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Objection 1: It would seem that Christ's flesh was not infected by
sin in the patriarchs. For it is written (Wis. 7:25) that "no
defiled thing cometh into" Divine Wisdom. But Christ is the
Wisdom of God according to 1 Cor. 1:24. Therefore Christ's
flesh was never defiled by sin.
Objection 2: Further, Damascene says (De Fide Orth. iii)
that Christ "assumed the first-fruits of our nature." But in the
primitive state human flesh was not infected by sin. Therefore
Christ's flesh was not infected either in Adam or in the other
patriarchs.
Objection 3: Further, Augustine says (Gen. ad lit. x) that
"human nature ever had, together with the wound, the balm with which
to heal it." But that which is infected cannot heal a wound; rather
does it need to be healed itself. Therefore in human nature there was
ever something preserved from infection, from which afterwards
Christ's body was formed.
On the contrary, Christ's body is not related to Adam and the other
patriarchs, save through the medium of the Blessed Virgin's body,
of whom He took flesh. But the body of the Blessed Virgin was
wholly conceived in original sin, as stated above (Question 14,
Article 3, ad 1), and thus, as far as it was in the patriarchs,
it was subject to sin. Therefore the flesh of Christ, as far as it
was in the patriarchs, was subject to sin.
I answer that, When we say that Christ or His flesh was in Adam
and the other patriarchs, we compare Him, or His flesh, to Adam
and the other patriarchs. Now, it is manifest that the condition of
the patriarchs differed from that of Christ: for the patriarchs were
subject to sin, whereas Christ was absolutely free from sin.
Consequently a twofold error may occur on this point. First, by
attributing to Christ, or to His flesh, that condition which was in
the patriarchs; by saying, for instance, that Christ sinned in
Adam, since after some fashion He was in him. But this is false;
because Christ was not in Adam in such a way that Adam's sin
belonged to Christ: forasmuch as He is not descended from him
according to the law of concupiscence, or according to seminal virtue;
as stated above (Article 1, ad 3, Article 6, ad 1; Question
15, Article 1, ad 2).
Secondly, error may occur by attributing the condition of Christ or
of His flesh to that which was actually in the patriarchs: by saying,
for instance, that, because Christ's flesh, as existing in
Christ, was not subject to sin, therefore in Adam also and in the
patriarchs there was some part of his body that was not subject to sin,
and from which afterwards Christ's body was formed; as some indeed
held. For this is quite impossible. First, because Christ's flesh
was not in Adam and in the other patriarchs, according to something
signate, distinguishable from the rest of his flesh, as pure from
impure; as already stated (Article 6). Secondly, because since
human flesh is infected by sin, through being conceived in lust, just
as the entire flesh of a man is conceived through lust, so also is it
entirely defiled by sin. Consequently we must say that the entire
flesh of the patriarchs was subjected to sin, nor was there anything in
them that was free from sin, and from which afterwards Christ's body
could be formed.
Reply to Objection 1: Christ did not assume the flesh of the human
race subject to sin, but cleansed from all infection of sin. Thus it
is that "no defiled thing cometh into the Wisdom of God."
Reply to Objection 2: Christ is said to have assumed the
first-fruits of our nature, as to the likeness of condition;
forasmuch as He assumed flesh not infected by sin, like unto the flesh
of man before sin. But this is not to be understood to imply a
continuation of that primitive purity, as though the flesh of innocent
man was preserved in its freedom from sin until the formation of
Christ's body.
Reply to Objection 3: Before Christ, there was actually in human
nature a wound, i.e. the infection of original sin. But the balm to
heal the wound was not there actually, but only by a certain virtue of
origin, forasmuch as from those patriarchs the flesh of Christ was to
be propagated.
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