Part 1. Question 94, Article 3.
In such a blessed and happy state, what knowledge did our first parent possess? And in what manner did he attain to this truth?
The first objection that St. Thomas states notes that there are 3 forms of knowledge that Adam could have possessed.
1) Acquired - This cannot be, as this is received by living experience (which he had not yet achieved).
2) Connatural - This cannot be either as he was of the same nature as we are today, and we do not possess this by origin. Our soul is 'like a clean tablet (tabula rasa) on which nothing is written' as Aristotle said.
3) Infused - Again, this is impossible as 'it would have been of a different kind from ours, which we acquire from things themselves.'
However, it is Adam's task to give names to the animals of the garden (Gen. 2:20), and names 'should be adapted to the nature of things', therefore the first man had knowledge of the natures of these fellow creatures. It follows also, that he held knowledge of all things.
Next Thomas, explains that things which are perfect exist prior to those that are imperfect. For something to become corrupted, or run down, it must exist in a state of wholeness before this privation occurs. Also, 'act precedes potentiality; for whatever is in potentiality is made actuality only by something actual'. This is an important philosophical point that must be explained as it has reference to other matters in theology, particularly concerning the 'nature' (which is, incidentally, anhypostatic) of evil. On my desk, I have a yellow coloured pen. It is of its essence, a pen, although it possesses accidents (non-essential attributes) such as the colour, taste, weight and texture. My yellow pen is potentially black, as changing an accident will not destroy the essence (that is, the 'penness') of the item. For something to be altered, it is necessary for it to exist in the first place. It must be in a state of being, that is, to be actual. Furthermore, this pen can only be transformed black by an external agent (a paintbrush or whatever) which exists actually.
Let us move on since this has been noted briefly.
The Good Lord, fashioner of all that is seen and unseen wished, out of His gracious mercy, to allow men to participate in His creative power. He orders nature so that certain creatures function as agents in His loving plan for the world, that they 'might be principles of other things'. As regards to human beings, we can cooperate in His creative power, by procreation mainly, however also, He permits us to rule and teach others. The Angelic Doctor concludes, 'as the first man was produced in his perfect state, as regards the body, for the work of generation (that is, begetting of children), so also was his soul established in a perfect state to instruct and govern others'. I would also like to include the soul's faculty to govern and rule itself, which was perfect in the case of Adam, as he was created in a state of justice and harmony, free from the future consequences of concupiscence and corruption, transmitted through human nature to his descendants.
It is obvious that no man can communicate truth or knowledge to another, if he does not possess it beforehand (See article concerning the Wisdom of Christ). Therefore it was fitting that God should create Adam in such a state that he would have, as the father of the human race, a knowledge of all things that a person could acquire naturally in order to pass on. These natural truths must be self-evident, that is clear and comprehensible, available to be obtained in the natural order.
However, as 'man does not live by bread alone', we must have knowledge of the supernatural end to which we are called. Such an end is blessed union with and vision of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, and Adam knew these truths as it was indispensable for him so that he may 'direct his life'. These truths would be infused into his intellect, although 'his knowledge was not different from ours; as the eyes that Christ gave to the man born blind were no different from those given by nature'.
It must be noted that is would have been superfluous for Adam to be gifted with a knowledge of matters which did not pertain to the obtaining of his supernatural end. He had no knowledge of future contingent events and 'some individual facts, as for instance the number of pebbles in a stream' et cetera.
Despite this, Adam was fashioned from the dust in a superior manner to which we are created today. He received from God a keen intellect and a height of perfection far surpassing, mortal and fallen man, as was fitting. The first man could be said to have increased in knowledge in so far as what he knew speculatively, he would experience personally firsthand. Moreover, regarding supernatural knowledge, this would have been infused directly by God, in order for him to know deeper mysteries stored up for him.
In such a blessed and happy state, what knowledge did our first parent possess? And in what manner did he attain to this truth?
The first objection that St. Thomas states notes that there are 3 forms of knowledge that Adam could have possessed.
1) Acquired - This cannot be, as this is received by living experience (which he had not yet achieved).
2) Connatural - This cannot be either as he was of the same nature as we are today, and we do not possess this by origin. Our soul is 'like a clean tablet (tabula rasa) on which nothing is written' as Aristotle said.
3) Infused - Again, this is impossible as 'it would have been of a different kind from ours, which we acquire from things themselves.'
However, it is Adam's task to give names to the animals of the garden (Gen. 2:20), and names 'should be adapted to the nature of things', therefore the first man had knowledge of the natures of these fellow creatures. It follows also, that he held knowledge of all things.
Next Thomas, explains that things which are perfect exist prior to those that are imperfect. For something to become corrupted, or run down, it must exist in a state of wholeness before this privation occurs. Also, 'act precedes potentiality; for whatever is in potentiality is made actuality only by something actual'. This is an important philosophical point that must be explained as it has reference to other matters in theology, particularly concerning the 'nature' (which is, incidentally, anhypostatic) of evil. On my desk, I have a yellow coloured pen. It is of its essence, a pen, although it possesses accidents (non-essential attributes) such as the colour, taste, weight and texture. My yellow pen is potentially black, as changing an accident will not destroy the essence (that is, the 'penness') of the item. For something to be altered, it is necessary for it to exist in the first place. It must be in a state of being, that is, to be actual. Furthermore, this pen can only be transformed black by an external agent (a paintbrush or whatever) which exists actually.
Let us move on since this has been noted briefly.
The Good Lord, fashioner of all that is seen and unseen wished, out of His gracious mercy, to allow men to participate in His creative power. He orders nature so that certain creatures function as agents in His loving plan for the world, that they 'might be principles of other things'. As regards to human beings, we can cooperate in His creative power, by procreation mainly, however also, He permits us to rule and teach others. The Angelic Doctor concludes, 'as the first man was produced in his perfect state, as regards the body, for the work of generation (that is, begetting of children), so also was his soul established in a perfect state to instruct and govern others'. I would also like to include the soul's faculty to govern and rule itself, which was perfect in the case of Adam, as he was created in a state of justice and harmony, free from the future consequences of concupiscence and corruption, transmitted through human nature to his descendants.
It is obvious that no man can communicate truth or knowledge to another, if he does not possess it beforehand (See article concerning the Wisdom of Christ). Therefore it was fitting that God should create Adam in such a state that he would have, as the father of the human race, a knowledge of all things that a person could acquire naturally in order to pass on. These natural truths must be self-evident, that is clear and comprehensible, available to be obtained in the natural order.
However, as 'man does not live by bread alone', we must have knowledge of the supernatural end to which we are called. Such an end is blessed union with and vision of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, and Adam knew these truths as it was indispensable for him so that he may 'direct his life'. These truths would be infused into his intellect, although 'his knowledge was not different from ours; as the eyes that Christ gave to the man born blind were no different from those given by nature'.
It must be noted that is would have been superfluous for Adam to be gifted with a knowledge of matters which did not pertain to the obtaining of his supernatural end. He had no knowledge of future contingent events and 'some individual facts, as for instance the number of pebbles in a stream' et cetera.
Despite this, Adam was fashioned from the dust in a superior manner to which we are created today. He received from God a keen intellect and a height of perfection far surpassing, mortal and fallen man, as was fitting. The first man could be said to have increased in knowledge in so far as what he knew speculatively, he would experience personally firsthand. Moreover, regarding supernatural knowledge, this would have been infused directly by God, in order for him to know deeper mysteries stored up for him.
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