Whether the Son of God Ought to Have Assumed a Carnal or Earthly Body?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ had not a carnal or earthly,
but a heavenly body. For the Apostle says (1 Cor. 15:41): "The first
man was of the earth, earthy; the second man from heaven, heavenly."
But the first man, i.e. Adam, was of the earth as regards his body,
as is plain from Gen. 1. Therefore the second man, i.e. Christ, was
of heaven as regards the body.
Obj. 2: Further, it is said (1 Cor. 15:50): "Flesh and blood shall
not [Vulg.: 'cannot'] possess the kingdom of God." But the kingdom of
God is in Christ chiefly. Therefore there is no flesh or blood in
Him, but rather a heavenly body.
Obj. 3: Further, whatever is best is to be attributed to God. But of
all bodies a heavenly body is the best. Therefore it behooved Christ
to assume such a body.
_On the contrary,_ our Lord says (Luke 24:39): "A spirit hath not
flesh and bones, as you see Me to have." Now flesh and bones are not
of the matter of heavenly bodies, but are composed of the inferior
elements. Therefore the body of Christ was not a heavenly, but a
carnal and earthly body.
_I answer that,_ By the reasons which proved that the body of Christ
was not an imaginary one, it may also be shown that it was not a
heavenly body. First, because even as the truth of the human nature
of Christ would not have been maintained had His body been an
imaginary one, such as Manes supposed, so likewise it would not have
been maintained if we supposed, as did Valentine, that it was a
heavenly body. For since the form of man is a natural thing, it
requires determinate matter, to wit, flesh and bones, which must be
placed in the definition of man, as is plain from the Philosopher
(Metaph. vii, 39). Secondly, because this would lessen the truth of
such things as Christ did in the body. For since a heavenly body is
impassible and incorruptible, as is proved De Coel. i, 20, if the Son
of God had assumed a heavenly body, He would not have truly hungered
or thirsted, nor would he have undergone His passion and death.
Thirdly, this would have detracted from God's truthfulness. For since
the Son of God showed Himself to men, as if He had a carnal and
earthly body, the manifestation would have been false, had He had a
heavenly body. Hence (De Eccles. Dogm. ii) it is said: "The Son of
God was born, taking flesh of the Virgin's body, and not bringing it
with Him from heaven."
Reply Obj. 1: Christ is said in two ways to have come down from
heaven. First, as regards His Divine Nature; not indeed that the
Divine Nature ceased to be in heaven, but inasmuch as He began to be
here below in a new way, viz. by His assumed nature, according to
John 3:13: "No man hath ascended into heaven, but He that descended
from heaven, the Son of Man, Who is in heaven."
Secondly, as regards His body, not indeed that the very substance of
the body of Christ descended from heaven, but that His body was
formed by a heavenly power, i.e. by the Holy Ghost. Hence Augustine,
explaining the passage quoted, says (Ad Orosium [*Dial. Qq. lxv, qu.
4, work of an unknown author]): "I call Christ a heavenly man because
He was not conceived of human seed." And Hilary expounds it in the
same way (De Trin. x).
Reply Obj. 2: Flesh and blood are not taken here for the substance of
flesh and blood, but for the corruption of flesh, which was not in
Christ as far as it was sinful; but as far as it was a punishment;
thus, for a time, it was in Christ, that He might carry through the
work of our redemption.
Reply Obj. 3: It pertains to the greatest glory of God to have raised
a weak and earthly body to such sublimity. Hence in the General
Council of Ephesus (P. II, Act. I) we read the saying of St.
Theophilus: "Just as the best workmen are esteemed not merely for
displaying their skill in precious materials, but very often because
by making use of the poorest clay and commonest earth, they show the
power of their craft; so the best of all workmen, the Word of God,
did not come down to us by taking a heavenly body of some most
precious matter, but shewed the greatness of His skill in clay."
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