imagination and the other powers. Therefore the soul of Christ was
omnipotent with regard to His own body.

_On the contrary,_ It is written (Heb. 2:17) that "it behooved Him in
all things to be made like unto His brethren," and especially as
regards what belongs to the condition of human nature. But it belongs
to the condition of human nature that the health of the body and its
nourishment and growth are not subject to the bidding of reason or
will, since natural things are subject to God alone Who is the author
of nature. Therefore they were not subject in Christ. Therefore
Christ's soul was not omnipotent with regard to His own body.

_I answer that,_ As stated above (A. 2), Christ's soul may be viewed
in two ways. First, in its proper nature and power; and in this way,
as it was incapable of making exterior bodies swerve from the course
and order of nature, so, too, was it incapable of changing its own
body from its natural disposition, since the soul, of its own nature,
has a determinate relation to its body. Secondly, Christ's soul may
be viewed as an instrument united in person to God's Word; and thus
every disposition of His own body was wholly subject to His power.
Nevertheless, since the power of an action is not properly attributed
to the instrument, but to the principal agent, this omnipotence is
attributed to the Word of God rather than to Christ's soul.

Reply Obj. 1: This saying of Damascene refers to the Divine will of
Christ, since, as he says in the preceding chapter (De Fide Orth.
xix, 14, 15), it was by the consent of the Divine will that the flesh
was allowed to suffer and do what was proper to it.

Reply Obj. 2: It was no part of the original justice which Adam had
in the state of innocence that a man's soul should have the power of
changing his own body to any form, but that it should keep it from
any hurt. Yet Christ could have assumed even this power if He had
wished. But since man has three states--viz. innocence, sin, and
glory, even as from the state of glory He assumed comprehension and
from the state of innocence, freedom from sin--so also from the state
of sin did He assume the necessity of being under the penalties of
this life, as will be said (Q. 14, A. 2).

Reply Obj. 3: If the imagination be strong, the body obeys naturally
in some things, e.g. as regards falling from a beam set on high,
since the imagination was formed to be a principle of local motion,
as is said _De Anima_ i