Dist. 48, Art. 1, Q. 3
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-q3
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### Article I. *On the appearing of the Judge.*
### Question III. *Whether Christ will appear to the reprobate in the glorious form of his humanity.*

Thirdly it is asked concerning the quality of the form in which Christ will appear — namely, whether he appears to the reprobate in a glorious form. And that he does, seems to be so:

1. Because in his first coming he appeared passible, since that coming was in weakness: therefore, since the second coming is in power, he will accordingly appear glorious.

2. Likewise, at the judgement he will appear such as it befits him to appear for the confounding of his enemies and the gladness of his friends; but enemies are most of all confounded at the glory and exaltation of him whom they despised, and conversely friends rejoice: therefore he will appear in glory.

3. Likewise, there will be no pretence in him, therefore he will show such a form as he will have; but he will have a glorious one: therefore he will show the reprobate a glorious form.

**On the contrary:**
1. Matthew, chapter twenty-four: *There shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven*; this will be the sign of the cross: therefore, since the cross is a sign of weakness, it seems that he appears in weakness, not in glory.

2. Likewise, Chrysostom: « Christ will come at the judgement, showing not only the scars of his wounds, but even that most reproachful death itself ».

3. Likewise, it seems so *by reason*: because, as the spiritual eye stands to spiritual light, so the bodily eye to bodily light; but so it is, that the spiritual eye of the wicked does not see the spiritual light, because it is disproportionate to it: therefore likewise, since an eye not glorified is disproportionate, it will not see the brightness of a glorified body.

4. Likewise, if it will see; since « the exterior sense is fed in the contemplation of the humanity, as the interior in the contemplation of the Divinity »; it seems that they would have delight; but they will not see the Divinity, lest they be delighted: therefore neither the humanity.

5. Likewise, although « Christ is kind according to the truth, yet he will appear terrible to the reprobate », as Isidore says: therefore by parity of reasoning, although he is glorious, yet he ought to appear inglorious to the reprobate.

### Conclusion

> *Christ will appear to the good as well as to the wicked in a glorious form — to the good indeed with joy, but to the wicked with confusion.*

**I respond:** It must be said that Christ will appear in a glorious form, as has been shown, not only to the good, but also to the reprobate; and there will be no difference on the side of *the one appearing*, but on the side of *those receiving*. For the good will receive the glorious form with joy and glory, but the wicked with confusion and punishment. For they will be confounded at the sight of him and will not be able to bear his countenance, on account of the remorse of conscience and on account of the expectation of the sentence to be borne against them; but on the contrary the good will be delighted.

**To the arguments to the contrary:**

*To 1 and 2.* To that which is objected, that he will appear with the cross and the scars; it must be said that, just as the scars in the Martyrs are not a sign of *present* weakness, but of *past* weakness — nay rather, as regards glory and comeliness and beauty they are signs of *victory* and of *glory* — so it is to be understood in Christ, since those scars and the cross will be signs of the most vile death which he underwent; but nevertheless, because they will appear in the excellence of glory, they will be a sign of the glory then present. Hence Chrysostom says on Matthew that « the cross will be brighter than the rays of the sun », and likewise the scars.

*To 3 and 4.* To that which is objected, that their eyes are disproportionate; it must be said that they will be disproportionate by the privation of a *sufficient* proportion; therefore their sight will be blunted and they will be confounded; but nevertheless they will not be altogether disproportionate through the lack of *every* proportion. Nor is the case like that of the spiritual light, because that light exceeds the eye of the sinner far more than the light of a glorious body exceeds the eye of a passible body.

*To 5.* To that which is objected, that he will be seen as terrible and as gentle, and therefore likewise as glorious and inglorious; it must be said that the case is not alike: because "terrible" and "gentle" are said in relation to another; hence a man can look upon a kind man as terrible, because he fears him; but "glorious" and "not glorious" express a disposition *on the side of the visible thing*. Hence, unless it come about through deception, or through a miracle and divine power which holds the eyes — as it is said in the last chapter of Luke: *Their eyes were held* — a thing is seen such as it is according to the truth.

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