Dist. 48, 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/48/q/bon-sent-IV-d48-a1-q2
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### Question II. *Whether Christ will appear to the wicked in the form of his divinity.*

Secondly it is asked about the form in which Christ will appear; and it is asked whether he will appear to the wicked in the form of his divinity. And that he will not:

1. Isidore says, and it is had from Augustine: «In the form in which he was judged they will see him, that they may grieve; in the form of divinity they will not see him, lest they rejoice».

2. Likewise, it seems *by reason:* because that light is inaccessible to the eyes of our intellect according to the state of infirmity: therefore if the damned shall rise with in-

firmities and imperfections, therefore it will be inaccessible to them.

3. Likewise, in John the seventeenth: *This is eternal life, that they may know thee, the true God:* therefore, since *to see God* is eternal life, and the wicked are not going to have eternal life; therefore they will not see him in the form of his divinity.

4. Likewise, the reprobate ought to be punished both as to reason and as to will; but as to will they will not be able to love God: therefore neither as to reason to see him.

**On the contrary:** 1. The reprobate, who refused to believe Christ to be God, will then not doubt that he is God: therefore Christ's divinity will be manifest to them by a most certain cognition: therefore they will see it not only *through a mirror*, but through itself.

2. Likewise, it seems that they ought to see, because the reprobate ought to be terrified at the sight of Christ; but what terrifies most of all is the power of the divinity and its majesty; and that this is so is said in Matthew the twenty-fourth: *The Son of man shall come with great power and majesty:* therefore etc.

3. Likewise, no one is perfectly punished by the loss of some good unless he knows it: therefore if the reprobate ought to be punished by the lack of the vision of God, it ought to be shown to them how great a good the vision of God is; but this no one can know except him who sees: therefore at least in the judgement they ought to see.

Likewise, I ask for the reason: why ought they not to see? *If you say,* "lest they rejoice", as Isidore and Augustine say; *on the contrary:* "Everything that is received in something is there according to the mode of the receiver": therefore if they have infirm eyes, the true light will sadden them rather than delight them, as is also plain in bodily light.

Likewise, it is possible for God to separate in the reprobate cognition from delight, just as in the judgement he separates light from heat in fire; and if this is so, then it seems that on account of that reason he ought not to withhold it.

Likewise, according to his humanity he will appear gentle to the just and terrible to the wicked; why can he not do likewise according to his divinity?

### Conclusion

> *Christ will not appear to the reprobate in the form of God.*

**I respond:** It must be said that, as Augustine says, and Isidore, and the Master in the text, and also Hugh, *On the Sacraments,* "None of the reprobate will see the Father in the judgement, but all will see the Son, because *he is the Son of man,* that he may be able to be seen by all". Hence he will not appear to the wicked in the form of God.

On account of which note that the cognition of the divinity is twofold: one *through signs and effects,* the other *in its own form and essence.* I say therefore that the reprobate will indeed have cognition of Christ's divinity through *most certain signs,* and through *manifest effects* they will know that he is God omnipotent. But the cognition which is *in his proper form,* which is through open vision, this indeed they will not have. — And the first reason for this is that such a form is altogether disproportionate to the eyes of a sinner and disproportionate to all eyes which are not raised up through glory or through a superabundance of grace; and because to the reprobate grace will not be given either *simply* or *for a time:* therefore they will not see.

But the reason why the power will not be given them which would make their sight capable of seeing that light is that which Isidore and Augustine touch upon: because if they had a fitting eye, they would have the highest delight, which it is impossible and unfitting should be in sinners.

*To 1, 2, 3.* From these things the objections are clear. For the first three show that they will have cognition of God as to *majesty* and *goodness;* but they do not show that it is *through the species,* rather it suffices that it be *through certain signs.*

To the other the answer is already clear, namely what the reason is: because they are disproportionate, and it is impossible to understand that they should be made proportionate and not rejoice; it is not so in *created light,* because the eye is proportionate by nature, and through infirmity it is not made altogether disproportionate, but nevertheless the proportion is lessened, and therefore it sees with sadness; but that light cannot be seen with sadness.

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