Whether Christ Is Subject to Himself?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ is not subject to Himself. For
Cyril says in a synodal letter which the Council of Ephesus (Part I,
ch. xxvi) received: "Christ is neither servant nor master of Himself.
It is foolish, or rather impious, to think or say this." And
Damascene says the same (De Fide Orth. iii, 21): "The one Being,
Christ, cannot be the servant or master of Himself." Now Christ is
said to be the servant of the Father inasmuch as He is subject to
Him. Hence Christ is not subject to Himself.
Obj. 2: Further, servant has reference to master. Now nothing has a
relation to itself, hence Hilary says (De Trin. vii) that nothing is
like or equal to itself. Hence Christ cannot be said to be the
servant of Himself, and consequently to be subject to Himself.
Obj. 3: Further, "as the rational soul and flesh are one man; so God
and man are one Christ," as Athanasius says (Symb. Fid.). Now man is
not said to be subject to himself or servant to himself or greater
than himself because his body is subject to his soul. Therefore,
Christ is not said to be subject to Himself because His Manhood is
subject to His Godhead.
_On the contrary,_ Augustine says (De Trin. i, 7): "Truth shows in
this way" (i.e. whereby the Father is greater than Christ in human
nature) "that the Son is less than Himself."
Further, as he argues (De Trin. i, 7), the form of a servant was so
taken by the Son of God that the form of God was not lost. But
because of the form of God, which is common to the Father and the
Son, the Father is greater than the Son in human nature. Therefore
the Son is greater than Himself in human nature.
Further, Christ in His human nature is the servant of God the Father,
according to John 20:17: "I ascend to My Father and to your Father to
My God and your God." Now whoever is the servant of the Father is the
servant of the Son; otherwise not everything that belongs to the
Father would belong to the Son. Therefore Christ is His own servant
and is subject to Himself.
_I answer that,_ As was said above (A. 1, ad 2), to be master or
servant is attributed to a person or hypostasis according to a
nature. Hence when it is said that Christ is the master or servant of
Himself, or that the Word of God is the Master of the Man Christ,
this may be understood in two ways. First, so that this is understood
to be said by reason of another hypostasis or person, as if there was
the person of the Word of God ruling and the person of the man
serving; and this is the heresy of Nestorius. Hence in the
condemnation of Nestorius it is said in the Council of Ephesus (Part
III, ch. i, anath. 6): "If anyone say that the Word begotten of God
the Father is the God or Lord of Christ, and does not rather confess
the same to be at once God and man as the Word made flesh, according
to the Scriptures, let him be anathema." And in this sense it is
denied by Cyril and Damascene (Obj. 1); and in the same sense must it
be denied that Christ is less than Himself or subject to Himself.
Secondly, it may be understood of the diversity of natures in the one
person or hypostasis. And thus we may say that in one of them, in
which He agrees with the Father, He presides and rules together with
the Father; and in the other nature, in which He agrees with us, He
is subject and serves, and in this sense Augustine says that "the Son
is less than Himself."
Yet it must be borne in mind that since this name "Christ" is the
name of a Person, even as the name "Son," those things can be
predicated essentially and absolutely of Christ which belong to Him
by reason of the Person, Which is eternal; and especially those
relations which seem more properly to pertain to the Person or the
hypostasis. But whatever pertains to Him in His human nature is
rather to be attributed to Him with a qualification; so that we say
that Christ is simply greatest, Lord, Ruler, whereas to be subject or
servant or less is to be attributed to Him with the qualification, in
His human nature.
Reply Obj. 1: Cyril and Damascene deny that Christ is the head of
Himself inasmuch as this implies a plurality of supposita, which is
required in order that anyone may be the master of another.
Reply Obj. 2: Simply speaking it is necessary that the master and the
servant should be distinct; yet a certain notion of mastership and
subservience may be preserved inasmuch as the same one is master of
Himself in different respects.
Reply Obj. 3: On account of the divers parts of man, one of which is
superior and the other inferior, the Philosopher says (Ethic. v, 11)
that there is justice between a man and himself inasmuch as the
irascible and concupiscible powers obey reason. Hence this way a man
may be said to be subject and subservient to Himself as regards His
different parts.
To the other arguments, the reply is clear from what has been said.
For Augustine asserts that the Son is less than, or subject to,
Himself in His human nature, and not by a diversity of supposita.
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