Single Question. Whether in the state of innocence we would have had immortal bodies

Bonaventure, Sent. 2 d.18 q.2 a.1
Scotus, Sent. 2 d.18 q.1
Thomas, ST Ia q.115 a.2
Richard of St. Victor, Sent. 2 d.18 q.3
Durandus, Sent.2 d.18 q.2
John Bacconitanus, Sent.2 d.18 q.1

1. About the nineteenth distinction the first question asked is whether in the state of innocence we would have had immortal bodies.

2. That we would not: from On the Heavens 1 text 18, everything generable is of necessity corrupted. But our bodies would have been generable then as now;     therefore , etc     .

3. Further, nothing violent endures or is perpetual; but a generable body is mixed of the elements, which are not in their places, and thus they are there violently;     therefore , etc     .

4. On the contrary: Paul in Romans 5. ‘Death came to all through one man;’ he also says that the body is dead because of sin;     therefore , etc     .

To the Question

5. Reply. [Bonaventure] I say that either the body is corrupted from within, because of a defect in root moisture, and not in this way for our bodies would have been restored by eating of the tree of life; hence Genesis 2, ‘Lest perhaps you eat of the tree of life and live for ever.’ Or from without too the body could not have been corrupted, because original justice, as they say, was a certain innate quality in bodies preserving and conserving them from everything wearying, whereby the soul would afterwards have had full dominion over the body so that the inferior powers would be obedient to the superior ones.

6. Again, punishment is not inflicted without guilt, but death is punishment for sin; now in that state there would not have been sin; therefore.

7. I say that in the state of innocence our bodies would of themselves have been corruptible, but this potency would never have been reduced to act so that they would never have been corrupted.

8. To understand this note that a mixed body is not corruptible from within because of the natures of the contrary elements and contrary qualities, because it was shown above [2 d.15] that these do not remain in the mixed body. But the animal body is corruptible from within because of the action of one organic part on another, which leads to a loss of root moisture. Hence note that natural heat acts continually on the root moisture necessary for life and consumes life, so that unless it is restored through orderly conversion through nourishment, the animal body would be dissolved. And now so it is, because the conserving power, since it is a physical power, always suffers a reaction in acting, and so it is always weakened, and the generated blood and flesh become always more impure. Aristotle’s example for this [On Generation text 42] is wine with which water is being mixed little by little     etc .

9. It is plain therefore      that the conserving power is little by little weakened, and then the dissolution of the animal body necessarily follows. Nor was the tree of life fully sufficient to escape this result, because the tree only restored by being converted into food, for it was taken up as food, and so what was just said would finally have followed, although a food of greater nutriment would be more slowly consumed.

10. I say,     therefore , that our bodies in the state of innocence were of themselves corruptible from within, although more slowly than our present bodies because of the better nutriment they would have had; nor did the state of innocence of itself take away the stated cause of corruption without some new miracle. But this potency would not have been reduced to act, because we would have been translated into glory before the time of dissolution. And this reason agrees with the one stated above [n.6], namely that death is a punishment for sin, etc     .

11. But as to corruption from without, note that corruption from without is said in three ways. In one way by efficient causality, when something is corrupted by fire or sword or the like. In another way by privation, namely when something takes away what is necessary for life, the way water destroys the body of man because it prevents him breathing (which is necessary for the life of man), and the like. The body is also corrupted by not providing it with food etc. and in the first way too the body is corrupted, and corrupts, although not as quickly as fire does. In the second way too will earth so corrupt.

12. I then say that, while original justice was present in everyone, our bodies would not have been destroyed by any external agent - not by fire or water or earth and the like, because everyone would have taken precautions for himself, otherwise they would not have been innocent. But I am talking of when original justice was present.