Tertia Pars #

A study of St. Thomas Aquinas’s Tertia Pars (Third Part of the Summa Theologiae). These lectures examine the Incarnation, the life and work of Christ, His Passion and Resurrection, and the sacraments through which grace is communicated to the faithful.

122 episodes, about 111 hours

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Classes #

Class 1 2008-09-18 #

Part 1 of 2 · From the Head to the Feet: The Word Made Flesh and the Plan of the Tertia Pars #

67 min Berquist opens from the two angels at Christ’s tomb — head and feet — as a figure for divinity and humanity, then turns to Summa Theologiae III, q. 1 and Summa Contra Gentiles III, ch. 17 to trace how the Incarnation is placed within the whole plan of sacred doctrine.

Part 2 of 2 · Why God Became Man: Summa III, Question 1, Articles 1–2 #

56 min Berquist opens the Tertia Pars, working through Summa III, q. 1, aa. 1–2 on whether it was fitting for God to become man and whether the Incarnation was the necessary remedy for sin.

Class 2 2008-09-25 #

Part 1 of 2 · Why God Became Man: Summa Contra Gentiles IV, 54 and the Thirteen Reasons #

56 min Berquist works through Aquinas’s roughly eight reasons for the fittingness of the Incarnation in Summa Contra Gentiles IV, 54, comparing them to the ten parallel reasons in the Summa Theologiae.

Part 2 of 2 · Would God Have Become Incarnate Without Sin? Original Sin and the Timing of the Incarnation (ST III q.1 aa.3–5) #

66 min Berquist works through ST III, q.1, aa.3–5: would the Word have become flesh had man never sinned, and why did God wait so long to send Christ?

Class 3 2008-10-02 #

Part 1 of 2 · Aquinas on the Incarnation: Its Timing, the Plan of the Third Part, and Why Christ Has Not One Nature but Two (ST III, q.1 a.6 – q.2 a.1) #

70 min Berquist finishes Aquinas’s question on why the Incarnation came in the “fullness of time,” then opens Question 2, working through the term “nature” to show why Christ has two natures, not one fused nature as Eutyches held.

Part 2 of 2 · The Union in One Person: Cyril, the Athanasian Creed, the Human Nature as God’s Joined Tool, and Why Christ Is Not a Human Person (ST III, q.2 a.1–2) #

52 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 2, a. 1–2 on why Christ is one person in two natures rather than a blend, and why the human nature has no personhood of its own.

Class 4 2008-10-09 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III, Q.2, Arts. 3–5: One Hypostasis in Christ, the Sense in Which His Person Is ‘Composed’, and the Union of His Soul and Body #

63 min Berquist works through Summa III, q.2, aa.3-5 on whether Christ’s union is in the hypostasis or the person, whether that person is rightly called “composed,” and how his soul and body are joined without producing a second hypostasis.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III, Q.2, Arts. 5–6: Christ’s Soul and Body Joined to a Pre-existing Person, and Why the Union Is Not Accidental #

62 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 2, arts. 5–6, asking whether the union of body and soul in Christ was less perfect than in other men, and whether human nature was joined to the Word merely accidentally.

Class 5 2008-10-16 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III, Q.2, Arts. 7–8: The Union Is Created, Real Relations vs. Relations of Reason, and Union vs. Assumption #

64 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 2, aa. 7–8, asking whether the hypostatic union is itself created and how “union” differs technically from “assumption,” with a detour into real versus rational relations.

Part 2 of 2 · Thomas as Teacher of Things and Words; Q.2, Art. 9: The Greatest of Unions, and Things That Differ Only in Thought #

68 min Berquist opens with Aquinas’s distinction between teaching “things” and teaching “words,” then works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 2, a. 9 on whether the union of two natures in Christ is the greatest of unions.

Class 6 2008-10-23 #

Part 1 of 2 · Relations of Reason, the Divine Power, and the Grace of Union (ST III, Q.2, aa.10–11) #

52 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 2, aa. 10–11, asking whether Christ’s grace of union could have been preceded by any human merit, weighing relations of reason against the Father’s power to generate and to create.

Part 2 of 2 · Grace Natural to Christ, the Assuming Person, and ‘Simply’ vs. ‘In Some Way’ (ST III, Q.2 a.12 – Q.3 aa.1–2) #

57 min Berquist finishes Question 2 on whether the grace of union was natural to Christ, then opens Question 3, asking whether assuming a human nature belongs to a divine person and to the divine nature (ST III, q.2 a.12; q.3 aa.1–2).

Class 7 2008-10-30 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III, Q.3, Arts. 3–6: Assuming a Nature Without Personality, the Son Alone Incarnate, Whether Father or Spirit Could Assume Flesh, and Three Persons in One Human Nature #

66 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 3, aa. 3–6, asking whether a divine nature apart from personhood could assume flesh, and why the Son alone became incarnate rather than Father or Spirit.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III, Q.3, Arts. 7–8: One Person in Two Human Natures, the Fallacy of the Accident, Marx on Making, and Why the Son Became Incarnate #

51 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 3, aa. 7–8: can one divine person assume two human natures, and why was it the Son, not the Father or Spirit, who became incarnate?

