1. In the course of the previous chapters we have presented proofs
of the pre-existence of the Most Divine Soul of Christ and of the Divine
Soul of Mary before the creation of all things, through our work of
interpret-ing Sacred Scripture. But
before we enter the Mystery of the Incarnation of the Word, we wish
further to amplify and enrich this doctrine by presenting some of the more
explicit and striking texts.
2. Chapter VIII of the Book of Proverbs (verses 22-31) takes us
back to the Day of Creation described in Genesis.
Between both sacred texts there is perfect doctrinal correspondence
besides profound similarity in description and order of the works of
creation, all in highly poetic language.
3. Verse 22 is a song to the creation of the Most Divine Soul of
Christ and contains besides the doctrine of the union with the Person of
the Word. Christ, Uncreated
Wisdom as God and Created Wisdom as Man, Christ, Infinite Wisdom, says of
Himself in respect to His Soul: "The
Lord possessed Me in the beginning of His ways, from the beginning before
He made anything",- which is to say, the Soul of Christ is the
first work "ad extra" of the Creator, the way and exemplary cause of
all subse-quent creation, made through Him and for Him.
In other words, the Most Divine Soul of Christ in the moment of Its
creation was assumed by the Word in order to be, through His Eternal High
Priesthood, by divine will, the essential and primary instru-ment of the
Divinity. Therefore the Soul
of Christ performed the work of the Day of Creation in virtue of the
divine motion which the Word communicated to it, to act with the creative
omnipotence of the Three Divine Persons.
4. The Greek version uses more precise terms in referring -
according to our interpretation - to the Creation of the Soul of Christ: "The Lord created me the beginning of His ways towards His
works" (verse 22). Both
translations, Greek and Latin Vulgate, complete each other.
Whereas the former regards the act of creation of the Most Divine
Soul, the latter presents an additional aspect, that of the Hypos-tatic
Union, in the expression, "The Lord possessed Me".
5. When verse 23 says "From
eternity I was ordained ..." it expresses the canticle of Mary to
Her eternal conception and predestination in the mind of God. The remaining words of the verse: "and of old, before the earth was made", which now refer
to time, also contain, though implicitly, the phrase "I was ordained", to which we give the meaning, "I
was called for and was created", and which put on Mary's lips the
creation of Her Divine Soul at Christ's demand, immediately after Him and
before all else. The
words "before the earth was
made", indicate only part of the visible creation and not all of
creation following that of the Soul of Mary.
Verses 24, 25 and 26 have the same meaning and extension: "The
depths were not as yet and I was already conceived: neither had the
fountains of waters as yet sprung out (verse 24). The
mountains with their huge bulk had not as yet been estab-lished: before
the hills I was brought forth to the light (verse 25). He had not yet made the earth, nor the rivers, nor the poles
of the world" (verse 26). The
expression "ego
parturiebar" of verse 25, which we translate by "I
was brought forth to the light", indicates that the Soul of Mary
was created espoused to the Light, which is the Soul of Christ.
6. We turn now to the interpretation of verses 27 to 31 inclu-sive,
which complete the doctrine on the creation of the Divine Soul of Mary
contained in the previous verses, since they not only refer to the visible
creation but as well to the in visible in the expression "the
heavens", that is, the angels.
These verses affirm the pre-existence of the Soul of Mary, united
to the Divine Council, presiding over and arranging, with the Soul of
Christ, the Work of Creation, and, at the same time, rejoicing and
delighting in it; which is the meaning of the phrases "When
he prepared the heavens, I was present" (verse 27), and "I
was with Him arranging all things" (verse 30), which bring into
relief the maternal mission of Mary in the Work of Crea-tion, the exercise
of Her omnipotent supplication, Her regal dignity and also Her
indispensable Mediation between the Soul of Christ and the rest of
creation.
For better comprehension we set out in due order the texts
mentioned, in the light of our interpretation.
7. God created first the Most Divine Soul of Christ united to the
Word of God before all things (verse 22).
The Divine Soul of Mary, already conceived from eternity in the
mind of God, was created immediately after the Soul of Christ (verse 23),
and before the rest of the invisible creation, that is the angelic choirs,
and who are referred to in verse 27 in speaking of the heavens as
invisible creation, and as well before the visible creation as is seen in
verses 27-31 in speaking of the earth, the waters, the depths, the
mountains, the sky and the heavens, these latter having the meaning of
firma-ment. Verse 31 also
indicates the loving intimacy and companionship of the Souls of Christ and
Mary with our first parents in Paradise: "Rejoicing
in the world, and my delights to be with the children of men"
(VIII, 31).
8. Also in chapter XXIV of the Book of Ecclesiasticus there is the
doc-trine, easily identified, of the creation and pre-existence of the
Divine Souls of Christ and Mary very beautifully expressed and profoundly
descriptive.
9. Verses 1 to 11 refer to the creation and to the primacy of the
Most Divine Soul of Christ before and above all
other creatures. Admirable
are the richly varied phrases which put on the lips of Wisdom a veritable
profusion of praises to the Most Divine Soul of Christ.
The August Trinity with Infinite Wisdom extols and magnifies that
all surpassing Work of predilec-tion, the Soul of Christ, constituted
instrumental cause not only in the Work of Creation but also in the
performance of all the other works of grace and omnipotence, acting either
alone as in the Old Testament, or in human flesh, as after the
Incarnation. The Most Divine
Soul of Christ, Created Wisdom, placed His Tabernacle in the heights,
enthroning Himself in the Divine Soul of Mary, and manifesting through
Her, His infinite glory and universal magisterium as well as His sovereign
omnipotence and magnanimity in bestowing grace.
In this manner God was glorified in the midst of His people.
10. Let us consider more directly some of the texts mentioned.
In verse 1 the words "Wisdom shall praise her Soul", speak to us of the Most
Divine Soul of Christ appropriated by the Word in order to work through an
individual human nature. Verse
5 specifies the act of creation of that Soul: "I
came out of the mouth of the Most High, the firstborn before all
crea-tures". Verse 6
affirms the creative activity of the Soul of Christ: "I
made that in the heavens there should rise light that never faileth, and
as a cloud I covered all the earth".
