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Objection 1: It would seem that there was no faith, either in the
angels, or in man, in their original state. For Hugh St. Victor
says in his Sentences (De Sacram. i, 10) that "man cannot see
God or things that are in God, because he closes his eyes to
contemplation." Now the angels, in their original state, before
they were either confirmed in grace, or had fallen from it, had their
eyes opened to contemplation, since "they saw things in the Word,"
according to Augustine (Gen. ad lit. ii, 8). Likewise the
first man, while in the state of innocence, seemingly had his eyes
open to contemplation; for Hugh St. Victor says (De Sacram. i,
6) that "in his original state man knew his Creator, not by the
mere outward perception of hearing, but by inward inspiration, not as
now believers seek an absent God by faith, but by seeing Him clearly
present to their contemplation." Therefore there was no faith in the
angels and man in their original state.
Objection 2: Further, the knowledge of faith is dark and obscure,
according to 1 Cor. 13:13: "We see now through a glass in a
dark manner." Now in their original state there was not obscurity
either in the angels or in man, because it is a punishment of sin.
Therefore there could be no faith in the angels or in man, in their
original state.
Objection 3: Further, the Apostle says (Rm. 10:17) that
"faith . . . cometh by hearing." Now this could not apply to
angels and man in their original state; for then they could not hear
anything from another. Therefore, in that state, there was no faith
either in man or in the angels.
On the contrary, It is written (Heb. 11:6): "He that
cometh to God, must believe." Now the original state of angels and
man was one of approach to God. Therefore they had need of faith.
I answer that, Some say that there was no faith in the angels before
they were confirmed in grace or fell from it, and in man before he
sinned, by reason of the manifest contemplation that they had of
Divine things. Since, however, "faith is the evidence of things
that appear not," according to the Apostle (Heb. 11:2), and
since "by faith we believe what we see not," according to Augustine
(Tract. xl in Joan.; Questions. Evang. ii, qu. 39), that
manifestation alone excludes faith, which renders apparent or seen the
principal object of faith. Now the principal object of faith is the
First Truth, the sight of which gives the happiness of heaven and
takes the place of faith. Consequently, as the angels before their
confirmation in grace, and man before sin, did not possess the
happiness whereby God is seen in His Essence, it is evident that the
knowledge they possessed was not such as to exclude faith.
It follows then, that the absence of faith in them could only be
explained by their being altogether ignorant of the object of faith.
And if man and the angels were created in a purely natural state, as
some [St. Bonaventure, Sent. ii, D, 29] hold, perhaps one
might hold that there was no faith in the angels before their
confirmation in grace, or in man before sin, because the knowledge of
faith surpasses not only a man's but even an angel's natural knowledge
about God.
Since, however, we stated in the FP, Question 62, Article
3; FP, Question 95, Article 1. that man and the angels were
created with the gift of grace, we must needs say that there was in
them a certain beginning of hoped-for happiness, by reason of grace
received but not yet consummated, which happiness was begun in their
will by hope and charity, and in the intellect by faith, as stated
above (Question 4, Article 7). Consequently we must hold that
the angels had faith before they were confirmed, and man, before he
sinned. Nevertheless we must observe that in the object of faith,
there is something formal, as it were, namely the First Truth
surpassing all the natural knowledge of a creature, and something
material, namely, the thing to which we assent while adhering to the
First Truth. With regard to the former, before obtaining the
happiness to come, faith is common to all who have knowledge of God,
by adhering to the First Truth: whereas with regard to the things
which are proposed as the material object of faith, some are believed
by one, and known manifestly by another, even in the present state,
as we have shown above (Question 1, Article 5; Question 2,
Article 4, ad 2). In this respect, too, it may be said that the
angels before being confirmed, and man, before sin, possessed
manifest knowledge about certain points in the Divine mysteries, which
now we cannot know except by believing them.
Reply to Objection 1: Although the words of Hugh of St. Victor
are those of a master, and have the force of an authority, yet it may
be said that the contemplation which removes the need of faith is
heavenly contemplation, whereby the supernatural truth is seen in its
essence. Now the angels did not possess this contemplation before they
were confirmed, nor did man before he sinned: yet their contemplation
was of a higher order than ours, for by its means they approached
nearer to God, and had manifest knowledge of more of the Divine
effects and mysteries than we can have knowledge of. Hence faith was
not in them so that they sought an absent God as we seek Him: since
by the light of wisdom He was more present to them than He is to us,
although He was not so present to them as He is to the Blessed by the
light of glory.
Reply to Objection 2: There was no darkness of sin or punishment in
the original state of man and the angels, but there was a certain
natural obscurity in the human and angelic intellect, in so far as
every creature is darkness in comparison with the immensity of the
Divine light: and this obscurity suffices for faith.
Reply to Objection 3: In the original state there was no hearing
anything from man speaking outwardly, but there was from God inspiring
inwardly: thus the prophets heard, as expressed by the Ps.
84:9: "I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me."
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