Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It would seem that men teach angels. For the Apostle says (Eph. 3:10): "That the manifold wisdom of God may be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places through the Church." But the Church is the union of all the faithful. Therefore some things are made known to angels through men.

Objection 2: Further, the superior angels, who are enlightened immediately concerning Divine things by God, can instruct the inferior angels, as stated above (Question 116, Article 1; Question 112, Article 3). But some men are instructed immediately concerning Divine things by the Word of God; as appears principally of the apostles from Heb. 1:1,2: "Last of all, in these days (God) hath spoken to us by His Son." Therefore some men have been able to teach the angels.

Objection 3: Further, the inferior angels are instructed by the superior. But some men are higher than some angels; since some men are taken up to the highest angelic orders, as Gregory says in a homily (Hom. xxxiv in Evang.). Therefore some of the inferior angels can be instructed by men concerning Divine things.

On the contrary, Dionysius says (Div. Nom. iv) that every Divine enlightenment to the superior angels, by making their thoughts known to them; but concerning Divine things superior angels are never enlightened by inferior angels. Now it is manifest that in the same way as inferior angels are subject to the superior, the highest men are subject even to the lowest angels. This is clear from Our Lord's words (Mt. 11:11): "There hath not risen among them that are born of woman a greater than John the Baptist; yet he that is lesser in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." Therefore angels are never enlightened by men concerning Divine things. But men can by means of speech make known to angels the thoughts of their hearts: because it belongs to God alone to know the heart's secrets.

Reply to Objection 1: Augustine (Gen. ad lit. v, 19) thus explains this passage of the Apostle, who in the preceding verses says: "To me, the least of all the saints, is given this grace . . . to enlighten all men, that they may see what is the dispensation of the mystery which hath been hidden from eternity in God. Hidden, yet so that the multiform wisdom of God was made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places---that is, through the Church." As though he were to say: This mystery was hidden from men, but not from the Church in heaven, which is contained in the principalities and powers who knew it "from all ages, but not before all ages: because the Church was at first there, where after the resurrection this Church composed of men will be gathered together."

It can also be explained otherwise that "what is hidden, is known by the angels, not only in God, but also here where when it takes place and is made public," as Augustine says further on (Gen. ad lit. v, 19). Thus when the mysteries of Christ and the Church were fulfilled by the apostles, some things concerning these mysteries became apparent to the angels, which were hidden from them before. In this way we can understand what Jerome says (Comment. in Ep. ad Eph.)---that from the preaching of the apostles the angels learned certain mysteries; that is to say, through the preaching of the apostles, the mysteries were realized in the things themselves: thus by the preaching of Paul the Gentiles were converted, of which mystery the Apostle is speaking in the passage quoted.

Reply to Objection 2: The apostles were instructed immediately by the Word of God, not according to His Divinity, but according as He spoke in His human nature. Hence the argument does not prove.

Reply to Objection 3: Certain men in this state of life are greater than certain angels, not actually, but virtually; forasmuch as they have such great charity that they can merit a higher degree of beatitude than that possessed by certain angels. In the same way we might say that the seed of a great tree is virtually greater than a small tree, though actually it is much smaller.

Articulus 2

Argumentum 1

Ad secundum sic proceditur. Videtur quod homines possint docere Angelos.

Dicit enim apostolus, ad Ephes. III, ut innotescat principibus et potestatibus in caelestibus per ecclesiam multiformis sapientia dei.

Sed ecclesia est congregatio hominum fidelium.

Ergo Angelis per homines aliqua innotescunt.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, Angeli superiores, qui immediate de divinis a deo illuminantur, inferiores Angelos instruere possunt, ut supra dictum est.

Sed aliqui homines immediate de divinis per dei verbum sunt instructi; sicut maxime patet de apostolis, secundum illud ad Heb. I, novissime, diebus istis, locutus est nobis in filio.

Ergo aliqui homines aliquos Angelos docere potuerunt.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, inferiores Angeli a superioribus instruuntur. Sed quidam homines superiores sunt aliquibus Angelis, cum ad supremos ordines Angelorum aliqui homines assumantur, ut Gregorius dicit in quadam homilia.

Ergo aliqui inferiores Angeli per aliquos homines de divinis instrui possunt.

Sed Contra

Sed contra est quod dionysius dicit, IV cap. De div. Nom., quod omnes divinae illuminationes perferuntur ad homines mediantibus Angelis.

Non ergo Angeli instruuntur per homines de divinis.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod, sicut supra habitum est, inferiores Angeli loqui quidem possunt superioribus Angelis, manifestando eis suas cogitationes; sed de rebus divinis superiores ab inferioribus nunquam illuminantur. Manifestum est autem quod eo modo quo inferiores Angeli superioribus subduntur, supremi homines subduntur etiam infimis Angelorum.

Quod patet per id quod dominus dicit, Matth. XI, inter natos mulierum non surrexit maior ioanne baptista; sed qui minor est in regno caelorum, maior est illo.

Sic igitur de rebus divinis ab hominibus Angeli nunquam illuminantur. Cogitationes tamen suorum cordium homines Angelis per modum locutionis manifestare possunt, quia secreta cordium scire solius dei est.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod Augustinus, V super Gen. Ad litt., sic exponit illam apostoli auctoritatem. Praemiserat enim apostolus, mihi, omnium sanctorum minimo, data est gratia haec, illuminare omnes quae sit dispensatio sacramenti absconditi a saeculis in deo. Ita dico absconditi, ut tamen innotesceret principibus et potestatibus in caelestibus, per ecclesiam scilicet, multiformis sapientia dei.

Quasi dicat, ita hoc sacramentum erat absconditum hominibus, ut tamen ecclesiae caelesti, quae continetur in principibus et potestatibus, hoc sacramentum notum esset a saeculis, non ante saecula, quia ibi primitus ecclesia fuit, quo post resurrectionem et ista ecclesia hominum congreganda est.

Potest tamen et aliter dici, quod illud quod absconditum est, non tantum in deo innotescit Angelis, verum etiam hic eis apparet, cum efficitur atque propalatur, ut Augustinus ibidem subdit.

Et sic dum per apostolos impleta sunt christi et ecclesiae mysteria, Angelis aliqua apparuerunt de huiusmodi mysteriis, quae ante erant eis occulta.

Et per hunc modum potest intelligi quod Hieronymus dicit, quod, apostolis praedicantibus, Angeli aliqua mysteria cognoverunt, quia scilicet per praedicationem apostolorum huiusmodi mysteria explebantur in rebus ipsis, sicut praedicante Paulo convertebantur gentes; de quo apostolus ibi loquitur.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod apostoli instruebantur immediate a verbo dei, non secundum eius divinitatem, sed inquantum eius humanitas loquebatur. Unde ratio non sequitur.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod aliqui homines, etiam in statu viae, sunt maiores aliquibus Angelis, non quidem actu, sed virtute; inquantum scilicet habent caritatem tantae virtutis, ut possint mereri maiorem beatitudinis gradum quam quidam Angeli habeant.

Sicut si dicamus semen alicuius magnae arboris esse maius virtute quam aliquam parvam arborem, cum tamen multo minus sit in actu.