Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica excerpts

Thomas Aquinas HOME The Summa Theologica is a monumental work by Thomas Aquinas, written between 1265 and 1274. It is a comprehensive study of Christian theology and philosophy. Throughout the book, Aquinas draws heavily on the writings of Aristotle, whom he believed had discovered many truths about the natural world that were compatible with Christian theology. Aquinas sought to synthesize Aristotelian philosophy with Christian theology, arguing that reason and faith are both necessary for a full understanding of the world.
excerpts from the Summa Theologica: On the existence of God: "There is no doubt that something which is the cause of being, goodness, and every other perfection in things, is more excellent than those things. Therefore, God, who is the cause of all things, must be the most excellent of all things." […] “God Himself is the rule and mode of virtue. Our faith is measured by divine truth, our hope by the greatness of His power and faithful affection, our charity by His goodness. His truth, power and goodness outreach any measure of reason. We can certainly never believe, trust or love God more than, or even as much as, we should. Extravagance is impossible. Here is no virtuous moderation, no measurable mean; the more extreme our activity, the better we are.” […] “God is not, like creatures, made up of parts. God is spirit, without bodily dimensions. Firstly, no body can cause change without itself being changed. Secondly, things with dimensions are potential of division. But the starting-point for all existence must be wholly real and not potential in any way: though things that get realized begin as potential, preceding them is the source of their realization which must already be real. Thirdly, living bodies are superior to other bodies; and what makes a body living is not the dimensions which make it a body (for then everything with dimensions would be living), but something more excellent like a soul. The most excellent existent of all then cannot be a body. So when the scriptures ascribe dimensions to God they are using spatial extension to symbolize the extent of God's power; just as they ascribe bodily organs to God as metaphors for their functions, and postures like sitting or standing to symbolize authority or strength.” On love “The emotion of love is an affective emotion, directly reacting to goodness, rather than an aggressive one, reacting to challenge. Not only our so-called natural ability to grow and propagate exemplify natural love, but every faculty has a built-in affinity for what accords with its nature. By passion we mean some result of being acted on: either a form induced by the agent (like weight) or a movement consequent on the form (like falling to the ground). Whatever we desire acts on us in this way, first arousing an emotional attachment to itself and making itself agreeable, and then drawing us to seek it. The first change the object produces in our appetite is a feeling of its agreeableness: we call this love (weight can be thought of as a sort of natural love); then desire moves us to seek the object and pleasure comes to rest in it. Clearly then, as a change induced in us by an agent, love is a passion: the affective emotion strictly so, the will to love by stretching of the term. Love unites by making what is loved as agreeable to the lover as if it were himself or a part of himself. Though love is not itself a movement of the appetite towards an object, it is a change the appetite undergoes rendering an object agreeable. Favour is a freely chosen and willing love, open only to reasoning creatures; and charity―literally, holding dear―is a perfect form of love in which what is loved is highly prized. To love, as Aristotle says, is to want someone’s good; so its object is twofold: the good we want, loved with a love of desire, and the someone we want it for (ourselves or someone else), loved with a love of friendship. And just as what exist in the primary sense are subjects of existence, and properties exist only in a secondary sense, as modes in which subjects exist; so too what we love in the primary sense is the someone whose good we will, and only in a secondary sense do we love the good so willed. Friendship based on convenience or pleasure is friendship inasmuch as we want our friend’s good; but because this is subordinated to our own profit or pleasure such friendship is subordinated to love of desire and falls short of true friendship.” On salvation “I answer that, It was necessary for man's salvation that there should be a knowledge revealed by God besides philosophical science built up by human reason. Firstly, indeed, because man is directed to God, as to an end that surpasses the grasp of his reason: "The eye hath not seen, O God, besides Thee, what things Thou hast prepared for them that wait for Thee" (Is. 66: 4). But the end must first be known by men who are to direct their thoughts and actions to the end. Hence it was necessary for the salvation of man that certain truths which exceed human reason should be made known to him by divine revelation. Even as regards those truths about God which human reason could have discovered, it was necessary that man should be taught by a divine revelation; because the truth about God such as reason could discover, would only be known by a few, and” On the nature of the soul: "The soul is the first principle of life in living things. It is a substance, and therefore immortal, and it is the principle of intellect and will in human beings." On natural law: "The natural law is a participation in the eternal law, which is the divine reason that governs the universe. It is the moral law that is written on the hearts of human beings, and it directs us towards our proper end, which is God." On the virtues: "The virtues are habits that dispose us to act in a good and moral way. They are acquired by repeated acts, and they perfect our powers of reason and will. The cardinal virtues are prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude, and these are the foundation of all other virtues." On the sacraments: "The sacraments are signs that signify and confer grace. They are instituted by Christ, and they are the means by which we receive the divine life. The seven sacraments of the Catholic Church are baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders, and matrimony."

