Taken from the Summa Theologica.
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Whether Christ endured all suffering?
Objection 1. It would seem that Christ did
endure all sufferings, because Hilary (De Trin. x) says: "God's
only-begotten Son testifies that He endured every kind of human sufferings in
order to accomplish the sacrament of His death, when with bowed head He gave up
the ghost." It seems, therefore, that He did endure all human sufferings.
Objection 2. Further, it is written (Isaiah
52:13): "Behold My servant shall understand, He shall be exalted and
extolled, and shall be exceeding high; as many as have been astonished at Him
[Vulgate: 'thee', so shall His visage be inglorious among men, and His form
among the sons of men." But Christ was exalted in that He had all grace
and all knowledge, at which many were astonished in admiration thereof. Therefore
it seems that He was "inglorious," by enduring every human suffering.
Objection 3. Further, Christ's Passion was
ordained for man's deliverance from sin, as stated above (Article 3). But
Christ came to deliver men from every kind of sin. Therefore He ought to have
endured every kind of suffering.
On the contrary, It is written (John 19:32):
"The soldiers therefore came: and they broke the legs of the first, and of
the other who was crucified with Him; but after they were come to Jesus, when
they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs."
Consequently, He did not endure every human suffering.
I answer that, Human sufferings may be
considered under two aspects. First of all, specifically, and in this way it
was not necessary for Christ to endure them all, since many are mutually
exclusive, as burning and drowning; for we are dealing now with sufferings
inflicted from without, since it was not beseeming for Him to endure those
arising from within, such as bodily ailments, as already stated (14, 4). But,
speaking generically, He did endure every human suffering. This admits of a
threefold acceptance. First of all, on the part of men: for He endured
something from Gentiles and from Jews; from men and from women, as is clear
from the women servants who accused Peter. He suffered from the rulers, from
their servants and from the mob, according to Psalm 2:1-2: "Why have the
Gentiles raged, and the people devised vain things? The kings of the earth
stood up, and the princes met together, against the Lord and against His
Christ." He suffered from friends and acquaintances, as is manifest from
Judas betraying and Peter denying Him.
Secondly,
the same is evident on the part of the sufferings which a man can endure. For
Christ suffered from friends abandoning Him; in His reputation, from the
blasphemies hurled at Him; in His honor and glory, from the mockeries and the
insults heaped upon Him; in things, for He was despoiled of His garments; in
His soul, from sadness, weariness, and fear; in His body, from wounds and
scourgings.
Thirdly,
it may be considered with regard to His bodily members. In His head He suffered
from the crown of piercing thorns; in His hands and feet, from the fastening of
the nails; on His face from the blows and spittle; and from the lashes over His
entire body. Moreover, He suffered in all His bodily senses: in touch, by being
scourged and nailed; in taste, by being given vinegar and gall to drink; in
smell, by being fastened to the gibbet in a place reeking with the stench of corpses,
"which is called Calvary"; in hearing, by being tormented with the
cries of blasphemers and scorners; in sight, by beholding the tears of His
Mother and of the disciple whom He loved.
Reply to Objection
1. Hilary's
words are to be understood as to all classes of sufferings, but not as to their
kinds.
Reply to Objection
2. The likeness
is sustained, not as to the number of the sufferings and graces, but as to
their greatness; for, as He was uplifted above others in gifts of graces, so
was He lowered beneath others by the ignominy of His sufferings.
Reply to Objection
3. The very
least one of Christ's sufferings was sufficient of itself to redeem the human
race from all sins; but as to fittingness, it sufficed that He should endure
all classes of sufferings, as stated above.
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