Whether the Soul of Christ Had Omnipotence with Regard to His Own
Body?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ's soul had omnipotence with
regard to His own body. For Damascene says (De Fide Orth. iii, 20,
23) that "all natural things were voluntary to Christ; He willed to
hunger, He willed to thirst, He willed to fear, He willed to die."
Now God is called omnipotent because "He hath done all things
whatsoever He would" (Ps. 113:11). Therefore it seems that Christ's
soul had omnipotence with regard to the natural operations of the
body.
Obj. 2: Further, human nature was more perfect in Christ than in
Adam, who had a body entirely subject to the soul, so that nothing
could happen to the body against the will of the soul--and this on
account of the original justice which it had in the state of
innocence. Much more, therefore, had Christ's soul omnipotence with
regard to His body.
Obj. 3: Further, the body is naturally changed by the imaginations of
the soul; and so much more changed, the stronger the soul's
imagination, as was said in the First Part (Q. 117, A. 3, ad 3). Now
the soul of Christ had most perfect strength as regards both the
imagination and the other powers. Therefore the soul of Christ was
omnipotent with regard to His own body.
_On the contrary,_ It is written (Heb. 2:17) that "it behooved Him in
all things to be made like unto His brethren," and especially as
regards what belongs to the condition of human nature. But it belongs
to the condition of human nature that the health of the body and its
nourishment and growth are not subject to the bidding of reason or
will, since natural things are subject to God alone Who is the author
of nature. Therefore they were not subject in Christ. Therefore
Christ's soul was not omnipotent with regard to His own body.
_I answer that,_ As stated above (A. 2), Christ's soul may be viewed
in two ways. First, in its proper nature and power; and in this way,
as it was incapable of making exterior bodies swerve from the course
and order of nature, so, too, was it incapable of changing its own
body from its natural disposition, since the soul, of its own nature,
has a determinate relation to its body. Secondly, Christ's soul may
be viewed as an instrument united in person to God's Word; and thus
every disposition of His own body was wholly subject to His power.
Nevertheless, since the power of an action is not properly attributed
to the instrument, but to the principal agent, this omnipotence is
attributed to the Word of God rather than to Christ's soul.
Reply Obj. 1: This saying of Damascene refers to the Divine will of
Christ, since, as he says in the preceding chapter (De Fide Orth.
xix, 14, 15), it was by the consent of the Divine will that the flesh
was allowed to suffer and do what was proper to it.
Reply Obj. 2: It was no part of the original justice which Adam had
in the state of innocence that a man's soul should have the power of
changing his own body to any form, but that it should keep it from
any hurt. Yet Christ could have assumed even this power if He had
wished. But since man has three states--viz. innocence, sin, and
glory, even as from the state of glory He assumed comprehension and
from the state of innocence, freedom from sin--so also from the state
of sin did He assume the necessity of being under the penalties of
this life, as will be said (Q. 14, A. 2).
Reply Obj. 3: If the imagination be strong, the body obeys naturally
in some things, e.g. as regards falling from a beam set on high,
since the imagination was formed to be a principle of local motion,
as is said _De Anima_ iii, 9, 10. So, too, as regards alteration in
heat and cold, and their consequences; for the passions of the soul,
wherewith the heart is moved, naturally follow the imagination, and
thus by commotion of the spirits the whole body is altered. But the
other corporeal dispositions which have no natural relation to the
imagination are not transmuted by the imagination, however strong it
is, e.g. the shape of the hand, or foot, or such like.
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