That light is the Divine Soul of Mary, and the cloud is the action
of the Soul of Christ through the Soul of Mary.
Verse 7 confirms the doctrine of the existence of the Soul of
Christ in the heavens and of His action on earth during the time of the
Old Testament through the Soul of Mary: "I
dwelt in the heights and my throne is above a pillar of cloud".
All that shows that the Most Divine Soul of Christ pre-existed
before the Incarnation of the Word and was the first work that came from
the hand of God.
11. Continuing our work of interpreting chapter XXIV of
Eccles-iasticus, we again see with great wonderment how, immediately after
referring to the creation of the Soul of Christ, it speaks of the creation
of the Soul of Mary. Verse 12
pre-sents it thus, and we transcribe it for better doctrinal exposition.
"Then the Crea-tor of
all things commanded and said to me, and He that made me rested in my
taber-nacle". The
words "Then ... commanded"
signi-fies that the Soul of Christ, immediately after His creation demands
and ordains the creation of the Soul of Mary.
The following phrase: "and
the Creator of all things said to me" reveals the very act of
creation, that is, God said through the Soul of Christ "Let there be the Divine Soul of Mary".
And in the last phrase of the verse, there appears the Divine
Espousal of the two Souls, Mary's Soul now established as Tabernacle of
the August Trinity. Besides,
the adverb of time, "then",
which begins the first phrase, and implicitly the other two, shows that it
all took place at the same moment.
12. Verse 14 expresses in a different manner the creation of the
Soul of Mary. "From
the beginning, and before the
ages, I was created, and unto the world to come I shall not cease to be
and I ministered before Him in the holy dwelling place".
The words "From the beginning and before the ages I was created"
show in the first place, that the Soul of Mary was created after that of
Christ, Who is the begin-ning of creation,- that is, She was created after
the existence of that beginning. In
the second place those words show that the Soul of Mary pre- existed
before the rest of creation. The
remaining words of the verse show the priestly ministry of Mary in the
Work of Redemption from the very moment Her Soul was created and
continuing throughout the ages.
13. The following verses also proclaim the glories of Mary
expressed in beautiful imagery forming a mystical garden of doctrine in
full flower: "As the vine I
have brought forth fruit of pleasing fragrance: and my flowers are the
fruit of honour and riches" (verse 23).
Mary is the Way or the Vine of Grace through which the sap is
conveyed to the branches, that is to souls, vivifying them with the blood
of the Supreme Vine, Christ Jesus. This
maternal mission of Mary to give birth to us in the life of Grace is also
reflected in sublime manner in the following verses: "I
am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy
hope. In me is all grace of
the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue"
(verses 24- 25). Mary is the
Fairness of divine love, the Teacher of the holy fear of God, the Mistress
of Celestial science, the Pledge of our salvation.
Mary is the Grace of every virtue, the Way of holiness.
Those who possess Mary can delight in the rich supernatural honey
which overflows in Her, that is, in the gifts and fruits of the Holy
Ghost, Her Divine Spouse. Therefore,
in another verse, Mary sings the grandeur and glory of Her Spirit, by the
possession of which in our souls, we shall obtain the celestial heri-tage
of eternal happi-ness. "For my Spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey
and the honeycomb" (verse 27).
The Church, for her Marian liturgy has selected several of the
above texts, thus showing that the pre-existence of the Divine Souls was
implicit in the hidden depths of her Magisterium.
14. We turn now to consider certain verses of chapter I of
Ecclesiasticus, texts that, only in the light of the Dogma of the
pre-existence of the Most Divine Soul of Christ and of the Divine Soul of
Mary can possibly be explained satisfactorily, and that, duly interpreted,
offer one of the most conclusive proofs in Sacred Scripture.
15. In the verses we now explain, there are clearly seen two forms
of wis-dom existing in Christ: the Uncreated, which is the Divine Word,
and the Created, which is the Most Divine Soul.
16. Verse 1 says: "All
wisdom is from the Lord God, and hath been always with Him and is before
all time". This
Wisdom is the Word of God, which from all eternity is in the Bosom of the
Father.
17. Verse 4 manifests Created Wisdom, which is the Soul of Christ,
the firstborn of every creature: "Wisdom
hath been created the first of all things, and the understanding of
prudence from everlasting".
This Holy Council interprets the word "everlasting"
in this verse to mean the time which begins with creation and which has no
end.
18. Verse 5 admirably expresses the interpenetration of Uncreated
Wisdom with the Created, by which the Word of God is the Source that
furnishes the Soul of Christ with life: "The
Fountain of Wisdom is the Word of God on high, and her ways are
everlasting commandments". The
end of the verse shows us the only way to find the secrets of Wisdom,
which is Christ, Who says: "But
if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments" (Matt. XIX,
17).
19. Verse 9 shows how the Soul of Christ was created by God and in
God: "He created Her in the
Holy Ghost, and saw Her, and numbered Her and measured Her". The expressions "and
saw Her and numbered Her and measured Her", signify that God,
after having created the Soul of Christ, contemplated Himself in Her as in
His per-fect image, the Way, Exemplar and End of all creation.
20. Verse 10 says: "And
He poured her out upon all His works, and upon all flesh according to His
gift, and hath given her to them that love Him".
The first phrase means that all the works of creation are full of
Christ. The second means that
God distributes His gifts according to His good pleasure and to the
measure that the creature co-operates with the grace received. The last phrase "and
hath given her to them that love Him", signifies Wisdom in the
souls which enjoy the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, souls possessing true
charity, which is the love of God.
21. Verses 6 and 7 show us mysteriously the pre-existe-nce of the
Divine Soul of Mary: "To whom
hath the root of Wisdom been revealed, and who hath known her designs? To whom hath the discipline of Wisdom been revealed and made
manifest? And who hath
understood the multiplicity of her steps?" (Eccl. I, 6-7). Mary is the only creature who from the very instant of Her
creation understood as comprehensor all the mysteries of Created Wisdom,
which is the Soul of Christ. Mary
was the first pure creature to whom were revealed the secrets of Wisdom in
degree unimaginable and unattainable, the One who beyond all other
creatures together perfectly fulfilled the discipline of Wisdom, which is
the will of God. Mary alone
comprehended all the ways of Wisdom, in virtue of which She is the very
Wisdom of which the Book of Proverbs speaks: "...
Blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear
instruction... Blessed is the
man that heareth me and that watcheth daily at my gates and waiteth at the
posts of my door." (Prov. VIII, 32-34).
Mary as our Divine Doctor here presents Herself as our model and
way to obtain the secrets of Eternal Wisdom.
22. In the New Testament we find proofs even more evident of the
pre--existence of the Most Divine Soul of Christ, both in the Gospel texts
and in the writings of the Apostles.
23. In chapter III of Saint John's Gospel, Christ says of Himself: "And
no man hath ascended into heaven but He that descended from heaven, the
Son of Man who is in heaven" (John III, 13).
The expression "Son of
Man" refers here to the Soul of Christ, which is human, and
destined necessarily to inform His Body later on.
This expression can never refer only to the divine nature or to the
Word of God as such, although in saying "Son
of Man" the Person of Christ with both His natures is also
designated.
24. Christ is referring first to the creation of His Most Divine
Soul before all things, which at that very instant was united inseparably
to the Word of God, that is, It was assumed by Him,- and that is the
meaning of the expression "ascended
into heaven". In the
phrase "descended from heaven", Christ is speaking of His own
Incarnation, which is to say that His pre-existent Soul united to the Word
came down from heaven and took flesh in the Most Pure Womb of Mary.
We clarify and amplify the doctrine: when the Divine Soul of Mary
was created, the Most Divine Soul of Christ, in virtue of the Divine
Espousal, dwelt in Her,- and therefore the Three Divine Persons as well,
constituting Her the Mystical City of God. When the Immacu-late Conception of Her Most Holy Body took
place, that too was constituted the abode of the Blessed Trinity, enjoying
the personal presence of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. In the Mystery of the Incarnation of Christ, when it is said
that the Word came down from heaven, it is understood that the Word was
made flesh, in order thus to appear visibly on earth, since the Word,
united to the Soul of Christ already dwelt person-ally in Mary, Who, in
Her whole being, embraced the infinite glory of God.
25. We conclude the explanation of the present verse with an
analysis of the words "who is
in heaven", which signify that the Soul of Christ during His
pilgrim-age on earth was not deprived even for one moment of the vision of
the glory of the Father since, in virtue of the Hypostatic Union with the
Word, He always enjoyed the beatific vision.
During the nine months in the Womb of His Mother, the beatific
vision was in all His Soul; after His Birth, with certain exceptions as in
the Trans-figuration, He kept the beatific vision only in the highest part
of His Soul, in order to be able at the same time to endure suffering.
Thus Christ was never deprived of the joy of full vision of the
glory of His Father.
26. Another irrefutable proof is found in chapter VI of Saint John:
"If then you shall see the Son
of Man ascend up where He was before?" (John VI, 63).
The phrase cannot refer merely to the Word, but rather to the Most
Divine Soul, which pre--existed in Him before the Incarnation completed
His human nature, as the term
"Son of Man"
indicates. Reflecting more
deeply on the meaning of the verse, we enlarge and enrich our
interpretation adding that Christ also refers to the glory to be
manifested in His Humanity after His Ascension into heaven.
This Holy Council teaches the various degrees of manifestation of
the state of glory which, in virtue of the Hypostatic Union, the Humanity
of Christ always pos-sessed.
27. Before the Incarnation of the Word, Christ enjoyed the beatific
vision in His whole Soul with full manifestation of His glory.
28. At the moment of the Incarnation of the Word, the Soul of
Christ extended the glory It possessed to His Divine Body, which was
conceived in the state of glory. Christ
remained in this state during the nine months in His Mother's Womb,
manifest-ing there the splendour of His glory, though not in its fullness,
while keeping it altogether hidden from the world.
29. At the moment of His Birth, Christ retained the beatific vision
that He had in His whole Soul during the nine months as also the glory of
His Body, mani-festing the splendour of that glory in various degrees,
though not in its fullness to His Most Holy Mother and to Saint Joseph,-
and later on as well to some who came to visit the Cave of Bethlehem.
30. After His Birth Christ suspended the glorious state of His Body
and remained thus for the greater part of His life in order to be able to
suffer and to die,- or, as Saint Paul says: "He
emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness
of men and in habit found as a man". (Phil. II, 7). The beatific vision was also veiled in the
lower part of His Soul, remaining in the higher part, thus for Him to be
capable of joy and suffering at the same time.
Only at certain moments of His life did He let escape some of the
splendour of His glory, as at the Transfiguration of Mount Tabor, in the
Cenacle, and so forth.
31. When Christ died on the Cross, His Most Divine Soul entered
heaven, that is to say, having left His state of pilgrimage, He recovered
the fullness of glory which He had before the Incarnation, and enjoyed the
beatific vision in the whole of His Soul manifesting that glory in heaven. In His descent into the underworld, the Soul of Christ
manifested in the Bosom of Abraham and in Purgatory part of the glory of
His Soul for the consolation of those who dwelt there.
In the hell of the damned He also manifested part of that glory,
which fell upon those who dwelt there like burning rays of His implacable
justice, demonstration of His triumph over Satan, the world and sin.
32. At the very instant of His resurrection, His Most Divine Body,
united to His Soul, entered Heaven by the
definitive manifestation of Its full state of glory, there on high
in supreme degree, while below at the tomb He let the guards see something
of that splendour.
33. In the various apparitions which followed the Resurrection
until His official departure from the earth, Christ hid all His glory in
some of them and in others let it appear partially in greater or lesser
degree.
34. Given this doctrinal exposition we understand clearly the
mysterious words of Christ in the Gospel: "And
now glorify thou me O Father, with thyself, with the glory which I had
with thee, before the world was." (John XVII, 5). And on ano-ther occasion: "Ought
not Christ to have suffered these things, and so to enter into His glory?"
