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Nature and Grace: Selections from the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas PDF

383 Pages·2006·5.79 MB·English
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Preview Nature and Grace: Selections from the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas

Aquinas on Nature and Grace General Editors John Baillie (1886-1960) served as President of the World Council of Churches, a member of the British Council of Churches, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and Dean of the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh. JohnT. McNeill (1885-1975) was Professor of the History of European Christianity at the University of Chicago and then Auburn Professor of Church History at Union Theological Seminary in New York. Henry P. Van Dusen (1897-1975) was an early and influen- tial member of the World Council of Churches and served at Union Theological Seminary in New York as Roosevelt Professor of Systematic Theology and later as President. THE LIBRARY OF CHRISTIAN CLASSICS Aquinas on Nature and Grace Selections from the Summa Theologica Edited and translated by A. M. FAIR WEATHER MA, STM © 1954 SCM Press Paperback reissued 2006 in the United States of America by Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmit- ted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For infor- mation, address SCM-Canterbury Press Ltd., 9-17 St. Alban's Place, London, Nl ONX, UK Cover design by designpointinc.com Published by Westminster John Knox Press Louisville, Kentucky This book is printed on acid-free paper that meets the American National Standards Institute Z39.48 standard.0 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA United States Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. ISBN-13: 978-0-664-24155-1 ISBN-10: 0-664-24155-7 GENERAL EDITORS' PREFACE The Christian Church possesses in its literature an abundant and incomparable treasure. But it is an inheritance that must be reclaimed by each generation. THE LIBRARY OF CHRISTIAN CLASSICS is designed to present in the English language, and in twenty-six volumes of convenient size, a selection of the most indispensable Christian treatises written prior to the end of the sixteenth century. The practice of giving circulation to writings selected for superior worth or special interest was adopted at the beginning of Christian history. The canonical Scriptures were themselves a selection from a much wider literature. In the Patristic era there began to appear a class of works of compilation (often designed for ready reference in controversy) of the opinions of well-reputed predecessors, and in the Middle Ages many such works were produced. These medieval anthologies actually preserve some noteworthy materials from works otherwise lost. In modern times, with the increasing inability even of those trained in universities and theological colleges to read Latin and Greek texts with ease and familiarity, the translation of selected portions of earlier Christian literature into modern languages has become more necessary than ever; while the wide range of distinguished books written in vernaculars such as English makes selection there also needful. The efforts that have been made to meet this need are too numerous to be noted here, but none of these collections serves the purpose of the reader who desires a library of representative treatises spanning the Christian centuries as a whole. Most of them embrace only the age of the Church Fathers, and some of them have iong been out of print. A fresh translation of a work already 9 10 GENERAL EDITORS PREFACE translated may shed much new light upon its meaning. This is true even of Bible translations despite the work of many experts through the centuries. In some instances old translations have been adopted in this series, but wherever necessary or desirable, new ones have Deen made. Notes have been supplied where these were needed to explain the author's meaning. The introductions provided for the several treatises and extracts will, we believe, furnish welcome guidance. JOHN BAILLIE JOHN T. MGNEILL HENRY P. VAN DUSKN CONTENTS GENERAL INTRODUCTION 21 PART I. QUESTIONS 1-4; 20-23 q. I: WHAT SACRED DOCTRINE IS, AND WHAT IT CONCERNS Art. 1: Whether another doctrine is necessary, besides the philosophical sciences . . . .. 