Saint Thomas Aquinas, vol. 2: Spiritual Master

437 Pages·2016·1.43 MB·English

by  Jean-Pierre Torrell

Saint Thomas Aquinas
volume 2

jean-pierre torrell, o.p.
t
Saint Thomas Aquinas
volume 2
Spiritual Master
translated by
Robert Royal
The Catholic University of America Press
Washington, D.C.
Originally published as Saint Thomas d’Aquin, Maître Spirituelby
Editions Universitaires, Fribourg, Suisse, and Editions du Cerf, Paris.
Copyright © 1996Editions Universitaires, Fribourg, Suisse.
Copyright © 2003
The Catholic University of America Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standards for Information Science—Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library materials, ansi z39.48-1984.
∞
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Torrell, Jean-Pierre.
[Initiation à Saint Thomas d’Aquin. English]
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Volume 2: spiritual master /
Jean-Pierre Torrell ; translated by Robert Royal.
p. cm.
includes bibliographical references and indexes.
1. Thomas, Aquinas, Saint, 1225?–1274. 2. Christian saints—Italy—
Biography. 3. Theology, Doctrinal—History—Middle Ages.
600–1500. 4. Catholic Church—Doctrines—History. I. Title.
bx4700.t6t5713 2003
230´.2´092—dc20
95-42079
isbn0-8132-1315-0(cloth : alk. paper)
isbn0-8132-1316-9(pbk. : alk. paper)
Contents
t
Preface vii
Abbreviations xi
i. Theology and Spirituality 1
part i. a trinitarian spirituality
ii. He Who Is Beyond All Things 25
iii. God and the World 53
iv. Image and Beatitude 80
v. The Way, the Truth, and the Life 101
vi. The Image of the First-Born Son 125
vii. To Speak of the Holy Spirit 153
viii. The Heart of the Church 175
ix. The Master of the Interior Life 200
part ii. man in the world and before god
x. A Certain Idea of the Creation 227
xi. A Certain Idea of Man 252
xii. Without Friends, Who Would Want to Live? 276
xiii. The Most Noble Thing in the World 309
xiv. Ways to God 341
xv. Conclusion: Major Ideas and Sources 370
Bibliography 385
Index of Scripture 407
Index of the Works of Saint Thomas Aquinas 409
Index of Names 415
Index of Subjects 417

