Part III (Secunda Secundae) Part 148 (2/2)
Obj. 5: Further, a gloss of Jerome on Gal. 4:9, ”How turn you again to the weak and needy elements?” says: ”The observance of the Law, to which they were then addicted, was a sin almost equal to the wors.h.i.+p of idols, to which they had been given before their conversion.”
Therefore idolatry is not the most grievous sin.
_On the contrary,_ A gloss on the saying of Lev. 15:25, about the uncleanness of a woman suffering from an issue of blood, says: ”Every sin is an uncleanness of the soul, but especially idolatry.”
_I answer that,_ The gravity of a sin may be considered in two ways.
First, on the part of the sin itself, and thus idolatry is the most grievous sin. For just as the most heinous crime in an earthly commonwealth would seem to be for a man to give royal honor to another than the true king, since, so far as he is concerned, he disturbs the whole order of the commonwealth, so, in sins that are committed against G.o.d, which indeed are the greater sins, the greatest of all seems to be for a man to give G.o.d's honor to a creature, since, so far as he is concerned, he sets up another G.o.d in the world, and lessens the divine sovereignty. Secondly, the gravity of a sin may be considered on the part of the sinner. Thus the sin of one that sins knowingly is said to be graver than the sin of one that sins through ignorance: and in this way nothing hinders heretics, if they knowingly corrupt the faith which they have received, from sinning more grievously than idolaters who sin through ignorance.
Furthermore other sins may be more grievous on account of greater contempt on the part of the sinner.
Reply Obj. 1: Idolatry presupposes internal unbelief, and to this it adds undue wors.h.i.+p. But in a case of external idolatry without internal unbelief, there is an additional sin of falsehood, as stated above (A. 2).
Reply Obj. 2: Idolatry includes a grievous blasphemy, inasmuch as it deprives G.o.d of the singleness of His dominion and denies the faith by deeds.
Reply Obj. 3: Since it is essential to punishment that it be against the will, a sin whereby another sin is punished needs to be more manifest, in order that it may make the man more hateful to himself and to others; but it need not be a more grievous sin: and in this way the sin against nature is less grievous than the sin of idolatry.
But since it is more manifest, it is a.s.signed as a fitting punishment of the sin of idolatry, in order that, as by idolatry man abuses the order of the divine honor, so by the sin against nature he may suffer confusion from the abuse of his own nature.
Reply Obj. 4: Even as to the genus of the sin, the Manichean heresy is more grievous than the sin of other idolaters, because it is more derogatory to the divine honor, since they set up two G.o.ds in opposition to one another, and hold many vain and fabulous fancies about G.o.d. It is different with other heretics, who confess their belief in one G.o.d and wors.h.i.+p Him alone.
Reply Obj. 5: The observance of the Law during the time of grace is not quite equal to idolatry as to the genus of the sin, but almost equal, because both are species of pestiferous superst.i.tion.
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FOURTH ARTICLE [II-II, Q. 94, Art. 4]
Whether the Cause of Idolatry Was on the Part of Man?
Objection 1: It would seem that the cause of idolatry was not on the part of man. In man there is nothing but either nature, virtue, or guilt. But the cause of idolatry could not be on the part of man's nature, since rather does man's natural reason dictate that there is one G.o.d, and that divine wors.h.i.+p should not be paid to the dead or to inanimate beings. Likewise, neither could idolatry have its cause in man on the part of virtue, since ”a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,” according to Matt. 7:18: nor again could it be on the part of guilt, because, according to Wis. 14:27, ”the wors.h.i.+p of abominable idols is the cause and the beginning and end of all evil.” Therefore idolatry has no cause on the part of man.
Obj. 2: Further, those things which have a cause in man are found among men at all times. Now idolatry was not always, but is stated [*Peter Comestor, Hist. Genes. x.x.xvii, xl] to have been originated either by Nimrod, who is related to have forced men to wors.h.i.+p fire, or by Ninus, who caused the statue of his father Bel to be wors.h.i.+ped.
Among the Greeks, as related by Isidore (Etym. viii, 11), Prometheus was the first to set up statues of men: and the Jews say that Ismael was the first to make idols of clay. Moreover, idolatry ceased to a great extent in the sixth age. Therefore idolatry had no cause on the part of man.
Obj. 3: Further, Augustine says (De Civ. Dei xxi, 6): ”It was not possible to learn, for the first time, except from their” (i.e. the demons') ”teaching, what each of them desired or disliked, and by what name to invite or compel him: so as to give birth to the magic arts and their professors”: and the same observation seems to apply to idolatry. Therefore idolatry had no cause on the part of man.
_On the contrary,_ It is written (Wis. 14:14): ”By the vanity of men they,” i.e. idols, ”came into the world.”
_I answer that,_ Idolatry had a twofold cause. One was a dispositive cause; this was on the part of man, and in three ways. First, on account of his inordinate affections, forasmuch as he gave other men divine honor, through either loving or revering them too much. This cause is a.s.signed (Wis. 14:15): ”A father being afflicted with bitter grief, made to himself the image of his son, who was quickly taken away: and him who then had died as a man he began to wors.h.i.+p as a G.o.d.” The same pa.s.sage goes on to say (Wis. 14:21) that ”men serving either their affection, or their kings, gave the incommunicable name [Vulg.: 'names'],” i.e. of the G.o.dhead, ”to stones and wood.”
Secondly, because man takes a natural pleasure in representations, as the Philosopher observes (Poet. iv), wherefore as soon as the uncultured man saw human images skillfully fas.h.i.+oned by the diligence of the craftsman, he gave them divine wors.h.i.+p; hence it is written (Wis. 13:11-17): ”If an artist, a carpenter, hath cut down a tree, proper for his use, in the wood ... and by the skill of his art fas.h.i.+oneth it, and maketh it like the image of a man ... and then maketh prayer to it, inquiring concerning his substance, and his children, or his marriage.” Thirdly, on account of their ignorance of the true G.o.d, inasmuch as through failing to consider His excellence men gave divine wors.h.i.+p to certain creatures, on account of their beauty or power, wherefore it is written (Wis. 13:1, 2): ”All men ... neither by attending to the works have acknowledged who was the workman, but have imagined either the fire, or the wind, or the swift air, or the circle of the stars, or the great water, or the sun and the moon, to be the G.o.ds that rule the world.”
The other cause of idolatry was completive, and this was on the part of the demons, who offered themselves to be wors.h.i.+pped by men, by giving answers in the idols, and doing things which to men seemed marvelous. Hence it is written (Ps. 95:5): ”All the G.o.ds of the Gentiles are devils.”
Reply Obj. 1: The dispositive cause of idolatry was, on the part of man, a defect of nature, either through ignorance in his intellect, or disorder in his affections, as stated above; and this pertains to guilt. Again, idolatry is stated to be the cause, beginning and end of all sin, because there is no kind of sin that idolatry does not produce at some time, either through leading expressly to that sin by causing it, or through being an occasion thereof, either as a beginning or as an end, in so far as certain sins were employed in the wors.h.i.+p of idols; such as homicides, mutilations, and so forth.
Nevertheless certain sins may precede idolatry and dispose man thereto.
Reply Obj. 2: There was no idolatry in the first age, owing to the recent remembrance of the creation of the world, so that man still retained in his mind the knowledge of one G.o.d. In the sixth age idolatry was banished by the doctrine and power of Christ, who triumphed over the devil.
Reply Obj. 3: This argument considers the consummative cause of idolatry.
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