Part IV (Tertia Pars) Part 71 (1/2)

Objection 1: It would seem that Christ should have preached to the Jews without offending them. For, as Augustine says (De Agone Christ.

xi): ”In the Man Jesus Christ, a model of life is given us by the Son of G.o.d.” But we should avoid offending not only the faithful, but even unbelievers, according to 1 Cor. 10:32: ”Be without offense to the Jews, and to the Gentiles, and to the Church of G.o.d.” Therefore it seems that, in His teaching, Christ should also have avoided giving offense to the Jews.

Obj. 2: Further, no wise man should do anything that will hinder the result of his labor. Now through the disturbance which His teaching occasioned among the Jews, it was deprived of its results; for it is written (Luke 11:53, 54) that when our Lord reproved the Pharisees and Scribes, they ”began vehemently to urge Him, end to oppress His mouth about many things; lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch something from His mouth, that they might accuse Him.” It seems therefore unfitting that He should have given them offense by His teaching.

Obj. 3: Further, the Apostle says (1 Tim. 5:1): ”An ancient man rebuke not; but entreat him as a father.” But the priests and princes of the Jews were the elders of that people. Therefore it seems that they should not have been rebuked with severity.

_On the contrary,_ It was foretold (Isa. 8:14) that Christ would be ”for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to the two houses of Israel.”

_I answer that,_ The salvation of the mult.i.tude is to be preferred to the peace of any individuals whatsoever. Consequently, when certain ones, by their perverseness, hinder the salvation of the mult.i.tude, the preacher and the teacher should not fear to offend those men, in order that he may insure the salvation of the mult.i.tude. Now the Scribes and Pharisees and the princes of the Jews were by their malice a considerable hindrance to the salvation of the people, both because they opposed themselves to Christ's doctrine, which was the only way to salvation, and because their evil ways corrupted the morals of the people. For which reason our Lord, undeterred by their taking offense, publicly taught the truth which they hated, and condemned their vices. Hence we read (Matt. 15:12, 14) that when the disciples of our Lord said: ”Dost Thou know that the Pharisees, when they heard this word, were scandalized?” He answered: ”Let them alone: they are blind and leaders of the blind; and if the blind lead the blind, both fall into the pit.”

Reply Obj. 1: A man ought so to avoid giving offense, as neither by wrong deed or word to be the occasion of anyone's downfall. ”But if scandal arise from truth, the scandal should be borne rather than the truth be set aside,” as Gregory says (Hom. vii in Ezech.).

Reply Obj. 2: By publicly reproving the Scribes and Pharisees, Christ promoted rather than hindered the effect of His teaching. Because when the people came to know the vices of those men, they were less inclined to be prejudiced against Christ by hearing what was said of Him by the Scribes and Pharisees, who were ever withstanding His doctrine.

Reply Obj. 3: This saying of the Apostle is to be understood of those elders whose years are reckoned not only in age and authority, but also in probity; according to Num. 11:16: ”Gather unto Me seventy men of the ancients of Israel, whom thou knowest to be ancients ... of the people.” But if by sinning openly they turn the authority of their years into an instrument of wickedness, they should be rebuked openly and severely, as also Daniel says (Dan. 13:52): ”O thou that art grown old in evil days,” etc.

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THIRD ARTICLE [III, Q. 42, Art. 3]

Whether Christ Should Have Taught All Things Openly?

Objection 1: It would seem that Christ should not have taught all things openly. For we read that He taught many things to His disciples apart: as is seen clearly in the sermon at the Supper.

Wherefore He said: ”That which you heard in the ear in the chambers shall be preached on the housetops” [*St. Thomas, probably quoting from memory, combines Matt. 10:27 with Luke 12:3]. Therefore He did not teach all things openly.

Obj. 2: Further, the depths of wisdom should not be expounded save to the perfect, according to 1 Cor. 2:6: ”We speak wisdom among the perfect.” Now Christ's doctrine contained the most profound wisdom.