(Luke XXIV, 26).
35. In chapter VI of his Gospel, Saint John presents another proof
in the following words of Christ Himself: "I
came down from heaven not to do My own will but the will of Him that sent
Me" (John VI, 38). In
this verse there is distinguished perfectly the will of the Father and the
human will of Christ. Since
the Three Divine Persons have only one will, the expression "I
came down from heaven not to do My own will" shows necessarily
that Christ before the Incarnation possessed, besides a divine will as God, a human will as
Man, which He subjected to the divine.
Logically, if He already had a human will, then He had a Soul which
pre-existed before the Incarnation.
36. We shall now consider one of the most profound and mysterious
texts in the Gospels, which shows mysteriously the pre-existence of the
Most Divine Soul of Christ: the Prologue of the Gospel of Saint John (John
I, 1-14).
37. We begin by explaining the first verses, which say: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. The same was in
the beginning with God" (John I, 1-2).
In these verses Saint John the Evangelist affirms the Divinity of
the Word. When he says "In the beginning was the Word", he shows us the eternity
of the Second Divine Person, Who already existed in the beginning of time.
Besides, that the Divine Word is a Person distinct from the Father
and the Holy Ghost, a doctrine expressed in the words "and
the Word was with God". The
Evangelist uses several simple terms to emphasize and make more
comprehensible the distinct personality of the Word in the face of the
heresies of that time, which denied the distinct-ness of Person between
the Father and the Son. At
the end of the first verse, when he says "and
the Word was God", Saint John affirms as well the oneness in
essence of the Word with the other two Divine Persons, since here the word
"God" indicates God
One and Three.
38. Verse 2 declares again with insistence the doc-trine of the
Divine Word, proclaims again His eternity and dis-tinctness of Person: "The same was in the beginning with God" (John I, 2).
39. Saint John, when establishing in the Prologue the doctrine on
Christ, begins by affirming the divine procession of His Person, which is
the Word, to which was united His human nature.
In the first words of the prologue, the Evangelist uses the same
expression that the author of Genesis used, "In
the beginning", in order to express the mysterious relation of
the Word with the beginning of creation, giving us to understand that
there began to be in the Word something new, that is, the Most Divine Soul
of Christ, the first creature.
40. Before treating verses 3 and 4, this Holy Council determines
and establishes the correct punctuation of the same, in conformity with
the truth, and rejects any other contrary to what is here presented: "Omnia per Ipsum facta sunt: et sine Ipso factum est nihil (verse
3). QUOD FACTUM EST IN IPSO,
VITA ERAT; ET VITA ERAT LUX HOMINUM" (verse 4): "All things were made by Him: and without Him was made nothing
(verse 3). THAT WHICH WAS
MADE IN HIM, WAS THE LIFE; AND THE LIFE WAS THE LIGHT OF MEN"
(verse 4). Interpreting
correctly the first part of this latter verse (verse 4), we affirm that
that something which was "made
in Him", that is, in the Word, and in the beginning of Creation,
was precisely the Most Divine Soul of Christ, which was created united to
the Second Divine Person, before all things.
Besides, the term "Life",
used by the Evangelist to identify the Soul of Christ, could not be more
expressive or profound, since, in the first place, the soul is the
essential and vital element of human nature.
And besides, Christ is for us the Life, as He Himself declares: "I
am the Way and the Truth and the Life" (John XIV, 6).
Christ as Man is the instrumental cause of our natural life and
direct cause and fount of our life of grace.
The second part of verse 4,"...
and the Life was the Light of men", is confirmation of the
doctrine previously affirmed, since Christ also says of Himself "I
am the Light of the World" (John VIII, 12).
Applying this phrase of Christ to the Old Testament, that is, to
the time before the Incarnation, He reveals in these words that His Most
Divine Soul already then was the Light of the world, which is what is
expressed in the part of the verse we are inter-preting: "And
the Life was the Light of men", which means that the Most Divine
Soul of Christ was the Light of mankind.
41. Before going further, we wish to clarify the fundamental
difference between the manner of expression and the content of verse 3 and
that of verse 4. The words "All things were made by Him: and without Him was made
nothing", have a three-fold doctrinal sense. In the first place they signify the Creative Omnipotence of
God. Besides, there is
contained in them, implicitly, the meaning that the Most Divine Soul of
Christ, firstborn of every creature, was the essential and primary
instrument in the Work of Creation. And
finally these words speak of the creation after that of the Most Divine
Soul of Christ, since they contrast with corresponding words in the first
part of verse 4, "THAT WHICH
WAS MADE IN HIM, WAS THE LIFE", since in these words is singled
out and determined the creation of the Most Divine Soul by saying that It
was created in the Word.
42. It is astonishing how Saint John, in what follows in verse 5,
indi-cates the activity of the Most Divine Soul of Christ amidst the
darkness of the Old Testament after the sin of Adam, activity of which
this Treatise has spoken copiously in other chapters: "And
the Light shineth in the darkness, but the darkness did not comprehend
it" (John I, 5). In
the first part of this verse, reference is made to the Chosen People of
God, which, in spite of its prevarications, respected God's precepts, and
in this way the Light of the Soul of Christ shone amidst the darkness of
the world. And in the second part are denounced the rebellion and
obstinacy of the pagan peoples of those times towards the Word of God
revealed through the Prophets, with some exceptions, as for example,
Niniveh, which responded to the penance preached by Jonas.
43. In verses 6, 7, 8 and 9 of this text of Saint John, the
Evangelist proclaims the mission of precursor of Saint John the Baptist. As can be seen, verses 8 and 9 correspond perfectly in
content with the words of the Precursor when, on being interrogated, he
confesses that he is not the Christ, but rather that he came to announce
Him who is the true Light, of Whom we were to receive all grace.
The better to understand, we transcribe the pertinent verses.
"There was a man sent
from God, whose name was John. This
man came for a witness to give testimony of the Light that all men might
believe through him (verses 6 and 7).
He was not the Light, but was to give testimony of the Light.
That was the true Light which enlighteneth every man that cometh
into the world" (verses 8 and 9).
