32. Christ's Knowledge: Divine and Created

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

Christ’s Unique Headship (Article 6) #

• Interior vs. Exterior Flowing: Christ alone flows grace inwardly through the union of his humanity with divinity; other ecclesiastical leaders (bishops, popes) govern externally through authority and persuasion
• Limited Scope of Other Heads: Bishops are heads of particular churches; the Pope heads the Church only for the duration of his pontificate; all ecclesiastical heads govern according to determined place, time, and state
• Christ’s Universal Headship: Christ is head of all who pertain to the Church across all times, places, and states
• Three Characteristics of Headship: Order (being first), Perfection (fullness of grace), and Virtue (power to move and influence members)

The Devil as Head of the Wicked (Article 7) #

• Mode of Headship: The devil governs externally through proposing his will as a model to follow, not through interior flowing of evil (which only Christ possesses through divine power)
• Not Universal Over All Sins: Not all sins proceed from the devil; humans can sin through their own spontaneous will without demonic suggestion
• Common Ground of Evil: All sins, though differing in their turning toward various changeable goods, share in common a turning away from God
• The Devil’s End: The devil leads wicked persons toward aversion from God, which is presented as “liberty” or freedom from divine law

The Antichrist as Head of Evil (Article 8) #

• Distinction from the Devil: The Antichrist is not head through temporal priority (the devil sinned first) nor through power of influence over past generations; rather, he is head through the perfection of malice
• Fullness of Evil: Just as divine fullness dwells in Christ, the fullness of all malice flows into the Antichrist through demonic suggestion (not through personal union as in Christ)
• Relationship to Devil: The Antichrist remains a member of the devil while also being a head of the wicked—just as Christ’s head is God, yet Christ is head of the Church
• Prior Figures as Prefigurations: All prior evil ones are, in a sense, figures of the Antichrist, who brings evil to its perfection

Christ’s Created Knowledge (Question 9, Article 1) #

• The Question: Why would Christ need created knowledge if he already knows all things through divine knowledge?
• The Necessity of Created Knowledge: Christ must possess created knowledge because:
  • His human soul would otherwise lack the perfection proper to a rational soul
  • A human nature assumed without knowledge would be assumed in vain (each thing exists for its operation)
  • Human nature naturally knows first principles; Christ took complete human nature and therefore must possess this natural knowledge
• The Divine Knowledge Does Not Eliminate Created Knowledge: Just as lesser light is not obscured by greater light (they operate in different orders), divine knowledge does not eliminate created knowledge; they are of different natures

Key Arguments #

On Why Christ Must Have Created Knowledge #

1. From Perfection of the Soul: A rational soul in potency (ability) to knowledge that is never actualized (never reduced to act) would be imperfect. Since Christ assumes complete human nature as a tool for perfecting us in grace and knowledge, his human soul must have perfection in knowledge.
2. From Operation: Each thing exists for its operation (each thing is for the sake of its own operation, as Aristotle says in De Caelo). A human understanding soul that understands nothing would assume this faculty in vain.
3. From Natural Knowledge: Some knowledge belongs to human nature by nature—namely, the knowledge of first principles (axioms like “the whole is greater than the part” or “nothing is a cause of itself”). Since Christ took complete human nature, nothing natural was lacking in him.

On the Devil’s Non-Universal Headship #

• The Governor Principle: A governor does not directly suggest to each individual; rather, he proposes a sign of his will, which some follow by his suggestion and others by their own spontaneous will
• Like a Military Standard: Just as soldiers follow an army leader’s standard without individual persuasion, some sins follow the devil’s example while others arise from human spontaneity alone
• Therefore: The devil can be head of all the wicked insofar as they imitate him, whether through his suggestion or their own will, because all sins share in common the aversion from God

Important Definitions #

Headship (Caput) #

Three Essential Characteristics:

1. Order (Ordo): Being first in rank or beginning
2. Perfection (Perfectio): Possessing fullness of senses and faculties
3. Virtue/Power (Virtus): Having the power to move and govern other members

Interior vs. Exterior Flowing #

• Interior Flowing (Influxus Internus): The direct infusion of grace into the soul; proper to Christ alone through the union of his humanity with divinity
• Exterior Governing (Gubernatio Exterior): Direction of actions toward an end through authority, persuasion, and the proposal of example; can be exercised by other leaders

Knowledge Types (Preview) #

• Divine Knowledge (Scientia Divina): God’s knowledge through his own substance and essence
• Beatific Vision (Visio Beatifica): Direct knowledge of God through vision of the divine essence; discussed in forthcoming articles
• Infused Knowledge (Scientia Infusa): Knowledge impressed upon the human mind through intelligible forms; discussed in forthcoming articles
• Acquired Knowledge (Scientia Acquisita): Knowledge gained through experience and discourse; discussed in forthcoming articles

Examples & Illustrations #

The Dog Analogy #

Berquist uses the example of a dog’s eyesight in its first nine days: we do not call the dog “blind” in the strict sense because the dog is not yet apt to have sight. This illustrates that imperfection (imperfectio) in the strict sense applies only to privation—lacking what one should and is able to have at a certain stage. A newborn human similarly is not imperfect in the strict sense for lacking knowledge at birth, since he is not yet apt for it. However, even this kind of imperfection would not befit Christ, who assumed human nature as a tool for perfecting all others.

