81. The Formation and Animation of Christ's Body in the Womb

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Question of Instantaneous vs. Successive Formation #

• Whether the body of Christ was perfectly formed in the first instant of conception
• Thomas’s resolution: the formation of the body occurred instantaneously, while locomotion (movement of matter to the place of generation) and growth (augmentation to perfect size) occurred successively
• The distinction between what constitutes conception proper (formation) versus its preambles and consequences

The Problem of Matter Changing Form #

• The philosophical paradox: when matter transitions from being blood to being flesh, is there a last instant in which it is blood and a first instant in which it is flesh?
• If the same instant: contradiction (matter is both blood and flesh)
• If different instants: what is it in between?
• Aristotle’s solution: there is a first instant of being flesh but no last instant of being blood
• This paradox recurs in theology (Eucharist, Incarnation) and natural philosophy

Why Instantaneous Formation in Christ’s Case #

• First reason: The infinite power of the Holy Spirit can dispose matter instantaneously for suitable form. Greater power allows quicker disposition of matter.
• Second reason: It was not fitting (congruent) for the Son of God to assume a body except one perfectly formed. If conception took time, it would not properly be attributed to the Word.

Animation of the Body #

• Whether the body of Christ received a rational soul in the first instant of conception
• The body must be animated immediately because: the Son of God assumed a complete human nature through the soul, which operates via the rational part
• In ordinary generation, bodies are successively disposed and receive imperfect souls first; Christ’s body was perfectly disposed in an instant, receiving a perfect (rational) soul at once

The Distinction Between Disposition and Timing #

• The disposition of the body (preparation for the soul) occurs naturally in Christ just as in other men
• But the timing of animation is instantaneous due to divine power, whereas in others it follows successive bodily development

Key Arguments #

Objections to Instantaneous Formation #

Objection 1 (Augustine’s 46 years)

• The 46 years of Temple construction prefigures the perfection of Christ’s body
• Therefore formation was not instantaneous
• Resolution: The 46 years refers to the entire period from conception through nine months in the womb until birth, not merely to formation

Objection 2 (Locomotion requires time)

• Matter must move (locomotion) to the place of generation
• Locomotion takes time because the mobile’s parts successively enter a place
• Therefore formation cannot occur in an instant
• Resolution: Locomotion is a preamble to conception, not part of conception itself

Objection 3 (Matter cannot be two forms simultaneously)

• Matter cannot simultaneously be blood and flesh
• Therefore there must be a time when it is blood and a later time when it is flesh
• Therefore formation cannot be instantaneous
• Resolution: There is no last instant in which the matter was blood, but only a last time continuous with the first instant in which it was flesh; this instant was the terminus of the locomotion

Objection 4 (Generative power requires time)

• The generative power requires determinate time for its act
• Christ’s body grew in time like other bodies (Luke 2:52)
• Therefore formation must have taken time
• Resolution: The generative power in ordinary generation is the formative power of the father derived from his soul; in Christ it is the Holy Spirit’s operation, which is infinite and requires no time. Growth occurs successively according to Christ’s soul, but formation is instantaneous due to the divine agent.

Objections to Instantaneous Animation #

Objection 1 (Leo Papa’s argument)

• Leo Papa says the soul was not poured in at the first instant in other men
• Therefore not in Christ, who should not differ from us
• Resolution: Animation can be considered in two ways: (a) according to bodily disposition—both Christ and others have it at the same time as the body is formed; (b) according to time—in Christ the body was formed before it was animated in time-order, though this does not make the animation less perfect

Objection 2 (Soul requires determinate quantity)

• Aristotle argues that the soul requires determinate quantity in matter
• Christ’s body at conception did not have the quantity of other animated bodies
• If it did, he would have been born earlier or been larger than other infants
• Resolution: Quantity has latitude; it can vary in greater or lesser degree. The quantity of Christ’s body at animation was proportionate to his perfect adult size (middling, not large or small), corresponding to the small quantity found in small-bodied men when animated. This small quantity was sufficient to preserve the notion of an animated body.

Objection 3 (Succession of souls in human generation)

• Aristotle teaches that generation in man follows a sequence: first living (plant soul), then animal, then rational
• Therefore there must be before and after in animation, not instantaneous animation
• Resolution: In ordinary generation, the body is successively formed and disposed, so it receives progressively more perfect souls. But Christ’s body, due to infinite power, was perfectly disposed in an instant and therefore received a perfect (rational) soul at once—not a succession of souls.

