43. Defects of the Soul in Christ: Sin, Inclination, and Ignorance

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

Article 1: Whether Sin Was in Christ #

The Problem: Several scriptural and patristic sources seem to suggest Christ possessed or was subject to sin:

• Psalm 22: “The words of my sins”
• Romans 5: “In Adam all sinned”
• Hebrews 2:18: Christ suffered and was tempted
• 2 Corinthians 5:21: “He was made sin for us”
• Augustine: Christ should give an example of penance

Thomas’s Resolution: Christ could not have taken on sin for three reasons:

1. Sin does not contribute to satisfaction; it impedes it (Ecclesiasticus 34)
2. Sin does not manifest human nature—it is brought in against nature by the devil (Damascene)
3. Sin is contrary to virtue; Christ cannot exemplify virtue while sinning

Key Distinction—Corporate Identity: When Christ speaks of “my sins,” he speaks in the person of his members (the Church). This follows Tyconius’s rule (cited by Augustine in Christian Doctrine): Christ and the Church are considered one person in Scripture. The sins belong to humanity, not to Christ himself.

• Example: When Christ says to Paul, “Why do you persecute me?” he identifies with his persecuted members, not claiming direct persecution

Responses to Objections:

• Psalm 22: Christ speaks from the person of his members, not claiming personal sin
• Romans 5: Christ was in Adam materially (bodily substance) but not seminally (through male seed). His conception came from the Holy Spirit, not from the seed of Adam
• Hebrews 2:18: Christ aids the tempted through satisfaction and virtue, not through possession of sin
• 2 Corinthians 5:21: God made Christ a hostia pro peccato (victim for sin), not that he possessed sin. He took the “likeness of sinful flesh” (mortal flesh) without sin itself
• Augustine on Penance: The greatest penance is undergoing punishment for others’ sins, not one’s own

Article 2: Whether the Inclination to Sin (Fomes Peccati) Was in Christ #

Definition of Fomes Peccati: The “kindling” or inflammable tendency of the sensual appetite to desire things against reason; the result of losing original justice.

The Problem: If Christ took on mortality and suffering (which come from loss of original justice), did he also take on the inclination to sin that flows from it?

Objections:

• Both mortality and the fomes derive from loss of original justice
• The flesh naturally desires what pleases it
• Greater virtue is shown by resisting strong internal inclinations

Thomas’s Resolution: Perfect virtue makes the lower appetites completely subject to reason. Therefore, the stronger the virtue, the weaker (or absent) the fomes.

Critical Distinction—Bodily vs. Appetitive Defects:

• Bodily defects (suffering, mortality): Natural defects not subject to reason’s control; Christ took these on
• Appetitive defects (fomes): The sensual appetite resisting reason—entirely subject to virtue; Christ had no fomes

Christ’s flesh naturally desired food, drink, and sleep in accordance with right reason, not against it. He had no interior struggle but faced external temptations from the world and devil.

Key Principle: Greater strength is shown when the spirit is so powerful that the flesh cannot even desire against it—this is Christ’s condition, not one of constant internal struggle.

Article 3: Whether Ignorance Was in Christ #

The Problem: Damascene speaks of Christ taking on “an ignorant and slavish nature.” Isaiah 8:4 says “before the boy knew to call father and mother.”

Thomas’s Resolution: Christ possessed the fullness of all knowledge. Just as the fullness of grace excludes sin, the fullness of knowledge excludes ignorance (John 1:14: “full of grace and truth”).

Key Distinction—Nature vs. Union:

• Human nature considered in itself: Naturally ignorant, naturally a servant
• Human nature as united to the divine person: Possesses fullness of knowledge and grace through that union

Responses to Objections:

• Damascene’s “Ignorant Nature”: Refers to human nature’s natural condition, not to Christ’s actual state united to the Word
• “Did not know sin”: Christ knows sin by scientia simplex (simple knowledge), not by experience. He understands what sin is without having experienced it
• Isaiah 8:4: Refers to Christ’s human knowledge developing in time. Augustine interprets this as fulfilled in the adoration of the Magi—before the boy was known by the Gentiles, he took away the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria (idolatry)

Article 4: Whether Christ’s Soul Was Passible (Able to Undergo) #

The Problem: Aristotle and Augustine say nothing undergoes except from something stronger. No creature is stronger than Christ’s soul. Passions seem to follow upon sin; Christ had no sin.

