Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It would seem that the Blessed Virgin was sanctified before animation. Because, as we have stated (Article 1), more grace was bestowed on the Virgin Mother of God than on any saint. Now it seems to have been granted to some, to be sanctified before animation. For it is written (Jer. 1:5): "Before I formed thee in the bowels of thy mother, I knew thee": and the soul is not infused before the formation of the body. Likewise Ambrose says of John the Baptist (Comment. in Luc. i, 15): "As yet the spirit of life was not in him and already he possessed the Spirit of grace." Much more therefore could the Blessed Virgin be sanctified before animation.

Objection 2: Further, as Anselm says (De Concep. Virg. xviii), "it was fitting that this Virgin should shine with such a purity that under God none greater can be imagined": wherefore it is written (Canticles 4:7): "Thou art all fair, O my love, and there is not a spot in thee." But the purity of the Blessed Virgin would have been greater, if she had never been stained by the contagion of original sin. Therefore it was granted to her to be sanctified before her flesh was animated.

Objection 3: Further, as it has been stated above, no feast is celebrated except of some saint. But some keep the feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin. Therefore it seems that in her very Conception she was holy; and hence that she was sanctified before animation.

Objection 4: Further, the Apostle says (Rm. 11:16): "If the root be holy, so are the branches." Now the root of the children is their parents. Therefore the Blessed Virgin could be sanctified even in her parents, before animation.

On the contrary, The things of the Old Testament were figures of the New, according to 1 Cor. 10:11: "All things happened to them in figure." Now the sanctification of the tabernacle, of which it is written (Ps. 45:5): "The most High hath sanctified His own tabernacle," seems to signify the sanctification of the Mother of God, who is called "God's Tabernacle," according to Ps. 18:6: "He hath set His tabernacle in the sun." But of the tabernacle it is written (Ex. 40:31,32): "After all things were perfected, the cloud covered the tabernacle of the testimony, and the glory of the Lord filled it." Therefore also the Blessed Virgin was not sanctified until after all in her was perfected, viz. her body and soul.

I answer that, The sanctification of the Blessed Virgin cannot be understood as having taken place before animation, for two reasons. First, because the sanctification of which we are speaking, is nothing but the cleansing from original sin: for sanctification is a "perfect cleansing," as Dionysius says (Div. Nom. xii). Now sin cannot be taken away except by grace, the subject of which is the rational creature alone. Therefore before the infusion of the rational soul, the Blessed Virgin was not sanctified.

Secondly, because, since the rational creature alone can be the subject of sin; before the infusion of the rational soul, the offspring conceived is not liable to sin. And thus, in whatever manner the Blessed Virgin would have been sanctified before animation, she could never have incurred the stain of original sin: and thus she would not have needed redemption and salvation which is by Christ, of whom it is written (Mt. 1:21): "He shall save His people from their sins." But this is unfitting, through implying that Christ is not the "Saviour of all men," as He is called (1 Tim. 4:10). It remains, therefore, that the Blessed Virgin was sanctified after animation.

Reply to Objection 1: The Lord says that He "knew" Jeremias before he was formed in the womb, by knowledge, that is to say, of predestination: but He says that He "sanctified" him, not before formation, but before he "came forth out of the womb," etc.

As to what Ambrose says, viz. that in John the Baptist there was not the spirit of life when there was already the Spirit of grace, by spirit of life we are not to understand the life-giving soul, but the air which we breathe out . Or it may be said that in him as yet there was not the spirit of life, that is the soul, as to its manifest and complete operations.

Reply to Objection 2: If the soul of the Blessed Virgin had never incurred the stain of original sin, this would be derogatory to the dignity of Christ, by reason of His being the universal Saviour of all. Consequently after Christ, who, as the universal Saviour of all, needed not to be saved, the purity of the Blessed Virgin holds the highest place. For Christ did not contract original sin in any way whatever, but was holy in His very Conception, according to Lk. 1:35: "The Holy which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God." But the Blessed Virgin did indeed contract original sin, but was cleansed therefrom before her birth from the womb. This is what is signified (Job 3:9) where it is written of the night of original sin: "Let it expect light," i.e. Christ, "and not see it"---(because "no defiled thing cometh into her," as is written Wis. 7:25), "nor the rising of the dawning of the day," that is of the Blessed Virgin, who in her birth was immune from original sin.

Reply to Objection 3: Although the Church of Rome does not celebrate the Conception of the Blessed Virgin, yet it tolerates the custom of certain churches that do keep that feast, wherefore this is not to be entirely reprobated. Nevertheless the celebration of this feast does not give us to understand that she was holy in her conception. But since it is not known when she was sanctified, the feast of her Sanctification, rather than the feast of her Conception, is kept on the day of her conception.

Reply to Objection 4: Sanctification is twofold. one is that of the whole nature: inasmuch as the whole human nature is freed from all corruption of sin and punishment. This will take place at the resurrection. The other is personal sanctification. This is not transmitted to the children begotten of the flesh: because it does not regard the flesh but the mind. Consequently, though the parents of the Blessed Virgin were cleansed from original sin, nevertheless she contracted original sin, since she was conceived by way of fleshly concupiscence and the intercourse of man and woman: for Augustine says (De Nup. et Concup. i): "All flesh born of carnal intercourse is sinful."

Articulus 2

Argumentum 1

Ad secundum sic proceditur. Videtur quod beata virgo sanctificata fuit ante animationem. Quia, ut dictum est, plus gratiae est collatum virgini matri dei quam alicui sanctorum. Sed quibusdam videtur esse concessum quod sanctificarentur ante animationem.

Quia dicitur Ierem. I, priusquam te formarem in utero, novi te, non autem infunditur anima ante corporis formationem.

