Scotus Academicus, Tomus septimus: De Incarnatione Verbi Divini

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are commonly numbered as seven from Isaiah c. 11, where speaking of Christ he says: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and of godliness. And he shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord. Of all which gifts three pertain to the will, namely fear, godliness, and fortitude: but the remaining four regard the intellect: For Godliness disposes man in things that are toward another: Fortitude in those that are toward himself against the incursion of dangers: Fear in those that are toward himself against inordinate concupiscence of delights. Understanding perfects the mind for apprehension of speculative truth: Wisdom for judging perfectly: Counsel for apprehension of practical truth: Knowledge finally for rightly forming practical judgment concerning that truth, as Durandus teaches in 3 dist. 31 q. 3 n. 6, where he judges that these gifts were in Christ as wayfarer both as to act and as to habit; but in Christ as sole Comprehensor such as he now is, only those even as to act exist which perfect man in speculative life; while those which perfect him in active and practical life are only as to habit; but the other Theologians mostly contradict him.

Note 2. From the Subtle Doctor in 3 dist. 24 num. 6, it is more probable that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not distinguished from the theological and moral virtues except by way of aid to the aforesaid virtues; for as he reasons admirably:

Only those habits are to be posited in a wayfarer whereby one is perfected concerning every object as much as can be perfected on the way. Such are seven virtues in genus, not regarding acquired speculative sciences: therefore besides acquired speculative sciences no other habit is to be posited in a wayfarer simply distinct from the seven virtues. Proof of the major: the object concerning which a wayfarer can be perfected can be nothing but God or creature: but concerning God he is sufficiently perfected by three theological virtues, and this most perfectly as far as he can be perfected, if those three habits be most perfect in their genus: but concerning creature (not speaking of the speculative) the intellect is most perfectly perfected through prudence, if prudence be most perfect; for it is about everything doable, and has most perfect knowledge as to every condition of the doable. — Similarly as to appetite, he is most perfectly perfected by three moral virtues, if they be most perfect; because both concerning another and what is appetible to another, and concerning self and what is appetible to self; and this either first and directly, or secondarily on account of those firsts: and this understanding those four Cardinal virtues not as one habit-number in anyone which would be to itself universal Temperance or universal Justice, that is, concerning all things, but that each species of Justice inhere in its own proper singulars. But by the three theological virtues the wayfarer is sufficiently perfected concerning God immediately: because concerning him, as to be known immediately on the way, faith sufficiently perfects; since of God on the way there cannot be had except cognition of faith, as was said above in this third book, dist. 24; but concerning him as lovable in himself, Charity sufficiently perfects; and as appetible and good for me, Hope sufficiently perfects, as appears in the preceding Questions on faith, hope, and charity. But it does not befit a wayfarer to have ordered acts concerning God other than to understand him, love him in himself, and desire him as my good: therefore, etc. Similarly concerning every other good than God, as object, the wayfarer is sufficiently perfected by intellectual and appetitive habits: but those intellectual habits perfecting the intellect are intellectual virtues, and those sufficiently perfect the wayfarer as far as possible both for considering and for syllogizing practically; also appetitive habits are appetitive virtues, which virtues sufficiently perfect the wayfarer for desiring or loving, whether in order to himself or to another: therefore man, perfect by the three theological virtues, by intellectual virtues speculative and practical, and by moral virtues ordering toward self and toward another, is perfected as much as can befall a wayfarer: therefore some necessity does not appear of positing any other habits beyond these, which are theological, intellectual, and Moral virtues ».

