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Objection 1: It would seem that the unbelief of heathens or pagans
is graver than other kinds. For just as bodily disease is graver
according as it endangers the health of a more important member of the
body, so does sin appear to be graver, according as it is opposed to
that which holds a more important place in virtue. Now that which is
most important in faith, is belief in the unity of God, from which
the heathens deviate by believing in many gods. Therefore their
unbelief is the gravest of all.
Objection 2: Further, among heresies, the more detestable are
those which contradict the truth of faith in more numerous and more
important points: thus, the heresy of Arius, who severed the
Godhead, was more detestable than that of Nestorius who severed the
humanity of Christ from the Person of God the Son. Now the
heathens deny the faith in more numerous and more important points than
Jews and heretics; since they do not accept the faith at all.
Therefore their unbelief is the gravest.
Objection 3: Further, every good diminishes evil. Now there is
some good in the Jews, since they believe in the Old Testament as
being from God, and there is some good in heretics, since they
venerate the New Testament. Therefore they sin less grievously than
heathens, who receive neither Testament.
On the contrary, It is written (2 Pt. 2:21): "It had been
better for them not to have known the way of justice, than after they
have known it, to turn back." Now the heathens have not known the
way of justice, whereas heretics and Jews have abandoned it after
knowing it in some way. Therefore theirs is the graver sin.
I answer that, As stated above (Article 5), two things may be
considered in unbelief. One of these is its relation to faith: and
from this point of view, he who resists the faith after accepting it,
sins more grievously against faith, than he who resists it without
having accepted it, even as he who fails to fulfil what he has
promised, sins more grievously than if he had never promised it. In
this way the unbelief of heretics, who confess their belief in the
Gospel, and resist that faith by corrupting it, is a more grievous
sin than that of the Jews, who have never accepted the Gospel faith.
Since, however, they accepted the figure of that faith in the Old
Law, which they corrupt by their false interpretations, their
unbelief is a more grievous sin than that of the heathens, because the
latter have not accepted the Gospel faith in any way at all.
The second thing to be considered in unbelief is the corruption of
matters of faith. In this respect, since heathens err on more points
than Jews, and these in more points than heretics, the unbelief of
heathens is more grievous than the unbelief of the Jews, and that of
the Jews than that of the heretics, except in such cases as that of
the Manichees, who, in matters of faith, err even more than heathens
do.
Of these two gravities the first surpasses the second from the point of
view of guilt; since, as stated above (Article 1) unbelief has the
character of guilt, from its resisting faith rather than from the mere
absence of faith, for the latter as was stated (Article 1) seems
rather to bear the character of punishment. Hence, speaking
absolutely, the unbelief of heretics is the worst.
This suffices for the Replies to the Objections.
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