Similiter etiam de ioanne baptista dicit Ambrosius, super Luc., quod nondum inerat ei spiritus vitae, et iam inerat ei spiritus gratiae.

Ergo multo magis beata virgo ante animationem sanctificari potuit.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, conveniens fuit, sicut Anselmus dicit, in libro de conceptu virginali, ut illa virgo ea puritate niteret qua maior sub deo nequit intelligi, unde et in Cant. IV dicitur, tota pulchra es, amica mea, et macula non est in te.

Sed maior puritas fuisset beatae virginis si nunquam fuisset inquinata contagio originalis peccati. Ergo hoc ei praestitum fuit quod, antequam animaretur caro eius, sanctificaretur.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, sicut dictum est, non celebratur festum nisi de aliquo sancto. Sed quidam celebrant festum conceptionis beatae virginis.

Ergo videtur quod in ipsa sua conceptione fuerit sancta.

Et ita videtur quod ante animationem fuerit sanctificata.

Argumentum 4

Praeterea, apostolus dicit, Rom. XI, si radix sancta, et rami.

Radix autem filiorum sunt parentes eorum. Potuit ergo beata virgo sanctificari etiam in suis parentibus, ante animationem.

Sed Contra

Sed contra est quod ea quae fuerunt in veteri testamento, sunt figura novi, secundum illud I Cor. X, omnia in figura contingebant illis.

Per sanctificationem autem tabernaculi, de qua dicitur in Psalmo, sanctificavit tabernaculum suum altissimus, videtur significari sanctificatio matris dei, quae tabernaculum dei dicitur, secundum illud Psalmi, in sole posuit tabernaculum suum.

De tabernaculo autem dicitur, Exod. Ult., postquam cuncta perfecta sunt, operuit nubes tabernaculum testimonii, et gloria domini implevit illud.

Ergo et beata virgo non fuit sanctificata nisi postquam cuncta eius perfecta sunt, scilicet corpus et anima.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod sanctificatio beatae virginis non potest intelligi ante eius animationem, duplici ratione. Primo quidem, quia sanctificatio de qua loquimur, non est nisi emundatio a peccato originali, sanctitas enim est perfecta munditia, ut dionysius dicit, XII cap. De div. Nom.. Culpa autem non potest emundari nisi per gratiam, cuius subiectum est sola creatura rationalis. Et ideo ante infusionem animae rationalis beata virgo sanctificata non fuit. Secundo quia, cum sola creatura rationalis sit susceptiva culpae, ante infusionem animae rationalis proles concepta non est culpae obnoxia. Et sic, quocumque modo ante animationem beata virgo sanctificata fuisset, nunquam incurrisset maculam originalis culpae, et ita non indiguisset redemptione et salute quae est per christum, de quo dicitur Matth. I, ipse salvum faciet populum suum a peccatis eorum.

Hoc autem est inconveniens, quod christus non sit salvator omnium hominum, ut dicitur I Tim. IV.

Unde relinquitur quod sanctificatio beatae virginis fuerit post eius animationem.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod dominus dicit ante formationem in utero ieremiam novisse, notitia scilicet praedestinationis, sed sanctificasse se dicit eum, non ante formationem, sed antequam exiret de ventre, etc..

Quod autem dicit Ambrosius, quod ioanni baptistae nondum inerat spiritus vitae cum iam haberet spiritum gratiae, non est intelligendum secundum quod spiritus vitae dicitur anima vivificans, sed secundum quod spiritus dicitur aer exterius respiratus. Vel potest dici quod nondum inerat ei spiritus vitae, idest anima, quantum ad manifestas et completas operationes ipsius.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod, si nunquam anima beatae virginis fuisset contagio originalis peccati inquinata, hoc derogaret dignitati christi, secundum quam est universalis omnium salvator.

Et ideo sub christo, qui salvari non indiguit, tanquam universalis salvator, maxima fuit beatae virginis puritas. Nam christus nullo modo contraxit originale peccatum, sed in ipsa sui conceptione fuit sanctus, secundum illud Luc. I, quod ex te nascetur sanctum vocabitur filius dei.

Sed beata virgo contraxit quidem originale peccatum, sed ab eo fuit mundata antequam ex utero nasceretur.

Et hoc significatur iob III, ubi de nocte originalis peccati dicitur, exspectet lucem, idest christum, et non videat (quia nihil inquinatum intravit in illam, ut dicitur Sap. Vii), nec ortum surgentis aurorae, idest beatae virginis, quae in suo ortu a peccato originali fuit immunis.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod, licet Romana ecclesia conceptionem beatae virginis non celebret, tolerat tamen consuetudinem aliquarum ecclesiarum illud festum celebrantium. Unde talis celebritas non est totaliter reprobanda. Nec tamen per hoc festum conceptionis celebratum datur intelligi quod in sua conceptione fuerit sancta. Sed, quia quo tempore sanctificata fuerit ignoratur, celebratur festum sanctificationis eius, potius quam conceptionis, in die conceptionis ipsius.

Ad 4

Ad quartum dicendum quod duplex est sanctificatio. Una quidem totius naturae, inquantum scilicet tota natura humana ab omni corruptione culpae et poenae liberatur. Et haec erit in resurrectione. Alia vero est sanctificatio personalis. Quae non transit in prolem carnaliter genitam, quia talis sanctificatio non respicit carnem, sed mentem. Et ideo, etsi parentes beatae virginis fuerunt mundati a peccato originali, nihilominus beata virgo contraxit peccatum originale, cum fuerit concepta secundum carnis concupiscentiam et ex commixtione maris et feminae, dicit enim Augustinus, in libro de nuptiis et concupiscentia, omnem quae de concubitu nascitur, carnem esse peccati.