Whether Honor Denotes Something Corporal?
Objection 1: It seems that honor does not denote something corporal.
For honor is showing reverence in acknowledgment of virtue, as may be
gathered from the Philosopher (Ethic. i, 5). Now showing reverence is
something spiritual, since to revere is an act of fear, as stated
above (Q. 81, A. 2, ad 1). Therefore honor is something spiritual.
Obj. 2: Further, according to the Philosopher (Ethic. iv, 3), "honor
is the reward of virtue." Now, since virtue consists chiefly of
spiritual things, its reward is not something corporal, for the
reward is more excellent than the merit. Therefore honor does not
consist of corporal things.
Obj. 3: Further, honor is distinct from praise, as also from glory.
Now praise and glory consist of external things. Therefore honor
consists of things internal and spiritual.
_On the contrary,_ Jerome in his exposition of 1 Tim. 5:3, "Honor
widows that are widows indeed," and (1 Tim. 5:17), "let the priests
that rule well be esteemed worthy of double honor" etc. says (Ep. ad
Ageruch.): "Honor here stands either for almsgiving or for
remuneration." Now both of these pertain to [corporal] things.
Therefore honor consists of corporal things.
_I answer that,_ Honor denotes a witnessing to a person's excellence.
Therefore men who wish to be honored seek a witnessing to their
excellence, according to the Philosopher (Ethic. i, 5; viii, 8). Now
witness is borne either before God or before man. Before God, Who is
the searcher of hearts, the witness of one's conscience suffices.
wherefore honor, so far as God is concerned, may consist of the mere
internal movement of the heart, for instance when a man acknowledges
either God's excellence or another man's excellence before God. But,
as regards men, one cannot bear witness, save by means of signs,
either by words, as when one proclaims another's excellence by word
of mouth, or by deeds, for instance by bowing, saluting, and so
forth, or by external things, as by offering gifts, erecting statues,
and the like. Accordingly honor consists of signs, external and
corporal.
Reply Obj. 1: Reverence is not the same as honor: but on the one hand
it is the primary motive for showing honor, in so far as one man
honors another out of the reverence he has for him; and on the other
hand, it is the end of honor, in so far as a person is honored in
order that he may be held in reverence by others.
Reply Obj. 2: According to the Philosopher (Ethic. iv, 3), honor is
not a sufficient reward of virtue: yet nothing in human and corporal
things can be greater than honor, since these corporal things
themselves are employed as signs in acknowledgment of excelling
virtue. It is, however, due to the good and the beautiful, that they
may be made known, according to Matt. 5:15, "Neither do men light a
candle, and put it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it
may shine to all that are in the house." In this sense honor is said
to be the reward of virtue.
Reply Obj. 3: Praise is distinguished from honor in two ways.
First, because praise consists only of verbal signs, whereas honor
consists of any external signs, so that praise is included in honor.
Secondly, because by paying honor to a person we bear witness to a
person's excelling goodness absolutely, whereas by praising him we
bear witness to his goodness in reference to an end: thus we praise
one that works well for an end. On the other hand, honor is given even
to the best, which is not referred to an end, but has already arrived
at the end, according to the Philosopher (Ethic. i, 5).
Glory is the effect of honor and praise, since the result of our
bearing witness to a person's goodness is that his goodness becomes
clear to the knowledge of many. The word "glory" signifies this, for
"glory" is the same as _kleria_, wherefore a gloss of Augustine on
Rom. 16:27 observes that glory is "clear knowledge together with
praise."
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