Commentaria in Summam contra Gentiles, Liber IV

After St. Thomas has shown that the souls of the damned suffer from corporeal fire,¹ he consequently shows that all souls receive punishment or reward according to their merits immediately after death. Concerning this, however, he does three things: first, he proves the proposition by reason; second, he removes a certain tacit objection;² third, he confirms the principal proposition by authorities of Sacred Scripture.³

I. He argues therefore first as follows. Separated souls are susceptible both of corporeal punishments, that is, those that are inflicted by bodies, and of spiritual punishments, as has been shown.⁴ They are also susceptible of glory, as is clear from the third book:⁵ because the soul, by the very fact that it is separated from the body, is capable of the divine vision, in which man's beatitude consists, which is the reward of virtue. Therefore the soul, when it is separated from the body, immediately receives reward or punishment for those things that it did in the body. — The consequence is proved. Because there would be no reason for the delay of punishment and reward, given that the soul is capable of both.

It must be observed that the capacity of the soul with respect to beatitude is twofold. One, namely, remote, which is a condition of nature: for because it is of an intellectual nature, it is capable of the divine vision; and this capacity belongs to it even while it is united to the body. The other, however, is proximate, which is a condition of a state requiring nothing else in order that the soul may be able to participate in the divine vision. And this does not belong to the soul while it is in the state of union with the body, but only while it is separated from the body. And of this St. Thomas understands when he says that by the fact that the soul is separated from the body, it becomes capable of the divine vision, of which it was not capable before.

Secondly. In this life there is the state of meriting or demeriting: whence it is compared to military service and the days of a hireling in Job VII. Therefore etc. — The consequence is proved. Because after the state of military service and the labor of the hireling, reward or punishment is immediately owed: according to that of Leviticus XIX, The wages... shall not abide etc.; and of Joel the last chapter, Quickly and swiftly etc.

Thirdly. Merit and guilt do not belong to the body except through the soul, since nothing has the character of merit or demerit except insofar as it is voluntary. Therefore both reward and punishment are fittingly derived from the soul to the body, but not conversely. Therefore there is no reason why the resumption of bodies should be waited for in the rewarding or punishing of souls. Therefore etc. — The first consequence is proved. Because according to the order of guilt and merit, there is an order in punishment and reward.

Fourthly. In natural things, each thing immediately receives the perfection of which it is capable, unless there be an impediment either on the part of the recipient or on the part of the agent. Therefore etc. — The consequence is proved. Because by the same providence of God rewards and punishments are owed to rational creatures by which the perfections due to them are applied to natural things.

II. In the second place St. Thomas removes a certain tacit objection. For someone could say: If souls immediately attain punishment or reward after death, since hell is the place of punishment of the damned, but paradise the place of reward of the good; it follows that the soul is immediately either received into heaven or descends to hell. Therefore purgatory is not granted.

2. To remove this objection, therefore, he says first that on the part of the good there can be some impediment preventing souls absolved from the body from immediately receiving the ultimate reward. Because a rational creature cannot be elevated to the divine vision unless it has been totally purified: according to that of Wisdom VII, No defiled thing cometh into her etc.; and of Isaiah XXXV, The unclean shall not pass over it, namely, defiled by sin, by which the soul is inordinately united to inferior things.

He says secondly that from this defilement the soul is indeed purified in this life through penance and the other sacraments of faith: it happens nonetheless sometimes that such a purgation is not totally completed in this life, but there still remains a debt of punishment, either on account of negligence or for another cause. And therefore, since souls do not on this account deserve to be totally excluded from the reward, because these things can occur without mortal sin, it is necessary that after this life they be purged before they attain the final reward.

He says thirdly that this purgation after this life takes place through punishments, just as in this life the purgation would have been completed through satisfactory punishments: otherwise the negligent would be in a better condition than the diligent. Therefore the souls of the good who have something purgative are delayed from the attainment of the reward until they undergo purgatorial punishments. And this is the reason why we posit purgatory.

These things are confirmed, first, by the Apostle saying in 1 Cor. III, If any man's work etc. — Secondly, from the custom of the universal Church, which prays for the deceased. For this would be useless if purgatory after death were not posited: since the Church does not pray for those who are at the term of good or evil, but for those who have not yet arrived at the term.

From these things St. Thomas wishes to hold that, when it is said that souls immediately attain punishment or reward after death, it must be understood, unless there be some impediment on the part of the good.

