109. The Passion of Christ: Necessity and Suitability

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Question of Necessity #

Thomas distinguishes between necessity in different senses:

• Absolute necessity: What cannot be otherwise according to its nature (e.g., three is necessarily odd)
• Necessity from supposition: A condition that makes something impossible that would otherwise be possible

God could have liberated humanity by will alone in an absolute sense, but given God’s foreknowledge and eternal disposition concerning the Passion, it became necessary that Christ suffer. The distinction parallels the example: it is possible to marry a woman absolutely, but on the supposition that one is already married, it becomes impossible.

Suitability vs. Absolute Necessity #

Thomas argues the Passion is not absolutely necessary but supremely suitable. Through the Passion many goods converge:

1. Demonstration of divine love: Provokes humanity to love God in return; love naturally unites lover and beloved
2. Exemplary virtue: Shows obedience, humility, constancy, and justice necessary for salvation
3. Merit of grace and glory: Christ merits justifying grace and beatitude for mankind
4. Obligation against sin: Creates necessity to preserve oneself from sin (“bought with a precious price”)
5. Man’s victory over the devil: Man, who was overcome and deceived, is enabled to overcome through a man (Christ)
6. Justice over power: The devil loves power and practices injustice; overcome by Christ’s justice and humility rather than divine power alone
7. Correspondence to figures: The wood of the cross corresponds to Noah’s ark, Moses’s rod, the altar of holocaust, and the Ark of the Covenant

Objections and Responses #

Objection from divine omnipotence: God’s will alone should suffice; adding suffering seems superfluous and contrary to divine mercy.

• Response: Multiple things can serve one end better than one thing alone, just as nature uses two eyes for better sight, two ears for better hearing, two legs for walking.

Objection from natural operation: Nature accomplishes through one thing what it can; violence is contrary to nature.

• Response: Christ’s death, though violent by external infliction, was not caused by disease or internal defect. His body was preserved incorruptible so that the one who healed others would not appear diseased. The voluntary nature of His death distinguishes it from mere violence.

Objection from power over the devil: The devil has no right over man; Christ should despoil him through superior power alone.

• Response: Though the devil had no just right, man through sin fell under demonic slavery. Justice required that man be liberated through justice rather than power alone. The devil, who loves power and practices injustice, is overcome by Christ’s justice and humility.

Objection from Scripture (Deuteronomy 21:23): “Cursed is the one who hangs on the wood.”

• Response: Sin itself is accursed; Christ, taking the curse of sin upon Himself, became accursed for us. This confesses that He died for us. As Paul states: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made accursed for us.”

Key Arguments #

On Divine Justice and Satisfaction #

Thomas addresses whether divine justice necessitates satisfaction:

• God’s justice depends upon God’s will requiring satisfaction
• God, having no superior and being the supreme common good of the universe, can remit offenses committed against Him without injustice
• Just as a man acts mercifully (not unjustly) in remitting an offense against himself, so God can remit sin
• David: “To you only have I sinned,” acknowledging God’s power to dismiss guilt without injustice

On Foreknowledge and Impossibility #

Thomas clarifies that God’s foreknowledge and divine ordering make the Passion impossible not to occur:

• Human faith and divine scriptures rest upon foreknowledge and divine ordering
• The same necessity arising from supposition applies to both foreknowledge and the will of God
• Therefore, the necessity belongs not to the nature of the Passion itself but to the divine decree

On the Perfection of Love #

The Incarnation itself demonstrates love: “It is a property of love to unite the lover with the loved.” The Passion intensifies this manifestation:

• Romans 5: “God commended his charity in us when we were enemies; Christ died for us”
• This provokes reciprocal love from humanity

Important Definitions #

• Necessity (absolute/simply): What cannot be otherwise by its own nature
• Necessity (from supposition): A condition that renders impossible what would otherwise be possible, given a particular circumstance or divine disposition
• Supposition (suppositio): A conditional circumstance; e.g., “on the supposition that you are already married, you cannot marry this woman”
• Passion (passio): Suffering; here specifically Christ’s suffering culminating in crucifixion
• Satisfaction (satisfactio): Reparation for sin through payment or compensation; Thomas explores whether God’s justice requires it
• Maledictio/Accursed: The state of being cursed; Thomas distinguishes the curse on sin from the curse on Christ, who takes the curse upon Himself

Examples & Illustrations #

The Supposition Analogy #

Berquist presents the marriage example to clarify necessity from supposition:

• Absolutely speaking, one can marry a particular woman
• On the supposition that one is already married, it becomes impossible
• Similarly, absolutely God could free man another way; given God’s foreknowledge of the Passion, it became impossible for Christ not to suffer

Nature’s Multiple Operations #

In response to the objection that nature does through one thing what it can do through one:

• Nature uses two eyes for depth of vision, not one
• Nature uses two ears for accurate directional hearing, not one
• Nature uses two legs for walking
• Therefore, multiplicity can serve a single end better than singularity

The Cross and Dimensions #

Augustine’s interpretation of the cross’s four dimensions teaches diverse virtues:

• Latitude (transverse beam): Good deeds (where the hands are)
• Longitude (from beam to earth): Perseverance and standing firm
• Altitude (from transverse upward): Hope and high expectation
• Depth (hidden in earth): Gratuitous grace

The Fool’s Gold Objection #

Berquist notes Thomas touches on why Christ’s body was not diseased:

• If Christ’s body were sick or dissolved by disease, it would be unsuitable for one who healed others’ sicknesses
• If He merely offered Himself without the appearance of death, His resurrection would not be believed as genuine victory over death
• Therefore, bodily integrity with external infliction was necessary

The Carpenter’s Son #

Berquist observes the fittingness of Christ being a carpenter’s son given the prominence of wood:

• The seventh reason emphasizes the correspondence of the wooden cross to Old Testament figures
• Christ working with wood in His hidden life prefigures His passion on wood
• The hidden life (roughly 30 years) vastly exceeds the public ministry in duration

Notable Quotes #

“Unless the grain of wheat falling on the earth dies, it remains alone. If it dies, it brings much fruit.” — John 12, cited to show the necessity of Christ’s death for bearing fruit of liberation

“If it is not possible for this chalice to go away unless I drink it, your will be done.” — Matthew 26, demonstrating Christ’s voluntary submission to the Father’s will

“He is not able to deny himself or negate himself” — 2 Timothy, cited on God’s faithfulness and justice

“Freely you have been redeemed, without silver” — Isaiah 52, in objection that Christ should overcome the devil by power alone

“God commended his charity in us when we were enemies; Christ died for us.” — Romans 5, on demonstration of divine love

“Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we might follow his footsteps.” — 1 Peter, on the exemplary function of the Passion

“You have been bought with a precious price; glorify God in your body.” — 1 Corinthians 6, on the obligation created by redemptive cost

“To you only have I sinned.” — Psalm 51 (David), showing God’s power to remit sin against Himself without injustice

“Adam had contempt for the command, taking from the tree. But whatever Adam lost, Christ found on the cross.” — Augustine, Sermon on the Passion

“Christ, not his own death which he did not have since he is Life, but he came to consume the death of men.” — Chrysostom, on the nature of Christ’s assumption of death

“The wood in which was fixed the members of the one suffering was also the chair of the master teaching.” — Augustine on John, identifying the cross as Christ’s throne of instruction

“Thanks be to God, who gives us victory through Jesus Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 15, on man’s victory through Christ the man

Questions Addressed #

Was the Passion absolutely necessary for redemption? #

Resolution: No. Simply and absolutely, God could liberate man another way by divine will alone. However, from the supposition of God’s foreknowledge and eternal disposition, the Passion was necessary—not from external force but from voluntary submission to the Father’s will.

Could there have been another way of liberation? #

Resolution: Absolutely speaking, yes. But given God’s foreknowledge and ordering, another way was impossible. The necessity belongs to the divine decree, not to the nature of sin or human condition.

Why was the Passion more suitable than liberation by will alone? #

Resolution: Through the Passion, six major goods converge: (1) demonstration of divine love provoking reciprocal love, (2) exemplary virtues of obedience and humility, (3) merit of grace and beatitude, (4) obligation to preserve oneself from sin, (5) man’s victory through a man over the devil, and (6) justice rather than power overcoming the devil’s injustice and pride.

Why was crucifixion specifically appropriate? #

Resolution: Seven reasons: (1) correspondence to Adam’s sin through a tree, (2) cleansing of air and earth, (3) ascent to heaven prepared, (4) universal salvation signified by the cross’s four directions, (5) designation of diverse virtues (latitude, longitude, altitude, depth), (6) teaching office of the cross as master’s chair, (7) correspondence to Old Testament figures (Noah’s ark, Moses’s rod, altar, Ark of Covenant).