83. Birth as Nature or Person: Christ's Temporal and Eternal Nativity

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

Birth: Subject vs. Term #

• As subject: Birth properly belongs to the hypostasis/person (that which is born)
• As term/end: Birth properly belongs to nature (the form that is achieved through birth)
• Being is properly attributed to what subsists in itself; nature is the form by which something subsists
• Motion and change are named from their term or limit, not from their subject

Christ’s Two Births #

• Eternal birth: From God the Father from eternity (generation of the Son)
• Temporal birth: From the Virgin Mary in time (generation of human nature)
• Both births share the same subject (the eternal hypostasis/person of the Word)
• Both differ in their terms (divine nature vs. human nature)
• The temporal birth was necessary “on account of us” for our salvation, not for Christ’s own perfection

The Blessed Virgin as Mother of God #

• Mary is the true and natural mother of Christ
• Motherhood requires: (1) providing matter for generation, (2) generation of a living thing
• Mary provided the matter (“the most pure blood of the Virgin”) from which Christ’s body was formed
• The generation is natural on the side of the mother but miraculous on the side of the agent (the Holy Spirit)
• Therefore Mary should be called the Mother of God (following the Council of Ephesus)

The Problem of Two Sonships #

• Some argue Christ has two distinct sonships: eternal (to the Father) and temporal (to the Mother)
• Thomas resolves this: there are two nativities but only one eternal sonship
• The subject of sonship is the eternal hypostasis, which cannot have multiple real relations
• The temporal relation of sonship to Mary is secundum rationem (according to reason), not real in Christ
• This parallels how God is called “Lord” by a relation that is real in creatures but not in God

Key Arguments #

Objection 1: Birth Belongs to Nature #

Argument: Augustine says the divine nature cannot be conceived and born except according to human nature; therefore birth belongs to nature.

Response: Due to the identity in divine things between nature and hypostasis, nature is sometimes placed for person. But properly speaking, God became man, not “divine nature became man.” The concrete term “God” can stand for the person who has divine nature.

Objection 2: Philosopher Says Nature Comes from Birth #

Argument: The philosopher (Aristotle) says nature is taken from birth; therefore birth pertains to nature.

Response: Denominations come from what is suitable by likeness, but birth properly belongs to what subsists (the hypostasis), not to the form (nature). Motion is named from its term, not its subject.

Against Divine Nature Being Conceived and Born #

Clarification: We do not say “the divine nature was conceived and born” but rather “God was conceived and born.” The person of the Son, who has the divine nature, is conceived and born according to his human nature.

Important Definitions #

Hypostasis vs. Nature #

• Hypostasis/Person: That which subsists in itself, not in another as in a subject; the subject of being
• Nature: The form by which something subsists; signified as the manner of subsisting, not as that which subsists
• In Christ: One hypostasis with two natures (divine and human)

Birth/Nativity (γέννησις/γέννα) #

• As to subject: Properly the hypostasis/person (that which is born)
• As to term: Properly nature (the form achieved through birth)
• Example: When something becomes warm, the motion is named from the term (warmth), not the subject

Real vs. Rational Relations #

• Real relation: Exists in the subject with real dependence (e.g., creature’s relation to God)
• Secundum rationem (κατὰ λόγον): Understood together with a real relation on the other side but not itself real (e.g., God’s relation to creatures)
• Christ’s sonship to Mary is secundum rationem, not real in Christ

Examples & Illustrations #

Soul and Body Analogy #

Augustine uses the analogy of soul and body: just as the soul is born with the body (forming one person from two substances), so Christ is born as man. The Word is not compounded with human nature, yet they form one person in the Incarnation.

Warming Up #

When coming in from the cold, one becomes warm. The motion is named from the term (becoming warm), not from the subject (the person). Similarly, birth is named from the nature achieved, not from the person born.

Names Standing for Hypostasis #

The name God can stand for the hypostasis having both divine and human nature. Therefore, whatever belongs to either nature can be attributed to that person. When we say Mary is mother of God, the name “God” stands for the person of the Son.

Notable Quotes #

“Birth can be attributed to something in two ways: in one way as to the subject of the birth, another way as the term or end of this process. To the subject is attributed that it is born, and this is properly the hypostasis, not the nature.”

“Being is properly of a thing that subsists. For the form which does not subsist is said to be only because by it something is. But the person or the hypostasis is signified in the manner of the thing subsisting.”

“Sometimes nature is placed for a person or hypostasis [due to the identity in divine things between nature and hypostasis]. And according to this, Augustine says that the divine nature is conceived and born, because the person of the Son is conceived and born according to human nature.”

“No motion or change is named from the subject that is moved, but from the term or end of the motion.”

Questions Addressed #

Question 1: Does Birth Belong to Nature or Person? #

Answer: Birth belongs to the person as subject and to nature as term/limit. The person is that which is born; the nature is that into which birth terminates.

Question 2: Should a Second Birth Be Attributed to Christ Apart from His Eternal Birth? #

Answer: Yes, Christ has two births: eternal (from the Father) and temporal (from the Virgin Mary). These share the same subject but differ in their terms. The temporal birth is necessary for our salvation.

Question 3: Is Mary the True Mother of Christ According to His Temporal Birth? #

Answer: Yes, Mary is the true and natural mother of Christ. She provided the matter from which his body was formed. The generation is natural on the mother’s side but miraculous on the agent’s side (Holy Spirit).

Question 4: Should Mary Be Called the Mother of God? #

Answer: Yes, absolutely. Mary should be called the Mother of God (following the Council of Ephesus). To deny this is heretical. She is mother of God according to the human nature of Christ, not his divine nature. The name “God” stands for the person of the Son.

Question 5: Does Christ Have Two Distinct Sonships? #

Answer: There are two nativities but only one eternal sonship. The temporal sonship to Mary is secundum rationem (according to reason), not a real relation in Christ. The subject of sonship—the eternal hypostasis—cannot have multiple real relations.