Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1. It would seem that the ceremonial precepts are not figurative. For it is the duty of every teacher to express himself in such a way as to be easily understood, as Augustine states (De Doctr. Christ. iv, 4,10) and this seems very necessary in the framing of a law: because precepts of law are proposed to the populace; for which reason a law should be manifest, as Isidore declares (Etym. v, 21). If therefore the precepts of the Law were given as figures of something, it seems unbecoming that Moses should have delivered these precepts without explaining what they signified.

Objection 2. Further, whatever is done for the worship of God, should be entirely free from unfittingness. But the performance of actions in representation of others, seems to savor of the theatre or of the drama: because formerly the actions performed in theatres were done to represent the actions of others. Therefore it seems that such things should not be done for the worship of God. But the ceremonial precepts are ordained to the Divine worship, as stated above (Article 1). Therefore they should not be figurative.

Objection 3. Further, Augustine says (Enchiridion iii, iv) that "God is worshipped chiefly by faith, hope, and charity." But the precepts of faith, hope, and charity are not figurative. Therefore the ceremonial precepts should not be figurative.

Objection 4. Further, Our Lord said (John 4:24): "God is a spirit, and they that adore Him, must adore Him in spirit and in truth." But a figure is not the very truth: in fact one is condivided with the other. Therefore the ceremonial precepts, which refer to the Divine worship, should not be figurative.

On the contrary, The Apostle says (Colossians 2:16-17): "Let no man . . . judge you in meat or in drink, or in respect of a festival day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come."

I answer that, As stated above (1; 99, A3,4), the ceremonial precepts are those which refer to the worship of God. Now the Divine worship is twofold: internal, and external. For since man is composed of soul and body, each of these should be applied to the worship of God; the soul by an interior worship; the body by an outward worship: hence it is written (Psalm 83:3): "My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God." And as the body is ordained to God through the soul, so the outward worship is ordained to the internal worship. Now interior worship consists in the soul being united to God by the intellect and affections. Wherefore according to the various ways in which the intellect and affections of the man who worships God are rightly united to God, his external actions are applied in various ways to the Divine worship.

For in the state of future bliss, the human intellect will gaze on the Divine Truth in Itself. Wherefore the external worship will not consist in anything figurative, but solely in the praise of God, proceeding from the inward knowledge and affection, according to Isaiah 51:3: "Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of praise."

But in the present state of life, we are unable to gaze on the Divine Truth in Itself, and we need the ray of Divine light to shine upon us under the form of certain sensible figures, as Dionysius states (Coel. Hier. i); in various ways, however, according to the various states of human knowledge. For under the Old Law, neither was the Divine Truth manifest in Itself, nor was the way leading to that manifestation as yet opened out, as the Apostle declares (Hebrews 9:8). Hence the external worship of the Old Law needed to be figurative not only of the future truth to be manifested in our heavenly country, but also of Christ, Who is the way leading to that heavenly manifestation. But under the New Law this way is already revealed: and therefore it needs no longer to be foreshadowed as something future, but to be brought to our minds as something past or present: and the truth of the glory to come, which is not yet revealed, alone needs to be foreshadowed. This is what the Apostle says (Hebrews 11:1): "The Law has a shadow of the good things to come, not the very image of the things": for a shadow is less than an image; so that the image belongs to the New Law, but the shadow to the Old.

Reply to Objection 1. The things of God are not to be revealed to man except in proportion to his capacity: else he would be in danger of downfall, were he to despise what he cannot grasp. Hence it was more beneficial that the Divine mysteries should be revealed to uncultured people under a veil of figures, that thus they might know them at least implicitly by using those figures to the honor of God.

Reply to Objection 2. Just as human reason fails to grasp poetical expressions on account of their being lacking in truth, so does it fail to grasp Divine things perfectly, on account of the sublimity of the truth they contain: and therefore in both cases there is need of signs by means of sensible figures.

Reply to Objection 3. Augustine is speaking there of internal worship; to which, however, external worship should be ordained, as stated above.

The same answer applies to the Fourth Objection: because men were taught by Him to practice more perfectly the spiritual worship of God.

Articulus 2

Argumentum 1

Ad secundum sic proceditur. Videtur quod praecepta caeremonialia non sint figuralia. Pertinet enim ad officium cuiuslibet doctoris ut sic pronunciet ut de facili intelligi possit, sicut Augustinus dicit, in IV de doctr. Christ..

Et hoc maxime videtur esse necessarium in legis latione, quia praecepta legis populo proponuntur. Unde lex debet esse manifesta, ut Isidorus dicit.

