Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It would seem that Christ is not the Head of men as to their bodies. For Christ is said to be the Head of the Church inasmuch as He bestows spiritual sense and the movement of grace on the Church. But a body is not capable of this spiritual sense and movement. Therefore Christ is not the Head of men as regards their bodies.

Objection 2: Further, we share bodies with the brutes. If therefore Christ was the Head of men as to their bodies, it would follow that He was the Head of brute animals; and this is not fitting.

Objection 3: Further, Christ took His body from other men, as is clear from Mt. 1 and Luke 3. But the head is the first of the members, as was said above (Article 1, ad 3). Therefore Christ is not the Head of the Church as regards bodies.

On the contrary, It is written (Phil. 3:21): "Who will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body of His glory."

I answer that, The human body has a natural relation to the rational soul, which is its proper form and motor. Inasmuch as the soul is its form, it receives from the soul life and the other properties which belong specifically to man; but inasmuch as the soul is its motor, the body serves the soul instrumentally. Therefore we must hold that the manhood of Christ had the power of "influence," inasmuch as it is united to the Word of God, to Whom His body is united through the soul, as stated above (Question 6, Article 1). Hence the whole manhood of Christ, i.e. according to soul and body, influences all, both in soul and body; but principally the soul, and secondarily the body: First, inasmuch as the "members of the body are presented as instruments of justice" in the soul that lives through Christ, as the Apostle says (Rm. 6:13): secondly, inasmuch as the life of glory flows from the soul on to the body, according to Rm. 8:11: "He that raised up Jesus from the dead shall quicken also your mortal bodies, because of His Spirit that dwelleth in you."

Reply to Objection 1: The spiritual sense of grace does not reach to the body first and principally, but secondarily and instrumentally, as was said above.

Reply to Objection 2: The body of an animal has no relation to a rational soul, as the human body has. Hence there is no parity.

Reply to Objection 3: Although Christ drew the matter of His body from other men, yet all draw from Him the immortal life of their body, according to 1 Cor. 15:22: "And as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive."

Articulus 2

Argumentum 1

Ad secundum sic proceditur. Videtur quod christus non sit caput hominum quantum ad corpora. Christus enim dicitur caput ecclesiae inquantum influit spiritualem sensum et motum gratiae in ecclesiam. Sed huius spiritualis sensus et motus capax non est corpus. Ergo non est caput hominum secundum corpora.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, secundum corpora communicamus cum brutis. Si ergo christus esset caput hominum quantum ad corpora, sequeretur quod etiam esset caput brutorum animalium. Quod est inconveniens.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, christus corpus suum ab aliis hominibus traxit, ut patet Matth. I et Luc. III.

Sed caput est primum inter cetera membra, ut dictum est.

Ergo christus non est caput ecclesiae quantum ad corpora.

Sed Contra

Sed contra est quod dicitur philipp. III, reformabit corpus humilitatis nostrae, configuratum corpori claritatis suae.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod corpus humanum habet naturalem ordinem ad animam rationalem, quae est propria forma eius et motor. Et inquantum quidem est forma eius, recipit ab anima vitam et ceteras proprietates convenientes humano corpori secundum suam speciem. Inquantum vero anima est motor corporis, corpus instrumentaliter servit animae. Sic ergo dicendum quod habet vim influendi christi humanitas inquantum est coniuncta dei verbo, cui corpus unitur per animam, ut supra dictum est.

Unde tota christi humanitas, secundum scilicet animam et corpus, influit in homines et quantum ad animam et quantum ad corpus, sed principaliter quantum ad animam; secundario quantum ad corpus. Uno modo, inquantum membra corporis exhibentur arma iustitiae in anima existenti per christum, ut apostolus dicit, Rom. VI.

Alio modo, inquantum vita gloriae ab anima derivatur ad corpus, secundum illud Rom. VIII, qui suscitavit iesum a mortuis, vivificabit et mortalia corpora vestra, propter inhabitantem spiritum eius in vobis.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod sensus spiritualis gratiae non pervenit quidem ad corpus primo et principaliter, sed secundario et instrumentaliter, ut dictum est.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod corpus animalis bruti nullam habitudinem habet ad animam rationalem, sicut habet corpus humanum. Et ideo non est simile.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod, licet christus traxerit materiam corporis ab aliis hominibus, vitam tamen immortalem corporis omnes homines trahunt ab ipso, secundum illud I Cor. XV, sicut in Adam omnes moriuntur, ita in christo omnes vivificabuntur.