132. Christ's Judicial Power: Nature, Attribution, and Universality

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

Three Requirements for Judicial Power #

Judgment requires three elements:

1. Power to coerce subjects - the ability to enforce judgment over those under one’s jurisdiction
2. Zeal for rectitude - judging from justice and love, not from hate or envy
3. Wisdom - the faculty by which judgment is properly formed and given

While power and rectitude are presupposed to judgment, wisdom properly constitutes the form of judgment itself. Wisdom is the ratio (reason/definition) that determines what judgment is.

Appropriation of Judicial Power to the Son #

Judicial power belongs essentially to the whole Trinity, but is appropriated to the Son because:

• The Son is the eternal Wisdom and Truth of the Father
• Wisdom is the proper form by which judgment is constituted
• Just as the Father makes all things through the Son as his Word/Art, so he judges all things through the Son as his Wisdom and Truth

This appropriation does not exclude the Father or Holy Spirit, but highlights what each divine person represents. The Holy Spirit’s role in judgment concerns the effect of judging (the charity by which we judge), not the form of judgment itself.

Christ’s Judicial Power in His Human Nature #

Christ possesses judicial power not only according to his divine nature but also according to his human nature. This is NOT from the condition of human nature itself (for then all humans would judge), but from three sources:

1. Grace of Union and Habitual Grace - Christ’s soul is supremely filled with divine truth and united to the Word
2. Agreement and Affinity with Men - God judges men through the man Christ so judgment is more acceptable and compassionate to them
3. Necessity for Bodily Resurrection - Christ will raise bodies through his human nature as he vivifies souls through his divine nature

Additionally: The form of the servant must be visible to both good and bad in judgment, while the form of God is reserved for the blessed (who will be beatified by seeing it). Therefore judgment must be executed through human nature.

Merit and Judicial Power #

Christ obtained judicial power from multiple sources simultaneously:

• From his divine person and union with the Word
• From his fullness of habitual grace as Head of the Church
• From merit - the justice of God required that the judge be one who fought for justice and was unjustly judged

The same reality can be owed to someone from diverse causes. Christ’s meritorious passion grounds his judicial authority over creation.

Universality of Christ’s Judgment #

Christ’s judicial power extends to all human affairs, not merely spiritual matters. Three reasons:

1. From his union with Truth - “The spiritual one judges all things” (1 Cor 2); Christ’s soul supremely judges all because maximally united to divine truth
2. From merit of his death - “In this Christ died and rose, that he might have dominion over the living and the dead” (Rom 14)
3. From ordering to beatitude - All human things are ordered to eternal salvation, which Christ judges; therefore all human things fall under his judgment

Distinction: Temporal vs. Spiritual Judgment #

Christ declined to exercise temporal judgment during his earthly life (“Who made me judge or divider over you?”) because:

• His kingdom is not of this world
• He came to transfer men to divine things, not administer earthly kingdoms

However, this refusal does NOT negate his universal judicial authority. It reflects his choice not to exercise temporal power, not a limitation of his power.

Subjection of All Things to Christ #

All things are subject to Christ’s power according to Matthew 28 (“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me”), yet not all are yet subject to the carrying out of his power. The execution of judgment over all creation remains future, to be fulfilled when his will is accomplished in the final judgment.

Divine Nature and Human Nature Perspectives #

According to Christ’s divine nature: All judgment of the Father pertains to the Son, for as the Father made all things by the Word, he judges all things by the Word.

According to Christ’s human nature: All human things are subject to his judgment through the same three reasons noted above, but his soul was filled with divine truth, making it capable of judging all things.

Key Arguments #

Arguments Against Attributing Judicial Power Specially to Christ #

1. Lordship belongs to the whole Trinity → judicial power should not be specially attributed to Christ
2. Daniel 7 depicts the “Ancient of Days” (the Father) judging → judgment belongs to the Father
3. John 16 says the Holy Spirit “will convict the world” → judgment should be attributed to the Holy Spirit
4. Judging pertains to the one who has lordship over subjects → but Christ did not claim temporal lordship

Thomistic Responses #

• Judicial power is common to the Trinity but appropriated to the Son through wisdom, the proper form of judgment
• The Father judges through the Son as his Word and Truth
• The Holy Spirit convicts through the effect of judgment (charity), not the form (wisdom)
• Through Augustine: The Father’s authority of judging is original; the Son receives and exercises it as the Father’s Wisdom and Truth

Arguments Against Judicial Power in Christ’s Human Nature #

1. Augustine says judgment is attributed to the Son insofar as he is the unchangeable Truth → judgment pertains to Christ as God, not as man
2. Only God can give eternal beatitude (the reward of judgment) → human nature cannot judge
3. Knowing hidden things of hearts pertains only to divine power → human nature cannot judge hearts

