Whether Christ Knew All Things by This Acquired or Empiric Knowledge?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ did not know everything by
this knowledge. For this knowledge is acquired by experience. But
Christ did not experience everything. Therefore He did not know
everything by this knowledge.
Obj. 2: Further, man acquires knowledge through the senses. But not
all sensible things were subjected to Christ's bodily senses.
Therefore Christ did not know everything by this knowledge.
Obj. 3: Further, the extent of knowledge depends on the things
knowable. Therefore if Christ knew all things by this knowledge, His
acquired knowledge would have been equal to His infused and beatific
knowledge; which is not fitting. Therefore Christ did not know all
things by this knowledge.
_On the contrary,_ Nothing imperfect was in Christ's soul. Now this
knowledge of His would have been imperfect if He had not known all
things by it, since the imperfect is that to which addition may be
made. Hence Christ knew all things by this knowledge.
_I answer that,_ Acquired knowledge is held to be in Christ's soul,
as we have said (Q. 9, A. 4), by reason of the active intellect, lest
its action, which is to make things actually intelligible, should be
wanting; even as imprinted or infused knowledge is held to be in
Christ's soul for the perfection of the passive intellect. Now as the
passive intellect is that by which "all things are in potentiality,"
so the active intellect is that by which "all are in act," as is said
_De Anima_ iii, 18. And hence, as the soul of Christ knew by infused
knowledge all things to which the passive intellect is in any way in
potentiality, so by acquired knowledge it knew whatever can be known
by the action of the active intellect.
Reply Obj. 1: The knowledge of things may be acquired not merely by
experiencing the things themselves, but by experiencing other things;
since by virtue of the light of the active intellect man can go on to
understand effects from causes, and causes from effects, like from
like, contrary from contrary. Therefore Christ, though He did not
experience all things, came to the knowledge of all things from what
He did experience.
Reply Obj. 2: Although all sensible things were not subjected to
Christ's bodily senses, yet other sensible things were subjected to
His senses; and from this He could come to know other things by the
most excellent force of His reason, in the manner described in the
previous reply; just as in seeing heavenly bodies He could comprehend
their powers and the effects they have upon things here below, which
were not subjected to His senses; and for the same reason, from any
other things whatsoever, He could come to the knowledge of yet other
things.
Reply Obj. 3: By this knowledge the soul of Christ did not know all
things simply, but all such as are knowable by the light of man's
active intellect. Hence by this knowledge He did not know the
essences of separate substances, nor past, present, or future
singulars, which, nevertheless, He knew by infused knowledge, as
was said above (Q. 11).
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