summa-contra-gentiles

178 THE SUMMA CONTRA GENTILES
stated that the heaven is animate, and for this reason we
must ascribe to the heaven differences of position not only
Let us then
in relation to us, but also in relation to itself.
inquire with what kind of soul, according to Aristotle's
opinion, the heaven is animated.
In II Metaph.^ he proves that in the heaven's movement
we may consider something that moves and is wholly
unmoved, and something that moves and is also moved.
Now that which moves and is
wholly unmoved, moves as^
an object of desire, desirable of course by that which is
moved. And he shows that it moves not as desirable by
the desire of concupiscence, which is the desire of sense,
but as desirable by intellectjual desire : wherefore he says
that the first unmoved mover is desirable and intellectual.
Consequently tlmt wiikhj^ moy^^ by it, namely the heaven,
is desiring and understanding in a more noble way than we
are, as he proves further on. Therefore the heaven is ,,
cprnposed, according. to_ Aristotle 'so of an intel-
Jeclual soul and a body. He refers to this when he says
(2 De AnimaY that in certain things there is the faculty and
act of understanding, for instance in men, and in any other
like or more noble things,
namely the heaven.
Now it is clear that the heaven has not a sensitive soul,
according to the opinion of Aristotle : since it would have
various organs, which is not in keeping with the heaven's
simplicity. In order to point this out Aristotle goes on to
say that those corruptible things which have intellect have
all the other powers,^ so as to imply that some incorruptible
things, namely the heavenly bodies, have intellect without
the other powers of the soul.
Therefore it cannot be said that the intellect comes into
contact with the heavenly bodies. throiigh phantasms: but
wemust sayjhat the intellectj^_b)^ks^ub_stance, is united to
the heavenly body as its form.
the most noble
Consequently, since the human body is
of all lower bodies, and by the equability of its
temperament
is most like the heaven which is free of all contrariety,
1
12, vii. (D. II, vii.).
« iii. 4.
' Loc. cii. 7.