Tertia Pars
66. Aquinas on the Betrothal of the Virgin: Why Christ Was Born of a Betrothed Virgin
Class of 2009-12-17
https://berquistcourse.com/course/theology/13-tertia-pars/066-aquinas-on-the-betrothal-of-the-virgin-why-christ-was-born/

[0:01] The name of the Father, the Son, Holy Spirit. Amen. Thank you, God, and thank you, guardian angels. Thank you, Thomas Aquinas. Deo gratias. God, our enlightenment. Guardian angels, come from the lights of our minds, order and illumine our images, and arouse us to consider more correctly. Saint Thomas Aquinas, angelic doctor. Help us to understand all that you've written. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Amen.

[0:34] I was looking at the compendium of theology there, and Thomas is talking about the defects in his body, right, There was a portal, right, and so on, and able to, you know, suffer things like hunger and thirst and so on. And, but he was making a distinction there, saying that in the case of us, we can be said to contract those things, huh, with original sin, huh, and contract means what?

[1:13] Drawn with, and so you had no choice about, right? Along with original sin, you're going to get a mortal body and a body that can suffer and so on, right? Now, well, he didn't contract these defects of the body, Christ, now, but he should be said to assume them, right? But he took them on voluntarily. Kind of interesting, huh? The way he, the way more distinct than what they might be here, but just the way he's speaking even about it, huh?

[1:43] So he's using the word "assume" as opposed to "contract," huh? Yeah. Okay. Well, we we contract these defects of the body, right? But he voluntarily took them on so he could redeem us, huh? To make satisfaction for sin of Adam, huh? Okay. I'm sorry. I just want to ask, since we just talked about this with Our Lady, so how do we understand Our Lady suffering all these things as being free from original sin?

[2:22] She wouldn't contract. It seems it would follow that she wouldn't contract all these defects. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know if Thomas is talking specifically about that, huh? Yeah.

[2:42] Mariologists usually refer. That's usually the debitum they call it, what's owed to the state of sin, the fall, certain things like mortality and all these other things, and they'll say, well, that that might that wasn't owed to marriage. I don't I don't know exactly what the Mariologist. say. the ones that are trustworthy. but I know it's an issue because they have to reason out. Exactly what you're talking about.

[3:05] Well, how did she fit in? If she suffered things, and if she died, which is still sort of up in the air, to some extent, how was that be explained in terms of immaculate conception? Okay. Then we're not

[3:24] to consider about the was it betrothal should we say of the mother of God, and about this two things are asked: whether Christ ought to be born from one who was betrothed, and secondly, whether there was a true marriage between the mother of the Lord and Joseph. To the first, then, one goes forward. Thus, it seems that Christ ought not to be born of a virgin who was betrothed.

[3:58] For betrothal is ordered to a fleshly or bodily union, but the mother of our Lord never willed to what use carnal union with a man, because this would take away from the virginity of her mind.

[4:26] Therefore, she ought not to be what betrothed. Moreover, that Christ was born from a virgin was a miracle. Whence Augustine says in the Epistle to the Volusianum that the power of God, right, through the unviolated viscera of the mother of the Virgin, brought forth the parts or members of the of the infant,

[5:05] which through closed doors, right, he introduced the members of the what youth. Now, if one seeks a reason for this, it's not going to be marvelous, right? If he demands an example, it's not what unique.

[5:24] But miracles, which are made for the confirmation of faith, ought to be manifest. Since, therefore, through this betrothal, this miracle was overshadowed, it seems to not be suitable that Christ was born of one betrothed. You're hiding the miracle, right? Not in your. Moreover,

[5:53] Ignatius the martyr, as Jerome says on Matthew, assigns this cause of the betrothal of the mother of God that the bringing forth. Would be hidden from the what devil right? Huh. When he would think not of a virgin, but of a a wife, it was what generated. Which cause seems to be nothing right? Because the devil, those things which bodily right, come about, he knows by the perspicacity of his what.

[6:38] sense, knowledge, or not? doesn't have any sense, no, sense, of senses, huh? Also, because through many evident signs afterwards, the demons in some way knew Christ. Huh. Hence, it is said in Mark chapter one that the man in the unclean spirit right claimed saying, "What is it to you and us, Jesus of Nazareth? Huh? Have you come to destroy us or to lose us? I know that you are the Holy One of God.

[7:14] Therefore, does not seem to be suitable that the Mother of God was what betrothed to hide this all about from the demons. Huh. And fourth reason, moreover, another reason is assigned by Jerome, lest they stone the Mother of God. Right. Lest the mother of God be stoned by the Jews as a adulterous woman. And this reason seems to be nothing, huh? Because if she was not betrothed, one could not what condemn her of adultery, right?

