Part IV (Tertia Pars) Part 89 (1/2)

Obj. 2: Further, nothing can be termed whole when its parts are severed. But the soul and body, which are the parts of human nature, were separated at His death, as stated above (Q. 50, AA. 3, 4), and it was after death that He descended into h.e.l.l. Therefore the whole (Christ) could not be in h.e.l.l.

Obj. 3: Further, the whole of a thing is said to be in a place when no part of it is outside such place. But there were parts of Christ outside h.e.l.l; for instance, His body was in the grave, and His G.o.dhead everywhere. Therefore the whole Christ was not in h.e.l.l.

_On the contrary,_ Augustine says (De Symbolo iii): ”The whole Son is with the Father, the whole Son in heaven, on earth, in the Virgin's womb, on the Cross, in h.e.l.l, in paradise, into which He brought the robber.”

_I answer that,_ It is evident from what was said in the First Part (Q. 31, A. 2, ad 4), the masculine gender is referred to the hypostasis or person, while the neuter belongs to the nature. Now in the death of Christ, although the soul was separated from the body, yet neither was separated from the Person of the Son of G.o.d, as stated above (Q. 50, A. 2). Consequently, it must be affirmed that during the three days of Christ's death the whole Christ was in the tomb, because the whole Person was there through the body united with Him, and likewise He was entirely in h.e.l.l, because the whole Person of Christ was there by reason of the soul united with Him, and the whole Christ was then everywhere by reason of the Divine Nature.

Reply Obj. 1: The body which was then in the grave is not a part of the uncreated Person, but of the a.s.sumed nature. Consequently, the fact of Christ's body not being in h.e.l.l does not prevent the whole Christ from being there: but proves that not everything appertaining to human nature was there.

Reply Obj. 2: The whole human nature is made up of the united soul and body; not so the Divine Person. Consequently when death severed the union of the soul with the body, the whole Christ remained, but His whole human nature did not remain.

Reply Obj. 3: Christ's Person is whole in each single place, but not wholly, because it is not circ.u.mscribed by any place: indeed, all places put together could not comprise His immensity; rather is it His immensity that embraces all things. But it happens in those things which are in a place corporeally and circ.u.mscriptively, that if a whole be in some place, then no part of it is outside that place. But this is not the case with G.o.d. Hence Augustine says (De Symbolo iii): ”It is not according to times or places that we say that the whole Christ is everywhere, as if He were at one time whole in one place, at another time whole in another: but as being whole always and everywhere.”

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FOURTH ARTICLE [III, Q. 52, Art. 4]

Whether Christ Made Any Stay in h.e.l.l?

Objection 1: It would seem that Christ did not make any stay in h.e.l.l.

For Christ went down into h.e.l.l to deliver men from thence. But He accomplished this deliverance at once by His descent, for, according to Ecclus. 11:23: ”It is easy in the eyes of G.o.d on a sudden to make the poor man rich.” Consequently He does not seem to have tarried in h.e.l.l.

Obj. 2: Further, Augustine says in a sermon on the Pa.s.sion (clx) that ”of a sudden at our Lord and Saviour's bidding all 'the bars of iron were burst'” (Cf. Isa. 45:2). Hence on behalf of the angels accompanying Christ it is written (Ps. 23:7, 9): ”Lift up your gates, O ye princes.” Now Christ descended thither in order to break the bolts of h.e.l.l. Therefore He did not make any stay in h.e.l.l.

Obj. 3: Further, it is related (Luke 23:43) that our Lord while hanging on the cross said to the thief: ”This day thou shalt be with Me in paradise”: from which it is evident that Christ was in paradise on that very day. But He was not there with His body, for that was in the grave. Therefore He was there with the soul which had gone down into h.e.l.l: and consequently it appears that He made no stay in h.e.l.l.

_On the contrary,_ Peter says (Acts 2:24): ”Whom G.o.d hath raised up, having loosed the sorrows of h.e.l.l, as it was impossible that He should be held by it.” Therefore it seems that He remained in h.e.l.l until the hour of the Resurrection.

_I answer that,_ As Christ, in order to take our penalties upon Himself, willed His body to be laid in the tomb, so likewise He willed His soul to descend into h.e.l.l. But the body lay in the tomb for a day and two nights, so as to demonstrate the truth of His death. Consequently, it is to be believed that His soul was in h.e.l.l, in order that it might be brought back out of h.e.l.l simultaneously with His body from the tomb.

Reply Obj. 1: When Christ descended into h.e.l.l He delivered the saints who were there, not by leading them out at once from the confines of h.e.l.l, but by enlightening them with the light of glory in h.e.l.l itself. Nevertheless it was fitting that His soul should abide in h.e.l.l as long as His body remained in the tomb.

Reply Obj. 2: By the expression ”bars of h.e.l.l” are understood the obstacles which kept the holy Fathers from quitting h.e.l.l, through the guilt of our first parent's sin; and these bars Christ burst asunder by the power of His Pa.s.sion on descending into h.e.l.l: nevertheless He chose to remain in h.e.l.l for some time, for the reason stated above.

Reply Obj. 3: Our Lord's expression is not to be understood of the earthly corporeal paradise, but of a spiritual one, in which all are said to be who enjoy the Divine glory. Accordingly, the thief descended locally into h.e.l.l with Christ, because it was said to him: ”This day thou shalt be with Me in paradise”; still as to reward he was in paradise, because he enjoyed Christ's G.o.dhead just as the other saints did.

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FIFTH ARTICLE [III, Q. 52, Art. 5]

Whether Christ Descending into h.e.l.l Delivered the Holy Fathers from Thence?

Objection 1: It would seem that Christ descending into h.e.l.l did not deliver the holy Fathers from thence. For Augustine (Epist. ad Evod.

clxiv) says: ”I have not yet discovered what Christ descending into h.e.l.l bestowed upon those righteous ones who were in Abraham's bosom, from whom I fail to see that He ever departed according to the beatific presence of His G.o.dhead.” But had He delivered them, He would have bestowed much upon them. Therefore it does not appear that Christ delivered the holy Fathers from h.e.l.l.

Obj. 2: Further, no one is detained in h.e.l.l except on account of sin.

But during life the holy Fathers were justified from sin through faith in Christ. Consequently they did not need to be delivered from h.e.l.l on Christ's descent thither.

Obj. 3: Further, if you remove the cause, you remove the effect. But that Christ went down into h.e.l.l was due to sin which was taken away by the Pa.s.sion, as stated above (Q. 49, A. 1). Consequently, the holy Fathers were not delivered on Christ's descent into h.e.l.l.

_On the contrary,_ Augustine says in the sermon on the Pa.s.sion already quoted that when Christ descended into h.e.l.l ”He broke down the gate and 'iron bars' of h.e.l.l, setting at liberty all the righteous who were held fast through original sin.”

_I answer that,_ As stated above (A. 4, ad 2), when Christ descended into h.e.l.l He worked through the power of His Pa.s.sion. But through Christ's Pa.s.sion the human race was delivered not only from sin, but also from the debt of its penalty, as stated above (Q. 49, AA. 1, 3).