Whether the Son Is Equal to the Father in Greatness?
Objection 1: It would seem that the Son is not equal to the Father in
greatness. For He Himself said (John 14:28): "The Father is greater
than I"; and the Apostle says (1 Cor. 15:28): "The Son Himself shall
be subject to Him that put all things under Him."
Obj. 2: Further, paternity is part of the Father's dignity. But
paternity does not belong to the Son. Therefore the Son does not
possess all the Father's dignity; and so He is not equal in greatness
to the Father.
Obj. 3: Further, wherever there exist a whole and a part, many parts
are more than one only, or than fewer parts; as three men are more
than two, or than one. But in God a universal whole exists, and a
part; for under relation or notion, several notions are included.
Therefore, since in the Father there are three notions, while in the
Son there are only two, the Son is evidently not equal to the Father.
_On the contrary,_ It is said (Phil. 2:6): "He thought it not robbery
to be equal with God."
_I answer that,_ The Son is necessarily equal to the Father in
greatness. For the greatness of God is nothing but the perfection of
His nature. Now it belongs to the very nature of paternity and
filiation that the Son by generation should attain to the possession
of the perfection of the nature which is in the Father, in the same
way as it is in the Father Himself. But since in men generation is a
certain kind of transmutation of one proceeding from potentiality to
act, it follows that a man is not equal at first to the father who
begets him, but attains to equality by due growth, unless owing to a
defect in the principle of generation it should happen otherwise.
From what precedes (Q. 27, A. 2; Q. 33, AA. 2 ,3), it is evident that
in God there exist real true paternity and filiation. Nor can we say
that the power of generation in the Father was defective, nor that
the Son of God arrived at perfection in a successive manner and by
change. Therefore we must say that the Son was eternally equal to the
Father in greatness. Hence, Hilary says (De Synod. Can. 27): "Remove
bodily weakness, remove the beginning of conception, remove pain and
all human shortcomings, then every son, by reason of his natural
nativity, is the father's equal, because he has a like nature."
Reply Obj. 1: These words are to be understood of Christ's human
nature, wherein He is less than the Father, and subject to Him; but
in His divine nature He is equal to the Father. This is expressed by
Athanasius, "Equal to the Father in His Godhead; less than the Father
in humanity": and by Hilary (De Trin. ix): "By the fact of giving,
the Father is greater; but He is not less to Whom the same being is
given"; and (De Synod.): "The Son subjects Himself by His inborn
piety"--that is, by His recognition of paternal authority; whereas
"creatures are subject by their created weakness."
Reply Obj. 2: Equality is measured by greatness. In God greatness
signifies the perfection of nature, as above explained (A. 1, ad 1),
and belongs to the essence. Thus equality and likeness in God have
reference to the essence; nor can there be inequality or
dissimilitude arising from the distinction of the relations.
Wherefore Augustine says (Contra Maxim. iii, 13), "The question of
origin is, Who is from whom? but the question of equality is, Of what
kind, or how great, is he?" Therefore, paternity is the Father's
dignity, as also the Father's essence: since dignity is something
absolute, and pertains to the essence. As, therefore, the same
essence, which in the Father is paternity, in the Son is filiation,
so the same dignity which, in the Father is paternity, in the Son is
filiation. It is thus true to say that the Son possesses whatever
dignity the Father has; but we cannot argue--"the Father has
paternity, therefore the Son has paternity," for there is a
transition from substance to relation. For the Father and the Son
have the same essence and dignity, which exist in the Father by the
relation of giver, and in the Son by relation of receiver.
Reply Obj. 3: In God relation is not a universal whole, although it
is predicated of each of the relations; because all the relations are
one in essence and being, which is irreconcilable with the idea of
universal, the parts of which are distinguished in being. Person
likewise is not a universal term in God as we have seen above (Q. 30,
A. 4). Wherefore all the relations together are not greater than only
one; nor are all the persons something greater than only one; because
the whole perfection of the divine nature exists in each person.
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