Tertia Pars
86. Aquinas on Christ's Baptism (ST III q.39 a.4–5): Why the Jordan, and Why the Heavens Opened
Class of 2010-04-08
https://berquistcourse.com/course/theology/13-tertia-pars/086-aquinas-on-christs-baptism-st-iii-q-39-a-4-5-why-the-jordan/

[0:00] Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen. Thank you, God. Thank you, guardian angels. Thank you, Thomas Aquinas. Dios, gracias. God, our enlightenment. Guardian angels, strengthen the lights of our minds, order and illumine our images, and arouse us to consider more correctly. Saint Thomas Aquinas, angelic doctor. Great. Help us to understand what is written. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. So I guess we left off in question thirty-nine, article four, whether Christ ought to be baptized in the Jordan, huh?

[0:40] One thing about Thomas's way of writing, their scholastic way of writing, there makes you kind of stop on each point, you know. Why most times you read things are kind of it's all mishmash, you know, it's kind of a continuous thing, but not different points. Stream of consciousness. Yeah. Besides,

[1:05] I had to work on you know some gospel besides John, you know. So I downloaded the container aureo for Luke, you know, that's when that was appropriate for Lent, you know. And so I'm working out when I'm out there in in El Paso. You know how your computers do strange things. And for some reason, you know, I was doing was was going through each lectio and separating each thinker, so Chrysostom and what he said, and then you know rather have it one big block where it's kind of hard to read.

[1:42] And then it started, and I just pressed it on return, and it would do that, right? Do you skip another thing? All of a sudden, that paragraph would would appear in red, and then with lines to it. Now, how the heck would we stop doing that? So how how to get rid of it? You know, huh? And the only way I know to get rid of these things is to copy it into another document, and then sometimes that crazy thing stops, right?

[2:10] So so I I I said maybe I was you know putting it in one big block, so we are just breaking the twenty four documents, one for each chapter, right? So now it seems to be working okay again now, but it does crazy things, you know. The computer does sometimes. I think it was in English spell correcting the Latin. Well, it was strange because it would come out in red and then with a line drawn through it.

[2:38] It's a formative, it's a formative, This is a problem with word processors. There's some command in there that you can't see that whoever was maybe editing the text left in there. And this is I've gone through many many chapters, right? And I was like, here, I said, what do we do now? This is what. This is what. word processors do.

[3:01] Computers don't make life easier. Yeah. So to the fourth one goes forward. Thus, it seems that Christ ought not to be baptized in the Jordan,

[3:18] for the truth ought to correspond to the figure. But the figure of baptism proceeds in the going over of the Red Sea, right, where the Egyptians were submerged. Just as sins are washed out or taken out in baptism, therefore it seems that Christ ought to be baptized in the sea than in the River Jordan.

[3:47] Moreover, Jordan is interpreted descent. That's what the word means, I guess. But by baptism, someone more ascends than descends. Whence, in Matthew chapter three, it is said that being baptized, Christ at once ascended from the water. Therefore, it seems unsuitable that Christ was be baptized in the Jordan. I know he's going to say what's in the name, like Shakespeare. What are you going to do? Moreover, the sons of Israel passing by are going across the waters of the Jordan were turned back, as is read in Joshua chapter four, and as is said in the hundred and thirteenth Psalm.

[4:33] But those who are baptized are not turned back, but they proceed forward. Therefore, it is not suitable that Christ be baptized in the Jordan.

[4:46] Against this is what is said in Mark chapter one, that Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan. Thomas says on the body of the article. I answer: It should be said that the Jordan River, the River Jordan, was that to which the sons of Israel entered into the land of the promise. But this, the baptism of Christ, had in a special way, before all their baptisms, that it leads us into the kingdom of God,

[5:27] which is signified by the land of promise. Whence it is said in John chapter three verse five, unless someone be reborn from water and the Holy Spirit, he is not able to enter into the kingdom of God.

[5:49] To which also pertains what that Elias divided the waters of the Jordan, which was what. Who was in the fiery chariot to be taken away up into heaven, as it is said in the fourth book of Kings?

[6:09] Because passing through the what was the baptism, through the fire of the Holy Spirit, there is entrance into what heaven, and therefore it was suitable that Christ be what baptized in the Jordan.

