Dist. 19
by St. Bonaventure
Source text: Public Domain Mark 1.0. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://bonaventure.wrootpress.com/browse/2/d/19/q/bon-sent-II-d19-littera
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# DISTINCTION XIX.

### Chapter I.
### *On the state of man before sin — what it was according to the body, and what it was after sin.*

Many things are customarily inquired into concerning the first state of man before sin: namely, what sort of man he was, before he sinned, both in body and in soul — whether mortal or immortal, passible or impassible; concerning the term of his lower life and the transition to the higher; concerning the manner of the propagation of his children, and many other things which are not unprofitably known, although they are sometimes asked out of curiosity. And before we go on to what pertains to the quality of his soul, let us look at the quality of his body, and the manner of the propagation of his children, and certain other things.

« The first man, then, according to the nature of his earthly body, *Twofold sense of "mortal" and "immortal."* was also immortal in a certain way according to one respect — because he could not die — and mortal in a certain way, because he could die. For in that first state he had *the power to die* and *the power not to die*. And this was the first immortality of the human body, namely the *power not to die*. But in the second state, after sin, he had *the power to die* and *not the power not to die*, because in this state there is a necessity of dying. In the third state he will have *the power not to die* and *not the power to die*, because to that state belongs the impossibility of dying — which will be from grace, not from nature ».

### Chapter II.
### *How man is said to have been made into a living soul.*

In the first state, the body of man was animal, *Doubt 1.* that is, in need of the nourishments of food; whence also *man is said to have been made into a living soul* — not a spiritual one — that is, into a soul giving sense to the body, which was as yet animal, not spiritual, which needed foods, that it might live through the soul. He was made therefore *into a living soul*, that is, into one giving life to the body, but by means of the supports of food; and at that time the body was both mortal and immortal, because it could die and could not die. — « After sin, however, *Doubt 2. Differently after sin and in the resurrection.* it was made *dead*, as the Apostle says: *The body is dead because of sin* — that is, it has in itself the necessity of dying. — But in the resurrection it will be *Doubt 3.* spiritual, that is, agile and not needing food, and immortal, not as it was in the first state only, namely that it *could* not die, but also that it *will not be able* to die. Whence Augustine on Genesis: « The Apostle *Augustine.* says: *Indeed the body is dead because of sin*, etc. First the animal body — not the spiritual — was formed from the slime of the earth, with which we shall rise and shall be renewed from oldness, not into an animal body such as it was, but into something better — that is, spiritual — when this mortal shall put on immortality; into which Adam was to be changed, had he not by sinning merited the death of his animal body. The Apostle does not say: *the mortal body* is because of sin, but: *the dead* one ».

### Chapter III.
### *The body of man before sin was both mortal and immortal; after sin, dead.*

« For that [body] before sin was both mortal and immortal, because it could die and could not die. But it is one thing *not to be able to die*, and another thing *to be able not to die*. Therefore by sin it was made not *mortal*, which it already was, but *dead* — which would not have come about, had he not sinned. For this body too is animal, just as the first man's was, but now it is worse; for it has the necessity of dying ». — Behold, here Augustine clearly discloses that the body of man before sin was mortal and immortal, but not in the manner in which it shall be in the resurrection. On the same subject Bede *Bede.* on Genesis says: « It is not to be believed that bodies, before sin, were dead in the way they are now. For the Apostle says: *The body is dead because of sin*; but, although they were animal and not yet spiritual, still they were not dead — they would, however, necessarily have to die ».

