Whether This Is True: "Man Is God"?
Objection 1: It would seem that this is false: "Man is God." For God
is an incommunicable name; hence (Wis. 13:10; 14:21) idolaters are
rebuked for giving the name of God, which is incommunicable, to wood
and stones. Hence with equal reason does it seem unbecoming that this
word "God" should be predicated of man.
Obj. 2: Further, whatever is predicated of the predicate may be
predicated of the subject. But this is true: "God is the Father," or
"God is the Trinity." Therefore, if it is true that "Man is God," it
seems that this also is true: "Man is the Father," or "Man is the
Trinity." But these are false. Therefore the first is false.
Obj. 3: Further, it is written (Ps. 80:10): "There shall be no new
God in thee." But man is something new; for Christ was not always
man. Therefore this is false: "Man is God."
_On the contrary,_ It is written (Rom. 9:5): "Of whom is Christ
according to the flesh, Who is over all things, God blessed for
ever." Now Christ, according to the flesh, is man. Therefore this is
true: "Man is God."
_I answer that,_ Granted the reality of both natures, i.e. Divine and
human, and of the union in person and hypostasis, this is true and
proper: "Man is God," even as this: "God is man." For this word "man"
may stand for any hypostasis of human nature; and thus it may stand
for the Person of the Son of God, Whom we say is a hypostasis of
human nature. Now it is manifest that the word "God" is truly and
properly predicated of the Person of the Son of God, as was said in
the First Part (Q. 39, A. 4). Hence it remains that this is true and
proper: "Man is God."
Reply Obj. 1: Idolaters attributed the name of the Deity to stones
and wood, considered in their own nature, because they thought there
was something divine in them. But we do not attribute the name of the
Deity to the man in His human nature, but in the eternal suppositum,
which by union is a suppositum of human nature, as stated above.
Reply Obj. 2: This word "Father" is predicated of this word "God,"
inasmuch as this word "God" stands for the Person of the Father. And
in this way it is not predicated of the Person of the Son, because
the Person of the Son is not the Person of the Father. And,
consequently, it is not necessary that this word "Father" be
predicated of this word "Man," of which the Word "God" is predicated,
inasmuch as "Man" stands for the Person of the Son.
Reply Obj. 3: Although the human nature in Christ is something new,
yet the suppositum of the human nature is not new, but eternal. And
because this word "God" is predicated of man not on account of the
human nature, but by reason of the suppositum, it does not follow
that we assert a new God. But this would follow, if we held that
"Man" stands for a created suppositum: even as must be said by those
who assert that there are two supposita in Christ [*Cf. Q. 2, AA. 3,
6].
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