[6:28] Now, what about the Red Sea? To the first, therefore, it should be said that the transition over the sea, the Red Sea, or through the Red Sea, prefigures baptism. In this respect, that baptism takes away sins, right? But the transition of the Jordan

[6:53] prefigures, right, baptism, that it opens the door of celestial kingdom. That's why I think of a little baby, you know, the gates of heaven open up for her, you know, today, right? He is baptized, which is the what more More principal effect of baptism. That's interesting, isn't it? Surprise! He says that because usually it feels pick up what the water is signifying, washing away of sin, huh?

[7:27] Is that in a sense then becomes the end? Yeah, I suppose it's affirmative, right? I mean, someone asked you about the sacrament of confession. Is it more to wash away one's sin or to give one grace? What would you say? Being penitent, taking one's sin. I wouldn't be penitent. Yeah, but it not only does that, but

[7:57] the sin is not taken away by our free will, but chiefly through grace, but not without our free will. Yeah, I mean, is we're not given grace through our sin being taken away, but our sin is taken away through grace being. Yeah, so grace seems to be more principal there, right? And even when they define a sacrament, at least in the old catechism, an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace, so it kind of is if that's a principal effect of it, huh?

[8:28] And the sacrament of sacraments, the Eucharist, you know, one explanation of the words Eucharistic, right? If you take it not as Thanksgiving, but eu meaning well and charis meaning grace, and bona gratia sometimes translate in Latin there because you have an excess of what grace, huh? You know, Thomas says in the one that the prayers that for the. Eucharist, o sacrum convivium in quo Christus sumitur, recolitur memoria passionis eius, mens impletur gratia right.

[9:02] there's a fullness of grace in the Eucharist and not, as compared to the sacrament, right? So maybe you have to see this more principle, huh?

[9:18] As a philosopher, you know, to remove error or to teach you the truth, right? Which is a principal thing, yeah. Yeah, and in a way, you exclude error by that, right? But anyway.

[9:37] And through Christ alone is it fulfilled, and therefore it is more suitable that Christ be baptized in the Jordan than in the what? Yeah

[9:55] how's that figured in in the baptism of John Because there is an opening up in heaven of some. way Yeah Luke's Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. To the second, it should be said that in baptism, there is an ascent through the what proceeding or progress in grace, right? Which requires a descent of humility, according to that of James four. He gives what grace to the what humble, and to such a descent is referred the name of the Jordan.

[10:37] Nice way he has explained that, isn't it? This comes out for I was mentioning earlier to someone here that I'd seen this little thing on EWTN, kind of a life of Sister Faustina, you know. Just saw part of it after my class last night, and but this is very much emphasized, this idea of humility, right? As well as the mercy of God, huh? But in our part the what?

[11:08] Humility is very, very, very necessary, huh? Of course, one is struck in on the Magnificat, that the mention is there of her humility rather than of her what charity, right? Huh? Because he humbles himself should be exalted. And now, one way of dividing the six mysteries of the humanity of Christ, you have the three articles of what descent, and then the three articles of ascent. But the three articles of descent come what first, right?

[11:51] Now, what about this idea that water's going back? To the third, it should be said, as Augustine says in the Sermon on the Epiphany, just as what

[12:03] before the waters turned back, right? They were what. Back, they were turned, I guess, in such a way. Is that what you mean? Yeah. So now, Christ being baptized, sins are what turned back. Turned back, yeah. Yeah.

[12:35] That's kind of strange. Oh, so now that's what it means. Yeah. So now. It's kind of a double signification there. of water then, right?

[12:44] Yeah. And a lot of times in scripture, you know, when the when the saint or the or the soul is spoken of being flooded, right, it's what with evil or with something that's contrary to it, right? So. Got to be careful about figures like metaphors, right? You know, the lion of the tribe of Judah, and then the devil is like a lion going around who you can devour, right?

[13:11] Yeah. So the same thing can be, or fire can be a metaphor for concupiscence or for, or for charity and so on. So, one and the same thing can be a metaphor for something very good and for something bad, right?

[13:31] Or it can also, through this, be signified against the descent of the waters and that the what? Well, the the, uh, river of benediction, blessing, Goes up, right? So, if you're backing up the river, it's going up, you know, right?

