he faith in the Resurrection.
Hence He says Himself (Luke 24:25): "O foolish and slow of heart to
believe": and (Mk. 16:14): "He upbraided them with their incredulity
and hardness of heart." Secondly, that their testimony might be
rendered more efficacious through the signs shown them, according to
1 John 1:1, 3: "That which we have seen, and have heard, and our
hands have handled . . . we declare."

Reply Obj. 1: Ambrose is speaking there of proofs drawn from human
reason, which are useless for demonstrating things of faith, as was
shown above.

Reply Obj. 2: The merit of faith arises from this, that at God's
bidding man believes what he does not see. Accordingly, only that
reason debars merit of faith which enables one to see by knowledge
what is proposed for belief: and this is demonstrative argument. But
Christ did not make use of any such argument for demonstrating His
Resurrection.

Reply Obj. 3: As stated already (ad 2), the merit of beatitude, which
comes of faith, is not entirely excluded except a man refuse to
believe [whatever he does not see]. But for a man to believe from
visible signs the things he does not see, does not entirely deprive
him of faith nor of the merit of faith: just as Thomas, to whom it
was said (John 20:29): "'Because thou hast seen Me, Thomas, thou hast
believed,' saw one thing and believed another" [*Gregory, Hom. xxvi]:
the wounds were what he saw, God was the object of His belief. But
his is the more perfect faith who does not require such helps for
belief. Hence, to put to shame the faith of some men, our Lord said
(John 4:48): "Unless you see signs and wonders, you believe not."
From this one can learn how they who are so ready to believe God,
even without beholding signs, are blessed in comparison with them who
do not believe except they see the like.
_______________________

SIXTH ARTICLE [III, Q. 55, Art. 6]

Whether the Proofs Which Christ Made Use of Manifested Sufficiently
the Truth of His Resurrection?

Objection 1: It would seem that the proofs which Christ made use of
did not sufficiently manifest the truth of His Resurrection. For
after the Resurrection Christ showed nothing to His disciples which
angels appearing to men did not or could not show; because angels
have frequently shown themselves to men under human aspect, have
spoken and lived with them, and eaten with them, just as if they were
truly men, as is evident from Genesis 18, of the angels whom Abraham