Commentaria in Summam contra Gentiles, Liber I

After St. Thomas had determined the mode of knowing divine truth insofar as it concerns the teacher, he now determines the same matter insofar as it concerns the learner¹. And he sets down this conclusion: Those who offer faith to a truth to which human reason provides no experience do not believe lightly. First it is proved simply; second, comparatively with respect to the law of Mohammed².

I. The first argument, then, is this. To believe the divine Wisdom revealing is not a matter of levity; rather, it is a matter of prudence. But these things of which we speak have been revealed by the divine Wisdom. Therefore it is not levity to believe them. — The major premise is manifest, in that the divine Wisdom can neither err nor deceive us. — The minor premise, however, is proved as follows. Revelation and manifestation of certain things through visible works that surpass the capacity of nature comes only from him who is above created nature. But the things that belong to faith are confirmed in just such a way, namely by things that surpass every capacity of nature. Therefore, and so on.

The minor is proved by running through the miracles. First, for the confirmation of the faith there were made miraculous cures of diseases, raisings of the dead, miraculous transformations of heavenly bodies, and many other things concerning bodily matters, of which knowledge has been handed down to us both in the Old and in the New Testament. — Second, there was an inspiration of human minds above nature, when the unlearned and simple, filled with the gift of the Holy Spirit, attained in an instant the highest wisdom and eloquence. — Third, there was a conversion of the world, miraculous and above nature. For not by the power of arms or by the promise of pleasures, but from the contemplation of divine works, even amid the tyranny of persecutors, an innumerable throng, not only of the simple but also of the wisest men, flew to faith in Christ; in which are preached things exceeding human understanding, the pleasures of the flesh are restrained, and all things that are in the world are taught to be held in contempt. For this is the greatest of miracles, and a work of divine inspiration, that the souls of mortals have assented to these things. But if anyone were to say that this happened by chance and suddenly: Saint Thomas presses the point that God foretold through many oracles of the prophets beforehand that he would do this, which is a sign of divine disposition, not of chance. The Apostle touched upon this mode of confirming the faith, Hebrews 2, saying: Which salvation, namely man's, having begun to be declared by the Lord, was confirmed unto us by those who heard him, God bearing witness by signs and wonders and various distributions of the Holy Spirit.

From this the following corollary is deduced: namely, that it is not necessary for past signs to be repeated any further — although even now God does not cease to work miracles through his saints. It is proved: because this conversion of the world, so marvelous, to the Christian faith is the effect of past signs; and thus in its effect those signs are seen. But if it were said that the conversion of the world was not brought about by preceding signs, this would be more marvelous than all signs and miracles, if the world, without miracles, was led by simple and lowly men to believe things so arduous, to hope for things so lofty, to do things so difficult. And on that account miracles will no longer be necessary.

II. Second, he proves it by comparison with the law of Mohammed³. For it is no wonder that many adhered to that law, since it promised pleasures and gave precepts conformable to them, loosening the reins toward which the human mind inclines. — Likewise, Mohammed did not confirm his sayings by miracles, but claimed he was sent in the power of arms. This is characteristic of tyrants. — Moreover, those who believed him from the beginning were not wise and learned men, but brutish men dwelling in deserts, utterly ignorant of all knowledge. — Finally, no oracles of prophets preceded it that would bear witness to that law as being established by God. — From this it follows that to believe it is a mark of levity and folly, whereas to adhere to our faith is a mark of the greatest wisdom.

III. Concerning the proof of this conclusion, a doubt arises. For no works, however marvelous, seem to prove with necessity and sufficiently that our Law is from God. For there are no works so great that someone could not, by quibbling, twist them: either asserting that they were done by demons; or that they appeared by illusions, yet were not truly done; or that they were produced by some natural cause. For the magicians of Pharaoh performed almost all the works that Moses did⁴. Similarly among the gentiles many astonishing things occurred resembling the miracles of our faith. Among the Muslims too, many things are said to happen as miracles.

IV. To make evident this difficulty, in which most Christians stumble, we must consider above all that only those things are truly miracles, as is declared below in the third book⁵, which can be done by God alone—whether with respect to the substance of the thing done, or with respect to that in which they are done, or with respect to the manner of doing them, specially beyond the common mode of the governance of the universe. Therefore, when we wish to investigate whether something is truly a miracle, we must examine whether there is anything in it that could not be done by any creature by its own power. And if such a thing is found in it, and it has been done in the truth of reality and not merely according to appearance, we shall assert with certainty that it is a true miracle. We must take care, however, not to attribute to creatures, and especially to immaterial substances, more power than befits them, nor to subtract from their power more than is fitting: lest we judge that things which can be done by God alone can be done by some created power, or believe that things which created power can effect can be done only by divine power; for error concerning true miracles can arise from either.

It must also be considered that, although in things done bodily it is difficult to have truth beyond doubt—because demons, by means of a local transmutation of the air or of some other body, or even by an alteration of the senses, can make many things appear which are not so in truth—nevertheless even in matters of this kind, when all the circumstances are weighed together, what is true can be discerned. For instance, in the raising of the dead: although a demon might enter the body of the deceased and perform in it certain works resembling the works of life, or even alter men's senses in such a way that one who has not revived appears to have revived; nevertheless, if we were to see all the works of life taking place in that body, and in the same manner as before, such that they would appear to all indifferently, and over a long period of time, we would say that the dead man had truly revived, and not merely according to appearance. And similarly concerning other cases.

It must be noted further that, although in some works of the demon there [can] be illusion, there are nevertheless certain miracles in which illusion has no place, as is the change of intellect and will, which are not perceived by the bodily senses. For illusions are produced with respect to bodily things, which are perceived by some sense.

V. It is said, therefore, first, that there are some miracles that are truly and simply such, which admit no calumny, and by which the truth of the teacher is confirmed in the best and most efficacious way. For there are certain things which, if they are granted to have been done in truth—as that at the time of Joshua the sun stood still⁶, or that the sun underwent an eclipse of its light at the Passion of Christ while the moon was in opposition⁷—cannot be denied to have been done by God alone. Similarly with the raising of the dead and the like. Now of such things there are some that no one can deny were done in truth: as with that standing still of the sun, and with the many signs wrought by Christ.

It is said second, that that sudden illumination of the Apostles' minds, brought about by the mission of the Holy Spirit⁸ admits no calumny. For all who heard the apostles speaking in tongues and disputing knew that this was done not merely in appearance but in truth. Nor could it have been done by demons, since this is repugnant to their perverse will, by which they wish to drag men into evil, not to lead them to good. And if anyone should say that this illumination could have been wrought by angels, even granting that, we shall say that, just as other miracles are performed by God through the ministry of angels, so too are the illuminations of men. This will indeed be a confirmation of certain truths preached by unlearned men: for good angels do not deceive, but instruct men concerning divine things. — In like manner, the conversion of men, both unlearned and wise, to the faith of Christ, and their rejection of pleasures to which human inclination is naturally drawn, can be referred to God alone as their author, who alone can change human wills.

It is said third, that unusual signs and true miracles are and are wrought by divine power; this is an argument when he who works miracles in confirmation of his doctrine preaches good morals and lives according to them, and strives to lead men back to God, but does not seek his own advantage, nor makes use of superstitions, and performs wonders concerning things useful, not concerning vanities. For then one can be certain that it is a divine spirit, not a deceptive one, that is at work. On this basis Saint Thomas, II Sent., d. VII, q. III, a. 1, ad 2, distinguishes true signs from false ones.