44. We note how the Evangelist keeps a certain chronological order
in the composition of his prologue. For
immediately after referring to the mission of the Precursor, he presents
the Word already incarnate, which is to say, the Son of God in His
complete human nature fulfilling His messianic mission in the world. Here we refer to verses 10 and 11: "He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world
knew Him not (verse 10). He
came unto His own, and His own received Him not" (verse 11).
Here again is reaffirmed the creative action of Christ in the
words, "and the world was made
by Him ...", in order to make clear that He, in His two natu-res,
is Universal Sovereign, since everything proceeded from His hands.
The third part of verse 10, and verse 11, refer to God's
predilection for His Chosen People, when He sent His dearly beloved Son in
person to preach the Gospel and when it was precisely this People who
heard His words directly from His lips.
However "His own",
that is His People, repaid the predilection of God with the most impious
ingratitude since the greater part rejected the Messias and did not wish
to know Him. And that deicide
People demanded His crucifixion.
45. On the other hand, verse 12 shows us the part of the People
that accepted the Person and doctrine of the Messias,
as well as all men of good will who later have believed and now
believe in Christ, living according to His teach-ing, through the
preaching of the Apostles and their successors.
Here is the Gospel text: "But
as many as received Him, He gave them power to be made sons of God, to
them that believe in His name" (John I, 12).
46. Relating this verse with the following (verse 13), we find the
doc-trine on grace determined with all clarity: "Who
are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God" (verse 13).
Those who believe in Jesus Christ and are baptized within the true
Church, acquire the state of "sons
of God", or divine nature. Which
is to say, they are born to the life of grace by the Indwelling of the
Holy Ghost in their souls, through the Drop of Blood of the Divine Virgin
Mary, received in the Holy Sacrament of Baptism.
And they sustain their life of grace through the supernatural food
of the Holy Eucharist and the reception of the other Sacraments.
This is the meaning contained in the above-mentioned verses 12 and
13.
47. Verse 14, the final one of the Prologue of Saint John,
condenses in masterful fashion all the doctrine expressed above: "And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us: and we saw His glory, the
glory as it were of the Only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and
truth" (John I, 14). Attention
is drawn to the words, "And the
Word was made flesh", since they also determine the pre-existence
of the Soul of Christ united to the Word of God before the Incarnation,
when they say "was made
flesh", proving that the Soul already pre-existed.
And they do not say "was
made man", which would have been the proper expression had the
Soul of Christ been created at the moment of the Incarnation.
And besides, the expression mentions precisely what was lacking for
Christ to be a complete man, His Body of flesh.
48. In the words "and
dwelt among us" we find a twofold sense,- in the first place, the
physical presence of Christ as a pilgrim on earth,- and also the physical
presence of Christ in souls in the state of grace, and in Christ the whole
Trinity. The following words:
"... and we saw His glory, the glory as it were of the
Only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth", these
words give testimony to the signs of the divine mission of Christ, which
are His miracles, wisdom and teach-ing, His power, holiness and infinite
love, His admirable Transfiguration, His glorious Resurrection and
Ascension into Heaven, the Coming of the Holy Ghost and the effects of His
Redemption in the regeneration of souls.
The same Evangelist gives testimony not only of Him, but as well of
the other Apostles and contemporary follow-ers of Christ, that they saw
the glory of which he speaks.
49. We turn now to treat one of the most explicit proofs to be
found in the Holy Gospels. It
is found in the declaration of Saint John the Baptist concerning Christ on
three occasions (John 1, 15, 27 and 30). Let us look at the most signifi-cant text: "This is He of whom I said: after me there cometh a man, who was
made before me: because He was before me" (John I, 30).
50. In this passage Saint John the Baptist gives testimony that
before he himself existed, the Messias already existed.
Now we know from the Gospels (Luke I, 36) that Christ's Body was
made or was conceived six months after that of Saint John the Baptist.
Nor can this refer to the Word since the sacred text says with all
cla-rity that He was made, and we know that the Word was not made, but
rather engendered from eternity. Necessarily then what is indicated is that part of Christ
which is neither the Body nor the Word of God, but consequently His
pre-existent Soul.
51. Those who have translated this text into the vernacular
tongues, unaware of the dogma of the pre-existence of the Soul of Christ,
have not known what to do with the expression "factus
est". Some have
translated by "engendered",
which is to misrepresent the sacred text, since the original text, which
is the Greek, and its authentic translation in the Vulgate, with all
clarity say "made" and
do not say "engendered".
Others, to evade the question of "factum
est", simply let this deci-sive expression disappear.
52. In the doctrinal exposition of Saint Paul on Christ in the
first Letter to the Colossians the dogma of the pre- existence of the Most
Divine Soul of Christ united to the Word of God fairly throbs with life.
53. In verses 15 to 19 inclusive of the above mentioned text, the
Apostle presents a doctrinal treasure on the Most Divine Humanity of
Christ until the present hardly exploited, in which is admirably condensed
a whole christological treatise. However
in the chapter we are presenting, we shall limit ourselves to interpreting
and explaining the expressions relating to the pre-existence of the Most
Divine Soul. Let us consider
the sacred text: "He who is the
image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature (verse 15):
for in Him were all things created in heaven and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether Thrones, or Dominations, or Principalities, or Powers:
all were created by Him and in Him (verse 16).
And He is before all things, and by Him all things subsist (verse
17). And He is the head of the Body of the Church, He who is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead: so that in all things He hold the
primacy (verse 18): because in Him He wished all fullness to dwell (verse
19)", (Col. I, 15- 19).
54. In the first part of verse 15, Saint Paul wisely presents the
complete Humanity of Christ, when he says: "He
who is the image of the invisible God, ...".
Here we have to distinguish a twofold doctrine.
The Soul of Christ is the first
and supreme image "ad extra" of the Divinity, although naturally invisible,
for being endowed with all fullness of grace and infinite holiness in
virtue of the Hypostatic Union with the Word.
This human image of the invisible God manifested itself in the Old
Testament under various sensible appearances and in this way shed certain
rays of the divine perfections over His people.
