126. The Resurrection of Christ: Manifestation and Wounds

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Retained Wounds of the Resurrected Body #

• Perpetual Wounds as Trophy: Christ retained the scars of his wounds not from necessity or defect but as a perpetual triumph and sign of victory
• Five Reasons for Retention according to Thomas:
  1. Glory of Christ himself—the wounds are signs of virtue and special beauty, not corruption or defect
  2. Confirmation of the disciples’ faith in the resurrection (demonstrated by Thomas’s examination of the wounds)
  3. Perpetual supplication to the Father for humanity
  4. Manifestation of divine mercy to those redeemed
  5. Convincing evidence to the damned at the final judgment
• Beauty of Wounds: The openings of the wounds represent a discontinuity in the body’s continuity, yet this discontinuity is “recompensed through a greater beauty of glory,” making the body not less but more perfect
• Scriptural Foundation: 1 Corinthians 15 addresses the concern that incorruptibility seems incompatible with wounds; Thomas resolves this by distinguishing between corruption (which wounds do not entail) and glory (which the wounds signify)

Manifestation of the Resurrection to Witnesses #

• Limited Revelation: The resurrection was made known not to all people but only to specially chosen witnesses, following the divine order (from God to higher beings to lower)
• Two Categories of Knowledge: Some truths are known through natural law to all; divine revealed truths (especially those concerning future glory) are revealed first to higher beings and through them to others
• Why Not Witnessed Directly: The resurrection transcends common human knowledge in two respects:
  • As regards the term from which (the soul from hell, the body from the sealed sepulcher)
  • As regards the term to which (the glorious immortal life)
• Role of Angels: Angels served as heralds announcing the resurrection to women at the tomb, following the divine law that revealed truths descend through intermediaries
• Apostolic Testimony: The apostles witnessed the risen Christ and then conveyed knowledge of the resurrection to all others through their preaching

Women as First Witnesses #

• Scriptural Difficulty: Thomas addresses why women, forbidden to teach publicly in churches (1 Corinthians 14:34; 1 Timothy 2:12), were the first to witness the resurrection
• Resolution: Women may teach privately through “domestic admonition” but not publicly in the church. Christ’s appearance to women first conveyed private knowledge to the household
• Theological Significance: Woman (Eve) was the beginning of death to mankind; woman (Mary Magdalene and others) announces the beginning of risen Christ’s glory. This redemptive reversal shows that the feminine sex undergoes no detriment in the status of glory
• Greater Charity Leads to Greater Glory: Women who loved the Lord more intensely remained at the tomb while disciples receded, and thus “saw the Lord rising in glory first”—exemplifying that “the first shall be last, and the last shall be first”

The Passion Made Public, The Resurrection Revealed Privately #

• Apparent Contradiction: If Christ’s passion was public (suffered openly), why was his resurrection not made known publicly to all?
• Thomas’s Distinction: The passion occurred in a body with a passible (suffering) nature known by common law to all. The resurrection occurred through the glory of the Father, transcending common human knowledge. Therefore, the passion could be immediately known; the resurrection could not
• Divine Order: Public punishments for public sins serve to move others in this life; public rewards for public merits do the same. But the punishments and rewards of the future life are not manifested publicly to all, only to those preordained by God for this task

Frequency and Spacing of Appearances #

• Five Appearances on Resurrection Day: According to Augustine, Christ appeared five times on the first day of resurrection:
  1. To Mary Magdalene at the monument
  2. To women returning from the monument on the journey
  3. To Peter
  4. To the two disciples traveling to Emmaus
  5. To the apostles gathered in Jerusalem
• Why Multiple Appearances: Frequent appearances on the first day were necessary to establish faith in the resurrection’s truth from the beginning
• Why Not Continuous Presence: After establishing faith, continuous presence was not necessary and would actually be harmful because it would suggest Christ rose to a mortal life like before (rather than to a glorious, immortal life)
• Later Appearances: After the first day, Christ appeared fewer times (approximately five more times before the Ascension) because the disciples had already received the faith. The spacing manifested the glory of the resurrection—Christ was not bound to be present as he had been when mortal

Key Arguments #

On the Suitability of Wounds Remaining #

Objection:

• Corruption and defect seem incompatible with resurrection to incorruptibility (1 Corinthians 15)
• The openings of wounds contradict bodily integrity
• If the cause (disciples’ certification of resurrection) is achieved, the effect (visible wounds) should no longer remain
• It is unsuitable to the unchangeableness of glory to assume something that would not remain forever

Response:

• The wounds do not pertain to corruption or defect but to “a greater heap of glory”
• They function as signs of virtue and excellence, appearing with special beauty
• The wound openings, though representing a discontinuity in bodily continuity, are “recompensed through a greater beauty of glory,” making the body not less but more perfect
• The wounds serve multiple eternal purposes beyond mere certification, particularly perpetual intercession and judgment

