26. Grace, Virtues, Gifts, and Prophecy in Christ

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Gift of Fear in Christ #

• Two objects of fear: fear of the terrible evil (separation from God, punishment) and fear of the one who can inflict evil (God’s eminence)
• Fear in Christ: Not fear of separation from God through sin or punishment (impossible for Christ), but reverence for God’s divine eminence
• Reverence as the gift: An affection of reverence toward God, moved by the Holy Spirit, constitutes the gift of fear in Christ
  • Christ experienced this more fully than any other creature
  • Hebrews 5:7: Christ “was heard on account of his reverence”
• Charity and fear: Perfect charity casts out servile fear (fear of punishment), but not the reverence that constitutes the gift of fear
• Augustine’s distinction: Fear regards two objects; one is the terrible evil, another is the one who can inflict evil
• Wonder as fear: Thomas sometimes speaks of wonder as a form of fear, one experienced for something in its excellence

Gratuitously Given Grace (Gratis Data) #

• Definition: Graces ordered to manifestation of faith and spiritual teaching, not primarily to sanctification of the one receiving them
• Distinction from sanctifying grace:
  • Sanctifying grace is ordered to meritorious acts (interior and exterior)
  • Gratis data are ordered to certain exterior acts manifesting faith (miracles, teaching, etc.)
• Why Christ has gratis data: As the first and chief teacher of faith, Christ must necessarily possess all gratis data in fullness to make his teaching manifest
• Fullness in Christ vs. divided in others:
  • Other saints receive gratis data in particular or divided ways according to their roles
  • Christ has all gratis data in their fullness and unified way
  • Saints are “moved by God as tools or instruments”; Christ’s soul is united to God’s divinity
• Objection about gift of tongues: Christ did not need to speak all languages because he was sent only to the Jews
  • However, Christ possessed knowledge of all tongues through his comprehensive knowledge
  • Hidden wisdom has usefulness even when not externally displayed

Prophecy in Christ #

• Definition: Quasi-procul-fans—seeing or speaking at a distance; knowing and announcing things distant from the senses/common knowledge of men
• Prophecy not essentially obscure:
  • Though lesser prophets often receive knowledge through dreams and visions (obscure), this is not the essence of prophecy
  • Moses, the supreme prophet, saw God clearly, not through enigmas
  • Yet Moses is still called a prophet
• Why Christ is a prophet:
  • Christ, as a wayfarer (viator) in his passible body, knew things distant from the common knowledge of other wayfarers
  • This makes his knowledge and announcements prophetic
  • As a comprehensor (having the beatific vision) and viator simultaneously, Christ uniquely combines both states
• Imagination in Christ: Though Christ had full intellectual vision, he could also have likenesses in his imagination through which he contemplated divine things, somewhat sharing the mode of lesser prophets
• Scripture support:
  • Deuteronomy 18:15: “I will raise up a prophet for you from your brothers”
  • Matthew 13: Christ himself says “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country”

Fullness of Grace in Christ #

• Two aspects of fullness:
  1. On the side of grace itself: Summit of excellence and extension to all effects of grace—proper to Christ alone
  2. On the side of the subject: Having grace sufficient to one’s divinely appointed state—communicated to other saints
• Why Christ has fullness:
  • The soul of Christ is more nearly joined to God among all rational creatures
  • No creature could be closer to God than to be joined in the same person to God
  • Therefore, the soul of Christ receives the greatest flowing in of grace
• Grace as universal source: Christ received grace as the universal beginning or source of all who have grace
  • Just as the sun’s power extends universally to all effects of generation in plants, Christ’s grace extends to all effects of grace (virtues, gifts, etc.)
• Distinction from other saints: Mary is called “full of grace,” but not with the fullness proper to Christ
  • All saints can have fullness of grace according to their divinely appointed state
  • But only Christ has fullness on the side of grace itself (summit and all effects)

Key Arguments #

Why Christ has the gift of fear: #

1. Fear has two objects: terrible evil and the one who inflicts it
2. Christ could not fear separation from God or punishment (impossible for him to sin)
3. But Christ could and did fear God according to God’s divine eminence
4. This reverence for God’s eminence, as affection moved by the Holy Spirit, constitutes the gift of fear
5. Perfect charity casts out servile fear but not this reverence

Why Christ has gratis data: #

1. Gratis data are ordered to manifestation of faith and spiritual teaching
2. The teacher must have what makes his teaching manifest
3. Christ is the first and chief teacher of faith
4. Therefore, Christ must have all gratis data in fullness
5. Other saints receive them divided because they are moved by God as instruments; Christ’s soul is united to God itself

Why Christ is a prophet: #

1. Prophecy is not essentially obscure knowledge but knowledge of things distant from common human knowledge
2. Christ, as a wayfarer in his passible body, knew things beyond the knowledge of other wayfarers
3. Therefore, Christ’s knowledge and announcements were prophetic
4. This does not diminish Christ’s perfection because it is based on knowledge, not defect
5. The obscurity sometimes found in prophecy comes from the prophet being a wayfarer, not from prophecy’s essence

Why Christ has fullness of grace: #

1. Fullness means having grace wholly and perfectly
2. Christ had grace according to intensity: in the summit, as it is apt to be had
3. Christ had grace according to virtual power: through all operations and effects of grace
4. The soul of Christ is closest to God; therefore receives most abundantly
5. Christ is the universal source of grace; therefore extends to all effects of grace

