e soul is more sensitive than the body, since
the body feels in virtue of the soul; also, Adam in the state of
innocence seems to have had a body more sensitive than Christ had,
who assumed a human body with its natural defects. Consequently, it
seems that the pain of a sufferer in purgatory, or in hell, or even
Adam's pain, if he suffered at all, was greater than Christ's in the
Passion.

Obj. 4: Further, the greater the good lost, the greater the pain. But
by sinning the sinner loses a greater good than Christ did when
suffering; since the life of grace is greater than the life of
nature: also, Christ, who lost His life, but was to rise again after
three days, seems to have lost less than those who lose their lives
and abide in death. Therefore it seems that Christ's pain was not the
greatest of all.

Obj. 5: Further, the victim's innocence lessens the sting of his
sufferings. But Christ died innocent, according to Jer. 9:19: "I was
as a meek lamb, that is carried to be a victim." Therefore it seems
that the pain of Christ's Passion was not the greatest.

Obj. 6: Further, there was nothing superfluous in Christ's conduct.
But the slightest pain would have sufficed to secure man's salvation,
because from His Divine Person it would have had infinite virtue.
Therefore it would have been superfluous to choose the greatest of
all pains.

_On the contrary,_ It is written (Lam. 1:12) on behalf of Christ's
Person: "O all ye that pass by the way attend, and see if there be
any sorrow like unto My sorrow."

_I answer that,_ As we have stated, when treating of the defects
assumed by Christ (Q. 15, AA. 5, 6), there was true and sensible pain
in the suffering Christ, which is caused by something hurtful to the
body: also, there was internal pain, which is caused from the
apprehension of something hurtful, and this is termed "sadness." And
in Christ each of these was the greatest in this present life. This
arose from four causes. First of all, from the sources of His pain.
For the cause of the sensitive pain was the wounding of His body; and
this wounding had its bitterness, both from the extent of the
suffering already mentioned (A. 5) and from the kind of suffering,
since the death of the crucified is most bitter, because they are
pierced in nervous and highly sensitive parts--to wit, the hands and
feet; moreover, the weight of the suspended body intensifies the
agony, and besides this there is the duration of the sufferin