Thomas’s Resolution: The soul can undergo in two ways:

1. Bodily undergoing: Through wounding of the body. Since the soul is the form of the body, bodily disturbance necessarily affects the soul
2. Spiritual undergoing: According to operations proper to the soul (understanding, sensing, emotional response)

Metaphysical Basis: The soul and body share one existence (esse). When the body suffers, the soul must be affected insofar as it exists in the body.

Semantic Range of “Undergoing” (pati):

• Original meaning: To suffer, to receive something harmful
• Extended meaning: To receive anything, even perfective things
• Aristotle’s extension: Sensing is a kind of undergoing (receiving sensible forms); even understanding is undergoing (receiving intelligible forms)
• Language note: “Suffering” is stuck on the first meaning; “undergoing” better captures the extended sense. The prefix “under” in “understand” no longer carries the negative sense in modern English

Implications for Christ: Christ’s soul could undergo bodily passion through the body’s suffering and spiritual passion through its own operations (sadness, fear). These are natural capacities, not moral defects.

Key Arguments #

The Structure of Thomas’s Defense #

1. Establish what Christ must have taken on: bodily defects (to satisfy for sin) and human nature (to be truly human)
2. Distinguish what he could not have taken on: sin, the inclination to sin, ignorance (these contradict his perfection)
3. Explain apparent scriptural attributions through corporate identity or semantic extension
4. Reconcile perfection with passibility through metaphysical distinctions

The Principle of Perfection #

• Whatever belongs to Christ through his divine nature or union with the Word must be perfect
• Grace, knowledge, virtue, and holiness are perfect in Christ
• Bodily defects are taken on voluntarily for redemption, not contracted through sin
• Spiritual defects (sin, inclination to sin, ignorance) are entirely absent

Important Definitions #

Fomes Peccati: The “kindling” or inclination of the sensual appetite to desire things contrary to reason; distinct from actual sin, it is the tendency toward sin. Absent in Christ due to perfect virtue.

Pati (Undergoing/Passion): Originally means suffering or receiving something harmful; extended to mean any reception of form or quality. The soul undergoes bodily passion when the body is wounded; the soul undergoes spiritual passion through its own operations.

Scientia Simplex vs. Experientia: Simple knowledge is understanding what something is without experiencing it; experiential knowledge is understanding through direct experience. Christ knows sin by simple knowledge but not by experience.

Corporate Identity (Tyconius’s Rule): Christ and the Church are sometimes considered as one person in Scripture. When Christ speaks in the first person about sins, he may be speaking for his members.

Hostia pro Peccato: Victim for sin; how 2 Corinthians 5:21 should be understood. Christ was made a victim for sin, not that he possessed sin.

Examples & Illustrations #

Tyconius’s Rule in Practice: When Christ says to Paul, “Why are you persecuting me?” he identifies with his persecuted members (the Church), not claiming direct persecution.

Augustine on the Magi and Isaiah 8:4: The adoration of the Magi fulfills Isaiah 8:4—before the boy was known by the Gentiles, he took away the power of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria (idolatry). The gifts of the Magi represent the spoils taken from idolatry.

Augustine and the Limitations of Knowledge: Augustine notes there are more things in Scripture he doesn’t understand than things he does. The Isaiah passage admits multiple interpretations.

Notable Quotes #

“In that in which he suffered and was tempted, he is able to aid those also who are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18)

• Thomas: Christ aids through satisfaction and example, not through personal sin

“Full of grace and truth” (John 1:14)

• Berquist: This single sentence contains the key ideas: grace (excluding sin) and truth (excluding ignorance)

“He who did not know sin was made sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

• Thomas interprets this as Christ being made a victim for sin, not that he possessed sin

Questions Addressed #

Q1: Did Christ Possess Sin? No. Sin contradicts satisfaction, does not manifest human nature, and is contrary to virtue. When Christ speaks of “my sins,” he speaks for his Church as head and members.

Q2: Did Christ Have the Inclination to Sin? No. Perfect virtue makes the lower appetites completely subject to reason. The fomes is an appetitive defect that virtue entirely excludes.

Q3: Was Christ Ignorant? No. Christ possessed the fullness of knowledge through union with the Word. Human nature by itself is ignorant, but Christ’s human nature was elevated by its union with the divine person.

Q4: Could Christ’s Soul Undergo? Yes, in two ways: (1) bodily undergoing through the body’s suffering, and (2) spiritual undergoing through operations of the soul (sadness, fear). These are not moral defects but natural capacities of a soul united to a mortal body.