Form, Matter, Prime Matter, and Substance in Aristotle

A Tract Book Essay

By

© Copyright 2007 by Anthony J. Fejfar

In Aristotle’s Ethics, in the Appendix, Form, Matter, Substance, and

Prime Matter are discussed. Substance is in Greek, Ousia, which is often

referred to as the word associated with the Holy Spirit. In the Nicean

Creed, we find that the Father and the Son share the same Ousia, or

Substance, or Holy Spirit. Unfortunately in the Catholic mass, this has

been changed to the Father and Son share the same Being, which argues for

a different notion of unity in the Trinity. Being is the metaphysical quiddity

associated with God the Father. The unitive principle in the Trinity has

traditionally been thought to be the Holy Spirit. Logos is the metaphysical

quiddity associated with Jesus the Son of God.

In the appendix to Aristotle’s Ethics, it is pointed out that that which is

essentially a person or thing is that person’s substance. As I have argued

previously, the Holy Spirit is the substance or Soul or Oversoul of God

which manifests as the individual soul of each person.

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 Similarly, the Council of Nicea also discussed the doctrine of

transubstantiation, that is, the transformation of the bread and wine of the

Eucharist into the Body and Blood of Christ. Now, as far a material

accident is concerned, the bread and wine maintain the apprearance of bread

and wine and in fact are materially still bread and wine, however, what has

also happened is that the bread and wine has been transformed into the

Substance of Jesus Christ, that is, His Substantial Body and Blood, not his

material body and blood. In fact it may very well be that the Glorified

Body of Jesus Christ after the ressurection was and is his Substantial Body,

not his material body. Substance can be physical but not material.

Presumably, in the tomb, the material body of Jesus went Quantum, became

Quantum Energy, and was transformed into His Substantial Body or

Quantum Body.

Finally, it is interesting that Aristotle rejected the existence of Prime

Matter. I argue that Prime Matter is not Substance, but is another

metaphysical quiddity altogether. Interestingly, modern science seems to

have made the mistake of equating substance with matter. I argue that

Prime Matter and Substance are close to being the same concept and that

perhaps Prime Matter does exist. If Prime Matter does exist, perhaps it is a

manifestation of the Quantum Field.