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Objection 1: It would seem that it is not necessary for the
salvation of all that they should believe explicitly in the mystery of
Christ. For man is not bound to believe explicitly what the angels
are ignorant about: since the unfolding of faith is the result of
Divine revelation, which reaches man by means of the angels, as
stated above (Article 6; FP, Question 111, Article 1).
Now even the angels were in ignorance of the mystery of the
Incarnation: hence, according to the commentary of Dionysius
(Coel. Hier. vii), it is they who ask (Ps. 23:8): "Who
is this king of glory?" and (Is. 63:1): "Who is this that
cometh from Edom?" Therefore men were not bound to believe
explicitly in the mystery of Christ's Incarnation.
Objection 2: Further, it is evident that John the Baptist was one
of the teachers, and most nigh to Christ, Who said of him (Mt.
11:11) that "there hath not risen among them that are born of
women, a greater than" he. Now John the Baptist does not appear to
have known the mystery of Christ explicitly, since he asked Christ
(Mt. 11:3): "Art Thou He that art to come, or look we for
another?" Therefore even the teachers were not bound to explicit
faith in Christ.
Objection 3: Further, many gentiles obtained salvation through the
ministry of the angels, as Dionysius states (Coel. Hier. ix).
Now it would seem that the gentiles had neither explicit nor implicit
faith in Christ, since they received no revelation. Therefore it
seems that it was not necessary for the salvation of all to believe
explicitly in the mystery of Christ.
On the contrary, Augustine says (De Corr. et Gratia vii; Ep.
cxc): "Our faith is sound if we believe that no man, old or young
is delivered from the contagion of death and the bonds of sin, except
by the one Mediator of God and men, Jesus Christ."
I answer that, As stated above (Article 5; Question 1,
Article 8), the object of faith includes, properly and directly,
that thing through which man obtains beatitude. Now the mystery of
Christ's Incarnation and Passion is the way by which men obtain
beatitude; for it is written (Acts 4:12): "There is no other
name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved." Therefore
belief of some kind in the mystery of Christ's Incarnation was
necessary at all times and for all persons, but this belief differed
according to differences of times and persons. The reason of this is
that before the state of sin, man believed, explicitly in Christ's
Incarnation, in so far as it was intended for the consummation of
glory, but not as it was intended to deliver man from sin by the
Passion and Resurrection, since man had no foreknowledge of his
future sin. He does, however, seem to have had foreknowledge of the
Incarnation of Christ, from the fact that he said (Gn.
2:24): "Wherefore a man shall leave father and mother, and
shall cleave to his wife," of which the Apostle says (Eph.
5:32) that "this is a great sacrament . . . in Christ and the
Church," and it is incredible that the first man was ignorant about
this sacrament.
But after sin, man believed explicitly in Christ, not only as to the
Incarnation, but also as to the Passion and Resurrection, whereby
the human race is delivered from sin and death: for they would not,
else, have foreshadowed Christ's Passion by certain sacrifices both
before and after the Law, the meaning of which sacrifices was known by
the learned explicitly, while the simple folk, under the veil of those
sacrifices, believed them to be ordained by God in reference to
Christ's coming, and thus their knowledge was covered with a veil,
so to speak. And, as stated above (Question 1, Article 7),
the nearer they were to Christ, the more distinct was their knowledge
of Christ's mysteries.
After grace had been revealed, both learned and simple folk are bound
to explicit faith in the mysteries of Christ, chiefly as regards those
which are observed throughout the Church, and publicly proclaimed,
such as the articles which refer to the Incarnation, of which we have
spoken above (Question 1, Article 8). As to other minute points
in reference to the articles of the Incarnation, men have been bound
to believe them more or less explicitly according to each one's state
and office.
Reply to Objection 1: The mystery of the Kingdom of God was not
entirely hidden from the angels, as Augustine observes (Gen. ad
lit. v, 19), yet certain aspects thereof were better known to them
when Christ revealed them to them.
Reply to Objection 2: It was not through ignorance that John the
Baptist inquired of Christ's advent in the flesh, since he had
clearly professed his belief therein, saying: "I saw, and I gave
testimony, that this is the Son of God" (Jn. 1:34). Hence
he did not say: "Art Thou He that hast come?" but "Art Thou
He that art to come?" thus saying about the future, not about the
past. Likewise it is not to be believed that he was ignorant of
Christ's future Passion, for he had already said (Jn.
1:39): "Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who taketh away
the sins of the world," thus foretelling His future immolation; and
since other prophets had foretold it, as may be seen especially in
Isaias 53. We may therefore say with Gregory (Hom. xxvi in
Evang.) that he asked this question, being in ignorance as to
whether Christ would descend into hell in His own Person. But he
did not ignore the fact that the power of Christ's Passion would be
extended to those who were detained in Limbo, according to Zach.
9:11: "Thou also, by the blood of Thy testament hast sent forth
Thy prisoners out of the pit, wherein there is no water"; nor was he
bound to believe explicitly, before its fulfilment, that Christ was
to descend thither Himself.
It may also be replied that, as Ambrose observes in his commentary on
Lk. 7:19, he made this inquiry, not from doubt or ignorance but
from devotion: or again, with Chrysostom (Hom. xxxvi in
Matth.), that he inquired, not as though ignorant himself, but
because he wished his disciples to be satisfied on that point, through
Christ: hence the latter framed His answer so as to instruct the
disciples, by pointing to the signs of His works.
Reply to Objection 3: Many of the gentiles received revelations of
Christ, as is clear from their predictions. Thus we read (Job
19:25): "I know that my Redeemer liveth." The Sibyl too
foretold certain things about Christ, as Augustine states (Contra
Faust. xiii, 15). Moreover, we read in the history of the
Romans, that at the time of Constantine Augustus and his mother
Irene a tomb was discovered, wherein lay a man on whose breast was a
golden plate with the inscription: "Christ shall be born of a
virgin, and in Him, I believe. O sun, during the lifetime of
Irene and Constantine, thou shalt see me again" [Baron,
Annal., A.D. 780]. If, however, some were saved without
receiving any revelation, they were not saved without faith in a
Mediator, for, though they did not believe in Him explicitly, they
did, nevertheless, have implicit faith through believing in Divine
providence, since they believed that God would deliver mankind in
whatever way was pleasing to Him, and according to the revelation of
the Spirit to those who knew the truth, as stated in Job 35:11:
"Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth."
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