Important Definitions #

Gift of Fear of the Lord (Donum Timoris Domini) #

• A perfection of the powers of the soul by which they are moved by the Holy Spirit to reverence God’s divine eminence
• Distinguished from servile fear (fear of punishment) and chaste fear (fear of separation from God)
• The perfection of fear in Christ is reverence for God’s infinite eminence and excellence

Gratuitously Given Grace (Gratia Gratis Data) #

• Graces ordered to the manifestation of faith and spiritual teaching
• Ordered to exterior acts that make known the faith (miracles, teaching, etc.)
• Not primarily for sanctification of the one receiving them but for utility to others
• In Christ: possessed in fullness and unified way; in other saints: divided and particular

Prophecy (Prophetia) #

• Quasi-procul-fans: seeing or speaking at a distance
• Knowledge and announcement of things distant from the common knowledge of those in the state of the way (wayfarers)
• Not essentially obscure, though often obscure in lesser prophets
• In Christ: knowledge of things beyond the knowledge of other wayfarers

Reverence (Reverentia) #

• An affection of the soul moved by the Holy Spirit toward God’s divine eminence
• The perfected form of fear in Christ and the saints
• Compatible with the beatific vision (in Christ and the blessed in heaven)

Viator and Comprehensor #

• Viator (wayfarer): One on the way to God, not yet possessing the beatific vision; subject to becoming and growth
• Comprehensor: One who has attained and possesses the beatific vision in the state of the fatherland
• Christ uniquely combined both: comprehensor in his intellect (beatific vision), viator in his passible body

Examples & Illustrations #

Fear and Wonder #

• Berquist notes that Shakespeare’s Macbeth (via Theobald’s emendation) and Hamlet depict reason characterized by “looking before and after”
• The same characterization appears in Homer, showing the two greatest poets shared the same understanding of reason
• This illustrates how human fear/wonder can reflect similar recognitions across cultures and times

Reverence as Recognition of Divine Eminence #

• One fears a king because the king has power
• But a king is feared only if he has a certain eminence—a power to which one is not easily able to resist
• Similarly, fear of God stems from recognition of God’s divine eminence, not from defect in Christ

Prophecy and Distance #

• A man in Gaul knowing and announcing things happening in Syria would be prophetic
• A man in Syria announcing things happening in Syria would not be prophetic
• Similarly, Christ, in his state as wayfarer, knowing and announcing things distant from common knowledge was prophetic

Sun as Universal Cause #

• The sun is the universal cause of generation in plants
• Its power extends universally to all effects of generation
• Similarly, Christ’s grace as the universal source extends to all effects of grace (virtues, gifts, etc.)

Notable Quotes #

“Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18) — but Thomas clarifies this means servile fear, not the reverence that is the gift of fear

“I am not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24) — Christ’s teaching explains why he did not need the gift of tongues

“The Spirit filled him with the Spirit of the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11) — Scripture authority for the gift of fear in Christ

“In all things he was heard on account of his reverence” (Hebrews 5:7) — Demonstrating that Christ’s reverence for God was perfect and foundational to his prayer

“We saw him full of grace and truth” (John 1:14) — Authority for fullness of grace in Christ

“I will raise up a prophet for you from your brothers” (Deuteronomy 18:15) — Messianic prophecy establishing Christ as prophet

“Prophecy is quasi-procul-fans, or seeing at a distance” — Definition emphasizing knowledge of things distant from common human knowledge

“Hidden wisdom and unseen treasure, what usefulness is there in such things?” (Ecclesiasticus 20) — Objection addressed regarding why Christ would have all gratis data if he did not manifest all of them

Questions Addressed #

Does Christ have the gift of fear? #

• Objections: Hope is more potent than fear; Christ doesn’t have hope. Fear regards either separation from God or punishment; Christ cannot sin or be punished. Perfect charity casts out fear.
• Resolution: Fear has two objects. Christ did not fear the terrible evils (separation, punishment) but had perfect reverence for God’s divine eminence. This reverence, as an affection moved by the Holy Spirit, is the gift of fear. Perfect charity casts out servile fear but not reverence.

Does Christ have gratuitously given grace? #

• Objections: Gratis data are particular and divided; Christ has fullness. These things are owed to Christ as God. Gratis data are ordered to utility of others; Christ did not use all of them (e.g., tongues).
• Resolution: Gratis data are ordered to manifestation of faith and teaching. Christ, as first and chief teacher, must have all gratis data in fullness. Other saints receive them divided according to their roles. Christ’s grace extends to all effects, not limited to particular kinds. The gift of tongues was not necessary because he was sent only to the Jews, but he possessed knowledge of all tongues.

Is Christ a prophet? #

• Objections: Prophecy implies obscure knowledge; Christ had perfect knowledge. Prophecy is of things not present; Christ knew all things present. Prophecy is inferior to angelic knowledge; Christ is not less than angels.
• Resolution: Prophecy is not essentially obscure but is knowledge of things distant from common human knowledge. Christ, as a wayfarer in his passible body, knew things beyond the knowledge of other wayfarers, making him truly prophetic. He combined comprehensor (beatific vision) with viator (state of becoming) in a unique way. Like Moses, Christ had clear intellectual vision and could also have imaginative likenesses.

Does Christ have fullness of grace? #

• Objections: Fullness requires all virtues; Christ lacks faith and hope. Fullness is improper to creatures. Gifts come down in particular ways, not fully.
• Resolution: Fullness has two aspects: on the side of grace itself (summit and all effects—proper to Christ) and on the side of the subject (sufficient to one’s state—communicated to others). Christ’s soul, being more nearly joined to God than any other rational creature, receives the greatest flowing in of grace. As universal source of grace, his grace extends to all effects of grace.