### Chapter IV.
### *Whether the immortality which he then had was from the condition of nature, or from the gift of grace.*

It is customarily asked here, since the first man had a body both mortal and immortal, whether he had both from the condition of the body's nature, or whether one of them — namely immortality, that is, *the power not to die* — was a benefit of grace. — To which it can be said that one of them he had in the nature of the body, namely *the power to die*; the other, however — namely *the power not to die* — was his from the tree of life, that is, from the gift of grace. Whence Augustine on Genesis: « In a certain *Augustine.* way man was created immortal — which belonged to him from the tree of life, not from the condition of nature. He was mortal in the condition of his animal body, immortal by the gift of the Creator. For he was not immortal in such a way as to be wholly incapable of dying; which will not be the case until he has become spiritual »: — He plainly says that not from nature, but from the tree of life, he had *the power not to die*. On account of this, some say *Opinion of certain ones.* that, had he not used that tree of life, he would not have lived for ever, because he would have sinned. For he would have sinned, had he not used that tree, since it was commanded him to eat of every tree of paradise, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As, therefore, he sinned by eating what was forbidden, so likewise he would have sinned, had he not eaten what was commanded.

### Chapter V.
### *Whether the man could have lived for ever using the other trees and not the tree of life, with God not commanding him to eat of it.*

But it is still asked, if there had been no precept that he eat of the tree of life, and he were to feed on the others and not on it, could he have lived without dying? If he were to live always, not using that tree, *the power not to die* would not have been his from that tree. But if he could not live always, that power was his from that tree. — Some say *Opinion 1.* that, if it had not been commanded him to feed on that tree, and he were to feed on the others and not on it, he would have lived always; thus determining what Augustine said above, namely: « It was his from the tree of life, not from the condition of nature » — only [as restrictive], that is, as though it were not his from the condition of nature alone, but also from that tree. — But to others it seems *Opinion 2.* that *the power not to die* was his from the tree of life, not from nature. For he is said to have been able not to die because he was able to use that tree, by eating of which he would not die.

### Chapter VI.
### *On the first and second immortality of the body.*

Concerning this immortality of man, of what sort it was, Augustine on Genesis raising the question speaks thus: « It is asked how man was made immortal beyond the other animals; and how with them he received a common food. But there is one immortality of the flesh which we received in Adam; another, which in the resurrection we hope for through Christ. He was made an immortal man, so as not to be able to die, if he did not sin, but so as to die if he did sin; but the children of the resurrection neither shall be able to sin further nor to die. Our flesh will then not be in need of the refreshment of food, because there will be no failing of it possible. The flesh of Adam before sin was so created immortal that, aided by nourishment, it would be free of death and pain. Thus, therefore, was the flesh of man founded immortal and incorruptible, in order that it might guard its immortality and incorruption by the observance of God's commandments. Among which commandments this was contained: that he should eat of those trees which were granted, and abstain from the forbidden one; that by the eating of these he might preserve the gifts of immortality, until, brought by bodily growth to the age that should please the Creator, his progeny having been multiplied, he should at the Creator's bidding take of the tree of life, by which, made perfectly immortal, he would no longer require the nourishments of food ». — Behold, by these words Augustine seems to hand down that the flesh of the first man had immortality in itself, which was to be preserved by the nourishment of food until the time of its translation into something better, when he would eat of the tree of life and become wholly immortal, so that he could not die.

Hence some say that he had immortality from nature *Opinion of certain ones.* — by which he was able not to die — which could be preserved by the eating of the other trees; but it could not be brought to completion except by the taking of the tree of life. Which Augustine seems to mean on Genesis, saying: *Augustine.* « This too I add: that this tree provided such a food whereby the body of man might be strengthened in steady health, not as by other food, but by a hidden inspiration of wholesomeness ». Here he seems to hint that, while the body could be sustained by the other foods, it would be strengthened by this food in unfailing health. From which it seems to follow that, just as in his own nature he had a certain mortality — namely an aptitude for dying — so too in his own nature he had a certain immortality, that is, an aptitude by which he was able not to die, aided by foods; but if he had stood firm, the perfection of immortality would have been his from the tree of life. — But those who hand down this view should diligently inquire how the *Not apparent.* preceding words of Augustine, by which he says that he was immortal from the tree of life, do not contradict this position.

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