Dist. 24, Art. 2, Q. 1
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/24/q/bon-sent-III-d24-a2-q1
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### Article II. *On the object of faith in relation to our cognition.*

Next there is inquiry concerning the object of faith in relation to our cognition, and concerning this three things are asked.

First it is asked whether faith is of those things of which there is sensible vision.

Second, whether it is of those things of which there is probable opinion.

Third, whether it is of those things of which there is scientific cognition.

### Question I. *Whether faith is of those things of which there is sensible vision.*

Concerning the first one proceeds thus and it is asked whether faith is of those things of which there is sensible vision. And it seems that it is.

1. John, chapter twenty: *Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed*; but it is established that Thomas had true faith concerning the Lord Jesus, whom he saw and touched: therefore there was at once concerning the same thing both interior faith and exterior vision.

2. Likewise, 1 John, chapter one: *That which we have seen and have heard and have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life*: if therefore the Apostles had faith concerning the Word of life, that is, concerning Christ, and concerning the same thing had sensible cognition; the same returns as before.

3. Likewise, the Apostles saw Christ suffering and Christ ascending, and it is established that Christ's having suffered and ascended are articles [of faith]: if therefore the Apostles did not lose faith and merit as to these articles, it seems that faith and exterior vision can be concerning the same thing.

4. Likewise, the Blessed Virgin knew by sensible experiment that she had conceived of the Holy Spirit without male seed; but it is constant that on account of the conception of the Son of God nothing was taken away from her faith: therefore

there stood together in her at once the cognition of faith and the cognition of sensible experiment.

**On the contrary:** 1. Upon that text of John, chapter fourteen: *I go to prepare a place for you*; the Gloss of Augustine: «Let the Lord go and prepare a place: let him go, that he be not seen; let him be hidden, that he be believed»: if therefore for believing it is necessary that [the thing] be hidden, it seems that it is impossible for corporeal vision to stand together with faith concerning the same thing.

2. Likewise, Augustine defining faith says: «Faith is to believe what you do not see»; and in the preceding distinction it was held that «faith is a virtue by which the things that are not seen are believed»; and Gregory in a certain Paschal homily: «The things that are seen do not have faith, but recognition»: therefore it does not seem that interior faith and exterior sense can be concerning the same things.

3. Likewise, the vision of the fatherland empties out faith and its merit on account of the manifestation of the believed truth; but the corporeal vision of Christ manifests his humanity just as the vision of the fatherland [manifests] his Divinity: therefore just as faith of the Divinity cannot be concerning what is seen by glorious vision, so it seems that faith of the humanity cannot be concerning what is seen by sensitive vision.

4. Likewise, the act of believing, insofar as it pertains to virtue, is something difficult and voluntary; but to believe what one sees with the exterior eyes is something easy and necessary: therefore it does not seem that anything can be at once exteriorly seen and interiorly believed.

### Conclusion.

> Faith and sensible vision can be at once concerning one thing, although not according to the same [respect].

**I respond:** It must be said that there are certain things which are subjected to the exterior sense simply and totally; and to see these is to know clearly and perfectly, and concerning such things the habit or cognition of faith cannot be at once together with exterior vision, for the reason that that vision or cognition excludes every enigma and enigmatic cognition. — But there are certain things which are subjected to sense according to some part of themselves in such a way that according to some part of themselves they lie hidden from the sense itself; and concerning such things there can well be at once both vision according to one [respect] and the belief of faith according to another: vision according to that by which they are open, the belief of faith according to that by which they lie hidden.

And in this way it is to be understood in Christ. Christ according to the assumed and corporeal nature appeared to the senses of the Apostles, but according to the divine nature lay hidden from every sense; and the same person and hypostasis according to the diverse natures was at once known and unknown to sight; therefore it could at once be seen and believed. — And this is rather easy to understand, if one attends: since concerning the same thing there can be certitude and doubt according to diverse natures and diverse respects and diverse conditions. For suppose that Christ were here before my eyes; even though by sight I should know that he is a man, never however by sight should I know that he is the Son of God; therefore another habit is necessary in order that I should know that he is God. And this is what the Lord said to Peter, when he had said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God: Flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee etc. — It must be granted therefore that faith and vision can be concerning one and the same thing, although not according to the same [respect]. — And this is what Augustine and Gregory say concerning Thomas, that «he saw one thing and believed another, he saw a man and confessed God, saying: My Lord and my God». And as it is said of Thomas, so also of the other Apostles and of the Blessed Virgin, who, although she knew by certain experience that she had conceived without male seed, nevertheless knew that she had conceived the person of the Word by means of faith. And in brief: because in all the articles something divine is implied; because «an article is a truth concerning God», and that indeed lies hidden: therefore the reasons showing that corporeal vision does not exclude faith are to be granted.

1. To that, then, which is objected first to the contrary, that hiddenness is necessary to faith; it must be said that the hiddenness of the Divinity is that which is necessary to faith; but the hiddenness of the humanity is not of the necessity of faith, yet it makes for a greater purity of the act of faith. For the Apostles were moved more purely by the motion of faith and by the motion of love toward Christ after his ascent or departure than in his presence. And the Lord, in John, chapter twenty, more praises the faith of those

who have not seen and have believed than the faith of Thomas; and blessed Peter in his first Canonical [epistle], chapter one, commends those who did not see Christ and yet believed in him; and this is what that Gloss means to say, that the Lord's corporeal absence would make for the promotion of faith: and from this it does not follow that corporeal vision takes away faith itself.

2. To that which is objected concerning the authority of Augustine and Gregory, it must be said that the words of Augustine and Gregory are to be understood in themselves. For when it is said that faith is of things not apparent and not seen, this is said because faith is of those things according to that nature according to which they do not appear; and by that very fact it is of those things which do not appear, because according to some part of themselves they lie hidden. But from this it is not excluded that, as if per accidens and by concomitance, it can be said that faith is of certain things which appear, for the reason that one and the same thing, as was shown before, can at once appear and lie hidden.

3. To that which is objected, that the vision of the fatherland takes away faith of the Divinity; it must be said that it is not similar, for the reason that the vision of the fatherland excludes every enigma and removes all hiddenness; not so the vision of the way. For although Christ appeared as to the human nature, yet he lay hidden as to the person. Hence when Christ was shown, that this one suffers was a thing seen and believed: seen, insofar as it shows the supposit of the human nature, but believed, insofar as it shows the person or hypostasis of the divine nature.

4. To that which is objected last, that to believe is difficult and voluntary; it must be said that corporeal vision, as has been said, since it does not take away hiddenness, therefore does not take away difficulty; nor does it take away freedom of choice on that side on which [the thing] lies hidden. For when one says that it is not difficult nor voluntary to believe what one sees; it must be said that this is true according to that by which one sees; but nevertheless the whole Christ according to his every nature was not subjected to vision; and therefore by reason of that nature and person it was voluntary and difficult to believe. For it was easy to believe that that man suffered, by those who saw Christ suffer; but it was most difficult to believe that he who suffered was God; nor did anyone believe this except him who willed it, and whom the illumination of faith aided.