e of the Divine Essence, or of whatever is known in the
Divine Essence, as is plain from what has been said in the First Part
(Q. 12, A. 2); but it is a knowledge of the Divine Essence
immediately, inasmuch as the Divine Essence itself is united to the
beatified mind as an intelligible to an intelligent being; and the
Divine Essence is a form exceeding the capacity of any creature
whatsoever. Hence, together with this super-exceeding form, there is
nothing to hinder from being in the rational mind, intelligible
species, proportioned to its nature.
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FOURTH ARTICLE [III, Q. 9, Art. 4]
Whether Christ Had Any Acquired Knowledge?
Objection 1: It would seem that in Christ there was no empiric and
acquired knowledge. For whatever befitted Christ, He had most
perfectly. Now Christ did not possess acquired knowledge most
perfectly, since He did not devote Himself to the study of letters,
by which knowledge is acquired in its perfection; for it is said
(John 7:15): "The Jews wondered, saying: How doth this Man know
letters, having never learned?" Therefore it seems that in Christ
there was no acquired knowledge.
Obj. 2: Further, nothing can be added to what is full. But the power
of Christ's soul was filled with intelligible species divinely
infused, as was said above (A. 3). Therefore no acquired species
could accrue to His soul.
Obj. 3: Further, he who already has the habit of knowledge, acquires
no new habit, through what he receives from the senses (otherwise two
forms of the same species would be in the same thing together); but
the habit which previously existed is strengthened and increased.
Therefore, since Christ had the habit of infused knowledge, it does
not seem that He acquired a new knowledge through what He perceived
by the senses.
_On the contrary,_ It is written (Heb. 5:8): "Whereas . . . He was
the Son of God, He learned obedience by the things which He
suffered," i.e. "experienced," says a gloss. Therefore there was in
the soul of Christ an empiric knowledge, which is acquired knowledge.
_I answer that,_ As is plain from A. 1, nothing that God planted in
our nature was wanting to the human nature assumed by the Word of
God. Now it is manifest that God planted in human nature not only a
passive, but an active intellect. Hence it is necessary to say that
in the soul of Christ there was not merely a passive, but also an
active intellect. But if in other things God and nature
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