Chapter IX.
On the passion of Christ with respect to the manner of suffering.
Concerning the manner of suffering, this must be held: that Christ suffered a most universal passion, a most bitter passion, a most ignominious passion, a death-dealing passion, yet one that was life-giving.
A most universal passion, I say, with respect to His human nature, not only in all the principal members of the body, but also in every power of the soul, although He could suffer nothing according to His divine nature.
He suffered also a most bitter passion, because not only by grieving, as one suffering through wounds, but also by grieving with others, as one compassionating on account of our sins.
He suffered also a most ignominious passion, both on account of the gibbet of the cross, which was the punishment of the worst criminals, and on account of the company of the wicked, namely the thieves, with whom He was reckoned.
He suffered also a death-dealing passion through the separation of the soul from the body, yet with the union of both with the Divinity preserved. For anathema is he who says that the Son of God at any time abandoned the nature which He had once assumed.
Now the reason for understanding the aforesaid is this: because the restorative principle, just as it produced in an orderly manner, so also it ought to have restored the human race in an orderly manner. Thus therefore it ought to restore in such a way that the freedom of the will is preserved, the honor of God is likewise preserved, and the order of the governance of the universe is also preserved.
Because therefore He ought to have restored while preserving the freedom of the will, He restored by giving a most efficacious example; and that example is most efficacious which invites and instructs toward the summit of the virtues. Now nothing more instructs a person toward virtue than the example of enduring death for the sake of justice and divine obedience—death, I say, not of just any kind, but of the most painful sort. Nothing indeed more invites than such great kindness, by which for us the most high Son of God, without any merits on our part—nay, with many demerits on our part— laid down His life; which kindness is shown to be all the greater, the more grievous and abject the things He endured or willed to suffer for us. For God spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all: how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? From which we are invited to love Him and to imitate the One we love.
Again, because he had to restore while preserving the honor of God, he therefore restored by offering a satisfactory homage. " To satisfy is to repay the honor owed to God ". But the honor taken from God through pride and disobedience with respect to a thing to which man was bound is in no way better restored than through humiliation and obedience to that thing to which one was in no way obligated. Since therefore Christ Jesus, insofar as he was God, was equal to the Father in the form of God; insofar as he was an innocent man, he was in no way a debtor of death: when he emptied himself and became obedient unto death , he paid back to God what he had not stolen through the homage of perfect satisfaction, and offered a sacrifice of supreme sweetness for the perfect placation of God.
Finally, because he had to restore while preserving the order of the governance of the universe, he therefore restored through the most fitting remedy. But it is most fitting that contraries be cured by contraries. Because therefore man sinned by wishing to be wise as God, by wishing to delight in the forbidden tree, so that he was inclined to lust, and raised up in presumption; and through this the whole human race was infected and lost immortality and incurred deserved death: hence it is that, in order that man might be restored by a fitting remedy, God made man willed to be humiliated and to suffer on the wood of the cross: and against the universal infection to suffer with a most universal passion, against lust with a most bitter passion, against presumption with a most ignominious passion, and against deserved and unwilling death he willed to suffer a death not merited , but voluntary.
Because therefore the universality of corruption in us had infected not only body and soul, but also every part of the body and every power of the soul; hence it is that Christ suffered in every part of his body and in every power of his soul, and in the superior portion of reason, which supremely delighted in God as reason and on account of its union with what is above, and supremely suffered as nature and on account of its conjunction with what is below, because Christ was a wayfarer and a comprehensor simultaneously.
Again, because lust had vehemently infected in us both soul and flesh, both with respect to carnal and to spiritual sins; hence it is that Christ both suffered with the most bitter passion in the flesh and co-suffered with the most bitter compassion in the soul. And because in his flesh there was the greatest balance of temperament and perfect vivacity of the senses, but in his soul the highest charity toward God and the highest piety toward neighbor: hence it is that each pain was most intense.
Furthermore, because the swelling of pride sometimes rises inwardly from presumption, and sometimes outwardly from ostentation and the praise of others: therefore, to remedy all pride, Christ suffered both kinds of ignominy, both in himself as the one suffering and in the company, he had in his passion.
Finally, because all these things did not touch the divine nature, which is impassible, but only the human nature: hence it is that in the death of Christ the separation of the soul from the flesh was so accomplished that nevertheless the unity of the person was preserved, and the union of both the flesh and the soul with the Deity.
And because the union of the soul with the body makes a man and makes him living: hence it is that Christ was not a man during that triduum, although the soul and the flesh were united with the Word. Whence, because death in the human nature could not induce death in the person, who was always living; therefore death died in life, and through the death of Christ death was swallowed up in victory, and the prince of death was vanquished, and through this man was liberated from death and the cause of death through the merit of Christ's death as through the most efficacious means.
