Good evening Father,

Reading St. Thomas I find it written that, before the Redemption of Christ, the souls of the righteous in the limbo of the Patriarchs enjoyed the natural knowledge of God.

Can you explain to me what this means?

Being righteous, they lived in a state of natural bliss and happiness waiting for Christ, not being able to access the glorious vision of the Father, but what does natural knowledge of God consist of?

Thank you very much for your availability

Best regards.

Marco

Priest’s response

Dear Marco,

1. The word limbo, which means flap or edge, is not found in Sacred Scripture and is not found even in the first millennium of the Church.

The person who first used this word was Peter Lombard of the 12th century, the famous master of sentences in Paris.

Before Pietro Lombardo we spoke of the underworld, however distinguishing the underworld of the damned from that where the righteous of the Old Testament were found, also called the limbo of the patriarchs.

This second meaning of limbo coincides with Abraham’s bosom.

2. Why Abraham’s bosom?

Here is St. Thomas’s answer: “Because Abraham was the first example of faith given to men, the first who separated himself from the mass of infidels and received particular recognition from God for his faith.

Thus, that peace which is given to men after death is called Abraham’s bosom, as Saint Augustine says” (Commentary on the sentences of Pietro Lombardo, IV, 45, 1, sol. 1). T-N

3. Saint Thomas, regarding the terminology, says that it was called Abraham’s bosom in relation to the state of happiness that the patriarchs enjoyed after death.

But in relation to what was missing from this happiness (the beatific vision of God) it was called the limbo of the underworld. T-N

4. In the liturgy of the Church today it is still asked that the deceased be carried into Abraham’s bosom.

In reference to this, St. Thomas notes: “Just as the limbo of the underworld of the patriarchs was completely different from the underworld of the damned, so nothing prevents that after the coming of Christ the womb of Abraham is completely different from the womb of Abraham to which the patriarchs went” (Ib.). T-N

“But because after Christ’s coming the saints’ rest was complete, since they see God, such rest is called the bosom of Abraham, and not hell; and it is to this bosom of Abraham that the Church prays the faithful be led” (Ib.).

5. Coming now to your question, St. Thomas does not say precisely what you wrote because the patriarchs did not have only natural knowledge of God.

In fact, they had faith, which is a supernatural light.

Not only that, but since the Letter to the Hebrews says that faith is “the realization of what is hoped for”. (Heb 11:1), the patriarchs had great exultation because in faith what is contained in the mature plant is contained as in the seed.

Therefore the righteous in limbo had a supernatural knowledge of God, although this knowledge did not yet coincide with the beatific vision.

Their great joy, devoid of any pain, was not only a natural joy, but a joy of a supernatural order, although not yet the joy that follows the beatific vision.

St. Thomas categorically says: “The limbo of the Fathers and that of the children are undoubtedly different as to the quality of the reward or punishment: in fact the children are deprived of the hope of beatitude that their fathers had, in whom the light of faith also shone. and of grace” (Ib., sol. 3). T-N

6. Given, but not confirmed, the existence of the limbo of children, only these would have had a natural knowledge of God, similar more or less to that of a philosopher, but still some shadow.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify many things.

I bless you, I remember you in prayer and I wish you all the best.

Father Angelo

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