Eschatology of
the Second Coming by Thomas Aquinas
Koot van Wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD) Visiting
Professor, Department of Liberal Education, Kyungpook National University,
Sangju Campus, South Korea, Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College, Australia.
Source: Thomas Aquinas, “Question. 88
- OF THE GENERAL JUDGMENT, AS TO THE TIME AND PLACE AT WHICH IT WILL BE (FOUR
ARTICLES)” in “TREATISE ON THE LAST THINGS (QQ[86]-99)” in “SUPPLEMENT
(XP): TO THE THIRD PART OF THE SUMMA THEOLOGICA” in “Third Part
(TP) of the Summa Theologica (QQ[1] - 90)” in Summa Theologica,
by St. Thomas Aquinas, [1947], at sacred-texts.com. Online accessed 21st of
August 2016 at http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/aquinas/summa/sum635.htm A number of
things are clear from the words of Thomas Aquinas (1235-1253) as to his concept
of the End of Time. 1.
The Fathers interpreted Daniel 9 as showing the exact time of the First
Coming of Christ. Aquinas agreed with it. 2.
Aquinas believes that Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 are important to
provide signs of the nearness of the Second Coming. 3.
Since it was a long time ago that it was said to be near, it surely is
nearer. 4.
Christ fixed the exact date for His First Advent. 5.
Augustine, and Eusebius and also Aquinas are trying to softpad believers
either that the signs was for the Gospel times, or that some signs was to be
fulfilled surrounding the Fall of Jerusalem or that everything is unknown and
not clear. As uncertain as the Second Coming is for exact dating by Aquinas, he
did agree with the Fathers that the First Coming was calculated in Daniel 9 and
if that is the case, Aquinas agreed with the Year-day
principle for prophecy because how can one arrive exactly with 490 days
at 31 CE from 457 BCE unless one convert the days into prophetic years with the
year-day principle? 6.
Aquinas employed exactly the same principle utilized for prophecy today
by Seventh-day Adventists but which is shifted aside and cancelled by many
Catholic Bible Commentators. This is an anomaly within the Catholic Church.
Warning Note by Editor Warning note by the Editor the the reader of the Supplement section
including these collected sentences of Thomas Aquinas put together after his
death. “EDITOR'S
NOTE: After writing
these few questions of the treatise on Penance, St. Thomas was called to the
heavenly reward which he had merited by writing so well of his Divine Master.
The remainder of the Summa Theologica, known as the Supplement, was compiled
probably by Fra Rainaldo da Piperno, companion and friend of the Angelic
Doctor, and was gathered from St. Thomas's commentary on the Fourth Book of the
Sentences of Peter Lombard. This commentary was written in the years 1235-1253,
while St. Thomas was under thirty years of age. Everywhere it reveals the
influence of him whom St. Thomas always called the Master. But that influence
was not to be always supreme. That the mind of the Angelic Doctor moved forward
to positions which directly contradicted the Master may be seen by any student
of the Summa Theologica. The compiler of the Supplement was evidently well
acquainted with the commentary on the Sentences, which had been in circulation
for some twenty years or more, but it is probable that he was badly acquainted
with the Summa Theologica. This will be realized and must be borne in mind when
we read the Supplement, notably TP, Q[62], A[1]; also Q[43], A[3], ad 2 of the
Supplement.” Citation from Thomas Acquinas sentences
as collected by his friend Father Rainaldo da Piperno.
“Whether the time of the future judgment
is unknown? Objection 1: It
would seem that the time of the future judgment is not unknown. For just as the
holy Fathers looked forward to the first coming, so do we look forward to the
second. But the holy Fathers knew the time of the first
coming, as proved by the number of weeks mentioned in Daniel 9: wherefore the Jews are reproached
for not knowing the time of Christ's coming (Lk. 12:56):
"You hypocrites, you know how to discern the face of the heaven and of the
earth, but how is it that you do not discern this time?" Therefore it
would seem that the time of the second coming when God will come to judgment
should also be certified to us. Objection 2: Further, we arrive by means of signs at the knowledge of the
things signified. Now many signs of the coming judgment are declared to us in
Scripture (Mat. 24, Mk. 13, Lk. 21). Therefore we can arrive at the knowledge
of that time. Objection 3: Further,
the Apostle says (1 Cor. 10:11):
"It is on us [*'These things . . . are written for our correction, upon
whom the ends of the world are come'] that the ends of the world are
come," and (1 Jn. 2:18):
"Little children, it is the last hour," etc. Since
then it is a long time since these things were said, it would seem that now at
least we can know that the last judgment is nigh. Objection 4: Further,
there is no need for the time of the judgment to be hidden, except that each
one may be careful to prepare himself for judgment, being in ignorance of the
appointed time. Yet the same care would still be necessary even were the time
known for certain, because each one is uncertain about the time of his death,
of which Augustine says (Ep. ad Hesych. cxcix) that "as each one's last
day finds him, so will the world's last day find him." Therefore there is
no necessity for the time of the judgment to be uncertain. On the contrary, It
is written (Mk. 13:32):
"Of that day or hour no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor the
Son, but the Father." The Son, however, is said not to know in so far as
He does not impart the knowledge to us. Further, it is written (1 Thess. 5:2):
"The day of the Lord shall so come as a thief in the night."
