St. Thomas Aquinas Commentary on the Sentences: Book II, Distinctions 1–20

Contents
Prologue1
Distinction 1 – The procession of created things.5
Division of the first part of the text. 5
Q. 1 – Creation
1. Whether there is more than one first principle.7
2. Whether anything can proceed from him by creation .13
3. Whether to create belongs to others besides God 18
4. Whether anything other than God can effect anything21
5. Whether the world is eternal26
6. Whether this is fittingly expounded: in the beginning God created the heaven and the
earth, that is, in the Son40
Exposition of the first part of the text .43
Division of the second part of the text 45
Q. 2 – The order of creation to the ultimate end
1. Whether it befits God to act for an end.47
2. Whether created things exist for the sake of God’s goodness 49
3. Whether all things were made for man .51
4. Whether the rational soul should be united to a body.54
5. Whether the human soul should be united to such a body .56
Exposition of the second part of the text.61
Distinction 2 – Purely spiritual creation 63
Division of the text63
Q. 1 – Aeviternity
1. Whether aeviternity is the same as eternity 65
2. Whether there is only one aeviternity .69
3. Whether the duration of angels began before the world71
Q. 2 – The empyrean heaven
1. Whether the empyrean heaven is a body 75
2. Whether the empyrean heaven is luminous77
3. Whether the empyrean heaven has an influence on other bodies.80
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Exposition of the text 85
Distinction 3 – Condition of the angels at their creation87
Division of the first part of the text 87
Q. 1 – The perfection of their nature
1. Whether an angel is composed of matter and form. 89
2. Whether there can be personhood in the angels 94
3. Whether there can be number in the angels. 96
4. Whether there is more than one angel of a single species. 101
5. Whether the angels are of a single genus 104
6. Whether an angel and the soul differ in species. 107
Exposition of the first part of the text. 113
Division of the second part of the text 115
Q. 2 – Their condition as regards fault or grace
1. Whether an angel could have been wicked at the beginning of its creation. 117
Q. 3 – Angelic knowledge
1. Whether an angel knows things through its own essence. 121
2. Whether the higher angels understand through more universal species. 124
3. Whether the angels understand particulars. 127
4. Whether an angel can understand more than one thing at the same time. 131
Q. 4 – Angelic love
1. Whether angels in the state of nature loved God more than themselves and all other things 135
Exposition of the second part of the text 139
Distinction 4 – Condition of the angels with regard to glory and
wretchedness.141
Division of the text. 141
Q. 1 – The condition of the angels with regard to glory and wretchedness
1. Whether the angels were created blessed 143
2. Whether the angels foreknew their wretchedness or beatitude 146
3. Whether the angels were created in grace 148
Exposition of the text 153
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Distinction 5 – Conversion and fall of the angels. 155
Division of the text. 155
Q. 1 – The fall of the wicked angels
1. Whether there can be sin in the angels157
2. Whether the wicked angel desired equality with God159
3. Whether the first sin of the angel was pride162
Q. 2 – The conversion of the good angels
1. Whether the angels needed grace to be converted to God.165
2. Whether the angels merited their beatitude167
Exposition of the text. 171
Distinction 6 – Effects of the fall of the angels with regard to their
nature. 173
Division of the text. 173
Q. 1 – Effects of the fall of the angels with regard to their nature
1. Whether Lucifer was the highest of all the angels.175
2. Whether the sin of the first angel was the occasion for the others to sin177
3. Whether it is fitting to assign a place to the angels after their fall .180
4. Whether there is an order among the demons .183
5. Whether the demons who are overcome by the saints are thrust down to hell185
Exposition of the text. 187
Distinction 7 – Power of the angels. 189
Division of the text. 189
Q. 1 – Free will in the angels
1. Whether the good angels can sin .191
2. Whether the demons can do good.194
Q. 2 – The knowledge of the fallen angels
1. Whether the demons possess acute knowledge 199
2. Whether divination can be performed through demons .201
Q. 3 – The agency of the fallen angels
1. Whether the demons can introduce a true bodily effect in bodily matter207
2. Whether it is evil to use the help of a demon for bodily effects.210
Exposition of the text. 213
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Distinction 8 – Angels and the assumption of bodies215
Division of the text. 215
Q. 1 – The angels and the assumption of bodies
1. Whether the angels have bodies united to them 217
2. Whether the angels assume bodies. 219
3. Whether the bodies assumed by the angels truly have the nature that they appear to have. 221
4. Whether the angels can eat, generate, sense, be moved, or speak in their assumed bodies 224
5. Whether the demons can be within the bodies of men. 228
6. Whether God has appeared in bodily figures. 231
Exposition of the text 235
Distinction 9 – Distinctions among the orders of the good angels.237
Division of the text. 237
Q. 1 – The distinctions among the orders of the good angels
1. Whether the definition of hierarchy given by Dionysius is fitting 239
2. Whether one angel purifies another 242
3. Whether the angelic hierarchy is divided fittingly into three hierarchies and nine orders. 247
4. Whether the names of the angels are fittingly distinguished. 253
5. Whether all the angels of a single order are equal 256
6. Whether all the hierarchies are connected. 258
7. Whether the distinction of the orders is from nature 260
8. Whether men are taken up into the orders of the angels. 262
Exposition of the text 267
Distinction 10 – Angelic acts that follow on the distinct orders.269
Division of the text. 269
Q. 1 – Angelic acts that follow on the distinct orders
1. Whether all the angels attend 271
2. Whether all the angels are sent for ministry. 273
3. Whether all the angels of the second hierarchy are sent 276
4. Whether the angels are impeded from contemplation by carrying out a ministry 280
Exposition of the text 283