When the Word became incarnate, the Most Divine Soul of Christ
pre-existing in Him extended to His corporeal Humanity the fullness of
Grace which He possessed and the Man Christ was constituted visible Image
of the invisible God, as He Himself declares: "He
that seeth Me, seeth also the Father" (John XIV, 9); and these
words were accompanied by external manifestations which proved that Christ
was the Son of God.
55. The second part of verse 15 is one of the most evident proofs
of the pre-existence of the Soul of Christ: "...
the Firstborn of every creature...".
The interpreters of Sacred Scripture, unaware of the pre-existence
of the Soul of Christ, have tried to throw light on the obscurity that
these words of the sacred text pre-sented them, departing from the true
and only meaning which, with perfect precision, is literally expressed in
them. Because each word, as
well as the whole of this part of the verse, besides the context of the
verses mentioned above which we have exa-mined, all these do not let us
see any meaning but the literal, that is, the first creature that issued
from the hands of God. Therefore,
the second part of verse 15, "the
firstborn of every creature", does not refer to Christ's divine
nature, eternal and uncreated. Nor
does it refer to His Body, since that was conceived 5199 years after the
Day of creation. Necessarily it must refer to the pre-existent Soul, the
created human nature.
56.
Verse 16 gives us the reason for this first cre-ation, the Soul of Christ,
in that God in His Infinite Wisdom had decreed that all things be created
through a human nature assumed by Himself, and that thus all be dependent
on His Mediation and subject to His rule.
That is therefore the reason why God created and assumed
substantially at the same instant the Most Divine Soul of Christ, His
first creature, model and indispensable instrument for subsequent creation:
"For in Him were all things
created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether Thrones, or
Dominations, or Principalities or Powers: all things were created by Him
and in Him".
57. The Humanity of Christ, though it be limited by nature,
embraces all creation visible and invisible, and pene-trates all things,
and all things are marked mysteriously, each in conformity with its own
nature, with the seal of His Most Holy Humanity as Father of Creation.
58. In Genesis, when God is speaking of the creation of man, He
says: "Let us make man to our
image and likeness" (Gen. I, 26).
In these words there is con-tained the twofold causality in the
Work of Creation, the first cause, which is God, One and Three, and the
instrumental cause, which is the Most
Divine Soul of Christ. Note
the wording of the text, "Let
us make", which is to say that the divine will moved the human
will of the Soul of Christ, and the latter realized the Work of Creation,
following His own, in most perfect subordination to the divine plans.
In the text mentioned there is also contained the doctrine of the
Universal Mediation of the Soul of Mary in the Work of Creation.
59. Once having extracted the doctrine contained in this verse of
Genesis on creation in general, we proceed now to treat the creation of
man, principal theme of the text mentioned.
His Holiness Pope Gregory XVII has defined magisterially the true
sense of the phrase "to Our
image and likeness", saying that "God,
when He created man, created him divine" which is to say, He made
him participant of the divine nature.
God created the soul of the first man to the image and likeness of
the Soul of Christ, and at the very instant of its creation infused it
into a body formed as well to the image and likeness of the future
corporeal Humanity of Christ, which already had been presented
mysteriously to the angels in heaven.
In this way the first man Adam was made in the image and likeness
of his instrumental cause and exemplar, Man Christ, Who is the image of
the invisible God. Thus the
souls of the first pair were created to the image and likeness of God
through the Humanity of Christ, participating, at the same time, in the
divine nature by Sanctifying Grace. The
bodies of Adam and Eve also participated in that image and likeness of God
on being constituted living temples of the Holy Ghost, since the divine
life was ref-lected in them.
60. This latter supernatural seal, which is received in the
Sacrament of Baptism and which makes man the "image
and likeness" of God, is distinct from the natural seal which all
creatures necessarily bear impressed by their Creator.
61. The future corporeal humanity of the Divine Virgin Mary was
also pre-sented to the angels as was that of Christ, and was the model and
exemplar of the body of Eve.
62. In verse 17 Saint Paul reaffirms the doctrine he mentioned
previously on the pre-existence of the Most Divine Soul, when he says: "And He is before all things...", words that contain a
twofold doctrinal sense, the pre-existence of the Soul of Christ, and the
Supremacy of the Man Christ over all things.
In the second part of the same verse the Apostle presents the
doctri-ne of the Humanity of Christ as essential instrument of the
subsistence or conservation of all things, when he says: "...
and by Him all things subsist", which is a simple matter of logic,
for if Crea-tion necessarily was accomplished through the Soul of Christ,
its conserva-tion had also necessarily to be in the same way.
63. Saint Paul, in verse 18 of the chapter we are examining
completes the doctrine given above on Christ as Man, saying that He holds
the primacy in all things; and he presents
other aspects of that primacy: "And
He is the head of the Body of the Church", which He founded with
His Blood poured out on the Cross; "who
is the beginning", that is the beginning of creation; and,
finally, "the firstborn from the dead", which means that He was the
first who rose from the dead never to die again, and thus the Most Divine
Humanity of Christ holds the absolute primacy in all things.
64. Saint Paul, in the First Letter to Timothy gives us another
argument that calls for the pre-existence of the Most Divine Soul of
Christ: "For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the
Man Christ Jesus" (I Tim. II, 5).
Saint Paul affirms that Christ as Man is the Mediator between God
and creation, and without His Mediation no man has received grace and
salvation. Now then, there is
shown in Sacred Scripture, as well as in the course of this Treatise, that
in the Old Testament the human race was not deprived of all divine help,
but that there were men and women endowed with great and eminent graces,
thus showing us with all clarity that the Most Divine Soul of Christ
united to the Word of God had to pre--exist to redeem and sanctify men
through anticipated application of the merits of His future bloody
sacrifice on Calvary. For a similar reason we see that the Divine Soul of Mary
necessarily had also to pre-exist. We
base our argument on the centuries old doctrine of the Church, defined as
dogma of faith by His Holiness Pope Gregory XVII in his second Document, "Mary,
Universal Mediatrix in the dispensation of all grace".
