10. The Hypostatic Union and the Soul-Body Composition in Christ

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Problem: Soul-Body Union in Christ #

• Objection: If soul and body are united in Christ, wouldn’t this constitute a new person or hypostasis, separate from the Word?
• The concern arises because in mere humans, the union of soul and body creates a person
• Must Christ not have a soul-body union to avoid introducing a second person into the Incarnation?

The Solution: Union to a Pre-Existing Person #

• In Christ, soul and body are united to be joined to another more principal one (the divine person)
• The composite nature does not subsist per se, but rather subsists in the pre-existing hypostasis of the Word
• Therefore, no new person is constituted; rather, the human nature is drawn to subsist in the divine person
• The human nature remains truly human while being assumed by the Word

True Humanity Requires Soul-Body Union #

• Christ must be said to be man univocally with other men (Philippians 2:7 - “made in the likeness of men”)
• To be human, the soul must be united to the body; this pertains to the very notion of the human species
• Form constitutes species precisely through being the act of the matter
• The body of Christ is described as animated (ἀνψύχωτος/animatus) in Church liturgy - this proves soul-body union
• Denying soul-body union in Christ makes him not a man, but merely a soul and body - a heretical position condemned at the Second Council of Constantinople

The Geometric Analogy #

• When one line is drawn to an endpoint that already exists (not creating a new endpoint), that point becomes the terminus of both lines
• Similarly, the human nature is drawn to the divine person, which already subsists eternally
• The point/person is indivisible and simple, yet terminates two distinct lines/natures
• The natures remain entirely distinct; the analogy illustrates how one person can subsist in two natures

The Problem of Efficacy #

• Objection: If soul-body union in Christ doesn’t produce a person, doesn’t this suggest the union has less efficacy than in mere men?
• Response: Union to something more noble does not diminish power and dignity; rather, it increases it
• Example: The sensing soul in animals constitutes a complete substance (as ultimate form), but in humans is more noble and powerful while not constituting the person (the rational soul does)
• Similarly, the sensing soul in humans is more perfect than the vegetative soul in plants, though the latter constitutes a complete substance

Substantiality of Sensation #

• The sense of touch is foundational to all sensation and understanding
• A man with a finer sense of touch will have better understanding for two reasons:
  1. Touch is the foundation of all senses, so a better sense of touch means a better sensing soul, which is a disposition for the rational soul
  2. Touch depends on bodily balance (hot/cold, dry/wet), so a better-balanced body receives a better soul
• Even sympathy for others goes back fundamentally to the sense of touch
• Reference: Aristotle discusses this in the commentary at the end of the second book on the soul

On the Eucharist and Soul-Body Union #

• When one receives the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist, one receives His soul as well (not from the words of consecration, but because the soul is joined to the body)
• The prayer “Anima Christi” (“Soul of Christ, sanctify me”) presupposes this soul-body union
• The prayer could not have its meaning if the soul were not truly joined to the body in Christ
• This illustrates the liturgical principle: lex orandi, lex credendi (the law of prayer is the law of belief)

Key Arguments #

For Soul-Body Union in Christ #

Argument 1: Univocal Predication of “Man”

• “Man” is said univocally of Christ and other humans
• This requires existing in the same species
• It pertains to the notion of human species that soul be joined to body
• Therefore, Christ must have a true soul-body union

Argument 2: Form as Constitutive of Species

• Form constitutes species through being the act of matter
• Generation is terminated in the very species intended by nature
• The soul is the form of the body; without this union, the human species is not constituted
• Therefore, soul and body must be united in Christ

Argument 3: Liturgical Evidence

• The Church sings of Christ assuming an “animated body” (corpus animatum)
• The body is not said to be animated except through union with the soul
• Therefore, Christ must have a true union of soul and body

Important Definitions #

Hypostasis (ὑπόστασις) #

• The underlying subject; the principle of subsistence in which natures exist
• A hypostasis is not created when soul and body unite in Christ because both are drawn to subsist in the pre-existing hypostasis of the Word
• The union occurs in the hypostasis, not in the nature

Nature (Natura) #

• The essence or substantial form of a thing
• Union in nature (as in Eutychianism) would mean confusion of the divine and human natures
• In Christ, the two natures remain entirely distinct while united in one hypostasis

