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Objection 1: It would seem that Christ's Resurrection is not the
cause of the resurrection of our bodies, because, given a sufficient
cause, the effect must follow of necessity. If, then, Christ's
Resurrection be the sufficient cause of the resurrection of our
bodies, then all the dead should have risen again as soon as He rose.
Objection 2: Further, Divine justice is the cause of the
resurrection of the dead, so that the body may be rewarded or punished
together with the soul, since they shared in merit or sin, as
Dionysius says (Eccles. Hier. vii) and Damascene (De Fide
Orth. iv). But God's justice must necessarily be accomplished,
even if Christ had not risen. Therefore the dead would rise again
even though Christ did not. Consequently Christ's Resurrection is
not the cause of the resurrection of our bodies.
Objection 3: Further, if Christ's Resurrection be the cause of
the resurrection of our bodies, it would be either the exemplar, or
the efficient, or the meritorious cause. Now it is not the exemplar
cause; because it is God who will bring about the resurrection of our
bodies, according to Jn. 5:21: "The Father raiseth up the
dead": and God has no need to look at any exemplar cause outside
Himself. In like manner it is not the efficient cause; because an
efficient cause acts only through contact, whether spiritual or
corporeal. Now it is evident that Christ's Resurrection has no
corporeal contact with the dead who shall rise again, owing to distance
of time and place; and similarly it has no spiritual contact, which is
through faith and charity, because even unbelievers and sinners shall
rise again. Nor again is it the meritorious cause, because when
Christ rose He was no longer a wayfarer, and consequently not in a
state of merit. Therefore, Christ's Resurrection does not appear
to be in any way the cause of ours.
Objection 4: Further, since death is the privation of life, then
to destroy death seems to be nothing else than to bring life back
again; and this is resurrection. But "by dying, Christ destroyed
our death" [Preface of Mass in Paschal Time]. Consequently,
Christ's death, not His Resurrection, is the cause of our
resurrection.
On the contrary, on 1 Cor. 15:12: "Now if Christ be
preached, that He rose again from the dead," the gloss says: "Who
is the efficient cause of our resurrection."
I answer that, As stated in 2 Metaphysics, text 4: "Whatever
is first in any order, is the cause of all that come after it." But
Christ's Resurrection was the first in the order of our
resurrection, as is evident from what was said above (Question 53,
Article 3). Hence Christ's Resurrection must be the cause of
ours: and this is what the Apostle says (1 Cor.
15:20,21): "Christ is risen from the dead, the
first-fruits of them that sleep; for by a man came death, and by a
man the resurrection of the dead."
And this is reasonable. Because the principle of human life-giving
is the Word of God, of whom it is said (Ps. 35:10): "With
Thee is the fountain of life": hence He Himself says (Jn.
5:21): "As the Father raiseth up the dead, and giveth life;
so the Son also giveth life to whom He will." Now the divinely
established natural order is that every cause operates first upon what
is nearest to it, and through it upon others which are more remote;
just as fire first heats the nearest air, and through it it heats
bodies that are further off: and God Himself first enlightens those
substances which are closer to Him, and through them others that are
more remote, as Dionysius says (Coel. Hier. xiii).
Consequently, the Word of God first bestows immortal life upon that
body which is naturally united with Himself, and through it works the
resurrection in all other bodies.
Reply to Objection 1: As was stated above, Christ's
Resurrection is the cause of ours through the power of the united
Word, who operates according to His will. And consequently, it is
not necessary for the effect to follow at once, but according as the
Word of God disposes, namely, that first of all we be conformed to
the suffering and dying Christ in this suffering and mortal life; and
afterwards may come to share in the likeness of His Resurrection.
Reply to Objection 2: God's justice is the first cause of our
resurrection, whereas Christ's Resurrection is the secondary, and
as it were the instrumental cause. But although the power of the
principal cause is not restricted to one instrument determinately,
nevertheless since it works through this instrument, such instrument
causes the effect. So, then, the Divine justice in itself is not
tied down to Christ's Resurrection as a means of bringing about our
resurrection: because God could deliver us in some other way than
through Christ's Passion and Resurrection, as already stated
(Question 46, Article 2). But having once decreed to deliver
us in this way, it is evident that Christ's Resurrection is the
cause of ours.
Reply to Objection 3: Properly speaking, Christ's Resurrection
is not the meritorious cause, but the efficient and exemplar cause of
our resurrection. It is the efficient cause, inasmuch as Christ's
humanity, according to which He rose again, is as it were the
instrument of His Godhead, and works by Its power, as stated above
(Question 13, Articles 2,3). And therefore, just as all
other things which Christ did and endured in His humanity are
profitable to our salvation through the power of the Godhead, as
already stated (Question 48, Article 6), so also is Christ's
Resurrection the efficient cause of ours, through the Divine power
whose office it is to quicken the dead; and this power by its presence
is in touch with all places and times; and such virtual contact
suffices for its efficiency. And since, as was stated above (ad
2), the primary cause of human resurrection is the Divine justice,
from which Christ has "the power of passing judgment, because He is
the Son of Man" (Jn. 5:27); the efficient power of His
Resurrection extends to the good and wicked alike, who are subject to
His judgment.
But just as the Resurrection of Christ's body, through its personal
union with the Word, is first in point of time, so also is it first
in dignity and perfection; as the gloss says on 1 Cor.
15:20,23. But whatever is most perfect is always the
exemplar, which the less perfect copies according to its mode;
consequently Christ's Resurrection is the exemplar of ours. And
this is necessary, not on the part of Him who rose again, who needs
no exemplar, but on the part of them who are raised up, who must be
likened to that Resurrection, according to Phil. 3:21: "He
will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body of His
glory." Now although the efficiency of Christ's Resurrection
extends to the resurrection of the good and wicked alike, still its
exemplarity extends properly only to the just, who are made conformable
with His Sonship, according to Rm. 8:29.
Reply to Objection 4: Considered on the part of their efficiency,
which is dependent on the Divine power, both Christ's death and His
Resurrection are the cause both of the destruction of death and of the
renewal of life: but considered as exemplar causes, Christ's
death---by which He withdrew from mortal life---is the cause of
the destruction of our death; while His Resurrection, whereby He
inaugurated immortal life, is the cause of the repairing of our life.
But Christ's Passion is furthermore a meritorious cause, as stated
above (Question 48, Article 1).
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