Commentary on Thomas Aquinas's Treatise on Law

30 Pages·2014·0.2 MB·English

Cambridge University Press
978-1-107-02939-2 - Commentary on Thomas Aquinas’s: Treatise on Law
J. Budziszewski
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Commentary on Thomas Aquinas’s T reatise on Law
Natural moral law stands at the center of Western ethics and jurispru-
dence and plays a leading role in interreligious dialogue. Although the
greatest source of the classical natural law tradition is Thomas Aquinas’s
Treatise on Law , the T reatise is notoriously diffi cult, especially for non-
specialists. J. Budziszewski has made this formidable work luminous.
This book – the fi rst classically styled, line-by-line commentary on the
Treatise in centuries – reaches out to philosophers, theologians, social
scientists, students, and general readers alike. Budziszewski shows how
the Treatise facilitates a dialogue between author and reader. Explaining
and expanding upon the text in light of modern philosophical develop-
ments, he expounds this work of the great thinker not by diminishing
his reasoning, but by amplifying it.
J. Budziszewski is a Professor of Government and Philosophy at the
University of Texas, Austin. He also teaches courses in the religious
studies department and in the law school, and he maintains a personal
scholarly website, w ww.undergroundthomist.org. Dr. Budziszewski
has published widely in both scholarly journals and magazines of
broader readership. His books include T he Resurrection of Nature:
Political Theory and the Human Character (1986); The Nearest
Coast of Darkness: A Vindication of the Politics of Virtues (1988);
True Tolerance: Liberalism and the Necessity of Judgment (1992);
Written on the Heart: The Case for Natural Law (1997), winner of a
Christianity Today book award in 1998; The Revenge of Conscience:
Politics and the Fall of Man (1999); What We Can’t Not Know: A
Guide (2003); Evangelicals in the Public Square: Four Formative Voices
(2006); N atural Law for Lawyers (2006); The Line Through the Heart:
Natural Law as Fact, Theory, and Sign of Contradiction (2009); and
On the Meaning of Sex (2012).
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978-1-107-02939-2 - Commentary on Thomas Aquinas’s: Treatise on Law
J. Budziszewski
Frontmatter
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Cambridge University Press
978-1-107-02939-2 - Commentary on Thomas Aquinas’s: Treatise on Law
J. Budziszewski
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Commentary on Thomas Aquinas’s
Treatise on Law
J. BUDZISZEWSKI
Departments of Government and Philosophy
University of Texas at Austin
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Cambridge University Press
978-1-107-02939-2 - Commentary on Thomas Aquinas’s: Treatise on Law
J. Budziszewski
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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication data
Budziszewski, J., 1952– author.
Commentary on Thomas Aquinas’s T reatise on law / J. Budziszewski.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-107-02939-2 (hardback)
1. Thomas, Aquinas, Saint, 1225?–1274. Summa theologica. Prima secundae.
Quaestio 90–97. 2. Law – Philosophy. 3. Natural law. 4. Christianity and law.
I. Thomas, Aquinas, Saint, 1225?–1274. Summa theologica. Prima secundae.
Quaestio 90–97. English. II. Title.
K230.T54B83 2014
340′.1–dc23 2014030814
I SBN 978-1-107-02939-2 Hardback
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978-1-107-02939-2 - Commentary on Thomas Aquinas’s: Treatise on Law
J. Budziszewski
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To the Angelic Doctor
though unworthily
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J. Budziszewski
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Analytical Table of Contents
Questions 90–97 are included here in full. Since this is an analytical table
of contents, I have superimposed an outline format to show more clearly
the place of each section in the whole. Sometimes St. Thomas phrases his
section titles differently in his prologues than before the sections them-
selves; for clarity here, I have sometimes combined them. The various
brief “Before Reading” sections are my own, distinct from the sections
of commentary devoted to St. Thomas’s various Prologues. Although
the C ommentary is self-contained, the C ompanion to the Commentary ,
an online book available via the Resources link at the Commentary’ s
catalogue webpage (h ttp://UndergroundThomist.org) , provides both
additional commentary on brief selections from Questions 98–108 and
additional discussion of various themes in each Prologue and Article, for
readers who want to understand the T reatise in still greater depth. Topics
covered in the Companion are listed immediately after this analytical
table of contents.
vii
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viii Analytical Table of Contents
Contents of the Online C ompanion to the Commentary page x i
Acknowledgments xv
St. Thomas’s Prayer Ante Studium (“Before Study”) xvii
Diagram of the Architecture of Law xviii
Introduction xix
I. LAW ITSELF, IN GENERAL (Questions 90– 92, all
included in this Commentary ) 1
Before Reading Question 90 1
St. Thomas’s Prologue to Questions 90–92 5
A. The essence of law (Question 90) 5
1. W hether law is something pertaining to reason?
(Question 90, Article 1) 12
2. C oncerning the end of law – in particular, whether the
law is always something directed to the common good?
