Article 8 — Whether an angel or demon by means of an assumed body can exercise the functions of a living body

The eighth point of inquiry is whether an angel or demon by means of an assumed body can exercise the functions of a living body. (Parallel texts: ST 1.41.3; In II Sent. 8.4.)

Obj. 1: And it seems he cannot. For whoever is competent to have the power to do a certain activity is competent to have anything that is required for that activity; otherwise the power would be given him without purpose. Now, the activities of living bodies cannot be performed without bodily organs. Since, then, an angel has no bodily organs naturally united to him, it would seem that he cannot perform these activities.

Obj. 2: The soul is nobler than nature. But an angel cannot perform an activity of nature except by the mediation of a natural power. Much less, therefore, can he produce the activities of the soul through an assumed body that he does not possess.

Obj. 3: Of all the activities of the soul that are exercised through organs, those of the senses are the more akin to the intellectual activity, which is proper to an angel. But an angel cannot sense or imagine through an assumed body. Much less, then, can he exercise the other activities of the soul.

Obj. 4: Without a voice there can be no speech, and voice is a sound emitted from an animal’s mouth. Since, then, the angel who uses an assumed body is not an animal, it seems that he cannot use an assumed body to speak; and much less for other actions, for speech, since it is a sign of understanding, seems most akin to him.

Obj. 5: In one and the same individual, the ultimate activity of the vegetative soul is generation, for an animal feeds and grows before generating. Now, it cannot be said that an angel, or a body assumed by him, feeds or grows. Therefore, an assumed body cannot generate.

Obj. 6: Someone will reply that an angel or demon can generate through an assumed body, not by means of seed from that body, but by conveying seed from a man to a woman, even as he produces certain real natural effects by employing appropriate seeds.

On the contrary, animal seed acts toward generation chiefly by natural heat, and if a demon were to transport seed from a distance, it would seem impossible to prevent the natural heat from dissipating. Therefore, a man cannot be generated in this way.

Obj. 7: If this were possible, from such seed a man would be generated only according to the power of the human seed. Therefore, those who are stated to have been begotten by demons would not be of higher stature and greater strength than others who are generated in the usual way from human seed; yet it is stated: after the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, and they brought forth children, giants were born: these are the mighty men of old, men of renown (Gen 6:4).

Obj. 8: Eating is ordered to self-nourishment. Therefore, if angels are not nourished in their assumed bodies, it seems that neither do they eat.

Obj. 9: After his resurrection Christ wanted to eat in order to show the reality of his risen human body. Now, this would have been no effective argument of his resurrection if angels or demons in their assumed bodies were able to eat; which is clearly false. Therefore, angels or demons cannot eat through their assumed bodies.

On the contrary (1), it is said of the angels who appeared to Abraham: when they had eaten, they said to him: ‘where is Sarah your wife?’ (Gen 18:9). Therefore, angels both eat and speak in their assumed bodies.

Furthermore (2), commenting on Genesis 6:2, the sons of God, etc., Jerome says: the Hebrew word Elohim (Heb. אלהים.) has either a singular or a plural signification: for it means both “God” and “gods.” Hence, Aquila dared to say that the sons of gods are “gods,” thereby meaning saints or angels. (Glossa interlinearis, at Genesis 6:1 (in Glossa ordinaria 1, 137).) Therefore, apparently the angels generate.

Furthermore (3), just as nothing is done without purpose by way of human art, so neither is this so by way of the angelic art. Now, there would be no purpose in their assuming bodies disposed as organic bodies unless they used the organs. Therefore, it seems that in their assumed bodies they exercise functions corresponding to the various organs: for instance, they see with the eyes, hear with the ears, and so forth.

I answer that an action takes its natural species from two sources: the agent and its terminus. For heating differs from cooling in that the former proceeds from heat and terminates in heat, while the latter proceeds from cold and terminates in cold. Nonetheless, properly speaking an action, like a motion as well, takes its species from its terminus, while it takes its being natural properly speaking from its principle. For movement and action are said to be “natural” when they proceed from an intrinsic principle.

