35. Christ's Knowledge of the Divine Essence and All Things

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

Comprehension vs. Vision of the Divine Essence #

• Comprehension (comprehensio): Knowing something as much as it is knowable; knowledge that exhausts the knowability of an object
• Vision (visio): Seeing or knowing something without comprehending it; knowledge that falls short of exhaustive knowledge
• The Fundamental Principle: The infinite cannot be comprehended by the finite; the unlimited cannot be limited by the limited
• Christ’s Soul Does Not Comprehend: Despite the hypostatic union of divine and human natures in one person, Christ’s human soul remains a creature with finite capacity and thus cannot comprehend the infinite divine essence
• Christ’s Soul Does See: Christ’s soul sees (visio) the divine essence but does not see it “as much as it is knowable” (non secundum quod cognoscibilis est)

The Problem of Accidental Predication #

• Properties of Christ’s divine nature can be truly transferred to His human nature through the identity of suppositum (person), but not according to the same nature
• Example: Just as one person can be both a geometer and a grandfather, Christ is both God and man; one can say “the Son of Man comprehends the divine essence” (according to His divine nature) or “the Son of Man is the creator” (according to His divine nature), but these are not said according to the human nature
• Mary as Theotokos: The mother of God—a striking example of predicate transfer; Mary is called mother of God not according to her generation of divinity but through identity of person with the Divine Son

Whether Christ Knows All Things in the Word #

• Two Senses of “All Things”:
  1. Properly (proprie): All things in act across all times—past, present, future; all thoughts, sayings, and deeds
  2. Broadly (large sumtum): All things in God’s power, including counterfactuals and unrealized possibilities
• Christ Knows All Things in the First Sense: As judge of all, Christ must know all actual things, all thoughts of men, and all deeds. The text of John 2:25 (“he knew what was in man”) supports this
• Christ Does Not Know All Things in the Second Sense: Christ does not know all things merely in God’s power (scientia simplicis intelligentiae), as this would require comprehending the divine power, which is identical to the divine essence
• Clarification on Counterfactuals: Christ knows all things in the power of creatures (what creatures could do), but not all things in God’s power alone (counterfactual divine acts)

The Problem of Mark 13:32 #

• The Apparent Contradiction: “No one knows the day or hour, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, except the Father” (Mark 13:32)
• Thomas’s Resolution: The phrase does not mean Christ lacks knowledge; rather, Christ does not make this knowledge known. The statement means “I am not in position to reveal this”
• Parallel from Genesis 22:12: When God says “Now I know that you fear God,” this means “Now I have made this known,” not that God lacked knowledge before
• Chrysostom’s Reasoning: If Christ is given to know how each person should be judged (a greater thing), He certainly knows the time of judgment (a lesser thing). Therefore, the knowledge exists; only its revelation is withheld
• Catechism Interpretation: The analogy of saying “He’s not here right now” when someone is unavailable—not a lie, but a statement about availability rather than fact
• Alternative Interpretations: Origen suggests the passage refers to Christ according to His body (the Church), which is ignorant of the time; some say it refers to the natural Son rather than the Divine Son. Thomas considers these less likely

The Nature of Divine and Creaturely Knowledge #

• Isidore’s Distinction: “The Trinity to itself alone is known and to the man taken on”—this does not mean comprehension but rather “most excellent knowledge above other creatures”
• Augustine’s Principle on Grace of Union: “What belongs to the Son of God by nature belongs to the Son of Man by grace.” Through the grace of hypostatic union, the human nature participates in the dignity of the divine nature, but this does not overcome the finite/infinite distinction
• The Doctrine of Non-Circumscription: God’s whole divinity was not “circumscribed” or limited by human nature in the Incarnation; the divine nature retained its infinite character even while united to human nature in one person

Key Arguments #

Arguments for Christ Comprehending the Divine Essence (Objections) #

Objection 1 (from Isidore)

• “The Trinity to itself alone is known and to the man taken on”
• Inference: If knowledge is attributed to both Trinity and the man taken on, this must be the same kind of knowledge (comprehension)
• Thomas’s Response: This means most excellent knowledge above other creatures, not comprehension

Objection 2 (from Union in Being)

• Christ is united to God in personal being (the hypostatic union is the highest possible union)
• Being is a greater union than knowing
• Therefore, if being is united, knowing (vision) should follow even more greatly
• Thomas’s Response: Even in personal union, the human nature does not comprehend the divine nature. The whole power and excellence of the divinity was not “enclosed” or “circumscribed” by human nature

