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Summa Theologiae · Suppl., q. 69, a. 4

Whether the limbo of hell is the same as abraham's bosom?

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, Supplement, question 69, Of Matters Concerning the Resurrection, and First of the Place Where Souls Are After Death, article 4. About 4 min.

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From the Supplement, compiled after Aquinas’s death from his Commentary on the Sentences and transcribed here from the 1917 to 1922 printings. About the Supplement.

Text: Summa Theologiae, Supplement to the Third Part (Supplementum Tertiae Partis), transcribed from Internet Archive scans, translated by the Fathers of the English Dominican Province. The Supplement, compiled after Aquinas’s death from his earlier Commentary on the Sentences, in the same English Dominican translation as the Gutenberg Parts. Transcribed by Bibliotheca Catholica from the OCR of four Internet Archive scans of the pre-1931 printings (Questions 1 to 33 from the 1917 Washbourne and Benziger volume, 34 to 68 from the 1922 volume, 69 to 86 from the 1921 volume, and 87 to 99 from the 1922 Benziger volume), with OCR errors corrected and doubtful passages marked, not rewritten. 99 questions and 446 articles. The two appendices printed after Question 99 are not included. Sources, SHA-256 of each OCR file, and the method are in the source record. Rights: Public domain (US)

The Supplement is not a Project Gutenberg text. It is Bibliotheca Catholica’s transcription of public-domain scans at the Internet Archive; obvious OCR errors were corrected, and passages marked “OCR uncertain” could not be confidently corrected, so check them against the linked scan page.

2 passages on this page are marked “OCR uncertain”; check them against the scan.

Objection 1: It would seem that the limbo of hell is not the same as Abraham's bosom. For according to Augustine (Gen. ad Lit. xxxiii.): I have not yet found Scripture jnentioning hell in a favourable sense. Now Abraham's bosom is taken in a favourable sense, as Augustine goes on to say (ibid.): Surely no one would be allowed to give an unfavourable signification to Abraham's bosoiyi and the place of rest whither the godly poor man was carried by the angels. Therefore Abraham's bosom is not the same as the limbo of hell. [OCR uncertain: jnentioning, bosoiyi. Check the scan, image 22.]

Obj. 2: Further, Those who are in hell see not God. Yet God is seen by those who are in Abraham's bosom, as may be gathered from Augustine (Conf. ix. 3) who, speaking of Nebridius, says: Whatever that be, which is signified by that bosom, there lives my Nebridius, and further on: Now lays he not his ear to my mouth, but his spiritual mouth unto Thy fountain, and drinketh as much as he can receive wisdom in proportion to his thirst, endlessly happy. Therefore Abraham's bosom is not the same as the limbo of hell.

Obj. 3: Further, The Church prays not that a man be taken to hell: and yet she prays that the angels may carry the departed soul to Abraham's bosom. Therefore it would seem that Abraham's bosom is not the same as limbo.

On the contrary, The place whither the beggar Lazarus was taken is called Abraham's bosom. Now he was taken to hell, for as a gloss* on Job xxx. 23, Where a house is appointed for every one that liveth, says, hell was the house of all the living until the coming of Christ. Therefore Abraham's bosom is the same as limbo.

Further, Jacob said to his sons (Gen. xliv. 38): You will bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to hell: wherefore Jacob knew that he would be taken to hell after his death. There- * S. Gregoiy [Moral, xx.).

fore Abraham likewise was taken to hell after his death; and consequently Abraham's bosom would seem to be a part of hell.

I answer that, After death men's souls cannot find rest save by the merit of faith, because he that cometh to God must believe (Heb. xi. 6). Now the first example of faith was given to men in the person of Abraham, who was the first to sever himself from the body of unbelievers, and to receive a special sign of faith: for which reason the place of rest given to men after death is called Abraham's bosom, as Augustine declares

(Gen. ad Lit. xii.). But the souls of the saints have not at all times had the same rest after death; because, since

Christ's coming they have had complete rest through en-

I joying the vision of God, whereas before Christ's coming they j had rest through being exempt from punishment, but their [OCR uncertain: joying. Check the scan, image 23.]

'desire was not set at rest by their attaining their end.

Consequently the state of the saints before Christ's coming may be considered both as regards the rest it afforded, and thus it is called Abraham's bosom, and as regards its lack

: of rest, and thus it is called the limbo of hell. Accordingly, before Christ's coming the limbo of hell and Abraham's bosom were one place accidentally and not essentially: and consequently, nothing prevents Abraham's bosom from being after Christ's coming, and from being altogether distinct from limbo, since things that are one accidentally may be parted from one another.

Reply Obj. 1: The state of the holy Fathers as regards what was good in it was called Abraham's bosom, but as regards its deficiencies it was called hell. Accordingly, neither is Abraham's bosom taken in an unfavourable sense, nor hell in a favourable sense, although in a way they are one.

Reply Obj. 2: The place of rect of the holy Fathers was called Abraham's bosom before as well as after Christ's coming, but in different ways. For since before Christ's coming the saints' rest had a lack of rest attached to it, it was called both hell and Abraham's bosom, wherefore God was not seen there. But since after the coming of Christ the saints' rest is complete through their seeing God, this rest is called Abraham's bosom, but not hell by any means.

It is to this bosom of Abraham that the Church prays for the faithful to be brought.

Hence the Reply to the Third Objection is evident: and the same meaning applies to a gloss on Luke xvi. 22, It came to pass that the beggar died, etc., which says: Abraham's bosom is the rest of the blessed poor, whose is the kingdom of heaven.

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Also online, linked only: the same translation at New Advent and the Latin text at Corpus Thomisticum. Neither is copied here.

Source: Thomas Aquinas. Summa Theologica, Supplement to the Third Part. Internet Archive scans: Third Part, Fourth Number (QQ. LXXXIV to Suppl. XXXIII), 1917, Third Part (Supplement), QQ. XXXIV to LXVIII, 1922, Third Part (Supplement), QQ. LXIX to LXXXVI, 1921, and Third Part (Supplement), QQ. LXXXVII to XCIX and Appendices, 1922; two curled pages of the 1921 volume are read from another scan of the same printing. Public domain in the USA. Printed in 1917, 1921, and 1922, before 1931. Outside the U.S., check local copyright rules. Transcription, OCR file checksums, and method: source record.