[betty boop]

Objection 2. Further, spiritual substances before all others belong to the perfection of the universe. If therefore souls were created with the bodies, every day innumerable spiritual substances would be added to the perfection of the universe: consequently at the beginning the universe would have been imperfect. This is contrary to Genesis 2:2, where it is said that “God ended” all “His work.”

Somehow, dear brother in Christ, I do not object to Objection 2, above. Although St. Thomas Aquinas evidently did. But his answer to it — "Something can be added every day to the perfection of the universe, as to the number of individuals, but not as to the number of species" — not only strikes me as pretty lame, but as strangely off-topic also.

But then, who am I to say???

Thank you so much for the link, dear brother in Christ!

[stfassisi]

Somehow, dear brother in Christ, I do not object to Objection 2, above. Although St. Thomas Aquinas evidently did. But his answer to it — "Something can be added every day to the perfection of the universe, as to the number of individuals, but not as to the number of species — not only strikes me as pretty lame"

I see this as Aquinas saying perfection being added as we(humans) see it in time and the number of species is to be understood as us(humans) knowing God knows the number of species from eternity

but as strangely off-topic also.

The answer to objection# 3 saying ...."Consequently it was not fitting that God should make the soul without the body from the beginning: for as it is written (Wisdom 1:13-16): “God made not death . . . but the wicked with works and words have called it to them.”

It makes this on topic

I appreciate you views on this interesting topic

[kosta50]

Somehow, dear brother in Christ, I do not object to Objection 2 which ends saying "This is contrary to Genesis 2:2, where it is said that 'God ended' all 'His work.'"

According to the Bible, God gave man his breath of life on the last day of the Creation. And man has been passing it on to the  offspring ever since (see traducianism). This view solves the problem of further creation after God ended "all his [creative] work," as well as avoids the need to presuppose the problematic pre-existence of the souls.