Class 8 2008-11-20 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III, Q.4, Arts. 1–3: Why Human Nature Could Be Assumed, and Why Not a Person or a Man (with a Digression on the Two Senses of ‘Through’) #

58 min Berquist works through Summa III, Q.4, Arts. 1–3, asking why human nature was fitting for the Word to assume, and whether the Son assumed a person or a man.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III, Q.4, Arts. 4–6: Not Abstract Human Nature, Not All Individuals, but from Adam’s Stock (with a Digression on Universal Cause vs. Universal Predication) #

50 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 4, arts. 4–6: why the Son assumed human nature not in the abstract, not in every individual, but specifically from Adam’s stock.

Class 9 2008-12-04 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III q.5 a.1–2: Did the Son of God Take a True, Earthly Body? (with notes on the Compendium of Theology) #

39 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 5, a. 1–2, where Aquinas argues that the Son of God assumed a true, earthly human body against Manichaean and Valentinian claims that it was merely apparent or heavenly.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III q.5 a.3–4 and q.6 a.1: Christ’s Soul and Mind, and the Order of the Assumption (Flesh Assumed Through the Soul) #

70 min Berquist works through Summa III, q.5, a.3–4 and q.6, a.1: did the Son of God assume a human soul, and a human mind, and in what order did He unite flesh and soul to Himself?

Class 10 2009-01-08 #

Part 1 of 2 · Aquinas on the Incarnation (ST III q.6 a.2–3): Spirit, Soul and Body, and Why Christ’s Soul Did Not Exist Before His Flesh #

45 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 6, a. 2–3, on the order in which the Word assumed flesh, soul, and spirit—and why Christ’s soul was not created and united to the Word before the Incarnation.

Part 2 of 2 · Aquinas on the Incarnation (ST III q.6 a.4–6): Flesh and Soul Assumed Together, the Whole Before the Parts, and the Role of Grace #

48 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 6, articles 4–6, asking whether Christ’s flesh was assumed before His soul, whether human nature was taken on whole or part by part, and whether grace mediated the union.

Class 11 2009-01-15 #

Part 1 of 2 · Can a Human Being Be God? Nature and Person, and Christ’s Habitual Grace (ST III, q.7, a.1) #

45 min Berquist opens with a news story about a priest denying Christ’s divinity, using Aristotle’s distinction between nature and person to show how philosophy defends the mystery, then turns to Aquinas on whether Christ’s soul has habitual grace (ST III, q.7, a.1).

Part 2 of 2 · Virtues, Faith, Hope, the Gifts and Fear of the Lord in Christ (ST III, q.7, aa.2–6) #

63 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q.7, aa.2–6, asking which virtues, and whether faith, hope, and fear, belonged to Christ.

Class 12 2009-01-22 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III q.7 a.7–9: Christ’s Freely Given Graces, Prophecy, and the Fullness of His Grace #

56 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 7, a. 7-9 on Christ’s gratuitously given graces, his gift of prophecy, and the fullness of grace in his human nature.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III q.7 a.10–11: Is Fullness of Grace Christ’s Alone? Mary, Envy in Heaven, and Whether Christ’s Grace Is Infinite #

53 min Berquist works through Summa III q.7 a.10–11, asking whether fullness of grace belongs to Christ alone and whether his grace is infinite, with detours on envy and friendship.

Class 13 2009-01-29 #

Part 1 of 2 · Can Christ’s Grace Increase? (ST III, Q.7, a.12): Natural Limits, ‘Simply’ vs. ‘In a Qualified Sense’, and Freedom from Envy #

67 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 7, a. 12 on whether Christ’s grace could increase, distinguishing limits from the subject and limits from the form, with a detour through Anselm’s Cur Deus Homo.

Part 2 of 2 · Habitual Grace Follows the Union (Q.7, a.13); Mixing Up Word Senses; Introduction to Q.8 on Christ as Head of the Church #

44 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 7, a. 13 on whether Christ’s habitual grace follows the hypostatic union, then previews Question 8 on Christ as head of the Church.

Class 14 2009-02-05 #

Part 1 of 2 · Aquinas, Summa III q.8, Articles 1-3: Christ as Head of the Church, in Body and Soul, and of All Men #

43 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 8, articles 1-3, on whether Christ is head of the Church in his humanity, whether that headship reaches men’s bodies as well as souls, and whether it extends to all men or only believers.

Part 2 of 2 · Aquinas, Summa III q.8, Articles 4-8: Christ as Head of the Angels, Grace of the Head, Other Heads, and the Devil and Antichrist as Heads of the Wicked #

60 min Berquist works through Summa III, q.8, articles 4-8, asking whether Christ is head of the angels, whether headship-grace differs from his personal grace, and whether the devil and Antichrist can also be called “head.”

Class 15 2009-02-12 #

Part 1 of 2 · The Knowledge of Christ I: Why Christ Has Human Knowledge and the Beatific Vision (ST III, q.9, aa.1-2) #

54 min Berquist opens Question 9 of the Tertia Pars, asking whether Christ had any knowledge beyond his divine knowledge and whether he possessed the knowledge of the blessed, working through Aquinas’s arguments article by article.