[13:51] Okay, we'll let Thomas get about that, huh? I think the most interesting thing, though, is that comparison between the Jordan and the Red Sea, right? Yeah. And why one is more appropriate? Yeah. More principal, right? Mm-hmm. I check all three of the synoptic gospels say that when he was baptized, the heavens were open. I didn't, I didn't actually look at John. All just mention that. Yeah. But now it's the next article, so we'll see. To the fifth one goes forward.

[14:35] Thus, it seems that Christ, being baptized, the heavens ought not to have been what opened. That takes place with the first martyr, doesn't it? Too kind of yeah. He sees the heavens open up, and Christ at his right hand. Yeah, and it's a curious detail there because he said he saw him standing at the right hand. Whereas other we often, even at liturgy, mixes that up. On Jesus, St.

[15:02] Stephen said he saw him sitting at the right hand. No, St. Stephen said he saw him standing at the right hand. And the fathers interpreted it because he's there to assist the martyrs. That's why he's standing. And he said, oh. Sitting signifies oh, you know. The man sitting becomes wise as no teacher used to say.

[15:27] Homo sedens fit sapiens. Well, he translated it, the man sitting makes wisdom. His Latin is even worse than mine. To that one ought the heavens to be opened, who needs to get into heaven, right? Who is existing outside of heaven?

[15:58] But Christ always was in heaven, according to that of John chapter three, the Son of Man who is what in heaven. Therefore, it seems that there ought not to be opened up to him the what heavens, huh? Well, maybe his body is not glorified yet. We'll see what Thomas says. Moreover, the opening of the heavens is either to be understood in a bodily way or in a what spiritual way.

[16:33] But it cannot be understood in a bodily way, because the celestial bodies are impassable and unbreakable, huh? According to that of Job chapter thirty-seven, huh? You perhaps huh have made the heavens, which are what most solid, huh? Is what fused by here.

[17:06] But likewise, it cannot be understood spiritually, because before the eyes of the Son of God, God, the heavens were not closed, huh? Therefore, unsuitably, it seems that Christ, being baptized, the heavens were what opened.

[17:30] Moreover, for the faithful, the heaven is opened through the passion of Christ, according to that of Hebrews chapter ten, having confidence or hope in the entry of the saints in the blood of Christ.

[17:49] Whence neither those baptized by the baptism of Christ, who deceased before his passion, right, were able to enter the heavens. Therefore, the heavens ought to have been opened more Christ's suffering than Christ what baptized. That's. Interesting objection. I don't think any commentary in the in the passion that the heavens are open. They have earthquakes and and tearing of the the thing and so on. Yeah.

[18:29] Tombs were open. Yeah, no the the the the the peel was cut. you know, split in. Well, but it says in Luke chapter three there twenty one that Jesus baptized and praying, the heaven was opened.

[18:56] I answer: It should be said that this has been said. Christ wanted to be baptized, so that by his own baptism, huh, he might consecrate or make holy, I guess, the baptism by which we were going to be what baptized. And therefore, in the baptism of Christ, those things ought to be shown which pertain to the efficacy of our baptism.

[19:29] About which three things should be what considered? First, the chief power from which baptism has efficacy, which is the power of heaven, right? And therefore, Christ being baptized, opened is the heaven that might show

[19:56] that a heavenly power sanctifies what that baptism. Right, it was like we were saying about that first martyr too, right? Something about the heavenly power is going to be given to him, right? Undergo his what his martyrdom, right? The first.

[20:21] Secondly, it works for the efficacy of baptism, the faith of the church, right, and of the one who is baptized. Whence the baptized profess what the faith, and baptism is said to be the sacrament of the faith. But by faith we look upon celestial things, which exceed both sense and human reason. And to signifying this, Christ being baptized, the heavens are what—that's interesting argument, huh? It's like revelation.

[21:10] Pull back the oh, the heavens right to be built, right? Third, because through the baptism of Christ, in special ways, open to us an entry to the what heavenly kingdom, which for the first man was cut off, right, or through his what sin, right?

[21:43] Whence Christ being baptized, the heavens are open to show that to the baptized is clear now the road to heaven. So those are three very good reasons, aren't they?

[22:05] So the third reason is that through baptism the road to heaven is now opened up to this little little one, right? What connection between baptism and faith, which is the second reason he gives, huh? That by faith you have access to things in heaven that sense and reason alone could not lead you into, right? And the first reason in terms of the what power of God, right?