We must note, then, that some of the activities of the soul not only proceed from the soul as their principle, but also terminate in the soul and the animate body. And such actions cannot be ascribed to angels in their assumed bodies, for they are neither of the same species as when performed by us, nor are they natural to the angel; for instance, sensation, growth, nourishment, and such. For sensation follows a movement from real things to the soul, and likewise nourishment and growth consist in generating something that is added to the living body.

On the other hand, some actions of the soul have the soul as their principle but terminate in an external effect, and if this effect can be produced by mere bodily division or local movement, such an action may be attributed to the angel through his assumed body, as regards a specific likeness in the effect; still, the action will not be truly natural but a likeness of the natural action. This is clear in speech, which is produced by movement of the organs and air, and eating, which is completed by a breaking up of food and its transmission throughout the body.

Therefore, speech, when ascribed to angels in assumed bodies, is not really natural speech, but an imitation thereof by producing a like effect; and the same applies to eating. Therefore, it is written: when I was with you . . . I seemed indeed to eat and to drink with you; but I make use of an invisible meat and drink (Tob 12:18). If, however, the effect requires a transmutation according to form, it could not be produced by an angel, except perhaps by the mediation of a natural action, as in the case of generation.

Reply Obj. 1: An angel does not perform these actions naturally; therefore, he need not have the corresponding organs naturally united to him.

Reply Obj. 2: As stated above, an angel does not perform real operations of the soul, but imitations of them.

Reply Obj. 3: We have said why sensation cannot be ascribed to angels in assumed bodies.

Reply Obj. 4: As stated above, an angel’s speech in an assumed body is not real; rather, it is only an imitation of speech.

Reply Obj. 5: Generation is never ascribed to good angels; concerning the demons, however, there are two opinions. Some say that even the demons are unable to generate in their assumed bodies, and they say this for the reasons given in the objections. Others, however, are of opinion that they can, not indeed by seed from the body assumed, or by virtue of their own nature, but by employing the seed of a man for the purpose of generation; through this, one and the same demon might be a succubus to a man and transfer the seed thus received as incubus to a woman. This may be reasonably held, since demons cause also other natural things by using appropriate seeds, as Augustine says. (Augustine, On the Trinity 3.8–9 (PL 42:875–79).)

Reply Obj. 6: A demon is able to remedy the dissipation of the seed both by rapidity of movement or by employing such means as will retain the natural heat in the seed.

Reply Obj. 7: Without doubt, a generation that is effected in the way mentioned is the result of the power of the human seed. Therefore, a man begotten in this way is the child not of the demon but of the man whose seed was employed. And yet, it is possible that stronger and bigger men be begotten in this way because the demons, who seek to be admired for their feats, can observe the position of the stars and the respective temperaments of the man and woman so as to produce such an effect. And this is especially so if the seed, through being used by them as instrument, receive thereby an increase of power.

Reply Obj. 8: Eating is ascribed to angels in their assumed bodies, not for its end, which is nourishment, but simply as the act of eating; likewise, it is also ascribed to Christ, after whose resurrection no addition could be made to his body. There is this difference, however, that in Christ’s case the eating was real, since he did have a vegetative soul; in this way it could be an argument for the reality of his vegetative nature. Still, in neither case was the food converted into flesh and blood; rather, it was dissolved into the previously existing matter.

Reply Obj. 9: This suffices for the reply to the ninth objection.

Reply Sed Contra 1: We have explained in the body of the article in what sense eating and speaking are to be ascribed to an angel.

Reply Sed Contra 2: By “sons of God” one understands the sons of Seth, who were sons of God by grace and of the angels by imitation. However, the sons of Cain, who abandoned God and lived according to the flesh, were called “sons of men.”

Reply Sed Contra 3: The angels assume the organs of sense, not to use them, but to signify things; hence, although they do not sense by them, they do not assume them to no purpose.