The Beatific Knowledge in Christ

The human soul of Christ is as perfect as a human soul can be, but it is always a finite soul. Hence this soul,enjoying the beatific vision, does not comprehend the divine Essence in the full and accurate meaning of the word comprehend. For to say that the human soul of Christ comprehends the divine Essence would be to say that a finite soul perfectly compasses the infinite; and this is quite impossible.

Christ as man knows all things in the divine Word, for Christ is the divine Word as well as true and creaturalman. The human mind of Christ does not itself know all things possible; here again we should have a case of finite encompassinginfinite. But the human mind of Christ does know, in the Word, all that is actually said or thought or done by anyone at any time,past, present, or to come.

The human soul of Christ knows its own power, and all that this power can accomplish. And therefore Christ knows that his power can go on cleansing souls from sin and doing good to man,without limit; it can be said, in this sense, that Christ as man”knows infinite things.”

The human soul of Christ is united to the Word in Person; therefore it is more fully enlightened by the Word than anyother creature. Therefore, the human soul of Christ beholds the divine Essence in vision more perfectly than any other creature in heaven.