The Polygon and Circle Approach #

Berquist notes (from contextual notes) that as polygons with increasing sides approach a circle as their limit, the human mind strives to know distinctly what angels know by one thought. This illustrates the aspiration of human knowledge toward angelic knowledge.

The Perfect as Perfecting Others #

The principle that “the perfect perfects the imperfect” is applied: if Christ is to perfect others in grace and knowledge, his human nature must possess the perfections whereby he can do so. This is illustrated by the teacher whose knowledge perfects his own mind and also becomes the source of teaching others.

Notable Quotes #

“If the human nature [that Christ] assumed did not have any knowledge in it, like when we get our human nature, we don’t have any knowledge. But Christ is going to perfect us in knowledge and in grace, right? So therefore, it pertained to him to have what? Both knowledge and grace in his human nature.” — Berquist, clarifying the necessity of Christ’s created knowledge

“[Christ’s] human nature could be a tool, right, of his divinity for perfecting us in grace and in knowledge.” — Berquist, explaining the instrumental role of Christ’s assumed humanity

“Without created knowledge, Christ’s human soul would know nothing and would be assumed in vain.” — Summarizing the operational argument

Questions Addressed #

Article 6: Is Headship of the Church Unique to Christ? #

• Objection: If Christ is head because he pours grace on the members, and other leaders also give grace to those hearing them, why are they not also heads?
• Resolution: Christ is the unique head in the interior flowing of grace through his divinity; other ecclesiastical leaders are heads only through exterior governing (authority and persuasion), and only of particular churches for particular times and places. The Pope is head during his pontificate; bishops are heads of their dioceses.

Article 7: Is the Devil the Head of the Wicked? #

• Objection: The devil cannot be the head of the wicked because:
  • The head must pour in sense and motion; the devil cannot cause sin to proceed from others’ wills
  • Not all sins proceed from the devil; many arise from human spontaneity
  • The wicked do not form one unified body
• Resolution: The devil is head through exterior governance—proposing his will as a sign to be followed. He need not cause every sin; those who imitate him by their own will still follow his example. All sins, though diverse in their turning toward different goods, share in common the turning away from God, which is the devil’s end.

Article 8: Is the Antichrist the Head of Evil? #

• Objection: The Antichrist cannot be the head because:
  • One body has only one head; the devil is already the head of the wicked
  • The Antichrist is a member of the devil, not a head
  • The Antichrist has no influence over the wicked who preceded him
• Resolution: The devil and Antichrist are not two heads but one. The Antichrist is head insofar as the fullness of the devil’s malice is impressed upon him through suggestion (not personal union). He is head through perfection of malice, not temporal priority or influence. Thus, the devil remains the head of all evil; the Antichrist is the head of evil in his time through the concentrated perfection of malice.

Article 1 (Question 9): Does Christ Have Knowledge Besides Divine Knowledge? #

• Objection: If Christ knows all things through divine knowledge, created knowledge would be superfluous; also, lesser light is eclipsed by greater light
• Resolution: Created knowledge is necessary because:
  1. His human soul would be imperfect without the actualization of its intellectual capacity
  2. The operation proper to a human soul (understanding) requires knowledge; assuming the faculty without the actuality would be in vain
  3. Human nature naturally knows first principles; Christ took complete human nature
• The Light Analogy: Divine and created knowledge are of different orders; the lesser light is not obscured but rather illuminated by the greater light.

Transitions and Connections #

From Ecclesiology to Christology: The discussion of Christ as head of the Church flows naturally into the broader question of Christ’s knowledge. If Christ is the universal head who pours grace upon the Church and perfects all things, what knowledge does he possess? This sets up the transition to Question 9.

Berquist’s Pedagogical Note: Berquist emphasizes that “there’s going to be more than one kind of knowledge that he has,” signaling that subsequent articles will distinguish between beatific vision, infused knowledge, and acquired knowledge. The first article establishes the principle: Christ must have created knowledge in addition to divine knowledge.