Christ's Redemptive Merit: The Nature of Its Causality According to St. Thomas

206 Pages·2016·13.59 MB·English

by  William Lynn

" Analecta Gregoriana
Cura Pontificiae Universitatis Gregorlanae edita
Vol. 115. Series Facultatis Theologicae: sectio B, n. 37
J.
William D. LYNN S.
CHRIST'S REDEMPTIV"E MERIT
THE NATURE OF ITS CAUSALITY
According To St Thomas
GREGORIAN UNIVERSITY PRESS
PIAZZA DELLA PILOTTA, 4 - ROME
1962
IMPRIMI POT EST
Romae, die 18 decembris 1961.
R. P. PAULU~ MUNoz VEGA, S. J.
Rector Universitatis
UIPRlMATUR
E Vicariatu Urbis, die 8 ianuarii 1962.
t ALOY~I.u~, Card. Provicarius
1111111111111111111111111
8876520880
TYPIS PONTIFICIAE UNIVERSITATIS GREGORIANAE - ROMAE
DEDICATION
With. filial affection, this book is dedicated to His
Grace the Most Reverend Victor Bazin, Archbishop of
Rangoon, and to the other members of the sacred'
hierarchy in Burma, whom the author has the privilege
of serving in the Catholic Major Seminary, Rangoon.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I wish to express my deep gratitude to the
Rev. William Van Roo, S.J., for the kindness, the
competence, and the generosity with which he has
dtirected this dissertation.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
INTRODUCTION . 1
CHAPTER I: MERIT AND JUSTICE 5
1. Merit COIU8es a Right to a RewOIrd 6
2. The Problem of Meriting a Reward From God . 8
Inequality Between God and Man 8
Our Mel:it Brings No Advantage to God 9
God Cannot I'll a Debtor to Man 10
3. Condignity of Merit in the Sentences 11
Condign Merit Based on Equality 12
Kind of Justice Observed by God in Rewarding Merits 15
Intrinsic Reason for the Condignity of Merit 17
Remote Principle of Condign Merit . 18
Proximate Principle of Condign Merit 19
4. Condigmty of Merit in the Summa. 23
A. The Justice of Merit. 2.3
Equality of Proportion Between Man and God 25
Equality of Value Between Merit and Reward. 26
First Reason for Condignity: Movement of the Holy Spirit 27
Second Reason for Condignity: Dignity of Grace 28
B. Divine Ordination 30
C. Motion of Grace 32
5. The Meaning of Debitum in Relation to God 34
A Necessity Imposed by God's Free Choice 38
A Necessity Imposed by God's Essence . 40
Debitwm Creaturae Reduced to Debitum Deo 41
Merit Does Not Move God 43
x
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
n::
CHAPTER MERIT AND DISPOSITION . 45
1. Merit DiBp08e8 for II BewM'G • 45
Merit Beduced to Dispositive E1Ilcient or to Material Causality 46
Why One Person Cannot Merit for Another.. • 47
The Disposition Caused by Merit • • 48
Problems Concerning the Causality of ChriPt's Merit • 50
2. MeritWig an 1fWJf'8G86 of Charity 51
First Infusion of Charity • 52
Later Increase of Charity. 54
3. Meritmg an 1f&Cf"eo.se Of Gf'tJoe 60
E1rective Meritorious Causality 61
Dispositive Meritorious Causality 63
Purely Meritorious Causality 64
Formal E1rect of Merit 65
4. Meritmg Etenaal Life : 68
Remiss Acts Merit Eternal Life, But Not the Increase of Glory 69
Formal mect of Merit 72
CHAPTER ill: CHRIST'S MERIT AS FUNCTION OF INSTRUMENTAL
CAUSALITY: RECENT INTERPRETATIONS. 74
1. Merit 18 II FUflCtior. of 1unHM7Iotal ClJ4IBIJlity • 76
1) Joseph Lecuyer 77
2) Louis Richard 79
3) P. GIorieux • 81
4) H. Bouesse . 84
2. Merit 18 Not II FU7ICtior. of 1f18tl"t#mlmttJl ClJ4IBIJlitll • 85
1) F. D. Van MeegeIen 85
2) Cardinal Billot 87
3) P. Galtier 87
CHAPTER rV": MERIT OF CHRIST IN THE COMMENTARY ON THE
SENTENCES • 91
1. The PreaommaflCe of Meritoriow CoiUBtJlity • 91
The Divinity Alone Is the Perfective Cause of Grace 92
Only Meritorious Causality Attributed to Christ as Man . 93
2. Christ'8 H'fIImMI,itll, 1unnMfI,t of the DMWMty • 94
Elevation in the Line of Dignity and Merit 94
Elevation in tho Line of Efficient Causality 97
TABLE OF CONTENTS XI
PAGE
. 3. Ohri8t', Meriti"'ll GIl IMtrumtmt of the DtvtMty 100
4. Christ's Merit Disposed HumM&ity • 103
Not Through Instrumental Causality. 106
SpatialTemporal Transcendence of Christ's Mysteries . 108
Christ's Humanity Immediately Disposed . • 110
Identification of Christ's Humanity with Specific Human Nature 110
5. The FoutIdtJtilm of Chri8t'. Merit fOlf' Other, 116
1) His Divinity 117
2) His Charity 118
3) The Plenitude and Orientation of His Grace. 120
CBA.PTm V: MERITORIOUS CAUSALITY OF CHRIST IN THE DE
VERIT ATE 124
1. IMtrumtmtal CatUtGltty of ChM', HVIIM,.n,ity 124
Development of Doctrine in the 1>6 Veritate • 126
Prominence of the Doctrine in the DB 'Veritate • 128
2. Ohrist's Merit for Us • 129
The Function of Merit . 130
Why One Person Cannot Merit for Another . 132
Causality of Christ's Merit . 136
CHAPTER VI: MERITORIOUS CAUSALITY OF' CHRIST IN THE
SUMMA 144
1. Christ'. Meriti"'ll GIl I'/I8tnnnent of the Di.1Jinity 144
2. Ohri8t', Merit for Other. 145
Divine Ordination . 146
The Motion of Grace 146
3. One Mystical Per.1m • 147
Virtual inclusion of All Humanity in Christ • 151
Actual Presence in Christ's Knowledge and Love • 152
