Whether the Proofs Which Christ Made Use of Manifested Sufficiently
the Truth of His Resurrection?
Objection 1: It would seem that the proofs which Christ made use of
did not sufficiently manifest the truth of His Resurrection. For
after the Resurrection Christ showed nothing to His disciples which
angels appearing to men did not or could not show; because angels
have frequently shown themselves to men under human aspect, have
spoken and lived with them, and eaten with them, just as if they were
truly men, as is evident from Genesis 18, of the angels whom Abraham
entertained, and in the Book of Tobias, of the angel who "conducted"
him "and brought" him back. Nevertheless, angels have not true bodies
naturally united to them; which is required for a resurrection.
Consequently, the signs which Christ showed His disciples were not
sufficient for manifesting His Resurrection.
Obj. 2: Further, Christ rose again gloriously, that is, having a
human nature with glory. But some of the things which Christ showed
to His disciples seem contrary to human nature, as for instance, that
"He vanished out of their sight," and entered in among them "when the
doors were shut": and some other things seem contrary to glory, as
for instance, that He ate and drank, and bore the scars of His
wounds. Consequently, it seems that those proofs were neither
sufficient nor fitting for establishing faith in the Resurrection.
Obj. 3: Further, after the Resurrection Christ's body was such that
it ought not to be touched by mortal man; hence He said to Magdalen
(John 20:17): "Do not touch Me; for I am not yet ascended to My
Father." Consequently, it was not fitting for manifesting the truth
of His Resurrection, that He should permit Himself to be handled by
His disciples.
Obj. 4: Further, clarity seems to be the principal of the qualities
of a glorified body: yet He gave no sign thereof in His Resurrection.
Therefore it seems that those proofs were insufficient for showing
the quality of Christ's Resurrection.
Obj. 5: [*This objection is wanting in the older codices, and in the
text of the Leonine edition, which, however, gives it in a note as
taken from one of the more recent codices of the Vatican.]
Further, the angels introduced as witnesses for the Resurrection seem
insufficient from the want of agreement on the part of the
Evangelists. Because in Matthew's account the angel is described as
sitting upon the stone rolled back, while Mark states that he was
seen after the women had entered the tomb; and again, whereas these
mention one angel, John says that there were two sitting, and Luke
says that there were two standing. Consequently, the arguments for
the Resurrection do not seem to agree.
_On the contrary,_ Christ, who is the Wisdom of God, "ordereth all
things sweetly" and in a fitting manner, according to Wis. 8:1.
_I answer that,_ Christ manifested His Resurrection in two ways:
namely, by testimony; and by proof or sign: and each manifestation
was sufficient in its own class. For in order to manifest His
Resurrection He made use of a double testimony, neither of which can
be rebutted. The first of these was the angels' testimony, who
announced the Resurrection to the women, as is seen in all the
Evangelists: the other was the testimony of the Scriptures, which He
set before them to show the truth of the Resurrection, as is narrated
in the last chapter of Luke.
Again, the proofs were sufficient for showing that the Resurrection
was both true and glorious. That it was a true Resurrection He shows
first on the part of the body; and this He shows in three respects;
first of all, that it was a true and solid body, and not phantastic
or rarefied, like the air. And He establishes this by offering His
body to be handled; hence He says in the last chapter of Luke (39):
"Handle and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see Me
to have." Secondly, He shows that it was a human body, by presenting
His true features for them to behold. Thirdly, He shows that it was
identically the same body which He had before, by showing them the
scars of the wounds; hence, as we read in the last chapter of Luke
(39) he said to them: "See My hands and feet, that it is I Myself."
Secondly, He showed them the truth of His Resurrection on the part of
His soul reunited with His body: and He showed this by the works of
the threefold life. First of all, in the operations of the nutritive
life, by eating and drinking with His disciples, as we read in the
last chapter of Luke. Secondly, in the works of the sensitive life,
by replying to His disciples' questions, and by greeting them when
they were in His presence, showing thereby that He both saw and
heard; thirdly, in the works of the intellective life by their
conversing with Him, and discoursing on the Scriptures. And, in order
that nothing might be wanting to make the manifestation complete, He
also showed that He had the Divine Nature, by working the miracle of
the draught of fishes, and further by ascending into heaven while
they were beholding Him: because, according to John 3:13: "No man
hath ascended into heaven, but He that descended from heaven, the Son
of Man who is in heaven."
He also showed His disciples the glory of His Resurrection by
entering in among them when the doors were closed: as Gregory says
(Hom. xxvi in Evang.): "Our Lord allowed them to handle His flesh
which He had brought through closed doors, to show that His body was
of the same nature but of different glory." It likewise was part of
the property of glory that "He vanished suddenly from their eyes," as
related in the last chapter of Luke; because thereby it was shown
that it lay in His power to be seen or not seen; and this belongs to
a glorified body, as stated above (Q. 54, A. 1, ad 2, A. 2, ad 1).