2. Concerning that which is said, that souls are delayed from the attainment of the reward until they undergo purgatorial punishments, it must be observed that St. Thomas added purgatorial for this reason, in order to distinguish those punishments of souls from the punishments of the damned. For as is said in Quaestio de Anima, a. 21, ad 20, the punishments of those who are to attain beatitude are called purgatorial because they are inflicted for amendment and purgation: but the punishments of the damned are not purgatorial, but inflicted for ultimate damnation.

3. It must also be observed that St. Thomas proves that there is a purgatory from that authority of the Apostle, 1 Cor. III, If any man's work burn etc., as from a manifest authority in the New Testament. Which also Augustine, XXI, ch. XXVI, de Civitate Dei, approves. Scotus also, in the Fourth Book, dist. XXI, q. I,⁶ says that the whole teaching concerning purgatory is founded on this word of the Apostle. Whence he also assumes the authority of Augustine, in the place cited, for confirmation; and also his authority De vera et falsa Poenitentia,⁷ which is placed in de Poenitentia, dist. VII.⁸ The Master of the Sentences, however, in the Fourth Book, dist. XXI,⁹ argues that after this life some sins are forgiven in purgatory, from the authority of the Lord saying, Matthew XII,¹⁰ that whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come. From which the Master elicits, and it is according to the mind of Augustine, XXI de Civitate Dei, ch. XXIV, that there are some sins that in the world to come are sometimes forgiven in purgatory. — St. Thomas also confirms the proposition, namely, that there is a purgatory, in the Fourth Book, dist. XXI, a. 1,¹¹ through the authority of 2 Maccabees, XII,¹² It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins. Which Peter of Palude also uses, in the same distinction, first conclusion.

III. As to the third,¹³ St. Thomas confirms the principal proposition by authorities of Sacred Scripture. For that the evil immediately after death attain punishment is had from Job XXI, where it is said, They spend their days in wealth etc.; and Luke XVI, where it is said, The rich man died etc. — But that the good immediately attain the reward is had from what the Lord said on the cross to the thief: This day shalt thou be with me in paradise, Luke XXIII. For by paradise is understood the reward of the good, according to that of Apocalypse II, To him that overcometh etc.

2. If it should be said that by paradise is not understood the ultimate remuneration, which will be in heaven, of which it is said in Matt. V, Be glad etc., but some sort of remuneration on earth, because paradise seems to be an earthly place, of which mention is made in Gen. II: this is nothing. Because if anyone rightly considers the words of Sacred Scripture, he will find that the very final retribution, which is promised to the saints in heaven, is given immediately after this life. For when the Apostle, in 2 Cor., had said of the final glory that is given in heaven that that which is at present etc.; in order to show when and in what manner this glory is possessed, he adds, For we know etc., giving it to be understood that, the body being dissolved, the soul is brought to the eternal and heavenly mansion, that is, to the fruition of the Godhead.

3. If it should be said that the Apostle did not say that immediately upon the dissolution of the body we have an eternal house in heaven in reality, but only in hope, being about to have it in reality afterwards: — it is clear that this is against his intention. First because, since we are both to have it here according to divine predestination, and already have it in hope, according to that of Rom. VIII, For we are saved by hope etc.: he would not have said, if our earthly house of this habitation be dissolved, but it would have sufficed to say, we know that we have a building of God etc. — Then because he adds, Knowing that while we are in the body etc. For in vain would we wish to be absent, namely, to be separated from the body, unless we were immediately present with the Lord, which happens when we see Him through His essence. — Then because in Philippians I, he says, Having a desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ. For, since Christ is in heaven, the Apostle hoped that immediately after the dissolution of the body he would arrive in heaven.

4. By this is excluded, says St. Thomas, the error of certain Greeks, who deny purgatory, and say that souls before the resurrection of bodies neither ascend into heaven nor are cast down into hell.

Concerning the place of purgatory, see St. Thomas, the Fourth Book, d. XXI, a. 1.¹⁴

(1) Here are the words of § 2 of this Canon: "But if even thus he be converted, let him live in life and not die, we do not promise that he will escape all punishment. For he must first be purged by the fire of purgation who has deferred the fruit of conversion to another world. This fire, however, even if it be not eternal, is wondrously severe. For it excels all punishment that anyone has ever suffered in this life. Never in the flesh has so great a punishment been found, although the martyrs suffered wondrous torments, and many have often wickedly endured such great penalties. Let each one therefore strive so to correct his faults, that after death it will not be necessary to endure punishment."