Whether Christ's Resurrection Is the Cause of the Resurrection of Our
Bodies?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ's Resurrection is not the
cause of the resurrection of our bodies, because, given a sufficient
cause, the effect must follow of necessity. If, then, Christ's
Resurrection be the sufficient cause of the resurrection of our
bodies, then all the dead should have risen again as soon as He rose.
Obj. 2: Further, Divine justice is the cause of the resurrection of
the dead, so that the body may be rewarded or punished together with
the soul, since they shared in merit or sin, as Dionysius says
(Eccles. Hier. vii) and Damascene (De Fide Orth. iv). But God's
justice must necessarily be accomplished, even if Christ had not
risen. Therefore the dead would rise again even though Christ did
not. Consequently Christ's Resurrection is not the cause of the
resurrection of our bodies.
Obj. 3: Further, if Christ's Resurrection be the cause of the
resurrection of our bodies, it would be either the exemplar, or the
efficient, or the meritorious cause. Now it is not the exemplar
cause; because it is God who will bring about the resurrection of our
bodies, according to John 5:21: "The Father raiseth up the dead": and
God has no need to look at any exemplar cause outside Himself. In
like manner it is not the efficient cause; because an efficient cause
acts only through contact, whether spiritual or corporeal. Now it is
evident that Christ's Resurrection has no corporeal contact with the
dead who shall rise again, owing to distance of time and place; and
similarly it has no spiritual contact, which is through faith and
charity, because even unbelievers and sinners shall rise again. Nor
again is it the meritorious cause, because when Christ rose He was no
longer a wayfarer, and consequently not in a state of merit.
Therefore, Christ's Resurrection does not appear to be in any way the
cause of ours.
Obj. 4: Further, since death is the privation of life, then to
destroy death seems to be nothing else than to bring life back again;
and this is resurrection. But "by dying, Christ destroyed our death"
[*Preface of Mass in Paschal Time]. Consequently, Christ's death, not
His Resurrection, is the cause of our resurrection.
_On the contrary,_ on 1 Cor. 15:12: "Now if Christ be preached, that
He rose again from the dead," the gloss says: "Who is the efficient
cause of our resurrection."
_I answer that,_ As stated in 2 Metaphysics, text 4: "Whatever is
first in any order, is the cause of all that come after it." But
Christ's Resurrection was the first in the order of our resurrection,
as is evident from what was said above (Q. 53, A. 3). Hence Christ's
Resurrection must be the cause of ours: and this is what the Apostle
says (1 Cor. 15:20, 21): "Christ is risen from the dead, the
first-fruits of them that sleep; for by a man came death, and by a
man the resurrection of the dead."
And this is reasonable. Because the principle of human life-giving is
the Word of God, of whom it is said (Ps. 35:10): "With Thee is the
fountain of life": hence He Himself says (John 5:21): "As the Father
raiseth up the dead, and giveth life; so the Son also giveth life to
whom He will." Now the divinely established natural order is that
every cause operates first upon what is nearest to it, and through it
upon others which are more remote; just as fire first heats the
nearest air, and through it it heats bodies that are further off: and
God Himself first enlightens those substances which are closer to
Him, and through them others that are more remote, as Dionysius says
(Coel. Hier. xiii). Consequently, the Word of God first bestows
immortal life upon that body which is naturally united with Himself,
and through it works the resurrection in all other bodies.
Reply Obj. 1: As was stated above, Christ's Resurrection is the cause
of ours through the power of the united Word, who operates according
to His will. And consequently, it is not necessary for the effect to
follow at once, but according as the Word of God disposes, namely,
that first of all we be conformed to the suffering and dying Christ
in this suffering and mortal life; and afterwards may come to share
in the likeness of His Resurrection.
Reply Obj. 2: God's justice is the first cause of our resurrection,
whereas Christ's Resurrection is the secondary, and as it were the
instrumental cause. But although the power of the principal cause is
not restricted to one instrument determinately, nevertheless since it
works through this instrument, such instrument causes the effect. So,
then, the Divine justice in itself is not tied down to Christ's
Resurrection as a means of bringing about our resurrection: because
God could deliver us in some other way than through Christ's Passion
and Resurrection, as already stated (Q. 46, A. 2). But having once
decreed to deliver us in this way, it is evident that Christ's
Resurrection is the cause of ours.
Reply Obj. 3: Properly speaking, Christ's Resurrection is not the
meritorious cause, but the efficient and exemplar cause of our
resurrection. It is the efficient cause, inasmuch as Christ's
humanity, according to which He rose again, is as it were the
instrument of His Godhead, and works by Its power, as stated above
(Q. 13, AA. 2, 3). And therefore, just as all other things which
Christ did and endured in His humanity are profitable to our
salvation through the power of the Godhead, as already stated (Q. 48,
A. 6), so also is Christ's Resurrection the efficient cause of ours,
through the Divine power whose office it is to quicken the dead; and
this power by its presence is in touch with all places and times; and
such virtual contact suffices for its efficiency. And since, as was
stated above (ad 2), the primary cause of human resurrection is the
Divine justice, from which Christ has "the power of passing judgment,
because He is the Son of Man" (John 5:27); the efficient power of His
Resurrection extends to the good and wicked alike, who are subject to
His judgment.
But just as the Resurrection of Christ's body, through its personal
union with the Word, is first in point of time, so also is it first
in dignity and perfection; as the gloss says on 1 Cor. 15:20, 23. But
whatever is most perfect is always the exemplar, which the less
perfect copies according to its mode; consequently Christ's
Resurrection is the exemplar of ours. And this is necessary, not on
the part of Him who rose again, who needs no exemplar, but on the
part of them who are raised up, who must be likened to that
Resurrection, according to Phil. 3:21: "He will reform the body of
our lowness, made like to the body of His glory." Now although the
efficiency of Christ's Resurrection extends to the resurrection of
the good and wicked alike, still its exemplarity extends properly
only to the just, who are made conformable with His Sonship,
according to Rom. 8:29.
Reply Obj. 4: Considered on the part of their efficiency, which is
dependent on the Divine power, both Christ's death and His
Resurrection are the cause both of the destruction of death and of
the renewal of life: but considered as exemplar causes, Christ's
death--by which He withdrew from mortal life--is the cause of the
destruction of our death; while His Resurrection, whereby He
inaugurated immortal life, is the cause of the repairing of our life.
But Christ's Passion is furthermore a meritorious cause, as stated
above (Q. 48, A. 1).
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