[22:42] And that's why we're comparing it to the to the martyr, right? Christ standing rather than sitting, right? The sitting is for contemplating, right? But standing is to do something, right? Action or passion. Yeah. and then even also there's also that sense of judgment. So you know, anyone that at least in the Roman right then make a big deal about the priest sits for confession, hearing confessions, it's a sense of judgment.

[23:28] So it's almost like required. You know, there's exceptions. but make a certain judgment Yeah, that's. I remember that in the life of Isabella of Spain, her her confessor was Cardinal Cisneros. I think he was once. She was, since she was a queen, she was in charge. Early, she had a little hesitation about kneeling down. He says, "No, here you kneel. I sit. You kneel. He had to make a point."

[24:04] It's actually interesting too because the pictures. We have this picture book of current Holy Father, and they show all these different heads of state are meeting him after he was elected, and he's sitting. And he sits, and they come up to his throne. Actually, kneel down. So some of them, they have to kind of bend over because he's. Yeah, he's. They always. It's very traditional for the Pope to be on what they call a dais. He's always elevated.

[24:29] His chair is elevated above everybody else, always. Okay. So no matter where he is, you see, he's on a little platform. Okay. And so that's I've seen this too, yeah. But all the heads of state greet him in the basilica, and they all have to come up. And the Catholic ones, of course, will kneel down and they'll kiss the ring or something. Yeah. Yeah, he has to greet them.

[24:47] seated, he's a sovereign. In the old days, they used to have to come in and kiss his toe. Then he could give a good kick. Yeah. He used to wear slippers, and he had his foot on a cushion. They would come up, and they would kneel and kiss his toe. Oh, they don't do that anymore. What about the statue? Statue Peter, though, don't they? Yeah, they've been Peter that everybody kisses the toe.

[25:17] Oh. In the basilica. They've worn it down. they'd replace it as well. Okay, now after this three-fold signification, there, right? Huh? What baptism might do for us, right? Christ wanted to do that. After baptism, however, Thomas says in the body of the article still, it is necessary for a man, I guess, what daily prayer. Mm.

[25:50] Continuous prayer. To this, that he might enter what heaven, right? Huh? Because although through baptism our sins are forgiven, right, there remains nevertheless the fomes couldn't translate that in English. Of sin, fighting us in an inward way, right? Huh. And also the world and demons who attack from the outside. And therefore, it is significantly said in Luke three

[26:24] that Jesus, being baptized and praying, huh? That's the two. The heaven is open, right? Because for the faithful, is necessary to have prayer after baptism, huh?

[26:41] It's interesting how Augustine and Thomas will tie prayer with hope in particular, right? And here they tied baptism up with what Faith you know, so faith and hope, right?

[26:54] Yeah. Yeah. Or from this, it is given to be understood that this very fact that through baptism heaven is open to those believing is by virtue of the prayer of Christ, huh?

[27:17] Whence significantly it is said in Matthew chapter three, verse sixteen, that was open to him in the heavens, that is to all, on account of what him. Just as the emperor to someone petitioning him writes says, "Behold, I give this benefit

[27:40] not to that one, to him, but to you. " that is an account of you to them. Yeah, that's what it says. If, if an emperor to someone for another, someone asking for another, yeah, he gives something. That's what

[28:02] the former Cardinal Ratzinger made made this connection. The only one I remember ever seeing. He said in Luke's Gospel, the only place where at the baptism and at the transfiguration, in both those places, the heavens were opened while Christ was praying, and he says it's kind of a revelation of what his prayer is, and certainly also what it does for us as it opens the heavens and manifests glory.

[28:36] Now the first objection is saying, "Well, Christ doesn't have to have the heavens opened up to him, right? " To the first, therefore, it should be said that, as Chrysostom says upon the Gospel of Matthew, just as Christ, according to a human dispensation, was baptized, right? Although for himself he did not what lead baptism, so also according to a human dispensation, the heavens opened to him. According to how his divine nature, he was always what in the heavens, so perfectly stated.

[29:19] That it goes back to what he's saying about the article. Then this is to instruct us. Yeah, not for his body like others. It's just

[29:34] okay. Now, what about is understood bodily or spiritually, and so on? To the second, it should be said that as Jerome says upon Matthew, that the heavens were opened to Christ baptized, not by a what separation of the elements is it?

