|
Objection 1: It would seem that at the judgment Christ will not
appear in His glorified humanity. For a gloss [St. Augustine,
Tract. cxx in Joan.] on Jn. 19:37, "They shall look on
him whom they pierced," says: "Because He will come in the flesh
wherein He was crucified." Now He was crucified in the form of
weakness. Therefore He will appear in the form of weakness and not in
the form of glory.
Objection 2: Further, it is stated (Mt. 24:30) that "the
sign of the Son of man shall appear in heaven," namely, "the sign
of the cross," as Chrysostom says (Hom. lxxvii in Matth.), for
"Christ when coming to the judgment will show not only the scars of
His wounds but even His most shameful death." Therefore it seems
that He will not appear in the form of glory.
Objection 3: Further, Christ will appear at the judgment under
that form which can be gazed upon by all. Now Christ will not be
visible to all, good and wicked, under the form of His glorified
humanity: because the eye that is not glorified is seemingly
unproportionate to see the clarity of a glorified body. Therefore He
will not appear under a glorified form.
Objection 4: Further, that which is promised as a reward to the
righteous is not granted to the unrighteous. Now it is promised as a
reward to the righteous that they shall see the glory of His humanity
(Jn. 10:9): "He shall go in, and go out, and shall find
pastures, i.e. refreshment in His Godhead and humanity,"
according to the commentary of Augustine and Is. 33:17: "His
eyes shall see the King in his beauty." Therefore He will not
appear to all in His glorified form.
Objection 5: Further, Christ will judge in the form wherein He
was judged: wherefore a gloss [St. Augustine, Tract. xix, in
Joan.] on Jn. 5:21, "So the Son also giveth life to whom
He will," says: "He will judge justly in the form wherein He was
judged unjustly, that He may be visible to the wicked." Now He was
judged in the form of weakness. Therefore He will appear in the same
form at the judgment.
On the contrary, It is written (Lk. 21:27): "Then they
shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud with great power and
majesty." Now majesty and power pertain to glory. Therefore He
will appear in the form of glory.
Further, he who judges should be more conspicuous than those who are
judged. Now the elect who will be judged by Christ will have a
glorified body. Much more therefore will the Judge appear in a
glorified form.
Further, as to be judged pertains to weakness, so to judge pertains
to authority and glory. Now at His first coming when Christ came to
be judged, He appeared in the form of weakness. Therefore at the
second coming, when He will come to judge, He will appear in the
form of glory.
I answer that, Christ is called the mediator of God and men (1
Tim. 2:5) inasmuch as He satisfies for men and intercedes for
them to the Father, and confers on men things which belong to the
Father, according to Jn. 17:22, "The glory which Thou hast
given Me, I have given to them." Accordingly then both these
things belong to Him in that He communicates with both extremes: for
in that He communicates with men, He takes their part with the
Father, and in that He communicates with the Father, He bestows
the Father's gifts on men. Since then at His first coming He came
in order to make satisfaction for us to the Father, He came in the
form of our weakness. But since at His second coming He will come in
order to execute the Father's justice on men, He will have to show
forth His glory which is in Him by reason of His communication with
the Father: and therefore He will appear in the form of glory.
Reply to Objection 1: He will appear in the same flesh, but not
under the same form.
Reply to Objection 2: The sign of the cross will appear at the
judgment, to denote not a present but a past weakness: so as to show
how justly those were condemned who scorned so great mercy, especially
those who persecuted Christ unjustly. The scars which will appear in
His body will not be due to weakness, but will indicate the exceeding
power whereby Christ overcame His enemies by His Passion and
infirmity. He will also show forth His most shameful death, not by
bringing it sensibly before the eye, as though He suffered it there;
but by the things which will appear then, namely the signs of His past
Passion, He will recall men to the thought of His past death.
Reply to Objection 3: A glorified body has it in its power to show
itself or not to show itself to an eye that is not glorified, as stated
above (Question 85, Article 2, ad 3). Hence Christ will be
visible to all in His glorified form.
Reply to Objection 4: Even as our friend's glory gives us
pleasure, so the glory and power of one we hate is most displeasing to
us. Hence as the sight of the glory of Christ's humanity will be a
reward to the righteous, so will it be a torment to Christ's
enemies: wherefore it is written (Is. 26:11): "Let the
envious people see and be confounded and let fire" (i.e. envy)
"devour Thy enemies."
Reply to Objection 5: Form is taken there for human nature wherein
He was judged and likewise will judge; but not for a quality of
nature, namely of weakness, which will not be the same in Him when
judging as when judged (Cf. ad 2).
|
|