Whether a Temporal Nativity Should Be Attributed to Christ?
Objection 1: It would seem that temporal nativity is not to be
attributed to Christ. For "to be born is a certain movement of a
thing that did not exist before it was born, which movement procures
for it the benefit of existence" [*Cf. Augustine, De Unit. Trin.
xii]. But Christ was from all eternity. Therefore He could not be
born in time.
Obj. 2: Further, what is perfect in itself needs not to be born. But
the Person of the Son of God was perfect from eternity. Therefore He
needs not to be born in time. Therefore it seems that He had no
temporal birth.
Obj. 3: Further, properly speaking, nativity regards the person. But
in Christ there is only one person. Therefore in Christ there is but
one nativity.
Obj. 4: Further, what is born by two nativities is born twice. But
this proposition is false; "Christ was born twice": because the
nativity whereby He was born of the Father suffers no interruption;
since it is eternal. Whereas interruption is required to warrant the
use of the adverb "twice": for a man is said to run twice whose
running is interrupted. Therefore it seems that we should not admit a
double nativity in Christ.
_On the contrary,_ Damascene says (De Fide Orth. iii): "We confess
two nativities in Christ: one of the Father--eternal; and one which
occurred in these latter times for our sake."
_I answer that,_ As stated above (A. 1), nature is compared to
nativity, as the terminus to movement or change. Now, movement is
diversified according to the diversity of its termini, as the
Philosopher shows (Phys. v). But, in Christ there is a twofold
nature: one which He received of the Father from eternity, the other
which He received from His Mother in time. Therefore we must needs
attribute to Christ a twofold nativity: one by which He was born of
the Father from all eternity; one by which He was born of His Mother
in time.
Reply Obj. 1: This was the argument of a certain heretic, Felician,
and is solved thus by Augustine (Contra Felic. xii). "Let us
suppose," says he, "as many maintain, that in the world there is a
universal soul, which, by its ineffable movement, so gives life to
all seed, that it is not compounded with things begotten, but bestows
life that they may be begotten. Without doubt, when this soul reaches
the womb, being intent on fashioning the passible matter to its own
purpose, it unites itself to the personality thereof, though
manifestly it is not of the same substance; and thus of the active
soul and passive matter, one man is made out of two substances. And
so we confess that the soul is born from out the womb; but not as
though, before birth, it was nothing at all in itself. Thus, then,
but in a way much more sublime, the Son of God was born as man, just
as the soul is held to be born together with the body: not as though
they both made one substance, but that from both, one person results.
Yet we do not say that the Son of God began thus to exist: lest it be
thought that His Divinity is temporal. Nor do we acknowledge the
flesh of the Son of God to have been from eternity: lest it be
thought that He took, not a true human body, but some resemblance
thereof."
Reply Obj. 2: This was an argument of Nestorius, and it is thus
solved by Cyril in an epistle [*Cf. Acta Concil. Ephes., p. 1, cap.
viii]: "We do not say that the Son of God had need, for His own sake,
of a second nativity, after that which is from the Father: for it is
foolish and a mark of ignorance to say that He who is from all
eternity, and co-eternal with the Father, needs to begin again to
exist. But because for us and for our salvation, uniting the human
nature to His Person, He became the child of a woman, for this reason
do we say that He was born in the flesh."
Reply Obj. 3: Nativity regards the person as its subject, the nature
as its terminus. Now, it is possible for several transformations to
be in the same subject: yet must they be diversified in respect of
their termini. But we do not say this as though the eternal nativity
were a transformation or a movement, but because it is designated by
way of a transformation or movement.
Reply Obj. 4: Christ can be said to have been born twice in respect
of His two nativities. For just as he is said to run twice who runs
at two different times, so can He be said to be born twice who is
born once from eternity and once in time: because eternity and time
differ much more than two different times, although each signifies a
measure of duration.
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