[29:58] By what unfolding, open up, unseal, unfasten, uncover. Yeah, yeah, but to spiritualize, right? Just as Ezekiel in the beginning of the volume commemorates the heavens being opened, right? That means that something's being revealed to him, right? That's what it means. It's being understood in maybe the spiritual sense. Heavens are being opened to him because something's being. Revealed, unveiled, revealed. I guess. Um. And this, Christendom, proves upon the Gospel of Matthew, saying that if what the creature itself of the heavens was what ruptured, he would not have said were open to him.

[30:57] Because what is bodily opened is open to what to all, right? So that's what Chrysostom is arguing, right? Once Mark one chapter verse ten, it is expressly said that Jesus at once coming up out of the water saw the heavens open as if he saw them, right? Huh? Did the other see it? Maybe not, huh?

[31:32] Because that opening of the heavens refers to the what vision or sight of Christ, huh? But that some refer to a what a bodily vision, right, huh? Saying that there was such splendor about the what Christ baptized in his baptism that the heavens seemed to be what opened down.

[32:02] Through in which way Ezekiel sees the heavens open, right, huh? For there is form from the divine power and will such a vision of reason, right, in the imaginations of Christ, to signifying that through baptism there is entry into heaven. Yeah, open for men. Yeah.

[32:36] It can also refer to what intellectual vision. Insofar as Christ saw baptism being now sanctified, that heaven was open to what to men. Which nevertheless he saw before was going to come about.

[32:58] Now, now it's actual, right? Now, now the water has that power. What about this of the Passion of Christ, right? To the third, it should be said that by the Passion of Christ, heaven is open to men as through a what common cause of the opening of the heavens. But it's necessary, nevertheless, for this cause to be applied to what each each one particular, in order that he they might enter heaven, right?

[33:41] Which comes about through baptism, right? According to that of Romans six three. Whoever are baptized in Christ Jesus are baptized in his what death. So all the sacraments get their efficacy from the death of Christ.

[34:07] But this is applied to others, to the sacraments, this effect, and therefore more. Proper is it, huh? Fittingly mention is made of the opening of the heavens in baptism than in the passion, because that's where this effect is. cut in from it right?

[34:38] Or as Christensen says upon Matthew, that Christ being baptized, the heavens were what? Only open after he overcame the I suppose the tyrant, right? Through the cross, I mean the devil, I suppose,

[35:14] Because the gates were not what? No longer needed, no longer necessary. Okay. Which for heaven never was closed. Yeah. Nor did the angels say, "Open the gates," but take away the gates. Yeah. Hmm.

[35:39] So which is given to be understood? Chrysostom gives us to understand that the obstacles, right, by which first blocked blocked yet to entering we were not able to enter the heavens were totally taken away through the passion.

[36:02] But in baptism of Christ, are open as it were, made known the road through which men would be able to what enter the heaven. You

[37:04] saying there that they were more fully taken away the gates through the passion, right? But already through the baptism, there was an opening of the gates.

[37:29] The first argument maybe is easier to see. It's a little bit like the the rewards there, you know, the virtues, huh? Should the elevation say of Mary be attributed to charity or to humility? Absolutely. They will humble themselves will be exalted Yeah.

[38:12] See, I actually pause a little bit. Magnificat said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour, because He has regarded not the the charity or the love, but humility, right, the holiness. " I think what Thomas will say is that something like he says in the first solution here in the third objection that charity is the common cause, right? But then, by reason of this particular virtue that is informed by charity and commanded by charity, right, and a special connection between that virtue and what the reward is, right.

[38:53] So, because he who humbles himself will be exalted, right? Then it's attributed to what humility as the proximate cause or the one that's peculiar to this exaltation has taken place, right? But the common cause for all this promotion is is what charity, right?

[39:20] Wasn't Thomas supposed to have been given kind of a a gift of chastity, right? He would not be bothered in his studies by these temptations, you know. Saint Benedict had to jump into the bramble bush, you know, to to make the temptations subside, you know. Yeah, that would do it, I guess. This was probably the first Thomas was thinking if he landed in the bramble bush, right?

[39:46] So, I mean, is he being rewarded for charity or for chastity? I say, well, charity in the sense of the common root of all merit, really, you know, can't be merited without charity, I don't think. And but yet this particular gift of chastity or of being preserved from common lot of us

[40:12] is a reward, right, for his you know chasing woman out and is being strong, right? Okay. After Article Six.