Therefore seemingly, as the coming of a thief in the night is altogether
uncertain, the day of the last judgment is altogether uncertain. I answer that, God
is the cause of things by His knowledge [*Cf. FP, Q[14], A[8]]. Now He
communicates both these things to His creatures, since He both endows some with
the power of action on others whereof they are the cause, and bestows on some
the knowledge of things. But in both cases He reserves something to Himself,
for He operates certain things wherein no creature co-operates with Him, and
again He knows certain things which are unknown to any mere creature. Now this
should apply to none more than to those things which are subject to the Divine
power alone, and in which no creature co-operates with Him. Such is the end of
the world when the day of judgment will come. For the
world will come to an end by no created cause, even as it derived its existence
immediately from God. Wherefore the knowledge of the end of the world is
fittingly reserved to God. Indeed our Lord seems to assign this very
reason when He said (Acts 1:7):
"It is not for you to know the times or moments which the Father hath put
in His own power," as though He were to say, "which are reserved to
His power alone." Reply to Objection 1: At His first coming Christ came secretly according to Is. 45:15,
"Verily Thou art a hidden God, the God of Israel, the Saviour." Hence, that He might be recognized by believers, it was
necessary for the time to be fixed beforehand with certainty. On the
other hand, at the second coming, He will come openly, according to Ps. 49:3, "God
shall come manifestly." Consequently there can be no error affecting the
knowledge of His coming. Hence the comparison fails. Reply to Objection 2: As
Augustine says, in his letter to Hesychius concerning the day of judgment (Ep.
cxcix), "the signs mentioned in the Gospels do not all refer to the second
advent which will happen at the end of the world, but some of them belong to
the time of the sack of Jerusalem, which is now a thing of the past, while
some, in fact many of them, refer to the advent whereby He comes daily to the
Church, whom He visits spiritually when He dwells in us by faith and
love." Moreover, the details mentioned in the Gospels and Epistles in
connection with the last advent are not sufficient to enable us to determine
the time of the judgment, for the trials that are foretold as announcing the
proximity of Christ's coming occurred even at the time of the Early Church, in
a degree sometimes more sometimes less marked; so that even the days of the
apostles were called the last days (Acts 2:17) when
Peter expounded the saying of Joel 2:28, "It
shall come to pass in the last days," etc., as referring to that time. Yet
it was already a long time since then: and sometimes there were more and
sometimes less afflictions in the Church. Consequently it is impossible to
decide after how long a time it will take place, nor fix the month, year,
century, or thousand years as Augustine says in the same book (Ep. ad Hesych.
cxcix). And even if we are to believe that at the end these calamities will be
more frequent, it is impossible to fix what amount of such calamities will
immediately precede the judgment day or the coming of Antichrist, since even at
the time of the Early Church persecutions were so bitter, and the corruptions
of error were so numerous, that some looked forward to
the coming of Antichrist as being near or imminent; as related in
Eusebius' History of the Church (vi, 7) and in Jerome's book De Viris
Illustribus lii. Reply to Objection 3: The
statement, "It is the last hour" and similar expressions that are to
be found in Scripture do not enable us to know the exact length of time. For
they are not intended to indicate a short length of time, but to signify the
last state of the world, which is the last age of all, and it is not stated
definitely how long this will last. Thus neither is fixed duration appointed to
old age, which is the last age of man, since sometimes it is seen to last as
long as or even longer than all the previous ages, as Augustine remarks (Qq.
83, qu. lviii). Hence also the Apostle (2 Thess. 2:2)
disclaims the false signification which some had given to his words, by
believing that the day of the Lord was already at hand. Reply to Objection 4: Notwithstanding
the uncertainty of death, the uncertainty of the judgment conduces to
watchfulness in two ways. First, as regards the thing ignored, since its delay
is equal to the length of man's life, so that on either side uncertainty
provokes him to greater care. Secondly, for the reason that a man is careful
not only of his own person, but also of his family, or of his city or kingdom,
or of the whole Church, the length of whose duration is not dependent on the
length of man's life. And yet it behooves each of these to be so ordered that
the day of the Lord find us not unprepared.” End item