1. Adam and Eve Had Full Knowledge and Understanding
STh I, q. 95, a. 1:
“Man was created with a perfect faculty of reason, in order to be able to judge his actions.”
Thomas Aquinas says: Man was from the very beginning a rational being, with intellectual clarity, moral judgment, and inner order.
Genesis 1:26–27: “In the Image of God”
“Then God said: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. […] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him.”
The image of God means for Thomas:
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Reason
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Free will
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Capacity to know the truth and to love the good
Thomas says: The “image” consists above all in the spiritual nature of man, in reason and will (cf. STh I, q. 93, a. 4).
Adam was not an instinct-driven being, but intellectually capable of judging his actions—because he stood in the image of God.
Genesis 2:16–17: The Divine Command
“You may eat from all the trees of the garden. But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat; for on the day you eat from it, you shall die.”
God speaks to Adam rationally and with a clear command. This presupposes:
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Adam understands the language of God
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Adam recognizes what a command is
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Adam knows what obedience and death mean
Thomas sees here: A person who does not recognize what a prohibition is cannot receive a command. Therefore, it is clear: Adam was morally responsible.
Genesis 2:19–20: Adam Names the Animals
“The LORD God formed out of the ground all the animals of the field […] He brought them to the man to see what he would call them. […] The man gave names to all the livestock, all the birds, and all the animals of the field.”
Naming in the biblical world means dominion through knowledge. Only a rational being can recognize distinctions and classify them linguistically.
Thomas comments: The naming of the animals shows that Adam had an intellectual knowledge of nature, that is, a mind ordered toward God (STh I, q. 96, a. 1).
Genesis 3:8–10: Adam Hides from God
Man feels shame because he recognizes the moral breach.
He hides because he has consciously violated God’s command.
Thomas: This shows that conscience was active—that is, an inner knowledge of guilt, which is only possible if there was corresponding prior knowledge.
2. Adam’s Free Will Was Not Confused or Impaired
STh I, q. 95, a. 4:
“Man was endowed with perfect freedom of will, by which he could choose the good.”
There was no ignorance, no childish naivety. Adam acted freely, knowingly, and consciously. This makes his sin grave.
3. The Punishment Is Not Due to Lack of Knowledge, but Due to Pride
STh I, q. 99, a. 1 ad 2:
“Man wanted to judge for himself, independently of God, what is good and evil—this was the sin of pride.”
Thomas emphasizes: The “knowledge of good and evil” did not mean moral clarity, but the presumption to be judge of morality oneself.
4. The Sin Consisted in Disobedience Against a Clear Command of God
STh I-II, q. 71, a. 6:
“The first sin was a disobedience that arose from pride, because man rejected the divine order.”
Thomas says very clearly here:
The sin did not consist in the act itself (eating a fruit), but in the act of disobedience against the will of God.
5. Adam Had the Duty to Obey God for God’s Sake
STh II-II, q. 104, a. 2:
“To obey the divine will is a moral duty, even if the reason for the command is not fully understood.”
Adam had to obey God not because he understood the command, but because he knew it was God’s will.