Eminent Inclusion of All Humanity in Christ . 153
Inclusion of Effect in Its Cause • 155
Thomas Stre~ Christ's Grace and Divine Dignity . 156
XII TABLE OF CO!oo"TENTS
PAGE
4. Application. of CAriBt's Mertts 157
5. ChriBt's Merit for Those Who Lwe(1 Before the IncarMtion 159
The Problem: Merit Must Precede Reward 159
How They Were Disposed Through Christ's Merits . 161
CONCLUSION 166
BIBLIOGRAPHY 169
INDEX . 175
INTRODUCTION
So great is the respect justly merited by St. Thomas Aquinas as
a theologian that any light cast on his thought will always be welcome,
especie.lly when it deals with a problem so central to our faith as the
redemption. St. Thomas' soteriology has, of course, been examined again
and again, but there is one area of his thought that has remained so
obscure that when we turn to reliable ·authors to help us thread our
way through the puzzling texts, we seem to find as many differing
interpretations as there are commentators It concerns the nature of
1.
Christ's redemptive merit for us.
In order to see the problem clearly, let us cite a crucial text which
puts it in sharp focus:
,Per opus alterius hominis non redditur idoneus ad gloriae
perceptionem nisi ilIe qui operatur, eo quod unus homo in alium
8piritualiter influere non potest; et ideo unus alii ex condigno
mereri non potuit gratiam vel vitam aeternam. Sed Christus se
cundum suam humanitatem spiritualiter influere potuit in alios
homines; unde et eius opus in aliis causare potuit idoneitatem ad
consecutionem gloriae. Et ideo potuit aliis ex condigno mereri se
cundum quod infiuere in alios poterat, inquantum erat humanitas
eius divinitatis instrumentum
2.
The reason why one person cannot merit for another, St. Thomas
tells us, is because in order to receive the reward of eternal glory, the
person must be suitably disposed. But the actions of one man cannot
1 See Chapter II, in whieh the interpretations of reeent authors are set forth.
2 De Jl"er., q. 29 a. 7, r. In his eritical review of F.D. Van Meegeren's study
of the instrumental causality of Christ's Humanity according to St. Thomas,
I. Backes remarks that, despite the young author's ingenious attempt to solve the
problem, the text of the De Jl"eritGte which we have just cited remains one of the
most enigmatie in the writings of St. Thomas. See Van Meegeren, O.E.S.A., De
CfJU8GlitGte ItI8trumtmtGli HumanitGtiB Chrl8ti Jwao. D. Thomae Doctrinam (Venlo,
1939) p. 96; Backes in TheologiBche Bewe, 42 (1943) p. 76.
I
2 INTRODUCTION
directly affect the soul of another and make him worthy of glory. For
this reason it is impossible for one person to merit for another in the
strict sense of the word.
Such a limitation is not found, however, in Christ Our Lord, for
since His Saered Humanity functioned as instrument of the Divinity,
He was able to act spiritually upon other men, causing in them. the
disposition suitable for attaining glory. The reason, therefore, why
Christ was able to merit for others is because His Humanity, acting
as instrument of the Divinity, was able to exert a spiritual influence
upon others.
The text which we have just cited, together with several similar
ones suggests a number of penetrating questions.
3,
1) How is it possible for one person to merit for another' Is
not merit a strictly personal activityf John (lannot be reasonably prais
ed for another's virtues '. He cannot be justly punished for another's
sins
5.
How, then, can he be justly rewarded for another's merits!
2) What is the proper causality of merit! Is it to dispose the
soul for receiving a reward by directly moving and transforming it
so that it is rendered capable of receiving an increase of grace, some
what as the act of generation disposes matter to receive the infusion
of a human soul 6 Y
Or is it to place an act of such dignity and worth that, in virtue
of a divine ordination, there arises an exigency for a reward due in
justice because of the proportionate dignity between the act and the
reward!
3) Corresponding to the answer given to this second question,
one will logically answer the third: Why is it that Christ and He alone
could merit for others'
Is it because the action of an ordinary man cannot penetrate into
the soul of another, change his dispositions, and thus render him apt and
worthy of receiving grace, whereas the Humanity of Christ, as living
3 3 d. 18, a. 6, qa. 1, r. -576; 3 d. 19, a. 1, qa. 1, r. -587. In our referenees
to the Scriptum Super Libro, SeAteAtiarum Petri Lombardi, we shall indicate the
number of the page on which the text is to be found in the edition we are using:
(Paris: Lethielleux) I & II, ed. P. Mandonnet, O.P., 1929; III & IV, ed. M.F.
Moos, O.P. 1933, 1947.
, 3 d. 18, a. 6, qa. 1, obj. 1 -574; 4 d. 45, q. 2, a. 1, qa. 1, obj. 3; De Ycr.,
q. 29, a. 7, obj. 2.
I 3 d. 18, a. 6, qa. 1, obj. 2 -574; 4 d. 45, q. 2, a. l,qa. 1, obj. 4; III, q. 19,
a. 4, obj. 1.
6 See the opinions of P. Glorieux and J. I.ecuyer presented in Chapter III.