112. Christ's Soul, Passion, and the Paschal Timing
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Main Topics #
Question 8: Christ’s Soul Enjoying the Beatific Vision During Passion #
The Central Problem: How could Christ’s soul simultaneously suffer pain and enjoy the blessed vision of God, when pain and joy appear to be contraries?
The Distinction of “Whole Soul”: Thomas resolves this by distinguishing two meanings of “whole soul” (tota anima):
- According to essence or substance (per essentiam)
- According to all its powers (per omnes potentias)
According to essence, the whole soul enjoys God insofar as the essence is the subject of the superior part (the higher reason) which attains the divinity. According to all powers, the whole soul does not enjoy because enjoyment pertains only to the superior part.
The Principle of Non-Redundancy: Christ’s higher part perfectly enjoyed the beatific vision while his lower powers suffered pain. This was possible because there was no redundantia (overflow of glory) from the superior to the inferior parts during his earthly state as viator (wayfarer). The body had not yet reached its glorified state.
Key Distinction on Contraries: Contraries can belong to the same thing provided they do not pertain according to the same respect. Example: Christ was mortal according to his human nature and immortal according to his divine nature—both true but secundum diversa (according to different aspects).
Question 9: Whether Christ Suffered at a Suitable Time #
The Paschal Lamb Typology: Christ celebrated the Paschal Feast with his disciples on the 14th day of the lunar month and suffered on the 15th day. This fulfilled the law perfectly and reconciled apparent contradictions in the Gospel accounts.
Textual Harmonization:
- Matthew 26 speaks of “the first day of the unleavened” when disciples asked where to prepare the Passover
- Mark 14 says “when the Paschal was offered up”
- Luke states “the day of the unleavened in which it was necessary that the Paschal lamb be killed”
- John 13 says Christ washed the disciples’ feet “before the festal day of the Paschal”
These are reconciled by understanding that the Jewish custom began the day’s solemnity from Vespers of the preceding day (secundum ritum Iudaeorum festivitas incipit a vespera praecedentis diei).
The Equinox Symbolism: The spring equinox (when day and night are equal) was the suitable time because:
- God created the world at the equinox
- Christ redeems and reforms the world at the same season
- After the equinox, light increases upon darkness, symbolizing redemption leading from darkness to light
- The summer solstice, when the day is longest, prefigures the perfect illumination at Christ’s second coming (referencing Matt. 24: “when the branch is tender and leaves are born, you know summer is near”)
Divine Wisdom Over Human Calculation: Thomas employs the principle from Wisdom 8 that divine wisdom “disposes all things suitably and sweetly” (suaviter et fortiter disponit). Christ’s hour was determined by divine wisdom, not by human convention or expectation.
Key Arguments #
On the Coexistence of Suffering and Joy #
Objection: Pain and joy are contraries; nothing prevents contraries in the same subject, but not secundum idem (according to the same respect).
Response:
- The joy of fruitio (fruition/enjoyment of God) pertained to the superior part of reason through its own act (per proprium actum)
- The pain of passion pertained to the essence of the soul from the side of the body, of which the soul is the forma substantialis (substantial form)
- These do not conflict because they are not according to the same aspect
On Aristotle’s Authority Regarding Pleasure and Pain #
Objection: Aristotle (Ethics VII) says that vehement sadness not only impedes contrary delight but prevents it entirely. Christ’s pain was maximus (greatest) and his pleasure of vision was maxima (greatest), so how could they coexist?
Response: Aristotle’s principle holds true “by reason of the redundancy which is natural” (per redundantiam quae est naturalis) from one part of the soul to another. In Christ, this natural redundancy did not occur because he did not permit it. After the resurrection, this overflow became permanent.
On the Suitability of Paschal Timing #
Objection: The Paschal Lamb was immolated on the 14th day; therefore Christ should have suffered then, not the 15th.
Response:
- Christ ate the Paschal meal on the 14th with his disciples (not contrary to the law)
- He suffered on the 15th
- The Jews, concerned with procuring Christ’s death against the law, delayed their own Paschal celebration until the 15th
- The “mystery of his body and blood” was consecrated in the night of the 14th, which began the preparation for his passion
On the Hour of Crucifixion: Mark 15 says “the third hour,” while John says “the sixth hour.”
- Augustine explains: it was the sixth hour when Christ was given over to be crucified by Pilate (John)
- But it was the third hour when the Jews shouted “crucify him” (Mark)
- In one sense of speaking, they crucified him in the third hour when they demanded his death, even though the actual crucifixion occurred at the sixth hour
- Some copyists confused the Greek letters gamma (3) and zeta (6), which look similar
Important Definitions #
Viator (wayfarer): One on the way to his end; Christ during his earthly life, whose body had not yet reached its glorified state. Distinguished from comprehensor (one who has reached his end).
Redundantia (overflow/redundancy): The natural overflow of perfection from higher powers to lower powers. In normal human experience, joy in the intellect overflows to mitigate bodily pain. In Christ as viator, this overflow did not occur by his will.
Forma substantialis (substantial form): The form by which a body is constituted as a body. The soul is the substantial form of the body.
Fruitio (fruition/enjoyment): The direct enjoyment or possession of a good, specifically the beatific vision of God. Pertains only to the higher powers of the soul.
Secundum diversa (according to different respects): The resolution to the apparent contradiction between contraries—they can both be true of the same thing if they are not true according to the same aspect.
Examples & Illustrations #
Contraries and Respect: Christ being mortal according to his human nature and immortal according to his divine nature parallels the coexistence of suffering and joy—both true but according to different aspects.
Modern Analogy on Decision-Making: When discussing how error in determining the hour does not diminish responsibility, Berquist offers an election analogy: if a candidate makes a stupid remark during a close race that becomes the turning point, observers say “that’s when he lost the election,” even though the actual loss didn’t occur until later. Similarly, the Jews’ crucifixion of Christ “happened” in the third hour (when they demanded it) even though the physical crucifixion occurred in the sixth hour.
Personal Recollection on Good Friday: Berquist recalls a young woman converting to Catholicism sending an email on Good Friday saying “Happy Good Friday”—an unusual phrasing that connects the sorrow of the day with its redemptive joy.
Notable Quotes #
“The whole soul can be understood in two ways: according to its essence or nature, and according to all its powers.”
“Nothing prevents contraries belonging to the same if it is not according to the same.”
“The higher part of the soul perfectly enjoyed Christ’s suffering. That’s hard for us to understand, right? There’s kind of a wall there between the two.”
“Divine wisdom disposes all things suitably and sweetly” (suaviter et fortiter disponit).
Questions Addressed #
Q: Could Christ’s soul enjoy the beatific vision while suffering pain? A: Yes, by distinguishing between the whole soul according to essence (which enjoys God through the superior part) versus according to all powers (which includes suffering lower powers). The superior part perfectly enjoyed the vision while lower powers suffered pain, with no overflow between them during his earthly state.
Q: Was the timing of Christ’s passion suitable? A: Yes. Christ ate the Paschal meal on the 14th day and suffered on the 15th, perfectly fulfilling the law. The spring equinox was especially suitable because it symbolizes redemption leading from darkness (equal day and night) to light (increasing daylight), just as Christ redeems the world at the time of creation.