Part I (Prima Pars) Part 99 (1/2)
Reply Obj. 3: As was observed above (Q. 62, A. 6), an angel has nothing in him to r.e.t.a.r.d his action, and with his whole might he is moved to whatsoever he is moved, be it good or bad. Consequently since the highest angel had greater natural energy than the lower angels, he fell into sin with intenser energy, and therefore he became the greater in malice.
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NINTH ARTICLE [I, Q. 63, Art. 9]
Whether Those Who Sinned Were As Many As Those Who Remained Firm?
Objection 1: It would seem that more angels sinned than stood firm.
For, as the Philosopher says (Ethic. ii, 6): ”Evil is in many, but good is in few.”
Obj. 2: Further, justice and sin are to be found in the same way in men and in angels. But there are more wicked men to be found than good; according to Eccles. 1:15: ”The number of fools is infinite.”
Therefore for the same reason it is so with the angels.
Obj. 3: Further, the angels are distinguished according to persons and orders. Therefore if more angelic persons stood firm, it would appear that those who sinned were not from all the orders.
_On the contrary,_ It is said (4 Kings 6:16): ”There are more with us than with them”: which is expounded of the good angels who are with us to aid us, and the wicked spirits who are our foes.
_I answer that,_ More angels stood firm than sinned. Because sin is contrary to the natural inclination; while that which is against the natural order happens with less frequency; for nature procures its effects either always, or more often than not.
Reply Obj. 1: The Philosopher is speaking with regard to men, in whom evil comes to pa.s.s from seeking after sensible pleasures, which are known to most men, and from forsaking the good dictated by reason, which good is known to the few. In the angels there is only an intellectual nature; hence the argument does not hold.
And from this we have the answer to the second difficulty.
Reply Obj. 3: According to those who hold that the chief devil belonged to the lower order of the angels, who are set over earthly affairs, it is evident that some of every order did not fall, but only those of the lowest order. According to those who maintain that the chief devil was of the highest order, it is probable that some fell of every order; just as men are taken up into every order to supply for the angelic ruin. In this view the liberty of free-will is more established; which in every degree of creature can be turned to evil. In the Sacred Scripture, however, the names of some orders, as of Seraphim and Thrones, are not attributed to demons; since they are derived from the ardor of love and from G.o.d's indwelling, which are not consistent with mortal sin. Yet the names of Cherubim, Powers, and Princ.i.p.alities are attributed to them; because these names are derived from knowledge and from power, which can be common to both good and bad.
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QUESTION 64
THE PUNISHMENT OF THE DEMONS (In Four Articles)
It now remains as a sequel to deal with the punishment of the demons; under which heading there are four points of inquiry:
(1) Of their darkness of intellect;
(2) Of their obstinacy of will;
(3) Of their grief;
(4) Of their place of punishment.
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FIRST ARTICLE [I, Q. 64, Art. 1]
Whether the Demons' Intellect Is Darkened by Privation of the Knowledge of All Truth?
Objection 1: It would seem that the demons' intellect is darkened by being deprived of the knowledge of all truth. For if they knew any truth at all, they would most of all know themselves; which is to know separated substances. But this is not in keeping with their unhappiness: for this seems to belong to great happiness, insomuch as that some writers have a.s.signed as man's last happiness the knowledge of the separated substances. Therefore the demons are deprived of all knowledge of truth.
Obj. 2: Further, what is most manifest in its nature, seems to be specially manifest to the angels, whether good or bad. That the same is not manifest with regard to ourselves, comes from the weakness of our intellect which draws its knowledge from phantasms; as it comes from the weakness of its eye that the owl cannot behold the light of the sun. But the demons cannot know G.o.d, Who is most manifest of Himself, because He is the sovereign truth; and this is because they are not clean of heart, whereby alone can G.o.d be seen. Therefore neither can they know other things.
Obj. 3: Further, according to Augustine (Gen. ad lit. iv, 22), the proper knowledge of the angels is twofold; namely, morning and evening. But the demons have no morning knowledge, because they do not see things in the Word; nor have they the evening knowledge, because this evening knowledge refers the things known to the Creator's praise (hence, after ”evening” comes ”morning” [Gen. 1]).
Therefore the demons can have no knowledge of things.