Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It seems that the sacramental character is not the character of Christ. For it is written (Eph. 4:30): "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed." But a character consists essentially in some. thing that seals. Therefore the sacramental character should be attributed to the Holy Ghost rather than to Christ.

Objection 2: Further, a character has the nature of a sign. And it is a sign of the grace that is conferred by the sacrament. Now grace is poured forth into the soul by the whole Trinity; wherefore it is written (Ps. 83:12): "The Lord will give grace and glory." Therefore it seems that the sacramental character should not be attributed specially to Christ.

Objection 3: Further, a man is marked with a character that he may be distinguishable from others. But the saints are distinguishable from others by charity, which, as Augustine says (De Trin. xv), "alone separates the children of the Kingdom from the children of perdition": wherefore also the children of perdition are said to have "the character of the beast" (Apoc. 13:16,17). But charity is not attributed to Christ, but rather to the Holy Ghost according to Rm. 5:5: "The charity of God is poured forth in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost, Who is given to us"; or even to the Father, according to 2 Cor. 13:13: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the charity of God." Therefore it seems that the sacramental character should not be attributed to Christ.

On the contrary, Some define character thus: "A character is a distinctive mark printed in a man's rational soul by the eternal Character, whereby the created trinity is sealed with the likeness of the creating and re-creating Trinity, and distinguishing him from those who are not so enlikened, according to the state of faith." But the eternal Character is Christ Himself, according to Heb. 1:3: "Who being the brightness of His glory and the figure," or character, "of His substance." It seems, therefore, that the character should properly be attributed to Christ.

I answer that, As has been made clear above (Article 1), a character is properly a kind of seal, whereby something is marked, as being ordained to some particular end: thus a coin is marked for use in exchange of goods, and soldiers are marked with a character as being deputed to military service. Now the faithful are deputed to a twofold end. First and principally to the enjoyment of glory. And for this purpose they are marked with the seal of grace according to Ezech. 9:4: "Mark Thou upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and mourn"; and Apoc. 7:3: "Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, till we sign the servants of our God in their foreheads."

Secondly, each of the faithful is deputed to receive, or to bestow on others, things pertaining to the worship of God. And this, properly speaking, is the purpose of the sacramental character. Now the whole rite of the Christian religion is derived from Christ's priesthood. Consequently, it is clear that the sacramental character is specially the character of Christ, to Whose character the faithful are likened by reason of the sacramental characters, which are nothing else than certain participations of Christ's Priesthood, flowing from Christ Himself.

Reply to Objection 1: The Apostle speaks there of that sealing by which a man is assigned to future glory, and which is effected by grace. Now grace is attributed to the Holy Ghost, inasmuch as it is through love that God gives us something gratis, which is the very nature of grace: while the Holy Ghost is love. Wherefore it is written (1 Cor. 12:4): "There are diversities of graces, but the same Spirit."

Reply to Objection 2: The sacramental character is a thing as regards the exterior sacrament, and a sacrament in regard to the ultimate effect. Consequently, something can be attributed to a character in two ways. First, if the character be considered as a sacrament: and thus it is a sign of the invisible grace which is conferred in the sacrament. Secondly, if it be considered as a character. And thus it is a sign conferring on a man a likeness to some principal person in whom is vested the authority over that to which he is assigned: thus soldiers who are assigned to military service, are marked with their leader's sign, by which they are, in a fashion, likened to him. And in this way those who are deputed to the Christian worship, of which Christ is the author, receive a character by which they are likened to Christ. Consequently, properly speaking, this is Christ's character.

Reply to Objection 3: A character distinguishes one from another, in relation to some particular end, to which he, who receives the character is ordained: as has been stated concerning the military character (Article 1) by which a soldier of the king is distinguished from the enemy's soldier in relation to the battle. In like manner the character of the faithful is that by which the faithful of Christ are distinguished from the servants of the devil, either in relation to eternal life, or in relation to the worship of the Church that now is. Of these the former is the result of charity and grace, as the objection runs; while the latter results from the sacramental character. Wherefore the "character of the beast" may be understood by opposition, to mean either the obstinate malice for which some are assigned to eternal punishment, or the profession of an unlawful form of worship.

Articulus 3

Argumentum 1

Ad tertium sic proceditur. Videtur quod character sacramentalis non sit character christi.

Dicitur enim Ephes. IV, nolite contristare spiritum sanctum dei, in quo signati estis.