Part 2 of 2 · The Knowledge of Christ II: Infused and Acquired Knowledge, and Knowing the Same Thing in Different Ways (ST III, q.9, aa.3-4) #

71 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 9, aa. 3-4, asking whether Christ had infused knowledge alongside beatific vision, and whether he also had acquired knowledge gained through experience.

Class 16 2009-02-19 #

Part 1 of 2 · Aquinas on Christ’s Beatific Knowledge (ST III q.10 a.1–2): The Soul of Christ Does Not Comprehend God but Knows All Things in the Word #

54 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 10, a. 1–2, asking whether Christ’s human soul comprehended the divine essence and whether it knew all things in the Word.

Part 2 of 2 · Christ’s Knowledge of the Infinite and His Supreme Vision of God (ST III q.10 a.3–4), with a Digression on ‘Simply’ vs. ‘In Some Way’ and the Prologue to Infused Knowledge (q.11) #

57 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 10, a. 3–4 on whether Christ’s soul knows infinite things and sees the Word more perfectly than any creature, with a detour through Plato’s Meno and Aristotle’s Sophistical Refutations.

Class 17 2009-02-26 #

Part 1 of 2 · Studiorum Ducem and Christ’s Infused Knowledge: Does It Reach All Things, and Does It Need Images? (Summa III, Q.11, aa.1–2) #

67 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 11, aa. 1–2 on Christ’s infused knowledge, asking whether it extends to all things and whether it requires turning to mental images, with help from Aristotle’s De Anima.

Part 2 of 2 · Christ’s Infused Knowledge: Reasoning Step by Step, Compared with the Angels, Held as a Habit, Split into Many Habits (Summa III, Q.11, aa.3–6) #

41 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 11, articles 3 through 6, asking whether Christ’s infused knowledge was discursive, how it stands compared with angelic knowledge, and whether it forms one habit or many.

Class 18 2009-03-05 #

Part 1 of 2 · Christ’s Acquired Knowledge: Did He Know All Things, Grow in Knowledge, or Learn from Men? (ST III, Q.12, aa.1–3) #

57 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 12, aa. 1–3, asking whether Christ’s acquired knowledge extended to all things, whether it grew, and whether he learned from men or angels.

Part 2 of 2 · Christ, the Angels, and the Limits of His Soul’s Power: Omnipotence and Changing Creatures (ST III, Q.12 a.4; Q.13 aa.1–2) #

51 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 12, a. 4 and q. 13, aa. 1–2, asking whether Christ learned from angels and whether his soul’s power over creatures was itself omnipotent.

Class 19 2009-04-02 #

Part 1 of 2 · Christ’s Power over His Body and His Will (ST III q.13 a.3–4), with Digressions on ’the Way, the Truth, and the Life’ and God as the End of Understanding Creatures #

45 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q.13, a.3–4 on Christ’s power over his own body and will, then digresses through “I am the way, the truth, and the life” and Summa Contra Gentiles I, ch. 60 on God as the end of the intellect.

Part 2 of 2 · The Bodily Defects Christ Took On (ST III q.14 a.1–4) #

65 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 14, a. 1–4, asking why Christ took on bodily defects like hunger and death, whether he had to, and why some but not all.

Class 20 2009-04-23 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III q.15 a.1–3: Whether Christ Had Sin, the Fomes of Sin, or Ignorance (with music, moral virtue and reason’s rule over the emotions) #

67 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 15, articles 1–3, asking whether Christ had sin, the fomes of sin, or ignorance—drawing on Augustine and Aristotle, and pausing to criticize Roger Haight’s Christology.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III q.15 a.4–5: The Passions of Christ’s Soul and His True Bodily Pain (with notes on ‘undergoing’, Logos and Hilary’s hard text) #

50 min Berquist works through Summa III, q.15, articles 4 and 5, asking whether Christ’s soul could suffer and whether his bodily pain was real, testing the question against Augustine, Aristotle, Cicero, Jerome, and a hard text of Hilary of Poitiers.

Class 21 2009-04-30 #

Part 1 of 2 · Aquinas on Christ’s Emotions: Sadness and Fear (Summa III, Q.15, Arts. 6–7) #

39 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 15, articles 6 and 7, asking whether Christ could truly feel sadness and fear without those passions disturbing his reason.

Part 2 of 2 · Christ’s Wonder and Anger, Christ as Both Wayfarer and Comprehensor, and a Look Ahead to Q.16 (Summa III, Q.15, Arts. 8–10) #

54 min Berquist finishes Summa III, q. 15 on Christ’s human psychology, asking whether wonder and anger belong in Christ and how he is both wayfarer and comprehensor, then previews q. 16.

Class 22 2009-05-07 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III q.16 a.1: Is It True That ‘God Is a Man’? Predication, Supposition and the Incarnation #

53 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 16, a. 1 on whether “God is man” is true, unpacking how “God” and “man” can stand for the one divine person in two natures.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III q.16 a.2–4: ‘Man Is God’, the ‘Lordly Man’, and Saying Human Things of God #

55 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 16, articles 2 through 4, asking whether “man is God” is true, whether Christ may be called a “lordly man,” and how divine and human names get exchanged in Christ.