Animatus/Animated #

• Describes a body that possesses a soul (ψυχή/anima)
• Necessary condition for being truly human
• Indicated in the Church’s liturgical language about Christ

Per se (by itself) #

• That which exists or subsists by itself, as a substance
• In mere men, soul and body are joined so that they might exist per se
• In Christ, soul and body are joined so they might subsist in the divine person, not per se

Examples & Illustrations #

The Two Lines to One Point #

• A geometric figure where two distinct lines (possibly of different types, straight and curved) are drawn to a single pre-existing endpoint
• The endpoint is indivisible and simple in itself
• Yet it serves as the terminus for both lines simultaneously
• The lines remain entirely distinct in their natures while sharing the same terminus
• This illustrates how one divine person can subsist in two completely distinct natures (divine and human)

The Sensing Soul Analogy #

• In animals: the sensing soul is the ultimate or last form, constituting a complete substance
• In humans: the sensing soul is more noble and more powerful, yet does not constitute the person (the rational soul does)
• By analogy: the human nature in Christ is more dignified through union with the divine person, though it does not constitute a new person
• The greater nobility of the human nature in Christ parallels the greater nobility of the sensing soul in humans compared to animals

The Sap and Blood Comparison #

• Plant soul animates sap; animal soul animates blood
• Blood is more perfect than sap, though sap constitutes complete plant substance
• Shows that a more perfect principle of life does not diminish the efficacy of union

The Movie “The Third Man” #

• Berquist references the famous scene where characters look down from an amusement park at tiny people below
• Illustrates how distance and lack of tactile connection lead to loss of sympathy or feeling
• Shows that the sense of touch and bodily proximity are foundational to moral sentiment (even when viewing others from a distance diminishes our moral intuition about their worth)

Shakespeare’s Eulogy of Brutus #

• From Julius Caesar: “His life was gentle, and the elements so mixed in him that all the world stood up and said, ‘This was a man’”
• Illustrates how human excellence is recognized through the proper harmony of soul and body
• Supports the point that being truly human requires the proper composition of soul and body

Questions Addressed #

Q: Doesn’t soul-body union in Christ create a new person? A: No. In mere men, soul and body unite so they might exist per se, thus constituting a person. In Christ, soul and body unite so they might be joined to the divine person. The composed nature comes to a pre-existing person/hypostasis rather than constituting a new one.

Q: How can we speak of Christ’s animated body if there’s no soul-body union? A: The Church’s liturgical language (corpus animatum, ensouled body) is direct evidence that Christ does possess a soul. The body is not said to be animated except through union with a soul.

Q: Doesn’t the soul-body union in Christ have less efficacy than in us? A: No. Union with something more noble (the divine person) increases rather than decreases efficacy and dignity. The sensing soul in humans is more noble and perfect than in animals, even though in animals it constitutes the person while in humans it does not.

Q: If Christ has a soul-body union, how does this avoid the Nestorian error of two persons? A: The key distinction is where the union terminates. In mere men, the soul-body union terminates in a new hypostasis (person). In Christ, it terminates in the pre-existing hypostasis of the Word. One hypostasis, two natures.

Q: What does Damascene mean by saying Christ is not in a common species? A: Damascene means Christ does not assume human nature as it exists only in universal consideration (as a Platonist separated form), nor as it exists in all individual humans (which would require assuming all men). Rather, he assumes human nature in an individual human nature - but not in a separate hypostasis. The human nature is individual without being hypostatic (because it subsists in the divine person).

Notable Quotes #

“Christ is said to be a man univocally with other men… as existing in the same species.” - Thomas Aquinas, cited by Berquist

“It is necessary to say that in Christ the soul is united to the body, and the contrary is heretical.” - Thomas Aquinas (referenced to Second Council of Constantinople)

“His life was gentle, and the elements so mixed in him that all the world stood up and said, ‘This was a man.’” - Shakespeare, Julius Caesar (Brutus eulogy)

“The law of prayer is the law of belief” (lex orandi, lex credendi) - Berquist’s reference to the principle underlying the Eucharistic prayer’s testimony to Christ’s soul-body union