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Distinction 11 – Angelic guardianship 285
Division of the first part of the text 285
Q. 1 – The office of angelic guardianship
1. Whether the angels guard men 287
2. Whether it pertains to all the orders of the third hierarchy to guard men .289
3. Whether there are angels assigned to the guardianship of all men .292
4. Whether an angel ever leaves the man to whom it is deputed.294
5. Whether the angels grieve over the damnation of the men they guard 296
Exposition of the first part of the text 299
Division of the second part of the text. 301
Q. 2 – The merit of angelic guardianship
1. Whether the angels progress in the vision of God303
2. Whether the lower angels are illuminated by the higher .305
3. Whether the angels know anything through mutual locution.308
4. Whether the angels learned of the mystery of the Incarnation through men 310
5. Whether there can be conflict among the angels313
6. Whether the orders will remain after judgment day 316
Exposition of the second part of the text 319
Distinction 12 – Purely bodily creation. 321
Division of the text. 321
Q. 1 – The work of creation
1. Whether the same matter belongs to all bodily things.323
2. Whether all things were created simultaneously and distinct by species327
3. Whether Augustine’s explanation preserves the distinction of days .330
4. Whether the first matter was formless.335
5. Whether the four coevals are fittingly assigned 339
Exposition of the text. 343
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Distinction 13 – Work of distinction of the first day345
Division of the text. 345
Q. 1 – The work of the first day
1. Whether the work of distinction was necessary after the work of creation. 347
2. Whether light is found properly in spiritual things. 349
3. Whether light is an accident 352
4. Whether the production of light is fittingly recounted 358
5. Whether the Father does all things through the Son. 362
Exposition of the text 365
Distinction 14 – Work of distinction of the second and third days.367
Division of the text. 367
Q. 1 – The work of the second and third days
1. Whether there are waters above the heavens 369
2. Whether the firmament is of the nature of the lower bodies 372
3. Whether the motion of the heavens is from an intelligence 375
4. Whether the number of heavens is fittingly assigned by Rabanus 378
5. Whether the work of the third day is fittingly described. 380
Exposition of the text 385
Distinction 15 – Work of adornment of the fourth, fifth, and sixth
days, and the seventh day’s rest387
Division of the text. 387
Q. 1 – The work of the fourth day
1. Whether the production of the stars is fittingly described 389
2. Whether heavenly bodies have an effect on lower bodies. 392
3. Whether higher bodies have causality over the motions of free will 396
Q. 2 – The work of the fifth and sixth days
1. Whether some animals took their matter from the waters and some from the earth. 401
2. Whether the adornment of the elements is fittingly described with reference to three genera 403
Q. 3 – The seventh day
1. Whether God completed his work on the seventh day 407
2. Whether God is fittingly said to have rested on the seventh day 411
3. Whether God should have sanctified the seventh day above the others 414
Exposition of the text 419
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Distinction 16 – Creation of man in God’s image and likeness. 421
Division of the text. 421
Q. 1 – The image of God
1. Whether a created thing can be said to be according to the image of God 423
2. Whether the image of God is found only in rational creatures .425
3. Whether the image of God is found more in angels than in men .428
4. Whether “image” and “likeness” are fittingly distinguished in the text 431
Exposition of the text. 435
Distinction 17 – Creation of man in regard to the constitution of his
parts. 437
Division of the text. 437
Q. 1 – The constitution of the human soul
1. Whether the human soul is of the divine essence.439
2. Whether the human soul is constituted of any matter .443
Q. 2 – The creation of the human soul
1. Whether the rational soul or intellect is numerically one in all men 449
2. Whether souls were created outside bodies 460
Q. 3 – The formation of the human body
1. Whether in the composition of man there is something that has the nature of a
heavenly body .465
2. Whether the paradise in which Adam was can be a bodily place468
Exposition of the text. 473
Distinction 18 – Creation of woman. 475
Division of the text. 475
Q. 1 – The creation of woman’s body
1. Whether the body of woman should have been made from the rib of man 477
2. Whether God fittingly implanted seedlike principles in matter 481
3. Whether the things that come about apart from seedlike principles are miracles .485
Q. 2 – The creation of woman’s soul
1. Whether the human soul is passed on by the parents 489
2. Whether the rational soul is from God by the mediation of angels 493
3. Whether the sensible soul comes from someone who passes it on .498
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Exposition of the text 505
Distinction 19 – Immortality in the original state of man507
Division of the text. 507
Q. 1 – Immortality in the original state of man
1. Whether the soul of man is corrupted at the corruption of the body. 509
2. Whether man in his first state had the necessity of dying. 515
3. Whether Adam’s body was passible 519
4. Whether man in his first state was impassible and immortal by nature. 521
5. Whether the immortality of Adam was the same as the immortality of the resurrected 525
Exposition of the text 527
Distinction 20 – Generation of children in the original state of
man .529
Division of the text. 529
Q. 1 – The generation of our first parents
1. Whether there would have been generation in the state of innocence. 533
2. Whether in the state of innocence generation would have been through sexual intercourse. 535
Q. 2 – The qualities of the children of our first parents
1. Whether in the state of innocence men would have had every perfection of body as
regards strength, stature, and sex immediately after birth 539
2. Whether in the state of innocence children would have been perfect in knowledge
immediately upon birth. 542
3. Whether in the state of innocence children would be born in grace 545
Exposition of the text 549