[7:53] Huh. And therefore, does not seem reasonable that Christ was born of one what betrothed. But against all this is what is said in Matthew one verse eighteen, when the mother was Mary was betrothed to Joseph, right? And it says also in Luke chapter one that the Gabriel the angel was sent to Mary, a virgin betrothed to the man whose name was Joseph. Those are two gospels that have the infancy narrative to have their God.

[8:34] Okay. So what does the Master going to say about this now? It's funny when our Lord said to him, "You know, you're rich in wealth, Thomas. You say except for. " I also get

[8:53] at the the count of that in the Compendium of theology, huh? And Thomas, you know, he's talking about how the virgin is free of all actual sin, mortal Vino as well as mortal, right? Huh. And then, then he quotes a thing, you know, tota macula, you know, you know that, yeah, from thing, and he said, "Why does he tie it to the?" To the.

[9:22] Okay. But it still seems like that whole argument had to do with his notion of generation there. On that, what we studied, you know, him saying that because you don't have a person, you don't have a person before the ensoulment, therefore you don't have anything to perfect yeah, but there's nothing to be sinful either. Yeah, you would have you wouldn't have original sin till you have a rational soul, and so it's after the soul is infused that the purification that original sin is contracted, and that therefore you have. To be purged, if you're going to be purged in the womb, right?

[10:02] Yeah. I I I was I was talking to Father here before. There's a little there's a little chapter in Thomas there where he asks the question, why did Christ want to be born of a virgin, right? Huh? And the first reason he gives is that if he was born of the union of the male and the female, then he would contract original sin. Yeah. And I think that the male is more important than the female as far as contract original sin.

[10:34] And so that if Adam had not, if Adam himself had not gone along with with the suggestion of Eve, we would not have had original sin passed down to us because of Eve, right? That came down to Adam, right? And that's also the reason that Thomas gives, and he gets to talking about the was a virgin, right? That she did contract original sin because she was a result of the union of the male and the female.

[11:03] And and then he also gives the reason, you know, about universal causality of Christ, right? That redeemed us all. And so it would it would take away from the dignity of Christ, huh? If Mary was not redeemed by him too, right? You know how how in the definition of the thing it says in view of his merits, right? So that's kind of the way we get around that, right?

[11:27] Huh? Okay. And and I mentioned how you know it's interesting that Thomas does in talking about mortal sin make the interesting statement that we're all saved from mortal sin by Christ, some of us by being forgiven after committing mortal sin, most of us, I guess, and and a few of us by being preserved from falling into mortal sin, right? So he has a way of speaking, right?

[11:57] Just still being saved from mortal sin, even though you've never committed mortal sin. In a way, the church is saying that about about original sin, right? That she's saved from original sin in view of the merits of Christ, right? Even though she never what contracted it, right? Okay.

[12:26] So he says it was suitable that Christ be born of a virgin betrothed, both on account of himself, right? And on account of his mother, right? And on account of us, That's pretty complete, yeah. And on account of Christ himself for a fourfold fourfold reason. I didn't expect him to be this this unfolded this much, right?

[13:00] That's especially found in Shakespeare, and I guess that was the timeless thing. But unfold yourself, you'd say to somebody, right? And I remember sometimes Charles declined saying, "Unfold yourself to the student." You know, I said, "Here, Thomas, unfold yourself." You know, because kind of, you know, it's it's all you know tied up in his head, and then unfold it, and you see the whole thing, right? That can you spread out a cloth?

[13:24] It's a good word, speaking. Unfold yourself. The Latin form of that is "explicate," which means literally means to unfold, pull out. By the way, "plecare" to fold something, "explicare" to unfold it. Yeah.

[13:40] So, I didn't realize I was going to unfold this many times. I keep on doing it. First, lest by the what faithless right. He be rejected as one unlawfully what born right.

[14:06] For Ambrose, whence Ambrose says on Luke, "What to the Jews, what to what Herod can be ascribed, if the one born was seen from what

[14:24] persecuted, right? Okay. " It was in those days when that actually mattered to people. It's like it's a different thing anyway. I remember seeing somewhere. You know, I think I mentioned this before. You know, but someone was complaining about the phrase "illegitimate child." Right? He says, "In my day, we called it a love child." Oh. Yes, sir.

[14:52] Common expression. So it sounds much nicer, you know. My mother used to say, "If two people, the woman was pregnant before they got married, then when the child was born, they say, 'Oh, it's premature. '"

[15:08] That was a little bad way of saying it. Covering it up. Well, this one guy said, "Premier." Yeah. The first child can come any time. After that, it takes nine months.

