Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It would seem that Paul was not ignorant whether his soul were separated from his body. For he says (2 Cor. 12:2): "I know a man in Christ rapt even to the third heaven." Now man denotes something composed of soul and body; and rapture differs from death. Seemingly therefore he knew that his soul was not separated from his body by death, which is the more probable seeing that this is the common opinion of the Doctors.

Objection 2: Further, it appears from the same words of the Apostle that he knew whither he was rapt, since it was "to the third heaven." Now this shows that he knew whether he was in the body or not, for if he knew the third heaven to be something corporeal, he must have known that his soul was not separated from his body, since a corporeal thing cannot be an object of sight save through the body. Therefore it would seem that he was not ignorant whether his soul were separated from his body.

Objection 3: Further, Augustine says (Gen. ad lit. xii, 28) that "when in rapture, he saw God with the same vision as the saints see Him in heaven." Now from the very fact that the saints see God, they know whether their soul is separated from their body. Therefore Paul too knew this.

On the contrary, It is written (2 Cor. 12:3): "Whether in the body, or out of the body, I know not, God knoweth."

I answer that, The true answer to this question must be gathered from the Apostle's very words, whereby he says he knew something, namely that he was "rapt even to the third heaven," and that something he knew not, namely "whether" he were "in the body or out of the body." This may be understood in two ways. First, the words "whether in the body or out of the body" may refer not to the very being of the man who was rapt (as though he knew not whether his soul were in his body or not), but to the mode of rapture, so that he ignored whether his body besides his soul, or, on the other hand, his soul alone, were rapt to the third heaven. Thus Ezechiel is stated (Ezech. 8:3) to have been "brought in the vision of God into Jerusalem." This was the explanation of a certain Jew according to Jerome (Prolog. super Daniel.), where he says that "lastly our Apostle" (thus said the Jew) "durst not assert that he was rapt in his body, but said: 'Whether in the body or out of the body, I know not.'"

Augustine, however, disapproves of this explanation (Gen. ad lit. xii, 3 seqq.) for this reason that the Apostle states that he knew he was rapt even to the third heaven. Wherefore he knew it to be really the third heaven to which he was rapt, and not an imaginary likeness of the third heaven: otherwise if he gave the name of third heaven to an imaginary third heaven, in the same way he might state that he was rapt in the body, meaning, by body, an image of his body, such as appears in one's dreams. Now if he knew it to be really the third heaven, it follows that either he knew it to be something spiritual and incorporeal, and then his body could not be rapt thither; or he knew it to be something corporeal, and then his soul could not be rapt thither without his body, unless it were separated from his body. Consequently we must explain the matter otherwise, by saying that the Apostle knew himself to be rapt both in soul and body, but that he ignored how his soul stood in relation to his body, to wit, whether it were accompanied by his body or not.

Here we find a diversity of opinions. For some say that the Apostle knew his soul to be united to his body as its form, but ignored whether it were abstracted from its senses, or again whether it were abstracted from the operations of the vegetative soul. But he could not but know that it was abstracted from the senses, seeing that he knew himself to be rapt; and as to his being abstracted from the operation of the vegetative soul, this was not of such importance as to require him to be so careful in mentioning it. It follows, then, that the Apostle ignored whether his soul were united to his body as its form, or separated from it by death. Some, however, granting this say that the Apostle did not consider the matter while he was in rapture, because he was wholly intent upon God, but that afterwards he questioned the point, when taking cognizance of what he had seen. But this also is contrary to the Apostle's words, for he there distinguishes between the past and what happened subsequently, since he states that at the present time he knows that he was rapt "fourteen years ago," and that at the present time he knows not "whether he was in the body or out of the body."

Consequently we must assert that both before and after he ignored whether his soul were separated from his body. Wherefore Augustine (Gen. ad lit. xii, 5), after discussing the question at length, concludes: "Perhaps then we must infer that he ignored whether, when he was rapt to the third heaven, his soul was in his body (in the same way as the soul is in the body, when we speak of a living body either of a waking or of a sleeping man, or of one that is withdrawn from his bodily senses during ecstasy), or whether his soul went out of his body altogether, so that his body lay dead."

