Whether Christ Is the Head of the Church?
Objection 1: It would seem that it does not belong to Christ as man
to be Head of the Church. For the head imparts sense and motion to
the members. Now spiritual sense and motion which are by grace, are
not imparted to us by the Man Christ, because, as Augustine says (De
Trin. i, 12; xv, 24), "not even Christ, as man, but only as God,
bestows the Holy Ghost." Therefore it does not belong to Him as man
to be Head of the Church.
Obj. 2: Further, it is not fitting for the head to have a head. But
God is the Head of Christ, as man, according to 1 Cor. 11:3, "The
Head of Christ is God." Therefore Christ Himself is not a head.
Obj. 3: Furthermore, the head of a man is a particular member,
receiving an influx from the heart. But Christ is the universal
principle of the whole Church. Therefore He is not the Head of the
Church.
_On the contrary,_ It is written (Eph. 1:22): "And He . . . hath made
Him head over all the Church."
_I answer that,_ As the whole Church is termed one mystic body from
its likeness to the natural body of a man, which in divers members
has divers acts, as the Apostle teaches (Rom. 12; 1 Cor. 12), so
likewise Christ is called the Head of the Church from a likeness with
the human head, in which we may consider three things, viz. order,
perfection, and power: "Order," indeed; for the head is the first
part of man, beginning from the higher part; and hence it is that
every principle is usually called a head according to Ezech. 16:25:
"At every head of the way, thou hast set up a sign of thy
prostitution"--"Perfection," inasmuch as in the head dwell all the
senses, both interior and exterior, whereas in the other members
there is only touch, and hence it is said (Isa. 9:15): "The aged and
honorable, he is the head"--"Power," because the power and movement
of the other members, together with the direction of them in their
acts, is from the head, by reason of the sensitive and motive power
there ruling; hence the ruler is called the head of a people,
according to 1 Kings 15:17: "When thou wast a little one in thy own
eyes, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel?" Now these
three things belong spiritually to Christ. First, on account of His
nearness to God His grace is the highest and first, though not in
time, since all have received grace on account of His grace,
according to Rom. 8:29: "For whom He foreknew, He also predestinated
to be made conformable to the image of His Son; that He might be the
first-born amongst many brethren." Secondly, He had perfection as
regards the fulness of all graces, according to John 1:14, "We saw
Him [Vulg.: 'His glory'] . . . full of grace and truth," as was shown
(Q. 7, A. 9). Thirdly, He has the power of bestowing grace on all the
members of the Church, according to John 1:16: "Of His fulness we
have all received." And thus it is plain that Christ is fittingly
called the Head of the Church.
Reply Obj. 1: To give grace or the Holy Ghost belongs to Christ as He
is God, authoritatively; but instrumentally it belongs also to Him as
man, inasmuch as His manhood is the instrument of His Godhead. And
hence by the power of the Godhead His actions were beneficial, i.e.
by causing grace in us, both meritoriously and efficiently. But
Augustine denies that Christ as man gives the Holy Ghost
authoritatively. Even other saints are said to give the Holy Ghost
instrumentally, or ministerially, according to Gal. 3:5: "He . . .
who giveth to you the Spirit."
Reply Obj. 2: In metaphorical speech we must not expect a likeness in
all respects; for thus there would be not likeness but identity.
Accordingly a natural head has not another head because one human
body is not part of another; but a metaphorical body, i.e. an ordered
multitude, is part of another multitude as the domestic multitude is
part of the civil multitude; and hence the father who is head of the
domestic multitude has a head above him, i.e. the civil governor. And
hence there is no reason why God should not be the Head of Christ,
although Christ Himself is Head of the Church.
Reply Obj. 3: The head has a manifest pre-eminence over the other
exterior members; but the heart has a certain hidden influence. And
hence the Holy Ghost is likened to the heart, since He invisibly
quickens and unifies the Church; but Christ is likened to the Head in
His visible nature in which man is set over man.
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