Whether Christ Had Any Knowledge Besides the Divine?
Objection 1: It would seem that in Christ there was no knowledge
except the Divine. For knowledge is necessary that things may be
known thereby. But by His Divine knowledge Christ knew all things.
Therefore any other knowledge would have been superfluous in Him.
Obj. 2: Further, the lesser light is dimmed by the greater. But all
created knowledge in comparison with the uncreated knowledge of God
is as the lesser to the greater light. Therefore there shone in
Christ no other knowledge except the Divine.
Obj. 3: Further, the union of the human nature with the Divine took
place in the Person, as is clear from Q. 2, A. 2. Now, according to
some there is in Christ a certain "knowledge of the union," whereby
Christ knew what belongs to the mystery of the Incarnation more fully
than anyone else. Hence, since the personal union contains two
natures, it would seem that there are not two knowledges in Christ,
but one only, pertaining to both natures.
_On the contrary,_ Ambrose says (De Incarnat. vii): "God assumed the
perfection of human nature in the flesh; He took upon Himself the
sense of man, but not the swollen sense of the flesh." But created
knowledge pertains to the sense of man. Therefore in Christ there was
created knowledge.
_I answer that,_ As said above (Q. 5), the Son of God assumed an
entire human nature, i.e. not only a body, but also a soul, and not
only a sensitive, but also a rational soul. And therefore it behooved
Him to have created knowledge, for three reasons. First, on account
of the soul's perfection. For the soul, considered in itself, is in
potentiality to knowing intelligible things. since it is like "a
tablet on which nothing is written," and yet it may be written upon
through the possible intellect, whereby it may become all things, as
is said _De Anima_ iii, 18. Now what is in potentiality is imperfect
unless reduced to act. But it was fitting that the Son of God should
assume, not an imperfect, but a perfect human nature, since the whole
human race was to be brought back to perfection by its means. Hence
it behooved the soul of Christ to be perfected by a knowledge, which
would be its proper perfection. And therefore it was necessary that
there should be another knowledge in Christ besides the Divine
knowledge, otherwise the soul of Christ would have been more
imperfect than the souls of the rest of men. Secondly, because, since
everything is on account of its operation, as stated De Coel. ii, 17,
Christ would have had an intellective soul to no purpose if He had
not understood by it; and this pertains to created knowledge.
Thirdly, because some created knowledge pertains to the nature of the
human soul, viz. that whereby we naturally know first principles;
since we are here taking knowledge for any cognition of the human
intellect. Now nothing natural was wanting to Christ, since He took
the whole human nature, as stated above (Q. 5). And hence the Sixth
Council [*Third Council of Constantinople, Act. 4] condemned the
opinion of those who denied that in Christ there are two knowledges
or wisdoms.
Reply Obj. 1: Christ knew all things with the Divine knowledge by an
uncreated operation which is the very Essence of God; since God's
understanding is His substance, as the Philosopher proves (Metaph.
xii, text. 39). Hence this act could not belong to the human soul of
Christ, seeing that it belongs to another nature. Therefore, if there
had been no other knowledge in the soul of Christ, it would have
known nothing; and thus it would have been assumed to no purpose,
since everything is on account of its operation.
Reply Obj. 2: If the two lights are supposed to be in the same order,
the lesser is dimmed by the greater, as the light of the sun dims the
light of a candle, both being in the class of illuminants. But if we
suppose two lights, one of which is in the class of illuminants and
the other in the class of illuminated, the lesser light is not dimmed
by the greater, but rather is strengthened, as the light of the air
by the light of the sun. And in this manner the light of knowledge is
not dimmed, but rather is heightened in the soul of Christ by the
light of the Divine knowledge, which is "the true light which
enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world," as is written
John 1:9.
Reply Obj. 3: On the part of what are united we hold there is a
knowledge in Christ, both as to His Divine and as to His human
nature; so that, by reason of the union whereby there is one
hypostasis of God and man, the things of God are attributed to man,
and the things of man are attributed to God, as was said above (Q. 3,
AA. 1, 6). But on the part of the union itself we cannot admit any
knowledge in Christ. For this union is in personal being, and
knowledge belongs to person only by reason of a nature.
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