Dist. 22, Art. 1, Q. 6
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/3/d/22/q/bon-sent-III-d22-a1-q6
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### Question VI. *Whether Christ, immediately after death, led the liberated souls into heaven.*

Sixth and last it is asked concerning the leading-up of the souls, which he liberated from hell, to the heavens, and the question is whether immediately after death he led them into heaven. And that he did so, it seems:

1. By that which is said in Luke twenty-three: *The Lord said to the thief: Today you will be with me in paradise;* and it is certain that this is not understood of the earthly paradise, since it would be no great thing for that soul to be in that paradise: therefore it is understood of the heavenly one.

2. Likewise, immediately after Christ's death the gate was opened, and there was nothing at all delaying: therefore it seems that Christ's soul, with the other souls, flew up into heaven at once.

3. Likewise, the higher place befits the state of glory, just as the lower befits the state of fault: therefore, just as the damned souls descend at once into hell, so the blessed souls ought to fly up at once into heaven; but immediately after Christ's death those souls which had been in hell were irradiated by the light of supernal truth: therefore they ought at once to have been led up into heaven.

4. Likewise, no soul was purer than the soul of Christ; but the souls of the holy Martyrs, who now die, fly up at once: therefore the soul of Christ flew up at once into heaven. But the head does not ascend without the members: therefore the other souls too, after Christ's death, were at once led up to heaven.

**On the contrary:** 1. In Micah two: *He went up opening the way before them,* which is said of Christ; but Christ did not ascend into heaven until the fortieth day after the resurrection: therefore neither did the souls of the other Saints, who were in limbo.

2. Likewise, the resurrection ought to precede the ascension; but he did not rise again immediately after death: therefore it seems that neither his soul nor the other souls ascended into heaven before the third day.

3. Likewise, in a certain collect on the day of the Resurrection it is said: « O God, who hast unlocked for us the entrance of eternity, death being conquered »: therefore it seems that before the day of resurrection the souls were not led out of the limbo of hell.

4. Likewise, when Christ rose again, he is said to return from the lower regions to the upper; but if his soul, immediately after death, had led the other souls into heaven, he would not return from the lower regions to the upper, but rather would descend from the higher to the lower: therefore it does not seem that the souls of the Saints were led into heaven immediately after Christ's death.

### Conclusion.

> The souls of the Saints, immediately after Christ's death, were not led into heaven *as to place,* yet they were made blessed at once.

**I respond:** It must be said that the souls of the Saints were not led into heaven as to place immediately after Christ's death; yet immediately after the separation of the soul from the body, in Christ's descent to the lower regions, they saw the eternal light and were made blessed, and heaven was opened to them as to reward. Hence, even while existing in the infernal place, they had paradise and the open vision of God, which is nothing other than eternal life.

But although they had beatitude immediately after Christ's death, nevertheless they did not at once attain the place of beatitude; since Christ himself was to hold the primacy in all things and to be the firstborn among many brethren as the head of all. But the resurrection of Christ and his ascension had to be deferred for the confirmation of our faith. For the resurrection was delayed for this reason, that it might be shown that Christ truly died. And for this reason too the ascension was delayed, that by many proofs it might be shown that he truly rose again, according to what is said in Acts one: *He showed himself by many proofs, appearing to them,* etc. Since therefore no soul was to ascend into heaven before Christ,

and Christ's ascension was to be deferred for our salvation; hence it is that the souls of the Saints were neither led out of limbo at once nor at once placed in the heavenly paradise, the divine dispensation bringing this about for our salvation.

**To the arguments:**
1. To that which is objected from the authority of the Lord in Luke, it must be said that, as Augustine says in expounding this word, paradise there means not the place of the empyrean nor the place of the earthly paradise, but the very vision of God. For wherever a man may be, provided he sees God openly, he can be said to be in paradise.

2. To that which is objected, that the gate was opened at once and nothing was delaying; it must be said that the gate was opened at the moment of death as to merit, but in the resurrection as to the exit from limbo, and in the ascension as to the ascent into heaven. Hence in all these three the gate is said to have been opened, but for a different reason in each. Moreover, as to what is said, that nothing was delaying; this is true, that nothing was delaying as to force, yet there was something delaying for a reasonable cause, namely the deferral of Christ's ascension, which had to be deferred for the cause stated above.

3. To that which is objected, that the higher place befits the state of glory; it must be said that this is true; nevertheless, just as the blessed Angels are sent downward for a cause, for the procuring of our salvation, although, insofar as they are blessed, the place above befits them; so also the place of glory could be deferred for those souls for a time, for a cause.

4. To that which is objected, that the souls of the other Saints now fly up at once; the answer is already clear: because their head is above, and there is nothing on the part of those souls, nor on our part, that ought to delay them; and therefore it is not alike.

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