Objection 3 (from Augustine)

• Augustine: “What belongs to the Son of God by nature belongs to the Son of Man by grace”
• Comprehension belongs to the Son of God by nature
• Therefore, it belongs to the Son of Man by grace
• Thomas’s Response: This applies to the grace of union, which allows transfer of predicates through identity of person, but not according to the same nature. The principle concerns what is said, not how it is said

Counter-Argument (Augustine in 83 Questions)

• What comprehends itself must be limited to itself
• The divine essence is not limited in comparison to Christ’s soul; it exceeds it infinitely
• Therefore, the soul of Christ does not comprehend the word
• Thomas’s Assessment: This is the correct understanding

Arguments Regarding Whether Christ Knows All Things (Objections) #

Objection 1 (from Mark 13:32)

• “No one knows… nor the Son, except the Father”
• Inference: Christ does not know all things (at least the day and hour)
• Thomas’s Response: Christ does not make this known; the phrase indicates non-revelation, not non-knowledge

Objection 2 (Comparison with God’s Knowledge)

• The more perfectly one knows a beginning, the more things one knows in it
• God sees His essence more perfectly than Christ’s soul
• Therefore, God knows more things in the Word than Christ does
• Inference: Christ does not know all things in the Word
• Thomas’s Response: True, but the distinction is not quantitative in scientia visionis (Christ knows all actual things) but rather in clarity and in scientia simplicis intelligentiae (God knows infinite possibilities Christ does not)

Objection 3 (Equality of Knowledge)

• If Christ knew all things that God knows in the Word, Christ’s science would equal the divine science
• The created cannot equal the uncreated
• Therefore, Christ does not know all things in the Word
• Thomas’s Response: Quantity of knowledge is measured not only by number of things known but by the manner and clarity of knowing. God’s knowledge infinitely exceeds in clarity and scope (scientia simplicis intelligentiae)

Thomas’s Positive Doctrine on “All Things” #

Two Senses Distinguished

1. Properly taken: All things in act in any time

   • Result: Christ knows all these things
   • Reason: He is constituted judge of all by God (John 5:27)
   • He must know all thoughts of men whom He judges (John 2:25)

2. Broadly taken: All things in God’s power that never come to act

   • Result: Christ does not know all these things
   • Reason: This would require comprehending the divine power/essence
   • Distinction: Some things in God’s power are also in creatures’ power; these Christ knows

Important Definitions #

Comprehensio (Comprehension) #

Knowing something as much as it is knowable; exhaustive, complete knowledge. Only God comprehends Himself. A creature, by definition, cannot comprehend the infinite divine essence because the infinite exceeds the finite.

Visio (Vision) #

Seeing or knowing something without comprehending it; knowledge that attains its object but does not exhaust its knowability. Christ’s soul has this regarding the divine essence. The blessed in heaven will see God as He is but not comprehend Him.

Scientia Visionis (Knowledge of Vision) #

God’s knowledge of all actual things—past, present, and future. All things in act across all times are present to God in His eternal now. Christ’s soul knows all things through this knowledge.

Scientia Simplicis Intelligentiae (Knowledge of Simple Intelligence) #

God’s knowledge of all possible things—things in His power that He does not actualize, counterfactuals, unrealized possibilities. Christ’s soul does not possess comprehensive knowledge of all things in this way.

Suppositum #

Individual substance or person. In the Incarnation, the same suppositum underlies both divine and human natures, allowing predicates to be transferred between natures while remaining according to their respective natures.

Secundum Quid (In Some Way) #

A qualification indicating that something is true in a limited or determined sense, not simply or absolutely. A fundamental principle for avoiding sophistic contradictions when dealing with distinctions in nature, knowledge, and being.

Examples & Illustrations #

Knowing a Geometric Theorem #

One who knows the Pythagorean theorem by demonstration (seeing why it must be true) versus one who accepts it on the authority of Euclid or geometers (probable argument) both know the whole statement (subject and predicate), but the one with demonstrative knowledge knows it “as much as it is knowable” in a way the other does not. This illustrates how one can know something completely yet not know it comprehensively.

