Summa Contra Gentiles

Aquinas Thomas, Vernon J. Bourke

Description

Book Three, Part 2 of the Summa Contra Gentiles series is the second part of a treatise on the hierarchy of creation, the divine providence over all things, and man's relation to God.

The Summa Contra Gentiles is not merely the only complete summary of Christian doctrine that St. Thomas has written, but also a creative and even revolutionary work of Christian apologetics composed at the precise moment when Christian thought needed to be intellectually creative in order to master and assimilate the intelligence and wisdom of the Greeks and the Arabs. In the Summa Aquinas works to save and purify the thought of the Greeks and the Arabs in the higher light of Christian Revelation, confident that all that had been rational in the ancient philosophers and their followers would become more rational within Christianity.

Book 1 of the Summa deals with God; Book 2, Creation; and Book 4, Salvation.

Sujets

• Philosophie
• Philosophie de la religion
• Philosophie médiévale, scolastique
• Surveys
• Medieval
• PHILOSOPHY
• Philosophie et théologie
• Edad Media
• God
• Greeks
• Middle Ages
• Catholic
• Christianity
• Arab people
• History

Informations

• Publié par: University of Notre Dame Press
• Date de parution: 01 janvier 1975
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780268074814
• Langue: English

Extrait

Summa Contra Gentiles
Book Three: Providence
Part II
Translated, with an Introduction and Notes,
by
Vernon J. Bourke
Saint Thomas Aquinas
University of Notre Dame Press
Notre Dame
Copyright © 1956 by Doubleday & Company, Inc. First published in 1956 by Hanover House as On the Truth of the Catholic Faith First paperback edition 1956 by Image Books -->
Published by arrangement with Doubleday & Company, Inc.
University of Notre Dame Press edition 1975
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 www.undpress.nd.edu Reprinted in 1979, 1984, 1988, 1991, 1998, 2002, 2009 Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Thomas Aquinas, Saint, 1225?–1274. Summa contra gentiles. Reprint of the ed. published by Hanover House, Garden City, N.Y., under title: On the truth of the Catholic faith. Includes bibliographies. CONTENTS: book 1. God, translated, with an introd. and notes, by A.C. Pegis.—book 2. Creation, translated, with an introd. and notes, by J.F. Anderson. [etc.] 1. Apologetics—Middle Ages, 600–1500. I. Title. [BX1749.T4 1975] 239 75-19883 ISBN 0-268-01675-5 cloth. ISBN 0-268-01676-3 pbk. Summa Contra Gentiles, Book Three, Part II: Providence ISBN 13: 978-0-268-01688-3 (pbk.: alk. paper) ISBN 10: 0-268-01688-7 (pbk.: alk. paper) ∞ This book is printed on acid-free paper. -->
E-ISBN 978-0-268-07481-4
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Contents
PART II
Chapters 84–163
84. That the celestial bodies make no impression on our intellects
85. That the celestial bodies are not the causes of our acts of will and choice
86. That the corporeal effects in things here below do not necessarily result from the celestial bodies
87. That the motion of a celestial body is not the cause of our acts of choice by the power of its soul moving us, as some say
88. That separate created substances cannot be directly the cause of our acts of choice and will, but only God
89. That the movement of the will is caused by God and not only the power of the will
90. That human acts of choice and of will are subject to divine providence
91. How human events may be traced back to higher causes
92. How a person is favored by fortune and how man is assisted by higher causes
93. On fate: whether and what it is
94. On the certainty of divine providence
95. That the immutability of divine providence does not suppress the value of prayer
96. That some prayers are not granted by God
97. How the disposition of providence has a rational plan
98. How God can act apart from the order of His providence, and how not
99. That God can work apart from the order implanted in things, by producing effects without proximate causes
100. That things which God does apart from the order of nature are not contrary to nature
101. On miracles
102. That God alone works miracles
103. How spiritual substances do certain wonderful things which, however, are not truly miracles
104. That the works of magicians are not solely due to the influence of celestial bodies
105. Where the performances of the magicians get their efficacy
106. That the intellectual substance which provides the efficacy for magic works is not morally good
107. That the intellectual substance whose help the arts of magic use is not evil in its own nature
108. Arguments whereby it seems to be proved that there can be no sin in demons
109. That sin can occur in demons, and in what way
110. Answer to the previous arguments
111. That rational creatures are subject to divine providence in a special way
112. That rational creatures are governed for their own sakes, while others are governed in subordination to them
113. That the rational creature is directed by God to his actions not only by an ordering of the species, but also according to what befits the individual
114. That laws are divinely given to man
115. That the divine law principally orders man toward God
116. That the end of divine law is the love of God
117. That we are ordered by divine law to the love of neighbor
118. That through divine law men are bound to the right faith
119. That our mind is directed to God by certain sense objects