Class 23 2009-05-14 #

Part 1 of 2 · Aquinas on the Incarnation (ST III q.16, a.5–6): Can Human Things Be Said of the Divine Nature? Was God Made Man? #

48 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q.16, articles five and six, asking whether things proper to human nature can be said of the divine nature, and in what sense God was made man.

Part 2 of 2 · Aquinas on the Incarnation (ST III q.16, a.7–10): Was Man Made God? Is Christ a Creature? Did This Man Begin to Be? #

67 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 16, articles 7-10, testing whether “man was made God,” whether Christ is a creature, and whether “that man” began to be.

Class 24 · Aquinas on Christ’s Unity: Whether Christ as Man Is a Person, and Whether Christ Is One or Two (Summa III, q.16–17) #

2009-09-10 · 75 min Berquist works through Aquinas on whether Christ is one person or two, using Boethius’s definition of person and the suppositum/nature distinction (Summa III, q.16, a.12 and q.17, a.1).

Class 25 2009-09-17 #

Part 1 of 2 · Aquinas on Christ (ST III, q.17 a.1–q.18 a.1): One Being and Two Wills #

69 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q.17 a.1–2 and q.18 a.1, asking why Christ is not simply “two” and why he has two wills, not one.

Part 2 of 2 · Christ’s Sense Desire (ST III, q.18 a.2): The Emotions, Reason, Mozart and the Arts #

38 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 18, a. 2 on whether Christ had a “will of sensuality” distinct from his rational will, tracing the concupiscible and irascible emotions through Mozart’s operas and Shakespeare.

Class 26 2009-10-08 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III q.18 a.3–4: The Will as Nature and as Reason, and Free Choice in Christ #

49 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 18, articles 3 and 4, tracing Damascene’s distinction between thelesis (will as nature) and boulesis (will as reason) to ask whether Christ possessed free choice.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III q.18 a.5–6: ‘Not My Will but Yours’ – Christ’s Human Will and the Divine Will, With No Conflict Between Them #

35 min Berquist works through Summa III q.18, a.5–6, asking whether Christ’s human will ever diverged from the divine will and whether his several wills conflicted—Gethsemane’s “not my will but thine” is the test case.

Class 27 2009-10-22 #

Part 1 of 2 · Truth Crowned, the Wine of Wisdom, and Whether God Creates by Nature or Will; Christ’s Two Operations (ST III q.19 a.1) #

55 min Berquist wanders from Shakespeare’s Pericles and divine mercy to Aquinas on creation by will versus necessity, then settles into Summa Theologiae III, q.19, a.1, on whether Christ has one operation or two.

Part 2 of 2 · Replies on the Theandric Operation, Christ’s Human Operations, and Christ’s Merit for Himself and for Us (ST III q.19 a.1-4) #

48 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 19, a. 1-4 on whether Christ’s operations are one or many, and whether his human action merited both for himself and for us.

Class 28 2009-10-29 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III, Q. 20: Is Christ Subject to the Father and to Himself? (with the ‘crowning’ sense of before and conjecture about the Trinity) #

59 min Berquist works through Summa III, Q. 20 on whether Christ is subject to the Father and to himself, tracing Aquinas’s threefold distinction of how Christ’s human nature stands under God.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III, Q. 21: The Prayer of Christ – Whether He Prayed, Through His Sense Nature, for Himself, and Whether He Was Always Heard #

56 min Berquist works through all four articles of Summa III, Q. 21, asking whether Christ prayed, whether prayer belonged to him through sensuality, whether he prayed for himself, and whether he was always heard.

Class 29 2009-11-05 #

Part 1 of 2 · The Priesthood of Christ, Part 1: Christ as Priest and Victim, and How His Sacrifice Takes Away Sin (Articles 1-3) #

69 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 22, a. 1-3, asking whether Christ is a priest, whether he is both priest and victim, and whether his priesthood takes away sin, drawing on Hebrews throughout.

Part 2 of 2 · The Priesthood of Christ, Part 2: A Priest for Others, a Priest Forever, and the Order of Melchizedek (Articles 4-6) #

46 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 22, articles 4 through 6, asking whether Christ’s priesthood benefits Christ himself, whether it lasts forever, and why he is a priest “according to the order of Melchisedech.”

Class 30 2009-11-12 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III, Q. 23: Adoption – Does God Adopt Sons, and Is Christ an Adopted Son? #

62 min Berquist works through Summa III, Q. 23 on divine adoption, ending with article 4’s hard case: why Christ, despite his human nature, cannot be called an adopted son.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III, Q. 24: The Predestination of Christ and Why It Is the Model and Cause of Ours #

50 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 24 on Christ’s predestination, article by article: whether Christ was predestined, as man, and why his predestination is both exemplar and cause of ours.

Class 31 2009-11-19 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III, Q. 25, Arts. 1–3: One Adoration of Christ, Latria for His Humanity, and Adoring His Image #

48 min Berquist works through Summa III, Q. 25, Arts. 1–3, asking whether Christ receives one adoration or two, whether his flesh itself is owed latria, and whether his images may be venerated the same way.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III, Q. 25, Arts. 4–6 and Q. 26: The Cross, Mary’s Hyperdulia, Relics of the Saints, and Christ the Mediator #

55 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 25, arts. 4–6 on adoring the cross, honoring Mary with hyperdulia, and venerating relics, then opens q. 26 on Christ as sole mediator between God and man.

