Part IV (Tertia Pars) Part 42 (1/2)

SECOND ARTICLE [III, Q. 25, Art. 2]

Whether Christ's Humanity Should Be Adored with the Adoration of _Latria?_

Objection 1: It would seem that Christ's soul should not be adored with the adoration of _latria._ For on the words of Ps. 98:5, ”Adore His foot-stool for it is holy,” a gloss says: ”The flesh a.s.sumed by the Word of G.o.d is rightly adored by us: for no one partakes spiritually of His flesh unless he first adore it; but not indeed with the adoration called _latria,_ which is due to the Creator alone.” Now the flesh is part of the humanity. Therefore Christ's humanity is not to be adored with the adoration of _latria._

Obj. 2: Further, the wors.h.i.+p of _latria_ is not to be given to any creature: since for this reason were the Gentiles reproved, that they ”wors.h.i.+ped and served the creature,” as it is written (Rom. 1:25).

But Christ's humanity is a creature. Therefore it should not be adored with the adoration of _latria._

Obj. 3: Further, the adoration of _latria_ is due to G.o.d in recognition of His supreme dominion, according to Deut. 6:13: ”Thou shalt adore [Vulg.: 'fear'; cf. Matt. 4:10] the Lord thy G.o.d, and shalt serve Him only.” But Christ as man is less than the Father.

Therefore His humanity is not to be adored with the adoration of _latria._

_On the contrary,_ Damascene says (De Fide Orth. iv, 3): ”On account of the incarnation of the Divine Word, we adore the flesh of Christ not for its own sake, but because the Word of G.o.d is united thereto in person.” And on Ps. 98:5, ”Adore His foot-stool,” a gloss says: ”He who adores the body of Christ, regards not the earth, but rather Him whose foot-stool it is, in Whose honor he adores the foot-stool.”

But the incarnate Word is adored with the adoration of _latria._ Therefore also His body or His humanity.

_I answer that,_ As stated above (A. 1) adoration is due to the subsisting hypostasis: yet the reason for honoring may be something non-subsistent, on account of which the person, in whom it is, is honored. And so the adoration of Christ's humanity may be understood in two ways. First, so that the humanity is the thing adored: and thus to adore the flesh of Christ is nothing else than to adore the incarnate Word of G.o.d: just as to adore a King's robe is nothing else than to adore a robed King. And in this sense the adoration of Christ's humanity is the adoration of _latria._ Secondly, the adoration of Christ's humanity may be taken as given by reason of its being perfected with every gift of grace. And so in this sense the adoration of Christ's humanity is the adoration not of _latria_ but of _dulia._ So that one and the same Person of Christ is adored with _latria_ on account of His Divinity, and with _dulia_ on account of His perfect humanity.

Nor is this unfitting. For the honor of _latria_ is due to G.o.d the Father Himself on account of His G.o.dhead; and the honor of _dulia_ on account of the dominion by which He rules over creatures. Wherefore on Ps. 7:1, ”O Lord my G.o.d, in Thee have I hoped,” a gloss says: ”Lord of all by power, to Whom _dulia_ is due: G.o.d of all by creation, to Whom _latria_ is due.”

Reply Obj. 1: That gloss is not to be understood as though the flesh of Christ were adored separately from its G.o.dhead: for this could happen only, if there were one hypostasis of G.o.d, and another of man.

But since, as Damascene says (De Fide Orth. iv, 3): ”If by a subtle distinction you divide what is seen from what is understood, it cannot be adored because it is a creature”--that is, with adoration of _latria._ And then thus understood as distinct from the Word of G.o.d, it should be adored with the adoration of _dulia_; not any kind of _dulia,_ such as is given to other creatures, but with a certain higher adoration, which is called _hyperdulia._

Hence appear the answers to the second and third objections. Because the adoration of _latria_ is not given to Christ's humanity in respect of itself; but in respect of the G.o.dhead to which it is united, by reason of which Christ is not less than the Father.

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THIRD ARTICLE [III, Q. 25, Art. 3]

Whether the Image of Christ Should Be Adored with the Adoration of _Latria_?

