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Objection 1: It would seem that the miracles which Christ worked
were not a sufficient proof of His Godhead. For it is proper to
Christ to be both God and man. But the miracles which Christ worked
have been done by others also. Therefore they were not a sufficient
proof of His Godhead.
Objection 2: Further, no power surpasses that of the Godhead.
But some have worked greater miracles than Christ, for it is written
(Jn. 14:12): "He that believeth in Me, the works that I
do, he also shall do, and greater than these shall he do."
Therefore it seems that the miracles which Christ worked are not
sufficient proof of His Godhead.
Objection 3: Further, the particular is not a sufficient proof of
the universal. But any one of Christ's miracles was one particular
work. Therefore none of them was a sufficient proof of His Godhead,
by reason of which He had universal power over all things.
On the contrary, our Lord said (Jn. 5:36): "The works
which the Father hath given Me to perfect . . . themselves . . .
give testimony of Me."
I answer that, The miracles which Christ worked were a sufficient
proof of His Godhead in three respects. First, as to the very
nature of the works, which surpassed the entire capability of created
power, and therefore could not be done save by Divine power. For
this reason the blind man, after his sight had been restored, said
(Jn. 9:32,33): "From the beginning of the world it has not
been heard, that any man hath opened the eyes of one born blind.
Unless this man were of God, he could not do anything."
Secondly, as to the way in which He worked miracles---namely,
because He worked miracles as though of His own power, and not by
praying, as others do. Wherefore it is written (Lk. 6:19)
that "virtue went out from Him and healed all." Whereby it is
proved, as Cyril says (Comment. in Lucam) that "He did not
receive power from another, but, being God by nature, He showed
His own power over the sick. And this is how He worked countless
miracles." Hence on Mt. 8:16: "He cast out spirits with His
word, and all that were sick He healed," Chrysostom says: "Mark
how great a multitude of persons healed, the Evangelists pass quickly
over, not mentioning one by one . . . but in one word traversing an
unspeakable sea of miracles." And thus it was shown that His power
was co-equal with that of God the Father, according to Jn.
5:19: "What things soever" the Father "doth, these the Son
doth also in like manner"; and, again (Jn. 5:21): "As the
Father raiseth up the dead and giveth life, so the Son also giveth
life to whom He will."
Thirdly, from the very fact that He taught that He was God; for
unless this were true it would not be confirmed by miracles worked by
Divine power. Hence it was said (Mk. 1:27): "What is this
new doctrine? For with power He commandeth the unclean spirits, and
they obey Him."
Reply to Objection 1: This was the argument of the Gentiles.
Wherefore Augustine says (Ep. ad Volusian. cxxxvii): "No
suitable wonders; say they, show forth the presence of so great
majesty, for the ghostly cleansing" whereby He cast out demons,
"the cure of the sick, the raising of the dead to life, if other
miracles be taken into account, are small things before God." To
this Augustine answers thus: "We own that the prophets did as much
. . . But even Moses himself and the other prophets made Christ
the Lord the object of their prophecy, and gave Him great glory . .
. He, therefore, chose to do similar things to avoid the
inconsistency of failing to do what He had done through others. Yet
still He was bound to do something which no other had done: to be born
of a virgin, to rise from the dead, and to ascend into heaven. If
anyone deem this a slight thing for God to do, I know not what more
he can expect. Having become man, ought He to have made another
world, that we might believe Him to be Him by whom the world was
made? But in this world neither a greater world could be made nor one
equal to it: and if He had made a lesser world in comparison with
this, that too would have been deemed a small thing."
As to the miracles worked by others, Christ did greater still.
Hence on Jn. 15:24: "If I had not done in them the works
that no other men hath done," etc., Augustine says: "None of the
works of Christ seem to be greater than the raising of the dead: which
thing we know the ancient prophets also did . . . Yet Christ did
some works 'which no other man hath done.' But we are told in answer
that others did works which He did not, and which none other did . .
. But to heal with so great a power so many defects and ailments and
grievances of mortal men, this we read concerning none soever of the
men of old. To say nothing of those, each of whom by His bidding,
as they came in His way, He made whole . . . Mark saith
(6:56): 'Whithersoever He entered, into towns or into
villages or into cities, they laid the sick in the streets, and
besought Him that they might touch but the hem of His garment: and as
many as touched Him were made whole.' These things none other did in
them; for when He saith 'In them,' it is not to be understood to
mean 'Among them,' or 'In their presence,' but wholly 'In
them,' because He healed them . . . Therefore whatever works He
did in them are works that none ever did; since if ever any other man
did any one of them, by His doing he did it; whereas these works He
did, not by their doing, but by Himself."
Reply to Objection 2: Augustine explains this passage of John as
follows (Tract. lxxi): "What are these 'greater works' which
believers in Him would do? That, as they passed by, their very
shadow healed the sick? For it is greater that a shadow should heal
than the hem of a garment . . . When, however, He said these
words, it was the deeds and works of His words that He spoke of: for
when He said . . . 'The Father who abideth in Me, He doth the
works,' what works did He mean, then, but the words He was
speaking? . . . and the fruits of those same words was the faith of
those (who believed): but when the disciples preached the Gospel,
not some few like those, but the very nations believed . . .
(Tract. lxxii). Did not that rich man go away from His presence
sorrowful? . . . and yet afterwards, what one individual, having
heard from Him, did not, that many did when He spake by the mouth of
His disciples . . . Behold, He did greater works when spoken of
by men believing than when speaking to men hearing. But there is yet
this difficulty: that He did these 'greater works' by the apostles:
whereas He saith as meaning not only them: . . . 'He that
believeth in Me' . . . Listen! . . . 'He that believeth in
Me, the works that I do, he also shall do': first, 'I do,'
then 'he also shall do,' because I do that he may do. What
works---but that from ungodly he should be made righteous? . . .
Which thing Christ worketh in him, truly, but not without him.
Yes, I may affirm this to be altogether greater than to create"
"heaven and earth . . . for 'heaven and earth shall pass away';
but the salvation and justification of the predestinate shall remain .
. . But also in the heavens . . . the angels are the works of
Christ: and does that man do greater works than these, who
co-operates with Christ in the work of his justification? . . .
let him, who can, judge whether it be greater to create a righteous
being than to justify an ungodly one. Certainly if both are works of
equal power, the latter is a work of greater mercy."
"But there is no need for us to understand all the works of Christ,
where He saith 'Greater than these shall he do.' For by 'these'
He meant, perhaps, those which He was doing at that hour: now at
that time He was speaking words of faith: . . . and certainly it is
less to preach words of righteousness, which thing He did without us,
than to justify the ungodly, which thing He so doth in us that we also
do it ourselves."
Reply to Objection 3: When some particular work is proper to some
agent, then that particular work is a sufficient proof of the whole
power of that agent: thus, since the act of reasoning is proper to
man, the mere fact that someone reasons about any particular
proposition proves him to be a man. In like manner, since it is
proper to God to work miracles by His own power, any single miracle
worked by Christ by His own power is a sufficient proof that He is
God.
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