Sed consignatio importatur in ratione characteris. Ergo character sacramentalis magis debet attribui spiritui sancto quam christo.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, character habet rationem signi. Est autem signum gratiae quae per sacramentum confertur. Gratia autem infunditur animae a tota trinitate, unde dicitur in Psalmo, gratiam et gloriam dabit dominus.

Ergo videtur quod character sacramentalis non debeat specialiter attribui christo.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, ad hoc aliquis characterem accipit ut eo a ceteris distinguatur. Sed distinctio sanctorum ab aliis fit per caritatem, quae sola distinguit inter filios regni et filios perditionis, ut Augustinus dicit, XV de Trin., unde et ipsi perditionis filii characterem bestiae habere dicuntur, ut patet Apoc. XIII.

Caritas autem non attribuitur christo, sed magis spiritui sancto, secundum illud Rom. V, caritas dei diffusa est in cordibus nostris per spiritum sanctum, qui datus est nobis; vel etiam patri, secundum illud II Cor. Ult., gratia domini nostri iesu christi et caritas dei.

Ergo videtur quod character sacramentalis non sit attribuendus christo.

Sed Contra

Sed contra est quod quidam sic definiunt characterem, character est distinctio a charactere aeterno impressa animae rationali, secundum imaginem consignans trinitatem creatam trinitati creanti et recreanti, et distinguens a non configuratis, secundum statum fidei.

Sed character aeternus est ipse christus, secundum illud Heb. I, qui cum sit splendor gloriae et figura, vel character, substantiae eius.

Ergo videtur quod character proprie sit attribuendus christo.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod, sicut ex supra dictis patet, character proprie est signaculum quoddam quo aliquid insignitur ut ordinandum in aliquem finem, sicut charactere insignitur denarius ad usum commutationum, et milites charactere insigniuntur quasi ad militiam deputati. Homo autem fidelis ad duo deputatur.

Primo quidem, et principaliter, ad fruitionem gloriae. Et ad hoc insigniuntur signaculo gratiae, secundum illud Ezech. IX, signa thau super frontes virorum gementium et dolentium; et Apoc. VII, nolite nocere terrae et mari neque arboribus, quoadusque signemus servos dei nostri in frontibus eorum.

Secundo autem deputatur quisque fidelis ad recipiendum vel tradendum aliis ea quae pertinent ad cultum dei. Et ad hoc proprie deputatur character sacramentalis. Totus autem ritus christianae religionis derivatur a sacerdotio christi. Et ideo manifestum est quod character sacramentalis specialiter est character christi, cuius sacerdotio configurantur fideles secundum sacramentales characteres, qui nihil aliud sunt quam quaedam participationes sacerdotii christi, ab ipso christo derivatae.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod apostolus ibi loquitur de configuratione secundum quam aliquis deputatur ad futuram gloriam, quae fit per gratiam. Quae spiritui sancto attribuitur, inquantum ex amore procedit quod deus nobis aliquid gratis largiatur, quod ad rationem gratiae pertinet, spiritus autem sanctus amor est.

Unde et I ad Cor. XII dicitur, divisiones gratiarum sunt, idem autem spiritus.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod character sacramentalis est res respectu sacramenti exterioris, et est sacramentum respectu ultimi effectus. Et ideo dupliciter potest aliquid characteri attribui. Uno modo, secundum rationem sacramenti. Et hoc modo est signum invisibilis gratiae, quae in sacramento confertur.

Alio modo, secundum characteris rationem. Et hoc modo signum est configurativum alicui principali, apud quem residet auctoritas eius ad quod aliquis deputatur, sicut milites, qui deputantur ad pugnam, insigniuntur signo ducis, quo quodammodo ei configurantur. Et hoc modo illi qui deputantur ad cultum christianum, cuius auctor est christus, characterem accipiunt quo christo configurantur. Unde proprie est character christi.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod charactere distinguitur aliquis ab alio per comparationem ad aliquem finem in quem ordinatur qui characterem accipit, sicut dictum est de charactere militari, quo in ordine ad pugnam distinguitur miles regis a milite hostis.

Et similiter character fidelium est quo distinguuntur fideles christi a servis diaboli, vel in ordine ad vitam aeternam, vel in ordine ad cultum praesentis ecclesiae. Quorum primum fit per caritatem et gratiam, ut obiectio procedit, secundum autem fit per characterem sacramentalem.

Unde et character bestiae intelligi potest, per oppositum, vel obstinata malitia, qua aliqui deputantur ad poenam aeternam; vel professio illiciti cultus.