Ch. X.
On the passion of Christ with respect to the outcome of the passion.
Concerning the outcome of the passion of Christ and its fruit, these things are to be held without doubt: that the soul of Christ after the passion descended to hell, that is, to limbo, for the liberation not of all, but of those who had departed as members of Christ through living faith, or through the Sacraments of faith.
After this, on the third day He rose from the dead, resuming the body which He had previously vivified, yet not such a body as it had been before: for before it was passible and mortal, but after He rose, it was impassible and immortal, living perpetually. - Then after forty days He ascended into the heavens, where, exalted above every creature, He sits at the right hand of the Father. This expression is understood not with respect to position, which does not pertain to God the Father, but with respect to the excellence of goods, because He resides in the more excellent goods of the Father. - Lastly, after an interval of ten days, He sent upon the Apostles the promised Holy Spirit, through whom the Church of the nations was gathered together and ordered according to the diverse distributions of offices and graces.
Now the reason for understanding the aforesaid is this: because, just as Christ insofar as He is the uncreated Word most perfectly formed all things, so insofar as He is incarnate He ought to have most perfectly reformed all things. For it befits a most perfect principle not to leave its work short of perfection; therefore the restorative principle of human redemption ought to have brought its remedy to perfection. But in order that it might be most perfect, it was necessary that it be most sufficient and most efficacious.
Because, then, it was most sufficient, it therefore extended itself to celestial, terrestrial, and infernal things. Because, then, through Christ infernal things were recovered, terrestrial things remedied, and celestial things restored to wholeness—such that the first of these He accomplished through pardon, the second through grace, and the third through glory: therefore after the passion His soul descended to the nether regions to free those detained in hell; then He rose from the dead to vivify those dead in sins; He ascended into the heavens, leading captivity captive, to restore the heavenly Jerusalem to wholeness; and He sent the Holy Spirit to build up the earthly Jerusalem. All of which necessarily follow and are required for the sufficiency of human restoration.
Again, because that remedy was most efficacious both upon those who preceded the coming of Christ and upon those who follow, who nevertheless approached and approach Christ Himself and were and are His members—and such are those who cling to Him through faith, hope, and charity—therefore that remedy ought to have had efficacy first upon those who believed in Christ, and by believing hoped, and by hoping loved; and on this account He ought to have descended to the nether regions immediately for their liberation. Whence, when the gate of heaven was opened through the passion of Christ—who by making satisfaction removed the flaming sword, by changing the divine sentence—He snatched from hell all His members.
It also ought to have a preeminent efficacy upon those who follow Christ's advent, so that by drawing them to faith, hope, and charity, it might at last lead them to heavenly glory. Therefore, in order to build up faith, by which we believe Christ to be true man and true God, and by which we also believe that he willed to redeem us through death and was able to restore us to life through resurrection: for this reason he willed to rise again to immortal life, yet with a due interval of time interposed, namely thirty-six hours, in which it is shown that he was truly dead. Nor ought he to have hastened more, lest, if he had risen sooner, it would be believed that he had not truly died but had feigned himself dead. Nor ought he to have delayed longer, lest, if he had remained forever in death, he would be believed powerless and unable to recall anyone to life. And therefore he rose on the third day.
Furthermore, in order to raise us to hope, he ascended to the heavenly glory which we hope for. But because hope does not arise except from faith in future immortality, therefore he did not ascend immediately, but with an interval of forty days interposed, in which through many signs and proofs he established the true resurrection, by which the mind might be strengthened in faith and lifted up to hope for heavenly glory.
Lastly, in order to inflame to charity, he sent the fire of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. And because no one is filled with this fire unless he asks, seeks, and knocks with an urgent and importunate desire of hope: therefore he did not send it immediately after the ascension, but with an interval of ten days interposed, in which the disciples, fasting, praying, and groaning, disposed themselves for the reception of the Holy Spirit. — And through this, just as he observed the due hour in suffering, so also in rising, so in ascending into heaven, so in sending the Holy Spirit, both on account of the foundation of the three aforesaid virtues and on account of the many mysteries that are implied in these times.
And since the Holy Spirit, who is charity and is possessed through charity, is the origin of all charisms: therefore, when the Holy Spirit descended, the fullness of charisms was poured forth for the perfecting of the mystical body of Christ. And because there must be diverse members in a perfect body, and diverse offices and functions of diverse members, and diverse charisms for diverse offices: hence it is that to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, to another faith, to another the grace of healing, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of words; all these things one and the same Spirit works, dividing to each one as he wills, according to his most generous providence and most provident generosity.