Sunday, July 26, 2009

Q110 A3: Whether bodies obey the angels as regards local motion?

Yes. The corporeal nature has a natural aptitude to be moved immediately by the spiritual nature as regards place because what is moved locally is not as such in potentiality to anything intrinsic, but only to something extrinsic: that is, to place.

Natura corporalis nata est moveri immediate a natura spirituali secundum locum quia mobile secundum locum non est in potentia ad aliquid intrinsecum, inquantum huiusmodi, sed solum ad aliquid extrinsecum: scilicet, ad locum.

The power of an angel is not so limited as is the power of the soul. Hence the motive power of the soul is limited to the body united to it, which is vivified by it, and by which it can move other things. But an angel's power is not limited to any body; hence it can move locally bodies not joined to it.

Angeli habent virtutem minus contractam quam animae. Unde virtus motiva animae contrahitur ad corpus unitum, quod per eam vivificatur, quo mediante alia potest movere. Sed virtus Angeli non est contracta ad aliquod corpus. Unde potest corpora non coniuncta localiter movere.