Thomas Aquinas

Here is a mystery, I tell you, brothers, meaning something hidden, which ought to be revealed to you and to all believers. Lc. VIII, 10: to you it is given to know, etc. Above, II, 6: we speak wisdom among the perfect, and afterward: but we speak the wisdom of God which is hidden, etc. But what this mystery is, he adds: we shall all indeed, etc. On the first point, it should be known that, as Jerome says in a certain letter to the monks Minervius and Alexander, what is said here—we shall all rise again, etc.—is found in no Greek book; but in certain ones it is found: we shall all indeed sleep, that is, we shall all die. And death is called sleep on account of the hope of the resurrection. Hence it is the same as if he said, we shall all rise again, since no one will rise again unless he dies. But we shall not all be changed. This is not altered in the Greek books. And this is true, because this change of which he speaks here will occur only with respect to the bodies of the blessed, since they will be changed into those four qualities set down above, which are called the endowments of glorified bodies. And this Job desired: Iob. XIV, 14: all the days in which I am now in warfare, I wait until my change comes.

In certain books, however, it is found: we shall not all indeed sleep, that is, die, but we shall all be changed. And this is understood in two ways. First, according to the letter, because it was the opinion of some that not all men will die, but that some at the coming of Christ to judgment will come alive, and these will not die but will be changed into the state of incorruption, and on this account they say, we shall not all indeed sleep, that is, die, but we shall all be changed, both good and evil, both living and dead. Hence according to these the change is not understood as from the state of animality to the state of spirituality, since according to this only the good would be changed, but from the state of corruption to the state of incorruption.

In another way it is expounded mystically by Origen, and he says that this is not said of the sleep of death, since all will die—Ps. LXXXVIII, 49: what man is there who shall live, etc.—but of the sleep of sin, of which in Ps. XII, 4: enlighten my eyes, lest I ever sleep, so that it may be said thus: we shall not all die, that is, we shall not all sin mortally, but we shall all be changed, just as above concerning the state from corruption to incorruption. And although this reading, namely we shall not all die, etc., is not against the faith, nevertheless the Church accepts the first more, namely that we shall all die or rise again, etc., because all will die even if there are then some who are living.

He then makes manifest the order and manner of the resurrection when he says, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, et cetera. And this in three respects. First he makes manifest the order as to time; second as to the cause of the resurrection, where he says, at the last trumpet; third as to the progress of the effect from the cause, where he says, for the trumpet shall sound, et cetera. He says therefore that we shall all rise again, but how? In a moment. By which he excludes the error of those saying that the resurrection of all will not be at the same time, but they say that the martyrs will rise before the others by a thousand years, and then Christ will descend with them, and will possess the bodily kingdom of Jerusalem for a thousand years with them. And this was the opinion of Lactantius. But this is clearly false, because we shall all rise in a moment and in the twinkling of an eye. Also excluded by this is another error of the same man, who said that the judgment would last for a space of a thousand years. But this is false, because there will be no perceptible time there, but in a moment, et cetera.

It should be known, moreover, that a moment can be taken either for the very instant of time, which is called now, or for some imperceptible time; yet it can be taken in either way, referring it to different things. For if we refer this to the gathering of the dust (which will be accomplished by the ministry of angels), then the moment is taken for imperceptible time. For since in the gathering of that dust there is a change from place to place, there must be some time there. But if we refer it to the reuniting of bodies and to the union with the soul, all of which will be done by God, then the moment is taken for an instant of time, because God unites the soul to the body and gives life to the body in an instant. Also, what he says, in the twinkling of an eye, can be referred to either, as if by in the twinkling of an eye only the opening of the eyelids is understood (which occurs in perceptible time), then it is referred to the gathering of the dust. But if by in the twinkling of an eye the sudden glance itself of the eye is understood, which occurs in an instant, then it is referred to the union of the soul with the body.

Next, when he says, at the last trumpet, he shows the order of the resurrection as to the immediate cause. And this trumpet is that voice of Christ, of which Matth. XXVI, 6 it is said: at midnight a cry was made; Io. V, 25: they shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they who shall have heard, et cetera. Or the very presence of Christ made manifest to the world, according to what Gregory says: the trumpet signifies nothing other than the presence of Christ made manifest to the world, which is called a trumpet on account of the manifestation, since it will be manifest to all. And in this way trumpet is taken Matth. VI, 2: when you do alms, do not sound a trumpet before you. Likewise it is called a trumpet on account of the office of the trumpet, which was for four purposes, as is said Num. X, v. 1-10, namely: to call a council, and this will be at the resurrection, since then he will call together for a council, that is, for judgment. Is. III, v. 14: the Lord will come to judgment, et cetera. To solemnize a feast. Ps. LXXX, 4: blow the trumpet in the new moon. So also at the resurrection. Is. XXXIII, 20: look upon Sion, the city of our solemnity. For battle, and this at the resurrection. Sap. V, 21: he will fight for him, et cetera. Is. XXX, 32: with harps and timbrels, et cetera. To move the camp, so also at the resurrection: some going to Paradise, some going to Hell. Matth. XXV, 46: they who have done good shall go into life everlasting, but they who have done evil into everlasting fire.

Next, when he says, for the trumpet shall sound, et cetera, he sets down the progress of the effect from the aforesaid cause. And concerning this he does two things. First he sets down the progress of the effect; second he assigns the necessity of this, where he says, for this mortal, et cetera. The progress of the effect is that immediately at the sound of the trumpet the effect will follow, since the dead, et cetera, Ps. LXVII, 34: he will give to his voice the voice of power, et cetera. He sets down, moreover, a twofold effect. One is common, since the dead shall rise incorrupt, that is, whole, without any diminishment of members. And this indeed is common to all, since in the resurrection everything that pertains to the restoration of nature is common, because all have communion with Christ in nature. And although Augustine leaves it in doubt whether deformities remain in the damned, I nevertheless believe that whatever pertains to the restoration of nature is conferred on them entirely; but what pertains to grace is conferred only on the elect. And therefore all will rise incorrupt, that is, whole, even the damned. Jerome, however, expounds incorrupt as meaning in a state of incorruption, namely that afterward, after the resurrection, they will not be corrupted further, since the good will go to eternal beatitude, but the evil to eternal punishment. Dan. XII, 2: many from the dust of the earth shall awake.

The other effect is proper, that is, of the apostles only, since we shall be changed, namely the apostles, and we shall not only be incorrupt, but also we shall be changed, namely from a state of misery to a state of glory, since it is sown an animal body, but it shall rise a spiritual body. And according to this manner of expounding it appears that that reading is better which says we shall all indeed rise again, but we shall not all be changed, than that which has we shall all be changed, because although all will rise, yet only the saints and elect will be changed. It could, however, also according to those who have we shall not all indeed die, but we shall all be changed, be read thus: the dead shall rise incorrupt, that is, into a state of incorruption, and we who are alive, although we shall not rise again, since we do not die, will nevertheless be changed from a state of corruption to incorruption. And this seems to agree with what is said I Thess. IV, 16: we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them, etc.; so that, just as there, here too he numbers himself among the living.