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Objection 1: It seems that the Old Law was not given through the
angels, but immediately by God. For an angel means a "messenger";
so that the word "angel" denotes ministry, not lordship, according
to Ps. 102:20,21: "Bless the Lord, all ye His Angels
. . . you ministers of His." But the Old Law is related to have
been given by the Lord: for it is written (Ex. 20:1): "And
the Lord spoke . . . these words," and further on: "I am the
Lord Thy God." Moreover the same expression is often repeated in
Exodus, and the later books of the Law. Therefore the Law was
given by God immediately.
Objection 2: Further, according to Jn. 1:17, "the Law was
given by Moses." But Moses received it from God immediately: for
it is written (Ex. 33:11): "The Lord spoke to Moses face
to face, as a man is wont to speak to his friend." Therefore the
Old Law was given by God immediately.
Objection 3: Further, it belongs to the sovereign alone to make a
law, as stated above (Question 90, Article 3). But God alone
is Sovereign as regards the salvation of souls: while the angels are
the "ministering spirits," as stated in Heb. 1:14. Therefore
it was not meet for the Law to be given through the angels, since it
is ordained to the salvation of souls.
On the contrary, The Apostle said (Gal. 3:19) that the Law
was "given by angels in the hand of a Mediator." And Stephen said
(Acts 7:53): "(Who) have received the Law by the
disposition of angels."
I answer that, The Law was given by God through the angels. And
besides the general reason given by Dionysius (Coel. Hier. iv),
viz. that "the gifts of God should be brought to men by means of the
angels," there is a special reason why the Old Law should have been
given through them. For it has been stated (Articles 1,2) that
the Old Law was imperfect, and yet disposed man to that perfect
salvation of the human race, which was to come through Christ. Now
it is to be observed that wherever there is an order of powers or arts,
he that holds the highest place, himself exercises the principal and
perfect acts; while those things which dispose to the ultimate
perfection are effected by him through his subordinates: thus the
ship-builder himself rivets the planks together, but prepares the
material by means of the workmen who assist him under his direction.
Consequently it was fitting that the perfect law of the New Testament
should be given by the incarnate God immediately; but that the Old
Law should be given to men by the ministers of God, i.e. by the
angels. It is thus that the Apostle at the beginning of his epistle
to the Hebrews (1:2) proves the excellence of the New Law over
the Old; because in the New Testament "God . . . hath spoken to
us by His Son," whereas in the Old Testament "the word was spoken
by angels" (Heb. 2:2).
Reply to Objection 1: As Gregory says at the beginning of his
Morals (Praef. chap. i), "the angel who is described to have
appeared to Moses, is sometimes mentioned as an angel, sometimes as
the Lord: an angel, in truth, in respect of that which was
subservient to the external delivery; and the Lord, because He was
the Director within, Who supported the effectual power of
speaking." Hence also it is that the angel spoke as personating the
Lord.
Reply to Objection 2: As Augustine says (Gen. ad lit. xii,
27), it is stated in Exodus that "the Lord spoke to Moses face
to face"; and shortly afterwards we read, "Show me Thy glory.
Therefore He perceived what he saw and he desired what he saw not."
Hence he did not see the very Essence of God; and consequently he
was not taught by Him immediately. Accordingly when Scripture states
that "He spoke to him face to face," this is to be understood as
expressing the opinion of the people, who thought that Moses was
speaking with God mouth to mouth, when God spoke and appeared to
him, by means of a subordinate creature, i.e. an angel and a cloud.
Again we may say that this vision "face to face" means some kind of
sublime and familiar contemplation, inferior to the vision of the
Divine Essence.
Reply to Objection 3: It is for the sovereign alone to make a law
by his own authority; but sometimes after making a law, he promulgates
it through others. Thus God made the Law by His own authority, but
He promulgated it through the angels.
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