Whether Anything of Faith or Hope Remains in Glory?
Objection 1: It would seem that something of faith and hope remains
in glory. For when that which is proper to a thing is removed, there
remains what is common; thus it is stated in _De Causis_ that "if you
take away rational, there remains living, and when you remove living,
there remains being." Now in faith there is something that it has in
common with beatitude, viz. knowledge: and there is something proper
to it, viz. darkness, for faith is knowledge in a dark manner.
Therefore, the darkness of faith removed, the knowledge of faith
still remains.
Obj. 2: Further, faith is a spiritual light of the soul, according to
Eph. 1:17, 18: "The eyes of your heart enlightened . . . in the
knowledge of God"; yet this light is imperfect in comparison with the
light of glory, of which it is written (Ps. 35:10): "In Thy light we
shall see light." Now an imperfect light remains when a perfect light
supervenes: for a candle is not extinguished when the sun's rays
appear. Therefore it seems that the light of faith itself remains
with the light of glory.
Obj. 3: Further, the substance of a habit does not cease through the
withdrawal of its matter: for a man may retain the habit of
liberality, though he have lost his money: yet he cannot exercise the
act. Now the object of faith is the First Truth as unseen. Therefore
when this ceases through being seen, the habit of faith can still
remain.
_On the contrary,_ Faith is a simple habit. Now a simple thing is
either withdrawn entirely, or remains entirely. Since therefore faith
does not remain entirely, but is taken away as stated above (A. 3),
it seems that it is withdrawn entirely.
_I answer that,_ Some have held that hope is taken away entirely: but
that faith is taken away in part, viz. as to its obscurity, and
remains in part, viz. as to the substance of its knowledge. And if
this be understood to mean that it remains the same, not identically
but generically, it is absolutely true; since faith is of the same
genus, viz. knowledge, as the beatific vision. On the other hand,
hope is not of the same genus as heavenly bliss: because it is
compared to the enjoyment of bliss, as movement is to rest in the
term of movement.
But if it be understood to mean that in heaven the knowledge of faith
remains identically the same, this is absolutely impossible. Because
when you remove a specific difference, the substance of the genus
does not remain identically the same: thus if you remove the
difference constituting whiteness, the substance of color does not
remain identically the same, as though the identical color were at
one time whiteness, and, at another, blackness. The reason is that
genus is not related to difference as matter to form, so that the
substance of the genus remains identically the same, when the
difference is removed, as the substance of matter remains identically
the same, when the form is changed: for genus and difference are not
the parts of a species, else they would not be predicated of the
species. But even as the species denotes the whole, i.e. the compound
of matter and form in material things, so does the difference, and
likewise the genus; the genus denotes the whole by signifying that
which is material; the difference, by signifying that which is
formal; the species, by signifying both. Thus, in man, the sensitive
nature is as matter to the intellectual nature, and animal is
predicated of that which has a sensitive nature, rational of that
which has an intellectual nature, and man of that which has both. So
that the one same whole is denoted by these three, but not under the
same aspect.
It is therefore evident that, since the signification of the
difference is confined to the genus if the difference be removed, the
substance of the genus cannot remain the same: for the same animal
nature does not remain, if another kind of soul constitute the
animal. Hence it is impossible for the identical knowledge, which was
previously obscure, to become clear vision. It is therefore evident
that, in heaven, nothing remains of faith, either identically or
specifically the same, but only generically.
Reply Obj. 1: If "rational" be withdrawn, the remaining "living"
thing is the same, not identically, but generically, as stated.
Reply Obj. 2: The imperfection of candlelight is not opposed to the
perfection of sunlight, since they do not regard the same subject:
whereas the imperfection of faith and the perfection of glory are
opposed to one another and regard the same subject. Consequently they
are incompatible with one another, just as light and darkness in the
air.
Reply Obj. 3: He that loses his money does not therefore lose the
possibility of having money, and therefore it is reasonable for the
habit of liberality to remain. But in the state of glory not only is
the object of faith, which is the unseen, removed actually, but even
its possibility, by reason of the unchangeableness of heavenly bliss:
and so such a habit would remain to no purpose.
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