86. The Manifestation of Christ's Birth: To Whom and Why
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Lecture Notes
Main Topics #
- The Problem of Universal Manifestation: Whether Christ’s nativity should have been made known to all people
- Faith and Hiddenness: Why universal knowledge would destroy the merit of faith and prevent Christ’s redemptive work
- Divine Order in Revelation: How God orders the distribution of divine secrets to some, through whom they reach others
- Selective Manifestation: Why certain individuals (shepherds, Magi, Simeon, Anna) were chosen to receive knowledge of Christ’s birth
- Signs Adapted to Recipients: Why different signs were given to different people (angels to shepherds, star to Magi, interior instinct to the just)
Key Arguments #
Why Universal Manifestation Is Unsuitable #
- Impediment to Redemption: If all knew of Christ’s birth, they would have prevented the crucifixion before it could occur. Thomas cites 1 Corinthians 2:8: “If they had known, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory.”
- Destruction of Faith’s Merit: Universal manifestation would eliminate faith, which requires things “not seen” (ex auditu—from hearing). Faith is diminished when something is made manifest through obvious signs.
- Prejudice to Christ’s Humanity: If the nativity were manifestly miraculous to all, it would confirm the heretical opinion that Christ did not truly assume human nature. Augustine warns that if Christ neither slept nor ate, people would think he was not truly human.
- Judgment Requires Manifestation, Not Salvation: Christ’s second coming (judgment) must be manifest to all. His first coming (salvation) requires faith and therefore hiddenness.
Why Total Concealment Is Also Unsuitable #
- Impossibility of Faith: If known to none, there could be no faith, since faith comes “from hearing” (ex auditu). Someone must testify to the nativity.
- Voidness of the Incarnation: If Christ’s birth produced no knowledge in anyone, the incarnation would be in vain.
- Need for External Testimony: Mary and Joseph alone knowing would not suffice, because their testimony would be suspect as familial. External witnesses from outside the family are necessary.
The Solution: Ordered Distribution to Some #
- Divine Wisdom Orders All Things: Thomas appeals to Romans 13:1 (or 15:1): “The things that are from God are ordered.” This reflects an Aristotelian principle that the wise man orders all things.
- Gifts Flow Through Intermediate Recipients: God gives knowledge to some, through whom it is derived to others. This preserves both the necessity of faith and the possibility of salvation.
- Witness Without Suspicion: Those chosen must be persons whose testimony cannot be suspect—those outside the family and of different conditions.
Why These Particular Recipients Were Chosen #
- The Shepherds (First Fruits of the Jews): Simple, sincere men accustomed to divine revelation through angels; they represent the ancient patriarchal tradition. Angels were appropriate because the Jewish people were accustomed to receiving divine instruction through angels.
- The Magi (First Fruits of the Gentiles): Wise men from the East accustomed to studying celestial bodies. A star, a mute sign, was appropriate because they were not yet capable of receiving the spoken word of God. The star speaks through what is customary to them.
- Simeon and Anna (The Just): Moved by the inward instinct of the Holy Spirit (instinctus internus Spiritus Sancti), requiring no external signs. Their testimony carries weight because of their justice.
- Diversity Prefigures Universality of Salvation: The revelation to all conditions (male/female, wise/simple, just/sinners, Jews/Gentiles) prefigures that no condition of humanity is excluded from Christ’s salvation.
Important Definitions #
Manifestatio (Manifestation) #
The making known of something through signs, words, or divine revelation. Thomas distinguishes between:
- Universal manifestation (omnibus): Known to all people
- Particular manifestation (quibusdam): Known to some through whom it reaches others
- Interior manifestation (instinctus internus): Through the inward instinct of the Holy Spirit
- Exterior manifestation (signa sensibilia): Through sensible signs suited to bodily perception
Instinctus Internus Spiritus Sancti (Inward Instinct of the Holy Spirit) #
A form of divine guidance given to the just and perfect, requiring no external sensible signs. Simeon and Anna were moved by this interior motion to come to the temple, without needing the angel or the star.
