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Objection 1: It would seem that the angels will do nothing at all
towards the resurrection. For raising the dead shows a greater power
than does begetting men. Now when men are begotten, the soul is not
infused into the body by means of the angels. Therefore neither will
the resurrection, which is reunion of soul and body, be wrought by the
ministry of the angels.
Objection 2: Further, if this is to be ascribed to the
instrumentality of any angels at all, it would seem especially
referable to the virtues, to whom it belongs to work miracles. Yet it
is referred, not to them, but to the archangels, according to the
text (Sent. iv, D, 43). Therefore the resurrection will not
be wrought by the ministry of the angels.
On the contrary, It is stated (1 Thess. 4:15) that "the
Lord . . . shall come down from heaven . . . with the voice of an
archangel . . . and the dead shall rise again." Therefore the
resurrection of the dead will be accomplished by the angelic ministry.
I answer that, According to Augustine (De Trin. iii, 4)
"just as the grosser and inferior bodies are ruled in a certain order
by the more subtle and more powerful bodies, so are all bodies ruled by
God by the rational spirit of life": and Gregory speaks in the same
sense (Dial. iv, 6). Consequently in all God's bodily works,
He employs the ministry of the angels. Now in the resurrection there
is something pertaining to the transmutation of the bodies, to wit the
gathering together of the mortal remains and the disposal thereof for
the restoration of the human body; wherefore in this respect God will
employ the ministry of the angels in the resurrection. But the soul,
even as it is immediately created by God, so will it be reunited to
the body immediately by God without any operation of the angels: and
in like manner He Himself will glorify the body without the ministry
of the angels, just as He immediately glorifies man's soul. This
ministry of the angels is called their voice, according to one
explanation given in the text (Sent. iv, D, 43).
Hence the Reply to the First Objection is evident from what has been
said.
Reply to Objection 2: This ministry will be exercised chiefly by
one Archangel, namely Michael, who is the prince of the Church as
he was of the Synagogue (Dan. 10:13,21). Yet he will act
under the influence of the Virtues and the other higher orders: so
that what he shall do, the higher orders will, in a way, do also.
In like manner the lower angels will co-operate with him as to the
resurrection of each individual to whose guardianship they were
appointed: so that this voice can be ascribed either to one or to many
angels.
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