On Why Only Special Witnesses #

Objection:

• Public merit deserves public reward, as public sin deserves public punishment
• The passion was made public; the resurrection should be made public
• The resurrection pertains to common utility and salvation of all; therefore it should be made manifest to all
• Those made witnesses of the resurrection are obligated to testify publicly; thus all should have witnessed it

Response:

• Divine law establishes that revealed truths concerning future glory are not known by common human nature but are revealed by God only to some
• The passion occurred in a passible body knowable by common law; therefore it could be made known to all
• The resurrection occurred through the glory of the Father, transcending common knowledge; therefore it was made known only to special witnesses
• Public punishments and rewards in this life move observers; future glory’s punishments and rewards are not publicly manifested to all, only to those preordained

On Why Disciples Did Not Witness the Rising #

Objection:

• The most certain testimony is sight; disciples should have witnessed the resurrection itself
• The disciples saw Christ’s ascension; therefore they should have seen his resurrection
• Lazarus’s resurrection was a sign of Christ’s; the disciples witnessed Lazarus rising, so they should have witnessed Christ rising

Response:

• Christ’s resurrection did not return to a life commonly known to all, but to an immortal life conformed to God. The resurrection transcends common knowledge in both its origin and its term
• The ascension, regarding the term from which it takes place (elevation from earth), does not transcend common knowledge; disciples could see it. But Christ’s resurrection transcends common knowledge both as regards the term from which (soul from hell, body from sealed tomb) and term to which (glorious life)
• Lazarus was resuscitated to a life like before, which does not transcend common knowledge. Christ rose to a glorious life that does transcend common knowledge. The situations are not parallel

On Why Continuous Presence Was Unsuitable #

Objection:

• Christ appeared to make disciples certain of the resurrection; continuous presence would make them more certain
• Continuous presence would provide consolation for their disturbance
• Christ promised to precede them in Galilee before appearing in Jerusalem, suggesting planned, sequential appearances
• Five appearances on the first day alone show the frequency of his presence

Response:

• Two things were to be declared: the truth of the resurrection and the glory of the risen Christ
• Many appearances showing familiar interaction sufficed for manifesting the truth (he spoke with them, ate and drank, offered himself to be touched)
• Continuous presence would obscure the glory of the resurrection by suggesting he rose to a mortal life like before
• The glory of the resurrection is manifested precisely through his absence—by not being continuously present as he was when mortal, he shows the difference between mortal and glorious life
• Luke 24:25 records Christ saying “when I was still with you”—this phrase contrasts his prior presence in mortal flesh with his post-resurrection presence in glorified flesh

Important Definitions #

Perpetual Trophy (Trophaeum perpetuum) #

The wounds retained by Christ as permanent marks of his victory over sin and death, not as signs of defect but as enduring testimony to his triumph. They serve multiple eternal purposes beyond the initial confirmation of the disciples’ faith.

Divine Order (Ordo divinus) #

The established hierarchical pattern by which God reveals truths: divine revelations pass immediately to higher beings, who then mediate them to lower beings. This ordering applies especially to truths exceeding common human knowledge.

Common Knowledge vs. Revealed Knowledge #

• Common Knowledge: Truths knowable through natural law to all humanity (e.g., the passion of Christ in a passible body)
• Revealed Knowledge: Truths exceeding human nature and knowable only through divine revelation (e.g., the resurrection to glorious, immortal life)

Term From / Term To (Terminus a quo / Terminus ad quem) #

The distinction between the starting point and ending point of a process:

• Terminus a quo of resurrection: the soul from hell, the body from the sealed sepulcher
• Terminus ad quem of resurrection: glorious immortal life conformed to God

Integrity vs. Perfection #

Thomas distinguishes between mere integrity (bodily continuity) and greater perfection (beauty of glory). The wound openings represent a solution of continuity, yet this is “recompensed through a greater beauty of glory,” making the body more perfect than intact mortal bodies.

Examples & Illustrations #

Thomas’s Examination of the Wounds #

Christ invited Thomas to touch the wounds (John 20:27), demonstrating that the wounds were tangible and real. This tactile confirmation served both to certify Thomas’s faith in the resurrection and (according to Berquist’s interpretation) to show that these wounds would remain as permanent features. The disciples confessed faith after touching—showing how sensible evidence disposes the will to belief.

The Five Appearances on Resurrection Day #

According to Augustine’s enumeration:

1. Mary Magdalene at the tomb
2. Women returning from the tomb on the journey
3. Peter
4. Two disciples on the road to Emmaus
5. Apostles gathered in Jerusalem

This frequency was necessary on the first day to establish the disciples’ faith from the beginning; fewer appearances sufficed thereafter.

