l is educed from the potentiality of matter.

Obj. 3: Further, the soul is a form. Therefore, if the soul is
created, all other forms also are created. Thus no forms would come
into existence by generation; which is not true.

_On the contrary,_ It is written (Gen. 1:27): "God created man to His
own image." But man is like to God in his soul. Therefore the soul
was created.

_I answer that,_ The rational soul can be made only by creation;
which, however, is not true of other forms. The reason is because,
since to be made is the way to existence, a thing must be made in
such a way as is suitable to its mode of existence. Now that properly
exists which itself has existence; as it were, subsisting in its own
existence. Wherefore only substances are properly and truly called
beings; whereas an accident has not existence, but something is
(modified) by it, and so far is it called a being; for instance,
whiteness is called a being, because by it something is white. Hence
it is said _Metaph._ vii, Did. vi, 1 that an accident should be
described as "of something rather than as something." The same is to
be said of all non-subsistent forms. Therefore, properly speaking,
it does not belong to any non-existing form to be made; but such are
said to be made through the composite substances being made. On the
other hand, the rational soul is a subsistent form, as above
explained (Q. 75, A. 2). Wherefore it is competent to be and to be
made. And since it cannot be made of pre-existing matter--whether
corporeal, which would render it a corporeal being--or spiritual,
which would involve the transmutation of one spiritual substance into
another, we must conclude that it cannot exist except by creation.

Reply Obj. 1: The soul's simple essence is as the material element,
while its participated existence is its formal element; which
participated existence necessarily co-exists with the soul's essence,
because existence naturally follows the form. The same reason holds
if the soul is supposed to be composed of some spiritual matter, as
some maintain; because the said matter is not in potentiality to
another form, as neither is the matter of a celestial body; otherwise
the soul would be corruptible. Wherefore the soul cannot in any way
be made of pre-existent matter.

Reply Obj. 2: The production of act from the potentiality of matter
is nothing else but something becoming actually that previously was
in potentiality. But since the rat