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Objection 1: It would seem that prophecy is a habit. For according
to Ethic. ii, 5, "there are three things in the soul, power,
passion, and habit." Now prophecy is not a power, for then it would
be in all men, since the powers of the soul are common to them. Again
it is not a passion, since the passions belong to the appetitive
faculty, as stated above (FS, Question 22, Article 2);
whereas prophecy pertains principally to knowledge, as stated in the
foregoing Article. Therefore prophecy is a habit.
Objection 2: Further, every perfection of the soul, which is not
always in act, is a habit. Now prophecy is a perfection of the soul;
and it is not always in act, else a prophet could not be described as
asleep. Therefore seemingly prophecy is a habit.
Objection 3: Further, prophecy is reckoned among the gratuitous
graces. Now grace is something in the soul, after the manner of a
habit, as stated above (FS, Question 110, Article 2).
Therefore prophecy is a habit.
On the contrary, A habit is something "whereby we act when we
will," as the Commentator [Averroes] says (De Anima iii).
But a man cannot make use of prophecy when he will, as appears in the
case of Eliseus (4 Kgs. 3:15), "who on Josaphat inquiring
of him concerning the future, and the spirit of prophecy failing him,
caused a minstrel to be brought to him, that the spirit of prophecy
might come down upon him through the praise of psalmody, and fill his
mind with things to come," as Gregory observes (Hom. i super
Ezech.). Therefore prophecy is not a habit.
I answer that, As the Apostle says (Eph. 5:13), "all that
is made manifest is light," because, to wit, just as the
manifestation of the material sight takes place through material light,
so too the manifestation of intellectual sight takes place through
intellectual light. Accordingly manifestation must be proportionate to
the light by means of which it takes place, even as an effect is
proportionate to its cause. Since then prophecy pertains to a
knowledge that surpasses natural reason, as stated above (Article
1), it follows that prophecy requires an intellectual light
surpassing the light of natural reason. Hence the saying of Micah
7:8: "When I sit in darkness, the Lord is my light." Now
light may be in a subject in two ways: first, by way of an abiding
form, as material light is in the sun, and in fire; secondly, by way
of a passion, or passing impression, as light is in the air. Now the
prophetic light is not in the prophet's intellect by way of an abiding
form, else a prophet would always be able to prophesy, which is
clearly false. For Gregory says (Hom. i super Ezech.):
"Sometimes the spirit of prophecy is lacking to the prophet, nor is
it always within the call of his mind, yet so that in its absence he
knows that its presence is due to a gift." Hence Eliseus said of the
Sunamite woman (4 Kgs. 4:27): "Her soul is in anguish, and
the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me." The reason for
this is that the intellectual light that is in a subject by way of an
abiding and complete form, perfects the intellect chiefly to the effect
of knowing the principle of the things manifested by that light; thus
by the light of the active intellect the intellect knows chiefly the
first principles of all things known naturally. Now the principle of
things pertaining to supernatural knowledge, which are manifested by
prophecy, is God Himself, Whom the prophets do not see in His
essence, although He is seen by the blessed in heaven, in whom this
light is by way of an abiding and complete form, according to Ps.
35:10, "In Thy light we shall see light."
It follows therefore that the prophetic light is in the prophet's soul
by way of a passion or transitory impression. This is indicated Ex.
33:22: "When my glory shall pass, I will set thee in a hole of
the rock," etc., and 3 Kgs. 19:11: "Go forth and stand
upon the mount before the Lord; and behold the Lord passeth," etc.
Hence it is that even as the air is ever in need of a fresh
enlightening, so too the prophet's mind is always in need of a fresh
revelation; thus a disciple who has not yet acquired the principles of
an art needs to have every detail explained to him. Wherefore it is
written (Is. 1:4): "In the morning He wakeneth my ear, so
that I may hear Him as a master." This is also indicated by the
very manner in which prophecies are uttered: thus it is stated that
"the Lord spake to such and such a prophet," or that "the word of
the Lord," or "the hand of the Lord was made upon him."
But a habit is an abiding form. Wherefore it is evident that,
properly speaking, prophecy is not a habit.
Reply to Objection 1: This division of the Philosopher's does not
comprise absolutely all that is in the soul, but only such as can be
principles of moral actions, which are done sometimes from passion,
sometimes from habit, sometimes from mere power, as in the case of
those who perform an action from the judgment of their reason before
having the habit of that action.
However, prophecy may be reduced to a passion, provided we understand
passion to denote any kind of receiving, in which sense the
Philosopher says (De Anima iii, 4) that "to understand is, in a
way, to be passive." For just as, in natural knowledge, the
possible intellect is passive to the light of the active intellect, so
too in prophetic knowledge the human intellect is passive to the
enlightening of the Divine light.
Reply to Objection 2: Just as in corporeal things, when a passion
ceases, there remains a certain aptitude to a repetition of the
passion---thus wood once ignited is more easily ignited again, so
too in the prophet's intellect, after the actual enlightenment has
ceased, there remains an aptitude to be enlightened anew---thus when
the mind has once been aroused to devotion, it is more easily recalled
to its former devotion. Hence Augustine says (De orando Deum.
Ep. cxxx, 9) that our prayers need to be frequent, "lest devotion
be extinguished as soon as it is kindled."
We might, however, reply that a person is called a prophet, even
while his prophetic enlightenment ceases to be actual, on account of
his being deputed by God, according to Jer. 1:5, "And I made
thee a prophet unto the nations."
Reply to Objection 3: Every gift of grace raises man to something
above human nature, and this may happen in two ways. First, as to
the substance of the act---for instance, the working of miracles,
and the knowledge of the uncertain and hidden things of Divine
wisdom---and for such acts man is not granted a habitual gift of
grace. Secondly, a thing is above human nature as to the mode but not
the substance of the act---for instance to love God and to know Him
in the mirror of His creatures---and for this a habitual gift of
grace is bestowed.
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