Commentaria in Summam contra Gentiles, Liber III

After St. Thomas has determined concerning the precepts that are presupposed to the precepts of the Decalogue, he begins to determine concerning the precepts of the Decalogue themselves ¹.

Concerning this, moreover, he does two things: first, he determines concerning the precepts by which man is ordered to God; second, concerning the precepts by which he is ordered to his neighbor, chap. 121. — Concerning the first, he does two things: first, he shows that through the divine law man is ordered to divine worship; second, he shows that that worship is to be shown to no other, in the following chapter.

Concerning the first, he does three things: first, he shows that worship of this kind, which consists in certain bodily things, was fittingly ordered through the divine law; second, he refutes the opinion of certain persons ²; third, he sets down the fittingness of the names by which worship of this kind is named ³. I. As to the first, he sets down this conclusion: It was fittingly provided for man by God that a commemoration of divine things should be made for him even in sensible things. It is proved. It is connatural to man to receive knowledge through the senses; and it is most difficult to transcend sensible things. Therefore, the attention of man, whose mind is not strong enough to contemplate divine things in themselves, had to be recalled to divine things—which is the intention of the law—through sensible things. How, moreover, the mind of man might be elevated to God through the sensible things contained in the divine law, St. Thomas shows by running through the individual kinds. For sensible sacrifices, which man offers to God, were instituted not because God has need of them, but so that it might be represented to man that he ought to refer himself and all his goods to God as to an end, as to the Creator, Ruler, and Lord of all things. — Sanctifications through sensible things, by which man is washed or anointed, and the like, with the utterance of sensible words, were instituted so that through sensible things it might be represented to man that the procession of intelligible gifts in him comes from without and from God, whose name is expressed by sensible vocal sounds. — Prostrations, however, genuflections, and the like, were instituted not that God might be moved by such things, as though God had need of them, but that men might provoke themselves to divine things; and at the same time with this, that we might profess that God is the author of soul and body, to whom we render both bodily and spiritual services.

II. As to the second ⁴, St. Thomas says that it is no wonder if the heretics who deny that God is the author of our body rebuke the rendering of bodily services of this kind to God. But they themselves are also rebuked. Because they do not remember that they are men, when they judge that the representation of sensible things is not necessary for them for interior knowledge and affection. The opposite of which is evident from experience.

III. As to the third ⁵, St. Thomas assigns the reason for five names by which we designate the rendering of these bodily things to God. For it is called, first, the worship of God: because we are said to cultivate those things toward which we display care through our works; but concerning God we display care by our act, not for His benefit, but for our own. He also adds that by interior acts we properly worship God, because through them we tend directly toward God; yet exterior acts themselves also pertain to the worship of God, inasmuch as through them our mind is elevated to God. Worship of this kind is called, secondly, religion: because man by acts of this kind in a certain way binds himself, lest he wander away from God. And also because by a certain natural instinct he feels himself bound to render reverence to God in his own way. Religion itself is called, thirdly, piety: because through it honor is shown to God, the Parent of all. And therefore those who are opposed to the things that pertain to divine worship are called impious. That which we render in honor is called, fourthly, service: because our whole being is in the power of God, and all that is in us we owe to Him, wherefore He is truly our Lord. It is called, fifthly, latria. For because God is Lord not accidentally, as is every ⁶ man (namely, who has dominion), but by nature: therefore service is owed in one way to God, and in another way to man, to whom we are subject accidentally, inasmuch as he has some particular dominion in things, and his dominion is derived ⁷ from God (namely, above the debt of nature). Therefore the service that is owed to God is specially called latria among the Greeks.

2. Concerning this name divine worship, or worship of God, it must be noted, from the teaching of St. Thomas in II^a II^ae, q. 81, a. 1 ⁸, that one is said to cultivate certain things when we frequent them either by remembrance, or by honoring, or by presence: just as farmers are so called because they cultivate the fields, and frequent them by their presence and labor; and inhabitants are so called because they cultivate the places which they inhabit. In this sense his words in this passage must be understood, when he says that we are said to cultivate those things toward which we apply care through our works: for the sense is that we are said to cultivate those things which we frequent by our works, care, and diligence. But some things we frequent by our works for their benefit: just as we cultivate fields that they may bear fruit. But we are not said to frequent God by our works for His benefit and advantage: rather, we frequent Him by remembrance and honoring, because through acts of this kind we make progress toward God, as was said above. On account of this, the rendering of honor which we display to God through sensible things, but first and foremost through the interior remembrance and veneration of Him, is fittingly named the worship of God, because it is the frequent remembrance and honoring of God.

3. Concerning that which is said, that man is a lord accidentally, but God by nature, it must be noted that one must speak in one way of the dominion by which one regulates and directs another in his works, and in another way of the dominion by which whatever is in the subject belongs to the lord and is owed to him. Likewise, one must speak in one way of the aptitude for dominating, and in another way of actual domination. If we speak of dominion in the first way, thus, as to the aptitude and fittingness of domination, some men are lords not accidentally, but by nature. For those who are vigorous in intellect are naturally lords: as is said in Prov. 11 ⁹, He that is a fool shall serve the wise; and it belongs to the Philosopher in his Politics ¹⁰. — But as to actual domination, no one is a lord by nature, but accidentally: inasmuch as some choose to be subject to the direction and governance of one man. And quite often we see those who are vigorous in intellect being subjected and regulated, but the dull and uncultivated ruling and governing. If, however, we speak of dominion in the second way, thus it is manifest that it belongs to man accidentally. For we see him who was truly the lord of another, and whose servant the other was, become the servant of another. Which is a sign that dominion of this kind is not according to nature, since natural things do not vary, but rather belongs to man accidentally and beyond nature. Therefore St. Thomas speaks of this second dominion in this place. Which is clear from the fact that, speaking of God's dominion, he says, because all that is in us we owe to Him, and on this account He is truly our Lord. — It can also be understood of actual domination, which we also said belongs to man accidentally. Yet the first is better.

4. Concerning the name latria, it must be considered that it does not signify the worship of God among theologians as though this were the proper meaning of the word. For as Suidas ¹¹ and other Greeks say, latria is servitude or service for hire: for it is originally derived from this noun latron, which signifies reward and hire. But I think this name was adopted by Catholic Greeks to signify particularly the worship of God, and the service that is rendered to God, because those who render service to God with a sincere mind expect a great reward and a great hire.