Article 7 — Whether a spiritual substance is united to an ethereal body

Seventh, it is asked whether a spiritual substance is united to an ethereal body. (Parallel texts: In II Sent., d. 8, q. 1, a. 1; SCG II.90–91; Disputed Questions on the Power of God, q. 6, a. 6; ST I.51.1; Disputed Questions on Evil, q. 16, a. 1; On Separate Substances, cc. 18–19.)

Obj. 1: And it would seem that it is. For Augustine says in On the Literal Interpretation of Genesis 3 (Augustine, On the Literal Interpretation of Genesis, bk. 3, ch. 10, para. 14 (PL 34:284; CSEL 28.1:72).) and in City of God 4 (Augustine, City of God, bk. 8, ch. 16 (PL 41:263; CSEL 40.1:603; CCSL 47:233); bk. 9, ch. 8 (PL 41:241; CSEL 40.1:381; CCSL 47:256); bk. 15, ch. 23 (PL 41:468). The reference to book 4 seems erroneous.) that demons have ethereal bodies. But demons are spiritual substances. Therefore, a spiritual substance is united to an ethereal body.

Obj. 2: Furthermore, Augustine says in his book On the Divination of Demons (Augustine, On the Divination of Demons, bk. 1, ch. 3, para. 7 (PL 40:584; CSEL 41:603).) that demons are beyond the human senses because of the subtlety of an ethereal body. Now this would not be the case unless they were naturally united to an ethereal body. Therefore, spiritual substances are united to an ethereal body.

Obj. 3: Furthermore, the mean does not differ widely from the extremes. But life is found in the region of heavenly bodies, according to those who assert that the heavenly bodies are animate; and in the region of earth, life is found in animals and in plants. Therefore, in the middle region also, that of the air, life is found. Nor can this have reference to bird life, because birds are raised above the earth a little distance in the air, and it would not seem fitting that all the other air space should remain devoid of life. (Cf. Augustine, On the Literal Interpretation of Genesis, bk. 3, ch. 7, para. 10 (PL 34:283; CSEL 28.1:70); Bede, Hexaemeron, bk. 1, on 1:20 (PL 91:26C; CCSL 118.A:21–22).) One must then assert, as it seems, that some ethereal living beings exist in it, from which it follows that some spiritual substances are united to an ethereal body. (Cf. Aquinas, Disputed Questions on Evil, q. 16, a. 1, obj. 6.)

Obj. 4: Furthermore, a body that is more noble has a more noble form. But air is a more noble body than earth, (Cf. Aristotle, On Generation and Corruption 1.3, 318b32–33.) inasmuch as it is more formal and more fine. If then a spiritual substance such as the soul is united to an earthly body, namely, a human body, for all the greater reason would it be united to an ethereal body. (Cf. Aquinas, Disputed Questions on Evil, q. 16, a. 1, obj. 4.)

Obj. 5: Furthermore, in the case of things which agree more closely, union is easier. But “air” seems to agree more with “soul” than does a mixed body, such as man’s body is. For, as Augustine says in On the Literal Interpretation of Genesis, (Augustine, On the Literal Interpretation of Genesis, bk. 7, ch. 15, para. 21 (PL 34:363; CSEL 28.1:213); ch. 19, para. 25 (PL 34:364; CSEL 28.1:215–16).) the soul manages the body through air. Therefore, the soul is naturally more apt to be united to an ethereal body than even to a mixed body. (Cf. Aquinas, Disputed Questions on Evil, q. 16, a. 1, obj. 5.)

Obj. 6: Furthermore, it is said in the book On the Substance of the Celestial Sphere, circular movement is characteristic of the soul, (Averroes, On the Substance of the Celestial Sphere, ch. 2; see above: a. 6, obj. 13.) and this for the reason that the soul, so far as it is itself concerned, is disposed to do its moving in all directions without any difference. But this also seems to be characteristic of the air, because it is light in combination with light objects and heavy in combination with heavy objects. Therefore, the soul would seem most of all to be united to air.