Class 32 2009-12-03 #

Part 1 of 2 · Aquinas on Mary’s Sanctification in the Womb (ST III q.27 a.1–2) and Pius IX’s Definition of the Immaculate Conception #

57 min Berquist works through Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae III, q. 27, a. 1–2 on whether Mary was sanctified in the womb before animation, then sets that argument against Pius IX’s definition of the Immaculate Conception.

Part 2 of 2 · Mary Free of the Fomes and of Actual Sin, and Her Fullness of Grace (ST III q.27 a.3–5) #

52 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 27, articles 3 through 5, on whether Mary was free of the fomes of sin, whether she ever sinned actually, and whether she had the fullness of grace.

Class 33 2009-12-10 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III, Q27 a.6 & Q28 a.1–2: John the Baptist and Jeremiah Made Holy in the Womb; Mary a Virgin in Conceiving and Giving Birth #

61 min Berquist closes Question 27 by asking why John the Baptist and Jeremiah were sanctified in the womb like Mary, then opens Question 28 on whether she remained a virgin in both conceiving and bearing Christ.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III, Q28 a.3–4: Mary Ever-Virgin, Christ’s ‘Brothers’, and Mary’s Vow of Virginity #

40 min Berquist works through Summa III, Q28 a.3–4, testing scriptural objections to Mary’s perpetual virginity — “till she brought forth,” Christ’s “brothers” — against Jerome’s reply to Helvidius and the question of her prior vow.

Class 34 2009-12-17 #

Part 1 of 2 · Aquinas on the Betrothal of the Virgin: Why Christ Was Born of a Betrothed Virgin #

42 min Berquist works through Aquinas’s Summa on why Christ was born of a betrothed virgin, laying out the reasons on Christ’s, Mary’s, and humanity’s behalf for the marriage to Joseph.

Part 2 of 2 · The True Marriage of Mary and Joseph, and the Annunciation: Why It Was Announced and Why by Gabriel #

67 min Berquist works through Aquinas on whether Mary and Joseph had a true marriage despite perpetual virginity, then opens the question of why the Incarnation was announced to Mary beforehand by an angel.

Class 35 2010-01-07 #

Part 1 of 2 · De Malo on Punishment and Sin; Summa III q.30 a.3: Why the Angel Appeared to Mary in Bodily Vision #

35 min Berquist opens with Aquinas’s De Malo on why fault outweighs punishment, then works through Summa III, q. 30, a. 3 on why the angel appeared to Mary in a bodily vision.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III q.30 a.4: The Order of the Annunciation and Wonder as the Beginning of Philosophy; q.31 a.1: Christ’s Flesh Taken from Adam #

41 min Berquist finishes Summa III q.30 a.4 on the fitting order of Gabriel’s Annunciation, then opens q.31 a.1 on whether Christ’s flesh was taken from Adam.

Class 36 2010-01-14 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III q.31 a.2–3: Christ as Son of David and the two genealogies (Matthew vs. Luke, Joseph’s two fathers) #

47 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 31, a. 2–3, defending Christ’s title “son of David and Abraham” and reconciling Matthew’s and Luke’s conflicting genealogies, including the puzzle of Joseph’s two fathers.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III q.31 a.3–4: The symbolism of the genealogy numbers, the women in the genealogy, and why Christ took flesh from a woman #

57 min Berquist works through Aquinas on why Matthew’s and Luke’s genealogies of Christ differ in numbering and in the women they name, then turns to whether it was fitting that Christ be conceived and born of a woman.

Class 37 2010-01-28 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III q.31 a.5–8: The Matter of Christ’s Body – The Virgin’s Pure Blood, Christ in Adam and the Fathers, and Why He Was Not Tithed in Abraham #

56 min Berquist reads Summa III, q. 31, articles 5 through 8, on whether Christ’s flesh was conceived from the Virgin’s purest blood, whether it pre-existed determinately in Adam and the patriarchs, and whether he was tithed in Abraham along with Levi.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III q.32 a.1–3: The Holy Spirit and Christ’s Conception – Appropriation to the Spirit, ‘Conceived de Spiritu Sancto,’ and Why the Spirit Is Not Christ’s Father #

54 min Berquist works through Summa III, q.32, a.1–3, asking whether the Holy Spirit is the efficient cause of Christ’s conception, why we say Christ was conceived “of” the Spirit, and why the Spirit is not thereby Christ’s father.

Class 38 2010-02-04 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III, Q.32 a.4 & Q.33 aa.1–2: Mary’s Role in Conceiving Christ, the Body Formed and Given a Soul in an Instant #

63 min Berquist works through Summa III, Q.32 a.4 on whether Mary actively contributed to Christ’s conception, then Q.33 aa.1-2 on the instantaneous formation and ensoulment of Christ’s body.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III, Q.33 aa.3–4 & Q.34 aa.1–2: Flesh Taken On as It Was Conceived, a Miraculous Conception, Christ’s Holiness and Free Will from the First Instant #

58 min Berquist works through Summa III, qq. 33–34, asking whether Christ’s flesh was assumed only at the instant of conception, whether that conception was natural or miraculous, and whether he had grace, free judgment, and sensation from the first moment.