Reply to Objection 1: Sometimes by the figure of synecdoche a part of man, especially the soul which is the principal part, denotes a man. or again we might take this to mean that he whom he states to have been rapt was a man not at the time of his rapture, but fourteen years afterwards: for he says "I know a man," not "I know a rapt man." Again nothing hinders death brought about by God being called rapture; and thus Augustine says (Gen. ad lit. xii, 3): "If the Apostle doubted the matter, who of us will dare to be certain about it?" Wherefore those who have something to say on this subject speak with more conjecture than certainty.

Reply to Objection 2: The Apostle knew that either the heaven in question was something incorporeal, or that he saw something incorporeal in that heaven; yet this could be done by his intellect, even without his soul being separated from his body.

Reply to Objection 3: Paul's vision, while he was in rapture, was like the vision of the blessed in one respect, namely as to the thing seen; and, unlike, in another respect, namely as to the mode of seeing, because he saw not so perfectly as do the saints in heaven. Hence Augustine says (Gen. ad lit. xii, 36): "Although, when the Apostle was rapt from his carnal senses to the third heaven, he lacked that full and perfect knowledge of things which is in the angels, in that he knew not whether he was in the body, or out of the body, this will surely not be lacking after reunion with the body in the resurrection of the dead, when this corruptible will put on incorruption."

Articulus 6

Argumentum 1

Ad sextum sic proceditur. Videtur quod Paulus non ignoraverit an eius anima fuerit a corpore separata.

Dicit enim ipse, II ad Cor. XII, scio hominem in christo raptum usque ad tertium caelum.

Sed homo nominat compositum ex anima et corpore, raptus etiam differt a morte. Videtur ergo quod ipse sciverit animam non fuisse per mortem a corpore separatam, praesertim quia hoc communiter a doctoribus ponitur.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, ex eisdem apostoli verbis patet quod ipse scivit quo raptus fuerit, quia in tertium caelum. Sed ex hoc sequitur quod scivit utrum fuerit in corpore vel non. Quia si scivit tertium caelum esse aliquid corporeum, consequens est quod sciverit animam suam non esse a corpore separatam, quia visio rei corporeae non potest fieri nisi per corpus. Ergo videtur quod non ignoraverit an anima fuerit a corpore separata.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, sicut Augustinus dicit, XII super Gen. Ad litt., ipse in raptu vidit illa visione deum qua vident sancti in patria. Sed sancti, ex hoc ipso quod vident deum, sciunt an animae eorum sint a corporibus separatae. Ergo et Paulus hoc scivit.

Sed Contra

Sed contra est quod dicitur II ad Cor. XII, sive in corpore sive extra corpus, nescio, deus scit.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod huius quaestionis veritatem accipere oportet ex ipsis apostoli verbis, quibus dicit se aliquid scire, scilicet se raptum esse usque ad tertium caelum; et aliquid nescire, scilicet utrum in corpore aut extra corpus. Quod quidem potest dupliciter intelligi. Uno modo, ut hoc quod dicitur, sive in corpore sive extra corpus, non referatur ad ipsum esse hominis rapti, quasi ignoraverit an anima eius esset in corpore vel non, sed ad modum raptus, ut scilicet ignoraverit an corpus eius fuerit simul raptum cum anima in tertium caelum, vel non, sed solum anima, sicut Ezech. VIII dicitur quod adductus est in visionibus dei in ierusalem.

Et hunc intellectum fuisse cuiusdam Iudaei, exprimit Hieronymus, in prologo super Danielem, ubi dicit, denique et apostolum nostrum, scilicet dicebat Iudaeus, non fuisse ausum affirmare se in corpore raptum, sed dixisse, sive in corpore sive extra corpus, nescio.

