Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae
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Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae A Guide and Commentary z BRIAN DAVIES 1 1 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With o!ces in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries. Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 © Oxford University Press 2014 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by license, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction rights organization. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above. You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Davies, Brian, 1951– Thomas Aquinas’s Summa theologiae : a guide and commentary / Brian Davies. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-19-938062-6 (cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-0-19-938063-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Thomas, Aquinas, Saint, 1225?—1274. Summa theologica. 2. Catholic Church—Doctrines. 3. Philosophy, Medieval. I. Title. BX1749.T6D38 2014 230'.2—dc23 2013043444 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Printed in the United States of America For Christopher Arroyo, with love, and for Paul Kucharski, for his friendship and sense of direction. Contents Preface xiii 1. Setting the Summa Theologiae 3 1.1 Aquinas Himself 3 1.1.1 Early Years 3 1.1.2 Naples to Paris 4 1.1.3 Later Years 6 1.2 The Summa Theologiae 7 1.2.1 Why Did Aquinas Write the Summa Theologiae? 8 1.2.2 Aquinas and Dominicans Trying to Study 8 1.2.3 Leonard Boyle on the Origins of the Summa Theologiae 10 1.2.4 The Summa Theologiae as a Work of Theology 13 1.2.5 The Summa Theologiae and Philosophy 16 2. Sacred Teaching (1a,1) 18 2.1 The Need for Sacra Doctrina (1a,1,1) 19 2.2 Sacra Doctrina as Scientia (1a,1,1–7) 19 2.3 Argument and Language in Sacra Doctrina (1a,1,8–10) 22 3. Knowing That God Exists (1a,1,2) 29 3.1 Per se Notum (1a,2,1) 29 3.2 Demonstrating That God Exists (1a,2,2–3) 31 3.3 Arguing for God Causally (1a,2,3) 33 3.4 The Five Ways 34 3.4.1 The Ways as a Whole 34 3.4.2 The First Way 36 3.4.3 The Second Way 38 3.4.4 The Third Way 40 viii Contents 3.4.5 The Fourth Way 43 3.4.6 The Fifth Way 46 3.5 Critical Responses to the Five Ways 48 4. The Divine Nature: Part 1 (1a,3–13) 51 4.1 Divine Simplicity (1a,3) 51 4.2 God’s Perfection and Goodness (1a,4–6) 53 4.3 God as Limitless and as Existing in All Things (1a,7–8) 54 4.4 God, Change, and Eternity (1a,9–10) 56 4.5 God as One (1a,11) 58 4.6 Knowing God (1a,12) 59 4.7 De Nominibus Dei (1a,13) 63 4.7.1 1a,13: The Big Picture 63 4.7.2 1a,13: Some Details 67 5. The Divine Nature: Part 2 (1a,14–26) 72 5.1 God’s Knowledge (1a,14) 72 5.2 God’s Ideas (1a,15) 76 5.3 Truth and Falsity (1a,16–17) 78 5.4 God as Alive (1a,18) 80 5.5 God’s Will and Providence (1a,19) 80 5.6 Love in God (1a,20) 84 5.7 Justice, Mercy, and Providence (1a,21–24) 85 5.8 God’s Power and Beatitude (1a,25–26) 91 6. The Divine Trinity (1a,27–43) 95 6.1 Reason and the Trinity (1a,32,1) 96 6.2 Processions (1a,27) 97 6.3 Relations (1a,28) 100 6.4 Persons (1a,29–30) 102 6.5 Father, Son, and Spirit (1a,33–43) 102 6.6 Some Concluding Points Concerning 1a,27–43 106 7. Creation, Good, and Evil (1a,44–49) 109 7.1 God as Cause (1a,44,1–4) 109 7.2 Creation (1a,45) 111 7.3 The Beginning of Creatures (1a,46) 113 Contents ix 7.4 Distinctions in Creation (1a,47) 113 7.5 Evil (1a,48–49) 114 8. Angels and the Days