Thomas Aquinas HOME

The Summa Theologica is a monumental work by Thomas Aquinas, written between 1265 and 1274. It is a comprehensive study of Christian theology and philosophy. Throughout the book, Aquinas draws heavily on the writings of Aristotle, whom he believed had discovered many truths about the natural world that were compatible with Christian theology. Aquinas sought to synthesize Aristotelian philosophy with Christian theology, arguing that reason and faith are both necessary for a full understanding of the world.

excerpts from the Summa Theologica:

On the existence of God:

"There is no doubt that something which is the cause of being, goodness, and every other perfection in things, is more excellent than those things. Therefore, God, who is the cause of all things, must be the most excellent of all things."

[…]
“God Himself is the rule and mode of virtue. Our faith is measured by divine truth, our hope by the greatness of His power and faithful affection, our charity by His goodness. His truth, power and goodness outreach any measure of reason. We can certainly never believe, trust or love God more than, or even as much as, we should. Extravagance is impossible. Here is no virtuous moderation, no measurable mean; the more extreme our activity, the better we are.”

[…]
“God is not, like creatures, made up of parts. God is spirit, without bodily dimensions. Firstly, no body can cause change without itself being changed. Secondly, things with dimensions are potential of division. But the starting-point for all existence must be wholly real and not potential in any way: though things that get realized begin as potential, preceding them is the source of their realization which must already be real. Thirdly, living bodies are superior to other bodies; and what makes a body living is not the dimensions which make it a body (for then everything with dimensions would be living), but something more excellent like a soul. The most excellent existent of all then cannot be a body. So when the scriptures ascribe dimensions to God they are using spatial extension to symbolize the extent of God's power; just as they ascribe bodily organs to God as metaphors for their functions, and postures like sitting or standing to symbolize authority or strength.”

On love

“The emotion of love is an affective emotion, directly reacting to goodness, rather than an aggressive one, reacting to challenge. Not only our so-called natural ability to grow and propagate exemplify natural love, but every faculty has a built-in affinity for what accords with its nature. By passion we mean some result of being acted on: either a form induced by the agent (like weight) or a movement consequent on the form (like falling to the ground). Whatever we desire acts on us in this way, first arousing an emotional attachment to itself and making itself agreeable, and then drawing us to seek it. The first change the object produces in our appetite is a feeling of its agreeableness: we call this love (weight can be thought of as a sort of natural love); then desire moves us to seek the object and pleasure comes to rest in it. Clearly then, as a change induced in us by an agent, love is a passion: the affective emotion strictly so, the will to love by stretching of the term. Love unites by making what is loved as agreeable to the lover as if it were himself or a part of himself. Though love is not itself a movement of the appetite towards an object, it is a change the appetite undergoes rendering an object agreeable. Favour is a freely chosen and willing love, open only to reasoning creatures; and charity―literally, holding dear―is a perfect form of love in which what is loved is highly prized. To love, as Aristotle says, is to want someone’s good; so its object is twofold: the good we want, loved with a love of desire, and the someone we want it for (ourselves or someone else), loved with a love of friendship. And just as what exist in the primary sense are subjects of existence, and properties exist only in a secondary sense, as modes in which subjects exist; so too what we love in the primary sense is the someone whose good we will, and only in a secondary sense do we love the good so willed. Friendship based on convenience or pleasure is friendship inasmuch as we want our friend’s good; but because this is subordinated to our own profit or pleasure such friendship is subordinated to love of desire and falls short of true friendship.”

On salvation

“I answer that, It was necessary for man's salvation that there should be a knowledge revealed by God besides philosophical science built up by human reason. Firstly, indeed, because man is directed to God, as to an end that surpasses the grasp of his reason: "The eye hath not seen, O God, besides Thee, what things Thou hast prepared for them that wait for Thee" (Is. 66: 4). But the end must first be known by men who are to direct their thoughts and actions to the end. Hence it was necessary for the salvation of man that certain truths which exceed human reason should be made known to him by divine revelation. Even as regards those truths about God which human reason could have discovered, it was necessary that man should be taught by a divine revelation; because the truth about God such as reason could discover, would only be known by a few, and”

On the nature of the soul:

"The soul is the first principle of life in living things. It is a substance, and therefore immortal, and it is the principle of intellect and will in human beings."

On natural law:

"The natural law is a participation in the eternal law, which is the divine reason that governs the universe. It is the moral law that is written on the hearts of human beings, and it directs us towards our proper end, which is God."

On the virtues:

"The virtues are habits that dispose us to act in a good and moral way. They are acquired by repeated acts, and they perfect our powers of reason and will. The cardinal virtues are prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude, and these are the foundation of all other virtues."

On the sacraments:

"The sacraments are signs that signify and confer grace. They are instituted by Christ, and they are the means by which we receive the divine life. The seven sacraments of the Catholic Church are baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders, and matrimony."