Class 39 2010-02-11 #

Part 1 of 2 · Christ’s Merit and Beatific Vision from the First Instant of His Conception; Is Birth Said of the Person or the Nature? #

57 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, qq. 34–35, on whether Christ merited from the first instant of his conception and was immediately a comprehensor beholding God, then opens the question of whether birth belongs to nature or to person.

Part 2 of 2 · Christ’s Two Births, Mary as True Mother and Mother of God, and Whether Christ Has Two Sonships #

63 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 35, articles 2 through 5, on Christ’s temporal birth, whether he has two sonships, and why Mary is truly Mother of God.

Class 40 2010-02-18 #

Part 1 of 2 · The Nativity of Christ: Born Without Pain, in Bethlehem, at the Fullness of Time (ST III, q.35, a.6–8) #

47 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 35, a. 6–8, asking why Christ was born without pain to Mary, why Bethlehem, and why that particular hour of history.

Part 2 of 2 · The Manifestation of the Newborn Christ: To Whom, Why Hidden, Shepherds and Magi (ST III, q.36, a.1–4) #

65 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 36 on the manifestation of Christ’s birth: why it was shown to shepherds and Magi rather than all, or none, or to Christ himself directly.

Class 41 2010-02-25 #

Part 1 of 2 · The Manifestation of Christ’s Birth: Angels, the Star, and the Order of Revelation (ST III, Q.36, aa.5–7) #

64 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 36, aa. 5–7: why shepherds learn of Christ’s birth from angels, the Magi from a star, and what order that revelation follows.

Part 2 of 2 · The Magi’s Adoration and Gifts; the Circumcision of Christ and the Name Jesus (ST III, Q.36 a.8; Q.37 aa.1–2) #

51 min Berquist finishes Aquinas’s question on the Magi’s adoration and gifts, then opens the question on Christ’s circumcision and the name Jesus, working closely through the Latin text of the Summa Theologiae III, qq. 36–37.

Class 42 2010-03-04 #

Part 1 of 2 · The Faith of Peter, the Articles of Faith, and Christ Presented in the Temple (ST III q.36-37) #

52 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 37 on Christ’s presentation and circumcision in the Temple, weighing why turtledoves or pigeons replaced a lamb and what Mary’s purification meant.

Part 2 of 2 · The Baptism of John: Why John Baptized, Whether It Was from God and Gave Grace (ST III q.38 a.1-4) #

49 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 38, articles 1-4, on why John baptized, whether his baptism came from God, and whether it conferred grace.

Class 43 2010-03-11 #

Part 1 of 2 · The Creed’s Articles on Christ’s Humanity; John’s Baptism: Why It Continued and Why Its Recipients Were Baptized Again #

50 min Berquist works through Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae III, q. 38 on John the Baptist’s baptism—why it continued alongside Christ’s own baptism, and why those John baptized still needed baptism again—alongside a handout on the causes of love.

Part 2 of 2 · The Baptism of Christ: Why He Was Baptized, Why by John, and Why at Thirty #

62 min Berquist works through the opening articles of Aquinas’s question on Christ’s baptism (Summa Theologiae III, q. 39, aa. 1–3): why Christ was baptized at all, why by John rather than another, and why at age thirty.

Class 44 2010-04-08 #

Part 1 of 2 · Aquinas on Christ’s Baptism (ST III q.39 a.4–5): Why the Jordan, and Why the Heavens Opened #

41 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 39, articles 4 and 5, asking why Christ was baptized in the Jordan rather than the Red Sea, and why the heavens opened at that moment.

Part 2 of 2 · Aquinas on Christ’s Baptism (ST III q.39 a.6–8): The Dove, Whether It Was Real, and the Father’s Voice #

62 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 39, a. 6–8, asking why the Spirit appeared as a dove at Christ’s baptism, why fire appeared instead at Pentecost, and whether the Father’s voice was fittingly heard.

Class 45 2010-04-15 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III, Q. 40, Art. 1: Why Christ Lived Among Men, Not Alone (with a Side-Discussion on Church Music) #

43 min Berquist opens Summa III, Q. 40, asking why Christ chose to live among men rather than in solitude—then wanders through church music and history before returning to why Christ still withdrew from crowds.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III, Q. 40, Arts. 2–4: Christ’s Ordinary Way of Life, His Poverty, and His Keeping of the Law #

60 min Berquist works through Summa III, Q. 40, articles 2–4, asking whether Christ should have lived austerely like John the Baptist, chosen poverty, and kept the Mosaic Law in his daily conduct.

Class 46 2010-04-22 #

Part 1 of 2 · Question 41, Articles 1–2: Why Christ willed to be tempted, and why in the desert (with digressions on Mozart’s symmetry and the virtues in music) #

57 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 41, aa. 1–2, asking why Christ willed to be tempted and why in the desert, then wanders into Mozart’s symphonic symmetry and Plato on Socrates’ death.

Part 2 of 2 · Question 41, Articles 3–4: Temptation after fasting, and the manner and order of the three temptations #

52 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 41, articles 3 and 4, asking why Christ was tempted after fasting and why the devil’s three temptations came in the order they did.

