r those things that concern Christ's
Exaltation; and we shall deal with (1) His Resurrection; (2) His
Ascension; (3) His sitting at the right hand of God the Father;
(4) His Judiciary Power. Under the first heading there is a fourfold
consideration: (1) Christ's Resurrection in itself; (2) the quality
of the Person rising; (3) the manifestation of the Resurrection;
(4) its causality. Concerning the first there are four points of
inquiry:

(1) The necessity of His Resurrection;

(2) The time of the Resurrection;

(3) Its order;

(4) Its cause.
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FIRST ARTICLE [III, Q. 53, Art. 1]

Whether It Was Necessary for Christ to Rise Again?

Objection 1: It would seem that it was not necessary for Christ to
rise again. For Damascene says (De Fide Orth. iv): "Resurrection is
the rising again of an animate being, which was disintegrated and
fallen." But Christ did not fall by sinning, nor was His body
dissolved, as is manifest from what was stated above (Q. 51, A. 3).
Therefore, it does not properly belong to Him to rise again.

Obj. 2: Further, whoever rises again is promoted to a higher state,
since to rise is to be uplifted. But after death Christ's body
continued to be united with the Godhead, hence it could not be
uplifted to any higher condition. Therefore, it was not due to it to
rise again.

Obj. 3: Further, all that befell Christ's humanity was ordained for
our salvation. But Christ's Passion sufficed for our salvation, since
by it we were loosed from guilt and punishment, as is clear from what
was said above (Q. 49, A. 1, 3). Consequently, it was not necessary
for Christ to rise again from the dead.

_On the contrary,_ It is written (Luke 24:46): "It behooved Christ to
suffer and to rise again from the dead."

_I answer that,_ It behooved Christ to rise again, for five reasons.
First of all; for the commendation of Divine Justice, to which it
belongs to exalt them who humble themselves for God's sake, according
to Luke 1:52: "He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath
exalted the humble." Consequently, because Christ humbled Himself
even to the death of the Cross, from love and obedience to God, it
behooved Him to be uplifted by God to a glorious resurrection; hence
it is said in His Person (Ps. 138:2): "Thou hast known," i.e.
approved, "my sitting down," i.e. My humiliation and Passion, "and my
rising up," i.e. My glorification in the resurrection; as the gloss
expounds.