ed unto salvation,
concerning the grace of God our Saviour, not at the very time of His
birth, but afterwards, in due time, after He had "wrought salvation
in the midst of the earth" (Ps. 73:12). Wherefore after His Passion
and Resurrection, He said to His disciples (Matt. 28:19):
"Going . . . teach ye all nations."

Reply Obj. 3: For judgment to be passed, the authority of the judge
needs to be known: and for this reason it behooves that the coming of
Christ unto judgment should be manifest. But His first coming was
unto the salvation of all, which is by faith that is of things not
seen. And therefore it was fitting that His first coming should be
hidden.
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SECOND ARTICLE [III, Q. 36, Art. 2]

Whether Christ's Birth Should Have Been Made Known to Some?

Objection 1: It would seem that Christ's birth should not have been
made known to anyone. For, as stated above (A. 1, ad 3), it befitted
the salvation of mankind that Christ's first coming should be hidden.
But Christ came to save all; according to 1 Tim. 4:10: "Who is the
Saviour of all men, especially of the faithful." Therefore Christ's
birth should not have been made known to anyone.

Obj. 2: Further, before Christ was born, His future birth was made
known to the Blessed Virgin and Joseph. Therefore it was not
necessary that it should be made known to others after His birth.

Obj. 3: Further, no wise man makes known that from which arise
disturbance and harm to others. But, when Christ's birth was made
known, disturbance arose: for it is written (Matt. 2:3) that "King
Herod, hearing" of Christ's birth, "was troubled, and all Jerusalem
with him." Moreover, this brought harm to others; because it was the
occasion of Herod's killing "all the male children that were in
Bethlehem . . . from two years old and under." Therefore it seems
unfitting for Christ's birth to have been made known to anyone.

_On the contrary,_ Christ's birth would have been profitable to none
if it had been hidden from all. But it behooved Christ's birth to be
profitable: else He were born in vain. Therefore it seems that
Christ's birth should have been made known to some.

_I answer that,_ As the Apostle says (Rom. 13:1) "what is of God is
well ordered." Now it belongs to the order of Divine wisdom that
God's gifts and the secrets of His wisdom are not bestowed on all
equally, but to some immediately, through whom they are made known to
others. Wherefore, with re