Class 47 2010-04-29 #

Part 1 of 2 · Aquinas on Christ’s Teaching: Why Christ Preached First to the Jews and Why He Did Not Fear Offending the Pharisees (ST III q.42 a.1-2) #

49 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 42, articles 1 and 2, asking why Christ preached first to the Jews rather than the Gentiles, and why he did not shrink from provoking the scribes and Pharisees.

Part 2 of 2 · Did Christ Teach in Secret? Parables, the Spoken Word vs. the Written Word, and the Start of Christ’s Miracles (ST III q.42 a.3-4, q.43-45 Prologues) #

54 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 42, a. 3-4 on whether Christ should have taught openly, spoken in parables, or left anything in writing.

Class 48 2010-05-06 #

Part 1 of 2 · Christ’s Miracles in General: Why He Did Them, by What Power, When They Began, and Whether They Show His Divinity (ST III q.43) #

64 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 43, articles 1–4, on Christ’s miracles: whether he ought to have worked them, by what power, why he waited until Cana, and whether they sufficiently manifest his divinity.

Part 2 of 2 · The Kinds of Christ’s Miracles: Casting Out Demons and the Darkening of the Sun at the Passion (ST III q.44 aa.1-2) #

42 min Berquist reads Summa III, q. 44, articles 1 and 2, on why Christ’s miracles included casting out demons and darkening the sun at the Passion, with a long detour into Pseudo-Dionysius.

Class 49 2010-05-14 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III, Q.44 a.3–4: Christ’s Miracles on Men and on Irrational Creatures #

45 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 44, a. 3–4, asking why Christ healed both body and soul, and why he worked miracles on animals, plants, water, and bread.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III, Q.45: The Transfiguration of Christ – Its Brightness, Witnesses and the Father’s Voice #

61 min Berquist walks through Summa III, q. 45 on the Transfiguration — why it was fitting, what kind of brightness Christ showed, why Moses, Elijah, Peter, James, and John were present, and why the Father’s voice spoke.

Class 50 2010-09-09 #

Part 1 of 2 · God Became Man: ‘Standing For’, the Fallacy of Accident, and the Senses of ‘Necessary’ – Introduction to the Passion (ST III q.46) #

51 min Berquist opens Summa Theologiae III, q. 46 on Christ’s Passion, first untangling how “God became man” avoids confusing the Trinity’s persons and nature through the logic of a term “standing for” something.

Part 2 of 2 · Was Christ’s Passion Necessary? Necessity of the End, Other Ways of Redemption, and Why the Cross Was Most Fitting (ST III q.46 aa.1–3) #

61 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 46, aa. 1–3, asking whether Christ’s Passion was necessary for redemption, whether another way was possible, and why this way was most fitting.

Class 51 2010-09-16 #

Part 1 of 2 · Why Christ Died on the Wood of the Cross, and Whether He Suffered Every Kind of Suffering #

52 min Berquist works through Aquinas’s seven reasons for the fittingness of death by crucifixion, then asks whether Christ, hanging as one “cursed” on wood, suffered every kind of human suffering.

Part 2 of 2 · Whether Christ’s Pain Was the Greatest of All #

46 min Berquist walks through Summa Theologiae III, q. 46, a. 6, asking whether Christ’s suffering on the cross exceeded every other pain ever endured.

Class 52 2010-09-23 #

Part 1 of 2 · Seeing God as He Is, and Whether Christ Suffered in His Whole Soul (ST III q.46 a.7-8) #

66 min Berquist opens with 1 John 3 on seeing God “as He is,” then works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 46, a. 7-8 on whether Christ suffered in His whole soul.

Part 2 of 2 · The Fitting Time and Place of Christ’s Passion (ST III q.46 a.9-10) #

44 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 46, articles 9 and 10, on whether Christ’s Passion occurred at a fitting time and place—Passover chronology, the Mark/John hour discrepancy, and Golgotha outside Jerusalem’s gate.

Class 53 2010-09-30 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III, Q. 46 a. 11–12 and Q. 47 a. 1–2: Christ Crucified Among Thieves, the Passion and His Divinity, Laying Down His Life, and Dying Out of Obedience #

61 min Berquist reads Summa III, Q. 46, a. 11–12 on Christ crucified between two thieves and whether the Passion touches his divine or human nature, then opens Q. 47, a. 1–2 on whether Christ was killed by others or laid down his own life in obedience.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III, Q. 47 a. 3–6: The Father Handing Over the Son, Jews and Gentiles, the Persecutors’ Knowledge, and How Grave Their Sin Was #

48 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 47, aa. 3–6, asking whether the Father handed the Son over to death, why Christ suffered at Gentile hands, and how much his persecutors knew and were to blame.

Class 54 2010-10-07 #

Part 1 of 2 · Aquinas on the Passion of Christ (ST III, Q.48, aa.1–3): Merit, Satisfaction and Sacrifice #

40 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 48, aa. 1–3, asking how Christ’s Passion caused salvation by way of merit, satisfaction, and sacrifice.

Part 2 of 2 · Aquinas on the Passion of Christ (ST III, Q.48 a.4 – Q.49 a.1): Redemption, Christ the Redeemer, Efficient Cause, and Freedom from Sin #

58 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 48, aa. 4-5 and q. 49, a. 1, asking whether Christ’s Passion saves us by redemption, why “Redeemer” belongs to Christ, and how it frees us from sin.

