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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
The context for the present study
The issue of Jesus' faith, as opposed to faith in or directed towards him, is not a new one. It has been raised previously by theologians and biblical exegetes alike, but seemingly the matter has never been conclusively resolved one way or the other. From one perspective, we have Thomas Aquinas' celebrated refutation of faith as an attribute of the human condition assumed by the Son of God. Having presented a case for Christ's faith, which cites Romans 1.17 and Hebrews 12.2 in support, he then demonstrates its untenability:
The field of faith is divine reality that is hidden from sight. This we maintained in the Secunda Pars. Now, a virtue, like any other habit, takes its character from its field of action. Hence, where divine reality is not hidden from sight there is no point in faith. But from the moment of conception Christ had the full vision of the very being of God, as we will hold later on. Therefore he could not have had faith.
Hence: (i) The reason faith ranks higher than the moral virtues is that it deals with more important affairs than they do. Yet it handles these affairs with certain limitations. Now Christ suffered no such limitations. And so, even though he did have moral virtues he could not have had faith. For the moral virtues do not carry the kind of limitation faith does in dealing with their own particular material, (ii) The moral value of faith comes from accepting, out of obedience to God, things which are not clearly seen. Thus, St Paul speaks of the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations. But Christ practised the ultimate obedience to God, as is written, He became obedient unto death. So, he taught no moral values which he himself had not already achieved in a higher way.
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