Thomistic Responses #

• Judgment pertains to Truth as the rule, but to the man imbued with truth it pertains according as he is united to Truth itself as a “living justice”
• Only God can make souls blessed by direct participation, but Christ as Head brings men to beatitude and as the Author of salvation completes their salvation (Heb 2:10)
• Knowing secrets of hearts pertains per se to God alone, but from the reflux of divinity to Christ’s soul it belongs to him also (Romans 2: judgment of hidden things happens “through Jesus Christ”)

Arguments Against Merit Obtaining Judicial Power #

1. Royal dignity followed from Christ’s generation as only-begotten of God → it doesn’t come from merit
2. Grace of the Head is from the union of natures, not from merit → not earned
3. Spiritual judgment comes through grace, not merit → Romans 11 says grace is not from merit

Thomistic Response #

• The same thing can be owed from multiple causes
• Judicial power is owed to Christ from: (a) his divine person, (b) fullness of habitual grace as Head, (c) merit of his meritorious passion
• Justice demands that the judge be one who was unjustly judged (Job 36) and who conquered in fighting for justice (Apocalypse 3)

Important Definitions #

Judicial Power (Potestas Iudicialis): The authority to judge according to truth and wisdom, requiring power to coerce subjects, rectitude of will (zeal for justice), and wisdom to form the judgment properly.

Appropriation (Appropriatio): The attribution of a perfection common to all three divine persons to one person in particular to aid human understanding, while maintaining that the property belongs essentially to the whole Trinity (e.g., wisdom appropriated to Son, power to Father, charity to Holy Spirit).

Grace of Union (Gratia Unionis): The supernatural elevation of human nature through its personal union with the divine Word.

Habitual Grace (Gratia Habitualis): The permanent supernatural quality perfecting the soul, enabling it to act in a supernatural manner.

The Form of Judgment (Forma Iudicii): The essential character of judgment, which is wisdom—the intellectual discernment according to truth by which one judges whether something accords with law.

Reflux of Divinity (Reflexus Divinitatis): The flowing back of divine perfections and knowledge to Christ’s soul through its substantial union with the Word.

Ratio (pl. rationes): The reason, definition, or formal principle by which something is what it is (e.g., wisdom is the ratio of judgment).

Examples & Illustrations #

Power vs. Wisdom in Judgment #

Berquist illustrates the distinction between what is presupposed to judgment and what constitutes it:

• A judge must have power to enforce judgment over subjects (presupposed)
• A judge must have zeal for rectitude, judging from justice not envy (presupposed)
• A judge must have wisdom to form the judgment according to law (this is judgment itself)

Analogy: Just as distinction is presupposed to order but order itself consists in before-and-after, so power and rectitude are presupposed to judgment but wisdom is what constitutes the form of judgment.

Christ Refusing Temporal Judgment #

When someone asked Christ to judge a dispute over inheritance (Luke 12), Christ refused: “Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?”

This does NOT mean Christ lacks judicial power over all things. Rather, it reflects his choice not to exercise temporal jurisdiction. His kingdom is not of this world; he came to transfer men to divine, not temporal, things.

Mary’s Intercessory Knowledge #

Berquist notes that when we pray to Mary, she must have knowledge of each of us, otherwise she could hardly respond to all prayers. Through her union with Christ, she possesses a kind of discretionary power regarding our needs—a participation in Christ’s judicial discernment.

Spiritual Judgment and Adherence to Truth #

“The spiritual one judges all things” because the spiritual person’s mind adheres to divine truth. We judge rightly about lesser things when we adhere to truth; Christ’s soul, supremely filled with divine truth, judges all things.

Questions Addressed #

Q1: Should Judicial Power Be Attributed to Christ? #

Answer: Yes, though judicial power belongs essentially to the whole Trinity, it is appropriated to the Son because wisdom is appropriated to him as the eternal Wisdom and Truth of the Father. Wisdom is the proper form constituting judgment itself.

Q2: Does Judicial Power Belong to Christ According to His Human Nature? #

Answer: Yes. Though judgment pertains per se to Christ’s divine nature, it also pertains to his human nature through: (1) supreme union of his soul with divine truth, (2) the necessity that he judge men as man for their consolation and affinity, (3) the requirement that human bodies be raised and judged by human nature, (4) the visibility of the form of the servant being necessary to both good and bad in judgment.

Q3: Did Christ Merit Judicial Power? #

Answer: Yes, among other sources. The same reality can be owed from multiple causes: Christ’s judicial power derives from (1) his divine person, (2) his grace of union and habitual grace as Head, and (3) his meritorious passion. Justice itself requires that the judge be one who fought for justice and was unjustly judged.

Q4: Is Christ’s Judicial Power Universal Over All Human Affairs? #

Answer: Yes, Christ’s judicial power extends to all human things, not merely spiritual matters, for three reasons: (1) the spiritual one judges all things; Christ supremely judges all because maximally united to divine truth, (2) Christ’s merit gives him dominion over living and dead, (3) all human things are ordered to beatitude, which Christ judges. However, Christ chose not to exercise temporal judgment during his earthly ministry.