Whether Prophecy Is a Habit?
Objection 1: It would seem that prophecy is a habit. For according to
_Ethic._ ii, 5, "there are three things in the soul, power, passion,
and habit." Now prophecy is not a power, for then it would be in all
men, since the powers of the soul are common to them. Again it is not
a passion, since the passions belong to the appetitive faculty, as
stated above (I-II, Q. 22, A. 2); whereas prophecy pertains
principally to knowledge, as stated in the foregoing Article.
Therefore prophecy is a habit.
Obj. 2: Further, every perfection of the soul, which is not always in
act, is a habit. Now prophecy is a perfection of the soul; and it is
not always in act, else a prophet could not be described as asleep.
Therefore seemingly prophecy is a habit.
Obj. 3: Further, prophecy is reckoned among the gratuitous graces.
Now grace is something in the soul, after the manner of a habit, as
stated above (I-II, Q. 110, A. 2). Therefore prophecy is a habit.
_On the contrary,_ A habit is something "whereby we act when we
will," as the Commentator [*Averroes or Ibn Roshd, 1120-1198] says
(De Anima iii). But a man cannot make use of prophecy when he will,
as appears in the case of Eliseus (4 Kings 3:15), "who on Josaphat
inquiring of him concerning the future, and the spirit of prophecy
failing him, caused a minstrel to be brought to him, that the spirit
of prophecy might come down upon him through the praise of psalmody,
and fill his mind with things to come," as Gregory observes (Hom. i
super Ezech.). Therefore prophecy is not a habit.
_I answer that,_ As the Apostle says (Eph. 5:13), "all that is made
manifest is light," because, to wit, just as the manifestation of the
material sight takes place through material light, so too the
manifestation of intellectual sight takes place through intellectual
light. Accordingly manifestation must be proportionate to the light
by means of which it takes place, even as an effect is proportionate
to its cause. Since then prophecy pertains to a knowledge that
surpasses natural reason, as stated above (A. 1), it follows that
prophecy requires an intellectual light surpassing the light of
natural reason. Hence the saying of Micah 7:8: "When I sit in
darkness, the Lord is my light." Now light may be in a subject in two
ways: first, by way of an abiding form, as material light is in the
sun, and in fire; secondly, by way of a passion, or passing
impression, as light is in the air. Now the prophetic light is not in
the prophet's intellect by way of an abiding form, else a prophet
would always be able to prophesy, which is clearly false. For Gregory
says (Hom. i super Ezech.): "Sometimes the spirit of prophecy is
lacking to the prophet, nor is it always within the call of his mind,
yet so that in its absence he knows that its presence is due to a
gift." Hence Eliseus said of the Sunamite woman (4 Kings 4:27): "Her
soul is in anguish, and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not
told me." The reason for this is that the intellectual light that is
in a subject by way of an abiding and complete form, perfects the
intellect chiefly to the effect of knowing the principle of the
things manifested by that light; thus by the light of the active
intellect the intellect knows chiefly the first principles of all
things known naturally. Now the principle of things pertaining to
supernatural knowledge, which are manifested by prophecy, is God
Himself, Whom the prophets do not see in His essence, although He is
seen by the blessed in heaven, in whom this light is by way of an
abiding and complete form, according to Ps. 35:10, "In Thy light we
shall see light."
It follows therefore that the prophetic light is in the prophet's
soul by way of a passion or transitory impression. This is indicated
Ex. 33:22: "When my glory shall pass, I will set thee in a hole of
the rock," etc., and 3 Kings 19:11: "Go forth and stand upon the
mount before the Lord; and behold the Lord passeth," etc. Hence it is
that even as the air is ever in need of a fresh enlightening, so too
the prophet's mind is always in need of a fresh revelation; thus a
disciple who has not yet acquired the principles of an art needs to
have every detail explained to him. Wherefore it is written (Isa.
1:4): "In the morning He wakeneth my ear, so that I may hear Him as a
master." This is also indicated by the very manner in which
prophecies are uttered: thus it is stated that "the Lord spake to
such and such a prophet," or that "the word of the Lord," or "the
hand of the Lord was made upon him."
But a habit is an abiding form. Wherefore it is evident that,
properly speaking, prophecy is not a habit.
Reply Obj. 1: This division of the Philosopher's does not comprise
absolutely all that is in the soul, but only such as can be
principles of moral actions, which are done sometimes from passion,
sometimes from habit, sometimes from mere power, as in the case of
those who perform an action from the judgment of their reason before
having the habit of that action.
However, prophecy may be reduced to a passion, provided we understand
passion to denote any kind of receiving, in which sense the
Philosopher says (De Anima iii, 4) that "to understand is, in a way,
to be passive." For just as, in natural knowledge, the possible
intellect is passive to the light of the active intellect, so too in
prophetic knowledge the human intellect is passive to the
enlightening of the Divine light.
Reply Obj. 2: Just as in corporeal things, when a passion ceases,
there remains a certain aptitude to a repetition of the passion--thus
wood once ignited is more easily ignited again, so too in the
prophet's intellect, after the actual enlightenment has ceased, there
remains an aptitude to be enlightened anew--thus when the mind has
once been aroused to devotion, it is more easily recalled to its
former devotion. Hence Augustine says (De orando Deum. Ep. cxxx, 9)
that our prayers need to be frequent, "lest devotion be extinguished
as soon as it is kindled."
We might, however, reply that a person is called a prophet, even
while his prophetic enlightenment ceases to be actual, on account of
his being deputed by God, according to Jer. 1:5, "And I made thee a
prophet unto the nations."
Reply Obj. 3: Every gift of grace raises man to something above human
nature, and this may happen in two ways. First, as to the substance
of the act--for instance, the working of miracles, and the knowledge
of the uncertain and hidden things of Divine wisdom--and for such
acts man is not granted a habitual gift of grace. Secondly, a thing
is above human nature as to the mode but not the substance of the
act--for instance to love God and to know Him in the mirror of His
creatures--and for this a habitual gift of grace is bestowed.
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