Woman as Both Bearer of Death and Herald of Resurrection #

Eve (woman) brought death to mankind; Mary Magdalene (woman) announced the resurrection in glory. This reversal exemplifies redemption’s restoration of what was lost through sin. Cyril of Alexandria: “The woman, who once was a minister of death, now perceives first and announces the mystery of the resurrection.”

The Consolation Deferred #

Christ promised the consolation of his continual presence not in the 40 days after resurrection but in the future life: “I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you” (John 16). The spacing of post-resurrection appearances manifests the difference between mortal and glorious life.

Notable Quotes #

“The wounds that remained in the body of Christ do not pertain to corruption or defect, but to a greater heap of glory.” — Thomas Aquinas, cited by Berquist

“In that kingdom, in the bodies of the martyrs, we will see the scars of the wounds which they underwent for the name of Christ, not as a deformity in them, but as a dignity… the beauty of virtue will shine.” — Augustine, City of God 22, cited by Thomas and Berquist

“It is not from the lack of power [that he kept wounds], but as a perpetual triumph, a victory trophy.” — Augustine, cited by Berquist

“When I was still with you” (referring to the mortal phase of presence) — Christ, Luke 24, interpreted by Berquist to distinguish mortal from glorified presence

“The woman, who once was a minister of death, now perceives first and announces the mystery of the resurrection.” — Cyril of Alexandria, cited by Berquist

“The body of the Lord in heaven I believe to be as it was when it ascended into heaven.” — Augustine, On the Creed, cited by Thomas on the permanence of wounds

“If something in the body of Christ after the resurrection was able to be changed, it would be against the true resurrection of the flesh.” — Gregory XIV, Moralia, cited by Thomas

“Christ knows wherefore the wounds in his own body are reserved… So also to his enemies will he demonstrate his wounds.” — Augustine, On the Creed, cited by Berquist on the role of wounds in judgment

Questions Addressed #

Q1: Should the wounds have remained on Christ’s resurrected body? #

A: Yes. Though resurrection implies incorruptibility, the wounds do not pertain to corruption but to greater glory. They serve as: (1) perpetual trophy of Christ’s victory, (2) confirmation of disciples’ faith, (3) perpetual intercession to the Father, (4) manifestation of divine mercy, (5) testimony at final judgment. The wound openings are compensated by a greater beauty of glory.

Q2: Should the resurrection have been made known to all people publicly? #

A: No. The resurrection transcends common human knowledge and exceeds what natural law makes knowable to all. Following divine order, it was revealed to special witnesses whose testimony then conveyed knowledge to others. The passion, occurring in a passible body known by common law, could be made public; the resurrection could not.

Q3: Did the disciples witness Christ rising from the dead? #

A: No. The resurrection transcends human knowledge both in its origin (soul from hell, body from sealed tomb) and its term (glorious immortal life). Angels announced it; apostles testified to it based on appearances; the faithful believe through testimony and signs.

Q4: Why did Christ appear five times on the first resurrection day but less frequently thereafter? #

A: Multiple appearances on the first day were necessary to establish the disciples’ faith in the resurrection’s truth from the beginning. After faith was established, fewer appearances were sufficient and actually necessary to manifest the resurrection’s glory—the spacing shows that Christ, now immortal and glorious, was not bound to continuous presence as when mortal.

Q5: Why were women the first witnesses, given the prohibition on women teaching publicly? #

A: Women may teach privately through domestic admonition but not publicly in the church. Christ’s appearance to women first conveyed private knowledge to the household. Theologically, woman (Eve) was the beginning of death; woman (Mary Magdalene) announces the beginning of resurrection glory, showing that in the status of glory the feminine sex undergoes no detriment. Those who loved the Lord more intensely remained at the tomb and thus saw the resurrection first.

Q6: Would Christ’s continuous presence with the disciples have been more suitable? #

A: No. Continuous presence would suggest he rose to a mortal life like before, obscuring the glory of the resurrection. The spacing of appearances manifests the difference between mortal and glorified life. The consolation of his continual presence was deferred to the future life (John 16:22).

Theological Context #

This lecture represents Questions 54-56 of Thomas Aquinas’s treatment of the resurrection in the Summa Theologiae III. Berquist focuses particularly on the manifestation of the resurrection (Q. 55) and resolves apparent scriptural contradictions through careful theological distinction between different kinds of knowledge, different aspects of the resurrection’s nature, and the proper timing of revelations according to divine order.

The lecture demonstrates how Thomistic theology integrates patristic sources (Augustine, Gregory, Ambrose, Cyril, Damascene) into a coherent systematic framework, showing that apparent difficulties in Scripture (women as first witnesses, limited rather than universal revelation, spacing of appearances) actually reveal deeper theological truths about the nature of glory, the role of testimony, and the proper ordering of knowledge from higher to lower.