Note 3. That generally Fear is threefold: the first is natural, which is the passion whereby an animal naturally flees impending evil: this resides in the sensitive part and per se is neither praiseworthy nor blameworthy. The second is worldly or human, whereby any temporal evil whatever, or loss of any temporal good, is so feared that justice is deserted for that reason, either by committing illicit things or omitting due ones: this is always vicious and reprobated by the Scriptures; especially Ecclesiasticus 1 and Matthew 10. The third finally is divine, which again some Theologians distinguish as threefold, namely servile, initial, and filial. Servile is that whereby someone abstains from evil work not from love of justice but from dread of gehenna, or even temporal punishment, and does what is of the law: but that it is good to fear punishment the Council of Trent defines, Session 6, and the holy Fathers prove, above all St Augustine, who everywhere teaches unless man begin to worship God out of fear he will not arrive at love, as in Ps. 149. Whence he urges men to do out of fear of punishment what they cannot yet do out of love of justice: so sermon 13 On the words of the Apostle: Do it even out of fear of punishment, if thou canst not yet out of love of justice. And Tractate 43 on John: If thou canst not yet love justice, fear punishment. — Initial fear is that which withdraws from evil and impels to good, partly from dread of punishment and partly from love of justice. It is called initial because it properly belongs to beginners leading a spiritual life. It is between servile and filial, of which we shall now speak: but so that it approaches nearer to filial than to servile, because it has order to filial as tending toward God, and turns away from servile as deserting him. Filial fear is that whereby one fears to offend God, and to be separated from God by offense, that is fault, or at least reverences God as supreme Lord of all and just avenger of sins. This fear is called chaste, filial, reverential. Chaste, according as God is compared to our souls as bridegroom, according to 1 Cor. 11, I espoused you to one husband, to present you a chaste virgin to Christ. Filial, according as it is compared to God as Father, Rom. 8, You received the spirit of adoption of sons, wherein we cry, abba Father. Reverential, according as men thereby reverence God, even when endowed with beatitude. This posited, I say the gift of fear is not so named from natural fear; which fear nevertheless certainly was in Christ as wayfarer; nor yet from worldly fear, which was never in Christ nor could be, because that fear is vicious and carnal; but whether the threefold divine fear was in him, namely servile, initial, and filial, must here be determined.

Single conclusion. — All the gifts of the Holy Spirit truly were in Christ.

It is proved from Isaiah cap. 11 praised in the first Notable, and likewise from all those texts of sacred Scripture whereby it was shown above that all graces and all divine charisms, which are derived into all men, pre-exist in Christ as in head, and flow from him into men as into his members. It is proved moreover: The gifts of the Holy Spirit are nothing else than certain perfections of the powers whereby man is easily moved by the Holy Spirit to exercise most perfect works: but Christ was moved by the Holy Spirit to most excellent works: therefore, etc. The major is evident from all Theologians positing this distinction between gifts and virtue whether infused or acquired, that virtues perfect man as to common acts, but gifts as to most excellent acts. The minor is evident from many works of Christ, as when the Holy Spirit moved him to fasting forty days and nights. — Moreover, those which denote perfection without imperfection and remain in the Blessed, were in Christ: but the gifts of the Holy Spirit remain in the Blessed, indeed not each as to act, but as to habit, and are an ornament to the Blessed like the other virtues. They denote also perfection without imperfection, as appears running through each: for Wisdom is the habit whereby the intellect is rendered easily movable by the Holy Spirit, that it judge firmly of divine things on account of supernatural reasons: Understanding is the gift whereby the same intellect is easily movable to apprehending and expounding the first principles of our religion: Knowledge the gift whereby it is easily rendered movable, that it draw conclusions from those principles: the gift of counsel is that whereby it is rendered easily movable, that it judge in particular what is here and now to be done: the gift of godliness is that whereby the will is rendered easily movable to the cult of God; or, as others will, to mercy toward neighbor: the gift of fortitude is that whereby the same will is rendered easily movable to adhering with constant soul to a difficult work: finally the gift of fear, whereby the same will is rendered easily movable to subjecting itself to divine Majesty on account of his supreme eminence: but all these denote no imperfection, but rather perfection: therefore those gifts of the Holy Spirit were in Christ, and even now remain in him.

That those gifts existed in Christ according to act appears from many of his works; as when Matthew 4 he went into the desert; which is thus described by the Evangelist, He was led into the desert, etc. when he fasted there forty days and forty nights: when Luke 6, He went forth into a mountain to pray, and to pass the night in prayer of God: when he answered most prudently those asking whether it were lawful to give tribute to Caesar: when he spoke to those bringing to him a woman taken in adultery, that she be condemned by his calculus: when moved by mercy in the desert he fed the people.

You will say. Only those gifts of the Holy Spirit are to be asserted in Christ which regard blessed and contemplative life; not however active life, which has no place in supernatural beatitude: but among the gifts of the Holy Spirit enumerated above some are such as regard only active life, as counsel, knowledge, godliness, and fear: therefore those gifts are not to be asserted in Christ as Comprehensor. — I answer 1. That the major is true of those gifts which considered adequately regard active life, otherwise however, if only inadequately. To the minor however I say the five aforesaid gifts differ in this from the two others, that the two others in no way pertain to active life, but the five others partly to active, and partly to contemplative life are ordered.

I answer 2. The major can be denied; since Christ our Lord, not only while he dwelt among men on earth, but even existing in heaven, leads a life not only contemplative but also active, insofar as concerning us and Angels he exercises the offices of true moral head; for those offices consist not in pure speculation, but in some influx and actual direction, which since they consist not in simple speculation of the beatific object, but are ordered to something to be supplied concerning members constituted under him, that operation pertains not only to contemplative but also to active life.