Important Definitions #

Conception (προδή/conceptio) #

• Properly consists in the formation of the body from suitable matter
• Locomotion (matter moving to place of generation) is a preamble to conception
• Growth (augmentation to perfect size) is a consequence of conception

Locomotion #

• Successive movement of the mobile’s parts into a place
• Necessarily requires time; cannot occur in an instant
• Distinct from formation, which can be instantaneous

Perfect Acts (actus perfecti) vs. Imperfect Acts (actus imperfecti) #

• Perfect acts (intelligere/understanding, velle/willing, amare/loving): completed instantaneously; when occurring, they have already been completed
• Imperfect acts (motion, locomotion, growth): occur successively; when occurring, they have not yet been completed
• This distinction from Aristotle’s Physics is crucial for understanding how Christ’s spiritual operations were perfect from the first instant while his bodily operations developed successively

Infinite Power #

• Ability to dispose matter instantaneously for suitable form
• The greater the power of an agent, the more quickly it disposes matter
• The Holy Spirit, possessing infinite power, can accomplish in an instant what natural agents accomplish in time

Examples & Illustrations #

The Paradox of Becoming a Cat #

• When something changes from not-being-a-cat to being-a-cat:
  • If the last instant of not-being-a-cat is the same as the first instant of being-a-cat: contradiction (it both is and is not a cat)
  • If they are different instants: what is the thing in the intermediate time?
• This problem, traceable to the Greeks, appears throughout philosophy (Hegel) and theology (Eucharist, Incarnation)
• Aristotle’s solution: there is a first instant of being-a-cat but no last instant of not-being-a-cat

Illumination vs. Locomotion #

• Illumination: perfected instantaneously (appears to take no time, though modern physics shows it takes time—approximately 1,000,000 miles per second—so fast it seems instantaneous)
• Locomotion: requires successive time as parts of the body enter a place
• Understanding and willing operate like illumination (perfectly instantaneous); growth operates like locomotion (successive)

The Heavenly Bodies #

• Aristotle observes that heavenly bodies appear eternal and unchanging
• Thomas notes: changes in heavenly bodies might take so long (longer than human lifetimes) that they appear not to change
• This shows caution in applying natural philosophy to the eternal or vastly different scales

Notable Quotes #

“The angel announcing and the Holy Spirit coming at once, the Word in the womb, at once, the Word was flesh.” (Gregory, Morals, Book 18, cited by Thomas)

“Together flesh, together the flesh of the Word of God, together flesh animated by a reasonable and understandable soul.” (John of Damascus, On the Orthodox Faith, Book 3, cited by Thomas)

“The body of Christ was perfectly disposed in an instant. Whence at once, in the first instant, it received a perfect form, that is to say, a reasonable soul.” (Thomas’s resolution to the third objection)

Questions Addressed #

Article 1: Was the body of Christ perfectly formed in the first instant of conception? #

• Resolution: Yes. The formation was instantaneous due to the infinite power of the Holy Spirit and the fittingness of the Word assuming a complete human body. However, the locomotion of matter and subsequent growth were successive.

Article 2: Was the body of Christ animated in the first instant of conception? #

• Resolution: Yes. Because the body was perfectly formed and the Word assumed a complete human nature (which requires a rational soul as its formal principle). The disposition of the body is the same as in ordinary generation, but the timing of animation is instantaneous due to divine power, whereas in ordinary generation it is successive.

How does Christ’s generation differ from ordinary human generation? #

• Efficient cause difference: In ordinary generation, the generative power comes from the father’s soul; in Christ, it is the Holy Spirit’s infinite operation
• Result: Christ’s body is perfectly disposed instantaneously and receives a perfect rational soul at once; ordinary human bodies are progressively disposed and receive successively more perfect souls
• Nature preserved: Christ’s human nature is authentic (not diminished) because the disposition and animation of his body follow natural principles, though accomplished supernaturally (by infinite power)

Pedagogical Observations #

• Berquist emphasizes that Thomas “picks to death” every detail—a hallmark of scholastic rigor
• The paradox of transition between contradictories is not merely an abstract puzzle but recurs repeatedly in both natural philosophy and theology, showing the deep interconnection between these disciplines
• Understanding Aristotelian distinctions (perfect vs. imperfect acts, form vs. matter, preamble vs. proper part) is essential for theological precision
• The infinite power of the Holy Spirit is not “magical” but operates according to principles of efficient causation—the greater the power, the more swiftly it acts