Dist. 47, Art. 1, Q. 2
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/4/d/47/q/bon-sent-IV-d47-a1-q2
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### Question II. *Whether the Angels will judge on the day of judgement.*

Secondly it is asked whether the Angels will judge. And that they will, seems to be the case.

1. Matthew twenty-five: *When the Son of man shall come* etc.; there something is added concerning the Angels.

2. Likewise, First Timothy six: *At the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ*; the Gloss: "of him coming with the Angels." The same is had in many places, both in the text and in the Gloss.

3. Likewise, it seems by reason: because the Angels never sin, therefore they are more fit to judge than the Apostles: therefore if the Apostles will judge, the Angels also will, indeed much more strongly.

4. Likewise, as good men stand to evil men, so do the good Angels to the evil ones: if therefore good men will judge the evil, the good Angels too ought to judge the evil.

**On the contrary:**
1. John five: *He hath given him power to do judgement, because he is the Son of man*; but the Angels do not share in human nature: therefore neither in judiciary power.

2. Likewise, the executor of a sentence is not called a judge, but a minister; but the Angels will execute the sentence, because *they shall send them into the furnace of fire*, Matthew thirteen: therefore etc.

3. Likewise, judiciary power was given to the Apostles because they were judged, and by the Lord, and because, their life being compared with the evil, they show these to be reprobate; but neither of these is in the Angels: therefore etc.

### Conclusion

> Judiciary power is not in the Angels save by reason of approbation.

**I respond:** It must be said that, as has been said, judiciary power is said to be communicated to the Apostles from a threefold cause, namely by reason of *comparison*, of *approbation* of the sentence, and of *honourable session*. By reason of *comparison* the judgement will be of evil and good men; of *approbation*, not of good men only, but of men and of Angels; of *honourable session*, of the perfect only. Hence it must be said that, properly speaking, judiciary power will not be in the Angels; but if it is said to be in them, it is to be understood by reason of *approbation*.

**To the arguments:**

*To 1 and 2.* Those authorities, however, which say that the Lord will come with the Angels are not to be understood as though he comes with the Angels *judging*, but *ministering*.

*To 3.* But to that which is objected, that it is rather due to the Angels because they are without sin; it must be said that this is not the ground for conferring judiciary power, but rather perfection itself, because they fulfilled the counsels and are conformed to Christ in a perfect nature.

*To 4.* To that which is objected last, it must be said that it can be granted that the evil angels are judged by comparison with the good, but it ought not to be granted that men are. — Or it must be said that supererogation will make that comparison; and that comparison again will be made for those who could seem to themselves to be good, which is not the case in the evil angels.

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