Signa Sensibilia (Sensible Signs) #
External, perceptible signs suited to those “given over to bodily things.” The shepherds receive an angel (familiar to the Jewish tradition); the Magi receive a star (familiar to astronomers and observers of the heavens).
Examples & Illustrations #
The Disturbance of Herod #
Thomas addresses the objection that making Christ’s birth known caused Herod to kill the Holy Innocents (boys two years old). He responds with three positive interpretations:
Manifestation of Christ’s Dignity: The disturbance manifests the celestial worth of Christ. Gregory: “To the king of heaven born, the king of earth is disturbed. For the earthly altitude is exceedingly confounded when the heavenly heights are opened.”
Figuring Christ’s Judicial Power: Augustine asks: “What will be the tribunal of the one judging when the proud kings feared the cradle of the infant?” This prefigures the fear people will have at the final judgment.
Defeat of the Devil’s Kingdom: Leo the Great explains that it was not merely Herod who was disturbed, but the devil in Herod. Herod thought he was dealing with a man; the devil knew he was dealing with God. Both feared a successor—Herod an earthly one, the devil a celestial one. Yet Christ did not come to take earthly kingdoms.
Perfection of the Holy Innocents: Augustine emphasizes that the death of the holy innocents was not a detriment but their perfection. If Christ prayed for those who killed him, how much more for those who died for him?
The Star and the Magi #
The Magi were accustomed to observing celestial movements. A new star appearing contrary to the usual order would naturally draw their attention. Chrysostom explains: “From the east came the Magi, because whence the day is born, there the beginning of faith proceeds, because faith is the light of souls.”
The star is described as a “mute sign” suited to those not yet speaking the language of revelation. Through things customary to them, the Lord condescends to call them.
Angels and the Shepherds #
The shepherds represent the continuation of the patriarchal tradition (Abel, Isaac, Jacob). The Jews were accustomed to receiving divine answers through angels. The angel’s appearance with clarity showed that the one born was “the splendor of the fatherly glory.”
Notable Quotes #
“If they had known, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1 Corinthians 2:8, cited by Thomas to explain why universal knowledge would have prevented redemption)
“The things that are from God are ordered.” (Romans 13:1/15:1, used to justify the ordered distribution of knowledge about Christ’s birth)
“To the king of heaven born, the king of earth is disturbed. For the earthly altitude is exceedingly confounded when the heavenly heights are opened.” (Gregory, cited by Thomas)
“What will be the tribunal of the one judging when the proud kings feared the cradle of the infant?” (Augustine, Sermon on the Epiphany)
“Not only Herod in himself was disturbed, but the devil in Herod. For Herod estimated him a man, but the devil, God.” (Leo the Great, Sermon on the Epiphany)
“Far be it that Christ coming to liberate men about the reward of those who were killed for Him, he did nothing.” (Augustine, on the Holy Innocents)
Questions Addressed #
Article 1: Should Christ’s Birth Be Made Known to All? #
Resolution: No, for the following reasons:
- Universal manifestation would impede redemption by enabling premature crucifixion
- It would destroy the merit of faith, which requires hiddenness
- It would contradict the true assumption of human nature by Christ
- Faith, not manifest knowledge, is the means of justification
Article 2: Should It Be Made Known to Some or None? #
Resolution: To some. If known to none, faith would be impossible (faith comes “from hearing”); if known to all, faith would be destroyed. The proper middle path is to manifest it to select witnesses from whom the testimony can spread to others.
Article 3: To Whom Should It Be Made Known? #
Resolution: To representatives of all human conditions—shepherds (simple Jews), Magi (wise Gentiles), Simeon and Anna (just persons)—in order to show that no condition of humanity is excluded from Christ’s salvation. This diversity of recipients prefigures the universality of redemption.