Summa summae S. Thomae sive compendium theologiae

[ I say 1°: The first man had knowledge infused by God of all things that men can naturally know; but of supernatural things he had as much knowledge as was necessary for the governance of human

life according to that state ordered to the supernatural end¹.

Proof. The first man was formed by God to be the principle of other men, not only through bodily generation, but also through instruction and governance, in an order not only natural and moral, but also supernatural, to which he had been elevated. Therefore, just as he was established in a perfect state as to the body, so that he could at once generate, so too was he established in a perfect state as to the soul, so that he could at once instruct others, govern himself and others, both in the natural and moral order and in the supernatural order to which the whole human race was elevated in Adam. — I subsume. But he could not have well instructed others, nor governed himself and others, both in the natural and moral order and in the supernatural order, unless he had had knowledge of all things, both natural and moral, that can be acquired by human study and diligence, and of those supernatural things which are necessary to be known for the supernatural end. Therefore. Hence in Eccli., XVII, 5 and 6, the Wise Man says of our first parents: The discipline of understanding filled them, he created in them the knowledge of the spirit, he filled their heart with sense, and showed them good and evil.

Hence you will infer 1° that Adam had explicit faith of the divine mysteries, and especially of the incarnation, as our Angelic Doctor teaches, 2ª 2ae, q. 7, a. 1, o: « The way for men to come to beatitude is the mystery of the incarnation and passion of Christ. For it is said, Act., IV, 12: There is no other name given to men whereby we must be saved. And therefore the mystery of Christ's incarnation had, in some manner, to be believed by all at every time, though differently according to the diversity of times and persons. For before the state of sin man had explicit faith concerning the incarnation of Christ, insofar as it was ordered to the consummation of glory, but not insofar as it

ordered to the liberation from sin through the passion and resurrection, because man was not foreknowing of sin. But he seems to have foreknown the incarnation of Christ, from the fact that he said: For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, as is found in Genes., II, 24. And this the Apostle, ad Ephes., V, 32, says is a great sacrament in Christ and the Church; and indeed it is not credible that the first man was ignorant of this sacrament. » Furthermore, if Adam had explicit faith of the incarnation, consequently he had the same faith of the Trinity, since the incarnation cannot be explicitly believed without explicit faith of the Trinity.

You will infer 2° that Adam's infused knowledge of natural things was of the same species as ours²; because it was infused only accidentally, since it could be acquired in a human manner. Thus the eyes which Christ gave to the man born blind were of the same species as the eyes which nature produces.

You will infer 3° that Adam was the wisest of all men, except Christ; because no one besides him was appointed teacher and governor of all men, either by himself, or through his earlier descendants, whom he himself had instructed. Therefore it was fitting that he should excel the rest of men in preeminence of knowledge.]