[15:21] It's kind of fun. Um. Secondly, that in a what the consueto it means a customary, right? The customary way, his genealogy might be described through the what? Yeah, we had that mass this morning. There, he was reading that passage there, beginning of what Matthew, yeah, and so so. I think the priest, you know, you realize he's losing his audience a bit. there, as he goes through all these names, you know.

[16:01] You know, when Thomas goes through it, you know. and Abraham begot Isaac, and Isaac begot Jacob. Faith begot hope, and hope begot charity, and then it goes to all the other names, just some kind of a thing, and it's really kind of impressive, you know. But if you just had by itself, you know, that's the thing was is is it sinful, you know, to pass this over when you are reading scripture?

[16:26] It has to be unfolded, you know, like Thomas does. That's when the deacon comes in handy. You read the gospel today. You heard about that in the Tabor meetings, in the Congress there, some Democrat, kind of a leftist, you know, he introduced a appendix not appendix, but a what do you call it to the amendment? Yeah, seventy pages long, right? Huh? And some Republican demanded that that be read into the record.

[17:01] So the guy was going on and reading and reading, and the guy came back was very mad it was being read because the whole plan, you know, being revealed and so on. So he he threw his his amendment, which I guess points against the you have to against the laws of the Senate, So you have to have the unanimous consent to stop to stop a reading. So, but that doesn't make any difference.

[17:22] These guys, I guess. Really? Okay. Secondly, that in a custom way his genealogy might be described through the man, whence Ambrose says on Luke, who came into the what age, ought to be described by the custom of the age, ah.

[17:55] But the person of the male right is asked who in the Senate and in the other what offices of the city right takes on the what? Family. Yeah. Clan.

[18:14] For custom instructs us of the scriptures, which always seeks the origin of the what? Yeah. Somebody might be willing to say very digger about this. I would say who? You could

[18:30] say non-Jew. Yeah. But these two are getting married now. They won't take the name of their husband, you know. They keep their own name, you know. It's kind of besides being kind of ridiculous, you know. If you're two in one flesh, you should be at least to take the other person's name, you know. But that's they didn't take the man's name, you know. Is is same custom in a way?

[18:54] Makes the divorce easier, you know. And for the children, yeah, it's all. They have to pick and choose. Okay. Secondly, for the safe keeping, right? You might say, the tutelage of the boy born, right? Huh? Lest the devil against him would procure vehemently what arms, right? And therefore Ignatius says that she was betrothed, that her giving birth would be hidden from the what devil.

[19:40] Fourth, that he might be nourished by Joseph, whence his father, he said, as it were, the one who what nourished by him. Yeah, she's these ones of Joseph and Mary going down to Egypt, huh? Yeah, she's. Sitting there on the rock or something with the child, he's knocking an egg out of the the tree. You seen those ones? No, I haven't seen the famous picture one. He's you know getting a little bit of food for them on the way down.

[20:23] It was also suitable from the side or on the side of the virgin, huh? First, because through this she is rendered immune from what punishment, huh? Lest she be stoned by the Jews as a what adulteress, huh? And secondly, that through this she might be freed from infamy, right? Whence Ambrose says, huh, on Luke,

[20:54] she was betrothed lest infamy, right, be what? Would be what I don't know that one? Maybe it has to do with burning, so she'd be shamed or something. Yeah, against her virginity. Yeah.

[21:15] To whom? Okay. Third, that from Joseph service might be what shown it right, as Jerome says, right? Okay. Read it again, Father. Read that passage again. Yeah, she was betrothed lest she be wounded by ill by the ill fame of violated virginity. common In whom the pregnant womb would be would be token corruption. Okay. But then only Joseph, for example. That she Joseph might take care of her, right?

[22:10] Right. Oh, she might be ministered. She might be shown a certain service by Joseph. She'd be regarded. Yeah. So three reasons for the virgin. That's seven reasons so far. What's that? Seven reasons so far. Yeah. Okay. And on our side, first that by the testimony of Joseph, right, might be proved that Christ was born from the what virgin, huh? Whence Ambrose says upon Luke, huh, a more complete, you might say, test or witness of the chastity, you might say, of, the husband, what, or one married brings forth.

[22:58] Who is also able to what be sorrowful of an injury right, huh, and to vindicate the opprobrium right, right, if he did not know the holy thing, the sacrament. Okay.

[23:15] Secondly, because the words of the Virgin would be more what more believable, rendered more asserting her what virginity right. Hence, Ambrose says upon Luke that the faith of Mary

[23:35] is more asserted by words right, and the cause of lying what moved, huh? For it seems to wish to to hide right the guilt right by a lie, the one who is pregnant not being what married, huh?

