119. The Suitability and Effects of Christ's Death
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Lecture Notes
Main Topics #
The Five Reasons for Christ’s Death #
Thomas provides five principal reasons why it was suitable for Christ to die:
- Satisfaction for Sin - Christ assumed the punishment due to humanity for sin, thereby satisfying divine justice on our behalf. This is the most important reason according to Thomas.
- Manifestation of True Human Nature - Death proves the reality of Christ’s assumed humanity; without death, He would appear as a phantom or ghost.
- Liberation from Fear of Death - By destroying death through His own death, Christ frees humanity from servitude to the fear of death throughout life.
- Example of Spiritual Dying - Christ’s bodily death exemplifies the spiritual death to sin that believers must undergo, connecting to Socrates’s definition of philosophy as “the practice of dying.”
- Hope of Resurrection - Christ’s resurrection demonstrates His power over death and gives us hope for our own bodily resurrection.
The Paradox of Life and Death #
How can Christ, who is the fountain of life itself, die? Thomas resolves this by distinguishing between Christ’s divine and human natures:
- Christ is the fountain of life secundum quod Deus (according as He is God), not secundum quod homo (according as He is man).
- He experiences death only according to His human nature, not His divine nature.
- Augustine says Christ “sensed death” by participation in human affection voluntarily assumed, but did not lose the power of His divine nature through which all things are vivified.
The Problem of Opposites #
Objection: How can death (a defect) produce life if opposites cannot produce their opposites?
Thomas’s response: By accident, opposites can produce their opposites. Example: fire (which is hot) can cause cold by burning down your house and leaving you exposed to the cold. Similarly, Christ’s death destroys our death by destroying the sin that causes death.
Christ’s Death Not from Sickness #
Christ did not sustain death coming from sickness (which would suggest necessity or weakness of nature), but death inflicted from outside, to which He spontaneously offered Himself. This demonstrates the voluntary nature of His sacrifice.
Key Arguments #
Against the Suitability of Christ’s Death (Objections) #
Objection 1 - The Fountain of Life
- Christ is the beginning and fountain of all life (Psalm 35)
- Fire, the source of heat, is never cold
- Therefore, it seems unsuitable that Christ would die
Objection 2 - No Sickness
- Death comes through sickness; sickness is a defect
- It was not suitable that Christ would become sick
- Therefore, it was not suitable that Christ would die
Objection 3 - Opposites Cannot Produce Opposites
- Christ came that we might have life more abundantly
- But the opposite (death) does not lead to the opposite (life)
- Therefore, it seems unsuitable for Christ to die
Objection 4 - Makers Make Like Themselves
- A maker makes things like itself (a carpenter makes from his idea; man generates man; dog generates dog)
- How can Christ’s death, which is opposite to life, bring about life?
Important Definitions #
Secundum quid (According as) #
A crucial distinction used to resolve apparent contradictions: Christ is the fountain of life according as He is God, but dies according as He is man. The predicate applies to different aspects of the same person.
Formal vs. Effective Vivification #
- Formal vivification: The soul as the intrinsic form that makes a body alive
- Effective vivification: God’s power to sustain life through will and causality, not as an intrinsic form
Synecdoche (Part for the Whole) #
A figure of speech where a part stands for the whole. When we speak of prayer for the dead or Christ remaining in a certain state, we use synecdoche—referring to the whole person through the part that remains (the soul).
Examples & Illustrations #
The Fountain Paradox #
Christ is the source of all life, yet He dies. Resolution: He is the fountain according to His divinity (which doesn’t die) but dies according to His humanity. Augustine expresses this: Christ “sensed death” through His human affection but did not lose the life He is in His divine nature.
Death from External Violence vs. Sickness #
Christ did not die from sickness (which would suggest weakness or necessity) but from external violence voluntarily accepted. This demonstrates His death was voluntary and shows His power, distinguishing it from ordinary human death.
The Fire and Cold Example #
Fire is hot and naturally causes heat, but by accident it can cause cold (by burning down your house, leaving you exposed). Similarly, death (opposite to life) can by accident produce life by destroying sin.
Socrates and the Practice of Dying #
Berquist references Plato’s Phaedo, where Socrates defines philosophy as “the practice of dying”—the soul is perfected by separation from bodily inclinations. This illustrates how Christ’s bodily death exemplifies the spiritual death to sin required of believers. Socrates faced death willingly, seeing it as the path to the soul’s complete perfection.
The Absent-Minded Professor #
An illustration of the soul separating from bodily concerns: the professor’s mind is not really absent, but his body is left behind—the soul, focused on thought, is perfected by a kind of separation from the body.
Notable Quotes #
“Christ is the fountain of life according as he is God, not however according as he is man. But he is dead, not according as he is God, but according as he is man.” — St. Thomas Aquinas (via Berquist)
“Christ thus sensed death as regards to his being in himself life, that he lost life.” — St. Augustine, Against Felician (via Thomas)
“Philosophy is the practice of dying.” — Socrates (cited by Berquist from Plato’s Phaedo)
“If Christ died and he rose, huh? Whence the apostle says, if Christ, what? If we preach that Christ rose from the dead, how is it that some of you say that there will be no resurrection of the body?” — 1 Corinthians 15 (via Thomas, discussing the hope of resurrection)
Questions Addressed #
Was it suitable for Christ to die? #
Answer: Yes, for five principal reasons: (1) to satisfy for sin, (2) to manifest true humanity, (3) to liberate from fear of death, (4) to exemplify spiritual dying, and (5) to demonstrate power over death and give hope of resurrection.
How can the fountain of life die? #
Answer: Christ is the fountain of life according to His divinity, not His humanity. He experiences death only according to His human nature while remaining life itself in His divine nature.
Why did Christ not die from sickness? #
Answer: To show that His death was voluntary, not from necessity or weakness of nature. He accepted death inflicted from outside, demonstrating His power and willingness to undergo punishment for sin.
How can death (an opposite to life) produce life? #
Answer: By accident, opposites can produce their opposites. Christ’s death destroys our death by destroying the sin that causes death, not directly but through the effects of His sacrifice.