If Her Divine Soul had not pre- existed, we should have to say that
the graces received in the Old Testament did not pass through Her
venerable hands, which would have been impossible.
65. Saint Paul, in chapter X of the First Letter to the
Corinthi-ans, verses 1 to 4, and others following, shows us the New Church
prefigured in the Old Testa-ment, bringing into relief the interventions
of the Souls of Christ and Mary in favour of their people, the Church of
Old, freeing them from slavery, leading them and feed-ing them in their
pilgrimage through the desert, besides the punishment by the Soul of
Christ of those who "tempted Him" by their prevarication and incredulity, as
Saint Paul says: "Nor let us
tempt Christ, as some of them tempted Him and perished by the
serpents" (I Cor. X, 9). In
this manner the Apostle wishes to admonish the members of the New Church
to be faithful to the Doctrine of Christ lest they fall under His
Righteous Anger.
66. In verse 1, when he says: "For
I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that our fathers were all under
the cloud, and all passed through the sea", Saint Paul speaks of
the "Pillar of Cloud"
which impeded the advance of Pharao's army, leaving the way clear for the
Israelites, who thus managed to pass through the sea to the other side.
That Cloud is, as dogmatically defined, the Divine Soul of Mary.
Through Her the Soul of Christ freed His people from slavery under
Pharao, symbol of the slavery of Satan.
This passage is a proof of the pre-existence of the Divine Soul of
Mary.
67. Verse 2 says: "And
all were baptized in Moses, in the Cloud and in the sea". These words prefigure perfectly the Sacrament of Baptism.
The expression "were baptized in Moses", which signify that it was in his
faith and in his law, symbolizes the profession of faith and the
renunciation of the works of Satan, demanded by this Sacrament.
The words "and in the sea" prefigure the regenerative waters of
Baptism. And finally, the
expression "in the Cloud"
represents here the Drop of Blood of the Divine Virgin Mary, received in
Baptism, and in it, Sanctifying Grace.
68. Verse 3 says: "And
all ate the same spiritual food".
Here is prefigured the Sacrament of the Eucharist, spiritual food
of the children of the Church. The
manna was given to the Israelites day by day in the desert by the Soul of
Christ, making it possible for that Church of Old to subsist materially.
Besides it gave them a certain spiritual strength.
69. In verse 4 is prefigured the Blood of Christ poured out in His
Passion and on the Cross, in the water which Moses miraculously drew forth
from the rock at the command of the Soul of Christ, and which never failed
the Israelites in the desert. Let
us consider the sacred text: "And
all drank the same spiritual drink: (because they drank of the spiritual
rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ)".
Here is proved the pre-existence of the Soul of Christ, which quite
in accord with the nature of the Soul, is called by the Apostle "spiritual
rock". And he says
besides, expressly, that the rock was Christ.
So it is clear that he is speaking of His Most Divine Soul since
His Body was con-ceived centuries afterwards.
He also brings into relief the intervention of Christ Who became
present for the Israelites, constantly accompanying them in the Cloud,
which was the Soul of Mary.
70. Comparing the expression "spiritual
rock", mentioned above, with which Saint Paul refers to the
pre-existent Soul of Christ, with another expression of the Apostle in the
Letter to the Ephesians, "Jesus
Christ, who is the chief Corner-stone" (Eph. II, 20), the
difference between the two expressions is clearly seen, since in the
latter, the denomination is not "spiritual"
but simply "Cornerstone",
referring thus to the Man Christ, that is to His complete human nature,
the solid Foundation and invisible Head that sustains the whole Body of
the Church.
71. Reading the Letter of Saint Judas Thaddeus we find a text that
could not be clearer on the truth of the pre- existence of the Soul of
Christ confirmed by His intervention in the Old Testament.
We refer to verses 5 and 6 of his Letter, which say: "But
I wish to remind you, though once you knew all this, that Jesus, having
saved the people out of the land of Egypt, did afterwards destroy those
that believed not (verse 5): and the angels who kept not their
principality, but forsook their own habitation, these He hath reserved
under darkness in everlasting
chains unto the judgement of the great day" (verse 6).
In verse 5 he speaks with all clarity that it was Jesus Himself Who
saved the Israelites from their humiliating slavery in Egypt.
And in verse 6, that it was He Himself Who chained the rebel
angels. Therefore the Soul of
Christ pre-existed in the Old Testament, even before the fall of the
angels.
72. In the Apocalypse we find other very clear proofs of the
pre-existence of the Soul of Christ: "These
things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, who is the beginning
of the creature of God" (Apoc. III, 14).
The faithful Witness, is Jesus Christ, as is affirmed in chapter I,
verse 5 of the same Book: "And
from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful Witness, the first begotten of the
dead ...". To
interpret verse 14 correctly, we refer to the Greek text, which is more
exact and clear in respect to the latter part of the verse: "These
things saith the Amen ... the beginning of the creation of God".
Which means literally the first being God created.
Therefore the Vulgate, "who
is the beginning of the creature of God", and the Greek text, "the
beginning of creation", both of which have the same meaning,
cannot refer to the Word, since that is eternal, nor to the corporeal
Humanity of Christ, which is much posterior to Creation, but refer
necessarily to the Most Divine Soul pre- existent.
The Man Jesus Christ, Truth itself, is the faithful and true
Witness of all the works of God since the beginning and in perpetuity.
He is the first creature of God, since His Most Divine Soul was
created before all things, and which moreover, from the very moment It
existed was constituted the instrumental prin-ciple of all subsequent
creation. Likewise all things
subsist in Him and by Him, and without Him nothing has been made nor shall
be made. In this way alone
the Man Christ is the faithful Witness and true of Whom the Apocalypse
speaks. The word "Amen"
here signifies the Truth which is Christ, as He actually called Himself,
(John XIV, 6).
73. Chapter XIII, verse 8 of the Apocalypse speaks of those whose
names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb "which
was slain from the beginning of the world". This expression proves the pre-existence of the Soul of
Christ, since it says that something pertaining to the Divine Lamb existed
from the beginning of the world, and it is clear that it does not refer to
Christ's Body, which is posterior, nor to His Divinity, which is
immutable. The expression "was slain" cannot be taken in a literal sense, since the
Soul is immortal. Here the
Greek text supports our doctrine, since the word used to express "was slain" has the meaning of "immolate" or "sacrifice".
