St. Thomas Aquinas on Immaculate Conception of Mary

St. Thomas Aquinas on Immaculate Conception of Mary by Angelo George

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My Aquinas group has moved into the Virgin Birth section of Part III of the Summa Theologica. I decided I needed some quick crib notes on Aquinas's theory of the Immaculate Conception.

Briefly, Aquinas posited a theory of ensoulment under which the developing matter of the embryonic - if one can use that term without anachronism - was formed for up to six months before “ensoulment.” Aquinas posited that during that time period, Mary could not have been subject to sin and, therefore, could not have been cleansed from original sin. Aquinas strongly posits that there could be no saving from original sin prior to the imposition of original sin, even if the time interval was a split second. The author distinguishes this view from that of the Blessed Duns Scotus who posited that Christ's salvation could have been found in preserving Mary from sin, rather than redeeming her after sin.

Aquinas affirmed that even with this delay, the Mary was sanctified in the womb, which is a far cry from the position of Protestants who try to enlist Aquinas as an advocate against the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. This initial sanctification has been referred to as a “first sanctification” or “prepurification.”

The second sanctification - or sanctification proper - according to Aquinas occurred at the Annunciation when the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary. According to Aquinas, prior to this second sanctification, Mary had received the stain of original sin, namely, the “fomes of sin,” which is “nothing but the sinful inclination towards sensual impulses.” However, Mary did not actually suffer this impulse because the fomes was fettered and she was provided abundant grace so as to avoid both mortal and venial.

This is all interesting stuff from a historical standpoint. It also represents a biblical/traditional interpretation that does not go the route of the Immaculate Conception, which eliminates the nuances of two sanctifications and fettered fomes of sin by holding that Mary was totally preserved from original sin prior to her life.

This book is quick and to the point and well worth getting for an overview of the subject.