You will say. The gift of counsel seems to import doubt and ignorance, because counsel is employed there only where there is hesitation and ignorance concerning what is to be done: but in Christ there was no hesitation and ignorance: therefore neither need of the gift of counsel. — I deny the major, for it is false that counsel precisely and formally taken imports doubt and ignorance in the consultor: for everywhere in sacred Letters and the Fathers it is attributed to God, in whom no hesitation and ignorance inheres; but counsel formally imports only the act of intellect whereby the very election of the will is directed. But that counsel as it is in us has doubt and ignorance annexed to it proceeds only from our imperfection.

The difficulty can be only concerning the gift of fear, for grave controversy was once between St Bernard and Abailard concerning this, whether the gift of fear should be admitted in Christ; for Abailard denied that fear to be found in Christ. Truly he recanted this error and afterward taught the contrary, as appears from his epistle 2 to all the sons of the Church, where he has: To recognize that chaste fear permanent unto age of ages, which properly is called the reverence of charity, is in the soul of Christ himself as in elect Angels and men always. — But that truly the gift of fear was in Christ, not indeed according to that act whereby offense of God, or separation from God, is feared; but according to a certain act of reverence toward God arising from consideration of his justice and severity toward delinquents, above all of his eminence itself, is proved by this reason: fear regards two objects, whereof one is terrible evil, and the other is that by whose power evil can be inflicted, as one fears a King, insofar as he has power of killing; whence he who can harm would not be feared unless he had a certain eminence of power which cannot easily be resisted: but Christ was always secure that he would never sin, and thus certain that he would not be separated from God: and therefore he had not this first act of fear, but only the second, namely the act of reverence, inasmuch namely as his soul, stirred by a certain affect of reverence by the Holy Spirit, was borne toward God; whence Hebrews 5 says that he was heard in all things for his reverence.

It is asked however among Theologians, what that act of filial fear, or reverence toward God on account of his eminence, may be: for we can understand by that reverence the affect of obeying God as supreme Lord, and thus it is referred back to obedience: or of worshipping him as supreme being, and thus it regards religion; or of subjecting oneself to God by preferring in all things the divine honor to one's own, and thus it pertains to humility; by which reason St Augustine, book On the Sermon of the Lord on the Mount, teaches that the gift of fear corresponds to humility: wherefore sermon 1 On the Annunciation, he opposes it to pride: and the same St Gregory, book 2 Morals, chapter 26, says the gift of fear is given against pride. But from this affect there follows in the will a certain motion by way of flight, whereby a creature in the presence of the divine and supereminent Majesty so bears itself that it dare not approach it, and wholly takes care not in anything to usurp that divine excellence of his, and dreads and flees to investigate his wonders. But this mode is called by the holy Fathers fear of reverence, or admiration, as appears in St Gregory, book 17 Morals, chapter 19, and Dionysius, chapter 13 On the Celestial Hierarchy, where expounding the vision of Isaiah, who saw Seraphim veiling feet and back, he says thereby is signified that sacred and horror-filled veneration full of awe, wherewith the saints shudder at the higher search into mysteries. Hence Apocalypse 16 it is said the Saints sing: Great and wonderful are thy works, O Lord; who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and magnify thy name? But this act of reverence includes not only willing of some good, but also flight from some evil: not indeed that imminent or future evil is dreaded, but because it is evil in itself and conflicting with divine excellence; of which fear St Augustine says, lib. 11. De Trinitate, chapter 6, Under the name of chaste fear is signified that will whereby we shall needs refuse to sin, not with the solicitude of necessity, but with the tranquillity of charity. Therefore the Blessed, inasmuch as he has flight from all sin as separating from God, can be said to have chaste fear; which also Christ could have; for although indeed he could not sin, yet since the human nature which he assumed was of itself capable of sin, he could by his will flee this evil, as simply possible to his nature. From these appears that that filial or reverential fear has no indecency or repugnance with either the hypostatic or beatific state of Christ. Otherwise it seems must be said of servile and initial fear; for servile fear chiefly regards avoiding sin on account of punishment to be paid: but Christ, since he was exempt from all sin and could in no wise sin, had none which he feared punishment to be inflicted for sin. The same seems to be said of initial fear, both because it is imperfect and not yet complete; and because insofar as initial, it includes dread of punishment to be inflicted in vengeance for sin: but from what was just said, that fear of punishment could have no place in Christ: therefore neither that initial fear.