(Question 90, Article 2) 27
3. Concerning its cause – in particular, whether the reason of
any man is competent to make laws? (Question 90, Article 3) 39
4. Concerning its promulgation – in particular, whether
promulgation is essential to a law? (Question 90, Article 4) 49
Before Reading Question 91 57
St. Thomas’s Prologue to Question 91 59
B. The different kinds of law (Question 91) 59
1. W hether there is an eternal law? (Question 91, Article 1) 61
2. W hether there is a natural law? (Question 91, Article 2) 7 1
3. W hether there is a human law? (Question 91, Article 3) 85
4. W hether there is a Divine law? (Question 91, Article 4) 9 5
5. W hether there is one Divine law, or several? (Question 91,
Article 5) 111
6. Whether there is a law of sin? (Question 91, Article 6) 123
Before reading Question 92 136
St. Thomas’s Prologue to Question 92 137
C. The effects of law (Question 92) 137
1. W hether an effect of law is to make men good?
(Question 92, Article 1) 138
2. W hether the effects of law are to command, to forbid, to
permit, and to punish, as the Jurist states?
(Question 92, Article 2) 149
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Analytical Table of Contents ix
II. THE PARTS OF LAW (Questions 93–108; this C ommentary
includes Questions 93–97, and the online Companion to
the Commentary includes additional commentary on
excerpts from Questions 97– 108) 159
Before Reading Question 93 159
St. Thomas’s Prologue to Questions 93–108 163
A. Of the eternal law (Question 93) 163
1. W hat is the eternal law – in particular, whether the
eternal law is a sovereign type [ratio] e xisting in God?
(Question 93, Article 1) 164
2. W hether the eternal law is known to all?
(Question 93, Article 2) 174
3. W hether every law is derived from the eternal law?
(Question 93, Article 3) 182
4. Whether necessary and eternal things are subject to the
eternal law? (Question 93, Article 4) 1 91
5. W hether natural contingents are subject to the eternal law?
(Question 93, Article 5) 201
6. W hether all human affairs are subject to the eternal law?
(Question 93, Article 6) 211
Before Reading Question 94 224
St. Thomas’s Prologue to Question 94 228
B. Of the natural law (Question 94) 228
1. W hat is the natural law – in particular, whether it is a
habit? (Question 94, Article 1) 229
2. W hat are the precepts of the natural law – in particular,
whether it contains several precepts, or only one?
(Question 94, Article 2) 237
3. W hether all acts of virtue are prescribed by the natural law?
(Question 94, Article 3) 256
4. Whether the natural law is the same in all men?
(Question 94, Article 4) 263
5. W hether the natural law can be changed?
(Question 94, Article 5) 277
6. W hether the natural law can be abolished from the
heart of man? (Question 94, Article 6) 290
Before Reading Question 95 299
St. Thomas’s Prologue to Question 95 300
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x Analytical Table of Contents
C. Of human law (Questions 95– 97) 3 00
1. C onsidered in itself (Question 95) 300
a. Its utility: Whether it was useful for laws to be framed
by men? (Question 95, Article 1) 302
b. Its origin: Whether every human law is derived from the
natural law? (Question 95, Article 2) 311
c. Its quality: Whether Isidore’s description of the quality
of positive law is appropriate? (Question 95, Article 3) 322
d. I ts division: Whether Isidore’s division of human laws is
appropriate? (Question 95, Article 4) 332
Before Reading Question 96 346
St. Thomas’s Prologue to Question 96 348
2. I ts power (Question 96) 348
a. Whether human law should be framed for the
community rather than the individual?
(Question 96, Article 1) 349
b. Whether human law should repress all vices?
(Question 96, Article 2) 359
c. Whether human law is competent to direct all acts of
virtue? (Question 96, Article 3) 3 71
d. Whether it binds a man in conscience?
(Question 96, Article 4) 379
e. Whether all men are subject to human laws?
(Question 96, Article 5) 393
f. Whether those who are under the law may act beside the
letter of the law? (Question 96, Article 6) 406
Before Reading Question 97 418
St. Thomas’s Prologue to Question 97 420
3. I ts mutability (Question 97) 420
a. Whether human law is changeable? (Question 97,
Article 1) 421
b. Whether it should be always changed, whenever
anything better occurs? (Question 97, Article 2) 429
c. Whether it is abolished by custom, and whether custom
obtains the force of law? (Question 97, Article 3) 436
d. W hether the application of human law should be
changed by dispensation of those in authority?
(Question 97, Article 4) 449
Index 461
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