ord, and there is no God else besides Me? A just God and a
Saviour, there is none besides Me." But no necessity can compel God,
for this would be repugnant to His omnipotence. Therefore it was not
necessary for Christ to suffer.

Obj. 2: Further, what is necessary is opposed to what is voluntary.
But Christ suffered of His own will; for it is written (Isa. 53:7):
"He was offered because it was His own will." Therefore it was not
necessary for Him to suffer.

Obj. 3: Further, as is written (Ps. 24:10): "All the ways of the Lord
are mercy and truth." But it does not seem necessary that He should
suffer on the part of the Divine mercy, which, as it bestows gifts
freely, so it appears to condone debts without satisfaction: nor,
again, on the part of Divine justice, according to which man had
deserved everlasting condemnation. Therefore it does not seem
necessary that Christ should have suffered for man's deliverance.

Obj. 4: Further, the angelic nature is more excellent than the human,
as appears from Dionysius (Div. Nom. iv). But Christ did not suffer
to repair the angelic nature which had sinned. Therefore, apparently,
neither was it necessary for Him to suffer for the salvation of the
human race.

_On the contrary,_ It is written (John 3:14): "As Moses lifted up the
serpent in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that
whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have life
everlasting."

_I answer that,_ As the Philosopher teaches (Metaph. v), there are
several acceptations of the word "necessary." In one way it means
anything which of its nature cannot be otherwise; and in this way it
is evident that it was not necessary either on the part of God or on
the part of man for Christ to suffer. In another sense a thing may be
necessary from some cause quite apart from itself; and should this be
either an efficient or a moving cause then it brings about the
necessity of compulsion; as, for instance, when a man cannot get away
owing to the violence of someone else holding him. But if the
external factor which induces necessity be an end, then it will be
said to be necessary from presupposing such end--namely, when some
particular end cannot exist at all, or not conveniently, except such
end be presupposed. It was not necessary, then, for Christ to suffer
from necessity of compulsion, either on God's part, who ruled that
Christ should suffer, or on Christ's own part, who suffered
voluntarily. Yet it was