Si igitur praecepta caeremonialia data sunt in alicuius rei figuram, videtur inconvenienter tradidisse huiusmodi praecepta Moyses, non exponens quid figurarent.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, ea quae in cultum dei aguntur, maxime debent honestatem habere. Sed facere aliqua facta ad alia repraesentanda, videtur esse theatricum, sive poeticum, in theatris enim repraesentabantur olim per aliqua quae ibi gerebantur, quaedam aliorum facta. Ergo videtur quod huiusmodi non debeant fieri ad cultum dei. Sed caeremonialia ordinantur ad cultum dei, ut dictum est.

Ergo caeremonialia non debent esse figuralia.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, Augustinus dicit, in enchirid., quod deus maxime colitur fide, spe et caritate.

Sed praecepta quae dantur de fide, spe et caritate, non sunt figuralia. Ergo praecepta caeremonialia non debent esse figuralia.

Argumentum 4

Praeterea, dominus dicit, Ioan. IV, spiritus est deus, et eos qui adorant eum, in spiritu et veritate adorare oportet.

Sed figura non est ipsa veritas, immo contra se invicem dividuntur. Ergo caeremonialia, quae pertinent ad cultum dei, non debent esse figuralia.

Sed Contra

Sed contra est quod apostolus dicit, ad colos. II, nemo vos iudicet in cibo aut in potu, aut in parte diei festi aut Neomeniae aut sabbatorum, quae sunt umbra futurorum.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod, sicut iam dictum est, praecepta caeremonialia dicuntur quae ordinantur ad cultum dei.

Est autem duplex cultus dei, interior, et exterior. Cum enim homo sit compositus ex anima et corpore, utrumque debet applicari ad colendum deum, ut scilicet anima colat interiori cultu, et corpus exteriori, unde dicitur in Psalmo LXXXIII, cor meum et caro mea exultaverunt in deum vivum.

Et sicut corpus ordinatur in deum per animam, ita cultus exterior ordinatur ad interiorem cultum. Consistit autem interior cultus in hoc quod anima coniungatur deo per intellectum et affectum. Et ideo secundum quod diversimode intellectus et affectus colentis deum deo recte coniungitur, secundum hoc diversimode exteriores actus hominis ad cultum dei applicantur.

In statu enim futurae beatitudinis, intellectus humanus ipsam divinam veritatem in seipsa intuebitur. Et ideo exterior cultus non consistet in aliqua figura, sed solum in laude dei, quae procedit ex interiori cognitione et affectione; secundum illud Isaiae LI, gaudium et laetitia invenietur in ea, gratiarum actio et vox laudis.

In statu autem praesentis vitae, non possumus divinam veritatem in seipsa intueri, sed oportet quod radius divinae veritatis nobis illucescat sub aliquibus sensibilibus figuris, sicut dionysius dicit, I cap. Cael. Hier., diversimode tamen, secundum diversum statum cognitionis humanae.

In veteri enim lege neque ipsa divina veritas in seipsa manifesta erat, neque etiam adhuc propalata erat via ad hoc perveniendi, sicut apostolus dicit, ad Heb. IX.

Et ideo oportebat exteriorem cultum veteris legis non solum esse figurativum futurae veritatis manifestandae in patria; sed etiam esse figurativum christi, qui est via ducens ad illam patriae veritatem. Sed in statu novae legis, haec via iam est revelata. Unde hanc praefigurari non oportet sicut futuram, sed commemorari oportet per modum praeteriti vel praesentis, sed solum oportet praefigurari futuram veritatem gloriae nondum revelatam.

Et hoc est quod apostolus dicit, ad Heb. X, umbram habet lex futurorum bonorum, non ipsam imaginem rerum, umbra enim minus est quam imago; tanquam imago pertineat ad novam legem, umbra vero ad veterem.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod divina non sunt revelanda hominibus nisi secundum eorum capacitatem, alioquin daretur eis praecipitii materia, dum contemnerent quae capere non possent.

Et ideo utilius fuit ut sub quodam figurarum velamine divina mysteria rudi populo traderentur, ut sic saltem ea implicite cognoscerent, dum illis figuris deservirent ad honorem dei.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod, sicut poetica non capiuntur a ratione humana propter defectum veritatis qui est in eis, ita etiam ratio humana perfecte capere non potest divina propter excedentem ipsorum veritatem. Et ideo utrobique opus est repraesentatione per sensibiles figuras.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod Augustinus ibi loquitur de cultu interiore; ad quem tamen ordinari oportet exteriorem cultum, ut dictum est.

Ad 4

Et similiter dicendum est ad quartum, quia per christum homines plenius ad spiritualem dei cultum sunt introducti.