Objection 1: It would seem that Christ's image should not be adored with the adoration of _latria._ For it is written (Ex. 20:4): ”Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of anything.” But no adoration should be given against the commandment of G.o.d. Therefore Christ's image should not be adored with the adoration of _latria._

Obj. 2: Further, we should have nothing in common with the works of the Gentiles, as the Apostle says (Eph. 5:11). But the Gentiles are reproached princ.i.p.ally for that ”they changed the glory of the incorruptible G.o.d into the likeness of the image of a corruptible man,” as is written (Rom. 1:23). Therefore Christ's image is not to be adored with the adoration of _latria._

Obj. 3: Further, to Christ the adoration of _latria_ is due by reason of His G.o.dhead, not of His humanity. But the adoration of _latria_ is not due to the image of His G.o.dhead, which is imprinted on the rational soul. Much less, therefore, is it due to the material image which represents the humanity of Christ Himself.

Obj. 4: Further, it seems that nothing should be done in the Divine wors.h.i.+p that is not inst.i.tuted by G.o.d; wherefore the Apostle (1 Cor.

11:23) when about to lay down the doctrine of the sacrifice of the Church, says: ”I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you.” But Scripture does not lay down anything concerning the adoration of images. Therefore Christ's image is not to be adored with the adoration of _latria._

_On the contrary,_ Damascene (De Fide Orth. iv, 16) quotes Basil as saying: ”The honor given to an image reaches to the prototype,” i.e.

the exemplar. But the exemplar itself--namely, Christ--is to be adored with the adoration of _latria_; therefore also His image.

_I answer that,_ As the Philosopher says (De Memor. et Remin. i), there is a twofold movement of the mind towards an image: one indeed towards the image itself as a certain thing; another, towards the image in so far as it is the image of something else. And between these movements there is this difference; that the former, by which one is moved towards an image as a certain thing, is different from the movement towards the thing: whereas the latter movement, which is towards the image as an image, is one and the same as that which is towards the thing. Thus therefore we must say that no reverence is shown to Christ's image, as a thing--for instance, carved or painted wood: because reverence is not due save to a rational creature. It follow therefore that reverence should be shown to it, in so far only as it is an image. Consequently the same reverence should be shown to Christ's image as to Christ Himself. Since, therefore, Christ is adored with the adoration of _latria,_ it follows that His image should be adored with the adoration of _latria._

Reply Obj. 1: This commandment does not forbid the making of any graven thing or likeness, but the making thereof for the purpose of adoration, wherefore it is added: ”Thou shalt not adore them nor serve them.” And because, as stated above, the movement towards the image is the same as the movement towards the thing, adoration thereof is forbidden in the same way as adoration of the thing whose image it is. Wherefore in the pa.s.sage quoted we are to understand the prohibition to adore those images which the Gentiles made for the purpose of venerating their own G.o.ds, i.e. the demons, and so it is premised: ”Thou shalt not have strange G.o.ds before Me.” But no corporeal image could be raised to the true G.o.d Himself, since He is incorporeal; because, as Damascene observes (De Fide Orth. iv, 16): ”It is the highest absurdity and impiety to fas.h.i.+on a figure of what is Divine.” But because in the New Testament G.o.d was made man, He can be adored in His corporeal image.

Reply Obj. 2: The Apostle forbids us to have anything in common with the ”unfruitful works” of the Gentiles, but not with their useful works. Now the adoration of images must be numbered among the unfruitful works in two respects. First, because some of the Gentiles used to adore the images themselves, as things, believing that there was something Divine therein, on account of the answers which the demons used to give in them, and on account of other such like wonderful effects. Secondly on account of the things of which they were images; for they set up images to certain creatures, to whom in these images they gave the veneration of _latria._ Whereas we give the adoration of _latria_ to the image of Christ, Who is true G.o.d, not for the sake of the image, but for the sake of the thing whose image it is, as stated above.

Reply Obj. 3: Reverence is due to the rational creature for its own sake. Consequently, if the adoration of _latria_ were shown to the rational creature in which this image is, there might be an occasion of error--namely, lest the movement of adoration might stop short at the man, as a thing, and not be carried on to G.o.d, Whose image he is.

This cannot happen in the case of a graven or painted image in insensible material.