Objection 1: It would seem that Christ's soul should not be adored
with the adoration of _latria._ For on the words of Ps. 98:5, "Adore
His foot-stool for it is holy," a gloss says: "The flesh assumed by
the Word of God is rightly adored by us: for no one partakes
spiritually of His flesh unless he first adore it; but not indeed
with the adoration called _latria,_ which is due to the Creator
alone." Now the flesh is part of the humanity. Therefore Christ's
humanity is not to be adored with the adoration of _latria._
Obj. 2: Further, the worship of _latria_ is not to be given to any
creature: since for this reason were the Gentiles reproved, that they
"worshiped and served the creature," as it is written (Rom. 1:25).
But Christ's humanity is a creature. Therefore it should not be
adored with the adoration of _latria._
Obj. 3: Further, the adoration of _latria_ is due to God in
recognition of His supreme dominion, according to Deut. 6:13: "Thou
shalt adore [Vulg.: 'fear'; cf. Matt. 4:10] the Lord thy God, and
shalt serve Him only." But Christ as man is less than the Father.
Therefore His humanity is not to be adored with the adoration of
_latria._
_On the contrary,_ Damascene says (De Fide Orth. iv, 3): "On account
of the incarnation of the Divine Word, we adore the flesh of Christ
not for its own sake, but because the Word of God is united thereto
in person." And on Ps. 98:5, "Adore His foot-stool," a gloss says:
"He who adores the body of Christ, regards not the earth, but rather
Him whose foot-stool it is, in Whose honor he adores the foot-stool."
But the incarnate Word is adored with the adoration of _latria._
Therefore also His body or His humanity.
_I answer that,_ As stated above (A. 1) adoration is due to the
subsisting hypostasis: yet the reason for honoring may be something
non-subsistent, on account of which the person, in whom it is, is
honored. And so the adoration of Christ's humanity may be understood
in two ways. First, so that the humanity is the thing adored: and
thus to adore the flesh of Christ is nothing else than to adore the
incarnate Word of God: just as to adore a King's robe is nothing else
than to adore a robed King. And in this sense the adoration of
Christ's humanity is the adoration of _latria._ Secondly, the
adoration of Christ's humanity may be taken as given by reason of its
being perfected with every gift of grace. And so in this sense the
adoration of Christ's humanity is the adoration not of _latria_ but
of _dulia._ So that one and the same Person of Christ is adored with
_latria_ on account of His Divinity, and with _dulia_ on account of
His perfect humanity.
Nor is this unfitting. For the honor of _latria_ is due to God the
Father Himself on account of His Godhead; and the honor of _dulia_ on
account of the dominion by which He rules over creatures. Wherefore
on Ps. 7:1, "O Lord my God, in Thee have I hoped," a gloss says:
"Lord of all by power, to Whom _dulia_ is due: God of all by
creation, to Whom _latria_ is due."
Reply Obj. 1: That gloss is not to be understood as though the flesh
of Christ were adored separately from its Godhead: for this could
happen only, if there were one hypostasis of God, and another of man.
But since, as Damascene says (De Fide Orth. iv, 3): "If by a subtle
distinction you divide what is seen from what is understood, it
cannot be adored because it is a creature"--that is, with adoration
of _latria._ And then thus understood as distinct from the Word of
God, it should be adored with the adoration of _dulia_; not any kind
of _dulia,_ such as is given to other creatures, but with a certain
higher adoration, which is called _hyperdulia._
Hence appear the answers to the second and third objections. Because
the adoration of _latria_ is not given to Christ's humanity in
respect of itself; but in respect of the Godhead to which it is
united, by reason of which Christ is not less than the Father.
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