Objection 1: It would seem that there was no other possible way of
human deliverance besides Christ's Passion. For our Lord says (John
12:24): "Amen, amen I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falling
into the ground dieth, itself remaineth alone; but if it die, it
bringeth forth much fruit." Upon this St. Augustine (Tract. li)
observes that "Christ called Himself the seed." Consequently, unless
He suffered death, He would not otherwise have produced the fruit of
our redemption.

Obj. 2: Further, our Lord addresses the Father (Matt. 26:42): "My
Father, if this chalice may not pass away but I must drink it, Thy
will be done." But He spoke there of the chalice of the Passion.
Therefore Christ's Passion could not pass away; hence Hilary says
(Comm. 31 in Matth.): "Therefore the chalice cannot pass except He
drink of it, because we cannot be restored except through His
Passion."

Obj. 3: Further, God's justice required that Christ should satisfy by
the Passion in order that man might be delivered from sin. But Christ
cannot let His justice pass; for it is written (2 Tim. 2:13): "If we
believe not, He continueth faithful, He cannot deny Himself." But He
would deny Himself were He to deny His justice, since He is justice
itself. It seems impossible, then, for man to be delivered otherwise
than by Christ's Passion.

Obj. 4: Further, there can be no falsehood underlying faith. But the
Fathers of old believed that Christ would suffer. Consequently, it
seems that it had to be that Christ should suffer.

_On the contrary,_ Augustine says (De Trin. xiii): "We assert that
the way whereby God deigned to deliver us by the man Jesus Christ,
who is mediator between God and man, is both good and befitting the
Divine dignity; but let us also show that other possible means were
not lacking on God's part, to whose power all things are equally
subordinate."

_I answer that,_ A thing may be said to be possible or impossible in
two ways: first of all, simply and absolutely; or secondly, from
supposition. Therefore, speaking simply and absolutely, it was
possible for God to deliver mankind otherwise than by the Passion of
Christ, because "no word shall be impossible with God" (Luke 1:37).
Yet it was impossible if some supposition be made. For since it is
impossible for God's foreknowledge to be deceived and His will or
ordinance to be frustrated, then, supposing God's foreknowledge and
ordinance regarding Christ's Passion, it was no