[24:05] But this cause a reason for lying. One betrothed does not have right, huh? Since the ward of the conjugal union right, and the grace of what of marriage right is the bringing forth of the what woman, huh? Which too pertain to the firmness of our what faith, huh?

[24:42] So, again, the testimony of Joseph and then the words of Mary, right, huh? Both of them. Okay. Third, that there might be taken away

[24:56] the excuse from what virgins right, who, on account of their lack of caution, right, do not avoid what infamy, huh? Hence, Ambrose says. Yeah, I suppose she was not betrothed, and she said, "Well, this is reckless. How other virgins do this, right? Okay. Okay. That reminds of the parable of the foolish virgins. So, it

[25:39] should not be suitable for virgins to have what living a sinister opinion, right? Ah, a to be left with a veil of excuse. Covering their crimes. Ah, that the infamy of the Mother of the Lord, right. Shame, yeah. Scorch. Oh, yeah. I'm saying, so he says, less other, less other virginity set.

[26:09] Yeah. Yeah. As an excuse for their their misbehavior. Oh, she did it, so you know. Yeah. Well. Okay. And fourth, because of this, is signified the what? Universal Church, which since it is a virgin, is betrothed to one man, Christ, right? As Augustine says in the book on Holy Virginity, huh?

[26:40] That's another reason Augustine there, from Augustine. There can also be a fifth reason because the mother of the Lord was betrothed and a virgin. In the person of her, both virginity and matrimony are what honored against the heretics detracting from either of these. You

[27:10] you know Augustine says and Thomas says that he chose to be born of a virgin to bless that state right, and then he went to what? To to be blessed by the the widow to bless that state of widowhood, and then finally went to to Cana to bless the state of matrimony, but in that order, right?

[27:33] So that the virgin was the highest state, and then widowhood was above in a marriage, right? And you kind of see that in these saints like Saint Francis de Sales there, which is Saint Jane. Yeah, yeah, yeah. She was a widow, right? When she founded her the order of Margaret Mary. Yeah. So also Saint Elizabeth. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's another one. Yeah. So widowhood is is is a state higher than even matrimony, right?

[28:09] But that all three states were lawful, right? He was born a virgin first, and then he was blessed by Anna, was it in the temple, a widow, and then he went to the. I even turned the water into wine. Don't forget that part.

[28:42] Okay, now how's he going to handle these objections, right? Huh? Is it betrothal ordered to the? Flesh the union, right? To the first, therefore, it should be said that the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of God, from a familiar instinct of the Holy Spirit, right,

[29:15] is what believed to have what wanting to be his spouse. Yeah, taking hope or confidence of the divine aid that should ever come to the Carmel Union.

[29:36] But this, nevertheless, she committed to the divine what judgment head. Whence, in no way, did she undergo anything detrimental to her what virginity? So she's kind of on the you know like we say about Saint John. The Baptist is he a prophet or is he an apostle? You know, he's kinda almost on the border, right? She's kind of between the new and the old testament, right? In the old testament, you know, you'd have to get married, thing to do, right?

[30:13] And so you gotta take kind of that into account here in this response, huh? Yeah. Okay. What about hiding a miracle? To a second, it should be said that Ambrose says upon Luke, the Lord would hurt, right? That some doubt about his origin, right? And they doubt about the what purity Purity of his mother, right? They're actually expecting his mother, right? Okay.

[31:12] For he knew that tender was the shame of the virgin, right? And the lascivious the fame not the lascivious but was it lubricum? What do you have for the book? Slippery, inconstant, and it's deceitful. Yeah, the fame of.

[31:40] How easily the fair name of Yeah, it's lost. I guess, on Stippery, yeah. Lubricant. So you have to look at the word lubricate, right? Stippery, yeah.

[31:56] Nor did he think that the his origin, the faith of his origin, ought to be what strewn with injuries to his mother. A good, good son. Good boy.

[32:19] But Thomas makes another, sees a distinction here. It should be known, however, that of the miracles of God, some are that about which there is faith, right? Just as the miracle of the of the virgin birth and of the resurrection of the Lord, right? And also the sacrament of the altar, so he calls the Eucharist, huh? Yeah.

[32:50] So he says, "de quibus est fides," and it's not to get faith, right? But something that that you are you need to believe. Okay. Okay. And some miracles are to the what? Confirmation of faith, right? It's like when he when he said to Lazarus, "Come forth," right? They've been in the tomb there for four days, right? Okay. And these ought to be manifest, right? Okay.

