Whether It Is Proper to Christ to Be Head of the Church?
Objection 1: It seems that it is not proper to Christ to be Head of
the Church. For it is written (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 there is but one Church in the New and the Old
Testament. Therefore it seems that with equal reason any other man
than Christ might be head of the Church.
Obj. 2: Further, Christ is called Head of the Church from His
bestowing grace on the Church's members. But it belongs to others
also to grant grace to others, according to Eph. 4:29: "Let no evil
speech proceed from your mouth; but that which is good to the
edification of faith, that it may administer grace to the hearers."
Therefore it seems to belong also to others than Christ to be head of
the Church.
Obj. 3: Further, Christ by His ruling over the Church is not only
called "Head," but also "Shepherd" and "Foundation." Now Christ did
not retain for Himself alone the name of Shepherd, according to 1
Pet. 5:4, "And when the prince of pastors shall appear, you shall
receive a never-fading crown of glory"; nor the name of Foundation,
according to Apoc. 21:14: "And the wall of the city had twelve
foundations." Therefore it seems that He did not retain the name of
Head for Himself alone.
_On the contrary,_ It is written (Col. 2:19): "The head" of the
Church is that "from which the whole body, by joints and bands being
supplied with nourishment and compacted groweth unto the increase of
God." But this belongs only to Christ. Therefore Christ alone is Head
of the Church.
_I answer that,_ The head influences the other members in two ways.
First, by a certain intrinsic influence, inasmuch as motive and
sensitive force flow from the head to the other members; secondly, by
a certain exterior guidance, inasmuch as by sight and the senses,
which are rooted in the head, man is guided in his exterior acts. Now
the interior influx of grace is from no one save Christ, Whose
manhood, through its union with the Godhead, has the power of
justifying; but the influence over the members of the Church, as
regards their exterior guidance, can belong to others; and in this
way others may be called heads of the Church, according to Amos 6:1,
"Ye great men, heads of the people"; differently, however, from
Christ. First, inasmuch as Christ is the Head of all who pertain to
the Church in every place and time and state; but all other men are
called heads with reference to certain special places, as bishops of
their Churches. Or with reference to a determined time as the Pope is
the head of the whole Church, viz. during the time of his
Pontificate, and with reference to a determined state, inasmuch as
they are in the state of wayfarers. Secondly, because Christ is the
Head of the Church by His own power and authority; while others are
called heads, as taking Christ's place, according to 2 Cor. 2:10,
"For what I have pardoned, if I have pardoned anything, for your
sakes I have done it in the person of Christ," and 2 Cor. 5:20, "For
Christ therefore we are ambassadors, God, as it were, exhorting by
us."
Reply Obj. 1: The word "head" is employed in that passage in regard
to exterior government; as a king is said to be the head of his
kingdom.
Reply Obj. 2: Man does not distribute grace by interior influx, but
by exteriorly persuading to the effects of grace.
Reply Obj. 3: As Augustine says (Tract. xlvi in Joan.): "If the
rulers of the Church are Shepherds, how is there one Shepherd, except
that all these are members of one Shepherd?" So likewise others may
be called foundations and heads, inasmuch as they are members of the
one Head and Foundation. Nevertheless, as Augustine says (Tract.
xlvii), "He gave to His members to be shepherds; yet none of us
calleth himself the Door. He kept this for Himself alone." And this
because by door is implied the principal authority, inasmuch as it is
by the door that all enter the house; and it is Christ alone by "Whom
also we have access . . . into this grace, wherein we stand" (Rom.
5:2); but by the other names above-mentioned there may be implied not
merely the principal but also the secondary authority.
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