120. That the cult proper to latria is to be offered to God alone
121. That divine law orders man according to reason in regard to corporeal and sensible things
122. The reason why simple fornication is a sin according to divine law, and that matrimony is natural
123. That matrimony should be indivisible
124. That matrimony should be between one man and one woman
125. That matrimony should not take place between close relatives
126. That not all sexual intercourse is sinful
127. That the use of food is not a sin in itself
128. How man is ordered by the law of God in regard to his neighbor
129. That some human acts are right according to nature and not merely because they are prescribed by law
130. On the counsels that are given in divine law
131. On the error of the attackers of voluntary poverty
132. On the ways of life of those who practice voluntary poverty
133. In what way poverty is good
134. Answers to the arguments brought forward above against poverty
135. Answer to the objections against the different ways of life of those who embrace voluntary poverty
136. On the error of those who attack perpetual continence
137. Another error concerning perpetual continence
138. Against those who attack vows
139. That neither meritorious acts nor sins are equal
140. That a man’s acts are punished or rewarded by God
141. On the diversity and order of punishments
142. That not all rewards and punishments are equal
143. On the punishment due to mortal and venial sin in relation to the ultimate end
144. That by mortal sin a man is eternally deprived of his ultimate end
145. That sins are punished also by the experience of something painful
146. That it is lawful for judges to inflict punishments
147. That man needs divine help to attain happiness
148. That by the help of divine grace man is not forced toward virtue
149. That man cannot merit divine help in advance
150. That the aforesaid divine help is called grace, and what sanctifying grace is
151. That sanctifying grace causes the love of God in us
152. That divine grace causes faith in us
153. That divine grace causes hope in us
154. On the gifts of gratuitous grace, including a consideration of the divinations of demons
155. That man needs the help of grace to persevere in the good
156. That he who falls from grace through sin may again be restored through grace
157. That man cannot be freed from sin except through grace
158. How man is freed from sin
159. That it is reasonable to hold a man responsible if he does not turn toward God, even though he cannot do this without grace
160. That man in the state of sin, without grace, cannot avoid sin
161. That God frees some men from sin and leaves others in sin
162. That God is not the cause of sin for any person
163. On predestination, reprobation, and divine election Subject Index 269 --> Index of Proper Names 280 -->
Saint Thomas Aquinas
ON THE TRUTH OF THE CATHOLIC FAITH
BOOK THREE: PROVIDENCE
PART II
Chapter 84.
THAT THE CELESTIAL BODIES MAKE NO IMPRESSION ON OUR INTELLECTS
[1] From the things set forth earlier it is immediately evident that celestial bodies cannot be causes of events which go on in the understanding. Indeed, we have already shown 1 that the order of divine providence requires the lower things to be ruled and moved by the higher ones. But the understanding surpasses all bodies in the order of nature, as is also clear from what we have said before. 2 So, it is impossible for celestial bodies to act directly on the intellect. Therefore, they cannot be the direct cause of things that pertain to understanding.
[2] Again, no body acts except through motion, as is proved in Physics VIII . 3 But things that are immovable are not caused by motion, for nothing is caused by the motion of an agent, unless the agent moves a passive subject during the motion. So, things that are utterly apart from motion cannot be caused by the celestial bodies. But things that are in the area of understanding are entirely apart from motion, properly speaking, as is evident from the Philosopher, in Physics VII . 4 On the contrary, “through being undisturbed by motions, the soul becomes prudent and knowing,” as is stated in the same place. Therefore, it is impossible for celestial bodies to be the direct cause of things that pertain to understanding.
[3] Besides, if nothing is caused by a body unless the body is moved while the motion is going on, it is necessary for everything that receives an impression from a body to be moved. Now, nothing is so moved except a body, as is proved in Physics VI . 5 So, everything that receives an impression from a body must be a body, or some power of a body. Now, we showed in Book Two 6 that the intellect is neither a body nor a bodily power. Therefore, it is impossible for the celestial bodies directly to make an impression on the intellect.
[4] Moreover, everything that is moved by another thing is reduced by it from potency to act. But nothing is reduced by a thing from potency to act unless that thing is actual. So, every agent and mover must be in some way actual, in regard to the effects to which the passive and movable subject is in potency. Now, the celestial bodies are not actually intelligible, for they are certain individual, sensible things. And so, since our intellect is not in potency to anything except actual intelligibles, it is impossible for celestial substances directly to act on the intellect.
[5] Furthermore, the proper operation of a thing depends on its nature, which, in things that are generated,