Lesson 5 –
Are There Sacraments in the Old Testament?
Aquinas notes that the sacraments of the old law were not efficient, instrumental causes of grace, but they were final causes or signs of grace inhabiting the person leading them teleologically into a deeper life with God in the covenant of Israel.
In addition, Aquinas thinks these sacraments of the old law pointed towards the one saving sacrifice of Christ. Because they did not convey grace of themselves, they were indications of an inner life of grace, given freely by God to the people of Israel, and the covenant of election was itself a pure gift given to Abraham and his descendants.
Excerpt from A Companion to the Summa by Walter Farrell, O.P.:
From the first moment of his sin, man lost that complete domination of spirit over matter; from then on he had need, desperate need of sacraments. In every age since then, there have been sacraments. Before the establishment of the Old Testament, there were such sacraments of the natural law as a kind of baptism through the prayers and faith of the parents for the child, sacrifice, tithes, certainly a kind of penance. Before the coming of Christ, the Old Law operated by anticipation of Christ’s redemption through such sacraments as circumcision, the Paschal Lamb, the loaves of proposition . . . the consecration of priests, and so on. With the coming of Christ, our own sacraments were instituted by Him.
Course Listening
More Videos
Is Man Naturally Religious? Religion, Superstition, and the Healing Power of Grace | Fr. Thomas Joseph White, O.P.
Can You Be Spiritual But Not Religious? | Dr. R.J. Snell
Related videos from earlier in the series
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