[33:27] Did you skip the sentence? Yeah, and idiomatically, the first kind, the Lord willed that they be more. hidden. Oh no, I skipped that sentence. Okay. And therefore, the Lord wished these to be more hidden, right? Huh? That the faith or belief in them might be more what? meritorious, huh? Okay. Oh, okay.

[33:51] But some miracles are for the approval, we might say, right? Confirmation of faith, and these ought to be what? More manifest, right? So the blind man there being cured by Christ, right? The Lazarus being raised, and so. on. Okay.

[34:19] Two parts of that. Reply. What about hiding it for the devil? To the third, should be said as Augustine says in the third book about the Trinity.

[34:37] The doubt the devil is able to do many things by virtue of his nature, from which nevertheless he is prevented by the power of God.

[34:50] And in this way, it can be said that by virtue of his nature, by the power of his nature, the devil would be able to know that the Mother of God was not what corrupted, right? But a virgin, huh? But he was prevented from God to know the way of the what? Divine birth, bringing forth, huh? Nor is it stand against this that afterwards, in some way, right, the devil could know him to be what?

[35:25] The Son of God, huh? Because already it was the time that Christ would show his power against the devil, right? And that he would undergo persecution aroused by him, right? Huh? But in infancy, it is necessary to prevent the malice of the devil, lest he more what? Sharply or bitterly persecute him, right? Huh? When Christ neither was disposed to what suffer, nor to show his power, right?

[35:58] Huh? But in all other things. Show himself like, you know. Leo Papa in the sermon about the Epiphany, that the Magi found the boy Jesus small in size, right? Huh? In need of what? He didn't help.

[36:26] Impotentum, right? Not powerful, and no way separated from the generality of human what? Infancy, huh? He acted like a baby, right? Okay. Ambrose, nevertheless, upon Luke seems more to refer to the members of the devil. For the

[36:57] for the fourth point reason about deceiving the prince of the world, he says. But nevertheless, more are deceived the princes of the world, right? Huh? For the malice of the devils,

[37:16] even easily what grasp occult things, hidden things. But those who are occupied with secular vanities are not able to know divine things, huh? How many legions does the Pope have? Stalin said.

[37:45] One of the guys who was interviewing or speaking to Stalin, you know, and getting Stalin, you know. I was in kind of a good mood, Stalin, you know, and he he has this translator there, right? He says, "You know too much." He says, "I'm going to have to send you to to Siberia." He says, and he says he's making toasts, you know, huh? He says, "So, so he's in charge of bringing you know materials up to the front lines.

[38:14] He better do so, or he'll be hung." You love this, you know. One guy after another, you know, making toasts and saying something like that, you know. He better do this, or he'll be. Right. Because everyone was looking at you know all the Russians were keeping their eyes on Stalin, everything, and he he looks like he's completely in in

[38:35] control, you know. Uncle Joe. Yeah. Uncle Joe. Churcian, and for a while the Churcian and Rosario called him Uncle Joe, you know. But then as they began to see that he was not going to, you know, fulfill his promises, they started to refer to him as the bear, you know, Russian bear.

[39:07] You could see him, you know, pouring water in his glass instead of vodka, you know, so he could stay more sober, you know, keep his eyes open.

[39:18] Okay. So it doesn't say in Scripture that they would not have crucified him if they know he was the King of Glory, right? Isn't that something of that effect? What's your text in here? But I think Thomas quotes it sometimes. Yeah, maybe it's in his commentary. Yeah.

[39:47] What about you know being stoned? To the fourth, it should be said that one was stoned by the judgment of adultery according to the law. Not only the one who was what betrothed or married, but also the one who was kept in the house of the father, right? As a virgin who was going to be at some time what espoused, huh? Whence it is said in Deuteronomy chapter twenty-two, if there is not found in the girl virginity, right, huh, with stones, right, the men of the city should what bruise her, right?

[40:39] And let her die, right? Because it is not lawful in Israel that one fornicates in the house of one's what father, right, huh? Or it can be said, according to some, that the blessed virgin was of the what? Tribe Yeah, of Aaron Yeah. When she was cognate of Elizabeth, right?

[41:08] But a virgin of the priestly genus, right? On account of what? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Virgin, yeah. Yeah, raping is is killed, right, huh? For it is said in Leviticus twenty-one that the daughter of a priest, if she be apprehended in stupro it's deflowering, yeah, yeah. And she violates the name of her father, right? She be what burned with flames.

[41:48] Those were the days. Those were the days. But some refer the word of Jerome to the stoning of what infamy, right? The first part is answering more the objection.