith alone (Trinity, Incarnation, Sacraments, Last Things)
• Uses a crisscross division between:
  • Things knowable by natural reason (Books 1-3)
  • Things knowable by faith alone (Book 4)
• Originally framed for missionary dialogue with Jews and Muslims in Spain

Summa Theologiae (Three-Part Structure)

• Prima Pars: God in Himself (including Trinity) and God as Maker
• Secunda Pars: The motion of rational creatures toward God (virtues and moral theology)
• Tertia Pars: Christ as the Way to God; His benefits to human race; Sacraments; Last Things
• Expands and deepens the third part of the SCG (God as End)
• Integrates faith-reason division within the three-fold division rather than separating them

The Three-Fold Division as Foundation #

All of sacred doctrine rests on understanding God as:

1. God in Himself
2. God as Principium (Maker/First Principle)
3. God as End (Final Goal)

These three are present in both works but distributed differently.

Placement of the Incarnation: Two Perspectives #

In Summa Contra Gentiles: Incarnation falls under “God as Maker”

• Justification: The Incarnation is “the greatest thing God made”
• Every other miracle is ordered toward this one
• Emphasizes the creative aspect of God becoming man

In Summa Theologiae: Incarnation falls under “God as End”

• Justification: Christ is the via (way/road) by which we return to God
• Christ as Savior is essential to humanity’s journey to its final end
• Emphasizes the redemptive aspect and man’s orientation toward beatitude

Key Point: Neither placement is incorrect; they highlight different aspects of the mystery.

Key Arguments #

The Necessity and Suitability of the Incarnation #

Two Distinct Senses of “Necessary” (Aristotelian distinction)

1. Absolute Necessity (sine qua non): That without which something cannot be at all (e.g., food for life)
2. Conditional Necessity: That without which something cannot be well achieved (e.g., a horse for a long journey)

Applied to Incarnation:

• Absolute sense: NOT necessary—God could have redeemed humanity in other ways
• Conditional sense: NECESSARY—no more suitable way exists

Scripture’s Emphasis: The texts always connect the Incarnation to redemption from sin; Thomas inclines toward the position that God would not have become incarnate without sin.

The Six Central Questions about the Incarnation #

Thomas divides the first part of the Tertia Pars into six articles:

1. Was it suitable for God to become flesh?

   • Foundation: God’s nature is goodness itself
   • Principle (from Dionysius): It belongs to the notion of good to communicate itself
   • Conclusion: The highest good communicates itself in the highest way—by uniting created nature to Himself in one person

2. Was the Incarnation necessary for reparation of the human race?

   • Uses the Aristotelian distinction of necessity
   • God could have redeemed otherwise but chose the most suitable way
   • Augustine: “A more suitable way of healing our misery there was not”

3. Would God have become incarnate without sin?

   • Scripture emphasizes connection to sin and redemption
   • Thomas inclines toward: No, not without sin
   • Others (like Scotus) argued yes, but Thomas follows scriptural emphasis

4. Was Christ chiefly incarnated to take away original sin or actual sin?

   • Original sin affects all humanity (excepting Christ and the Virgin)
   • Thomas likely sees original sin as the chief target

5. Was it suitable that God was incarnated from the beginning of the world?

   • Question of why the incarnation was delayed

6. Should the incarnation have been deferred to the end of the world?

   • Timing and appropriateness of the historical incarnation

Important Definitions #

• Via (ὁδός, via): The way or road; Christ as the way by which humanity returns to God
• Hypostatic Union: The union of divine and human natures in one person (Christ)
• Prologue (πρόλογος, prologus): Forward or introduction; specifically the opening statement of the Tertia Pars

Examples & Illustrations #

On Naming and Language #

• We use “incarnate” (not “humanized”) following St. John’s Gospel
• This is synecdoche: the part (flesh) standing for the whole (human nature)
• Parallel: “The Word” is antonomasia—the name of the universal given to one outstanding particular

The Symbolism of Two Angels #

• Gregory the Great: One angel at the head, one at the feet
• Head angel represents divinity: “In the beginning was the Word”
• Feet angel represents humanity: “The Word was made flesh”
• Connection to synecdoche and antonomasia in describing Christ

On the Necessity of Understanding “Necessary” #

• Aristotle’s lost dialogue on philosophy: Whether you philosophize or not, you must use reason
• Similarly: Is it necessary to understand the word “necessary”?
  • If yes: you’ve already understood it
  • If no: you must understand it to show why it’s not necessary
• Applied to Incarnation: Is it necessary? The answer itself requires understanding necessity

Contemporary Example on Humility and Belief #

• Modern people struggle to believe in doctrines like the Real Presence
• Even the risen Christ faced doubt: “Some doubted” (Matthew 28:17)
• Humility is necessary for belief—the proud person overestimates his ability to judge and won’t submit his mind to those wiser
• Belief (before understanding) is natural to man: we believe the Pythagorean Theorem before knowing its proof

Questions Addressed #

Why different structures in SCG vs. ST?

• SCG: Apologetic work for missionaries; must separate what reason can access from faith-only truths
• ST: Pedagogical work for students; can integrate both while showing how reason ascends toward faith
• SCG emphasizes God as Maker (what He created); ST emphasizes God as End (where we’re going)

Why does the Incarnation appear in two different places?

• SCG: Under “God as Maker” because the Incarnation is God’s greatest creative act
• ST: Under “God as End” because Christ is our way back to God, our final destiny
• Both are correct; they emphasize different theological perspectives on the same mystery

How can God become flesh without changing?

• God Himself does not change; the human nature is newly united to the unchanging divine person
• The creature is assumed; God is not diminished or altered

What role does humility play in understanding the Incarnation?

• Humility removes the pride that prevents belief
• The proud person judges things beyond his capacity and won’t submit to wiser minds
• Faith requires receiving what we cannot initially comprehend through our own reason