Therefore it should not have been made known to the imperfect crowd.

Obj. 3: Further, it comes to the same, to hide the truth, whether by saying nothing or by making use of a language that is difficult to understand. Now Christ, by speaking to the mult.i.tudes a language they would not understand, hid from them the truth that He preached; since ”without parables He did not speak to them” (Matt. 13:34). In the same way, therefore, He could have hidden it from them by saying nothing at all.

_On the contrary,_ He says Himself (John 18:20): ”In secret I have spoken nothing.”

_I answer that,_ Anyone's doctrine may be hidden in three ways.

First, on the part of the intention of the teacher, who does not wish to make his doctrine known to many, but rather to hide it. And this may happen in two ways--sometimes through envy on the part of the teacher, who desires to excel in his knowledge, wherefore he is unwilling to communicate it to others. But this was not the case with Christ, in whose person the following words are spoken (Wis. 7:13): ”Which I have learned without guile, and communicate without envy, and her riches I hide not.” But sometimes this happens through the vileness of the things taught; thus Augustine says on John 16:12: ”There are some things so bad that no sort of human modesty can bear them.” Wherefore of heretical doctrine it is written (Prov. 9:17): ”Stolen waters are sweeter.” Now, Christ's doctrine is ”not of error nor of uncleanness” (1 Thess. 2:3). Wherefore our Lord says (Mk.

4:21): ”Doth a candle,” i.e. true and pure doctrine, ”come in to be put under a bushel?”

Secondly, doctrine is hidden because it is put before few. And thus, again, did Christ teach nothing in secret: for He propounded His entire doctrine either to the whole crowd or to His disciples gathered together. Hence Augustine says on John 18:20: ”How can it be said that He speaks in secret when He speaks before so many men? ... especially if what He says to few He wishes through them to be made known to many?”

Thirdly, doctrine is hidden, as to the manner in which it is propounded. And thus Christ spoke certain things in secret to the crowds, by employing parables in teaching them spiritual mysteries which they were either unable or unworthy to grasp: and yet it was better for them to be instructed in the knowledge of spiritual things, albeit hidden under the garb of parables, than to be deprived of it altogether. Nevertheless our Lord expounded the open and unveiled truth of these parables to His disciples, so that they might hand it down to others worthy of it; according to 2 Tim. 2:2: ”The things which thou hast heard of me by many witnesses, the same command to faithful men, who shall be fit to teach others.” This is foreshadowed, Num. 4, where the sons of Aaron are commanded to wrap up the sacred vessels that were to be carried by the Levites.

Reply Obj. 1: As Hilary says, commenting on the pa.s.sage quoted, ”we do not read that our Lord was wont to preach at night, and expound His doctrine in the dark: but He says this because His speech is darkness to the carnal-minded, and His words are night to the unbeliever. His meaning, therefore, is that whatever He said we also should say in the midst of unbelievers, by openly believing and professing it.”

Or, according to Jerome, He speaks comparatively--that is to say, because He was instructing them in Judea, which was a small place compared with the whole world, where Christ's doctrine was to be published by the preaching of the apostles.

Reply Obj. 2: By His doctrine our Lord did not make known all the depths of His wisdom, neither to the mult.i.tudes, nor, indeed, to His disciples, to whom He said (John 16:12): ”I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” Yet whatever things out of His wisdom He judged it right to make known to others, He expounded, not in secret, but openly; although He was not understood by all.

Hence Augustine says on John 18:20: ”We must understand this, 'I have spoken openly to the world,' as though our Lord had said, 'Many have heard Me' ... and, again, it was not 'openly,' because they did not understand.”

Reply Obj. 3: As stated above, our Lord spoke to the mult.i.tudes in parables, because they were neither able nor worthy to receive the naked truth, which He revealed to His disciples.

And when it is said that ”without parables He did not speak to them,”