Part III (Secunda Secundae) Part 135 (1/2)
Objection 1: It would seem that sacrifice should not be offered to the most high G.o.d alone. Since sacrifice ought to be offered to G.o.d, it would seem that it ought to be offered to all such as are partakers of the G.o.dhead. Now holy men are made ”partakers of the Divine nature,” according to 2 Pet. 1:4; wherefore of them is it written (Ps. 81:6): ”I have said, You are G.o.ds”: and angels too are called ”sons of G.o.d,” according to Job 1:6. Thus sacrifice should be offered to all these.
Obj. 2: Further, the greater a person is the greater the honor due to him from man. Now the angels and saints are far greater than any earthly princes: and yet the subjects of the latter pay them much greater honor, by prostrating before them, and offering them gifts, than is implied by offering an animal or any other thing in sacrifice. Much more therefore may one offer sacrifice to the angels and saints.
Obj. 3: Further, temples and altars are raised for the offering of sacrifices. Yet temples and altars are raised to angels and saints.
Therefore sacrifices also may be offered to them.
_On the contrary,_ It is written (Ex. 22:20): ”He that sacrificeth to G.o.ds shall be put to death, save only to the Lord.”
_I answer that,_ As stated above (A. 1), a sacrifice is offered in order that something may be represented. Now the sacrifice that is offered outwardly represents the inward spiritual sacrifice, whereby the soul offers itself to G.o.d according to Ps. 50:19, ”A sacrifice to G.o.d is an afflicted spirit,” since, as stated above (Q. 81, A. 7; Q.
84, A. 2), the outward acts of religion are directed to the inward acts. Again the soul offers itself in sacrifice to G.o.d as its beginning by creation, and its end by beatification: and according to the true faith G.o.d alone is the creator of our souls, as stated in the First Part (QQ. 90, A. 3; 118, A. 2), while in Him alone the beat.i.tude of our soul consists, as stated above (I-II, Q. 1, A. 8; Q.
2, A. 8; Q. 3, AA. 1, 7, 8). Wherefore just as to G.o.d alone ought we to offer spiritual sacrifice, so too ought we to offer outward sacrifices to Him alone: even so ”in our prayers and praises we proffer significant words to Him to Whom in our hearts we offer the things which we designate thereby,” as Augustine states (De Civ. Dei x, 19). Moreover we find that in every country the people are wont to show the sovereign ruler some special sign of honor, and that if this be shown to anyone else, it is a crime of high-treason. Therefore, in the Divine law, the death punishment is a.s.signed to those who offer Divine honor to another than G.o.d.
Reply Obj. 1: The name of the G.o.dhead is communicated to certain ones, not equally with G.o.d, but by partic.i.p.ation; hence neither is equal honor due to them.
Reply Obj. 2: The offering of a sacrifice is measured not by the value of the animal killed, but by its signification, for it is done in honor of the sovereign Ruler of the whole universe. Wherefore, as Augustine says (De Civ. Dei x, 19), ”the demons rejoice, not in the stench of corpses, but in receiving divine honors.”
Reply Obj. 3: As Augustine says (De Civ. Dei viii, 19), ”we do not raise temples and priesthoods to the martyrs, because not they but their G.o.d is our G.o.d. Wherefore the priest says not: I offer sacrifice to thee, Peter or Paul. But we give thanks to G.o.d for their triumphs, and urge ourselves to imitate them.”
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THIRD ARTICLE [II-II, Q. 85, Art. 3]
Whether the Offering of Sacrifice Is a Special Act of Virtue?
Objection 1: It would seem that the offering of sacrifice is not a special act of virtue. Augustine says (De Civ. Dei x, 6): ”A true sacrifice is any work done that we may cleave to G.o.d in holy fellows.h.i.+p.” But not every good work is a special act of some definite virtue. Therefore the offering of sacrifice is not a special act of a definite virtue.
Obj. 2: Further, the mortification of the body by fasting belongs to abstinence, by continence belongs to chast.i.ty, by martyrdom belongs to fort.i.tude. Now all these things seem to be comprised in the offering of sacrifice, according to Rom. 12:1, ”Present your bodies a living sacrifice.” Again the Apostle says (Heb. 13:16): ”Do not forget to do good and to impart, for by such sacrifices G.o.d's favor is obtained.” Now it belongs to charity, mercy and liberality to do good and to impart. Therefore the offering of sacrifice is not a special act of a definite virtue.
Obj. 3: Further, a sacrifice is apparently anything offered to G.o.d.
Now many things are offered to G.o.d, such as devotion, prayer, t.i.thes, first-fruits, oblations, and holocausts. Therefore sacrifice does not appear to be a special act of a definite virtue.
_On the contrary,_ The law contains special precepts about sacrifices, as appears from the beginning of Leviticus.
_I answer that,_ As stated above (I-II, Q. 18, AA. 6, 7), where an act of one virtue is directed to the end of another virtue it partakes somewhat of its species; thus when a man thieves in order to commit fornication, his theft a.s.sumes, in a sense, the deformity of fornication, so that even though it were not a sin otherwise, it would be a sin from the very fact that it was directed to fornication. Accordingly, sacrifice is a special act deserving of praise in that it is done out of reverence for G.o.d; and for this reason it belongs to a definite virtue, viz. religion. But it happens that the acts of the other virtues are directed to the reverence of G.o.d, as when a man gives alms of his own things for G.o.d's sake, or when a man subjects his own body to some affliction out of reverence for G.o.d; and in this way the acts also of other virtues may be called sacrifices. On the other hand there are acts that are not deserving of praise save through being done out of reverence for G.o.d: such acts are properly called sacrifices, and belong to the virtue of religion.
Reply Obj. 1: The very fact that we wish to cling to G.o.d in a spiritual fellows.h.i.+p pertains to reverence for G.o.d: and consequently the act of any virtue a.s.sumes the character of a sacrifice through being done in order that we may cling to G.o.d in holy fellows.h.i.+p.
Reply Obj. 2: Man's good is threefold. There is first his soul's good which is offered to G.o.d in a certain inward sacrifice by devotion, prayer and other like interior acts: and this is the princ.i.p.al sacrifice. The second is his body's good, which is, so to speak, offered to G.o.d in martyrdom, and abstinence or continency. The third is the good which consists of external things: and of these we offer a sacrifice to G.o.d, directly when we offer our possession to G.o.d immediately, and indirectly when we share them with our neighbor for G.o.d's sake.
Reply Obj. 3: A ”sacrifice,” properly speaking, requires that something be done to the thing which is offered to G.o.d, for instance animals were slain and burnt, the bread is broken, eaten, blessed.
The very word signifies this, since ”sacrifice” is so called because a man does something sacred (_facit sacrum_). On the other hand an ”oblation” is properly the offering of something to G.o.d even if nothing be done thereto, thus we speak of offering money or bread at the altar, and yet nothing is done to them. Hence every sacrifice is an oblation, but not conversely. ”First-fruits” are oblations, because they were offered to G.o.d, according to Deut. 26, but they are not a sacrifice, because nothing sacred was done to them. ”t.i.thes,”
however, are neither a sacrifice nor an oblation, properly speaking, because they are not offered immediately to G.o.d, but to the ministers of Divine wors.h.i.+p.
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FOURTH ARTICLE [II-II, Q. 85, Art. 4]
Whether All Are Bound to Offer Sacrifices?
Objection 1: It would seem that all are not bound to offer sacrifices. The Apostle says (Rom. 3:19): ”What things soever the Law speaketh, it speaketh to them that are in the Law.” Now the law of sacrifices was not given to all, but only to the Hebrew people.