t is not attributed to Him except by reason
of the assumption of that body. Therefore in the first instant in
which the various parts of the matter were united together in the
place of generation, Christ's body was both perfectly formed and
assumed. And thus is the Son of God said to have been conceived; nor
could it be said otherwise.

Reply Obj. 1: Neither quotation from Augustine refers to formation
alone of Christ's body, but to its formation, together with a fixed
development up to the time of His birth. Wherefore in the aforesaid
number are foreshadowed the number of months during which Christ was
in the Virgin's womb.

Reply Obj. 2: This local movement is not comprised within the
conception itself, but is a preamble thereto.

Reply Obj. 3: It is not possible to fix the last instant in which
that matter was blood: but it is possible to fix the last period of
time which continued without any interval up to the first instant in
which Christ's body was formed. And this instant was the terminus of
the time occupied by the local movement of the matter towards the
place of generation.

Reply Obj. 4: Increase is caused by the augmentative power of that
which is the subject of increase: but the formation of the body is
caused by the generative power, not of that which is generated, but
of the father generating from seed, in which the formative power
derived from the father's soul has its operation. But Christ's body
was not formed by the seed of man, as stated above (Q. 31, A. 5, ad
3), but by the operation of the Holy Ghost. Therefore the formation
thereof should be such as to be worthy of the Holy Ghost. But the
development of Christ's body was the effect of the augmentative power
in Christ's soul: and since this was of the same species as ours, it
behooved His body to develop in the same way as the bodies of other
men, so as to prove the reality of His human nature.
_______________________

SECOND ARTICLE [III, Q. 33, Art. 2]

Whether Christ's Body Was Animated in the First Instant of Its
Conception?

Objection 1: It would seem that Christ's body was not animated in the
first instant of its conception. For Pope Leo says (Ep. ad Julian.):
"Christ's flesh was not of another nature than ours: nor was the
beginning of His animation different from that of other men." But the
soul is not infused into other men at the first instant of their
conception. Therefore neither should Christ's soul have been infused
into H