Sed hunc sensum improbat Augustinus, XII super Gen. Ad litt., per hoc quod apostolus dicit se scivisse se esse raptum usque in tertium caelum. Sciebat ergo verum esse tertium caelum illud in quod raptus fuit, et non similitudinem imaginariam tertii caeli alioquin, si tertium caelum nominavit phantasma tertii caeli, pari ratione dicere potuit se in corpore raptum, nominans corpus proprii corporis phantasma, quale apparet in somniis. Si autem sciebat esse vere tertium caelum, sciebat ergo utrum esset aliquid spirituale et incorporeum, et sic non poterat corpus eius illuc rapi, aut esset aliquid corporeum, et sic anima non posset illuc sine corpore rapi, nisi separaretur a corpore. Et ideo oportet secundum alium sensum intelligere, ut scilicet apostolus sciverit quod fuit raptus secundum animam et non secundum corpus; nesciverit tamen qualiter se haberet anima ad corpus, utrum scilicet fuerit sine corpore vel non. Sed circa hoc diversimode aliqui loquuntur.

Quidam enim dicunt quod apostolus scivit quod anima sua erat corpori unita ut forma, sed nescivit utrum esset passus, alienationem a sensibus; vel etiam utrum esset facta abstractio ab operibus animae vegetabilis.

Sed quod fuerit facta abstractio a sensibus, hoc non potuit ignorare, ex quo scivit se raptum. Quod autem fuerit facta abstractio ab operibus animae vegetabilis, non erat tantum aliquid ut de hoc oporteret tam sollicitam fieri mentionem. Unde relinquitur quod nescivit apostolus utrum anima eius fuerit coniuncta corpori ut forma, vel a corpore separata per mortem.

Quidam autem, hoc concedentes, dicunt quod apostolus tunc non perpendit quando rapiebatur, quia tota eius intentio conversa erat in deum, sed postmodum percepit, considerans ea quae viderat.

Sed hoc etiam contrariatur verbis apostoli, qui distinguit in verbis suis praeteritum a futuro.

Dicit enim in praesenti se scire quod fuit raptus ante annos quatuordecim, et se in praesenti nescire utrum in corpore fuerit vel extra corpus.

Et ideo dicendum est quod et prius et postea nescivit utrum eius anima fuerit a corpore separata.

Unde Augustinus dicit, XII super Gen. Ad litt., post longam inquisitionem concludens, restat ergo fortasse ut hoc ipsum eum ignorasse intelligamus, utrum, quando in tertium caelum raptus est, in corpore fuerit anima, quomodo est anima in corpore cum corpus vivere dicitur, sive vigilantis sive dormientis sive in extasi a sensibus corporis alienati; an omnino de corpore exierit, ut mortuum corpus iaceret.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod per synecdochen quandoque pars hominis homo nominatur, et praecipue anima, quae est pars hominis eminentior. Quamvis etiam possit intelligi eum quem raptum dicit, non tunc fuisse hominem quando raptus fuit, sed post annos quatuordecim, unde dicit scio hominem; non dicit, scio raptum hominem. Nihil etiam prohiberet mortem divinitus procuratam raptum dici.

Et sicut Augustinus dicit, XII super Gen. Ad litt., dubitante inde apostolo, quis nostrum inde certus esse potuit? unde qui super hoc loquuntur, magis coniecturaliter quam per certitudinem loquuntur.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod apostolus scivit vel illud caelum esse quid incorporeum, vel aliquid incorporeum a se visum in illo caelo tamen hoc poterat fieri per intellectum eius, etiam si anima eius non esset a corpore separata.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod visio Pauli in raptu quantum ad aliquid fuit similis visioni beatorum, scilicet quantum ad id quod videbatur, et quantum ad aliquid dissimilis, scilicet quantum ad modum videndi, quia non ita perfecte vidit sicut sancti qui sunt in patria.

Unde Augustinus dicit, XII super Gen. Ad litt., apostolo arrepto a carnis sensibus in tertium caelum, hoc defuit ad plenam perfectamque cognitionem rerum quae Angelis inest, quod sive in corpore sive extra corpus esset, nesciebat.

Hoc itaque non deerit cum, receptis corporibus in resurrectione mortuorum, cum corruptibile hoc induerit incorruptionem.