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St. Thomas replies that this knowledge was not collative or
discursive in its acquisition, because it was divinely infused and not
acquired by a process of reasoning. But Christ could use this
knowledge in a discursive way, like wayfarers, though He was
independent of this discursive process. This means that He could,
like wayfarers, by divers acts of reasoning deduce conclusions from
principles, effects from causes, properties from essences, as men at
times who already know the effects conclude them from their causes, not
that they may learn them anew, but wishing to use the knowledge they
have; or as theologians who at times deduce from some revealed truth
another which is otherwise revealed, and which prior to its deduction
is already a certainty of faith. The reason given by St. Thomas as
stated in this article,[1239] is that the collative and
discursive process is connatural to the rational soul, and also to the
souls of the blessed, but not to the angels.
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