Preface
t
For anyone who knows Saint Thomas Aquinas only by hearsay, it may
be surprising to see him presented as a spiritual master. The author of the
Summa Theologiaeis certainly well known as a first-class intellectual, but
not as a mystic. At the risk of surprising still further, we must not hesitate
to say that his intellectual renown is partly misleading. The figure who at
times seems to be known only for his philosophy is also first and foremost
a theologian, a commentator on Sacred Scripture, an attentive student of
the Fathers of the Church, and a man concerned about the spiritual and
pastoral repercussions of his teaching. His disciples know this well and
have long labored to facilitate access to their Master’s secret garden.
The list of authors who have tried to reveal this unknown Thomas
would be too long to reproduce here, but we must mention the name
Louis Chardon (1595–1651), whose La Croix de Jésus is a stylistic master-
piece that draws on great themes from Thomas in a very personal way.1
Closer to our own time, Father Mennessier has edited two highly success-
ful anthologies of texts by Friar Thomas.2 As everyone knows, forty years
ago (the book has been frequently reprinted) Father Chenu did not hesi-
tate to include Saint Thomas in the “Spiritual Masters” series.3 More re-
1. Louis Chardon, La Croix de Jésus, in which the most beautiful truths of mystical the-
ology and grace are set forth (Paris, 1647; new ed., 1937); translated into English as The
Cross of Jesus, trans. Richard T. Murphy (St. Louis, Mo., 1957). For an overview of the work
with some critical questions, see Yves Congar, Les voies du Dieu vivant(Paris, 1962); parts 1
and 2translated into English as The Revelation of God, trans. A. Manson and L. C. Shep-
pard (New York, 1968), 116–28. Besides Chardon, there is a whole series of seventeenth-cen-
tury authors worth mentioning; on this see J.-P. Torrell, La théologie catholique (Paris,
1994), 39–41.
2. A.-I. Mennessier, Saint Thomas d’Aquin(Paris, 1942, 21957); Saint Thomas d’Aquin:
L’homme chrétien(Paris, 1998). The first of these collections centers on the organic condi-
tions for spiritual progress. The second pays more attention to the economy of salvation and
to the condition of man as sinner. In each case, the introductions and commentaries help
greatly in understanding the texts.
3. M.-D. Chenu, Saint Thomas d’Aquin et la théologie(Paris, 1959).
vii
viii Preface
cently, the Dictionnaire de spiritualité devoted a long article4 to Thomas
and, shortly after that, La Vie spirituellededicated a special issue to him.5
In writing L’initiation à saint Thomas, published several years ago, I my-
self had a chance to see how this side of the personality and doctrine of
the Master from Aquino, which deserves attention, is hardly known.6
In the tradition of Saint John the Evangelist and the Fathers of the
Church, Thomas Aquinas’s theology is clearly oriented towards contem-
plation and is as deeply spiritual as it is doctrinal. One could say, I be-
lieve, that it is even more spiritual than rigorously doctrinal. The very
clarity of his intellectual, philosophical, and theological commitments is
immediately reflected in a religious attitude that has no equivalent except
that of a mystic wholly consumed by love of the absolute. Thomas himself
bears witness to this at the end of his life when he leaves the “straw” of
words for the “grain” of definitive reality. His own personal example shows
us that there is no need to add to his theology, because it already leads to
piety. We only need to pursue to the full extent what the theology itself re-
quires of us.
Anyone who has read the preliminary outline in the Dictionnaire de
spiritualité will quickly see that many of the themes found there will also
be found here. The deep, structural lines of Thomas’s thought obviously
have not changed and no one has contradicted that earlier presentation. I
am not seeking originality at all costs in the present volume. I hope to give
greater scope to certain themes too briefly considered in the first treat-
ment. I will also address other matters that were only elliptically alluded
to and, sometimes, not mentioned at all. My goal, however, is not to re-
construct a spiritual teaching that Thomas himself did not deem useful to
write. Rather, I wish to draw the general outline of that spirituality and,
thus, to facilitate access to those hidden riches.
In spite of that hope, I cannot treat everything and, in several in-
stances, it will be necessary to stop short of full exploration of paths that
are opened up. Those familiar with the subject will notice that I try to fol-
4. J.-P. Torrell, “Thomas d’Aquin (saint),” DS, vol. 15(1991), col. 718–73; see in particu-
lar the second part: “Théologie spirituelle,” col. 749–73.
5. “Saint Thomas d’Aquin, Maître Spirituel?,” La Vie spirituelle147(1993).
6. J.-P. Torrell, Initiation à saint Thomas d’Aquin, Sa personne et son oeuvre(Paris-Fri-
bourg, 1993). This book has been translated into Italian (1994) and German (1995), and into
English as Saint Thomas Aquinas: The Person and His Work, trans. Robert Royal (Washing-
ton, D.C, 1996).
Preface ix
low closely the large doctrinal options, but without obligating myself to
take up all of them in every detail or to go very far into debates with the
learned and the experts. Without entirely neglecting the underpinnings of
certain positions and the legitimate diversity among certain disciples, I
will more often cite at length the very texts of the Master. They are not
only less difficult in technical terms than is sometimes believed, but they
are also often quite beautiful and testify precisely to the spirituality that I
hope to help readers perceive.
Some may ask about the originality—and perhaps even the real exis-
tence—of that spirituality. We will often note the origin in John, Paul, or
Augustine of various attitudes, ideas, or recommendations. But is there re-
ally a spirituality unique to Thomas? Let us leave this question open at the
outset. Little by little the answer should emerge in the course of the fol-
lowing chapters, but I shall not try to present it in a systematic spirit.
Nothing is more foreign to Thomas’s spirit than ideology or apologetics. It
would be odd to praise him with arguments that he would be the first to
see are weak. Truth is beautiful enough; it does not need false ornaments.
It may also be helpful to add that readers should not look for edifying
proposals here. I certainly want this study to be accessible to the largest
number of people possible and will try to avoid useless technical sub-
tleties. But without aiming at erudition, we cannot avoid the rigor neces-
sary for understanding a theologian who tries to establish the true founda-
tions for his teaching. Assembling the evidence for the spiritual dimension
of the great Thomistic themes does not require the adoption of a tone
more suited to a homily or meditation. I do not wish to depreciate those
literary genres but rather to acknowledge my inability to use them with the
proper degree of suppleness. Others, more fortunate than I am, will even-
tually take up this work and draw from it a more heartfelt piety for a larger
public. Nothing will bring more pleasure to the disciple of Saint Thomas
who does not forget the “little old woman” whom the master sometimes
finds greater than the learned doctors.
Even when it bears the name of a single author, a book is never solely
the work of one person. It is my pleasure to mention here Denise
Bouthillier, Denis Chardonnens, and especially Gilles Emery. They pro-
vided friendly companionship throughout the writing of this book and
their close and critical reading of the manuscript resulted in many valu-
able suggestions. I warmly thank all of them.