Class 55 2010-10-12 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III q.49 aa.1–3: Christ’s Passion Frees Us from Sin, the Devil and Punishment #

48 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 49, aa. 1–3, on how Christ’s Passion removes sin, breaks the devil’s hold, and cancels the debt of punishment.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III q.49 aa.4–6: Reconciled to God, the Gate of Heaven Opened, and Christ’s Exaltation #

38 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 49, aa. 4–6, asking whether Christ’s Passion reconciled humanity to God, opened the gate of heaven, and merited his own exaltation.

Class 56 2010-10-28 #

Part 1 of 3 · Abstract and Concrete Names of God, and Why It Was Fitting for Christ to Die (Question 50, Articles 1–2) #

64 min Berquist works through why abstract and concrete names of God—like “Fatherhood” and “Father”—differ only in our way of signifying, then turns to Summa Theologiae III, q. 50 on whether it was fitting for Christ to die.

Part 2 of 3 · Christ’s Soul and Body in Death: Still United to the Word, Not a Man During the Three Days, Not Corrupted in the Tomb (Question 50, Articles 3–6) #

56 min Berquist reads Summa III, q. 50, aa. 3–4 and q. 51, a. 4: whether Christ’s divinity stayed joined to his separated soul and body, whether he remained “a man” during the triduum, and why his flesh did not corrupt.

Part 3 of 3 · The Descent into Hell: Why Christ Went Down and Which Hell He Entered (Question 52, Articles 1–2) #

43 min Berquist takes up Christ’s descent into hell, asking with Aquinas whether it was fitting for Christ to go there at all and which region of hell he actually entered, drawing on Augustine and Gregory.

Class 57 2010-11-17 #

Part 1 of 2 · Christ’s Descent into Hell I: The Whole Christ in Hell, How Long He Stayed, and the Freeing of the Holy Fathers (with Asides on the Names of God and the Highest Good) #

46 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 52 on Christ’s descent into hell — whether Christ was wholly there despite body and soul being separated, how long he remained, and why the holy fathers were not freed at once.

Part 2 of 2 · Christ’s Descent into Hell II: The Damned, Unbaptized Children, Purgatory, and the Start of Christ’s Exaltation #

38 min Berquist works through Aquinas on why Christ’s descent into hell freed some souls but not others—the damned, unbaptized infants, and those in purgatory—then opens the prologue on Christ’s exaltation.

Class 58 2010-12-02 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III, Q.53: The Resurrection of Christ – Why It Was Necessary, the Third Day, Christ as First to Rise, and Rising by His Own Power #

58 min Berquist opens Summa III, Q.53 on the Resurrection, asking why Christ had to rise, why on the third day, why he counts as “first” among the raised, and how he rises by his own power.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III, Q.54: The Quality of the Risen Christ – A True Body, Glorified, Whole, and Still Bearing His Wounds #

56 min Berquist works through Summa III, Q.54, asking whether Christ’s risen body was truly a body, whole, glorious, and yet still marked by the wounds of the Passion.

Class 59 2010-12-09 #

Part 1 of 2 · Summa III q.55 a.1-4: How the Resurrection Was Made Known — To Chosen Witnesses, Not Seen Rising, Not Always With the Disciples, Appearing in Another Likeness #

65 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 55, articles 2–4: why the disciples didn’t see Christ actually rising, why he came and went rather than staying continuously, and why he sometimes appeared “in another likeness,” as on the road to Emmaus.

Part 2 of 2 · Summa III q.55 a.5-6 and q.56 a.1: The Signs That Prove the Resurrection, and Christ’s Resurrection as the Cause of Ours #

56 min Berquist works through Summa III q.55 a.5-6 and q.56 a.1 on why Christ proved his resurrection with signs rather than simply appearing, and how his rising causes ours.

Class 60 2011-01-13 #

Part 1 of 2 · Christ’s Resurrection as Cause of the Resurrection of Souls; Why It Was Fitting for Christ to Ascend, and According to Which Nature #

64 min Berquist reads Aquinas on whether Christ’s Resurrection causes the resurrection of souls (Summa III, q. 56, a. 2), then opens the treatise on the Ascension, asking whether it was fitting and to which nature it belongs (q. 57, aa. 1-2).

Part 2 of 2 · Christ Ascends by His Own Power, Above All the Heavens and All Spiritual Creatures; How the Ascension Causes Our Salvation #

53 min Berquist works through Summa Theologiae III, q. 57, on whether Christ ascended by his own power, above all the heavens, above every spiritual creature, and how the Ascension causes our salvation.

Class 61 2011-01-20 #

Part 1 of 2 · Christ Sitting at the Right Hand of the Father (Summa III, Q. 58) #

52 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 58 on Christ’s session at the Father’s right hand, asking whether it belongs to Him by divine nature, human nature, and to Him alone.

Part 2 of 2 · The Judicial Power of Christ and the Last Judgment (Summa III, Q. 59) #

66 min Berquist works through Summa III, q. 59 on Christ’s judicial power, asking why judgment belongs to him as man, whether he earned it by merit, and whether it reaches even the angels.