Which permits us to construe the true doctrinal translation of the
words we are examining: namely, that He made Himself victim in conformity
with His pre--existent nature, immolating Himself spiritually, in order
after the Incarnation to con-summate the immolation in His Blood by dying
on the Cross. We complete
this doctrine saying that the Most Divine Soul of Christ at the moment of
His creation knew perfectly the Creator's plan for His future mission, and
at that moment He accepted with total freedom His future Sacrifice on the
Cross. This was
possible to Him because His Most Divine Soul was created at the beginning
of creation,- that is, He immolated Himself from the beginning of the
world. Without the
pre-existence of the Most Divine Soul of Christ, it is not possible to
understand the mysterious sense of this text.
74. With reference to the Dogmatic Definition on the pre-existe-nce
of the Souls of Christ add Mary (Document 34), His Holiness Pope Gregory
XVII in Document 41, has treated extensively the questions relating to
Pope Vigilius and the canons drawn up by the Emperor Justinian against
Origines, and has given the solution to those numerous problematical
questions.
75. We bring to a close our labour of interpretation of the sacred
texts which confirm the dogma of the pre-existence of the Divine Souls,
leaving for another occasion a considerable number of such texts.
This Holy Council expresses the joy and satisfaction of having seen
how, in the course of the present Treatise, many obscure and difficult
passages in Sacred Scripture have now, in the light of this dogma, been
revealed in their true sense, thus fulfilling what has been prophesied of
the work of this Council by many mystics, as, for example, by Saint
Bar-tholomew Holzhauser and by Blessed Amadeus de Latour, Bishop of Sion
(Switzerland). In the
apparitions at Ezquioga (Spain) the work of this Council has also been
prophesied.
76. It remains for us to speak of a towering figure, the
illus-trious and holy theologian of the third century, the only one who,
despite his errors, openly expounded the doctrine of the pre-existence of
the Most Divine Soul of Christ, which can also be glimpsed in the writings
of many of the Fathers of the Church.
We refer to Origen, eminent scriptural scholar of Alexandria, whose
memory, sad to say, has been obscured through envy and through the
disputes which, after his death, arose about certain points in his
doctrine, in which, on the one hand, he had fallen into material error,
and in which, on the other hand, he was victim of the betrayal and
misrepresentation of that doctrine, there being attributed to him errors
which he had not professed.
77. With his unquenchable creative activity, his untiring teaching
and the desire to enrich and clarify Church doctrine, he confronted
valiantly questions truly difficult for his time.
Besides, the Church during Origen's lifetime did not pronounce
judgement on his writings but let him freely express his views, so that in
no wise did he contradict doctrine up to the time defined.
After his death, with the publication and transla-tion of part of
his works, there appeared in them doctrinal errors that cannot be
attributed to Origen, at least formally, given his fidelity to the
Magisterium of the Church. Part
of the works of this illustrious author were not made public by him, as he
kept them in private in order to re-examine them, to perfect and correct
them. But the enemies of
Origen, to defame him, took them over and pub-lished them without making
the pertinent corrections. Besides,
Origen was continually pursued by auditors and propagato-rs of his
discourses, given his wide fame and elo-quence, and given the interest and
curiosity which his words awakened. Thus
they were published at once without possibility of correction, such as
Origen would have wished.
78. After the death of Origen, great disputes arose over his
teachings due to the many enemies of the Church, who declared themselves
followers of the great exegete. These
opposed the Sacred Magisterium, arming themselves in his errors, which,
had Origen lived, would have been condemned by him.
79. The disputes
reached a point that, three centuries later, gave the Second Council of
Constantinople occasion to include his name among certain known heretics.
Thus, together with these, he appears anathematized.
It is not now our intention to enter into the questions which
occupied the theologians of the time, but rather to clarify the mind of
the Church on the person of Origen. We know historically this saintly man was never condemned
during life. On the contrary
Origen submitted himself altogether to Papal authority and manifested his
desire to remain within orthodox teaching and to retract any error on
which he might have fallen. This
Holy Palmarian Council defines that it never was the intention of the
Church to condemn the person of Origen, but rather to condemn Origenism,
that is the errors in his writings, both actual or imputed, and these we
too condemn.
80. Examining the history of the Church we encounter similar cases
in questions of doctrine, as for example those of Saint Justin, Saint
Ambrose, Saint Jerome, Saint Augustine, Saint Bernard, Saint Bonaventure,
Saint Thomas of Aquinas, etc., who in the course of their doctrinal
teaching, expounded certain questions which, after their death the Church
anathematized. This shows
that they, as did Origen, in good faith fell into material heresy, without
being considered for that reason formal heretics, since at the time the
Church had not yet defined those par-ticular questions.
Besides, many of the great Fathers of the Church had the greatest
esteem for Origen, and drew richly on his wholesome teaching.
81. This Holy Council rejects and anathematizes every opinion on
Origen contrary to what is declared in the present chapter, and leaves to
posterity rehabi-litated the holy memory of this exalted ascetic, of most
exemplary life, even though with certain equivocations as with all men.
Origen, son of a martyr, a man inspired, pillar of patristic
theology and father of post- apostolic theology, at the end of his life
sealed his love for Christ and the Church with his blood.
The martyrdom of Origen occurred during the persecution of Decius,
when he was seized and suffered a cruel imprisonment under terrible
torments. After the
persecution he gained his free-dom but died shortly afterwards.
82. His Holiness Pope Gregory XVII, on 7 June 1982, considering the
mind of the venerable fathers of this Holy Palmarian Council, and moved by
the most vehement fire of the Holy Ghost, solem-nly declares and proclaims
the heroic virtue of Origen, and elevates him to the glory of the altars
with the title, Saint Origen, Father and Doctor of the Church, martyr of
the Holy Catholic Faith, whose feast the Church hence-forth will celebrate
yearly on 22 February.
