Question X: Whether faith has grown as regards its light

I assert that Faith has grown in light from the beginning of the world.

It is PROVED first by the Seraphic Doctor from D. Gregor. homily 16. on Ezech., where, expounding that of Luke 10. Blessed are the eyes that see the things which you see, he says: With the increases of the times the knowledge of the Saints, and of the spiritual Fathers, grew. And the nearer they stood to the coming of the Savior, the more fully they perceived the mystery of salvation: Therefore they knew with a fuller light; but not except by the light of faith: Therefore. D. Thom. means the same, question 1. art. 4. to 4.: those nearer, namely to Christ, were suffused with a greater light — not all, indeed, but some. Valencia adds another limitation, that this is true of the infused light; for by natural light Theologians now know more things. But we were already speaking of the infused light of Faith.

Tanner adds, disp. 1. question 1. number 206., that not even one of the Doctors, succeeding in the Church, received the mysteries of faith more explicitly than the Apostles.

But this is truly PROVED. John 14. The Paraclete will teach you all things; and chapter 15. All things that I have heard from the Father, I have made known to you. And chapter 16. When the Paraclete shall come, he will teach you all things, and at the end of Luke: Then he opened their sense, that they might understand the Scriptures, as the Seraphic Doctor observes in his commentaries. And 2 Corinth. 3. Beholding with unveiled face the glory of the Lord. The Seraphic Doctor adds that of Acts 2., where Peter admonishes the Jews, the prophecy of Joel, chapter 2., being now fulfilled: And it shall be in the last days I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh, and they shall prophesy, and shall see visions.

The Seraphic Doctor adds, to those words at the end of Luke, an argument from the Scriptures; For Christ has the key of knowledge, as is said Isa. 22. and Apoc. 5. The Lamb opened the Book of revelations, hidden before, and the four animals, which accompany the Evangelists, and the twenty-four elders standing about, saw the secrets. Therefore, the nearer the disciples were to Christ, the wiser they were.

But D. Bonan. on chapter 16. of John objects. How does he say, chapter 15. I have made all things known to you, when here he says: I have many things to say to you? He answers with D. August. Tract. 96. that he speaks of those things that were revealed at the coming of the Holy Spirit, to which they were not yet disposed. For all things, written with canonical authority before the coming of the spirit (says St. Augustine), who hears, or reads? And he puts the past for the future; and signifies, I have made known, that is, I shall make known so certainly that you may hold them as things possessed.

But the Seraphic Doctor has most splendid things on this, sermon 9. on the day of Pentec., where he observes that the Apostles are called heavens formed by the Holy Spirit, Iob. 26. The spirit of the Lord adorned the heavens. Psal. 116. The heavens show forth the glory of God. Psal. 32. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made firm, and by the spirit of his mouth all their power, as the Fathers expound: and he joins this with that of John 16. When he, the Spirit of truth, shall come, he will teach you all truth, and says: As the heavens are, in which is the fountain of light, and the Luminaries, so in the Apostles shone forth the most splendid Lights of faith. And as in the foundations there is the greater substance, so in the Apostles, who are called the foundations of the Church, Ephes. 2. Apoc. 21. And as the Holy Spirit is called the Fount of the water leaping forth, poured out, which Christ was to give; so they who were nearer to this Fount drank in more: Therefore the holy Apostles were endowed with a greater Light of faith. By these arguments this is proved by the holy Fathers: Cyprian epistle 74. Ambrose sermon 24. Augustine book 5. on Baptism, against the Donatists, chapter 26., in Valencia. And Morand. question 5., who observes with Aragon here art. 7. Cardinal Lugo disp. 3. sect. 5., that the Apostles had explicit faith of all those things which the faithful are now bound to believe; But Suarez book 2. sect. 6. num. 18. holds that this is true only of things looking to the substance of those times, not of contingents, for instance, that the Council of Trent was lawfully convened, which nevertheless was then of faith, but only now declared; so assert Vualdens. book 2. of the doctrinal faith, chapter 22. Lyrin. against heresies chapter 17. Therefore, say Cano, Castr., and others, we are not to expect a new revelation unknown to the Apostles.

Indeed Peter doubted about this great point: Whether the Gospel was to be preached to the nations. Acts 10. and chapter 11.; he is in some way reproved by Paul concerning the use of legal observances.

The Seraphic Doctor goes on to prove the excellence of our faith in the Evangelical law above the Mosaic; because, as the prophecies were ever made clearer even in the old law — whence David says Psal. 118. I have understood above the ancients, and he was esteemed a prophet above the earlier ones; so likewise the later ones were irradiated by the new light, as it were, of the day of grace approaching; so up to the Gospel, in which is the perpetual, resplendent day, the faith is more resplendent. For the Gospel is Light; and the old Law is a Shadow; and so the interior illumination is more resplendent, and the exterior instruction, and therefore the faith is adorned with a greater light.

You will object first. What is above time is not increased by time. Such is faith: Therefore.

The Seraphic Doctor answers that it is above time as to the moving reason, which is the first truth; but as to instruction it grew from night into day.

You will object second. That which shows a more hidden object is a more intense light; but the ancient faith showed the Redeemer to come, who was more hidden than now, since he has already come: Therefore.

The Seraphic Doctor answers first that it would be truer, if such light showed the hidden thing more intensely, and more clearly, by revealing more of it: But if it reveals less, it is denied: Hence the light of faith, although it shows God hidden on the way, is less than the light of glory, which exhibits more, by making God, who is hidden from us, clearer. So the light of the old faith, showing Christ obscure, was more remiss, because it uncovered little of him, and less than ours.

He answers second that the light which unfolds an object obscure in itself, and makes it appear clearer to the powers, is resplendent; But if it shows it in an obscuring cloud, it is not such. Now Christ was obscure in himself in ancient times; and as to the powers he was shown with little light, in shadowy manner; now, however, although he has already come, still objectively, in a natural way, he is little exhibited. For even if we know that there was in Judaea a famous man, called Jesus; and we read many things about him in the historians of the world; nevertheless we have received the knowledge of the Divine Person, of the truth of the doctrine, of the holiness, and of the miracles, by the light of faith, by which we believe the Gospels; and therefore the light that makes this hidden thing known to our minds is clearer than that light infused into the ancients. This reply contains, and explains the preceding one.

The same light suffused those who touched Jesus in the flesh; whence very many, although they saw the miracles, etc., did not believe, as D. Bonav. says, on 3.

You will object third. The light of faith that shows things to come is greater than that which shows things past: But the ancients saw things to come; We things past: Therefore.

The Seraphic Doctor answers that things above natural cognition are equally obscure whether they be past, and that of such things there is prophecy. Thus Moses prophesied, describing the creation of the world Genes. 1., and other past things. And Elizabeth Luke 1. says: Blessed art thou that hast believed, and of such things is faith, as that Jesus the son of God died, etc., which are not accessible to natural light.

You will object fourth. The illumination is greater where the communication of light is greater: But our faith is confirmed by the light even of the ancient Fathers: therefore it receives light from the ancients.

The Seraphic Doctor answers that this happens per accidens, insofar as those Fathers were set forth as lampstands for the posterity of the grace of the new law also. Thus the patience of Job, and of Tobias was set forth; the faith of Abraham, etc., that those first ones should be the exemplars of virtue, and that we, animated, might see what higher sanctity we are bound to climb in the testament of graces, to which indeed innumerable ones have flown over by the observance of the perfection of the counsels, although many have lain hidden under a bushel.