summa-contra-gentiles

258 THE SUMMA CONTRA GENTILES
dentally : for, since it is the form of the body,
it would be
generated through the body being generated, which results
from the active force in the semen, and this has been disproved.^
Since then the human soul has a beginning of its
existence, for it is neither eternal nor exists before the body,
as we have shown, ^ it follows that it comes forth into being
that God alone can
by creation. Now we have proved
create. Therefore He alone brings forth the human soul
into being.
Moreover. Everything whose substance is not its being
has an author of its being, as shown above. ^ Now the
human soul is not its own being
: for this is peculiar to God
alone, as already proved.^ Therefore it has an active cause
of its being. But that which has being per se, is also
caused per se: whereas that which has not being per se,
but only together with some other thing, is caused, not
per se, but through this other thing being caused thus the
:
form of fire is caused when the fire is made. Now it is
proper to the human soul,
as compared with other forms,
to be subsistent in its own being, and to communicate to
the body the being proper to itself.^ Therefore the human
soul has its
becoming per se, in contrast to other forms
which have their becoming accidentally, through the
But, since the human soul has
making of the composite.
not matter as part of itself, it cannot be made from something.
It remains, therefore, that it is made from nothing
:
and thus it is created. And seeing that creation is the
proper work of God, as we proved above,® it follows that it
is created immediately by God alone.
Further. Things belonging to the same genus come into
being in the same way, as we proved above.' Now the soul
belongs to the genus of intellectual substances : and it is
inconceivable that these should come into being save by the
way of creation. Therefore the human soul comes into
being through creation by God.
Again. Whatsoever is
brought into being by an agent,
» Ch. Ixxrvi.
• Ch. Ixviii.
« Ch. Ixxxiii.
• Ch. ixi.
"
Ch. xv.
»
Cf. ch. Ixxivi.
* Ibid.