of Creation (1a,50–74) 119 8.1 Angels (1a,50–64) 119 8.2 The Days of Creation (1a,65–74) 124 9. Human Beings and Divine Government (1a,75–119) 126 9.1 Soul and Body (1a,75–76) 126 9.2 Human Abilities (1a,77–79) 134 9.3 Reason and Will (1a,79–83) 137 9.4 Human Understanding in This Life and the Next (1a,84–89) 142 9.5 Human Beings as Made to God’s Image (1a,90–102) 147 9.6 God’s Governance (1a,103–119) 150 10. Happiness, Human Action, and Morality (1a2ae,1–21) 154 10.1 Happiness (1a2ae,1–4) 154 10.2 Human Action, Will, and Choice (1a2ae,6–17) 158 10.3 Good and Evil in Human Action (1a2ae,18–21) 164 11. Emotions (1a2ae,22–48) 170 11.1 1a2ae,22–48 as a Whole 170 11.2 1a2ae,22–48: Some Details 174 12. Dispositions, Virtues, Gifts, Beatitudes, and Fruits (1a2ae,49–70) 188 12.1 Habitus (1a2ae,49–54) 189 12.2 Virtue (1a2ae,55–67) 191 12.3 The Gifts of the Holy Spirit (1a2ae,68) 198 12.4 Beatitudes and Fruits (1a2ae,69–70) 200 13. Sin (1a2ae,71–85) 202 13.1 Sin and Vice in General (1a2ae,71) 202 13.2 Di"erences Among Sins (1a2ae,72–73) 203 13.3 In What Sin Lies and the Causes of Sin (1a2ae,74–80) 205 13.4 Original Sin (1a2ae,81–85) 207 13.5 The E"ects of Sin (1a2ae,85–89) 209 x Contents 14. Law, Old Law, New Law, and Grace (1a2ae,90–114) 212 14.1 Law in General (1a2ae,90) 213 14.2 Varieties of Law and E"ects of Law (1a2ae,91–92) 214 14.3 Eternal Law and Natural Law (1a2ae,93–94) 215 14.4 Human Law (1a2ae,95–97) 216 14.5 The Old Law (1a2ae,98–105) 218 14.6 The New Law in General (1a2ae,106–108) 221 14.7 Grace in General (1a2ae,109–114) 223 14.8 The Need for Grace (1a2ae,109) 224 14.9 Divisions of Grace (1a2ae,111) 225 14.10 The Cause of Grace (1a2ae,112) 226 14.11 Justi#cation (1a2ae,113) 227 14.12 Merit (1a2ae,114) 228 15. Faith, Hope, and Charity (2a2ae,1–46) 230 15.1 Faith (2a2ae,1–16) 230 15.1.1 Faith: The Big Picture 230 15.1.2 Faith: Some Details 233 15.2 Hope (2a2ae,17–22) 237 15.3 Charity (2a2ae,23–46) 239 15.3.1 Charity: The Big Picture 239 15.3.2 Charity: Some Details 242 16. Prudence, Justice, and Injustice (2a2ae,47–79) 247 16.1 Prudence (2a2ae,47–56) 247 16.2 Justice (2a2ae,57–62) 251 16.3 Injustice (2a2ae,59 and 63–79) 253 17. Religion and Other Matters to Do with Justice (2a2ae,80–122) 258 17.1 Religion 258 17.2 Religion as Such (2a2ae,81) 259 17.3 Devotion, Prayer, and Adoration (2a2ae,82–84) 259 17.4 Other Exterior Acts of Religion (2a2ae,85–91) 262 17.5 From Superstition to Simony (2a2ae,92–100) 262 17.6 Piety and Other Matters (2a2ae,101–122) 264 18. Courage and Temperance (2a2ae,123–170) 269 18.1 Courage Itself (2a2ae,123) 269 Contents xi 18.2 Other Matters Relevant to Courage (2a2ae,124–140) 270 18.3 Temperance (2a2ae,141–170) 273 18.3.1 Temperance: The Big Picture 273 18.3.2 Temperance: Some Details 275 19. Freely Given Graces, Kinds of Life, and States of Life (2a2ae,171–189) 283 19.1 Freely Given Graces (2a2ae,171–178) 283 19.1.1 Prophecy (2a2ae,171–174) 283 19.1.2 Ecstasy (2a2ae,175) 284 19.1.3 Tongues (2a2ae,176) 285 19.1.4 Speech (2a2ae,177) 285 19.1.5 Miracles (2a2ae,178) 286 19.2 Active and Contemplative Life (2a2ae,179–184) 286 19.3 States of Life (2a2ae,183) 288 20. God Incarnate (3a,1–26) 291 20.1 Aquinas’s Basic Account of the Incarnation 291 20.2 The Fittingness of the Incarnation (3a,1) 296 20.3 Christ as God and Human (3a,1–16) 297 20.4 The Grace of Christ (3a,7–8) 300 20.5 Christ’s Knowledge (3a,9–12) 301 20.6 Christ’s Human Power (3a,13–15) 303 20.7 Implications of the Hypostatic Union 304 21.