On the contrary, the soul is the act of an organic body. But an ethereal body cannot be organic because, since it cannot be bounded by a boundary of its own but only by the boundary of something else, it cannot have any shape. Therefore, a spiritual substance, which the soul is, cannot be united to an ethereal body. (Cf. Aquinas, Disputed Questions on the Power of God, q. 6, a. 6, resp.; Disputed Questions on Evil, q. 16, a. 1, resp.)

I answer that it is impossible for a spiritual substance to be united to an ethereal body. This can be clearly shown in three ways.

First, this is because, among all other bodies, the simple bodies of elements are the more imperfect, since they are like matter in relation to all other bodies. Hence, it is not consistent with the scheme of things for some simple elementary body to be united to a spiritual substance as a form.

The second reason is that air is a body, which is homogeneous as a whole and in all its parts. Hence, if some spiritual substance is united to any one part of the air, for the same reason it will also be united to the whole air, and likewise to every other element, which seems absurd.

The third reason is that a spiritual substance is found to be united to a given body in two ways: in one way, in order to furnish movement to a body, as, for instance, it was said that spiritual substances are united to the heavenly bodies; (Above: a. 6, resp.) in another way, in order that a spiritual substance may be helped by a body as regards its own proper activity, which is understanding, as a human soul, for instance, is united to a body in order that it may acquire a store of knowledge through the bodily senses. But a spiritual substance cannot be united to the air. It cannot by reason of movement, because air has a certain connatural movement which is a consequence of its natural form, nor is there to be found any movement in the whole air or in any part thereof which cannot be referred back to some bodily cause; hence, from its movement it does not appear that a spiritual substance is united to it. Nor yet is a spiritual substance united to an ethereal body for the perfection of intellectual activity, for a simple body cannot be an instrument of sense, as is proven in On the Soul. (Aristotle, On the Soul 3.12, 434b8–11.)

Hence, the only remaining alternative is that spiritual substance is in no way united to a body.

Reply Obj. 1: Wherever Augustine says that demons have ethereal bodies, he does not say so as an assertion of his own belief, but according to the opinion of others. Hence, he himself says in City of God 21, even demons have a kind of body of their own, as learned men have thought, of that thick and humid air . . . but if anyone should assert that demons have no bodies, there is no need either to work out a laborious investigation of this matter or to quarrel about it in contentious argument. (Augustine, City of God, bk. 21, ch. 10, para. 1 (PL 41:724; CSEL 40.2:537; CCSL 48:775–76); cf. bk. 9, ch. 10 (PL 41:265; CSEL 40.1:422; CCSL 47:258); On the Literal Interpretation of Genesis, bk. 3, ch. 10, para. 14 (PL 34:284; CSEL 28.1:72); bk. 11, ch. 13, para. 17 (PL 34:436; CSEL 28.1:346).)

Reply Obj. 2: Through this the solution to the second is clear.

Reply Obj. 3: The place for the mixing of the elements is in the lower region, namely, that around the earth. Now, mixed bodies, the closer they come to an equal mixture, the farther do they recede from the extremes of contraries; and thus, they acquire a kind of likeness to the heavenly bodies, which are without contrariety. And so, it is clear that life is more able to exist in the highest and in the lowest region than in the middle one, especially when, in the case of those lower ones, the body is all the more prepared for life the nearer it comes to an equality of constituency.

Reply Obj. 4: The body “air” is more noble than the body “earth.” But a body of equal constituency is more noble than both, because it is more distant from contrariety. This kind of body only is found to be united to a spiritual substance. In it, nevertheless, the lower element must be materially more abundant in order to constitute equality, on account of the excess of active power in the other elements. (Cf. Aquinas, Disputed Questions on the Power of God, q. 6, a. 6, resp.; Disputed Questions on Evil, q. 16, a. 1, ad 4.)

Reply Obj. 5: A soul is said to manage its own body through air so far as movement is concerned, because air is more susceptible to movement than are other dense bodies.

Reply Obj. 6: Air is not indifferent to every movement, but in combination with certain bodies it is light, in combination with others it is heavy; hence, from this we cannot conclude that air is perfectible through a soul.