Reply Obj. 1: Each separate argument would not suffice of itself for
showing perfectly Christ's Resurrection, yet all taken collectively
establish it completely, especially owing to the testimonies of the
Scriptures, the sayings of the angels, and even Christ's own
assertion supported by miracles. As to the angels who appeared, they
did not say they were men, as Christ asserted that He was truly a
man. Moreover, the manner of eating was different in Christ and the
angels: for since the bodies assumed by the angels were neither
living nor animated, there was no true eating, although the food was
really masticated and passed into the interior of the assumed body:
hence the angels said to Tobias (12:18, 19): "When I was with
you . . . I seemed indeed to eat and drink with you; but I use an
invisible meat." But since Christ's body was truly animated, His
eating was genuine. For, as Augustine observes (De Civ. Dei xiii),
"it is not the power but the need of eating that shall be taken away
from the bodies of them who rise again." Hence Bede says on Luke
24:41: "Christ ate because He could, not because He needed."
Reply Obj. 2: As was observed above, some proofs were employed by
Christ to prove the truth of His human nature, and others to show
forth His glory in rising again. But the condition of human nature,
as considered in itself, namely, as to its present state, is opposite
to the condition of glory, as is said in 1 Cor. 15:43: "It is sown in
weakness, it shall rise in power." Consequently, the proofs brought
forward for showing the condition of glory, seem to be in opposition
to nature, not absolutely, but according to the present state, and
conversely. Hence Gregory says (Hom. xxvi in Evang.): "The Lord
manifested two wonders, which are mutually contrary according to
human reason, when after the Resurrection He showed His body as
incorruptible and at the same time palpable."
Reply Obj. 3: As Augustine says (Tract. cxxi super Joan.), "these
words of our Lord, 'Do not touch Me, for I am not yet ascended to My
Father,'" show "that in that woman there is a figure of the Church of
the Gentiles, which did not believe in Christ until He was ascended
to the Father. Or Jesus would have men to believe in Him, i.e. to
touch Him spiritually, as being Himself one with the Father. For to
that man's innermost perceptions He is, in some sort, ascended unto
the Father, who has become so far proficient in Him, as to recognize
in Him the equal with the Father . . . whereas she as yet believed in
Him but carnally, since she wept for Him as for a man." But when one
reads elsewhere of Mary having touched Him, when with the other
women, she "'came up and took hold of His feet,' that matters
little," as Severianus says [*Chrysologus, Serm. lxxvi], "for, the
first act relates to figure, the other to sex; the former is of
Divine grace, the latter of human nature." Or as Chrysostom says
(Hom. lxxxvi in Joan.): "This woman wanted to converse with Christ
just as before the Passion, and out of joy was thinking of nothing
great, although Christ's flesh had become much nobler by rising
again." And therefore He said: "I have not yet ascended to My
Father"; as if to say: "Do not suppose I am leading an earthly life;
for if you see Me upon earth, it is because I have not yet ascended
to My Father, but I am going to ascend shortly." Hence He goes on to
say: "I ascend to My Father, and to your Father."
Reply Obj. 4: As Augustine says _ad Orosium_ (Dial. lxv, Qq.): "Our
Lord rose in clarified flesh; yet He did not wish to appear before
the disciples in that condition of clarity, because their eyes could
not gaze upon that brilliancy. For if before He died for us and rose
again the disciples could not look upon Him when He was transfigured
upon the mountain, how much less were they able to gaze upon Him when
our Lord's flesh was glorified." It must also be borne in mind that
after His Resurrection our Lord wished especially to show that He was
the same as had died; which the manifestation of His brightness would
have hindered considerably: because change of features shows more
than anything else the difference in the person seen: and this is
because sight specially judges of the common sensibles, among which
is one and many, or the same and different. But before the Passion,
lest His disciples might despise its weakness, Christ meant to show
them the glory of His majesty; and this the brightness of the body
specially indicates. Consequently, before the Passion He showed the
disciples His glory by brightness, but after the Resurrection by
other tokens.
Reply Obj. 5: As Augustine says (De Consens. Evang. iii): "We can
understand one angel to have been seen by the women, according to
both Matthew and Mark, if we take them as having entered the
sepulchre, that is, into some sort of walled enclosure, and that
there they saw an angel sitting upon the stone which was rolled back
from the monument, as Matthew says; and that this is Mark's
expression--'sitting on the right side'; afterwards when they scanned
the spot where the Lord's body had lain, they beheld two angels, who
were at first seated, as John says, and who afterwards rose so as to
be seen standing, as Luke relates."
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