35 Art. 2: Whether sacred doctrine is a science . . - 37 Art. 3: Whether sacred doctrine is a single science . . 38 Art. 4: Whether sacred doctrine is a practical science . 39 Art. 5: Whether sacred doctrine is nobler than other sciences . . . . . .. 40 Art. 6: Whether sacred doctrine is wisdom . . . 41 Art. 7: Whether God is the subject of this science . . 43 Art. 8: Whether sacred doctrine proceeds by argument . 44 Art. 9: Whether sacred doctrine should use metaphors . 46 Art. 10: Whether one passage of sacred Scripture may have several interpretations . . . .. 48 . 2: THE EXISTENCE OF GOD Art. 1: Whether it is self-evident that God exists . . 50 Art. 2: Whether God's existence can be demonstrated . 52 Art. 3: Whether God exists . . . .. 53 Q_. 3: OF THE SIMPLE NATURE OF GOD Art. 1: Whether God is a body . . . .. 57 Art. 2: Whether there is composition of form and matter in God 59 II CONTENTS Q,. 3: OF THE SIMPLE NATURE OF GOD COtltd. page Art. 3: Whether God is the same as his essence, or nature 60 Art. 4: Whether essence and existence are the same in God 62 Art. 5: Whether God belongs to a genus . .. 63 Art. 6: Whether there is any accident in God . . 65 Art. 7: Whether God is altogether simple . .. 66 Art. 8: Whether God enters into the composition of other things . . . . . .. 68 . 4: THE PERFECTION OF GOD Art. 1: Whether God is perfect . . . .. 70 Art. 2: Whether the perfections of all things are in God . 72 Art. 3: Whether any creature can be like God . . 73 . 20: THE LOVE OF GOD Art. 1: Whether there is love in God . . .. 78 Art. 2: Whether God loves all things . . .. 80 Art. 3: Whether God loves all things equally . . 82 Art. 4: Whether God always loves better things the more 83 . 2i: THE JUSTICE AND MERCY OF GOD Art. i: Whether there is justice in God . .. 86 Art. 2: Whether God's justice is truth . . .. 88 Art. 3: Whether there is mercy in God . .. 89 Art. 4: Whether justice and mercy are present in all God's works . . . . . .. 90 Q,. 22: OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE Art. 1: Whether providence is appropriately ascribed to God 93 Art. 2: Whether all things are under divine providence . 94 Art. 3: Whether God provides for all things directly . 98 Art. 4: Whether providence imposes a necessity on what it provides . . . . . .. 99 Q_. 23: OF PREDESTINATION Art. 1: Whether men are predestined by God . . 101 Art. 2: Whether predestination implies anything in the predestined . . . . . .103 Art. 3: Whether God rejects any man . . . .105 Art. 4: Whether the predestined are chosen by God . 106 12 CONTENTS . 23: OF PREDESTINATION COUtd. page Art. 5: Whether the foreknowledge of merits is the cause of predestination . . . . . . 1 08 Art. 6: Whether predestination is certain . . . 1 12 Art. 7: Whether the number of the predestined is certain 113 Art. 8: Whether predestination can be furthered by the prayers of the devout . . . . . 1 16 OF SIN. PRIMA SECUNDAE, QUESTIONS 82, 85 Q,. 82: THE ESSENCE OF ORIGINAL SIN Art. 1: Whether original sin is a habit . . . 1 19 Art. 2: Whether there are many original sins in one man 121 Art. 3: Whether original sin is desire . . . . 1 22 Art. 4: Whether original sin is in all men equally . . 1 24 . 85: THE EFFECTS OF SIN Art. 1: Whether sin diminishes natural good . .125 Art. 2: Whether the whole good of human nature can be destroyed by sin . . . . . .127 Art. 3: Whether weakness, ignorance, malice, and desire are rightly named as the wounds of nature due to sin . . . . . .. 129 Art. 4: Whether privation of mode, species, and order is the effect of sin . . . . .. 131 Art. 5: Whether death and other defects of the body are the effects of sin . . . . . . 132 Art. 6: Whether death and other defects are natural to man . . . . . . .. 134 TREATISE ON GRACE. PRIMA SECUNDAE, QUESTIONS 109-114 . IO9: CONCERNING THE EXTERNAL PRINCIPLE OF HUMAN ACTIONS, THAT IS, THE GRACE OF GOD Art, 1: Whether a man can know any truth without grace 137 Art. 2: Whether a man can will or do good without grace 140 Art. 3: Whether a man can love God above all things by his natural powers alone, without grace . .142 Art. 4: Whether a man can fulfil the commandment of the law by his natural powers, without grace . 144 13

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