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CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Heythrop College Publications The Virtue of Gratitude According to St Thomas Aquinas A Dissertation By Stephen Andrew Jones Submitted to Heythrop College, A Specialist Philosophy & Theology College of the University of London For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2014 1 ABSTRACT The tendency today is to conceive of Aquinas’ virtue theory in individualistic terms, as though the practice of virtue is a personal matter for each one of us in isolation from the communio of the Church. This individualistic reading of virtue has led to some confusion about, and criticism of, Aquinas’ notion of person and his ecclesiology. Indeed, Aquinas has often been accused, in following the Boethian formula of person, of robbing the person of its essential relationality, in contrast (it is claimed) to the accounts provided by Richard of St Victor and Bonaventure. This confusion, however, has largely arisen from an interpretation of Aquinas’ virtue theory inherited not from Aquinas himself, but from his later commentators. In fact, there is no such thing as virtue properly speaking detached from the ecclesial communio in Aquinas, for whom all virtue, both acquired and infused, finds its expression within the context of interpersonal relations. The form of the infused virtues is friendship with God, with whom a relationship is not simply unmediated, but mediated through the Church in Christ. In his hierarchy of the “virtues of indebtedness”, Aquinas places gratitude last, following upon religion, piety and observance. Gratitude is last, not because it is of least significance, but because it represents the turning point in the exitus et reditus of God’s creative plan. It is only when one recognises the debitum imposed by grace, which is a debt of love, that one is able to respond to that gift and make grateful return in love and friendship. Given that an infinite gulf exists between God and the creature, the return of gratitude to God is only possible through participating in the gratitude of Christ. Consequently, gratitude properly speaking has a liturgical and sacramental character. All other acts of gratitude between creatures are grateful only by analogy. It is for this reason that Aquinas’ preferred term for gratitude towards God throughout his corpus is “gratiarum actio”: a term which has a distinctive liturgical character, and descriptive of praise and worship. In the exchange of gift and gratitude, free agents are bound in a mutual exchange of love. For Aquinas, this paradigm is most perfectly exemplified in the totally gratuitous self-offering of Christ to the Father, and the participation of the rational creature in that offering. While a number of philosophical and theological treatments of the notion of gift have emerged in recent years, there has been very little attention given to the corresponding notion of gratitude. And, similarly, while the notion of gift in Aquinas has been the subject of considerable contemporary study, the necessary corresponding notion of gratitude in Aquinas has not. Where gratitude has emerged as a topic of study, it has largely been from a political and psychological point of view. More often than not in these studies, gratitude is treated of as an emotion or affective state. For Aquinas, gratitude is not an emotion, but a habitual openness to the process of theosis. 2 Copyright and Plagiarism Declaration Form This form must be completed and submitted at the same time that you submit your Examination Entry Form The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without the prior written consent of the author. A thesis which is accepted by the College for the award of a Research Degree is placed in the Library of the College, and an electronic copy may be placed in an open access institutional e- repository. The copyright of the thesis is retained by the author. As you are about to submit a thesis for a Research Degree, you are required to sign the declarations below. The declarations will be destroyed if your thesis is not approved by the examiners, being either rejected or referred for revision. Dean of Research Students NAME IN FULL (Block Capitals or typed) STEPHEN ANDREW JONES TITLE OF THESIS THE VIRTUE OF GRATITUDE ACCORDING TO ST THOMAS AQUINAS DEGREE FOR WHICH THESIS IS PRESENTED PhD COPYRIGHT DECLARATION1 1. I agree that the thesis presented by me for examination for the MPhil/PhD Degree of the University of London shall, if a degree is awarded, be deposited in the library or electronic institutional repository of Heythrop College and that, subject to the conditions set out below, my thesis will be made available for public reference, inter-library loan and copying. 2. I authorise the College authorities to retain a digital copy of the abstract of my thesis for inclusion in any published list of theses offered for higher degrees in British universities or in any supplement thereto, or for consultation in any central file of abstracts of such theses. 3. I authorise the College Library, or its designated agents, to hold a digital copy of my thesis for the purposes of electronic public access, inter-library loan or the supply of copies. 4. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. 5. I understand that in the event of my thesis not being approved by the examiners this declaration will become void. Date October 28, 2014 . Signature PLAGIARISM DECLARATION 1. I certify that the work presented in this thesis contains no unacknowledged direct copying from the work of another person or close paraphrasing of previous work (including my own which has been presented elsewhere) and that any reference to other sources has been properly acknowledged in the bibliography according to academic custom and practice. Date October 28, 2014 Signature 1 The University’s Ordinances make provision for restriction of access to a research thesis and/or the abstract but only in certain specified circumstances and for a maximum period of two years. If you wish to apply for such restriction, please enquire about the conditions and procedures. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A thesis on gratitude could hardly begin without a heartfelt expression of gratitude to the many that have helped me in so many ways in completing this thesis. First of all, I am deeply indebted to my parents, Daniel and Frances Jones, for the gift of faith which they nurtured in me, for the love of learning, adventure and exploration they instilled in me from a very early age, and for the opportunities they gave me in my formative years that led me into contact with the work of St Thomas Aquinas. It was my mother who, in one of our many conversations about gratitude, led me to a key passage in St Thomas’ Commentary on Galatians that finally helped me put this thesis together. Deep appreciation is owed to my sister, Dr Christine Jones, whose countless hours of editing and proofreading, not to mention her unfailing support and encouragement, and inspiring questioning and discussion about my work over the years, kept a flame burning in me during the years of research. My dear friend, Philip Hannis, has also been a constant and untiring support. On our various long drives through the Canadian Rockies, where the topic for this thesis was first born, we would talk for hours about philosophy and theology, and so much of the inspiration for this thesis comes from those conversations. Over the years, Christine, Philip and I have spent many evenings and bottles of wine discussing the contents of this thesis, and many of those conversations form a backdrop to what I present here. There have been many others on this journey who have me in many ways: Dr Christopher Morrisey, whose early encouragement and assistance greatly helped give me the confidence to put my thesis down on paper; Joseph Vnuk OP, and Michael Akpoghiran OP, who both encouraged me, and who shared their own theses, insights and time with me. I also thank Vivian Boland OP, who kindly invited me to some important and formative sessions at Blackfriars, Oxford, including the Colloquium of the Gift, which represented a significant point in the formulating of this thesis. Finally, this thesis could not have been possible at all without the constant support and encouragement of my thesis advisor, Dr Johannes Hoff. Both during our time at Lampeter and at Heythrop, Johannes has been an unfailing supporter of my research and I am so grateful for the many inspiring conversations we have had along the way. I am in particularly grateful that Johannes got me to read Rudi te Velde and Fran O’Rourke on Aquinas and his Dionysian influence, and for sharing his own research with me. His many observations and insights have aided me on many occasions along the way. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS COPYRIGHT AND PLAGIARISM DECLARATION FORM ............................................. 3 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER ONE: WHAT IS GRATITUDE? ........................................................................ 15 2.1 Gift & Gratitude ................................................................................................................. 15 2.2 The Moral Object of Giving Thanks ................................................................................. 20 2.3 Overview of Gratitude in Aquinas ...................................................................................
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