The Geometer and Grandfather #

One person can truly be called both “this geometer is a grandfather” and “this grandfather is a geometer.” Both predicates belong to the same person, yet not according to the same nature or property. Similarly, what is said of Christ’s divine nature (e.g., “comprehends the essence”) can be said of the Son of Man, but not according to the human nature.

Accessibility vs. Knowledge #

When someone calls and we say “He’s not here right now,” we mean he is not available, not that he is physically absent. This illustrates how Christ’s statement that He does not know the day and hour means He does not reveal it, not that He lacks the knowledge.

Multiple Infinities #

There are infinite even numbers and infinite odd numbers. Both infinite series together contain more than either alone. This illustrates that God’s knowledge of infinite things in His own power exceeds Christ’s knowledge of infinite things in creatures’ power, even though both involve infinities.

Notable Quotes #

“The infinite cannot be comprehended by the finite. The unlimited by the limited.” — Thomas Aquinas (via Berquist)

“The man taken on is numbered with the divine trinity in his knowledge, not by reason of comprehension, right? But by reason of a most excellent knowledge above other creatures, huh?” — Isidore, cited and expounded by Thomas

“The whole divinity in one of the persons is united to human nature in Christ.” — John of Damascus, cited by Thomas

“God was not so poured into the flesh that the care of governing the universe was deserted or left it, or that it was transferred to this little corpuscle.” — Augustine, cited by Thomas on the Incarnation

“If to the man Christ is given to know in what way each person ought to be judged, which is a much greater thing, much more is it given to him to know something much less, which is the time of the judgment.” — Chrysostom, cited by Thomas

“The soul of Christ sees the whole essence of God but nevertheless it does not comprehend it. Because he does not totally see it. That is, he does not see it as perfectly as it is visible.” — Thomas Aquinas

“Christ sees the whole divine essence, but he doesn’t see it as much as he’s knowable.” — Berquist’s summary of Thomas

“I am not in position to reveal it.” — Berquist’s interpretation of Christ’s statement regarding the day and hour

Questions Addressed #

Does Christ’s Soul Comprehend the Divine Essence? #

Answer: No. Despite the hypostatic union of divine and human natures in one person, Christ’s soul remains a creature with finite capacity and therefore cannot comprehend the infinite divine essence. It sees the divine essence but does not see it as fully as it is knowable. Only God comprehends Himself.

What Does It Mean That Christ Sees the Divine Essence Without Comprehending It? #

Answer: It means Christ’s soul attains the divine essence in vision but does not exhaust its knowability. Just as one can know a statement (like the Pythagorean theorem) completely through probable argument without knowing it as perfectly as it is knowable (which requires demonstration), so Christ knows the divine essence completely but not comprehensively. God alone knows the divine essence “as much as it is knowable.”

How Can We Say the Son of Man Comprehends the Divine Essence When His Soul Does Not? #

Answer: Through the grace of hypostatic union, what belongs to the Son of God by nature can be said of the Son of Man by grace. The Son of Man is indeed a comprehensor—but according to His divine nature, not according to His human soul. This transfer of predicates is possible through the identity of suppositum (person) uniting the two natures, though what is predicated remains according to its respective nature.

How Can Mark 13:32 (“nor the Son, except the Father”) Be Reconciled with Christ’s Knowledge? #

Answer: The phrase does not indicate lack of knowledge but rather non-revelation. Christ does not make the day and hour known to the apostles. Just as Genesis 22:12 (“Now I know that you fear God”) means “Now I have made this known,” so Christ’s statement means “I am not in position to reveal this.” Chrysostom’s reasoning supports this: if Christ knows how all persons should be judged (a greater matter), He certainly knows the time of judgment (a lesser matter).

Does Christ Know All Things in the Word? #

Answer: Yes, in the proper sense. Christ knows all things in act—past, present, future, and all thoughts and deeds of men. He does not know all things in God’s power alone (counterfactuals and unrealized divine possibilities), as this would require comprehending the divine essence. Christ does know all things in creatures’ power, as these pertain to creatures He judges.

Connections to Course Structure #

This lecture continues the examination of Christ’s knowledge begun in Question 10 of the Summa Theologiae III. Berquist notes that the treatment divides into two main parts: (1) Christ’s knowledge as God and (2) Christ’s knowledge as man. The human knowledge is further divided into three kinds: beatific knowledge (visio in Word), infused knowledge, and acquired knowledge through experience. The current lecture focuses on the beatific knowledge (first kind) through Articles 1-2 of Question 10.